Cyber Ethiopia

Now that the return (or should I rather say the non-return?) of the Aksum obelisk in Rome is arousing increasing interest, it may be convenient to look at five important documents. "One of the Obelisks Should be Brought to Rome" (1) A telegram of 24 October 1936 from Alessandro Lessona, the Italian Minister of the Colonies, to Marshal Graziani, the Italian Fascist Viceroy of Ethiopia. In this document, Lessona explained that "H.E. the Head of the Government [i.e. his master, the dictator Mussolini] has ordered that... one of the obelisks of Axum should be brought to Rome. The obelisk must reach Rome in time to be inaugurated on 9 May 1937". That date was the first anniversary of the Duce's pronouncement of the founding of the Fascist

Empire in Ethiopia. The arrival of the obelisk in Rome was in fact delayed for several months, and was therefore not "inaugurated" in Rome until 28 October of that year - the fifteenth anniversary of Mussolini's so-called March on Rome. "The Thirteenth Monument" (2) An article in the Rome daily Il Giornale d'Italia, of 2 November 1937, which stated that the obelisk was "the thirteenth monument which Rome, over the centuries, had taken from the lands of Africa". This was apparently a reference to twelve monuments said to have been looted in Egypt by the ancient Roman Empire. "Historic Obelisk" (3) Emperor Haile Sellassie's Message to the Churches of the World, despatched early in 1937. In this document the Ethiopian ruler listed various "barbaric acts" committed by the Italian Fascist authorities against his people. The fifth, as noted in the second volume of his autobiographical work My Life and Ethiopia's Progress (page 27 of the Harold Marcus translation), was: "the transport to Rome of an ancient and historic obelisk which a previous emperor erected 1600 years ago". (4) Article 37 of the Italian Peace Treaty, signed on 10 February 1947. Article 37 specified that: "Within Eighteen Months" "within eighteen months of the coming onto force of the present Treaty, Italy shall restore all works of art, religious objects, archives and objects of historical value belonging to Ethiopia or its nationals and removed from Ethiopia to Italy since October 3, 1935". That was of course the date when Fascist Italy had attacked Ethiopia, without any declaration of war. Ato Emmanuel Abraham and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (5) Extracts from Reminiscences of My Life, by Ato Emmanuel Abraham, a sometime Ethiopian Ambassador in Rome, which recapture the spirit of the ensuing Ethio-Italian negotiations about the obelisk. Reporting (on pages 104 and 105) that he went, on 8 May 1953, to Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to see the Director-General for Economic Affairs, Scaduto Mendola, Ato Emmanuel recalls: "Standing in Rome for All to See" "I remarked in the course of the talk...[that] the obelisk was standing in Rome for all to see... "I told him that it could not be said that the Ethiopian government had willingly given the monument to the Italian government; why not then send it back?" Ato Emmanuel goes on to note (on page 105) that he persuaded Mendola to make a list of items looted from Ethiopia - but the ambassador "noticed that he [Mendola] did not include the Aksum monument and told him again that its early restoration was expected. He stared at the floor for about a minute but could not bring himself to utter one word. To me his silence was proof enough that the Italian government, far from restoring the monument to us, had not even given it a thought. "I sent", Ato Emmanuel continues, "the Emperor on May 9 a full account of the discussion I had with the official and wrote concerning the Aksum monument, 'I request Your Majesty's instructions about this work of art which was undeniably taken by force'. In a letter dated May 19, the Emperor replied, 'We have designated Ato Yilma Deressa and Ato Menbere Yahehirad to negotiate on the matter. Your statement about the Aksum monument has afforded us special pleasure. You will be informed of the progress of the matter in due course'". "However", Ato Emmanuel continues, "no result was obtained from the negotiations for several months, since the Italian government had chosen to delay the matter as long as possible to suit its internal politics". Talks on Italian war reparations for Ethiopia were at that time under discussion. Ato Emmanuel (see page 115) accordingly wrote to the Emperor again, on 6 August, to say: "'If there is a chance of the question of war reparations coming to a successful conclusion, I venture to recommend that the question of the plundered objects and the [Aksum] monument be finalized at the same time'. I then proceeded to express the view that otherwise the matter could be dragged out and would perhaps never be settled". The Emperor, however, wrote to Ato Emmanuel, on 17 August: "Discussions are proceeding with the Italian Ambassador on the objects plundered from Ethiopia and the monument together with the reparations... the details will be sent to you when all is settled". The matter was of course not settled. Ato Emmanuel recalls (on page 117): "Prevarication" "The Emperor wrote on January 12 [1953]... 'With regard to the Aksum monument, it is obvious to all that the reasons they [the Italians] advance leave an impression of prevarication; however, the [Italian] Ambassador here has informed Ato Aklilu [the Ethiopian Foreign Minister] that the monument will be brought back". That, dear reader, was almost fifty years ago! "It is our firm determination", the Emperor continued, "that the monument be restored'" Shortly after this, Ato Emmanuel was handed an Italian Government memorandum (page 118), which stated that: "Presented by the People of Ethiopia" (???) "when the Aksum obelisk was removed from Ethiopia it was broken to pieces to make it easier to carry away by freight and that it would not only be of little use if it were dismantled again and shipped back to Ethiopia, but it would also distress the Italian people. The Italian government had therefore indicated its readiness to present instead a monument, a commemorative structure, a hospital or any other thing desired by the Ethiopian government. In case the monument was left in Italy, and so as not to make it appear that it was a spoil of war, an inscription should be placed on it as follows: 'Presented by the people of Ethiopia to the people of Italy in token of friendship', and that the structure the Italian people would give in replacement be inscribed, 'Gift of the people of Italy as a token of gratitude for the gift of friendship made by the Ethiopian people to the Italian people'". Not long after this Ato Ammanuel had a discussion (described on pages 119-2) with the Italian Director-General for Political Affairs, Ambassador Magistri, and the Head of Section, Minister Cardio. The latter declared that: "they [the Italians] were prepared to restore the monument [i.e. the Aksum obelisk] if the Ethiopian government insisted that it be returned, but that their Ambassador [i.e. the Italian ambassador] had informed my government that, in accordance with the peace treaty, the Ethiopian government had to pay for the freight and that my government had replied that it would not accept his view since there was no such stipulation in the section of the treaty that dealt with Ethiopian matters. According to the experts' reports freight charges would be about 300 million lire. "I rejoined", Ato Emmanuel continues. "that it was not for us to pay the freight but those who took away the object, We did not ask the monument to be taken to Rome; one should not forget that it was removed by force. I asked why they found it to be so heavy to take it back when they paid for the freight to carry it to Rome. He said it was for the experts to say; it was because Mussolini had ordered it; money had no value in those days, the only concern was to carry out his orders; but now they had found it beyond their modest means. He then expressed the wish that the monument might remain in Italy and that Ethiopia be given what it desired instead. "Not Simply Dressed Stone" "I said that I regretted there was one thing they [the Italians] had failed to appreciate; the Ethiopian people did not consider the monument simply as dressed stone; it was for us a reminder of two thousand years of history and it was not a thing to be given away for a hospital or for any other thing. It was deplored that they should ask to retain it in exchange for something because it indicated that they had no concern for the feelings and dignity of our people. Why did they not realize that the Ethiopian government and people could not give away for money what was a symbol of their dignity and a legacy from their ancestors. The monument was taken away as spoil at a time when our people had fallen. It gave us no joy but afflicted our spirit to contemplate the manner of its despoliation. We desired that all that we considered as an act of insult be obliterated now that we stood on our feet and that our rights were recognized. It seemed to me good in all respects if they did not keep on offering pretexts and thus add insult to injury, but restore the monument to us as a pledge of sincere friendship". The Emperor subsequently wrote to Ato Emmanuel, on 1 April, that he approved the latter's action over the obelisk, and stated (see page 121) that he had asked that "the Italian government deliver the Aksum monument and the objects it admits to be in its possession".