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April 17, 2021

A Lion in the Grass: Ethiopia’s Sovereignty and Fight for the Future

Africa.

The name of the continent itself conjures visions of indomitable wilderness. A lion, low to the ground, moves through the grass, quietly stalking its prey, an antelope without the slightest idea that death creeps upon it until it is too late. Rivers wide and deep, flowing with brown murky waters, snake through the grasslands like pythons, dispensing life and wreaking havoc in equal measure. Come the rainy season, their banks flood, but the dry spells make their waters recede, shriveling all surrounding vegetation and crumbling their banks. One might wander the scorching deserts for days upon days upon weeks, with only the clearest stars to guide them and the sun scorching them to madness as mirages of lakes and palm trees fizzle in the searing heat. At times, the harsh conditions cause us to wonder whether men were ever intended to wander these corners of the earth. On the same continent, tropical luscious forests color large swaths of land with their verdant green blankets drenched in daily rainfall. And bordering the quintessential savannas and rising along prosperous coasts, mountains reach up as if to touch the face of God, covered in his white beard, Kilimanjaro in the Rift Mountains and Toubkal in the Atlas range tower as the highest iconic peaks. These heavenly landscapes have long fascinated adventurers and enticed Europeans explorers with the promise of free range for complete exploration and colonization in the latter decades of the 19th century.

Indeed, in this process of exotification, Africa has long served as a source of intrigue and mystery for Western minds. With often questionable representation in classic media such as Oroonoko, Tarzan, and Heart of Darkness, Western societies have looked to the African continent with a sense of misplaced idealism for its virginal landscapes laced with contempt for its lack of ‘properly civilized’ peoples throughout history. Since Europeans first laid eyes and set foot on the African continent, its peoples and lands had served not as a bastion of cultural exposure and exchange, but as a bounty of resources ripe for exploitation to benefit European colonizers. Delving into the “dark heart” of the continent and emerging with the reward of plunder was considered to be a testament to the resolve and superiority of the European nations, but it was the hearts of the colonizers that contained the darkness.

Following rapid industrialization in Europe with its accompanying population explosion, most European powers decided to set their sights on outward expansion beyond their own continent.  In agreement, they scrambled to divide the African continent among themselves. They then sent in their naval fleets in a mass conquest of the continent in the latter part of the nineteenth century, divvied up like a pie at a banquet of monarchs and rapacious wealthy elites who stood to gain from exploitation.1 No portion of the continent was safe from the far-reaching ambitions of European nations.

Like the lion in the grass who awaits its prey fiercely defending the territory he has painstakingly marked, Ethiopia  managed to escape falling prey to the European thirst for blood and hunting trophies in this first scramble. It carefully guarded its sovereignty. The Italians, on the other hand, had hardly consolidated their own national country. Hence, Italy was late to join the conqueror’s game, but nonetheless eager to grab a larger piece of the African pie for themselves and set their sight on neighboring Ethiopia. Ethiopia like the majestic lion in the grass, its symbol, protected its kingdom through one of the most valiant fight. 2

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The nation of Italy, located entirely on a peninsula jutting out into the Mediterranean Sea, is in a prime position for access to Africa. No more than a hop, skip, and a jump away from the continent’s northern coastline, separated by a relatively narrow expanse of sea, the southern European country seemed poised to jump into the fray that was the Scramble for Africa. However, having only very recently been unified under one cohesive flag of sovereignty, Italy found itself, rather unfashionably late to the party.3 The glorious riches of the resources of Central and South Africa had thus been claimed by other European powers, the western shores spoken for. What was left for the Italians?

Madman2001 l “Map of the Mediterranean Sea and subdivisions” l 1 June 2011 l 799 x 314 l Wikimedia Commons

There was the Horn. An interesting position, geographically speaking – if one traces the outline of the African continent, one might discern the profile of an elephant’s head, making the Horn the valuable ivory tusk, quite appropriate when considering the greed that flashed before the eyes of the Italians. Ethiopia, or Abyssinia as it was known at the time, provided a strategic base of sorts.4 The bounty of the sea was plentiful off the coast of Eritrea, situated right along the northern border of Ethiopia, for trade with the Arabian Peninsula – and potentially the entirety of the Indian Ocean – made this out to be too good of an opportunity to pass up.5

Bukkia l “Italian East Africa” l 2 October 2009 l 668 x 599 l Wikimedia Commons

Since the Scramble for Africa entered into full swing, Ethiopia had miraculously managed to wrest itself free of foreign dominance. A brief altercation with Great Britain in 1868 painted a black mark on their record. But otherwise, from the 100s A.D. all the way to the late 1800s, Ethiopia remained secure in its sovereignty. Then, after an initial Italian invasion, Emperor Menelik II agreed to terms of friendship with the Italian government in 1889, which Italy perceived as acquiescence to the status of an offshore territory.6  Naturally, Ethiopia vehemently opposed this stipulation, which equally went against the Italians’ interests. Ethiopia, for its part, desired nothing less than complete and honored sovereignty as one of the only African lands besides Liberia to have escaped the horrors of colonization.7 It was the lion in the grass, and it would not succumb to a hyena’s scavenging for scraps.

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Hyenas fulfill the role of the trickster in folklore across their endemic range on the African continent. Like many of its fellow archetypal characters around the world, a tricky hyena oscillates from playfully mischievous to outright brutal, and as anyone who has flipped on the Discovery Channel can attest, they are far more often the latter. Italy certainly resembled the hyena to Ethiopia’s lion in this turn of events. Emperor Menelik II, fully confident in his nation’s status as sovereign in this fateful interaction, believed this treaty to simply be an agreement to end hostilities and respect each other as sovereign states. The Italians had other plans. Drafting two copies of the treaty, one for the Ethiopians, and one for themselves, their stipulations signed and agreed to include establishing a protectorate in Ethiopia. Because this was a legally binding agreement, no matter the content, the Italians could hold the Ethiopians to both versions of the treaty.8 Thus was the beginning of a long road ahead for Ethiopia, rife with struggle against foreign colonizers and within its own borders, as though it ultimately prevailed against the scourge of colonization, this tumultuous history has landed it among the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) of the world.

The Italians had initially lost Ethiopia but managed to salvage the tiny region for themselves.9 However, now that they indeed had Eritrea, they could turn their eyes to Ethiopia once more, hungrily like the hyenas they were. Jumping off the platform of territorial disputes within the autonomous and colonized regions of the Horn of Africa, Italy – now headed by the infamous Benito Mussolini – invaded the state a second time in 1935.10 The Italo-Ethiopian War was a relatively short affair, but a devastating one nonetheless – resulting in an Italian victory and the total takeover of Ethiopia, something that the African nation had so valiantly staved off for decades.11 Assistance was required, assistance endowed by the British Empire in 1941, reconquering the capital of Addis Ababa and then the whole of the nation, and reinstating the Ethiopian Haile Selassie in a position of power.12

The lion had won this grassland fight and, come the 1960s, made the move to annex Eritrea in its bid for independence from the British.13 Now, they had become conquerors themselves, and a future as an empire resonated a glorious chord where their enemies had failed.

“Ethiopian Orthodox priests. Creative Commons photo” l Religion Unplugged

***

Eritrea, a tiny nation on coast of the Red Sea, was now under Ethiopian authority. From the 1960s till the 1990s, for a count of thirty-one years, it was subsumed in the fledgling Ethiopian Empire.14 And throughout those thirty-one years, it fought just as long and just as hard to regain its own independence.15 Ethiopia had become the very thing it swore it would never succumb to, all in the name of power and newfound security in sovereignty. Though Eritrea eventually declared its independence in 1993, this small victory was far from the end of the conflict.16 Ethiopia, a lion on the prowl, salivated at the catching of the Eritrea stalwart buffalo. But when a lion messes with a bull, it risks the horns.

Although the actual “border war” only last for about a year, from 1999 to 2000, the whole conflict persisted in off-and-on cold tension and hot combat until the year 2018. Famines, which had plagued the Horn of Africa since the early 1970s, forced large-scale resettlement of both Ethiopians and Eritreans, bringing into contact ethnic groups comprised of varying cultural, religious, and – particularly relevant when a refugee is compelled to relocate in a strange land, even within their own country – topographical backgrounds. This migration included many from the region of Tigray, a border region between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Although in 2018, the conflict had formally ended between the two states, in actuality, tensions in Tigray had been escalating for quite some time, primarily due to the previously noted forced resettlement. As of last year, 2020, in the aftermath of a botched election process in the region, the conflict had quickly devolved, with the nation of Ethiopia now teetering on the edge of full-blown civil war.17

The current prime minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, had been celebrated for his sweeping governmental reforms in the wake of the Eritrean war for independence. However, his administration has come into armed conflict with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front over an election that was deemed invalid.18 Ahmed has long been regarded as a peacekeeper in the Horn of Africa, having been awarded the coveted Nobel Peace Prize, even holding a doctoral degree in the field. But as friction pertaining to his reforms against the wishes of the political parties in Tigray and the north of the nation has escalated, the sparks of war set the region ablaze once again. The former Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, had long been supported by the dominant Tigrayan political parties; the appointment of Ahmed, an Oromo man, has contributed to not just political stressors, but ethnic ones as well.19 Truly, this is a picture of a lion, having lorded the savanna for what seems an age, the victor bruised and battle-scared, finding himself challenged and his rule upended. Ethiopia is unraveling, and it is not the government that suffers, but rather the ordinary people who fall under its subjection.

***

Herein lies the major caveat of international relations. The actors on the stage are not merely nebulous pieces of land defined by imaginary lines on a map. Realists in international relations are wont to portray the world stage as comprised of simple states, territories with clearly defined borders, yet these are but imaginary lines. The real actors are the people within these borders, their suffering the real play. However involved they may be is irrelevant – each and every one is an individual unit, a name, a face, a human being. That is why it is called a humanitarian crisis, and not a governmental or a military crisis, when innocent civilians are involved. Of course, human beings make governments and military forces as well, no one is denying this. But it is one thing for two governments, two heads of state, two armed forces to be at each other’s throats. It is a far different matter entirely when non-combatant fathers, mothers, and children become caught up in the conflict and end up pay the ultimate -a price they never acquiesced to pay for in the first place. In this borderlands conflict, 52,000 people have perished, with many more thousands having been displaced, either directly as a result of warfare activity or the resource depletion which has accompanied it.20

Rod Waddington. “Tigray, Ethiopia” l 800 x 485 l 21 November 2012 l Wikimedia Commons

***

Sadly, in part due to this ongoing ethnic conflict, Ethiopia has floundered fragile among the Least Developed Countries of the world or LDCs. Although the nation is rich in resources, armed territorial conflict and regional famines across the entire Horn of Africa have all but thwarted its potential prosperity. From 2005 to 2015, Ethiopia experienced a 10.7% increase in economic growth, a remarkable achievement, and its vast hoard of gas, oil, and fossil fuels such as these have certainly not been exhausted, and offer the potential for further growth. Fortunately, there are organizations such as the World Bank which have allocated funds and assistance to these vital sectors, especially the nation’s mining industry.21

But the situation in Ethiopia remains disheartening, as according to the United Nations’ Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the average gross national income per capita is only $644, almost a full $600 below the highest generating LDCs. Additionally, its Human Assets Index (HAI), which averages lifespan, mortality, and literacy rates, is one of the lowest as compared to the rest of the LDCs.22 No doubt, much of this is attributable to states of warfare and famine – the latter of which an unfortunate byproduct of either freak events of nature such as severe droughts, or deliberate crop destruction in areas of ethnic conflict. The issue still stands that Ethiopia is in desperate need of an improvement to its situation. This is a proud nation, which has overcome much in it existence, and deserves to be remedied so it may grow and flourish as it is meant to.

***

The old lion, wounded many times throughout its life, but still survives earned his crown. Ethiopia, despite its struggles, its hard-fought battles through past centuries, stands unique among the African nations as one of the few that have never fell to sustained colonization by European invaders. Ethiopia, an ancient land, with a singular language and religious system, separate from the rest of the Horn of Africa, kept its national lineage alive for centuries. However, Ethiopia’s political and historical dynamic with Eritrea continue to negatively impact the lives of its people. Can Ethiopia now sustainably safeguard its sovereignty, not from foreign invaders, but from internal ethnic strife?

  1. “The Scramble for Africa,” St. John’s College University of Cambridge, 2021.
  2. Arsema Abera, “The Struggle against Colonialism: Ethiopia’s Experience to Virtual Loss of Independence,” StMU History Media Project, March 4, 2020.
  3. Arsema Abera, “The Struggle against Colonialism: Ethiopia’s Experience to Virtual Loss of Independence,” StMU History Media Project, March 4, 2020.
  4. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Italo-Ethiopian War,” Britannica, 2020.
  5. Arsema Abera, “The Struggle against Colonialism: Ethiopia’s Experience to Virtual Loss of Independence,” StMU History Media Project, March 4, 2020.
  6. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Italo-Ethiopian War,” Britannica, 2020.
  7. Arsema Abera, “The Struggle against Colonialism: Ethiopia’s Experience to Virtual Loss of Independence,” StMU History Media Project, March 4, 2020.
  8. Arsema Abera, “The Struggle against Colonialism: Ethiopia’s Experience to Virtual Loss of Independence,” StMU History Media Project, March 4, 2020.
  9. Arsema Abera, “The Struggle against Colonialism: Ethiopia’s Experience to Virtual Loss of Independence,” StMU History Media Project, March 4, 2020.
  10. Clayton Goodwin. “When Italy Invaded Ethiopia… 70 Years Ago.” New African, no. 444 (October 2005): 32–33. http://blume.stmarytx.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=18552330&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
  11. Ethiopia profile – Timeline,” BBC, October 12, 2020.
  12. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Italo-Ethiopian War,” Britannica, 2020.
  13. Ethiopia profile – Timeline,” BBC, October 12, 2020.
  14. “How African countries left their European colonisers,” The South African, January 1, 2020.
  15. Ethiopia profile – Timeline,” BBC, October 12, 2020.
  16. Ethiopia profile – Timeline,” BBC, October 12, 2020.
  17. “Explained: Why Ethiopia is suddenly on brink of civil war,” The Times of India, November 6, 2020.
  18. “Explained: Why Ethiopia is suddenly on brink of civil war,” The Times of India, November 6, 2020.
  19. Peter Yeung, “Abiy Ahmed and the future of Ethiopia,” Al Jazeera, November 15, 2020.
  20. “Tigray crisis: Ethiopia region at risk of huge ‘humanitarian disaster’,” BBC, February 3, 2021.
  21. The World Bank Group, “Can Ethiopia’s Resource Wealth Contribute to its Growth and Transformation?” The World Bank, January 26, 2015.
  22. “Least Developed Country Category: Ethiopia Profile,” United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2018.

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Recent Comments

Christopher Hohman

Nice article. I knew that Ethiopia was one of the only countries on the African continent to resist colonization efforts successfully. I did not know that they fought two separate wars against the Italians: one in 1889-1890 the other in 1935. It is remarkable to me that the Ethiopian people were able to resist Italian incursions for so long, especially considering the technological advantages that Europeans must have enjoyed compared to them. I was saddened to learn that despite this proud heritage, Ethiopia is struggling to develop into a prosperous nation with happy and healthy people. It’s conflicts with Eritrea and Trigary is especially concerning because they have certainly slowed economic growth in the country and disrupted tens of thousands of lives.

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02/10/2021

11:22 am

Jourdan Carrera

I find the whole story about the scramble for Africa to be a most interesting one due to the fact that Ethiopia was unique in the way that they were able to maintain their own independence while so many other proud African cultures fell such as the Zulu. However the Ethiopians were unique in that they stayed strong and independent and they should be remembered and praised for their fierce resistance in defending their homeland from foreign invaders. This author does a great job in giving these people the justice and fame they deserve as well as using a great deal of metaphors to emphasize just how crucial the survival of the Ethiopian people was.

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08/10/2021

11:22 am

Eliza Merrion

Really good informative article. I never knew much about Ethiopia, but their history is so rich and interesting. It is so incredible that after the scramble for Africa, they were able to resist colonization. However it was sad to hear that Ethiopia has fallen to be known as one of the most fragile least developed countries. I really appreciated this parallel you made at the end, “The old lion, wounded many times throughout its life, but still survives earned his crown. Ethiopia, despite its struggles, its hard-fought battles through past centuries, stands unique among the African nations as one of the few that have never fell to sustained colonization by European invaders.” I feel like this quote really sums up the main idea of your article.

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02/04/2022

11:22 am

Lauren Deleon

One of the reasons that colonial powers were so successful in gaining control of territories is that they would exploit divisions that already existed within the population. Your article is an example of how when different groups were able to put aside their differences and become a united force against the Europeans they could become successful in defending their home lands. I always enjoy learning about history through the perspectives of lesser talked about nations so I really enjoyed your article, well done!

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21/03/2023

11:22 am

Makenzie Hockensmith

I really enjoyed reading this article. I know it has been said by many, but I found the article all the more compelling for equating Ethiopia to its national symbol, a lion, and telling the tale of its history as a lion going about its life and activities in Africa. This article did a great job of analyzing the impact of colonization and military force to Ethiopia’s long-term internal and border security, and it showcased how previous colonization or attempts thereof have the propensity to cause immense humanitarian impacts years down the line. The one section of the article that I think could have been explained a little further is the history related to Eritrea and Italy and how that ultimately added to Italy trying to colonize Ethiopia, as to me it felt like Ethiopia was being discussed and Eritrea was thrown into the equation without much of an explanation. But otherwise, a great article and an excellent read!

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13/06/2023

11:22 am

Joshua Hall

Ethiopia is one of the hot-spots in the world today. The conflict with Eritrea has made the Tigray region one of the most deadly in the world. The main dimension presented in the article is tracing Ethiopia’s historical uniqueness and how it has fallen from grace so to speak. Millennia of sovereignty and now they’ve begun to adopt the behaviors of their European conquerors. The article highlights the humanitarian dimension of all conflict. We’re not nebulous entities floating through the ether. Ethiopia ranks as one of the least developed nations on Earth. And the people are suffering from it the most.  The article was beautifully written. The imagery of the proud lion lording over the Savanna was very insightful. She painted a very visceral picture. She may have spent too much time building the scene. The first paragraphs were beautiful prose, but I don’t know if they advanced the story she was trying to tell.

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21/06/2023

11:22 am

Maya Gallegos

I like how you applied the imagery of the Lion to all of the issues you address in Ethiopia. I think this is especially applicable as Ethiopia has never been colonized, and is truly a Lion among similar nations. I think it’s unfortunate that despite the rich history and culture of Ethiopia that it is still plagued by security issues.

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21/06/2023

11:22 am

James Fee

The imagery of natural beauty and the thematic use of animal metaphors really helped develop the idea of Africa’s allure to the Europeans, I really enjoyed the creativity used in that sense. I also think this article is important in the sense that we often gloss over the roles of smaller countries who held less colonial holdings than other major powers.

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22/06/2023

11:22 am

Nassima Barksdale

I really enjoyed reading this article. The analogy of the Lion, the Hyaena, and the Bull to describe the nations and how they interacted with each other help create a story. Being one of two countries to resist colonial rule during a time when it was nearly impossible to not succumb to Europe’s brutal and evil powers is something. The Horn of Africa has seen its fair share of turmoil but, in some countries labeled LDC, that seems to be somewhat changing economically. They still have a long way to go though.

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24/06/2023

11:22 am

Madison Coy

From the article, I have learnt that Africa’s landscape has become a source of mystery and poor judgement from Westerners. This has led to various kinds of names which have placed Africa in a bad light despite the beauty’s great nature, which is home to many animals and wonderful terrains. It is always good to acknowledge the history as well as the positive side of the African continent instead of judging harshly.

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25/06/2023

11:22 am

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