Understanding Contemporary Ethiopia : Monarchy, Revolution and the Legacy of Meles Zenawi

When we think of Ethiopia we tend to think in cliches: Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, the Falasha Jews, the epic reign of Emperor Haile Selassie, the Communist Revolution, famine and civil war. Among the countries of Africa it has a high profile yet is poorly known. How- ever all cliches contain within them a kernel of truth, and occlude much more. Today's Ethiopia (and its painfully liberated sister state of Eritrea) are largely obscured by these mythical views and a secondary literature that is partial or propagandist. Moreover there have been few attempts to offer readers a comprehensive overview of the country's recent history, politics and culture that goes beyond the usual guidebook fare. Understanding Contemporary Ethiopia seeks to do just that, presenting a measured, detailed and systematic analysis of the main features of this unique country, now building on the foundations of a magical and tumultuous past as it struggles to emerge in the modern world on its own terms. Cover 1 Half-title 3 Title 5 Copyright 6 Dedication 7 Contents 9 About the Contributors 11 Abbreviations 15 Maps 18 Introduction 27 Scope of the book 29 Synopsis of the chapters 30 1. Ethiopians in the Twenty-First Century: The Structure and Transformation of the Population 41 The Habesha or Abyssinians: the self-proclaimed core of Ethiopia’s national identity 43 The Oromo: the demographic majority with a subaltern political role 49 The pastoral peoples of eastern Ethiopia 57 The mosaic of peoples in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Regional State 63 Peoples of the south-western borders: ancestors’ blessings vs. development prophecies 70 Peoples of the western borders 72 Ethiopians on the move: internal and international migrations 77 Conclusion 81 Bibliography and Further Reading 81 2. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) and the Challenges of Modernity 89 Terminological outline 90 Religious authority under the Ethiopian monarchy 91 The nineteenth century and the new monarchical policy 93 Changes in the status of the Abun between 1917 and 1959 96 An ecclesiastic administration dominated by the monarch: 1942–1974 100 The Ethiopian Church in the world and ecumenical relations 101 The Church and the 1974 Revolution 102 The change of regime in 1991 and the election of Abuna Paulos 105 The separation of the Eritrean Church 106 The dissidence of the EOTC Synod in exile 107 The rise of Evangelical churches and the counter-attack of Orthodox reformist movements 109 From Abuna Paulos to Abuna Mathias: continuity and beyond 112 Bibliography and Further Reading 114 3. The Ethiopian Muslims: Historical Processes and Ongoing Controversies 119 Number, distribution and visibility of Muslims in Ethiopia 120 Muslims in north-east Africa, before their incorporation into the state of Ethiopia 121 Muslims and the making of Ethiopia in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries 123 Muslims under the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front: from satisfaction to protest 129 The Islamic revival and Ethiopian Muslims’ tighter links with the Middle East 130 Radicalization: the increasing attractiveness of Salafism 132 Interreligious tensions 134 Confrontations on regional and national levels 135 The al-Ahbash controversy and the wave of protest since mid-2011 136 Conclusion 145 Bibliography and Further Reading 145 4. Go Pente! The Charismatic Renewal of the Evangelical Movement in Ethiopia 149 The “Pente label”: historical roots, different groups and common trends 150 The global Gifts of the Spirit: innovation and modernity 156 The specificities of the Ethiopian case: autochthony, persecutions, and coexistence with a federal and developmental state 159 Open questions: Pente expansion, secularism and religious pluralism in Ethiopia 167 Bibliography and Further Reading 170 5. From Pan-Africanism to Rastafari: African American and Caribbean ‘Returns’ to Ethiopia 173 The Ethiopian prophecy 174 The Pan-African cause of the twentieth century 176 The Rastafari and Ethiopia 178 The Shashemene settlement 179 Conclusion 182 Bibliography and Further Reading 183 6. Monarchical Restoration and Territorial Expansion: The Ethiopian State in the Second Half of the Nineteenth Century 185 The rise of Tewodros II and the restoration of the monarchy (1855–1868) 188 Ethiopia divided: a decade of competition for the kingly bed (1868–78) 194 Foreign aggression and internal expansion (1878–96) 197 The last years of the Menelik era to 1916 203 Bibliography and Further Reading 205 7. The Era of Haile Selassie 209 Origins and rise to power, 1892–1930 209 Haile Selassie’s early reign: invasion, exile and restoration, 1930–1941 213 The restored monarchy, 1941–60 220 The empire in decline, 1960–74 226 Conclusion 231 Bibliography and Further Reading 233 8. The Ethiopian Revolution and the Derg Regime 235 The causes of the revolution 236 A spontaneous popular uprising starts the revolution (1974) 240 “White Terror” against “Red Terror”: the struggle for the control of power (1975–8) 244 The attempt at institutionalizing a communist regime (1979–1987) 248 The fall of the regime (1988–1991) 252 Conclusion 253 Bibliography and Further Reading 255 9. The Eritrean Question 259 How the contradictions of the past extended into the present 260 From external control to the growth of an autonomous identity 263 The years of struggle 270 The Eritrean question within the context of independence 274 Bibliography and Further Reading 280 10. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) 283 The early rise of the TPLF 284 Ideological foundations 286 Thriving in a complex insurgency: the TPLF and Ethiopian armed groups 289 Managing other powerful adversaries: the TPLF and the Eritrean Fronts 292 A leap forward: ideological reinforcement and organizational advancement 296 The TPLF and the transition 299 The war with Eritrea and internal crisis 303 Bibliography and Further Reading 307 11. Federalism, Revolutionary Democracy and the Developmental State, 1991–2012 309 A revolutionary reform agenda? 309 Federalism and decentralization: devolution of power or deconcentration of responsibility 311 Revolutionary democracy and multi-partyism 320 Ideology and control: liberalization and the developmental state 332 Bibliography and Further Reading 336 12. Elections and Politics in Ethiopia, 2005–2010 339 Local elections in 2008; federal and state elections in 2010 348 Bibliography and Further Reading 356 13. Making Sense of Ethiopia’s Regional Influence 359 EPRDF and the Horn in the 1990s: complexity and caution 360 From non-interference to non-tolerance: 1996–2006 363 The War with Eritrea and Ethiopia’s Military Resurgence 369 Global Express: the quest for regional influence through economic diplomacy 374 The challenge from Egypt: Ethiopia and the regional power order 377 Bibliography and Further Reading 381 14. The Ethiopian Economy: The Developmental State vs. the Free Market 383 Is there an Ethiopian Economic Miracle? 383 The early years of the new regime: the founding of a “party-state led economy” 385 The first version of ADLI (Agricultural Development-Led Industrialization) 388 The “renewal”: a radically new approach, the same modalities 390 Into the future 398 The GTP’s weaknesses and associated risks 402 Conclusion: is this an insuperable paradox? 411 Addendum: The Ethiopian economy at the end of the GTP 2010–14 412 Bibliography and Further Reading 417 15. Addis Ababa and the Urban Renewal in Ethiopia 421 Capitals in the history of Ethiopia 422 Addis Ababa on the eve of the revolution 424 The nationalization of houses 425 Addis Ababa in the 1990s: government neglect and informal practices 426 A “shantytown” capital 427 Towards an urban renaissance? 428 Urban development: a political and economic project 429 Private real estate investors and promoters: new actors in the making of the city 430 Urban renewal and the destruction of existing neighbourhoods 432 The Integrated Housing Development Programme 433 Urban tensions and development weakness 435 Increasing commercialization of housing and the emergence of a “rental city” 435 “Social safety nets” under pressure from new urban mobility 436 Conclusion 437 Bibliography and Further Reading 437 16. The Meles Zenawi Era: From Revolutionary Marxism to State Developmentalism 441 Meles Zenawi as revolutionary (1975–91) 442 Meles Zenawi and the problems of early post-war Ethiopian governance (1991–98) 447 War and the emergence of Meles Zenawi as undisputed leader(1998–2005) 452 The loneliness of the long-distance runner: Meles Zenawi’s last years (2005–2012) 458 Bibliography and Further Reading 462 Notes 465 Index 507 Seeks To Dispel The Myths And Clichés Surrounding Contemporary Perceptions Of Ethiopia By Providing A Rare Overview Of The Country's Recent History, Politics And Culture Explores The Unique Features Of This Often Misrepresented Country As It Strives To Make Itself Heard In The Modern World-- Publisher Description. Ethiopians In The Twenty-first Century: The Structure And Transformation Of The Population / Éloi Ficquet And Dereje Feyissa -- The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (eotc) And The Challenges Of Modernity / Sté́phane Ancel And Éloi Ficquet -- The Ethiopian Muslims: Historical Processes And Ongoing Controversies / Éloi Ficquet -- Go Pente! The Charismatic Renewal Of The Evangelical Movement In Ethiopia / Emanuele Fantini --. From Pan-africanism To Rastafari: African American And Caribbean 'returns' To Ethiopia / Giulia Bonacci -- Monarchical Restoration And Territorial Expansion: The Ethiopian State In The Second Half Of The Nineteenth Century / Shiferaw Bekele -- The Era Of Haile Selassie / Christopher Clapham -- The Ethiopian Revolution And The Derg Regime / Gérard Prunier -- The Eritrean Question / Gérard Prunier -- The Tigray People's Liberation Front (tplf) / Medhane Tadesse -- Federalism, Revolutionary Democracy And The Developmental State, 1991-2012 / Sarah Vaughan -- Elections And Politics In Ethiopia, 2005-2010 / Patrick Gilkes -- Making Sense Of Ethiopia's Regional Influence / Medhane Tadesse -- The Ethiopian Economy: The Developmental State Vs. The Free Market / René Lefort -- Addis Ababa And The Urban Renewal In Ethiopia / Perrine Duroyaume -- The Meles Zenawi Era: From Revolutionary Marxism To State Developmentalism / Gérard Prunier. Gérard Prunier, Éloi Ficquet (editors). Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Gérard Prunier and Éloi Ficquet: Introduction - S. 1. - Éloi Ficquet and Dereje Feyissa: Ethiopians in the twenty-first century : the structure and transformation of the population - S. 15. - Stéphane Ancel and Éloi Ficquet: The Ethiopian orthodox Tewahedo church (EOTC) and the challenges of modernity - S. 63. - Éloi Ficquet: The Ethiopian Muslims : historical processes and ongoing controversies - S. 93. - Emanuele Fantini: Go Pente! The charismatic renewal of the evangelical movement in Ethiopia - S. 123. - Giulia Bonacci: From pan-Africanism to rastafari : African American and Caribbean 'returns' to Ethiopia - S. 147. - Shiferaw Bekele: Monarchical restoration and territorial expansion : the Ethiopian state in the second half of the nineteenth century - S. 159. - Christopher Clapham: The era of Haile Selassi - S. 183. - Gérard Prunier: The Ethiopian revolution and the Derg regime - S. 209. - Gérard Prunier: The Eritrean question - S. 233. - Medhane Tadesse: The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) - S. 257. - Sarah Vaughan: Federalism, revolutionary democracy and the developmental state, 1991-2012 - S. 283. - Patrick Gilkes: Elections and politics in Ethiopia, 2005-2010 - S. 313. - Medhane Tadesse: Making sense of Ethiopia's regional influence - S. 333. - René Lefort: The Ethiopian economy : the developmental state vs. the free market - S. 357. - Perrine Duroyaume: Addis Ababa and the urban renewal in Ethiopia - S. 395. - Gérard Prunier: The Meles Zenawi era : from revolutionary Marxism to state developmentalism - S. 415