Paper short abstract:

Public monuments, such as statues, are not part of the Ethiopian culture. Indeed, since its creation in 1886 Addis Ababa was not sheltering any of this kind. But monuments suddenly flourished during the end of the 1920s. How and why is what this paper intends to highlight.

Paper long abstract:

Addis Ababa was founded around 1886 as a garrison camp first and became the capital city 15 years later. It was thus not an intended city since its origin. Nevertheless, as early as the beginning of the 20th century the city grows fast: buildings, streets, markets, railway… But the first monument in the city only appeared in 1927.

How it happened that monuments suddenly penetrated the Ethiopian urban landscape can be understood in the light of the national and international context. On the national side first, it was a need for the regent and heir to the throne, the ras Täfäri later known as Haylä-Sellase, to show he was the legal and appropriate ruler for Ethiopia. Therefore he built a mausoleum for the admired emperor Menelik who fought successfully to preserve the country's independence in the past. At the international scale, Ethiopia was still facing foreign treats against its sovereignty.

Like other items in the past (stamps, flag…) monuments were introduced and used as a symbol of independence and sovereignty of Ethiopia that can be understood by western powers. The equestrian statue of emperor Menelik, in the light of the context of its erection, is probably the clearest example.