Pioneers of Change in Ethiopia: The Reformist Intellectuals of the Early Twentieth Century

Bahru Zewde. Pioneers of Change in Ethiopia: The Reformist Intellectuals of the Early Twentieth Century. Athens: Ohio University Press/Oxford: James Currey, 2002. xii + 228 pp. Photographs. Bibliography. Index. $49.95. Cloth.

Between the end of the nineteenth century, when Ethiopia affirmed its independent statehood in the face of European imperialism, and the outbreak of World War II, when Italy colonized it, a good number of Ethiopians received secular education in various fields and in different parts of the world. Through their education and exposure to industrial societies they became painfully aware of the technical backwardness of their own society. Like their counterparts in other preindustrial countries, some of the new intellectuals passionately sought a new understanding of the domestic and external forces that facilitated or hindered Ethiopia's entry into the modern age. As advocates of "modernization," they wrote extensively, thoughtfully, and often incisively in the hope that they would persuade a reactionary and xenophobic traditional polity that political independence without social, economic, and technological progress was no guarantor of freedom and state viability in a dynamic and fast-changing world. Their impact was apparently quite limited, and the creative and vibrant intellectual life they set in motion was cut short when, in a state of frenzy, the fascist government decimated the intelligentsia in 1937. Pioneers of Change in Ethiopia is the fascinating story of the lives, ideas, and legacies of these extraordinary men of purpose and vitality. By drawing on a vast range of documentary sources and direct interviews, Bahru Zwede has written a slender but substantial book with admirable concision, clarity, and even-handedness.

Bahru divides the "pioneers" into first and second generations mainly on the basis of their formative periods. The first group was educated at home and abroad during the reign of Emperor Menilek II (1889-1913). A few of them owed their schooling to foreign guardians or benefactors following their fortuitous migration to such far-flung places as Austria and India; others were sponsored by the emperor and his cousin, Ras Makonnen. The majority, however, were self-taught, often with the help of Catholic and Protestant missionaries. Nearly all the notable "reformist intellectuals," including Warqenah Eshate, Gabru Dasta, Gabra-Heywat Baykedan, Afawarq Gabra-Iyyasus, Takla-Hawaryat Takla-Maryam, Heruy Walda-Sellasse, Atsme-Giorgis Gabra-Masih, Gabra-Egziabher Gila-Maryam, and Deressa Amante, belonged to this generation. The members of the second generation, educated abroad (mostly in France) through state and/or royal patronage in the 1920s and 1930s, were of lesser stature; they wrote precious little and their reformist vision was much less visible. This group occupies just about half the space allotted to the first in the book and does not seem to be worthy of even that much attention. Overall, though, the narrative of the pioneers' lives, with all their vicissitudes, is compelling. The individual portraits, which vary from one to seven pages, are full of evocative detail and illuminating anecdotes.

The intellectual stalwarts of the early twentieth century were writers of great merit, although it is not certain that they were all reformist. Still, the author's judgment that "the intellectuals as a group had an output that puts subsequent generations to shame" (188) is probably accurate. They wrote with erudition, foresight, and eloquence on nearly all aspects of Ethiopian society, ranging from ethnography and historiography to slavery and political economy, and they called for reforms in the social, economic, cultural, educational, and administrative spheres. For example, GabraHeywat's and Afawarq's depressing portrayals of the peasantry and the militia's predatory activities in the countryside could not have been more vivid and captivating. Takla-Hawaryat's anecdotal remarks on a variety of issues were revealing and stimulating, just as Atsma-Giorgia's perspective on the history of the Oromo was refreshingly innovative. In chapters 5 and 6, perhaps the best parts of the book, Bahru has provided a thoughtful synthesis of the themes covered in the wide-ranging works of the pioneers. The analysis is embellished with sharp and appropriate quotations, the translations of which are impeccable and as elegant as the Amharic originals.

The coverage, however, is uneven and at times too sketchy. For example, seventeen pages are devoted to "history and historiography" but only less than half of that to "political economy," certainly a more critical issue from the standpoint of "modernization," which takes up one extended chapter. In his remarkably insightful commentary on uneven development, Gabra-Heywat preceded the dependentistas of Latin America by nearly half a century-that in itself ought to have merited greater consideration. The author frequently alludes to the reformists' fascination with Japan but does not reveal whether any of them entertained or suggested the idea that Ethiopia needed something similar to the Meiji Revolution, which was at the heart of Japan's spectacular development. One would have liked to know a little more about Afawarq, whose character, like his legacy, was full of contrasts and ambiguities and who is treated by the author, understandably, with a mixture of admiration and disdain. One nagging question especially needs an answer: Did Afawarq embrace Italian colonialism out of sheer opportunism to advance personal ambition or with a genuine, if mistaken, belief that it would transform his country more speedily by destroying the feudal order he abhorred and condemned? More than anyone else, this enigmatic character helps expose some of the social paradoxes and ambiguities of the time. It might be mentioned, in this connection, that a brief historical introduction would have been helpful to the nonspecialist reader seeking a deeper understanding of the manifold issues discussed in this section.