ETHIOPIA POLAND

Transcription

ETHIOPIA POLAND

Dossier
THINKTANK DOSSIER: EThIOPIA  EUROPE  POLAND
www.mttp.pl
A special report drawn up to mark Poland’s Presidency of the EU Council
ETHIOPIA
POLAND
A History of Bilateral Relations
Scenarios for
the development
of further contacts
Analysis of
the opportunities
for cooperation
Why do Ethiopia and Poland
know so little about each other?
Mental maps of Ethiopians and Poles
Polish projects in Ethiopia  Science, culture, tourism  Community work,
development assistance  Bilateral trade and economic ties
special free issue
How to strengthen Polish-Ethiopian relations
2011
THINKTANK RECOMMENDATIONS
Poland-Ethiopia: bilateral relations
❈
Poland and Ethiopia are two countries that are proud of their history and achievements, and know
little of each other. Common stereotypical ideas and visions from the past result in the opportunities
that lie in mutual potential remaining unexploited.
The two countries share Christian roots, many centuries of tradition of an independent state, a permanent need to fight to maintain independence and an exceptional fondness for freedom. They are divided
by geographical distance, cultural heritage (Europe versus Africa), different political and economic
situations (stable European free market democracy versus developing country) and varying potential for growth. The greatest potential for the development of mutual relations lies in three sectors: economic
exchange, tourism and development projects (including scientific and research initiatives).
Trade and investments are the key area of cooperation. Poland is looking for new sales markets and new
sources of strategic raw materials, and the most powerful country in the Horn of Africa can be an
excellent alternative, for example, to Asian countries.
13 months of sunshine
There are Poles trading with Ethiopians who set up a courier service cooperative, who are purifying
lakes, and conducting hydrological and archaeological testing. These specific initiatives are what Ethiopia needs the most. The development of bilateral contacts is also helped by activities of non-governmental organisations and contacts between the academic community and universities.
With its history, rich culture, multiculturalism and diversity in nature,
In Africa business ventures can be combined with pro-development activities and work to help local communities. Poles also invest in development assistance for Ethiopia and purchase from Ethiopians the equipment needed to do that (e.g. solar panels). Both countries have a history of communist government,
and this, paradoxically, could today make their mutual relations easier by leading to a greater mutual
understanding. Poles remember the hard times that they themselves went through not long ago, and
this is why today, when planning development aid, they can draw on their own experiences.
Ethiopia is a sought-after destination for tourists from all over the world.
f i g u r e s
Few people know that the Ethiopian year has 13 months, and the last one,
pagume, is only 5–6 days long. The new year starts on 11/12 September,
and according to the Ethiopian calendar, it is currently the year 2004.
And the fact that noon in Ethiopia falls at 0600 would certainly
– the percentage of visitors from Europe out of the total number of foreigners who come
to Ethiopia each year
own
P ublisher ' s
30%
materials
baffle a number of people in Europe.
S ource :
ETHIOPIA
Tourism is also a vital element in Polish-Ethiopian relations. Poles are travelling more and more frequently and are more keen to do so, and due to its impressive history and extraordinary landscape and
improving hotel and transport infrastructure, Ethiopia is becoming an attractive tourist destination.
When they discover Ethiopia, Poles change their ideas about Africa – they discover not only nature, but also
its cultures. Before departing, few of them are aware of what Ethiopia has to offer, and this is why more
intensive informational, promotional and educational measures are fundamental to increasing the
number of Polish visitors to the country.
Relations between Poland and Ethiopia could potentially become more intensive in a natural way;
however, it would be better if this process was helped along by intelligent government policy and initiative
on the part of the people.
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T H I N K TA N K D O S S I E R E t h i o p i a _ E U _ P o l a n d
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contents
6 Poland and Ethiopia – core information
10
preface: POLISH DIPLOMATIC service in ethiopia
Serve, build, understand [Jarosław Szczepankiewicz]
15 Part I: The Past
Poland and Ethiopia: God, honour, country [Katarzyna Hryćko]
• First attempt at contact • Between the First and the Second
World War • Post-war relations • Socialist camp
39 Part II: The Present
68 CLOSING REMARKS: THE FUTURE
Polish-Ethiopian ties today [Katarzyna Hryćko]
• Culture and art • Peacekeeping missions • Development assistance
• Academic research and Ethiopian studies
• Community work • Tourism
Prosperity
Poland and Ethiopia – new prospects [Roman Rojek, PhD]
APPENDICES
| 22 |
Poland’s diplomatic mission in Addis Ababa
| 28–34 |The history of Polish-Ethiopian relations
| 37 |
diplomatic representatives of Poland in Ethiopia
| 38 |
diplomatic representatives of Ethiopia in Poland
| 66 |
POLES IN ETHIOPIA
f i g u r e s
| 70 |The history of the Polish Embassy
building in Addis Ababa
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2011
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P ublisher ' s
own
| 71 |BIBLIOGRAPHY
materials
| 70 |The Honorary Consulate of the Federal
DemocraticRepublic of Ethiopia in Gdańsk
Europe
2000
euro – the
In spite of economic instability, the people
average
of the EU are prosperous in comparison
monthly wage
with the rest of the world. High incomes
in the European
allow people to lead decent and peaceful lives;
Union
they also attract immigrants looking for
a better place to live. But Europe’s safety
also has a less positive dimension
– it makes us lazy and less willing to act.
F R O M p u b l ishers
Ethiopia – Poland: it’s worth getting
to know each other better
❈
This publication is the first complete work covering the history of Polish-Ethiopian relations. It is a comprehensive description of what is occurring between Poland and
Ethiopia today, and it also makes recommendations as to the further development
of cooperation between the two countries.
Hydropower
This publication has been prepared in the light of Poland’s EU Council Presidency in
the latter half of 2011. The EU Presidency is a wonderful opportunity for active
presentation of Poland abroad, and also an additional impetus for Poles to learn
about the changing global world. Poland and Ethiopia have huge potential for
mutual relations, which as yet has not been adequately exploited – it would be
worth their while to get to know each other better.
P ublisher ' s
2011
lakes and network of rivers, it is also a country with one of the greatest
supplies of water on the continent. Ethiopia has been exporting
S ource :
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in terms of hydroelectric power potential in Africa, and with its numerous
f i g u r e s
own
The Publishers
of the most rapidly growing economies in the world. It is second
materials
Production of this publication is part of a research project conducted by Poland’s
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the Honorary Consul for Ethiopia
in Poland. The text has been prepared by THINKTANK in two languages – Polish
and English.
Ethiopia is currently the largest economy in East Africa and one
ETHIOPIA
energy generated by hydroelectric power plants since 2010.
45,000 megawatts
– Ethiopia’s estimated hydroelectric power potential, of which the main source is the Blue Nile
po l and
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_loc ati on
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_ e conomy
Gdansk
Politics : Poland is carrying out a large
number of modernisation projects
simultaneously. Since it joined
the European Union, Poland has
accelerated reforms and the
implementation of projects in order
to make use of potential EU funding.
Poland has adopted a new
administrative division in 1999,
and the regions beyond the capital
have gained in importance.
Szczecin
Poznan
Warsaw
Wroclaw
Katowice
Cracow
Location: Poland is located in Central
Europe, and borders Germany to the
west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia
to the south, and Ukraine, Belarus
and Lithuania to the east. To the north,
Poland is bound by the Baltic Sea
and by Russia’s Kaliningrad District.
Poland is in a temperate climate zone,
with four seasons: a warm and rainy
spring (March-June), a hot summer
(June-September), a cold and rainy
autumn (September-December)
and a winter with snow and sub-zero
temperatures (December–March).
TERRITORy : Poland occupies an area
of 312,685 km2 (it ranks 69th in the world
and 9th in Europe). Its territory,
dominated by vast plains, is bordered
by mountains to the south (Mount Rysy,
Poland’s highest peak, has a height of 2,499 m).
Largest cities: Warsaw, with 2 million
inhabitants, is the country’s largest city
and its economic hub. Other large cities
include Cracow (the country’s cultural
capital), Wrocław (European Capital
of Culture 2016), Gdańsk and Szczecin
(Poland’s two largest ports), Łódź, and
the Silesian agglomeration (the country’s
largest industrial centre).
Society, language, religion:
Poland’s population of 38 million is very
homogenous – nearly 97%
of the country’s inhabitants are ethnic
Poles. There are also small national
minorities, such as Belarusians,
Lithuanians, Germans, the Roma
and Russians. The country’s official
language is Polish. Roman Catholicism
is the religion of 94% of Poles,
with the rest being mostly Orthodox,
Christian and Protestant.
Polish cuisine: Polish cuisine combines tradition
and modernity. Soups are an important part of
the Polish culinary landscape (over 300 different
ones).Typical Polish dishes include bigos (meat
and cabbage stew), kotlety mielone (minced
meat croquettes) and gołąbki (stuffed cabbage).
Potatoes are very popular and served daily.
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Tourism: Tourists come to Poland mainly
to visit the cities of Warsaw, Cracow,
Gdańsk, Wroclaw and Lublin. Poland
also has other tourist attractions, such
as the Sudety mountains and the Tatra
mountain range, part of the Carpathian
chain. Certain Polish sites are on
the UNESCO World Heritage list (such
as the royal Wawel complex in Cracow,
the Wieliczka salt mines, where
a conference centre and chapel
can be found 100 metres underground,
the Royal Way in Warsaw, and the
Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Museum).
Poland also has fantastic natural
attractions (the Mazurian Lake district,
renowned for its 1,000 pure water lakes,
and the Białowieża Forest, known for
its nature reserve and the home
of the European bison), thanks
to which nature tourism is expanding.
Membership in organisations:
EU, NATO, UN, CE, OECD, OSCE,
the Schengen Area
Economy: Poland’s GDP in 2010 stood
at 350 billion euro. The structure
of Poland’s GDP in 2010 was:
agriculture – 4%, industries – 38%,
trade and services – 58%. Poland’s
most important natural resources
are coal and lime. 12.5 million
tourists visited Poland in 2010.
20 million tourists are expected
in the long run.
Political system:
Poland is a parliamentary republic
whose president is elected for
a five-year term (the incumbent
president is Bronislaw Komorowski,
elected in 2010). Parliament is made
up of two chambers elected
for a period of four years by direct
universal suffrage: the lower
chamber with 460 deputies
(the Sejm) and the upper chamber
with 100 members (the Senate).
Executive power is vested
in the government made up
of the major political parties.
GDP and currency:
Total GDP: 499.6 billion USD
GDP per capita: 19,887 USD (2011)
Currency: 1 PLN (złoty) = 100 groszy
2.6% is the average inflation rate in Poland
Nicolaus
Copernicus
Famous Poles: Lech Wałęsa,
Pope John Paul II, Nobel prize winners:
Czesław Miłosz and Wisława Szymborska,
composers Frédéric Chopin,
Karol Szymanowski and Krzysztof
Penderecki; film directors:
Andrzej Wajda, Roman Polański,
Krzysztof Kieślowski, and Krzystof Zanussi
(the Polish film school is well
known in the world and Polish film
directors win many prizes
for their films).
Exports and imports : The value of Poland’s trade
in 2010 has grown by 19% in relation to 2009 and
reached 248.3 billion euro. Poland’s principal exports
are agricultural and food products (117.3 billion euro),
industrial machines (50.6 billion euro),
and chemical products (15.3 billion euro). Poland
mainly imports similar products. Poland has
a 10.6 billion euro trade deficit in the mineral
products sector. Almost 70% of Poland’s trade
takes place with other European countries. Poland’s
principal trade partners are Germany, China, Italy,
France, the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic.
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ethiopia
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Gondar
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Bahir Dar
Addis Ababa
Nazret
Jima
Harar
Awasa
Location: Ethiopia is located in the Horn
of Africa, and borders with Eritrea in
the north, Djibouti in the north east,
Somalia in the east, Kenya in the south
and South Sudan and Sudan in the east.
A large part of the country is taken up
by the Ethiopian Highlands. Ethiopia has
a tropical monsoon climate with three
zones: the hot k’olla (desert and
lowland), the temperate weyna dega
(‘vineyard heights’ – plateaus) and
the cold dega (2500 m above sea level).
There are two rainy seasons: the long
(June to September) and short
(April to May).
TERRITORy : Ethiopia occupies an area
of 1,127,127 sq. km (it ranks 27th in
the world and 10th in Africa). Its territory
varies from desert through highlands
to high mountains (Mount Ras Dashen,
with a height of 4,550 m, is the country’s
most elevated point).
Largest cities: With 3.5 million inhabitants,
Addis Ababa is the country’s capital and its
largest city. Other large cities include Dire
Dawa (the second-largest Ethiopian city,
governed as a city-state), Gondar (the seat
of medieval Emperors), Bahir Dar (located
on the bank of Tana Lake), and Harar
(Islam’s 4th holy city, included in the
UNESCO World Heritage List).
Society, language, religion:
Ethiopia is Africa’s second most populous
state, with more than 82 million
inhabitants. The country’s population
is made up of many ethnicities speaking
different languages – the largest groups
are the Oromo, Amhara, Somali and Tigray.
The country’s official language is Amharic
with the other most common languages
being Oromifa, Tigrigna, Somali,
and Guragigna. The country’s major
religions are Christianity (Orthodox
Ethiopian Church) – 45% of the
population, Sunni Islam – 35%, with the
rest of the population being followers of
either Protestantism or African religions.
Tourism: Ethiopia offers wonderful
scenery, an unusually prolific wildlife and
fascinating historical sites. Visitors coming
to Ethiopia can embark on the historical
tour that takes tourists in a clockwise
loop from Addis Ababa, through the city
of Bahir Dar, the monasteries situated on
Tana Lake, and the Blue Nile Waterfalls; to
the city of Gondar and its medieval royal
castles; to the ancient obelisks and stelas
in Axum; and to the monolithic churches
of Lalibela. Ethiopia has many other
worthwhile attractions, such as the holy
Islamic city of Harar; the Semen
Mountains National Park with its highest
point at Ras Dashen (4,550 m); Nech’ Sar
National Park with its abundant wildlife;
the neighbouring multi-ethnic Omo
River Valley; as well as one of the hottest
places on earth – the Danakil Depression
which lies 100 m below sea level.
ETHIOPIAN cuisine: The Ethiopian staple is injera – a sour pancake made
from t’ef – a grain that is unique to Ethiopia. Injera is served with wot,
a stew that comes in many forms, the most popular being k’ey wot
(goat), doro wot (chicken), and shiro wot (puréed beans).
Ethiopian delicacies include t’ibs – a raw meat dish. There is
a special ceremony involving Ethiopian coffee (bunna) brewed
espresso-style and served with popcorn or k’olo (roasted grain).
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_politics
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_ p o l i t i c a l s ys te m Politics : Following many centuries
of authoritarian rule, Ethiopia has been
a republic with a multi-party political
system since 1991. Since the same year,
executive power has been in the hands
of the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary
Democratic Front. Ethiopia is presently
one of the world’s fastest-growing
economies, one of Africa’s greatest
military powers and one of the closest
allies of the USA in the region.
Mekele
Dire
Dawa
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Membership of organisations:
AU, UN, COMESA, IGAD, G77
Haile
Gebreselassie
Famous Ethiopians: The legendary
Queen of Sheba; Emperors Menelik II
and Haile Selassie I; gold Olympics
medallists in athletics: Abebe Bikila,
Haile Gebreselassie, Kenenisa Bekele;
multi-instrumentalist Mulatu Astatke,
and singers Teddy Afro and Gigi.
The most-famous natives
of Ethiopian soil also include Lucy
– the 3.5 million-year-old
Australophitecine Afarensis, discovered
in the Danakil region in 1974.
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_ e conomy
Economy: Ethiopia’s GDP in 2010
stood at 29.7 billion dollars.
The Ethiopian economy is
dominated by subsistence
agriculture and livestock breeding
which make up 45% of the national
income. Other sectors include
services – 41%, and industry – 13%.
Ethiopia is rich in mineral resources,
such as gold and iron. The country’s
principal mining product is salt.
Political system:
Ethiopia is a parliamentary federal
republic whose legislative power
is divided between a two-chamber
legislature and government, which
also exercises executive power
(the present Prime Minister has been
in office since 1995 and was last
elected in 2010 for his 4th term).
Independent courts hold judicial
power. The federal republic
is divided into 9 states: Afar, Amhara,
Benishangul-Gumuz, Harari,
Gambela, Oromia, the Southern
Nations, Nationalities and Peoples
(SNNP), Somali, Tigray, and two
autonomous cities: Addis Ababa
and Dire Dawa.
GDP and currency:
Total GDP: 29.7 billion USD
GDP per capita: 350 USD (2010) currency: 1 ETB (birr) = 100 cents
(santim)
400,000 The number of foreigners
coming to Ethiopia each year
Exports and imports : Ethiopia’s principal
exports are agricultural products such as
coffee, livestock, skins, khat, oilseed plants,
while its main industrial exports are gold
and leather goods. Ethiopia imports mainly
petroleum fuels, vehicles and spare parts,
building materials, medical equipment
and medication, industrial chemicals,
agricultural and industrial machinery,
and fertilisers. Ethiopia’s principal trade
partners are Saudi Arabia, China, India,
Djibouti, Switzerland, Italy and the USA.
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pre face Po l i s h d i p l o m a t i c s e r v i c e i n E t h i o p i a
Serve, build,
understand
author: JAROSŁAW SZCZEPANKIEWICZ
Poles
What a road Poland and
Ethiopia have travelled together over the last
80 years! From the first token diplomatic contacts to the creation of today’s foundations for
the development of solid economic, cultural, scientific and development cooperation;
from the first that tentative student exchanges
to the potential Poland’s institutions of higher
education have today for the education of
Ethiopian specialists; from irregular visits of
Polish travellers, researchers and journalists
to Ethiopia to the mass influx of Polish tourists with a desire to discover the secrets of the
‘Kingdom of Prester John’ or the Ark of the
Covenant… The measures taken by the Polish diplomatic service to bring about closer
cooperation – whether they ended in success
or failure – were always in line with the values
that stand behind today’s motto of the Polish
diplomatic service: ‘Poland – serve, Europe
– build, the world – understand’.
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consider
Ethiopia
as one of
the most
attractive
places on
earth.
This succinct phrase should be interpreted in the light of the significance that the concept of ‘Solidarity / Solidarność’ has for the
Polish national identity and foreign policy.
This is because it is upon this concept that
Poles base their approach towards Ethiopians, as well as the axiology of Polish relations
with Ethiopia. The interest of Poles in Ethiopia has not had a practical aspect, because
Poland has never had overseas colonies. The
Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Józef Beck
(1932–1939) commented on the inter-war
colonial ambitions of the Polish Maritime
and Colonial League with sarcasm, saying,
“in my opinion, the Polish colonies start already in Rembertów [the town located just
behind the eastern suburbs of Warsaw].”
Poland and Ethiopia’s coming together
is not only a question of the presence of
Poland in Ethiopia’s history; it is also the
complex geopolitical and cultural contexts
that form the motivation of Poles connected
with Ethiopia, and there have been many:
the defence of Christianity, the desire to see
the world, missionary activity, the desire
for riches, interest in research, the seeking
of trade and diplomatic contacts, and war.
There have been people with various temperaments and professions: diplomats and
missionaries, scientists and artists, experts
and travellers, journalists and soldiers.
Poland – serve
The need to form a new balance of power in Europe was
what led Jan III Sobieski, King of Poland and Great Duke of
Lithuania (1674–1696), known by Christians as Defender
of the Faith, just after the victory over the Ottoman Army at
the Battle of Vienna (1683), to seek a new ally for the antiTurkish Holy League in the mythical ‘Kingdom of Prester
John’, as Ethiopia was then known. In a letter to the Cardinal
of the Secretary of State Cybo, dated 6 July 1686 and concerning those intentions of Jan III Sobieski, the papal nuncio
Pallavinci wrote: “the King wishes to cause the King of the
Abyssinians to move against the Turks”. The Polish diplomatic
service saw the exotic ‘Kingdom of Prester John’ as geopolitical and cultural reality, because within the Republic there
were vast areas of Orthodox culture, and numerous wars
and tempestuous diplomatic and trade contacts with Turks
inclined Poland to seek allies on the borders of the world
of Islam. The diplomatic mission of Salomon Konstanty
Zgórski, count of Syria, Envoy Extraordinary for Poland and
the Republic of Venice, who set out from Isfahan (Persia)
for Ethiopia in 1685, did not fulfil the hopes placed in it – he
only made it as far as Alexandria, to the frontier of the kingdom ruled by Emperor Iyasu I (1682–1706).
Poland and Ethiopia entered the 20th century as sovereign
and independent states wanting to strengthen their political
position by forming mutually beneficial diplomatic relations.
Emperor Haile Selassie I (1930–1974) described Poland’s policy towards Ethiopia in the 1930s as follows: “Furthermore,
the Polish Government had initiated conversations to conclude a treaty of commerce and friendship with the Ethiopian
Government, but by the time our coronation day came, these negotiations were still
not completed. The Poles then demonstrated
their good will by declaring: ‘Although the
treaty is not yet signed, we shall send an envoy to the coronation, since we have mutually manifested our thoughts of friendship.’
We therefore informed the President, Mr
Mościcki, that it was our intention to receive
their envoy with great pleasure. This mark
of friendship, which the Polish Government
had shown us at that time, remained forever
engraved in our hearts.”
As a result, among 12 foreign diplomats
and statesmen taking part in the coronation
of the ‘King of Kings’ in 1930 sat the Polish
envoy, Count Juliusz Dzieduszycki, Chargé
d’Affaires from Cairo. In order to emphasise
the friendly relations between Poland and
Ethiopia, on the same occasion, President
Ignacy Mościcki awarded Emperor Haile
Selassie I the Order of the White Eagle, bestowed solely for ‘distinguished service in
a time of peace or war for the glory and benefit of the Republic’. On 26 December 1934
Ambassador Alfred Chłapowski and Envoy Tekle Hawaryat (born 1900, died 1969)
signed the ‘Treaty of Friendship, Trade and
Settlement’ in Paris (for ‘solid peace and
everlasting friendship’), which provided
for the possibility of forging diplomatic
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relations between the two countries. The
treaty never came into effect due to the Italian invasion of Ethiopia.
On 7 October 1935 the League of Nations declared Italy an aggressor and ordered that economic sanctions be imposed
against it, which nevertheless turned out
to be ineffective. Minister Józef Beck in his
memoirs comments in the following way on
these events: “the Abyssinian conflict was
fundamentally a conflict about colonies,
and therefore was an issue that was played
out among the world powers snapping up
Africa bit by bit”. Emperor Haile Selassie I used dramatic words to warn the member
countries of the League of Nations against
a passive stance: “It is collective security: it
is the very existence of the League of Nations. It is the confidence that each state is
to place in international treaties. It is the
value of promises made to small states that
their integrity and their independence shall
be respected and ensured. It is the principle
of the equality of states on the one hand, or
otherwise the obligation laid upon small
powers to accept the bonds of vassalship. In
a word, it is international morality that is at
stake. […] God and history will remember
your judgment.”
Władysław Kulski, Polish diplomat and
member of the Committee of Five, speaking with hindsight, summarised the consequences of the Italo-Ethiopian conflict
for Poland as follows: “the powerlessness
of the [League of Nations] even in the face
of a lesser European power has been demonstrated to the entire world. From now on
the existence of the League can be ignored
by Italy, Germany and Japan — three future
allies during World War II. It is no surprise
therefore that no-one thought to appeal to
the League during the 1939 crisis”.
The post-war development of Poland’s relations with
Ethiopia was helped by the two countries’ lack of a colonial
past, their common fates during World War II, and the search
for a new formula for international security in the post-war
balance of power. Poland, with its efforts to form relations
with Ethiopia on a partnership basis, and involvement in
the promotion of interests of poorly developed countries in
international fora, was seen by Ethiopia as a desirable and
friendly partner.
Diplomatic relations started to take on a new tempo: 1945
– Ethiopia recognised the Government of National Unity in
Warsaw; 1947 – Ethiopia granted Zygmunt Kuligowski the
first agrément in the history of Polish-Ethiopian relations in
the capacity of an envoy in Addis Ababa with a permanent
seat in Cairo; 1960 – a Polish Legation was opened in Addis Ababa; 1961 – the status of the Polish Legation in Addis
Ababa and the Ethiopian diplomatic mission in Moscow was
raised to that of embassy; 1962 – Poland granted an agrément
to Lij Mikael Imru, the First Ambassador of the Ethiopian
Empire in Warsaw with a permanent seat in Moscow. Both
countries worked closely together at the UN Disarmament
Committee and UN Decolonisation Committee.
Emperor Haile Selassie I drew attention to this historic
alignment of the fates and goals of the two countries during
his visit to Poland in 1964: “Ethiopia and Poland share common experiences. Both countries have suffered a lot, both
have fought to maintain independence. We face a common
task for the future: work on the noble goal of maintaining
peace in the world.”
In the years 1945–1989, Poland’s foreign policy, with
a certain degree of limited independence compared to the
overall socialist camp, was a function of the global interests
of the USSR, which favoured political and military, as well
as economic contacts with countries on the ‘non-capitalist
road to development’. Together with the overthrow (by way of
a coup d'état) of the Empire in 1974 the ‘socialist option’ became very attractive for Ethiopia. The potential for continued
strengthening of political, economic and technical cooperation opened up between the two countries. Polish-Ethiopian
relations gained a new tempo with the visit to Poland on
10–12 December 1978 of Mengistu Haile Mariam, Chairman
In view of Poland’s rising GDP per capita in purchasing power parity, which is currently
19,900 USD, Poles will be travelling more and more frequently, and Ethiopia could become one
of their favourite destinations.
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of the Provisional Military Government and
Chairman of the Council of Ministers of
Socialist Ethiopia. In the years 1977–1979
alone, Poland signed as many as six bilateral
agreements with the Military Government
of Socialist Ethiopia, out of a total number of
nine Poland-Ethiopian agreements.
The traditions of manifold political, economic and cultural ties survived beyond
1989, although the conditions in which Polish
policy is implemented have changed radically. Poland’s admission to NATO (1999) and
accession to the EU (2004) led to a change
of priorities and responsibilities of the Polish
diplomatic service, free of the straitjacket of
common interests of the countries of ‘socialist orientation’ during the Cold War.
Europe – build
Over the last 20 years Poland has become
a highly developed democratic country. Being a member of the European Union, it has
ceased to be the recipient of security and development aid, and become a country providing these on a global scale. In addition
to bilateral operations, it provides support
to developing countries from the overall
EU budget, to which it is the seventh largest
contributor in terms of the level of contributions (out of 27 Member States).
As an EU Member State Poland has
also been involved in implementation
of the EU-Africa Strategic Partnership
(adopted in Lisbon in 2007). As part of
its role within the EU, it is working on
making cooperation on development in
Ethiopia more effective. All of Poland’s
development projects are aimed at reducing poverty, ensuring sustainability in development and achieving the Millennium
Development Goals.
Poland has now just started work on
a new long-term development cooperation
strategy. In the context of Ethiopia this will
focus on the areas of environmental protection, education and health.
The Polish-Ethiopian friendship, born of
the past and of international solidarity, has
given both countries a solid foundation for
cooperation with respect not only to expansion of democracy, human rights and the
rule of law, but also economic growth. Poland can offer Ethiopia its experiences in systemic transformation of the state, and Poles
know perfectly well that modernisation and
democratisation are not easy processes.
The world – understand
Ethiopian
students
in Poland
are an
important
factor
for bringing
both
the countries
closer.
The influx of Poles to Ethiopia has never
occurred in waves. It has consisted mainly
of the involvement of Poles in scientific
and technical work, the equivalent of development assistance today. Experts from
Poland have been employed at Ethiopian
institutions of higher education, advised
on the devising of development strategies
and served as experts to international institutions whose task it was to provide support
for the development of Ethiopia. Diplomats,
artists, journalists, missionaries and soldiers
have also travelled to Ethiopia.
Poles connected with Ethiopia have
made it possible to understand the history
and reality of Ethiopia, not only for Poles,
but most importantly for Ethiopians themselves. I will mention those who have made
the greatest contribution in this sphere: Professor Stanisław Chojnacki (1915–2010),
head of the Library at University College of
Addis Ababa and the Museum at the Institute of Ethiopian Studies of Haile Selassie I University; Professor Jerzy Krzeczunowicz,
head of the Department of Law at Haile
Selassie I University; Witold Grabowski
(1898–1981), Deputy Presiding Judge of the
Ethiopian Supreme Court; Professor Stefan
Strelcyn (1918–1981), founder of Ethiopian
Studies at the University of Warsaw; Wacław
Korabiewicz (1903–1994), ethnographer and
distinguished specialist on the symbolism of
Ethiopian crosses; Professor Joanna MantelNiećko (1933–2009), founder and head of
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the Department of African Languages and
Cultures at the University of Warsaw, co-author of The History of Ethiopia / Historia Etiopii; Professor Bogodar Winid (1922–1996),
geographer and lecturer at Haile Selassie I University. All of these extraordinary people
maintained emotional ties with Ethiopia all
of their lives, building a bridge of understanding between Poles and Ethiopians.
Their place has now been taken by a new
generation of Poles who are Ethiopian enthusiasts, no less talented and highly promising.
Ethiopian students in Poland are and
have been an important element of Poles
and Ethiopians getting to know each other.
After World War II, Poland, along with other
countries, responded to the UN’s appeal for
help with education for developing countries,
and started education for foreigners. Among
the largest group of students were Ethiopians.
It is estimated that in the years 1961–2010
more than 200 Ethiopian citizens studied
at Polish institutions of higher education.
They were a very real and tangible herald of
the extraordinary nature and exotic of this
mysterious Christian country somewhere far
away in Africa. Some graduates decided to
stay in Poland, start a family, and work. Many
are today affiliated with the Ethiopian-Polish
association Selam.
Tobia Hiwot, one of many Ethiopians
who have studied and lived in Poland, says
this about her national identity and contacts
with Poles: “I love my country with all my
heart, and moreover, I always associate being
an Ethiopian with a certain kind of pride.
At the same time I am open to other cultures.
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Being human means to understand the
world as much as possible. […] I have very
good Polish friends on whom I can always
count, and we have similar souls”. Others
who have decided to return to Ethiopia
founded the Association of Polish Academic Graduates. All Ethiopians with ties
to Poland – whether living in Poland or in
Ethiopia – not only reinforce the PolishEthiopian cultural and scientific exchange,
but also represent the huge potential for
further development of economic relations.
Poles more and more often dream of
travel to a country of which they know little. They are discovering Ethiopia as one of
the most attractive places on earth in terms
of the diversity of the landscape, rich history, and valuable monuments. Polish travel
agents are evidence of the continuous rise in
popularity of exotic Ethiopia among Polish
tourists. In view of Poland’s rising GDP per
capita in purchasing power parity, which is
currently 19,900 USD, Poles will be travelling more and more frequently, and Ethiopia could become one of their favourite
destinations. Upon their return to Poland,
they just have to look up into the sky at night
– and see the Andromeda galaxy, the Ethiopian princess, the daughter of Cassiopeia
and King Cepheus of Ethiopia… as it turns
out, Ethiopia and Poland are very close to
each other.
Jarosław Szczepankiewicz
Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary for the Republic of Poland to
the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
part I: THE PAST
• First attempt at contact
• Between the First and
the Second World War
• Post-war relations
• Socialist camp
• Democracy
H istor y o f b i l a t e r a l r e l a t i o n s
Poland
and
Ethiopia
God, honour, country
author: katarzyna hryĆko
Poland discovered Ethiopia in the 17th century thanks to King
Jan III Sobieski, seeking a Christian ally for the fight with the Muslims,
but the relations between the two countries did not start to take
on a greater tempo until the 20th century. Nowadays, in a time
of political stability and in the face of rapid economic growth,
both countries have the chance to steer official relations towards
efforts to discover their mutual opportunities and make use
of the potential still dormant within us.
Poland and Ethiopia have been shaped by similar historical fates
– a constant struggle with the threat from neighbouring countries.
Poles and Ethiopians may not be very familiar with each other,
but they share a deep sense of patriotism and national pride.
In the global world geographic distances are shrinking, and this
is why in the new political situation it is worth making use of the openness
of both of these nations to discover their potential anew.
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Wawel – Polish royal castle in Cracow • Monolithic Church in Lalibela
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Ethiopia
and Joining
Poland
the group
of Christian
countries meant
strengthening
of international
status, and
greater influence
for both states.
• PHOTO (left): Ethiopian
parchment manuscript
Christ in Glory from the time
of Emperor Iyasu I the Great
(17th century)
• PHOTO (right):
Contemporary wall painting
showing the baptism
of King Mieszko I of Poland
in Gniezno in 966
A common enemy
– the first attempt
at contact
Poland and Ethiopia
are countries with long traditions and history, and pride in their achievements. They
both share an attachment to independence
and their Christian roots. Ethiopia adopted
Christianity at a very early stage – in the
4th century, from the Eastern Orthodox
Church, Byzantium – while Poland did
so 600 years later – from the West, joining
Latin Europe. For both of these states, joining the group of Christian countries led to
a strengthening of their previous international status and greater influence.
The Arab expansion that was started
in the mid-7th century brought a new religion, Islam, engulfing northern Africa
and cutting Ethiopia off from sources of
Christianity. This resulted in isolation of
the country, but was also a contributing
factor in the creation of a civilisation that
was unique when considered on the scale
of the African continent. Surrounded by
land occupied by Muslims, the Empire was
‘forgotten’ by the West until the Middle
Ages – a time of geographical discovery.
At that time legends appeared in Europe
of the mysterious Christian kingdom of
Prester John, somewhere in Ethiopia.
Poland’s interest in Ethiopia goes back to the 17th century – a time when wars were being conducted in southeastern Europe against the Ottoman Empire. The Turks
gradually broadened their influence, and reached the borders of the Republic of Poland. Following unification with
Lithuania in the 16th century, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the largest state on the continent in terms of
geographical range, became Christianity’s last bastion in
the fight against the Muslim Empire. The greatest renown
in the struggle against the Turks was gained by one of the
most distinguished Polish leaders and ‘defenders of the faith’
– Jan III Sobieski, King of Poland in the years 1674–1696.
Prior to his election, Sobieski was a soldier, hetman, and
diplomat. In 1673, at the Battle of Khotyn, leading 3000
Polish cavalry, he defeated a Tatar-Turkish army of 30,000.
This victory made him world-famous, and the Polish nobility elected him King of Poland a year later. In 1683 Jan
III Sobieski was again victorious over Ottoman troops at
the Battle of Vienna. In 1684 the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth became part of the Holy League formed against
the Turkish Empire by Austria, Venice, and Papal Rome.
Sobieski planned to organise a great war in which Turkey
would be attacked by its neighbours: Russia from the north
and Persia from the east. His plan was that Turkish Egypt
would be attacked by neighbouring Ethiopia from the south,
which, like Poland, had been at war with the Muslims for
centuries. At that time the country was ruled by Emperor
Iyasu I (1682–1706)* , known as the ‘Great’. During his reign
Ethiopia flourished economically and culturally after years
of civil wars and wars with its neighbours.
From the late Middle Ages Ethiopia’s leaders defended
the Christian Empire against Islam. In the 16th century they
prevailed in the 30-year war with the Muslim peoples led by
Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi, known as Gragn – the lefthanded (died in battle in 1543), and soon after that started
a struggle against the Turkish troops supporting the local
magnates. The emperors of Ethiopia sought military assistance in Christian Europe, promising even the Portuguese
that they would convert to the Catholic faith. Instead of
an army, however, they brought the Jesuits, who began intensive missionary work. In an attempt to the strengthen
relations with Catholic Portugal, Emperor Susneyos (1607–
1632) officially announced that the Ethiopian Church would
obey the papacy (1628), and this gave rise to opposition
from the local clergy. The expected military support did not
come. Consequently, the country descended into flames,
and the Emperor abdicated, publicly admitting his mistake,
with the Jesuits being driven out of Ethiopia. The influential
Orthodox Ethiopian Church was broken up at this time into
factions among which there was theological conflict. Emperor Iyasu I the Great put a stop to this by strengthening
the position of tewahdo, whose doctrine of monophysitism
(a combination of the divine and human nature of Christ
through union) remains the official faith of the Ethiopian
Church to this day. By doing this, he also calmed the internal situation in the country at the same time.
It might well have been out of fear of the uncertain nature
of cooperation with the Catholics, potentially causing anger
among the clergy and instability, that Emperor Iyasu refused
to allow the Polish envoys from King Jan III Sobieski, seeking support in the fight against the Turkish Muslims, into the
country. There is also the possibility that news of the envoys
never reached the Ethiopian ruler. The Polish delegation
c.1686
T he first Polish attempt at forging contacts
with Ethiopia
* Unless stated otherwise, here and thereafter, dates in brackets show the period in office.
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The inter-war
period – Poles
wish to settle
in Ethiopia
• Polish King Jan II Sobieski – a 17th century portrait • Emperor of Ethiopia Tewodros II • Emperor of Ethiopia Menelik II
(made up among others of Bogdan Gardziecki and Teodor
Miranowicz, and headed by the envoy extraordinary of Poland, and of its ally, the Republic of Venice, the Armenian
Konstantyn Sulejman de Syri-Zgórski) reached Egypt between 1684 and 1686, but after a failed attempt at gaining
the favour of the Ethiopian patriarchy in Alexandria, which
was supposedly to contact Iyasu I, they returned to Poland.
The Polish king was in need of allies in the fight against the
Turks, and therefore planned to send another expedition to
Ethiopia, this time led by the Jesuit Father Maurycy Votta,
and carrying the appropriate letters with recommendations
from Pope Innocent XI (1676–1689). They were supposed
to reach the Emperor’s court via the hands of the patriarch
of the Ethiopian Church in Alexandria, but the expedition
did not come about1. Jan III Sobieski died without ending
the war with the Turks, and it was his successor who signed
a peace with the Ottoman Empire in 1699.
Poland fights to gain independence,
and Ethiopia to maintain sovereignty
The delegation sent by Sobieski was the first attempt by
Poland to make contact with Ethiopia. One hundred years
later, weakened by internal conflicts, the Polish-Lithuanian
Commonwealth lost its sovereignty for 123 years, divided
by three powerful neighbours, Russia, Prussia and Austria.
Living with the partitions, the Polish people fought for their
independence, starting numerous uprisings, yet they did
not gain their freedom until there was a shift in the balance
of power at the end of World War I.
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During this time Ethiopia was still struggling to deal with
Muslim invasions. In 1855 one of the greatest Ethiopian emperors, Tewodros II (1855–1868), came to the throne; like
King Jan III Sobieski a century before, he wanted to form an
anti-Muslim coalition with the European countries. Due to
impatience on the part of the Emperor, however, an attempt
to form an alliance with Great Britain resulted in the English
envoy being imprisoned, a British expedition being sent to
punish Ethiopia and the eventual suicide of Tewodros.
At the end of the 19th century another danger arose in
the east and north: the imperialism of the European powers. Following the opening of the Suez Canal (1869), Italy
intended to secure its interests in the region by founding
colonies on the coast of the Red Sea (Italian Somalia in 1898
and Eritrea in 1890), and by expanding its influence to cover
Ethiopia. These attempts at expansion were thwarted by
Emperor Menelik II (1889–1913), whose troops beat Italian
forces at the most famous and important battle in Ethiopia’s
history, the Battle of Adwa (2 March 1896). The signing of
the peace treaty put an end to Italy’s plans to control Ethiopia, which, due to this same event, was the only country on
the continent to avoid being colonised.
During his reign, Emperor Menelik II introduced a series of reforms that helped in the modernisation of the
country, and was also active in the sphere of foreign policy,
reaching good neighbourhood arrangements with the colonial powers. The international status of Ethiopia rose to
such a level that the European press started reporting that
a new power had emerged in Africa2.
World War I brought major changes to
the political scene in Europe. Empires fell,
opening the way to freedom for many nations. In 1918 Poland once again appeared
on the European map, with new borders,
and a skilled politician as the head of state –
Marshal Józef Piłsudski (Chief of State 19181922 and Prime Minister 1926–1930). The
country slowly came back into being after
the long period of the partitions. Relations
with neighbouring countries remained
tense, while internally there was political
conflict, and successive governments sought
powerful allies with influence in the international arena. For Poland the inter-war
period was therefore a time of balancing
of foreign policy towards its neighbours
Germany and the USSR, and also one of
searching for support among the European
powers: France and Great Britain. The government also tried to maintain peaceful relations with Italy3.
In 1916 in Ethiopia there was a coup
d'état, and the successor of Emperor Menelik II, Lij Iyasu (Iyasu V 1913–1916)
who was a Muslim sympathiser, was overthrown, with the daughter of Menelik,
Empress Zewditu (1916–1930), coming to
the throne. This change opened a new page
in Ethiopia’s history. The former governor
of the province of Harar, Teferi Mekonnen
(born 1892, died 1975), whom Iyasu had
pushed to the political sidelines, and whose
father Ras Mekonnen was one of the closest
associates of Emperor Menelik II, appeared
in Addis Ababa. Within a short time, in
1917, Ras Teferi was crowned as the successor to the throne. He gained a high position at court and over time it was he who
de facto wielded power within the government. Empress Zewditu’s role was rather
Poland
wanted to
establish
commercial
and
diplomatic
relations
with Africa.
a passive one. The successor to the throne
undertook many trips abroad, around Europe, during which he practised his diplomatic skills. After the death of the Empress
in 1930, Ras Teferi Mekonnen assumed the
throne of Ethiopia, and took the name Haile
Selassie I (Power of the Holy Trinity).
In the latter half of the 1920s, Europe went
through several years of economic prosperity, an easing of political tensions and
stability, after which the continent became
engulfed in economic crisis. Seeking ways
of reviving the economy, the Polish government considered the option of gaining colonies in South America or Africa. Due to the
climate, which in certain places was similar
to that of Poland, Ethiopia was one of the
places considered an option for the settlement of Poles. This was recommended by
the Maritime and Colonial League, which
was active in Poland in the years 1918–1939
and carried out research into the possibility
of establishing commercial and diplomatic
relations between the Republic and Africa.
The first official diplomatic contacts
between Poland and Ethiopia occurred in
1930, when the Polish Chargé d’Affaires in
Cairo, Count Juliusz Dzieduszycki, attended
the coronation of Emperor Haile Selassie
I (1930–1974), in addition to delegations
from many countries. At that time there was
an exchange of correspondence between the
President of Poland Ignacy Mościcki (1926–
1939) and the Emperor. In 1932 Poland saw
a return visit of the Ethiopian envoy accredited to Paris, Bedgirond Zelleke Aguedeon4.
Polish Marshal Józef Piłsudski
Polish Chargé d’Affaires in Cairo
Count Juliusz Dzieduszycki
1930
The first official diplomatic contact
between Poland and Ethiopia
at the time of the coronation
of Emperor Haile Selassie I
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❈Poland’s
mission

a history
diplomatic and consular representatives.
There was also a clause in the treaty giving
Polish citizens the right to settle in Ethiopia,
and Ethiopians the right to settle in Poland5.
diplomatic
in Addis Ababa
Haile
1937–1940  Activity of the Honorary
Consulate of the Republic of Poland
in Addis Ababa.
14 July 1945  Official establishment
of relations between the Empire
of Ethiopia and the Republic of Poland.
Polish Ambassador to France Alfred Chłapowski
1947–1960  The Polish Embassy
in Cairo represents Poland in Ethiopia.
May 1960  Opening of the Polish
Commercial Attaché’s Office
in Addis Ababa.
October 1960  Opening
of the Polish Legation in Addis Ababa.
14 August 1961  The status
of the Polish Legation in Addis Ababa
is raised to that of embassy.
30 September 1992  The operations
of the Embassy of the Republic
of Poland in Addis Ababa are suspended;
the Ambassador is dismissed.
17 December 1992  The Embassy
for the Republic of Poland in Addis Ababa
is closed and its responsibilities
transferred to the Embassy for
the Republic of Poland in Sana’a (Yemen).
24 March 2003  The Polish Minister
of Foreign Affairs decides to resume
the operations of the Embassy
of the Republic of Poland in the Federal
Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
11 December 2004  A Polish Chargé
d’Affaires is set up with its seat
in Addis Ababa; construction
of the Embassy’s headquarters
in the district of Semen Mezegaja.
29 September 2005  An Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
is appointed for the Republic
of Poland in Addis Ababa.
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Ethiopian envoy in Paris Bedgirond Zelleke Aguedeon’s visit to Poland in 1932
Poland’s interest in Ethiopia was growing. In 1934 an envoy from the State Trade
Institute, Bohdan Wojewódzki, met with
the Ethiopian Minister of Foreign Affairs
and the Emperor to propose the import
of Polish weapons. Haile Selassie saw that
there was a need to import goods from
Europe, and also for hiring political and
economic advisors and military instructors. He proposed a rapid establishment of
diplomatic relations and the possibility of
introduction of measures to facilitate trade
as well as of making available agricultural
areas on a long-term tenancy basis. The
Emperor was worried about Italy’s territorial ambitions and the political threat on
the part of Britain, and therefore sought
support among countries without colonial
commitments and political and economic
interests in Africa – such as Poland. In
turn, the Republic was interested in expansion of trade with Africa. Following negotiations between Alfred Chłapowski, the
Polish Ambassador to France (1924–1940),
and the Ethiopian envoy Tekle Hawaryat
(born 1900, died 1969) accredited to Paris,
the countries signed the first ‘Treaty of
Friendship Trade and Settlement’ in their
history (26 December 1934). Each party
promised the other everlasting peace and
agreed upon the option of accreditation of
Selassie I
was seeking
support of
non-colonial
countries
– such as
Poland.
Conflict
and the Italo-Ethiopian War
Implementation of the agreement was
hampered, however: firstly by the political
conflict between Italy and Ethiopia, which
started on 5 December 1934, and soon after
this by the Italo-Ethiopian War, which broke
out in May 1935. Fearing Italy’s intentions,
the Emperor requested quick ratification
of the treaty and establishment of a Polish
diplomatic mission in Ethiopia; however,
these measures were never taken. The Polish Sejm and Senate did indeed approve the
treaty in March 1935, but Poland stopped
the exchange of ratification documentation.
It also rejected the option of assistance with
military instruction.
Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Józef Beck in Warsaw (second from the right)
Ethiopia requested help in solving the
conflict with Italy from the League of Nations, recently created following the end of
World War I. A pact adopted in 1923 made
it an obligation for the League Council to act
in the event of a threat to peace. The Polish
delegation to the League of Nations, in accordance with the position of the Minister
of Foreign Affairs Józef Beck (1932–1939),
tried to support Ethiopia’s cause in January
1935 in the international forum, by having
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materials
f i g u r e s
own
it included on the daily agenda. This move
was not successful, however. It was not
until September 1935 that the so-called
Committee of Five was set up to examine
the causes of the Italo-Ethiopian conflict.
On this committee were Britain, France,
Turkey, Spain and Poland – an active member of the League Council. Poland was also
represented on the Committee of Thirteen,
whose task was to draw up a peace plan for
the conflict. The country adopted a moderate position: it did not support Ethiopia
openly, so as not to damage relations with
Italy, but neither did it get involved on their
side. Diplomacy failed, however, and all solutions were either rejected by Italy or could
not be reconciled with the various interests
of League member states.
Eventually, in October 1935, i.e., when
Italian troops invaded Ethiopia, upon
vAriety
P ublisher ' s
A 1936 issue of the Polish newspaper ‘Głos Poranny’
announces Victor Emmanuel II of Italy the Emperor
of Ethiopia
press
reported
on the Italo-Ethiopian
war, but
also on
Ethiopia
itself.
S ource :
The
Polish
submission of a motion by the Ethiopian
envoy Tekle Hawaryat, a vote was held at
the League of Nations Forum to declare
Italy the aggressor and to impose economic
sanctions on the country, under art. 16 of
the League Pact. Poland voted in favour of
this motion. Following a May 1936 declaration that Ethiopia had been annexed by
Italy, however, Poland lifted the economic
sanctions, and in 1937 the Polish Consulate
General in Rome extended its powers to
cover Italian East Africa (Ethiopia, Eritrea,
Italian Somalia) and created an Honorary
Consulate in Addis Ababa, in which Jerzy
Giżycki was consul until 1940. This expansion of powers was a de facto acknowledgement by the Polish government, like the
governments of other member countries
of the League of Nations, of Italy’s annexing of Ethiopia6.
The issue of the Italo-Ethiopian conflict
and the involvement of the Polish government in political processes at the League
of Nations Forum was much talked about
in the Polish press. There were regular reports on the positions of the world powers, and then, when war could no longer be
prevented, on military action, but also on
Ethiopia itself. The Polish public was divided between supporters and those opposed
to the Italian aggression. Some Poles, who
perfectly understood the problem of external threat, loss of sovereignty and struggle
for freedom, were in favour of acknowledging Ethiopia’s right to independence.
Documentaries made during travel to Abyssinia and academic articles in the popular press on Ethiopia’s history, culture and
literature broadened the knowledge of the
country, contributing to the emergence of
Ethiopian studies in the post-war Poland.
Europe
23
– the number
Cultural diversity is one of Europe’s most
of Europe’s
important distinguishing characteristics.
official
The official motto ‘Unity in diversity’
languages:
(In varietate concordia), introduced in 2000,
in addition,
stresses the meaning of cultural diversity
over 150 local
and diffusion of the array of experiences
and minority
and traditions out of which Europe grew.
languages
are spoken
Post-war relations
– two camps,
a common interest
Ethiopia was still under Italian occupation when, on
1 September 1939, Hitler’s Germany invaded Poland. On
5 May 1941 Ethiopia was liberated with the help of British
forces, while Poland freed itself from occupation by Hitler’s
Germany with the help of the Soviet Red Army four year
later. When World War II ended, then, the two therefore
found themselves in different political camps, and this had
a major impact on their relations. Although he was an ally
of the United States, Emperor Haile Selassie I conducted
a foreign policy of balance of power, and therefore tried to
maintain diplomatic and commercial relations with countries of diverse political orientation, including with Poland.
Despite temporary disruption, the two sides managed to
maintain friendly and intense relations.
The pre-war policy of Poland’s government, which was
not supportive of maintenance of Ethiopia’s sovereignty, and
the post-war international situation, delayed the forming of
official relations between the two countries, but diplomats
remained in contact with each other. The first measure was
taken by Ethiopia, when on 14 July 1945, in a letter sent by
the ambassador in Moscow, it recognised the Government
of National Unity in Warsaw. In 1946 the Ethiopian diplomatic mission in Cairo approached Poland’s resident envoy
there with a proposal of resumption of diplomatic relations
and his accreditation to Addis Ababa. The Ethiopian mission in Moscow was to have its powers expanded to cover
Warsaw. In 1947 Ethiopia granted Zygmunt Kuligowski an
agrément to the capacity of envoy of Poland to Addis Ababa
with its permanent seat in Cairo. After many unsuccessful attempts Ethiopia accredited its ambassador Lij Mikael
Imru to Warsaw, but not until 19627. The most likely reason
for this delay was the requirement of submission of letters of
accreditation in person in Poland, and possibly also Poland’s
position on the future of Eritrea.
The issue of Eritrea
in the UN
The question of Eritrea came before the United Nations in
1948 following Italy’s renunciation in 1947 of all rights to its
former properties in Africa after its defeat in World War II.
Various visions of its future destiny were put forward.
Initially, Poland stated that it was in favour of entrusting
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14 July 1945
1961
The status
of the Polish and Ethiopian
diplomatic missions is raised to
that of embassy
Establishment of diplomatic relations
between Poland and Ethiopia
Eritrea to Italy, which was intended to enable the territory
to continue its development and quickly gain independence. However, this position was not recognised by the
Ethiopian diplomatic service, which made this clear in an
official complaint to envoy Zygmunt Kuligowski. Ethiopia
was fighting for access to the Red Sea, and the recognition
of independence of Eritrea, which was in possession of the
entire coastline, would have thwarted those plans. Eventually, in April 1949, Poland adopted a position in line with
the policy of the USRR, voting in favour of handing Eritrea
over to the protection of the UN and granting Ethiopia access to the sea through the port of Assab. Due to the support
of the United States, the option that was finally chosen was
the one forced through by Ethiopia, and not long afterwards
– on 15 September 1952 – Eritrea formally became a province of Ethiopia.
In the 1940s and 1950s relations between Poland and
Ethiopia were limited to occasional formal contacts, such as
participation by Włodzimierz Paszkowski, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in a Special Mission,
in a ceremony to mark the 25th anniversary of the coronation of Emperor Haile Selassie I (which took place on 2–9
November 1955). After the meeting the envoy suggested
to the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs that a representative office should be opened in Ethiopia as soon as possible.
From the Polish point of view such an office would counteract the influence of the Western countries, in particular
the US. The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposed
raising the status of the diplomatic mission of the Polish
People’s Republic to that of embassy and accreditation of
the ambassador in Cairo with the possibility of moving the
office to Addis Ababa in the near future. Ethiopia stalled the
decision, however, as it found no viable reason for setting
up an embassy without a permanent seat in Addis Ababa.
The first Ethiopian Ambassador to Poland
Lij Mikael Imru
In 1960 a Polish Commercial Attaché’s
Office and a Legation, represented by
Chargé d’Affaires Włodzimierz Wink, were
opened in Addis Ababa. The Polish mission in Ethiopia was not granted the status
of embassy until 1961. This occurred after
a meeting between the Director General of
the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jan
Michałowski, who was in Addis Ababa in
the capacity of a member of the Polish delegation at the talks held during the third session of the UN Economic Committee for
Africa – and Haile Selassie I, during which
the Emperor supported Poland’s motion.
Acting in the name of the Chairman of
the Council of State, Aleksander Zawadzki
(1952–1964), the director of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs invited the Emperor to
visit Poland. The Ethiopian office in Moscow was also granted the status of embassy
at the same time. During a speech on a visit
to Poland, the First Ambassador of the Empire of Ethiopia with a permanent office in
Moscow, Lij Mikael Imru, emphasised that
Ethiopia and Poland shared the fate of the
first victims of fascist aggression, and that
such similar historical experiences were at
the core of the long-term regard the two
nations had for one other8.
Similar
historical
experiences
of both states
were at the
core of the
long-term
relation.
The economic and political situation
in the post-war Poland was a very difficult
one: most of the foreign trade was with the
USSR, and all commercial transactions were
controlled by the Minister of the Sailing Industry and Foreign Trade by way of a system
of import and export licences. Following the
death of the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in
1953, stress began to be placed on the need
to increase Poland’s foreign trade. The USSR
then portrayed itself as a guardian of countries fighting for independence, providing
them with economic and military aid. This
Soviet activeness resulted in Poland in the
forming of commercial contacts with Africa, and this included Ethiopia. The 1950s
was a time of bilateral surveying of markets, and the value of Poland’s trade with
Ethiopia during this period was negligible;
export consisted primarily of textile articles,
foodstuffs (mainly sugar) and chemical and
wood articles.
The value of Polish exports was growing,
and even in 1961 it had increased fivefold
compared to the previous years, and the
range of goods had expanded to cover pharmaceuticals and rubber and iron articles.
Trade continued to be mainly in consumer
goods, because Poland had decided not to
grant Ethiopia long-term loans to purchase
tools and machinery. The necessity of paying
2011
27
❈List
of the most important
political and diplomatic
events in the history
of Polish-Ethiopian relations
Around 1686  The first attempt at
contact: a mission sent by the King of Poland
Jan III Sobieski to Emperor Iyasu I the Great
of Ethiopia with an offer of forming
an anti-Turkish coalition. The delegation
of envoys is not allowed to enter Ethiopia.
1930  Attendance by the Polish Chargé
d’Affaires in Cairo, Count Juliusz Dzieduszycki,
of the coronation of Emperor Haile Selassie I.
The highest Polish state order – the Order
of the White Eagle – is presented in the
name of President Ignacy Mościcki.
1932  Visit to Poland by Bedgirond
Zelleke Aguedeon, an Ethiopian envoy
accredited to Paris.
1934  Poland and Ethiopia sign the first
Treaty of Friendship Trade and Settlement
in the history of the bilateral relations,
promising everlasting peace and
the possibility of accreditation of consular
and diplomatic representatives.
The treaty never comes into effect.
1935  The Italo-Ethiopian War breaks out.
1936  Italian troops occupy Ethiopia;
the Emperor emigrates.
1937  The Honorary Consulate
of the Republic of Poland is opened in Addis
Ababa, which is under Italian occupation.
1940  The Honorary Consulate
of the Republic of Poland in Addis
Ababa is closed.
1941  Ethiopia is liberated from Italian fascist
occupation by a combined force of Allied
and Ethiopian troops. Triumphant return
of the Emperor to his homeland.
1945  Ethiopia recognises the Provisional
Government of National Unity in Warsaw.
28
2011
in cash meant that Ethiopia could not import the equipment that Poland was willing to export, needed to develop Ethiopia’s
industry. Polish offers of cooperation were
rejected in favour of business in other
countries which were willing to grant loans
on preferential terms. Ethiopia, whose
economy relied on agriculture and breeding of livestock, was not exporting any
goods to Poland at that time. Ethiopia was
implementing by economic means a strategy of unlimited import without the need to
counteract it with export, and sometimes
Polish goods were paid for in the form of
Ethiopian coffee and leather. Towards the
end of the 1960s, a Polish-Ethiopian company, Ethiopian Metal Tools, was set up
in Addis Ababa, producing metal goods,
including agricultural tools (sickles, pickaxes, spades, axes, machetes). The plant
was constructed by the Polish firm CEKOP,
and after training, local staff were hired to
work there9.
The 1960s brought stability in mutual
contacts and bilateral cooperation began
to increase gradually. In Africa this was
a period of intense decolonisation and
economic growth. Ethiopia gained the
status in the world as the only country
on the continent not to be colonised, and
experienced in independent forming of
internal and external policy, and a symbol
of African independence. It became the
headquarters of two major institutions:
the newly created Organisation of African
Unity and the UN Economic Commission
for Africa. New African countries adopted
the Ethiopian colours: arenguade, bich’a,
k’ey – green, yellow, and red – on their flags.
Poland had now left the post-war crisis
1964-1965
The first official
Polish-Ethiopian state visits are held
behind it, and reports were coming into Warsaw regularly
from the embassy in Addis Ababa regarding the political
and economic situation in Ethiopia. Articles about Poland
started to appear in the Ethiopian press, and there was also
greater activity in the fields of culture and education. There
were a number of screenings of Polish films and graphic design exhibitions, and the first Ethiopians travelled to Poland
to study. There was also a rapid increase in the number of
specialists from Poland who travelled to Ethiopia to work,
for instance, experts on mining and exploitation of raw materials for the chemical industry, employees of the UN, and
construction engineers. The Polish diaspora consisted of
15 families.
Haile Selassie I
visits Poland
On 17–20 September 1964, the Ethiopian Emperor Haile
Selassie I held an official visit to Poland. He was awarded
by the Chairman of the Council of State Edward Ochab
(1964–1968) the Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta by the Council of State, for distinguished achievements
in the development of good relations with other countries.
The Emperor visited the Nazi-era concentration camp at
Oświęcim (the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum) and carried
out other tours. During the visit it was agreed that Poland
would send an economic delegation to Ethiopia to prepare the foundations for signing a trade and loan agreement. Haile Selassie invited the Chairman of the Council
of State to visit Ethiopia. Edward Ochab visited Ethiopia
on 29 November–2 December 1965, and during this trip
the governments of the Polish People’s Republic (PRL) and
the Ethiopian Empire signed an agreement on scientific and
technical cooperation (1 December 1965). Haile Selassie,
continuing the state reforms begun by Emperor Menelik II,
set great store by the level of education of young Ethiopians,
and for this purpose obtained funding from UNESCO and
other organisations. Towards the end of the 1960s, more
than one hundred Ethiopians in Poland were studying or
on traineeships, and Poles were employed to lecture on legal
science and geography at the Haile Selassie I University in
Addis Ababa.
Visit by Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie I to Poland: at the top
– greeted by Poles, first on the left Chairman of the Council of State of the PRL
Edward Ochab ; in the middle: official drive through the streets of Warsaw;
at the bottom: Ethiopian student Adamu Wakijra hands the Emperor a wreath
2011
29
❈List
The issue
of Israel
1947  The Ethiopian government grants
Zygmunt Kuligowski the first agrément
in the history of bilateral relations,
in his capacity of envoy in Addis Ababa,
with a permanent seat in Cairo.
1952  The name of the Polish state is changed
to the People’s Republic of Poland (PRL).
1955  PRL envoy Włodzimierz Paszkowski
attends a ceremony to mark the 25th anniversary
of the coronation of Emperor Haile Selassie I.
1960  The Office of the Commercial
Attaché and a Polish Legation is opened
in Addis Ababa.
1961  The status of the PRL Legation
in Addis Ababa and the Ethiopian
diplomatic mission in Moscow is raised
to that of embassy.
1962  Poland grants agrément to
Lij Mikael Imru, the First Ambassador
of the Ethiopian Empire in Warsaw,
with a permanent seat in Moscow.
1964  Official visit of Emperor of Ethiopia
Haile Selassie I to Poland (September).
The Emperor is honoured with the Grand Cross
of the Order of Polonia Restituta and the Chairman
of the Council of State Edward Ochab is awarded
the Ethiopian Order of the Queen of Sheba.
1965  Return visit of the Chairman
of the Council of State of the PRL Edward Ochab
to Ethiopia (November–December).
The governments of the PRL and
the Ethiopian Empire sign a science
and technology cooperation agreement.
1974  Coup d’état in Ethiopia
– the Emperor is overthrown and there
is a takeover by the Derg – formally known
as the Provisional Military Government
of Socialist Ethiopia (PMAG).
30
2011
Poland
and Ethiopia
had common
views with
regard
to global
security
challenges.
As the international situation became
more complicated, this had an effect on
Polish-Ethiopian relations. In June 1967
the so-called Six-day War took place in
Israel, and the hostile policy of the Arab
countries towards Israel was supported by
the USSR and countries in the Soviet bloc,
including Poland10. Israel, which at this
time along with Ethiopia found itself within the US sphere of influence, assisted Addis Ababa among other things with training and equipping of the police. Following
occupation of the Egyptian peninsula of Sinai and the Arab part of Jerusalem, Poland
condemned Israel and broke off diplomatic
relations with Tel Aviv. Once again – as in
the case of Eritrea – the Polish position was
in line with the Soviet one, but altogether
different from that of Ethiopia. These different standpoints drove the two countries
apart, which for a time hampered bilateral
cooperation. At the UN forum, however,
Poland and Ethiopia had common views
with regard to global security and disarmament, nuclear-free zones, no limitation in
time for war crimes, and decolonisation. It
was therefore possible to repair the damage
done to their relations quickly.
At the beginning of the 1970s, after an
intense arms race, both superpowers – the
USA and USSR – started to display a clear
inclination towards easing of the military
situation and signing a series of bilateral
arms reduction treaties. In Poland a new
team came to power, headed by Edward
Gierek (1970–1980), who adopted a more
open position towards the West. Poland
conducted a more active foreign policy, promoting the concept of détente, which could
also be seen in its contacts with Ethiopia.
At the end of the 1960s, anti-imperial
sentiment was making itself felt in Ethiopia,
not only towards the Emperor personally
but towards the entire system, perceived by young people educated in the Western style as feudal. The Emperor
was considered to be a dictatorial leader, and there were
accusations of corruption among his entourage. In the
1960s a number of peasant uprisings broke out which were
brutally put down, and from the beginning of the 1970s
urban-dwellers, students and the army started to protest.
At the same time as these internal troubles, the country was
engulfed by drought and famine. There was fighting for the
national liberation cause in Eritrea. As a result of rioting
in 1974, Emperor Haile Selassie I was dethroned – and so
ended the history of the Ethiopian imperial line.
The Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces,
Police and Territorial Army, the so-called Derg (the Committee) then came to power. The Provisional Military Government of Socialist Ethiopia was formed soon after, and
from 1977 it was headed by Lt Col. Mengistu Haile Mariam
(1977–1991). The Americans left the country and Ethiopia
entered into an alliance with the USSR and found itself in
the same socialist camp as Poland. A period of greater contacts between Poland and Ethiopia ensued, characterised by
many visits on both sides.
In the same
camp
Despite the war with Somalia in the years 1977–1978 and
escalating terror on the part of the authorities in Ethiopia,
this period was one of intense diplomatic cooperation with
Poland. The first Polish ambassador in Addis Ababa following the outbreak of the revolution was Kwiryn Grela,
accredited in 1976. In 1977 alone, three Ethiopian delegations made up of high-ranking members of the Derg visited Poland. The first of these was headed by Major Fisseha Desta, who in March 1977 met with representatives
of the Polish state administration, including the Chairman
of the Council of State Henryk Jabłoński (1972–1985) and
Minister of Defence Wojciech Jaruzelski (1968–1983). In
July 1977 another Ethiopian delegation, headed by the
Derg member responsible for the economy Welde Kidane
Gessese and Minister for Trade and Tourism Igletu Ashagre,
held talks at the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Maritime
Economy. On 19 July 1977, Ministers Jerzy Olszewski and
Igletu Ashagre signed a trade agreement between the government of the PRL and the Provisional Military Government of Socialist Ethiopia regulating the entire economic
Visit by the Chairman of the Derg, Lt Col. Mengistu Haile Mariam
to Poland. Signing of final documents. On the right Chairman
of the Council of State of the PRL Henryk Jabłoński
relations between Poland and Ethiopia, which came into
effect on 17 May 1978.
Polish representatives made two return visits to Addis
Ababa. A delegation from the Ministry of Communications visited Ethiopia, and on 29 July 1978 an agreement
was signed between the government of the PRL and the
Provisional Military Government of Socialist Ethiopia on
air transport between and outside of their respective territories (which came into effect on 23 August 1978). The
aim of the next visit by the Polish Minister of Justice Jerzy
Bafia (1976–1981) to Addis Ababa in September 1977 was
to take part in celebrations to mark the third anniversary
of the Ethiopian revolution. In December 1977, the head
of the Ethiopian customs administration Kebbede Aberra
visited Poland.
On 11–16 September 1978, the Deputy Chairman of
the Council of Ministers Józef Kępa attended a meeting in
Ethiopia with the head of the Derg, Lt Col. Mengistu Haile
Mariam, and on behalf of the Chairman of the Council of
State Henryk Jabłoński invited him to Poland. Mengistu
Haile Mariam made an official visit to Poland on 10–12
December 1978, accompanied by the ministers of foreign
1977-1978
A series of visitis by
Ethiopian delegations to Poland and Polish delegations to Ethiopia
2011
31
❈List
1977  A series of visits by Ethiopian delegations
to Poland and Polish delegations to Ethiopia.
Poland and Ethiopia sign a trade agreement
and an agreement on air transport between
and outside of their respective territories.
1978  Official visit to Poland by the Chairman
of the Derg, Mengistu Haile Mariam (December).
Poland and Ethiopia sign a loan agreement
and a cultural cooperation agreement.
1979  The Polish Journalists Association
and Ethiopian Journalists Association sign
a cooperation agreement for the years
1979–1981 and the Polish Radio and Television
Committee and the Ethiopian Ministry
for Information and National Orientation
sign a radio and television agreement.
1984  The Workers’ Party of Ethiopia
takes up power in Ethiopia.
1985–1987  A squadron of Polish Mi-8
helicopters takes part in Operation Tesfa
– the international effort to provide aid
to Ethiopians affected by the drought.
1987  The name of the Ethiopian state
is changed to the People’s Democratic
Republic of Ethiopia (PDRE).
1989  The first non-communist government
in Poland is appointed, headed by Prime Minister
Tadeusz Mazowiecki. The PRL comes to an end.
Beginning of the Third Republic of Poland (RP).
1991  The PDRE collapses; the multi-party
Provisional Ethiopian Government takes up power
with the majority Ethiopian Peoples’ RevolutionaryDemocratic Front (EPRDF).
The name of the Ethiopian state is changed
to the Federal Democratic Republic
of Ethiopia (FDRE).
32
2011
In
the same
socialist
camp,
Ethiopia
and Poland
intensified
bilateral
contacts.
affairs, industry, finance, and trade and
tourism. The delegation was greeted by the
First Secretary of the Central Committee
of the Polish United Workers’ Party (or
KC PZPR) Edward Gierek, Chairman of
the Council of State Henryk Jabłoński, and
ministers of foreign affairs, foreign trade,
maritime economy and agriculture. On 12
December, a declaration of friendship and
cooperation was signed between the PRL
and Socialist Ethiopia, along with a loan
agreement between the government of the
PRL and the Provisional Military Government of Socialist Ethiopia for Polish machinery and spare parts (which came into
effect on 3 July 1979). An agreement was
also signed on cultural cooperation, which
came into force as of 8 April 1981.
Prior to that, on 30 August–4 September 1978, Poland was visited by the president of Addis Ababa University, Mohammed Duri, PhD, to discuss the resumption
of educational and academic cooperation,
which had been suspended at the time
of the outbreak of the revolution, with
representatives of the University of Warsaw. Further bilateral visits of the representatives of Poland and Ethiopia in 1979
brought about, among other things, the
signing of agreements on cooperation in
radio and television and between the Polish and Ethiopian journalists associations
for the years 1979–198111.
The 1980s was a time of great change
in the PRL. A severe economic crisis provoked by the rulers in the 1970s gave rise
to public discontent and strikes led among
others by the trade union Solidarność
(‘Solidarity’) led by Lech Wałęsa. In December 1981, under pressure from the
USSR, the authorities decided to introduce
martial law in the entire country, a state
which lasted until July 1983.
In times of a threat to their sovereignty
Poles, like Ethiopians, turn to God and the
Church. When the Pole Karol Wojtyła was
Mi-8
elected pope in 1978 and took the name John Paul II (died
in 2005), Solidarity gained a vital ally. The Pope made a substantial contribution to the overthrow of communism in Poland, negotiating with politicians, standing by his compatriots
and giving them support in the struggle for change. In 1985
Mikhail Gorbachev (1985–1991) came to power in the USSR,
gradually introducing his policy of so-called pierestroika.
Operation
Tesfa
During this time, weakened by civil war, in 1984 Ethiopia saw the start of the most tragic drought and famine in
the 20th century, in which millions of inhabitants suffered.
The huge international effort to get aid to Ethiopians also
involved Poles. International organisations such as the UN,
WHO, FAO and World Bank sent aid mainly by ship to the
port of Assab. Transporting the donated goods stored on the
coast inland turned out to be a problem, particularly transportation to the inaccessible mountain areas, where the effects of the drought were most severe. Due to the lack of tarmac roads and difficult weather conditions, it was decided
that the best solution would be to use air transport. Under
bilateral agreements with the Ethiopian government the
Polish government made available three Mi-8 helicopters,
whose crews, commanded by Col. Kazimierz Pogorzelski,
Polish helicopters take part in the Tesfa campaign
started a two-year operation in February 1985 to carry
out food drops in the mountains of the provinces of Wollo
and Shewa. The operation was codenamed ‘White Eagle’,
a reference to the Polish national emblem. The helicopters
delivered aid to the people directly to the villages, to their
doorsteps, so that they did not have to make the long and
uncertain trip to the camps where food and medicine were
being handed out. Sacks were dropped straight from the
pilot’s cockpit, from low altitude. The aid reached between
600 and 900 thousand people. The international operation
was named Tesfa – ‘hope’. It was a mass undertaking that
overcame divisions – in addition to Polish Warsaw Pact
forces, NATO helicopters, the British RAF and the German Luftwaffe and others took part in the operation. The
Polish helicopters were painted white so that they could
be distinguished from Ethiopian military vehicles during
this time of civil war. The operation was almost stunt-like
in nature, requiring flight without navigation instruments
and in dust clouds in unknown mountainous territory. The
activities of the Polish team were a humanitarian operation
and, due to the personal involvement of Ambassador Andrzej Konopacki (1984–1988), also a diplomatic one. The
authorities of Ethiopia and UN representatives were appreciative of the Polish involvement and the professionalism
of the pilots12.
2011
33
❈List
1992  The Polish Embassy
in Addis Ababa is closed.
1993  A referendum is held in Eritrea;
the former province of Ethiopia gains
independence.
1994  The first democratic
parliamentary elections are held
in Ethiopia. They are won by the EPRDF.
1998  Polish-Ethiopian political
consultations are held in Warsaw,
attended by representatives of the
foreign ministries of both countries.
2000  Poland and Ethiopia sign an
agreement on settlement of Ethiopia’s
debt towards Poland under the loan
agreement between the PRL
and the Provisional Military Government
of Socialist Ethiopia of 12 December 1978.
2003  The Polish government decides
to resume the activities of its embassy
in Addis Ababa.
2004  The Polish Embassy in Addis Ababa
is revived. The Polish Deputy Minister
of Foreign Affairs, Bogusław Zaleski,
visits Ethiopia and has a meeting
with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
2009  The first Honorary Consul of Ethiopia
to Poland in the history of bilateral relations
is appointed (Roman Rojek, PhD).
2003
In spite of the difficult economic situation in both of the countries the value of
trade between Poland and Ethiopia in the
1980s exceeded the figure for the previous
decade (in 1984 it was 2.1 million USD)13,
although warehouse shortages and delays
in delivery hindered this cooperation.
During the 1970s, Polish export to Ethiopia was expanded to include investment
goods, and doctors and economic advisors
joined the emigrating Polish specialists. In
the 1980s, in addition to delivery of consumer foods, Poland had a monopoly over
the Ethiopian energy and water meter market, and also offered agro flight services,
produced uniforms for the Ethiopian police, and exported radio receivers and metal furniture. Many specialists from Poland
spent time in Ethiopia on contracts. Polish
firms participated in tenders for supply of
building materials, but they were difficult
to put into practice due to the Ethiopian
side’s inability to pay in cash or letters of
credit. Ethiopia’s exports to Poland were
limited to tanned leather. As part of the
Polish aid programme, five Ethiopians
were given traineeships at the Institute of
Precision Mechanics in Warsaw, and Poland provided equipment for Ethiopian
spare parts regeneration workshops.
The end of the 1980s brought political change to the Eastern Bloc. The Soviet
Union collapsed, and due to its own economic problems it was no longer interested
in supporting its satellite states, for which
reason Ethiopia, engulfed in economic crisis, could only count on itself. The main
national liberation groups trying to overthrow Mengistu’s military regime added
to the level of armed conflict. In Poland,
following another wave of strikes in 1989,
The Polish government decides
to resume the activities of its Embassy in Addis Ababa
34
2011
democratic elections were held, which were won by the opposition in June, starting the process of transformation in
Poland and paving the way for the whole of Eastern Europe.
The first non-communist government in Poland for over 40
years could finally put Poland’s raison d’état into practice in
foreign policy. Soon after this, in 1991, Ethiopia also freed
itself from the regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam, and in
1994 Meles Zenawi and his Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) came to power.
Democracy
at last14
The fall of communism in Europe and the radical shift
in the political situation in both countries presented a new
opportunity for development and internal stability, and also
brought with them new priorities in foreign policy. As opposed to 1945, this time it was the Polish side that came up
with the initiative for a revival of relations. Poland granted
Ethiopia a loan and became involved in the construction
of a chemical plant in Nazareth, and in September 1991
conducted consultations in Addis Ababa at the level of the
directors of departments in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
regarding the future of bilateral relations. Cooperation in
trade between the countries reached the highest level in
history in 1991, at a total of 7.5 million USD15.
In 1991 the Ethiopian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
Takeda Alemu was invited to Warsaw for consultations to
be held in 1995, but due to the implementation in Poland
of an austerity package, the activity of the Polish embassy
in Addis Ababa was suspended on 30 September 1992, and
the embassy was closed at the end of the year. The last Polish
ambassador, Tadeusz Wujek, resided in Addis Ababa until
mid-1992. In 1993 and 1994 political dialogue between the
countries ceased and working contacts were maintained via
the embassies: the Ethiopian embassy in Moscow and the
Polish embassy in Sana’a, in the Republic of Yemen, which
was also responsible for Ethiopia. Mieczysław J. Stępiński,
the Polish Ambassador in Sana’a, was accredited on 3 March
1994 as a non-resident Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary for Poland in Ethiopia, responsible for
Djibouti and Eritrea.
For a number of years Poland tried to appoint Ethiopian
citizen Assefa Tsegayen as its Honorary Consul in Ethiopia, but was not successful. Ethiopia, meanwhile, planned
to open a diplomatic mission in Warsaw, but this has so far
proved impossible.
In the 1990s Ethiopia supported Poland’s efforts to join
the UN Security Council. In July 1995 Polish Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Stanisław Szymański went to Addis
Ababa for a meeting with Ethiopian President Meles Zenawi
and thanked him for the support. He also passed on a letter
to the Ethiopian Minister for Foreign Affairs Seyoum Mesfin containing congratulations from the Polish Minister of
Foreign Affairs Władysław Bartoszewski on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between
the two countries. Despite the significant distance and
cultural and political differences, in the years 1945–1995
Polish-Ethiopian relations were intensive and appropriate.
Despite financial problems and the difficult international
situation, the partners increased their contact and engaged
in continuous cooperation with regard to trade and culture.
The period following the transfer of powers of the Polish embassy in Addis Ababa to the mission in Sana’a was
one dominated by negotiations of conditions for repayment
of the debt contracted by Ethiopia in Poland (in excess of
10.7 million USD). At the end of 1996 Ethiopia signed an
agreement with members of the Paris Club on restructuring of debts according to Neapolitan conditions, and this
meant cancellation of 67 per cent of the debt, worth 170 million USD (of 253 million), and repayment of the remaining
figure (83 million) was planned over 17 years, after a six-year grace period. The Ethiopian side requested that a portion of its Polish debt be restructured on precisely those
Sign showing the way to the temporary offices of the Polish
Embassy in Addis Ababa, in the district of Bole, 2004
2011
35
conditions. The negotiations were conducted
by Krzysztof Suprowicz, the Polish Ambassador in Sana’a, who in December 1997 was
accredited as a non-resident Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary for the
Republic of Poland in Ethiopia, responsible
also for Djibouti and Eritrea, a function that
he fulfilled until 29 August 2002.
Poland was still unable to afford to revive
its diplomatic mission in Addis Ababa due to
financial limitations. However, it sought an opportunity to do so and upon initial consent to
repayment of a portion of the debt according
to the Paris Club conditions, it proposed that
Ethiopia compensates the outstanding debt in
the form of ownership title to plots and buildings on the plots, in Addis Ababa. Ethiopia
agreed to these conditions and, on 13 December 2000, during a visit by Deputy Minister of
Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski to Ethiopia,
the parties signed the Agreement between the
Government of the Republic of Poland and the
Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia on settlement of Ethiopia’s
debt towards Poland.
In March 2003 the Polish government
decided to resume the activity of the embassy in Ethiopia. It was revived just a year
later, after 12 years of Poland’s absence in
Addis Ababa. In December 2003 Piotr
Myśliwiec took up the function of chargé
d’affaires. The temporary office of the mission was located in the district of Bole, and
in 2005, when Mariusz Woźniak became
the ambassador, renovation of the former
Israeli embassy buildings in the district
of Semen Mezegaja began, purchased as
part of the repayment of Ethiopia’s debt.
On 15 January 2008 the current Polish
Ambassador in Addis Ababa, Jarosław
Szczepankiewicz, submitted accreditation
letters. In 2009 the Ethiopian government
appointed Roman Rojek as its honorary
consul in Poland, based in Gdańsk. From
2003 Poland has been covered by the Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic
of Ethiopia in Berlin (previously it was
the embassy in Moscow), where the ambassador is currently Fesseha Asghedom
Tessema, accredited in June 2011.
end notes:
1. F or more about the plans of Sobieski: S. Jastrzębska, Polish-
-Ethiopian Relations / Stosunki polsko-etiopskie, ZJiKA, UW 1998
(MA dissertation), pp. 12–15; J. Mantel-Niećko, What Was Known
of Ethiopia in Poland in Olden Times and the Beginnings of Ethiopian
Studies in Poland / Znajomość Etiopii w dawnej Polsce i początki
etiopistyki polskiej, ‘Sketches of the History
of Poland’s Oriental Studies’ / ‘Szkice z dziejów
orientalistyki polskiej’ no. 2, Warsaw 1989, pp. 217–218.
2. J . Mantel-Niećko, A. Bartnicki, A History of Ethiopia
/ Historia Etiopii, Ossolineum 1987, p. 285.
3. For more about the foreign policy of the government under
Marshal Piłsudski towards neighbours: W. Roszkowski, A History
of Poland / Historia Polski 1914–1996, PWN 1997, pp. 59–62.
4. See A. Bartnicki, Abyssinian Attempts at Forming Relations
with Poland in the Interwar Period / Abisyńskie próby nawiązania
stosunków z Polską w okresie międzywojennym, ‘Historical Review’
/ ‘Przegląd Historyczny’ vol. 1, no. 1, 1965, p. 105.
5. Ibidem, p. 106.
6. See A. Bartnicki, Abyssinian Attempts at Forming Relations with
Poland in the Interwar Period / Abisyńskie próby nawiązania
stosunków z Polską w okresie międzywojennym, ‘Historical Review’ /
‘Przegląd Historyczny’ vol. 1, no. 1, 1965, pp. 106–110.
7. See E.J. Pałyga, Diplomatic Relations of the PRL with Ethiopia /
Stosunki dyplomatyczne Polski Ludowej z Etiopią: 1945–1974, in:
‘Oriental Studies Review’ / ‘Przegląd Orientalistyczny’ no. 3, (99)
1976, pp. 217 and 223–224.
36
2011
Diplomatic representatives
of Poland
Jerzy Giżycki, in the years 1937–1940 Honorary
Consul of the Republic of Poland (RP) in Addis Ababa
Zygmunt Kuligowski, from 3.10.1947 Envoy
Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary for the
Republic of Poland in Addis Ababa with its seat in Cairo
in Ethiopia
Bogusław Ludwikowski, from 20.12.1980
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
for the PRL in Addis Ababa
Andrzej Konopacki, from 26.01.1985
Jan Drohojowski, from 11.01.1952 Envoy
Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary for
the Polish People’s Republic (PRL) in Addis Ababa
with its seat in Cairo
Tadeusz Wujek, from 4.03.1989
Włodzimierz Paszkowski, from 5.06.1952
Chargé d’Affaires for the PRL in Addis Ababa
Mieczysław J. Stępiński, from 3.03.1994
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary for the
Republic of Poland in Ethiopia with its seat in Sana’a
Aleksander Krajewski, from 4.06.1957
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
for the PRL in Addis Ababa with its seat in Cairo
Krzysztof Suprowicz, from 10.12.1997
for the Republic of Poland in Ethiopia with its seat
in Sana’a, from 3.07.2003 Chargé d’Affaires for the
Republic of Poland in Ethiopia with its seat in Sana’a
Stanisław Danielewicz, from 16.04.1960
Chargé d’Affaires for the PRL in Addis Ababa
8. See ibidem, pp. 217 and 224–225.
9. S. Jastrzębska, op. cit., pp. 78–87.
10. For more see J. Modrzejewska-Leśniewska,
Włodzimierz Wink, from 10.1960 Chargé
d’Affaires at the PRL Legation in Addis Ababa
Middle East Dilemma / Bliskowschodni dylemat
1947–1993, in: An Outline of the History of Africa and
Asia / Zarys dziejów Afryki i Azji 1869–1996. A History of
Conflicts / Historia konfliktów, A. Bartnicki (ed.), Książka
i Wiedza 1998, pp. 423–427.
11. See S. Jastrzębska, op. cit., pp. 69–72.
12. See Poles in Africa / Polacy w Afryce. When Tesfa Really
Meant ‘Hope’ / Kiedy Tesfa naprawdę znaczyła „nadzieja”,
(interview Wiesława Bolimowska), in: ‘Africa/ A Bulletin
of the Polish Association of African Studies’ / ‘Afryka.
Biuletyn Polskiego Towarzystwa Afrykanistycznego’
no. 20, 2004/2005, pp. 5–24.
13. S. Jastrzębska, op. cit., p. 100.
14. Subchapter written on the basis of K. Hryćko.
Historia Ambasady RP w Etiopii w latach 1992–2003 /
The History of the Republic of Poland’s Embassy in Ethiopia
in the years 1992–1993, Addis Abeba, 2008 (unpublished
report based on diplomatic correspondence between
the Polish Embassy in Sana’a and the respective
departments of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of the FDRE in the years 1992–2003).
15. See S. Jastrzębska, op. cit., p. 112.
Wiktor Górecki, from 04.1963 Chargé
d’Affaires at the PRL Embassy in Addis Ababa
Jan Krzywicki, from 9.01.1965 First Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary for the PRL
in Addis Ababa
Władysław Rólski, from 16.12.1969
Stanisław Karkut, from 28.01.1974
Kwiryn Grela, from 27.11.1976
Piotr Myśliwiec, from 11.12.2003 Chargé
d’Affaires at the embassy of the Republic
of Poland in Addis Ababa
Mariusz Woźniak, from 29.09.2005
Danuta Bolimowska, from 17.07.2007
Chargé d’Affaires for the Republic of Poland
at the embassy in Addis Ababa
Zbigniew Młynarski, from 21.09.2007
Chargé d’Affaires at the Embassy of the Republic
Jarosław Szczepankiewicz, from 15.01.2008
In the period 1971–1991 ambassadors of Poland
resident in Ethiopia were also accredited in Somalia.
Since 1993 non-resident and resident ambassadors
of Poland in Ethiopia have also been accredited
in Djibouti and Eritrea.
2011
37
Diplomatic representatives
of Ethiopia
in Poland
with their seats
outside Poland:
Mikael Imru, from 2.07.1962
for the Ethiopian Empire in Poland
with its seat in Moscow
Gobezie Taffete, from 10.04.1966
Chargé d’Affaires for the Ethiopian Empire
in Poland with its seat in Moscow
Abdella A. Nour, from 25.10.1969
Bellete Gabre Tsadik, from 16.09.1971
for the Ethiopian Empire in Poland
Getachew Zelleke, from 01.01.1973
Nesibu Taye, from 24.04.1981 Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary for Socialist
Ethiopia in Poland with its seat in Moscow
Asrat Wolde, from 3.04.1987 Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary for the People’s
Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (PDRE)
Girma Yilma, from 28.03.1991
for the PDRE in Poland with its seat in Moscow
Kassa Gebre Hewet Wolde Sellassie,
from 24.01.1995 Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary for the Federal Democratic Republic
of Ethiopia (FDRE) in Poland with its seat in Moscow
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2011
Awoke Agonafer Gebremedhin,
from 5.10.2000 Chargé d’Affaires for the FDRE
Berhanu Kebede Yeshigeta, from 09.01.2001
Chargé d’Affaires for the FDRE in Poland
Hiruy Amanuel, from 18.06.2003
for the FDRE in Poland with its seat in Berlin
Worku Erge, from 3.02.2006 Chargé d’Affaires
Kassahun Ayele, from 09.11.2007 Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Siraj Reshid Jundi, from 04.08.2009
Chargé d’Affaires for the FDRE in Poland
with its seat in Berlin
Fesseha Asghedom Tessema, from 29.06.2011
with its office
in Poland:
Roman Rojek, from 4.08.2009 Honorary
Consul for the FDRE in Poland
part II: THE PRESENT
• Culture and art
• Peacekeeping missions
• Development assistance
• Academic research
and Ethiopian studies
• Community work
• Tourism
P o l es and E thiopians t o d a y
Polish
-Ethiopian
ties
today
author: katarzyna hryĆko
Polish-Ethiopian relations are not handled solely
by the governments of the two countries. Private
individuals complement these formal contacts,
especially Poles living in Ethiopia, whose activities are
particularly intensive in the fields of art and education,
as well as organisations and institutions carrying out
research and development projects. Ethiopians who
live or have lived in Poland become involved
in activities to further social integration.
The Polish government, organisations and private individuals
provide support for Ethiopia in the form of expert projects
and development assistance.
Polish artists find success in Ethiopia, tourism is growing,
Ethiopians want to provide support for Polish investors, and it is
worth taking advantage of the cooperation opportunities that arise.
Ethiopian shop assistant uses scales produced in Poland. Adigrat 2004 • Ethiopian multi-instrumentalist and arranger
Mulatu Astatke playing in a concert with The Heliocentrics in Warsaw, 2009
40
2011
2011
41
To live from art alone
– that is a great thing for an artist
BARBARA GOSHU
Painter, graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow, where she studied in the Studio of Prof. C. Rzepiński at the Faculty of Painting
and Graphic Arts. Together with her husband Worku, a graduate of the School of Fine Arts in Addis Ababa as well as the Studio
of Prof. J. Nowosielski at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow, she has lived and created art in Addis Ababa for more than 40 years.
CULTURE
1.AND
ART
are major elements of daily life for both
Poles and Ethiopians. The following are particularly popular:
folk handicraft, painting and literature. Religious art has a special
place in the traditions of both nations. Due to the particular
sensitivity of Ethiopians and the centuries of history
and rich culture of the country, many Polish artists have
found inspiration in Ethiopia for their artistic activities.
PHOTO: Dorze weaver at work, Chencha 2008
42
2011
“I was tremendously curious when
I went to visit my husband’s country,” says the artist. “I had
heard so many things about it beforehand – my grandfather
told me stories from the time of the Italo-Ethiopian war
and those of Christian traditions that have their origin in
Ethiopia, and beautiful stories about the Queen of Sheba
and King Solomon. When I went to Ethiopia I became
enslaved and preoccupied by it all – I always paint there
and try to make the name of Poland famous all over the
world. I try to connect times gone by with today’s times, to
build a bridge between the extraordinary things Ethiopia
has created in iconography and bring this closer to the era
of contemporary man.”
Even while studying in Cracow, Barbara was enraptured
with the beauty of the ancient Christian icons and Ethiopian
painting on parchment and leather. Upon arrival in Addis
Ababa, there came a time for reflection and analysis of this
art. Barbara’s own original style began to take shape, which
can be called a continuation of traditional Ethiopian art.
In 1972, she and her husband organised an exhibition of
their religious paintings. The exhibition, officially opened
by Emperor Haile Selassie I himself, was a major cultural
and social event in Addis Ababa. Its resonance was wide,
and the mystical artisticism of the Goshus’ paintings was appreciated around the world. Since then, Barbara and Worku
have had their works displayed on every continent and their
paintings have reached almost every country on earth. Barbara specialises in painting Ethiopian icons on wood and
stone. She says, “The holy angels in my icons are not silent,
distant symbols of supernatural raptures, but the painted
interpetations bring them closer to the contemporary
person, thirsty for warmth, love and time for semi-conscious dreams of what was long ago…”
Barbara’s husband Worku was for 30 years a professor at
the School of Art and Design in Addis Ababa. Many outstanding artists have emerged from his studio.
In the 1990s the Goshus opened the Goshu Art Galleries
in Addis Ababa, where their own paintings as well as those
by young artists, Worku’s students, whom the Goshus help
by promoting their work, are on display. Works of museum
value are also exhibited in the gallery – the Sacred Art of
Ethiopia collection, gathered over a period of 40 years.
These are admired not only in Ethiopia – they also have
touring exhibitions in other countries.
Barbara and Worku created a place in Addis Ababa
where both a Pole and an Ethiopian feel at home, and which
is full of guests. They brought their children up to maintain
family ties in both countries in the spirit of Polish and Ethiopian pride and patriotism. “My husband is very attached
to Poland,” says Barbara. “Once he had been there, he was
smitten forever. We have two homelands, and our family is
descended from many diverse countries. We form a kind
of United Nations.” Both travel to her home city of Cracow
each year to charge their spiritual batteries. In the Cracow
gallery of Lidia Żukowska, the ‘Artistic Pot / Kocioł Artystyczny’, one can see their paintings. The Italian critic Prof.
Vittorio Fiocca wrote in one of the catalogues on Barbara’s
icons, “From the pictures of Barbara Goshu, angels with
Polish hearts looks at us with big, Ethiopian eyes.”
In 2000 Minister of Foreign Affairs Władysław Bartoszewski awarded Barbara Goshu a diploma for exceptional
achievements in promotion of Poland around the world.
2011
43
Glass
never fades
BARBARA PARKER (formerly Barbara Tkacz Tesfaye)
Artist, graduate of the Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław. She specialises in ceramic art, painting, graphic design
and artistic glass. She travelled to Ethiopia a short time before the revolution in 1974 with her husband,
an Ethiopian whom she had met and married in Poland.
•
Mary Magdalene, acrylic on stone Angel of Healing, acrylic on stone. Works of Barbara Goshu
Ethiopians are high-class artists. They are bearers of a beautiful secret, that not
everything in sentences and in conversation is fully said. Not all feelings. A little bit like
in painting, in poetry and in music. Their theatre can be understood without words.
Barbara Goshu
Stained-glass windows by Barbara Parker in Ethiopian churches
•
In fact I don’t advertise, here news travels by word of mouth. What I do is important to me,
and not how much I do it for. I am more interested in self-expression than earning money.
Maybe that is precisely why artists are successful in Ethiopia?
Since the beginning she has worked at
the Hilton in Addis Ababa, where she ran a shop with her
own work and the work of many Ethiopian artists, and for
which she performs artistic projects. In 1996 she set up
the Artistic Glass Centre, in which she employed deaf and
dumb craftsmen making small stained glass and handicraft
works which she designs. She runs the firm with her two
sons and her husband, an engineer who advises her on how
to assemble large stained glass windows.
Stained glass is a complicated technique requiring a lot of
experience and skill. Stained glass appeared in Christian Europe in the Middle Ages and soon began to be used widely
in the construction of religious buildings. They were used
to decorate wide windows of high gothic churches. They
portrayed biblical scenes and symbolism, and their function was therefore primarily didactic. They also afforded
the interior a mystical atmosphere due to the coloured glass,
which had a dimming effect on the light coming in.
Barbara Parker was the first person in Ethiopia to use
artistic glass on a wide scale. This came about as a result
of pure chance – a friend who was leaving Ethiopia was
selling off glass. The idea resulted in great success, though –
today the artist’s works are used not only to decorate private
homes in many corners of the world, ambassadors’ residences and the seats of important institutions, but above
all many Ethiopian churches, for example the Church of St.
Mikael and St. Maria in Addis Ababa or St. Maria in Wukro;
the motifs in the church in Debre Dammo, meanwhile, have
been reproduced on large tiles and decorate the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa. The Polish artist gets her
inspiration from Ethiopian nature, culture and history, and
religious motifs often appear in her work. She has specialised in many styles, such as glass painting, sanding, sticking, blending, and binding glass and metal. She uses more
than 65 different colours. Glass never fades, and therefore
– although Barbara does not organise exhibitions of her
own works, because she sells them as they are produced –
her works will remain unchanged for generations and any
member of the faithful visiting Ethiopian churches will be
able to admire them. “Not everyone can afford an expensive
painting, but everyone can see the beauty of art on stained
glass in a church, hotel or public premises,” she says.
Parker combines artistic work and community work. In
cooperation with a care centre for the disabled she seeks
people with artistic talent, because – she says – all you need
to create stained glass is good hands, good eyes, and talent,
and many talents lie undiscovered in places you might not
expect. After a training session in which she evaluates the
participants’ abilities, she offers some of them work. In this
way she offers people who are not able to earn money, and
often asking for help and on the street, a unique opportunity to become financially independent, but also to express
themselves and learn a trade under the guidance of a master.
After working for a few years some of them are ready to
leave and start their own handicraft businesses.
Barbara Parker
44
2011
2011
45
The cultural activity
of the Polish Embassy in Addis Ababa
46
2011
materials
own
PHOTO: Performance by Ethiopian pianist Girma Yifrashew during
the ‘Chopin in Addis’ series of concerts in 2010. Girma was awarded
a diploma by the Polish Ministry for Culture and National Heritage
for bringing Chopin’s music to the public
f i g u r e s
P ublisher ' s
One of the most important cultural events organised by
the Polish Embassy was the series of events entitled ‘Chopin in Addis’ as part of the Chopin Year 2010 celebrations.
In the capital’s Yared School of Music a series of Chopin
concerts was opened by Girma Yifrashew – an Ethiopian
pianist considered the best in Africa. The festival featured
many pianists from Europe, including a Pole, Piotr Banasik,
who, also during the same event, held workshops for young
Ethiopian musicians. The media sponsor was Sheger Radio,
which broadcast information about the event, played Chopin’s music, and ran a competition on knowledge of Poland
and the composer. There was also a photographic exhibition
and a film about Chopin.
security
S ource :
The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Addis Ababa is involved in the promotion of Polish
culture in Ethiopia and plays an active role in its cultural life.
Screenings of the latest Polish productions organised in Addis Ababa during the Ethiopian International Film Festival
and European Film Festival, which in 2011 was organised
by Poland, are a permanent element of this activity. Among
the films that have been shown until now are Katedra / The
Cathedral, Katyń, Essential Killing, Mała Moskwa / Little
Moscow, Mój Nikifor / My Nikifor, and Piotruś i wilk / Peter
and the Wolf.
The Embassy regularly organises study visits for Ethiopian journalists and commentators to Poland. In October
2008 reporters and editors of the most prestigious Ethiopian daily newspapers and weekly magazines and the oldest
government news agency in Ethiopia, the Ethiopian News
Agency, came to Poland for a one-week visit. They visited
Warsaw, Cracow, Oświęcim (Auschwitz) and Wieliczka,
met Polish journalists, and visited TV Polsat and the Polish Press Agency. The visit resulted in a series of articles on
the subject of Poland in the Ethiopian press.
In November 2008 a debate was organised at Addis Ababa
University on the subject of the works of the distinguished Polish reportage writer Ryszard Kapuściński, in which students
and lecturers at the Department of Foreign Literature took
part. A large part of this was dedicated to Cesarz / The Emperor – a book in which Kapuściński presents a peculiar
description of the empire and rule of Haile Selassie I. The
debate was chaired by the well-known Polish journalist Artur
Domosławski, author of the only biography of Kapuściński.
The event was accompanied by promotion of the renowned
reporter’s books and a screening of the documentary Wanted:
Ryszard Kapuściński / Poszukiwany: Ryszard Kapuściński.
In September and October 2009, the Polish Embassy organised exhibitions entitled Solidarity to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of communism in Poland and regaining
of freedom, at Alliance Ethio-Française and the University
of Fine Arts and Design, presenting posters showing society
from the years 1980–1989. The exhibitions were accompanied by documentaries from the time in which the Solidarity union – the main power that brought about the fall of
the old regime in Poland – was active.
Europe
46
years
Europe – for centuries ravaged by wars
of peace
and internal conflicts – has for over six decades
and freedom
been the continent of security. The end
in Europe
of World War II heralded a time of peace
and finding a consensus among the countries
of Western Europe, but the eastern part
of the continent found itself on the other
side of the Iron Curtain. Its turn to join
in the processes of integration would not
come until the 1990s.
The world
wants to prevent another Rwanda
ANDRZEJ GRZELKA
A retired colonel in the Polish Armed Forces and graduate from Cybernetics Faculty of the Military University of Technology.
At the National Defence University he gained his PhD at the Airforce and Air Defence Faculty. He worked in many units
of the Polish Armed Forces.
PEACEKEEPING
2.MISSIONS
Ethiopia is the country of the greatest
political stability and the strongest country militarily in the Horn
of Africa – a region that also includes Djibouti, Eritrea, Somalia,
Sudan and South Sudan. It is also the capital of the most important
regional organisation, the African Union (AU). Due to its position
and the unstable international situation, Ethiopia has an important
role to play as a guardian of peace not only in the Horn of Africa
but also on the entire continent. It is currently the most important
partner to the UN and the AU in the region, and is active
in international cooperation, deploying its forces where the
situation requires. Although Poland has limited its presence
in UN peacekeeping forces and concentrates on cooperation
within NATO, consultants from Poland are among those
involved in creation of the appropriate system for reacting
to a threat to stability and peace in Africa.
PHOTO: The United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Providing logistical support for remote observation stations, 2004
48
2011
“I had a desire to see the world,” says
Grzelka. “I wanted to see what others do, I wanted to find
out how peacekeeping missions work. Everyone looks for
a way to advance. The Polish Armed Forces was being restructured at the time and I thought that this might be
a chance for personal advancement, and left the army.”
It started in Iraq, where in the 1990s Andrzej Grzelka
served in two short UNSCOM (UN Special Commission)
missions, in which the task was to find weapons of mass
destruction. He then became head of logistics in a UN
peacekeeping mission, MINURSO (Mission des Nations
Unies pour l’Organisation d’un Référendum au Sahara Occidental). Its mandate was to maintain the ceasefire in the
POLISARIO-Morocco conflict and to organise a referendum on self-determination for Western Sahara. In 2000 he
left the army and joined the UN as a civilian employee.
Due to his experience in Western Sahara, he was given
the position of logistician in the UNMEE (United Nations
Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea). He was responsible for
the logistical security of the troops and civilian employees
of the UN on both sides of the border. He spent five years
in Eritrea from 2000 to the end of 2005, when he found
himself in Addis Ababa. As a result of his experiences in
peacekeeping missions in Africa, he was given a post in
the UN Assistance Cell to the African Union. He advised
the AU on logistics during the AMIS (African Mission in
Sudan) peacekeeping mission in Darfur.
At the request of the African Union, the UN opened
a cell, the UN Office to the African Union, to which Andrzej
Grzelka is an advisor on logistics under the AU Peacekeeping
Support Team. This office supports the AU in the creation of
the so-called African Standby Forces – peacekeeping troops
ready to act in the event of unrest in Africa.
These forces are a new idea for the maintenance by the
AU of order in Africa. The UN still has an important role
to play in the world, and is a final partner in the game for
peace, but it counts on assistance from regional organisations, especially in Africa, where the majority of peacekeeping missions are located. The African Union is therefore
intended to be a regional partner to the UN. The AU’s advantage in the rapid organisation of peacekeeping missions
is due to the majority vote system. In order to start a mission
the UN has to have the consent of all five members of the
Security Council, and also, in order to launch a peacekeeping mission, it has to ask individual countries to send troops
to the designated region. Much time is needed to muster the
required military forces.
“The plan envisages that the African Union will have
Standby Forces totalling 2,500 troops ready to go into action at any point in Africa within just two weeks to prevent
a disaster,” says Grzelka. “At the moment the UN does not
have such forces. The AU will have a better system even in
2015. We are working together and advising how to achieve
that. The European Union and other countries around the
world – such as the US, Brazil and Canada – are in favour
of this project and are funding it.”
The African states are also aware of the importance of
this project and are fully engaged in it. The world is taking
a lesson from history and wants to prevent what happened
in Burundi and Rwanda.
2011
49
Eagle Courier Service
DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE GRANTED BY THE POLISH EMBASSY IN ADDIS ABABA
3.DEVELOPMENT
ASSISTANCE
Since 2007 the Polish Embassy
in Ethiopia has carried out many development assistance projects in which it has provided equipment for Ethiopian organisations, businesses and
schools, such as specialist equipment, vehicles and
educational aids.
In 2008 a suggestion was made to set up a bicycle courier cooperative in Addis Ababa to deliver
parcels. The project was implemented by the Polish
Group eFTe in cooperation with the Polish Embassy
and the Ethiopian organisation LIVE, and was partially funded by the Polish government using Polish
Aid. Fifteen couriers were selected from groups of
high social risk and given theoretical and practical
training on urban topography, running a cooperative, safety rules and rules for road users, English
lessons and a bicycle repair course. The couriers were
given bicycles, mobile phones and special clothing
from Poland and Ethiopia. The cooperative provided
with this equipment was given the name Nisir Melikit Agelglot (Eagle Courier Service) and has been
functioning independently since January 2010. It has
its own office, finances and regular customers. It is
the first venture of its kind in crowded Addis Ababa.
The couriers also promote life in harmony with the
natural environment.
Over the years Poland has received
foreign aid from developed countries. Thanks to this aid, among
other things, it managed to bring about economic and social
change, guaranteeing Poles the good standard of living they have
today. Now Poland can also become involved in reduction
of the world’s global development problems and send assistance
to less developed countries. The fundamental principles of Polish
cooperation with regard to development comply with the UN
Millennium Development Goals and the direction of the
EU’s development policy. The assistance that the Polish
government as well as Polish organisations and institutions
have provided is financial, material and technical aid, and its goal
is to provide support for economic growth of countries of the
so-called global South, and by the same token, eradicate hunger
and poverty in the world. One of the countries in which
Polish development projects are conducted is Ethiopia.
PHOTO: Realisation of the ‘4 Elements’ project of the Navegadores Association
in Alemtena and Sure Kebenawa, 2010
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Couriers from Nisir Melikit Agelglot during training sessions, presenting the clothes and equipment supplied to them
2011
51
Polish scientific
thinking ensures sustainable
development in Ethiopia
UNESCO EUROPEAN REGIONAL CENTRE FOR ECOHYDROLOGY (ERCE) in Łódź
This venture was set up in 2006, the first
research centre of its kind in the world. Its task is to take
a comprehensive approach to solving water resource problems. The director of the centre is the creator of the concept
of ecohydrology, Professor Maciej Zalewski, who has worked
with the UNESCO International Hydrological Programme
for many years. ERCE has been conducting ecohydrology
programmes in Ethiopia since 2008.
Ecohydrylogy is a transdisciplinary applied science that
combines ecology and hydrology. It is used in the regulation
of biological and hydrological processes to enhance the level
of harmony between the potential of the environment and
social needs. It is used in projects to raise the water quality
and for changes in water management to improve the state
of the natural environment.
Each year ERCE takes on a small number of between
ten and twenty people for scholarships. In 2008 Yohannes
Zerihun, PhD, coordinator of Abbay Basin Irrigation and
Drainage Study and Design Projects on behalf of the Ethiopian Ministry of Water Resources, made use of the programme. It was upon his initiative that ERCE launched,
using Polish Aid funds, a programme to use ecohydrology
for integrated water resources management and sustainable
development of Ethiopia. Professor Zalewski: “Over the last
20 years the population of Ethiopia has doubled, and this
has caused a serious increase in the level of pressure on the
country’s water and natural resources, leading to excessive
exploitation and degradation. As a result of the twofold
increase in water consumption over recent years the underground resources have become depleted more quickly
than they have been replaced, resulting in disruption of
the natural hydrological cycle. This is caused mainly by
deforestation of the watershed and ineffective techniques
of irrigation of cultivated land. The acceleration of surface
drainage and evaporation as a result of the cutting down of
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2011
forests also causes degradation of the soil, which leads to
a reduction in efficiency of agriculture and production of
food. The result of this process is the slowing of economic
development and generation of new ecological problems
such as the shallowing of dam reservoirs due to the movement of material from arable land or due to creation of
toxic algal bloom”.
Until now the programme has covered the forming of
contacts and cooperation with key partners on the Ethiopian side, who deal with ecological problems and field excursions to identify the main ecohydrological problems in
Ethiopia. On 18–20 November 2009 an international symposium was organised in Addis Ababa called Ecohydrology
for Sustainable Water Ecosystems and Society in Ethiopia,
in which more than 100 representatives of scientific and
research institutions from Africa and Europe took part.
In addition, in the Biofarm Park run by Getachew Tikubet Mengistu, PhD, of the Natural Resources Management
Institute for Eastern Africa in Asella, demonstrative systemic
ecohydrological solutions were used. These comprised use of
biodegradable geotextiles to limit erosion of the watershed,
a change in the system of watering cattle and use of their
manure to produce food, construction of a sequential biofiltration system to reduce toxicity of dioxins and siltation. The
residue was used to produce bioenergy. Solutions of this type
will be introduced gradually in successive BioFarms, and the
aim is for them also to be introduced in Ethiopian villages.
ERCE and its Ethiopian partners have also developed
a concept for ecohydrological solutions for a toxic cyanosis
algal bloom early warning system at Lake Tana and a project
for a network of belts of protection plants to reduce the speed
of the wind, leading to a reduction in evaporation, and thus
greater aquatic balance in the region of the Great Rift Valley lakes. These solutions will be tested and implemented in
further phases of the programme.
Taking of samples for analysing phytoplankton and zooplankton lakes in the African Great Rift Valley, 2009 • Polish and Ethiopian
scientists meet with members of the Organization for Rehabilitation and Development in Amhara and with people from
the local authorities in Bahir Dar. 2009 • Yeha Institute –example of use of eco-farming for intensive production of food, 2009
2011
53
Share the Distance
THE ‘NAVEGADORES’ ASSOCIATION
Realisation of the ‘4 Elements’ project of the Navegadores Association in Alemtena and Sure Kebenawa, 2010
54
2011
This association was set up in
2009 as a non-profit organisation aimed at carrying
out development and humanitarian projects for the
benefit of local communities directly in developing
countries. All of the projects are intended to provide or improve access to drinking water, medical
care, electricity and education, i.e., the four crucial
items the lack of which is the principal reason for
slow development of the so-called global South. The
measures being carried out and those being planned
are digging wells, water filtration, construction of
water pipeline and electricity installations, construction, renovation and equipping of school and
medical facilities, and organisation of vaccination.
The materials and equipment are purchased locally
whenever possible, depending on availability.
The association is something new among Polish
non-government organisations – corporations are
involved in its activities, and they not only finance
projects, but also send employees to implement
them on site. This takes place in the form of integration and motivation meetings similar to those
usually organised in corporations.
Piotr Wikarek, founder of the association: “I was
looking for a formula that allows people who until
now have only been given bank account numbers
to become involved in aid in a real way. The way in
which we perform on site is an important element:
we do not organise food drops from the air. A group
of people (as a rule unconventional people) travel
to the location and spend time with the recipients,
working together. This allows us to avoid the two
cardinal sins that other organisations make: firstly,
we provide what we have to offer in a way that allows
the recipients to retain dignity in their troubled situation, and secondly the aid reaches the end recipients and we avoid local administration.” Both those
implementing and the recipients learn to respect the
fact that they are different when working together.
They are like the 15th-century Portuguese sailors,
Navegadores who ended up in strange lands and in
unknown cultures by fate.
In October 2010 the association completed its
first project in Ethiopia, 4 ELEMENTS, making it
possible to provide the needy with access to water,
electricity, medical care and education. Within only
10 days a group of 16 volunteers from Poland put
up a system of solar energy panels together with
an installation providing electricity to the clinic in
Alemtena run by the Sisters Servants of the Holy
Spirit, purchased in Addis Ababa. They also built
a well for children from the pre-school on the land of
the Mission. For a group of local women workshops
were held on sewing t-shirts and bags to improve
their qualifications, with the sales of these products
intended to provide them with a ready market and
better pay. A primary school in Sure Kebenawa near
Dire Dawa was fitted out and renovated. In total,
aid from the Navegadores project reached 13,000
people. And all this for ‘just’ 50,000 USD.
Another project was started in 2011 in the town
of Waragu, approximately 250 km south-east of Addis Ababa, in which a clinic run by a local mission
will gain access to electricity. Many of those who
participated in the project in 2010 registered again,
this time outside of the corporate structures, and
participate personally in the financing of this new
venture.
2011
55
A dignified future
MISSIONARY SISTERS SERVANTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Sisters have been
conducting missionary and development
activity in Ethiopia since November 1994.
Twenty nuns from many countries around
the world, including three Poles (s. Anna
Trzepacz, s. Fabiola Lech and s. Judyta
Ligęza), run houses in Alemtena, Waragu,
Badessa, Chole, Wolisso and Addis Ababa.
Developed countries support the economic growth of developing states
through donations, grants and loans (as well as material and technical aid)
f i g u r e s
own
P ublisher ' s
2011
S ource :
56
which are being provided to public sector institutions. Through the Small
Grants Fund, Poland finances small assistance projects conducted
in Africa, for example supporting the Missionary Sisters Servants
materials
In addition to preaching the Gospel, the
Sisters’, activities include primary education,
literacy programmes for children and young
people, and projects to help educate girls and
orphans as well as children from families that
have contracted the HIV virus. Also, the nuns
OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE (ODA)
offer free medical advice and quick tests and
support for those who have the HIV virus.
They run clinics, hospitals and healthcare
centres in areas that are difficult to reach. The
assembly has organised centres for leprosy,
takes care of drug addicts and operates in refugee camps. The nuns are also involved in agriculture and hydrology. Sister Judyta Ligęza:
“We are sent precisely to the places where
people are suffering. State policy means that
we have mainly been occupied with development projects within our overall missionary
presence in Ethiopia. We trust that our presence will bring a little hope that there is a different, more dignified future.”
ETHIOPIA
of the Holy Spirit order.
1,057.35 billion USD
The amount of ODA given to Ethiopia in 2009 by the European Union, including Poland.
This is 27.68 per cent of the total ODA sent to Ethiopia
Research
on Ethiopia in Poland
4.ACADEMIC
RESEARCH
AND ETHIOPIAN STUDIES.
Academic interest in Ethiopia began in Poland in the late 19th
and early 20th centuries, when two scholars conducted Ethiopian
research. Ludomir Sawicki, a professor of the Jagiellonian
University in Cracow, traveller, geographer and cultural studies
scholar, studied the influence of the Ethiopian climate on the
culture of the locals. In 1913 he published the first extended and
comprehensive monography, entitled Studya nad Abisynią / Study
on Abyssinia. The other important figure of this period
was the philologist and orientalist Izaak Wajnberg, who translated
and commented on Ethiopian manuscripts, and also studied
the Amharic and Tigrigna languages. Although he was the first
Polish specialist in Ethiopian studies in a strict sense, he did not
give lectures and did not leave any disciples to continue his work.
The second chapter in Ethiopian studies began after World War II.
PHOTO: Professor Stefan Strelcyn (first on left) presents books to Emperor Haile Selassie I
during his visit to Poland in 1964
58
2011
Post-war research on Ethiopia
in Poland was started by Professor Stefan Strelcyn
(born 1918, died 1981), a graduate of the Sorbonne
and a specialist in Ethiopian and Semitic studies. In
1950 he set up the Chair of Semitic Studies at the
University of Warsaw, offering philology of certain
Semite peoples, including Ethiopians. In the 1950s
he went to Ethiopia to conduct language and ethnographic research. He was awarded the Haile Selassie I Award by the Emperor of Ethiopa for his achievements in Ethiopian studies and organisation in Warsaw of one of the most important Ethiopian studies
centres in the world.
In 1977 Professor Joanna Mantel-Niećko (born
1933, died 2009), a distinguished disciple of his
and his successor, linguist and Ethiopian historian,
founded the University of Warsaw Department of
African Languages and Cultures, and went on to be
the head of the Department for many years. With
the Polish diplomatic historian Professor Andrzej
Bartnicki (born 1933, died 2004), she published
A History of Ethiopia / Historia Etiopii, a monograph
based, among other things, on Ethiopian sources,
which was translated into German and Russian.
In 1985 the University of Warsaw and Addis Ababa University signed an agreement on cooperation
with regard to the exchange of academic staff and
students in all areas of study. For five years, in Ethiopia’s capital, Polish specialists in the fields of chemistry and economics gave lectures, Polish students
of Ethiopian studies studied the Geez and Amharic
languages and Ethiopian literature and culture, and
Ethiopians studied for doctorates in Poland. Among
those who gained scholarships were Ewa Wołk and
Laura Łykowska, who are now lecturers on Amharic
language and literature at the University of Warsaw,
where BA and MA courses in Ethiopian studies are
offered, with specialisations in linguistics, social and
cultural studies, and literature.
Professor Joanna Mantel-Niećko giving lectures at university. On the
right her outstanding student, linguist Witold Kazimierz Brzuski
2011
59
There is still a lot of wax
to be melted down to find gold
perspective
EWA WOŁK-SORE
IZABELA ORŁOWSKA
Linguist, graduate in Ethiopian studies, assistant professor at the University of Warsaw. Since 2004 she has lectured on the Amharic
language and literature and the history of literature in that language at the Chair of African Languages and Cultures at the University
of Warsaw. She specialises in social linguistics, which is the study of the social meaning of a linguistic system.
Graduate in Ethiopian studies from the University of Warsaw, doctor in history at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University
of London. She specialises in the history of Ethiopian political culture, with a focus on symbolism of power. She speaks the Amharic
language fluently. She is currently an associate professor at Addis Ababa University.
“I became interested in Ethiopia completely by chance,” says Ewa Wołk-Sore. “I was fascinated by
the exotic, although the area of study was not very important
for me; it could have been the East or the South, as long as it
was not the civilised West. When I found out about Ethiopian
studies, I did not take a long time to think about it – Ethiopia
seemed to fulfil my exotic dreams. I was most interested in
the Amharic language and it was into this I put the most
energy, filling up one notebook after another with mysterious
symbols, which only I and a handful of others in Poland could
read. Our teacher, Salomon, when teaching us the Amharic
language, translated untranslatable notions into Polish, and
it was in this way that ‘agelgil’ (a wicker basket bound with
leather to protect food against the sun) was translated as ‘refrigerator’, and ‘gabi’ (a multi-layered cotton blanket to keep
off the cold of the Ethiopian nights) was ‘winter overcoat’.”
What makes the Amharic language special is its semantic
ambiguities, which Ethiopians exploit both in literature and
in daily life, making it very hard to learn and to translate.
Some researchers studying Ethiopia consider the semenna
work (‘wax and gold’ – a technique used to make jewellery),
60
A new
2011
to be in fact the most important feature of its culture, i.e.,
the rhetorical ‘hidden meaning’ which is characteristic particularly of Ethiopian poetry. In 1989, while doing her MA
studies, Ewa Wołk went to Ethiopia on a one-year scholarship to Addis Ababa University as part of a student exchange
between universities, where she learnt the Amharic language.
When she returned from Ethiopia she attended, as a free participant, a course on contemporary literature in the Amharic
language held at the School of Oriental and African Studies in
London by the most renowned teacher of the Amharic language in the world, Professor David Appleyard. It was at that
time that she came across Amharic literature for the first time.
She learnt to read, understand and translate literal texts, but
learning to speak it was still to come. In 2003 she completed
her doctoral thesis at the Institute (now Faculty) of Oriental
Studies of the University of Warsaw. While carrying out her
research, in 2000, she went to Ethiopia to find out who speaks
to whom and in what contexts. She says: “What I wanted to
do most, however, was learn the Amharic language. I decided to pretend from the outset that I didn’t speak a word of
English, and that method worked. I immersed myself in the
Ethiopian culture, taking part in everything that constituted
the lives of Ethiopians: ceremonies to brew coffee that lasted
several hours, conversations in minibuses, church services,
demonstrations. I followed television and radio programmes,
I listened to the latest records of Ethiopian singers, and read
new books and the press. One time I even took part in an
Ethiopian radio programme as a phenomenon – ‘ferenji’ –
speaking Amharic. I am still learning to speak it, however
– and the more I learn, the more I feel that I still have a lot of
wax to melt to find the gold.”
Having discovered an interest in foreign
cultures previously, after initial indecision as to her favourite
area of the world and studies, Izabela Orłowska decided to
choose African studies, and focus on Ethiopia. Even while
still a student she published her first papers and studied the
chronicles of Ethiopian rulers, written in the Geez language.
She says: “I remember lectures given by Professor Joanna
Mantel-Niećko; I remember her telling stories – and it was
then I got the bug, and on the Ethiopian side it was Dejamatch Gebre Zewde Selassi, PhD, whom I met at the International Conference of Ethiopian Studies in Addis Ababa
in 2000. He opened that marvellous world up to me. My
experience of Ethiopia is based completely on my contacts
with other people.”
In 2001 Izabela Orłowska was awarded a PhD at the
School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. She completed a doctorate on Ethiopian political
culture at the time of Emperor Yohannes IV (1872–1889)
in 2006. For that dissertation she was awarded a British Academy Research Fellowship – a special distinction
for outstanding achievement in the arts or social science,
awarded to only 38 academics in the UK each year. At first
she was a lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, School
of History, Classics and Archeology, and since 2007 has
been associated with Addis Ababa University, where initially she taught within the British programme Teaching
Fellowship of the African Studies Association, and today
she is associate professor in the Philology Department.
She teaches classes in research methods of the medieval
history of Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, as well as a PhD
seminar in the Faculty of Philology.
Izabela says that lecturers from outside of Ethiopia give
AAU students an opportunity to learn a different approach
to learning. “Most Ethiopian students think that history is
only dates and Ethiopian wars, and I want them to consider
source material, for example the subject of ‘geber’ (banquet)
at court and in the politics surrounding that case. It makes
a huge impression on them, that it is possible to contemplate an issue like that, this type of political and diplomatic
history, but it is very appealing to them. Perhaps later on
they do not remember the specific things we teach, but the
approach and subject matter is so different that it stays in
their minds, and gives them a new perspective.”
Izabela Orłowska looks at a manuscript in the Asheton Maryam
Monastery near Lalibela
PHOTO: Ewa Wołk-Sore in Lalibela
2011
61
Ethiopian
ties with Poland
5.COMMUNITY
WORK.
Since the 1960s more than 200 Ethiopians
have studied at Polish institutions of higher education under
agreements between the countries and their universities.
Upon completion of their studies many of them returned
to Ethiopia to make use of the knowledge they obtained
in Poland, and others, often due to the difficult political
situation in Ethiopia at the time, decided to stay in Poland,
started families, and settled permanently. The small number
of Ethiopians living in Poland, scattered around the whole
country, did not have their own structure until the beginning
of 2000; they did not know each other, and only met rarely.
PHOTO: Students from Africa on a march through the streets of Warsaw, 1960s
62
2011
In 2002 an association was set up, Selam,
for Ethiopians living in Poland and Poles with ties to Ethiopia.
The main organiser, Mersha Woldu, was elected chairman. In
1975 Mersha passed an examination at the Polish Embassy in
Ethiopia and was awarded a scholarship by the government of
the Polish People’s Republic. In 1982 he graduated from the
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Poznań University of
Technology. He got married and decided to return to his country, but in view of the political situation in Ethiopia quickly
returned with this family to Poland. He initially worked in his
trained profession, was deputy leader of the local municipality
of Dąbie district in Lubuskie province, and currently runs his
own language school in Krosno Odrzańskie.
Mersha Woldu: “In 2000 I was invited to an Easter dinner
by friends from Ethiopia living in Warsaw. This was an opportunity to find out how many of us there were in Poland.
I went along and met a lot of Ethiopians I had never met
before, and those that I had known as a student. At that meeting I suggested making a list of those present, with their addresses, and started organising another meeting in my area.”
He organises meetings of this kind connected with the
Ethiopian Easter and held to summarise the year’s achievements of Selam, every year in May. The principal aim of the
association is to promote cooperation between Ethiopia and
Poland on a universal scale, in the social, scientific, cultural
and educational, and sporting spheres, and also to provide
Ethiopian members with legal aid. Selam offers business
and private individuals assistance with respect to investment in Ethiopia. A Polish-Ethiopian Parliamentary Group
has even been set up for this purpose, which is still awaiting
the creation of its counterpart in the Ethiopian Parliament.
“We meet every year in various parts of Poland, inviting
local inhabitants, to whom we present the history, culture
and tradition of Ethiopia,” says Mersha. “Thanks to the efforts of our organisation there has been a marked increase
in the number of tourists and people with good intentions
who want to help Ethiopia individually. For example Polish
doctors go there and provide medical assistance at their own
expense. Poland has formed a parliamentary group to help
those who want to be active. I feel unsatisfied personally at the
lack of involvement on the part of the Ethiopian Parliament
in appointing an analogous group, as our efforts would then
have a greater effect.”
Since 2011 the chairman of the association has been
Seifu Gebru, a doctor in economics from Poznań.
A similar association of graduates was created in 2007 in
Ethiopia at the initiative of the Polish ambassador Mariusz
Woźniak. The Association of Polish Academic Graduates has
more than 200 Ethiopian members. “The Association was established to reconnect the former Ethiopian community in
Poland,” says its chairman Adamu Wakijra, PhD, who graduated in veterinary studies in 1968 from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences – SGGW. Like Mersha, he was granted
a scholarship from the government of the People’s Republic
of Poland. He also completed his doctoral veterianary studies
at SGGW, and in the 1960s was employed by Professor Stefan
Strelcyn at the University of Warsaw as a teacher of the Amharic language, with Professor Joanna Mantel-Niećko among
his students. In total, he spent 15 years in Poland and has ties
not only with Poles, but most of all with the university. The association of which he is head of wishes to provide support for
Polish investments in Ethiopia and the activities of the Polish
Embassy in this regard. The members meet regularly but do
not have a permanent office. They remain in constant contact
with Selam in Poland.
Annual meeting of Selam, May 2010, Kołatka, in the Lubuskie Voivodship
2011
63
Poles
are adventurous
6.TOURISM.
According to the data of the Ethiopian
Ministry of Tourism, Ethiopia occupies 23rd place among the
countries of Africa most frequently visited by foreigners – visitors
constitute one of the three most important sources of its hard
currency. Every year, approx. 400,000 people come to Ethiopia,
almost 30 per cent of them Europeans, of whom – according to
tourist agency estimates – around 5-6 thousand are Polish tourists.
PHOTO: Tranditional Ethiopian hut (tukul) on the way to Wendo Genet hot springs resort
Due to the change in the
political system in 1989 and the free market economy, Poland has opened up to the
world. Poles are becoming better informed
about the world, and travel more and more
frequently, making use of the advantageous
visa conditions for EU citizens. Their interest
in Africa, including Ethiopia, is also increasing. They want to see with their own eyes the
monolithic churches in Lalibela and endemic
species of plants and animals, and find out
whether the Ark of the Covenant really rests
in Axum, and whether the Ethiopian coffee
is the best in the world, and the women the
most beautiful. Many return with plans to go
again to the country where, according to the
slogan of the national tourism commision,
there is 13 months od sunshine.
One of the local agencies offering tourist travel services to Poles is Diversity Tours
Ethiopia. Due to the many years’ experience
of its founder, Alem Tesfay, tourists can visit
not only famous historical cities and churches
as well as national parks, but also the remote
Danakil depression, one of the lowest locations below sea level and one of the hottest
places on earth.
Alem Tesfay: “The number of tourists
from Central and Eastern Europe is increasing considerably. From my school days I knew
that Poland was a Christian country and the
homeland of Pope John Paul II. This led me
to the conclusion that as tourists Poles would
be interested only in pilgrimages and visiting
churches. When I got to know them, however, it turned out that they are adventurous
and interested in Ethiopia’s culture and heritage. I like their great curiosity and enthusiasm. I know that they have crossed oceans
and continents to satisfy that curiosity and
broaden their knowledge of the world.
All the tourists I have dealt with have
changed their views of Ethiopia completely.
Before they travel to Ethiopia they imagine
poverty and starvation. When they arrive they
are amazed by the diversity of the country and
decide to come back, often with family and
friends. I stay in contact with many of them.
I came to Poland at the invitation of tourists for whom I was a guide in Ethiopia. They
returned the favour and showed me their
country, and we became good friends.”*
* How They See us / Jak nas widzą. A meeting with a guide / Spotkanie z przewodnikiem, ‘Know the World’ / ‘Poznaj Świat’, no. 6/2011, pp. 113–114.
64
2011
2011
65
Poles in Ethiopia
Over the last one hundred years many Poles have aligned their fate
with that of Ethiopia, out of choice, due to their family situation,
or as a result of being caught up in historical events. Among
them are those who have been of great service to Ethiopia.
The first records of Poles
known to have settled permanently in Ethiopia
do not appear until the 20th century. These
were a merchant exporting leather and coffee, a businessman, a trade concession holder,
a road construction engineer serving Emperor Haile Selassie I, an army field surgeon,
and a journalist. All of these were in Ethiopia
immediately before the outbreak of the ItaloEthiopian war. It is not known what became
of them after the war. Graves of Polish soldiers
at the Allied Cemetery in Asmara commemorate the role of Poles in fighting on the African
front in World War II.
Another group of Poles are recorded as having been in Ethiopia in 1951. These were forty
people resettling after being in labour camps in
Western Germany, who travelled to Ethiopia intending to take up farming in the sparsely populated regions of the country. However, some of
these people decided not to settle and left Ethiopia, and the rest tried to establish their lives there,
with varying degrees of success.
Polish emigrants made a large contribution
to the shaping of Ethiopian state administration and education during the rule of Emperor
Haile Selassie I, and at the same time, living
and working in Ethiopia, they strengthened
Polish-Ethiopian ties.
STANISŁAW CHOJNACKI (1915–2010)
WACŁAW KORABIEWICZ (1903–1994)
Professor, world-renown specialist in Ethiopian studies,
expert on culture and one of the greatest collectors of
Ethiopian art and author of several books on the subject.
He was especially interested in iconography. He lived in
Ethiopia in the years 1950–1976, was head of the library
at University College of Addis Ababa, and later became
the founder and curator of the Museum of the Institute
of Ethiopian Studies, which was named after him in 2010.
Together with the founder of the Institute, Professor
Richard Pankhurst, he published the ‘Journal of Ethiopian
Studies’. In 1970 Emperor Haile Selassie I awarded him
the Order of the Star of Ethiopia. He moved to Canada
after the outbreak of the revolution in 1974.
Physician, travel journalist and ethnographer.
He went to Ethiopia in 1955 as a physician
employed by the Ministry of Health at the hospital
in Gore. He described his memories of Ethiopia,
intertwined with the country’s history and culture,
in the book Słońce na Ambach / The Sun in Ambas.
Korabiewicz had a passion for the crosses carried
by the Ethiopian monks – with the support
of Emperor Haile Selassie I he published a book
of photography on this subject in Ethiopia.
He studied the symbolism of the cross,
and had a substantial collection of crosses
which he transported to Poland and donated
to the National Museum in Warsaw, where
they can still be seen today.
WITOLD GRABOWSKI (1898–1966)
Lawyer, army officer and Minister of Justice in
the Polish government in 1936–1939; after World War II
he ended up in Ethiopia, where he was Deputy
Presiding Judge of the Supreme Court. He was one
of the creators of the Ethiopian constitution and state
administrative system during the rule of Haile Selassie I.
During the 1950s he was one of the best known foreigners
in Ethiopia, enjoying a great deal of trust with the Emperor,
and was rewarded the highest award for service
– the Order of the Star of Ethiopia.
ALEKSANDER KONTOROWICZ
Polish violinist, professor at the Vilnius School of Music,
he emigrated to Cairo, where in 1934–1944 he was
a teacher at the Royal Institute of Music and at the Music
Department of the King Fuad I University. Among his
students was the famous Ethiopian violinist Yewebdar
Gebrou. In 1944 he went to Addis Ababa. Emperor Haile
Selassie I appointed him musical director of the Imperial
Bodyguard Band and court violinist responsible
for organising classical music evenings at the Imperial
Palace (1944–1948). He was also director of the National
School of Music in Addis Ababa (currently the Yared
School of Music). He had a huge influence on the
development of post-war modern music in Ethiopia.
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2011
JERZY (GEORGE) KRZECZUNOWICZ (born 1908)
Lawyer, founder of the Department of Law
at the Haile Selassie I University in Addis Ababa.
Using the Polish legal system as a model,
he drew up a number of Ethiopian legal codes
and the commentaries to them. For many years
he was an advisor to the imperial government
and mentor to several generations of Ethiopian
lawyers. He left Ethiopia at the outbreak
of the revolution in 1974 and settled
in Switzerland.
BOGODAR WINID (1922–1996)
One of the most renowned Polish geographers
in the world, professor at the University of Warsaw,
a great Ethiopian enthusiast. He specialised
in developing countries, and focused on Africa
in particular. During his five-year stay in Ethiopia
(1964–1969) he taught at the Haile Selassie I University and was a highly popular lecturer.
He became integrated with the Ethiopian elite,
and was an acquaintance of the Emperor himself.
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67
c losin g remarks : n e w p r o s p e c t s f o r c o o p e r a t i o n
Poland and Ethiopia:
new
prospects
author: ROMAN ROJEK
in our mutual potential. I see the greatest
opportunities for cooperation in the next
few years in the development of three strategic sectors: tourism, development projects
and economic exchange.
The
time
The Poles and Ethiopians are two wonderful nations that certainly
do not know enough about each other. Mutual relations are dominated less by knowledge and more by quite stereotypical ideas.
The majority of Poles associate Ethiopia
with four plagues: famine, poverty, disease
and conflict, while for Ethiopians Poland is
a friendly, wealthy and developed country,
a desirable place of political and economic
emigration, although they do not necessarily
realise that it is a member of the EU.
As a Polish businessman and at the same
time the Honorary Consul of Ethiopia,
I know very well the reality of functioning in
both countries. I have to say that we certainly
do not make use of the opportunities that lie
68
2011
has come
for Ethiopia
and Poland
to exploit
their
potential
in full.
Tourism
In view of its impressive heritage and
extraordinary landscape, Ethiopia has always been a paradise for globetrotters.
Nowadays, due to intensive investment in
roads, hotels, and restaurants, it is becoming
a highly attractive tourist destination for all.
Among the approximately 400,000 people
that visit Ethiopia each year (mainly British,
French, Italians and Germans), Poles form
an increasingly large group (approximately
5,000–6,000).
When discovering Ethiopia’s cultural
heritage, Poles change their ideas about
Africa. The continent is now no longer just
a safari location for the Big Five – elephants,
rhinos, African buffalo, lions and leopards
– and wonderful beaches. Today it also
means the churches carved from the rock
in Lalibela, obelisks and tombs in Axum,
the medieval royal castles in Gondar, and
Christian monasteries on the lake in Bahir Dar. The magic of these places makes
approximately 40 per cent of Poles come back for a return visit, as they value not only Ethiopia’s nature, but also its culture.
In my view Ethiopia should promote its historical heritage
abroad a lot more intensively. Those Poles that have come to
know this country, one of the oldest in Africa, see the value of
its achievements in civilisation and its Christian and Muslim
sides. Unfortunately, still very few are aware of what Ethiopia
has to offer, and therefore, Ethiopians need to be made aware
how important it is to take an active approach towards information and promotion abroad that demonstrates to Poles
and other Europeans the virtues of this wonderful country.
Tourism is not only a substantial source of income for
Ethiopia’s budget; it is also the drive behind its social and
economic development. Balanced growth in tourism is a lever for the local market, but at the same time, it prevents
devastation of the natural environment and speeds up social
transformation: for instance, by promoting employment of
women. Seeing Ethiopia, Polish tourists change their ideas
with regard not only to Africa, but also to their priorities in
their own lives. That’s the way it was with me.
Cooperation in development
Both Poland and Ethiopia are countries with over a thousand years of Christian tradition, but in the 20th century they
went through several decades of communism, which brings
them doubly close to each other. More than 40 years of functioning in the sphere of influence of the Soviet Union robbed
Poland of the chance of rapid development of civilisation for
an extended period. After 1989, 20 years of liberal democracy
led to Poland becoming the 20th economy in the world and
the sixth in Europe.
Poland went from being a country receiving development
aid to a country donating it. With regard to Ethiopia it focuses
on assistance with environmental protection, education and
healthcare. Polish non-government organisations, which still
only perform token activity in Ethiopia, will be more and
more frequently, and on an ever-broadening scale, active in
that country. Obviously, they need time to adapt Polish development assistance instruments to Ethiopian conditions
and to build their own system and capability to conduct projects in other political and administrative conditions. In this
context, the experience from the period of transformation in
Poland will certainly be useful.
The central element of the Polish model for change was
and remains the combination of political and economic
freedoms. This might be Poland’s most important contribution to the discussion ongoing in Ethiopia at the moment on
the subject of the relationship between modernisation and
democratisation. This is why diversification and intensification of cooperation between Polish and Ethiopian state institutions, non-governmental organisations, institutions of
higher education and private business will be an important
element of the process of increasing the effectiveness of Polish
development assistance.
Economic cooperation
Trade, not aid – this is the best way for developing countries to achieve a state of wealth and economic independence.
Ethiopia is one of the fastest growing economies in Africa that
is not dependent on extraction of crude oil. It has large areas
of excellent arable land and huge potential for energy generated by hydro-electric power plants. In order to make full use
of its advantages Ethiopia needs free trade, including with
Poland. This means continued liberalisation of the market
and bold economic reform. Creation of an environment that
is friendly towards Polish investments in Ethiopia will allow
Polish firms to put greater energy and capital into creating
business ventures that lead to the creation of new jobs.
Poland’s economic presence in the world is growing. In
2010 Polish foreign investments came to 27 billion USD, and
turnover from commercial trade to 162 billion USD. Poland
is looking for new sales markets and new sources of strategic
raw materials not only in Europe, but also far beyond it. The
most powerful country in the Horn of Africa could be a wonderful trading partner and an alternative to Asian countries.
The time has come for Ethiopia and Poland to exploit their
potential in full. Polish business is ready to strengthen commercial relations and invest in African countries; Ethiopia is
becoming more modern and open to the world. Globalisation
is playing a positive role in the process of bringing continents
together: the geographical and mental distance is lessening.
Relations between Poland and Ethiopia could potentially become more intensive in a natural way, but it would be better
if this process was helped along by intelligent policy on
the part of both countries combined with initiative and
activity on the part of the people.
ROMAN ROJEK, PhD
Honorary Consul of the Federal Democratic Republic
of Ethiopia to the Republic of Poland
2011
69
A history of the Polish Embassy
building in Addis Ababa
The villa was built in an Axumite-Italian
style in the 1940s at the foot of Mount Entoto – at the historical seat of the administrative bodies and powers of the
province of Shewa in Ethiopia. The original owner of the
residence and utility buildings was an Ethiopian magnate.
The building was used for residential purposes and in later
times for official business, for instance, housing the Argentinean and Israeli embassies.
Following the signing on 13 December 2000 of an
agreement between the Polish Government and the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
on conversion of a portion of Ethiopia’s debt towards Poland, it was possible to obtain property in Addis Ababa
(9 August 2004) from the original owner, Ms Bureket Kadjela.
The Honorary Consulate of
the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in Gdańsk
200-year-old manor house is the seat of the
Honorary Consulate of the Federal Democratic Republic
of Ethiopia in Jaśkowa Dolinia in Gdańsk. Upon Poland’s
request, Roman Rojek, PhD – a well-known Polish businessman, enthusiast, friend and donor to Ethiopia and
the Ethiopians – was on 4 August 2009 appointed Ethiopia’s Honorary Consul in Poland, the first such appointment in the history of Polish-Ethiopian relations.
70
2011
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2011
71
a u t H or
Katarzyna Hryćko
holder of a master’s degree in Ethiopian studies from the Faculty of Oriental Studies and PhD
candidate at the Faculty of History of the University of Warsaw. She specialises in the recent history
of the Horn of Africa and the history of US-Ethiopian military and diplomatic relations. Lectures at
the University of Warsaw and the Polish Academy of Sciences on contemporary conflicts in Africa.
Dossier
© Copyright for publication: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Warsaw, November 2011
THINKTANK Dossier Ethiopia_EU_Poland is a result of the archives research, several trips to Ethiopia and meetings
with Ethiopian and Polish experts and opinion leaders. Special thanks to: Adamu Wakijra, Alem Tesfay, Barbara Goshu,
Andrzej Grzelka, s. Judyta Ligęza, Mersha Woldu, Nebil Kellow, Izabela Orłowska, Barbara Parker, Piotr Wikarek,
Ewa Wołk-Sore, Prof. Maciej Zalewski, Daria Żebrowska, Yasser Bagersh and staff of the Polish Embassy in Addis Ababa.
This publication was commissioned by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Addis Ababa using funds
of the Archive and Information Management Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland.
The Polish Embassy in Addis Ababa would like to thank the Honorary Consul of the Federal Democratic Republic
of Ethiopia, Roman Rojek, PhD, for contributing funds to this publication.
C oncept f or
this p u b l ication : Małgorzata Bonikowska, PhD
www.mttp.pl, www.english.mttp.pl
Katarzyna Hryćko, Jarosław Szczepankiewicz
25 Mińska Street, 03-808 Warszawa, Poland
Fact u a l content: Jarosław Szczepankiewicz
tel.: (+48 22) 628 20 04, fax: (+48 22) 628 04 12
E dited b y: Małgorzata Bonikowska, PhD
C oordination o f p u b l ication : Anna Chyckowska
P R O D U C E D BY: THINKTANK Ltd
e-mail: [email protected]
P UBL I S H E D BY: Embassy of the Republic
Graphic desi g n : Katarzyna Zbytniewska
www.msz.gov.pl, www.poland.gov.pl
Graphic : Monika Chylińska
Dej. Belay Zeleke Road
T rans l ated b y: Jon Tappenden
and Jean-Jacques Granas (pp. 6–9)
P roo f read b y: Ben Koschalka, Michał Bocian
P rinted b y: TAURUS
Addis Ababa, Guelele Sub-City
Kebele 08, House No. 583
P.O. Box 27207 code 1000 Ethiopia
tel.: 00-251-11-1-57 41 89/90
fax: 00-251-11-1-57 42 22
Photography: Author’s Archive (2, 17 right, 29, 35, 41 top, 42, 44 bottom, 48, 50, 51, 53, 54, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61,
62, 63, 64, 72); Grupa Atlas (68); National Digital Archives (21 bottom, 22, 23); PAP/Zbigniew Matuszewski (31);
PAP/Rafał Nowakowski (41 bottom); Polish Embassy in Addis Ababa Archive (10, 24, 46, 70);
Stowarzyszenie Kombatantów Misji Pokojowych ONZ Archive (33); The Goshu Art Galleries Archive (44);
wikimedia.org (18, 20, 21 top, 27); pp. 6–7: Author’s Archive, MSZ Archive, THINKSTOCK, wikimedia.org;
pp. 8–9: Author’s Archive, wikimedia.org; 1st cover: Małgorzata Bonikowska, THINKSTOCK; 3rd cover: THINKSTOCK.

ETHIOPIA POLAND

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