We've had the chance to have a few conversations--the most with Yosef--about Ethiopia. Their history is long. Indeed, they say that a line (not unbroken, if I recall, but incredibly consistent) of 237 Solomonic kings started with a descendent of Solomon and Sheba, whom they claim as an Ethiopian. The Yemenis apparently claim her as Yemeni, but the Ethiopians take pride of place in this, as their empire included the southern Arabian peninsula (either at or around that time). The last of these kings was Haile Selassie, who, besides being king, is held by the Rastafari movement as the returned messiah, God incarnate.
The 1970s being the tumultuous period they were--oil shocks, general political instability in the developing world, weak economy, etc.--Ethiopia was rattled like everyone else. In a not unfamiliar story, the weakened economy eroded the king's ability to pay the military enough, so they revolted. In societies at their level of political development, the disposition of the army is critical. Being probably the most organized institution in society, and having at their disposal the means of violence, a ruling elite needs to maintain good and effective relationship with--if not control over--the military. It's often the rub--as a ruling clique effectively disconnected from the people, you need the military to help maintain internal control...but they then also have a lot of latent or potential political power waiting to become kinetic.
And kinetic it did, in 1974. The Derg--basically a military junta--ended the Rastafari messiah's earthly kingship, and established a military advisory council that quickly embraced communism and the Soviet Union. This government held...until that time when the Soviet Union no longer held. By the early 1990s, rebel groups were challenging the Derg, and the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front finally triumphed.
The EPRDF--which still rules-- is composed of elements representing the large Oromo and Amhara ethnic groups and the smaller Tigray people. Apparently, though, the Tigray comprise the bulk of the government, leaving the larger groups to feel disenfranchised. I asked the adoption agency director what is necessary for Ethiopia to do better. "The government has to give the opposition a chance."
Around the same time, Eritrea fought for and won its independence. They now isolate themselves--sort of like, but not as intensely--N. Korea.
The Ethiopians are proud that they were never colonized. And apparently other Africans--at least in E. Africa--recognize that pride. This special status has not, however, protected them from the same kinds of distresses as their neighbors.
And it hasn't freed them from what you might consider the more modern forms of imperialism. The Soviet Union may not have colonized them in the traditional sense of the word, but perhaps vassalage fits. And today, China has a significant role in the Ethiopian economy...indeed, in many African economies. While the Chinese don't colonize in the traditional sense, they reap the benefits they seek, nonetheless. And the Ethiopians seem to be of mixed mind about this. I've asked a couple people (yes, very small sample size) what Ethiopians think of the Chinese. One said, 50-50. The other said, "We don't like them." They do a lot of high profile projects--a big ring road in town, a metro system, a modern African Union building, other large buildings, and they make junky products. "Low quality" has been a consistent complaint about their goods. But as Mr. 50-50 observed, the Chinese are "business makers." They are indeed that.
Okay...enough for now.
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