Ethiopian literature

Ethiopian literature refers to the body of written works produced in the eastern African nation of Ethiopia or in one of several culturally important languages in the country. Ethiopian literature includes writings in Ethiopic (Ge’ez) or Amharic, the official national language of Ethiopia. Ge’ez is a Semitic language that is also the oldest written language in Africa. Ge’ez is a liturgical language that is used by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The language dates back about two millennia. The Bible and other religious texts were translated in Ge’ez, allowing the language to make a lasting as the language of Ethiopia’s clergy, similar to how Latin was used by the Catholic Church in the Western world.

The origins of Ethiopian literature can be traced back to about 300 CE with the Axumite texts that were written in Ge’ez. Ethiopian literature is categorized in multiple ways, most commonly as classical, romantic, and political, or as new literature written in English. Major themes include human life and appreciation and criticism.

The Book of Enoch, an ancient Hebrew apocalyptic text that was not included in the Jewish or Christian Bibles, is part of Ethiopian Orthodox scriptures. Although not written in Ethiopia, it is considered one of the most important pieces of Ethiopian literature because its text has survived in Ge’ez when it was lost in other languages.

Twentieth-century author Daniachew Worku is one of the most famous Ethiopian writers. Worku wrote novels, plays, and short stories in Amharic and English. His book, The Thirteenth Sun (1973), garnered him international recognition and has been translated into multiple languages. Also noteworthy is Love to the Grave (1968) by Haddis Alemayehu. The novel is considered a classic in Ethiopian literature. It gained far-reaching attention after being disseminated through Ethiopian radio. It was one of the first Ethiopian novels to receive such fame.

Brief history

The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, or simply, Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. Bordering Djibouti, Somalia, and Eritrea, as well as Kenya, Sudan and South Sudan, the nation has a total area of more than 426,000 square miles (1.1 million square kilometers). It is the second most populous country in Africa and the twelfth most populous country in the world, with more than 113 million people as of 2022. Although Ethiopia has one of the fastest growing economies in the region, it remains one of the poorest countries in Africa, despite the nation’s falling poverty rate. A ten-year development plan begun in 2019 hopes to establish a more private-sector-driven economy. From the thirteenth century to the mid-1970s, 1974, Ethiopia was known as the Kingdom of Abyssinia.

Folktales represent some of the earliest forms of Ethiopian literature. First told orally, the short, often animal-focused stories were eventually written down and preserved more formally. The combination of culture with history and myth allows for stories that may be hundreds of years old to pass from generation to generation. The style of folktale may vary from country to country on the African continent, but the storytelling premise behind them remains the same. Though many of the tales are ancient, storytellers continue to produce new, more modern pieces to deal with new situations. This is why cars or other modern objects may sometimes be found in a tale. Similarly, folktales can easily be adapted to different situations.

Animal stories are one common theme in Ethiopian folktale. Other types include creation stories, inheritance stories, the cleverness of women, moral tales, mythical creatures, and tribal origins. Modern technologies can be found in some stories and are viewed by some as a positive turn of events. Media technology and a shift away from reading (and an even further shift from telling stories), has caused some scholars to wonder if a time will come when folktales are a thing of the past.

Overview

Ethiopian literature may be categorized in multiple ways, depending on the need. Three broad categories to examine include: classical literature, romantic and political literature, and new literature. Classical literature, due to its nature, is the broadest, most diverse category due to the area it covers. Writing in English or new literature, on the other hand, continues to organically develop and expand.

Classical literature

Classical literature encompasses religious and historic works, many of which are translated from other countries, as well as a number of philosophical works. Classic literature includes not only traditional religious texts (service books, Bible scriptures), but also those works that detail the lives of saints and other religious figures, and sermons or homilies. It is estimated that the process to translate the Bible into Ge’ez took from the fifth century to the seventh century. Among the religious texts was the Book of Enoch, an ancient Hebrew apocalyptic text. Enoch was purported to have been written by a rather obscure biblical figure. The book is known for its depiction of the Nephilim, a race of biblical giants that are supposedly the offspring of angels and human women. Enoch was known to Hebrew scholars but left out of the Hebrew Bible and later the Christian Old Testament. It was included as part of the Ethiopian Orthodox Bible. Other important religious texts included the Book of Jubilee, andtheBook of Joseph and Asenath.

Philosophical works include both fables and poetry from Arab, Aramaic, Egyptian and Greek sources. The Fisalgos stem from the Greek Physiologos and focus on moral values. The texts use various animals, plants, and other objects to aid in explaining the moral obligations and providing a uniquely Ethiopian interpretation of the Bible. A similar situation occurs with The Book of the Philosophers. The book includes Ethiopian interpretations of classic philosophers like Aristotle and Pythagoras. Ethiopian interpretations are unique because they are not literal interpretations. Instead, the interpretations are molded, shaped, and adapted to make them uniquely Ethiopian. The result is something that, to the Ethiopians, is greater than the original.

Heroic literature and/or praise poetry are crucial to discuss when addressing African literature in general because of its relationship to the society’s political and literary expression. Heroic poetry, also called panegyric, uses metaphors to make connections between two things that are sometimes obscure. The fantasy created by such poetry frequently associates animals with what is actually real to create a story. When such works are spoken, as opposed to solely being read, music often accompanies the pieces to create a mood that impacts multiple senses. This allows more of a mythical creation to better capture the stories of the gods. The heroic epic involves the blending of many aspects of Ethiopian literature, including, but not limited to, myths, heroic poetry, and history. A key characteristic of the heroic epic is that the focus is not simply on history, but on fact and fiction, fantasy and reality, and history and the imagined. History, while important, is not the main aspect of the heroic epic. Instead, it is the embedded myth that provides an experience that is uniquely Ethiopian.

One of the most influential works of national literature in Ethiopia is the fourteenth-century epic the Kebra Nagast, or The Glory of Kings. According to the epic, Ethiopia was ruled by the Queen Makeda, better known as the Queen of Sheba, an ancient kingdom often equated with Ethiopia. Makeda visits King Solomon in Israel, where Solomon become infatuated with her beauty. Solomon and Makeda sleep together, and she becomes pregnant. Makeda gives birth to a son, Menelik. When the boy grows, Solomon wants him to remain as his heir, but he instead returns to Sheba to be his mother’s heir.

Romantic and political literature in Amharic and Writing in English

By the fourteenth century, Amharic had replaced Ge’ez as the primary secular language of Ethiopian writing. In 1955, it became the official language of Ethiopia. Some early romantic and political novels were first met with hesitation, as they deviated from the religious texts that had been more common at that time. However, novels like Ke Admas Bashager (Beyond the Horizon) and Yegitim Gubae (Synod of Poetry) are considered classics. Later authors continued to build upon what the earlier writers and their novels started. Twenty-first century works included well developed commentaries targeting social issues as well as state politics.

True fiction writing is minimal throughout Africa, and Ethiopia is no different. Because of this, the advent of writing in English was a major step for Ethiopian literature. English use began in literature in the 1960s, partly due to curiosity of the language and partly due to Ethiopian writers living abroad. Some key reasons behind writing in English include personal preference, convenience, and a potentially larger audience to which the work can be marketed. It is important to recognize, however, that although English is the language used, the storylines, commentaries, and plotlines are true to Ethiopia.

Bibliography

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“Ethiopia.” CIA World Factbook, 16 Nov. 2022, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/ethiopia/. Accessed 29 Nov. 2022.

“The Kebra Nagast (Ethiopia, c. 1300s).” LibreTexts, 3 Mar. 2022, human.libretexts.org/Courses/The‗Westminster‗Schools/The‗Kebra‗Nagast‗(Ethiopia‗c.‗1300s). Accessed 29 Nov. 2022.

“Ethiopian Literature.” The Cambridge History of African and Caribbean Literature, vol. 1, edited by F. Abiola Irele and Simon Gikandi. Cambridge University Press, 2000.

Kiros, Teodros. “Ethiopian Literature.” The Cambridge History of African and Caribbean Literature, vol. 1, edited by F. Abiola Irele and Simon Gikandi. Cambridge University Press, 2000.

Schlup, Murielle. “Emperor Haile Selassie, God of the Rastafarians.” Swiss National Museum, 2022, https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/en/2022/01/emperor-haile-selassie-god-of-the-rastafarians/. Accessed 29 Nov. 2022.