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[PANEL] 0811 GENERAL PANEL "PHILOLOGICAL STUDIES ON MODERN ETHIOPIAN TEXTS"
Organizers:
Denis NOSNITSIN, Hiob Ludolf Center for Ethiopian Studies, Hamburg University, Germany
Magdalena KRZYŻANOWSKA, Universität Hamburg, Germany
Paper presenters:
MESFIN Messele; Nikolay STEBLIN-KAMENSKY; MUNA Abubeker; NURADDIN Aman
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CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF THE SUNG AND UNSUNG FLAG ANTHEMS OF ETHIOPIA [Abstract ID: 0811-04]
This article aims to explore lyrics of the flag anthems of Ethiopia during Emperor Hailä Səllassie and Därg period. The first flag anthem of Ethiopia was written in 1942 and was in use until 1974. In 1975, following the Ethiopian revolution the flag anthem was suspended by law. Following the announcement for a new anthem, many writers submitted new lyrics. However, none of the lyrics suggested by professionals were able to meet the standards set by the committee. Consequently, a new invitation was announced and some lyrics were chosen. But, before they serve their purpose a regime change occurred on 1990. The main objective of this research is to examine which of the flag anthems were used by the public and which were not. The analyses are based on the structure and content of the lyrics. Questions on the structure of the lyrics and their relevance to the then governments are addressed. How far can the anthems reflect the political ideology of the consecutive governments and motives behind the lyrics are explored. To investigating the messages portrayed by the anthems pertaining to political ideology and philosophy, historical materials were consulted. The researcher believes that this work encourages study on flag anthems and contributes to broaden knowledge on Ethiopian history.
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LITERATURE OF PROGRESS: THE HISTORY OF SOVIET TRANSLATIONS INTO AMHARIC. [Abstract ID: 0811-02]
Amharic literature in the 60s has experienced a unique and extensive inflow of books translated from Russian. These translations could be perceived as a part of the huge Soviet project of ideological expansion when books on Marxism-Leninism were translated into a great variety of languages. However, the case of Ethiopia was rather different as most of the books translated from 1961 to 1976 represented classics of Russian and Soviet literature and children stories. At the same time, for example, speakers of Swahili and Hausa were mostly exposed to Lenin’s writings. Pieces of Russian classics have become an important part of Ethiopian cultural environment and are well remembered until the present day. While the topic raises a number of intriguing questions, this preliminary presentation is focused on the statistical data and its interpretation in the light of the relationship between two countries.
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THE 19TH CENTURY COURT DOCUMENT OF HARAR [Abstract ID: 0811-03]
Registering the Harari court procedures during the reins of their Emirates was the task of their legal bodies. Unlike in other regions of Ethiopia, where recording the court procedures was not given due attention. As a result, we are able to witness the 19th century court Arabic documents of the region today. Thus, this research will examine one of these documents. This document comprises the period from 1827-1837 (1242-1252) and was recorded by the Qadi of Harar, by the name of Abduraman Mohammed. It mainly contains cases of marriage, divorce, inheritance, land transaction and a few others. This work will briefly discuss the contents of the document and will highlight the social, economical, legal and cultural significance of it as well.
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THE WALABU SCRIPT ABOUT BALES’ HEROES: SELECTED TEXT TRANSLATION AND ANALYSIS [Abstract ID: 0811-01]
In Ethiopia and Eritrea, from the early periods, the Geʻez script has been adapted to write mostly Semitic languages, particularly Amharic and Tigrinya. It is also used for other Semitic languages of Ethiopia. Moreover, other Cushitic languages of the country also used to be written using the script. Besides the Ethiopic alphabet, other scripts such as Arabic, ‘Ajemi and Sheikh Bakri’s orthography have been used to write different literary works in Ethiopian languages. This paper attempts to present Bales’ Heroes written by the new Oromo writing system (Walabu Script) invented by an Islamic and Oromo public intellectual Sheikh Kemal Adem of Bale. The study aims to show the biography and contribution of Bales’ Heroes to the national consciousness of the Oromo people in particular and Ethiopia in general. To do so, the text will be translated from the original language and selected text analysis will be employed from different perspectives. In addition to this, the paper will also discuss some philological elements of the manuscripts.