XVI International Conference on Ethiopian Studies (ICEI) It was held in Trondheim (Norway) in July 2007. The first of these forums, which brings together researchers from many countries of the world, was held in Rome in 1959, and since then they have been held in various countries, including Russia, Germany, the USA, France, Japan, Norway, and Ethiopia. The last conference was organized by the Standing Committee on Ethiopian Studies and the Department of Social Anthropology of the University of Technology.

The conference was attended by 198 participants from 19 countries. The most numerous delegations are from Ethiopia (62 people), the USA and Germany (28 each), Japan (19 each); one participant each - from Spain, Israel, Belgium, Finland, Eritrea. Russia was represented by three people who participated in the last Russian expedition to Ethiopia (2006): G. A. Balashova, member of the International Organizing Committee; E. S. Lvova; V. A. Mironova.

The conference was organized in eight areas: "History"; "Anthropology";" Politics and Development";" Urban Studies, Gender issues and human rights";" Linguistics";" Music and Art";" Religions and Education"; and"Cinema". Each of them included subsections. Thus, the section" History "included reports on archeology, medieval and modern history;" Anthropology " was divided into subsections on the problems of ethnicity, settlement, center and periphery, and the anthropology of the southern peoples of the country, who still preserved many elements of traditional culture, was singled out separately. Good ethnographic videos were presented in the "Cinema" section. In the section "Politics and Development", in addition to external and internal problems of Ethiopia, issues of environmental conservation, electoral practices, etc. were discussed in separate subsections. "Linguistics", in addition to purely linguistic reports, included reports on literature in both the Geez and Amharic languages, both medieval and modern. The section "Music and Fine Arts" was supplemented with exhibitions and a concert.

A separate section was "Visual Anthropology", which showed 10 films made by scientists from Ethiopia, Germany, France, and Japan. Very different in content, in general they gave a versatile picture of the life of Ethiopia. This includes a retrospective of German films about the reign of Haile Selassie (from the 30s to the 50s of the XX century); acute social films about street children and the urgent problem of returning cultural values. Especially noteworthy are the purely ethnographic films about the modern life of the ancient caste of wandering musicians and singers ("azmari" or "lalibela"); about the pilgrimage to the new Muslim shrine - grobni-

page 157
Tse Al-Faqi, who died in 1953; on the daily life of the Hamer, one of the southern peoples of Ethiopia.

The conference attracted the attention of the local community. Reports were made about its work in the press, and the participants of the conference were received by the Mayor of Trondheim in a solemn atmosphere at the Archbishop's palace. The opening ceremony was attended by the Ambassador of Ethiopia to the Scandinavian countries.

At the section "History and Archeology" 31 reports were heard, 3 of them were devoted to archeology; 8-to medieval history; the rest - to problems of the XVIII-XX centuries. and historical education. As a rule, the topics were rather specific, narrow, and limited to the time of imperial rule. The history of the country after the anti-monarchical revolution of 1974 was not touched upon either in reports or in discussions. Undoubtedly, this is an indicator of loyalty and cautious attitude towards the modern government of Ethiopia-avoiding discussion and evaluation of the period 1974-1991, when the authoritarian regime fell and the rule of Melavi Zenawi was established, and even more so in recent decades.

Reports on medieval history and the period of the XVIII-XIX centuries are valuable because they introduced new historical sources into scientific circulation. Many of the latter were recently discovered, while others were known but not widely used to reconstruct the country's history. Thus, A. M. d'alos-Moner (Germany) drew on little-known Portuguese-language materials to analyze the role and place of the Portuguese in 16th-century Ethiopia, showing that it was previously downplayed by Ethiopian historians and exaggerated by Portuguese ones. Unpublished manuscripts of some Ethiopian monasteries made it possible to clarify both the political (report of M.-L. Derat, France) and the ecclesiastical (d. Nosnitsyn, Germany) history. The use of art as a historical source, which was not previously practiced, made it possible to analyze the relations between the center and the periphery in the Gonder period (C. Bosc-Thiesee, France). It was new and interesting to refer to the biographies of specific figures; this provided additional living evidence in the usually dry political history (i.e., the history of the state). Sokolinskaya, Germany). New data on the state of Ethiopian society at the end of the XIX century were presented by E. S. Lviv (Russia) based on the notes of an Armenian archbishop who lived in the country for two years. New government documents recently discovered by W. G. C. Schmidt (Germany) provide a more accurate picture of Ethiopia's foreign relations in 1915-1916.

However, the already known historical sources were also widely represented. A new reading of chronicles and archival documents has highlighted a number of specific aspects of Ethiopia's medieval and modern history, such as the role of women in politics (Rita Pankhurst) and the specific innovations of Menelik II in the economic and social sphere (Richard Pankhurst - both Ethiopia).

Another set of reports included topics related to Ethiopia's relations with foreign countries, starting with stories about individual foreigners who have become permanent residents of the country. Prijas, Great Britain, - about the Czechs), before analyzing relations with Japan, the United States and the pan-African policy of the emperor and the role of colonialism.

Ethiopia has always held a special place among African countries. It was never a colony, its history goes back thousands of years, the very existence of an independent African emperor inspired the inhabitants of the continent and black Americans. It is no coincidence that Ethiopia became the headquarters of the Organization of African Unity and then the African Union. Ethiopia, according to the reports of this group, considered itself as an active subject, and not a passive object (as European and American historians often believed) of world politics. In Japan, the Ethiopians saw an example of what non-European countries can achieve, and considered it a possible partner in contrast to European, in particular Italian, aggressors. Since Haile Selassie perceived himself as the patron saint of all Africans and their descendants (including in Central America), followers of Rastafarianism, which originated in Jamaica, were allowed to move to the country. The fate of these immigrants, the exponents of pan-Africanism, is described in the report of J. R. R. Tolkien. Bonacci (Italy).

The section "Anthropology" included 25 reports. They were divided into several thematic subsections: "Pastoralism and modernization", "Ethnicity and self-awareness", "Ethnicity and violence", "Medical Anthropology", "Peoples of the Periphery", "Anthropology of the South". As can be seen even from the list of subsections, there were no reports at all about the agricultural peoples of Central and Northern Ethiopia. It is also striking that none of the reports concerned either Amharic or non-indigenous peoples.

page 158
Tigrai - peoples who have played and are playing an important political role in the past and present of the country (until 1991, the Amhara had the pre - emptive right, later the Tigrai).

Of all the groups of the Oromo, one of the most politicized peoples, a significant part of which is opposed to the current regime, only those who continue to lead a pastoral lifestyle (Borana and Guji) attracted the attention of the speakers. It is these Oromo groups that have most preserved the age class system (gada), which many Oromo politicians considered a model of a democratic society. The participants were offered messages about its current state. So, after the introduction of the new administrative division of the country into nine states, the territory of Borana became a separate administrative unit in the state of Oromia. And here steps are being taken to use gada for political and administrative purposes. This task, as shown by Tagawa Gen (Japan), is determined, on the one hand, by carrying out the necessary traditional rituals, and on the other, by using it as an "intermediary between the people of Borana and the modern state."

A similar system is still alive among some peoples of the South. It is also connected with the fact that to increase social status, it is necessary to prove fearlessness and bravery. N. Poissonnier (Germany) convincingly showed that, for example, in Conso, the necessary condition for achieving full rights and the "source of family pride" is the murder of an enemy or rival. This is sanctioned by society and tradition. Often, the killing of neighbors was accompanied by cattle rustling and burning of villages. Although this custom is contrary to state law, which certainly considers it a crime, it is still alive in the southern regions of the country. In addition, over the past few decades, Ethiopia has been subject to continuous wars, both external and civil, which has led to particular instability in the region. Takeshi Fujimoto (Japan) gave a fairly detailed account of this situation in the 1970s - 1980s in the places of settlement of the Malo people (Golde).

However, in the traditions and customs of the peoples of the South, there were also rituals for resolving conflicts. Along with raids and armed clashes, interethnic contacts of various kinds also persist: after the end of hostilities, there is a lively trade, friendly and kindred unions are created, and joint settlements arise. This is not hindered even by the state borders with Kenya and Sudan. Such connections, according to Sagawa Toru (Japan), who studied the Daazanech people, can be the key to " ending wars and establishing peace in local societies." And as Tadesse Berisso (Ethiopia) showed in his report, benevolent policies of the State and local authorities can play a significant role in this process.

However, there is no doubt that the main role in establishing peace in this region should be played by the peoples themselves involved in conflicts. And in 1993, several nations (Konso, Hamer, Maji, Mursi, Bashada, Ghaleb, etc.) held difficult truce negotiations, which ended with a ritual "burying of the spear". As a result, in the presence of the local administrator, all the ritual leaders of these peoples broke their spears and buried them in consecrated ground, performed the rite of exorcism and swore an oath of peace in the face of benevolent spirits. This extremely important event for the peoples of the South was then filmed by the German anthropologist I. Stecker and the English-A. Pankhurst. And in 2002, they captured the story of new generations about this rite, the memory of which is well preserved to this day.

The main focus of the "Anthropology" section was on the peoples of this region living in the Omo River basin. They are carefully studied for many years, in particular by a married couple of anthropologists from Germany, I. Stecker and L. Lydell. With their help, the "South Omo Research Center" was created in Jinka, where photographs, documents and records of observers, diagrams, graphs, films, and audio materials are collected. The center aims not only for scientific purposes, but also for commercial purposes - it is planned to make this area a popular tourist destination.

Undoubtedly, in the context of growing emigration, an important problem is studying the life of Ethiopian communities abroad, in European and American countries; their relations with the host society; finding out whether integration, assimilation, or isolation processes prevail. Unfortunately, only one speaker ( Addis, USA) addressed this burning topic. He showed that in the Ethiopian community of the United States (more than 100 thousand people), consisting of representatives of different peoples of different faiths and immigrants from different areas

page 159
countries, integration processes are taking place, narrow ethnic and religious-cultural differences are being erased, and they are beginning to realize themselves as a unity, not being called Amhara, Oromo or Sidamo, but simply Ethiopians. And the most important tool that plays a crucial role in this process, according to the speaker, is joint training in gambling sports, primarily American football.

Reports from the Medical Anthropology sub-section would rather be included in a group of reports on various aspects of beliefs. Thus, it is clear from the reports on it that traditional healers who practice both in rural areas (report of I. I. Hutman, Germany) and in the capital (E. Tili, Italy, and K. Marcus, Great Britain) are closely connected with official religions (Islam - "Bahlawi Hakim", Christianity - "debtera " and "mergata"), and with traditional beliefs ("balazar"). During the treatment, witchcraft and magical actions against it are practiced, the use of holy sources, calls for the protection and help of ancestors and spirits. At the same time, the speakers emphasized that such healers have accumulated positive practical experience that deserves serious study. It is carried out within the framework of the "Association of Practitioners of Ethiopian Traditional Medicine".

The section "Islam, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and education" contained 21 reports. It is important to note that for the first time in the history of international conferences on Ethiopian studies, the Islam sub-section was singled out separately, where more reports were read (9) than in the Christianity sub-section (5) and reports on traditional local beliefs were not presented at all. In addition, reports related to Islam were included in the section "Archeology". Kassai Begashau (Ethiopia) conducted (also for the first time) an analysis of Muslim archaeological sites - mosques, burials, markets, cities, and Belu Asante (Japan) dedicated his report to the Harare Museum.

In our opinion, this reflects the current situation in the country, when the number of Ethiopian Muslims is significantly increasing and the financial, economic and political influence of the Islamic world is noticeably increasing. Official view expressed in the opening statement by Hussein Ahmed (Ethiopia), - Islam is as autochthonous for Ethiopia as Christianity, and there is nothing extraordinary in the growth of its followers. However, the observations of the Russian participants of the conference, who were in Ethiopia on expeditions in 1990-1992 and 2006, record the growing influence of Islam, an increase in the number of Quranic schools and mosques, and powerful financial injections from the Arab world. Inscriptions in Arabic call for learning this language and using it in everyday life (which was not the case even 15 years ago). The point of view of the Russian participants of the conference was expressed by V. A. Mironova. A similar opinion was expressed by J. K. Novati (Italy), who, analyzing the relations between Ethiopia and Sudan, came to the conclusion that there are attempts to "Balkanize" Ethiopia in order to further Islamize and Arabize it.

The rest of the reports were devoted to specific aspects of Ethiopian Islam and unwittingly confirm the point of view of Russian scientists. It would seem that a special case of a study of the situation in one of the regions of Ethiopia (Bale), conducted by T. Estese (Japan), undoubtedly demonstrates the growing influence of not just Islam, but its most politicized form - Wahhabism, which, according to the speaker, can disrupt the peaceful balance of different faiths in the country. According to Minako Ishihara (Japan), a more traditional direction for Ethiopia, tariqa Tijaniyya, is also gaining new positions. In recent years, it has developed three powerful centers associated with the activities of Al-Faqi Ahmed Umar in the 1950s. He was perceived as a mystic, a teacher, a healer, and these qualities are also extended to his followers, whose number is constantly growing. The idea of special sanctity and grace is connected with the places of his stay, and especially with the tomb. A very informative and professionally made ethnographic film is dedicated to the annual pilgrimage to one of these places - the tomb in YayaYasuo Matsunami (Japan), who himself went all the way with the pilgrims. Both the reports and the film demonstrate, on the one hand, the uniqueness of Ethiopian Islam, which, like in many other countries, is far from strictly orthodox and exists in the form of "popular Islam" and the religious tolerance of ordinary Ethiopians, on the other. So, Christians also take part in the mentioned pilgrimage, which is usually performed for the purpose of healing.

This group of reports, in fact, is joined by the report of P. Desplat (Germany) about Harare, which has long been an important Muslim center, the" city of saints", where there were more than

page 160
100 sacred sites. Over the centuries, many Christians settled there, and under their influence and the influence of pagan ideas (especially the typical Ethiopian belief in "zar", "buda", spirits and the possibility of werewolves), Islamic truths were eroded. Now, according to the speaker, the former significance of the city as the center of holy places for Muslims is being restored. There is often an opinion about the need to return to "true" Islam.

D. Buschtorf (Germany) devoted his report, prepared on the basis of interviews with eyewitnesses and the study of oral tradition, to Imam Sigato Zaini, an Islamic Robin Hood who opposed the imperial Christian government in the first half of the 20th century. A. Gori (Italy)-about the lives of living Arab scholars who work on the study of the rich Islamic literature of Ethiopia and develop controversial issues of Arabic grammar. Hussein Ahmed (Ethiopia) paid tribute to the life and work of Sheikh Al-Haji Muhamad Thani bin Bashir (1914-1989), who rose from a teacher to a major scholar, translated the Koran into Amharic (commissioned by Haile Selessie), imam of the Addis Ababa Cathedral Mosque, and became the first head of the Ethiopian State in 1976. The Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs and a member of the country's Parliamentary Assembly (Shengo). According to Ahmed Hassen (Ethiopia), a special role in Muslim education today is played by the cities of Ifat and Darra, which in the Middle Ages were a stronghold of Islam in the Shafi'i madhhab. In his opinion, it is the scholars of the Qur'an (Ulama) and their students (darasa) from these cities who preserve and strengthen the historical Islamic traditions.

A number of reports are devoted to the Christian Ethiopian Church. It should be noted that other Christian denominations (Catholicism and Protestantism of different persuasions), which are noticeably growing in number and occupy an increasingly important place in the life of society, were not reflected in the conference. Three out of five reports commented on the sacred texts and their relevance to Ethiopian realities, representing a purely theological interest. Y. Person (Ethiopia) made a report on the country's environmental problems. In his opinion, it is the church, and especially the monastics, who carefully preserve forests and plant new ones, that gives hope for solving these problems. Her practical work is based on common Christian and traditional Ethiopian church texts (such as Dirsane Uriel), which is closely related to the ideas of Buddhist monasticism. A. K. Chilot expressed concern about the decline in the quality of church education due to the dominance of secular and separation of church and state. Hence the outflow of young people who want to get it and the loss of traditions. She believes that the state should seek measures to preserve and restore church teaching, which is a traditional part of ancient culture.

The same sub-section dealt with issues related to secular education, from primary to university. It was noted that Ethiopia was experiencing significant difficulties in this area, in particular the low enrolment of children in primary education and, as J. R. R. Tolkien had shown, the lack of access to primary education. Sehle (Germany), a high dropout rate already during the first half of the year in both rural and urban schools. Another problem is the low number of girls enrolled. For example, Befekadu Zeleke (Ethiopia)noted that only 17% of the total number of girls enrolled in the Afar settlement area. Through a broad survey, he identified the causes of this phenomenon: This includes the distance of schools from their places of residence (besides, a significant part of the Afar are nomads); the tradition of early marriages; the preference given by custom to boys; economic difficulties; weak involvement of women in political life and, as a result, the lack of positive examples. Tamarie Andoualem (Ethiopia) also noted a lag in women's education in the country as a whole (24% in Ethiopia versus 29% in Kenya and 38% in Sudan), even according to the universities of Addis Ababa and Bahr Dar, the country's largest university centers.

Ayaleu Shibeshi (Ethiopia) believes that many difficulties in school education, especially in places remote from major cities, are related to the shortage of teachers, their low qualifications and difficult living conditions. The reports on university education did not so much address the problems as inform the conference participants about its state (for example, about the computerization of the University of Addis Ababa).

After 1991, a major reform of education was carried out; school education was provided in local languages. K. Seidel and J. Moritz tried to sum up its results. They claimed that 22 out of 84 languages are now used in information and school education.-

page 161
This prevents students who only know the language of their family from dropping out. At the same time, Amharic and English remain guarantors of obtaining higher degrees of education. Speakers believe that such a reform corresponds to the multi-ethnic nature of the country. According to the Russian participants of the conference, who conducted observations in Ethiopia, the situation is not so rosy. The reform aimed to destroy the dominance of the Amharic language and eliminate Amharicization. In fact, preference is given to the languages of the "titular nations", while other languages are ignored.

The new section at the conference was "Politics". The report of the former member of the International Organizing Committee - IOC (which includes representatives of each country participating in the conference) Z. Pausvang (Norway) concerned the most acute political conflicts in Ethiopia. Noting that Ethiopia is in a deep crisis, he pointed out the unfounded claims of one of the many ethnic groups of Ethiopia, the Amhara, to consider themselves "the face of the country". Some, such as T. Madhina and T. Alessandro (both from Ethiopia), considered the tense situation in relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Monica M. Sommer analyzed the situation in the Gambell area. Interest was aroused by the report of S. Ali (Ethiopia) "Has pluralism failed in Ethiopia?", who noted that there is little in common between democratization and the ethnic policy pursued by the Government of Ethiopia, thus confirming the fiasco of the policy of federalism on an ethnic basis.

The section "Linguistics" was mainly devoted to the study of poorly studied languages of Ethiopia: report by Azeb Anhi (Netherlands) on the Zargulla language situation, Bodula Bakjiira (Norway) on the Castani language from the Sodo language family, Getahuna Amare (Norway) on the Argobba language, which belongs to the southern group of Ethiopian-Semitic languages A number of speakers, such as Professor Baye Imamo of the University of Addis Ababa, IOC President, and E. Wolk (Poland), addressed the little-studied situation in the Amharic language.

In the section "Literature and Philology" Daniel Alemu from the Jerusalem School of Oriental and African Studies in the report "Ethiopian manuscripts in the Holy Land" and Theodros Abraha from Eritrea in the report "Preliminary study of the lives of Tevalde Madann and Fyketor" focused on historical and literary sources in the ancient Ethiopian language geez, which is very difficult both for translation and translation. for comments. The topics of other reports are very diverse: "Notes on literary fiction, facts and art in war memoirs" Byrhanu Teferrk (Addis Ababa University);" Amharic poems of praise dedicated to Emperor Theodros II and Johannes IV " Gemmie Gelanya (Hamburg University). Only the report of G. A. Balashova (Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences) "The new socio-political situation in Ethiopia and its reflection in literature and theater" was related to the current state of literature and drama. A very interesting and relatively new study for philologists was Selamawit Mecca (Addis Ababa University) on women saints in Ethiopian historiography.

The "Music" section dealt with issues related to the study of the musical series, both traditional and modern. L. Cash (France) analyzed the musical traditions of the Arussi-Oromo people on the example of wedding ceremonies. K. Kaufman Shelemay (Harvard University) studied musical traditions in the Ethiopian diaspora in the United States that contribute to its cohesion.

Father Turni spoke about the musical culture of the Kemant people, and especially about the Kyddase liturgy, which is based on ancient Ethiopian church traditions. Kyfle Assefa's report (Addis Ababa) focused on the role of the music of Saint Yared, who lived at the beginning of the fourth century AD and became the founder of Ethiopian musical notation and spiritual music culture. According to the speaker, preserving the peculiarities of the Yared style is one of the indispensable conditions for preserving the original musical culture of the Ethiopian peoples.

The work of this section was complemented by a concert by the Norwegian-Ethiopian World Music Ensemble. It consists of both Ethiopians and Norwegian musicians who play traditional Ethiopian instruments (masanko strings, bagena, krar, wind vashingh) and ordinary strings, keyboards, percussion and wind instruments. The repertoire includes both Ethiopian and Norwegian folk songs, sacred music, and suites written by local composers specifically for this orchestra. The soloist of the ensemble Meaza Hailu showed a great performance of dances of different peoples of Ethiopia. The ensemble has already gained popularity outside the country.

page 162
The reports on the section "Fine Arts"were very diverse. Thus, V. Six (Germany) devoted her report to the "second reading" of the legend known in Ethiopia about King Solomon and Queen of Sheba and their son Menelik, which is believed to have marked the beginning of the actual history of Ethiopia. The love story of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (her Ethiopian name is Makeda or Azeb) has become a favorite theme of Ethiopian fine art. However, in this story there is also a second plan, about which so far little is known. Makeda's maidservant, who accompanied her to Jerusalem, also became a" victim " of King Solomon's love, and Menelik had a half-brother, who 20 years later accompanied him on a journey to his father. He helped steal and return (according to the Ethiopian version) the Ark of the Covenant to Ethiopia. According to some sources, his name was Zagwe, and he became the founder of the Zagwe dynasty (around the VIII-XIII centuries). A rare painting from the Berlin Library depicting a dark-skinned (unlike Menelik) young man with a tabot on his head is dedicated to the removal of the ark from Jerusalem. These details, as a rule, escaped the attention of researchers.

Report by Makda Teklemikael Assefa (Ethiopia) " Traditions and modernity. Contemporary art of women artists in Ethiopia " touched upon one of the new topics in the visual arts. The art of painting has so far been dominated by men, and only recently have there been female artists who have managed to embody both traditional and modern motifs.

There was also a small painting exhibition in the university building, which featured subjects from both the church and civil history of the country. It is interesting to note that in modern works that preserve common artistic traditional features, the centuries - old custom of depicting positive characters "full-face", and sinners, enemies, and negative ones-in profile is already changing (note that this tradition was still preserved at exhibitions in the 1990s of the last century). And the Trondheim Museum of Natural History and Archaeology has launched an exhibition entitled "Ethiopia: Cultural Heritage". Exhibits (monuments of writing, national clothing and fabrics, weapons, tools, household items, jewelry and objects of worship) - from the personal collection of a citizen of the city P. Sandvik, who worked in the 30s of the last century in Ethiopia.

At the 1997 conference of Ethiopians, one of the oldest Ethiopians, Lanfranco Ricci (who unfortunately died in 2008), in his report "Ethiopian Studies today" argued that the traditional theme of Ethiopian studies-classical Ethiopic studies related to the study of texts-is disintegrating. At the same time, he expressed the hope that pluralism will prevail in the research of scientists, and this will help to avoid the collapse of this branch of science.

The materials of subsequent conferences proved the Italian researcher's hopes right. The Ethiopian economy did not collapse. 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of the international conferences on Ethiopian studies. The anniversary conference is to be held in Ethiopia.

Permanent link to this publication: