Ethiopian Cinema in the Era of Barrack Socialism (1974-1991)

Ethiopia, whose history goes far beyond three thousand years and is renowned for its ancient civilizations of the Axumite Kingdom, could not consistently promote socio-economic and political development in the course of nation state building, particularly as a result of the backward feudal mode that prevailed for many centuries in the country. At the end of the 19th century however, the embryo of capitalism that sprouted in the womb of the decadent feudalism paved the way for the introduction of western modernization leading to the immergence of cinematic expression just a few years after the invention of motion picture 1895 by the Lumiere Brothers. Film screening that started in April 1897/1898 in Emperor Menelik II’s palace faced challenges from the aristocracy, the nobility, and the clergy for being considered as a satanic sorcery. This tendency gradually changed through time, leading to the opening of private movie theatres mostly by expatriates, and to the production of two feature length films by Ethiopians in the imperial era. The eruption of the Ethiopia Revolution and the power grab by the Derg military dictatorship that promoted barrack socialist ideology nonetheless altered the path of cinema exhibition and production from private business entity towards state monopoly. This article hence attempts to portray the feature of Ethiopian cinema under the Derg Barrack Socialism (1974-1991) with a concern to bridge the scholarship gap for the academia pertinent to Ethiopian cinema in particular and African cinema in general.