Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 November 2008
This article was written before information on the great Ethiopian famine of 1973 had reached the outside world. Since I was not then aware of the catastrophe, the facts given here should not be regarded as a reconstruction of the causes of the famine. On the contrary, the deterioration in the conditions of the indigenous inhabitants had been known for some years – in fact, since the beginning of the capitalist offensive in the north-eastern lowlands of Ethiopia, namely the Awash Valley. I had already predicted the famine in late 1971 in two reports,1 and in discussions with officials of the Ethiopian Government.
Page 423 note 1 Bondestam, Lars, ‘People and Economic Development in the Lower Awash Valley’, A.I.D. Bank, Addis Ababa, 08 1971;Google Scholar and ‘Agricultural Development in the Awash Valley’, Ethiopian Nutrition Institute, December 1971.
Page 424 note 1 The Afar may total altogether 250,000, of whom some 50,000 live in Afar and Issa. Other tribes living on the borders of the Valley and surrounding the Afar are the Saho in the northwest, and Amhara and various Galla peoples (Raya, Yayu, Wollo, Kereyu, and Ittu) in the west and south, and the Issa in the east. See Lewis, I. M., Peoples of the Horn of Africa – Somali, Afar, and Saho (London, 1955),Google Scholar Ethnographic Survey of Africa, North-Eastern Africa, pt. I.
Page 424 note 2 Cf. Savard, G. C., ‘Cross-Cousin Marriage among the Patrilineal Afar’, International Conference of Ethiopian Studies, Addis Ababa, 04 1966.Google Scholar
Page 426 note 1 This has been clearly shown in a number of reports, e.g. Kebede, Tamrat, First Pilot Study of Nomadic Regions – Awash Valley (Addis Ababa, 1972),Google Scholar sponsored by the Ministry of Land Reform.
Page 427 note 1 Report on Survey of the Awash River Basin, 1965. U.N. Special Fund Project and Imperial Ethiopian Government (Rome, 1965),Google Scholar a study conducted by a French consultant firm at the request of F.A.O. See also Chatterjee, B., Afars of the Upper Awash Valley in Ethiopia (Addis Ababa, 1967),Google Scholar prepared for the Ministry of National Community Development.
Page 428 note 1 van Lier, R. A. J., Report to the F.A.O. on Social Problems connected with the Planning of the Development of the Awash Valley in Ethiopia (Rome, 1968).Google Scholar It is worth noting that not a single copy of this important report was available at the A.V.A.
Page 428 note 2 Sabry, O. A., Land Tenure and Settlement Problems in the Nomadic Areas of Ethiopia (Addis Ababa, 1970),Google Scholar a report by a member of F.A.O. to the Ministry of Land Reform.
Page 429 note 1 Sources: Antewek, Addis and Yemanu, Hailu, ‘Development of the Awash Valley’, in ZEDE – Journal of the Ethiopian Association of Engineers and Architects (Addis Ababa), 4, 01 1970;Google ScholarBondestam, Lars, ‘Agricultural Development in the Awash Valley’ (1971);Google Scholar and the 1965 F.A.O. Report on Survey of the Awash River Basin.
Page 431 note 1 Sources: Abdullahi, Ali Haji, ‘Large-Scale Commercial Farming in Ethiopia’, Department of Economics, Haile Sellassie I University, Addis Ababa, 1972;Google Scholar Afework Tsegay, ‘Infant Industry Protection with Particular Reference to the Ethiopian Sugar Industry’, ibid. May 1972; Gulilat Belay, ‘Foreign Investment in Ethiopia’, ibid. May 1969; Makonnen Abraham, ‘Cotton and its Significance in the Ethiopian Economy’, ibid. May 1971; Tzeggai Araia, ‘Sugar Production and Consumption in Ethiopia’, ibid. May 1969; Mariam, Mesfin Wolde, ‘The Awash Valley – trends and prospects’, in Ethiopian Geographic Journal (Addis Ababa), II, 1, 06 1964, pp. 18–27;Google Scholar and ‘Potential Returns from Commercial Farming Systems in Three Areas of Ethiopia’, College of Agriculture, Haile Sellassie I University, Experimental Station Bulletin No. 56, Dire Dawa, 1969.
Page 432 note 1 Sources: the same as for Table 2, plus: Gabre, Getachew, ‘Balance of Payments Effects of Foreign Private Investments in Ethiopia – with a case-study of the sugar industry’, Department of Economics, Haile Sellassie I University, 05 1972;Google Scholar and Sebhatu, Yohannes, ‘H.V.A.-Ethiopia – the truth about foreign investment’, in The Economic Mirror (Association of Economic Students, Haile Sellassie I University, Addis Ababa), 1 01 1969, pp. 1–3.Google Scholar
Page 433 note 1 Sources: Ali Haji Abdullahi, op. cit.; Afework Tsegay, op. cit.; and Tzeggai Araia, op cit.