Edited by Frederic A. Sharf with Commentary and Annotation by Professor Richard Pankhurst
About the Book
The Liberation Campaign of 1940-1 was not only an event of unique importance in Ethiopia's age-old history, but also, more widely, a major 'turning-point' in World War II: the conflict fought out in East Africa between the Allies and the Axis Powers. The campaign, historically speaking, was no less significant as a decisive act in the overall drama of Africa's liberation from European colonial rule, and the ending of the foreign-imposed Scramble for Africa. This remarkable book provides a valuable account of how these momentous events appeared to an eye-witness of the time.
Review:
“Brian Macdona was a leading member of the British team that assisted the ex-Italian East African empire in the rebuilding of its financial infrastructure on the eve of collapse of Italian rule. In that capacity, he traveled extensively through most of Horn of Africa in a journey that lasted four weeks and often involved extremely contrasting experience. Written in a lively and witty narrative, his memoir demonstrates his rare skill for observation and passion for documentation. He deals with many issues, providing a unique eyewitness account of a highly neglected historical period. Sometimes opinionated but always thoughtful and stimulating, Macdona has written an informative and engaging memoirs that should be required reading for anyone interested in the critical period of East African history, in general, and the ex-Italian possessions, in particular.”
Haile M. Larebo, Associate Professor of History at Morehouse College. He is the author of The Building of an Empire: Italian Land Policy and Practice in Ethiopia, 1935-1941, (Oxford University Press: Clarendon Press, 1994)
“There are excellent memoirs of the military campaigns of 1941 – of the plans and the operations, the battles and the hardships of the campaigns to liberate Ethiopia from Fascist rule – from participants, both Ethiopians and British. We know about the heroes and the villains. It is for the first time that a banker comes along to tell us his story. Ethiopia in Wartime: A Memoir is written by a career banker who narrates how they put the banks back into operation and how finally they sorted out, what was called at the time, the “currency chaos” in the Horn of Africa following the liberation of Ethiopia and the former colonies of Italy. It is written with a great deal of verve and humor and so it makes an excellent read. More importantly to the historian, it feels a yawning gap in our knowledge – the tedious task of establishing administration, particularly banks and currencies and the exchange rate – after the dramatic events of war were over. The story is every bit as important as the clashes of arms.”
Shiferaw Bekele, teaches modern and contemporary Ethiopian history in the Department of History, Addis Ababa University. He is the editor of An Economic History of Ethiopia (Dakar, 1995).
About the Editors
Frederic A. Sharf is a scholar and collector who specializes in art, photography, and unpublished manuscript material relating to wars fought during the several decades before and after 1900. He is a resident of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
Richard Pankhurst is a scholar and educator who has lived in Ethiopia for more than thirty years. He currently serves as Professor at the Institute of Ethiopian Studies in Addis Ababa. In addition to the numerous books and articles, a recent work is Sylvia Pankhurst: Counsel for Ethiopia.
