Ethiopia - Empire on a Mountain (1966)

[Music] spe [Music] on the continent of Africa in the Mountain Empire of Ethiopia the land is marked with fragments of a 3,000 year history carved Stone obelisks standing in a village in the mountains of East Africa 100 ft of granite as yet undeciphered monuments of the kingdom of the axom mites descendants of the Queen of Sheba a powerful culture known to the Bible Stone fragments all the remain of a once flourishing civilization castles and mountains of Ethiopia Stone relics of Portuguese influence felt 400 years ago the residents of Ethiopian Kings for almost 4 centuries these buildings saw the Empire flourish once again then decline the victim of Muslim invasions and finally Stark isolation Ethiopia became an island of Christianity in a sea of Islam and stagnation and Decay for most Ethiopians there is little Legacy beyond the presence of the stones there is no memory of the great events history and Legend have fused The Monuments are accepted life goes on as it has for centuries [Music] Ethiopia has 20 million people most of whom work on the land all of whom depend on its wealth Nature has been generous to the Empire among the mountains are high plateaus and valleys with a climate unequal in Africa ample rainfall and deep rich soil provide great potential in crops still the United Nations lists Ethiopians among the poorest fed people in the world most of those who work the land do not own it the tenant farmer grows just enough to live on and a little more with which to barter any surplus is claimed by the landlord the church or the state attempts to teach him modern methods are met with indifference in this feudal society Prestige is measured in acres of land and numbers of animals the farmer prefers two weak cattle to run strong the choice of quantity over quality is another Factor impeding development farming is of great importance to the nation coffee which constitutes one half of Ethiopia's World Export grows wild in this land of its origin the province of kafa man probably first tasted coffee in this Valley here in the province of kafa it is called bua the real religion of the Ethiopian peasant is the religion of the Earth life is an even unchanging experience matching the tempo of the earth little is known of events Beyond The Village there are no newspapers only one in 10 can read they have no concept of being Ethiopian or that this is the continent of Africa or of anything beyond this one small fragment of the Empire if progress is on the way it is slow in coming in 1958 in a remote area thousands of peasants died of starvation before help could arrive progress in the form of ideas health or educational facilities has been even slower the farmer's real contact with the outside world is through his crops his bag of coffee will make its way to World Markets if it can survive the long journey that lies ahead the town at the end of the long journey is the outside world to The Peasant the only part of the 20th century he will probably ever see with the population of 10,000 this is one of Ethiopia's larger towns it has Administration buildings a new clinic and a movie house with the of his coffee the peasant's contact with the town and the Empire ceases until another Harvest he has touched the 20th century but then Untouched by it the significance of the town is its position at the beginning of the road to Adis Ababa and to contact with the rest of the world [Music] this Mill is owned by a Greek the other in the region is owned by an Arab foreigners own or operate most of the businesses in the country upper class Ethiopians disdain engaging in Commerce and amhara proverb says from provence of hand comes surom from Providence of mouth Master Ethiopian coffee is Rich and strong but suffers from inconsistent growing and drying a National Coffee board is trying to improve the product before the coffee has any value it must first reach World Markets the Empire can fail or succeed depending on its ability to move goods and ideas Ethiopia is trying angular in shape 1 12 million square mil in area its size equals that of France Germany and Great Britain but in this vast area is a population less than 1 half that of France when the Italians occupy the Empire they set about improving roads and building new ones their program opened up many inaccessible regions clearing the way for greater central control and unification these people have been to Market to sell a bag of barley they are carrying home a piece of cloth to make a Shaw the trip has taken one week the mountains are the home of the Pagan god of travel because every journey is a lonely and dangerous undertaking people of every Faith make offerings to Plate him they know his Vengeance the largest body of water in the Empire is Lake Tana 210 Mi Northwest of Adis Ababa a thousand square miles in area it serves as a drainage basin source of fish and as a transportation route for a huge [Applause] area the Lake's main importance is its outflow the Blue Nile at tisat Falls the Nile begins its course through Ethiopia the Sudan and Egypt finally meeting the Mediterranean 2700 M away through countless centuries rain and River have gouged a valley as much as a mile deep and 3 miles wide making the Nile unnavigable in Ethiopia and creating a barrier one half the length of the country tons of fertile Ethiopian top soil the Empire's most precious export enriched the deserts of the Sudan and Egypt in the annual flooding of the Nile in this Empire all roads lead to Adis Ababa the capital of the country the center of government military power and wealth in comparison with the rest this appears to be another [Music] country the Artis Market is world famous the largest in Africa the city is a meeting ground for the Empire's 35 tribes in 70 languages Christian and Muslim Semite and negro learn to tolerate traditional differences this may prepare them for even greater changes now underway in Adis Ababa construction is the obvious sign of modernization and foreign influence [Music] in recent decades the power of the church has resided in the emperor his Imperial Majesty H salassi conquering Lion of the tribe of Judah elective God Emperor of Ethiopia King of Kings the nation's greatest unifying force the emperor reaches all his people through the Ethiopian Coptic Church though a minority belief it is the Church of the ruling tribe and as such has been the official state religion for more than 1,000 years in many cases it is the emperor's only contact with his subjects the Ethiopian church is a branch of the early Christian Church brought to the Empire 330 years after Christ of Byzantine Origins long isolation from other roots of Christianity made its Evolution unique incorporating as it does purely judaic and Pagan forms it's faithful number oneir of the Ethiopian people of these one out of four dedicated his life to the church as priest or nun the rule of the emperor is absolute his person and office are the object of fervent adoration and loyalty from his people he received the the homage of the church which labors in all parts of the Kingdom in support of the monarchy his powers include the selection of the head of the church and if desired his removal arrest and [Applause] trial all of Ethiopia's policies foreign and domestic are form ulated by this one man Emperor Hy salassi during his Reign which spans one-third of a century he has seen the breakup of Empire and the emergence of Africa from a Dark Continent to Independence and growing Enlightenment he will be remembered as the most powerful ruler in the Empire's 3,000 year history in return for its services to the court the church has received onethird of the land in the Empire tax exempt this is the source of its great temporal power most of the remaining land is controlled by the court and Nobles of The Emperor's tribe the amharas [Music] Young amharas have felt most the effects of modernization many having been sent abroad to be educated Upon returning find themselves Between Two Worlds sophisticated in a backward country young careers versus old methods if Innovation is causing conflict between young and old in the political sphere the amhara in his personal life maintains an easy stability the educational system of the church the largest in the country has also been under pressure to modernize but the clergy is reluctant even to introduce writing to the peasant it is felt that this skill endows one with the power of magic change has threatened The Peasant with each new influence each time he has been left to his Fields unconcerned his ancestors have tended this Farm in the same way over the centuries the days of his Placid existence May at last be [Music] numbered If Today men come to tell the farmer how to improve his crops he may not understand that they bring with them the seeds of change whether or not he does understand or cares or chooses the seeds will begin to take root here in this remote [Music] Valley for