Real castrators of Ethiopia - exploration and colonization

The story of the Italian occupation of the Eastern Africa has beginning in 1869 (the work of its unification is been concluded just three years before!), year of opening of the Channel of Suez, buying from the Sultan of RAHEITA the bay of Assab, placed at north of the French Protectorate of Djibouti (French Somalia). The negotiation is carried out from GIUSEPPE SAPETO; already Jesuit missionary in the Tigray; for account of the Company of navigation RUBATTINO, with the authorization of the Italian Government, which will replace it in the control of the area in 1882.

In 1885, the England, that with the Egypt, they were governing together the Sudan since 1820, it sees fall Karthoum under the revolt of the Derwish, Muslim Mahdisti revolutionary, profitable since 1883. Seeing in danger the millenary empire of the Orthodox Unitary Church of Ethiopia, supported since 1872 by the negus-neghesti (king of the kings) JOHANNES IV; already Kasa, Ras of the Tigray; authorizes the occupation of Saati and of Massawa, until then presieded for account of the Sultan of Turkey by the Khedive of Egypt. A first attempt of penetration in the inside were stopped at Dogali (1887); two years later, with the peace signed in Ucciali is costituited the Italian Protectorate of Eritrea, that confirms the occupation also of Cheren and Asmara.

In the same one 1889 ANTONIO CECCHI takes in lease for account of the Italy, from the Sultan of Zanzibar, the coastal part of the Southern Somalia (Benadir), but the rebellion of the 'mad mullah' MUHAMMAD IBN 'ABD ALLAH, exploded in the British Somalia and rapidly flooded in all of the somalian territory, it compels to take on it the direct control, beginning a politics of exploration and expansion that since 1908 'ti1 1924 it will carry to the annexation of Oltregiuba and the Sultanates of Obbia and Migiurtinia (Ogaden). The successive attempts to penetration in Abissinia will carry to the italo-ethiopic wars: the first one 1895-96, ended with the defeat of Adwa; the second one in 1935-36, ever declared and exploded after the accident of Ual-Ual (1934) at the somalian-ethiopic boundary, it will carry to the formation of theAfrica Orientale Italiana (Italian Eastern Africa), including the territories of Eritrea, Italian Somalia, Shoa, Harar, Galla and Sidama, Amhara. It will cost to the Italy 40 billion liras of the period, for a territory whose name (Abissinia) is still today synonym of uninhibited and fruitless moor! These colonies will stay official Italian until 1947, but in fact occupied from the English in 1941. Except for the Somaliland that returned under its trust administration since 1950 'til 1960.

Preeminent figure of those years is MENELIK II, since 1865 'til 1878 Ras of the Shoa, since 1878 'til 1889 king of the same Shoa and vassal of the negus (since the XVI century the Galla were having done of the Abissinia a whole of little feudal states), since 1889 'til 1909 like emperor of Ethiopia. Between the successors must be mentioned the grandchild Tafari, ascended to the throne at the death of the mother Zauditù (1930), with the name of Hailè Selassiè I, great modernist was having, how supporting, abolished in 1924 the stroke of the slaves.

Of course the military occupation attempts and the economical expansion were supported by the explorative expeditions. Besides the first missionaries, between whose SAPETO (1838-1862), GIOVANNI STELLA and GUGLIELMO MASSAJA, author of 'I miei trentacinque anni di missione in Abissinia 1843/1878' ('My thirtyfive years of mission in Abissinia 1843/1878'), for this purpose was based on in 1867 the Società Geografica Italiana, presided over by CESARE CORRENTI. Between the founders ORAZIO ANTINORI, it lived for a long time, with BECCARI and ISSEL in Abissinia, nearby the Bogos. In 1876, was organized the 'Grande spedizione ai laghi equatroiali' ('Great expedition to the equatorial lakes'), besides the same one ANTINORI, part was doing of it SEBASTIANO MARTINI BERNARDI, ANTONIO CECCHI and GIOVANNI CHIARINI. The first two one stopped in the Shoa, where obteined from MENELIK to open a seat of the Society in Let-Marefià, in the crowds of the capital Ancober, that ANTINORI will manage until the death (1890), succeded by LEOPOLDO TRAVERSI, who gathered all his memories in 'Let-Marefià, prima stazione geografica nello Scioa' ('Let-Marefià, first geographic station in the Shoa') and 'Italia ed Etiopia. Da Assab a Ual-Ual' ('Italy and the Ethiopia. Since Assab until Ual-Ual'). CECCHI and CHIARINI, in 1879, they continued for the Caffa, but they became prisoners of the cruel queen of Ghera: GHENNE'-FA. The second dies for the difficulties, while the first one will be liberating for interest of GUSTAVO BIANCHI and will write the monumental book: 'Da Zeila ai confini del Caffa' ('From Zeila to the boundary of the Caffa'). The same GUSTAVO BIANCHI, together with CESARE DIANA and GHERARDO MONARI, at the search for a possible road from the Abissinian highlands to Assab, they were massacred from the Danikali in 1884. Their restive it will be found only in 1928 by the expedition guided by LUDOVICO MARIA NESBITT, TULLIO PASTORI and GIUSEPPE ROSINA, that in 106 days explored for the first all time the Denakil, from the Aussa to the Salt Field, traveling 1300 km. Such exploration was already been tried in 1881 from GIUSEPPE MARIA GIULIETTI, expert of the zone for being present since 1866 and having replaced CECCHI and CHIARINI, who helped ANTINORI, MARTINI BERNARDI and ANTONELLI, in Let-Marefià in 1879. And yet such experience was not sufficient when, with the Sub-lieutant of Vessel GIUSEPPE BIGLIERI and 14 sailors of the 'Ettore Fieramosca', they started from Mersa Fatma in South direction; after few days they were massacred by the Danikali in the Salt Field. Also their restive were found just in 1929 by the raid of RAIMONDO FRANCHETTI and ALBERTO POLLERA, that acrossed the zone from East to West (from Beilul to Maccalè), telling their experiences in the volume of FRANCHETTI: 'Nella Dancalia Etiopica' ('In The Ethiopic Denakil'). CARLO PIAGGIA penetrates alone in the region of the Niam-Niam, cannibals. Always alone it reaches in 1882 the Tena Lake, retained then the source of the Nile Blue, of whom finished in six days the circumnavigation.

Not better results had the expeditions left from the somalian shores of the Indian ocean: ANTONIO CECCHI, already more times named, was killed with 14 fellow nationals in a raid in the insider territories(1896). GIAN PIETRO PORRO, president of the Società Italiana di Esplorazione Commerciale (Italian Society of Commercial Exploration), he realized an expedition to the Harar, with other seven Italians that became all killed by the Somalian Issa: this was the episode that more roused the italian public opinion, 'cause none of them was a soldier. His footprints were lately followed by LUIGI ROBECCHI BRICCHETTI, from Zeila to Gialdessa in 1888; the same BRICCHETTI in 1890 from Zeila to Mogadiscio and to the Point of Alula, then from Obbia to Berbera. In 1892 EUGENIO RUSPOLI crossed the Ogaden from Berbera, and finds the confluence of Giuba and Ganana; penetrated between the Borana and the Amhara Burgi; died here killed from an elephant that he was hunting. LUIGI PENNAZZI with GIUSEPPE BESSONE in 1880 tripped from Massawa to Cassala, then they followed the Nile Blue beyond Karthoum, until the confluence with the Nile White. Few travelers knew like him the itineraries from Suakim to Massawa, in the valley of the Gash and of Chèren, converging in Cassala. In 1891 ENRICO BAUDI DI VESME, with GIUSEPPE CANDEO, they explored for the first time the Ogaden arriving to Imi, drawing the first map of the region, then continued verse Zeila, but, captured they will stay for a whole year nearby the Sultan of Harar, in order to not have complied with the necessary bureaucratic procedures. They writed the connection 'Un viaggio nel Paradiso dei Somali' ('A Trip in the Paradise of the Somalians'), published on the Bollettino of the Società Geografica Italiana. But with no doubt, the most important was the one of VITTORIO BOTTEGO, which already in 1891 was having visited the land of the Danikali, in the 1892/93 was having explored the river Giuba to the sources ('Il Giuba esplorato') and in the 1895/97 discovered the defluence of the Omo that introduces its waters into the Lake Rodolfo (today Turkana Lake); coming back, unaware of the italo-ethiopic war, he was attacked by the Galla tribes and he found his death fighting. MAURIZIO SACCHI was already been killed, while, preceding the others was returning with the thoughtful material, attached by the Amhara near the Regina Margherita Lake. The only survivors of the expedition were, some Ascari (natives recruited from the Italian Army) and the second-lieutants LAMBERTO VANNUTELLI and CARLO CITERNI, captured and yielded to the shoans. Freed after four months in chains at Addis Abeba, become meanwhile the capital, they wrote the adventure on the book: 'L'Omo' ('The Omo'). CARLO CITERNI will be then in the expedition that should mark the boundaries between Italian Somalia and Ethiopia in 1910/11; will write the manual 'Come viaggiare in Africa' ('How to travel in Africa'). The first one to walk again on the BOTTEGO's itinerary will be GIUSEPPE COLLI DI FELIZZANO, accompanying the English mission BAIRD-BUTTER in the marking of the boundary between Kenya and Ethiopia, it will be 1902. COLLI DI FELIZZANO has been already distinguished in Cassala in 1896, defending the town by the Derwishes, the Mahdists still profitable. He was also remembered UGO FERRANDI, already companion of AUGUSTO FRANZOJ in the brave expediton of 1883 nearby the queen GHENNE'-FA, that restored in Italy the countings of CHIARINI, and traveller in the Harar, he was left from BOTTEGO to direct the commercial emporio of Lugh on the Giuba. Here he was obliged to build a blockhouse to defend it by the bloodthirsty Amhara.

These are a little historical signs found on the argument, but nothing that was pertaining the pre-colonial lecterns and the customs of the varied ethnicities that form the population of the Horn of Africa: Issa, Gurgura, Karayiu, Danikali (they call themselves Afar = free people), Galla, Amhara, Bogos, Mensa, Abab etc.. The datas about the expeditions and the explorers, I have found them in the report of the exhibition of 1991: '50 Italian explorers of the XVIII and XIX century' about the actions the Società Geografica Italiana, but the quoted texts are of very very difficult traceability. Hoping to find something else.

It could be interesting if some French friends were finding news about the permanence in Africa of Jean Arthur Rimbaud, the young cursed poet, that lived since 1881 'til 1891 in Harar, southern Denakil, where he was devoted to explorations and commerce, not excluded that of the slaves, having documented his contacts with Abu-Backer, the knownest one slave-trader of the period.