A history of archival institutions and some monuments in addis ababa from its foundation up to 2016

Abstract

The objective of this study is to reconstruct the history of some monuments and archival institutions of Addis Ababa from the dates of their foundation to the present. To that end the archival and research centers of Institute of Ethiopian Studies (IES), which is located in Addis Ababa University, sidist kilo main campuses was established in 1963, and National Archives and Library Agency (NALA) the former Wemezekir (Memorial) have been taken up. In relation with the later the library was founded in 1944 and archives only got a legal status in 1976. The statue of Abunë Petros erected in his name in July 1941, to commemorate one of the bishops of Ethiopian Orthodox church who lost his life because of opposing the Italian occupation of Ethiopia and Yekatit 12/Monument of martyrs/ the first Monument was erected in 1941, it had 15meters length and four corners and the first statue was replaced by another one after 9 years, and it has 28 meters length and 3 corners, It was constructed to commemorate the people of Ethiopia who were massacred by the order of the fascist Italian general Marshal Graziani. Both primary and secondary sources have been used for the study and oral information collected through guided interview was used to consolidate and triangulate information obtained from archival and documentary sources. Before writing up the drafts of this thesis, the sources gathered have been interpreted and analyzed qualitatively and described in a historical research method and the study concludes that both the archives in repositories and the statues of Addis Ababa, except those at NALAE and IES have not been given the desired attention. The issue of monuments in particular needs special attention.