Browsing through the archives is like traveling in a time machine. Here is what researchers and curious minds can expect to find:
To appreciate the archives, one must first understand the newspaper’s role. Addis Zemen was established in 1941 (Ethiopian Calendar year 1933) following the liberation of Ethiopia from Italian occupation. It was created as the official gazette of the Imperial Ethiopian government. Unlike private newspapers that would emerge later, Addis Zemen was a state-run publication, meaning its content directly reflected the policies and perspectives of the sitting regime—from Emperor Haile Selassie I, through the Derg military junta (Mengistu Haile Mariam), the EPRDF era, and into the current Prosperity Party government. addis zemen newspaper archives
For decades, it was the only daily newspaper in the country. Consequently, its archives contain irreplaceable records of: Browsing through the archives is like traveling in
The Dergue years transform the Addis Zemen archive into something darker and more fragmented. By 1975, the masthead has changed. Gone is the imperial crest. In its place: a stark, red-and-black design, often featuring Lenin’s profile or a clenched fist holding a Kalashnikov. It was created as the official gazette of
Language shifts from ceremonial to martial. Headlines become commands. A typical issue from Tikimt 1968 E.C. (October 1975 G.C.) declares: “Revolutionary Masses Crush Feudalist Worm in the North.” The editorial page no longer debates; it indoctrinates.
Yet the archive during this period is a masterclass in reading between the lines. The infamous “Red Terror” ( Qey Shibir ) is never named as such. Instead, you find vague notices: “Anti-revolutionary elements have been neutralized in Wollo.” A column called “Reader’s Letters” becomes a confessional—citizens publicly denouncing neighbors, often in the same breath as praising Chairman Mengistu.
One heartbreaking entry from 1978: a small, boxed announcement on page 12. “Missing: Tekle Berhan, age 19, student. Last seen near the old post office. If found, please report to the Kebele 14 office.” No follow-up. No correction. Just silence. The archive documents the terror not through editorials, but through absence.