Layers of traditions

The report analyses the 'memory wars' in Ethiopia, where political elites use 'invented traditions' and memorialisation to advance competing ideological agendas. It identifies three primary approaches to collective memory: the rejectionist approach, which seeks to deconstruct the 'great tradition' of the Ethiopian state; the revivalist approach, which seeks to restore it; and the moderationist approach, which attempts a selective balance. These approaches operate across four layers of tradition: the pre-1991 great tradition, the post-1991 federal vernacular tradition, regional traditions, and local-level traditions. The author argues that the contradictions between these approaches and the lack of a negotiated, shared collective memory have reinforced political instability and armed conflict.

• Ethiopian political elites employ three distinct approaches to collective memory: the rejectionist approach, which targets and seeks to deconstruct the 'great tradition'; the revivalist/restorationist approach, which aims to reconfigure the state based on the 'unifying' tenets of that tradition; and the moderationist approach, which advocates for the selective use of the past to contain rejectionist excesses.
• The political landscape is shaped by four layers of 'invented traditions': the pre-1991 'great tradition', the post-1991 federal vernacular tradition (which promoted the 'national oppression thesis'), regional traditions based on vernacular memory, and local-level traditions used by elites to maintain ethnic boundaries.
• The EPRDF-led government (post-1991) used a 'counter-history' approach to reconstruct the state, institutionalising the right to self-determination and 'ethno-cultural justice' while attempting to overwhelm symbols of the great tradition with parallel radical traditions rather than dismantling them entirely.
• The Tigray regional government is distinguished from other regions by its success in 'sacralising' memorial sites through official, periodic rituals and commemorative events, thereby effectively mobilising its constituency.
• The post-2018 moderationist approach under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been characterised by inconsistency and ideological incoherence, oscillating between rejectionist and revivalist stances, which has further elevated political polarisation.
• In the Amhara region, revivalist discourse has been used to restore 'Amhara dignity' and reject TPLF-inspired narratives, evidenced by the removal of a statue in the Amhara martyrs museum that was perceived as depicting the Amhara as a 'defeated people'.
• Local-level memorialisation, such as the Gamo-Wolayta competition over the 'dunguza' fabric and the renaming of Dunguza Square, demonstrates how vernacular memories are instrumentalised to maintain ethnic boundaries and signify difference.
• The author recommends that the government enact laws to regulate the arbitrary construction of memorials and the naming of public spaces, and that the National Dialogue Commission use 'memory mapping' to inform participant selection.

APA

Yared, T. (2023). Layers of traditions. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono-210.pdf

Chicago

Yared, Tegbaru. Layers of traditions. Institute for Security Studies, 2023. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono-210.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Yared |first1=Tegbaru |title=Layers of traditions |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=November 2023 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono-210.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yared2023layers, author = {Yared, Tegbaru}, title = {{Layers of traditions}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono-210.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }