Abstract
Photographs of Haile Selassie (r. 1930-1974) can be seen today on the streets of Addis Abeba and in books, museums and photo agencies around the world; they have gained as well a new life on the Internet, partly through Rastafarianism activism . If the reign of this King of kings has been widely depicted in photographic images, particularly in countless portraits (Hirsch and Perret 1995; Perret 1995), Haile Selassie was not the first Ethiopian ruler to exploit photography. Foreigners had brought this medium to the court of Yohannes IV (r. 1872-1889), but it was his successor, Menelik II (r. 1889-1913), who was the first to make extensive use of photography (Pankhurst 1994). A glimpse at his portraits reveals that they were laid out carefully and seem to reflect a triumphant political power (Fig. 1, 2 and 3). How can these documents be deciphered, beyond the mere observation that these scenes took place, beyond the Barthesian it-has-been (Barthes 1980)?
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
