Letter to Bernie Grant regarding visit to Ethiopia

About this item

This is a letter dated 29 July 1996 from the Ethiopian World Federation to Bernie Grant MP. It discusses a recent visit to Ethiopia for the centennial of the Battle of Adwa, a significant anti-colonial event, and introduces plans for a public inquiry into the looting of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church by the British Army in 1868. The letter invites Bernie Grant to chair or co-chair this inquiry, reflecting his role in advocating for reparations and Black British political causes.

Key points:
– The author recently visited Ethiopia to mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Adwa.
– During the visit, they presented a paper at the Institute of Ethiopian Studies and helped organize a major reggae concert in Addis Ababa.
– Met Patriarch Abuna Pawlos of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and discussed the British Army's looting of church property in 1868.
– The looting case is little known in Ethiopia, prompting a recommendation for a public inquiry.
– A public inquiry event was scheduled for 7 September 1996 at Brixton Town Hall, with a request for Bernie Grant to chair or co-chair the session.

Bernie Grant was a prominent Black British MP known for his commitment to racial justice, reparations, and international solidarity. This letter highlights his engagement in reparations campaigns, linking historical colonial injustices to contemporary activism. The proposed inquiry into the 1868 looting connects British colonial history with efforts to address its ongoing legacies within local and global Black political movements.

Source note: The OCR transcript is generally clear with minor typographical noise, such as repeated letter pairs in some words (e.g., 'InI'). These do not affect the overall understanding of the document.