Images of Tourism – Images of Heritage (Ethiopia, 1960-1989)

SÉMINAIRE / SEMINAR

CFEE Seminar Past and Present: History, Memory and Heritage
(2015-2016)

8ème séance / 8th session: Images of Tourism – Images of Heritage:  Establishing National Heritage through Tourism Promotion in Ethiopia from ca. 1960-1989, par / by Marie HUBER (Humboldt University, Berlin)

Jeudi 23 juin 2016, 16h30-18h, Bibliothèque d’études éthiopiennes Berhanou Abebe (CFEE) / Thursday 23rd June 2016, 430-6 PM, Berhanou Abebe Library of Ethiopian Studies (CFEE).

tourism_review_ETHC_1979-coverImages of Tourism – Images of Heritage:  Establishing National Heritage through Tourism Promotion in Ethiopia from ca. 1960-1989, par / by Marie HUBER

The promotion  of tourism on a larger scale was conceived of in Ethiopia from the 1960s onwards and can be understood in the context of development efforts undertaken by both the government and a dense network of varied international actors. 

However tourism in Ethiopia is also closely linked to the production of national heritage, with antiquities and wildlife representing the majority of the destinations marketed. The economic potential of tourism would transform heritage – natural as well as cultural – into a resource, thereby increasing their relevance and consequently the number of stakeholders involved. Because of this the production and circulation of images amongst a larger international audience is worth special attention. 

The numerous publications produced by the tourism sector assisted in creating a powerful iconography of selected monuments, sceneries and wild animals, such as the Obelisk of Aksum, the churches of Lalibela, the Blue Nile Falls or the Walia Ibex, that had an inherent recognition value that proved to be attractive beyond the tourism sector and would soon serve government representation and the communication of international organisations. The relevance of these aspects in the establishment of national heritage conservation, and their respective administrative infrastructures, seems overlooked at present times and deserves a deeper study of the connections.

The presentation will examine the image production closely and analyse it in relation to Ethiopian national heritage in government or government agencies’ publications such as brochures, guide books, the national airline magazine and other such informational material. It is a work-in-progress showcase of materials found in Ethiopian, German and US-American libraries and archives, situated in the context of my PhD Project on Ethiopia and the beginnings of the UNESCO World Heritage Programme.

L’ intervenante / The speaker

Marie Huber est doctorante en histoire à l’Université Humboldt à Berlin. Elle est également chercheuse associée à l’Institut des études éthiopiennes de l’Université d’Addis-Abeba, et membre du programme de recherche du CFEE “La construction du patrimoine éthiopien”. / Marie Huber is a PhD student in history at Humboldt University, Berlin. She is also an associated researcher at the Institute of Ethiopian Studies, Addis Ababa University, and a member of the CFEE research project “The Ethiopian heritage in the making”.

Organisateurs du séminaire 2015-2016 / Convenors of the seminar series 2015-2016: Belete Bizuneh (AAU, History Dept.), Deresse Ayenachew (Debre Berhan University, History and Heritage Management Dept.), Thomas Guindeuil (CFEE), Margaux Herman (CFEE/IMAF), Kindeneh Endeg (AAU, IES), Shiferaw Bekele (AAU, History Dept.).

Photo: Front page of Tourism Review, Ethiopian Tourism & Hotel Commission, Addis Ababa, 1979.


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