Fifty years after fall of Ethiopia's empire, survivors remember terror of Derg dictatorship
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00:00The revolution that toppled Emperor Haile Selassie in 1974 began in this palace, fourteen
00:17years earlier. But many Ethiopians don't know about this.
00:20There was a coup d'etat led by, I think, two brothers at that time against the empire.
00:28The site has now become a museum that can be visited to uncover the country's past.
00:59This event sparked student protests and led to the formation of a revolutionary political party.
01:05But in 1974, the military took over, deposed the emperor and ushered in Mengistu's communist
01:12dictatorship. The former imperial palace became his headquarters and is now open to the public.
01:28He was also killed here, but we don't know how he was killed and buried somewhere else.
01:33During this time, the royal family was confined in the basement of the throne room with cabinet members.
01:39Prince Bidimerian Mekonnen, Haile Selassie's grandson, has vivid memories.
01:45I was held right there. At first there was a bed, but later it was just the floor.
01:54The emperor's ministers were executed by the communist military government, known as the Derg.
02:01Sixty were killed before we arrived, and about a dozen more died after we got to the central prison.
02:13For years, the legacy of Ethiopia's last emperor was buried by the Derg, until it was revived.
02:22In 2019, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched a new cultural initiative to attract tourists.
02:29The imperial residences were meticulously restored and are now part of the Unity Park complex.
02:37When I saw the restoration for the first time, I thought they had done an even more beautiful job than before.
02:48During the Derg era, it was badly damaged, so I was thrilled to see it restored.
02:56During his 12 years in detention, Bidimerian formed friendships with fellow prisoners.
03:02These included revolutionary intellectuals who were at the start of the uprising and were later deemed traitors by the communist regime.
03:10We see a photo of my late husband.
03:16And me, as a young revolutionary.
03:20Tadelech Haile-Michel is an activist. Her husband was assassinated by the new regime.
03:25The couple were part of the revolutionary party that was influenced by Marxist-Leninist ideas and called for greater justice for the working class.
03:36Many people wanted a transitional government.
03:42A government where everyone could be represented.
03:48Everyone who came out to fight for their rights.
03:53To draft a constitution for a set period.
03:59And personally, I think this is where we failed.
04:08The Derg nationalised land and launched a major literacy campaign.
04:12But also centralised power and brutally repressed opposition.
04:17During a protest, Kibru, then 15, was shot twice and arrested.
04:23The T-shirt he wore that day is now displayed in the Red Tower Museum.
04:28I will never regret what I went through. The revolution had a positive impact.
04:34I come from a peasant background and know how the feudal system treated people like us.
04:39Lords whipped us, raped our women, took our cattle.
04:44I experienced this myself. That's why I got involved.
04:48I fought for a just cause and I'm proud of it.
04:53Today, Kibru is a bookseller and is sharing his story for the first time.
04:59The Derg regime fell in 1991, but the fear it instilled lingers.
05:06It was a terrible time.
05:10For a long time, no-one spoke openly about it.
05:15Even today, you never really know who's on which side.
05:21Kibru hopes a book will fully capture this chapter of history,
05:25showing the revolutionary struggle is remembered.