The Red Terror and Fascist Occupation in Literature from the Ethiopian Diaspora

Abstract

This contribution provides an overview of diasporic Ethiopian literature, or rather literature that has emerged from the Ethiopian diaspora in different places around the world from authors that maintain a strong link to their homeland. Using a comparative approach, this article argues that diasporic Ethiopians have similar thematic preoccupations despite varying locations and personal backgrounds, exemplifying a new literary trend that is transnational. Considering the thematization of the Red Terror and the Fascist Occupation, the theory of postmemory is used to exemplify that current authors of Ethiopian descent are infused with the results of past traumas that they themselves did not experience. In conclusion, this leads to authors in the diaspora adopting a negative viewpoint of the Ethiopian government, as well as showcasing that Ethiopia’s history cannot be solely looked at as victorious given the open wound represented by the Italian occupation.