In the Enchanted Heart of Addis Ababa, a Monument Aloft Under the Shadow of the

In the hush of the city's core, enfolded by the embrace of Sidist Kilo Square, stands a monument that scales the heavens to a height of 28 meters. This is no ordinary testament, but the Yekatit 12 monument, a chronicle of a nation's anguish and bravery. The tragedy that this monument honors unfolded on the bitterly cold night of the 19th of February in the year of 1937, under the shadow of Italian fascists. More than 3,000 Ethiopian souls were taken, a brutal act that still echoes through the ages.

A haunting reminder of cruelty and injustice. In the gentle light of November 2, 1944, the monument found its place, a beacon of resistance under the rule of Emperor Haile Selassie. Crafted by the skillful hands of the Croatian sculptor Antun Augustinčić, invited by none other than Emperor Selassie, the monument was a tribute to the victims of the tragedy. Two bronze reliefs, painstakingly installed on the 14th of December in 1955, were added to the monument's base, depicting scenes of the Yekatit 12 pogrom, the use of chemical weapons, and the burials of the fallen after freedom had been restored.

Above these reliefs, the figure of the Lion of Judah stands, embodying the power and endurance of Ethiopia. On the anniversary of the Yekatit 12 pogrom each year, a wreath is laid at the monument's base in memory of the victims, a tradition that has stood the test of time, even during the dark era of the Derg regime that followed the fall of Emperor Selassie.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons