Red Terror Martyrs' Memorial Museum የቀይ ሽብር መታሰቢያ ሙዚየም — Attraction in Addis Ababa

This is by far the most opinionated piece I've written, and no arguments are accepted so brace yourselves. I'll start by saying that it's a remarkably hideous building. And it's not hideous by design, but due to the apparent poor execution of a design that tries so hard to be hideous and yet, finds itself concealed in the landscape of the adjacent Meskel square. The fact that it tries to compliment the square by using the form of the building, which is tilted in a manner that repeats the slope of the tiers of the square, indicates that the architecture of the building has confused priorities. This is amplified by the fact that stone masonry is used on the walls of one half of the building which is continuous to the tiers of the square, and the other half is cladded with aluminum panels in a rather inharmonious grid. I would argue this is not by design, leading me to reiterate that it is indeed poorly executed. Some grand names are mentioned at the entrance to the museum, paying homage to Fasil Ghiorghis (the architect), MH Engineering (the consultant) and Varnero (the contractor). And with such a decorated lineup, one would ask, what could be the cause of this rather undecorated result. A first instance hypothesis would be "budget". But of course, the financiers of the project would surely know better than to underspend on a museum which they put in place not only to commemorate the victims of a horrific past, but to push a larger political narrative by appealing to one's emotions once they're apprehended with their guard down. Afterall, the setting itself subtly influences one to lower their guard. The design possibly draws influence from Daniel Libeskind's Holocaust museum in the instance where the slope of the floor itself becomes tilted, pushing one to rush further down their steps as they approach the final room of the museum, a horrific room where the remains of the red terror victims are displayed in glass casings. It would leave you wondering how the families of these victims could allow them to be exhibited as such? Which brings me back to the "grander political narrative" bit. Now, at the entrance to the museum the first section shows a picture of Emperor Haileselassie cutting a cake for his 80th birthday adjacent to a picture of an emaciated farmer during the famine. The caption beneath the farmer's picture uses the word "peasant". Something that I found unsettling, almost as unsettling as the fact that there are no pictures showing Haileselassie's soulful and anguished expression when he finally encountered the victims of the famine. Across the aforementioned picture of the farmer, is a quote from the then patriarch who made a statement as a peace plea during the ensuing times of unrest, a quote that didn't age well to those who deemed it anti-revolutionary. (Great! First the king now the patriarch? And coming up next it's [INSERT ETHNIC GROUP]). Then there's a quote from Radio Ethiopia just after the revolution which reads, "The era of futile toil without reward has ended for good". I smirked, thinking they had no idea what was to come! The next section of the museum shows pictures taken during peaceful protests, where civilians are carrying slogans in demonstrations against the socialist regime, a regime which they dubbed as fascistic. The leading opposition of the time, EPRP considered itself to be the true champion of socialism. I found the Amharic for Socialism (ማህበረሰብዐዊነት) to be rather peculiar, as when you literally translate that term back into English, it becomes "Collective-Humanism". I was particularly struck by the fact that there was open intellectual political discourse during that era. And there were open demonstrations like the ones shown in the pictures, something that's a rarity even in 21st century Ethiopia! Perhaps because everyone's so smart and selfish nowadays. Nobody saving the epileptic kid lying on his back just outside the museum. We're frightened and confused carcasses. There's nothing to see here, just look around you, that's the true...

This is a very important museum that highlights a very sad part in the Ethiopian history. Most doesn’t know much what happened behind the iron curtain, even less when it comes to the African curtain.

Ethiopia is still suffering from the Derg years, dark times and lots of human tragedies. The museum covers what led up to the revolution, how Menge took power and the red terror that followed. It gives you the basics but I suggest you do some reading before you come here since the museum far from covers the lot. I wouldn’t call this museum complete; it is very small with not that many exhibitions but it does give a somehow ok insight.

Reason for only three stars, the building which was built by one of the best contractors is in badly need of maintenance, at least the statue outside, the sign of it is hardly readable, shame really. There´s also a broken minibus parked in the museum for no reason (lack of funding they said). No entrance fee but a donation is highly expected, also the guide will try to shake some extras and promoting himself as a tour guide for you to buy his services. I know salaries have lots to ask for but expected some more professionalism. The museum offers some basic printed books which are very interesting.

More resources should be put into this place since its an important part of Ethiopian history, museum it’s not very old either but continuing in this direction it will be a shackle within some years which is sad, worth a visit, definitely, honour those that are not with us anymore. Long...

The Red Terror Martyrs’ Memorial Museum is a powerful reminder of the struggles endured by those under oppressive regimes. The exhibits document the impact of the Red Terror in Ethiopia and provide a sobering look at the unconscionable acts of violence and injustice inflicted upon citizens of Ethiopia. The museum is incredibly poignant and serves as a platform to deliver an important message: those who have suffered under a violent government have a voice and it must be heard. Additionally, it is free to enter, making it an accessible place to learn and remember. Apart from the physical museum, there is much to be learned from discussions with locals. It is important to gain insight from those who lived through the Red Terror and can provide multiple perspectives on the political situation at the time. It is equally as important to speak to the younger generations and understand their views of life today in comparison. The museum, plus conversations with those affected, offer a deeper understanding of the past and...