Jonathan Dimbleby’s Role in Ethiopia’s Famine and Revolution: A Historical Reassessment

By Ethiopian Tribune Staff

Jonathan Dimbleby’s landmark 1973 documentary “The Unknown Famine” stands as a pivotal moment in Ethiopian history—a journalistic endeavour that not only exposed a humanitarian crisis but inadvertently helped precipitate the end of Africa’s oldest monarchy. Four decades later, emerging historical evidence and testimony offer new perspectives on this watershed moment in our nation’s past.

Imperial Sanction, Not Subterfuge

Contrary to revolutionary narratives that portrayed Dimbleby as an uninvited Western meddler, court archives reveal his presence was officially sanctioned by Emperor Haile Selassie’s government. Records indicate approximately $4,000 was allocated for his Ethiopian expedition a substantial sum intended to bring international attention to the northern provinces’ plight.

High-ranking officials, including Endalkachew Mekonnen, Ethiopia’s permanent representative to the United Nations (who would briefly serve as Prime Minister during the revolution’s early phase), facilitated Dimbleby’s journey. Their motivation appears straightforward: to utilise British broadcasting’s global reach to spotlight the drought’s devastating impact and mobilise international aid.

“We were issued with visas,” Dimbleby confirmed in a recent interview with Capital. “At the time of filming, even the minder allocated by the imperial government was so shocked at what he witnessed that he allowed us to film whatever we desired.”

A Royal Witness: Prince Asfa-Wossen’s Account

Prince Dr. Asfa-Wossen Asserate, great-nephew of Emperor Haile Selassie and author of “King of Kings: The Triumph and Tragedy of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia,” provides unique insight into this turbulent period. His perspective combines the intimacy of a family member with the objectivity of a trained historian.

The prince’s relationship with his imperial uncle was complicated by his father’s reform agenda. Ras Asserate Kassa, president of Ethiopia’s Crown Council, frequently advocated for progressive governance measures that challenged traditional power structures. Following the failed 1960 coup, these tensions intensified, ultimately leading to Ras Asserate’s execution by the Derg in 1974 alongside many other nobles.

A revealing encounter occurred during what would become the Emperor’s final European tour in September 1973. Asfa-Wossen, then studying in Frankfurt, had organised a benefit concert for famine relief well before seeing Dimbleby’s footage. During the imperial visit to Germany, protesters in Stuttgart carried placards reading “Haile Selassie Go Home and Feed Your Starving People!” and “Death to Imperialism!”

Summoned to the Emperor’s quarters in Ludwigsburg, the young prince faced a pointed interrogation: “Who told you the Ethiopians were starving?” When Asfa-Wossen defended his humanitarian initiative, the Emperor responded cryptically: “The real art lies in carrying [a task] through to the end.” Their meeting concluded with an ominous promise “We will talk again in Addis Ababa” a conversation forestalled by revolution’s swift arrival.

Global Climate Context

Ethiopia’s famine must be understood within the broader environmental challenges of the early 1970s. This period witnessed widespread ecological disturbances across multiple continents:

The Sahel region experienced a devastating drought beginning in the late 1960s, creating a band of suffering across Africa. Bangladesh endured catastrophic cyclones and flooding that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Even Britain faced the beginning of drought conditions that would culminate in the severe drought of 1975-76.

This era marked a significant advancement in global meteorological awareness. Early climate monitoring systems began recording patterns that would later inform our understanding of climate variability. Ethiopia’s crisis, while uniquely shaped by its political circumstances, was part of this global environmental upheaval a context often overlooked in purely political analyses.

The Famine’s Political Consequences

The northern Ethiopian famine of 1972-1974, claiming between 100,000 and 200,000 lives, became a catalyst for revolutionary forces. Dimbleby’s documentary, with its stark portrayal of suffering children juxtaposed against imperial ceremony, provided powerful imagery for the Ethiopian student movement and military dissidents.

Upon returning to Addis Ababa, Dimbleby recalled confrontation with the Minister of Information: “You are merely showing something negative and misrepresenting our country.” Dimbleby’s response “I simply filmed what I observed” encapsulates the journalistic principle that guided his work.

Critics, including historian Peter Gill, observe that while ethically sound in its humanitarian urgency, the documentary lacked the nuance necessary for comprehensive political analysis. By focusing narrowly on imperial governance failures, the film provided moral validation for the Derg’s revolutionary project a political transformation that would ultimately subject Ethiopia to a regime whose brutality would eclipse that of the monarchy it replaced.

Ethical Questions and Legacy

Dimbleby’s work raises profound questions about crisis reporting that continue to resonate today. His unflinching portrayal of victims, while morally driven, exemplifies what scholars identify as the potential commodification of suffering an issue later evident in coverage of the 1984 Ethiopian famine and subsequent humanitarian crises.

By centralising blame on the imperial system, the documentary inadvertently simplified Ethiopia’s complex socio-economic challenges and regional disparities. This framing absolved international actors and global economic systems that had marginalised Ethiopia, enabling the Derg to position its revolutionary programme as the only progressive alternative.

“The Unknown Famine” remains a cornerstone of humanitarian journalism, demonstrating media’s capacity to catalyse global conscience. Yet its legacy reveals the precarious balance journalists must maintain between immediate moral imperatives and broader contextual responsibility.

Dimbleby’s Ethiopian chronicle illustrates how journalism can transcend its immediate purpose to become an instrument of historical change for better and worse. As Ethiopia continues to grapple with questions of governance, development, and national identity, this episode offers valuable lessons about the complex interplay between media, humanitarian intervention, and political transformation.

This article is part of Ethiopian Tribune’s ongoing series examining pivotal moments in our nation’s modern history.