Ethiopia Christian Africa by Ewald Hein and Brigitte Kleidt | Art, Churches and Culture

Ethiopia Christian Africa by Ewald Hein and Brigitte Kleidt | Art, Churches and Culture

The title of this book - Ethiopia, Christian Africa - is by no means intended to suggest that Ethiopia is Christian as a whole and exclusively, or even only primarily. Almost half the population professes Islam, there are old-established Jewish communities (or to be more exact, there were; in 1991 most Falasha emigrated to Israel) and the natural religions play a role, albeit a dwindling one, to the present day. The title of this book seeks rather to express two things.

Firstly it outlines the topic: Churches and monasteries are presented with their architecture, their history and their paintings. They are fantastic structures, almost as fantastic as the numerous projections which circulated in Europe in the centuries of ignorance about Abyssinia. In the rugged and scarcely accessible countryside they are to be found in part in wild and romantic locations - or also not; but more about that later.

Secondly, the title refers to the special aspect. This religion, which has shaped Europe in its thoroughly rationalised way of life, found enduring, if not even greater recognition in an African country. The consequences for the culture and life style were different. It is a foreign country, a foreign culture, despite the familiar religion. Tracking down, weighing up where the apparently familiar is really familiar and the supposedly strange is really strange, that is the great attraction when dealing with Ethiopia. 

Details

• Hardcover with dust jacket
• 29,5 cm x 24 cm
• Condition: Very good, dust jacket has very light signs of use, book is otherwise clean, no notes/stamps
• ISBN: 3929255286 - 9783929255287
• Publishing House: Melina-Verlag