Lion of Judah Monument

This monument is in central Addis. The three of us (Anj, Brian and I) had met with Dawit, the dean of family medicine. We went for lunch and he kindly gave us a ride across town. This was much faster than a line taxi would have been.

The lion of Judah was the symbol of the Ethiopian monarchy. This statue was erected to celebrate Haile Selassie's coronation in 1930. The Italians borrowed it (looted, stole) for a few years, placing it in Rome. It had a storied history in Italy, where an Ethiopian (Eritrean) interrupted things by praying in front of it. He was set upon by police, and attacked them back with his sword. He managed to injured several before being shot. He survived and died in prison seven years later. (All this info thanks to the Lonely Planet Guide)

The statue was returned to Ethiopia in the 1960's.