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Prudence dedication and loyalty to the nation
supersede all else for this stalwart of financial
stability. Taffara Deguefe presents himself as the
stoic upholder of value, monetary and moral.
Pouring into the mind of one of the century's most
influential men reveals a continuum of the inner
circles in overlapping regimes, Derg and imperil.
The reader becomes privy to the high profile
meetings and inner workings of the government that
almost none except this former head of the central
bank attended.
Though the hefty 686-page "Minutes of an Ethiopian
Century", including eight appendices, will take
hours to trudge through, the unique perspective is
worth the effort. The memoir is engaging in its
wavering between personal anecdotes and
pseudo-academic analysis of major events.
Taffara's central agenda seems to be upholding the
integrity of Emperor Haile Selasie's persona, a man
the author holds in great reverence. Portraying the
head of state as an "enlightened ruler who combined
the best element of tradition and modernity" seeks
to "counter balance the many criticisms that have
been voiced on his failings", the author feels
compelled to devote copious pages to refuting the
myth of the Monarch's missing millions.
Though the book opens with a disclaimer distancing
itself from consideration of academic standards,
those seeking historical accounts many be turned
away by the open professions to bias. Furthermore,
when Taffara depicts himself as an unwaveringly
hardworking and dedicated civil servant, a few
mistakes and quips of regrettable decisions would
add some flavour to the at times dry account of
Taffara's life. The portrayal of a naively devoted
bank governor whose sole drawback is not to suspect
the Derg's plans to arrest him is insufficient to be
convinced of the completeness of the account.
Here the book becomes more historical, straying from
the personal chronological structure to present an
account of the military coup. In presenting the
academic type rationale for the 1974 revolution, he
shows his breadth of world knowledge in creating an
insightful comparison to the fall of the Shah in
Iran.
Taffara is quick to turn to an evaluation of the new
military government which he obviously disdains
greatly not only for his eventual political arrest
but also for the perception of incompetence,
especially in the area of economic management to
which he is closest.
The more personal portions may be fund apart from
the central drama. During his years of imprisonment
his anguish and soul-searching comes to the
forefront with his Solzenitzen-style account.
However, the opening pages reveal the distance
between ordinary Ethiopians and the multi-lingual
author who was part of the growing constituency
receiving a privileged education abroad. Returning
home after maturing amidst experiences vastly
separate from his rural birthplace, including
troubles getting a haircut in the predominately
white city of Vancouver, Canada, Taffara joins the
Westernised young leaders. Reintegrating into this
foreign atmosphere is almost as difficult as the
author's dealing with the Derg's modus operandi.
The book's harder to deal with points are its
repetition and simple editing drawbacks. Past these
minor deficiencies, this work provides a personal
account of events that thus far have received too
little attention from print sources.
It is for the uniqueness and unsaturated nature of
the existing historical accounts that the 250 Br
should be shelled out for this Shama Books
publication.
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