Proclamation Suppressing Slavery in Tigray (Adwa, 1935)
A bilingual Italian and Tigrinya proclamation, issued eleven days after the invasion began, declares slavery abolished in Tigray and tells its people that "where the flag of Italy flies, there is freedom." The tell is the virtue word doing the work of an argument: liberty is presented as a property of the flag itself, while the same sheet ends with a punishment for anyone who disobeys.
- Date
- October 14, 1935
- Period
- Interwar
- Made by
- Comando Superiore A.O. (Italian High Command, East Africa), signed by Gen. Emilio De Bono
- Region
- Western and Central Europe
- Country
- Fascist Italy
- Medium
- Document
- Issuer type
- Military
- Regime
- Fascist Italy
- Leader
- Benito Mussolini
- Audience
- Enemy civilians
- Purpose
- Persuade or win support
- Themes
- Empire and colonialism, War and the military
- Event
- Second Italo Ethiopian War
- Techniques
- Glittering generalitiesTransfer
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- Wikimedia Commons, retrieved September 29, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (uploader's PD dedication of photograph; underlying 1935 Italian official act)
Photograph by Antonio Canessa, released to the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; original proclamation by Comando Superiore A.O., 14 October 1935
Text on the object
COMANDO SUPERIORE A. O. BANDO DI SOPPRESSIONE DELLA SCHIAVITU' IN TIGRE' Genti del Tigrè, UDITE: Voi sapete che dove sventola la Bandiera d'Italia ivi è la libertà. Perciò nel vostro Paese la schiavitù, sotto qualunque forma, è soppressa. Gli schiavi che sono attualmente in Tigrè sono liberi ed è vietata la compera e la vendita degli schiavi. Chi contravverrà alle disposizioni del presente bando sarà severamente punito, siccome trasgressore agli ordini del Governo. Dato ad Adua il 14 ottobre 1935-XIII E.F. (3 tekemt 1928) DE BONO የትግራ ፡ ሕዝብ ፡ ሆይ ። ስማ ። የኢጣልያ ፡ ባንዴራ ፡ ከተተከለበት ፡ አገር ፡ ከዚያ ፡ አርነት ፡ መግባቱ ፡ እንደሆነ ፡ ታውቀዋለህ። ስለዚህ ፡ በአገርህ ፡ ውስጥ ፡ በማናቸውም ፡ ዓይነት ፡ ቢሆን ፡ የባርነት ፡ ነገር ፡ ተንቅሎዋል ። ከትግራ ፡ አገር ፡ ውስጥ ፡ ያለ ፡ ባርያ ፡ ኵላ ፡ አራ ፡ ነው ። የባርያ ፡ መሸጥና ፡ መግዛት ፡ ተከልክሎዋል ። ለዚህ ፡ የአዋጅ ፡ ቃል ፡ የሚቃወም ፡ ኵላ ፡ የመንግሥት ፡ ሕግ ፡ ተላላፊ ፡ መሆኑ ፡ ነውና ፡ በብርቱ ፡ ቅጣት ፡ ይቀጣል ። አድዋ ፡ በ፫ ቀን ፡ ጥቅምት ፡ ፲፱፻፳፰ ፡ ዓ ፡ ም ። ደ ቦ ኖ ።
Supreme Command, East Africa. Proclamation suppressing slavery in Tigray. People of Tigray, hear: you know that where the flag of Italy flies, there is freedom. Therefore in your country slavery, in whatever form, is suppressed. The slaves who are currently in Tigray are free, and the buying and selling of slaves is forbidden. Whoever contravenes the provisions of this proclamation will be severely punished as a transgressor of the orders of the Government. Given at Adwa, 14 October 1935, Year XIII of the Fascist Era (3 Tekemt 1928). De Bono. The Tigrinya block repeats the Italian text (people of Tigray, hear; where the Italian flag is planted, freedom has entered; slavery of any kind in your country is abolished; every slave in Tigray is free; buying and selling slaves is forbidden; anyone who opposes the proclamation breaks the government's law and will be severely punished; Adwa, 3 Tekemt 1928; De Bono).
The Italian block is clearly legible. The Ge'ez-script block was read from a 1280 px scan by Claude and is a best-effort transcription: the word rendered here as ኵላ (twice) and አራ, and the numerals in the date line, could not be confirmed letter by letter and should be checked by a fluent reader. The English rendering of the Ge'ez block is inferred from that reading and from the parallel Italian text.
