In May 2019 Face2Face Africa returned to a long language story: Emperor Haile Selassie made Amharic the official language of the modern Ethiopian state, and that choice still shapes schooling, courts, and identity fights across the Horn.
From the early twentieth century onward, Amharic became the language of administration and national media for millions who were not born speaking it. That created a shared public tongue, and it also left deep resentment among communities that saw their own languages pushed aside.
The piece sits next to later debates about federal language policy under Abiy Ahmed’s government. Readers who want the older imperial root of today’s curriculum and identity arguments still need this historical framing.
Kept as culture and history reference, the article is not a grammar lesson. It is a reminder that in Ethiopia a national language decision is never only about words.
Sources: Face2Face Africa