Emperor Menelik

Mr Arnold Holtz

Departing for Germany

Returning from Germany

Tessema with Lij Iyassu and Wro Tsehaye Work

One of the seventeen disks

Letter from Wro Tsehaye Work

Photo with Lij Iyassu

Tessema in Ambo

In traditional war outfit

Tessema the sculptor

Tessema the first Ethiopian driver

The last driving licence of Ethiopia's first driver

Entertaining European guests at his home

Aleka Negede Israel

Tessema with his mother and sister

Tessema with his wife, children and immediate
relatives.

Tessema with his family

Lij Iyassu captured

Lij Iyassu in his prison cell

Group picture on the ocassion of Yidnekatchew's
baptism.

Arada on a mule back

Group picture in Venice

Koka Dam

Liberation of Ethiopia

Theletter from the church to Fitawrari Geresu page
1

Theletter from the church to Fitawrari geresu
page2

Yidnekatchew and his brother Elias at"Mahbere
Bekour"

Ras Abebe's testimony

Tessema in Eritrea

Tessema in Mitswa

Tessema with Emperor Haile
Selassie

Emperor Haile Selassie inspecting a
tractor

Group souvenir picture of Tessema and other
officials with probably the first tractor imported to the
country

Tessema at his fruits and vegetables farm at Awara
Melka

Tessema operating a tractor

Tessema with a beetroot

Tessema ploughing with cattle

Showing the potash wealth of Awara
Melka

Giving a tour

Self auto- photo

Tessema at Wonchi Haro

Koka Dam finally under
construction

Boat tour on the river Nile

Tessema hunting

Photographing Emperor Haile
Selassie

Bishoftu Palace

Peasants verdict

Photo Awash girl

Royal picnic!!

In a train

Boarding an Ethiopian Air Lines
D.C.3

Emperor Haile Selassie boarding an EAL
DC3

Tessema drove his Willy's Jeep until he was age
82.

Tessema at the old palace

In the Genete leoul palace(sidist
kilo)

Matyrs monument

Tessema's grand aunt

Studio photo of Tessema

Tessema on a walk way in Addis

Tessema on a walk way in Addis

Tessema at age 73

Tessema and Yidnekatchew

Tessema in his old age

Elias Tessema

Tessema with Yidnekatchew's wife and
children

Tessema was hospitalized for five years before he
died in November of 1964.

Photo published with news of his death on Addis
Zemen

Poet Laureate Tsegaye Gebre Medhin

The turning point in Tessema's life came about when the far sighted
Emperor Menelik picked him out from the boys in his orphanage and sent him to
Germany to be trained as a driver/ mechanic.

The German National and adviser to Menelik, who took Tessema and the two
other Ethiopians to Germany.

Tessema,Astatke and Wolde Tsadik with Mrs&Mr
Holtz.

The three Ethiopians returning from Germany.

Tessema had written at the back that Mrs Holtz and the ship's Captain
Krawzi, are in this group picture.

Further to his training as a driver/mechanic,Tessema used his two years
stay in Germany to record his songs on 17 disks.These disks, which are the first
for Ethiopia and may as well be the first for Africa, made him famous and
rich.It was about this time, that he got married to Iyassu's aunt, Tsehaye Work
Darge.

This letter from Tessema's first wife,Wro Tsehaye Work Darge, must have
been written after their divorce.The contents indicate that they were not living
together at the time.

On the back of this picture Tessema had written, "while inspecting cannons
at Dire Dawa,Lij Iyassu invited him to pose for this photo and
mentioned

to him that it would profoundly hurt the feelings of his
enemies."

He had written at the back of this picture that it was taken in 1908
G.C.,at the site where the Ambo palace was later built.He mentions that Lij
Iyassu had at the time spent 19 nights in Ambo on his way back from Gimira. He
also explains that it was from this camping site, that he managed the earth work
and the construction of the temporary shelter, as head of the Ambo hot springs.

He had engraved on this sculpture that it was his work,done in 1903
Ethiopian calendar, or 1911G.C.

Driving an automobile for which I do not have the model.Sitting behind him
is Lij Endalkatchew Mekonen who was to become Ethiopia's prime ministre for a
few months,just before the transition of power from the Emperor H.Sellassie to
the military junta.

He did not write date on this picture,but from the photos on the wall,I
assume it was during the reign of Emperor Menelik.

As can be seen in this group picture,Tessema employed Amharic teacher,
Aleka Negede Israel,not only for his children, but also several others in the
neighbourhood.

Tessema gave this and the next photos to his trusted secretary,Mekasha
Woldemeskel and instructed him

to hand them over to his son Yidnekatchew, when the Emperor Haile Selassie
is no more in power.

Mekasha,gave them to me, just a few weeks before Yidnekatchew passed
away.I have included them in the paper edition of the book as per the
instruction of my father.Nevertheless,even Mekasha did not know who took the
photographs and how the photographer got the permission and the access
especially,for the next one in the prison cell.

Tessema had written at the back, that this was a group souvenir photo, on
the occasion of the baptism of his son Yidnekatchew, at his exile home, in Jimma
town.

At the back of this picture Yidnekatchew had written,that this photo of
his father on a mule back was taken in the old city center of Addis
Ababa.

Tessema was among the friends of deposed leader Iyassu,who in line with
the divide and rule policy of the colonial power, was invited to visit Italy
during the five years occupation of Ethiopia.

Tessema giving the Italians tour of his recmmended site for hydro electric
dam in the Mojo area.Which is now the Koka Dam.

With this flyer, a letter from the church and the Ethiopian
flag,Tessema,along with Balambaras Girma Yayehyirad, was sent by the British
General Cunningham,to inform,the then Fitawrari Geressu Duki,leader of a
resistance force in the wolliso area, about the country's
liberation.

F.Gerresu arrested both emmisaries on grounds that they had lived with the
Italians.Bal.Girma was released immediately on the instruction of the Emoeror
,but Tessema remaned in prison for six years.

Tessema was sent by the Italians to negotiate peace with Ras Abebe's
resistance force in Mahbere Bekour. He conspired with Ras Abebe and told the
Italians that the army could be convinced only if they sent food.The Italians
did as they were told and the army disappeared with the food.Ras Abebe's
testimony regarding this issue is next.

He had written at the bottom of this picture that it is a souvenir photo
of Wolde Ghiorgis Wolde Yohannis,him self and Ahadu Sabure taken in November of
1953,in Asmara,while celebrating Eritrea's reunification.

Again in November 1953.He had written at the back that this picture was
taken in Mitswa,Eritrea,the Emperor Haile Selassie is on board the
ship.

He had written at the back that this picture was taken while he was giving
a tour of Yera Robi to the Emperor Haile Selassie.

This may be the first tractor imported to Ethiopia.

He had written at the back that this souvenir picture was taken on the
instructions of Emperor Haile Selassie,who was amazed by the size of the 5.3
k.gram beetroot, Tessema harvested from his farm in
Bishoftu.

Tessema had wrtten at the back, that he was giving this tour of the
unnamed site to Dr Lalowitsch and the then Ministre of
agriculture,H.E.Balambaras Mahteme Selassie, on the instruction of the
Emperor.

His son,Yidnekatchew assumes it is Sodore.

He had written at the back,that he photgraphed himself at Awara Melka hot
springs with an automatic camera.

Souvenir photo of Tessema and friends during the construction work of Koka
Dam.

He had written a note to the Emperor at the back, blaming the blur on his
old camera and begging the Emperor to buy him a new one.

Tessema took this picture from a distance.He had written on the back, that
the Emperor can be seen on the terrace with another person.

He had written on the back, that peasants decided and executed these
animals by hanging for eating from their crops.

He had written at the back that his effort to photograph a beautiful girl
by the Awash river was in vain, as the girl refused and covered her beautiful
face.

Tessema used his willy's jeep to travel extensively in the unexplored
parts of the country.This explains his participation in the dicovery and/or
development of almost all existing natural resorts in Ethiopia.

He discovered and/or developed among others:-

- The hot springs of Sodore,a popular swimming resort.

-The Boku steam bath.

-The hot springs at Wolliso.

-And Awara Melka,where he tried a fruits and vegetables farm for one
year,until he was stopped by court order on grounds that the land belonged to a
high ranking government official.

Even after this decision, he continued to remind the government to develop
the hot springs and exploit the potash wealth of the area.

He had written a poem on the back of this picture, accusing Fitawrari
Tasew,protocal head of the palace at the time,of denying access to those who are
not his friends.

He took this photo on the occasion of President Tito's historic visit to
Ethiopia.

At the back he had written that this lady by the name Abeba is the sister
of his grand father.

Air Force Captain Elias,the youngest son of Tessema,

died of air crash at age 32.Elders in the family believe

that the sudden illness of Tessema was a direct result of this terrible
shock.

Renowned,Ethiopian Poet Laureate Tsegaye Gebre
Medhin,gave the title" Sem ena worku Tessema Eshete" to the book on Tessema, for
which the author was the son YidnekatchewTessema.

.

Emperor Menelik

The turning point in Tessema's life came about when the far sighted
Emperor Menelik picked him out from the boys in his orphanage and sent him to
Germany to be trained as a driver/
mechanic.