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All Ethiopia Addis Ababa Red Terror Martyrs' Memorial Museum

Red Terror Martyrs' Memorial Museum

A powerful tribute to the victims who suffered under Ethiopia's most devastating regime.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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Andrasta
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“Red Terror” Martyrs’ Memorial Museum.   Insights Unspoken/CC BY-SA 2.0
“Red Terror” Martyrs’ Memorial Museum.   Insights Unspoken/CC BY-SA 2.0
“Red Terror” Martyrs’ Memorial Museum.   Chuck Moravec/CC BY 2.0
Photographs of victims of the Derg Regime.   Adam Jones/CC BY-SA 2.0
“Red Terror” Martyrs’ Memorial Museum.   Soman/CC BY-SA 3.0
“Red Terror” Martyrs’ Memorial Museum.   Soman/CC BY-SA 3.0
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  Ursula / Atlas Obscura User
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A victim of the “Red Terror.”   Andrasta / Atlas Obscura User
“Red Terror” Martyrs’ Memorial Museum.   Insights Unspoken/CC BY-SA 2.0
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About

The "Red Terror" Martyr’s Memorial Museum in Addis Ababa was unveiled in 2010 to honor the victims of Mengistu Haile Mariam’s Derg Regime. Anywhere between 500,000 and 750,000 people were tortured and killed during the brutality.

The museum is a memorial to the martyrs who fought against the dictator’s violent military campaign. Although the museum is modern, clean, and well presented, it doesn't pull any punches. It’s full of coffins, bloodied clothes, and images that tell the story of this devastating period in the country's history.

One particular room contains a number of glass-fronted partitions displaying the remains and personal effects of people killed by the regime. The remains had been exhumed and placed in the museum as they had been found. Some of them even included the rope used to strangle the person. Each partition also includes a photo of the victim.

Ethiopia's “Red Terror” reached its height between 1977 and 1978. Men, women, and children from various ethnic groups were tortured and killed under the dictator’s plan to rid the country of those who allegedly opposed his party. Citizens were captured and tortured before their dead bodies were dumped in the streets.

Some of the museum guides themselves are victims of the terror, pointing out that they too suffered the various methods of torture displayed in graphic detail by mannequins.

The museum is free but does rely on donations. After witnessing the exhibits in this building it would be hard not to leave a generous sum.

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Museums Death Skulls Communism Memorials

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Andrasta

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cjklever, Kerry Wolfe, Ursula, Steve 55...

  • cjklever
  • Kerry Wolfe
  • Ursula
  • Steve 55
  • frankclarkx

Published

November 9, 2017

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  • http://rtmmm.org/
Red Terror Martyrs' Memorial Museum
Africa Ave
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
9.010021, 38.763139
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