Mersha Nahusenay ( 1850 – 1937) was an Ethiopian reformist and pioneer of change who made important contributions to the modernization and independence of Ethiopia. One of the closest advisors to Emperor Menelik II, he went on to become the first governor of Dire Dawa, and surrounding areas (1902–1905). Prior to that he was governor of the strategic and frontier district of Jaldessa (Gildessa) and its environ where he also held the key position of Head of Customs. His public career lasted over three decades from the time of Menelik II (referred to in historical records as Menilek) until the reign of Haile Selassie. Mersha understood French and was open to European ideas of progress earning him admiration abroad. His most enduring legacy is perhaps the supervision of the day to day activities of the construction, maintenance and security of the first railroad which he oversaw at the request of Menilek. Mersha belongs to a generation of Ethiopians who took advantage of the relative stability of the late 19th – early 20th century to implement a series of wide-ranging political, military, economic and social reforms, paving the way to the founding of present-day Ethiopia.
Early life
Childhood and Formative Years
Ato (Mr.) Mersha Nahusenay (አቶ መርሻ ናሁሠናይ) was born about 1850 near the town of Ankober, the former capital of Shewa.
According to oral history, Mersha came from a family of priests. His parents were strict followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox faith and religion played a central role in their life. Mersha's childhood was hence heavily influenced by events involving the Church where he was also baptized. Family lore further indicates that his father owned a land given to him in return for the service he rendered to the church. In addition to holding lands, churches at the time received considerable assistance from the royal palace which they then used to provide key services to their members and communities, including the education of children. Thus Mersha was taught reading and writing at an early age and received traditional church education. Whether or not he had any siblings remains unknown although the name Mersha in the Amharic language often implies a parental wish or mechanism to cope with a traumatic experience such as the loss of a previous child.
Growing up, Mersha spent a great deal of time on the farm with his parents. He traveled to various places within Shewa and beyond allowing him to interact with a diverse group of people and explore opportunities which existed for a career in a secular field. Early on he learned to appreciate the importance of local as well as foreign languages. He was one of the best students at the Catholic Mission, and he married Tedeneqyalesh, daughter of Ato Mekbeb an officer of Menelik's royal house. It is unclear, if he had royal ancestry. The fact that he was married to the daughter of one of Menelik's trusted servants suggests, however, that the family had close ties to the palace.
Mersha's formative and early adulthood experiences helped him prepare for his long and influential public career. Today Ankober is one of many districts (woredas) of Ethiopia, but in Mersha’s youth, the region was the capital of one of several powerful kingdoms. The following quote encapsulates the vitality of the Ankober area at the time:
The early nineteenth-century Shawan royal capital of Ankober was a spectacular sight, ‘perched at 2400 meters atop a volcanic cone above the steep escarpment of the eastern highlands’. It commanded a prosperous, cosmopolitan and culturally diverse polity. Founded as a frontier outpost in the late-eighteenth century, fifty years later Ankober stood amidst a rich agricultural area and controlled the Red Sea trade through regional markets such as Aliyu Amba. Visited by Muslim merchants and traders from the Mediterranean, and a busy ecclesiastical base of Orthodox theology, Ankober was a lively commercial and intellectual center.
By mid-19th century, Ankober had established trade and diplomatic ties with the outside world. As a result, there was strong public interest in international affairs, foreign languages, history, geography and medicine, as well as the design, manufacturing and function of machines and tools as documented by missionaries. Under Menelik, the last ruler of Shewa (1865–1889), Ankober rapidly evolved into a vibrant political and economic center. Trade was expanded to the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea via Harar.
Mersha also grew up in one of the most consequential periods in the nation's history. The second half of the nineteenth century was a turning point in the sense that it marked the end a long period of deep divisions within and between the various kingdoms located in the northern part of the country known as the Era of Princes or Zemene Mesafint (1769–1855). Emperor Tewodros (Tewodros II) was the first ruler (1855–1868) in the modern era to try and unify the northern kingdoms. Included in Tewodros' vision also was the introduction of European-style civilization. His efforts were cut short however by internal resistance and external challenges as well as his untimely death. Emperor Yohannes (Yohannes IV) further pursued the unification agenda during his reign (1872–1889), but he was unfortunately killed in a war with Mahdist Sudan. Emperor Menelik II (1889–1913), his successor, the fortunate one to realize the dreams of his predecessors and much more. He succeeded in bringing together, under a central authority, northern and southern territories. Through a combination of diplomacy and military campaigns, he was able to create a new empire paving the way for the emergence of modern Ethiopia.
Menelik's extraordinary achievements, including his leadership in the decisive victory over Italy at Adwa, in 1896, enabled him to put the country on the path to stability and modernization. According to the prominent Ethiopian historian Tekletsadiq Mekuria, Menelik's top priorities included: negotiating Ethiopia's borders with the three European colonial powers (i.e., France, Britain and Italy) who controlled much of Eastern Africa; securing access to the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea as a way of improving trade relations with Europe and beyond; maintaining security and stability across the vast empire; implementing a wide-ranging political, economic and social reforms; and building Ethiopia's image abroad.
As will be seen below, Mersha was at the forefront of most, if not all, of these undertakings. He answered repeated calls for public service and rose to the occasion by taking on challenging tasks. More importantly, he was a strong advocate for reform and European-style modernization. The renowned Ethiopian historian Tekletsadiq Mekuria wrote in his book Atse Menilek and the Unity of Ethiopia:
ስለዚህ ዐፄ ምኒልክ የነዚህንና የውጭ አገር ተወላጅ አማካሪዎች ምክር በመስማት እውጭ አገር ደርሰው መጠነኛ እውቀት እየቀሰሙ የተመለሱትን የነግራዝማች ዬሴፍን፤ የነነጋድራስ ዘውገን፤ የእነ አቶ አጥሜን፤ የነ አቶ መርሻ ናሁ ሠናይን፤ የነ ብላታ ገብረ እግዚአብሔርን፤ የነ ከንቲባ ገብሩን፤ የነአለቃ ታየን፤ የነ ነጋድራስ ገብረ ሕይወት ባይከዳኝን፤ የነ አቶ ኀይለ ማርያም ስራብዮንን፤ አስተያየት በማዳመጥ በአገራቸው የአውሮፓን ሥልጣኔ ለማስገባት ታጥቀው ተነሡ።
English translation: Thus, after listening to the advice of these and other personal foreign advisors and taking into account the views of those who had travelled abroad and returned with limited knowledge such as Grazmach Yosef, Negaddras Zewge, Ato Atsme, Ato Mersha Nahusenay, Blata Gebre Egziabher, Kentiba Gebru, Aleqa Taye, Negadras Gebre Hiwot Baykedagn and Ato Hailemariam Serabyo, Atse Menelik decided to introduce European civilization to his country.
Later life
Whether Mersha Nahusenay held any official imperial government positions before Menelik II became Emperor of Ethiopia in 1889 remains unknown. What is evident from historical records is sometime in the early 1890s, at the age of about 40, he left his birthplace and settled in the Harar province. By then, Ankober had declined in part due to the rise of Addis Abeba (Addis Ababa), as the new capital of Ethiopia founded in 1886 by Menelik and his influential wife Empress Taytu Betul (1851–1918).
Governor of Jaldessa and Head of Imperial Customs
Mersha's relocation to Harar marked the beginning of his long and distinguished career. By some accounts as early as 1892, but surely by 1895, he was appointed governor of Jaldessa (Gildessa, Jildessa, Guildessa, Gheldessa), a historic and strategic district near the present city of Harar. According to one source., at the time, Jaldessa had approximately 6,000 inhabitants at the time compared to 8,000 in the port city of Djibouti and 30,000 in Harar. Not only was Jaldessa a frontier town to Menelik's empire, but it was also located along an important caravan route connecting Ethiopia with the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea coast. As a result, all visitors were required to pass through an armed and customs post established there by the Ethiopian authority and administered by Mersha. As chief of customs, Jaldessa Mersha oversaw the import of all goods. Caravans were stopped and inspected. Import duty of 10 per cent was levied on merchandise generating important revenue for the empire. The economic value of Jaldessa grew considerably after the port of Djibouti became operational. However, it sharply declined following the founding of Dire Dawa, in 1902.
As governor, Mersha controlled and administered a vast area between Ethiopian borders with the French and British Somalilands and the Awash River. The territory was inhabited by Somalis, Oromos, Afars and other ethnic groups. He served under Ras Mekonnen Woldemichael (Makonnen Wolde Mikael), who was governor of Harar Province until his untimely death in 1906. The Armenian Serkis Terzian (1868–1915) served as governor of Jaldessa before him. Terzian, a personality well known to scholars of Ethiopian history, served Menelik in various capacities, including the import of arms and ammunition. Apparently, there was confusion at times about who owned what. On one occasion, Mersha confiscated arms claimed by Terzian, according to distinguished historian Richard Pankhurst. Lord Hindlip, a British businessman and adventurer and a member of an Anglo-American expedition, described his visit to Mersha's residence as follows:
He received us in his official residence, a small circular hut with the usual pointed roof, built on a conical hill. His furniture consisted of a table, chair, two beds, a photograph of an Abyssinian priest, and a coloured Crucification, while his rifle, shield, and revolver were hung on the walls.Lord Hindlip (1906). Sport and Travel in Abyssinia. https://archive.org/details/sporttravelabyss00hind
Furthermore, Jaldessa was at the center of international negotiations between Menelik and the three colonial powers. Article 3 of the 1897 treaty signed between Britain and Ethiopia, for example, stated that the route between Zeyla (Zeila) and Harar via Gildessa should remain open for the commercial interests of the two countries. Mersha was regularly consulted on relevant matters. He was also directly responsible for implementation of agreements. For instance, in 1896, he hosted Cyrille Macaire (Kyrillos Makarios), a coptic Egyptian bishop who came as a special envoy of Pope Leo XIII to plead with Menelik to free the Italian prisoners from the battle of Adwa.Cyrille évêque de Césarée. Le Prêtre: journal des études ecclésiastiques. Vol. 19. Sueur-Charruey, Paris 1896: 67 When the prisoners were freed ultimately, they were brought to an area near Gildessa to meet with an Italian Red Cross team before being transported to Harar for safe return to Italy. Mersha visited Djibouti on several occasions, including at the request of Emperor Menelik. His knowledge of French was invaluable during his foreign trips.
Promoter of a progressive image of Ethiopia