What Ferdinado Martini wrote about Bahta Hagos (period 1891 -1895)
Bahta Hagos 1891 with local dignitaries and an Italian army officer
Our destination was Segeneiti and Bahta Hagos met us
half the way. Behind him was his brother and his son Geremedhin was also there.
Bahta was in his mid forties. He was tall and thin. When you look at him you
get the impression that he is cunning and crocked. But his land that extends from here to Mereb,
doesn't know any one who was more honest than him. He converted to Catholicism with his Muslim wife. His new faith bestowed on him a greater
degree of integrity. There is no chief
in his caliber in the area. One word from him would put an end to any conflict.
Every body respects him and submits to his rule because he is humble, generous
and committed to his friends and us, the Italians. He shows less pride than the
other Eritrean chief's because he is more intelligent than them. Lastly, Bahta
Hagos is not a saint because he killed his brother.
He belongs to one of the old families in Akle Guzai.
Ras Alula harassed and followed him and Bahta Hagos took refuge together with
his brothers with the Habab. Because the Habab were pastoralists, Bahta and his
men protected the tribes from other invaders. After Bahta and his group were allowed
to return to their homeland, one of his brothers wanted to be a robber to earn
his living. Bahta tried to persuade his brother to stop robbery and help the
family establish their rule in their land. He told his brother that by doing so
they will be able to win more friends and to show in front of God that they
will regain liberty for their people. His brother refused to listen. Later
Bahta resorted to threats. He
told his brother that he will either kill him or will he will surrender to
Alula to kill him. His brother told Bahta, 'Go and surrender to Alula'. Bahta
Hagos spent that night praying to God and at dawn went and killed his brother.
But now he repents that and at times he suffers of nervous episodes. Unlike all
the leaders that we met who treat their subjects with brutality, he resorts to
asking for apology after any harsh measure, and treats his subjects like a
father.
You cannot describe the Abyssinians through the
character of Bahta Hagos. He was an exceptional character.
And this is what Martini wrote about him after he fought
the Italians (March 1895):
What I wrote about him in 1891 was based on my own
observations and based on the Italian officials who knew him closely. Ludwigi
Marcatelli from Asmara wrote in the
Newspaper 'Tribuna' on 12 February 1895, "If there was any one who had
doubts about Bahta Hagos, no person could have believed him. Yet, he rebelled
against us. What he did was not a sudden thing or a revenge. He must have
planned this over a long time to kill the whites who had stayed at Segeneiti
and who respected him. We paid him a decent pension and we showered him with a
lot of gifts, some of which were expensive. We bestowed on him the highest
authority and honours that was never
given to any Abyssinian before him. Yet he died fighting us near Halai on the
18th of december.
It is said that the Frech Jesuits encouraged him to revolt
against us. They were angered by our decision to drive them out of Eritrea.
This may be possible , because Bahta loved them and converted to the Catholic
faith on their hands. He had also contributed towards buliding a church in
Akhrur. But I do not believe this was the only or the main important reason for
his revolt. The day he decided to cut the negotiations with us and imprisoned
Captain Sagouini and moved with his forces to Halai; He sent a message to the whole
of Akleguzai. The messengers told the people, "We are going to liberate
you from those who came from across the sea to take our land, and my move is
coordinated with Ras Mengesha who is coming to support us with a force. I did
not take a move until now because I was waiting for a response from a distant
place.."
This is an important point, as I explained before, the Italian families that came were given land
in Seraye, near Akle Guzai in the area that was under Bahta Hagos and he did
not like this. Other Italians were also given 25 hectares from Akle Guzai. He
wrote three letters to Menelik, complaining about the confiscation of land and
asking for his permission to attack the Italains. If Menelik did not agree, he asked
him to raise the complaint to Italy. Menelik replied twice asking for patience
and that he was waiting for a response from Italy. It is not known if Menelik
gave the permission for the attack, but he sent 35 thousand rifles to Ras Mengesha.
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From Ferdinando Martini’s memories and impressions in his book, ‘Nell’Affrica Italiane’ 1890.
He was a member of the Italian Parliament who was sent to evaluate the viability of Eritrea, as a colony. Pages 102 - 106 from the Arabic translated edition
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