Axum Figures November 2020 (2021)

Agata Nowak created Axum figures in response to killings of hundreds of civilians in Axum, Ethiopia in November 2020.

“The evidence is compelling and points to a chilling conclusion. Ethiopian and Eritrean troops carried out multiple war crimes in their offensive to take control of Axum. Above and beyond that, Eritrean troops went on a rampage and systematically killed hundreds of civilians in cold blood, which appears to constitute crimes against humanity,” said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International's Director for East and Southern Africa.

The figures of mothers, young children and young adults are made in black groggy clay. They stand together, as if interacting and supporting each other in procession around Church of our Lady Mary of Zion.

The figures have long necks, small heads, bodies as if dressed in long tunics with suggestion of movement. The clay has an earthy, rough quality. The figures are unglazed, there is no decoration apart from slightly detectable finger marks left by when pressing the clay. Stoneware. The figures range from 10cm to 32cm high.

I started making figures to commemorate the ones who died. In my research, I learned a lot about early Christianity, Ethiopia’s rich history and stunning monuments. I came across visuals of the procession around the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion, which reputedly houses the Ark of the Covenant and created my story from there.
I imagined (the victims) the mothers, young children and young adults walking together, interacting and supporting each other almost as in the procession around the Church of our Lady Mary of Zion.
Agata