Rape of Ethiopia

Very little is known about Clarence Williams other than he was a member of the Harlem Artists Guild and took lithography classes at the Harlem Community Art Center from Riva Helfond. This print refers to the Italian occupation of Ethiopia from 1935 to 1941. Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia galvanized a pan-African movement across the African diaspora. There were many demonstrations in Harlem protesting the invasion and U.S. inaction, particularly because Ethiopia was the only independent country in Africa that had not been colonized by Western powers. It also had religious significance to Christians of African descent because of its long history as a Christian nation and the growing Rastafarian movement. Black Americans were outraged by the invasion and understood the conflict as symbolic of white imperialist aggression against all Black people. This print can therefore be interpreted as a scene of white aggression against people of African descent globally. “The Rape of Ethiopia” shows a group of women dressed in white huddled near a tree. They are being shoved and beaten by Italian soldiers. One figure stands half naked at the point of a bayonet, while another lies on the ground and two children nearby appear to plead for help. The artist included burning buildings in the background, along with two planes that fly overhead.