Professor Andreas Eshete, the former president of Addis Ababa University who passed away on Thursday at age 79, often said that he was raised by three families: his biological parents, paternal uncle, and the Pankhurst family.

The Pankhursts are no ordinary family; they are towering figures in Ethiopian history, starting with Sylvia Pankhurst (1882-1960), a British political activist, writer, and artist who devoted the last forty years of her life to anti-fascism and supporting Ethiopia. In July 1956, at the age of 74, she moved with her son, Richard, a London School of Economics graduate, to settle permanently in Addis Ababa. There, she helped found the Social Service Society and edited a monthly periodical, the Ethiopia Observer. Richard secured a lecturing position at Addis Ababa University, while Rita, his future wife, joined them in November of that year and took a job at the National Library of Ethiopia.

At the time, ten-year-old Andreas Esheté’s uncle, Jemaneh Allabsew worked at the Library and often took Andreas along with him, as he later recounted in an interview with Meaza Birru of Sheger FM. It was during these visits that young Andreas met Rita, the principal librarian. Eager to be involved, he offered to volunteer as an intern at the library.

Rita later described Andreas’s contributions, noting, “He was of particular help when we received major book gifts from foreign embassies. His forte, however, was persuading borrowers to return overdue books. He developed a highly successful technique: he would ring up the delinquent individual and announce solemnly that the borrowed book was “wanted at the Palace” after which it would re-appear in double quick time, ” Rita wrote in Ethiopian Reminiscences: Early Days by Richard and Rita Pankhurst (2013).

Their friendship and bond strengthened, and the young Andreas soon began frequently visiting the Pankhursts’ bungalow, nestled among eucalyptus trees, located at what is now the Armed Forces General Hospital, formerly Princess Tsehai Memorial Hospital.

Andreas, who developed a close bond with this remarkable family, clearly benefited from their influence. He was particularly impressed by Sylvia, whom he admired for tirelessly working at her desk from morning to night to produce Ethiopia Observer, a magazine focused on culture and development. “I have never seen a magazine of such caliber on Ethiopia, even to this day,” he remarked.

He would accompany Sylvia on her visits to Princess Tsehai Memorial Hospital, the first modern hospital in Addis Ababa, which she had helped establish and equip through fundraising, and served as her interpreter during these visits. “During one rainy season, I spent time with Sylvia while Richard and Rita were in Europe on research. She spoke to me as an equal, asking what I had learned from the book she had recommended,” Andreas recalled in the interview.

Andreas also joined Richard on expeditions to the sheep market, where they would negotiate the best purchase for Ethiopian Christmas as a gift for the house staff. They brought the chosen sheep home in the back of the Volkswagen with Andreas, “and ba ba ba he bleated all the way back, which was terrible”.

“Andreas gradually became a part-time member of our household. On several occasions, he came to lunch and helped me prune, weed and de-greenfly the roses. He was a most enthusiastic helper, and his conversation was delightful”, related Rita.

The Pankhursts often had Andreas Esheté accompany them on their travels across the country, including a memorable trip in their Volkswagen that took them to Massawa and back through Assab. Richard recalls one such occasion in Ethiopian Reminiscences when, while preparing for a journey, he and Andreas stopped by a bakery while Rita waited in the car. The salesman enthusiastically recommended some cakes, claiming they were “good with coffee.” However, when they later tried the cakes without coffee, they found them distinctly mediocre. From then on, “good with coffee” became their private joke for anything that wasn’t quite up to par.

During another trip to Lake Abbayya in the south of the country, while hoping to get a closer look at crocodiles, their travel companion unexpectedly turned off the engine. As Rita recounted with wit, “Immediately, one croc knocked forcefully on the bottom of our little boat while two or three appeared in the vicinity, opening their mouths. One of them seemed to be eyeing Andreas, the smallest member of our party, as a possible hors d’oeuvre.” They all screamed in unison, urging their boat rider to waste no time restarting the engine.

Andreas Esheté, a budding intellectual, formed a collaborative relationship with Richard to study the country’s traditional life, including indigenous self-help associations. In December 1958, they co-published an article in Ethiopia Observer on this topic, marking Andreas’s first scholarly publication.

Later, Andreas studied philosophy at Williams College, earning his undergraduate degree, and at Yale University, where he earned his doctorate in 1970. He held professorial positions at several American universities, published work in moral and political philosophy, and authored numerous writings on Ethiopia.
It is evident that Andreas Esheté’s friendship with the Pankhursts had a notable influence on his development and life. This enduring relationship, which also involved Alula and Helen Pankhurst, contributed to shaping his trajectory, demonstrating how meaningful connections can impact one’s path.