Part 1: The Throne, Pages 17-26 Summary and Analysis

Kapuscinski never met with an informant alone. The Ethiopians were usually far too suspicious to even see a white man, let alone talk to him about sensitive matters. He was always accompanied by a guide whose name was Teferra Gebrewold. He first met Teferra when he came to Ethiopia for a convention of African political leaders. The Emperor had invited members of the press from around the world and Kapuscinski came to cover the occasion for Poland. The convention was held in the nation's capital, Addis Adaba. Since this convention was a moment when Ethiopia would, so to speak, be on a stage for the whole word, the Emperor had hastily tried to modernize it with new buildings and new public works, but the construction took longer than expected and carried on throughout...