Point Four highlights the history of Haramaya University, an agricultural technical
campus in Ethiopia established in 1956 in collaboration with the United States government
and with assistance from OSU. Formerly known as Alemaya College, the institution
was officially inaugurated by Emperor Haile Selassie on January 16, 1958.
“The documentary is about U.S. foreign policy that was successfully implemented
in Ethiopia,” said Mel Tewahade, director of the Point Four Documentary. “The Alemaya
College was established with the help of Oklahoma State University. They provided
the expertise and Ethiopia provided the funds.”
The film borrows its name from President Harry Truman’s 1949 inaugural address
in which he announced a technical assistance program for developing countries that
later became known as “The Point Four Program.”
David Henneberry, Associate Vice President for International Studies and Outreach,
said the Point Four program resulted in America’s close partnership with Ethiopia
in helping to establish some of the country’s technical higher-education institutions.
“This documentary is a great way to showcase the history and partnership between
OSU and Haramaya University and how two countries came together for the common good
of the people,” Henneberry said.
In 1951, representatives of the United States and the Ethiopian government signed
an agreement which promised cooperation in the exchange of technical knowledge and
skill necessary to contribute to the development of economic resources and productive
capacities of Ethiopia.
The two countries signed an agreement in 1952 to start building the Imperial
Ethiopian College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts. It was decided that Henry
Bennett, then president of OSU, head up a plan to assist Ethiopia with the creation
of an agricultural college. With the support of members of the Point Four team and
Haile Selassie himself, the project began in 1952.
A site in the province of Harar was chosen and OSU began by establishing physical
plants and bringing in staff to run academic and research programs. By the time
the program came to an end in 1968, there were 300 highly trained American citizens
that lived and worked in Ethiopia to build this university.
The movie features interviews with Americans who were involved with the program
in Ethiopia as well as Ethiopian graduates from the school.
“My inspiration to make the movie is to honor all the great people including
my own father who worked hard to establish this agricultural college,” said Tewahade.
“As a kid I traveled to Alemaya from our house in Harar and I have a pleasant memory
of the place.”
Watch the Point Four trailer at http://vimeo.com/29749974.