The following cues were found in the “Portrait of a Bandit” on how Weldegabriel became not only a popular, but a mythological figure in turbulent times:
- Attention was given to pre-existing laws and traditions of the native culture. For example, the Mesazgi brothers avoided killing other Eritreans in order to avoid blood-feuds but they were also allowed by their feuding laws to kill the new governor, kin to their father’s supposed murderer.
- They responded to the anxieties and fears of the population, namely, the lack of land. With the example of the eventual removal of the minority clan through their non-lethal actions, more land became available for the villagers.
- Having a goal that served the whole community kickstarted their reputation as “special” bandits. By garnering attention and convincing people to denounce the semi-feudal rights and therefore, end the lords’ right to land and free labour, the brothers could have easily be seen as revolutionary heroes.
- What might be the most important point in my opinion is the removal of a foreign power or threat. The Mesazgi brothers targeted mainly Italians and were targeted back by the police, both unpopular forces by the general public. Their achievements against the colonial power were even symbolically underlined by making roads that were previously illegal for the public to use now available.
- The last point I would add, and would argue that it is debatable on whether it should be on the list, is the morality displayed by Weldegabriel. Conscious of the possibility of blood feuds, he did not kill fellow-Eritreans and he did not “burn houses or crops” (9). Overall, he remained a morally gray figure the public could rally behind.