Jawarian tragedy – Robele Ababya July 20, 2013

by Robele Ababya 
The narcissist political activist and orator (leader?) of the Jawarian ethnic clan trading in the name of the great Oromo Ethiopians told the world that there are 50 million Muslims in Ethiopia of which 80% or 40 million are Muslim Oromos. But the young blood thirsty demagogue with insatiable lust for power did not disclose his source for his wild claim of the numbers.

The fabricator of the divisive statistics has no one to blame but himself for the tragedy of political bankruptcy that is going to haunt him for the rest of his life and bring shame to his alma mater.
Notwithstanding my deep respect for the heroic Ethiopian Muslims for their peaceful and lawful struggle for their constitutional rights, I am bitter about the concocted Jawarian statistics being used to divide Christians and Muslims and poison their relatively harmonious co-existence spanning 1434 years.
I want to disclose that one of my close friends that stood at my wedding as one of the three best men at the celebration was a Muslim from Harar and me an Orthodox Tewahedo Christian from Shoa. We were friends for nearly 50 years when death separated us; and I wept stricken by grief recalling all those years replete with trust, sharing of secrets, rejoicing Christian and Muslim holidays, feasting at each other’s house, chatting in Oromiffa when our mothers were present for none of the duo spoke in Amharic. Interestingly we spoke in Amharic as soon as our Mums engaged in their private conversations.
A striking example which I will never forget! A jet airplane fighter pilot, named Ismael (Captain?), died in an airplane crash. As preparation for his funeral was underway according to the IEAF regulations, his sister produced a will expressing his wish to be buried at the cemetery reserved for IEAF personnel, a site located at the foot of the hill beneath Saint Rufael Church at the top overlooking the city of Debre Zeit and the Air Force Base. The Administrator of the Church declined to give permission on grounds of religion. The matter was brought to the then General Manager of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Christian Church. He too was unable to decide. The dispute was finally brought to the Monarch in His capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Emperor Haile Selassie made a historic decision with His immortal remarks rebuking the Church officials. In effect, He ruled that here on earth political expediency is dividing the living. There is no reason that this practice should affect the dead resting in peace. Go and fulfill the wishes of the fallen pilot.
So Ismael was laid to rest at the graveyard beside his fallen friends in the service of their country, Ethiopia.
The enormously resonant rallying revolutionary song “Tenesa Teramed” aired nationwide in 1974 was rooted in the culture of the Imperial Ethiopian Air Force (IEAF) that rebuffed divisive religious or ethnic issues among its members by affectionately embracing the role of unity in diversity.
Ethiopian Demographics relevant to this piece
The following statistics extracted from the CIA Factbook updated in 2013. The CIA follows the Ethiopian Central Statics figures in compiling its information.
Ethnic groups
Oromo 34.5%, Amara 26.9%, Somalie 6.2%, Tigraway 6.1%, Sidama 4%, Gurage 2.5%, Welaita 2.3%, Hadiya 1.7%, Affar 1.7%, Gamo 1.5%, Gedeo 1.3%, other 11.3% (2007 Census).
Languages
Oromigna (official regional) 33.8%, Amarigna (Amharic) (official) 29.3%, Somaligna 6.2%, Tigrigna (official regional) 5.9%, Sidamigna 4%, Wolayitigna 2.2%, Guaragigna 2%, Affarigna 1.7%, Hadiyigna 1.7%, Gamogna 1.5%, other 11.7%, English (official) (major foreign language taught in schools), Arabic (official) (1994 census)
Religions
Orthodox 43.5%, Muslim 33.9%, Protestant 18.6%, traditional 2.6%, Catholic 0.7%, other 0.7% (2007 Census)
Population
91,195,675 (July 2012 est.).Country comparison to the world: 14
Deductions from the above data
The CIA Factbook estimate (2013) Ethiopian population is estimated at 91, 195, 675. Therefore:-

• The number of Ethiopian Muslims is 30, 915, 334. The 50 million Muslims in Ethiopia which the Jawarians claim, exceed the official number by 19, 192,130
• Orthodox 43.5%, Protestant 18.6%, traditional 2.6%, Catholic 0.7%, other 0.7% (2007 Census) add up to 66.1% or 60,883,145
• The fabricated Jawarian statistics puts the number of Ethiopian Muslims at 50 million, which translates to 54.945% of the entire Ethiopian people, a whopping difference of 21.045% from the official figure of 33.9% on the high side
• 80% Oromo Muslims amount to 40 million – compared to the official estimate of 30,915,334 Muslims of all ethnic groups

Quite an array of numbers incentive for lunatic clan of warriors in the 21^st century equipped with Machetes on a Jihadist mission to engender an Islamic Oromia state. These demagogues must be nipped in the bud for as the old adage goes “a stich in time saves nine”. Lo and behold, the nostalgia of Ahmad Gragn’s ruinous adventure is rearing its head in vain, but must be kept in check. I dare say that this generation has a responsibility to do so as descendant of Ethiopis, according to history lesson I was taught in class as a young boy during the Imperial regime.
The ethnic grouping overlooks the overwhelming majority due to mixed marriages. For example, if the mother is an Oromo and the father is an Amhara their child is classified as an Amhara – and vice versa. It is possible that siblings from an Oromo mother can be half-brothers or half-sisters and classified as Amhara or Oromo ethnic group. It would be a catastrophic scenario if such siblings fighting each other if at all the ill-conceived wishes of the myopic Jawarian clan succeed.
Menelik II was born of an Amhara father and an Oromo mother in Shoa, but classified as an Amhara. It is confirmed by written records and anecdotally that Ras Gobana Dacche under the Monarch was a famous Oromo persona who had made significant contribution to the development of modern Ethiopia.
In this digital age, radicalizing intra-religion, inter-religion, intra-ethnic or inter-ethnic division will aggravate the sufferings of the interests of masses living as slaves in abject poverty. What the Ethiopian people now need is a united leadership to bring the ongoing demonstrations to a thunderous climax of peaceful mega-demonstration nationwide to usher in an all-inclusive regime.
Finally, I for one am deeply grateful to my role model Emperor Menilik II and the famous Oromo persona, Ras Gobana under His command, for their foresight in the development of modern Ethiopia, preserving our independence during the era of the scramble for Africa. I pray that any attempt to discredit their legacy is met with vehement rebuff at all costs.
I close this piece with my daily mantra, which is: Demand the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience including Andualem Aragie, Eskinder Nega, Bekele Gerba, Reeyot Alemu, Leaders of the Ethiopian Muslims et al!
LONG LIVE ETHIOPIA!!!
rababya@gmail.com

Are you an Oromo first or Muslim or Ethiopian? July 20, 2013

Are you an Oromo first or Muslim or Ethiopian? July 20, 2013

by Kiflu Hussain
I just read a very thoughtful article titled “Are you Oromo First or Ethiopian First?”Authored by Awol Allo and published by The web of Legal Theory Group of Glasgow University.
The piece enabled me to distance myself from the cantankerous exchanges as seen on social media between those of us who are proponents of raw Ethiopian patriotism and raw Oromo liberation activism.Accordingly,I was forced to reflect on my own position and give it articulation. In the process, I even found it difficult to prevent myself from delving into my diverse background.
From this perspective and some of the powerful points that Awol raised, I not only enjoyed his piece. I also shared some of his sentiments such as how a narrative of history is determined by those who hold power to the extent of making its subjects believe that the narrative is a common history shared by all and sundry. His suggestion for Ethiopia to be conceived as “a creation of a grand historical narrative and Ethiopiawinet as an ideology” per se poses no threat to my own Ethiopiawinet either. Since I have been convinced long ago by other scholars that Ethiopia like the United States of America, Great Britian, France etc, has “crafted beautiful lies of its own aimed at creating a ‘historical knowledge’ that serves as a weapon of power,” that too didn’t impress me as a revelation nor had it left the effect of any shock therapy.
Thus, up to that point I went along with the writer’s thesis that projected proponents of Ethiopiawinet as neurotic when challenged with historical grievances cited by opponents of Oromumma.Yet,Mr.Awol neglected to show the other side of the coin when he went into great length to quote writers such as Michael Foucault and Semir Yusuf. While I find no fault with these writers observation of history or Ethiopia, Mr.Awol should also have been aware of Howard Zinn, an American historian who authored A PEOPLE’S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. Howard Zinn was someone considered as far left to the despair of the mainstream America. He succeeded to upset the narrative of the American history that was held so dear not only by so many Americans but also by a multitude of suckers throughout the world.Zinn presented a different version so compelling to the extent of making it difficult for his detractors to dismiss the scholarly work whose title mentioned above.
Although, Howard Zinn stated his viewpoint in telling the history of the United States as follows;
“–we must not accept the memory of states as our own. Nations are not communities, and never have been. The history of any country, presented as the history of a family, conceals fierce conflicts of interest (sometimes exploding, most often repressed) between conquerors and conquered, masters and slaves, capitalists and workers, dominators and dominated in race and sex.And in such a world of conflict, a world of victims and executioners, it is the job of thinking people, as Albert Camus suggested not to be on the side of the executioners.”
Yet, he also hastened to add, for the sake of a balanced account of history, that “the cry of the poor is not always just, but if you don’t listen to it, you will never know what justice is.”
In light of the above, therefore, is it only Ethiopiawinet that tends to be neurotic when challenged by those who feel historically aggrieved? In fact, are proponents of Oromumma justified to the extent of coming up with a centrifugal demand that further threatens to rent the Ethiopian state asunder? My own diverse family background that consists of “Amhara,”Eritrean and Oromo extraction, not to speak of the religious background, informs me without reading into any fancy scholarly work that the elites of this three ethnic groups have always been fierce power contenders who succeeded at one time or another and directly or indirectly to monopolize the national cake. In so doing, they excluded other Ethiopians such as the people of Wolayita, Gambella, Gurage etc.Ironically, though, history has never recorded a separatist movement against Ethiopia from the peoples of these region whom history has recognized to be the most oppressed and brutally subjugated.
An Ethiopian political scientist named Merera Gudina from Oromo ethnic group put the plight of Oromos in his book Ethiopia; Competing ethnic nationalism and the quest for democracy as follows;
“—while the group of Oromos who penetrated historic Ethiopia or Abyssinia were participating in the making of history in the North, the bulk of the Oromo population were living in the South, East and West independently or with little contact with North Ethiopia. This greater part of the Oromo population became the victim of Menelik’s conquest in the last quarter of the century. The irony of Oromo history therefore is that they were among of the conquerors and the conquered, that they produced kings and queens while at the same time reduced to ‘gabbar’ (serf) and tenants alienated from the land of their ancestors.”
Further showing the futility of proponents of Oromumma, Merera added that “one can argue that one of the difficulties in promoting Oromo nationalism is that the colonial thesis is inappropriate for a people whose history, geography and demography did not fully fit them into the colonial system recorded in history.”To drive home his points, he gave the best example;
“The British Queen never married a Ghanian, a Nigerian or a Kenyan, but Ethiopian kings were marrying an Oromo.Tewodros, Menelik and Haile Selassie are the best examples. By the same token, the Ghanaians, the Nigerians or the Kenyans never dreamt to become kings and queens of the British Empire under whatever type of assimilation, but the Oromos assimilados were able to become kings and queens of imperial Ethiopia. The best examples are Iyassu, Haile Selassie, King Michael of Wollo and King Takle Hymanot of Gojam.”
Against this backdrop of history, Ethiopians are justified for bringing their “love affair” to a “sudden halt” with Jawar Mohamed for responding on AJStream “I am an Oromo first; Ethiopia is imposed on me.”If the gentleman had the wisdom to respond, I am an Oromo first, and then I am an Ethiopian next, no such “Tsunami” would have followed. Unfortunately, even that one is further from the truth. What caused the uproar is not Jawar’s response on AJStream.Rather it was his next public utterance in Amharic whereby he glorified his Muslim “fellows” for chopping the head of non-Muslims or Christian Ethiopians. One wonders then as to what would be Jawar’s response if asked “Are you Oromo first or Ethiopian or Muslim?”
An Ethiopian Social & Political Commentator
Email: kiflukam@yahoo.com

The last Ethiopian standing July 19, 2013

The last Ethiopian standing July 19, 2013

by Yilma Bekele
That is exactly what I feel like now. Who died and left me with this burden is not clear to me but believe me I feel like I am all alone and it is up to me to carry the flag and sing the national anthem. This business of being an Ethiopian has never been easy but you would think with experience and practice I have gotten the hang of it. I am afraid I am hopeless in that department. I still feel the burden.
They say the environment shapes our behavior. I am not here to argue whether ‘nature’ or ‘nurture’ is the defining role in our development I will leave that to the scientists. Speaking for myself I believe the environment has played a big role in shaping who I am today. I am a transplanted Ethiopian who has been culturally shocked, mentally molded, philosophically tampered and forced to question realty on a daily basis. I have no idea how that central theme of being Ethiopian has managed to survive in all the thousands of ways my central core has been violently breached.
I have survived it all thanks to my family and that little town in Southern Ethiopia that imbued me with respect for elders, love for your neighbor and the beauty of leaving with different cultures in a mutually beneficial way.  Those values are what differentiate the beast from the human. I believe that upbringing gave me an advantage when later on in life I found myself in circumstances that I have never thought I would find myself in. I have confronted moving to Addis from my small town, crossing an ocean to come to America, being the object of curiosity in small town in Oregon and coming to terms in growing old in the US with that wisdom I learnt while growing up that says ‘it is not really that bad just deal with it.’
As I said I have dealt with most things in a calm collected manner. The one thing that is really causing me pain and agony is this business of defending my country Ethiopia. It feels to me,  mind you I might be mistaken, or a little touchy but it feels to me that every Hagos, Ketema, Kuma, Abdella, Betiso  etc. is dumping on me for crimes I have no idea I committed.
Well you my Ethiopian reader, can I call you that without offending you, any way you must be thinking why the heck am I telling you all this in the middle of summer? It is because a few things happened the last few days and I felt they were directed at me. Not personally you know but since I feel I am the last one standing it felt personal in a roundabout way.
The big momentous event was my dear friend Jawar declaring he is Oromo first and his Ethiopianess was imposed on him. I have no problem with that. In fact I believe Jawar is Oromo, Ethiopian and American. He has got choices. Which one he puts primary is all up to him. I also don’t know if being an American was imposed on him or he voluntarily filled up a form and swore allegiance to the star spangled banner. With this speech he seems to dig the hole a little deeper. He was heard equating Ethiopian Oromo Moslems with those in Somalia and Djibouti claiming it to be one and the same struggle. I am afraid his next Al Jazeera appearance he is going to have to answer the question are you Muslim first or Oromo first. Good luck my friend.
The only thing I have problem is his assumption of the role of a spokesman ship for the Oromo people of Ethiopia. As far as I know he has never been elected to any office. He has never been sent as a delegate by any group in present day Ethiopia to speak for them. He has not articulated their demands in a coherent manner, written books about their glorious history, interpreted the nuances of their culture or educated the rest of us about the Oromo condition. In other words other than others declaring him an up and coming young intellectual and him playing that role to the hilt he has not bothered to study, interpret, add on the history and role of the Oromo people in what we call Ethiopia. Of course I stand to be corrected if someone could present me with a proof showing Obbo Jawar’s vast contribution to the knowledge base of Oromo history, Oromo culture and Oromo Psychology.
In the You tube video being distributed he is addressing a gathering of Oromo Muslims. I am assuming he was invited as an analyst regarding the Ethiopian Moslem confrontation with the dictatorial regime taking place in our country.
How did our political analyst approach the challenge is a good question to ask. All I could say is he did not respect the sensibilities of his audience. He was confrontational. He was dismissive, he was arrogant and he was an extremist of the highest order. That is the impression I got after watching this Duche like sermon. From what I understand the Ethiopian Moslem issue is regarding state interference in their religion. It is not about political power, it is not about demonizing the rest that don’t have the same belief. Then why is the speaker turning this peaceful issue of respect into one of violent confrontation? Our Ethiopian Moslem leaders have done a splendid job of making friends with all Ethiopians regardless of religion and gone the extra mile not to antagonize anyone and succeeded beyond expectations. The rest of Ethiopia has embraced their quest for fair treatment and stood side by side with them. Why is our young intellectual turning this simple request for respect into a jihad?
Is it possible our dear friend Jawar grew up in Woyane Ethiopia thus his understanding of our common history derives from that perspective. It looks like he never bothered to scratch below the surface and learn if there is more. What is education for if not to answer vital questions in a rational and measured manner? What is the point of learning if not to pinpoint problems and look for answers that would bring not only lasting solutions but harmony? Why would anyone boast about cutting peoples necks off because they follow a different god?  Caught in the heat of the moment my young friend said that.
That was a week ago. Many people wrote their opinions about that.  That is the beauty of democracy. It is all about the individual’s right to speak and write what he thinks and others to respond. We all learn from the diverse views and the give and take. Some we reject off hand, some gives us a pause and a some really say what we believe and we go ‘I am not alone.’  So that is what I was doing when I came across this audio by Ato Abdi Fite on Ze Habesha.com.  It is presented in a rational manner but misses the point by a mile. It just does not seem to answer a very simple question that it itself asks. Who is us against them?
As far as I am concerned Ato Abdi Fite has locked himself into this small room and anybody outside is the enemy. Is that the way it is? What is the difference between the Oromo farmer, the Amhara peasant, the Tigrai laborer, the Adal pastoralist, the Ogaden herder, the Gambellan fisherman, the Dorze weaver etc.?  Aren’t they all victims of the system? Isn’t this what the struggle is all about? Can one be free while the rest stay in bondage? Shouldn’t we all work together to liberate them all so they could grow and prosper?
Ato Abdi was repeating himself so much I thought we were on a never ending loop. Just because something is said many times over does not make it turn out to be a factual statement. It is just false hood but told in twenty minutes instead of two. The central theme in his audio essay is to accuse the rest of Ethiopians ignoring the plight of his Oromo people. Does he have a leg to stand on?
Not really. When in the sixties the Ethiopian students confronted the Imperial regime their number one slogan was ‘land to the tiller.’ They did not specify Amhara, Oromo, Sidama, Tigrai etc. land but their demand was all inclusive. When they went out and established EPRP and other anti-dictatorship associations they did not think in terms of ethnic affiliation but a nationwide movement. Today the Diaspora which Ato Abdi is addressing, I don’t see any ethnic based successful movement working to get rid of the ethnic based TPLF that is tormenting our country and people. We have one voice that abhors ethnic division, avoids ethnic/religion divide and concentrates in uniting the many to get rid of the few troublemaker woyanes.
It is true we popularize some of the victims of the TPLF but that is a political move. We are aware there are thousands of Eskinders, Reyots, Wubshets, Bekeles, Abubakers but we mention those victims as a symbol for the many. We don’t even ask what ethnic group they belong to nor do we care.
Instead of telling us where we failed him I wish he would tell us where he called on us and we ignored his cry. Instead of accusing us of not paying attention to the Oromo question I wish he would tell us what he did to popularize the Oromo issue. In today’s Ethiopia the system is the problem. The solution is to unite all the victims in a democratic and equal association to smash the system and build a new one that respects their aspiration to be free, to be seen as equal and form a lasting union. Being a polarizing figure like the road taken by Meles Zenawi is not the way to go. Uniting people to work for a common solution they could all live with is the Mandela way and it is much preferable and lasting.
What I find troubling about our two Oromo operatives is their failure to see the futility of the treatment they are prescribing to resolve the ethnic divide in our country. The medicine they are ranting about has been administered by the OLF for the last forty years. What exactly has it achieved other than give a false sense of cure while the disease is causing untold damage to our people? With wisdom born from experience the present day OLF is in the process of revising their failed policy and searching for ways of working with others like them that are feeling the brunt of TPLF fire. That is what leadership is about.
Our young intellectuals seem to be gung ho about opening old wounds and reviving past mistakes. What is also surprising is their suicidal drive to offend the one friend they always have on their corner. I am referring to the progressive forces in the Diaspora that are working hard to expose the TPLF regime. The Diaspora is the most important and natural ally of the oppressed people of Ethiopia. There is not one Diaspora organization that opposes the right of the Oromo people to determine their future without undue interference from outsiders. We feel the liberation of the Oromo is the liberation of the Amhara, the Gurage, the Tigrai and all Ethiopians.
Timing is very important in political struggle. Today our country seems to be entering a new stage with the death of the dictator. The political parties are making good progress in wiping out fear from their constituents. We have broken the regimes strangle on mass media thanks to ESAT. It is a shame the ranting and a childish tantrum of a few is taking our eyes away from the prize. All I can say is grow up, coming up with bizarre talk trying to garner attention lasts a few days but in the end you have to live with yourself.