BY ELELLA DABA
How does one start a letter to a hero of the people? What are the right words that ought to be used to ask how you are doing during these trying times? How are those languishing in prison with you doing? After four years of imprisonment, my hope and prayer was that you would never see the inside of a prison cell ever again, that you would remain united with your family and continue to lead the peaceful struggle for freedom of our people. That hope and prayer has included each and every Oromo soul trapped in these gulags built by one of the most undemocratic regime. Alas, you and 50,000 Oromos are languishing in prison for simply being born Oromo.
In the wake of #Oromoprotests, they couldn’t wait to arrest you again, throw you back into prison and claim victory. I guess somebody forgot to tell them that they could only imprison your body, not your soul or your vision for Oromia. They seemed to utterly be convinced that imprisoning you and thousands of Oromos would end this protest. Who knew they were just adding fuel to the fire? But, do your tormentors ever get that your physical imprisonment is reciprocally a perpetual arrest for their own conscience, in case they have one?
You remember when you were talking about peaceful struggle and you said, “either they have to free us all or imprison us all”? To see you say that so calmly and eloquently was immensely encouraging. It reminded us all that each and every Oromo doesn’t stand alone, that we are 40 million strong and whatever storm is headed our way we would face it together. I have no doubt that this message has stayed in the hearts of many, and united they came out to protest from north, south, east and west and continue to do so.
Today I watched you going to their moot court barefoot and hardly with any clothes on. They put you on sham trial not really knowing they are on trial themselves. They fail to get that they are being tried in the court of humanity with 40 million Oromo judging them. They denied you and other Oromo prisoners from wearing black clothes as a sign of mourning. In this undemocratic country, we are not even allowed to mourn the arbitrary killing of our children, youth and elders. We are not allowed to show how our hearts are bleeding from losing them. They are trying to make the rules of how we should mourn and remember those whose souls have been set free to join a place where injustice is no more.
Dear Bekele, in you I see every Oromo who has left his or her home in quest of freedom for the Oromo people. I see many of those who are no longer with us because they paid the ultimate price. I see those that are still languishing in prison with you, but most of all I see the young generation that is learning from you daily and that is willing to further this cause come what may. Your vision has been imprinted into the Qubee souls and no amount of intimidation or imprisonment will ever unseat that.
I guess that is why the oppressor is acting like a mad dog, running left and right not knowing what to do. I guess that is why they are imprisoning peaceful people like you and using their weapons on protesters that are only demanding for their God given rights to not be violated. They can wield all the weapons and threaten to no end but they cannot stop your vision for your country, nor can they break your spirit or the sprit of our people. There is little left to do when there is a clear vision like yours whose time has come.
I have no doubt one day this too will pass, and that you will be reunited with your family and your people that hold you near and dear to their hearts. Until then, dearest Bekele Gerba, remember that you are 40 million strong. You will never stand alone! Also remember this: your peaceful struggle philosophy outguns their armies, your sole soul outmans them all, your moral leadership overpowers their echo-chamber.
Finally, I will leave you with a quote of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in his Letter from the Birmingham Jail “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Yours Sincerely
Elella Daba
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