Thursday, September 19, 2013

ሀበሻም ሆነ የሀበሻ አመለካከት ወይም አሰተሳሰብ ያለዉ፦ ሁለቱም የኦሮሞ የነፃነት ትግል ፀር ናቸዉ

ወደ ጽሁፌ ዋናዉ ይዘት ከመግባቴ በፊት አሰቀድሜ አንድ ነገር ግልፅ ማድረግ እፈልጋለሁ። ይኸዉም ሀበሻ (አብሲንያ) የኦሮሞ የነፃነት ትግል ፀር ነዉ ስል ሰላማዊዉን ያአማራም ሆነ የትገሬ ብሔር ሕዝቦችን በጅምላ ባንድ አይን ማየቴ ሳይሆን ስለ ኦሮሞ የነፃነት ትግል ፀር በማነሳበት ጊዜ በይበልጥ የማተኩረዉ ከነዚሁ ብሔሮች ዉሰጥ በወጡት አሮጌ (የአማራ) እና አዲሱ (የትግሬ) ነፍጠኞች ላይ ነዉ። የኦሮሞ የነፃነት ትግል ፀር የሆኑትም እነዚሁ ሐይሎችና የነሱን አሰተሳሰብ ወይም አመለካከት ተከትለዉ የሚሄዱ ጀሌዎቻቸዉ ናቸዉ። የነሱ አሰተሳሰብ ወይም አመለካከት ያላቸዉ ጃሌዎች ስል ምን ማለቴ ነዉ? እነዚህ ጀሌዎች የሀበሻን (ነፍጠኛን) አሰተሳሰብ የሚያንፀባርቁት በተለያዩ መንገዶች ሲሆኑ ከነዚህ መነገዶች ዉሰጥ አንዳንዶቹን ባጭሩ ለማብራራት እሞከራለሁ።
አንደኛ መንገድ ከሀበሻ እምነት ጋር በተለይም ከኦርቶዶክስ ሃይማኖት ጋር ትስስር ስለኣላቸዉ በዚህ በኩል ደግሞ በሚነገራቸዉ ወይም በሚሰበካቸዉ የኢትዮጵያዊነት ስሜት የተነሳ ማንነታቸዉን እነዲረሱ ወይንም ጥያቄ ዉስጥ እንዲያሰገቡ ይደረጋሉ። የማንነት ቀዉስ (identity crisis) ያላቸዉ እነዚሁ ሰዎች ዋንኛዉ ምክንያት የሚመነጨዉ ከዚህ ነዉ ማለት ይቻላል። ለዚህም ነዉ እነዚህ ሰዎች ማንነታቸዉን (ሆነዉ የተፈጠሩትን) ትተዉ በሌላ መንገድ የተጫነባቸዉን ኢትዮጵያዊነትን የሚያሰቀድሙት።
ሁለተኛዉ መንገድ በጋብቻና በሌሎች መንገዶች ከሀበሻ ጋር መቀላቀል ነዉ። ሀበሾች በተለይም ነፍጠኞች የኦሮሞን የነፃነት ትግል፣ የኦሮሞን የራስን እድል በራስ የመወሰን መብት ባንድ መንገድ ብቻ ነዉ የሚያዩት። ይህም ጥዋትና ማታ እንደሚዘፍኑት የመገንጠል ጥያቄ ነዉ። ስለዚህ በጋብቻ ከነሱ ጋር የተቀላቀሉትን መሳሪያ በማድረግ፣ ነገ ኦሮሚያ ብትገነጠል በመሃል (ከሀበሾችና ኦሮሞ) የተወለዱት ወይም ሚወለዱት ልጆች ዕጣ ፋነታቸዉ ምን ይሆናል በማለት ከነሱ ጋር በጋብቻ የተቀላቀሉትን ኦሮሞዎች በፕሮፓጋንዳቸዉ በማደንቆር ለኦሮሞ የነፃነት ታጋዮች እንቅፋት እንድሆኑባቸዉ ያደርጔቸዋል። እነዚህም ኦሮሞዎች በዚሁ ፐሮፓጋንዳ በመታለል የሀበሾች ጀሌዎች እንድሆኑ ይደረጋሉ ማለት ነዉ።
ሦስተኛዉ መንገድ ደግሞ የፖለቲካ አስተሳሰብ ወይም አመለካከት (political ideology) ነዉ። ይህ ጉዳይ ሰፊ ትንታኔ የሚጠይቅ ስለሆነ ሌላ ጊዜ በሰፊዉ እመለስበታለሁ። ለዛሬ ግን አንዳንድ ነገሮችን ባጭሩ ለማንሳት እሞክራለሁ። የፖለቲካ አሰተሳሰብ ወይም አመለካከት ራሱ ከተለያየ አቅጣጫ ነዉ የሚመነጨዉ። ከነዚህ ዉሰጥ አንዱ በራስ አለመተማመን ነዉ። በራስ አለመተማመን ደግሞ በመጀመሪያ አንግበዉ የተነሱለትን ዓላማ ትተዉ ወደ ሌላ አቅጣጫ እንዲሄዱ ያደርጋል። የዓለምና የአካባቢ ሁኔታ መለወጥ፣እንደዚሁም ደግሞ የነፃነት ትግል መርዘም፣ በዚህም የተነሳ ትግዕስት ማጣት ወይም ተስፋ የመቁረጥ ሁኔታ ስለሚፈጠር የቆሙለትን ዓላማ ትተዉ በተቃራኒ መንገድ እንድሄዱ ያደርጋል ማለት ነዉ።
እንግዲህ የሀበሻ (የነፍጠኛ) አሰተሳሰብ ወይም አመለካከት ያላቸዉ ጃሌዎችን ባጭሩ ካብራራሁ በኋለ ወደ ዋናዉ የፅሁፌ ርዕስ በመመለስ፣ሀበሾችም ሆኑ ጀሌዎቻቸዉ እንዴት የኦሮሞ የነፃነት ትግል ፀር እንደሆኑ ከዚህ ቀጥዬ አንዳንድ ነገሮችን ለመጠቃቀስ እሞክራለሁ።
እንደሚታወሰዉ ከጥቂት ሳምንታት በፊት በኦሮሞነት (Oromummaa) ላይ የፀረ ማንነት ዘመቻ ስካሄድ ነበር። በኦሮሞነት ላይ የሚደረገዉ ዘመቻ የተጀመረዉ ዛሬ ባይሆንም ነገር ግን በይበልጥ ጎልቶ የታየዉና እንደ ቦምብ የፈነዳዉ በአልጃዝራ ቴሌቭዥን (Aljazeera TV) ላይ ከሶስት የኦሮሞ ታጋዮች ጋር ስለ ኦሮሞ ህዝብ ጉዳይ ዉይይት ከተካሄደ ወዲህ ነዉ። እነደምታወቀዉ በዚህ ጉዳይ ላይ በቀረበለት ጥያቄ መሠረት ወጣቱ የኦሮሞ ታጋይ ጀዋር መሃመድ ”I am Oromo First” ብሎ ከተናገረ በኋላ ይህ ጉዳይ ነፍጠኞችንና ጀሌዎቻቸዉን ከማስቆጣት አልፎ እንደ እብድ ዉሻ ስያደርጋቸዉ ነበር። ለምንድነዉ እነደዚያ የምያደርጋቸዉ ብለን ጥያቄ ብናነሳ፣ ለዚህ ጥያቄ መልስ የሚሆኑትን የተለያዩ ምክንያቶችን መጥቀስ ቢቻልም ትልቁና ዋንኛዉ ምክንያት ኦሮሞነት (Oromummaa) የኦሮሞ የነፃነት ትግል ሞተር (engine) ስለሆነ፣ ይህንን ትግል ለማዳከም በመጀመሪያ ኦሮሞነትን ማዳከም አስፈላጊ ስለምሆን ሀበሻና ጀሌዎቻቸዉ በ Oromummaa ላይ ዘመቻ ያካሂዳሉ። በነገራችን ላይ ለምሳሌ እንበልና ጀዋር መሃመድም ሆነ ሌላ ኦሮሞ ተነስቶ I am Wallaggaa Oromo… ወይም Arsii Oromoo… ወይም Baalee Oromoo… ወይም Boranaa Oromoo ወይም Shawaa Oromoo First ብሎ ቢናገር፣ ሀበሾች ከመቆጣት ይልቅ ወሰን የለሽ ደስታቸዉን እንደሚገልጹ አያጠያይቅም። ለምን ቢባል የኦሮሞ ሕዝብ በክልል፣ አካባቢና ሃይማኖት መለያየት ለነሱ ትልቁ ፍላጎትና ዓላማቸዉም ስለሆነ ነዉ። ለነሱ ራስ ምታትና ነቀርሳ የሚሆንባቸዉ የ Oromummaa ማደግና መጠናከር ነዉ። የ Oromummaa ማደግና መጠናከር የኦሮሞን አንድነትና ሀይል ያጠናክራል። የኦሮሞ አንድነት መጠናከር የነፃነት ትግሉን ያጠናክራል ማለት ነዉ።
አሮጌዉንና አዲሱን ነፍጠኞች አንድ የሚያደርጋቸዉ ጉዳይ ሁለቱም Oromummaa ን እንደ አንድ የጋራ ጠላታቸዉ ማየታቸዉ ነዉ። ይህንን የጋራ ጠላታቸዉን ለማጥፋት በሚያደርጉት ዘመቻ ላይ ሁለቱም ይደጋገፋሉ። ዛሬ ባገራችን ኦሮሚያ ዉስጥ በአዲሱ ነፍጠኞች (በወያኔዎች) የሚታሰሩ፣ የሚገደሉና ከሀገር የሚሰደዱት ኦሮሞዎች በ Oromummaa የበሰሉ የኦሮሞ ብሔረተኞች ናቸዉ። “ሊጣላ የመጣ ሰበብ አያጣ “ እንደሚባለዉ በኦነግነትና በአሸበርተኝነት ተወንጅለዉ ለእስራት፣ ለሞትና ለስደት ይዳረጋሉ እንጂ ትልቁ ምክንያት ግን በ Oromummaa ላይ የሚደረገዉ የማንነት የማጥፋት ዘመቻ ነዉ። በወጣት ጀዋር መሃመድና በወጣት አብዲ ፊጤ ላይ የተደረገዉ ዘመቻ በግልፅ የሚያሳየዉ እነዚህ ወጣት ታጋዮች የኦሮሞ ነፃነት ግንባር (ኦነግ) አባል ወይንም አሸባሪዎች ሆነዉ ሳይሆን ለማንነታቸዉ ለ Oromummaa ቅድሚያ በመስጠታቸዉ ብቻ ነዉ። ማንነታቸዉን ትተዉ ለምን ኢትዮጵያዊነትን አያስቀድሙም ነዉ።
በዚህች በደም በተገነባች ኢምፓየር ዉስጥ ይቅርና የሁሉም ሕዝቦች እኩልነት በተጠበቀበት ሀገር ዉሰጥ እነኳን ማንም ሰዉ ማንነቱን (ሆኖ የተፈጠረዉን) እኔ ……. ነኝ ብሎ ከመናገር ይልቅ ማንነቱን ( identity) ትቶ ለሌላ ነገር ቅድሚያ ይሰጣል ብሎ ማሰብ ከእዉነት መራቅ ይሆናል። ነፍጠኞችና ጃሌዎቻቸዉ አንድ የዘነጉት ነገር አለ። ዛሬ የኦሮሞ የነፃነት ትግል የተዳከመ ወይም የቀዘቀዘ መስሎ ቢታያቸዉም፣ አዲሱን የኦሮሞ ትዉልድ በተለይም የቁቤን ትዉልድ (Qbee generation) ይቅርና ያልነቃዉንም የኦሮሞ ሕዝብ በማታለል ኢትዮጵያዊነትን በነሱ ላይ በመጫን የፖለቲካ ዓላማቸዉን ከግብ ለማድረስ የሚያደርጉት ወቅት ማለፉን ነዉ። በነገራችን ላይ ባሁኑ ወቅት ያልነቃ የኦሮሞ ሕዝብ ስለሌለ ለአባባል ያህል ይህንን ሐረግ በመጥቀሴ ሕዝቤን ይቅርታ መጠየቅ እፈልጋለሁ። ነፍጠኞችና ጃሌዎቻቸዉ ዛሬም ከ 22 ዓመታት በፊት በነበረዉ ጭነቅላታቸዉ ያስባሉ ብል ነገር ማጋነን አይሆንብኝም።
የአሮጌ ነፍጠኞች (የአማራ የገዥ ወገኖች) ትልቁ ዓላማቸዉ በዉድ የኦሮሞ ልጆች ደምና አጥንት የተገኘዉን ኦሮሚያን ከካርታ ላይ መፋቅና QUBEE ን ማጥፋት ነዉ። ባጠቃላይ ምኞትና ፍላጎታቸዉ የኦሮሞ የነፃነት ትግል እስከ ዛሬ ያስመዘገባቸዉን ድሎች ሁሉ ማጥፋት ነዉ። ይህንን ለማጥፋት ደግሞ የመጀመሪያ እርምጃ የኦሮሞን የብሔርተኝነት ስሜት መግደልና Oromummaa ን ማጥፋት ይሆናል። ለዚህም ነዉ ለምን ማንነታችሁን ትገልፃላችሁ፤ ለምን ማንነታችሁን ታስቀድማላችዉ እያሉ ዘመቻ የሚያካሄዱት። Oromummaa ን ማጥፋትና የኦሮሞን የብሔርተኝነት ስሜት መግደል ማለት ደግሞ የነፃነት ትግሉን ሞተር ማጥፋት ማለት ነዉ። ሞተሩ ከጠፋ ደግሞ የተጀመረዉ ትግል ጉዞዉን ቀጥሎ ከግብ መድረስ ስለማይችል የነሱ ፍላጎትና ዓላማ ተሳካላቸዉ ማለት ነዉ። ይሁን እንጂ ይህ የቀን ሕልማቸዉ መሆኑን መረዳት አለባቸዉ።
ወደ ፅሁፌ ማጠቃለያ ከመሄዴ በፊት የኦሮሞ የነፃነት ትግል ፀር ለሆኑት ሀይሎች ሁሉ የሚከተለዉን መልዕክት ማስተላለፍ እወዳለሁ።
በመጀመሪያ የኦሮሞ ብሔር ተወላጆች ሆናችሁ ግን የሀበሻ ጃሌዎች ለሆናችሁ፦
በእምነት ወይም በሀይማኖት፣ በጋብቻ፣ በማሕበራዊ ኑሮና በፖለቲካ አመለካከት ከሀበሻ ጋር ትስስር የፈጠራችሁት ሁሉ የሰፊዉ የኦሮሞ ሕዝብ የወደፊት ዕጣዉ፣ የራሱን ዕድል በራሱ የመወሰን መብቱ በእናንቴ ጥቅማትቅም መወሰን እነደማይችል በመገንዘብ ከእናት፣ ከአባት፣ ከወንድምና እህቶቻችሁ ጎን በመቆም፤ የዛሬን ጥቅምን ሳይሆን የነገዉን የሕዝባችሁን ግብ በማየት የኦሮሞ የነፃነት ትግል ፀር ከመሆን ፋንታ የትግሉ አጋዥ እንድትሆኑ የትዉልድ ግዴታችሁን እነድትወጡ ጥሪ ላቀርብላችሁ እወዳለሁ።
የኦሮሞ የነፃነት ትግል ፀር ለሆኑ ሀይሎች፦
የኦሮሞ የነፃነት ትግል የፖለቲካን ስለጣን ለመያዝ የሚደረገዉ ትግል አይደለም። ስሙ እንደሚገልፀዉ ይህ ትግል የነፃነት ትግል ነዉ። የሚፈለገዉ ነፃነት እስከሚጎናፀፍ ድረስ የማይቆምና የሚቀጥል ትግል ነዉ። የሰፊዉ የኦሮሞ ሕዝብ የራስን ዕድል በራስ የመወሰን መብት ትግል ነዉ። ይህ እስከሚረጋገጥ ድረስ ከትዉልድ ወደ ትዉልድ የሚተላለፍ ትግል ነዉ። በ 1991 የተመዘገቡት ድሎች በልመና የተገኙ ድሎች አይደሉም። ዉድ የኦሮሞ ልጆች በከፈሉት መስዋዕትነት የተገኙ ድሎች ናቸዉ። ዋንኛዉና ቀሪዉም ድል በኦሮሞ ልጆች ደምና አጥንት ብቻ የሚገኝ ይሆናል። ይህንን ሀቅ በመረዳት አዲሱ የኦሮሞ ተዉልድ በተለይም ከ 1991 በኋላ የተወለዱና በ QUBEE የተማሩ የቁቤ ትዉልድ ወጣቶቻችን የተጀመረዉን የነፃነት ትግል ለመጨረስና ቀሪዉን ድል ለመጎናፀፍ ከመቸዉም የበለጠ በቁርጠኝነት የተነሱ መሆናቸዉን እያሳዩ ነዉ። ስለዚህ የኦሮሞ ሕዝብ ከምድር ላይ እሰካልጠፉ ድረስ የነፃነት ትግሉ በየትኛዉም ሀይል መቆም አንደማይችል መረዳት አለባቸዉ።
በነገራችን ለይ ለኦሮሞ የነፃነት ትግል ፀር ለሆናችሁ ሀይሎች አንድ መርዶ ሳልነግራችሁ ፅሁፌን አልቛጭም። በናንተ ፍላጎትና ዓላማ እነድትጠፋ የሚትፈልጓት QUBEE ከጊዜ ወደ ጊዜ እያበበች መጥታ ይኸዉ ስለ ኦሮሞ ባሕልና ታሪክ የሚገልፁ በዚሁ ፊደላት የተፃፉ የ Afaan Oromoo መፃሕፍት ቁጥር እየበዙ መምጣታቸዉ ሲሆን፣ ባገኛሁት ኢንፎርሜሽን መሰረት ከቅርብ ጊዜ በፊት በአምቦ ዩኒቨርሲቲ ብቻ ቁጥራቸዉ ወደ አርባ ሦስት (43) የሚሆኑ በ QUBEE የተፃፉ መፃሕፍት ተመርቀዉ ገበያ ላይ መዋላቸዉን ነዉ። ታዲያ የነፃነት ትግሉም የመጨረሻዉን ድል እስከሚያስገኝ ድረስ እንዲሁ እያበበ እነደሚሄድ መረዳት አለባችሁ። ትግሉ ይቀጥላል። የመጨረሻዉ ድል የኦሮሞ ሕዝብ እንደሚሆን ጥርጥር የለዉም። እኛ ዛሬም ነገም ምንጊዜም ኦሮሞዎች ነን። አሮሚያ ለዘለዓለም ትኑር!!!!
Hordofaa Dhugaa: boontuus@gmail.com

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Environmental Disaster and Cultural Genocide committed by TPLF on Oromo People


By Bekele Anisa, DVM | September 18, 2013
The purpose of this piece is not to come out with something new about injustices being done to Oromo People as many well known scholars have done and doing better job in their articles on different occasions. The sole objective of this piece is to share with my fellow Oromians what I witnessed when I made a short trip to Oromia 3 years ago because that frightening experience is still haunting me every single night. At this juncture, I appreciate also any feedback and critics if my analysis is bogus, exaggerated, or I am just turning paranoid.
Yes, I have heard, direct or via third party, the ear deafening news from Abyssinians after their visit to Ethiopia, talking about the real progress the country has made. Yes, I witnessed with my eyes the high standing buildings with their eye blinding mirrors in Finfinnee  (Addis Ababa) possessed by a few individuals or groups without showing a trickle down effect on the ordinary people, who are skipping a meal or two a day. Yes, my wife and children, including myself, have experienced the vision obscuring, suffocating dark smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe of outdated vehicles on the street of Finfinnee. Since this issue was profoundly addressed by well-qualified oromo scholars, it is not my intention to dwell on it, and I rather go to the topic I decided to put on paper after being in the state of dilemma for 3 years.

Environmental Disaster

I rented a mini bus for round trip to visit my siblings and relatives around Wolliso area, a city 114 km away from Finffine located in western Oromia. While chatting with my wife and children, observing the area through side windows, I was passing by several green houses built to grow flowers on the road to Wolliso. I start thinking what kind of herbicide and pesticide they use to get rid of the weeds and insects. Since the people of Oromia/Ethiopia are not lucky enough to enjoy the luxury of flowers, there is no question about those flowers are loaded to cargo plane to hit the groceries of western Europe and rich Arab states. So, I started also thinking what kinds of preservatives are being used to keep them fresh and succulent.  In a country where environmental protection agency is non-existent, I did not have any doubt in my mind those chemicals, whoever the supplier might be, are obsolete to be used in the developed countries. My mind-boggling worries did not stop there. I started also thinking about those educationally deficient my fellow oromians, who are laborers in those green houses without proper personal protective equipment and oblivious to what they are being exposed to, inhaling and absorbing those chemicals via all natural orifices. I kept also thinking about the farm animals grazing grasses contaminated with airborne droplets of those chemicals. As consumer of those farm animals and their products as well as ground water contaminated with residues of those chemicals, the entire society in that area is in jeopardy, even if not directly exposed by working in those green houses. Who knows what health problems the people in the area are already suffering from! Serious side effect on the people’s health in that area can range from cancer, in men and women to infertility, miscarriage, stillborn and handicapped babies in women. Even after TPLF government is dismantled, it takes exorbitant amount of resources to render those green houses to agricultural land, not to mention the residue of those chemicals in the soil, thereby in the ground water, which can take generations to break down, if at all. Even though I am writing what I have witnessed with my very eyes, this practice is ubiquitous in every corner of Oromia. I equate this to gruesome generational genocide.

Cultural Genocide

We continued our journey from Wolliso to the village of not more than 30 households, located 18 km from the city to the north, where I was born and raised. Filled with curiosity and nostalgia, I was paying detail attention to every single noise and landscape through the window. Someone who was born and raised in the rural area might be familiar with what it means to be a child. Every child has to provide the family with some kind of help, what the western would call as a child labor. I turned melancholic and tears filled my eyes by the sight of children herding farm animals while singing at the same time because it reminded me the time of my childhood. But, those songs are not the same as to the ones children of my age and myself was singing during our childhood. It is completely different and they are spiritual songs. I kept on telling myself to be patient until I come across a child singing the same song I used to sing, but in vain. I felt stranger and lost in the village I was born and went to school until 8th grade. By the way, I was there during the time close to Gubaa and Irreecha. In the area I was born, there are two Gubaa ceremonies taking place two days apart. The first ceremony is limited to every single household with young boy/boys of teenage, which is celebrated on the 14th of September in Ethiopian calendar. The second one is celebrated on the 16th of September, which takes place in the proximity of big Oodaa Tree (sacred tree) and all men of different age group in the area are allowed to participate in the ceremony. As excited I was to participate in both ceremonies, I was distracted with anxiety about my children, who had hard time to acclimatize to African hygiene standard and tropical weather. I blame myself for introducing immunologically naive children to harsh African condition at a very young age. My son, who was 2 at the time, succumbed to severe gastroenteritis and was critically ill. If we did not have oral re-hydration solution (ORS) and liquid nutrition (Ensure) we took with us from the US, combined with God’s help, the result would have been very traumatic indelible memory. To go back to the point, I did not care that much when my relatives skipped the first Gubaa, even though I was somewhat perplexed, thinking they got busy because it is not easy to accommodate the need of family of four, who just arrived from America. However, I could not help expressing my disappointment when they skipped the second, major Gubaa. When I calmly asked them what happened to the tradition of our ancestors, they teamed up to explain to me how devilish practice it was. I tried to educate them in oromo tradition/culture, Gubaa symbolizes a profound, heartfelt thanks to the Almighty God (Waaqaa) for a smooth transition from harsh and dark winter to bright spring. They kept on looking at each other with a smile on their faces, and it certainly did not take me time to discern they are laughing because in their opinion I was so gullible. I did not back up also from asking them what happened to the promise we made to our mother, who is looking upon us from heaven right now, not to forget Waaqa Guraacha, as she used to say, it does not matter how decent formal education we acquire and wealthy we become. I emphasized to them that I am still practicing what I promised my mother to do – acknowledging there is a super power, which is Waaqaa Gurracha, praying every single morning, respect for every individual irrespective of his/her academic and financial status, age, gender and creed. Their response was to pray for me for forgiveness for sticking to such backward, primitive and devilish beliefs. I decided to control my temper because I came to the conclusion my relatives were so brainwashed to the point they even sacrifice their lives for the new religion they took over. There is huge campaign going on so that the entire community disdain and contempt religion of its ancestors and replace it by the modern, in their eyes, Pentecostal one. I found a small corner for privacy, where I shed some tears in memory of my perished parents and lost culture, especially major Gubaa where the elderly gave their blessings to the youths and conducted their prayers for smooth transition from winter to spring, abundant harvest and etc. I was carried away by the memory when people were sitting around the fire, waiting for flowers in age group order – first boys go around handing over flowers to the elderly and newlywed, then the newlywed to the elderly, then all married men have to take flower home for the women (husbands give to wives, kissing them on the cheek). This tells us how modern the oromo society is in every aspect, if its culture was not suppressed and marginalized. All ceremonies of horse races (Garmaama) on the next day of Gubaa and those warm blooded Arabian horses with text book body condition, decorated with hand crafted decorative fabrics and shield (Gaachana), are gone with the wind.  This tremendous effort to inculcate new religion in a spongy brain of oromo children and youths, who lack the wisdom to differentiate the good from bad, instead of nurturing them with a good education is well orchestrated by the government. The reason behind is, it does not matter how it affects the purportedly orthodox Christian state, to subdue the current youth movement (Qeerroo Movement), which is spreading in fast pace. I equate this to cultural genocide.
On my way back to Finfinnee a gentle man, who knows all my siblings and relatives very well, politely asked me if he could share the mini bus with us, and I consented to his request without hesitation since we had enough spaces. On our journey I asked him where he is going. After a careful thought he told me he is traveling to Harar to take training to become a Christian preacher. I paused for a minute and started thinking how astonishing it is to have Christian training institute in Harar, where majority of the population is Muslim. On the other hand, it cleared my doubt that the government has its hand in it.

Conclusions

If an Oromo person, who is familiar with the outside world and has a decent education, makes a conscious decision to take over different religion, I do not have a minute problem with it. Nor is it my business to talk about someone’s religion. I am fully aware that some Oromo martyrs decided to pursue that path as a bridge to formal education so as to enlighten the plight of their people in the hands of Abyssinians to the world. They never compromised on the revival and preservation of oromo culture, language and tradition, which define Oromummaa.  However, I am vehemently against the brainwashing of our children and youths into new religion as a sole tactic to divert their attention from the intifada. Unless we act swiftly and collectively against the Tigreans campaign, which is spreading like a wildfire, to eradicate Oromumma, the danger facing oromo culture and environment, thereby the Oromo People in

Oromo Youth Association of Norway Condemns the Murdering of Eng. Tasfaahuun Camadaa, the Massacre in Kofalee and the Ethnic Cleansing Conflict in Anniyyaa, Oromia

The following is a statement from the Oromo Youth Association of Norway. The Association coordinated the Oromo peaceful rally held in Oslo, Norway, on September 14, 2013, to condemn the human rights violations in Oromia, especially, the murdering of Eng. Tasfaahuun Camadaa in the Abyssinian/Ethiopian prison of Qaallittii, the massacre in Kofalee, and the ethnic cleansing in Anniyyaa, Oromia.
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Statement …
On September 14, 2013, the Oromo Youth in Norway protested against human rights violations and brutal killings by the dictatorial Ethiopian government. The main objective of the demonstration was to condemn the human rights violations in Ethiopia and the ethnic based abuses, as a result of which many Oromos are being arrested, tortured, killed, and thousands are disappearing. The trend of repression is increasing alarmingly and a huge number of Oromos have been jailed, tortured and exposed to inhuman conditions under fabricated charges. The TPLF/EPRDF leadership has a standing policy of protracted attacks against the Oromo people irrespective of age, sex, profession and occupation. To criminalize Oromo, being only Oromo is enough in Ethiopia.
Among the recent victims are Engineer Tesfahun Chemeda who died in Kaliti prison, the massacred Muslim Oromos in Kofale and the genocide against Oromos in Anniyyaa, Oromia.
According to Amnesty International, the Ethiopian regime stifled freedom of expression, severely restricting the activities of the independent media, political opposition parties and human rights organizations. Dissent was not tolerated in any sphere. The authorities imprisoned actual and perceived opponents of the government. Peaceful protests were suppressed. Arbitrary arrests and detention were common, and torture and other ill-treatment in detention centers were rife. Forced evictions were reported on a vast scale around the country.
Despite all these human rights violations, the Ethiopian government is getting huge amount of funds from Norwegian government, World Bank, European Union and the USA.
Meanwhile, the Oromo people are still dying to be heard regardless of the political and all sided suppression by the Ethiopian regime.
Therefore, we appeal to the Norwegian government, EU, USA and the international community:
• To stop funding the dictatorial Ethiopian government which uses the funds for suppressing, killing and torturing of the voiceless innocent Oromo people;
• To seek justice for Engineer Tesfahun Chemeda, who died in the Kaliti prison due to torture and ill-treatment by the Ethiopian government;
• To seek justice for all Oromo political prisoners, including the 21 Oromo students from different universities – who were sentenced to many years in prison under the so-called terrorism law by the TPLF kangaroo court;
• To seek justice for the twenty seven innocent Muslims, including 5 children, who were massacred in Kofalee, Arsi region of Oromia, by the Ethiopian government;
• Enforce the TPLF led Ethiopian government to stop the land grabbing and forced displacement in Oromia;
• Enforce the Ethiopian government to stop genocide and ethnic cleansing in Anniyyaa, Oromia;
• To support the Oromo and other victimized communities in Ethiopia to overcome injustice and help them to live in freedom, peace, and democracy, and achieve stability in the region.
Candlelight vigil was also held for Enginner Tesfahun Camada and victims of the Kofalee massacre.
Finally, all participants called upon all Oromo to come together, regardless of their religions and regions, to stand up together, hold hand in hand, and step the Oromo struggle forward.
Coordinators:
Oromo Youth Association Committee in Norway
- Email oromofirst.oromiya@gmail.com
- Facebook oromofirst@facebook.com

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Ethiopia: The Government is accountable for the death of a political prisoner at an Ethiopian Jail

The Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa strongly condemns the atrocious torture and inhuman treatment by the Ethiopian government against its citizens and hold it accountable for the   death of a political prisoner and prisoner of conscience Engineer Tesfahun Chemeda on August 24, 2013 in Kaliti prison.
Tesfahun
                                                                                                                                    Tesfahun Chemeda
HRLHA informants confirmed that Engineer Chemed died in Kaliti Penitentiary due to the severe torture inflicted on him while he was in different detentions centers from 2007 until the day he died. We also protest the fact that he was denied medical treatment by the government.
Engeener Tesfahun Chemeda, an Oromo national, was handed over by Kenyan authorities to Ethiopian Security agents in April 2007 from where he had granted a refugee status from UNHCR in Kenya after he had fled to Kenya to escape persecution by the EPRDF government of Ethiopia.
Engineer Tasfahun Chemeda was one of the 15 Oromo nationals   who was sentenced to life in prison in 2010 by the Ethiopian court  (http://humanrightsleague.com/2010/07/a-call-for-the-reversal-of-the-racial-politically-motivated-and-discriminatory-sentence-by-a-court-in-ethiopia/ for his activism and political beliefs that were different from the ruling EPRDF government of Ethiopia
The Ethiopian Government is accountable for
  1. Torturing Mr. Chemeda in prison, thereby violating the 1984 Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, an agreement which Ethiopia signed and ratified in 1994
  1. For denying Engineer Tesfahun medical treatment, violating the rights of prisoners which are clearly stated in international law and International covenants on civil and political rights article 10(1) “. All persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person”. and  Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the Rights of Persons Held in Custody and Convicted Prisoners article 21 (1) “All persons held in custody and persons imprisoned upon conviction and sentencing have the right to treatments respecting their human dignity”.
By handing over the Oromo refugees and others, the Kenyan Government is also breaching its obligations under international treaties as well as customary laws.
  1. Under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1465 U.N.T.S. 185,) the Kenyan Government has the obligation not to return a person to a place where they will face torture or ill-treatment.
  2.  Article 3 of the Convention against Torture provides: No state party shall expel, return (“refouler”) or extradite a person to another state where there are substantial grounds to believe that they would be in danger of being subjected to torture.
The Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa calls upon the Ethiopian authorities to immediately carry out an independent investigation into Engineer Tesfahun’s death, including whether torture played a part in his death, and disclose to the public anyone found responsible and bring that person to justice. The HRLHA also calls upon the Western political allies of the TPLF/EPRDF Government of Ethiopia to exert pressures so that it is forced to turn around and start working on the genuine democratization of the country, halting the systematic elimination of citizens who demand basic rights and fundamental freedoms,
Finally we extend our condolences to Tesfahun’s  family and friends in their time of grief as well as all Ethiopians who have been falsely accused, illegally detained or wrongly killed at the hands of a brutal and hypocritical regime. Engineer Tesfahun is just one of thousands of victims of the EPRDF government’s campaign of violence, repression and efforts to curtail basic freedoms and fundamental rights of Ethiopians at all costs.

Ethiopia: Scores dead in crackdown on Muslim protesters ahead of Eid

(OPride) – At least 11 people were killed, several others wounded, and scores arrested on Saturday in a clash between government forces and Muslim activists, eyewitnesses and social media reports said.

The skirmish in Kofele, Edoo, Wabe, and Qore towns in West Arsi zone of Oromia region left hospitals in Awassa and Shashamane crowded with wounded people, the reports said. Surrounding towns of Dodola and Asasa remained under military siege Sunday morning, eyewitnesses said. There are also reports of palpable tension in Shashamane.

The confrontation began after activists requested the release of three Imams – Mohammed Abdalla, Abdulkadir H/Kadir and Mukhtar Safi – arrested in Wabe town earlier this week. Locals began peacefully marching early Saturday morning from the town of Wabe to Kofele to petition regional administrators for the release of the arrested imams. Federal police tried to block protesters near a small town called Totolamo and later opened fire on peaceful demonstrators killing at least six, said one protester who gave his name only as Hussein due to fear of repercussions. Hussein said the whole area looked like a war zone, describing the scene of the confrontation as “full of panic and blood” clouded with tear gas.  

The clash came following a statement in the government media that said the ongoing muslim protests will no longer be tolerated. Muslims have been protesting for religious freedom for close to two years. According to various reports on social media, the killing of peaceful activists in Wabe led to spontaneous demonstrations in the other towns. It was not immediately clear if all dead were from Wabe or other towns where similar confrontations with federal police was reported.

It should be remembered that, last Friday's planned nationwide mosque sit-ins were called off by the activists at the last minute to avoid what the activists saw as government provacation and to prevent bloodshed.

The protests are expected to spread to the nearby towns of Asasa and Dodola towns on Sunday where tensions are already high. It is to be remembered that on April 27, 2012 at least four people were killed in the restive town of Asasa.

Activists say there is a widespread concern that next week's Eid al-Fitr celebration marking the end of holy month of Ramadan may see further protests throughout the country. Last year's Eid saw millions of Muslims chanting slogans critical of the government's interference in religious practices.

In a related news, Bilal Radio journalists Darsema Dori and Khalid Mohammed were also arrested at the notorious Maekelawi prison in Addis Ababa. Bilal Radio on Saturday reported the two journalists were held incommunicado and denied visitation rights even by family members.

In a statement last month, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) called on Ethiopia to release jailed muslim rights advocates. “We are deeply concerned that Ethiopia’s government is seeking to silence peaceful religious freedom proponents by detaining and trying them in secret under trumped-up terrorism charges.  They should be released now and their trials halted,” said USCIRF Chair Katrina Lantos Swett. USCIRF warned that Ethiopia is repressing its muslim community under the guise of countering islamic extremism risking alienation and a possibility of violence.

Muslims make up about 34 percent of 93 million population in Africa's second-most populous nation, according to CIA estimates. Thousands of Muslims across the country have staged weekly mosque sit-ins and street protests for nearly two years. The protesters accuse the government, among other things, of interfering in the Ethiopia Islamic Affairs Supreme Council by handpicking political operatives as leaders of the country’s highest Muslim Affairs body.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

የኦሮሞ ወጣቶች

የኦሮሞ ወጣቶች ንቅናቄ ለነፃነትና ለዲሞክራሲ የኢትዮጵያን ወቅታዊ ፖለቲካ አስመልክቶ ባወጣው መግለጫ በቱኒዚያ፡ በግብፅና  በሌሎችም በመካከለኛዉ ምስራቅ እና በሰሜን አፍሪቃ በመካሄድ ላይ ያሉት የህዝብ  አመጾች በተመሳሳይ ጭቆና ሥር ላሉ እንደ ኢትዮጵያ ያሉ የአለም ክፍሎች  አርዓያነት ያለው መልዕክት መስተላለፉን ገልጿል።
በኢትዮጵያ ለሚታየዉ የለዉጥ ፍላጎት መነሳሳት እነዚሁ የሕዝብ አመጾች ምክንያት  እንደሆኑና ወቅቱ የአምባገነንና የፈላጭ ቆራጭ የፖለቲካ ስርኣቶች ተወግደዉ  ዲሞክራሲያዊና የህዝቦች ሉኣላዊነት  የሚሰፍንበት እንደሆነ አመልክቷል።
በኢትዮጵያ ለሚቀጣጠለዉ አመፅ መሰረታዊ ምክንያት የሚሆኑትና የሚያጎለብቱት  የሚያደርጉት በአገሪቱ ዉስጥ የሚታዩት ሁኔታዎች እንደሆኑ በመግለጫዉ  ተጠቅሷል። በመሆኑም ይላል መግለጫዉ “እኛ የኦሮሞና የሌሎችም ጭቁን ሕዝቦች ተማሪዎች የህዝባዊ አመፁን ለመለኮስ የመጀመሪያዎቹ ለመሆን ቁርጠኝነት እንዳለን  ለአለምና ለኢትዮጵያ ህዝብ እናረጋግጣለን። በባርነት ከመኖር በነፃነት መሞትን  መርጠናል የሚለዉ መግለጫ “‘ ስቃይና ባርነቱ ለአንዴና ለመጨረሻ ጊዜ አሁኑኑ  እንዲወገድና ነፃነትና ዲሞክራሲ እንዲሰፍን ያቀጣጠልነዉን ችቦ ቀሪዉ የኢትዮጵያ  ህዝብ ይዞ እንደሚከተለን አምነት አለን”‘ የሚለዉ መግለጫ ሰባት ንጥቦችን አስቀምጧል።
1. የህወሃት/ኢህአዴግ አገዛዝ በስታሊናዊ ድርጅታዊ መዋቅሩም ሆነ  በሚያራምዳቸዉ ማህበራዊና ፖለቲካዊ አጀንዳዎች  በጠባብ ጎሰኝነት ላይ  የተመሰረተ፡ በአገሪቱ ዘረጋሁ የሚለዉ የፌዴራል መዋቅር ለከፋፍለህ ግዛዉ  አላማዉ ካልሆነ በስተቀር ምንም ትርጉም የሌለዉ፡ የኦሮሞ፡ የኦጋዴን፡ የሲዳማ  እና የሌሎችንም የደቡብ ብሄር ብሄረሰቦች በዋና ጠላትነት ያነጣጠረ  መሆኑን  በመግለፅ… ላለፉት 20′ አመታት በኦሮሞ፡ በኦጋዴንና በሌሎችም ጭቆና  ላለፉት 20′ አመታት በኦሮሞ፡ በኦጋዴንና በሌሎችም ጭቆና  በበዘባቸዉ አካባቢዎች የሚገኙ ህዝቦች የሚያነሱትን ጥያቄ በሃይልና በህገ ወጥ  መንገድ ለማፈን የሚደረገዉ ወታደራዊ ዘመቻ በአስቸኳይ እንዲቆም
2.  መለስ ዜናዊ በስልጣን ላይ ላለፉት 20′ አመታት በአፈናና በጭቆና የቆዩ  ከመሆኑም በላይ አገዛዙ የህዝብን ሰብኣዊ መብት በመርገጥ፡ በማንገላታት፡  በማፈናቀል፡ በማሰቃየት፡ በማሰር፡ በመግረፍና  በመግደል በአስር ሺዎች የሚቆጠሩትን በየእስር ቤቱ የህሊና እስረኛ አድርጓቸዋል። ስለሆነም የፖለቲካ  ስለሆነም የፖለቲካ  እስረኞችበአስቸኳይ ያለምንም ቅድመ ሁኔታ  እንዲፈቱ፡ በተለይም የሰዉ ልጅን  በመግረፍና በመደብደብ      ለማሰቃየት የተቋቋመዉ ማዕከላዊ የምርመራ  ድርጅት በአስቸኳይ እንዲፈርስና እስከመጨረሻዉ እንዲዘጋ
3.   የመለስ ዜናዊ መንግስት የኢኮኖሚ እድገት አስመዝግቤአለሁ ይበል እንጂ በህዝቡ  ኑሮ ላይ አንዳችም ለዉጥ እንደሌለ መንግስት በሚከተለዉ የተዛባ የኢኮኖሚ  ፖሊሲ ምክንያት ይልቁንም በሽታ፡ ድንቁርና፡ እና ረሃብ የህዝቡ ማህበራዊ  ህይወት መለያ ምልክት ሆኗል። ስለሆነም መሰረታዊ የሆኑ የፍጆታ እቃዎች  ስለሆነም መሰረታዊ የሆኑ የፍጆታ እቃዎች  ስኳር፡ ዘይት እና ዳቦ የመሳሰሉትን መንግስት በአስቸኳይ ለህዝብ እንዲያቀርብና  የተሳሳቱትን የገበያና የኢኮኖሚ ፖሊሲዎቹን እንዲያስተካክል
4.   የመለስ ዜናዊ አገዛዝ እጁን ያላስገባበት እንዳለመኖሩ በተለይም በኢኮኖሚዉ  ዘርፍ ባለቤታቸዉ ወ/ሮ አዜብ መስፍን የሚቆጣጠሩት ኤፈርት በሚል  የሚታወቀዉ የህወሃት የንግድ ድርጅት እንደሆነ ከህዝብ የተሰወረ አይደለም።
በመሆኑም በመለስ ዜናዊ ቤተሰብ ስም የሚገኘዉ ንብረት እንዲወረስና  በቤተሰባቸዉና በቅርብ አጋሮቻቸቸዉ  የተፈፀሙ የሙስና ተግባሮች እንዲመራመሩ;;
5. ከ90′ በመቶ በላይ የሚሆነዉ የኢትዮጵያ ህብረተሰብ ህይወት የተመሰረተዉ በግብርና ላይ ሲሆን በ1960ዎቹና በ70ዎቹ መጀመሪያ ላይ የተነሳዉና በ1974′ አብዮት እልባት ያገኘዉ የመሬት ላራሹ ጥያቄ የንጉስ ሃይለ ስላሴን አገዛዝ  ከስልጣን ያስወገደ፡ ሕዝብን በፖለቲካ ዙሪያ ያስተበበረ እንደነበር ይታወሳል።  ይሁን እንጂ የሕወሃት አገዛዝ ዳግመኛ ወደ ነበርንበት ለመመለስ የሚከተለዉ  መሬትን በገፍ ለዉጭ ባለሃብቶች የመስጠት ፖሊሲ ሕዝባችንን ከመሬቱ  የሚያፈናቅለዉ፡ ባለቤትነት የሚያሳጣዉ፡ ከማህበራዊና ኢኮኖሚያዊ ሁኔታዎች የሚያገልለዉ፡ ስራ አጥነት የሚያሰከትልና ዘመናዊ ባርነት ዉስጥ የሚጥል በመሆኑ፡ ይህ ፖሊሲ ባስቸኳይ እንዲቆምና እስከዛሬ የተደረጉት አለም አቀፍ  ይህ ፖሊሲ ባስቸኳይ እንዲቆምና እስከዛሬ የተደረጉት አለም አቀፍ ስምምነቶች ዋጋ እንደሌላቸዉ ተቆጥረዉ እንዲሰረዙ  ስምምነቶች ዋጋ እንደሌላቸዉ ተቆጥረዉ እንዲሰረዙ
6. ኢትዮጵያ ባለፉት 20′ አመታት እጅግ አስከፊ ወደ ሆነ ሁኔታ ዉስጥ በመግባት  ላይ የምትገኝ ሲሆን በህግ አዉጪዉ፡ በሕግ አስተርጓሚዉና በህግ አስፈፃሚዉ  መካከል ምንም አይነት የስልጣን ክፍፍል የማይታይበት፡ በስታሊናዊ መንግስት  እንደሚታየዉ ሁሉ ጠ/ሚር መለስ ዜናዊ በህዝብ ሳይመረጡ እራሳቸዉ  ጠ/ሚር መለስ ዜናዊ በህዝብ ሳይመረጡ እራሳቸዉ  በፈጠሩት መዋቅር አማካይነት ስልጣኑን ሁሉ በብቸኝነት የሚቆጣጠሩ በመሆኑ  ስልጣናቸዉን በአስቸኳይ እንዲለቁ  ስልጣናቸዉን በአስቸኳይ እንዲለቁ
7. ከ90′ የማያንሱ ተቃዋሚ የፖለቲካ ድርጅቶች በህግ ተመዝግበዉ  በሚንቀሳቀሱበት አገር ባለፈዉ ግንቦት 2010′ በ99.6′ በመቶ ድምፅ ህወሃት/’ ኢህአዴግ አሸነፍኩ የሚለዉ ምርጫ ተቀባይነት የሌለዉ፡ የምርጫ ቦርዱ  የመንግሰት ሌላ እጅ በመሆኑ፡ የአገሪቱ ሀብትና ንብረት፡ የመገናኛ ብዙሃን፡ የፌዴራል ፖሊስና የፀጥታ ሃይሎች የገዢዉ ፓርቲ መሳሪያ በሆኑበት የተካሄደ፡
በዚህ ምክንያት ምርጫዉ የተጭበረበረና አሳፋሪ በመሆኑ ሁለቱም ምክር ቤቶች  ምርጫዉ የተጭበረበረና አሳፋሪ በመሆኑ ሁለቱም ምክር ቤቶች በአስቸኳይ እንዲበተኑ፡ ከሁሉም የነፃነት ንቅናቄዎችና ለማህበራዊ ፍትህና ለዲሞክራሲ የቆሙ ተቃዋሚ የፖለቲካ ድርጅቶች ተሳታፊ የሚሆኑበት የሽግግር  መንግስት እንዲመሰረት  መንግስት እንዲመሰረት ብሄራዊ የኦሮሞ ወጣቶች ንቅናቄ ለነፃነትና ለዲሞክራሲ  ባወጣ የአቋም መግለጫ ጠይቋል።

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Debunking the illusions and confusions of narrow Ethiopiansim

The current onslaught of the so-called “Ethiopianist” camps on Oromo political activists and Oromos’ national cause has created an opportunity that we must not forgo. Professor Hamdesa Tuso’s article titled “The Demise of the Mythical Ethiopia”, which was published in 1991, was a groundbreaking article that shaped many Oromos’ political perspective about Ethiopia both its real and mythical nature. (See the link below http://www.hamdesatuso.com/Myths-Ethio.pdf)
The current situation, “I am Oromo First” movement, has given us an opportunity to explain the real nature of the so-called Ethiopianist parties to the Oromo and other oppressed people’s youth. The ongoing overt and covert discussions about the issue are debunking the illusions and confusions embodied in narrow Ethiopianism. I will raise some of the points of ongoing discussions in three-part series.
  1. 2. Narrow Ethiopianism is Not Multinationalism
Although there are few exceptions in the so-called Ethiopianist circles, the overwhelming majority of Ethiopianists are proponents of narrow Ethiopianism. Their Ethiopianism is narrow in a sense that it does not accommodate the interests as well as the diversity of nations and nationalities living in the Ethiopian Empire. Actually, whether narrow Ethiopianists talk about unity, democracy, history, politics, culture, language, etc., their inherent goal is crystal clear. It is a theme to deny the very existence of the causes of nations and nationalities in the Ethiopian Empire.
However, one of the confusions the so-called narrow Ethiopianist sustained for years is acting as if they were multinational parties. The closer look at them clearly shows that they’re anti-thesis to multinationalism. In fact, narrow Ethiopianism is waging sustained political, cultural, linguistic, etc. wars on multinational and diverse nature of the Ethiopian Empire. It is a perpetual war against diverse interest groups that make up the Ethiopian Empire. Simply put, narrow Ethiopianism is a multifaceted war on multinationalism and multiculturalism in the Ethiopian Empire. It’s antithesis to reconciliation and peaceful coexistence of diversities that make up Ethiopia.
Thus it’s crystal clear that the so-called “Ethiopianist” parties are not multinationals, except for their names, as if they were representing the interests of all groups. They neither represent nor defend multinationalism or multiculturalism in the Ethiopian Empire. Narrow Ethiopianists create illusions of multinational parties while in fact they work tirelessly to destroy the very diversity of Ethiopia in all ways they can. Thus it is not only misnomer but also absurd to classify narrow Ethiopianism as multinationalism. Everything narrow Ethiopianists do is against multinationalism.
The “Ethiopian” pride they preach also does not include a pride about multinational Ethiopia. For instance, the oppressed people’s cultures, languages, and the democratic Gadaa system are not accounted as part of the Ethiopian pride that need promoting or saving. There is no Ethiopianist party that even promotes multiculturalism.
  1. 3. Denies the Very Existence of Nations and Nationalities in Ethiopia
Narrow Ethiopianism is a distortion that reduces nations and nationalities in Ethiopia into mere tribes. Denial of the existence of the causes of nations and nationalities drive their political programs and agendas for the future. They reject the natural rights for self-determination since they pretend that they are the only ones who decide the fate of all people in the Ethiopian Empire. Even their democratic rhetoric does not depend on the democratic motto of “live and let live”, which fosters healthy political competitions on the basis of public will and choice. They don’t even want to let individuals establish any organization that bears the name of a nation or a nationality. They want to criminalize and destroy all political parties and other organizations that claim to represent the interests of nations and nationalities. And yet, they claim that they are multinational parties that stand for the interests of all people in the Ethiopian Empire.
Thus narrow Ethiopianists are not searching for the middle ground that builds reconciliation and peaceful coexistence in Ethiopia or the region. They still operate with the conquering feudal warlords’ mentality, and hence they don’t believe other nations and nationalities’ cultures and languages are worth saving or are part of the so-called Ethiopian pride. Rather, they want to get rid of them to “build” Ethiopia.
Narrow Ethiopianists don’t feel the historical and ongoing pains and tribulations of the oppressed people either. It’s an extremist camp that defends domination and control of the oppressed people. Narrow Ethiopianists deny the past and ongoing political, cultural, economic, etc. misdeeds against conquered nations and nationalities. Rather, they celebrate those who perpetuated multitudes of crimes and human rights abuses against nations and nationalities as their heroes and heroines. It’s a political drama hiding under the name Ethiopia to pursue the failed political goal of assimilating all nations and nationalities in the Ethiopian Empire into the urbanized (garrison town) Amhara culture and language. It’s not rooted in rural Amhara regions either.
It’s wrong to describe them, based on their false claims, that narrow Ethiopianist political entities are “hibre beher” (multinational). Whenever they talk about Ethiopia, including in terms of unity and democracy, they don’t think in terms of equality of the diverse nations and nationalities in the Ethiopian Empire. They have the mindset of conquerors (colonizers) who impose their own culture and language at the expense of those of the conquered nations and nationalities.
Once an individual from oppressed nations and nationalities clearly sees the illusions and confusions embodied in narrow Ethiopianism, her/his perspectives about the so-called Ethiopianist parties won’t be the same; it is a revelation. It becomes a fundamental political awakening about the Ethiopian Empire and its core problems. There is no mystery that narrow Ethiopianism hides under the name of Ethiopia, unity or democracy. Narrow Ethiopianism is merely promoting urbanized Amhara culture and Amharic at the expense of other cultures and languages in the Ethiopian Empire. It is the extension of Imperial regimes’ plan of controlling and exploiting Ethiopia by the process of assimilating nations and nationalities in Ethiopia under one culture and one language dogma. In other words, it’s a continuation of the old Imperial Systems policy that was tried and failed the Ethiopian Empire. Actually, it’s the foundation of the political, economic, cultural, etc. problems that ravaged Ethiopia for over hundred years. To put it in simple terms, the root problem cannot be a solution. And it does not matter whether it’s honey-coated and polished. Many can see through it. If honesty prevails and truth dictates the course, narrow Ethiopianism merely makes Ethiopianist politics less attractive to the youth that hails from the oppressed nations and nationalities. The evidences are already in. Of course, it asks courage to face the truth. Narrow Ethiopianists have none of it. They live in their heads more than the reality on the ground in the real Ethiopia-the very essence of narrow Ethiopianism.
Moreover, narrow Ethiopianism is the most stagnant and arrogant political ideology of conquering/colonizing and dominating others. They covertly support TPLF/EPRDF regime’s attack on nations and nationalities while overtly opposing the very existence of what they call ethnic federalism. Crimes TPLF gangsters commit on oppressed nations and nationalities don’t get any attention from the narrow Ethiopianists.
Narrow Ethiopianism is rooted in the feudal warlord politics of conquerors (colonizers). Its foundation is politics of garrison towns established in conquered areas of the Ethiopian Empire. (This will be elaborated in the second part of the discussion points)