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Nations, nationalities in a new apirit of unity: Reflections of Bahir Dar Conference |
| The Amhara chauvinists’ imposition on the Southern Ethiopia Peoples(by SEPDM) The Amhara Chauvinists’ imposition on the peoples of Southern Ethiopia as presented by the Southern Ethiopia Peoples Democratic Movement (SEPDM) indicated that southern Ethiopia had organized political system in Wolayta, Hadiya, Yem, Dawro, Konta, Sidama, Gamgoffa and other areas prior to the collapse of the administration due to the chauvinists’ imposition. The earlier societies had three social organizations: Kinship ties, non-kinship groups and residential groups. The armies of Emperor Minilik invaded southern and southwest Ethiopia and undermined the Cohesion of the traditional societies. The armies faced strong resistance in Kaffa, Wolayta, Dawro, Konta, Hadia and Gurage which claimed human lives and material damage. The Frenchman Gastet Vanderham writes his observation of casualities at Wolyta as: “It was a terrible butchery, a desecration of human fresh, dead or wing, slashed into pieces by soldiers drink with blood. I have seen areas which must have been the village market place. Filled with bodies stripped off clothes and mutilated in outrageous manner. I have seen Abissinians, followed by files prisoners, women and children being forced to carry their bleeding husbands and fathers. I have seen soldiers tearing of children from breasts of their mothers.” Close to 60,000 armies from the chauvinists side and 118,000 people from Wolyta were killed. Under the readership of Emperor Minilik and his warlords of Shoa undermined the traditional states and the indigenous peoples in Sidama, Wolayta, Gamogoffa and Kaffa and Sheka province for 25 years. Accordingly, the identities, authority, self-confidence and security of the southern peoples were undermined. During the reign of Haile-Sellassie, the Southern Ethiopian peoples languages, culture and identity was targeted to assimilate into the chauvinists culture, language and identity. It was also declared that Amharic was the sole national language of the country and the medium of instruction in school. Amharic was also one of the compulsory subjects for the Ethiopian School Leaving Certificate Examination (ESCE). In the occupied areas, the indigenous peoples’ history, languages and culture were downgraded and the peoples were humiliated in their identities. The Ethiopian peoples should draw lessons and further promote the democratization process through respecting the constitution in a sustainable manner. The report underlines: “Creating one economic community in the country, ensuring individual and collective rights as well as further developing common values would be instrumental in strengthening our unity. We need to correct past mistakes, support one another and develop Ethiopia. In the event of violating the rights and freedoms of any nations and nationalities is where Ethiopia will no longer live in the future.” The Amhara chauvinists’ imposition on the Somali people (By the SPDP) The Somali people was the victims of the chauvinists’ rule like the rest of the oppressed Ethiopian peoples. The people suffered from economic backwardness and poverty. The livelihood of the Somali people was relied on livestock whose gradual decline had exposed the people to extreme poverty as a result of which many people in thousands were affected. The Somali people was among the forgotten people in the past. The Somali state is endowed with natural resources various minerals, natural gaz, incense, big rivers and irrigable lands and others. However, the resources were not utilized. Had the abundant resources been utilized the benefit would have been extended not only to the Somali people but to the entire population of the country. In education sector, the Somali people did not get the services like the oppressed peoples of Ethiopia as there were only one high school and junior high school and not more than fifteen elementary schools in the region of Haile-Silassie. It is not exaggerated to state that what the past regimes inherited to the Somali people is ignorance and backwardness. Over all, the human and democratic rights of the Somali People was not respected in the past regimes. The Somali people was also deprived of its right to use its language resulting in thus that its history was not studied and recorded. In the course of the foregone chauvinistic malpractices, the Somali people was not passive. The people launched a series of offences from 1951 to 1964 disobeying the reign of Emperor Haile-Selassie in Teliguled, Afdem, Aysha, Bare, Kelaffo, Degabuhir and other areas. The people was demanding for the withdrawal of the rule of Haile-Silassie and the right to self-administration. This move of the people was the cause of the killings of many people. Also, many houses were robbed and burned down. The Amhara chauvinists’ imposition on the Harari people (by Harari National League) The Harari people had its self-administration and used its language for many years. The Harari people also saw 72 Amirs from 960-1000. During the region of Gragn Ahmed from 1527-1543, the Harari administration was extended up to Kaffa in the south and Gojjam and Gondar in the West. Following the collapse of Ahmed Gragn, Harari administration was weakened and in order to defend the people from further attack, the Jegole Building of Hara was built. This was the time that Harar was exposed to Egyptian invasion. Egypt ruled Harar for ten years and later handed over the power to Amir Abduulahi who took measures to alleviate the existing social and economical problems of Harari. However, the foreigner segregated during the Egyptian invasion resisted the reform programme of Amir Abdulahi. To this end, they conspired with Emperor Minilik who deployed his troops to occupy Harar. In January 1887, the army of Emperor Minilik destroyed about 100,000 troops of Amir Abdulahie at the battle of Chelenko. Emperor Minilik then ruled Harari. In the meantime, the emperor and his followers downgraded the Harari culture and holidays. Instead, they imposed their culture and religion on the people. Close to 10,000 chauvinists were brought from Gojjam, Shoa, Wollo, Gondar and other areas. These chauvinists snatched the agricultural lands from the indigenous people. This resettlement of the Amhara chauvinists continued upto the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie in places like Harar, Jijiga, Gode, Awash, Asabe Teferi and others. As the official language was made to be Amharic, many Harari people were fired from government offices in the pretext that they did not know Amharic language. The malpractices of chauvinists not only displaced the Harari people but also attempted to ban the integration of the people with the oromo people by settling the chauvinists around Jegole Building. Imposition on the people of Tigrai (by TPLF) The people of Tigrai also experienced similar injustices as the other peoples. In the first place, Emperor Minilik did not consider the people of Tigray as his own people. The people of Tigrai was denied of its right to use Tigrigna language. Following the death of Emperor Yohanes, Minilik occupied Tigrai and snatched lands and distributed to his accomplices. As the imposition on nations and nationalities was so critical, the injustices gave TPLF the impetus to emerge and launched armed struggled. TPLF struggle not only for the people of Tigrai but also for the entire peoples of Ethiopia. The people of Tigrai was massacred at Hawzen where some 2,500 civilians were killed in a day. All the remaining nations and nationalities also expressed their deep resentment over the repression of the chauvinists. The peoples of Gambella, Benshangul-Gumuz and Amhara indicated the injustices they endured by the Amhara chauvinists. Following the papers presentation, participants of the conference raised the views and comments described hereunder: Some people thought that Emperor Minilik and Haileselassie have put all Amharas in villas and flats. The chauvinists established the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in order to dominate their religion and culture. They also thought that all what the chauvinists collected as tax was invested to develop Amharas. All the histories the students learnt in high schools was considered fictions. The Amhara chauvinists do not know the history of the Amharas for the people are still in extreme poverty. Tassew Asresie is 68. He said that all the peoples should develop their culture and languages. All the gains of the struggle should be guarded. Tassew said that all the papers presented in the conference were true. Today Amharas are not chauvinist for they are not gunmen. Amharas travel to various places as daily labourers. All the Ethiopian people should know the good and bad things. The presence of many nations and nationalities in the conference would help the Ethiopian people to have a shared vision. Asefash G.Selassie commented that rulers of Ethiopia in the past did not engage with nations and nationalities in similar conference like this. All our fathers used to tell us that Tigrai had been suppressed by the past regimes, she said. Participants also said that the Dergue deprived the democratic rights of the people. The oppression was extreme. But, EPRDF guarantees the rights of nations and nationalities. Farmers, in the Dergue regime, were forced to offer all what they produced to the Dergue as quota. Deputy-Prime Minister and Chairman of ANDM, Addisu Legesse said that the supremacy of the Amhara nation in the past was wrong. Knowing past histories would help to learn a lot out of them, he said, adding that as Ethiopia is the home of many nations and nationalities, with diversified languages and culture, recognizing the past history would help the people to respect one another and coexist together. “It seems that all the Amharas are chauvinists. But most of the Amhara people were oppressed by a few chauvinists. However, the Amhara-elites did not witness the influence of chauvinism themselves. Much was not also done in the Amhara state to raise the awareness of the Amhara chauvinism as in other states,” Addisu said. Addisu also said that the unity of the nations and nationalities as reflected in the conference should be further strengthened. by Dagne Biazen |
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