Ethiopian
Diaspora Politics and the People of Tigray
Ghelawdewos Araia
IDEA
Viewpoint
February
2, 2013
The
purpose of this viewpoint is to address the
current campaign unleashed against the people of
Tigray by some diffident and disgruntled
Ethiopians and to suggest a safe exit from the
political morass of negative energy.
This
is not the first time I have defended the people
of Tigray. I have done it back in 2003, and every
time the negative campaign is sharpened, I have
attempted to provide countervailing ideas in the
defense of Tigrayans. However, it should also be
known that I have accorded same defense to the
Oromos, Amharas, and other Ethiopian
nationalities. I do not prescribe to nationality
politics as a prime agenda in any given setting; I
am a pan-Africanist and pan-Ethiopianist and for
more than three decades, I have embraced an
overarching ideology that unifies rather than
separates respective ethnic groups in Ethiopia,
although I also support the self-determination of
cultural and ethnic groups within a unified and
indivisible Ethiopia. There is no need for me to
elaborate further on what I stand for; thanks to
information technology, interested readers can
google my works and see for themselves.
In
2003, when some disgruntled Diaspora Ethiopians
against the people of Tigray worked virulent and
incessant campaigns, I was compelled to sharpen my
pen and write on behalf of Tigrayans and I managed
to produce an essay entitled �Hail the People of
Tigray, Defenders of Ethiopian Sovereignty and
Custodians of its Civilization�.
The essay, by and large, rendered justice
to Tigrayans� contribution in the defense of
Ethiopia and in brief this is how I put it then:
�It
all began in Tigray. Tigray is the cradle and hub
of Ethiopian civilization. In Tigray, Ethiopia�s
future seems to contend its past while the present
testifies cyclical historical events as constant
reminders of the distant and near past. In Tigray,
the modern period seems to tend the requisite
touch of antiquity, as if to deliberately endure
uninterrupted Ethiopian political state. After
all, this quintessentially Ethiopian northern
regional state is the plain field of ancient
civilization and unparalleled conventional wisdom,
and as a custodian to that epic African
ingenuity.�
In
2005, there was another attack against Tigrayans
by a British journalist Michaela Wrong, who
incidentally had no clue whatsoever of the history
of the people of Tigray and their Ethiopian
brethren, but she somehow mimicked the Eritrean
bias and stereotype toward Tigrayans. I was again
compelled to utilize my only weapon, the mighty
pen, and here is how I vented then:
�Humbug
ignoramus people as well as those who are
frightened and challenged by the magnanimity of
Tigrayans (quintessential Ethiopians), not
surprisingly will try to underplay or undermine
the Tigrayan initiative and achievements.� I
continued by saying, �They simply don�t know
how proud the Tigrayans are of their heritage and
how solidified their integrity is; how the
Tigrayans are full of themselves; how humble and
generous they are. Tigrayans exhibit resilience
and determination in the daily encounter of their
social life, and when it comes to the enemy they
very much are like a provoked lion; unlike some of
their provocateurs overwhelmed with infantile
emotions, they are highly calculated and when
necessary they make the move when they are sure
they [will] win the day or are poised to overcome
difficulties.�
In
2009, one former Derg member by the name Brigadier
General Haile Melese contributed an article in
Amharic and questioned whether the people of
Tigray are pretenders or are suspended in silence
in cross roads, and it was posted on Ethiomedia.
Although the General�s remarks were full of
curses and his analyses were very low by all
measure, I had to respond so that others can
learn. He claimed that the people of Tigray are
exceptionally benefiting from the current state of
affairs in Ethiopia; he told us that the Ethiopian
Air force was relocated to Mekelle and furthermore
he attempted to support his fantastic ideas by
reasoning that Ethiopia�s resources were being
diverted to Tigray and as a result even the caves
in Tigray were filled to the brim.
In
my response article entitled �who is
Ethiopian?� (Amharic) that was then intended to
counter the false stories that the former Derg
member tried to fabricate and establish it as
truth, I had to critique the wrong perception some
Ethiopians have on the definition of
�Ethiopian�. Some of his made-up stories
mentioned above were devoid of common sense, not
to mention lack of integrity on his part. But what
is astonishing is when innuendos are used as tools
of campaign against the people of Tigray, the
websites that serve as platforms for such
fabrications are in full accord with the Tigray
bashers, just for money.
The
latest barrage and curse against the people of
Tigray is fomented by a group of Ethiopians who
run and manage the so-called Ethiopian Satellite
Television or ESAT. This media, almost always,
attacks Tigrayans and it looks that its mission is
to mobilize other Ethiopians against Tigrayans,
but ESAT is more of an empty kettle than a
mobilizing force.
As
far as I am concerned, the ESAT group is simply
pandering in Ethiopian politics without any
foothold whatsoever in Ethiopia. I personally
would have liked to dissuade the ESAT managers and
news anchors to rethink their negative campaign
against Tigrayans, but it would be an exercise in
futility on my part, because they seem to have
chosen to attack the people of Tigray on purpose.
They are coward hypocrites who seem to enjoy in
singling out and cajoling Tigrayans, at least in
their verbose TV programs. In some instances,
however, they were clever enough to manipulate
some gullible and na�ve Tigrayans to indirectly
reinforce the objectives of ESAT.
ESAT
claims that it is an independent media network and
tells us that it is �the first independent
Ethiopian Satellite service tasked to produce
accurate and balanced news and information.� As
far as I am concerned, and as any person whose
mental faculty is in place would safely assume,
�accurate and balanced news� must first and
foremost capture the objective conditions, the
realities on the ground, and events as they unfold
in Ethiopia, without slicing, interpreting, or
distorting. Short of this, no media outlet could
hope to present �accurate and objective�
analysis of any given situation. ESAT�s news
presentation suffers from selective amnesia, a
debilitating psychological disease. If ESAT claims
�accurate and objective news�, it ought to
present what the Ethiopian people are currently
engaged in and what the government is doing,
instead of repeatedly talking about the TPLF or
Woyane. It should indeed cover the modest
development projects initiated by the Government
while at the same time criticizing the status quo.
Criticism
leveled against the government, however, should be
objective and fair. Ethiopians should have the
right to criticize their own government and I
strongly believe in the legitimacy of political
and social criticism, but the latter could not
become fair and objective if it is not
supplemented by sincere motives and analyses; most
notably, critical appraisals should be cemented in
the construction of rational analysis. For
instance, if an individual Ethiopian or groupings
direct criticism or protest against the seating
EPRDF government, it is expected of them that they
should also acknowledge the achievements of the
EPRDF, including the many development programs in
education, infrastructure, industry, and
agriculture.
When
I say objective criticism, it should be clear at
the outset that I am not doing this to paint a
rosy picture and salvage the EPRDF from its
weaknesses. I am saying this for the sole purpose
of maintaining objectivity and integrity, which I
believe are twin assets in any investigative
discourse and/or discussion forums.
If
Ethiopians could not see how Hawassa, Adama, Bahr
Dar, and Mekelle have been transformed in the last
two decades, they would not be able to see
anything else, and if they are willing to remain
myopic, that would be even worse. Ethiopians must
open up and engage in objective analysis rather
than distracting themselves by squaring on
Tigrayans and distract other Ethiopians from
focusing on pressing and timely issues.
Most
importantly, why is it that these Diaspora
Ethiopian groupings (which by the way are a
minority vis-�-vis other Ethiopians in Ethiopia
and outside Ethiopia) are so much focused on
Tigray and Tigrayans? What could be the real cause
for the Tigray phobia? The bottom line, it seems
to me, is the power nexus, and the cynical
Ethiopian Diaspora is troubled by the fact that
Tigrayans have captured the helm of power politics
in the Ethiopian state. But one may ask, �what
is wrong in that, aren�t Tigrayans Ethiopians
too�? �Yes�but��
could be the answer of the Tigray phobia
groupings. They may further elaborate by saying,
�we campaigned during the 2005 elections for the
deportation of Tigrayans under the slogan of
�Nebret wede kebelle; Tigre wede Mekelle� and
we still insist that they go back to where they
have come from.�
The
�Tigre wede Mekele� slogan of the charlatans,
of course, is not uniquely of one isolated group.
It is also presented in a different form in the
weekend Amharic daily broadcasts in the Washington
Metro Area, but what the na�ve charlatans don�t
know is the fact that some of the radio hosts were
either former Derg members or more specifically
some of them were working hand-in-glove with
Melaku Tefera in the murder of hundreds of
Ethiopian youth in the Gondar Area. The other
thing the gullible charlatans, who raise money for
the radio/TV shows, did not know is the hosts of
these shows are pathological liars who happen to
be brilliant at deception.
Whether
the radio/TV anti-Tigrayan sinister drama emanates
from mere hatred or despondency, or whether the
hosts of these shows are ruminating with
disappointments is not clear. What is clear is,
these self-proclaimed �Ethiopian patriots� are
in fact anti-Ethiopian and they are not in a
position to contributing anything toward the
progress of Ethiopia. If at all, they could
contribute to cultural and political fragmentation
of the Ethiopian society, and because they are
engaged in toxic activity, they are not only
limited in fomenting string of curses, but also in
countering their own interests. It may sound
paradoxical, but they in fact are contributing to
their own deterioration and obsolescence and to
the self-perpetuating cycle of dysfunction.
By
way of concluding, I like to underscore that I am
not shaken by the Mickey Mouse politics of
Ethiopian Diaspora, who are regretfully a spent
force; on the contrary I am at ease with what the
Ethiopian people are doing at Home, including the
inspiring and hope elevating performance of
Ethiopians in such events as �Ethiopian
Nationalities Day� and in celebrating their
Ethiopian unity. The Ethiopian people have
reaffirmed to the world, time and again, that they
are steadfast in their unity and their Ethiopian
heritage. They have reiterated on many occasions
that they would work in unison to transform
Ethiopia. I would urge the Ethiopian Diaspora to
catch up with Ethiopians at Home and refrain from
campaigning against the people of Tigray. The
Diaspora has still a chance to safely exit from
its current mess and engage in concerted actions
that could benefit their motherland.
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