By Messay Kebede
Opening Remarks
I originally intended to send this paper to a professional journal. I changed my mind because its message deserves to be read by a wider public. And since the best way to reach a wider public is through the Web, I sent the paper to popular Ethiopian websites without altering its academic form and diluting its contents, except for some theoretical ramifications.
In many ways, the ideas that Aleqa Aseres Yenesew develops in the book that I am analyzing directly deal with the problems that Ethiopia and Ethiopian society face today. The book is highly interesting because it suggests that the mess we are in now has its seed in the adoption of a wrong educational policy since the end of the Italian war. Asres proposes solutions in which he discloses the elementary fact that the heritage of a legacy and the assumption of a common destiny define a nation rather than its ethnic or linguistic oneness. He shows this in his defense of Ge’ez language: for him, this Tigrean legacy is the essence of Ethiopian identity. Consequently, what makes you Ethiopian is less your identity as Amhara (he himself is an Amhara of Gojjam) than the heritage of Ge’ez legacy. Unity lies in the acceptance of a common heritage and destiny.
But what about the southern peoples of Ethiopia who do not trace their identity back to Ge’ez? Here Asres advances a bold assertion by questioning the Western qualification of Ge’ez as a Semitic language that invaders from South Arabia brought with them. He emphatically argues that Ethiopians are black and that Ge’ez is an African language. For him, the Semitic thesis is a Western machination intended to create a divide between northern and southern Ethiopia. The direction of history is clear: the torch of Ge’ez––which is then an idea, a divine mission, and not an ethnic identity––must pass to southern peoples. And it cannot do so unless Ethiopians present themselves as the descendants of Ham.
The objection that Asres’s reasoning lacks scientific credibility because it is filled with biblical references and argumentations would miss the important point that what matters in this case is not that facts justify the discourse, but whether the discourse is empowering, whether it organizes the world in such a way that it gives us strength, unity, and historical destiny. Besides, one can take away the biblical content and only retain the logic of national unity and empowerment. When I wrote my book, Survival and Modernization, I was not even remotely aware of Asres’s works. Yet what a delightful surprise when I discovered that many of my findings reproduce Asres’s thought! I take this opportunity to thank Aleme Tadesse for introducing me to Asres’s writings.
Introduction
The opposition of traditional scholars to the proliferation of modern schools is a fact known to all those who are familiar with the difficult beginning of Ethiopia’s modernization. Besides the opposition of the nobility and the church hierarchy, traditional scholars known as debtera had used all their influence to convince the country of the perilous nature of Western education. Emperor Haile Selassie and those who supported him often had to battle energetically to neutralize their opposition. To the youngsters sent to Western schools before and soon after the Italian invasion of 1935, the opposition of the debtera appeared as a pathetic attempt to stop what was unstoppable, namely, the march of the long-awaited modernization of Ethiopia. They easily figured out that the debtera’s ignorance of the modern world and the anger against the loss of their traditional influence aroused the resistance. To them, the defense of the traditional schooling betrayed the most stubborn form of traditionalism, which was nothing else but a wrong-headed endeavor to shield Ethiopia from the benefits of modernization in the name of tradition and the status quo.
31 thoughts on “Return to the Source: Aleqa Asres Yenesew and the West”
More on Ge’ez.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ge'ez_language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ge'ez_alphabet
http://www.ethiopianhistory.com/Ge'ez
Though I know theses of professor Mesay Kebede with regard to identity formation of Ethiopians and the basis of their collective memory, for me this pieces is just another valuable warrant to that (his) alternative view of the case.
Yet I am still awaiting your holistic view on Ethiopia and Ethiopians. Just your lifelong construe in one volume. I think that would help to hell the evils of our times, including the wolfish deeds of Devil Zenawi and his vassel-head cliques!
Thank you professor!
There are strong points Aleqa Asres had made in his notions, yet I find many shortfalls over all. I respect his nationalist
arguements to share Geeze with newly concquered regions. Geeze
may have been spoken by perhaps 1% Ethiopians,it was Abyssinian official and religeous language at those days of Abbysinian estates which hardly crossed black Nile. The territory south of River Nile was free independent of Abbyssinian kingdom and thses have been written by Europian travelers as well as those who had lived and known these vast region. The language spoken by majority Current day or preveous inhabitants of south of River Nile by no means an Abbyssinian extracts no need to waste time money on this. No history can be falsified enough to hide the largest core East African inhabitants of todays Ethiopia to the south of Black Nile.
When enforcing own tradition and own theory added gun power to take possesions of others acrose their the then known Abbyssinian borders, no Europeans can match their Deptera plots at Orthodox monastries. Aleqa may be good in recognizing Abbyssinians are black people, therefore evey region black falks duel must come under ABBYSSINIAN DOMAIN is typical Abbyssinian schools of thought 1000 years ago up to this very minutes. That is not based on honesty but emotional possesive ambition Abyyssinian estates Wube of tigre and Tewodros of Gondar which pushed colaborated to advance into Free estates of the Gibe, Jima, Shewa and SIDAMA and wolyta kingdoms. Yes, it was unfortunately the migrain all packed up as “ETHIOPIA” are losing sleep over were the babys of those plus Yohanis of Agame and Migrany Minelik who made it practical at the help the same European Aleqa acuses Huge lending hands! Had BRITISH AND EUROPEANS KEPT selling and offering modern at the time “Nefxi” Yes, Abbyssinia would remain within its geo-political borders, yes, we would not suffer so much complex delema we are in in newly concoted country less than few hundren years we Worship as ETHIOPIA. ALEQA MAY respectable nationalist then but for todays mind set, we all Ethiopians need to filter the past and come to grips, that we need to respect our diverse origins under the burrels of guns or not strive to wish to have new beginnings, instead of making old lost geeze the language of brutalized southerners.
Respectfully to Aleqa and the rest of my new Ethiopian union members lets forget the fogetable past we all indured thanks to God.
as usual our elits keep barking on wrong tree in order to find remedies for ethiopian social ,political and economic sickness.it is not langauge that has made our educational system bad ,but the mind set we ethiopian have adapted through times without bothering to reform.keep in mind success is a combination of many factors. what our country need is not only pragmatic leaders,but also responsible and visionary citizens.unless both our elits and rulers have developed buring desires that can change the condition of our society,the cicle of misery ,poverty and injustice will continue.
Dr Messay Kebede,
Thank you very much for the wonderful article. It is one of the longest articles I read on the Internet but I read it with great interest and pleasure.
Did not know our “traditional scholars” were so wise. Much respect to Aleqa Asres Yenesew.
No doubt he was somewhat exaggrating here and there to make his point clear, but if one looks at the big picture he was right on several crucial issues, just to name a few:
– dangers of losing traditional values and knowlege
– dangers of importing foreign values and knowlege without filtering the what is good from the bad
– the importance of common heritage and destiny for the unity of the nation
Many thanks Dr. for sharing this valuable piece…
Aleqa, the Genius Ethiopian known by few. I advise readers also to read his book called “TIBAE AKSUM”. People like him have never been given enough space to be known merely because they are real sages and speak the truth.
I far as I understand what Aleqa is saying is not enforce Geez to be the language of the country. He is informing us that Ethiopia has fundamental knowledge resources and those resources are accumulated in Geez language. First know what you have and then learn from others only the most important ones. This in fact is the Style of Japan.
Aleqa stressed also that although colonizers are out, their plan still functions. No one can deny this at this point as the current puppet rulers are demarcating the map drawn by colonizers. I consider Aleqa as Angel. May God bless his soul.
Dear Mekonneb,
I read your comment and agree we need to respect our differences as well. It is nice to express one’s idea. But I would simply say you have missed some relevant points:
1. What do you mean by Abbyssinia? For you who are exactly the Abbyssinians? What indicators do you have to mark some as Abbyssianians the others as non-Abbyssianians?
2. Historicall speaking, the presence of Kings and their addmisnistrative influences just south of Blue Nile traces back to, at least, the Medieval period of Atse Zere’a Ya’ekob, Libne Dingle, gelawudiyos,. That is long before the establishment of the Shewan nobility in late 17th Century. However, you tried to relate the presence of Imperial influences of the northern part of Ethiopia in South of Abay with the arrival of Western Colonial phenomena in the Horn of Africa in 19th C.
3. I don’t think also that you have well understood the central aruments of both AleQa and Prof. Messay. As to the best of my knowledge, they never tried to impose Geez on any section of our people. Rather, they maintained that Geez is an African civilization and the West purposely attributed it to the Sematic of Arabs on the very blief that the black is “uncivilized”.
mekkoneb,,,
What is the problem after all to claim and argue that geez
belongs to the black people of Ethiopia (all peoples in Ethiopia)? This claim, I am sure, never show that one group is trying to impose one thin on the other!
Thank you!
Geez as a national identity? Good luck guys!!!
Asres’ passionate support for the Ethiopian tradition, culture, history, and especially the Geez language as the source of knowledge is highly commendable since Ethiopia has nothing to be proud of except its antiquities, no major discoveries in science, modern medicine, and modern technology.
Assuming there have been traditional and modern intellectuals in Ethiopia, Asres asserts that traditional intellectuals are the guardians of the Ethiopian society, but he has failed to tell us specifically who these traditional intellectuals are.
To my understanding of his statements about these traditional intellectuals, the debteras are the guardians of the Ethiopian culture, tradition, history and beliefs, which is not true at all.
First let us understand what Asres means when he says “intellectuals?” If he means that intellectuals are more educated, more knowledgeable, and more interested in defending the old Ethiopian traditions such as faith, obedience, generosity, prayer, fasting, marriage, celibacy, worship, martyrdom, and so on, in this case, the debteras are at the wrong place and at the wrong time.
Let me explain who the debteras are: most of the debteras have no specific qualifications as far as Ethiopian traditional education is concerned. They are very conceited, shrewd, sorcerers, magicians, witchcrafts (tenquai), and enemies of the clergies. They don’t go to church every Sunday; they disparage the priests, the deacons, and the lay men. They don’t farm because they are very lazy and hate hard work. Even if they get married, they could not support their family because the income they get by writing unknown words on amulet (kitab) and selling it to a lay person is not adequate to support their family. The lay person buys it and hangs it around his neck to protect him from evil eyes. So the debteras have no high position in the Ethiopian church hierarchical order. In fact, the debteras are called tenquai – witchcrafts – and they are feared because of their asmat (sorcery). The debteras don’t stay in one place; they are wanderers: they travel from one village to another, from one town to another town, selling their kitabs to the people and receiving some money. As far as their educations are concerned, we call them tiraz-netek (quack) or kunzil.
If debteras are not traditional intellectuals, who are then? The Ethiopian traditional intellectuals are the most educated, the most disciplined, the most spiritual, and the most humble, dedicated, and honest people, and it is from these types of people the Church and the state always appoint bishops, archbishops, patriarchs, abbots, cabinet members, like-kahinat, gebez, translators of the Geez Bible into Amharic Bible, readers and interpreters of the Chronicles of the Kings, and those who are specialized in andimta (tirguame) – hermeneutics – for high offices. No debteras can be appointed for high offices because debteras are not the traditional intellectuals as Asres assumes they are.
These highly educated, learned Ethiopian traditional intellectuals are the memhirs, astemari in Amharic, memhir or hadaf in Geez, rabbis in Hebrew. Some of these intellectuals have distinguished themselves at least in one or two or three main subject areas – may be in kine, zema, tirgum, or aquaquam. The exceptional ones may have specialized in all subject areas, but it takes a long time to do so. For example, to master zema from thome-digua to digua, and every thing that belongs to zema, one has to spend at least 30 years; in kine, 12 years; in aquaquam 10 years; and in tirgum 35 or more; however, the brightest ones could master all subject areas in 20 years. We have had those Ethiopian traditional intellectuals in our country. Aleqa Asres may be one of them; I do not know, and I have never met or heard of him when I was in Ethiopia.
Some of these memhirs have their own schools; the kine memhir has his kine schools with his kine students, and when these kine students have finished their kine learning, they would go either to the digua memhir, or to the aquaquam memhir or to the tirgum memhir. Any student who has not finished any one of these five subjects will end up probably becoming a debtera (tiraz-netek). Most of the memhirs and especially those whose specialties are in kine or tirgum are the defenders of the Ethiopian old traditions, including the doctrines of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Some of these memhirs are celibates; some are married, and some of them live in monasteries. They strongly advice their students never to be a debtera – a witchcraft, a sorcerer, a deceiver, and a friend of the devil; the memhirs, the clergies, and the monks are the ones that mostly serve the common people; especially the priests are the true servants of God. They go to church every Sunday morning, administer the Holy Communion to the people, conduct baptism, perform funeral services, bless the wedding, the mahiber, and so on. The monks are mostly confined to preaching the people on Sunday or on any religious holidays inside the church compound. Most of the time these monks preach about the coming of Jesus Christ and the doctrine of the Godheads, but the debteras are not qualified either to teach or to bless a wedding, because they are not ordained to do so.
I cannot imagine how Aleqa Asres concludes that Geez language is the source of every thing and advices the Ethiopian children to study Geez – a dead language. It is true; thousands of Ethiopian books are in Geez language and most of them are in monasteries, such as Hiqu Monastery, Waldiba Monastery, Debre-Bizen Monastery, Debre-Damo Monastery, ziquala-Abo Monastery, Debre-libanos Monastery, and other monasteries. Even if the students learn Geez and make a research, for example, on surgery of a human heart, and on how a car is built, would the Geez books provide the student how to do such wonderful things? I don’t think so. Yes, most of these Geez books would tell the students how St. Tekle Haimanot spent his time praying, standing only on one of his legs for seven years, eating only a single pea – one pea for each year. Those Geez books are full of the miracles performed by multitude of saints from Ethiopia, Egypt, and Europe. They never talk about science, modern medicine, space exploration, and evolution. If I were Aleqa Asres, I will never tell my students to spend their times reading miracles performed by the saints; I don’t either believe that Geez was the language of Ham. Few years ago, I met a Chaldean girl in the United States who spoke Farcies language. In her speech I picked up the following Geez words: ainiye (my eye), egriye (my foot), Eziniye (my ear) and betiye (my house). As our conversation continued, I asked her if she knew Geez. She responded that she had never heard such a language existed in the world. I told her those words I mentioned above were Geez words; she was amazed. According to Asres’ assertion that Geez language is the language of Ham, the Chaldeans are then descendants of Ham, which I doubt. To me, Geez is just like many other Semitic languages that has its own history, beauty, and defects.
Asres believes that God is the cause of every thing, if it is so, then Cod is the cause of introducing modern education to the Ethiopian society so that we could learn something new that the Geez language has failed to teach us about science and modern technology. I also completely disagree with his messianic destiny – that Ethiopia is divinely protected and destined for something else. God protects, not only Ethiopia, but all countries, and God may have a divine purpose why he destroys other countries. However, Asres’ idea of God’s special treatment for Ethiopia is illogical and unacceptable because God is not partial like human beings. God treats every country in the way he has been treating Ethiopia.
When Asres says that political leadership is a divine assignment, is he saying that Hitler’s political leadership to kill five million Jews was a divine assignment? Is he saying that Meles Seitanawi’s political assignment to murder innocent Ethiopians in 2005 is a divine assignment? I doubt it. If such bad things are God’s divine assignments, what are the devil’s assignments?
Asres condemns the Italians for introducing us to the modern world, but I praise them for the good things they did for Ethiopia. For example, they left us modern schools (askuala), modern hospitals (asfedalie), and modern highways. Look and see the Lemalimo road near Dibe-bahir; it is one of the wonders. So modern education will not destroy our traditional education; it will modernize it: instead of learning under a tree, we will learn seating in chairs in a beautiful building, and instead of being cheated by debteras, modern education will make us smarter and allows us to see a real physician for our illnesses, no more sorcerers, no more witchcrafts, so modern education has more values than traditional schools.
Finally, I’m opposed to Asres’ racist remarks that blacks all over the world should be united and become a powerful kingdom. I believe we all are human beings, and as such, we all are one family of God: black, white, red, yellow, and brown. We all live in one house – the earth; I strongly believe in one race – the human race. I don’t believe in a black race, in a white race, and in any other races except in one race – the human race.
Assta B. Gettu,
You missed the whole point. It is not without a reason that Aleqa Asres is refered to as one of the “traditional intellectuals.”
Your detailed argumentation of his views are uncalled for here. You missed the context.
Ato Assta B gettu,
Did your read Aleqa’s book? or are you just filling out Elias’s free media because you have no where to go? If not how can you criticise Aleqa based on some other person’s writing? (sima belew). If so this does not make you educated person at all let alone commentator on real intellecutuals like Aleqa.
Do you speak Geeze? If not how dare you jumped to talk about the Ethiopian Geeze documentaries? Based on roumers?
Thank you!
Dear Aleqa Bru,
Can you tell me the reason why Aleqa Asres is referred to as one of the traditional intellectuals? As far as I know, very few Aleqas in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church hierarchical order may be called intellectuals; otherwise, the traditional intellectuals are, as I said before, the memhirs or the hadafs.
Aleqa Asres’ views about debteras, the Geez language, the introduction of modern education to Ethiopia, the divine destiny of Ethiopia, and the calling of all blacks in the world to be united are misleading and full of exaggerations. I see him advising the Ethiopian children to study the Geez language, and for what purpose? Can you explain to me? Are there other countries that speak in Geez language? Even some of the Ethiopian priests do not know Geez. Can you find books of modern technology written in Geez language? So, what are the purposes of Aleqa Asres in advising these innocent Ethiopian children to study a dead language instead of advising them to study Chinese, German, French, Russia and Arabic languages? Whom is he cheating? Such advice of his is a disservice to the children of Ethiopia? In fact, most of Ethiopian books in the Geez language have been translated into Amharic; some into other languages, such as German, French and English. Go to Heidelberg University in West Germany and look for the Ethiopian Geez books that are translated into German language. Even the Book of Enoch has been translated into English, and other books such as sinksar, teamire-mariam, dirsane-michiel, gibrehimamat, just to mention a few of them. I’m sure you know, since you are an Aleqa, how long it will take to study Geez: the gss, the agevav, and so on. In this modern age, can you advice your children to go to one of the Ethiopian monasteries to study the Geez language? I know some Universities offer a course in Geez language just for a purpose of research, nothing else.
Dear Denekew,
What are your points? Whether I speak Geez or not is not the point here. The point here is that Aleqa Asres does not know what he is talking about when he says that debteras are the Ethiopian traditional intellectuals, that the Geez language is the language of Ham, that God treats Ethiopia differently from other countries, and that all blacks in the world must be united. If you can explain those statements to me, then I can discuss with you; otherwise, if your question is about my knowledge of the Geez language – the dead language – and about my reading of Asres’ book, a book full of exaggerations and chauvinisms – then, your whole points have no merits at all. Please, don’t waste my time; I’m a busy man.
Hi Assta B. Gettu,
Why do you think, Dr Messay wrote this at the beginning of his 4th paragraph?
The objection that Asres’s reasoning lacks scientific credibility because it is filled with biblical references and argumentations would miss the important point that what matters in this case is not that facts justify the discourse, but whether the discourse is empowering, whether it organizes the world in such a way that it gives us strength, unity, and historical destiny. Besides, one can take away the biblical content and only retain the logic of national unity and empowerment.
I advise you to re-read the article in this spirit.
As far as equating debteras to traditional intellectuals goes, I do not think it was Aleqa Asres that made the equation. I believe it is Dr Messay himself making the assertion. But still the question whether the debteras are traditional intellecuals is not the essense of this commentary. I don’t know why failed to see the central message of Dr Messay’s commentary on the works of Aleqa Asres.
Please enlighten me …
Thanks,
AleQa Bru (not a true aleqa by the way:-))
Ass B gettu
1. You may comment on Dr. Mesay. However, if you did not read Aleqa’s book how can you comment on Aleqa? How do you know whether Dr. Messay addressed Aleqa’s book in the right or wrong way? How can one comment on the book that he/she did not read?
2. You don’t know geeze nor you read any of geeze documents. How can yo comment on those documents that you cannot read and are not willing to read? Are you some kind of alien creature who can interpret things that cannot be seen and heard?
Thank you!
Does anyone of you know where to get Aleqa Asres’ book(s)? If you do, please advise about how to get it.
Thank you.
My dear Aleqa Bru,
I need the enlightenment from you rather than you from me; having said this, let me go back to work and examine the real issue and explain if I can.
Remember, my dear friend, in this modern world, facts are important, and they are powerful to convince someone who doubts that fire dons not burn if someone puts his hands into it. Yes, it does burn. This is a fact.
As you know science is based on facts, and this does not mean that science has an answer for every thing, and because science does not have an answer for ever thing, it does not necessarily mean that every thing is false.
Especially, we students of the Bible believe in revelation, in miracle, in vision, and live by faith. We believe God has revealed himself to Abraham, to Moses, to the other prophets, to the apostles, to the Church Fathers, and even to some holy men and holy women of our time – a time of wickedness, greediness, injustice, and many corruptions that I could not be able to mention all of them here, especially the atrocities that are going on in our country – Ethiopia.
Dr. Messay’s fourth paragraph you kindly posted me tries to explain the logical thinking, the styles, the constructions of sentences, the dictions, the persuasions, and the unity of thoughts of Aleqa Asres’ writings. Even though Asres’ writings are based on biblical facts rather than on science, they are powerful, colorful, inspiring, and cultivating that they can unite us, teach us some thing important about our cultures, traditions, histories, and especially the history of our unifying factor – the Geez language, a language divinely granted to our father Ham. This is our unifying heritage, and this important heritage of ours is on the verge of being lost because of the outside and the inside forces: the outside force is the colonization of Ethiopia for five years by the Italians; of course with the British help, we defeated them, but the Italians had purposely left behind that supplants the Ethiopian traditional education – the modern education. The inside forces are the Ethiopian modern intellectuals who went overseas, got their education, and they are in high position, disparaging the Ethiopian traditional intellectuals, which is a big mistake.
We Ethiopians are blacks, children of Ham, and we should not despise the other dark skin blacks; they are our brothers and sisters. Of course, writings of this kind by Aleqa Asres can mobilize a divided nation like Ethiopia and unify it into one viable, powerful, and resourceful nation, regardless of its many ethnicities.
My dear Bru, let me share a secret with you here: In kine school, a student composes a kine. His kine must be based at least on wax and gold. The wax has to be undeniable fact, and the gold should be an exaggeration. Then it is up to the student to color it, to beautify it and to make it very appealing to the audience when he presents it. It does not have to be supported by out side sources or quotations. What the audience is looking at is the style, the diction, the constrictions of the sentences, and the dynamics it generates. When a student reads such a lovely kine of his to the audience, the audience stands up and praises the student.
Most Ethiopian Geez books are written in this fashion; they are enjoyable to read; they can force you to do something unthinkable. Because of their persuasive power, many young Ethiopians leave their mothers and fathers, become monks, and spend the rest of their lives, praying in a monastery of their choices. But you cannot prove such books scientifically; you just have to accept them as part of the Holy Bible. I’m afraid; Aleqa Asres’ book is not far away from these types of thousands of Ethiopian Geez books.
That is enough for now, and good night!
Dear Denekew,
I have told you already that I don’t have time talk with someone who questions my knowledge of Geez; I’m not here to advertise what I know; I’m here to comment on a subject that is important to me and to my friends. If you have some important and educational questions to ask me, you are welcome to do so. If you do not know how to formulate a question, I advice you to go back to school and learn how to and come back and ask me.
Assta B. Gettu,
It looks like that we are getting to be on the same page now. Thanks for taking your time to respond. I also have to thank you for sharing your knowlege of Ethiopian traditional intellectuals, the Ethiopian orthodox church and its teachings and traditions. You seem to know a lot in this area.
I wish Dr Messay could debate with us to explain the core message of his long commentary on the works of one of our great traditional scholars: Aleqa Ares. I don’t think many people are in a position to understand the message he intended to communicate with the readers. I advise the media people also, if they could, to schedule an interview with him. That would be helpful for many of us.
Anyways, I like to you to share your view on these paragraphs from page 2. The reason why I asked your view is because you seem to have the same critique on the traditional scholars as those what Dr Messay calls “early students.”
In retrospect, the judgment of the early students appears misplaced and irresponsible. True, the debtera had a major weakness, which was that they opposed Western schools without suggesting any other alternative. They were totally unable to tell how Ethiopia could modernize without adopting Western rationality, science, and technology, the very virtues that the traditional knowledge had, if not condemned, at least ignored. More yet, the debtera did not seem to understand how necessary modernization was for the maintenance of Ethiopia’s independence. Especially after the dreadful episode of the Italian occupation, which made palpable the dependence of Ethiopia’s survival on rapid modernization, the defense of traditionalism could not be characterized as nothing other than foolish blindness.
Granted these legitimate criticisms, granted also that traditionalism was incompatible with survival, the fact remains that the condemnation of the opposition of the debtera was singularly one-sided and hardly clever. Notably, it missed the core message of the opposition, to wit, that the zeal to appropriate Western knowledge and know-how may result in the loss of the very independence that it wants to protect.
Dear Assat N Gettu
The question is not about your lack of geeze knowledge. The question is why you have to jump and comment in the subject matter that you don’t know. Those people who can explore the bulck of the geeze literature can talk either towards or against the contents of the books. Why you have to comment in the subject matter you do not know? How are you going to help your friends in the area where you don’t have clue?
If you have to comment ” go back to the source”, as Aleqa advised and Dr. Mesay put it in action. Dr. Mesay read the book itself and he commented on it. However, your comments are groundless. Neither your read Aleqa’s book nor you explored the geeze literature? Where in the universe is your comment based on? I have have been at school since you told me to attend. Is may question better know?
Thanks
M2008
I agree that not every phenomenon is verifiable in the science lab; science has its limitations too. On the other hand, we need not be coaxed into accepting Aleqa Asres’s verdict that we are Hamitic to support “we are black African” thesis and that Ge’ez is Semitic is a Western concoction.
It is interesting that Dr. Abraham Demoz, the late-eminent Ethiopian linguist, designated Ge’ez as Semitic. I hope you are not inferring his scholarship is less convincing than that of Aleqa Asres.
Mind you, I am not arguing we are not black or African; nor do I doubt that we are one people–though a diverse one.
My concern is that in the desire to correct one set of errors we may be creating yet another.
My dear Denekew,
Before I respond to your question, I would like to know whether you are writing to me – Assta B. Gettu or to some one else by the name, as your writing indicates, Assa N Gettu. My name is Assta B. Gettu, not Assa N Gettu. Your clarification is required.
It seems your school didn’t do a good job when you went there yesterday to learn something from your teachers.
Assuming your question is addressed to me, I will ask you the following questions that you have, if you can, to respond to as quick as possible:
How do you know that I’m commenting on a subject that I am not familiar with? Can you mention the names of those Geez scholars you said are the only ones who are qualified “to talk either towards or against the contents of the book”? If you have read the book, what are the contents of this particular book we are commenting on?
Your ignorance on the subject further exposes you to those who do not know the Geez language but still are capable of commenting on the subject matter which is still in Amharic language. The author of the book was well versed in both Amharic and Geez languages, and he was from Gojam, famous in kine; if you want to learn kine, I advise you to go to Washera-Gonjie and Dima in Gojam province. At Washera there was a renowned Ethiopian female kine teacher by the name Wizero Gedamnesh. If you want to learn Digua go to Bethlehem, in Begemidre and Semen province; If you want to learn Tirguame – interpretations of the 81 (semania-ahadoo) Ethiopian Holy Bible and the interpretations of the Writings of the Church Fathers, go to Gimjavet-Mariam, Gondar City; if you want to know Aquaquam, go still to Baita-Mariam, Gondar; if you want to learn Kidasie, go to Debre-Abai, then in Gondar province, now in Tigray province. After you have visited all these distinguished Ethiopian learning centers and have spent at least 25 years there to master all the disciplines, then you can ask me about the substance of Asres book. Otherwise, it is fruitless to discuss anything about Aleqa Asres’ book here with a person who has never been in any one of these places, the Harvards of Ethiopia.
Please continue asking me!
Wondime Assta B Gettu ( I hope this time it is right)
The reference for your not knowing the subject matter is you yourself. Read whatever you wrote from the beginning up to now! I asked you whether you have read Aleqa’s book or not? Your indirect answer was no. wasn’t it? If I am mistaken, let me ask you again. Did you read Aleqa’s book? Anbibibehewal woyi? Did you read the Geeze books found in those monasteries you mentioned critically? Did you?
Mentioning the names of the monasteries does not make you “liq”. Does it?
A person who has been at the “Harvards of Ehtiopia” is to the point. He/she does not write unnecessary things in bulk. A single word speaks a lot, right? semina-work! Although you know those places, it looks like you were just chasing “zikirt” instead of spending time with the books.
Thanks
Ehooye Denekew,
I know what I’m talking about, but I don’t want to waste my time with a thimew or elid person or a tiraz-netek who has no idea about kine even gubae-kana – the beginning of kine. Go to one of those places I mentioned to you and learn gubae- Kana first, then talk to me. It should not be your concern whether I have read Geez books or Asres’ book. Your concern at this time should be first about your knowledge of Geez – the dead language, a language that died with King Haile Selassie and buried with him.
Have a pleasant day, bitheye and come back and enjoy my friendly advice; some times it could be soured!
Assta B Gettu
Do you know the “animal whose said horse is my uncle” while she was asked about her father? You smell like that. You are asked specific questions and your jabbering about something else. The message here is not only for you but for everyone. Please do not try to comment on the subject matter that you did not read about, know and understand. This is not politics that everyone has to be involved. This is about literature and only some can be involved.
One more thing! Whatever times you may salivate to kill, Geeze will never never die. It is in prints in famous libraries worldwide.
My dear Aleqa Bru,
As you well know the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is composed of memhirs, monks, clergies, deacons, and debteras. These groups of people have been the smart students of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and they may have differences of status, knowledge and church duties, but when it comes to opposing modern education, they are one mighty force.
First, they think that the Ethiopian traditional education is above all any other education; it is an education that God has purposely granted to Ethiopia, and such an education lacks nothing, and you cannot add any thing to it and you cannot subtract any thing from it. Woodasie-mariam is always the same woodasie-mariam, and melkia-eyesus is always the same melkia-eysus and the students have to memorize all of them, and it is a taboo to interpret them into Amharic. They believe, For example, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church zema was composed by Aba Yared, an Ethiopian scholar who was inspired by God to compose all the thome-digua and the digua and the many other parts of zema. That means, all Ethiopian traditional education is a God-inspired education. No one can alter it from what it has been to what it will be.
In other words, the Ethiopian traditional students have already made up their minds that the Ethiopian traditional education is a God-inspired education that leads the Ethiopian people directly into heaven. It is an education that encourages people to hate this physical world but insists them to work hard to posses the spiritual world. They believe that modern education teaches people how to become worldly instead of how to become spiritually.
Second, they think that Ethiopia is a modernized country – a country that has its own alphabet, its own numeric, its own calendar, its own language, its own scholars, and its own engineers who designed and built magnificent churches such as Lalibela and other significant churches.
Third, they fear that modern education will create heretics that oppose to the teachings of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. For example, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church has been teaching its members not to work during St. Mary’s Day, St. George’s Day, St. Michael’s Day, and in fact every day is full of many saints, so modern education is going to change all these practices. Besides, modern education is going to tell the young Ethiopians to stay home instead of going to church on Sunday; modern education is going to teach the Ethiopian people that fasting every Wednesday, every Friday, during Lent, and during other days is not biblical. Modern education is going to oppose to venerating the pictures of the saints in the church; modern education does not teach students to respect their teachers as traditional education students respect their memhirs.
When I was in Ethiopia, I do not know how true it is, I heard one of our teachers telling us that Ras Immiru had told His Majesty Haile Selassie that he should not introduce modern education to Ethiopia; if he did, the Ethiopian students after they got their modern education would rise up and overthrow him, but his thoughts were overcome by His Majesty. So the opposition to modern education was not just by the ancient students of Ethiopian traditional education, it was also opposed by the Ethiopian ministers, by the Ethiopian bishops and archbishops. According to those ardent supporters of the Ethiopian traditional education, the Ethiopian traditional education is the alpha and the omega – the first and the last. There is no other alternative to modernize Ethiopia; Ethiopia is a modernized country; they believe.
To these people, the issue about modernizing Ethiopia also includes a financial issue; they think modern education will take away their high paying jobs and give them to those students who have modern education. It is just like factory workers who fear that the introduction of robot to their factory will take away their jobs and leave them without jobs. (It is true; it will and has.)
Fifth, the students of the Ethiopian traditional education also fear that this modern education is going to bring with it protestants that do not accept the doctrine of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church teaching about the nature of Christ Jesus. For example, all the protestant churches believe that Christ has two natures: divine and human, but the Ethiopian Orthodox Church believes that Christ has humanity and divinity, but the two are united, so Jesus has only one nature, not two. The other doctrinal issue is that the Ethiopian Orthodox Church does not believe in predestination even though it teaches it without knowing it. So, the Students of the Ethiopian traditional education fear that modern education may change the doctrine that Church has been advocating for centuries.
In reality, the students of the Ethiopian traditional education have missed the whole points of modern education; for example, if Ethiopia has had a modernized army like Germany during World War II, Mussolini could not have dared to invade Ethiopia. Because of lack of modern education, thousands of Ethiopians have been dying from malaria, typhoid, and many other easily preventable diseases. Most of the traditional students, I am sure, appreciate the introductions of electricity, running water, modern transportation, and new hospitals, even though they are not enough to be distributed equally throughout Ethiopian provinces.
Their argument that Ethiopian traditional education leads to heaven is a blind faith because it is not through either traditional or modern education that we will inherit heaven; it is only by the grace of God that we will inherit heaven. So all in all, the fight against modern education by the Ethiopian memhirs, monks, clergies, deacons, and debteras has continued until the Ethiopian Orthodox Church lost its status as a state Church because it has failed to accommodate modern education with its valuable traditional education.
Dearest Denekew,
I’m afraid you are not going to get anything out of me because of your crooked and inappropriate questions. In our Ethiopian culture, we do not boast or conceit and say: “I know this and I know that; I have read this and I have read that.”
It seems to me you are an angry person, and from an angry person I’m going to distance my self in spirit if that person has failed to follow the rules of presenting oneself to another human being whom he has never seen before.
Yes, my friend, Geez is dead, and I was at its funeral; as the students of Geez brought its huge body to bury it, I and my other Geez friends wept bitterly. I’m very sorry to have informed you its sudden death, but don’t cry to much, it may come back; who knows!
Dear Assabt B. Gettu and Denkew
I was following your argument from A to Z. I think there is one thing we have to learn from you guys friendly argument.
I think Denekew’s comments lie although we may be good in the certain things, we donot have to comment unless we read the original. For example we can comment on Dr.kebede but not on Aleqa Yenesew based on Dr. Kebede’s article. I think this comment is legitmate. If we want to comment on Yenesaw we need to read his book first. We cannot comment on him based on Dr. Kebede’s critic. What if Dr. Kebede did not reflect his idea correct? Do you see what I mean?
I enjoyed reading Dr. Messay’s comments and agree with Mr. Interestng.
I have done some comparative studies of Geez and Hebrew as Semetic languages. To imply the study of Geez language and literature would have modernized Ethiopia is like saying the Ethiopian Orthodox Church would have evangelized Africa and the rest of the world or Ethiopia would have colonized Europe and the Middle East (formerly, part of Africa).
Do we see any Geez script on wall of the pyramids in Egypt? Can we find any Geez writing in ancient Zimabwean tombs dating thousands of years?
Knowledge, particularly scientific or technological knowledge is transfereable/impotable/exportable. Modern civilization does not belong to one race, black or white. I think it is a mixture or hybrid of pieces and bits from everywhere. Let us be humble and learn from other cultures and languages instead of despising them.
I wish Dr. messay would have not spent his time on responding to the writer but someone had to arrest such a baseless talk.
Ham and Sem were Ethiopian brothers . As such, they spoke the same language: Geez and/or preGeez(sabean). Now, for inclusiveness sake some people prefer to call this language, or group of languages, as Afroasiatic. That is fine with me too .
[u]Genealogy recap:
[/u] Sem became the direct father of Tigres, then amaras, Tigris , Gurages , argobas , Hadiyas, Harares, Gaffates(extinct) ,Damotes(extinct) Angotes(extinct) & many other extinct Ethio-semitic subclans .
Ham on his turn became the direct father of Oromos, Afars, Somalis , Sahos, Sidamas , Kambatas , Gideos & many other hamitc Ethiopian .
As Time went on some of Sem’s children migrated to the Middle East where their genes mutated to some degree, and following that, their various kindred became the lightskinned semitic people , including arabs & jews.
On the other hand some of Hams kids migrated through out black Africa, and among others , to mention but only two groups of black who belong to our neck of the woods , their descendants became the Kushitic & Nylotic Ethiopians .
I don’t think those of you who comment negatively on Aleqa Asres’s Wonderful work are real Ethiopians. What do you know of Ehiopia and Ethiopianess. Have you ever asked what it means.It is all recorded in Geez. Why do the westerns have such a negative attitude to us? Why do the incumbent generation of ours devoid of the real knowledge of himself?
The real intellectuality lies on knowing oneself first. Intellectuals like Aleqa and Nibure ed Ermias are bold enough to let us know the truth. Please, We all Ethithiopians must investigate the truth about ourselves before it is getting to let.