The night mob violence tore lives apart
(The Sunday Independent) – Thomas Chamiso, 32, an Ethiopian refugee, ran the Thembikosi Trading Store in Zwelethemba township, Worcester, South Africa.
A month ago, he was one of 50 foreigners who were chased out of town by local residents.
Chamiso and his four cousins fled Zwelethemba with only their wallets and cellphones. They lost their refugee permits, business papers, financial records, identity documents and driver’s licences.
They slept on a municipal lawn for three nights before finding temporary lodgings in Bellville. The Cape Town Refugee Center, which is funded by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), gave the men a month’s rent and food money. After that, they were on their own.
“Maybe we will sleep on the street. What will we eat? We have nothing. How can I start a business again? I have nothing left, nothing. Who will give us money?” Chamiso said.
“We have lost our humanity in Worcester.”
As one drives from the bustling town of Worcester, where hundreds of street vendors clog the pavements selling cheap Chinese imports, through the industrial area and into the peaceful township by the only access road — a bridge over a waterless, pebbled river bed — it is hard to imagine that this place, where the shacks have neat gardens and children play in the streets, could have been the scene of violent all-night looting of 23 foreign-owned shops.
Foreigners, about 20 from Somalia, 15 from Ethiopia and a handful from Zimbabwe, the Congo, China, Pakistan and Bangladesh, were driven away on the night of March 7.
The violence is said to have erupted after two shooting incidents in which a teenager was killed and a woman was injured. Two Somalis were arrested in connection with the shootings, one on a charge of murder and one on a charge of attempted murder. Both were released on bail and are to appear in the Worcester magistrate’s court on April 25.
In the aftermath of the shootings, locals looted all the foreign-owned shops in the township.
Abdi Nur Abdi, who owns the now-flattened shop where the teenager was killed, said the same group of youngsters had robbed the shop three times.
He said he had reported the cases to the police, but that the police had done nothing to protect his shop.
Joyce Tlou, the co-ordinator of the Human Rights Commission, lamented: “What if next time it is women, or old people, or the disabled? Why are there double standards when foreigners are involved?”
Tlou said it was important to teach police officers across the country about their duty to protect refugees — who had the same rights as citizens — apart from the right to vote or run for office. One of the first organisations to offer aid to the affected refugees was Islamic Relief.
Abdi and a large group of fellow Somalis also asked the University of Cape Town’s Law Clinic to take up their case.
Fatima Khan, the refugee rights project co-ordinator at the law clinic, appointed a team of lawyers and researchers to investigate the case.
She said the refugees’ case would be taken to the Equality Court.
“Our intention is to seek compensation for our clients as well as force police to be informed that it is unconstitutional to refuse protection to a person on the basis of nationality.
“Furthermore, it is true that the police did not arrest anyone even though they knew of and witnessed the theft or looting. Items as big as fridges and counters were stolen, and police have made no attempt to investigate or recover stolen goods.”
Worcester municipal representatives, local community leaders, NGOs, lawyers and religious leaders have met refugees and the community to discuss how the situation can be resolved.
But those ejected from Worcester seem to be stuck in a political quagmire while they wait for answers and aid.
Sifiso Mbuyisa, the director of social dialogue and human rights in Western Cape premier Ebrahim Rasool’s office, said it was difficult to resolve the situation because the refugees and migrants were not homogeneous, and even the Somali community was divided.
Since all those affected were not sticking together, the government and the NGO sector did not have a single forum to communicate with and to provide assistance to.
Mbuyisa, who is a trained conflict mediator, said that he had encouraged the Zwelethemba Somalis and the Islamic Relief representatives, whom he had met on Friday, to get together all those who were affected to lobby the government.
Similarly, different departments in the national government and the various levels of government were also acting separately and, therefore, their efforts were also not co-ordinated, he said.
South African shopkeeper “Lani” Rasi, whose parents own Vukuzenzele spaza shop, said that it was as though the community “were just hungry for violence”.
He believed it would be safe for the foreigners to return, because the mayor and local pastors had told the community to reconcile with them.
At one of two community meetings held since the attacks, community members said the foreign shop owners could come back on condition that they did not open shops next to South African shops, that they employed South Africans “for the sake of communication” and that they involved themselves in community affairs by attending community meetings, Worcester police spokesperson Mzikayise Moloi said.
Moloi said the Somalis would be given an opportunity at the next community meeting to explain their needs and side of the story.
Members of the local community policing forum and religious leaders had offered to act as mediators.
Moloi said the perception of many locals that Somalis were murderous and intent on “killing our children” was an issue that needed to be dealt with.
“Locals don’t acknowledge how many people their children have killed,” he said.
Problems with troubled and unemployed youths were dealt with at a provincial government meeting in Worcester last week. Unemployment is rife in the township, which is home to about two thirds of the town’s population. Many foreigners said the police had failed to protect them, incited violence and had refused to take their statements or follow up on initial affidavits about what they had lost, even after they had told the police where to find their stolen belongings.
Moloi said he had heard of complaints about the police, but he said that no one had provided any proof of incitement by a police officer.
“If there was such a police officer, people must come forward with information. We must remove any bad apples. If they (the community) are not happy with how the police dealt with the situation, they must not just complain, they must come and speak to the station commissioner. Many are blaming the police, but they don’t understand South African law,” said Moloi.
Worcester mayor Charles Ntsomi said he was aware of complaints about the government and the police’s inadequate response to the situation.
He said he had encouraged the police to recover “at least one fridge to restore some trust in the police”.
Ntsomi, of the ANC, said if councillors who had failed to assist the foreigners were to be disciplined and suspended, by-elections would have to be held that could tip the delicate political power balance in the council, as had happened in Stellenbosch.
Also, the allegedly xenophobic community was a valued part of the electorate, he said.
“We are close to election time now.”
Ntsomi said many organisations had come to assess the situation, but none had offered any help.
“They (the ejected foreigners) must register their cases with social development. They can also come to me and apply for emergency relief, because we have some funds, although these are very limited and intended for shack fires, floods and so on.
“Winter is around the corner.”
Ntsomi said assistance for the foreigners was the responsibility of the national government.
Hector Yebo, of the Breede Valley Youth Desk, said anti-xenophobia workshops might be hosted in Zwelethemba before the end of the month. The municipality would provide a venue and funds. From there, the initiative would be branched out to Roodewal, the traditionally coloured area, he said.
The Cape Town Refugee Centre and the Human Rights Commission were also planning to hold workshops in Worcester.
“We would like to see that all the NGOs working in Worcester are supported. We also need to start advocating human rights and talk to South Africans about foreigners’ rights,” said the refugee centre’s director, Christina Henda.
She said the refugees were “highly traumatised, angry, irritable, distrustful and confused”, and needed urgent debriefing.
UNHCR protection officer Monique Ekoko has conducted interviews, the Cape Town Refugee Centre and the Scalabrini Centre have visited Worcester a few times to assess the situation, Africa Unite has made a proposal to the municipality that anti-xenophobia and empowerment workshops be held for township youth, and the UCT Law Clinic has taken statements from several witnesses to draw up a list of affected foreigners and their losses, among others.
The clinic is also investigating claims that the police have been negligent in protecting the foreigners’ property or have been actively involved in inciting violence.
Duncan Breen, of the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa, said the Worcester attacks seemed to fall into the same pattern as other recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
“There appears to have been tension building for a while, and it just took a trigger to ignite into mob violence,” Breen said.
“One of the common challenges we see is that many foreign nationals and South Africans have very little interaction, which allows negative stereotypes of foreign nationals to remain unchallenged.”
One Somali man said all he wanted was to see someone taking action, instead of just asking a number of questions.
“Please take pictures of my shop for me,” Chamiso asked last week. “I am too scared to go back there.”
A press photographer duly obliged and visited the shop, but all that remained was a small brick back office and the facade, sporting the name of the shop, starkly silhouetted against the bright blue sky.
The space where the shop had once been was being used as a messy open-air storage area for building materials.
The property owner, known in the neighbourhood only as Bacingele, sells shack-building materials. He had a deal with Chamiso to rent him the space for eight years.
When the looters tore down the structure that had been built by some Ethiopian cousins, Bacingele also suffered damage of about R5 000 to his property.
“I was fighting to keep my stuff. They took my zincs (sheets of corrugated metal). They just took everything… a mob of more than 100.”
He asked how his former tenants were doing in Cape Town and took a R20 note from his pocket.
“Give this to Thomas (Chamiso) and tell him to buy a cooldrink. Tell him they must come back. We miss them,” he said.
An elderly neighbour, who leaned over the garden fence, said that he also wanted the shopkeepers to return.
“They were good people and their prices were good. We bought on credit. Where must I buy my bread and airtime now?”
29 thoughts on “Ethiopian refugees chased out of a South Africa town”
Ethiopians are not welcomed by other African countries, perhaps, for the following reasons, or there may be other reasons:
1. Ethiopians have good looking features.
2. Ethiopians have never been colonized except for a short period of time.
3. Ethiopians have their own alphabet and their own calendar.
4. Almost all Ethiopian leaders have been Christians.
5. Ethiopians have bought and sold slaves.
6. When there is an OAU meeting in Addis Ababa, some of those African leaders want to have a good time with those beautiful Ethiopian girls, but, it is said, that the Ethiopian girls don’t like to entertain those African leaders because of their dark skins, flat nose, thick lips, and uncultured attitudes.
Assta B Gettu,
This is racism in its pure form – unfortunately from an African who claims Ethiopians are unique! The myth that we are different is the cause of attack rather that the reality! Next time you might declare that you are not African!
Do South Africans selectively attack non colonized nations and slave traders like British or French? Or do they attack the Chinese or Arabs because of their Alphabet? Or the Americans ..because all their leaders were Christians?
Can you also define your term “good looking”?
Assata B Gettu
you said
4. Almost all Ethiopian leaders have been Christians.
Did you know that almost 75% of African leaders are and have always been Christian?
The only Muslim leader countries are North Africa, Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia.
1. Ethiopians have good looking features.
What does that mean? What is your definition of good looking feature?
5. Ethiopians have bought and sold slaves.
We bought and sold other ETHIOPIANS.
6. When there is an OAU meeting in Addis Ababa, some of those African leaders want to have a good time with those beautiful Ethiopian girls, but, it is said, that the Ethiopian girls don’t like to entertain those African leaders because of their dark skins, flat nose, thick lips, and uncultured attitudes.
Why do you say Ethiopian girls?
Just say Semitic and Hamitic speak Ethiopians.
What about the Gambella and Anuak tribes of Ethiopia?
Are they not dark skin, flat nose, thick lips…etc???
You are the chauvinist brain that is killing Ethiopian people.
Change your brain.
Assta B. Gettu,
It’s because of people like you that other African countries do not “welcome” Ethiopians. And as to your strong generalization, have you been to each of the 53 African nations and carried out a survey that suggests other African countries do not “welcome” Ethiopians? Other African people (diverse as they are) do not have good looking features? And how about Tuaregs of Niger and Mali who have their own alphabets, and the Vai alphabets of Liberia, does that mean they are not welcomed either? How about the leaders of Kenya, Uganda, Botswana, Namibia, and a dozen other African countries whos leaders have all been christians, are their people not welcomed? And how about the buying and selling of slaves, almost all African countries have been (and some till this day) engaged in buying and selling slaves, what about them, what strong conclusion do you have about them? It’s because of people like you that other African countries do not welcome Ethiopians…and i don’t even believe that, but i am going along with your point. I, as an Ethiopian, wouldn’t accept or welcome you with that narrow/shallow thinking of yours. I guess i must have dark skin, a flat nose, and thick lips, or else why wouldn’t i welcome you right?
In general this is not big issue. Thousands of Ethiopians are still working in South Africa and treated very well by South Africans. There is always compition among the poor. I remember when we started street trading with cassettes. 3 for 10 Rand. Then belts was introduced then watches and finally every thing that is made in China kicked in. I left as poor as I went but many became rich.
Trading in remote areas got its own problem. Most rural South Africans and townships are full of unemployed youth who are armed. The problem with Ethiopians are not South African criminals but Ethiopian thieves who went there to steal from fellow Ethiopians.
Ethiopians are not easy people. No robber ever think to robe any Ethiopian or Eriterian on streets Ethiopians command. By the way Ethiopians and Eriterians, Kinijit and Wayane, OLF and OPDO all live and work together in South Africa. The only day they separate is may be on Sudays when one group go to Oromo community the other to Tigiray community. On Monday every one trade together and fight together. South Africa is the only place where I saw Ethiopians united.
South Africa brought Africans together too. Writing negantive about South Africa this long for single crime committed by angry mob who lost one of them to a cursed Somali is unfair. Please, those of you who comment about others take care as what ever you say may offend that country’s officials. We are no better than South Africans. You find most beautiful and sexy women not in Ethiopia but in South Africa. That country is country of beautiful people who are concious of every thing.
Elias;
Please delete the first comment by Assea B. Getu.
Thanks
It is the Somalis who were the killers. The rest were facing the anger because they were refugees, and not killers. Our African gorrila mind usually does nor differentiate the good and the bad when emotion is involved. KETELBA GAR YETEGEGNE SELIT ABREH TEWEKET NEWU. Why are people looting everyone’s property they think different from them when the case does not involve them? They are lazy and jeolous.
Assta B Gettu,
I can only hope that you did not mean what you wrote.
When are we treating outsiders in Ethiopia the way they treat us in their own country ? Specially Somalies & Eritrians ? Don’t answer me by saying, “because Ethiopians very kind.”. I do not understand the meaning of “Ethiopian kindness”. when Eritrians are coming back to claim their former position and Somalies are swarming all over Addis Ababa while an Ethiopian stand by in foolish Kindness ,Is this cowardness or kindness ? What did we get in response because of our kindness ? Except disrespected by our own so called government-Woyanne let alone by out-siders ? Those South Africans did the right thing as any economicaly strained socity does to the out-siders even though the problem triggered by some kind of violent act.
YEs I strongly agree with #1
What else……..We are destroying Democracy !!!!!
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Dear Editor,
I like your website. Whenever my boss is out, quickly i switch to your site to see if there is anything new.
It is informative and most of all entertaining, One good example is what had been posted in response to the above article.
The whole issue was forgotten and is mainly ‘attacking’ Assta B Getu. I bet he/she was not expecting this. I found the whole thing funny.
Editor keep it up!!!
Dear funny,
not my idea ……….!
My dear attackers,
The kernel of my comment that put me in trouble with some of my fellow commentators is a zealous appeal against those African nations who profess they are blacks, but when I see them humiliating my black Ethiopians and threatening to deport them, I cannot simply shut my mouth and sit behind. There must be reasons why some black Africans hate other black Ethiopians unless their hatred is based on colors, history, and religion, and Ethiopia has them all while some of these African nations do not.
Color: Ethiopia is rich in having people of different colors; history, Ethiopia has a remarkable three- thousand- year- old history; and religion, Ethiopia is one of the oldest Christian countries in Africa. So, my comment is based on reality: blacks discriminate light skins, and light skins discriminate blacks; I may be wrong, but it is true, and I have seen it.
One of the commentators asked me to define “good looking.” Good looking includes, among many other things, cleanliness, discipline, respect, humbleness, sharing, quietness, maturity, knowledge about certain things, and fear of God. If a person has all these qualities, he is a good looking person whether he has a kinky hair, a flat nose, a thick lip, and a black skin.
Another commentator said “…75% of African leaders are and have always been Christian?” Remember, Ethiopian Christians are different from other African Christians: Ethiopian Christians are not Catholics, are not Protestants, are not Pentecostals, are not Seventh Day Adventists, are not Jehovah Witnesses, are not Baptists, are not Episcopalians, and so on. You see, Ethiopia is unique!
We ask God to forgive us for buying and selling our Sudanese or Ethiopian brothers and sisters as slaves. Because they are Ethiopians, the Gambella and the Anuak tribes are beautiful; they have qualities; they have manners; they have history, and they have cultures. Every thing Ethiopian is beautiful, and it is more appropriate to bring the Gambella and the Anuak girls to Addis Ababa to entertain the African leaders than to embarrass them by bringing the light skin Ethiopian girls to have fun with these important heads of states.
Please, Daniel, welcome me. I promise you I will get an operation on my nose and on my lips to make them like yours: flat and thick respectively; thanks to modern technology, I can even change my light skin color into dark skin and my soft hair into kinky hair. After I have done all these expensive operations on myself, can you accept me into the dark world of your?
Bwendimu,
I agree with you.
Dear Fullas,
Elias is a journalist, and he is not so as narrow minded as you are to delete ideas from one of his commentators because it has shaken your old thinking. Bad news for you, Fullas, for Elias is not going to delete my comment. Have a pleasant day!
Dear Samuel Habtu Belay,
Thank you for your sweet and gentle comment: When I put the word “perhaps,” I thought people will understand that I don’t mean it is a universally accepted fact; it is just my own opinion. There may be other opinions why Ethiopians are not welcomed in other African countries, and I want to hear if there are some other reasons besides what I have said.
Since early fifties the Ethiopian refugees have been abandoning the country. We had always encountered many kinds of problems. Most of the time those refuges who were lucky enough got shelters from international organizations, some of them became victims of discrimination in host countries. It is impossible to stop such kind of problems; however immigrant Ethiopians and other individuals should create a permanent umbrella organization that must take care of new refugees in their new host countries. Those of us who had such experiences and who are living comfortable life should come together to form such protective organization that deals with many aspects of being a new refugee. We should not wait for the international organizations to give us badly needed protection when people leave our native land. It is us who can give ourselves adequate protection at anytime at any place. Other people in history had done that during the Second World War. We must learn from them as soon as possible. I am not sure if there is any refugee organization that directly deals with refugee problems that had been created by the Ethiopian Diaspora We must do something immediately and before long. People are disappearing everywhere.
The current rulers of Ethiopia; had done a superb job in protecting the people from Tigray including orphans who immigrated to Sudan in early eighties. The Eritrea organization did very well in protecting
their supporters in Sudan who were almost close to one million people for over 30 years. I am not aware of any such organization that had adequately provided protections to refugees from other parts of the Empire. It is not time for the people at this time to act upon such acute problem?
Look at what has been taking place in Basasso. Yemen is not a very safe place for Ethiopian refugees. Kenya had been a wonderful host but recently it is getting tough for refugees to live peacefully. Libya has some refugee camps in the deserts. Sudan has gone from bad to worse. Djibouti had denied us her protection for the last five or six years. The world is becoming so a difficult habitat for a nation less men and women. It has heen more treacherously hazardous since 9/11.
Somalia has been a killing field of Ethiopian refugees since Melese invaded that country.
His two pronged plan was to clean up opposition supports such as Oromo refugees and to get
The Islamic counsel out of power and hell is building upon hell in Somalia for our refugees and they are
direct targets to fires from the Ethiopian army as well as the Islamic Shababs. The blood of our sisters
and brothers have been shed violently; the deserts of Africa are eating up helpless young men and women.
If we know people are leaving forcefully their own homes to other countries may be if we create some kind of umbrella organization; we may be able to save many young men and women. Who knows they may become our future leaders and statesmen. Let sus strive to save their lives; most probably such problems will occur in the near future anywhere in the world where people from Ethiopia are trying to get protection as refugees .
I am very much thankful to people and nations and national organization that have given any form of assistance for refugees from Ethiopia. Without those wonderful assistances we would not be here today.
Assta B. Gettu
i Think this kind of infant mentality is killing our nationhood and image. I think the owner of the website shouldn’t allow this kind of provocative and indescent comment which might defame the website
Guys most Ethiopians do really have problem about reality. Successive governments have been brainwashing the people about the uniqueness of Ethiopia and Ethiopians. And this has caused us to be a little far from the REALITY.
Fact1 : 99% of Africans do not know and do not care about Ethiopia and its history.
Fact2: In Africa religion does not really matter that much(Unlike in the Middle East and Asia).
Fact3: Do you think that Kenyan Women (Ghanian, South African, Angolan, African Women in general) like to entertain Ethiopian men. No, so what makes it diferrent in Ethiopian women not liking entertaining Africans. But, to the contrary, Ethiopian women do really like African men. You know why they have big stuff and can satisfy them better than whites or their country men; add money on that.
First whoever put the conception that Ethiopian (Eritrean) women are more beautiful than their Africa counterparts in the minds of most Ethiopian has got it totally wrong.
I have seen a number of African countries and what I saw is a totally diferrent situation.
First the majority of Ethiopian women do not have attractive body (Their body is a little diminished, their bone structure is not that attractive: they lack body curves). On the plus side the majority of Ethiopian women have better hair and some (not majority) have better facial structure.
If one sees women in West Africa countries such as Angola. One would be totally surprised.
90% of the Women have a near perfect body structure. Well built. The proportionality of their body parts (Upper body part, A$$ and their legs ) is astounding. One will not find such proportionality that easily in Ethiopia. (May be one in a thousand).
So guys, it is high time we get down from high hourse and face the reality.
Lulataw says:
When are we treating outsiders in Ethiopia the way they treat us in their own country ? Specially Somalies & Eritrians ? Don’t answer me by saying, “because Ethiopians very kind.”. I do not understand the meaning of “Ethiopian kindness”. when Eritrians are coming back to claim their former position and Somalies are swarming all over Addis Ababa while an
First of all, Finfinne doesn’t belong to you and secondly I think Somalis have evry right to live in Finfinne, after all 279 252 km2 belongs to them,
Dear Jamal,
I don’t think you have the slightest idea about infant mentality; infants are created in the image of God: they feel, think, move, and do many mysterious things that you and I could not comprehend.
In fact, you are the one who is defaming the Website by commenting nothing about the comment posted; you simply say my comment is provocative and indecent. If you are a good commentator, why don’t you explain which part of my comment is provocative and indecent and why? Listen, if you belong to the kinky hair group, be proud of yourself and of your group; of course, we know you will have a hard time to be accepted by this superficial world of ours, and if you belong to the light skin group, be happy because the world is not going to reject you as it has rejected your black skins brothers and sisters. Believe it or not, what ever education you have, skin color matters in this world, but it is better to depend on your education than on your skin color alone. Education, color, and personality are the most convincing factors in achieving the highest office in most countries.
You say: “…this kind of mentality is killing our nationhood and image.” Do you really believe you have nationhood and image under Meles Seitanawi? Can you define nationhood and image?
to Assta B. Gettu
you know because of guys like you who are pin head ,racist have caused death to so many people in this world.HITLER,SOUTH AFRICA APARTHED regime caused so much suffering to so many people because they taught that they are different .however people like MARTIN LUTHER,GHANDE gave their life to stop this madness.can you define what good looking mean?is ETHIOPIA the only country who has good looking ?
to Assta B. Gettu
MARK TWAIN said “I have no race prejudices, and I think I have no color prejudices or caste prejudices nor creed prejudices. Indeed I know it. I can stand any society. All that I care to know is that a man is a human being–that is enough for me; he can’t be any “
Dear gemachu,
It is people like you who refused to recognize who they are and what kind of looks they have that caused so many tragedies and unnecessary deaths in some parts of the world. As to the definition of “good looking,” read ER #13 under the heading: “my dear attackers.” If your look makes you unhappy when you look it through the mirror, avoid looking at your face through the mirrors; just go to work without giving any attention to your look, but if you are proud of your look, then you can look at it at any time you want to. Remember, I’m a black person and proud of my look and never envy about other person’s look.
Assta B.Gettu people like you and these who think like you make me sick.In white man’s eye you ethiopian or Abbsisen or ethio jew or so called god’s people whatever you people call yourselfes today Yes you black african in white man’s eye in white man’s world.I don’t live in S.A where some youth went on robbing the hood.It looks to me some streets kids who have nothing to eat robbed the shops and had a little fun.Bettu think think big get the pic then say what you think.The olders folks are not behind this let’s chase Ethiopians or others out of town crap.It was done by streets kids who have no parents to teach them right from wrong.Thanks all.
Dear Gunfire,
The reason I and people like me make you sick is that you have been possessed by the evil spirit – the spirit of bad thinking. When this bad spirit in you sees the good spirit in me and in other people, it torments you, drives you crazy, makes you sick, and sometimes it will throw you into fire, but we will pray for you, so that this bad spirit in you will not kill you but leave you alone, and the spirit in us will make you think the way I and the other people think.
Yes, we Ethiopians call ourselves God’s people because we worship God, the creator of the visible and the invisible world; we believe we came from him, and we will go to him; in fact, we Ethiopians and others who believe like us are related to God through his beloved and only Son, Jesus Christ, so we are the offspring of God.
Dear Dan,
You wrote: “…Ethiopian women do really like African men. You know why they have big stuff and can satisfy them better than whites or their country men….” I’m sure, most Ethiopian women do not agree with you about some African men with big stuff; most Ethiopian women would prefer men with a normal stuff to African men with big stuff that gives them pain and suffering rather than pleasure and love. When I was in Addis, I heard a story that one day this African ambassador to Ethiopia procured a beautiful Ethiopian girl to his embassy for a night. He was so excited to see her in bed with him, he took off his clothes and stood necked in front of a big mirror; however, his big stuff caught her eyes through the mirror, and she was terrified that she had never ever seen such a big stuff from a human being. So she asked him that she wanted to go to the bathroom first, and he let her go; then she went to the backdoor instead of to the bathroom, called a taxi, and drove off home. This tells us that Ethiopian girls do not like African men whose stuff was like the stuff mentioned in the book of Ezekiel: “There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses” (23:20).
When the first OAU meeting was held in Addis Ababa, one of these African diplomats went to a bar in Addis, paid big money to one of those beautify Ethiopian girls for a night. In the morning this beautiful girl was sick and couldn’t walk because this African man with a big stuff had damaged her womb, and she had to go London for an operation. So big stuff for Ethiopian girls is not recommended, but normal stuff from their country men is.
Assta.B.Gettu yes I am sure you and people who think like you came from God.Onething I wonder is where’s your God today when your people have no food and water? Where’s your God today when you’r people are dying of aids? Where’s your God? Does your God really care about you and people who think like you? Why do you live in U.S today? Why don’t go back and live where you were born so you can talk to your God eazly?
Dear Gunfire,
I’m glad you believe that I and people like me came from God; however, the God whom I and people like me worship is not the God who torments the Ethiopians and other people in other parts of the world with hunger, war, AIDS, and many other natural disasters.
Our God is able to prevent all these disasters from us humans, but our sins have prevented him to avoid such disasters from happening, and as far as we continue to sin and never repent, the disasters will continue to fall upon us sinners until finally our sins destroy us completely. King David, the man of God, says: “Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Psalm 53:3). The God I and people like me worship is willing to save us if we let him do and believe in him that he is capable of doing it, but our sins prevent him from doing good things for us. One of the great prophets, Isaiah, says: “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God….” (59:1-2)
In short, my God cares for his creatures, but when his creatures refuse to listen to him, he let them go their own way because they are free to do whatever they want to do. My God’s kingdom is not like the Woyanne regime where everyone is not allowed to speak freely, guided by his/her free will.
You wrote: “Why don’t you go back and live where you were born so you can talk to your God easily?” The God I worship is a God that can be found everywhere; therefore, I don’t have to go to Ethiopia to find God and to tell him about the sufferings of my people. My God is here in North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, Antarctica, and in the entire universe. He is everywhere, and he can listen to me from where I’m.
To Assta B. Gettu
Let me tell you. just admit that you are a rasct.little knowledge is very dangers. You don’t make any sense. I don’t know where you got this silly idea that god is punishing black people. There is nothing to do with god what happen to all black people. Where was your god when six million people died in concentration camp? Where was your god when people were killed or put in jail because of their looks? I guess they are not his creation. I think it must be comedy show for him. Your god is punishing all the black people because as you said they committed sin. When people get sick or get poor according to your delusion reason, they are sinned. is that your best solution you came up for Africans problem? so according to your solution lets stop building schools and hospitals instead build churches to beg god to forgive us our sin. Then we would be better off. I don’t know how you come up with this wishful thinking. the west, some Asia and some Africa countries live good life .according to your definition because god look at these people and said you guys haven’t sinned so you deserve good live. But Africa is sinner so ADIS , famine and war is what you guys deserve. your reason has no basis or ,logical reasoning other than delusion. to tell you guys he is not the only one who think in this way. I know so many Ethiopian who think god has a special place for Ethiopia.i think this people have some kind of communication with god we don’t know .but reality is telling us otherwise. How about the six billions people in the world? Most of them live better live than us. So who is special in god’s eye. We or they.let us stop fooling around.there are so many reason why Ethiopia is the way she is now .some of the reasons-we don’t have enough university to produce educate people. the people who are in power do not tolerate its citizens freedom .we need more libraries, not churches .we have enough churches or mosques .we need people who face reality rather than pass their responsibility to god.god has nothing to do with our problem to tell you the truth we are not special.we are in denial of reality .we are in civilized world.we know the truth.wake up .stop being a racist and face reality. I don’t know what kind of god you believe in,a god who enjoy his creation suffering .i dont think so.. Be reasonable. Stop believing blindly. The bible was written when people had no clue about what caused people illness.they see everything as god punishement or reward.now we know why people get sick .
Wow I thin its very wrong to Generalize that this clan is better than the other It s morally wrong,sinfull and Evil;in fact who ever does this is very stupid and a big fool.
You are what you are today bcoz you dad loved your mother of an x clan and u result from their love guys u don t have an Idea of Biologie u r not even Christians because Gods love is equal no jew no ethiopian no foreighner no sthafrican all of us equaly so whats the use of self estimeing yourselves.
For Ethiopians forget what you think is nice I m a foreigner but I love southafrican beauties the one you say is distgusting is the one I think lovely.
I like hips,flat nose,fuly bodied and big booty ladies I m not south african but to me it gives Idea of strengh,dynamisme,caracter and smone might prove me right.
secondly I want to encourage southafricans it s good you gave us refuge and we are better than in many countries but then work hard and avoid stupid spendings that are endepting you copy from us and learn they are some who have made it and are far now because when the war finishes on foreigners it will turn against yourselves and it already started u ve got economic problems and the reason is not us foreigners its you and to ethiopians Go and sell clothings thank God you are not behind your cows looking for pastures no forget about your beauty and show it to your brothers coz us men we have very mixed feeling about what you feel sharp
any way what you did is supportive idea but your reason should not be only for Ethiopians.