A telescopic view of Ethiopia
By Ayele Bekerie
Ethiopian Review, July 2001
During the Christmas holiday of 2001, I visited Ethiopia for five weeks. I made the trip in order to conduct some field research on ancient Ethiopia and to meet with family members. It was my second trip since I came to the United States in the mid seventies. My last trip to Ethiopia was in 1993.
For sure, a whole lot has changed over the last seven years. For instance, I have attempted to probe the new paradigm of ethnic federalism and its meanings and outcomes with respect to the common people of Ethiopia by raising some questions. Does ethnic federalism strengthen or weaken the sense of Ethiopian identity? What instruments are set in place in order to tackle problems of extreme ethnocentrism? How does one address the imbalance in power and governance among the designated ethnic groups? How does ethnic federalism guarantee the fundamental human rights of every person? Does religious identity supersedes ethnic identity? What about the rights of individuals who have more than one ethnic identity?
I must acknowledge at the outset that it is not possible to provide complete answers to these questions from five weeks of random observations and reflections. However, I want to share my thoughts and preliminary assessments with the reader.
Conversations and discussions that I had with hundreds of Ethiopians did not leave me with the impression that the new paradigm of ethnicity is fully comprehended or accepted. In fact, people tend to highlight the asymmetrical nature of the new paradigm. They are quick to point out that the paradigm is more beneficial to the ethnic group that is associated with the ruling party. Some even talk about the prevalence of ethnic racism and not ethnic federalism in today’s Ethiopia.
By ethnic racism, I meant the propagation of the notion of a superior ethnic group, which assumes an almost exclusive access to power and privilege. At this stage, it appears that the people are resisting the gradual encroachment of ethnic racism in their political, social and economic lives through passive means. I have sensed a good element of double consciousness in the day to day lives of the people. Economic realities may have forced them to assume correct stance in public, but in private they tend to revert to their true selves.
I am not sure how the recent split within the ruling party affect the notion of ethnic racism. It is, however, important to acknowledge the first step taken by the ruling party to contain some aspects of narrow nationalism and ‘tribalism.’ Events over the last few months have made it clear that ethnicity as an instrument of political power and privilege is not only shaky but also a real threat to national unity.
It seems to me that the people have a strong sense of Ethiopian identity and this has been confirmed during the Ethiopian and Eritrean conflict. And of course a strong sense of identity does not mean that they lack cultural distinctiveness based on ethnicity. It just simply means the people have a deep historical and psychological attachment to Ethiopian identity.
Furthermore, the people’s reluctance to embrace “ethnic federalism” is a manifestation of their unshakable loyalty to Ethiopian nationalism. It is as if that they have already found ways to secure their sense of ethnic particularity only through Ethiopian universality. Seeing themselves first as Ethiopians amounts to a cardinal principle and a foundation to democratic political culture.
Travelling to historic sites, such as Aksum, Lalibela, Gonder, and Bahr Dar and going through the great accomplishments of our ancestors compel one to have great psychological satisfaction and spiritual regeneration. Africans, much earlier than the time of colonialism and enslavement, perfected their agriculture, built dams, terraces and temples, carved magnificent churches from monolithic stones, recorded their deeds on stones or animal skins by inventing one of the earliest form of writings, or established a system of government with a relative degree of continuity and stability. Aksumites were among the Africans who left behind a great deal of historical legacy not just only to Ethiopians but to the humanity as a whole.
Among my visit to the historic sites, my first stop was at Aksum, which was one of the great civilizations during the first seven centuries of the Common Era. I flew from Addis Ababa to Aksum for about an hour by Ethiopian Airlines. The city has a brand new airport, which is built with architectural designs adopted from Aksum stela. A pleasant 20-minute drive from the airport then took me to Aksum’s historic site.
In the heart of the city, I was greeted with the famous Aksum stelae, which were carved from single stones and erected at the present sites perhaps between 500 B.C and 200 A.D. There are indications that elephants might have been used in the transportation of the stelae from its quarry to the funerary site. The standing stela is decorated on three sides and plain and smaller stelae surround it. All the stelae are located at the foot of a mountain. The stelae represent a lasting monument to the deceased royal family members whose remains were buried underneath the stelae in a network of underground stone chambers. These chambers are now empty, but the stone structures are massive and impressive.
Aksum and its surroundings are reported to have 66 stelae. 6 major stelae are found in or near Aksum. The largest fallen stela weighs about 520 tons and it was 33 meters long. The stela has thirteen stories and decorated on all sides. At the base of the fallen stela, one observes carvings of Walia Ibex, an antelope like animal that is found only in Ethiopia.
The still erect stela weighs about 170 tons and it is 21 meters long. It is decorated on three sides. The second largest stela, that weighs 170 tones and 25 meters long with decorations on all four sides was uprooted from its site and taken away to Rome as a war booty during the Fascist Italian invasion and occupation of Ethiopia from 1936 to 1941.
There is a massive campaign both in Ethiopia and abroad for the return of the stela. I urge the readers to join the campaign. The return of the stela will create an important precedence for the repatriation of all-historical artifacts and manuscripts taken from Africa during the time of colonialism. Our campaign will put more pressure on the Italian government that appears to be hesitant, even though a final settlement has been reached between Ethiopia and Italy for its immediate return.
Aksum is also the seat of the Arc of the Covenant, which is the most sacred symbol of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The Arc is housed in a beautiful chapel that was built by the late Empress Menen, the wife of Emperor Haile Selassie. The chapel is fenced and no one is allowed to get to it. A monk guardian protects the Arc at all times. The replica of the Arc is found in all the churches of Ethiopia.
My second stop was Lalibela, the site of magnificent rock-hewn churches, monolithic or carved into the mountain, that were built in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries during the time of the Zagwe Dynasty. There are twelve distinct churches, each with its own unique architecture. Eleven churches are linked with alleys or tunnels cut from the stone. The twelfth church was built a bit further away from the other churches. This church is called Bete Giorgis (House of St. George) and it has a cross design and it is regarded as one of the best in its architectural designs. The church was built by digging a trench, a wide trench around a solid piece of rock, which was then carved into a magnificent church out of the stone.
Apart from the remarkable architecture, some of the churches are decorated with paintings. It is also important to note that the churches are still functional. The trenches and alleys and the dug outs spaces are usually filled by congregation, monks and nuns. Monks and nuns are seen reading their Psalms in their cubicles carved from the side of the stone. The yellow or pink cotton clothes they wear at all mark them out from the rest of the congregation.
Going through the churches is truly a unique spiritual experience. The Old and New Testaments and the multitude of stories in them were made immortal by the faithful Ethiopian carvers. Stones are shaped concisely as if they are malleable substances convenient to artistically depict the Ethiopian version of Bible stories. The technology of cutting or carving mountain of stones into architecturally sound churches with elaborate external and internal features, such as the beautifully carved windows or pillars, each with its specific symbolic meaning, is indeed a great source of inspiration.
I went to Lalibela after I saw “Wonders of the African World” by Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. of Harvard University on television. It was my mission to look for Qes Moges, the priest who rebuked Professor Gates for asking insensitive questions regarding the Arc. I was overjoyed when I met him at one of the churches. We had a wonderful discussion once he knew who I was.
I did tell him that a good number of us were impressed with his answers and I thanked him for his steadfastness and courage. Qes Moges was kind enough to autograph my note and to have his picture taken with me.
I strongly urge the readers to visit Lalibela and I will be willing to organize a trip to the site. My other visits include Gonder, the capital city of the Gondarine Dynasty that ruled Ethiopia from 17th to 19th centuries. Unlike Lalibela, at Gonder we find ruins of magnificent palaces. There is also one remarkable church from the period with its paintings on all the inner walls and ceiling.
Bahr Dar is a beautiful city located at the edge of Lake Tana, the source of Blue Nile. I went to Bahr Dar for two reasons: to visit the Tis Isat Water Fall and some of the islands on Lake Tana. The islands are home to great monasteries and churches with their great collections of manuscripts on parchment and other historic church objects. The monasteries also house the skeletal remains of some of the emperors of Ethiopia.
Ethiopia has rich and diverse historical traditions. I am confident that these traditions serve as a reference and guide in our determination to build a just and democratic society in Ethiopia.
_______________________________________
Ayele Bekerie is Assistant Professor and Director of Undergradute Studies, Africana Studies and Research Center, Cornell University.
A news and opinion journal on Ethiopia