By Getatchew Haile
April 1992
Ethiopian Ethnicity
The issue of ethnicity in Ethiopia is not well understood. Tragically, I suspect present rulers misunderstood the problem of ethnicity when they divided the country “along ethnic lines.” For example, when they designated South Eastern Ethiopia an ethnic Somali region “to resolve ethnic conflict,” they ignored the fact that Somalia — populated by Somalis — is destroying itself in ethnic wars. Similarly, they also believe the region they call “Amhara” is inhabited by an ethnic group which is distinct from the ethnic group in the new Tigray. They believe that the Oromo, the Gurage, and the Menze in Shoa do not belong together.
Of course, these Ethiopians will soon start to believe that they do not belong together, if they are bombarded by such assertions everyday. What a shame! What ethnic group lives in this “Amhara” region — Gojjames, Gonderes, Menzes, or what? The Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front’s (EPRDF’s) answer is, of course, Amharas. The EPRDF refuses to acknowledge that it is creating an ethnic group in this region and forcing an ethnic label on all the people who happen to reside in this region of regions. Small ethnic groups are forced to assume a single ethnic name while they encourage large ethnic groups to separate.
What is the criteria the EPRDF used to divide or unite groups? Certainly not ethnicity as anthropologists know it on the Horn of Africa. Ethnicity, as it manifests itself in Ethiopia, is no simple concept. It includes language, dialect, denomination, clan and region. If one has to slice Ethiopia into regions of ethnic groups, one has to bring together endless subgroups of people, forexample, Amharic speakers of Menze dialect who belong to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, or Mekane Yesus Church, or adherents of Amharic speakers of Menze dialect who belong to any of the four sects of the religion of Islam (Hanafi, Maliki, Hambeli, or Shaffii sects).
According to Aleqa Taye, there are four groups of Muslims in Yifat alone: Argobba, Dobba, Shagura, and Qachino.
Given the countless ways in which Ethiopian ethnicity manifests itself, and the countless potential divisions, I fear that moving toward ethnic politics in Ethiopia is a certain formula for friction. If anyone thinks this fear is unfounded, one need only look at Somalia, Lebanon, Northern Ireland, South Africa and at what is already happening in Ethiopia. The recent, intensifying bloodshed in Yugoslavia and between the former republics of the USSR is further proof.
The “Amharas”
I call upon all Amharic speakers to refuse the label “Amharas” and resist the EPRDF’s attempts to lump them together in one region as one ethnic group. Many Ethiopians who consider themselves non-Amharic express bitterness towards Amharic speakers or “Amharas.” These Ethiopians are bitter because they believe that the “Amharas” have robbed them of their political rights and properties. They know that this linguistic group has persecuted them for demanding their right to nurture their own cultures. I do not contend that such mistreatment has not been inflicted upon some Ethiopians by other Ethiopians. My concern is how to convince a group of wretched Amharic speakers from, for example, Menz or Dembiya that they are responsible for these crimes. To the contrary, Amharic speakers of non-Addis Abeba dialects may have identical complaints about the suppression of their regional languages.
Perhaps some see political advantages in blaming the Amharic speakers for Ethiopia’s political, social and economic problems. The facts simply do not support the accusations. Blaming all Amharic speakers for the past is like blaming all Tigreans for what is happening to Ethiopia now at the hands of Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
Those who want to rule Ethiopia undemocratically and undermine its territorial integrity are the only potential enemies of Amharic speakers. Amharic speakers support the territorial integrity of Ethiopia because their ethnic name is Ethiopia. “Amhara” is an ethnic name created for them by those who desire “Amhara” enemies, just because they speak Amharic. The Amharic speakers are entitled to defend their ethnic rights, just as any ethnic group defends its ethnic rights. The Amharic speakers I know resent being identified by the names Amhara and/ or Abyssinian as an ethnic name, just as the Oromo resent being called by any other name. They speak Amharic, but they are ethnic or national Ethiopians. Abyssinia is a name of a state that has transformed itself into Ethiopia.
Amharic Speakers are Ethnic Ethiopians
Let me explain my statement that Amharic speakers are ethnic Ethiopians, rather than Amharas or Abyssinians. Ethiopia, as we all know, was (is) a country of many ethnic groups. Historically, one of these groups spoke early Amharic. Its region, somewhere in today’s Wello, was called Amhara. Only those people from Amhara were called Amhara. For unknown historical reasons, the language of the Amharas started to spread outside Amhara, especially into Gonder, Gojjam, Lasta, and northern Shoa (notably Menz, Tegulet, Bulga). All these regions spoke other languages before they were overrun by Amharic.
Amharic’s march into new territories continued unchallenged through the sixteenth century. At that time, a new ethnic group, the Oromo, moved into Ethiopia. Until the sixteenth century, many regions inhabited by ethnic groups who did not speak Amharic gradually adopted Amharic. Their ethnic cultures gave way to the Amharic language and culture, influencing and changing in turn Amharic language and culture. The adoption of Amharic came not by force but through social and economic necessity. Ethiopians of different regions needed to communicate with state officials and to establish contacts with each other. Speaking Amharic became taking membership in, or adopting, pan-Ethiopian or state culture. As a result, the history and makeup of Ethiopia’s population and language resembles that of America’s. No one considers Italian-Americans or African- Americans or German-Americans ethnically English or British just because they speak English.
It is important to remember that language does not always identify one’s ethnic origin or relation. For example, Gonderites feel ethnically closer to Tigeans than to Amharic-speaking Shoans; and Amharic- speaking Shoans feel closer to non-Amharic-speaking Shoans (e.g. Oromo and Gurage) than to Amharic speaking Gonderites. Although there are no statistics, “ethnic Amharas” probably constitute a rather small section of the larger group of Amharic speakers, or ethnic Ethiopians. Nevertheless, now that today’s Amharic speakers have lost their ethnic languages as a result of state formation, some non-Amharic speakers insist that Amharic is their ethnic language.
The Bottom Line
However one presents the history of Amharic, and by whatever name its speakers want to be identified, today Amharic speakers are being made to stand apart from other Ethiopians, their blood relatives. Some of the intellectuals of those ethnic groups which were not absorbed by Amharic culture consider today’s Amharic speakers the allies and supporters of the ruling families which exploited and oppressed the non-Amharic-speaking population throughout Ethiopia’s history. This assertion must be investigated and discussed objectively. In Ethiopian history, Ethiopian rulers have always ruled Ethiopia by playing one individual or ethnic group against another and by exploiting all of the ethnic groups, including those who spoke Amharic. The support the Amharic speakers gave to those exploiters is probably no more or less than that given by any other Ethiopians. Furthermore, the rulers’ attitude towards Amharic speakers was probably not very different from their attitude towards non-Amharic speaking Christians. This history must be told to those whose knowledge of Ethiopian history is limited to events which they have experienced personally.
The ethnic name of the Amharic speakers is Ethiopia. This is not to say that they are more or less Ethiopian than Ethiopians who belong to other linguistic groups. It simply means that Amharic speakers belong to the extended family of Ethiopia. I, therefore, call upon all Amharic speakers to refuse to collaborate with those who want Ethiopia to offer asylum to the policy of apartheid, a policy which no country would welcome. No Ethiopian should permit him- or herself to be labeled to facilitate a carving out of ethnic “homelands” when we are all entitled to lay claim to the whole of Ethiopia.
A Call To Amharic Speakers
I call upon all Amharic-speaking Ethiopians to unite in resisting inapplicable labels. Resist the idea that you are different from your fellow Ethiopians. When today’s politicians call you “the oppressed” and “the glorious Amhara nation,” do not
feel flattered and fall into their barbed trap. Remember your ancestor’s proverbs: “The (disingenuous) sympathizer bakes you bread from butter.” Your glory is your acceptance of every Ethiopian as member of your ethnic group, Ethiopia, and your role to serve as a bridge between ethnic groups. EPRDF wants you to abandon your Ethiopianess and lure you into the deadend street of ethnic mentality. They speak in your name, using the pronoun “we” as if they are one of you. They are not one of you; they belong to an ethnic group which doubts its Ethiopianness. Do not become tools in their plan to disintegrate Ethiopia. You should know them by the way they identify themselves. They are one of you only if they always say, “we Ethiopians.”
Amhara People’s Organization
In closing, I wish to make a few observations about the recently established All Amhara People Organization (AAPO). To my mind, the reason the AAPO was established is quite clear. It was formed not in response to TPLF/ EPRDF’s call to organize as a political unit but to take up a particular cause neglected by the
government — the safety of the Amharic speakers. As we all know, non-Amharic speakers have been encouraged to organize themselves as ethnic groups and to turn their anger and frustrations against the Amharic- speaking sector of the Ethiopian population. The reports of the atrocities committed by Ethiopians (non-Amharic speakers) against Ethiopians (Amharic-speakers and other Christians) are shocking.
Nevertheless, I would prefer to call the organization All Ethiopian People Organization and change its third aim from:
Respects the legitimate existence of other political organizations, parties and ethnic movements and fronts. On the other hand, it will strive without delay to see to it that the interests, aspirations, democratic rights and freedom of the Amhara people are respected whereever they are found.
To:
… On the other hand, it will strive without delay to see to it that the interests, aspirations, democratic rights and freedom of minorities and other peoples not organized by ethnicity are respected.
Such a change in name and goal would help us focus on the “Ethiopianness” of all Ethiopians (which is being overlooked or forgotten in the current confusion) and also protect the interests of the Amharic-speaking population. It is our collective responsibility as Ethiopians to safeguard the interests of defenseless minorities. Moreover, to ignore the interests of one group of Ethiopians while paying attention to the interests of another group, would be to replace our Ethiopianness with our linguistic identification, thus playing directly into TPLF/
EPRDF’s hands.
Amharic speakers, a potential major source of supporters of a united democratic Ethiopia, must also remember their responsibility to provide a forum for all who want to work towards creating such an Ethiopia. Ethiopia is blessed with a significant number of non-Amharic speakers who have the same view about Ethiopia as do the majority of Amharic speakers. I have no doubt that they too will join an All Ethiopian People Organization and play important, perhaps leading roles in its success. The important division is not between “Amharas and non-Amharas” but between those who believe in ethnic politics and those who are above it, and between those who want a disintegrated Ethiopia and those who wish to keep it united and strong.
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Professor Getatchew Haile is a specialist in Ethiopian studies. Currently he is a MacArthur Fellow and Cataloguer of Oriental MSS at HMML, St. John’s University in Minnesota.