By Fikre Tolossa
January 1999
Now that Professor Asrat Woldeyes is a free man, it seems that there is a confusion about his real identity. Quite a number of people think that he is an Amara first and Ethiopian second. Some consider him to be an Amara from Shoa; whereas others see him as an Amara from Gonder or Gojam. There are those who think he is an Amara from Wadla and D’lanta. A few believe he is an Amara from Saynt. Is Professor Asrat an Amara from Shoa? This is debatable. Is he an Amara from Gonder? No way! Is he an Amara from Gojam? How so? Is he an Amara from Wadla and D’lanta. Under no circumstance. Is he an Amara from Saynt? How on earth could he be from there! Oh, no! He is none of the above. He is not even an Amara the way the typical Amara is portrayed. What is he then? Have patience, and I will tell you what he is…
Professor Asrat is first and foremost an Ethiopian, and a typical “Ye Dire Dawa Lij” ( the son of Dire Dawa), inspite of the fact that he is of Amara descent. I will explain. It is evident that Professor Asrat spent a good part of his boyhood in Dire Dawa. His early life in Dire Dawa has forged and formed his character. This remarkable city, Dire Dawa, is the melting-pot of nationalities. Situated about 472 kilometers away from Addis Abeba and about 300 kilometers apart from the Port of Djibouti, it has served as an industrial and railway center linking Harerge with Shoa and Djibouti itself. A quarter of a century ago, during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie, next to Asmera, it was the cleanliest Ethiopian city with a zonal system, filled with asphalted and paved streets, parks with fountains and public radios in them, beautiful trees, hotels and movie houses. The good, warm weather and the industries in it, such as textile and cement factories, a railway station and a meat-processing company attracted Ethiopians of all ethnic groups. The city and its outskirts were and are inhabited by the Somali, Amara, Oromo, Adere, Gurage, Welaita, Tigre, Eritrean, Denkelis, and others. In addition, Arabs, Greeks, Italians, Armenians and the French lived in it.
Because of its proximity to Djibouti, some of the common folks were engaged in commerce, importing and fetching goods from that Red Sea port and selling them in the city. Dire Dawa being mult-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-cultural, its “lijoch” spoke at least two or three languages. Whoever went there to seek his fortune from every corner of Ethiopia settled and never returned to his original home so that it was sang of Dire Dawa:
™¨¾ Å_ê” ¨¾ R\ ¨¾ R\–
›£ c© m`}” ™hª« RO\””
™H‚ Àx[¡ Àx[¡ žwv#` I|¨×–
›w¡F ™TIž+ ¹Q¼em^| ™T×””
Å_ê À`f c« ™¾OHeT–
¹c« OI¡z“ Jx ™¼À[eT””
™¨¾ ™¨¾
‹z* ÐH+ Å_– Ìv#z* RJÔ…
It was a diverse city, and at the same time, uniform. It was a role-model, a symbol of harmony despite diversity, and typified the characteristic features of the rest of Ethiopia. Hence, this gorgeous, dynamic city mixed, melted and integrated the different ethnic groups into each other’s culture, language and psychological makeup and created a unique breed of people known as ¹Å_ê JЂ “yeDire Dawa Lejoch.” YeDire Dawa Lejoch displayed characters, norms and behaviors unique to themselves: simplicity, informality, “independent-mindedness,” extreme frankness, the courage to speak out their minds and to defy authorities when they treated them unjustly. Material luxury was no big deal to them: industrial products reached them from West and East via Djibouti. They didn’t have to worry about household articles, fancy clothes and means of transportation such as bicycles, motorcycles and late model cars such as Mercedes and Peugeot. Rich people from Addis Abeba including high ranking officials wondered when they were picked up from the airport or train station by Mercedes and Peugeot which served as taxis, since these brands of automobiles were driven by well-to-do Addis Abebans. As aforementioned, Professor Asrat Woldeyes spent his boyhood in this fabulous city of melting ethnic groups. The time he spent his formative years in Dire Dawa had a strong impact on his personality and shaped his present positive traits: simplicity, frankness, universal outlook and the courage to stand for one’s convictions. I remember Gashe Akliku from my boyhood days in Dire Dawa who was Dr. Asrat’s boyhood friend and classmate. When I was myself a boy, about 35 years ago, he used to tell me a lot about his boyhood days with Dr. Asrat. He was fond of Dr. Asrat.
Every time we met he spoke affectionately about him even when Dr. Asrat was a relatively unknown physician. I also heard other Dire Dawans talking about Professor Asrat in relation with some of the successful YeDire Dawa Lijoch such as the prominent journalists and writers who revolutionized journalism and challenged Haile Selassie’s Government with the might of their pens: Paulos Nono and Ambassador Ahadu Sabure, as well as the late Professor Getachew Bolodiya, the genius biochemist.
Whoever has known all these YeDire Dawa Lejoch closely will admit that they considered themselves Ethiopians first and foremost, entertained universal views, and were frank, creative, outspoken, fearless and down-to-earth. Since they were the product of the mixing of all of those ethnic groups stated above, they never identified themselves as belonging only to one particular ethnic group. Rather, they considered themselves to be Ethiopians from Dire Dawa. So also, people who know Professor Asrat closely witness that he is an Ethiopian first and foremost despite the fact that he happens to be the President of the All Amara Peoples Organization. Above all, his own testimonies on various occasions in the mass media also attest to his being an Ethiopian first and foremost. How did he get involved in the AAPO in the first place?
It all started when the staff members of the Addis Abeba University chose him and Dr. Fekade Gedamu to represent them in the national conference which the EPRDF called shortly after it seized power in 1991. Professor Asrat boldly expressed his disagreement with the idea of dividing Ethiopia along ethnic lines and the secession of Eritrea from Ethiopia without the consent of all Ethiopians. Dr. Fekade Gedamu stayed and was eventually awarded with the position of “Vice President” of Ethiopia. Then the persecution of innocent Amara civilians began in the provinces. Prof. Asrat protested against this by writing letters to the Government imploring them to do something about this atrocious act. Out of necessity which the time called for, he and other concerned Ethiopians got together and formed the All Amara Peoples Organization. I was present in Los Angeles when he delivered a speech to an Ethiopian audience six years ago. When he was asked why he had to form a purely Amara organization, he replied that it was not his original intention to do so since he always felt to be an Ethiopian. It was because that was the only way he and his colleagues could voice the plight of the Amara in a hostile environment in which all sections of the Ethiopian populace were being forced to organize ethnically. I bought his explanation at that time. But then, the time elapsed and the Government demanded that all civic organizations transformed themselves into political parties and register officially lest they were banned unconditionally. We were all expecting to see the All Amara Peoples Organization turning into All Ethiopian Peoples Organization embracing Ethiopians of all ethnic groups who believed in the existence of united Ethiopia based on genuine equality. That didn’t happen. One of the reasons which was given by AAPO and its supporters then was that the Government would not recognize and legalize any organization which bore the name Ethiopia…
Now the time has changed. We are all happy that Prof. Asrat, however sickly, is free at last. It is regrettable that his health has been affected because of the ordeal he went through while defending the defenseless and the downtrodden in his own way. I do not doubt that when he gets well, he and his immediate associates will have the time to reflect on the road ahead. Deep down inside, as I said earlier, Prof. Asrat is an Ethiopian who does not define himself as someone belonging only to one particular ethnic group due to his upbringing in multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, and multi-lingual atmosphere, and because he is the son of an Ethiopian patriot who sacrificed his life to save Ethiopia from Fascist Italian aggressors. Moreover, who knows about his genealogical background disguised in his Amara/Tigre name? Which Amara can claim with absolute certainty that he is a pure Amara?
Indeed, Prof. Asrat could be instrumental in championing the idea of Ethiopian unity based on genuine equality. Frankly, it is about time now for the All Amara People Organization to transform itself into All Ethiopian People Organization. It is high time that all of us Ethiopians transcended beyond our ethnic narrowness and started thinking in terms of greater Ethiopia, if we are Ethiopians worthy of the name.
Because of the objective reality in Ethiopia, namely, the invasion of Ethiopia by Shabia, the hostile conditions which were a fertile ground for the persecution of the Amara have changed even though not completely eliminated. Circumstance beyond its control has compelled the Ethiopian Government to seek the cooperation of all Ethiopians including the Amara. In fact, thousands of Amaras in the tradition of their heroic forefathers and foremothers are voluntarily deployed at the war front to defend the sovereignty of their country. Some of them have began to assume a key role in the Ethiopian Air Force and Army. In due course, I believe that they will occupy together with other Ethiopians the places which were vacated by ungrateful Eritreans, be it in business, commerce, industry, army, private or government offices. It is self-evident that Tigreans cannot practically fill the length and breadth of Ethiopia, considering their number in relation to the Amara and other Ethiopians.
The new trend cannot be reverted anymore even if the TPLF and Eritrea reconcile somehow miraculously after the forces of Shabia have brutally used cluster bombs on innocent civilians, and after both sides have deported their respective citizens mercilessly. The TPLF cannot withstand Shabia without the support and active participation of all Ethiopians.
Since every cloud has a silver lining, the unfortunate invasion of Ethiopia by Shabia will be a positive factor in the reunification of Ethiopia provided that the Ethiopian Government responds to popular political, democratic and economic demands, before things go out of control.
The previous reason which was given by AAPO for failing to form an organization which bears the word, “Ethiopia” in its name does not hold true anymore. The EPRDF Government has now reportedly gone to the extent of allowing Ethiopian political organizations and fronts which bear the name Ethiopia to open offices in Ethiopia. I don’t see why the All Amara People Organization, which has endured so much hardship within Ethiopia and survived, cannot simply change its name reflecting Ethiopiawinet and continue to exist legally drawing into it millions of other non-Amara Ethiopians who will defend the Amara in increasing number any time if necessary. Even the officials of the Ethiopian Government are now quoting in public the once unjustly hated Emperor Menelik and admit that Ethiopian history is longer than 100 years. I was amazed to read recently in the internet Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s interview with a French journalist, in which the Prime Minister confessed indirectly the fact that Ethiopia has existed as a state for 3000 years. You may call it political maneuvering or whatever you like; but the fact is that he admitted that Ethiopia has existed that long as a nation.
I, therefore, appeal to all those genuine Ethiopians of Amara descent, including the esteemed Professor Asrat Woldeyes, to reconsider this matter seriously for the sake of Ethiopian unity based on true equality and mutual respect. Speaking of the Amara people in general, no power can impose on them a feeling of ethnicity when their hearts are genuinely Ethiopian.
If some of them exhibited an inclination towards ethnicism in recent times, it is purely a defense mechanism to withstand the hostilities leveled at them in the past seven years, by applying as their motto the old adage, “eshohen mawtat beshoh new” (the only way you can extract a thorn out of your body is by using an other thorn). In other words, their seeming ethnicism is just a shield which masquerades their essence and great identity—Ethiopian nationalism.
As my previous researches on the Amara which were published in Ethiopian Review reveal, the Amara, because of the key leadership role they played in Ethiopian politics, culture and history for the past seven hundred years, and as a result of their intermingling genetically, culturally, spiritually and linguistically with the Oromo and other Ethiopians, have achieved universality and a strong feeling of Ethiopian nationalism. Therefore, after they have risen above petty and narrow sentiments of ethnicism for so long, no circumstance and no individuals can revert them to the infantile state they were in seven hundred years ago, even if we assume that they were less nationalistic then than they are now.
On this occasion, I call upon all Ethiopians, regardless of their ethnic origin, to collaborate in the fund-raising effort to cover Prof. Asrat’s medical expenses. The other day, Abune Melketsadiq of the Ethiopian Medihanalem Orthodox Church informed all of us who were assembled in his church in Berkeley, California, that there are 40 such churches all over the United States. The medical expense of Prof. Asrat, the Abun said, was $40,000, could be taken care of without any problem if each church contributed $1,000. We raised our share within three minutes, to the surprise of the Abun. And we are willing to contribute further should the need arise. By the way, present in that congregation were Amara, Oromo, Gurage, Welaita, Tigre, Hadia, and other Ethiopians. I hope the members of all the other churches will follow our example. Every concerned Ethiopian could donate his/her share through a channel easily available to him or her without being particular about it. What counts is the end-result. ¹|T õÝ« Ám,z% ™TÝ« as the old saying goes. For instance, if some individuals like to form an alternative independent fund raising committee representing Ethiopians of all ethnic groups and religious denominations, they, too, should be welcomed, since such Ethiopians as well have played a key role in the Professor’s release and are concerned as much as anybody else about his well-being. It will also foster the spirit of Ehiopiawinet as Ethiopia doesn’t exist without all her ethnic groups put together.
The EPRDF Government should be commended for releasing the ailing Professor for a medical reason. I urge the Ethiopian Government once again, as I have done not long ago in my Open Letter to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, to release the remaining political prisoners on humanitarian ground or on any ground it deems befits, for the sake of unity and national reconciliation. There is nothing wrong with conceding something like this for a Government if this will pave the way for the welfare of a nation. If we examined the current demands of concerned Ethiopians, they are not asking too much. For instance, they are not asking for the immediate removal from power of the existing Government. They are not appealing for the release of criminals either. They are simply imploring the Government to release journalists and people who have been imprisoned in the past seven years because of their disagreement with some of the policy of the EPRDF. In a word, they are reminding the Government to democratize Ethiopia and abolish ethnic politics which sows the seeds of hatred and havoc among the populace and might even cause the gradual disintegration of our country as a nation.
Wishing a speedy recovery to Professor Asrat Woldeyes and congratulating him and all of us.
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Fikre Tolossa, Ph.D., is Associate Editor of ER