Ethnicity and Identity: More complex than recognized by the Ethiopian Constitution

Dagmawi, of Ethiopian News and Views is one of my favorite bloggers on the web when it comes to Ethiopian issues. He is is very well informed and objective in his commentaries and new analysis. I am a frequent reader of his commentaries and follow through any articles he is discussing. ENV is a very resourceful blog to dig through.....I wish Dagmawi had a feature in which I and many others could express our thanks to his contribution to a mature and civilized and discussion...

Today, Dagmawi has posted an interesting article titled, Neither Ethiopian nor Kenyan, just Gabra, Garre or Borana which is about communities South of the Ethiopian (Northern Kenyan) border who are at Limbaugh of their citizenship. Their case is similar to what is happening to the people of Welkayt Tegede.

Dagmawi puts his analysis in an eloquent comment in a way that he can only do.

"The Ethiopian constitution does not recognize the Boran, Gabra or Garre. Nor does it recognize the rights of individuals to choose how to express their national identity themselves. The constitution has taken that power away. It establishes pre-defined Oromo and Somali nations and assigns all Boran, Gabra, or Garre political membership in either of these nations. These are the only identities that are given national political rights. There is no other option. Thus, key issues regarding the livelihoods of these people are now wrapped up in the agenda of ethnic nationalist elites in far-away Jigjiga or Addis Ababa.

The primary objective of these Oromo and Somali ethnic nationalists is to preserve the territorial integrity of their nation. This objective is translated into reality in the mixed ethnic regions inhabited by the Borana, Gabra, and Garre. These ethnic groups have had a long-history of interaction and two-way assimilation. They are now being forced to "purify" themselves and reduce their identity to either Oromo or Somali. There is no middle ground.

The Ethiopian constitution does not recognize regional identities. It does not recognize the existence of mixed communities sharing the same area. Thus ethnic boundaries are being sharpened and the ideals of harmony between ethnic groups and peaceful coexistence are threatened. The cut-and-paste application of Soviet nationality theory to the Ethiopian constitution is having deadly results,"

As Dagmawi stated it above the indigenous people of Welkait Tegede did not get a chance to choose to which administrative region to be part of. The only single reason for TPLF to annex this regions into to Tigray was simply because the people spoke Tirigna. All other factors such as culture, social identity, historical background and and above all the right of the people to express their choice was simply never even considered.

Letter to the UN

The following is an open letter to the UN regarding the territorial integrity of our homeland. Also, a statement from on the same border issue. Both statements are from Gonda Mutual Association - Seatle, USA.

Historical Accounts from Goshu Gebru of Welkait

Click here to read a statement from Goshu Gebru, son of Kegnazmach Gebru G/Meskel.

Interview with Arbegna Shibabaw Abebe

Click here to watch an interview of Arbegna Shibabaw Abebe of EPPF conducted with EriTV. Watch the whole program but if your just interested in the interview you can forward to 00:33 minute.

Brave Arbegnoch!

Part One



Part Two



Source: EPPFOnline.org

VOA Interview with Ristey Mebrahtu - On Welkayt Tegede

Recently the Voice of America Amharic Service has given some attention to the burning issue of Welkayt Tegede by providing Mrs. Ristey Mebrahtu an opportunity to voice her opinion in Woizero Ristey Mebrahtu is a native Welkayt Tegede who has been a member/sympethizer of TPLF for a very long time. She currently resides in the United States (Washington D.C.) and is a frequent guest caller to the various ethiopian radio stations broadcasted in the washington D.C. area defending the brutal actions of TPLF. Moreover, she is closely associated to a few TPLF sympathizers such as Kahsay Tafese and Assfa Golla who reside in Columbus, Ohio and she also a close relationship to Ferede Yeshiwondim and Tsegaye Asimamaw (TPLF officials in Tigray).

A few yeas ago, when the TPLF issued its 50 page report of subduing the Diaspora, Ato Ferede and Ato Tsegaye visited the Welkayt Tegede community in Columbus, Ohio in an effort to fulfill the strategy of dividing this community. However, the community stood strong and challenged their divisive agenda with the exception of the usual suspects who are closely associated to Ristey and Azeb Mesfin/Golla (wife of the dictator in Addis).

The two cadres gave promises that if the Diaspora decided to invest in their community back they would be able receive investment incentives including free farm lands. Taking this promise literally few of their supporter sold-off all their assets in the United States and went back home to only find their hopes dashed and promises broken. When the cadres returned home they were both striped off their positions by TPLF officials who were upset by the promises they made to the natives in the Diaspora. Ato Ferede was the head of Kafta Humera wereda and Ato Tsegaye was head of Tigray Security Service.

In light of what happened to Ato Ferede and Ato Tsgaye their few supporters in the United States including Weizero Ristey were fumed and decided to pressure the TPLF to reinstate these two cadres to their positions by speaking ainst its actions towards the natives of Welkayt Tegede. However, not surprisingly the TPLF did not even bother to respond forcing Weizero Ristey to speak out against TPLF.

I am more or less satisfied with what she said in the two interviews she conducted with the VOA. She at least has used the opportunity to voice the grievances of the Welkayt Tegede people to the rest of Ethiopian people. I do not agree with her statement that the Welkayt Tegede people should be administered under the ANDM instead of TPLF for two reasons. First, TPLF/ANDM are one and the same - the change in political name is nothing but what the Ethiopians say "Gulicha bilewawet..." Second, neither she nor I have the authority to chose which political party should the people or the region be administered. Should the natives on the ground who are facing all the suffering for once have the opportunity to decide their choice in a democratic manner. (By the way, when I say natives I mean those who are the true bread of Welkayt Tegede and not the hundreds of thousands TPLF has transplanted in the region in the guise of "resettlement")

Comment on VOA Amharic Reporting:

As much as I am appreciative and thankful of the VOA Amharic service, I am disappointed in that they have not thoroughly vetted Weizero Ristey's background and the real issue/problems the people of Welkayt Tegede are having. VOA has twice interviewed Weizero Ristey identifying her as the Chairwoman of the Welkayt Tegede Community in Columbus Ohio. However, as I know there is only one association in Columbus, Ohio named "Cooperative Association of Welkayt Tegede Ethiopians in North America." This association is non-political and non-profit 501(c) organization aimed in tackling the social problems of the Diaspora community.

Meanwhile, there is another group that is loosely structured or organized aimed at addressing the political problems of Welkayt Tegede people. The group led which the VOA is reporting as led by weizero Ristey is nothing but a few people that propagate and push TPLF agenda and are not by any means inclusive of all Welkayt Tegede people in North America. She is not an elected representative of the community other than being a spokesperson to the few people she belongs to.

I am not suggesting that the VOA shouldn't interview her nor am I condemning Weizero Ristey from voicing her opinion. In fact I am glad with part of she had to say. We (the people of Welkayt Tegede) have never had such an outstanding opportuity in voicing the suffering of our people. However, the VOA should not recognize her as the chirwoman of the community - and the reason being that she is not a chairwoman of the any association she claims and is promoted as.

In fact efforts were made for the VOA to give the same opportunity to another group I discussed above who are wise and old enough to discuss the subject matter thoroughly. There are elderly people here in Columbus, Ohio that can precisely communicate the history of the Welkayt Tegede people. Instead of interviewing the same person over and over, the VOA should at least come over to Columbus, Ohio - speak with the people, learn their history and their grievances beforehand. If they can send a reporter to Ethiopia and end up being banned from reporting by the dictator in Addis, I don't see any reason why they can make a 45 minute flight to Columbus, OH and present a factual information that is directly of interest to the Ethiopian audience.

I hope that the VOA would give us another chance to expand the discussion and voice the suffering of our people.

I will try to find the links for the interviews and post them here once I find it. If you do find the link please forward it to me.

Obama: 'Elections Aren't Democracy'

Monday, January 19, 2009; Page A19

An excerpt from President-elect Barack Obama's Jan. 15 meeting at The Post.

Question: To what extent is the promotion of freedom or democracy something that you think should be part of the foreign policy and, if it is a part, how would you do it differently than it has been done in the past eight years?

President-elect Obama: Well, I think it needs to be at a central part of our foreign policy. It is who we are. It is one of our best exports, if it is not exported simply down the barrel of a gun.

And one of the mistakes, I think, [that] has been made over the last eight years, and, by the way, I'm not somebody who discounts the sincerity and worthiness of President Bush's concerns about democracy and human rights, and I think a lot of the ways that he spoke about it were very eloquent, but I think the mistake that was made is drawing an equivalence between democracy and elections.

Elections aren't democracy, as we understand it. They are one facet of a liberal order, as we understand it. And so in a lot of countries, you know, the first question is, if you go back to Roosevelt's four freedoms, the first question is freedom from want and freedom from fear.

If people aren't secure, if people are starving, then elections may or may not address those issues, but they are not a perfect overlay.

And, you know, issues like arbitrary arrest or corruption may or may not be addressed by an election. So I think what we need to be thinking about is, in various countries, and I use my father's home country of Kenya as an example, what we should be spending more time thinking about is, how can we provide them tools so that somebody doesn't get stopped on the street by a police officer and shaken down, or how do we create a system in which you don't have to pay a large bribe in order to get a job or get a phone installed?

And if we ignore those things, then oftentimes an election can just backfire or at least won't deliver for the people the kinds of -- it may raise expectations but not deliver what they're looking for. And, you know, so we will be working with -- you know, one of the things that I have pledged to do in foreign policy is to ramp up our State Department and restore some balance between the civilian and the military side, to -- and right now we have already begun conducting a thorough review of our various aid programs, our democracy programs, how do these all fit together and how do we view it through a lens that it is actually delivering a better life for people on the ground and less obsessed with form, more concerned with substance.

Source: washingtonpost.com