Dr. Mahdi Hamid is the founder and the first editor in-chief of Afaan Oromoo newspaper named Bariisa published by The Ethiopian Press Agency. Due to that he got the nick name Abbaa Bariisaa (Father of Bariisaa).
Moreover Dr. Mahdi was the first person to establish a private newspaper in the history of Ethiopian press. At the time he was just a teacher. But he established the paper for he had a passion for writing.
The Ethiopian Herald had a moment with him.
The Ethiopian Herald: What inspired you to establish an Afaan Oromoo Newspaper?
Dr. Mahdi Hamid Muudee: Prior to 1975, the Oromo people did not stand a chance to have a single newspaper in Ethiopia. There were newspapers in English. Most of the papers were in Amharic. Disheartened by the absence of a newspaper in Oromiffa language I decided I must play a midwifery role towards the establishment of one.
Herald: How did you join journalism?
Dr. Mahdi: I was not a journalist by profession. Rather I was trained to be a physics teacher. In 1972, I was a teacher at Bahir Dar. At that time there were only two high schools in Gojjam. First I was teaching at Debre Markos.
At the time, I could not find a rental house to live in because I sensed the cold shoulder treatment to people from my faith. After three weeks stay at a hotel I resigned and came back to Addis. Then, they transferred me to Bahir Dar and I taught there for more than couple of years.
I was good at writing Afaan Oromoo scripts. So I approached the Ministry of Information (MoI) to get permission in order to establish an Oromo newspaper. The Minister dressed me down and sent me back. After a year, some kind of instability rocked the country. As a result, the former Prime Minister Akililu was replaced by Endalkachew Mekonnen. But Endalkachew’s tenure in office was brief due to the overthrown of Emperor Haileselassie by Derg regime.
Following the reform, the new politics came up with a new Minister of Information. At the newspaper was fully monopolized by government, individuals were confined to the publications of magazines and he asked me whether I was interested in launching a magazine while my question was focused on a newspaper.
Though he didn’t allow me to go ahead in the birth of the sought-after Newspaper, he introduced me to someone who has close access to the president. I got a chance to know Baro Tumsa, his brother Reverend Gudina Tumsa, and Lenco Leta. Then, they introduced me to the man called Colonel Teka Tulu. He was a good Ethiopian fighting for Oromo’s rights. He had a great contribution in the land to the tiller revolutionary movement.
Then, we got a permission to print a weekly newspaper. We published our first paper and distributed to the soldiers for free. I started writing the news by Sabian Alphabet as a private newspaper. We persisted in asking and later on we got permission to write in Latin alphabet. Due to that, they threw me several times to the ill-famed prison known as Mekalawi.
Bariisaa is the first private Oromo newspaper.
Herald: How was the chemistry among the journalists then?
Dr. Mahdi: At the beginning, we had nothing to do with the Press Agency. As we were private newspaper, we used to write our own articles. We had office on the sixth floor of Beranena Selam Printing Press’ office. So, we had Addis Zeman, Herald, ALalem, and other newspapers on the same building. We had a good relation with journalists then.
Particularly, the Addis zeman’s editor in-chief Birhanu Zerihun and Hailu Disasa were good friends of mine. They helped me a lot.
But the chief executive of the Agency wasn’t good to us. He gave us a very hard time. He often wanted me to write issues that laud the government. But once Bariisaa was nationalized, everything fell under his control and he warned me that I must do things as he said. It took me six month to train my reporters who can replace me. After I made sure the consistency of the paper in my short absence, I just left the paper in 1977.
Herald: How did you assess journalism past and present?
Dr. Mahdi: To be honest, I do not know much about the present but things are much better than the previous one. In the past, one did not a right to write what one wants to write. Once, the then government official called us to his office and gave us a bit of advice saying “what is wrong if we lie for the sake of the country?”.
Though I don’t know how long it is going to last currently, journalists enjoy a better freedom of expression and press freedom.
Herald: What must be done to promote journalism down the road?
Dr. Mahdi:The government has to take his hands back from the press business. It should give grant and support to facilitate the growth of journalism in the country. If the Media outlets fall under the control of the government, the fate of journalists who write the truth might be landing on the soup. In addition, journalist should have courage to stick to the truth and what is right. But I really doubt now when I look at the newspapers in the country. They should work to develop the field and focus on the professionalism.
Herald: What is your take on the ongoing change in the country?
Dr. Mahdi: I am very happy with what has taken place in the course of the past one year. Eleven years ago, I used to come to Ethiopia during the summer time with a group of professional from American Universities. We used to go to the rural area to teach English Language for free. In 2009, the government security agency forced us to leave the country.
As a result, I wasn’t able to come home. Now, I am happy to see my people again.
Now, I enjoy a lot of freedom as a political prisoners set free. People who have been abroad seeking political issue have got a chance to come back to the country. I am witnessing freedom of press and speech in the country. Still, there are a lot of things left to be done.
I hope this government will assist and implement all the necessary reforms. In that way, the country will be strong and grow more. I heard a lot of people talking about unity but unity without equality doesn’t work. I would like to see social justice and economic justice in this country.
There are a people who were oppressed for a long period. For me, equality is not fair but equity is fair. If you are going to say now you are equal with the person who has been working and getting what he wants. It is not going to be right. I believe that the Oromo people did not get much chance to exercise their language, culture, religion, norm, and ethics.
In addition, I am of the opinion that their lands in the hands of others, they were economically marginalized. Now, if you are going to tell them you are equal, they can’t compete equally because they are 60- 100 years behind. So, we were kept behind because of the governmental policies. Now we need a government policy which could set Oromo equal with others.
Herald: Are you happy with the current level of Bariisaa?
Dr. Mahdi: I am not that much happy with it. But the very knowledge Bariisaa is alive makes me happy. Though the Oromo’s comprise half of country’s population, still, the people have only one Oromo newspaper. Government has to establish several newspapers for the people.
Second, when I left Bariisaa, the circulation was 20000 but now the circulation is 10,000. How come instead of going up from 20000 to 100,000 even if we take ratios? In mid70s the population of Ethiopia was 25000,000 million. If we had 20000 copies for 25000,000 ways back then, now when the population is 115,000,000, we should have 115000 circulations. Bariisaa went back instead of going up.
Herald: What are the challenges for the ongoing change in the country?
Dr. Mahdi: The first thing that should be managed is the fake news circulating over the social Media. Social media is being a problem for the international community. But the government should find a way to manage it before it destroys the country.
Because of the political oppression in the past a lot of people opened their own TVs and Radios. The bad thing about these is they are biased. They see the truth from their perspectives. Some of them prove dangerous to the furtherance of this state. Some of them promote the outmoded things which are not good for the co-existences of people in the country.
Everyone in the country should have equal right to learn via their native language and promote their culture, but some are opposing this reality. These Media outlets are creating a bedlam all over the country. Government should take care of the trend before it destructs the country.
The country is at a crossroad. But there are people who want to take back the country where it was. That will bring us nothing but destruction. Rather than opposing people who are running the change we have to help them to do what is right.
The Ethiopian Herald Sunday Edition 15 September 2019
BY AMBO MEKASA
