BY MENGESHA AMARE
Today’s guest column of the paper presents the idea of Dr. Almaw Kiflie, Law and History Lecturer at Kotebe Metropolitan University, revolving around a range of situation in relation to the current affairs.
Excerpts:
As a scholar of Law and Politics, how could the two disciplines be intertwined and applied in our country?
History is an interaction human beings had done with their environment i.e. with economy, politics, social, transport, religion and other related aspects. Every citizen does have history. It helps people record what was yesterday, what significance does it have for today, with what repercussions will it come up in the years to come.
People can draw lessons from history to live today and plan for tomorrow. The generation who doesn’t know yesterday could hardly live today and put action plans for the future. Yesterday is knowledge, identity, information, a learning institution—that is history.
For instance, a student has persistently attended schooling and graduated after years of trying studies as well as engaged in a certain nation building effort, but when education or yesterday is spent for political consumption it purely misses the intended target and the effort exerted becomes null and void. Hence, political ideology needs to be cascaded from true historical narrations, not fictitious utterances.
In our current context history is not interpreted as what you have said earlier, it is being used for other purpose, even we could hardly identify what is politics and what is history. History seems politics today. What is your reflection in this regard?
When observed in the Ethiopian context, the country has had an historical record well put by true historians, researchers, knowledgeable personnel since 1960s after Addis Ababa University History department and Ethiopian research development and deepening institute were put into effect. History was then written well enriched with evidence, researched using detailed data and cross-checked facts and figures. Those which have been written after this time are regarded as recordings, writings used as an input, not history. We have used these as a source or data or information instead.
Interestingly, we can divide the writings into three: the one which is written by missions, travelers and visitors when they came to religious missions, colonization purpose, trade and investment etc; when they wrote they didn’t know the religion, culture, language and other assets, generally they didn’t know the people, they simply put what they wanted.
What they have written indicates that these people simply put what they feel without well understanding what Ethiopia is and who Ethiopians are.
The current generation clashes one another citing these hunky punchy write ups spontaneously put. They could hardly be put under the category of history as they are produced by passerby.
The second is written by chroniclers, biographies and history of kings and princes like Zena Mewael. Besides, some king narratives in the Holy Bible about the kings and queens. For instance, the riots and public turmoil were written in Holy books, but the root causes were not written, perhaps oppressed by government officials, burden of tax, and lack of what they need.
The third is written by traditional writers, they don’t know how to cite evidence, how to reorganize ideas because they didn’t learn history, and simply put in the form of fiction. This is not history. The majority are written in line with political dynamics.
Most of the time Ethiopian history is criticized as it solely focuses on the North, political-oriented and didn’t see other parts of the country. As it was written by king-led writers, the politics had over dominated the history.
Since the politics is highly muscled, it has swallowed the history as governments, kings, queens and other influential bodies in the authority have aided and twisted writers.
These written things are not histories; the generation is recurrently clashed as a result of such distorted narratives not written by professional historians. In these deliberately produced write-ups, one can dare say, as a tribe, we are not written, not included, we were flattered at, belittled etc. that is why the current generation always quarrels.
There are many writers who well put the history of the country like Richard Pankhurst, but they are written in English for limited number, the general public knows the write-ups produced by travelers, traditional fabricators and politically motivated cadres or sponsored distorting producers that aggravate the dispute among citizens. Yes, as the politics has squeezed the history, the latter lacks its value when the former outshines. In such away, history has swum in a vain.
The history of the smith, potter, market, transport, public integration, hospitality, coexistence etc. has not been written. During Haileselasie’s regime, the songs, lyrics, all revolved around ‘The lion of Judah, during the Derg ‘Socialism from where to where’…during EPRDF nations, and nationalities form where to where.’
History departments at colleges and universities, even as school, subjected to closure following political decision. History subject was not offered. Ethiopia has been made so far a nation in which history could hardly be told to the generation. History books and texts were taken away and discarded from shelves. In place of history, civics, language, geography etc are being offered and historians are made lame and forced to change profession, and shift to economics, management and other disciplines as a result.
There are few patriotic individuals such as Prof. Bahru Zewdie,who wrote history not intermingled with politics, but they are residing overseas. Besides, their books are made lame not to be read by the generation. If people are found reading prominent history books, they were intimidated and given hard time as officials deliberately did, to get the generation ignorant of their country so as to buttress political benefit.
Unbelievable scenarios and barbaric actions are performed upon citizens as a result of wrong narratives, how can true history be inculcated in the minds of citizens to normalize the situation?
There are written materials resembling history, but they are not history rather simply produced to instigate people clash one another. Even political parties are organized centering individual or group benefits, not the sustainability of the country. Most of them run to collapse the nation focusing on a tribal margin. These political parties have written books to challenge the central government. Rulers earlier didn’t know about democracy and justice as they led the country with gun and only the ruling class oppressed nations, it is hard to say that no nation is oppressed, but not Amhara, Oromo, Tigray or Guraghe, Sidama, or Gamo etc.. However, politicians wrote and distribute as one nation was oppressing other, some were very much oppressed etc.
Besides, the market full of books sponsored by Egyptians, Germany, Italians, Great Britain those chased away from territory while attempting to colonize the country.
England was chased around 1933/34 and tried to set up greatest African mission, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan Egypt as one country, Gibe 9, after Italy had left, and the government of Haileselase chased them away. It annoyed and created new tent, Tigre government with Eritrea and Asmara, Gambella and Benishangul to Sudan, Ogaden to Somalia, it crafted a map of dismantling the nation.
These countries are always ready to sponsor the ones who dismantle Ethiopia. They commenced radio program. Eritrean section was facilitated by Egypt and Great Britain, opened radio such as Radio Cairo, trained youth sustainably to destabilize Ethiopia.
Our politics is not full of civility, not participatory, even political parties that are set up based on ethnic-oriented fashion do not make the country sustainable.
Such a discriminatory atmosphere is dangerous. If someone doesn’t feel country ownership, they will be engaged in destructive missions.
We have to create a democratic society that condemns lies and falsehood fabrications, theft, oppressions, not solely shout for self-relatives, but for human beings. We also need democratic leaders, who assume power solely though ballot box and peacefully seen off when beaten.
This democratic leader has to make them knowledgeable and nurture successors to take over the nation with its future. Politic is ideology, competition, argument, litigation and coming up with governing ideas.
As historians are intimidated and attacked, history has been obscured and citizens are forced to sip distorted narratives and government sponsored destructing written materials. Since citizens don’t know about the true history, they have to believe what they are fed.
A forum was organized recently to help us come closer and discuss, since there is freedom today, we are expected to do more
and even we are allowed to censorship written materials and can provide the public with the correct history books and materials.
The crocked groups leading the state get history vanished via making peoples ignorant off their country for over the last 27 years.
Since history was interrupted, the generation failed to understand their country and started killing one another, as a result, our universities, and stadiums have become battle fields.
TPLF snatched a number of national prides such as the flag, national values, patriots’ chronicles, since its inception.
Respecting the rule of law should not be left solely to the government and other concerned bodies as it requires the collective effort of all.
Respecting the rule of law and creating independent institutions such as security institutions, election board and courts which have been bent to breathe using the lungs of officials previously is of paramount importance in bringing about real difference in the country in all aspects.
Apart from ensuring peace and security, the government has to focus on raising awareness of the new generation about the history of their country as the posterity who doesn’t know yesterday could hardly build tomorrow.
In the previous regimes rulers who didn’t have a wee drop of idea about democracy and equality led the country for years. Though some politicians know the fact that no ethnic group oppressed another, they presented a wrong picture, one tribe against another and have caused a number of disputes across the nation. The reality is ruling classes, not nations and nationalities were oppressors.
The government has to consolidate efforts to ensure the rule of law everywhere in the country in a bid to foster national transformation. To this end, the lowest structure of the government needs to be reformed so as to halt corruption, targeted killing and displacement of citizens.
In principle, the idea that contravenes with the constitutions is of no effect. However, state constitutions most of the time clash with that of the federal one. What is your say on this?
Basically, in the federal system, there are power divisions, but sates were not set up based on the true federal system. Furthermore, TPLF junta had deliberately done that states to destabilize the central government to be at stake. There is a destructive conspiracy; they were set up regardless of multinational fashion, instead to infringe others rights, they act upon citizens to consider them as invaders, intruders and foreign elements.
Such kinds of approaches result in poverty, famine, displacement, evacuation and death at the end of the day.
They are deliberately made to violate rules and regulations. TPLF tried to prolong its regime using five points: deliberately pushing people to be engaged in corruption, after that ‘your soul is at our hand, look this, take care’ otherwise…to achieve hidden agendum.
Second making high schools and universities ethnic-based and every activity of students such as going to class, café, studying, walking etc. stereotyped. Even some times TPLF cliques throw poisoning and dangerous words toward a give tribe, there occur unstoppable clash later. There are also students who do not graduate but stay at universities for a long time, running hidden agendum changing various departments, organizing students in groups and provoking ethnic conflict as well as destabilizing the nation.
There are also paid politicians instigating students to clash, even there are instructors intentionally preached about ethnic clashes. There are also instructors inviting students to home telling hatred politics.
The third is sport. In this scenario there are at high school or university students coming from other areas are coached to call a given tribe with taboo term, then the clash broke out and spread to other areas. Then officials came later as mediator.
The fourth is they deliberately destabilized the economy as they purposely hid some commodity or basic necessity such as oil, sugar, flour etc. to make economic sabotage, then after some time they take it out and start to provide the public with the hoard ones as if they thought of the public.
Their main activities are destabilizing the politics; distorting the economy and creating ethnic-based conflicts. Besides, the media conspiracy, the media were tied with their rope not to move to areas they preferred.
The last is the state constitutions; these are organized without taking country’s culture, history, coexistence and other important values into consideration. They are discriminatory, anti-unity and fraternity among citizens. Hence, the tribes in one area are regarded as enemies of that of other areas despite both are in their country.
Do you have something to say regarding massacres at scorching sun?
This is the assignment which has been done for years perhaps mainly for close to thirty years by TPLF. All have harvested from the seedlings of hatred, revenge, hostility, envy of others, sense of jealousy sown earlier instead of doing important things targeting at developing the nation and its people via consolidating unity, fraternity and cooperation at all levels.
The seizure of the anti-peace and anti-unity groups help Ethiopian breathe a sigh of relief and give time think and rethink.
Not only was TPLF destabilizing the country, but there are others who tied to it with an oath not to betray unto grave.
The general public, the media, contestant political parties and others are expected to join forces to bring about change no matter how different their political ideology is.
Many infrastructures are demolished following the law enforcement operation and even the public was given artilleries to shot the defense forces back telling them ‘TPLF and Tigray People are two side of the same coin’, but the public acted otherwise. And how do you see the effort to rebuild Tigray?
TPLF is good for nothing for Tigray people as it has voraciously consumed Tigraways fame, history, value, pride and gets them clashed with their fellow compatriots.
Frankly speaking, the people of Tigray are not killers, anti-Ethiopia, looter, rather committed Ethiopians who had lost their sons and daughters for country’s peace and unity.
Surprisingly, those Tigraways who were shouting about Ethiopia and its flag were the first target to be killed. It is easy to cite TPLF didn’t do for Tigraways instead of talking about the good deed they did for them.
Even after assuming power, they were facilitating condition for genealogically tied ones saying ‘scratch my back and then I will scratch yours,’ not for Tigray people. Remote rural parts of the state even do not have electricity, water, health facility, and most schools were built by the defense force.
Doing nothing for Tigray people, the junta members apart from accumulating dollar overseas they had dug strongholds in different parts of the states.
Since all the wrong deeds have been practiced and exercised upon these people, rebuilding Tigray is the assignment of all of us.
In the future, what shall be done to sustainably ensure peace and the rule of law?
In the first place, people have to be well aware of the security and peace of the nation as everything could be done when the country exists. Second, a criminal is a criminal, they should be exposed and receive proportional measures. Perpetrators are good for nothing, so they have to be condemned.
The youth have to be rational thinkers not emotion drivers. An activist said we have created the youth who can be collected using whistle and disperse using it too.
The youth have to think rationally and safeguard their country as they are going to take over it with its future. They have to come out of the hatred politics that is driven by extremists who don’t believe in competition and governing ideas.
They have to be active drivers of democracy, civility and civic-minded, not to be bent by those who have shouldered ill-intention and destructive missions.
We have to run politics free from ethnic affiliation, religious-oriented, hatred attitude and anti-peace sentiment. The politics should be all-encompassing and capable of paving bridges for democracy and development.
All politicians have to take care of running obsolete political ideology; we have to shape our thinking as per the requirements of the modern world.
Establishing a neutral and inclusive institution is the call of the day. The previous TPLF-driven government was a bandit itself, looting, they always cheated citizens under the guise of democracy, fair and free election, multiparty system and nation building because they didn’t want to create accountable and impartial institutions.
How can be building a democratic country made real?
This is the right time for all us to rescue the country and its people. Every citizen of the nation at home and abroad, especially the diaspora, has to move in unison to make a difference. The latter have to well introduce their country as their voices count by far and there are influential international institutions abroad. They have to organize themselves and win the confidence of foreigners as information matters the most. Even if they take five cappuccinos a day, one shall be given for the nation. This is a great thing, indeed.
They have to come together and talk about a lot of things about their country to back the national effort at home. As Diaspora community has huge influence, their voices can be heard loud.
The Ethiopian Herald January 9 /2021
