BY RAS DEJEN
The term “banda” is an Italian word with different meanings, but we take the meaning band, company, or clan in this piece. The term was given to those who were part of the Italian troops. In the Ethiopian context, it means one, who betrays another’s trust, i.e., it is equivalent to the word traitor in English. The word is used for the people who collaborated with the foreigners who invaded the country in the old days against their own country and people, especially to those who helped the Italian invasion and became part of their troops or assisted their troops in some ways.
As the European nations tried to take control of the country, our forefathers fought back to preserve a nation that stood independent throughout time. But there were always some people who were at times cooperating and collaborating with the outsiders. Hence the word banda is related to this historical and cultural context. It can also be connected to the social context where one betrays the people with whom he/she is supposed to collaborate and stand with.
The kind of business we are taking here is the banda people business. What is it? The father of one prominent politician and rebel leader in Ethiopia once said: “Banda is a business model if you understand it.” It is a strategy and a way of life to get power, money, influence, and so on. To be successful in the business one has to conduct it using some kind of principles, and he/she should know the rules of the game very well. The question then is why do such people conduct such a business? What kind of belief, ideology, or philosophy do these people possess? In this piece, we try to reflect on these questions.
To begin with, it is good to note that one becomes or acts like a banda if he/she thinks it is impossible to play a fair game to win or to get what he/she wants to gain. Hence, they need help. To get the help they need, they ask or meditate on the following philosophical questions: what do foreigners want? Which traits or characteristics do those foreigners value most? How can I use it for my benefit? and so on. The banda’s ask these questions in order to try to act as if they are on the same page as those foreigners. By the way, they play this game very well and they are good at it. You align yourself with the foreign interest to get your own interest. It is smart, but somehow degrading oneself. This methodology is used even in modern times for many good things. For example, this philosophy helps to win projects that are funded by institutions like IMF, World Bank, and the like. You get a lot of money if you write something they are interested to fund. One may ask, what is the problem with that? Yes, it may not be harmful to design a project the way the foreigners like it and get fund. But it should not be at the expense of the people in the country or the coming generations. Otherwise, one crosses the line of thrust and acts like banda.
Mind you, bandas are actors. They are not truthful people. They wanted to get something. Since it is impossible to attain that thing with direct competition and commitment, they are highly engaged in lies, deceit, and acting. It is like engaging in drugs or some illegal business. You get a lot of money, maybe power in some instances. But you are engaged in dirty business. It reduces your dignity. You are always selling yourself and your conscience. To be in the state of fabricating a series of lies without stopping is the lowest form of life. You may call it strategy or some kind of smartness. But I tell you, you are dying from within with inferiority complex, guilt, and shame, when you go so low to sell yourself and countrymen.
Banda people’s business becomes dangerous when coupled with a sense of ethnic identity or ethnic freedom or ethnic self-determination. Self-determination is closer to human nature that is human freedom. But in a way, it can be destructive for the majority of the people at times. This is how some ethnic groups in the country are behaving these days. Think about this for a moment, the state of California trying to be independent of the US since it has the world’s 5th economy.
Few years ago during the 2016 American election, there was such news, people were traveling to get help from Russia. When some California people collaborated with Russia for such matters, for example, they were called traitors. There may be few who are sympathizing with this idea. But the majority of USA citizens do not like to indulge this idea at all. Another example is Vidkun Quisling, who was a Norwegian army officer but collaborated with Adolf Hitler. He formed Norway’s fascist party in 1933 and urged Hitler to occupy Norway. Following the German invasion of April 1940, Quisling served as a figurehead in the puppet government set up by the German occupation forces. That is why; “quisling” is used generically in English to refer to any traitor. But for Ethiopians, TPLF is considered as a traitor by collaborating with enemies of the country, Egypt, Sudan and the like.
Not all TPLF members are bandas. Needless to say, not all Tigreans are TPLF. But those key figures can be categorized in this. Evidence:
i) They try to act as if they are democrats while they were true communists more than the Derg from the beginning. They stage democracy just for the sake of pleasing the westerns. Since that was the main agenda at that time. Those oppositions were trained (or agreed behind the doors) to be in opposition. Election was just an act.
ii) They fought terrorism when terrorism was not the main issue of the country. Muslim and Christian people in Ethiopia have lived together for centuries, but they use this advantage to get money and military assistance from the west.
iii) They try to associate their struggle with Israel as they are facing the same problem as Israelis, playing the game of sympathy with Israel, so that they get help from them via the USA.
iv) They consider their struggle as a minority struggle and associate it with the black lives matter struggle so as to get the attention of the people like Susan Rice and other democrats while they are the ones who really undermine the Africans by aligning with outsiders.
v) Now they want to destroy GERD since that is what Egypt wants. They will get military and other assistance from Egypt in response. Who cares?
vi) They are totally in bed now with Sudan trying to give the lands Sudan claims from Ethiopia. If they help them create the Sudan corridor in the old days.
vii) They will try to do what Chain, Russia, Arabs, African Union, and others want them to do.
It is all about business. That is what their philosophy is. No shame for it. Their problem is they do not know that people are all aware of their scheme. They managed to deceive in the past, and they think that they are able to do that again. NOP! The only thing this time they manage is to utilize the money they accumulated during the past three decades to buy corrupt politicians, top media outlets, and people at the top international organizations so that they shout and stand for their cause. But their resources will be depleted soon. All that prostitution they did sleeping with many ‘bandas’ comes to catch up with them. Their game is being exposed via the media, even some politicians and westerners are being tired of them, and most of all day the western population understands their crafty scheme, they will be in trouble for the rest of their lives like the Nazis.
Better to wake up and come to terms and choose something noble in life. For how long are you willing to sell yourself and expose your own for disaster just for you to gain power, money and fame?
For those who want to do business with these actors, get your lesson from the past. It is not a sustainable model. Why do you put yourself in the hands of liars and actors, unless you are also like them? If you genuinely care for Ethiopian people or African people, even for your own people and your own interest, try to partner with genuine people. Try to engage, cooperate and collaborate with the right people. That saves you a lot of energy, money and time. Do not allow these crafty people who sold out their own people to cheat you and the people’s tax money.
Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald
The Ethiopian Herald June 26/2021
