BY KFLEEYESUS ABEBE
Summer, obviously the hottest season in Europe and America, seems that it is a season for vacation. In music and movies you found it depicted as a season of retreat, camping and reunion with family. It is also a time of admiring nature. Because of this, there is such excitement about summer. People as a result get unforgettable experiences. So, the movies portrays nice summer times of unforgettable childhood memories, romance, comic family reunions or family vacation. The musics have also similar tones like song of Mungo Jerry “In The Summertime.”
In the summertime, when the weather is hot
You can stretch right up and touch the sky
When the weather’s right
You got women, you got women on your mind
Have a drink, have a drive
Go out and see what you can find
….
We’re not threat, people, we’re not dirty, we’re not mean
We love everybody, but we do as we please
When the weather’s fine, we go fishing or go swimming in the sea
We’re always happy, life’s for living
Yeah, that’s our philosophy
Summer is not always nice. There are times it goes the other way. From comedy to tragedy! A nice vacation or family reunion may turn to be fatal by accident, disaster or other coincidences. Such unfateful happenings of some are also shared in writings, music or movies. The 1989 Horror movie “ I still know what you did last summer is a very good example.
Back to Ethiopia, summer in here isn’t a hot season. Infact, June, July, and August in Ethiopia are very rainy in most of the country’s parts. Like Summer everywhere , summer in Ethiopia is also a time of vacation, family reunion and appreciation of nature. Though it is rainy season, in this season Ethiopians get time to visit family in the countryside, or go to pilgrimage. I used to spend this time as reading books, listening music or watching movies in most of summer times. The fireplace talk and fried corn eating is very unforgettable.
Due to the weather realities, the rainy season is a symbol of darkeness, calamities, turbulence and hardship. This season is notorious for exacerbating problems or bad happenstances so Ethiopians prayer their flight will not take place in this time.
The begining of last year summer was very normal to me. For instance, I was in my new job and trying to fit in. Many people are getting themselves ready for the rainy season. There were weddings, birthdays, vacations, and new year resoultions were also in preparation. But there was tide coming. It is a storm very few people notice. Ethiopia’s name was very repeatedly on the news for a war happened in northern part. Suddenly, the country is found in an increase pressure. It was alleged of human right violation. The hope was after the election everything gets back to normal.
Still it looks very normal. The election went without major problem and many people were excited for it ended peacefully. On the election day, a BBC reporter asked the Prime Minister whether there is a famine in the north. He replied, “ There is no hunger. There is a problem and the government is capable of fixing that.” Maybe two weeks after the election, the government announced a humanitarian ceasefire thinking it would provide an opportunity for farmers in the region to use the harvesting season and save themselves from looming hunger. The government also withdrew its forces from the region there was war. People were very stunned. They don’t know what happened! They needed explanation. Consequently, the premier gave explanation to journalists then the people got the answer by the next day. The government explained that it withdrew troops to prevent loss of lives. For sometime, it was a relief. People were optimist it would be managed easily. But the war continued with the rebels gaining territory, and the so-called international media, in fact the terrorist’s mouthpieces, continued to disinform the international community.
It was really confusing what and who to believe. “Prestigious” media houses weren’t even dependable. At some point, it was a sick joke when you are told the direct opposite of what you see. In a situation that you were an eyewitness of some event but you get a kind of news story about the same event in a distorted way, then it is natural to contemplate that you were deceived all the time by these media.
Children were enlisted in the armed forces. The war had not only been claiming the lives of fighters from both sides, innocent civilians were brutally killed by the terrorist group. As the enemy’s side was attempting to plant havoc in the capital, security was high in the capital with government forces and residents patrolling neighborhood. The news was all about war.
The stories that were coming out from frontlines were really depressing. I never expected many war related stories I read to happen in my country.
Rebels recruiting of Children, raping of women even monks, targeting of sacred places, using people as shields in fighting, arbitrary killings of civilians and other unspeakable and startling acts happened. Big towns and cities were being deserted as conflict escalated. The condition of historical cities were unknown and people were terrified. People in conflict areas made long entourage to safer places. Some made it directly to the capital. Finding food in conflict zones were very difficult. The price of food increased three times the usual price. Life became hellish. People living in the capital were also scared for their families living near conflict zones. Getty Images photographer Jemal Countess exposed children were being used as a human shield by the rebels. I don’t remember anything comparable happened ever before. As the rebels reported themselves half a million died from their side.
So, summer that was known for harvest, vacation, family get together or pilgrimage turned chaotic. It was a season of distress as it dispressed people from thier homes. In this season people normally don’t even go out of their houses. Leave alone going out, they make fires to get warmth. But that summer, people left their houses looking for safety. People who were rich looked others hand for survival. Children who should be playing soccer forced to carry guns. They became tormented by sounds of gun. Some children were even raped. Reports I had to read were difficult to read unless it is a must. Rebels deliberately killed civilians, raped and sexually assaulted women and girls, and looted homes, shops, schools and medical clinics.
I bet this is the darkest and ugliest summer I have ever seen in my life. There wasn’t any summer I wanted and prayed to finish. It was long though. This is indeed among dark times in our history. I don’t want to remember it. No Ethiopian would want to remember it either. But it is sadly our gloom history that ever be there for people died, for people fled, for people raped, for people who lost their dear ones. I wonder how would they skip this summer from this history. Alan Paton in “ Cry, the beloved country” said: “The tragedy is not that things are broken. The tragedy is that things are not mended again.” The extent maybe different but Ethiopia have gone through such turbulent times. The question is will it close all doors for such things never to happen again.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD THURSDAY 21 JULY 2022
