(A short story)
BY ALEM HAILU G/KRISTOS
As is the case with an extended family my siblings and I sit for dinner surrounding my dad and mom at the dining table laid on the opposite side of the sofa near the TV set found in a big salon of an old villa. Such get-togethers during or after dinner create for us opportunities to deliberate on raised issues to our heart’s content.
“Gone are the good old days! What we hear from local and foreign media outlets foreshadow we are fast approaching doomsday. Disasters of every making are what they din into our ears! Russia and China are at loggerheads with US and EU. The same holds true with Israel and IRAN. Saber rattling seems the fad. Terrorist TPLF is all out against fellow countrymen. What have you?” said my dad staring at the flat panel TV. Politics is his favorite topic.
Though a bit shy of 94, it is hard to get a gray hair from dad’s head except around his temple. More often than not he cuts a happy face unless disturbed by anxiety-provoking unfolding such as unprovoked aggression, bloodshed and clashes. For the past four years now, these tragedies have become apparent here in our country due to the recalcitrant TPLF.
Dad often watches TV a tad closer as he is a bit short of hearing, a complication which is not an unusual thing at his age. After a checkup at ophthalmic center I bought him a photo solar spectacle noticing tears trickling down his cheek from sitting before a TV set for long hours. He had been in the chalk and talk business across the country for four decades. He taught different courses in different capacities and in a span of four decades. Book Keeping and business mathematics are top on the list. As I noticed from the greetings he receives wherever we go together many are the students that shot up to prominent positions.
As dad prefers facts to fiction he browbeats my mom and the servant who adore movies and more often less reluctant to let go the remote control once glued to the TV watching romance-and-violence-packed movies from here and abroad.
“Come on how many times must you tune to EBC’s news transmitted every hour?” they argue.“New developments could be added! Forearmed is forewarned!” he hushes them up.
Pertaining to the movies, I am afraid the naggings and heartlessness that permeate the shows may have a domino effect here. Is that why we see copycat killers these days? Back to the gist, hearing about the massacre of innocent citizens mainly Amhara youths by terrorist TPLF troops in Kobo, a small town near the border of the Amhara and Tigray state,
“How cruel? This is atavism! ”Mom shuddered. And added I heard on Youtube “The victims had put on the national flag.” “Every Ethiopian has a right to live, work and own a property in the perimeter of his country. That is how we lived in the good old days. There is no need for quarreling. Ethiopia is vast enough for its people if citizens uphold peaceful coexistence. I did hear Dr. Aregawi Berhe and Gebre Medhen Araya, observably imbued with a national feeling and freedom across the board, giving a similar comment,” father projected anxiety mirroring face.
Breathing long he added “Completing a college or university education a graduate was assigned to one corner of the country after drawing a lot. No Ethiopian treated him ‘here is a black ship.’ As such he renders service with a great sense of belongingness to his country. That is how I started teaching in Hara 60 years back. A fellow graduate friend of mine from the Welega went to Mekele. He married his student and gave birth to five children. You see we Ethiopians are products of interracial marriage,” he reminisced wistfully. “I see. It seems gone are the good old days,” I exhibited a sense of remorselessness.
“We knew not bickering be it on the line of ethnicity or religion. The younger generation has to fight to get the magnificent trend back on its feet. Otherwise what we are passing through augurs ill to the generation next,” mom who likes combing her hair in Apollo style said knitting.
“We chased out foreign aggressor standing united. If that virtue is stricken out from Ethiopia’s attributes that rippled across the globe we could easily fall prey to our historic enemies, ”I said. “That is what our enemies exploiting to meet their ends; disintegrating Ethiopia,” mom said.
“Right you are,” dad eyed mom with appreciation. As electric blackout occurred that day due to a heavy rain switching off the TV we tuned to YouTube news as my lap top was luckily fully charged.
“Unable to withstand the counteroffensive blow of heroic and nation-loving sons and daughters of Ethiopia from all directions, terrorist TPLF troops are disarrayed. Leaders of the diabolic group are retreating to Dedebit Bereha (desert) their fort, where they started rebellion half a century back, ”so disclosed the reporter with a vibrant voice. “An old dog learns not a new trick,” mom said. Dad nodded you are right.
“Ha ha ha! Terrorist TPLF troops crawl on all fours to a desert after repetitively suffering emasculating defeats. What for? Are they joking?” the servant, who sits on a stool nearby, said with the right expression but wrong Amharic pronunciation. The way she paints things never fails to evoke listeners’ smiles.
“To the surprise of the global community the government is now turning deserts in to fecund lands coming up with bumper wheat harvest using irrigation. Dedebit must be devoted to such end. It must not remain a safe haven to nation-wrecking-and-innocent-civilians-targeting barbarians,” dad pointed his fingers seeing TPLF logo bearing an X mark.
“They rather want to saw bullets allover Ethiopia! Piles of bodies will be the harvest. Ha ha ha,” the servant cut in. As her sarcastic laughter has a contagious effect all of us bubbled up with the same feeling.
Dissecting the recently exposed plan of the terrorist group for another round of terrorism to tear down an ancient nation, the reporter went on to elaborate that there is an urgency to hijack Amhara State’s crop harvesting work to weaken the state and rock the country with food shortage. And also the report dilated on the plan to drive a divisive wedge between the government and people looking ways that exacerbate socioeconomic and political hurdles like inflation.
The report underlined on how sweet talking or winning over the favor of the Amhara people, which paradoxically the group was attacking in every covert and overt way possible since its inception to date. It went on to shed light on the group’s plan of beefing up its military muscle by strengthening internal support and looting humanitarian aid and fuel from international organizations.
It elaborated on ways of using sham media houses and hypocrites to bless off terrorist TPLF’s plan of deluding the global community. The report ridiculed the terrorist group that wants to establish a government by the people taking aboard terrorists of every making ill-famed for slaying innocent civilians indiscriminately.
“A new year marks a milestone for a turn for the better. But terrorist TPLF troops keep their mind busy contemplating roadblocks they could erect here and there as well as clashes they could connive to brew as a result of which citizens go for one another’s’ neck,” dad added.
“Ha ha ha. An idle monk tears apart his cap and sew it anew!” the servant cited an Ethiopian proverb. “An idle mind is the workshop of the devil,” is what the white men say, mom seconded her rolling the ball of thread for knitting.
As power got restored we switched back to the TV which was transmitting a program about captives that yielded up hands to Ethiopian soldiers, militia and fighters from the Ethiopian side with patriotic zeal.
“We were told you will end up in a grave if you surrender to the enemy specially the militia. But the treatment we received from day one proves the reverse. People are treating us with love and respect. We feel as if we are home away from home. We were duped for long by the good-for-nothing TPLF leaders. We advise forcefully-recruited fellow TPLF troops to find comfort in the hands of the nation-loving army than ending up cannon fodders,” captives voluntarily said turn by turn.
“TPLF troops must have been hypnotized by the merciless leaders eying at self-benefits otherwise they are no different from nation loving Ethiopians,” mom added. “Detaining the terrible two the confused Dr. Debretsion and the talkative Getachew Reda brings the war to an end. As to terrorist TPLF, what could a cat do if its tail is grabbed by the tail at the helm? ” Ha ha ha, the servant bubbled up effective in communicating her feeling.
“Why do hypocrites turn a deaf ear to what Ambassador David Shinn and Ambassador Tibor Nagy tell them about Ethiopia? Both have a firsthand knowledge about Ethiopia, which they know inside out. Why do hypocrites remain tightlipped when Terrorist TPLF engages on killing spree?”
“Hypocrites and some so called peace brokers want to breathe life into terrorist TPLF on whose coffin the last nail is being hit. Is it to give it another chance of destruction on neighboring states given its three rounds of killing spree?”
“The proverb goes a gold ring in a pig’s snout,” dad alluded to the bible.
“Yes it also says give instruction to a wise man he will be yet wiser,” said mom.
I cut in to add “Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse!”
“Peace has its own limit. We can’t talk about peace making people in the neighboring state of Tigray sacrificial lambs,”I added.
“We like the people of Tigray. Creating a confluence they could be of great help for Ethiopia’s affluence,” mom added.
“Sure! Have you noticed how many gold medals the beautiful girls that hail from the north snatched for Ethiopia in the athletics championship?” Ha ha ha bubbled up the servant, We followed suit.
The Ethiopian Herald September 9/2022
