BY KFLEEYESUS ABEBE
Gondarine farmer might live adjacent to country’s highest peak Dashen mountain or around lake Tana or flatland near Ethio- Sudanese border. The life principles are though very similar. He lives not as such a comfortable life but there is such unexpected understanding of life. He may not be learnt but he has abundant understanding of life. It is on this understanding of life, a hard rock, his culture, belief and principles are built on. The culture and his life are manifestations of the philosophy I will try to touch in this writing.
Life for a city boy is searching pleasure at all cost. There may not be constant in this search. If it demands to renounce one’s opinion, belief or principle, a city boy might do it with out hesitation. Hypocrisy usually runs the city life. A city guy preaches virtue and religion but at the test of time you would rarely see him living up to his words.The first thing I believe the Gondarine farmer understood is to live honeslty and truthfully to one self: Truthfulness. But you would ask how come one be truthful at all times. It is to understand life and face it as it is. Life is fragile. Life is short and full of challenges. What do we make the best of it is when we are true to ourself. For Gondarine farmer work itself is life. He gets delight by tending his animals, protecting the enviroment and defending his land. He lives to work, he values his work and he is grateful to God.
Life is full of challenges in Gondar for one thing since it is periphery the farmer is morally obliged to defend his country and the border (for him his farmland). For other Gondarines who live adjecent to mountains they had to withstand the cold weather; farm and feed their family. And, it is an insult to waste anything that has come from this hardwork. So, he must be strong and should carry weapon to protect his property from bandits or any other threat. It is in Gondarine culture to exault bravery and kindness. The famous poem /letegebew tyit lerabew injera /Gun for the arrogrant but injera or food for the hungry tells this fact.
Gondar was a capital of Ethiopia during 17th century. This might have influenced Gondar in many ways. The practice of nobility might have instilled characteristics of loyalty, bravery, duty, honour and service. Like British royals, Gondarines are modest in their speech, they treat people with curtesy and kindness and expect the same from other people. They are also consistent in their actions. You may call them conservative but they maintained traditions of respecting each other, the elderly and religious fathers.
To be grateful to God and going to church and praying is also fundamental part of the culture. They try to make their culture and faith very compatable in their nature. Along truthfulness, they want to live with honor. They prefer to die than to live with shame. Like the ruins of the castles and nostalgia of the empires, Gondarines typically farmers are known for their bravery, pride and kindness. Here in the capital Addis Ababa it is common for Gondarines to be regarded as people with distingushed pride though sometimes it is told with intentions.
What led me to write this is the unique story I heard recently. The story is farmers are met with heavily armed soliders in the border area. They knew they can’t repel the soliders by their powers but they have grown farmers in the area soliders are expanding. Therefore, farmers choose to die than their harvest is taken by outsider. Some of them fought with the soliders while the others harvested the produce.
Through out his life, a Gondarine farmer is careful not to disgrace himself, his family or his country. He keeps his word against all odds. He also tries to be faithful to his country. He won’t attack others but never allow defeat. There is a saying, “ man will die even of aging leave alone fighting.” To live without honor is a kiss of death for Gondarine farmer.
Another thing that is facinating about Gondarine farmer is the thought of centerity. Even the farmer who isn’t considered to have knowledge about politics preach unity and togetherness among Ethiopians. He knows he can’t live with diginity while his country is divided or invaded by other countries. Accordingly, he will do everything in his share for this cause.
In conclusion, life for Gondarine farmer is like what Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “the purpose of life is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compasssionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”
The Ethiopian Herald October 19/2022
