By Tesfaye Yigzaw
My writing today is about this individual who is making a lot of hullabaloos with several appearances in a public forum that needs a retort. I have waited for so long not to disrupt the unison formed against TPLF. Now it is a right time to respond to Mr. Ezekiel Gabissa, who is misleading society in bifurcate: 1) Misinforming society to addictive herb. 2) Untruthful about the history of Oromo.
Let me begin with, his book, where he discussed the usefulness of Chate (Khat). He is, as the matter of the fact; most recently, defended its essence in public. In fact, an institute that conferred him a degree ought to share the blame. Why? There are a lot of question remains unanswered. What are the benefits, or harm inflicted on a person by consuming this herb? What are the active compound(s) in the plant? Is this Ezekiel Gabissa’s area of study? Or are the compounds isolated, and its’ pharmacokinetics /pharmacodynamics were studied? These are just a few questions he has been eluded. He has no answers except bluffing. I would like for him to seek a mental professions to redeem himself of the addictions, which is making him to hallucinate. Chat plant contains compounds that are unsuitable for health. My advice to him is not to lead young people to this dangerously addictive product.
I read Ezekiel Gabissa’s article a few years back about the Segale war; he stated that it was a war between the Shewa Amhara and a Wollo Oromo. I do not expect a person who has claimed to be an educated distort the history. To begin with, the war was between the two royal Mesafints: Hail Selassie on one hand and Lij Iyassu on the other. It was a royal feud to control the throne. The chief of the army Fitawrari Habte Giyorgis was an Oromo, and Hail Selassie and Lij Iyassu V both claimed an Amhara and Oromo descents. Ezekiel Gabissa was absolutely wrong by attempting to portray the Segale war was between the Shewa Amhara and Oromo. The Segale war was not between Amhara and Oromo. The war took place after the death of Emperor Menelik II, whose ethnicity remains ambiguous. There was no war per se had taken place between Amhara and Oromo during this time or in history (I stand corrected). Nevertheless, the war between Oromo and other ethnic groups took place during what the historians documented was in the sixteen century of the “Gala invasion”. This was the most devastating war that many lives were perished. According to historians, the Gala invaders, whom were nomads, had come through what is now known in the vicinity of Kenya. They were forked out into two directions: one group went towards north; the second group limped towards the center of the country. Since they were faced strong resistance from Sidama ethnic group, had gradually inched out in fragments headed to a central land. Note, some Oromo speaking calls Amhara “Kawe”or “Sidama” because of Sidama’s war strength.
The calamity of the war was inconceivable. In my personal view, there was one positive side of the “Gala” culture. Among the prisoners in war captives, they adopted the children as their own, “goodifetcha” and intermarried. This war took place hundreds of years ago, since then people intermingled through marriages and in a culture of “goodifitcha”, and now it would be hard to discern the exact ethnicity of an individual. This is well described in Gojjam: “ke Galla yaltwelede —–bitcha new” I omitted the word. I would like to add in that, culture may be the most plausible descriptive of ethnicity than a language by itself. Why? The Borane society has distinguishable dissimilarity with the rest of the Oromo group, with the exceptions of the Oromo’s that inhabit the central highland. Borane is very peaceful and loving society. They are the first line of defense protecting the country from Somali invaders, while others allied.
Obviously, a Geda system is most practical to Borane society for centuries, and it was unknown to other side of the Oromo speakers until recently. Today, instead it is a culture, being politicized. In fact, that was a plan for an Eritrean writer; his intension was to achieve the Eritrean struggle by dividing the Ethiopian society. There is a point I would like to make about this particular writer in which he lied about Emperor Hail Selassie. With an interview he gave, he said, he went via Kenya, sneaked in through border to meet the Borane society. The matter of the fact, Emperor Hail Selassie was well admired for his interest promoting modern education in the country. He funded foreign scholars to come to his kingdom to teach and write freely in his Empire. A good example of this was a let professor Lisly, among many who travelled freely to study the culture and society in Ethiopia. After all, His Majesty sent this Eritrean man to the US for education. There are a lot of issues this author deliberately left out on his writing and that make him less of a scholar.
Back to, Ezekiel Gabissa, had ridiculed himself when he talked on a forum about Geez alphabet. Once again, a scholar from US, the late professor Lisly who spoke several languages explained. This alphabet is the most sophisticated, and some scholars think it was descended from somewhere than created by human being.
Recently, Ezekiel Gabissa denied knowing Emperor Minillik II. Preposterous, would it not be a surprise had he knew him. A history teacher (I assume) who claimed and made several appearances as a political wiz does not know a world renown Emperor. Well, he knows very well Meles Zenawi, his malevolent teacher and Shaki Abdulkarim Ibrhim Hamid an Islamic guerilla leader who allied with a late Somali leader, Said Bari that massacred thousands people. Shaki Abdulkarim Ibrhim Hamid is Jawar Mohamed’s mentor that beheaded Ezekiel Gabissa’s fellow man Baro Tumsa (from Wellega) who was seeking an alliance. My advice to Mr. Gabissa is to be attentive not to make imprudent alliance with a wrong people. Meles Zenawi, of course has a reason to dislike Minillik. The story goes back to Ethio-Italo war. Before leaving to war front, Minillik had publicly declared to punish those betray his country. Most Askaris happened to be Meles Zenawi’s relatives, and were punished with amputations; either their hands or legs were cut off. That was then, today, it is justifiable in a modern law, in any country, a person who is accused of betraying his/her own country would face a treason law, leading to a death penalty. Let me pose for a minute and ask Mr. Ezekiel Gabissa a question. To refresh his memory, it has been less than thirty years ago, your OLF had massacred thousands children, women and elders in Assosa, Welega (your region), in Arsi, as well as heaved human beings off the cliffs in Harrarge. Where is your humanity? The Assosa massacre, an eyewitness who was running for his life recently told me. “They were such beautiful and kind people; they were passing water for escapees”. Few minutes later, he returned back looking for his relative, he found all slaughtered. He is happened to be from Welega, an Oromo, was not killed. An OLF commander asked to offer a gun if he is willing to join his group. Those killed were unfortunate people resettled by the government from Wollo. Today, after Ezekiel Gabissa returned from Mekele, has been making more factious noise, to divide the Amhara; he called out ethnic groups living in this region. Mr. Ezekiel Gabissa, do you know among the people your OLF had massacred in Assosa and elsewhere were maybe Oromo decent from Wollo and somewhere else too? Do you have any feelings about humanity? Are not you responsible for a poor human being hanged upside down (medieval times death) in this day of age? Why you and your group are freely travelling with impunity, while many none Oromo are imprisoned having committed no crime these days? Is it because you are a head of the second government?
In any rate, you have been making a big clatter with ethnicities that are living in an Amhara region. Let me tell you the facts, they have been living comfortable and peacefully without discrimination. They have been intermarried; no individual would claim himself differently. Is this a message of animosity you were told to spread after returning from Mekele? How much were you paid? Here is the most important question you have to answer before you talk about ethnicities living in Amhara region. There was a Gafat (sematic) speakers spread across Welega, Shewa, Kefa to the extent to Arsi long before an Oromo language was spoken. What was happened to this society? Linguistics believes languages do disappear, but the societies lives and learn different languages. Today, these regions are dominated with Oromo speakers not necessarily they were Oromo. Can you answer?
You are a stammer instead of talking right; please introduce yourself and tell our audience what you teach? Both ESAT and VOA journalists raised a question in a separate occasion: Mr. Ezekiel Gabissa answered: “I teach engineering Students” is this appropriate answer. Let me rephrase the question: What subject do you teach, not what your students’ are majoring? Well, either he does not know what he was teaching or ashamed of the subject he was teaching. I strongly believe he does not know his subject very well. He needs to go back to a first grade.
Once again Ezekiel Gabissa continues blaming Amhara was forced them to put on clothes. Of course, so what if they did. Is this a crime? I believe, the German spy pretending to be a protestant missionary in Welega taught him to hate not to love. You are crusading on attack of an Ethiopian Orthodox Church, as your spy master taught you to do. Ethiopian Orthodox Church is the richest in theological history and manuscripts, and contains the most sophisticated literatures the world yet to discover. A person like you is completely unable to understand, probably, the ghost of that spymaster has to come out of the grave to fix a mind he damaged. Inferiority complex and self-stem is in fact a serious sickness and it requires an immediate attention, please see a psychiatrist immediately for dementia or if that does not help, you need to go to the nearest Orthodox Church to get sprinkled with holy water and impulsively take a sip to remedy, you may have been possessed with evil spirit.
Let me close with Lincho Batti’s statement where he spoke on a forum in Addis Ababa: we said a lot of damaging things about this country to get a political advantage, and now we have to retract, and start to rebuild a country (I have rephrased). This is a very wise saying, Ethiopia has a lot of problem, and ethnicity does not solve the country’s crises but adds a gasoline on the fire. I know you and your group have nothing to offer except scamming young people with false hope. There are many in the diaspora community willing to help the country with no reward but your group scared them off.
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