Gambella and the Preconceived Stories

 "Jo'ogaam", also known as the Highlanders, had long refused or protested being assigned, transferred, or rejected to Gambella because they considered it hellish (inhabited by cannibals, snake eaters, drinking blood, smelling fish). Later, those who went there were shocked to witness a vastly different form of civilization in Gambella than in their own country. It is difficult to convey the shock they felt when they saw how the Gambellian live. There are many civilizations which developed along waterways; the Gambella civilization was no exception, developing along the banks of so many rivers in the Gambella state. As the highlanders discovered, later about the uncivilized savage people they have been told, contrary to that misconception, they highlanders found out the Gambella people were more exposed to other world's civilization, well civilized, versed in many international languages, including English, Italian, Arabic, Greek, Amharic Oromognia, as well as several local languages that they all spoke to communicate with one another. They found out that Gambella has a better global connection than the places they were ushered here from, and that everything else is better than they were told, they did not expect to find it in such a neat, well-organized state. Later, we found out that the Abash themselves took part in spreading lies about the Gambella people as imperial civil servants who were responsible for spreading such lies. It was unsubstantiated biased stories told by expatriate highlanders living well among the Gambella people with extravagant lifestyles, who decades later were reluctant to return to their country after completing their duty assignments, some even with tears in their eyes when leaving. The government, however, forced them to return to their country of origin. As a result, expats angry with the government's compulsory discharge told lies about the people they met in Gambella as a form of revenge. Rather than telling the truth about our people, they presented false representations to different audiences back home. Due to those falsehoods and innuendos, they have spread, many Ethiopians from the highlands have avoided Gambella land and people because they are afraid of it. The truth is that such gossips have ingrained savagery in the minds of the highlanders. In their minds, the Gambellian represents savagery. I met an old Abasha fellow at the bus stop going to work a few years ago. From the conversation I had with him, I assumed he would be from northern Ethiopia, Tigray, or from one of the disputed territories between Amhara Tigray, because I saw him conversing with another person with Tigrinya when we switched topics. Anyhow, the man looked at me, said Sudan, I said no, I'm Ethiopian. Gambella is where I'm from. You people over there eat snakes, right? "No, man," I replied. While we live in an area rich in wildlife, snakes are not one of the species we eat. Due to a silly question, my participation in this conversation was immediately terminated. Looking at him, I saw a man who was ignorant, illiterate, and very arrogant. As he spoke, he was mumbling rubbish while holding a lathered incased Bible to his left, but he vomited Bs. He is not alone in his condescending attitude toward the Gambellian people, there many like him out there. One of the problems is that no one asked the simple question of how did the gossipers survive cannibalism when the rest were being devoured? What food did you survive on over there, since they were sub-human cannibals? How did you communicate with them? In the no man's land, how did they manage to survive, how did they escape? No one asked such good questions, and the rest is history. The news about Gambella in the hinterlands of the country today is different, Gambella is not hell on earth anymore, the wrong images they implanted in the minds of the highlanders no longer match the reality they live in now. Everyone rushes to Gambella today, wanting to plunge their hands into its deep wealth, get richer quicker, prosper faster.   

In conclusion: when you are told something, ask about sources, then ask a lot of questions, visit the library, if there are no libraries in your area, ask some old people around you, gather as much information from qualitative sources as possible. If you are financially secure, you can visit some of the places you were misinformed about, and you can make your own observations. As to the story of the Highlanders, I guess they are all like us right now, savages, cannibals, the end.

Have a good weekend

አበቃው የሣምንቱ ሠው ይበለን

The author of the article is Namphili Otho Gilo. He can be reached at amhare14@gmail.com.  

My Zimbabwean Husband Broke My Heart So I Became A Farmer!

The Ajumara File Case No1975

 Unless one cries louder like that Penyikaw woman who defied her abuser, no one would have noticed her grave suffering. Years ago, Gambella activists used this metaphor in their campaigns. There was a story about a Penyikaw woman, beaten by her husband, who tried to kill her; he asked, if you insult me again, or I will kill you, and she yelled back to him, "Kill me, kill me", with a wheezing voice. Suddenly, an unknown man appeared from nowhere and knocked out the machete from her husband's right hand, freeing her throat. Luckily, he was a cousin of her husband, if it had been someone else, it could have been worse, because in Anyuawa culture, only families can intervene in family matters, especially in the case of wives and husbands. The point is that if that woman had not cried, no one would have heard her suffering and no one would have been able to help her. Despite its sad ending, it is also one of hope and triumphalism against draconian husbands, a retrograde culture that prohibited any community members from intervening in feuds between husbands and wives. In the media a few years ago, peasant uprooting and displacement from the lands were widely discussed, and many talking heads referred to the EPDRF regime's brutality as unprecedented throughout Ethiopian history. The story resembles of Latin American story. In a story a Latin American guy once argued to his friends that the dictatorship Argentina experienced was unprecedented in Latin American history, everyone looked at him with astonished eyes, more than Chile's Augustino Panoche dictatorship, really?

Everyone yelled! You must be kidding. There was a blast of bazooka laughter from everyone. In this article, I asked, what about the conflict between the Derge regime and the Ajumara people? My personal opinion is that the Derg brutal regime was one of the worst regimes Ethiopia has ever had. As a rule, I do not like comparing regimes, especially dictatorial regimes, because there is nothing good about them, therefore all dictatorial regimes are the worst, evil to human progress. A few years ago, I asked some Gambella compatriots in the diaspora if they knew anything about the Derge confiscating Ajumara land? There was no word said to me as they all stared at me from top to bottom. No one seems to know anything, no one seems to be able to guess anything. Then I concluded they had no idea. Honestly, the Anyuak people aren't very good at telling children stories. It was something I witnessed many years ago when I was in Malakal, South Sudan Shilluk country. The Shilluk spoke of Anyuawa- Shilluk separation with convincing narrative history, but I and others aren't aware of it. There has been no oral transmission of such history to the present generation by the Anyuawa stock, we were unaware of such history. In any case, to get to my point, I said the first victims of the land grab in our land were the Ajumaranian people, who were evicted from their homes by the brutal Derge regime. It is not important that I go into detail, but I have some friends in the United States, Australia, Canada, as well as all the beloved mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters of the Ajumara victims of the Derge regime's impunity policy. The Ajumara tragedy has happened, and no one has talked about it, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen, that's why there's new resettlement called Dozeroleme today.  It was the government of the day that confiscated the lands of the Ajumaranian people and gave them away freely to merchants and highlanders. In the wake of the loss of their property, lands, and belongings, the Ajumaranian people received no compensation from the government. Besides causing injuries, the authoritarian leaders of the day convinced the Ajumara people to leave their lands by telling them flagrant lies about upcoming developments they didn't deliver. Therefore, Ajumara lands were forcefully seized from the Ajumara people and freely distributed to merchants and highlanders without their consent. The government failed to compensate the Ajumaranian people for the loss of their property, lands, and belongings. Along with inflicting injuries, authoritarian leaders also deceived the people, selling their lands lucratively to private business groups by spreading false flagrant lies about upcoming industrialization. We were moving people so that we could build industries, manufacturing, and create jobs across the city, they said. Till now, nothing has changed on the ground, the gospel about development coming to our land is still being repeated to our people.  

Ajumuras have a short history: the first Anyuawa visitors to Gambella town inscribed the name Ajumara kagn, which means here I have rested before proceeding to the market. This is how history unfolded. In later years, many Anyuawa people from different geographical areas settled there. The people who lived in Ajumara were from every place in Anyuawa-land, or in other words, they were amalgamations of every Anyuawa from every place in Anyuawa-land. Ajumara is home to many of Gambella's best-known local political activists. In other words, it has produced a number of top public figures. However, despite being surrounded by such impeccable politicians in the entire state of Gambella, none of them dared speak out about the suffering and trauma the Ajumara people had to endure. There has been no mention of the plight of the Ajumara people. While it is possible to interpret the silence of liberal tendencies as cooperation with ineffective policies, that is not the case. Rather, it's a case of liberal naiveté, negligence, and irresponsibility. According to an ancient adage, no one would know about someone until someone told them, rather than being recognized by someone, by everyone. Thus, so many de facto quasi-states around the world who call themselves independent are awaiting recognition from some entities until they are recognized by the UN or the International Community. That is, unless somebody speaks up, they will have to wait on the line for a very long time. I am done. Goodbye  

 The author of the article is Namphili Otho Gilo. He can be reached at amhare14@gmail.com.  

Cham and Cham Who are They?

 The first one is Cham Otange, the second one is Cham Othow. Please do not ask me whether I know either of them. I do, case settled! These two men have played a significant role in bringing about positive change in the history of Anyuawa. The two became friends, one from the Jor and one from the Openo, a symbiotic friendship ordained by divine providence. Despite attending school late in life, both completed only six grades. They then left school and joined the illiteracy elimination campaign of the day to provide free education to the forgotten region of Gambella. But the legend of the story I am about to tell you today would make someone frightened of the land. It is unusual, very peculiar perception of another parallel world, and as has been stated as follows: "no evil spirit can touch the land of Jor people and return safe and unharmed." Local oral traditions claim there is heavy metal called "gnoll" buried to prevent foreigners from entering Jor by the father of the land a century ago. I am not sure whether it is true, it depends on how one thinks. Metaphysics and their interpretation do not hold any appeal for me. However, I am not in the position to challenge those who believe in the mumbo-jumbo of beliefs. The story is progressing well so far. No strangers or public officials had ever come or departed safely before Cham, Cham, violated the sacred spirits of Jor, let alone insignificant wild tribal conquerors, occupiers. Legend has been told after one another that it's impossible for anyone with evil intention to enter Jor land even an inch without being faced by the paranormal forces protecting the soil of Jor land, the soil rejects all of the very tools of modernization accompanied by the forces of modernization, modern arts of technology have not been transferred to Jor. There were no schools, health clinics, telecommunications, transportation, including all modern amenities, established in this area. None! My first meeting with Cham Otange, Cham Othow was at Akwayajowk in Umedho while I was returning from Khartoum, Sudan. There were only two of them teaching so many classes stuffed with so many pupils, so I asked why they are the only ones there? My brother, no one is willing to come here, or if they do, no one is prepared to facilitate organization for them. Therefore, we are just volunteers serving a worthwhile cause. The others did not experience the same feelings as we did, if they did, they had been to other places with similar situations. Given, I think we are okay for now, I do not know how long it's going to continue this, either. The best we can do is to do whatever we can. We believe we can make a difference even if it is only a drop of water in the bucket; it might quench one soul's thirst, one at a time, which may someday translate to something much, much bigger. It was touching to see their simple, philosophical understanding of things. I have learned something new from two people who transformed the Jor Anyuawa community and brought about such a great change in the Anyuawa world. History shall not judge them negatively; history shall ink them as agents of change who brought some tools of modernity to the Jor people. While I was there, I saw Jor villages living in tranquility and with prosperity, and they lived near each other. It's a fish country, there are fish everywhere, and everywhere smell fish, everyone smells fish for someone new until they become one, "that's a joke". It's also an Opelle "taro plants "country. Furthermore, it is a bush meat country with a wide variety of animals. In front of them, I was totally lost in a pa-Anyauawa paradise, surrounded by peasant children, I couldn't comprehend what I was seeing. There are no instructional books in the classroom, there are no good blackboards for the teachers to use. It was a nothingness, not even for their students who do not have notebooks, chairs, and pencils to write on. The feeling of helplessness possessed me, and I had nothing to do to help them. Unfortunately, I can't assist their teachers either. As a sojourner, I have been away from my country for several years. I was very excited to see those peasant children, and they wanted to know more about me. There were a lot of questions they asked. I was asked where I came from, what my business I was doing there, if I was married or not, and what I liked about their village so far. My answer to most questions has been straightforward, I think they understand me well, even though the things I explained have no relevance to their lives. I can tell from their innocent wild eyes that they have a desire for education, since there are no schools built there. Though I was concerned about their plights, I also know that as one man, one voice, I could make a difference. In addition, I am a stranger to my fatherland, I knew little about my family background, I had a shallow understanding of their situation. Even so, I was inspired by those two individuals who abandoned their Goodlife in order to make a difference in the lives of the Jor people. It was hard for me to stay I said to both teachers as I had been away from my family for so long; I had to get back to them. In my heart, I promised them that I would do what I could to bring their suffering to the attention of the authorities in power. I will try, I said, even if I am unsure if I will be able to make a difference in those lives. It was my pleasure, that to meet them. However, they thought also I speak funny, like a foreigner who has learned it. Though I wasn't attracted to their locality, I like it, nonetheless. I remember those innocent eyes of the students, which ranged from young to old, were under the tutelage of those teachers, and they had never been outside of their village, why should they? It was a paradise over there for them. It could be possible that their fate is permanently tied to that place. I don't know if they wanted to leave, if they wished to change one, or if they wished to change both. Maybe they were stuck in trapped syndrome, the extreme conditioning that makes one stay in something even after being freed. It is common for such people to be raised in such a way that they have no say in who they marry, where they live, or what they want to be. The fate of those kids was determined by families, society at large. They like what they have there, and I like them as well. Things are at a standstill; they are not changing. Until Cham Otange, Cham Othow went there, introduced them to the thousand points of lights to modernity, what followed was floodgates, brought down wall by the forces of the illiteracy campaign, the thirst for knowledge, sweetness for education, learning ever-growing in those communities. I am done. "I think I need to leave,".

Even in sight my friends!!  

The author of the article is Namphili Otho Gilo. He can be reached at amhare14@gmail.com.  

መምህር ታዬ ቦጋለ❗️ ዘመን የማይሽረው ድንቅ ንግግር... #Ethionews#zena#Ethiopia

One Story of Nepotism in Gambella Past

Terefe Musa was the director of all schools in the state of Gambella, as well as head of the Bureau of Education. Through his power he corrupted the school system with drastic schemes, illegally transferring educational technological tools donated by the UN to Gambella schools, shipping them to Walega, Illubabour, Metu. Musa swept everything he could lay his hands on, taking them to his home region without attracting the attention of the Gambellians. Apparently, Musa wasn't in Gambella out of good reason but for a large-scale mission, draining, depleting, sabotaging Gambellian economic infrastructure. To put it another way, Musa, another highly ranking official in the Gambella bureaucracy, cheated and favored their tribal outsiders in jobs and education. Consequently, jobs meant for Gambella residents were given to noncitizens of the state, as well as scholarships given to residents from other regions and provinces. Through bureaucratic networking with his tribal kin, Terefe Musa was able to overtake Gambella schools by blocking native students from other counties from attending Gambella schools. As the Anyuawa say, even people trying to conceal nit dealing under water were eventually exposed by the bobbles. The revelation of Terefe Musa's treacherous scheme did not take long. When what was hidden in the tinderbox was revealed, it angered many people, both friends and enemies. We witnessed a colossal mess that should have never happened, but it did. If Musa did not explain what happened, the students demanded that Terefe admit his guilt, repent, or be removed from his position. But Musa did not accept the criticism, instead he talked about other diverse issues not related to the agenda, to whitewash the problem. In response, he was roared down by the students who told him he shouldn't continue to be the director. There was one man who shouted Waraayale, Tell Terefe Musa, not to tell us how much our swollen testicles weigh. He declared, Waraayale, Tell Musa, we know our disease; we don't need someone like him to explain it to us. Uncle said, Waraayale, it's hard to tell him something like that. Don't be afraid to tell him the truth. Intensely cowed and pressured, Waraayale delivered the message precisely as he was told colloquially to Terefe Musa. A group of people shouted better! Emboldened by Waraayale's courage, the audience applauded ceaselessly after he told Terefe Musa. While this was happening, Waraayale turned his back on Terefe Musa, looked at his uncles, and said, "I did it!" His bright red face reflected the stress he had released, indicating that he was no coward. One could sense courage in him. I'm not afraid, everyone laughed and cried. Come on brothers, join us. It appeared that Terefe was puzzled or confused by the speaker's warped idiomatic statement. Unfortunately, he was booed down and quit after trying to walk over it by addressing students with different types of issues. He must have realized something; he might lose his mind if he doesn't come to terms with the situation. Although it was impossible not to read what was in Terefe Musa's head, one could tell that he was going through tough times, that no one was on his side, that everyone except him opposed him.  It seems that Musa did not realize the gravity of the issue brought up against him, as he dismissed it lightly, thinking what the authorities would do to me if I did not comply. There have been long-standing problems of superiority complex exhibited by many highlanders living among the Gambella people. But that's another topic, I wouldn't discuss it here. Anyway, in the face of intense fire, mounting pressure, Musa gave up trying to save his skin, he accepted all the things the students demanded, he left the meeting he was encircled by. A few days later, Musa attempted suicide by jumping into Openo river, but the Anyuawa, the very people he had betrayed, cheated, and neglected, jumped into the river and saved him. Even though Tefere Musa had criminal records, he still needed to be saved. In the case of Anyuawa, Terefe Musa, dark backgrounds did not matter at all. In the eyes of the Anyuawa, Musa's evil acts are not as important as caring for humanity. Despite their noble understanding of human nature, Anyuawa have not prospered due to their good Samaritan nature. Anyuawua welcomes many good and bad friends, strangers to our land, whose only purpose is to find greener pastures. In our country, everyone wants to come, but not vice versa, since our people don't travel abroad.  Gambella has attracted many people who have not been good stewards of the resources, but rather exploiters, destroyers. We have leaders who give money away to other people, leaving the children of Gambella hungry. New thinking is needed: Democracy and Representation must go hand in hand, which means knowing who represents our interests, knowing who gets what, and why? Our top priority should be to check the background of our leaders. We must address all crises head on, and the issue of representation must be addressed through local, regional, and national mechanisms. We must confront nepotism through legislation, through parliamentary imperatives, because it is a national crisis. There is no turning back the clock, we must embrace the present, and we must learn from these stories, so that we can map out and shape our future.   

Hasta la vista my friends!!  

  

Discrimination of The Villages, Rivers, Geo-Locations

A friend of a European descent who grew up in the Anyuawaland told me and my other friends one day that there are few places like Pa-Anyuawa that accommodate strangers like me with love care for others. Omara), cousin, he said, you'll never find a place like that elsewhere. Is that true? I hope he reads the story I wrote about on my blog. The Anyuawa don't discriminate against foreigners; their law doesn't even punish foreigners who were convicted but lets them go free. In their countries, kings and rulers believe foreigners are not subject to the same law as their subjects, therefore they punish their subjects harshly, let foreigners go free. At someone's house a few months ago, we had a discussion. Prior to elaborating, I should mention that we held the gathering to celebrate the fact that we had reunited after years of isolation. I never thought we would have food and drinks provided for such a splendid party. There was only one thing missing, music, but we had a good time regardless. However, as the party dragged through midnight, a heated argument broke out between participants. As usual, it was about politics, Africans love to debate African issues. Though I was not a party to the argument, one issue caught my eye. This is because I had been disregarded by other villagers even though I do not consider myself a villager. However, I do not care, because village politics are not for me. This man seemed particularly hurt; he was lashing out inappropriate verbal tirades. His counterpunches were well framed, but the people he was speaking to did not appear to be listening. You think you are relevant because of the sheer number of people you have in this country, but you are just dust blown by the wind he added in Dha Anyuawa you are just (tor). It doesn't seem that you have done any better in this country despite your quantitative numbers. You may have high numbers, but you have done nothing to improve the socioeconomic conditions in any of your villages, let alone, the entire Anyuawa (debur). A few questions were thrown at him regarding why he speaks in such a condescending manner toward them. After regaining his composure, the man said, "Look, I'm tired of you pretending to be somebody you're not." That's what makes irresponsibility so prevalent, people like you and many of them out there are nothing more than useless talkers. I wouldn't have the courage to shout about unity Anyuawakism if I were you, and none of your efforts have made a difference to the social problems of your villages. Though you have all been featured in the media talking about unity, none of you have contributed physically or financially. What a bunch of pretenders! Are you better or worse than us? Look, if I say much about myself, tomorrow you would be trying to bring my name, my reputation down, but you wouldn't be successful, even if you did. I am, however, a man of my words. My actions and accomplishments speak for themselves. That's the truth. The truth shall set me free, and I won't shirk from telling the truth. There was laughter following him. Is he funny, said another man? I consider myself to be a doer," he replied, hammering down his statement with a hammer. And he added a little nostalgic; I am among those who founded and funded the Gambella liberation movement of yesterday. The little money I had saved all went to the Gambella movement, so my house here was almost repossessed by the landlord. To refinance my shortfall, I rented the top floor of my house to some people. However, what did I gain from all this? None, I am getting called egotistical, a trumpeter of myself. If we didn't finance the movement with all logistics, and all that, what would the Gambella people movement be today? In my opinion, I have contributed to the movement. I feel proud that I have contributed something to make a difference, even with the little tribute I have done. I am part of the movement ever. I need not worry about how some people today have hijacked the history of the Gambella people movement when they weren't around when things began. During all those arguments, I kept my own considerations to myself and did not sideline anyone for any reason. It wasn’t my interest! In my opinion, the boys were right. The boy was a child when I knew him, but now he is an adult. I am not disrespecting him, but I am following my tradition. According to the Anyuawa tradition, hierarchical order must be maintained by order, age, class, title, or recognition, rewards, appointment, promotion, or demotion in order to maintain harmony and balance. As much as I care about him, it proves no one is significant. I said this with the utmost of care, knowing he is real. My homeboy was doing well and based on the things I saw while I was there, I can assure you that he wanted no one to explain anything but himself; the man had some American dreams, I could enumerate them one by one: three cars, a house, a secure job. I am not exaggerating, but it is indeed true. However, the excitement of achieving something in life also comes with the understanding that not everyone appreciates everything they have seen from someone. Therefore, hearing about someone's success can be upsetting. I'm no expert, but what can I say? There are times when I think it's good that one must express their mind, regardless of any negative perceptions that might arise. Nevertheless, one can avoid overblown friction by exercising self-restraint from controversial topics.  In the end, everything went smoothly, and everyone left in peace. Selam, Amigos! 

 The author of the article is Namphili Otho Gilo. He can be reached at amhare14@gmail.com.