WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET

This week if there’s anything good Gambella diaspora the community has seen for a very long time was the visit of Her Excellency Deputy Minister for Children Affair Alemitu Omot here in Minnesota. Her excellency visit was vital, at this juncture a time the Gambellan community have been longing, wanting a figure heads like her to bring together already break up pieces of her Diaspora community.

Well “what you see is what you get”, she was some kind of a schoolmaster who discipline her pupils by the loud gong and everybody was lineup neatly with protocol intact, made some diaspora elements disruptive and counterproductive behaviors disappeared into thin air. No nonsense. No bullshit.

Her Excellency spoke eloquently about the plight of the community, she was aware of all the problems the community have been facing, without wasting time she went straight to the points of all  contentions, saving huge time from confusion and illusion of usual diaspora meetings.

Madam Alemitu condemned, shamed those hardheaded noisy diaspora’s elements who talk too much with no good deeds on the ground for the people they claimed they represent at home. She said you represented nobody. She continues Gambella people do not want unelected people to represent them it is shame for those of you who wasted big time in the United States without a grasp of the US political culture, of the most civilized nation on earth.

 Madam Alemitu reminded Gambella Diasporas of the importance of the United States, its civilizational impacts on the people of the world, you are not the only one that came to the US for that matter but there are many others who have come from all over the corner of the planet, had obtained positive changes for their lives, with that they have changed others they had left behind but you here have done nothing for your families and your community at home.

She told them many of you talk too much for being genuine Ethiopian or authentic Gambellan, she challenged them you are not Ethiopian or Gambellan in words only but deeds by doing something for your countrymen you left behind, you don’t have the latter on the ground to back up your words for being a good and authentic citizen.

  Regarding regional politics; she challenged the overall wrong perception of political propaganda,  alienation by some diaspora’s elements of a particular group of Gambella nationalities including others from the regional picture. She said it is wrong, it must stop. She said how come some of you have not learned, understand the diversity, multicultural institutions of the United States, all of you live here within this multicultural country and still you talk trash; allis about separation, division of ethics along with the skin color, linguistic lines.

She told them no one is more Ethiopian or more Gambellan than other Ethiopian nationalities it is a wrong full stop.  She told them our country is blessed, it is the home of all humanity, we should cherish our mosaic build-up, not tear-down the unique build-up of our society. In fact, our multicultural makeup is our strength, it is our backbone it is those traits that made our country unique and we should be proud of our people for that matter.   She said talk less and do more at home for your people, for the sake of your own community do something positive to alleviate the suffering, the condition of your people. 

US Foreign Policy Problem in the Middle East

Policy problem is define by Anderson in his (2015) book as a condition or situation that produces needs or dissatisfaction among people and for which relief or redress by governmental action is sought, or as Guess, G. M., Famham, and P. G (2011), explained it is any issues affecting the public in relation to which funds may be spent, or legislation or regulation may be enacted to solve the problem.

In other words it is the unintended consequences of policy carry out to resolve certain issues, but resulted being a problem for another ones that was not intended for. And without a doubt in my understanding it is blowbacks generated by failed consideration of consequences or by surprises brought by policy problems.

For instant the neocon foreign policy fiasco in the Middle East was one example of failure of a foreign policy makers from the get go. The US imposed “regime change” to oust dictators out from power in the name of democracy failed miserably.

It is a disastrous policy still lingering with us with no answers to the question to why policy makers haven’t thought “displacements, replacement”, dialectical relation that when you remove something you must replace it with something, the neocon foreign policy gurus failed to realize that part of policy conundrum.

The US, its western allies failed miserably about what to do to replace the decadent, discarded system of government they have fought very hard and destroyed. Instead the west left a power vacuums, created an environment conducive enough to breed extreme elements with deadly ideological venom, competing for power, and challenged the west civilizational way of living.

The United States failed Middle East foreign policy resulted in producing so-called ISIS or ISL as we speak, the west response to tam down the rise of extremists groups was inadequate, and dull.
The US, its western allies as external factors, stakeholders in the export of democracy, regime change policy in the Middle East, without looking and considering the internal factors, of stakeholders wants was ill conceived, and utter nonsense.

In short democracy cannot be imposed from the above, internal situation must match the external situation, for a good democratic process outbreak to happened the centrifugal forces must be ready, otherwise centripetal forces would not succeed in their attempt to breakdown the core. That’s what we have been witnessing in the Middle East.

By Gilo Amhare, founder, editor of Ajumhara Journal of Politics.

There are traffic Lights with Few Cars On the Streets but Why?

I wonder how those traffic lights are going to function with no permanent electricity for the whole city of Gambella. Or is this a joke? When I was there four months ago the City of Gambella was always on constant power, water, network supply cuts, everyday. That's the reason I say again is this a joke? Also I didn't see too much traffic cars on the streets, which could warrant traffic lights, what I saw as problem was lack of transportation for the residents of Gambella city. Look it sadden me, bothered my conscience while I was there seeing everyday fight by people who have been waiting for those three wheels legged Indian made cars under the frying sun heat to take them to their destinations. The city of Gambella in my view is in dire need of public transportation, not traffic lights.

I believe at the moment the installed traffic lights of the city of Gambella was a wrong plan, a wrong priority, wrong thing to do when many of our citizens are without jobs. Instead ordering traffic lights they should have ordered donkeys to help people with transportation if they can not afford buses. If everyone understand what I am talking about is good but otherwise we are loosing hopes. If people in the leadership don't know what are the top priority needs for the governed or the subjects than I am sorry no wonder they brought Kandabongo to Gambella, paid his band huge sum of money for a music the natives of Gambella don't even understand in the first place.

Let me remind you one classic example, the story was like this; during “Derge regime” time when our men, women who were fighting against separatist war in northern frontiers, they run out of ammunition,they asked field commander for more ammunition and more reinforcement, when the field commander asked the central command authority for ammunition, the central command authority sent them rations, when they run out of rations, they sent ammunition, the sabotaged conspiracy was so enormous that, it had greatly inflicted moral damage to our men, woman who were scarifying their souls for the liberty of all, for the territorial integrity of our country. And by time the said heinous crime was discovered, the enemy forces had already encircled the breakaway provinces, “Tigray, Eritrea”. What’s going on in Gambella right now is no different from the above story. And to me the story also coincide the story of “Abuknyadeng”How to stop coporate in the midst global land grabing is a  dauntng task...

Ne Yena luo; won; ne cahene, ne raach,  ne cheneno.  Meaning; are you not Luo, why you are talking like the “un pure” breed of strangers  The word Luo means “purity” the words jengo or jur or lango means salves, strangers, nomadic people  foreigners, unimportant  people in Anyuawa language. So do their belief of being only god chosen people. According to the tradition when a new child is born in the neighborhood the elderly women are advised to check on the new born genitalia, it doesn't matter of any gender, the rules applied to either girls or boys. specially checking boys testicles area of imbalances is paramount, important for the family, the community to know.  If one of the child's testicle found naturally dejected, unbalanced, seemed to be equal, than this child is not a Luo meaning is not pure but chiejwok evil, its parent should abandoned it in the forest or thrown in the river. The parent of a child would be advised to get rid of the child as soon as possible before it has grown up, kill people.  So the child is thrown away in a gourd, seated into river to float away or taken to a deep forest abandoned it to die. Thus according to Anyuwa cultural beliefs purity is important, so to avoid this, others kind of problems, marriage outside Anyuwa culture is strictly forbidden. It is a taboo to marry outside one's culture. So the Anyuwa considered themselves as puritan with no mixture of other races in them.   

My Home Journey of Ajumhara Journal

In Addis Ababa at the Somali mall the Anyuawa words " man miro kire! " " man beer ninao! "man wopdoch ka agnudee " much more  words were echoed in my presence May 22- 15 by a Somali merchant woman, while in communication with me, and other fellows who accompanied to the mall. My friend, she spoke to us without an accent like somebody born, raised in Gambella.

The Somali merchant woman spoke the Anyuak words without spoiling them, without breaking them. without difficulty pronouncing them, I tell you the truth I was impressed delighted, challenged with how wrong I was in my thinking of " me, me not you " world views, a dangerous world view championed by most elites or petty bourgeoisie cultural icons.

Of course the Somali merchant woman, the narrative about engaging the world with such tool as language, mastering other languages than hers was a big lesson for all of us. I promised myself " then for more of my trips to Ethiopia now, in the future." And prior to this encounter I had also admiration for Somalis who were friends to me back in the days while I was an MA student at Minnesota State University Mankato USA. And those days I had a good relationship with them all, they were friendly, approachable, understanding, I may say down to earth people, straight, frankly speaking, people. In my views, their ways of approaching, engaging people of a different faith, cultures are an example of good social engineering.  The world would be much better with good exchanges of the interrelationship of diverse cultures.

Look Anyuak is a tiny minority in Ethiopia but to have some people spoke their language as far as people from the Somali community in the midst of trade, the commercial transaction is amazing, it meant a lot in the globalization paradigm. The world according to Thomas Friedman has become " flat, narrow, shallow, linked without difficulties than ever before. He said countries, individuals; companies are becoming more competitive for market share, geographical separations, borderlines demarcations he postulates were things of the past, irrelevant, obstacles to globalization moves.

I find Somalis I met, interacted with the very fast, smart, quick learner of something foreign to their language. Folks, I have doubt of the globalization effect, globalization now, with its tentacles stretched out had already reached the remotest corner of the planet, it has been real evidence that the world is becoming one via communication, technological breakthrough, both tools, others have narrowed the gaps before our very own eyes. One finds nomadic tribes traveling by camels saying " hello-hello on the phone it carries throughout deserts of the world, my friends who will doubt the narrative put forward by others, again like Thomas Friedman who describes the world as flat, narrow, bridgeable that the world has become one, shallow, short reachable by any means.

I believe language, as many social scientists would tell us, is the main focal point to bridging the divides between different cultures, outlooks. It is a wonderful tool made available to us by the creator; we should be trying to learn each other languages for, dialogues, communication, fun, love, peaceful coexistence. It is important we know each other’s languages, fun to know other people languages for the sake of getting along. The world is becoming too small we had to be prepared, equipped ourselves with languages around for the purposes of linking people together through communication.

I understand more than never before that knowing another language in our lives is imperative, an important tool for understanding, and engagements between people of diverse cultures. They believe that communication blows away misunderstanding, misinterpretation; ill-perception, misconception about others is truer than never before. It makes people feel more wanted, closer, important. I think in a mac-world we are heading into we shouldn't limit ourselves to our narrow world of localities. I think we should expand our thinking, dip ourselves into language pools. You see I am from one of those minorities whose lives are remote from national spotlights, where their numbers statistically don't even count; typically demographers count them as others.

But despite all barriers of remoteness, I found my language spoken in a commercial transaction; I was surprised, at the same times astonished by the situation. It was one of the phenomenal things I would never think could occur in my lifetime, but it did. Folks you don't understand how important I felt that day with my ego ballooned, from a decade of dead self-esteem, rejections, denials. I was morally boosted, spirited again, I rekindled self-worthiness, my soul raised to a better feeling of being important, dejected from the isolationism of the bourgeoisie culture.

So I considered myself lucky, paramount, important, honored, and respected, like someone who had discovered an area of a gold mine to himself. You see this phenomenon happened in the midst trade where I was buying wholesale clothing to take to my people, distribute them free to fatherless kids. I am a king my world of Ajumhara, of Gambella, as the Indian taxi drive from New York once asked about how he felt coming to his people he said " well here I am treated like a king with all the love I am given, no amount of money can buy but there in New York I am nobody, I am just a taxi driver with no significant."

I think I bought as much clothing as I can, I was telling this merchant woman I want this, I want that, I need more of this and that, top it on with sashay or handkerchiefs, those body creams there. I had one of my company told me those are enough from her, I think we should go to a different merchant, you never know some might lower the commodity prices for you, I said okay, but would they merchants over there speak Anyuak to us, they say no, then I am not going I think I better spent all the money I want to spend on this shop whose owner so nice, eager to speak our language voluntarily, without difficulty. Do you know what it means? It means that she/he or husband had accepted us as equal as important partners in trade, the commercial transaction we have been doing with her,

One has to be careful with trade or commerce in our African culture, what do I mean by that? I mean one had to establish a working relationship first, foremost, because a working relationship has more value in all our African culture, it is important than money. One has to establish relationships and our community has done that homework best for ourselves. Now it is up to us to accelerate the dynamic, make it glamorous, enjoyable.

We must be very careful in dealing with merchants in markets here or anywhere else. They are not all good as one might have thoughts so. And markets, as we all know, have been marred with volatility. Although markets have been self-regulators in Africa, had good reputations but in them one finds many more obstacles: thieves, cheaters, blackmailers, false traders I told them to let's not go there, let's save ourselves from risks, here at least we know somebody, when we find something unsatisfactory we tell her/him her husband in the language we all know " nya nye watwa agena-agno ne motwani en " You my friend why did you cheated us " we would? d tell her/him in the manners of a joke minding the important our relationship first, not the friction.

It should be a challenge that comes in a friendly manner which is good business. It is a mechanism used throughout the world of commerce to solving problems through dialogues = effective communication= positive relations = no frictions, It is a win-win situation without hurting each other playing field? I think we all agreed to spend our money where everybody knows our names. Good, fair, excellent for business

Conclusion: If anyone goes, to every place where everyone knows his /her name, there are lesser chances of running into troubles. The Luo people in Ethiopia have not yet reached that apogee of political, economic, social development they wanted but have been charging system enough not to be forgotten like numbers, pushing to reach the highest height through education, bringing a recognition they deserved to their names. The Anyuak were/are saying we are one in this world, this world is mine, and yours also it was the most reading I saw from faces that were interacting with each other that day.

No this is not a Peace Deal But Nonsense:  As it looks this peace deal some people had already accused president Kier for not signing was completely an IGADA’s  works, wanting  Kier to blindly

signed  the outcome he never saw, discussed within the rank, file of the SPLA party stock.  It is a hoaxed conspired, a treachery concocted by IGDA’s machinery to impose its will on sovereign nation of south Sudan.

In spite Kerr’s request for more consultation, IGDA, its backers bluntly accused Kier for refusing to sign agreement reached by his opponent, the entire IGADA’s watch dogs.  Saying he is derailing the prospect for peace, not understanding Keir’s view of national interest as a whole.  I think this nonsense agreement shouldn’t be allow come to its fruition. It is a recipe for disaster which could pave ways to the division of south Sudan into quasi tribal war lords control entities.

 I am not impressed either with the devolution, allocation of the new power which sets a precedent for breakup of the south Sudan, could eventually led some to declaring independents from the rest of the country, controlled by warlords likes Machar Teny with paramilitary groups loyal to them taking extra- judicial measures undermining national security interest. Since they are not loyal to the national government in power imagine what kind of government they would be running in those areas control by outlaw groups, undisciplined white army militants. It is an invitation for a disaster.

 In another word this division of the south into quasi states sets another example of Kosovo like breakaway region where the so called NATO forces spearheaded by the US created a defunct Kosovo’s autonomous government before our very own eyes.  And in midst of confusion from the outbreak of war, Kosovo was granted autonomy to administer itself until such time unification is achieved with Serbia.

It was then a lovely idea as it was cast out to by media to convince the international community to end tumults brought by decades of ethnic in fighting, an ethnic ideology for the first place manufactured in the west, smuggled before the break up of Yugoslavia’s into entities.

In the name of democracy, protection of ethnic groups, the aim was to plant seeds of hatred in the rocky mountains of former Yugoslavia, push for breakdown, collapse of state into fragmentation, they succeeded in doing that, with unification betrayed Kosovo declared its  independent from Serbia, created a country with no history out of nowhere.

 I think Kier refusal to sign this agreement was correct. My understanding is that the nation of south Sudan is behind him, he also got some supports from some friends, from leaders of the east African community of nations. Nonetheless Kier also must tirelessly double his efforts to end bloodshed, accept some kind of compromised agreement with rebel leader Machar Teny.

First a comprehensive peace agreement from national security standpoint, a national reconciliation in the best interest of all. No one should be daubed to sign an agreement he doesn’t knows about, again national interest, the security of nation must come first. It has come to our attention that south Sudan government was dubbed, kowtowed by IGAD"s "paper tiger" in order for him to simply signed peace deal. A peace deal I believe was concocted, brewed somewhere else without knowledge of the national government of south Sudan. I think this peace deal was already dead from arrival. It should be rejected as a trickery compromises, shouldn't be considered by the government of south Sudan at all. 

Second, a peaceful agreement must come from the mouths of both leaders, not by the imperialist agents from IGAD. In my book south Sudan is heading for eventual collapse, unless the people south Sudan stand firm, resist kowtowing to the pressure mounted on them by the IGAD'S watch dogs, their sponsors. If it is up to me so called Mesfen the Ex-Ethiopian foreign minister with a de-facto  position should have been fired from leading IGAD, because his background in negotiating territorial concession, during Ethio-Eritrean war has been a disaster, with some even calling him Eritrea's representative in Ethiopia.

Don't wrong me, I am for peace & stability of south Sudan. But peace must not come at expense of the general welfare of south Sudan people. It should be a genuine peaceful resolution, where grievances are addressed , all point of contentious issues are resolved. I am against dividing nation of south Sudan into quasi states, with every territory divided control by outlaw groups. 

I called for a formation of a “new peace doves “to be formed with a task bringing all stakeholders to the conflict around the table to sort out all their differences in peaceful manner. in other word for a comprehensive peace deal to be worked out, the government of south Sudan, the rebel movement must come to understanding peace is their only option for the stability of south Sudan, that all peace loving peoples hands are behind them, they shouldn't be afraid with bad deal/good deal scenario evaporating from tiresome negotiation. And that civil, peaceful working agreement for lasting peace for south Sudan is imperative, and important. 

Complete Surrender to Strangers’ Threats

  To all AJ audiences we have interviewed Otoli Warachung elder; statesman of the tradition Anyuak society to give us brief discussion on Gambella History and Politics, here is the excerpt.

AJ, there are threats everywhere in our land, were all about land, occupation, aggrandizement by strangers, who came, or brought by from faraway under different circumstances by the successive ruling regimes.  All of them forgot where they were originally belonging or came from; so to speak. We are now on threshold, contesting our native land with them. Why?

Ans,Otoli; the impending phenomenon is a curse on our souls. We must quench the fire, contain it from spreading.
AJ say how come this land that no one wants before all of the sudden have become violence hotpots.

Ans. Otoli Warachung: Traditionally, we are open society, and unlike other savage tribes who kill people as they saw them on their land; ours is an open society with traditional rule of law that governed behavior of our people toward peace, stability and good neighborliness. One cannot dispute the fact, our history shows we have been good in the reception, in the accommodation of the strangers on our land, from all opposite corners, a distinction I could say we are proud of as people, I believe one can’t prevent people from passing or coming by, taking a little break here from difficult situation that forced them to leave their environments in the first place. You see if a frog jumps out of the bush, it must be pursuing after something to eat or it must be running away from danger to safety. So did all the refugees who laded on our land, were welcomed with opened hands, accommodated efficiently. Now after peace was restored, we told them to pack, go back home. But they refused to go home. So what left for us as rights: is force deportation? But the problem we had now is our government intervention in all attempts we tried to correct the wrong political discourses. We have a government who often side with the foreigners whenever there were protest against foreign elements. And that's not right when a government does that to its citizens. It is no good government at all.

AJ Q, again how come those foreigners you are talking about have not been going to where they originally came from, what prevented them from going back?  Ha said the old man how can you prevent bees from sugar? Can you?  AJ, No, but, what do you mean?  Well to prevent bees from reaching, or leaving sugar container first of all you must remove the sugar that magnetized them to the container or spray poison fume around the sugar container to prevent bees from coming around anymore.

AJ, replied, but you can do that with people so what the take? Yea I know we cannot do that with people but we can make force deportation if people are not willing to go to the countries at their will.  If peace was restored than they should go back to their lands instead of giving us headaches.  We see to it that the law of the country is respected held up to standard, that’s not what we are seeing from our government otherwise, those who have broken the law must be held accountable, immediately deported, or make them settle in other countries of their wishes. If a host country they were in do not want them stay any longer, especially violent people must be expel from the country, without delays.

Interesting, AJ concluded,  AJ want state more, but was overrode by interviewee, who had plenty to say about many things, but the whole situation, he reminded AJ how good was in past, AJ said how, where?  Listen very, very carefully to what I am about to say, back in days when his majesty ruled this country the rule of law was up held by the courts in the country, everybody was under equal protection by the law, have you ever heard the word " be heg amlak" No, said AJ. Well it means in the "name of the law" a useful word used to civilizing people about the supremacy of law by all law abiding citizens, to distinguish themselves from hooligans, criminals, savages, that's how the emperor regime was with law. Unfortunately the king was dethroned by a bunch of idiots from the army, called the provisional revolutionary committee, which were nothing but thugs, thieves who rule the country by impunity.

  AJ, Q. What happened then?  Well, in the aftermath of the revolution the role of courts were reduced to oversee certain offences. But the bulk, majority crimes which were not crimes really were run by ad hoc or special committee which wrongfully imprisoned many compatriots to rot in jails. You see in that bygone era there were plenty of crimes leveled against individuals, crimes instigated by supporters of the revolutionaries, who accused most innocent people for political reason, to make it short what we got were so called special revolutionary committees, which held hearing in secrecy. No one knows how they reach decisions after decisions. Ultimately the country was tired of their draconian rule, left for the bush to unset the regime, they did. What came back was again something related to the previous revolution; in fact the second revolution had a blended "revolutionary flavor" like previous one. This time under EPRDF umbrella, federal courts were instated all over the country, so it is better now? AJ interrupted? What better as far as I am concern there no different between revolutionary committee, the EPDRF federal courts, again AJ interrupted, why? Because the EPDRF courts were stashed with cronies, that don’t exercise rule of law in the courts but nepotism.

   

 AJ, Q. So both regimes were not good for the Anyuak? You see unlike other violent tribes that bordered the Anuyakland, the Anyuak tribe themselves are law abiding people who hate violence in their culture. It is not an exaggeration to say that they are subjects of the rule of law. Previously, in the bygone era his majesty administrations provided, various mechanisms, which held our country, society in a harmonious ways and had allowed traditional rulers to rule according the law of their customs. There was one rule and one law for the country, there was also one rule of law in the traditional sense for all in the Anyuakland, be it for subjects under chiefdom or kingdom. But he said we don’t have our traditional rule of law anymore, neither king nor chief, that's the problem. AJ what was then replaced to balance the law?  All the court institution were gone, destroyed by dictatorial regime of Haile Mariam, who replaced nothing but chaos through revolutionary committees, its  associates such as: peasants associations, women association, youths Association, workers association, urban cooperatives, all were control by party apparatchiks’ from the central government.

The dirge, the current government completely destroyed Anyuak tradition system of ruling themselves through their representatives, without bearing the consequences. Poorly the Anyuak were/are left with no traditional safeguard, protection anymore. It was a mistake by those who destroyed the old system, opening our society future floodgate to destroy the entire society soon. That’s how the Anyuak people see their fate nowadays. Their fates are in the balance. No one should blame them really. What dignity was left for them when their land was/is forcefully snatched, out of their hands given it to some people else who don’t belong to their community. Is this a government of the people, by the people or of the hooligans, by the hooligans? How come a government they called theirs was/is murdering, prosecuting them with impunity. Who supposed to be watching who, who watched the supposed watchers. Can protection of security for all be left in hands of the organized thugs, criminals?  AJ are you dramatizing the situation.

Ans. what kind of question is that? No I am not dramatizing situations. It is real, and I am not amplifying it either.  If we are one, than we should be protected by law of the country. It is imperative that everyone who’s a citizen, including foreigners should be under the equal protection of the law. The law should reign supreme. That's what distinguished civilized people from savage society. Indeed if we are not one, than we should be able the take our security into our own hands. The English philosopher Hobbes 1640 in his treaty leviathan postulates social contracts this way; I am paraphrasing differently: for all individuals to live together as community certain important rights must give up to the body of law for the whole group or community lives in perpetual peace with one another, otherwise one risk losing them all. My point I am posing to you, if a government was not in the protection of the security for all, than we should take our own security into our own hands, it should be clear to everyone that security matters most when all are under equal protection of the state.

  The world have heard enough of the impending calamity hovering over the country, still some of us have unconditional love for the country to do better. But the agony, the brutality still continued in that beautiful land that was once in harmony, in peaceful- coexistence. Nevertheless can the downturn be reversed, AJ injected a Q?  Of course let keeps hope alive.  You know it difficult to subjugate the Ethiopian people for a lengthy time: under any conditions. They may put up with you for a while but not for too long our history shows no tyrant ruled for too long without being deposed