grey & worn ethiopian tales
18 September, 2007 | 10 comments | Category: I.dentity, ethnicity, peace & conflict
i did not know u could do me like this!!!
how dare u let my dreamlands…my neverlands disappear? how could you let reality bite me from behind without warning?…i thought u had my back?! what have you been doing all this time?
yes you! you, who is supposed to keep weaving fairy tales, myths and stories about a country inclusive of diverse people! yes! you! who is supposed to draw, paint and sing, tell history and folktales…You are supposed to create the imaginary community in which; a lady home-maker who lives near Lake HayQ and I, an Ethiopian in the US share a bond? i don’t need to know her name!! I just need her to hear the same stories, to believe in the same country where her family, traditions and way of life are included!! beqa, that’s it…that is all I ask and what do you do? other than stubbornly clinging to old and grey fairy tales, proudly sticking to your righteousness & not pausing to listen? u tell me!
when i think ‘ethiopia’, instant images flash before me: agerlibs, injera, bandira, ethiopian orthodox church, warriors (tewordros, menilik etc…), gonder and axum…not other images…
my granma/ayate used to tell me tales about my patriotic great-grandpap. ‘He was a great warrior who died fighting against the somalis!’ she said. Truth be told, my granma’s heart was soft for the Somalis, she understood it was a matter of fighting for pride and such was life…She had grown old, with them as her neighbors and friends, after all. And yet, as our storyteller, passing on the family history she tells the story of patriotism, of glory and country -Ethiopia.
I remember history class when I used to learn about the beauty of a glorious land I happen to luckily be from!
i remember teacher talking about great civilizations that competed with those of the greeks and romans, he talked of the king of “ethiopia”, Ezana conquering yemen and sudan… Then came the defiant Zagwe and…the history of biblical ethiopia: solomonic dynasty. And then Adwa and victory! All these fairy tales propped my young patriotism, hugged my self-esteem and handed me validation for living in the country now ranking 7th poorest out of 170, with the 16th largest population. This same country, my country was/is glorious and victorious?…My, life was actually splendid! I felt proud!
And then…the uncomfortable grey areas of history swept their way into my conscious. Making me say ‘Why did I ask questions?’. It is possible that…”ethiopia” is an ambiguous name that Ezana plagiarized from meroe to puff up his grandeur, the word originating in the greek term for the burnt faces of subsaharan Africans. it is possible that the solomonic dynasty is based on a legend later written as the Kebre Nigist during the 14th century (story of Queen Sheba, Menilik I). It is possible that the civilizations, languages and glories of this flimsy “ethiopia” happened through regional collaborations; naturally! Technological & cultural contributions of the others planted the pillars: sudanese, kenyans, somalis, egyptian, yemeni…everyone within and beyond the area, with and without names….! it is very possible that zagwe and solomonic dynasities were very localized in the north. And anyhow, the construction that is “ethiopia” may very well be very recent…and a simple, creative solution for a state looking to legitimaize becoming a nation. It is very possible that while the Italians were kicked out the first time round; 5 years of occupation may question the “never colonized” myth about Ethiopia. Talk to an Italian!
It is most definite the histories of this state came about through the blood and sweat of those other than the valorized, victorious “warriors”. It is definite that some were exploited, enslaved and even forgotten!!! The cunning forgetfulness of historic fairy tales, discarding failures and injustices laid a foundation for a national vanity which worked for cohesion in the past. Should we continue to discard the past, or acknowedge and hold it as we sprint forward?
Now, I choke when I read accounts of history because: “History is written by the victors”. I know this too well when most history books, written by the colonizer/westerner talk of African solutions to daily challenges as savage, barbaric and primitive. I feel it when it’s apparent that colonialism sculpted Africa into a quintessential poster child for “feel-good” anti-poverty projects; our hands extended for aid.
so…it is… OUR fault for being negligent and stubborn about OUR fairy tales. We need to mind the gap! There’s a real need for re-invented folktales and fairy tales…Changing times call for new solutions. We need an Upgrade!
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10 comments to “grey & worn ethiopian tales”
Alpha, September 18th, 2007 at 3:01 pm:
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You know what they say….”until lions have storytellers, hunter will always be winners”……I had This same conversation with a friend on Friday and that is the exact conclusion we came to…..
We believe what we believe because it makes life a whole lot easier on oursleves and concesous to do so in comparison to questioning things, this applies to religion and/or anyother blief we as human have……
but great article, enjoyed reading it
tpeace, September 18th, 2007 at 6:53 pm:
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thanks Alphy…& you’re right…
… these tales and stories we choose to believe can be more inclusive, innovative…and frankly-more based on reality than fiction in my humble opinion!…why do we stick to thinking about the monarchy, orthodox church, gonar as the symbols of ethiopia? could we not embrace and assertively learn about different cultures and histories in ethiopia? the less exposed traditions and histories need a place in the forefront…representing ‘ethiopia’…not simply decorating it…
Don't Eat My Buchela!, September 20th, 2007 at 1:19 pm:
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We can tpeace. We can.
And you know what else? The two things don’t have to be in conflict of one another. One doesn’t have to negate the other. These stories can coexist.
Did you know George Washington owned slaves? It is like that. He is a great American but he also committed the abhorrent act of owning slaves.
tpeace, September 20th, 2007 at 9:55 pm:
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wise words Yemi! Let us hope that dialogues are indeed happening amongst us that are enabling the kind of conciousness you describe…
thanks for your visit
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