Yonas Biru, PhD
Dear Members of the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission:
My and Jawar Mohammed’s identity could serve as a foundation for a solution to Ethiopia’s challenges.
Let Me Start from Myself.
Both my parents come from a mix of Oromo and Amhara ancestors in Wello. Our Oromo identity is a result of Mogassa that we inherited, not from Oromo DNA, but through the mighty forces of ቆንጨራ (matchet) and the cruelty of Mogassa. Today, we have willingly embraced our Oromoness.
Our story does not end there. Our ancestors were Muslims. ወደ ክርስትና የተመነዘርነው (converted to Christianity) not through divine intervention or spiritual awakening, but through Emperor Yohannes IV’s ቆንጨራ and the cruelty of his regime committed at Boru Meda. There is more to our story.
Our Muslim origin, which we were forced to abandon, was itself imposed upon us by Gragn Ahmed ቆንጨራ and cruelty. Today, we have embraced our end result as Christians, happily declaring our ultimate conviction and love with our signature oath, እመየ ማርያምን & መድሃኒያለምን መሃላ. Some of our close relatives, including first cousins, swear by “Wallahi” with ultimate love and conviction as Muslims.
This is not limited to the northern part of Ethiopia. This takes me to Jawar.
JAWAR MOHAMMED
Jawar Mohammed is from Arsi. We know that before the Borena Oromo Mogassa invasion, Arsi was primarily Hadiya. ፋቅ ፋቅ ብታደርጉት (peel him back layer by layer) what emerges from within is not the Oromo Jawar, but the Hadiya Jawar, who has accepted his Oromoness o spare his life from the Gedaa ቆንጨራ and cruelty. Yet, he now lives embracing his Oromoness with love.
Jawar is not alone. If you pick any random Oromo, say Asafa Jalata, you get the same story. Looking at him, he appears to be from Shewa. That means if you peel him back layer by layer (ፋቅ ፋቅ ብታደርጉት), what emerges is not the Oromo Asafa Jalata, but the Gurage, Gamo, or Amhara Asafa Jalata, who has accepted his Oromoness and survived the Geda ቆንጨራ and cruelty. Yet, he now not only embraces his Oromoness with love but has become a የኦሮሙማ የንፍስ አባት (spiritual father of Oromummaa).
Our individual stories show that our identity is complex, evolving through time and different regimes, mostly through the mighty force of ቆንጨራ. Some have been subjugated twice: first, from Kambata to Oromo (through Mogassa, ቆንጨራ, and cruelty), and second, from Oromo to Amhara (through Menelik’s ቆንጨራ and cruelty). All nations in the world are born out of such brutal processes of subjugation. Most identities in the world are the results of brutal invasion and assimilation (ጭፍለቃ).
What surprises me is that አንዳንድ ቤርቤረሰቦች (some nations and nationalities) despise the history of forced assimilation. On one hand, they love the identity they inherited through subjugation more than their religion. On the other hand, they treat subjugation as background music to their lamentations.
For Ethiopia to live in peace, it must remove the false narrative of identity like a cancerous tumor. Only then can the constitution, born out of this false narrative of identity, be amended.
I thank you in advance for keeping this reality in mind as you finalize your project.
Yonas Biru, PhD
Former Member and Interim Chair of PM Abiy’s Economic Advisory Council
Former Chair of The Nile Club that Advised Ministers Gedu and Demeke on Geopolitical issues
Former Co-Chair of The High Level Covid Advisory Council
Currently a Stateless Soul, After the Government Confiscated My Passport for Calling the PM “Boy King and Psychopathic” in published articles
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A short and potent history of humanity; a social evolution of human history. Do the ethnic political commodity traders swallow these hard facts.?
The identity crisis in Ethiopia was fanned and made worse by cruel and fanatic tribalistic Woyanes. Their legacy is more diviwion and landlocked Ethiopia.
The Commission need to solve the root cause of the problem, Killil, Zeragnet, and idtentiy crisis, whch are al contained by Artile 39. Unless Ethiopia addresses this ethinc cancer, it will never rise as an economically or politically vialble nation.
Abiy despite his rthoric about Andenet or prospertity, there sill not be prospertity or unity unless he gets rid off article 39.
ተቃውሞ አለኝ:- ዳያስፖራ ስለ ኢትዮጵያ ምን ያገባዋል? “ENDC ‘ዲ’ያስፖራውን ለማማከር – ወደ ሰሜን አሜሪካ ይኼዳል!” ሲባል ሰምቼ በጣም ገረመኝ:: በጣም የደነቀኝ ነገር ደግሞ – “Latest News” ስር post የተደረገው – “ECNAS Rejects Engagement with the ENDC” ነው!
Here is what I replied to the latter:
1). ኢትዮጵያ ለኢትዮጵያውያን :- ስለ ኢትዮጵያ የመናገር መብት – ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ የሚኖሩት ኢትዮጵያውያን ብቻ መሆን አለበት። ለምንድነው – ውጪ ሐገር በውጭ ሐገር ዜጋነት ለሚኖሩት ‘ትውልደ-ኢትዮጵያውያን’ – የኢትዮጵያ ጉዳይ ውስጥ ጣልቃ መግባት የሚፈቀደው? የሚወሰነው ውሳኔ የሚጎዳው – ኢትዮጵያ ውስጥ የሚኖሩትን ኢትዮጵያውያን ሕይወት አይደለም ወይ?
2). “ጅብ – የማያውቁት ሐገር ኼዶ – ቁርበት አንጥፉልኝ” ይላል አሉ:- እናንተ [‘ENCAS’] – የENDCን ጥሪ ተቀበላችሁ/አልተቀበላችሁ ወይም ኼዳችሁ/ቀራችሁ – ኢትዮጵያ ምን ይቀርባታል? እንድያውም – እንደ እናንተ አይነቱ ከኢትዮጵያ ውጪ በመሆኑ – ኢትዮጵያ ዕድለኛ ናት! ለኢትዮጵያ አዛኝ እና ተቆርቋሪ መስላችሁ – ኢትዮጵያን ከውጭ እየወጋችኋት አይደለም ወይ?
3). The ‘Ethiopian Diaspora [ED]’: 60% of ED are members/beneficiaries of former regimes. About 20% are scholarship awardees for their loyalty/service to those regimes. About 10% left due to lack of job opportunities. The rest 10% are the REAL REFUGEES [victims of the regimes]. So, ≥80% of ED have NOTHING to offer Ethiopia. They only want to return to power & rule Ethiopia again!
Ethiopia’s National Dialogue Commission is a hoax. ENDC is another tool that Abiy Ahmed is using to extend the life of the EPRDF – PP ethnocentric political system. The EPRDF – PP ethnocentric political system is at its peak and must be replaced with a new system, or it regresses and causes destruction. Abiy’s delusional grandeur is already causing the death of millions of Amharas. What can solve Ethiopia’s problem is a new constitution. The regime of Abiy Ahmed must be replaced with a transitional government. The primary mission of the transitional government is to prepare a new constitution for Ethiopia. Ethiopia needs a federal system similar to that of the USA. The transitional government must request economic and military assistance from the USA. If agreed, the USA need to send American troops as advisors to assist the transitional government. The existing Police force must continue its duties during and after the transitional government. Ethiopia’s National Defense Forces must be replaced. Bloodshed cannot buy loyalty.
– In the new constitution, Ethiopia must be governed by the principles of human rights.
– The new constitution must guarantee justice, human rights, civil rights, and private ownership of land.
– In the new constitution, Ethiopia needs to be restructured and modeled after the USA federal system.
– In the new constitution, member states to the new Ethiopian federation must use Amharic and their local language equally without any discrimination and limitations as working languages of their state.
– In the new constitution, Ethnic based political organizations must be prohibited by law.
– In the new constitution, Oromo and Tigrian politicians must be prohibited from participating in any separatist activities globally.
– The new constitution must guarantee private ownership of land.
– …