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Sept 18, 2007
By Saafi (Hoodo) Labafidhin
After seeing the title of this terse essay
you may think you know the reasons why
Ogaden Somalis are not celebrating the
‘Ethiopian Millennium’. You may probably
have already guessed dozen tragedies such as
war, poverty, underdevelopment, poor
infrastructure, and the latest Tigrian
People Liberation Front, TPLF, crackdown
associated with Ogaden, the land and the
people. Poverty although more prevalent in
Ogaden is everywhere in Ethiopia, even in
the birthplace of Legesse Zenawi, the
current head of the Ethiopian autocracy.
In Ogaden though, there are other unique and
underlining reasons for Ogaden Somalis not
to be in celebratory mood at a time when the
rest of Ethiopia is indulging in parties. It
is these underlying and unique reasons that
explain why Ogaden Somalis are not, have not
been and will not be part of the present day
Ethiopia or the old Abyssinia.
Coptic Millennium
Overwhelming majority of the Somali people
in the Ogaden are Sunni Muslims and have
been using the Islamic Hijra Calendar with
Hijra months slightly modified with Somali
Names (such as Soon, Soonfur, Sidataal,
Arafo etc). Besides, the land has been under
long and successive brutal colonial powers,
Namely the British, Italians and present day
Ethiopia, and as a result the land and
people have hardly witnesses any progress
throughout the past century. Consequently,
the proud and lofty nomadic pastoralists
make the bulk of the population.
For them, pastoralists, there are only two
times worthy of celebration throughout the
Muslim calendar namely: Eidul Fitr and Eidul
Adha. For the minority of Ogaden Somalis who
were somehow able to live in bigger towns
with other Ethiopian highlanders, they,
minority, could not swallow the ‘Amete
Mihret’ ceteris paribus. If one were to
behave like Ethiopians (again other things
being equal), one would see that the
Ethiopian calendar
has two abbreviated Amharic words A.M (also
official) meaning ‘the year of forgiving’
according to the Christian belief. One will
thus understand why as Muslims, the Ogaden
Somalis, cannot solemnize the Church based
Coptic Millennium!
Gregorian Calendar more Popular among
Somalis in the Ogaden.
Though similar to the above in some aspects,
the Gregorian calendar enjoys much eminence
throughout the world and is adopted by many
Islamic nations as a second (or first)
calendar. On the eve of 2000, seven years
ago, I remember when a group of Somali youth
(both girls and boys) gathered in a remote
village in the Ogaden to welcome the new
Gregorian Millennium by discussing the fate
and future of our disregarded pastoralists.
Even illiterate camel boys (geeljire) were
familiar with the event and were eager to
share their Camel Milk with us to welcome
the commencement of the new millennia. One
of the girls jested if a camel man among us
knew Ethiopian calendar to which he replied
‘the only thing I know about Ethiopia is
their hostile soldiers!!’ others questioned
if Ethiopia had its own calendar. Generally
almost all Ogaden Somalis know the Gregorian
year and use it alongside the Traditional
Islamic calendar while most of them are not
familiar with the Ethiopian year and months
let alone the use it. It boils down to the
fact that Ogaden Somalis have already
celebrated the Millennium with the rest of
the world and don’t need to be part of an
imitation they are not part of and never
been part of.
‘African Millennium!!’
In a its widely publicized hoopla to promote
the ‘new millennium, the TPLF claimed that
this, new millennium, was not only Ethiopian
millennium but also must be celebrated as
Africa’s 2000 millenary celebrations.
Ironically, many AU members, majority of
which include pro-Rastafarian groups, were
misled by the Ethiopia’s claim and
unfortunately thought the ‘Millennium’ as
‘Unique African Occasion!’ A Nigeria based
newspaper wrote
the following:
Ethiopia is being the only African country
having its own calendar and the African
Union (AU) in its ordinary session of the
Assembly of Heads of State and government
through declaration AU/ December 6 (Vii)
adopted Ethiopian millennium as an historic
African occasion.
One needs to critically pose the question
why Ethiopia is comparable to African pride
and reputation when it is notorious for
being the only African ‘country’ that
participated in the Berlin Conference and
took part in the so called Scramble for
Africa in 1880s.
According to Gann and Duignan (1981) the
modern Ethiopian empire state was created by
the conquest of emperor Menelik II of the
Shewa Amhara dynasty (1889-1913). They
continue to say ‘’Menelik was the only
successful black African partner in the
‘scramble for Africa’ designed by the
European powers in the Berlin Conference of
1884-5.’’
It is well documented in the history books
that the only reason Menelik was allowed to
rule Abyssinian land was to check the
advancement of the Dervishes led by Sayyid
Muhammad Abdille Hassan who was waging a
highly successful gorilla war against the
British and Italian colonizers of the time.
Menilik was pleased to accept the colonial
condition, which was that he would not be
colonized provided that he accepts the
result of Berlin Conference, and at the same
time engaged in the war against what the
British conquerors termed the ‘Mad Mullah’
Movement.
Since we are the victims of that conference
and its aftermath and have lon suffered
under oppressive black (Ethiopian)
colonization, we can’t be enticed by TPLF’s
Pan African ‘Millennium’ allurement.
Last but not the least, the people of Ogaden
are facing a great colonial burden as this
article is penned. Extra judicial killings
continue, the number of villages burned
every day is increasing, many people are
fleeing to neighbouring countries across the
border, and more recently the elite and
well-off section of Ogaden people living in
bigger towns such as Dire Dawa, Harar and
Addis Ababa were apprehended in greater
numbers and encountered indescribable
atrocities in the hands of the Ethiopian
mafia which were supposed to engage all in
party mood for the so-called millennium
celebration. All in all, the ‘Millennium’ is
another Minim Yelem (There is nothing) for
the people of Ogaden and there is nothing to
celebrate until Ogaden Somalis are freed
from TPLF instigated terror and oppression.
Saafi (Hoodo) Labafidhin
labafidhin@yahoo.com
References:
The Tide (http://www.thetidenews.com):
Rastafarians celebrate Ethiopian
millennium in Rivers, Tuesday Saturday, Sep
8, 2007
L.H Gann and Peter Duignan (1981) Why South
Africa Will Survive: A
Historical Analysis. |
