July 18, 2026
The Center Needs To Hold
I don’t know how many times I have referenced this poem by William Yeats Butler to make my point about things falling apart before the Second Coming. Something akin to what we call here ሊነጋ ሲሆን እጅግ ይጨልማል፡፡May be I will again.
I believe most of us are familiar with Heinemann’s African Writers Series. The eye-catching colophon, the orange cover, the lists of books published under the series and the associate institutes of higher learning featured in every single issue.
We were predominantly represented by Sahle silassie Brehan Mariam and Dagnachew Worku. Blessings and Courtesy is due to our parents and teachers for hooking us on the Series. The patriarch of the AWS was of course Chuna Achebe and his Magnum Opus is the inimitable ‘Things Fall Apart’ which linked us to Yeats-hence the Second Coming (Achebe borrowed the title from Yeats Poem the Second Coming).
The Falcon Cannot Hear the Falconer
It looks like Dr.Abiy’s flacons aren’t reporting back after being cut loose. Worse still a few are saying unflattering stuff after taking flight. One particularly makes me question how sincere the foot soldiers of PP are, I mean if someone touted as the rising star and confirmed disciple is ‘bad mouthing’ about PP, you can imagine the mindset of the rest. Look at Dr. Yonas. He was pushed up front to the limelight and used to pontificate popular private dialogue forums and poetry recital events with Synergy (Medmer) sermons. Now he has gone totally Quisling on PP. Makes me take my hat off to the likes of Dr.Desalegn Chane who are staying the course and refuse to pander to all like a masked street magician.
In the past eight years the Premier has groomed and released a number of falcons but few are heeding his call. The likes of Lemma, Dagmawit, Solomon of the FSC and Dr.Liya have landed lucrative international positions on government quotas and have gone mute on PP. Who knows they might have bargained. This makes me question how good a falconer Dr.Abiy is.
I believe Ethiopian politicians have elevated being a Quisling to an art form. I wouldn’t be mistaken if I contend that the trend is evolving into a uniquely Ethiopian opposition platform. After plundering the Nation, committing atrocities and amassing unearned wealth by colluding with the incumbent, the masters of the game jump bail and join the ranks of the opposition and shamelessly bleat ‘…it wasn’t me’ the way Shaggy does.
At least they should learn to take responsibility for their despicable acts as well as forbearance and atone for the misdeeds with decency and honor.
Back to 1522 A.D?
Honest to God it is intellectually stimulating to read Mohamed Hassan, Getachew Haile and Abba Bahrey in one sitting even if selectively. Look, historians, particularly Mohamed Hassan, take the year 1522 as the definitive year the Oromos have effectively begun advancing deep into the highlands and changed the course of Ethiopian history once and for all times.
My question is what has changed in between. Six hundred years later the narratives are getting worse and not better. In all fairness despite the bloody wars of attrition, back then the trend was unbridled absorption and assimilation. Now we have gone back in history and adopted a policy sanctioned by law to isolate and segregate communities- in other words-Apartheid writ large in the third decade of the 21th Century. In this connection I only hope to God that the National Dialogue Commission wouldn’t be hijacked by the infamous ethno-entrepreneurs- note that the latter are the only class of people who benefit from the venture.
In the rest of the World such near mass exodus results in progressive absorption and fusion of societies. Last 4th of July the United States celebrated its quarter of a thousand years anniversary. Alright forget the declaration of Independence, the combined Colonial and post-independence history of North America is nearly as long as the beginning of the migration of the Oromos into the hinterland of Abyssinia yet with all its faults the Americans have nurtured and espoused a common American identity. So much so that they have to go to shows like Who Do You Think You are to trace their origins. Look at us-we are still required to get to being Ethiopian through a tribal link. TPLF and its cohorts have invested heavily to reverse the course of history and segregate communities into contending ethnic fragments that these days the last remaining defensive ditch against the trend has collapsed.
(Who would blame the youth if they are looking forward to reading an epic series of history books, in line with the AWS, titled “The Amharas of Ethiopia”, “The Tegarus of Ethiopia” etc in the near future. They have got precedent; don’t make haste to judge them. However, we don’t lose heart. The ultimate judge is society. Today as I write this piece Tegaru and the rest of Ethiopians are out in droves to protest against TPLF. Looks like TPLF is being consumed by the poison it has concocted for others.)
Speaking of America I am not saying there isn’t an isolated exclusive German, Russian, Mennonite or Dutch settlement in the United States or elsewhere in the New World dominions. But no one has the audacity to deny the fact that they are apolitical settlements and that they are actually visited as curious colonies. Contrast that to the reigning political orientation in our country. Here unless you choose to stay under the radar and sign up for second class status, the FDRE Constitution wants to know “Who you are?”
Okay, about 1522 A.D.
The year was 2021. I was myself in a foul mood after learning the day before that the popular crooner Hacalu was slain. I was beginning to warm up to his songs and I was truly saddened by his death. Around ten in the morning I couldn’t get to the office and was walking back home; when I arrived around Sar Beth…I came across a scene I never wish to witness again. It looked like a movie set reconstruction of major events from the year 1522 A.D. Blocks after blocks of angry youth were marching up to Mexico. It was totally overwhelming and nerve wrecking din and chaos; left and right windows of Department Stores were being smashed to dust. Neatly manicured lawns were being uprooted. Worst of all other folks had retreated as far back as possible and watched the human wave coursing before them quietly with helpless timidity and confusion.
Yes, I wouldn’t like to witness a scene like that again and that is why I want the Center to hold lest chaos becomes the order of the day.
God Bless.
The writer can be reached at : estefanoussamuel@yahoo.com
Editor’s Note: Views in the article do not necessarily reflect the views of borkena.com
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