- የደች ኢስት ኢንድያ ንግድ ድርጅት የደቡብ አፍሪቃን ወደብ ከተቆጣጠረ በኋላ ቀስ በቀስ እየገፋ ወደ ማህል አገር ገብተው ሕዝቡንና አገሩን መቆጣጠር ችለዋል፤ የአገሩ ተወላጅ በተቻላቸው መጠን መዋጋተቸዉን ታሪክ ይመሰክራል፤ ነገር ግን አውሮፓዉያኖች ከፍተኛ የጦር መሳሪያ ስለነበራቸው የአገሩን ለም መሪት፤ ክብት፤ ማዕድን በቁጥጥራቸው ስር በማድረግና ከዉጭ ሰራተኞች በማስመጣት የአገሪዉን ሰው በማግለል ኢኮነሚውንና አስተዳደሩን ሙሉ በሙሉ በመቆጣጠር የአገሩ ባለቢት ሆነው ነበር፤ ለዚህም መሆን የበቁት በባብርነት ከሲሎን፤ከሕንድ፤ከኢንዶኒሽያ፤ከማልያ፤ከማዳጋስካር በመጡት ሰራተኞች ኃይል ነበር፤ያለምንም ክፍያ በጉልበታቸው ስለአገለገሉ አውሮፓዉያኖች የአገሩን ሰው ለማሽነፍ አስችሎችዋል፤ሆኖም የዙሉ፤የናታል፤የኮሕ ኮሕይ፤ሕዝብ ለነፃነታቸው ብዙ ታግለው መስዋዕት ሆነዋል፤ የደቡብ አፍሪቃ ትግል መራርና አስከፊ ቢሆንም አውሮፓዉያን የነጭ መንግሥት በማቋቋምና የተለያየ ሕግ በማውጣት አውሮፓውያን ያልሆኑትን ብሒረ ሰቦች በማግለል በአፓራታይድ ሥርዕት [Apartheid System: The Native act of 1913]. ለቡዙ ዘመን ገዝተዋል።
- የታሪክ ሂደት የሚመዘነው “ሁኔታዉን” በፈጠረው ኃይል ነው፤ ለምሳሊ ፖርቱጌስ በቫስኮ ዳጋማ መሪነት ደቡብ አፍሪቃ ባይደርስና የሩቅ ምስራቅ የንግድ ግንኙነት ባይሆን ኖሮ ከላይ የተዘረዘሩት ታሪክዌ ሂደት አይከናወ ኑም ነበር? ሊላ ጥሩ ምሳሊ፤ አውሮፓዉያን ንግዳቸው ሰው በግልበቱ ያመረተዉን ምርት ብቻ ቢሆንና የሰው ልጅ በሰዉነቱ የተከበረ ቢሆን ዉጢቱ ምን ይመስል ነበር? ይህንን አንባቢ ተመራምረሕ ድረስበት ማለት አይቻልም፤ስለዚህ እዚህ ላይ ትንሽ ቆይታ አድርገን መወያየቱ አስፈላጊ ነው። በዚህ ሁለተኛው ታሪካዌ ሂደት ላይ የምንመለከተው ፖርቱጌስ በማወቅም ሆነ ባለማውቅ አሁን ለአለንበት ችግር ትልቁን መስተዋጽኦ አድርጓል በማለት እንወያያለን፤ በአፍሪቃ ዉስጥ የፖርቱጌስ ቅኝ ግዛቶች ስድስት ናቸው፤ አንጎላ፤ኬፕ ቨርድ፤ጊኒ ቢሳው፤ሞዛምቢክ፤ሳዎ ቶም፤ኢኳቶሪያል ጊኒ ናቸው፤ እነዚህ ተጠቃለው ሉሶፎን ይባላሉ ቋንቋቸዉ ፖርቱጊስ ስለሆነ። እነዚህን አገሮች በቅኝ ግዛት አስተዳድረው እነሱ የደሩሰብትን ስልጣኒ ለአፍሪቃዉያን ቢያክፍሉ መልካም ነበር፤ ነገር ግን የሰዉን ልጅ መሽጥና መለወጥ ስለጀመሩ ለሰው ልጅ ያተረፈው ዘላለማዌ እሮሮ ነው። ከታሪኩ ቀንጨብ አድርገን ብንመለከተው ይህንን ይመስላል፤ የአስራምስተኛው መቶ ዘመን ሲገባደድ ፖርቱጌስ የአፍሪቃን አህጉር ዙራዌን ዞረው በመጨረሽ ንግዱን ሙሉ በመሉ በቁጥጥራቸው ስር አድርገዉት ነበር፤ ከቅኝ ግዛታቻው የሚያገኙት ጥሬ ሃብት አልበቃ ብሎአቸው ጊኒ አካባቢ በምትገኝው ሳኦ በምትባል ደሲት ላይ የሱካር ማምረቻ ሁዳድ በመስራት ከአካባቢው አፍሪቃውያንን በጠመንጃና በዉስኪ በመለወጥ የነፃ አግልግሎት የሚስጥ ኃይል ከአዘጋጁ በኋላ ወደ አውሮፓ የሚላክ ስኳር ማምረት ጀመሩ፤ይህ የስኳር ምርት በጣም ተፈላጌ እየሆነ ስለመጣ ታላቅ የእስር ቤት በመገንባት ለሽያጭ የሚቀርቡትን አፍሪቃዉያንን ማከማቻ በማደረግ የሰው ልጅ እንደቃ መሽጥና መለወጥ ተጀምሮ ከአንድ መቶ ሚሊዮን በላይ አፍሪቃዉያን ለባርነት ተሽጠዋል፤ ዋልተር ሮድኒ የሚባሉ ጸሐፊ “አውሮፓ እንዲት አፍሪቃን ወደ ኋላ እንዳስቀሯት” በሚል መጽሐፋቸው ላይ እንደጻፉት ቢያንስ ከመቶ ሚሊዮን በላይ አፍሪቃዉያን ከአጠቃላይ አፍሪቃ አገሮች ለባርነት መሽጣቸዉን ከበቂ መረጃ ጋር አቅርበዋል፤ ነገር ግን የአውሮፓ ምሁራን ቁጥሩን እጅግ በማሳነስ ከ 9 እስክ 11 ሚሊዮን ሊደርስ ይችላል በማለት በታሪክ ማህደር ዉስጥ አስቀምጠዋል፤ ይህም ሆነ ያ የሰው ልጅ እንደክብት በሐራጅ የተሽጠበት ዘመን መሆኑን ሊካድ አይችልም። በዚህም ንግድ ተጠቃሚ የነብሩ አገሮች አሚሪካ፤ብራዚል፤ በአጠቃላይ የካሪቢያን ደሲቶች የስኳርና የጥጥ አምራች በመሆን ይታወቃሉ፤ ለአውሮፓ ኢንዱስትሪ መዳበርና ለቲክኖሎጂ ማደግ ትልቁን መስተዋጽኦ ያደረገ ከአፍሪቃ የመጣ የነፃ ጉልበት መሆኑን ታሪክ ሳይዘግበው መቅረቱ እጅግ በጣም አስዛኝ ነው። ይህ አልበቃ ብሎ አውሮፓ አፍሪቃን እንደቅርጫ እንዲት እንደ ከፋፈሏት በክፍል ሁለት እንመለከታለን።
"Democracy must be built through open societies that share information" Atifete Jahjaga
Press Freedom, Democracy and Human right
Saturday, December 10, 2016
የመሳይ ከበደና የሬኔ ለፎርት ወግ – ታሪኩ ውብነህ ጌታሁን
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Daniel Ayana (Prof.):- Notes on Cinnamon Country and the "Peace of Jamjam": Towards a Reconstruction of Ancient Oromo History
By Daniel Ayana (PhD & Professor)
This article is a summary of my presentation at a recent OSA conference. It is posted here in response to requests from the audience. The topic attempts to answer two interrelated questions: what do ancient Greek, Latin, and Arabic sources say about the Oromo? When did a written source first report a functioning Gadaa System?
Keywords: Bia-Punt, Harusi, Jamjam, cinnamon, Cinnamon Country, Ilmawaaq, social construction, harusi ada, mna daho
A variety of sources indicated the Oromo played a significant role in the ancient world, dating back to Egyptian New Kingdom times (1570-1069 B.C.E.) and here we refer to them as Proto-Oromo. Greek and Latin sources emerged following Alexander the Great’s conquest from the Mediterranean Sea to India (336-323 B.C.E). The nineteenth century classist Sir Harry Johnston has posited that first Egyptian Pharaohs, then the Persians and finally the Greeks ruling Egypt relied on the ancestors of the Oromo for information on the sources of the Nile River. The desire to learn the source of the Nile was not a mere curiosity. The Greeks in particular were interested in gathering commercial and geographic intelligence about African coasts of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden for two reasons. The first was the search for the origins of spices: frankincense, myrrh and cinnamon. These spices were expensive as gold because they were in high demand for uses in religious rituals and to fumigate the homes in the crowded ancient cities. While frankincense and myrrh were obtained from ancient South Arabia (today’s Yemen) and northern Somali maritime zone, the source of cinnamon, burguda, was a mystery. This is because the South Arabian intermediaries concealed the sources of cinnamon to maintain a monopoly on its commerce. Alexander’s successors in Egypt were naturally interested in finding direct access to the source of cinnamon. The second was to capture live elephants to use in warfare, just as the Indians did against Alexander and the Greek army. Thus, the Greeks ruling over Egypt established trapped-elephant collecting stations along the African Red Sea littoral, today’s northern Somali coast, as far as Cape Guardafui. The geographic and commercial intelligence gathered in these projects provided new information that shed light on the regional environment, resources, cultural and political situations. This information were subsequently compiled into books. Many of these books were lost but some have survived. In the surviving sources today’s Oromo land is referred to as the Cinnamon Country.
Eratosthenes (234-194 B.C.E) the first systematic geographer, Hipparchus (197-127 B.C.E) astronomer and mathematician, Strabo (54 B.C-24 C.E), the descriptive Geographer, Pliny the Younger (61-113 C.E), lawyer and popular writer, and Ptolemy, the geographer, have documented aspects of the Cinnamon country, its location and the producers. Eratosthenes, Hipparcus, Strabo, and Ptolemy provided the latitude and longitude of the Cinnamon Country. They also symbolized the ancient habitable world in the shape of a parallelogram. One endpoint of the parallelogram was the Cinnamon Country. South of the Cinnamon Country was described as torrid and inhospitable. The location of the Cinnamon Country was shown to be on the headwaters of today’s Waabe River, which the Greeks mistook as the Nile or a branch of the Nile. These same sources named the Harusi as cinnamon producers. The Harusi ran cinnamon plantations and also harvested the spice from forest vegetation. The Harusi were probably the descendants of the Arusi who were mentioned in Egyptian papyrus of the New Kingdom as cinnamon exporters. One unidentified leader of the Cinnamon Country was described as having sent the cinnamon plant to the Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius who ruled from 162 to 180 C. E..
There are two important takeaways from this historical information. One, the Oromo formed part of the ancient known world and located on the first world map because of their natural resources. The Greco-Romans learned about spices from the ancient Egyptians who referred to the region of cinnamon as the Land of the gods, or the Land of Punt, somewhere in today’s northeast Africa. Along with the people of Punt, the ancient Egyptians named the Aromi or Eremi as cinnamon suppliers. Second, a prefix that preceded the name Punt in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics is now translated to read as bia, and Egyptologists today refer to Punt, as Bia-Punt, or “the wonderful Country of Punt.” Currently we know the meaning of the word bia in the Oromo language. However, we have yet to understand the evolution in the meanings of this word between the 14th century B.C, the time of Egyptian expedition to Bia-Punt, and the first century A D, the time historical linguists tell us marks the emergence of the Oromo as a distinct group. Did the word bia change its meaning in the many Cushitic languages, but retained its meaning in the Oromo language? We can refer to this remote period of the ancient history as the time of Proto-Oromo. But the Greco-Roman sources indicate the active participation of the proto-Oromo regionally and internationally in their present location.
With the decline of the Roman world after the 4th century C. E. and the rise of Christianity and Islam lesser volumes of spices were imported from the Cinnamon Country along with new commodities of trade. Additionally India and Ceylon emerged as the primary exporters of cinnamon. But two names, Zenj/ Zingion and Jamjam continued to appear in the Persian and Arabic sources from the sixth century C. E until the advent of Europeans in the sixteenth century. The name Zanj or Zingion was initially mentioned in connection with spice trade from the Horn of Africa. We do not know whether Zanj/Zenj was a corruption of Ganjii, an Oromo sectional name. The available sources suggest the name covers diverse group of inhabitants. However, the nineteenth century European colonial historians interpreted Zanj to mean only Bantu speakers in eastern Africa, a standard that until recently has been widely accepted. But Persian and Arabic sources clearly show Zenj included both Bantu and Cushitic speakers. Jamjam was widely reported on in these sources interchangeably with the Zanj or northern Zanj. The people of Jamjam were also reported as having moved southward from the Nile-Atbara down the Takaze River in the distant past. They were mentioned in conflicts with the Egyptian Pharaohs and Nubian kings. The label Jamjam is today wrongly identified with the Gujii. Whether the mountain by the same name in Gujii-land caused this confusion is not yet clear. However, the Jamjam were the forefathers of many of today’s central, eastern, and southern Oromo. Many Arabic sources named today’s Waabee River as the Jamjam River in the past, though some Arab geographers borrowed Greek naming and referred to it as the Nile or the Nile of Mogadisho after the 14th century. During the tenth century C. E Jamjam referred to a stretch of land from the source of the Waabe River to northern anzanian coast. Here “Jamjamness” was a social construction since the many inhabitants were Bantu speakers.
The information about the Jamjam contained in the above mentioned sources can be summarized under five important rubrics. First, based on the Gadaa system the Jamjam had built connections with the Bantu and probably with the Khoisan speakers, and extended their influence from the headwaters of the Waabee River as far as today’s Tanzania’s coast. Second the leaders of the Jamjam carried the title Ilmawaaq and commanded 300,000 strong cavalry, according to al-Masudi who visited eastern Africa twice, the last in 915 C. E. Third, Ilmawaaq was an elected “king” with a jeweled crown. Arabic sources referred to him as one of the two black kings in the ancient world, (the other being Indian raj). Ilmawaaq was expected to rule with justice. If this elected “king” violated the Gadaa rules he was deposed and his descendants were permanently disbarred from holding public office. Fourth, Arabic sources described Buttaa ceremony in a document composed in 851 C.E. This is the earliest date from written evidence indicating the existence of a functioning Gadaa before the sixteenth century. Many Arab writers described the proceedings of this ceremony. They applied the phrase “literary language” in describing the Oromo language or the speech of the Jamjam or the northern Zanj. Al-Jahiz, the most prolific Arabic writer of the ancient world, described the Oromo orators as the most eloquent people who addressed the multitude from sunrise to sunset. He used their eloquence, rhetoric, and wisdom to defend the equality of the blacks with whites in the emerging Muslim-Arab Empire. Al-Jahiz is the first to argue for racial equality using aspects of the Oromo Gadaa system. Fifth, a written tradition dated to around 1200 showed a group of east African Bantu speakers practicing aspects of the Gadaa system, most probably introduced via the Jamjam. Remnants of this institution still exists in eastern Africa.
Evidence of this legacy is today seen partly from the two marriage forms practiced from the Kenyan coast to Tanzania and the Comoro Islands. The first and most prestigious form of marriage is called harusi ada in both the local Bantu and Swahili languages. This marriage form is mostly for those over thirty years-old, wealthy, and required expensive wedding outlays. The lady of the house wedded in this form of marriage is referred to as bibi harusi, and her husband bwana harusi (respectively mistress and master). The second form of marriage is mna daho, “little house.” This form of marriage is for the young who have yet to save money needed for the expensive wedding. The two forms of marriage correspond to the age-grade system, known locally as hirrimu from harriya. In east African anthropological and historical researches these Oromo words were considered of unknown origin. The source of this confusion comes from the Ethiopian historiographic interpretation that limited the chronology of Oromo history to the post-sixteenth century.
By way of conclusion the Oromo were active in the ancient world the Greco-Romans described and were located on the first world map the Greeks had drawn. Long before the Greeks and the Romans, the proto-Oromos were active in their today’s location as well as the Nile Valley, Atbara and Takaze River corridors. Their interactions with the ancient Egyptians and the Nubians were evident. The Jamjam had established a form of Gadaa system that connected the Bantu and Khoisan speakers from today’s central-south Oromya to northern Tanzania. Evidence of this influence is still widely seen in the two marriage forms practiced in eastern African coast as far as the Comoro Islands.
Source :
http://gadaa.net/FinfinneTribune/2015/09/daniel-ayana-prof-notes-on-cinnamon-country-and-the-peace-of-jamjam-towards-a-reconstruction-of-ancient-oromo-history/
Sunday, August 23, 2015
ማሪንጌ ቻቻ ፤ የወያኔ (የሃይልዬ) ጨዋታ – ሰሎሞን ታምሩ ዓየለ (ከካሊፎርኒያ)
ጉድ ሳይሰሙ መስከረም አይጠባም !!!
Saturday, August 1, 2015
UPDATE: Prof. Al’s response on the word “Elektion”:
by Alemayehu G. Mariam
UPDATE: Prof. Al’s response on the word “Elektion”:
A real election is spelled “election”; a bogus and fraudulent one I spell with a ‘k’. There is no such word as an “elektion”. Neither is such a thing as a real election won by 100 percent by one party.
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It is said that “smile and the world smiles at you.”
Does it follow that if you laugh at the world’s most ridiculous election, the world will join you laughing?
Last week, Susan Rice, President Barack Obama’s National Security Adviser, broke out in uncontrollable laughter when she affirmed the recent 100 percent elektoral victory of the ruling Thugtatorship of the Tigrean People’s Liberation Front (T-TPLF) in Ethiopia.
At a press conference (forward clip to 1:27) on Obama’s trip to Kenya and Ethiopia, Susan Rice busted out laughing immediately after she stated that the election of the “Prime Minister of Ethiopia” is “absolutely – 100 percent democratic”.
Reporter Isaac: Does the President consider the presidents of Kenya and Ethiopia democratically-elected Presidents?
Susan Rice: I think the Prime Minister of Ethiopia was just elected with 100 percent of the vote, which I think suggests, as we have stated in our public statements, some concern for the integrity of the electoral process — at least if not in the outcomes then in some of the mechanisms that supported the process, the freedom for the opposition to campaign.
Reporter Isaac: But does he [President Obama] think it was a democratic election?
Susan Rice: Absolutely – 100 percent.
Susan Rice: Busts out laughing uncontrollably.
What was so funny about the reporter’s question?
Is there something inherently funny, manifestly ridiculous about any government or regime claiming to “win” an election” by 100 percent?
When Saddam Hussein used to tell the world that every one of his 11 million people voted for him, people would chuckle and smile. But they would never bust out laughing to the point of falling off the lectern.
No politician ever busted out laughing commenting on North Korea’s 100 elektion victory.
Was Rice laughing her behind off because she knew the T-TPLF elektion was a complete joke and was expecting a question on it. When the question was finally asked, she could not help herself but bust out laughing?
To really appreciate the significance of Rice’s laughter one must watch the video of her press conference several times.
It is obvious her laugh was perfectly spontaneous. The laughter just gushed out of her uncontrollably.
It was definitely not a nervous laugh. She was not laughing out of embarrassment that she actually said the T-TPLF’s 100 percent elektion victory is really democratic.
It was not the sinister laughter of the villain in the movies.
It was not the giggle of a school girl.
It was not even the cynical snicker of the politician.
It was not a casual chuckle. Hee, Hee…
Susan Rice’s laughter was a snorting, rip-roaring, hearty, straight-from-the-gut and almost-out-of-breath laugh.
She was busting out with laughter at her own punchline.
“Absolutely – 100 percent!” Hahahaha! Hahahaha! Haha….
It was a contagious laugh that swept anyone watching and listening to her.
I joined Susan Rice in the laugh-athon. (But I laughed just to keep from crying about the daylight theft of the voice of the Ethiopian people.)
But I laughed my behind off.
I was stomping my feet, slapping my thighs and damn near rolling on the floor.
Mmuwhahaha, muwhahaha…
Truth be told, I enjoy laughing at the Thugtatorship of the Tigrean People’s Liberation Front Party.
I enjoy laughing at the bumbling, bungling and graceless marionette prime minster Hailemariam Desalegn as he tried time and again to mimick and make himself a Meles clone.
In 2014, Hailemariam visited Virginia and hectored that state’s governor for his incompetence in completing a light rail project. “Here in Virginia, the big country, it has taken them 7 years [to complete their light rail]. We are finishing our in 3 years.”
When I heard a clueless malaria researcher had become a “foreign minister” overnight, I busted out laughing. When I saw the video of a 12 year-old kid bamboozling the same “foreign minister”, I was rolling on the floor laughing breathlessly.
Every time I see T-TPLF “generals” in their cheap suits (I did not say uniforms), I laugh. They look like stick men in drab green.
But I did not laugh when the Thugtatorship of the Tigrean Peoples Liberation Front announced its 100 percent victory.
I had predicted they would a year earlier.
I was the only person to predict on the record a year before the May 2015 election that the T-TPLF would win by 100 percent and explained how and why that would happen.
I am not trying to pat myself on the back, I am just stating a fact, a funny fact.
For a fleeting moment, when I saw Rice’s video laughing off her behind at the press conference, I thought she was laughing at the sorry-behind TPLF bush thugs.
Then it dawned on me. I stopped laughing. Cold!
I thought to myself, what if she is not laughing at them but the Ethiopian people for being duped into voting in an elektion?
I remembered what Rice said at Mele Zenawi’s funeral in 2012.
She proudly told the world that her buddy Meles believed the whole lot of them were “fools and idiots.”
Could it be that Susan Rice was laughing because she believed Ethiopians must be “fools and idiots” to accept the T-TPLF’s 100 percent victory as democratic?
As I watched Rice’s video over and over, it occurred to me that I am actually laughing at her, not with her.
I laughed at her for the same reason I laugh when I watch the cartoon movie Puff the Magic Dragon.
Puff and the little girl he took to the Land of Living Lies have a friendly argument about purple cows and pink elephants. But there are no such things as purple cows and pink elephants!
But there is an “absolutely 100 percent” 100 percent elektion victory by a single political party?
Only in the Land of Living Lies!
Mwahahaha! Mwahahaha! Mwahahaha! Mwahahaha! Mwahahaha! Mwahahaha!….
Thanks for the comic relief, Susan Rice. I needed one…
Mwahahaha! Mwahahaha! Mwahahaha….
Source:: satenaw