Whilst I was surfing online looking for today’s news related to Ethiopian empire, I was bumped into todays’ ETv and horrified with what I saw. To my utter dismay and indignation, I saw how deliberately and systematically Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) led Ethiopian regime is diluting the essence of Sidama national cultural heritage by fabricating their own version of Sidaamu Faarro. I saw it on their show aimed at attracting tourism on which the artificial Sidama culture was shown as one of. The Sidama music was being played by purely non-Sidama actors and actresses. The said actors and actresses play in a bizarre way which doesn’t have 5% similarity with the Sidama nation’s actual Faarro. I can’t comprehend why they regime which claims to be allowing cultural freedom fabricates the Sidama culture by avoiding its genuine stakeholders.
It’s so disappointing and extremely saddening to see that about 830 Sidama pseudo-parliamentarians and others Sidama Zone’s 22 districts cadres are not able to say at least ‘this is incorrect’. I reasonably think that no one blames them if they make some relative corrections as long as they refrain from saying a word about the regime’s inhumane actions in Sidama land against its people. Their entire failures to make the necessary corrections on such glaring inaccuracies show the Sidama nation, the fact about an unpalatable truth about the current regime’s deliberate plans to dilute the identity of the Sidama nation contrary to its claims. Equally, it also reveals that the entire Sidama cadres don’t have knowhow on the issues so important to the nation under whose names they trade; while their nations’ cultural futurity is at stake.
As this is my first encounter of this kind, the feeling of indignation is much worse than ever, for the reason I’m writing this brief article.
The ‘Sidama Faarro’ is one of the Sidama nation’s traditional plays whereby girls and boys in pairs are involved. The unmarried boys line up in line; their one hand holding their spear or cylinder bamboo tree (in lowland areas cylindrically shaped oak sticks) decorated with special colours and their other hand on the shoulder of their next friend or any play mate. By doing so they make up large line where all lined-up boys rhythmically hum their music following one song leader at a time. Their lyrics and rhythms are such intricate one which no one without experience will be able to perform. In their music, the boys appreciate and praise the beauty and nobility of individual girl or girls, the legacy of their nation and its heroism, their cultural values and heritages and others - all becoming part and parcel of their Faarro.
The special poetic lyrics they play must be relevant to the particular occasion concerned. Both girls and boys play Faarro during Sidama New Year ‘Fichchee’ and its’ following festivity date known as ‘Cambalalla’, when the Sidama men undergo Circumcision ritual known as ‘Barciimaa’, when wedding ceremony known as ‘Goshshattoo’ takes place, when new houses are being blessed (Miinu Maasso), when girls are being circumcised just before or during their weeding (Seene offooshiishaa), and others various ceremonies. Therefore, their musical lyrics must reflect such particular ceremonies although on some occasions both the boys and girls use similar lyrics on nationally significant issues.
The musical lyrics they play also serve as a means of communication of any cultural practices taking places in another districts and areas, whereby all involved reflect their life experiences, share love and affection, show their determination to defend their cultural heritages and so on and so forth- throughout the Sidama region. In some cases Faarro reflects limited regional connotations, if the ceremony is about one individual.
While the well-dressed boys play in a lined up manner, the girls decorated with traditional clothes and fragrances play in circles about roughly 10 to 12 meters away from the boys. The girls’ musical play is known as ‘Horree’, being played with clapping their henna decorated beautiful hands, one of the girls leading turn by turn according to their abilities; their heads held high up to show their beauty and confidence in themselves, their families, their clans, their culture and praising the Sidama heroes and heroines. Sometimes both girls and boys improvise their musical lyrics on the spot or often use the usual ones’.
After playing in separate groups for some time whilst surreptitiously looking at their targets, the girls choose individual boy that pleases them most and known for his expertise in playing such an intricate Faarro music. All of the girls choose their targets. The girls can pick up any person with whom they think can play well without being coerced to pair up. And it’s only called Faarro when after the boys and girls pair up to play together and start the said intricate rhythms with extraordinarily flexibility and dexterity.
When the individual girl pairs up with the boy (others also lining up with her to pair up with others boys); the boy leaves his friend on whose shoulder primarily he had placed his one hand whilst the other still holding his spear or stick, to hold the upper girls’ arm or shoulder so that he can keep her steady whilst she moves her head and neck back and forth in an extraordinarily flexibility, their chins methodically moving in unison without causing any friction and harm to either party. The boy follows and guides her keeping his legs about roughly 40 to 50 cm apart to keep his balance right; connect their chins now and again by following each other’s rhythms.
When someone who doesn’t know this musical intricacy observes the Sidama nations’ original Faarro, he/she can automatically assume this is impossible and feels lost by thinking how on earth they don’t collide with each other. This is the culture the current regime is deliberately diluting and the cadres are watching as it goes by. The freedom of girls in choosing their play mate who pleases them without being told to do so, equally reveal the Sidama nations’ traditional democratic values and the extents of the rights of women in traditional Sidama society.
Sometimes, the girl might pair-up with someone who can be her lifelong husband if the luck is with both of them; provided that their families are of different clan. In Sidama culture similar clan never intermarry. If I’m from clan A, I must marry the girl from clan B, C or D, one of the main reasons for rarity of congenital disability in Sidama nation.
Sidama girls and boys playing Faaro.
The Sidama nations’ others cultural attributes and its New Year ‘Fichchee’ should be one of the internationally recognised heritages by UNESCO and the regime in power must stop diluting the Sidama culture. The sons and daughters of the Sidama nation must, like our Oromia brothers and sisters, think in a manner on how they can revive their disappearing noble cultural heritages. The sons and daughters of the nation must think realistically and engage with Sidama traditional music by ignoring fallacious claims of all shapes and forms. The artificial way of delivering the Sidama culture by non-Sidama people never makes genuine sense, thus must be stopped!
The Scottish Ceilidh (Scotland’s traditional Music and dance) is being correctly played by Scots and those who are properly trained to perform in such way it is over 90% compatible with Scottish tradition. The same is true with Japanese, Indian, Latin Americans, and the entire Asians whose peoples maintain their traditions and cultures intact.
Moreover, during the British invasion of Siri Lanka in 1818s (see Keppetipola rebellion of 1818), the colonisers 100% refrained from interfering in their cultural and religious affairs. One can imagine as vicious as the then British colonial rulers’ gave concessions whilst actually expropriating their resources, the reasons Buddhism remain intact in this part of the world. The acts of the current and previous Abyssinian rulers show how they are worse than the then British brutal colonisers as the later are obliterating the cultures of others to impose theirs. TPLF’s regime can’t fabricate a new culture for the Sidama nation with its own version of music or artificiality to claim it, it is the Sidamas’. The Sidama nation also shouldn’t allow this to continue. It must be the Sidama original dancers who must perform Sidaamu Faarro.
The equivalent to Faarro is ‘Haano’ which is being played by grown up (married) Sidama men and women during the circumcision rituals. I’ll hopefully have another look at it sometime very soon, God willing, (kalaqi kaliiqi fajiero).
Keeruni Keeshshee! Stay in Peace!
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