The drum makes big fuss because it’s empty:
An African proverb
An African proverb
By Dumessa Diimmaa
In the past several weeks, the Habesha blogosphere is reeling off with a warped and debased chatter regarding Tesfaye Gebreabe’s new book: Yesidteñw Mastawesha (memoir of an expatriate). The triviality emitted with sound and fury is nothing more than the usual Habasha canards about the Oromos, anyone who has connection to the Oromo nation and Oromo culture. In this case, Tesfaye Gebreabe’s chapter seven of the said book’s account of Caltϋϋ Midhaqsaa, a peasant girl from a rural district not too far from the greater Addis Metro area. Caltϋϋ was sent to Addis to live with her aunt and to be “educated, refined, polished and enlightened” out of her Oromo heritage to that of urban/colonial culture including the changing of her name and identity to fit to what is considered modern and suitable to the colonial society and culture. Tesfaye narrates of Caltϋϋ travails and anguish adjusting to the alien culture and language, the taunts of her school mates regarding her Amharic accent and a lot of other urban attributes that she was not familiar with!
The whole “Buraa Kereyyuu” regarding “Chaltun end Helen” or Caltϋϋ as Helen has its roots in the resentments that Habeshas have had had regarding Tesfaye’s seminal novel, “Ye Bruqaa Zimetaa” (the Silence of Burqaa), about the struggle of Oromo agro-pastoralist in south eastern Oromia against feudal Ethiopian settler colonialist also known as Nfteñas . It is a great epic story written in the vein of Great Russian novels of the 19th century. It depicts the social and political battle of peasant families against feudal settlers. Very rich in languages, it vividly portrays the daily grinds of Oromo farmers. It is also a story of love, war, loss, timelessness and an intensely personal monument to the Oromo nation by Tesfaye Gebreabe.
The beauties of his elegantly written Amharic prose are so vivid that it evokes intense pleasure to the reader. It is so captivating that one feels to read the entire book in one sitting! Of course, it is possible for those whose Amharic is their mother tongue, but for those of us who learned Amharic as second lanuage (with all the taunts and name callings… tebtaba Galla, gemed aff… etc) it may not be possible!
Yet when one reads all the unpleasant, disrespectful and nasty posting both in Amharic and English by Habasha writers regarding Tesfaye and his literary accomplishment, one can observe the mediocrity of their skill in their own language. Admittedly, every writer in Amharic need not to have the elegance and brilliancy of Tesfaye’s Amharic prose. However, some unseemly criticism of his work and his persona are written in a dull, monotonous and unattractive Amharic prose! One would expect magnificent and ebullient paragraphs from those who claim to have the mastery of the language! Alas! Their literary flair is for abusive rhetoric.
Tesfaye does not deserve the unwarranted and malignant invectives some Habasha demagogues hurdled at him! They do not have a scintilla of talent, nor the originality, creativity, and artistic quality of the writer they try to slander perniciously.
The pathetic and tiresome screed in Amharic by Judge Michael Meshesha and a libel doodle in English by a certain boorish cat named Tedla Asfaw, whose accusative talent is only surpassed by former Ethiopian dictator Mengistu Haile Merriam, and in Amharic- Sileshee Tujjii, Mesfin Amann etc.., were vitriolic rants devoid of serious and thoughtful review of the book, yesideteñw mastawashaw, nor the totality of Tesfaye’s fabulous literary oeuvre. I have not noticed any valid rebut or refutation of Tesfaye’s narrative of Caltüü’s predicament in Sheggar/Addis. Her story is not so unique-thousands of Oromo children have had similar encounters in their schools and neighborhoods in urban community!
Any self-respecting jurist would not sink this low to prove that some young novelist who was born and raised in Bushootü Oromia is some high flying spy for a jilted, spiritual and politically desolate land called Eritrea, and to boot, with a pilfered documents as proof that includes literary notes and book outlines of the accused author! Why does it matter even if he is, and have had resources and acumen of a James Bond, the fictitious British spy code-named 007?! Was not the nefarious TPLF the foster child of EPLF until they had fall-out over who would get the largest loot of the country’s resources? The slimy drum beating by a cacophonous bunch to out Tesfaye as a spy is a bogus battle cry and is a laughable spectacle! It is a strident and contrived raucous to suit their content less hullabaloo regarding the social and political tension in the country among all polities of the Empire!
To this extent, they could have done themselves a favor had they read all or some of Tesfaye’s essays, short stories and novels (Ye Boorqaa Zimitaa, Yaltemelsew Baboor,Ye Büshooftü QOriitoch, and his chapters in Terarran Ynqetaqtuu Tiwould, his Ifftaa editorial pieces and the memoir series.., Ye Gazeteñw Mastawasha, Yederasw Mastawesha, Ye sideteñw Mastawesha ) prior to casting insults and aspersion on his motives and the meanings of his writings .
Below the surfaces of his novels and short stories lies the rejection of the habitual lies and platitudes of the dominant Abyssinian culture in relations to the Oromo and other subject peoples of the Empire. Tesfaye in relations to his past- he is the most Oromo, his deep feelings for the Oromo is his Ethiopian experiences, was born in Oromo land, speaks Affan Oromo and the treasures of his literary accomplishment will enhance his status as a major writer of our generation and appears assured that if someone translates his immaculately structure novels into English, a hope for Nobel Prize is not a vaunted dream!
Like Naguib Mahfouz of Egypt who writes in Arabic and magnificently depicts Egyptian life during and after colonial period, Tesfaye’s Amharic novels are engrossing saga of individuals and community story beautifully crafted in an easy to read prose about contemporary Ethiopia! Even though Naguib Mahfouz published over fifty books, his masterful work- The Cairo Trilogy: Palace walk, Palace of Desire and Sugar Street were the novels that were considered for his Nobel Prize in literature. Just as Naguib was the first contemporary Arab writer to win the Noble Prize, Tesfaye Gebreabe, in the years to come, will produce a literary opus that will win him any prize including the vaunted Nobel Prize
It is unfortunate that Tesfaye had to disseminate his recent book through the cyber space. The editors at Habasha publishing house insisted that the removal of chapter seven (Chaltu enda Helen) was the precondition to publish the book so it fit to their political and social agenda! It is very offensive and despicable demand and kudos to Tesfaye Gebreabe for refusing the dastardly solicitation to censure his monumental artistic work depicting the unbearable horrors and indignities Caltϋϋ Midhaqsaa was subjected to.
Finally, we live in a parallel world in that Empire, we are condemned by geography, history politics and culture- we need to find a mediating paradigm to resolve the country’s predicament. Name calling and vituperative articles, essays and other form of discourse that relegates any polity in the Empire to the outer edges is unacceptable.
The writer, Dumessaa Diimmaa aka (Red Cloud during his university days)
Is an Oromo activist and he can be reached at diimmaa@Hotmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment