EBS TV: An Abyssinianism Version of the So-Called ‘Nations-and-Nationalities’ Government/EPRDF

By Yahya Jamal*

EBS is the Amhara and Amharic Glorifying ETV

While I was considering writing this short piece, my eyes went instinctively to the TV screen in my room. A controversial music video, known as “Tikur Sew,” was playing on one of Woyane-controlled media outlets, EBS TV(Ethiopian Broadcasting Service Television.) The song ended with a bold title goes, “Yehuwalaw kelele, aynorim yefitu,” roughly to say, “If there is no past, there is no future.”  I was not much embarrassed even though this event happened only a week after the historic #BoycottBedele victory. During a short course of the boycott, I have realized from different sources that the EPDRF government was not directly against the campaign launched by Oromo youth elites to condemn glorification of Menilik II. Even a number of their recruited agents were frenziedly working hard in some Diaspora-based e-forums to push the quarrel to the boiling point. They have been pretended to be pro rights of nations-and-nationalities by countering the Neftegna elements’ bid to canonize Menilik’s war against the then sovereign nations in today’s southern Ethiopian empire. One who had witnessed this stance might be embarrassed when they watched such a paradigm shift by an EPRDF-controlled media outlet, just after a week of the #BoycottBedele victory.

The reason why I wasn’t surprised by such notorious double-standard activities of Woyane’s media outlets is the point to be raised in this short piece. Take a look at what EBS TV means, and why it was launched in the first place. This is a TV channel that runs for 24 hours from its two studios – one from the home (Finfinnee/Addis Ababa) and the other from Washington DC.  So many talk shows, music selections, interviews, documentaries, fashion shows, movies, etc. are produced or prepared for airing from both studios. The main objective of this TV station is supposedly to be an entertainment media outlet for all. Although it is one of the government-controlled media outlets, the editorial policy under which the TV operates is quite different from the rest of its sister media outlets. Designed merely to focus on Amharic and Amhara related productions, the TV has no airtime to entertain the rest of the 80 nations-and-nationalities in Ethiopia in terms of their national rights enshrined in the Constitution. Let alone reaching the 80+ nations-and-nationalities, two of the three most spoken languages (Afan Oromo, Amharic and Tigrigna) – which even theDerg regime had recognized during its era, were not fairly integrated in the 24-hour showtime of EBS.

Although Tigrigna songs and dances are obviously depicted in the show to some extent after Amharic, Afan Oromo, the first most spoken language in Ethiopia (Encarta Encyclopedia 2007), and other Oromo related features are wittingly ignored. Guragigna and other Amharo-Southern ‘unethically hybridized’ songs sung by Amharas or some Amharanized Southern singers have relatively much better airtime than Afan Oromo ones. The bizarre is, no pure (linguistically and culturally native and ingenious) Southern, Beni Shangul, Gambela, Afar, Somali, Agaw or Kunama songs are played on this TV station – except Guragigna. Though the Gurages seem to have survived this mushrooming of the re-Amharization of recordings, the hybridization of the Southern and other non-Habeshanational languages with Amharic through music is posing a considerable threat on the future identity of the rest of defenseless Southern nations, nationalities and peoples. This worrying trend is observed not only on EBS, but also on every other media outlet controlled by the regime.

In case of Afan Oromo, a year ago – songs like “Ayyaan-laallattuu” by Abdi Nuressa and a couple of songs of Taddele Gemechu were played rarely, but today, it’s difficult to find a single Oromo video out of tens of daily Amharic and Amharic-hybridized songs on this TV. Among a number of talk-shows incorporated on this television, one is a show in English that is hosted by an Oromo model Nunu Waqo. In her previous shows, Nunu, the taboo breaker on EBS, had had the courage to invite music stars like Abdi Nuressa and other talented Oromos in the Diaspora – connecting them back to their rural origins in Oromia. Today, her show does not run regularly due to unidentified reasons.

As a piece of confidential information leaked from inside the media circle of the regime, the reason why the EPRDF government launched EBS some three years ago was apparently revealed. Woyane had two prime objectives in launching that TV. The first was to counter ESAT (Ethiopian Satellite TV), a Diaspora-based opposition media outlet which was broadcasting most significantly to reach its Amhara audience. Before its jamming from satellite, ESAT had posed a higher threat to the regime by putting alarming impacts in some areas, such as the Amhara Region and some urban centers with Amhara dwellings across the country. Thus, beside its efforts to jam ESAT, the regime had hastily reached on a decision to eliminate this threat by launching a counter-ESAT, but still an Amhara and Amharic glorifying media out – aka EBS.

The second objective behind the launching of EBS was to keep the young generation inactive by means of addictive TV entertainments, such as the youth generation does not have the time and courage to consider political activities in favor of the oppositions. They have every interesting new song and other entertaining video to watch on this TV. In almost all of the talk-shows, artistes and other famous individuals admired by the youth are invited to share their experiences and life styles. While traditional farming activities are boringly depicted on the rest of the government media channels (particularly on the Oromiyaa-Television – TVO) the whole 24 hours, EBS entertains with its selected well modernized areas of productions predominantly in Amharic. Thus, entertainment starved audiences are expected to switch off the boring channels, such as TVO, and switch on the ‘attractive’ and addictive EBS Amharic ‘melody’ – thereby hating their own languages for the sake of better amusement. Consequently, the number of Amharic lovers is expected to grow dramatically. Besides, what is well observed in its almost every Amharic and English production is the endeavor to revive the Habesha domination over the rest of identities.

For someone who watches EBS regularly, there is no rift between the Tigrayan and Amhara mentalities. Even flags carrying the Lion of Judah, which is said to be banned by the current regime, are viewed without any editorial restriction. Praising Emperor Haile Silassie, the king who was responsible for the death of millions and latter overthrown by the popular revolution of 1974, is common in Amharic music videos aired on this channel under the guise of ‘singing Reggae’ or ‘pro-Rastafarianism.’ This is how the TV was designed to be as the “first-class TV show” in the country – under its advertisement motto of “Your #1 Choice.”

Is there a need for an ‘Oromo version EBS’ by the government?
Oh, this may sound a bit funny for the adversaries of the Oromo nation. Yet, it is unnecessary for the regime to launch such a TV for the Oromo audience. Of course, the immediate need of the Oromo is not to have an entertainment media outlet owned by the alien regime. Though the need for a powerful TV media is unquestionable, such a needed demand should be met by a collective effort of our own, not by the charity of our oppressors. Energizing our struggle in every corner is the universal solution. The more our struggle gains momentum, the more the enemy camp tries to appease us in different mechanisms. Perhaps, launching an Oromo version EBS could be one of the means of the appeasement. However, not bowing for any cheap appeasement by the enemy, the struggle should continue vigorously until every negative form of Abyssinian influences in Oromia are effectively eroded off. It is such a determined and drastic move that leads us to witness how the regime will be forced to negotiate respecting our prime interests or be collapsed by the popular movement altogether.

While we are discussing this issue, there is a must emphasized truth not to be left aside. By launching EBS for Amhara separately, the Woyaneregime is approving its historical, religious, cultural and linguistic alliance with them. Definitely, this is a form of sympathy for the Amhara to endorse them recapitalizing their century-old authorized language and culture in the battle to suppress new blossoming potential identities like that of the Oromo at the national level. So, the role of EBS in this case is one of ultimate efforts of waging the psychological war against non-Amhara nations-and-nationalities, particularly the Oromo. Although the current government in Ethiopia is led by the Tigray-based TPLF, the linguistic and cultural dominance of the Amhara is still virtually on its same old position. As Amharic has remained to be the single national working/official language and a medium of instruction in cities like Finfinnee/Addis Abeba, Dire Dhawaa and many elementary schools of Southern nations, its edifice quota in the so-called ‘language equality’ still remains securing the lion’s share.

The TPLF-led government has never made a meaningful effort to lessen the dominance of Amharic in the regions out of its home – the Amhara Kilil(Region). The regime has never bothered to impose its language Tigrignaon others, because it knew that, substituting the century-old Amharic domination with Tigrigna could not be possible in the era when every national identity is blossoming by eroding the supremacy of the past system’s identities in its respective region. The TPLF has left crying for ‘language supremacy’ for those whom they regard as foolish criers. Rather, their most priority was to control the country’s key political, military and economic power while simultaneously making sure that Tigrigna is the only influential language in Tigray, both in urban and rural areas. Today, more than two decades since the regime changed from Amhara’s hegemony to Tigrayan hegemony, more than 90 percent of the national press and broadcasting media (including the so-called free press and free FM radios) coverage is in Amharic. Even in Oromia, the largest and most populous region where Afan Oromo has been declared as the region’s official language, urban areas are still under heavy Amharic influences. The reason is crystal clear. Most of the cities and towns (ketema’s) in Oromia and other non-Amhara and Tigray regions were established as military garrisons during the Menelik’s invasions. The military garrisons were the settlement sites for the Abyssinian Amharic-speaking invaders. They then expanded their oppression economically, militarily, politically and culturally in their ketema’s throughout the last century, pushing the native societies away from urban areas and restricting them in mere rural lives. Despite few developments, this wrong urban demography has not changed effectively in the last two decades.

To summarize, what I have tried to say above is not emanated from hatred or chauvinism. I do not have a problem with the coexistence of Amharic with other languages, including Afan Oromo. I am not preaching hate against the Amhara people for tit for tat strikes. However, as far as I am concerned, the attempt to revive the old Abyssinian chauvinism in collaboration with the current regime is dangerous and unacceptable – at least in Oromia. As Oromos, we have no intention to impose our language and identity on the Amhara or others in their respective regions. We are on the struggle to set the record straight in our own sovereign state. One who tries to antagonize us for our just struggle should blame him/her-self. We are watching every action of the enemies – which are intended to keep us under their yokes. Not only watching, but also we are on a tremendous historic move to stop that against all odds. Oromia is for the Oromo. No more humiliation in our homeland, Oromia. Our united stamina is more than enough to end the century-old Abyssinian and the new Woyaneprejudice against our nation in Oromia. The glorious action taken by tens of thousands of Oromo youth on the eve of this year 2014 was a simple test to show to the die-hard Neftegna – who we are and what we are perfectly capable of doing in the future.

* The author, Yahya Jamal, can be reached at: gulummaa75@gmail.com

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