Human Rights Activist Obbo Jawar Mohammed on #BoycottBedele Campaign

Editor’s Note Of Gadaa

Human rights activist Obbo Jawar Mohammed endorsed the #BoycottBedele campaign from the beginning; #BoycottBedele sought to stop the glorification of the black Hitler, Menelik II, by minstrel/’Azmari’ Teddy Afro, who characterized the genocide Menelik II waged on the Oromo, Sidama, Wolayta, and other nations and peoples in the Ethiopian empire as a “holy war.”

This is what Obbo Jawar Mohammed noted on his Facebook after the suspension of the #BoycottBedele campaign following the withdrawal of Heineken’s/Bedele’s sponsorship of Teddy Afro’s “Journey of Love for the Black Hitler, Menelik” concert.

——————
From Jawar Mohammed’s Facebook Note:

“Congratulations team #BoycottBedele and those who stood with the just cause. You roared in unison, and you shattered the inflated wall of arrogance. You taught Bedele that it cannot throw a party over the graveyards of our ancestors. You rose up against all odds, overcame multiple obstacles and you beat the well-financed and brutish right-wing machinery hands down! Hey, Qubee generation, you have passed this test with flying colours. This is just the beginning, more work awaits us!

One would have hoped this episode provided valuable lesson to the other side, but predictably they are missing out once again. They are sticking to their old and tired tactic of belittling Oromo. As usual, first they dismissed the campaign, then they tried to distort it, and they threw the kitchen sink. Now, although we beat them in an open and public fight over the last week, they don’t want to admit; hence, they attempt to give credit to Woyane. The obvious fact is that the regime wanted and would benefit from a prolonged tension rather than a quick conclusion. Hence, it has no rational reason to embark on such intervention so early.

The campaign beat them because it’s on the right side of the argument; it utilized efficient strategies and worked tirelessly. The campaign had direct dealing with Heineken/Bedele both on the ground and at headquarters. It is this direct confrontation, and the application of open and direct pressure that forced Bedele to retreat. Basically, Bedele cancelled the contract because it stood to lose in the beer market. The campaign first warned, and then posed credible and visible threat to the company’s sales. The company asked for opinions of its distributors and sales representatives, who overwhelmingly warmed headquarters that the campaign will have devastating repercussion. As the protest spread and the message began to take effect, the call came in to unplug the sponsorship.

Thus, right wingers, instead of recycling የናቴ መቀነት አደናቀፈኝ, you should admit that you were wrong, outsmarted and outperformed. More importantly, you should know the Oromo voice is no longer one that can be drowned through noise and distortion.”

=>gadaa