Language Imperialism

ይድረስ ለጎጠኛው መምህር (አማርኛ) $25.00 እና ሓይካማ ( ትግርኛ) $15.00 መጽሐፌን ለመግዛት ዕድሉን ያላገኛችሁ ካላችሁ በሚከተለው አድራሻ ደውላችሁ ማግኘት ትችላላችሁ Telephone (408) 561 4836 (Getachew Reda P.O.Box 2219 San Jose, CA 95109) getachre@aol.com www.ethiopiansemay.blogspot.com Language Imperialism Have you seen the OLF Press posted on Ethiomedia.com lately? If you do, you might have noticed the seal of the press carrying the Arabic and Latin language, nothing Ethiopia language used there as a symbol or word in it. The banda/the mercenary group “TPLF and OLF” call the Latin and the Arabic scripts “the language of nation, nationalities, and people” of Ethiopia. We are well aware that not now that our national spoken and written scripts of the Ge’ez get injured, the offense against our indigenous religion and language started during the Portuguese, the Islamic Turk/ Imam Ahmed Ebrahim (Girang Ahmed), who some say he was Palestinian came through Turk and some say was multi-ethnic Ethiopian (Somali/Adal/Belew), and the Italian invasion against our country Ethiopia. These invaders impose the Arabic name and Mohammodian/Islamic religion and the Arabic language as well the usage of Latin to replace indigenous names /peoples’/ and the national language its font the Ge’ez and Amharic during the invasion. Sadly and worst, the abusers are the Ethiopian Islam followers willingly pray, write and communicate in the Arabic language as if they are Arab nationals, as if they have no language of their own. We all know that these people are Ethiopians not Arabs, therefore, there is option for them that they could have used the Islam religious books interpreted to the Ethiopian language and do their meditations and pray in their own language as Ethiopians, but unfortunately, they have disrespect their own language by discarding it as if the Ge’ez is not theirs but colonialist language or Orthodox Christian language. What a shame! I will like you do visit any of those Ethiopian Islamic Pal Talks- you will be shocked to your nerve as if some electric current pass through your skin when you listen those youngsters speaking, praying, and communicating in Arabic. Not only that you will also hear that these Islamic followers in those Pal Talks calling the Christians as HABESHA similar to the Arabs that they worshipped and willingly surrender their usage of language and religion to them (to the Arabs). Of course such is familiar with OLF/ONLF and therefore those Islamic youngsters on those Pal Talk media could be OLF or ONLF members also, but whatever they are sadly they do convince themselves the Arab term ‘HABESHA’ referred to the Christian people. Anyone who wants to debate with me on this matter please do contact me and we can discuss, but I know they can’t because they knew they surrender themselves willingly to foreign languages and have no intention of regret or re-visitation to the damage and dignity as Ethiopians. The Somalis, Djibouti, Sudanese, Nigeria… did the same surrender and accepted Arabic and Latin languages as their own. It is shame to see all those countries intellectuals did nothing to avert or alert their society the humiliation they accepted as a norm. Worst of all some people say Islam was Ethiopian indigenous religion to only end up expose their silly thoughts. Islam or Arabic never was an Ethiopian indigenous language or religion. It was pressed up on the people by sword and invasion. We are of course familiar that worst offense to the Ethiopian language, culture started during the 20 years of TPLF hegemonic system in Ethiopia intentionally implemented as a policy under TPLF’s language proclamation. I am not surprised to see TPLF destroying the Ethiopian dignity, language, culture and sovereignty since is its mission is to do the dirty game of the Imperialists and the Arab kings in a proxy. That is exactly why the IMF and Arab Ballooners allowed TPLF to borrow Billions in exchange to surrender the sovereignty of the Nation. What makes the news new is the opposition media in the Diaspora suppose to be “Pan Ethiopian” are also increasingly part of the covert schemes to accomplish such mission. Go and visit their websites to see it for yourself. In the last 20 years, Arabic and Latin fonts are increasingly becoming the popular chosen languages for marketing, praying and educational usages in Ethiopia (even in Tigray TPLF intentionally guided the poor Kunama, Afar, Saho to use Latin/Arabic be used in school and public offices). Leaving the mercenary TPLF conspiracy aside, the Ethiopian Islam religion leaders and their religion scholars as I said it above are culturally bankrupted failed to teach and guided their fellow members to use Ethiopian language the Ge’ez alphabet to write and the Ethiopian national language Amharic or their own community dialogues to use it when they pray instead of using Arabic language/terms/vocabularies which is entirely foreign to Ethiopians. I have made my position clear to the community never hesitate expose or criticize to anyone who opened his/her language unguardedly to be replaced by Arabic or Latin even if it is a “RELIGIOUS” sector. It is a No, No! Religion or politics can’t be spared out of criticism just because they are party or religious sectors. If that religion is disrespect the national language or that political party or civic society is using foreign languages while there option to use the national language in script or in a spoken form is available, there is no reason to let that sector go on freely to ruin the country’s language. There is no such freedom of choice when it comes ruing the national language. Let me make my argument clear with no hesitation, freedom have its limits when it comes to such issue (there is no self determination issue that dictates any thing just because of the slogan of “self determination” which is in many ways a “bogus”. Time change, yes, time changes, but not ‘time’ by itself come to a change, but ‘we’ are the dynamics of the change that makes the change. Galileo was put to death because he changed the perception of the religion that had false view what is there above us/ the sky , but obviously his death and condemnation triggered the change how people should see the universe. He was the instrument of change of our time. In the past, on my commentaries and interviews that no Ethiopian media or citizen should collaborate in such schemes, this is because down the line such mission is going to accomplish the neo –imperialism schemes that aimed to kill the culture, the language and identity of the Ethiopia people slowly but surely if it continues accepted in the name of “SELF DETERMINATION” which is in many ways a bogus slogan just like DEMOCRACY – the democracy that is hard to see it in many ways no matter where you are (it gives something sweet to convince you, but traded you for the bitter on the side). We are at the time of neo Imperialism, no question about it. What is neo-imperialism? An obvious form of neo-imperialism is Language Imperialism: the language of the "stronger" foreign nation gradually taking the place of the national language(s). Currently in Ethiopia the usage of the Arabic and Latin fonts are spreading fast in the Oromo and Islamic religious community during the reign of TPLF for the last 19 years in its worst offense ever. Ethiopian national language the Ge’ez font and the Amharic as a bridge to the population of Ethiopia is now replaced by Latin and Arabic through the system called “language Imperialism”. Orthodox Christian books written in Ge’ez and Amharic or its songs/Kidase is now replaced by Tigringa preachers and Tigringa books conceder part of the TPLF policy to revolutionalize Tigringa even in the religion sectors in Tigray as it is illegal to use commercial signs or symbols written in Amharic or other language except that of the Latin Oromo language called QUBE in the Oromo areas. The issue in Tigray or Oromo in regard to the language is designed under the plan of the MLLT (Marxist Leninist League of Tigray ) manifesto called REVOLUTIONARY DEMOCRACY. When Arabic and Latin is increasingly respected by young Oromo and other community who are now using those foreign languages/fonts in their daily prayers, governmental or school or public offices by abandoning away the national language, there sure will create victimized society inside them or outside them also. Those nationals, (within or surrounding them) who do not speak it, gradually become second rate citizens whenever they move to those areas looking for work or social interaction (because there is no national language developed inside them- it is rather the contrary “the dying of national language”). Even in the case of the foreign language being received as a "binding element" in a multi-cultural nation, even if (often young) nationals pride themselves to be able to speak the foreign language, it is still language imperialism not Ethiopian. It is either-or: either the foreigner humbles himself to the host culture, or he forces his host to the toddler stage and makes a little England/America/Arabic around himself, where he is the Eloquent Leader. What that means is Imperialism is in without firing a single shot to force himself in. That is what I am talking about now. To be clear: - Opposition Media in the Diaspora (Ethiomedia, Ethioforum.org, Abugida, ECADEF, Ginbot 7, ESAT) are direct or indirect harmonizing an agreement to perform together an illegal activity of destroying the national language by allowing their media to have access to address their guerrilla activity news, their anti Ethiopia press relies, propaganda campaign either through interview or commentary to those known mercenaries such as OLF and its agents. Pan Ethiopian groups should be openly reject and challenge to those opposition media in the Diaspora or inside the country who are willing to give access to known anti Ethiopian elements or sympathizing or flirting with such elements of destruction who killed thousands of thousands of Amhara population (school children, elders, mothers, blind…) in the form of ethnic cleansing. Anyone who allow access to such anti Ethiopian elements are collaborators in the destabilizing a nation. Times after time I have said, OLF, ONLF, EPLF are not better or option than the TPLF. When TPLF or OLF or Diaspora opposition media honor Arabic/Latin script posted on their media conceder as Ethiopian national language or local language, or community language- it should be seen and interpreted as a backup for the promotion of Imperialism. The lie behind such fraud is a “toxic” to cultural and to the Ethiopian linguistic development. It is like a weed planted by Arabs and Europeans (remember Italian invasion] to kill Ge’ez-the only script and spoken language in Africa. Those who have policy of restriction of access to the OLF (Qube) and other Arabic script should be honored and respected as genuine Pan Ethiopians apart from the aiders and abettors of Imperialism language promoters. So Ethiopian should fight the new form of Colonialism that is currently killing our language, they should applying a restricted access to those who are in the business of anti Ethiopia. OLF is still killing Ethiopians, OLF never believe itself as an Ethiopian, therefore no Ethiopia should allow its press or its anti Ethiopia guerrilla news as long as it remain none Ethiopian citizen. I and my other compatriots who are not visible to me strongly condoned Ethiomedia, Ethioforum, Abugida, ECADEF, ESAT TV and Ethiopian Review and their likes who are for many years and still allowing these groups (OLF, ONLF,…) posting their press release, propaganda papers, interviews, their conference resolutions, video and audio releases on their media. I have been condemning specially “Ethiomedia, ethioforum, Abugida for a long time and now comes a new cannel calling itself ESAT TV joining them airing the Ginbot 7 (lead by a typical racists such as Andargachew the well known Amhara hater (read Ye Amara Hezb Keyet WedYet) and Berhanu Negga who labeled Hailu Shawul or EAUP as Amhara promoter/s aiming to replace the Tigrayan Meles/TPLF who is a Tigrayan promoter) and OLF leaders’ propaganda interview over and over as if they lack Pan Ethiopian leaders or political analysis to interview. Therefore, they gave a hoot to my years of complaints against their effort for allowing the anti Ethiopian agents an access to their media to spread their anti Ethiopia propaganda to confuse the public and to the outside world while at the same time deny access to those who oppose the propaganda of OLF and ONLF (they refuse papers written by historians and patriots to post them if they contain the term GALA “OLF teaches the public GALA as Amhara given insult which is entirely a bogus propaganda and lie) while allowing the OLF or ONLF and their likes papers with terms like “Habesha, Abyssinia, Colonialists, Neftenga, Debtera…). As long as aiders and abettors to those anti Ethiopia elements such as OLF who is responsible for ethnic cleansing and many other crimes remaining to their service, we will continue exposing them as collaborators of the anti Ethiopian elements. It doesn’t matter how much they cover themselves to look patriots while aiding and abetting these enemies on their media to confuse our people in order to forget our people their crime, no matter how many rounds of World tour Berhanu Negga and his likes perform with OLF leaders and the like mercenaries we will still stand firm exposing the crime of OLF and the collaborators who are trying to beautify the image of those in involved in the carnage of so many millions of Ethiopian peasants and elders and school children. Ethiopia will definitely survive at the end and all the aiders and bitters will be put to their shame where they belong. Our fight is bitter and long, our enemies are with different faces, at the end Ethiopia will prevail. As Professor Seyoum Gelaye said in his article “Fabrication of Ethiopian History continues unabated” “It is time for all Ethiopians to unite and struggle so we may fight back folks like Mr. Hassan Abdullahi, Melese Zenawi, Isayas Afewerk and other indigenous ethnic warlords, threatening the survival of this glorious nation, Ethiopia.” Indeed it is time for all Pan Ethiopian sectors to condemned opposition media who allow access to those who are continually in the position of fabricating Ethiopian history and mission of destroying our national language the Ge’ez font and the Amharcic language.Thanks Getachew Reda editor Ethiopian Semay. (www.Ethiopiansemay.blogspot.com)