‘The Duce will have Ethiopia, with or without the Ethiopians’. Rodolfo Graziani
I am writing this as a proud Ethiopian because Graziani’s promise to
the Fascist dictator was thwarted by my gallant ancestors. If it was not
for the bravery and sacrifice of our grandparents, to day our country
will be referred to as ex Italian Colony, we will be conversing in
Italian, our national dish would be spaghetti and my name will probably be Mario. Please don’t knock it because my
country being referred to as the only independent country in Africa,
having my own national language, dining on Injera and answering to an
original name is what defines me as unique member of the human race.
The Ethiopian and Italian entanglement goes very far back in history.
The period known as ’the scramble for Africa’ from 1870 to 1914 is a
good place to start. It was a time the European powers were invading,
colonizing, occupying and abusing Africans all over the continent. After
the scrooge of slavery this was another century where being black was
not a desirable existence, not that it is any different now. To avoid
warring each other the Europeans decided to sit around a table and carve
out the continent into outright ownership of people and country and
spheres of influence. Italy already had Libya and decided to include
Ethiopia in its portfolio.
Unfortunate for the Italians the Ethiopians found the idea absurd to
say the least. The battle of Adwa settled the matter and dealt the
Europeans their one and only defeat in Africa. The victory at Adwa will
forever define what it means to be an Ethiopian. Generations will use
this colossal event to shape and mold their children to grow up with
pride and determination to guard what is their own and not to covet what
belongs to others.
The Italians never forgave us for the humiliation at Adwa. After
waiting for forty years they came back in 1935 to avenge their defeat.
They came back better prepared. They used superior weapons including
poison gas trying to overwhelm our barefoot army on horseback. They
occupied most of our sacred land. They won a few battles but were unable
to win the war. Our grandparents never gave the invading army a single
day of respite. The concept of guerilla warfare that has become the
mainstay of all oppressed peoples response to overwhelming force was
brilliantly utilized by our ancestors. You can say they wrote the book
on mobile war using a few to harass and demoralize the enemy while
recovering national strength.
This brings us to the infamous General Rodolfo Graziani Governor of
Italian East Africa. His ghost is what is waking us up from where we
having been lying down comfortably numb for over forty years. Graziani
tried to do what Meles Zenawi was able to accomplish. I know harsh words
but deservingly so. Let me tell you what Graziani did to us in 1936.
The day was Friday February nineteenth. Viceroy Graziani decided to
celebrate the birth of the Prince of Naples in Addis Abeba at the
‘Genete Leul palace.’ Abreha Deboch and Moges Asgedom two of the most
beautiful Ethiopians our country has ever produced threw ten grenades at
the fascist pig and his accomplices during the celebration.
What happened next will forever live in our heart and mind as the
price paid when sovereignty is lost. The Federal Secretary Guido Cortese
gave the following order to his solders:
“Comrades, today is the day when we should show our devotion to
our Viceroy by reacting and destroying the Ethiopians for three days.
For three days I give you carte blanche to destroy and kill and do what
you want to the Ethiopians.”
Ethiopians were hunted down like pray animals and killed. Over thirty
thousand (30,000) of our people died in revenge. No one was spared.
They burnt the town down and murdered everything that moved. Graziani
earned the name “butcher of Ethiopia.” I doubt there is anyone amongst
us that has not lost a distant relative in this bloodbath. Darkness fell
on our country and we were given a taste of what it means to be under
the mercy of an occupying force.
On the other hand Graziani’s animalistic and criminal behavior
aroused the righteous anger of any and all red blooded Ethiopians. The
fascist pigs never knew peace in the land of the habeshas until they
were driven out the second time hopefully never to return again. This
little note is by no means an adequate exposition of our fearless and
gallant ancestors but it would be unforgivable not to mention Lij Haile
Mariam Mamo-the first árbegna’, Dejazmacj Abarra Kasa from the
north-west, Dejazmach balcha Aba Nebso from the south-west, Ras Abebe
Argay leader of the band, Shaleka Mesfin Seleshi, Ras Desta Damtew from
the south, Ato Belay Zeleke and host of other notables that stood a head
above others and gave the enemy a taste of Ethiopian indignation.
As I said before the ghost of this evil specimen of a human being is
with us again. In 2012 his town of Affile built a mausoleum in memory
the fascist pig. Yes the same Graziani that ordered the killing of over
thirty thousand people in a three days period, the same criminal that
used mustard gas throughout our homeland killing in the hundreds of
thousands of Ethiopians was honored as a patriot and a hero by his
people. They felt they could do that because they knew there would be no
one to stop them. What they saw was a country divided into nine
Bantustans, a country in the process of degrading its past, a country
willing to sacrifice its youth pushing, encouraging them to go where
harm awaits them. Yes the citizens of Affile felt no shame because they
knew no one will call them out.
We might be down but we are not dead yet. As there were ‘wust
arebenoch’ during the occupation, there are still plenty of patriots
that keep the flame of freedom alive. The shameful act of the people of
Affile was too much to take. Patriotic Ethiopians decided to protest
this fascist spit on our honor and insult to the memory of our people by
marching and showing their righteous indignation in our homeland. You
would think any government that is the recipient of this unjust
provocation will lead the charge on behalf of its citizens. That it will
use its moral power to unite its citizens and humanity at large and put
the unrepentant Italians on notice that this kind of act is not
acceptable, is counterproductive and unnecessarily brings buried
memories to the forefront.
This is not unique to us. The Germans were made to accept
responsibility for the crimes of Hitler, the Japanese were held liable
for their atrocities in China and South East Asia, and the US showed its
profound sorrow for slavery and so on. In the scheme of human history
some shameful acts were committed and since no one can turn time back
the responsibility of the current generation is to look back at the
horror and shame and take responsibility and do what is necessary to
teach its citizens so there would be no chance today or in the future
for history to repeat itself.
No need to travel to Germany or Japan when we can just walk over to
our neighbor in the south. The Kenyans have sued the British government
for imprisonment and torture during the Mau Mau uprising for
independence and their case is being heard in London. As far as I know
the Kenyan government has not jailed any of its citizens for requesting
accountability. Needless to say we do not have a legitimate government
that reflects the aspirations of the citizen. Thus our patriotic
protesters that dared express their views on the matter were beaten by
Woyane police and hauled to prison. Their protest was seen as a criminal
act. The odd situation here is that a few Italians that felt this
miscarriage of justice did protest in Italy but no one beat them up and
none were imprisoned for peacefully making their objections known.
We are one unique people aren’t we? No one will believe this
unfolding story taking place in our ancient land. No one with a fertile
imagination will come up with this kind of scenario even for as fiction.
When we think we have seen enough our Woyane masters idiocy they seem
to have this bottomless pit where they pull out a new and more bizarre
behavior to confound our senses.
At the beginning I compared Graziani to the recently departed Meles
Zenawi the Woyane warlord. Some of you probably thought I have gone too
far. Some of you judged me unfair and filled with hate. I understand. I
felt the same way when I wrote it down. I almost took it out. Then I
slept on it. Further reflection made me realize I am not really off the
mark. I will state my point, you my brethren be the judge.
Graziani was avenging his people’s humiliation at Adwa. He came back
with a purpose. What exactly did he do to make sure Ethiopia will never
rise again? Wanton killing was one. Selective murder was another. The
use of mustard gas, burning of villages and the Addis massacre are
examples of wanton killing. The May 19th murder of 297 monks
and 23 laymen of Debre Libanos Monastery is a calculated act of terror
to discredit our ancient religion. Furthermore the liquidation of the
young Ethiopian intellectuals and their organization ‘The Black Lions’
was another assault on what is dear to us. Other than those that left
the country with the Emperor and the lucky ones that found their way to
Sudan and Kenya all were executed. This I will file under selective
murder.
The Italians also redrew the map of our country to create separate
Bantustans. They divided our country into six units as follows: 1)
Eritrea to include Tigrai – capital Asmara 2) Amhara to include
Begemeder, Gojjam, Wello and northern Shoa – capital Gonder 3) Galla and
Sidamo –capital Jimma 4) Addis Abeba 5) Harar 6) Somalia-capital
Mogadishu
Well, well, well, where do you think the great mind of Meles came up
with his kilil solution? Now you know what he has been reading while
holed down in his cave in the mountains of Tigrai. History will also
show that his first target was none other than Haile Selassie
University
in search of intellectuals to liquidate, imprison or exile. Meles and Graziani- two peas in a pod. I rest my case.
The period from 1935 to 1941 is referred to as the time of Italian
‘occupation.’ It is not known as Italian ‘colonization.’ That is so
because our resistance did not give the Italians the legitimacy they so
desired. Our patriots never allowed the Italian flag to fly
unchallenged. Our Emperor was gallantly going to every capital in Europe
and the League of Nations keeping the flame of freedom alive while our
patriots at home were waging a successful guerrilla war keeping the
fascist army in a state of fear and uncertainty.
We their children have failed our forefathers. We are unable to
resist a home grown fascist dominating us using an old user’s manual.
There are groups fighting the regime but unfortunately no one has
managed to break out and claim the vanguard role. We are working on
that. Where there is oppression there is resistance and we are not
different. It is obvious we’re fighting an uphill battle. Our people
are not educated, our communication system is rudimentary and our enemy
is very cunning with plenty of resource. The young and able that are
open to new ideas are being systematically marginalized using cheap drug
to numb the mind and encouraged to leave the homeland. No matter, the
planes and advanced weapons did not deter our ancestors and surely
illiterate and not more than a thousand Woyane diehards are not going to
make us flinch from our destiny of making sure our country take its
deserved place as the leader of all Black people.
Finally here is a beautiful and timely poem from a play written by
Ato Yoftahe Negus while in exile in the Sudan as quoted by Ato Berhanu
Zewde. You will find information on Ato Berhanu’s book at the end of
this article.
Bahru Zewde-The Ethiopian Intelegencia and the Italio Ethiopian
War, 1935-1941 (The International journal of African Historical
Studious, vol. 26, No. 2(1993.)
Richard Pankhurst –The Ethiopians- A History. (Blackwell Publishers USA 1998, pp238-239)
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