Dear Book Club Friends:
First, I would like to invite you to an upcoming Fundraising Cocktail, to promote and formally start my Kidist Foods Expanded Project in Addis Ababa. I first introduced it in Addis Ababa at last January's Alumni Reunion, in Sandford.
Here is information on the Fundraiser. Hope to see you then!
Regarding our recent Book Club Zoom (June 17) on Yves-Marie Stranger's Ethiopia Through Writers' Eyes:
James Bruce: A Scotsman at the Nile
Richard Burton: The Forbidden City of Harrar
Thank you for an educational evening, and a chance to read a very interesting book.
Here are a couple of follow-ups on the discussion yesterday.
First, Yitbarek showed reservations about the "closing off" of the Nile by the Egyptians.
Yes, it was in fact Ethiopian emperors who threatened to close off access to this body of water to the Egyptians, in solidarity with the Egyptian Copts whose lives and livelihoods were threatened by Muslim Egypt.
Some fascinating side-story. These same Egyptian Copts were "rescued" by one Ethiopian emperor (source here), and brought them as masons and skilled craftsmen.
And some points:
1. About the Dam
I mention in this article, Revolt on the Nile, the opportunistic Meles Zenawi, who never rejected his Communist background. Yes, he worked on the Dam. But the history of the Dam is fascinating. It was a project that was initiated by Haile Selassie, and its research will make a fascinating historical project: Why was the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam truncated before it was even started (during HS's time)? What geopolitical circumstances cut it off? How does Ahmed Ali aim to use this inherited mega-project?
2. About Muslims
I wrote extensively about Islam and Muslims in a blog post I called Reclaiming Our Landscape. My articles also cover other ground on culture and society.
3. Here is one article (published) I wrote on the Ethiopian Muslim question (listed on my "articles" website):
Ethiopian Christian tolerance: Ethiopian Islamic Jihad
I stopped the Reclaiming Our Landscape to concentrate on more generalized questions of culture and society.
But, in crucial historical moments, Muslims (their leaders) cause chaos and friction, to destabilize nations (a nation - Ethiopia) to instill their own religious government.
By the way, the Ottomans were Turkish, and Muslim, which Emebet separated in her analysis. And it is the Turks who are now gaining footholds in the Middle Eastern region. Turks are also entering Ethiopia as merchants, business owners, and other commercial-related endeavors, but they are also part of a cultural/religious movement.
History repeating itself!
The Orthodox Christians have ALWAYS fought off Islam, even in the great devastation of Gran (i.e. left-handed) Here is my article on that subject. And they have always been successful. I think this is always the case of WHEN Orthodox Christians realize this many-pronged enemy, and take their cross and Igziabher to the forefront. Otherwise, like the Egyptian Copts, they will become piecemeal.
I have faith, though. Ethiopia’s name is inscribed in the Bible. This is tremendous. Someone, some priest, some leader, will realize this in our 21st century spiritual war. Because, now, as I said in the Zoom discussion, it is ALL a spirtual war - from East to West, and North to South. We are in the fight of our lives, now, to fight for God, for Igziabher.
I am certain Ethiopia will prevail.
3. Finally Beshir, about whose film Faya Dayi I wrote an article: A Critique of the Film Faya Dayi by Jessica Beshir published in many Ethiopian journals, and internationally as well.
Her home IS in the stylish neighborhood of Prospect Heights in Brooklyn. She somehow has money. I think it is partly alimony from her divorce from her Jewish/French husband (I have all the information if you want it) from whom she has a daughter. He pays her upkeep.
4. One more thing:
I have always been a proponent of exclusive regions, for exclusive peoples. Abiy Ahmed Ali deliberately opened the flood gates by re-arranging regional, political, and ethnic boundaries, but by also assigning regions to peoples. I think his intent was to slowly build a Muslim/Oromo epicenter, and eventually put all those “regions” under this larger jurisdiction. And ultimately, to weaken the Amhara, who despite 30+ years of consecutive governemnts' mistreatment, still persevere, and I believe, keep Ethiopia going through their very much behind the scenes works (in banks, universities, shops and businesses, hospitals, museums and galleries, etc., etc.).
For example, Amhed Ali did not allow the Amhara a standing army, despite repeated demands by their leaders, or at least an emergency military body that is activated when they are attacked. And worse, he wouldn’t send timely government military assistance during the recent Amhara massacres. I think he WANTS the massacre to happen, in his generalized objective to diminish the Amhara.
Regional exclusivity is not a new idea. Ethiopian emperors have practiced this geo-nationalistic strategy for generations. Their logic (correctly) was to have regions with people who get along, who understand each other. But, they would all be under the auspices, under the umbrella, of the Christian, Amhara leadership - empire, if you will, which benevolently looks out for ALL the regions. Again, you can read about my analyisis here: Ethiopian Christian tolerance: Ethiopian Islamic Jihad.
Also, recently, Ahmed Ali wouldn't send urgently needed fertilizer to the Amhara region when farmers requested it. This region is basically the bread basket of Ethiopia, so his strategy is perplexing, and self-defeating, and destructive to Ethiopia.
Another back story on the fertilizers is that now farmers are dealing with genetically engineered seedlings, which require very specific types of planting, growing, and harvesting methods, and this fertilizer is one of the requirements. When it “works” it can yield huge crops. And Abbiy has talked about establishing an export-level agricultural industry. That is part of his strategy of close ties with the Arab countries, with China, Russian and India.
But what about the small farmers? What about the Ethiopian people? What about our teff? His economic “miracle” is at the expense of Ethiopia.
Finally, here (below) is a link to the source of James Bruce's 5-volume quest to discover the source of the Nile, which I think is an important book, rather than the truncated version that YMS presented in his book. Read the long book! Why not? And how fascinating!
Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile.
I think Bruce is a formidable personality, doing what European (British, French, Dutch, Spanish and Italian) travelers and explorers have done: to chart out new territories, to discover the world, despite the dangers, and even the life-threatening possiblities. I recommend reading even a small sample of his writings, which I have read, and plan to continue reading all the volumes.
By the way, new territories, now, are in outer space. We have already landed on the moon!
You can read my writings here:
Art and Commentary by Kidist Paulos Asrat
All the best,
Kidist Paulos Asrat