The Plight of Ethiopian refugees in Yemen

የፖለቲካ ድርጅት፣ የታጋይ ግዴታና የአደረጃጀት ሥልት

(Ethiopian) Writing System

Baye Yimam, Ph.D.

(Associate Professor & Head of Department of Linguistics, 1992)

Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

(Translated by Samuel Kinde and Minga Negash)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Introduction:

What motivated to comment on this topic are the issue and debate surrounding our languages in the current set-up. It is not out of spontaneity but rather out of a changing political pressure that this issue has surfaced. Therefore, to properly understand the origin, evolution and growth of our languages, the political issues will also have to be studied well. To do this, one has to be not only a linguist but also, I believe, a politician by trade. But I am not a politician. In view of this, I shall address the issue from a linguist’s point of view. If, however, I happen to touch upon issues that might have political content, it is my wish that it will be known that I do so only in my capacity as an average Ethiopian citizen.

With regard to the status of our languages, the focus of my writing will be "Feedel" and the script. To do so, I might have to refer to linguistics and literature as well. Therefore, my writing will be as follows: First, I shall touch upon issues that pertain to linguistics and writing. I will do so because I believe these issues will help to build my case for later discussions. Then I shall discuss about the origins and evolution of writing and then proceed to the current issues.

Section 1.1

The foundation for any languages are sounds. Sounds make phonemes. The phonemes in turn make up words, the words then sentences and so on. Sentences fully describe a thought. As expression of thoughts, a language is a collection of sentences.

People express their ideas in a given language through speaking. It is only 5000 years ago that people started writing (1). This is a short time. Even today, many a nation and nationality use the spoken word to exchange ideas. The situation in our country is not different from this.

To express thoughts through writing, symbols that represent sounds, words or phonemes are needed. These symbols have to be, of course, understood by the users of the language. Languages that have these symbols are called written languages whereas those that do not have them are known simply as spoken languages. This art of expressing thoughts through symbols is called writing and the nature of writing as writing system. Script is the term that is used to describe the symbols as a whole (2).

Section 1.2

There are three types of writing systems in the world; namely, logographic, syllabic and alphabetic. The logographic system was used first around 5000 years ago (3). Its place of origin is in the areas of Palestine and Syria (4).

In the logographic system, one symbol represents one word. A language of 100,000 words, for example, could have symbols as many as 50,000 - 60,000. Note that synonyms will share the same symbol. The old Chinese writing system is one example (5).

In the syllabic system, a symbol represents not a sound but a phoneme. What we call a phoneme is a combination of a vowel and a consonant. In this system, the numbers of symbols needed for a given language is determined by the number of basic sounds used. For example, if a language has 25 consonants and 5 vowels, the total number of phonemes will be 125 (25x5). And to represent these 125 phonemes, 125 symbols will be needed. A user will have to clearly and distinctively know each of these 125 symbols. That is when we say a user is "literate".

In the syllabic system, it is possible only to point out to the phonemes but not the vowels and consonants that comprise it. This is possible only in what is called the alphabetic system. This writing system originated from the syllabic systems used in the Semitic languages of the Middle East. It is also called the Greek Alphabet because its origin is strongly tied to the Greeks. The Romans later adopted it from the Greek and helped its wide usage in their colonies in the Latin language. As a result, this system is now known as the Latin alphabet. The majority of the Western world uses this alphabet. African countries which were colonized by the West also do use this script.

Section 1.3
The Ethiopians are the only people that differ from the users mentioned above. The difference lies in the fact that our writing system, unlike the Greek and the Latin which use the alphabetic system, is the prior syllabic system (6). This system was introduced to the northen part of Ethiopia approximately 2500 years ago by the Semitic Sabean people of Southern Arabia. As a result, this version of the Feedel (script) is also known as a Sabean script (7).

(The looks of the Sabean script are included in the original paper...but could not be reproduced here for e-mail ASCII format. 29 distinct characters comprise the sabean script..some look like the current Ethiopics, some resemble characters found in Hebrew, Arabic etc.)

Even though this writing system is basically a syllabic system, the vowels inside each phoneme are not represented by a number of vowels but by a single vowel. This vowel is "AA" (ASCII can not represent it but it is the Ethiopic equivalent as used in "AAre..gud fela, AAre ykrta, etc..."). As a result, sentence like [Kasa meTa] (Kasa has come) would have been written as [Ks mT]. A user would read the last sentence as the desired [Kasa meTa] only from experience and from the context of the writing. In this particular example, a user would read [Ks] as Kasa or perhaps Kasu because it is the first word in a sentence and a sentence usually starts with a proper noun or a name.

In this system, a sentence is written from right to left and then back to right! The system was used for a long time in the northen part of Ethiopia, particularly, Yoha until the Axumite time whence it gave way to Geez.

The Geez language became a written language only after it took 24 of the 29 Sabean characters and modified 16 of them into a different look. It also took 2 additional characters from the Greek script, namely, P and PP (the P as in Abune Petros).

In addition to the change in the form of the 16 characters, Geez adopted a number of different vowels instead of the 1 used by Sabean. The style of writing was also restricted and modified to left to right. Geez used such a script and writing system between the 4th and 7th century.

In the same way that Geez took and modified Sabean scripts to become a full-fledged written language, Amharic also took the Geez scripts and became a written language. However, unlike Geez, Amharic took all the 26 characters of its predecessor, among which we find the "extra" characters that make similar sounds in the "ha" , "se", "Se", etc, family. It is believed that it is because of the pressure from the church and the state that all these characters were maintained.

On top of the 26 characters, Amharic also needed additional characters to represent sounds that it acquired from Cushitic languages. This was done by placing a small bar (or hat) on top of 7 characters that were inherited from Geez. Examples are "she", "che", "Ce", "je", "Gne" or "Ne", "He" and "zhe". Amharic had now, by this time, 33 characters. The total number of syllables is accordingly 231 (33x7).

There haven’t been changes in the rather large number of shapes and variations in the script adopted by Amharic, mainly due to the influence of the church and the state.

Section 1.4

Like Amharic, Tigrigna and Oromigna became written languages by taking the Geez script (Feedel). Even though I do not know about the Tigrigna, the native of Illubabor, one Aba Anesimos Nesibu was the one who started writing Oromigna in the Geez Feedel to teach the Gospel. This has indicated, in addition to the Literacy Campaign of the late 80’s, that other Ethiopian languages could use this script to become full-fledged written languages. The basic argument is that all Ethiopian languages could become written languages by taking the basic Feedel and making similar modifications. And this argument is not forwarded without any basis. Most of the languages in our country are similar in the look and quantity of their basic sounds. For example, if we take the case of Oromigna and Amharigna, we will find out that out of the 27 consonants in Amharic, 23 of them are used in Oromigna. In the same token, out of the 24 consonants in Oromigna, 23 of them are found and used in Amarigna. If such kind of remarkable similarities exist between two or more languages, the script used by one of the languages could also be used by the other effectively. And it has been done so far.

Part II

In general, if the origin and growth of Feedel (Ethiopics) is as indicated above from Sabean to Geez; from Geez to Amarigna, Oromigna, Tigrigna etc and in the future, to Wolaitgna, Afargna etc, then what brought the question of replacing it by Latin for some of Ethiopia’s languages (7)?

For this question, one Addis Ababa University professor (Tilahun Gameta), had tried to give an answer in a TV program broadcasted on November 7, 1991 (tikimt 29, 1984 E.C). According to the interview he gave in the TV program, the following were the reasons cited for this change to the Latin script:

1) The Latin alphabet has 26 characters whereas the "Sabean" has 186 characters.

2) The "Sabean" script makes it difficult to differentiate between the long vowels and short consonants.

3) Type writers and computer word-processors use the Latin script. As a result, using the Latin script will save researchers and linguists traveling to North America and Europe for conferences etc. from the necessity of carrying "Sabean" based word-processors and type-writers.

4) Unlike the "Sabean" script, the Latin script is easier and takes shorter time learn how to read and write.

5) If we insist on using the "Sabean" script, we will need to introduce additional symbols to indicate syllables, accents, shortening and lengthening of sounds. Manufacturing a type-writer for such additional symbols will cost a lot of money. Using such symbols will also take long time to type.

6) Until now, we do not have much Oromo literature written using "Sabean" except the works of Aba Anesimos. It is also not difficult to translate the few available ones to a Latin based one. Since it is like starting from nothing, it will not hurt to start using Latin.

7) There are a lot of foreigners who would like to learn Oromigna. Using Latin instead of "Sabean" will help these people.

8) Since the technologically advanced countries like the US and England use the Latin script, using the same script will help us to mingle with a lot of people. In addition, our neighbors, the Somalis and Kenyans use Latin and our adopting it will help us to promote closeness.

9) If our students learn using the Latin script at the elementary and secondary level, it will be easier for them to learn English and French languages since these languages use the same script.

Part III

(Translation by Minga Negash, Rhodes University, South Africa)

Though the number of reasons (listed above) total nine, they could have been summarized (best) by the first three. One could also add one additional factor. They are: linguistic (1&2), technological (3&5), educational (4,6,7 &9) and social (6 & 8). I will concentrate only on the four. Since the reasons are not only linguistic, some of the points that I shall be raising may slightly deviate me from my (main) topic. Readers should take note of the context in which the topic (writing systems) is being discussed.

Before going into the details of the arguments, I would like to comment on the use of one key word. It is the word "Saba" that is used in the context of "yeSaba feedel" (Saba scripts). Basically the scripts that we are using today are not "yeSaba feedel". This is not controversial. As noted above, we do not see any one who writes (using these scripts) from right to left (in the land of Ethiopia). The script in use is not Sabean (yeSaba). It is Geez script. Foreigners refer to it as "Ethiopic". If the speaker has made this note inadvertently, it is not a problem. It could be corrected easily. However, I do not believe that this is the case. I think the selection of the word is a carefully planned one. It is aimed at preempting questions that may have implications on state (Ethiopian) nationalism. It is designed to counter arguments that may be raised in defence of Geez. For instance, if someone says Latin scripts are foreign, the pre-prepared counter argument will also emphasis that Geez scripts too are foreign. The basis for my statement is what I encountered in Germany at the 1986 symposium on Omotic and Kushitic languages. At that conference, a sympathizer of the Oromo Liberation Front presented a similar opinion. Since then the use of the word "yeSaba" (as a counter argument) has continued and is being promoted (by certain quarters). Whatever the purpose may be, the scripts that are in use today are not "yeSaba feedel". It is Geez. And Geez is not an immigrant; it is indigenous. Its birth place is Axum; the heart land of ancient Ethiopia. Geez mentions Sabean. This is not only necessary but also proper. What would have been improper is if Geez had gone oversees by ignoring what had been in use in the nearby places for centuries.

Today Geez is no longer a spoken language. However, Geez scripts have been serving the languages of many nationalities. The scripts do not belong to only one nationality. It has become the "feedel" of Ethiopia. In short, Geez language died a long time ago after inheriting its "feedel" to Ethiopia. The language's birth place is Ethiopia and its nationality is Ethiopian. It does not exist in any other place. Therefore, it is one of our cultural treasures that makes us distinct from other peoples (nations).

Let us now concentrate on the alleged reasons for adopting Latin scripts. The first issue raised is about the number of the scripts. Geez scripts number more than Latin. This situation is alleged to have implications on making someone literate. How true is this point? If we compare the two scripts grossly (without an insight), the argument looks plausible. If we take that line of argument, the "fact" looks that the Latin scripts are "26" while that of Geez are "189". The point however is not on the number of scripts per se but on what they (the scripts) indicate. The Latin scripts indicate sound while the Geez scripts indicate syllables (keelem). There is a difference between the two. As noted earlier, a syllable (keelem) is a combination of vowels or vowels and consonants. Sound is not a combination. It has no combination but it is a singular (neTela) thing. Thus, before we start comparing the two scripts, we have to realise this point and further, we have to decide on the nature of the parameters used for comparison. If our basis of comparison is sound, then there aren’t many differences between Latin and Geez. If we say the Latin has 26, then Geez has (only) 27. This number (27) is arrived after counting from "haa" to "PPe". If the comparison is script (keelem), again there isn't much difference. The reasons is that Latin has 130 (26x5) scripts while Geez has 189 (27X7). This of course is when we count all the scripts; from "Kabe'e" to "sabe'e".

Under these circumstances, one may (naively) support what the speaker has said: An individual who wants to become literate in Latin has to know the 26 scripts; not 130 (kelemoch). However, this is not a correct statement. Each Latin script has at least two forms. For instance if we take "a", it has two forms. It has both capital and small letters. Again, if we take "b", it has three forms. Capital, small and its cursive form. All the other alphabets follow similar situations. Therefore, the total number of Latin scripts is not what the speaker has claimed. They are at least sixty (60). Moreover, unlike the Geez scripts, the signs of the Latin scripts do not follow patterns. Each script is distinct and therefore different from the others. As a result of this, one has to study each character on its own in order to become literate. Unfortunately, this is the only method of knowing them. In contrast, Geez scripts can be studied by relating them to one another.

With regard to the time frame that is need for learning Latin scripts, again it is difficult to take seriously what the speaker has said. The belief that a student can learn the Latin scripts within (just) a month is doubtful. Even if one takes this statement seriously, what one may learn during this period can not go much; beyond distinguishing the characters. He can not read and write using Latin in such a short period of time. The two skills (knowing the alphabets versus using them) are different. The fact that one knows the Latin alphabets does not imply that he is able to read and write (by using them). The names of Latin scripts and the sounds that they represent are different. Let us take the letter "a". Its name is "aa". However, the sound it represents is not always "aa". This script is represented as "aa" in situations like [da] "be", [da'so] 'temple, [tasi:] 'hatchet' type of Oromigna words. In many other situations, for example in [bar'u:] "learn", [garba] "slave" [kam] "which" it is read as "a'". This implies wherever the reader finds the letter "a" he has to make a choice among competing (confusing) meanings. Therefore, words like "beru" can be read as "baru" or still another person can read it as "beru". This confusion can not be realised from the forms of the scripts. Hence, knowing only the names of the Latin scripts is not of (any) help for reading (Oromigna) correctly. In order to overcome the problem, one has to learn (afresh) the reading process. This requires education on its own. It is not a skill that can be obtained by (from) knowing the scripts. This point is not difficult to conceptualize. It is a common experience of most people who (learn) use the English language.

In contrast to the speaker's assertions, an individual who becomes literate in Geez scripts will be able to read and write until he or she dies. Whenever he encounters a new word, the individual does not have to consult a dictionary to see how the word is read. In addition, even through in form (be'ayinet) the number of the scripts are 189, their real number is not that high. That is, as noted above, Geez scripts are not very different from each other. Once the first sets (base) of Geez scripts are known, most of the other scripts can be studied easily by making orderly extensions (to the base). Mostly, it involves adding a dash (-) either on one of their sides, or on their bottoms (legs), etc. In short, the scripts are not totally dissimilar. I feel that all those teachers who were involved in the literacy programme are aware of this fact. The problem lies not on the scripts (themselves) but on the method of teaching. Hence, a teacher who understands well how the Geez scripts are formed should not have a problem to teach all the scripts in a (relatively) short period of time.

Let us move to the second reason for adopting Latin, that is: Geez scripts are weak in representing long sounds and stresses. This is correct statement. If there is one reason for adopting Latin, this should be the only one. Geez scripts in their present form can not show clearly stresses and/or long sounds. As a result of this, alternative (ashami) meanings can be created. For instance, in the Oromigna word of "beru", short and long vowels can not be identified (from the script). In addition the consonant (r'e or rr'ee) can not be known whether it has to be stressed. Therefore, the whole word is subject to different interpretations.

This problem, however is arising only if the word is found in isolation (out of context). When we move into a phrase situation, whether it has to be stressed or not and short or long can be known from the context in which the word is said. Oromigna news readers have been solving this problem by looking at the context.

In Amarigna too the problem exists. For example in the word "gena" the "n'e" can be stressed or not. As a result of this, the word can have two meanings. Nonetheless, this confusion can be solved by looking at the context in which the word is said. In the sentence "ato kasa legeNa beg yigezalu" (Mr. Kasa will buy a sheep for Christmas), the "n'e" will be stressed. While in the sentence " kasa gena mesa albelam" (Kasa has not yet eaten his lunch), the "n'e" will not be stressed. This is an issue that any speaker of (any) language could see the differences; without any education.

The Latin script too is not immune to this problem. For example if we take the English language, words like "export" are read (understood) either as verb(s) or as noun(s). This means it is impossible to tell whether they are nouns or verbs, from the scripts. This is known from the context in which they are used. The reading of verbs and nouns is also different. Again, this difference can not be known from the forms of the script; but from the context.

There is one important lesson we get from this discussion. Both the Latin and Geez scripts and writing systems (for that matter any other script) can not always exactly represent a word as desired by the speaker. Context is the only way to overcome this. Context is a tool that helps us to remedy whatever a writing system fails to represent a word or sound adequately. In all the writing systems, there is always a difference between a sound and the symbol that represents it. For example, someone was said to have remarked: "English is a langauge where ‘Bombay’ is read as ‘Calcutta’." In view of this, the alleged shortcoming of Geez script and writing system pales because anyone who knows how to read and write in this script will never read ‘Bombay’ as ‘Calcutta’; unless, of course, he/she is insane.

Despite this, though, there have been a number of attempts to overcome this alleged difficulty to represent long and short sounds. I shall mention only two of these studies (14). One of the studies suggests placing dots on top of the stressed sound and after the long sound.

However such a remedy does not look feasible because of the belief that it will require additional symbols on current type-writers. This was, of course, repeatedly mentioned by the speaker as the reasons outlined (in 3 and 5) to resort to the Latin script. This, however, is basically a technological problem; not a linguistics problem. It is the job of people in the technical fields to design, produce and market an efficient writing tool that helps to write a given script. A lot has been done with this regard. For example, this article itself (the Amharic) was written using a computer software. The computer is based on the Latin script but the software itself converts each typed Latin script to that of the Geez. That is why, as opposed to what the preacher said, a researcher will never need to carry around a type-writer whenever he/she travels for conferences etc. All he needs to carry is the diskette for the software and the document.

Other writing systems also use similar methods to overcome this difficulty. The Chinese writing system has the most number of scripts in the world. However, it has never been discarded and replaced by the Latin script by saying that it is not convenient for today’s technology. what has changed is not the script but technology itself. Not only has technology produced a type-writer for it but also software have been written for using the Chinese script. In addition to being a writing system, this script, like other scripts, is also a symbol of identity of a people. That is why, let alone replace it by another script, even changing it was not an option. I believe the Geez script should also be treated in a similar way. As mentioned before, this script is ours and is found in only in our country (Ethiopia). Therefore, I believe, it should be a national symbol that should bring pride. Like all national heritage and assets, it should be protected and taken care of but not sold and replaced as an ordinary item.

But this doesn’t mean, it shouldn’t be improved. For example there is another method for addressing the problem of indicating stressed and long sounds. The method involves not symbols such as dots but, like Latin does, writing the "sads" (6-th) consonant of the stressed sound and the vowel. For example the Amharic word "gena" (Christmas), could be written as: "gen na" to show that ‘n’ is stressed. In the same token the Oromiggna word "beru" could be written as "beru Au" to show that "Au" sound is long and that "r" is stressed.

In my opinion, this method looks more feasible than the first one. It avoids the difficulty of placing more symbols in writing tools. It also requires less characters than that would be needed if Latin was used. For example "beru Au" will require only 4 characters in Geez but 6 in Latin. Thirdly, this method can serve not only Amariggna and Oromiggna but other Ethiopian languages if enough research is carried out.

If this solution becomes feasible, there will be no linguistics reason to resort to the Latin script. And I do not think there is any reason why it shouldn’t be feasible. With this in mind, if there is any reason to resort to the Latin script, it can not be a linguistic reason but rather, perhaps, a political one. If it is indeed a political reason, then it should come as such and not clothed in the garb of linguistics. As indicated above, the Geez script, after the Geez language ceased to be used, does not have exclusive ownership relationship with any other language. The only relation it has, today, is with the country as a whole. It is now the script of Ethiopia as a whole and not that of a single nation or nationality. That is why any nation/nationality could use it as its own by improvising on it. All indications over the years are along the same lines. However, despite this, if a nation/nationality decides to use some other script, it is its right. But giving inadequate reasons to discredit the Geez script by self-appointed spokesperson does not provide a solution.

Part IV
The last point mentioned by the speaker in the TV program is in fact more of literature and not a linguistics one. It should be understood before hand, that the following discussion might divert from the linguistic discussion I pursued so far. The speaker tried to point out above that, except for the works like "meShafe qulqulu", the Oromo language does not have much literature written in the Geez (Ethiopics) script. Even the ones written in this script, according to the speaker, could be translated to a Latin based script in a short time.

It is possible to isolate two basic understandings from the above statements of the speaker. The first one is that for any nation or nationality to have a literature, all works need to be written in its language. The other point, much related to the first one, is that any literary piece written in Amharic is the heritage of only the Amhara people. However, for anyone who understands the fact that Amharic is the lingua-franca of the country, it is clear that such an outlook is far from reality in a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual country such as Ethiopia.

Since the beginning of the 20-th century, the fact that the central government has been administering the country in a modern bureaucracy in a unitary political system by using the Amharic language in administration, education and mass communication has helped the language grow and expand. Writers who are the products of this system and who hail from the various nationalities that constitute the country have presented their works to the public in this language because they understood that the language has become a common language. Among these writers are the Oromo writers, Fitawrari Deressa Amente, Tadesse Liben, Kajela Wako, Beka Nemo and Solomon Deressa. Particularly, Yilma Deressa and Solomon Deressa (16, 17) had realized that Amharic literature is an Ethiopian literature and had made tremendous contribution by pointing out its weaknesses and outlining their vision for the path it should pursue. Just because writers such as S. Deressa and Y. Deressa had used Amharic, it can not be argued that their work is not the heritage of the Oromo people.

In a multi-lingual society, the ownership of a literary piece written in a given language is determined not by the identity of the language itself or by the ethnic origin of the writer, but rather by the social-life the writings reflect and the society they are written about. For example if we take Tsegaye Gebre Medhin’s "Boren" and "Atete" (17) poems, we realize that even though they were written in Amharic, the messages they carry reflect the culture of the Oromo people. In the same token, the play "Oda Oak Oracle" (18) that was written in English is a literary piece that reflects the ancient culture of the Wolaita people. Hence, if we are led just by the language used to decide whose heritage are Tsegaye’s works, we will end up attributing the first two works to the Amhara and the last one to the English or the American people. On the other hand, if we use the content of these pieces to decide whose heritage they are, it becomes clear that the first works are that of the Oromo and the last one that of the Wolaita people. If one insists in classifying the writer by the language he/she produced the article, we will end up in the nonsensical game of classifying the writer as Amhara or English. But the fact of the matter remains that the both the writer and his works are much bigger than counting ethnic groups and carry the identity of Ethiopian-ness.

Most of Ethiopia’s writers have tried many a times to leave a positive impact on the minds and lives of their readers, by transcending ethnic differences and concentrating on issues that affect the whole populace of the country. The characters in their writings were not given roles based on their ethnic identity but by their contribution to the themes the writers want to pass through these literary works. For example, Haddis Alemayehu had used Gojjam in "Fkr Iske Meqabr", Addis Ababa in "Lmzhet", and Illubabor in "WenjelegNaw DagNa" as backdrops for his novels. His themes in these works were about the social, political and economic injustices done on our people in the past Feudal system while his characters were the likes of Dr. Hagos Berhe, KegNazmach Gurmesa Birana and Asaye Mebratu who were taken from the different nationalities of the country.

In a similar token, veteran writers of the country had contributed their share in the long struggle of the people for equality and justice because they were not slaves of narrow nationalism and were able to consider the plight of the Ethiopian people as theirs. Abe Gubegna who could be cited as an example was sent to exile. The likes of Bealu Girma had sacrificed their lives. The literary works of these people were written for the Ethiopian people and the heritage belongs to none other than the Ethiopian people. Today, when self-appointed people who claim to stand for the interest of the various nationalities, go about claiming that a nation/nationality has no or little prior literature just to divide it with the rest of the country, they are denying the common life and History shared at least eighty years by the people of this country. Despite this, the literature of a nation/nationality can flourish, not out of the blues, as the speaker pointed out, but by starting from the written heritage this group has shared with the rest of the country’s people. As much as Amarignna reached its current status by the experience it inherited from the Geez literature, any future development of Oromo literature or any other nationality’s literature need to start from the experience and heritage of the Amarignna one. This is so because as long as nations and nationalities live and interact together, this type of intermingling and inheritance of culture is an inevitable natural process beyond the control and intervention of humans.

Let us go to the last point. It is again not a linguistic point. As mentioned as item no 8, the speaker had said that the use of the Latin script will enable the Oromo people to interact with the rest of the world that uses the same script, particularly the neighboring countries of Somalia and Kenya. The message of this argument is clear. Does that mean, though, the Oromo people will establish a friendship with Latin script using people in other parts of the world, just because they started using the same script? If the Oromo people, on their own and separate from the rest of the Ethiopian people, had to establish such a friendship, the reason can not be that of script but, perhaps a political one.

However, it is clear that what the speaker really wanted to address is this political issue, but covered in the guise of script. The speaker has tried to argue that the Ethiopian people do not own the Geez script by conveniently ignoring the changes and the additions that were made to the Sabean script. He has also tried to argue that the Oromo people haven’t benefited from their association with the rest of the Ethiopian people, again by conveniently ignoring and denying the Oromo literature works written by veteran Ethiopian writers. The speaker has also tried to argue that the future progress of the Oromo people is not tied to the rest of Ethiopians but with other people who use the Latin script. All what these show is the preparation that is being made to isolate the people. It is now easy to see that the Latin script is being used as part of this preparation. The fact that not even a single advantage was mentioned if the Oromo people continue to use the Geez (Ethiopic) script is a clear indication of this hidden political motive.

Even though, as shown above, there is no linguistic reason why the Latin script should be adopted in favor of the Geez script, the following difficulties will be encountered if it is insisted to use Latin scripts for Oromignna or any other Ethiopian language.

1) Anyone who is trained only in Latin script needs to learn how to read and write in the Geez script if he/she is to go and work in the other part of the country where Geez is used. As a result such a person needs to be literate twice! In terms of time and money, this will cause a tremendous amount of difficulty and inconvenience.

2) Such a measure will also transform the country from a multi-lingual one to a multi-script one. In the same token that one region could adopt Latin, another region could decide to use Arabic script. In other words, an Ethiopian who wants to travel and work in any parts of the country will have to learn at least three scripts and writing systems!

3) The problem does not stop here. Any communication and correspondence with the central government will no longer be done in one writing system but, possibly, with three. In such an event, the central government will have to make additional preparations. All written materials regarding national issues will have to be printed in all the three writing systems. The cost of human labor and training for such an undertaking will not be trivial. If it is decided to hold all such correspondences with the center in only one writing system, the center’s problem might be alleviated but not those of the people. It won’t still save each citizen from being required to learn at least two writing systems; the one being the local regional writing system while the other is the center’s writing system.

4) Even though the speaker has said above that he doesn’t think that the Oromo people will miss anything from things written in the Geez (Ethiopics) script, I, on the other hand still think that it is a required learning for everybody to study the country’s common History (whether good or bad) written and archived in our own script. For this, one needs to learn the Geez script. The understanding and knowledge of a nation/nationality in a region about national and broader issues will grow to be extremely limited if it is insisted that its people should learn the future through written material written in the new scripts only. This will eventually cause a much narrower and limited outlook; much worse than the present.

5) Any future Literacy Campaign will have to focus not only for the totally illiterate part of the populace but also to those who were already literate in the Geez (Ethiopics) script. Isolating and educating the totally illiterate ones will eventually make those that use only the Geez, illiterates too. In general, the whole situation will end up in rendering all those new literate citizens as illiterates. Now, the amount of money that has to be spent and the time to be invested on re-educating all these people in a new script is not trivial at all.

6) The expense is not going to be limited to basic literacy campaigns only. It will be necessary to re-write all teaching and learning materials in the Latin, and possibly, the Arabic writing systems. Judging from where the country stands now, the money and resources that will be spent on such a venture is tremendous. When we realize that, there is no linguistic and technical reason why this should be done to start with, the situation becomes not only worrisome but also sad.

True, it is fitting to mention a valid fact here; that is, it is advantageous if a nation/nationality learns in its own language after an adequate preparation. But that doesn’t mean that each and every nation/nationality has to use a different writing system to do so. All of them could use the same writing system. Doing so will have the advantages mentioned above as points 1-6 and equally importantly, no disadvantage. In short for multi-lingual under-developed countries like Ethiopia, it is uni-script and not multi-script that holds a clear advantage. Adding multi-script to a multi-lingual society results in more problems.

Notes:

1 - Diringer, D., 1962, Writing, London: Thames & Hudson, p.13.

2 - I shall use the word "Feedel" or script for any symbol that could be used for writing. The symbol could stand for sound, phoneme, syllable or word.

3. It used to be called "pictorial system" and was used in ancient Egypt, and Aztecs in South America. In this system, pictures represent whole ideas. There is a school of thought that considers this as the beginning of painting art rather than literature. Since this is a controversial class of system, it is not included in the discussion.

4. The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, Vol. 29, pp. 982-1035.

5. ibid.

6. There are people who think that it is alphabetic instead of syllabic. For the details, look at the work of Tadesse (1990).

7. Gelb, I,J., 1952. A study of Writing, University of Chicago Press, p.27.

8. Tekle Tsadik Mekuria, Egyptian, Sabean and Geez Scripts, Addis Ababa, Tesfa Printing Press, pp. 17.

9. Bender, et al. 1976, The Ethiopian Writing System, in Bender at el, Languages of Ethiopia, London, Oxford University Press, pp. 120-128.

10. Ethiopian Languages Academy, Research and Recommendation on the Amharic Feedel.

11. It was H.E. Ato Abebe Reta who presented this modification.

12. Even though this issue has come to the forefront this time, it was nonetheless around for some time now. Ato Haile Fida had presented a paper on this issue on "Tateq", a publication of Ethiopian students in Europe. The details are given in pp. 24-49 of the 1964-65 issue of the publication. The speaker’s article also had appeared in the Hidar 8, 1984 issue of "Bekelcha Orommia".

13. I do not understand how the speaker claimed the number of letters in Geez is 186. It is in fact 189.

14. For details, you may look at the report of the Ethiopian Languages Academy in 1979 (E.C).

15. Fitawrari Yilma Deressa, 1933 (E.C), "Ye-Addis Zemen Mezmur sle NetSanet kbr ye-Ethiopia weTat tSehafiwoch yederesut", Addis Ababam Ethiopia, Merha Tibebe Printing press.

16. Solomon Deressa, 1969 (E.C). The Amharic Dine Novel, Addis Reporter, pp. 17-22.

17. Tsegaye Gebre Medhin, 1966, Issat wey Abeba, Boren, pp. 51-53, Atete, pp. 87-89.

18. Berhanu Zerihun, "Yederasian Tarnet", Menen Magazine, 13-th year, Number 9, pp. 16-18.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Translator's Note: The above is a translation of an article of Professor Baye Yimam of AAU who wrote in the journal of AAU Teacher’s Association in response to Prof. Tilahun’s article. The article was published in "Wyiyit"- "Dialogue" (Vol. I No 1, 3rd series, March 1992).

I trust Prof. Baye will understand the desire to translate this important piece to English and share it to the community of Ethiopian language lovers and eventually have it archived next to the other piece. All copyrights belong to the editors of "Dialogue" and Prof. Baye. All mistakes in concept, translation, terms etc. could be attributed to the translator and not the writer or editors. A particular area of possible errors will be in the translation of the more technical terms like "qelem". (Samuel Kinde)

EPRP Public Meeting Call in Melbourne

Ethiopia famine dwarfs Somalia's tragedy in scale

A Somali man from southern Somalia constructs a makeshift shelter from tree branches at a camp in Mogadishu, Somalia, today. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

HUNGER UNDER THE RADAR


By Luc Van Kemenade

SHEBEDINO, Ethiopia —  Malnourished children are flocking into feeding centers in this forested corner of southern Ethiopia after a drought in East Africa extended into this normally fertile region.

While the famine in southern Somalia has grabbed headlines, southern Ethiopia is teetering on the brink of a food crisis. The Ethiopian government says 250,000 people need food aid amid what the U.N. says is the worst drought in 60 years. An aid organization and agricultural officials say the number of people who need emergency food aid in Ethiopia is bigger, around 700,000.
 
The rains never came as they usually do late February to the end of May. If they fail again in August, there won't be a harvest in September.

People without food aid will “definitely be in trouble,” World Food Program officer Yohannes Desta said. “Do these people have enough resilience to survive? I don't think so.”

About 1.3 million southerners received aid earlier this year from a government safety net program that ended in June, said Yohannes Desta, a World Food Program officer. Most of those people, whom Desta calls the “poorest of the poor,” still require emergency relief, but instead must scrape by on the few crops they have left or through the goodwill of more fortunate family members or neighbors.

Tsegaye Tilahun, a corn farmer, said he is worried that September won't bring him any yields at all. His previous crops this year ended up being cattle feed after heavy rains destroyed them. After a long dry spell, the plants couldn't absorb the sudden heavy rain.

As a result of losing all his corn and coffee crops, Tsegaye's family went hungry. His daughter Eskael became dangerously underweight and he brought her to a government-run feeding center in Shebedino. He has relied on food handouts for months.

Nurses at a food center in Shebedino, one of many in the region, said they see about 50 severely malnourished children a month. A year ago an average of only six underfed children received treatment there per month.

Berhanu, a 11/2-year-old baby, has twig-thin arms and weighs half of what he should. Shundure Tekamo, a mother of six, brought Berhanu to the feeding center for the second time in six months.

“I'm caught in a dilemma,” she said. “I want to save my child but who is feeding my children at home?”

Shundure said there was no food to feed them when she left home and she expects her husband to come up with an alternative to “improve our life.”

This ethnically diverse region is overpopulated. Most families have six or more people, but farmers till only tiny, state-owned plots.

Farmers should diversify crops and have smaller families, Yohannes said. The Ethiopian government, which is giving out cash to the hungry as food reserves have dwindled, prefers to resettle southern farmers to less densely populated and more fertile areas, mostly hundreds of miles (kilometers) away. This year 86 farmers from Shebedino who the government says have volunteered for resettlement have been moved to Benchmaji in the southwest of Ethiopia.

While the authorities claim the resettled farmers are better off, Yohannes questions its success. “The problem is that people get resettled to places with a different culture and different agricultural practices,” he said.

While chopping with his machete at a false banana tree stem — an edible, drought-resistant plant indigenous to Ethiopia's south — to feed his donkey, Tessema Naramo said he is one of the few villagers whose children don't face malnutrition. Tessema is an 80-year old farmer and father of nine. His oldest is 37. The youngest is 5.

“The weather has changed and ruined my harvest in the last couple of years, so I diversified my crops,” he said. Next to the usual corn and coffee, he planted banana and avocado trees and started growing eucalyptus trees, which people use for firewood or house-building material. It turned out to be a lucrative business.

But now amid the prolonged drought, Naramo is using his crops to feed his own family, “and even that is hardly enough.”

With the possibility that things may turn more dire if the rains don't come, it still not clear how many people need food aid here. The government says 250,000 do, though local officials in the south's agricultural bureau asked the government to provide aid to at least 385,000 more people, said Getatchew Lema, a local food security coordinator. The World Food Program says at least 700,000 require emergency relief.

If more rain doesn't come, those numbers will continue to rise, and more aid will be needed from the international community. Aid agencies are already trying to cope with the famine and are seeking more donations.

Across the Horn of Africa, more than 12 million people need food aid. Besides Somalia and Ethiopia, the drought has also hit Kenya and Djibouti.

Punjab farmers to grow multiple crops in Ethiopia

ABEBE GELLAW: COMPROMISING BIRTUKAN MIDIKSA

በUNHCR ስራ ሞት ይደንግጥ....የመን ያለ ስደተኛ መደንገጥ ትቷል

 

Chomsky Denounces Chavez for 'Assault' on Democracy

By Rory Carroll, Guardian UK (03 July 2011)

Noam Chomsky denounces old friend Hugo Chávez for 'assault' on democracy. Renowned American intellectual accuses the Venezuelan leader of concentrating too much power in his own hands.

Hugo Chávez has long considered Noam Chomsky one of his best friends in the west. He has basked in the renowned scholar's praise for Venezuela's socialist revolution and echoed his denunciations of US imperialism.
 

Venezuela's president, who hasrevealed that he has had surgery in Cuba to remove a cancerous tumour, turned one of Chomsky's books into an overnight bestseller after brandishing it during a UN speech. He hosted Chomsky in Caracas with smiles and pomp. Earlier this year Chávez even suggested Washington make Chomsky the US ambassador to Venezuela.
 

The president may be about to have second thoughts about that, because his favourite intellectual has now turned his guns on Chávez.
 

Speaking to the Observer last week, Chomsky has accused the socialist leader of amassing too much power and of making an "assault" on Venezuela's democracy.
 

"Concentration of executive power, unless it's very temporary and for specific circumstances, such as fighting world war two, is an assault on democracy. You can debate whether [Venezuela's] circumstances require it: internal circumstances and the external threat of attack, that's a legitimate debate. But my own judgment in that debate is that it does not."
 

Chomsky, a linguistics professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, spoke on the eve of publishing an open letter (see below) that accuses Venezuela's authorities of "cruelty" in the case of a jailed judge.
 

The self-described libertarian socialist says the plight of María Lourdes Afiuni is a "glaring exception" in a time of worldwide cries for freedom. He urges Chávez to release her in "a gesture of clemency" for the sake of justice and human rights.
Chomsky reveals he has lobbied Venezuela's government behind the scenes since late last year after being approached by the Carr Center for human rights policy at Harvard University. Afiuni earned Chávez's ire in December 2009 by freeing Eligio Cedeño, a prominent banker facing corruption charges. Cedeño promptly fled the country.
 

In a televised broadcast the president, who had taken a close interest in the case, called the judge a criminal and demanded she be jailed for 30 years. "That judge has to pay for what she has done."
 

Afiuni, 47, a single mother with cancer, spent just over a year in jail, where she was assaulted by other prisoners. In January, authorities softened her confinement to house arrest pending trial for corruption, which she denies.
"Judge Afiuni has suffered enough," states Chomsky's letter. "She has been subject to acts of violence and humiliations to undermine her human dignity. I am convinced that she must be set free."
 

Amnesty International and the European parliament, among others, have condemned the judge's treatment but the intervention of a scholar considered a friend of the Bolivarian revolution, which is named after the hero of Venezuelan independence, Simón Bolívar, is likely to sting even more.
 

Speaking from his home in Boston, Chomsky said Chávez, who has been in power for 12 years, appeared to have intimidated the judicial system. "I'm sceptical that [Afiuni] could receive a fair trial. It's striking that, as far as I understand, other judges have not come out in support of her … that suggests an atmosphere of intimidation."
 

He also faulted Chávez for adopting enabling powers to circumvent the national assembly. "Anywhere in Latin America there is a potential threat of the pathology of caudillismo [authoritarianism] and it has to be guarded against. Whether it's over too far in that direction in Venezuela I'm not sure, but I think perhaps it is. A trend has developed towards the centralisation of power in the executive which I don't think is a healthy development."
 

Chomsky expressed concern over Chávez's cancer and wished the president a full and prompt recovery.
 

Chomsky's book "Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance" became a publishing sensation after Chávez waved a copy during a UN address in 2006 famous for his denunciation of President George W. Bush as a devil.
 

Its author remains fiercely critical of the US, which he said had tortured Bradley Manning, alleged source of the diplomatic cables exposed by WikiLeaks, and continued to wage a "vicious, unremitting" campaign against Venezuela.
 

The Chávez government deserved credit for sharply reducing poverty and for its policies of promoting self-governing communities and Latin American unity, Chomsky said. "It's hard to judge how successful they are, but if they are successful they would be seeds of a better world."
 

Leonardo Vivas, co-ordinator of Latin American initiatives at the Carr Center, said that Afiuni's case was the most prominent example of the erosion of justice in several Latin American countries. The Center hoped that Caracas would now heed Chomsky.
 

"He is one of the most important public intellectuals in the US and is respected by the Venezuelan government."
 

The decision to lobby publicly was taken because quiet diplomacy had limits, said Vivas.
 

Chávez, who is convalescing in Cuba, has a reputation for lashing back at criticism, raising the risk that the Afiuni initative could backfire. "That could happen," said Vivas. "But that would mean recognition of the problem."
Chomsky's Letter
 

Judge María Lourdes Afiuni Has Suffered Enough
 

With this public letter I want to express my open support of the liberty of judge María Lourdes Afiuni, detained in Venezuela since December 2009. In November of last year I was informed of her situation by the Latin American initiative of the Carr Center for human rights policy at Harvard University. Ever since, I have been directly involved in mediation efforts with the Venezuelan government, with the purpose of releasing her from prison through a gesture of clemency by President Chávez.
 

Judge Afiuni had my sympathy and solidarity from the very beginning. The way she was detained, the inadequate conditions of her imprisonment, the degrading treatment she suffered in the Instituto Nacional de Orientación Femenina, the dramatic erosion of her health and the cruelty displayed against her, all duly documented, left me greatly worried about her physical and psychological wellbeing, as well as about her personal safety.
 

Those reasons motivated me in December 2010 to address, jointly with the Carr Center, a petition for an official pardon from the president in the context of the yearly presidential amnesties.
 

In January I received with relief the news that Venezuela's attorney general had suggested house arrest for judge Afiuni given her fragile health condition, which ended up with emergency surgery. Being in her house with her family and with adequate medical attention has been without doubt a significant improvement of her situation.
 

However, judge Afiuni has suffered enough. She has been subject to acts of violence and humiliations to undermine her human dignity. I am convinced that she must be set free, not only due to her physical and psychological health conditions, but in conformance with the human dignity the Bolivarian revolution presents as a goal. In times of worldwide cries for freedom, the detention of María Lourdes Afiuni stands out as a glaring exception that should be remedied quickly, for the sake of justice and human rights generally and for affirming an honourable role for Venezuela in these struggles.
 

For the above reasons I want Venezuelans to be aware of my total solidarity with judge Afiuni, while I affirm my unwavering commitment with the efforts advanced by the Carr Center in Harvard University to release her from imprisonment. At the same time, I shall keep high hopes that President Chávez will consider a humanitarian act that will end the judge's detention.

Gunmen kill Ethiopian peacekeeper in Sudan's Darfur

Reuters
 
KHARTOUM (July 3, 2011) - Gunmen shot dead an Ethiopian peacekeeper and injured one of his comrades in Sudan's Darfur region on Thursday, his joint U.N/African Union mission said on Saturday. Attackers opened fire on a U.N. van carrying the men from the airport outside El Geneina, capital of West Darfur state, to the town, the UNAMID peacekeeping mission said in a statement.
 
"This is the 29th peacekeeper killed since the mission was set up (at the beginning of 2008)," said UNAMID spokesman Kemal Saiki, adding he did not know why the attack took place.
 
"One officer was hit in the chest and ... died on his way to hospital."
 
Fighting flared in the remote western territory in 2003 after mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms against Khartoum, accusing it of marginalising the region. Khartoum mobilised troops and mostly Arab militias to crush the uprising, unleashing a wave of violence called genocide by Washington and activists. Khartoum denies the charge.
 
The violence has died down since the mass killings reported in the early days of the conflict. But law and order have collapsed and the area has been hit by attacks by bandits, militias, troops, rival rebel factions and tribal groups.
 
The other peacekeeper, also an Ethiopian, was being treated in hospital, said Saiki.

በአንድ ሳምንት ውስጥ ሁለት ኢትዮጵያዊያን በስለት ታረዱ

New Report: Norway weakens food security

TAPER: Ethiopian farmers lose when foreign companies buy up farmland in Africa,

according to new report. Among the investors is also Norway. Reuters

By Pernille Dvergedal

(AP) The new report concludes that Norway oil fund gives foreign companies control of the topsoil at the expense of locals.

NOT SUSTAINABLE: Wenche Fone Church Aid
believes there is an urgent need for review
of the consequences of "land grabbing". Reuters

- The Fund will promote sustainable development and this can hardly be called that. But we see that they invest in many companies that are climate worst in the world. Here they have a way to go, says Wenche Fone and development policy leader NCA.

Norway will be one of the world's leading countries when it comes to development in poor countries, however, we support companies that work against sustainable development, according to a new U.S. report. We take from the poor and give to ourselves. For where large companies from USA, Europe, North Africa and Asia, serving on the purchase of cheap African soil, they lose their local farmers both jobs and food security, according to a series of reports about the sale of agricultural land from Oakland Institute. And investors are your savings in the form of oil fund.
 

Fone believes it is a great need for a review of the consequences of what is called "land grabbing":

- It is very unfortunate. Large capital of driving small farmers. We do not generally believe that this is local small farmers to succeed. They lose the right to their own soil. The very serious in a situation of food crisis. They are already suffering instability and high food prices.

- Can not think of anything

Petroleum Fund's Advisory Council on Ethics has excluded some companies because of unethical activity, but none of these have been linked to investments in agricultural land in Africa. It is not something they are considering currently.

- We can not think of everything all the time. We have selected some sites that we think are particularly important, such as child labor, climate and water management, where we believe we can make a difference, says Øystein Sjolie from Norges Bank, which is responsible for the operational management of the Fund.

He would not comment on individual companies that are involved in land acquisition, or what kind of dialogue, Norges Bank has with them, but says that it is difficult to have a complete overview of all the companies' activities. The acquisitions have a negative effect on development in the countries he is skeptical.

- In general, good for a country to get investment from foreign companies that have greater expertise. It has also been considerable economic growth in the poorest parts of the world in recent years. It is difficult to imagine that it has nothing to do with foreign investment to do.

- They invest in almost all
Andrew P. Krog Lund, Head of Environment and Development Organization in DevelopmentDoes not agree with Sjolie:

- I have never been told about such success stories. It would surprise me if there were such cases. It is one of the reasons that the world community is concerned about the issue. In principle, countries need the land itself, to cook for themselves.

He believes we take with one hand and give with the other.

- They invest in almost anything. It was a great political battle to get through the Oil Fund would be subject to ethical guidelines. Now the second phase of the struggle that the Fund says it is impossible to go through the individual companies.

Director General of Treasury, Martin Skancke, says there is a continuous evaluation of the ethical considerations that should be taken, but that "land grabbing" is not one of them so far:

- In sum, we have a good and robust system that is a good example for many. I have not seen the report and could not comment on individual companies, but we have a very high ethical threshold in relation to other companies.

Desperate sellers

High prices for food and other commodities, as well as a matunderskudd in many countries agricultural land in Africa an attractive investment for Norway. The average price for land is one-tenth of what it is in Brazil or Argentina. African leaders desperate for foreign capital.

Through the Fund invests in companies in Norway that could lead to the local peasants are the losers and undermine food security in countries that already have too little food. Environment and scarce water resources are either not taken into account, writes Oakland Institute. In addition, there is a lack of transparency surrounding land purchases. Farmers who use the land are in many cases not asked and do not know about the deal before the bulldozers driving into the area.

The reports covers the purchase of agricultural land in Ethiopia, Mali, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia. The Norwegian oil fund has stakes in several companies that are discussed, including Indian Ruchi Soya which controls 250,000 goal in the region Gambell in Ethiopia for the production of soybeans.

- It is difficult to see how any major investment in the country from foreign companies can really be beneficial to local communities - what is needed is investment in local agriculture, says one of the authors, Joan Baxter, to forskning.no

WORLD REFUGEE DAY: THE PLIGHT OF ETHIOPIAN REFUGEES HAS WORSENED

June 20/2011

WORLD REFUGEE DAY:  THE PLIGHT OF ETHIOPIAN REFUGEES HAS WORSENED

From Yemen to Lampadusa,from Libya to Norway the plight of Ethiopian refugees has worsened. Hundreds have died trying to reach safe harbors, hundreds are in squalid prisons all over the world, many more are facing deportation threats and a substantial number have been victimized, beaten and raped by human traffickers.

Much as it may come as a surprise to the Western powers cuddling the Meles Zenawi regime, it is one of the most repressive regimes in the region and thousands are fleeing from it. War, persecution, fear, total insecurity and ethnic discrimination have all pushed Ethiopians to leave their country. More than 35,000 political prisoners languish in dungeons and labor camps all over the country, far too many have been disappeared since 1991; dissent is repressed and ethnic discrimination rampant. The latest example of massacres and State terror is Ogaden but there were many examples over the years. Many journalists have either been jailed or forced into exile. Sale of children for dubious adoption and trafficking of young girls for modern slavery in the Middle East is on the increase.

There are by far too many very valid reasons for Ethiopians to flee from their land. However, their legitimate asylum demands have been rejected more and more not only in neighboring countries but also Europe (including Norway that had a positive reputation the past). SOCEPP calls on all democratic forces and human rights bodies to support the Ethiopian people’s yearning for the respect of their rights and to give due assistance and support to the refugees who are fleeing repression and persecution of all sorts.

INJUSTICE ANYWHERE IS INJUSTICE EVERYWHERE

SOCEPP, POSTFACH 51213, BERLIN 13372,GERMANY

SOCEPP, 30 RIGA COVE, WINNIPEG,MB R2P 2Z7,CANADA

E MAIL: SOCEPP @AOL.COM

WEB SITE: WWW.SOCEPP.DE

Ethiopia's Sport Festival

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

It is common knowledge that the sharp differences between the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) and the Ethiopian People have taken a new shape after the 2010 Ethiopian National Elections more than ever. The way EPRDF had rigged the elections made it evident that the struggle of the Ethiopian People for freedom and democracy in its own country was yet far from over.

Having this in mind, Unity for Democracy and Justice Party (UDJ) was able to sit and discuss the whole range of issues not long after the elections. In particular, the National Executive Committee of UDJ met for several times to look into itself critically. It evaluated every move had it made and checked the footsteps of every executive member before, during and after the elections. The National Executive Committee presented the findings of its evaluation to the National Council with the proposal of setting up a new committee that would analyze the whole situation and prepare its grand strategy and detailed Five-Year Action Plan.

The Strategy Committee that comprised Ato Seeye Abrha, the Honorable Girma Seifu, Ato Belay Fekadu, Ato Dawit Asrade and Ato Daniel Shibeshi, after three months of intense preparation, presented a strategy and five-year document to the National Executive Committee first, and then to the National Council. The Strategy and Five- Year Plan was endorsed by the National Council and was made ready for implementation. The document is in its final shape and will be published and be made available to the public.

Based on the Strategy and Five- Year Plan, UDJ is currently undertaking various activities that are considered necessary for strengthening itself and fostering the peaceful struggle so as to realize its goal of achieving freedom and democracy in Ethiopia.

Therefore, we wish to bring to your attention the following developments within UDJ.

It is to be remembered that the National Council, during its regular meeting on February 6 this year, had made the necessary changes in the membership of the National Executive Committee. The number of UDJ's National Executive Committee members has been reduced from 18 to 13. Accordingly, the former First Vice Chairman, Engineer Gizachew Shiferaw, has been replaced by Dr. Negasso, and has been assigned as the head of the Foreign Relations Committee with the rank of vice chairman. Ato Asrat Tassie has also been assigned as the head of the Organizational Affairs Committee at the rank of vice chairman. Five educated and tested youths have joined the National Executive Committee as non-voting members.

Moreover, the National Council at its regular meeting of May 28, 2011, elected its leaders for different posts that were vacant due to different reasons. Dr, Negasso Gidda was elected as Chairperson of the party, while Ato Andualem Aragie was elected as the Head of Public Relations Committee and Ato Dawit Asrade was elected as the General Secretary of the Party. UDJ will hold its General Assembly in the coming few months.

The strategy of the party has critically analyzed the need for rebranding our party and making it a home for all Ethiopians. We now clearly understand that it is time for liking up all Ethiopians to the peaceful struggle and making an all out- move against the repressive regime is essential.

The supports of the Ethiopian people at home and abroad has been instrumental to the boosting of our confidence to believe in our struggle, fill our deficiencies, delineate our way forward and bestow our party members with clear ideological orientation. We also believe that the continued support of our supporters abroad and of the Ethiopian people at large will contribute greatly to the success of the struggle.

The purpose of my message to you today is, therefore; to renew our relationship, put it in a better shape and call up on every Ethiopian to support UDJ in its struggle ahead. We also would like to have your continued comments and suggestions. We would be very much pleased to receive your comments that could help us rectify our mistakes. We will do our level best to update you on developments within UDJ regularly.

Thank you very much for your support and constructive comments so far.

Sincerely,

Andualem Aragie

Head of Public Relations Committee, UDJ

June 1, 2011

When the Nile Runs Dry

By Brad Holland

A NEW scramble for Africa is under way. As global food prices rise and exporters reduce shipments of commodities, countries that rely on imported grain are panicking. Affluent countries like Saudi Arabia, South Korea, China and India have descended on fertile plains across the African continent, acquiring huge tracts of land to produce wheat, rice and corn for consumption back home.

Some of these land acquisitions are enormous. South Korea, which imports 70 percent of its grain, has acquired 1.7 million acres in Sudan to grow wheat — an area twice the size of Rhode Island. In Ethiopia, a Saudi firm has leased 25,000 acres to grow rice, with the option of expanding. India has leased several hundred thousand acres there to grow corn, rice and other crops. And in countries like Congo and Zambia, China is acquiring land for biofuel production.

These land grabs shrink the food supply in famine-prone African nations and anger local farmers, who see their governments selling their ancestral lands to foreigners. They also pose a grave threat to Africa’s newest democracy: Egypt.

Egypt is a nation of bread eaters. Its citizens consume 18 million tons of wheat annually, more than half of which comes from abroad. Egypt is now the world’s leading wheat importer, and subsidized bread — for which the government doles out approximately $2 billion per year — is seen as an entitlement by the 60 percent or so of Egyptian families who depend on it.

As Egypt tries to fashion a functioning democracy after President Hosni Mubarak’s departure, land grabs to the south are threatening its ability to put bread on the table because all of Egypt’s grain is either imported or produced with water from the Nile River, which flows north through Ethiopia and Sudan before reaching Egypt. (Since rainfall in Egypt is negligible to nonexistent, its agriculture is totally dependent on the Nile.)

Unfortunately for Egypt, two of the favorite targets for land acquisitions are Ethiopia and Sudan, which together occupy three-fourths of the Nile River Basin. Today’s demands for water are such that there is little left of the river when it eventually empties into the Mediterranean.

The Nile Waters Agreement, which Egypt and Sudan signed in 1959, gave Egypt 75 percent of the river’s flow, 25 percent to Sudan and none to Ethiopia. This situation is changing abruptly as wealthy foreign governments and international agribusinesses snatch up large swaths of arable land along the Upper Nile. While these deals are typically described as land acquisitions, they are also, in effect, water acquisitions.

Now, when competing for Nile water, Cairo must deal with several governments and commercial interests that were not party to the 1959 agreement. Moreover, Ethiopia — never enamored of the agreement — has announced plans to build a huge hydroelectric dam on its branch of the Nile that would reduce the water flow to Egypt even more.

Because Egypt’s wheat yields are already among the world’s highest, it has little potential to raise its agricultural productivity. With its population of 81 million projected to reach 101 million by 2025, finding enough food and water is a daunting challenge.

Egypt’s plight could become part of a larger, more troubling scenario. Its upstream Nile neighbors — Sudan, with 44 million people, and Ethiopia, with 83 million — are growing even faster, increasing the need for water to produce food. Projections by the United Nations show the combined population of these three countries increasing to 272 million by 2025 — and 360 million by 2050 — from 208 million now.

Growing water demand, driven by population growth and foreign land and water acquisitions, are straining the Nile’s natural limits. Avoiding dangerous conflicts over water will require three transnational initiatives. First, governments must address the population threat head-on by ensuring that all women have access to family planning services and by providing education for girls in the region. Second, countries must adopt more water-efficient irrigation technologies and plant less water-intensive crops.

Finally, for the sake of peace and future development cooperation, the nations of the Nile River Basin should come together to ban land grabs by foreign governments and agribusiness firms. Since there is no precedent for this, international help in negotiating such a ban, similar to the World Bank’s role in facilitating the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan, would likely be necessary to make it a reality.(Highlighting is that of this poster)

None of these initiatives will be easy to implement, but all are essential. Without them, rising bread prices could undermine Egypt’s revolution of hope and competition for the Nile’s water could turn deadly.

________________

Lester R. Brown is the president of the Earth Policy Institute and the author of “World on the Edge: How to Prevent Environmental and Economic Collapse.”