Plethora of Reasons Why No ‘Millennium’ Celebrations in the Ogaden
By Saafi (Hoodo) Labafidhin
After seeing the title of this terse essay you may think you know the reasons why Ogaden Somalis are not celebrating the ‘Ethiopian Millennium’. You may probably have already guessed dozen tragedies such as war, poverty, underdevelopment, poor infrastructure, and the latest Tigrian People Liberation Front, TPLF, crackdown associated with Ogaden, the land and the people. Poverty although more prevalent in Ogaden is everywhere in Ethiopia, even in the birthplace of Legesse Zenawi, the current head of the Ethiopian autocracy.
In Ogaden though, there are other unique and underlining reasons for Ogaden Somalis not to be in celebratory mood at a time when the rest of Ethiopia is indulging in parties. It is these underlying and unique reasons that explain why Ogaden Somalis are not, have not been and will not be part of the present day Ethiopia or the old Abyssinia.
Coptic Millennium
Overwhelming majority of the Somali people in the Ogaden are Sunni Muslims and have been using the Islamic Hijra Calendar with Hijra months slightly modified with Somali Names (such as Soon, Soonfur, Sidataal, Arafo etc). Besides, the land has been under long and successive brutal colonial powers, Namely the British, Italians and present day Ethiopia, and as a result the land and people have hardly witnesses any progress throughout the past century. Consequently, the proud and lofty nomadic pastoralists
make the bulk of the population.
For them, pastoralists, there are only two times worthy of celebration throughout the Muslim calendar namely: Eidul Fitr and Eidul Adha. For the minority of Ogaden Somalis who were somehow able to live in bigger towns with other Ethiopian highlanders, they, minority, could not swallow the ‘Amete Mihret’ ceteris paribus. If one were to behave like Ethiopians (again other things being equal), one would see that the Ethiopian calendar
has two abbreviated Amharic words A.M (also official) meaning ‘the year of forgiving’ according to the Christian belief. One will thus understand why as Muslims, the Ogaden Somalis, cannot solemnize the Church based Coptic Millennium!
Gregorian Calendar more Popular among Somalis in the Ogaden.
Though similar to the above in some aspects, the Gregorian calendar enjoys much eminence throughout the world and is adopted by many Islamic nations as a second (or first) calendar. On the eve of 2000, seven years ago, I remember when a group of Somali youth (both girls and boys) gathered in a remote village in the Ogaden to welcome the new Gregorian Millennium by discussing the fate and future of our disregarded pastoralists.
Even illiterate camel boys (geeljire) were familiar with the event and were eager to share their Camel Milk with us to welcome the commencement of the new millennia. One of the girls jested if a camel man among us knew Ethiopian calendar to which he replied ‘the only thing I know about Ethiopia is their hostile soldiers!!’ others questioned if Ethiopia had its own calendar. Generally almost all Ogaden Somalis know the Gregorian year and use it alongside the Traditional Islamic calendar while most of them are not familiar with the Ethiopian year and months let alone the use it. It boils down to the fact that Ogaden Somalis have already celebrated the Millennium with the rest of the world and don’t need to be part of an imitation they are not part of and never been part of.
‘African Millennium!!’
In a its widely publicized hoopla to promote the ‘new millennium, the TPLF claimed that this, new millennium, was not only Ethiopian millennium but also must be celebrated as Africa’s 2000 millenary celebrations. Ironically, many AU members, majority of which include pro-Rastafarian groups, were misled by the Ethiopia’s claim and unfortunately thought the ‘Millennium’ as ‘Unique African Occasion!’ A Nigeria based newspaper wrote
the following:
Ethiopia is being the only African country having its own calendar and the African Union (AU) in its ordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State and government through declaration AU/ December 6 (Vii) adopted Ethiopian millennium as an historic African occasion.
One needs to critically pose the question why Ethiopia is comparable to African pride and reputation when it is notorious for being the only African ‘country’ that participated in the Berlin Conference and took part in the so called Scramble for Africa in 1880s.
According to Gann and Duignan (1981) the modern Ethiopian empire state was created by the conquest of emperor Menelik II of the Shewa Amhara dynasty (1889-1913). They continue to say ‘’Menelik was the only successful black African partner in the ‘scramble for Africa’ designed by the European powers in the Berlin Conference of 1884-5.’’
It is well documented in the history books that the only reason Menelik was allowed to rule Abyssinian land was to check the advancement of the Dervishes led by Sayyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan who was waging a highly successful gorilla war against the British and Italian colonizers of the time.
Menilik was pleased to accept the colonial condition, which was that he would not be colonized provided that he accepts the result of Berlin Conference, and at the same time engaged in the war against what the British conquerors termed the ‘Mad Mullah’ Movement.
Since we are the victims of that conference and its aftermath and have lon suffered under oppressive black (Ethiopian) colonization, we can’t be enticed by TPLF’s Pan African ‘Millennium’ allurement.
Last but not the least, the people of Ogaden are facing a great colonial burden as this article is penned. Extra judicial killings continue, the number of villages burned every day is increasing, many people are fleeing to neighbouring countries across the border, and more recently the elite and well-off section of Ogaden people living in bigger towns such as Dire Dawa, Harar and Addis Ababa were apprehended in greater numbers and encountered indescribable atrocities in the hands of the Ethiopian mafia which were supposed to engage all in party mood for the so-called millennium celebration. All in all, the ‘Millennium’ is another Minim Yelem (There is nothing) for the people of Ogaden and there is nothing to celebrate until Ogaden Somalis are freed from TPLF instigated terror and oppression.
Saafi (Hoodo) Labafidhin
labafidhin@yahoo.com
References:
The Tide (http://www.thetidenews.com): Rastafarians celebrate Ethiopian
millennium in Rivers, Tuesday Saturday, Sep 8, 2007
L.H Gann and Peter Duignan (1981) Why South Africa Will Survive: A
Historical Analysis.
