WEDEBAT KELETA KIDANE SHOULD CHANGE HIS DIRECTION
http://www.eritrean-n-d-p.com/
13 October 2004

I will be the last person to disparage a wedebat or gualebat Eritrean who strives for the well being of the Eritrean nation and its people. Every now and then, however, I find it essential to throw in my own little contribution with the hope of enhancing a writers perspectives on contemporary and past historical events that brought us to our present tragic predicament. It should also be noted that I am, in no way, saying that I "know all" and hence, demanding others to follow my own perceptions and direction of struggle to free our people and our nation from the scourges of the Agame sadists that are presently holding our nation as hostage.

I have been following Keleta Kidane's writings for sometime now and commend him for his unflinching steadfastness to ensure that our people are freed from mad dog Isaias Afewerki's slavery, and his efforts to restore the honor and dignity of the Eritrean people. His relentless effort to search for the "real truth" and the "real solution" to the Eritrean quagmire is commendable. I am sure Keleta Kidane does not need my endorsement or "pat on the back" to continue his untiring zeal to pursue his struggle towards the total liberation of our people and the best interest of our nation. However, it is my belief that a little acknowledgement from a brother in the same camp does no harm.

I am sure Keleta Kidane received his own shares of insults and commendations, as many of us who decided to stand with our people did. But some of us have convictions that we cannot suppress easily. We believe in our people and our nation so religiously that nothing would deter us from seeking and pursuing that path of empowering the Eritrean people to decide their fates and destinies by themselves. We believe in our people and their capacity to make appropriate and judicious decision that would make our nation a stable, equitable, humane and prosperous nation. In essence, calibers of Keleta Kidane are not among those who bury their heads alone, like the ostrich, as many dekebat Eritreans do, and wait for "better" eventualities. I am sure Keleta was told by friends and relatives, "let the others speak out, intay gedishuka," and discouraged by many people he respected and admired. But a vision is not something one mortgages. And from his writings it is not difficult to see that he was disappointed by many.

Today, I endeavored to "convince" Keleta Kidane and, hopefully, bring about some closure to a few historical relevancies that he fails to take into consideration when presenting his arguments. And these are very crucial events that shaped our contemporary society.

Another erroneous misconception is the erroneous labeling of the lowlands of Eritrea. For sometime now, the lowlanders have been perceived to have endorsed the splitting of Eritrea into two components. We hear that there was once a proposition to annex the lowlands with the Sudan and the highlands with Ethiopia, and it is a fact. However, such a proposal never emanated from the lowlanders and indeed, was eventually thwarted to failure by the lowlanders. The only time a lowlander ever voiced such a nonsense was Idris Mohammed Adem, in the early sixtieth, and he was almost lynched for that. Prior to that, the British, the Ethiopians, some illegal immigrant highlanders such as Kebire and Woldeab fiddled, in favor or against its implementation. Suffice it to say, that Eritrea is a single entity today, with both highland and lowland components, thanks primarily to our patriotic lowland parents and grandparents.

My argument today is to convince Keleta Kidane and other readers that "the weakest link" in Eritrea has not been the lowlands but the highlands and the highlanders in our country. My intention is not to put blame on any segment of our country and its respective people but to enlighten and bring about, call it, the "truth" that would make us a better nation and a better people. Many a times, we are clogged with false information and some "lies that became the truth after repetitive misinformation." We have to get out of those misleading and misconstrued "facts" and ponder consistently to find out the ultimate truth, regardless of who is hurt by their revelations. That is a virtue of a true nation that is aspiring to continue in prosperity. Without dishing out our secrets and anomalies into the open, we should not expect to build a viable and prosperous nation that is worth the respect of its citizens and the world at large.

Recently, Keleta Kidane wrote an article, tilted, Loosely interpreted, "Is Woyanne Isaias Afewerki's friend or foe?" There, he made several interesting commentaries, including, and repeatedly, referring to the Agames as "aHwatna." To say the least, I was very offended by such a friendly gesture to the archenemies of the Eritrean people, and I am sure the overwhelming majority of the lowlanders must have said, "Here they go again." And I have my reasons for saying so, and I hope Keleta Kidane would not misinterpret my intentions and take it personal. And I hope by the time he finished reading this article, I must have convinced him to choose between his fellow lowlanders and the Agames.

As a proud Hamassienay, I am sure Keletta Kidane is very well versed with his local history and the origin and lineage of the Hamassien people. I will not even attempt to know one-tenth of his own people's historical background. However, even though I am a Mensay, there is one aspect of the history of the Hamassiens that drastically affected me and indeed, the overwhelming majority of the Eritrea people, that we are all entitled to speak on, without seeking permission or offending the good people of Hamassien. And that is the history of Rasi Woldemichael.It might not be a farfetched and overtly stretched truth to insinuate that the contemporary circumstance in Eritrea has a lot to do with Rasi Woldemichael. All our woes and tribulations began with the fall of Rasi Woldemichael.

Our elders tell us that "in those days" and for centuries, we Eritreans were very formidable warriors. Our fighting and defense instincts did not suddenly develop in the recent armed struggle. We have always been so because we had to ward off many invaders from the south, north and west and those that came across the Red Sea. And we were successful in defending our territories for many centuries. Even the Koran states that if we, ("Nas al kitab" or the "people of the records" reference to the records of our forefathers, the Book of Mormon,) were left alone we did not provoke others. Hence, Moslems were forbidden from invading us, with the exception, of course, of the "mad man of Europe" the Turks. Even the Turks did not have full control of the present day Eritrea. For example, the Turks or any other invaders never set foot on Mensa land.

Our forefathers tell us that the usual threat and invasion was mostly from the south and by the Agames. And this is how we defended ourselves.
Once news reached those on the borders with the Agames that an invasion was looming, a proclamation was issued and all the tribes resounded the same edicts. Once the words, "Kitett! Kitett!! Kitet keytizimett!!!" was echoed all over the land "every youngster" was excited to participate in such an endeavor and to show their prowess and bravery. "Any youngsters and able bodied men who did not participate in such wars were considered cowards and almost run out of the tribes, in shame," our forefathers tell us. And in no time, thousands of youngsters gathered from different tribes went to war Against the Agames and "turned their dusts upside down." That is how the contemporary Eritrean nation survived, for centuries. We were not "made up" by the Italians during the colonial era. We had existed much in the same manner, as we are today, but with tribal jurisdictional controls and some bickering amongst ourselves. But whenever an external enemy threatened us, we were always united and defended our region effectively.

Sadly, Rasi Woldemichael would change all that. I don't want to go to details and narrate his historical background but suffice it to say, that Rasi Woldemichael failed the Hamassien people and the other Eritrean tribes that relied on him. We know that he was conned by the Agames into believing that he would be given control of Agame kingship, and when he made the trip to be crowned as their king, he was put in prison instead, where he chose to die. History records that Rasi Woldemichael was given an opportunity to return to his homeland but declined, he would have probably been lynched by his people. And since then, the Agames have been laughing at us. They call us Hamashens (the name is reference to all Eritreans, not just the people of Hamassiens) and term, in Agamigna, means "FOOLS." From their perspectives, the Hamshens gave up power on their own, when they had everything in their hands. We were indeed fools, and no one could blame the Agames for thinking so. And that is where and when our woes began in the present day Eritrea!!! And I hope Keleta kidane would not ignore this significant episode in our history. Without going back to that tragic day, when our formidable ruler was conned and incarcerated by the Agames, he would not find a lasting solution to the pathetic predicament of our nation and our people today. And hopefully, he would realize that the strength of Rasi Woldemichael largely depended on the lowlands as well. Rasi Woldemichael was not powerful because of the strength of the Hamassien people alone. We all (lowlanders) were his subjects and we fought his wars as well.

Since then, the Eritrean people have bought into the Hamashen (mind you, not Hamassien) and have been pandering to the Agames, in particular, the highlanders. I don't have to tell Keleta Kidane his history, but he is more than aware of the atrocities committed by the grand looter bandit, Alula Abanega. It is a fact that bandit Alula Abanega massacred thousands of highland noble men and women, replacing them with Agame Rasis. And today, many of those Agames instituted by Alula Abanega are still claiming superiority and jurisdictional controls over the dekebat highlanders.

Fortunately, that is where Alula Abanega's influence ceases, in the highlands of Eritrea. His attempt to conquer the lowlands was thwarted by the quick thinking lowlanders. To avert the catastrophe that befell our highland brethren, the lowland leaders gathered themselves and sought help from Murkani, the Moslem zealot in the Sudan, who was then the only rival to the Agames, after the decimation of Rasi Woldemichael and all his noblemen and military personnel. But Murkani was a shrewd man, and not easy to persuade. Besides, Rasi Woldemichael had previously sought help from him and received substantial armaments but during his "religious war" with the Agames, Rasi Woldemichael had sided with his "Christian brethren" and used Murkani's weapons against him. And this time Murkani was not to be fooled, for the second time. And our history tells us that in order to convince Murkani that they were sincere about their plights with the Agames, and their assurances to remain good allies to him, they opted to convert to Islam. Murkani was impressed by their desire to become Moslems and hence gave them the required weapons, after converting them to Islam. But, fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, they did not use Murkani's weapons because Eritrea was shortly occupied and made an Italian colony. The tribal leaders did not revert to their old religion, Christianity, because they had already given their "words" and thus, the numerous Moslems that we have in the lowlands.

My narration of the brief history of our country is to highlight the fundamental causes and problems that contributed to our contemporary situation in Eritrea. Many Eritreans have virtually forgotten this important milestone that changed the demography of our nation, and for good reasons. Not many of us would want to dwell in the past and revert the clock to the pre-Alula Abanega era. But that is merely being true Hamashens.

The fact is that even if the overwhelming majority of the Eritrean people want to move on and, at least, ignore the past and hope for a better future, the Agames will not allow us to do so. To the Agames, the era of Alula Abanega is their "Golden age" and as a result, whatever they do must be to exaggerate their achievements of the period and build on such "glorious" era. On the contrary, the average wedebat Eritrean prefers to discard that episode in our history and would rather not even hear about it, ever. To the dekebat Eritreans (especially highlanders), it is a period of utter stupidity, shame and total defeat by the hapless Agames. And the reasons for the diverse commemoration of the period is because the Agames had never defeated us prior to that time and thus, our preference to discount it, while it is highly glorified by the Agames primarily because it is the first time in their long history they ever defeated the Eritrean people and crossed the Mereb River, and also did a good job on us. Hence, no Agame would feel adequate and complete without citing Alula Abanega, and obviously, every Eritrean shrinks whenever the evil bandit's name is mentioned, and for obvious reasons.

My appeal to my wedebat brother Keleta Kidane and other highlander is to ensure that they are cautious when they use the term "brothers" when referring to the Agames. To the average wedebat lowlander, it is a sign of isolation by the highlanders. And if Eritrea is to be a viable and prosperous nation in the future, the highlanders must ensure that they severe their "brotherly" relationships with the Agames and establish closer affinity with their lowlander brothers and sisters. I know that the Agames have infiltrated the highlands and have inter-married with them and established some sort of settlements in the highlands, but the fact remains that the Agames are our archenemies. I wouldn't have dared write such an article prior to the deportation of the Eritrean Ethiopians by the Agame government in Addis Ababa. But now, all bets are off. Every Agame is a game in Eritrea. We could clean them up from our country now, and we should. Similarly, I would have been the last person to ask for the repatriation of any individual, of any origin, born in Eritrea, to be thrown out of our country and sent to his/her own country. Unfortunately, the Agames started it and we have to make sure we finish it for them.

What I am writing about was probably not apparent to many dekebat Eritreans and the impact has been ignored, especially by the highlanders, but it is nothing new to the average lowlander. Every time a highlander states a brotherly gesture towards the Agames, every lowlander sighs, "Here they go again. We cannot trust them."

I hope that Keleta Kidane reads this article with an open mind and wisely questions the validity of its assertions. If he does, he shall find out that;

* the lowlanders are indeed, the people who strongly believe in one and united Eritrea, probably more than the highlanders.
* lowlanders detest Agames, probably more than anything in their lives.
* That Agames were never allowed to settle in any part of the lowlands. And this has nothing to do with religion because they Moslem Agame Jebertis were never welcome either.
* that the true wedebat Eritrean has respect for both Christianity and Islam and most of us are born from Islamic and Christian backgrounds and could boast relatives from both sides.
* that the Jihaddist are mostly illegal immigrant Agames or Gonderes, the Jebertis, Betjuks, etc. as most of the fanatic Christian crusaders in the highlands could be traced to Agame or other alien origin.
* that most lowlanders trace their origin to the highlands.
* most lowlanders cherish their brotherhood with the highlands
* And the affinities go on and on.

In conclusion, I would like to convey my brotherly message to Keleta kidane and wish him the best in his endeavor to liberate our country from the scourges of the sadist dictator, mad dog Isaias Afewerki. But, we don't have to continue being Hamashens and to pander around the Agames and masquerade stupidly to appease them. One Agame filth recently told me that, "Hamashens have no sense. They need to be guided all the time. Isaias knows they cannot do anything to him. Only Tigraway could liberate them from Isaias or else, you are finished…." And mind you, he was not referring to only the proud people of Hamassien but the entire Eritrean society.

It is true that many of the lowland so-called 'leaders" went to Addis Ababa during the recent war with the Woyannes. But those leaders found out fast that the lowlanders, and indeed, the highlanders, were not supporting their moves. Some of them have been discredited beyond recognition and will die worthless. But many withdrew shortly, sensing the gravity of their errors. Even then, the Woyannes discovered that they could not toy with the lowlanders, as they would with our highland brethren. And every time they felt it appropriate to demean and castigate the highlanders, they always emphasized on the achievements of Alula Abanega.

It should be noted that throughout the so-called 3000 years of Ethiopian history, the Agames never ascended to the throne and there was never a time that an Agame was a king or emperor, with the exception of Atse Yohannis. Prior to 420 A.D. all the kings originated from Eritrea. When the Zagwes conquered the region, they ruled until 1173, when they were defeated by the Amharas who went on the rulership record. Even Atse Yohannis ruled for a short period of time before the kingship went back to the Amharas. In essence, the Agames have never had any glorious history until the era of Alula Abanega and Atse Yohannis.

My brother Keleta Kidane, it is high time that we Eritreans began calling a spade, a spade. We should not be ashamed of what transpired between Rasi Woldemichael and Rasi Alula Abanega. That is part of our glorious history and we should honor it as a segment of our long journey in the region. And as result, we should stop being pawns of the Agames. We are a proud people that could exist with no or little relationship with the Agames. The earlier we put a demarcation between us the better for the future of Eritrea and the Eritrean people. We should stop and involvement of the Agames in the internal affairs of our country. We don't need Agames from Ad_Igrat to overthrow and remove the few Agames that are ruling our country and tormenting our people today. We could do it ourselves, the dekebat Eritreans. And hence, we should consider anyone that associates with the Agames, from now henceforward, as a traitor and an enemy of the Eritrean people.

I would have continued much further, but I guess this is enough for now. And I hope you would ponder seriously about some of the vital points I have raised in the article. And please don't take this article as an attempt to insult you, demean you, discourage you or berate you. It is just a brotherly contribution to a fellow wedebat Eritrean who believes genuinely in the Eritrean people.

God bless Eritrea
God bless the Eritrean people


Embaye Melekin