Tedla Asfaw
One of the organizers of the April 2 rally in London Ato Abebe Tolosa was interviewed on Addis Dimts on Sunday March 29 and you can go to www.addisdimts.com and follow the interview. The Ethiopian Diaspora in Europe is mobilized as Ato Abebe Tolosa articulated by individual responsibility of Ethiopians for mother Ethiopia not to get sympathy from the Western nations rather to show solidarity with the masses in Ethiopia.
The London rally of the Ethiopian Diaspora should be replicated here in North America where we failed to stand together after the split within Kinijit. The recent protest in D.C. failed to bring a large turnout since many were not endorsing the divisive nature of the called rallies.
I hope London will be the future model for future rallies. Let us stand as one and be hope for our people. The enemy is TPLF and all other differences are secondary. Not joining such rally because it is not endorsed by opposition parties is not acceptable and defensible. Members of all opposition parties should in fact put pressure on their parties or individual members to stand with the Ethiopian people and chase Meles Zenawi from London on April 2.
Go London Go !!!
Sunday, 29 March 2009
Thursday, 26 March 2009
Ye Burka Zimita
Tedla Asfaw
I just finished , "Ye Burka Zimita" by Tesfaye Gebrab a book that came out more than ten years ago currently posted on pdf file and became a hot item in our Eedn community. Those who put it on Internet without getting the permission of the author should apologize and the thousands who read the book on Internet should send a check to Ato Tesfaye Gebrab voluntarily any amount they choose.
Let me said from outset that the book I read and completed few seconds ago on Internet is a book to be read by all Ethiopians. The "Historical Fiction" of "Ye Burka Zimita" is a book that narrates Oromos abuse in the Arsi surroundings under Emperor Menelik administration, "Hager Makenate" which is still going on under the name of "self determination" by Meles TPLF.
Like all military subjugation of people, "Hager Makenate" , in most countries brutal wars fought to dominate people, and "Ye Burka Zimita" narrates that and we shouldn't attack the writer and blame him for the loss of innocent lives in the surroundings of Arsi following the takeover of Addis Ababa eighteen years ago by TPLF for which many blamed the writer for his part for inflaming the situation. The writer explained himself on the VOA Amharic interview recently for millions of Ethiopians back home an we should take his word.
The book, Ye Burka Zimita, has many characters, Anole Wako the uncompromising young Oromo and his compromising lover/sister, Hiwone Wako, but the big character in this book is the late Hayalome Araya. Hayalome was the "peoples man" and the secret way of releasing Anole the man that led "Yeburka Massacre" after he was cornered in the hills of Arsi to escape to Asmara and continue his "rebellion" as OLF or as Hayalome said to convert Anole to join the TPLF Oromo wing is still debatable. It is the known TPLF tactics of instigating fights among communities and be seen as a honest broker or judge.
Military and civil power by TPLF and its Oromo wing, corruption and womanizing destroyed the "liberation struggle" as was elaborated by many characters on the book . Many connected with the regime are filthy rich, replaced their wives with young Addis Ababeans and Ethiopia divided in to few millionaires and millions of very poor people. Like the farmers surrounding Arsi, the whole Ethiopia looks quite for now and some foreign experts even telling us that Ethiopia is even more stable than USA.
However, the contempt and the arrogance of the regime is not a recipe for stability. To bring real stability, change and hope we have to be open to our past and present and not be a prisoner of it . We have a common proud history and also shameful past. Unelected leaders, unaccountable to their people have brought great harm to the masses and we should talk about it honestly.
I am asking fellow Ethiopians to read, "Ye Burka Zimtia" in open mind and take it for what it is, "Historical Fiction".We have read similar books on native Americans and black Americans experiences.However, this generation of Americans, White Americans,native Americans and Black Americans, learn from the past and move on and not wasted their time debating history that should be left to historians. .
Wednesday, 25 March 2009
The open letter to Gordon Brown
Tedla Asfaw
I read Obang Metho open letter to British Prime Minster Gordon Brown, and the G20 members dated March 24, 2009 on behalf of Solidarity Movement of Ethiopians, posted on many websites. The letter is brief but very effective. It is loaded with language of diplomacy which is rare in the Diaspora politics. The only thing I have reservation on this letter is about the coming " 2010 election" Obang mentioned for which TPLF has already started buying the urban young and rural peasants while closing all avenues of free speech and assembly, the basic requisite of any democracy.
The letter should be forceful and make it clear that even with the release of Judge Birtukan and other political prisoners Obang demanded on his letter and we tirelessly call for, discussing "election 2010" in Ethiopia is premature at present or near future.
I read Obang Metho open letter to British Prime Minster Gordon Brown, and the G20 members dated March 24, 2009 on behalf of Solidarity Movement of Ethiopians, posted on many websites. The letter is brief but very effective. It is loaded with language of diplomacy which is rare in the Diaspora politics. The only thing I have reservation on this letter is about the coming " 2010 election" Obang mentioned for which TPLF has already started buying the urban young and rural peasants while closing all avenues of free speech and assembly, the basic requisite of any democracy.
The letter should be forceful and make it clear that even with the release of Judge Birtukan and other political prisoners Obang demanded on his letter and we tirelessly call for, discussing "election 2010" in Ethiopia is premature at present or near future.
Monday, 23 March 2009
Call for a joint rally to our Somali and Oromo exiles !!!
Tedla Asfaw
I want to thank first OLF website editor for posting the recent night protest in London, in front of TPLF Headquarter by brave Ethiopians, covered exclusively on Abbay Media. The goal of the secret meeting led by Bereket Simon was to organize a welcoming rally in April 2 for the Ethiopian butcher, Meles Zenawi. The welcoming rally organizers are Bereket Simon and Birhanu Kebede, known supporters of Meles Zenawi were called by letter signed by Birhanu Kebede and entrance was strictly only by the letter according to the protesters who were left out and their attempt to join the illegal meeting was foiled by the presence of British police officers.
The exclusive call is designed not to include "outsiders" to follow their secret plan to make April 2 a success for Meles Zenawi by countering the expected protest on his presence on G20 meeting in London by Ethiopians. This letter I have no doubt was also circulated around Europe to bring a large TPLF supporters to London.
From one of the persons who participated on the London protest appearing on Addis Dimts Radio last Sunday, we learned that the Somali community would like to join the coming protest rally in April 2 clearly to hold Meles accountable for mass killing of Somalis in his adventurous war two years ago. The organizers are still working how to accommodate our Somali friends on this protest.
However, the Oromo and the Somali community of Ethiopia should be part of this coming protest without any preconditions. What we need is to coordinate with the people who are organizing the protest. The good thing is everyone understands that this coming April 2 protest rally in London, for all of us, different nationalities of Ethiopia have one common agenda, to denounce the presence of Meles Zenawi and call for all those who have blood on their hands to face justice.
The recent protest organized in D.C. to denounce the atrocity of TPLF in Ogaden by Ethiopian Somalis and other Ethiopians was a great success and we should do the same in London. I call the Ethiopian Somalis, Oromo brothers and sisters to come and join this rally and neutralize any attempt by TPLF supporters , we witnessed in German this past week, call " for more years of rule by TPLF and five more years of of their beloved leader, Meles Zenawi, " to loot and kill our people.
Our differences on the future of Ethiopia should not be exploited by TPLF. We all believe by now, the future of our country should be decided by empowering our people. We have seen in the last eighteen years how TPLF that claims to represent the interest of
"Tigray" abused,terrorized and worked day and night to build a suspicion wall between the people of Tigray and the rest of us.
Our joint rally this coming April 2 will prove to TPLF supporters in the Diaspora that the eighteen years old suspicion wall built to separate Ethiopians is soon to be dismantled. Power to people, not to unelected tyrants and their ethnic loyalists.
I want to thank first OLF website editor for posting the recent night protest in London, in front of TPLF Headquarter by brave Ethiopians, covered exclusively on Abbay Media. The goal of the secret meeting led by Bereket Simon was to organize a welcoming rally in April 2 for the Ethiopian butcher, Meles Zenawi. The welcoming rally organizers are Bereket Simon and Birhanu Kebede, known supporters of Meles Zenawi were called by letter signed by Birhanu Kebede and entrance was strictly only by the letter according to the protesters who were left out and their attempt to join the illegal meeting was foiled by the presence of British police officers.
The exclusive call is designed not to include "outsiders" to follow their secret plan to make April 2 a success for Meles Zenawi by countering the expected protest on his presence on G20 meeting in London by Ethiopians. This letter I have no doubt was also circulated around Europe to bring a large TPLF supporters to London.
From one of the persons who participated on the London protest appearing on Addis Dimts Radio last Sunday, we learned that the Somali community would like to join the coming protest rally in April 2 clearly to hold Meles accountable for mass killing of Somalis in his adventurous war two years ago. The organizers are still working how to accommodate our Somali friends on this protest.
However, the Oromo and the Somali community of Ethiopia should be part of this coming protest without any preconditions. What we need is to coordinate with the people who are organizing the protest. The good thing is everyone understands that this coming April 2 protest rally in London, for all of us, different nationalities of Ethiopia have one common agenda, to denounce the presence of Meles Zenawi and call for all those who have blood on their hands to face justice.
The recent protest organized in D.C. to denounce the atrocity of TPLF in Ogaden by Ethiopian Somalis and other Ethiopians was a great success and we should do the same in London. I call the Ethiopian Somalis, Oromo brothers and sisters to come and join this rally and neutralize any attempt by TPLF supporters , we witnessed in German this past week, call " for more years of rule by TPLF and five more years of of their beloved leader, Meles Zenawi, " to loot and kill our people.
Our differences on the future of Ethiopia should not be exploited by TPLF. We all believe by now, the future of our country should be decided by empowering our people. We have seen in the last eighteen years how TPLF that claims to represent the interest of
"Tigray" abused,terrorized and worked day and night to build a suspicion wall between the people of Tigray and the rest of us.
Our joint rally this coming April 2 will prove to TPLF supporters in the Diaspora that the eighteen years old suspicion wall built to separate Ethiopians is soon to be dismantled. Power to people, not to unelected tyrants and their ethnic loyalists.
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