Ekkeleguzai enjoys both Quella (as Zula), Weinedega (Decamare) and Dega (Addiqheyh and Senafe).  But Seraye enjoys only two Quella and Weinedega.

This proves that Eritrea or Eritreans cannot be divided by an area of land that is fairly flat and not very high above sea level or by an area of land with hills or mountains, etc. This puts our Eritrean Muslims brothers who have an idea that divides Eritrea by its geographical nature not on the right side of history.

Also the Eritrean Rivers can’t serve for the idea that wants to divide Eritrea, because they have only one task of unification Eritrean provinces and nationalities. For example the three rivers, Mereb, Barka and Anseba, their birth place Hamasien, leave their origin, Mereb to south and then to west and rivers Barka and Anseba to north of Eritrea. In their course in addition to unification share their waters. I was in Barentu in September 1970. In that moment I heard and saw while the town was welcoming the arrival of Mereb flood of that season. To arrive there the flood took many days.

Plus, can we divide Eritrea into two or more according to religion, history, tradition, etc.? No, we can’t because all Eritrean people have the same history of oppression that teaches unity as the only way out. The perpetrators can be from inside or outside of the circle. Folks have no problem to know foreigner perpet-rators. But there is always confusion when we talk about native perpetrators like Bet Asgada of the past and PFDJ (People’s Front for Democracy and Justice) Iseyas Efewerqi lead ruling party of present. Let us learn something from history of oppression of Bet Asgada in Eritrea.

‘Italian policy in the western lowlands of Eritrea faced problems very different from those of the plateau. On occupying the western provinces the Italians were confronted in the Keren and Agordat region with a unique type of social structure whose generation of fighting has resulted in the emergence of two district social groups, in the Asgada and the Tigre, who have been described respectively as an aristocratic and a serf class. The power of the former are said to have been once so great that they could declare one of their vassals a slave for the smallest offence, the later being then obliged to serve his master until he could purchase his freedom. Such manumission (ጋዕሲ) cost 20 Maria Theresa dollars in the case of a man or 30 dollars in that of woman.

The Italian authorities were on the whole outraged by his system, which was denounced in 1921 by Cont Rossini who likened it to <<a human octopus of a few thousand parasites exploiting great number of vassals>>’ ⁽¹⁾.

Also Eritrean highland tells old piece of history that was closed 150 years ago.

<< The land of Gundet were ‘gulti ጕልቲ ’ of the Enda Accolom of Meraguz family, and the Surrucso were gaining user ship rights, paying the relative royal tax subjecting them to heavy taxe by the ‘guleteyna ጕልተይና’ for the yearly delivery of rudders and yokes for one plow or another. At length, the Gundets began to show their dissatisfaction for the continuous abuse of power from part of Enda Accolom. One day …

… the Gundets fought with the gulteyna of Maragzu, achieved victory, and obtained their complete independence>> ⁽²⁾ .

We have seen two contradictions of the past that were between Asgada and the Tigre and between Gundets and Enda Accolom of Meraguz family. Plus we have mentioned today’s prevailing Iseyas Efewerqi lead dictatorship. What do we call these kinds of contradictions? We call them antagonistic or hostile contradictions. These contradictions can be solved only if we get organized, fight, achieve victory and declare independence like the Gundets.

All the other contradictions that we find between individuals, neighbors, groups, nationality and nationalities, religions, town and countryside, state and church, political parties, etc. are non antagonistic contradictions. These can be solved peacefully. Education is their best effective medicine.

In my understanding the idea (of our Muslim brothers) that wants to divide Eritrea has highlighted the contradictions that we find among the exploited people. In other words they tried to teach us that the non antagonistic contradictions weigh more than antagonistic contradictions. This is not right and bears no fruit. Our goal must be how to eliminate exploitation and to minimize ignorance born contradictions. Of ignorance to be or not to be free depends on the education that Eritrea offers. But exploitation produced contradictions, between exploiters and exploited, must be eliminated not tomorrow but now because we are fed up of being exploited. Nobody dares to say this unless he/she is not from Gundets or Tigre social class.

Here is example of wisdom. A mirror that shows past history of a nation called today modern Ethiopia. This nation is where it is thanks to right brain problem solving. The heavyweight Ethiopian nationalities Ormo and Amhara have determined to bury the unburyable past to make untied, modern and great Ethiopia. I believe that in genera all, and in particular Tigre and Tigriyna Eritrean nationalities must learn from this.

In Ethiopia, slavery was legal and widespread; slave raiding was endemic in some areas, and slave trading was a fact of life.^[10] The largest slavery-driven polity in the Horn of Africa before the nineteenth century was the Ethiopian Empire. Though its intercontinental slave trade was substantial, the Ethiopian Highlands were the largest consumer of slaves in the region.^[11]

In 1880, Menelik II, the Amhara ruler of the Ethiopian province of Shoa, began to overrun Oromia. This was largely in retaliation for the Zemene Mesafint (“Era of the Princes”), a period during which a succession of Oromo feudal rulers dominated the highlanders. Chief among these was the Yejju dynasty, which included Aligaz of Yejju and his brother Ali I of Yejju. Ali I founded the town of Debre Tabor, which became the dynasty’s capital.^[12]

In 1889, Menelik II became emperor of Ethiopia. He thereafter set out to conquer Oromia, completely annexing the territory by 1900. The Oromo inhabitants were subsequently severely repressed by Menelik’s troops, with the majority reduced to tenancy and paying heavy tributes for the use of land. Thousands were killed, and large numbers were also sold into slavery.^[13] Menelik II and Queen Taitu personally owned 70,000 slaves ⁽³⁾ .

References

⁽¹⁾. Pankhurst, Richard, Economic History of Ethiopia 1800-1935, Addis Abeba, 1968, p.175.

^(2). Eoyb Ghebreziabhier, Tigriyna Popular poetry As Medium of Communication, Switzerland, 2010, p. 4.

⁽³⁾. Slavery in Ethiopia. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Plus: Marinelli, Olinto, Uno sguardo geografico all’Eritrea, in, Martini, Ferdinando, Eritrea Economica, Novara-Roma, 1913, pp.20-60.

Gizie-lewTi.com   Eyob Ghebreziabhier   Swiss  10. 04. 2014