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Fetsum: Should Tigre mediate Arabic and Tigrigna in the current Eritrean Radical Democracy?

Fetsum: Should Tigre mediate Arabic and Tigrigna in the current Eritrean Radical Democracy? This Independence Day celebration went on in DC without Brother Vaccaro’s participation because of a little hiccup that should not bother any Eritrean

Fetsum: Should Tigre mediate Arabic and Tigrigna in the current Eritrean Radical Democracy?
This Independence Day celebration went on in DC without Brother Vaccaro’s participation because of a little hiccup that should not bother any Eritrean in the struggle. Everything is ok with his health but he needed rest understandably because of overwork. The brother will start his activities soon and we are in perfect harmony with this situation. I, however, did not get the chance to privately converse with him for the next move although, he will receive the documents we were working on (transitional formula) through the mail ASAP. I will try my best to meet him in Europe even for one day given the proper arrangement from the resistance to discuss the matter in detail, but I cannot guarantee you that it will happen. Please wish him the best without pressing the panic button because he is doing excellent resting at home in Italy.
I tend to see Radicalism from both sides of its duality, as something either way extreme. Clearly, anything in social science has two extreme sides that represent radicalism, a disaster to the peaceful existence of society. A rational person stands somewhere in the middle balancing things out to accommodate the objective reality and the adamant sticks to one’s subjective opinion believing that that was the absolute truth about a given common subject matter in question. A society sandwiched between two extreme positions on any social agenda or between two contradictory radical opinions is bound to exhaust its elasticity into destruction. In other words, we all have individual or subjective opinions on things but we should meet the objective reality at the middle of the pendulum for we cannot rationally approach it from our subjective positions. You cannot view objective issues from absolutely subjective points of view without the tendency to dictate!
What is obvious is that; no expression even applied science and mathematics can fully explain a phenomenon to the precise point: Formulas, languages or words cannot fully define reality; only can they approximate it. Truth in complete composure is therefore unexplainable by words and speeches; the reason it remains being relative, evident to state that no one owns truth and knowledge exclusively: We have no choice except compromising, sharing them through transparent relationships in order to peacefully coexist. We must understand that Subjective truth is only objective in view of the subject not in that of the objective realityThe way I perceive things remains to be only my truth not everybody’s. People, thus, should be willing to compromise their subject opinions to some extent for the sake of objective reality.
The concept of objectivity cannot exist without that of subjectivity’s, and vise versa. Subjectivity, however, can and should exist in society for there is no life without it. It does not have to completely lose its outlook for the sake of objective reality but must substantially succumb to it for neither can it legitimately dictate global realities nor can it survive in isolation forever. I have to be ready to compromise on a common subject matter through give and take transparency in order to coexist with the parties involved, with full right to exclusively dictate my private life. Anything else is Radicalism, a problem that has never produced everlasting harmony between people in history. It has always been destructive by universal consensus. The Skinheads, the KKK, Radical Feminism (not genuine feminism), Nazism, Fascism, Afwerkism, Communism, Talibanism, etc. are clear examples of radicalism: Thus, an obstinate, egoist and arrogant mind most probably ends up becoming Radical for whatever!
Eritrean Radicalism: Like any society in struggle for freedom and democracy, we are experiencing different types of radicalism in the resistance. Some of us refuse to compromise insisting of spotting the truth or the solution to the common Eritrean dilemma. We think we own KNOWLEDGE exclusively! We think we were 100% correct in this life where the term absolute does not practically exist. We reflect this dictatorial character through chronic intellectual chauvinism. Others may stick with the past trying to stop the course of history from going forward: they ignore the concrete reality instead, starting from many years back in psychological time and entertaining issues totally immaterial to the current Eritrean sociological realities.
What is sad is that our society is surviving extremely the hard way while we are wasting our energy and time on self aggrandizement and immobile philosophical hallucination. We radicalize for image instead of liberalizing the mind for the sake of society, but we are not the only ones. The world is infested with uptight and rigid individuals as much as it is full of flexible and rational people to balance out the mess! You need to remember that our experience is a human experience that will be repaired in the near future by rational Eritreans. Nothing is exceptional about our situation (dictatorship) that has been experienced by every society on this planet to bitterly grieve about as if it is exclusively personal. We should face our dilemma as it comes and strive to improve our situation through participation firmly believing that we are responsible for our condition. Do not believe people who exaggerate our situation and present it is as something exceptional, a unique curse on the society. Yes our situation is a curse that is lingering on for a while but it is not unique looking at it broadly: at the end of the day, it is dictatorship…PERIOD. It looks dim and discouraging, but it will be history like all social curses in the past. One takes Aspirin for a headache; a tranquilizer for depression and a society must accept democracy to exit from dictatorship.
Dictatorship starts at early age and develops making subjective standards for people to either conform or suffer the consequence of rejection. Experience keeps on molding it to full potency proportional to time. A rigid person with “know it all” attitude that rusts at one’s idea refusing to compromise with other ideas would most probably dictate society given political power. We have this at home today. An intellectually dominant person with no room for entertaining other ideas in the flip of the coin would not hesitate to dictate society by force; in fact that is all he/she can do.
Individuals in this category are not transparent and assume of having the full answer for everything without the capacity to provide evidence based on local or external sociological experiences. I was in this state of experimentation when a brother (Abraham) called me from London to teach me something special: He said knowledge stays still between its entertainers (people, intellectuals, educated, etc.) to be taken advantage of for the benefit of society through transparent interaction. It produces harmonic and constructive result when the interaction modifies it to compose the entertained intellectual components in question. It improves in quality becoming highly productive to the common substance (society) because of the collective outcome. Through this, Knowledge transforms from potential energy to kinetic energy changing society for the better. It develops in essence through transparency! This dude rested his case with sarcastic smile and left me there to figure out the rest. Thank you my brother for this wisdom, but I wish I received it in person watching your style of infusing wisdom in my mind while attentively taking my notes! Even better in a cozy environment with good food and wine because I love your extravagance in downloading this into my consciousness in moderately tipsy state of mind!!
New democracy made by our communities: You see, our problem is not unique, though harsher than many similar situations elsewhere. But I admit we sometimes do unique things within ourselves. Something inimitable and interesting is going on in the communities; Democratic Radicalism or Radical Democracy, so to say. As you know, Yemane Monkey invented a unique concept of democracy last year saying in public that “Eritrea practically exercises full democracy except freedom of speech”. This time the Eritrean communities have invented their own unique democracy to be discussed hereunder that well matches the Monkey’s extraordinary creativity. I believe both democratic inventions are made of strange Eritrean minds, thus original treasure of the Eritrean people needless to say that they are patentable for uniqueness although unusable by decent societies, all inclusive.
My experience testifies that the average community meetings in the DC area (I don’t know elsewhere) have been very thinly attended (20-25 people) mostly by people who understand English fairly well (may be 100% with a little exaggeration). But the meetings are traditionally conducted by two languages, Tigrigna and Arabic given that at least about 80% of the audience does not understand Arabic. A panelist tells his thing in Tigrigna and a translator does his damage in Arabic with said 80% of the audience quietly waiting for the next appearance in the Mother Tongue. Tigrigna goes on for a while and the cycle repeats. Another brother in reverse direction Arabically radiates his idea to the house and the translator changes it to Tigrigna for the panelist/s to respond. Back and forth swinging my mind like an electron in a circuit conditioned to move between the negative and positive polarities of a power supply under the pressure of AC signal. This unusual democracy retards the motion of life in at least three specific dimensions: Time; Flow of Communication and Efficiency!
Imagine of having a meeting on an important issue and wasting about 40% of the time on something the majority does not understand. A quiet audience seemingly tranquilized by this sedative hypnosis experiencing it with maximum inhibition in the presence of comfortable ambience for frank, honest and transparent communication because of the inbuilt fear and mistrust caused by our enemies in consecutively oppressive eras and our own exaggerative and pretentious nature. Hypocrisy disallows the real inner-feeling from being freely expressed in this situation where you see individuals writing something on a paper or scratching the body out of impatience and nervousness; probably snoozing a little bit as well; who knows?. I ended up drawing a weird geometric figure I have never imagined before in one of these occasions, God knows what the scratchers end up doing to their bodies!
As you know a speech penetrates deeper in the listeners’ mind when it flows freely without interruption. Eloquence can excite people into creativity when given a chance to effectively transmit an idea through the current. Questions arise from the flow and productivity increases through transparent debate. Here, an idea begins and stops for translation, leaving the panelist day dreaming till it is over. One staggers to start a decent message in the process of recovering from the interruption and loses the microphone again for the translator to tell it to a non-audible audience. The walls end up enjoying the two languages leaving the audience soul searching; and before they know it, the monotonous meeting is over, more significantly impressing the material objects in the environment than the target audience.
In civilized atmosphere, the result of any public meeting is measured based on its productivity, on how it effectively uses time to achieve a goal. We should then talk about efficiency (the ratio between the effect and the cause or the output and the input of an activity). Assuming the translation consuming at least about 40% of it, we are talking about 60% efficiency in this scenario with 40% of the time literally wasted on this radically inconvenient procedure. Considering about at least 15% of the so called efficient time as being sacrificed for the negative psychological effects (fatigue, boredom, tripping out, etc.) of the flow-interruption on the panelist/s and the audience; we now end up with about 45% efficiency in the overall project.
The last Eritrean gathering with Baito members where about 25 people that all looked capable of understanding English showed up was as usual conducted by both languages. I heard a DC activist complaining to the panelists about two old meetings where one of them was conducted with only both languages in the presence of international audience and the other used English with exclusively Eritrean audience. Interesting drama, isn’t it? I saw a translator in one of the events translating one of the languages (I forgot which one) to the same language; he either forgot the procedure or probably confused to lose his concentration: Do you blame him? I probably would have been accused of stuttering at a point in the process in his situation!
The catch: Eritreans are wasting their lives on this nonsense thinking they were practicing democracy while implying the opposite: Democracy in most cases allows people to communicate with the most efficient universal language that most people in the audience understand. It goes with the majority and never entertains about 20% of a common substance to dominate 80% of its component. The tiny minority governs the concept of this weird Community made Democracy where its believers unconsciously practice Communism or Dictatorship instead. This is Radicalism; a contradictory concept to Liberal Democracy! You can hardly see our style of conducting meetings in any democratic environment for me to entertain the notion that this Radical Democracy is a new phenomenon invented by ‘politically correct’ Eritrean democrats with shallow understanding of the concept, meaning that pretention governs the essence of Eritrean democracy into radicalizing its naturally liberal content to this extent of inefficiency. I think this new democracy is as patentable as that of the Monkey’s though equally useless to the society and the universe at large!
Now, knowing that the society cannot catch up with any other society dragging its life as such and that the Ancient and Native Tigre being the closest language to Geez than Tigrigna and Arabic; yet that it is also spoken by half of our society;
Should we respectfully sideline Tigrigna and Arabic in favor of Tigre so that the society can optimize its efficiency saving half of its life after a generation worth of strategic experimentation? Should we normalize the Abnormal, convoluted or Radical Eritrean Democracy through Tigre (about 10-20 years down the road) instead of eternally molesting the society with this nonsense? Is it worth making Tigre our national language instead of suffering the consequence of the feud between Tigrigna and Arabic forever? Does not this pretentious democracy reflect the fear and mistrust of Eritreans between each other? Do we have to sacrifice half the life of the society through this strange way of conducting meetings to prove that we were for social equality in the country? Doesn’t this practice testify the shaky or insecure relationship between the Eritreans?

aseye.asena@gmail.com

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35 COMMENTS
  • MightyEmbasoyra May 27, 2014

    Even though I don’t speak Tigre, I would support it to be the one and only one national language of Eritrea. I think that would help united us. Besides, how hard can it be?

  • THE NOBLE TEACHER May 27, 2014

    The problem ,is ,We ,the “Hizbe Tigrinya” act in a paternalistic way that we tell others what language to use…Do all non hizbe Tigrinya prefer Tigre..Do the Rashaidas,Kunamas & Afars understand or even want to speak Tigre ?
    As the case in the Tigrinya peoples politics the Elite invented our identity..why can’t the rest use Arabic ??? I know a monton of Jebertyis that prefer Arabic than Tigrinya..should the Hizbe Tigrinya set the agenda ???
    LET OTHERS CHOSE THEIR DESTINY…AFARS & KUNAMAS MAY WANT TO DECLARE INDEPENDENCE .Who am I to say no ???

  • ahmed saleh May 27, 2014

    Thanks God , I do not have a problem to participate in a meetings to understand Tigrigna ,
    Arabic , English speakers beside my mother tongue language . There was a time to learn
    how to speak foreign language ( AMHARIC ) and now the young generation can learn Arabic if
    that what it takes to communicate among Eritrean ethnic group . When we were young in GHEDLI
    time to held a meeting in Tigrigna and Arabic was a common practice and I respect that kind
    of inclusiveness .
    Radical thinking need to be sure of the reason of arguments by using common sense if there are
    any real use to ordinary members of Eritrean society . I am just stressing to the point how our
    nine ethnic groups could be connected in the future democratically out of their choice .

    • ahmed saleh May 27, 2014

      Brother Futsum
      I admire your courage to speak your mind to bring critical arguments in this forum .

  • Hagherawi May 28, 2014

    “Should we respectfully sideline Tigrigna and Arabic in favor of Tigre so that the society can optimize its efficiency saving half of its life after a generation worth of strategic experimentation? ”

    Fetsum

    I know people who speak a number of Eritrean languages and have no problem talking to ‘others’ in their native language. Tigre, Tigrigna and Arabic share Semitic roots (have a lot of things in common) and should not be a problem using them as needed.

    The issue of languages has to do with “Official languages” policy of those in power, rather than ordinary Eritreans. Those who have deep seated hatred for Arabic complicate the issue beyond necessity. Tigrignazation of the Eritrean State by Higdef has added an extra layer to existing problems (if you feel a form in Arabic in Asmara Airport you will be the last one to be served). It’s something that can be solved when those who foment trouble among us leave us alone. One possible solution will be to have one official language: English. While Tigrigna and Arabic can be used in unofficial situations and in mass media. Nowadays, many Eritrean families (Christians and Muslims) prefer to send their kids to English medium schools. A few generation down the road there won’t be any language issue in Eritrea.

  • Tes May 28, 2014

    Dear Fetsum,

    I have to admit how frustrated I get in Eritrean meeting when I sat to listen an alien language Arabic as my official languages. I don’t know how and why we are strangling ourselves by this inconvenience to say the least. It is completely foreign, no region or ethnic speak that language in Eritrea. It make it worse the Arab treat us and to the black people as whole as subhuman or equal to dogs. So why do we need to associate ourselves with them in anyway … you go far away from them and their language. Yes you can have the same faith that is definitely fine by me. After all faith is universal no one has outright ownership as I don’t need to speak Hibru to be Christian. Lets look into it from other side and see it from creation of Economic and political block and positioning ourselves and our future destiny to north east then it would be a grave error we would be better off if we look south west to our block brothers and learn Suwhaly or any dominant language in that zone. Otherwise it is great great mistake to commit. It doesn’t make any sense to Eritrea to become unequal partner, outsider in all measures in so called Arab club.

    Yes there were/are thousands of Eritrea migrants in Arab states including Sudan so do other people from Asia. Does that make them Bangladesh or Philippine to change their official language to Arab? I don’t think so. Why is the Eritreans try to buy anything they get to create new identity especially those in diaspora Eritreans my Islam brothers who are aligning themselves to Arabs. I respect and love Islam as a religion when it is not associated with Arab. When I was a child I had many Islam uncles/aunts and AMOY Halima was my favorite. We were so close big family , good time. Lot of respect to each other faiths. Never heard them speaking Arabic but saho and tigrigna. My family member also speak both languages saho and tigrigna. This was inherited for years down to generation after generation. Then now Arab was a central issue of discontent especial by the diaspora Islam brothers. why? I didn’t know. Do they want to be Arabs? I don’t even want them. Why then? I leave this to my islam brothers to answer.

    It is really funny some of those who request in a meeting to be translated for them pretending they don’t understand tigrigna when the translator started to translate they start to correct him in better tigrigna. Then it make you wonder why we Eritreans make our life harder. Why don’t we seek something simple and workable.

    To conclude it, what I think is that in Eritrea the two official language should be Tigrigna and Tigre and allowing the other minorities to use their language in their region in away they see fit i mean those Kunama, Afar , saho and so forth. Otherwise using Arab is lack of self respect. It get us no where.

  • selamawit2 May 28, 2014

    I think the language of the majority should be the official language of a country.
    If the orgin (!) Tigre speakers are really the majority in Eritrea, then of course it should be Tigre. But the statistics should be valid!

  • Abraham Haile May 28, 2014

    Language = Communication=Communication=Communication, Period.
    Language is neither religion nor tribe. All religion of different communities can access a sole Language. In Egypt, Moslems and Christians, use one Language regardless to their ethnic origin. Why could be different in Eritrea? All we need are Education, we shouldn’t relate the lAnguage with our religion. I believe that we are solely responsible to educate our selves and start to see things openly and honestly. This is not like a person of my faith is the only close person, brother or sister to me, let us grow up and think collectively and fairly. Let us leave religion in our house. Religion is a private matter. First, let us fight for liberty and then people will settle the language and flag problems.Thank you bro, keep it up.

  • Hagherawi May 28, 2014

    “Lets look into it from other side and see it from creation of Economic and political block and positioning ourselves and our future destiny to north east then it would be a grave error we would be better off if we look south west to our block brothers and learn Suwhaly or any dominant language in that zone.”

    Tes

    I don’t really know who you are, but I am assuming you are Eritrean.

    You hate Arabic and Arabs to the extent that you don’t want even do business with them. So, you are suggesting we look South and learn Swahili instead.
    Unfortunately, geography does not care about emotions. You like it or not Arabs will be your neighbors forever. Economic and political interests among neighbors have security and strategical implications, obviously will don’t choose your neighbors.
    If you hate your neighbors they will definitely hate you. If you can live with the consequences of such policies, then do it, but soon you will realize that, that won’t not serve your interests. Sooner or later you need them, as Eritrean you should know that.
    If you are Ethiopian then there could be other issues to consider, isolating Eritrea being one of them.

    When it comes to Eritrean Muslims, I think they know very well their interests.
    They know their languages are important, and should take care of them.
    At the same time, they know that Arabic for them is very important, and no amount of pressure from those who hate that language will let them opt for something which is not of their choice.

    Eritrean Muslims are not Arabs, and are not trying to be Arabs either. But many times the language issues is raised by elements who not only hate Arabs, but hate Eritrean Muslims too (look at what is written in Asmarino comments section by Simon Kaleab and others every day). It should be clear to such hate mongering elements, that Eritrean Muslims will never allow anyone to treat them as second class citizens in their own country. Imposing on them policies that aim at damaging their interests, or State sponsored assimilation of different groups into a dominant culture by force, will never succeed.

    • Tes May 28, 2014

      Hagerawi

      I think that is the problem! Mistrusting each other. why do you doubt me whether I am Eritrean or not. I am talking about the issue we have in Eritrea. I believe Ethiopians are fine without Eritrea and they seems the majority of them, they moved on except very few. We are the one stacked in the past and bitter of the divorce. We could not bear the pain they are doing better of us and our people are asking refugee for protection in the land we rejected. So you better concentrate on issue in hand than ” zeymelaeltka Milal”.

      Yes I hate Arabs of course excluding Sudan which I have great respect. Without their help the present Eritrea won’t been real. They deserve better from Eritrea. I am sure you are in west and you have better access to information outlet. Arabs, how they treat to black and Asians and how they worship to westerns? I don’t want to go into details now. Leaving that aside what about the torture and rapes of my own brothers and sisters in the desert of Arabs by those you call them our potential allies. You are a dreamer my bro.

      You said we are geographical connected whether we like it or not? So put up with it. Com on likely God separate us by a giant sea. They are not that close. I don’t hate Eritrean Muslims. I don’t hate any religion for that matter. Faith is up to the individual choice. I don’t want anyone region or religion to be dominant but I want to see a fair Eritrea. Confident Eritrea not the current Eritrea looking inward but outward. Eritrea in peace within itself. If you say they are better to speak Arab then it is up to them but not i my expenses. When everyone in the meeting speak and understand a language then what is the point repeating the same thing. So don’t twist the main fact into regional conflict. I don’t care about Arabs. They don’t even live in peace themselves let alone to yearn to associate in any way with them.

    • Yohannes Mehari May 31, 2014

      Why don’t you ever challenge Simon Kaleab then, he quotes the verses directly from the Quran. Is it hateful to expose a hateful religion?

      The christian Eritreans are well aware of your Arabization agenda, especially these groups are in the forefront, Beni-Amer, Jeberti (your Tigrayan brothers) and Betjuk.

  • Semeru May 28, 2014

    ዓንደ ቅድሚ አፋስጋ ብ ሓደ ሰሙን ዝኸውን ምስ በዓልቲ በቱ በጊዕ ገዚእና አብዛ ሞግዲ ኢና ክንአስራ ይብላ’ ሞ
    ኣይፋልኩምን ኣይትአስርዋን ኢላ ትመላለሶም በዚ ሓሪቁ ዓንደ ምስ በዓልቲ ቤቱ ተፈላለየ ይባሃል
    ሕጂ ኻአ ንሕና ስራሕ ዓንደ ንገብር ዘለና ኮይኑ እዩ ዝስመዓኒ ዘሎ
    Tes, first let’s concentrate on removing the dictator, you don’t need to worry about Tegre speckers, they might tell you “who are you to decide for us! we have our own voice and we know what’s best for us” So you better leave this dispute at least for now.

    ወዳሓንካ

  • silent May 28, 2014

    Back to basics….
    It’s not a law of a powerful regime nor a dogma of a dominant religion; it’s WelWel’s
    dictum, a significant guide to his compatriots to perceive the importance of home/country
    and brotherhood. (Aden 1972/73)
    ጽላል ረኺበ ኢልካ አብ ዘይገረብካ አይተጽልል፣ ግዋና ፈትዩኒ ኢልካ ንሓውካ አይተቓልል !
    ነዚ መሪሕነት ህዝባዊ ግንባር ተግቢራቶ፣ መሪሕነት ጀብሃ ጎስያቶ….ውጽኢቱ ድማ እስኻትኩም ኢኹም…ካን ዓሪብኩም !

    ንወዲ ቫካሮ..ማፍያ ፓለርሞ እንተ አበዩኻ ንእንድርንገታ ናይ ናፖሊ ፈትኖም፣ በልዎ…እሕሕ

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