In an earlier article under the title ´An Advice for Revolutionary Oromos´ (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/49843), I underscored the great importance of the interconnection of the Oromo Liberation movements, parties, organizations, and associations with other liberation movements of other oppressed nations in Abyssinia, Sudan, Algeria and other parts of the world (from Scotland, Catalonia, and the Bask land to the Aramaeans, the Baluchis and the Tibetans). This should happen at the level of information, knowledge, contact, experience exchange, and coordination of the struggle for independence.
What is good for the Oromos certainly helps the Ogadenis; but is it enough? I would say it is indispensable for the Ogadenis to heavily interact and cooperate with other oppressed and tyrannized nations allover the world, but there is more to deploy as effort.
An assessment of the globally prevailing conditions of political life and social practice is also important. This is particularly important for the Ogadeni Diaspora.
Is the Western World a Paradise?
It is only normal that Ogadenis living in Switzerland, Finland, England and the States make the mistake to momentarily idealize the conditions of social environment and political life. Certainly, there cannot be any comparison between the Hell of Abyssinia (a tyrannical, anachronistic, barbaric and heinous state without Civil Society, without the slightest notion of Freedom, and without any respect for the basic concepts of Democracy and Human Rights) and the European and American democracies.
In terms of Education, Culture, Economy, Social Development, and Political Life, Europe and America are a Paradise if compared with Abyssinia, fallaciously re-baptized ´Ethiopia´, and more particularly Ogaden, an illegally annexed land from where the Neo-Nazi Abyssinians intentionally attempted for more than five decades to extract the natural resources and to exterminate the historical and rightful inhabitants, the Ogadenis.
However, the Western countries are not ideal if compared with what they have to be compared, namely their own philosophical principles, moral values, fundamental political concepts, and authentic standards. It is critical to focus on this for a while; today´s France would have been totally rejected by Jean Jacques Rousseau, today´s Germany would have been categorically denounced by Goethe, today´s England would have been fully repudiated by Shakespeare, and today´s America would have been rebutted by the Founding Fathers. Suffice it that we compare their texts and the ideals therein promoted and defended with our societies. It will be detrimental.
The same applies to other countries, Italy, Holland, Denmark, etc. Despite the incommensurable advance – if compared to Abyssinia, the Barbaric realm of Hatred and Criminality par excellence –, the Western countries are morally corrupt, philosophically dead, ideologically dry, socially decomposed, and economically sick, and politically rotten.
Despite the great ideas evangelized, the great perspectives sought after, the great expectations that rekindled the hope of many Western generations, adversity has hit the West up to the point of turning it to a circumference of Duplicity, Hypocrisy, Mendacity, Egocentricity, Materialism, Relativism, and Grave De-spiritualization.
Within a world like this, whose sensitiveness can the Ogadenis possibly influence when narrating the Human Tragedy of Ogaden? Certainly there are still people in the West ready to man Human Rights associations, eager to contribute to the struggle of a terrorized nation, fervent in their Humanism, and altruistic in their mentality; but they are few, and what is truly worse is that they do not rule the world. When they present publicly a convincing plead for Ogaden or Tibet, they are met with frozen indifference by the majority of the influential decision makers.
In a world where investment in derivatives became primary concern in life, why bother about some poor people in Jigjiga who starve due to Abyssinian tyranny; wealthy westerners have heard of so many cases of starvation and deprivation, from Biafra to the Boat people of SE Asia, that one more case makes no difference; for them, a few more dead do not change the picture of our world. Many Westerners would sleep easily and calmly after saying to an Ogadeni organization representative asking just a 20 US $ contribution to relief for Ogaden that they ´will not save to world´.
What to do?
Certainly there are many possible options, but the Ogadenis must bear in mind that every nation´s traits and characteristics pre-arrange to some extent the nation´s type of struggle for independence.
Interaction with Christian and Non Muslim Liberation Movements
There is a critical difference between the Oromos and the Ogadenis with regard to their faith and belief; whereas the Oromos adhere to several faiths, religions and denominations, Waqefanna, Islam, Protestant, Catholic Christianity, et., the Ogadenis are all Muslims.
In a world of increased confusion, and unjustified but exploitable fear, the ´details´ of a tariqa, of a Sufi order, and all the Islamic variants are easily forgotten, if ever considered. This means that the Ogadenis, engaged in their Noble Fight for Freedom, Independence, Dignity and Democracy, should have to expect the deployment of a disgustingly immoral and provocatively inhuman effort of false identification carried out against them by the lewd, barbaric, monstrous and inhuman Abyssinian elites. It is a sort of defamation of global scale.
This is nothing new; the disreputable criminal gangster Zenawi already attempted to sell to indifferent and ignorant audiences the defamatory lie that the tolerant, open minded, and indulgent Ogadenis are "extremists", "Islamists" and terrorists.
In fact there is no other terrorist throughout the Horn of Africa except the barbaric and inhuman Abyssinian debteras, the pseudo-Christian Amhara and Tigray monks of Hatred – those who slaughtered Catholic and Protestant missionaries and explorers in order to prevent the study of their racist paranoia that is widely narrated in their preserved manuscripts, starting from the Monument of Racism and Barbary, Kebra Negast.
But all this may concern few people in the West. Only!
What to do?
Ogadenis must interact with other oppressed and tyrannized Christian and various non Muslim nations in Africa and Asia, who strive for Freedom and National Independence. The Sidamas and the Anuak should be two close allies; the Aramaeans of Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey, the Georgians, the Albanians (both Christian and Muslim), the Catalans, and the Scots are valuable friends and potential supporters. The Parsis of Iran and India, and the Tibetans would be important allies as well. Diversifying the interconnection with non Muslim nations living under oppression will be a strong point in averting the defamatory efforts.
However, the Ogadenis more than others have to rely on another technique of persuasion that should be employed within Western societies exhaustively.
The Secret Tool: Images and Narratives of Contrast
Our world has reached an unprecedented level of dramatic contrasts and socio-economic inequalities; the gap between the materialistic elites and the deprived masses has taken dimensions of a unique social chasm in the World History.
The amount spent by a small group of few rich people dining in a restaurant in California would suffice for the nutrition of a village in Ogaden for two or three weeks! The American and the European press and websites are full of references to the 1000 (one thousand) US $ omelet and to far more expensive bottles of champagne shamelessly consumed at the moment the entire population of Ogaden is starving.
The notorious website www. newyorksocialdiary.com is one among hundreds of sources of information about the futile extravaganza of the rotten social elites of the West. This level of social activity should be first monitored and studied; names of peoples, associations, and institutions must be gathered; an agenda must be made full of the social events of these elites who are absolutely unaware of the dramas of Ogaden.
Then, with due preparation of folders, pictures, albums, video clips, and audio files an entire campaign must start, including impromptu appearance in all these events where 2-3 Ogadenis, politely speaking, will deliver a brief speech and ask 1% of the event budget to be given for a specific purpose in Ogaden, medicine, food, cloths, books, etc,
If the practice happens constantly and in a great number of American and European cities, a certain fund will be raised, the travails of the Ogadenis will be somewhat consoled, and all the vanity elites will start speaking of an ´unknown´ land where people are not affluent in material goods but certainly possess moral values and spiritual strengths badly needed in the disoriented Western societies: Ogaden will thus be at the epicenter of interest and concern.
Note
Picture: An affluent elite unaware of Ogaden: 2008 Frederic E. Church Award Dinner to Benefit the Olana Partnership
What is good for the Oromos certainly helps the Ogadenis; but is it enough? I would say it is indispensable for the Ogadenis to heavily interact and cooperate with other oppressed and tyrannized nations allover the world, but there is more to deploy as effort.
An assessment of the globally prevailing conditions of political life and social practice is also important. This is particularly important for the Ogadeni Diaspora.
Is the Western World a Paradise?
It is only normal that Ogadenis living in Switzerland, Finland, England and the States make the mistake to momentarily idealize the conditions of social environment and political life. Certainly, there cannot be any comparison between the Hell of Abyssinia (a tyrannical, anachronistic, barbaric and heinous state without Civil Society, without the slightest notion of Freedom, and without any respect for the basic concepts of Democracy and Human Rights) and the European and American democracies.
In terms of Education, Culture, Economy, Social Development, and Political Life, Europe and America are a Paradise if compared with Abyssinia, fallaciously re-baptized ´Ethiopia´, and more particularly Ogaden, an illegally annexed land from where the Neo-Nazi Abyssinians intentionally attempted for more than five decades to extract the natural resources and to exterminate the historical and rightful inhabitants, the Ogadenis.
However, the Western countries are not ideal if compared with what they have to be compared, namely their own philosophical principles, moral values, fundamental political concepts, and authentic standards. It is critical to focus on this for a while; today´s France would have been totally rejected by Jean Jacques Rousseau, today´s Germany would have been categorically denounced by Goethe, today´s England would have been fully repudiated by Shakespeare, and today´s America would have been rebutted by the Founding Fathers. Suffice it that we compare their texts and the ideals therein promoted and defended with our societies. It will be detrimental.
The same applies to other countries, Italy, Holland, Denmark, etc. Despite the incommensurable advance – if compared to Abyssinia, the Barbaric realm of Hatred and Criminality par excellence –, the Western countries are morally corrupt, philosophically dead, ideologically dry, socially decomposed, and economically sick, and politically rotten.
Despite the great ideas evangelized, the great perspectives sought after, the great expectations that rekindled the hope of many Western generations, adversity has hit the West up to the point of turning it to a circumference of Duplicity, Hypocrisy, Mendacity, Egocentricity, Materialism, Relativism, and Grave De-spiritualization.
Within a world like this, whose sensitiveness can the Ogadenis possibly influence when narrating the Human Tragedy of Ogaden? Certainly there are still people in the West ready to man Human Rights associations, eager to contribute to the struggle of a terrorized nation, fervent in their Humanism, and altruistic in their mentality; but they are few, and what is truly worse is that they do not rule the world. When they present publicly a convincing plead for Ogaden or Tibet, they are met with frozen indifference by the majority of the influential decision makers.
In a world where investment in derivatives became primary concern in life, why bother about some poor people in Jigjiga who starve due to Abyssinian tyranny; wealthy westerners have heard of so many cases of starvation and deprivation, from Biafra to the Boat people of SE Asia, that one more case makes no difference; for them, a few more dead do not change the picture of our world. Many Westerners would sleep easily and calmly after saying to an Ogadeni organization representative asking just a 20 US $ contribution to relief for Ogaden that they ´will not save to world´.
What to do?
Certainly there are many possible options, but the Ogadenis must bear in mind that every nation´s traits and characteristics pre-arrange to some extent the nation´s type of struggle for independence.
Interaction with Christian and Non Muslim Liberation Movements
There is a critical difference between the Oromos and the Ogadenis with regard to their faith and belief; whereas the Oromos adhere to several faiths, religions and denominations, Waqefanna, Islam, Protestant, Catholic Christianity, et., the Ogadenis are all Muslims.
In a world of increased confusion, and unjustified but exploitable fear, the ´details´ of a tariqa, of a Sufi order, and all the Islamic variants are easily forgotten, if ever considered. This means that the Ogadenis, engaged in their Noble Fight for Freedom, Independence, Dignity and Democracy, should have to expect the deployment of a disgustingly immoral and provocatively inhuman effort of false identification carried out against them by the lewd, barbaric, monstrous and inhuman Abyssinian elites. It is a sort of defamation of global scale.
This is nothing new; the disreputable criminal gangster Zenawi already attempted to sell to indifferent and ignorant audiences the defamatory lie that the tolerant, open minded, and indulgent Ogadenis are "extremists", "Islamists" and terrorists.
In fact there is no other terrorist throughout the Horn of Africa except the barbaric and inhuman Abyssinian debteras, the pseudo-Christian Amhara and Tigray monks of Hatred – those who slaughtered Catholic and Protestant missionaries and explorers in order to prevent the study of their racist paranoia that is widely narrated in their preserved manuscripts, starting from the Monument of Racism and Barbary, Kebra Negast.
But all this may concern few people in the West. Only!
What to do?
Ogadenis must interact with other oppressed and tyrannized Christian and various non Muslim nations in Africa and Asia, who strive for Freedom and National Independence. The Sidamas and the Anuak should be two close allies; the Aramaeans of Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey, the Georgians, the Albanians (both Christian and Muslim), the Catalans, and the Scots are valuable friends and potential supporters. The Parsis of Iran and India, and the Tibetans would be important allies as well. Diversifying the interconnection with non Muslim nations living under oppression will be a strong point in averting the defamatory efforts.
However, the Ogadenis more than others have to rely on another technique of persuasion that should be employed within Western societies exhaustively.
The Secret Tool: Images and Narratives of Contrast
Our world has reached an unprecedented level of dramatic contrasts and socio-economic inequalities; the gap between the materialistic elites and the deprived masses has taken dimensions of a unique social chasm in the World History.
The amount spent by a small group of few rich people dining in a restaurant in California would suffice for the nutrition of a village in Ogaden for two or three weeks! The American and the European press and websites are full of references to the 1000 (one thousand) US $ omelet and to far more expensive bottles of champagne shamelessly consumed at the moment the entire population of Ogaden is starving.
The notorious website www. newyorksocialdiary.com is one among hundreds of sources of information about the futile extravaganza of the rotten social elites of the West. This level of social activity should be first monitored and studied; names of peoples, associations, and institutions must be gathered; an agenda must be made full of the social events of these elites who are absolutely unaware of the dramas of Ogaden.
Then, with due preparation of folders, pictures, albums, video clips, and audio files an entire campaign must start, including impromptu appearance in all these events where 2-3 Ogadenis, politely speaking, will deliver a brief speech and ask 1% of the event budget to be given for a specific purpose in Ogaden, medicine, food, cloths, books, etc,
If the practice happens constantly and in a great number of American and European cities, a certain fund will be raised, the travails of the Ogadenis will be somewhat consoled, and all the vanity elites will start speaking of an ´unknown´ land where people are not affluent in material goods but certainly possess moral values and spiritual strengths badly needed in the disoriented Western societies: Ogaden will thus be at the epicenter of interest and concern.
Note
Picture: An affluent elite unaware of Ogaden: 2008 Frederic E. Church Award Dinner to Benefit the Olana Partnership
