Evidence of 'Ethiopian' Amhara / Tigray Racism: Use of 'Sidamo' and 'Wolamo' misnomers

In an earlier article entitled 'Sidama and Wolayita Outcry Amhara and Tigray Racism and Forged 'Ethiopian' History' (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/sidama-and-wolayita-outcry-amhara-and-tigray-racism-and-forged-ethiopian-history.html), we published the first part of an enlightening contribution by the Sidama Intellectual Side Goodo.

Mr. Side Goodo's article sheds light on traditional and abhorrent Abyssinian practices of outrageous racism and national – cultural discrimination against peoples the Amhara and Tigray Abyssinian dictators invaded before 100 – 140 years. One of these practices is the use of derogatory terms, such as 'Galla' for the Oromos, 'Arusi' for the Arsi Oromos, 'Sidamo' for the Sidamas, and 'Wolamo' for the Wolayitas. The terms mentioned hereby do not consist but an indicative sample, not an exhaustive list.

In the already published part, following a brief introduction, Mr. Goodo presented 'an Overview of the History of Sidama People', and then analyzed 'the Origin of the Misnomer Sidamo'. In the present article, we will publish the last two parts of Mr. Side Goodo's contribution.

There are no people called 'Sidamo': stop the use of 'Sidamo' misnomer

By Side Goodo

Further evidence of Racist Policies of Name Deformation in Sidama Land

The conception, composition and massive use of a great number of derogatory terms and the deformation of ethnic names were a comprehensive policy pursued by the occupying Abyssinian forces in a generalized way; it was not limited to the invading army, and the totalitarian governments of the cruel and barbaric Amhara and Tigray rulers. The Amhara and Tigray tribes in their entirety were committed to the use of the derogatory terms, bearing evidence to an overwhelming and outrageous racism practised by the entire population of the two Abyssinian tribes. The composition and use of derogatory were not limited in the fabrication of the derogatory misnomer "Sidamo" for the Sidama Nation, "Wolamo" for the Wolayita Nation and so on.

The Abyssinian invaders and the Amhara and Tigray settlers imposed a systematic and deliberate name change on the Sidama people in their attempt to forcefully convert, in the 1910s and 20s, the oppressed Sidamas into their heretic, Monophysitic version Christianity that has been so gravely condemned and repudiated by the Roman Catholic Church. The racist and totalitarian effort of the Abyssinians has failed, but is worthy mentioning.

The Sidama people rejected the deliberate conversion to the Monophysitic Christianity of the heretic Amharas and Tigrays by lamenting this statement:

"Xoomi yihero xoomi.
Xoomiro xoomo gowwu doomi.
Miniki giddo doogo nooni?"

The Poem of National Resistance can be roughly translated as following:

"If they ask you to fast, do it.
Let the foolish do it. But is there any road through your house?
Why do you even bother about it?".

The highly cultured and genuinely democratic Sidama Wise Elders used to organise the Sidama resistance through similar poems, and most of the time this method was very effective and successful.

Much later, the Sidamas accepted Christianity in the 1950s and 60s following the preaching of mainly Protestant missionaries, who brought forth several education and development projects.

Forced Change of Personal Names

Deliberate policy of name deformation was part of the Abyssinian policy of occupation and subjugation. If few Sidama children were allowed to join a handful of schools built for the Abyssinian settlers in the occupied Sidama Land before 1974, they were not allowed to use their Sidama personal names.

Following another systematic practice, the Abyssinian rulers forced the Sidama youngsters to go to Wolayita Land for Primary Education and the Wolayita youngsters to travel to Sidama Land, so that both peoples abandon their aim of getting education because of the high transport and living cost involved, in case the few Sidama and Wolayita parents decided to let their children travel to those distant places in order to get education.

Is this not a Nazi, criminal and inhuman denial of the Right to Education?

Yet, due to lack of international awareness, concern and mobilization against this criminal Nazi acts, Abyssinia - fallaciously re0baptized 'Ethiopia' - used to boast to be part of the League of Nations and United Nations that guarantee the Right not only to Primary Education but to Primary Education in the mother tongue.

More precisely, when a Sidama child was sent to a school in occupied Sidama Land, s/he was asked to enrol – according to the criminal Nazi Amhara terminology - "with a civilized name".

By this, the Nazi Amharas meant of course an Amhara name. Thus, wonderful Sidamic names like Baxisso, Gabisso, and Agana were dictatorially replaced, and the Sidama children were tyrannically masqueraded as "Abebe", "Bekele", "Ayele" - names that look alien and barbaric to the millennia–long, lofty Sidama Kushitic Culture's values.

In case some children resisted or refused to change their names, they were either denied school and all further chances for personal, educational and social improvement and rise or their names were bastardised by force, and following complete disregard of their reactions. These forced and criminal changes occurred like the change of the national name Sidama to derogatory "Sidamo". In cases like this, a Sidama personal name like Dangisso was criminally deformed to "Degsew", Argata to "Argachew", and so on.

However, forced name changes and deformations came to an end with the imposition of the communist dictatorship in 1974; one of the few positive measures that Dictator Mengistu was obliged by his Soviet patrons to introduce was the abolition of the barbaric Abyssinian feudalism, and related policies. However, the Abyssinian occupation of the Sidama Land and the subjugation of the Sidamas continued, and further oppressive policies persisted until today.

Conclusion - Call for Immediate Halt in the Use of "Sidamo" Misnomer

In the Abyssinian tyranny, there are no people named "Sidamo". The misnomer was invented in 1891 by the invading Menelik’s generals and soldiers, as part of their psychological war geared to degrade and dehumanise the then newly occupied land of Sidama and other peoples living around the Sidama Land.

The same practice of introducing a dehumanising misnomer for the Wolayita people gave birth to the otherwise non-existent name "Wolamo". As a matter of fact, the Oromos were called by another derogatory misnomer, "Galla" - a term that was introduced by the Amhara invaders long before the formation of the "Sidamo" and "Wolamo" misnomers.

We demand of all the Amhara and Tigray Abyssinians.....

We therefore demand of all the Amhara and Tigray Abyssinians to stop using the derogatory term "Sidamo" which was coined by their i ancestors when they were invading Sidama Land.

The continued use of this term only validates our arguments that the Abyssinians are racists, an that no other people, no other nation can possibly to live with them.

The Sidama Nation will be better off and will prosper as an Independent Nation in Eastern Africa. No one can prevent the Sidamas from achieving National Independence.

Do not therefore add insult to injury by shamelessly reminding us all the time the barbaric deeds of your ancestors at the times of the Abyssinian invasion of Sidama Land, as one of these deeds was the outrageous introduction of the humiliating term "Sidamo" .

The term "Sidamo" must therefore be declared illegal allover the world, and must be removed from all websites, and publications.

Addressing now the International Community, we plead for the Immediate Obliteration of the misnomer "Sidamo", demanding the UN and great powers abiding by Humanism, Democracy, and Respect of Human Rights to put pressure on the Abyssinian government to finally declare the misnomers "Sidamo" (for the Sidamas), "Galla" (for the Oromos) and "Wolamo" (for the Wolayitas) as absolutely illegal and therefore thoroughly penalized.

No other individuals and no other peoples know the History of the Sidama Nation better than the Sidamas themselves.

We are the Sidamas, and not "Sidamo"; and there is no people on earth to be called "Sidamo".

Note
Picture: Sidama Land plunged in underdevelopment - due to the long Amhara Abyssinian occupation.