On ne Met pas Asafa Dibaba en Prison – Open Letter to Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO

On ne Met pas Asafa Dibaba en Prison – Open Letter to Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO

Att.: His Excellency,
Koïchiro Matsuura,
Director-General of UNESCO,
UNESCO
7, place de Fontenoy
75352 Paris 07 SP
and
1, rue Miollis
75732 Paris Cedex 15
France

Your Excellency,

I am sure you immediately realized the allusion made in the half-French title of the present Open Letter, of which a rough translation would be ‘You don’t arrest Asafa Dibaba’.

In the same way General de Gaulle said in 1968 "On ne met pas Voltaire en prison" (http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Paul_Sartre - in Notes et references, no 1; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Paul_Sartre - in References, no 9; and notably http://agora.qc.ca/francophonie.nsf/Dossiers/France) about Jean Paul Sartre, I make use of the expression for the outstanding Oromo intellectual, scholar, poet, and pedagogue Asafa Dibaba.

Voltaire may have been unknown in 18th century Japan, and Asafa Dibaba might be unknown to you. I will therefore start with a brief presentation of the great Oromo intellectual who has been peremptorily arrested in Abyssinia (fallaciously re-baptized ‘Ethiopia’) – along with many other Oromos – just a few days ago, as per today’s news (Appendix 1).

1. Asafa Dibaba – A Prominent African Intellectual and Scholar

I will reproduce here an excerpt from an interview, published two years ago (Interview with poet Asafa Tefera Dibaba - http://arefe.wordpress.com/2006/11/12/interview-with-poet-asafa-tefera-dibaba/), with the 42-year old Oromo lecturer and academic mentor of numerous students at the Finfinnee University (Addis Ababa). This is how Asafa Dibaba (born in 25 June 1967) answered a question about his background and career:

"I am teaching Literature in the College of Education, Addis Ababa University, (AAU) and I studied Comparative Literature at the AAU for my MA from 2001 to 2003. I studied English Language Teaching (ELT) at Kotebe College of Teacher Education in1985 and ’86 and later at Addis Ababa University from 1994 to 1997. I completed my secondary School education at Najjo High School, Wallaga in 1983. Born from a farming family in 1967 at Gombo, Jarso District, Wallaga, I have come to become a Poet, unfortunately. So far, I have published five: Edas-edanas (1997, poems in Afan Oromo), Anaan’yaa (1998, poems in Afan Oromo),Danaa (2000, short stories in Afan Oromo), Theorizing the Present (2004, a critical approach to study Oromo Literature), and, now, Decorous Decorum (2006, poems in English)".

2. Online Publications of Asafa Dibaba

I had the privilege to publish online Mr. Asafa Dibaba’s M.A. thesis entitled "Towards a political sociology of Oromo Literature: Jaarsoo Waaqoo’s Poetry", which consists in a first scholarly attempt to study Oromo Literature through a sociological perspective. Key points of the study include genre theories, generic transformations, issues of nationalism, social and development issues, and resource-based conflicts. Here are the links to the parts of the online publication:

Sociology of Oromo Literature and Asafa Dibaba, leading Oromo Humanist Intellectual (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/29017)

Asafa Dibaba and his analysis of Jaarsoo Waaqoo’s National Oromo Poetry
(http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/29908)

Pylons of African Kushitic Spirituality: Jaarsoo Waaqoo and Geerarsa Oromo Literature (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/30330)

Asafa Dibaba in Quest of Jaarsoo Waaqoo: the Quintessence of Oromo Poetry
(http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/30448)

Asafa Dibaba's Conclusions on Jaarsoo Waaqoo, and National Oromo Poetry
(http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/30482)

3. Online Publications of Asafa Dibaba’s Students

I was among the lucky few who recently happened to get a copy of an excellent study, entitled ´Themes & Patterns of Traditional Oromo Marriage Counseling´, elaborated with pertinent method and great commitment by a young Oromo scholar, Ms. Opsan Moreda. According to my information, Ms. Opasn Moreda, working under the supervision of the pro-eminent Oromo scholar Asafa Tefera Dibaba (editor of Ms. Moreda´s dissertation), intends to continue her research in this key field for the demonstration of both, the Kushitic Ethiopian Oromo continuity and the chaotic difference and ethnic – religious – cultural and socio-behavioural dissimilarity between the Ethiopian Oromos, and the non-Ethiopian, Abyssinian Amharas. Here are the links to the parts of the online publication of Ms. Opsan Moreda’ Master’s degree thesis:

Revealing the Uninterrupted Kushitic Oromo Continuity: the Oromo Marriage
(http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/65450)

Oromo Marriage - Cultural Gap between Ethiopian Oromos and Abyssinian Amharas & Tigrays (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/65604)

Unshakable Interconnectedness of the Oromo Society, as Confirmed by Marriage Traditions
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/65792

Purposes – Pillars of the Oromo Marriage: Humanity and Morality, Peace and Harmony (http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/65835)

Kushitic Originality and Oromo Marriage: More Communal than Individual
(http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/65957)

4. Mr. Asafa Dibaba’s Arrest is the Result of Racist and Totalitarian Policies of an Undemocratic Regime

Mr. Asafa Dibaba’s unlawful arrest is due to the excessively tyrannical methods with which the dictatorial and racist regime of Meles Zenawi tries to subdue the resistance of all the subjugated nations and ethno-religious groups.

The rejection of the totalitarian ‘Ethiopianist’ regime among the long tyrannized Oromos, Ogadenis, Sidamas, Afars, Kambaatas, Kaffas, Shekachos, Hadiyas, Gedeos, Wolayitas, Anuak, Nuer, Shinasha, Berta, Gumuz and Agaws, as well as among the Amhara and Tigray Muslims is overwhelming.

Regional phenomena like the war with Eritrea and the intervention in Somalia, natural disasters, and worldwide unpublicized calamitous policies of tribal character (land ownership is prohibited in ‘Ethiopia’ - as it is in North Korea!) have driven the racist regime to its knees.

The oppression of the subjugated nations and the ethno-religious groups has exercised in the name of a purely racist concept, that of ‘Ethiopianism’ a theory formed on the basis of atrocious historical falsifications in order to reject the diachronic continuity, the national history, the cultural integrity, the linguistic survival, the religious particularity, and the socio-behavioural identity of all the subjugated nations and the ethno-religious groups.

The nature of ‘Ethiopianism’, which relies on institutional racism in order to be imposed, is identified with the totalitarian imposition of its core concept, namely the fallacy of the existence of one ‘Ethiopian’ nation – instead of the aforementioned nations that have therefore been systematically targeted for extinction.

The ensuing consequence is that any scholar, who demonstrates – through contributions and publications in any related field - the diachronic continuity, the national history, the cultural integrity, the linguistic survival, the religious particularity, and the socio-behavioural identity of his/her nation, becomes the immediate target of the undemocratic practices of the corrupt Zenawi regime that resorts even to instigation of tribal hatred and conflicts in order to further remain in power and prolong the existence of the world’s most loathed (by its subjugated inhabitants) state.

In fact, Mr. Asafa Dibaba’s academic contributions made of him high priority target for Zenawi’s ‘Ethiopianist’ regime which has been accused for systematic policy of Genocide at Ogaden by the leading NGO Human Rights Watch. See:
http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2008/06/12/ethiop19029.htm,
www.hrw.org/reports/2008/ethiopia0608/3.htm#_Toc200167122,
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/64958, and
www.ogaden.com/report120608.htm.

5. Mr. Asafa Dibaba’s Arrest is by definition a Matter of Concern for UNESCO

Your Excellency,

Mr. Asafa Dibaba’s arrest refutes the very raison d’ être ("the reason for being") of UNESCO; in fact, it consists in an act of total rejection of the principles, the concepts and the notions on which the formation of UNESCO has been based.

In this regard, I have the honour to ask you the following questions:

Point A

In your website, in the section "UNESCO Institutes and Centres for Education" (http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=49074&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html), you state the following:

"Today, six Institutes and two Centres work as part of UNESCO’s Education Sector to assist countries in tackling education problems of particular concern. The UNESCO Institute for Statistics also works closely with the Education Sector".

Your Excellency,

What is the purpose of existence of all these institutions, if you cannot ensure that in today’s Abyssinia scholars be treated at least as humanely as in Ancien Regime France before 250 years?

Point B

In your website’s home page, "UNESCO - the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization" (http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=3328&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html), you state the following:

"(UNESCO) was founded on 16 November 1945. For this specialized United Nations agency, it is not enough to build classrooms in devastated countries or to publish scientific breakthroughs. Education, Social and Natural Science, Culture and Communication are the means to a far more ambitious goal : to build peace in the minds of men.

Today, UNESCO functions as a laboratory of ideas and a standard-setter to forge universal agreements on emerging ethical issues. The Organization also serves as a clearinghouse – for the dissemination and sharing of information and knowledge – while helping Member States to build their human and institutional capacities in diverse fields. In short, UNESCO promotes international co-operation among its 193* Member States and six Associate Members in the fields of education, science, culture and communication.
(*As of October 2007)

UNESCO is working to create the conditions for genuine dialogue based upon respect for shared values and the dignity of each civilization and culture.
This role is critical, particularly in the face of terrorism, which constitutes an attack against humanity. The world urgently requires global visions of sustainable development based upon observance of human rights, mutual respect and the alleviation of poverty, all of which lie at the heart of UNESCO’s mission and activities.

Through its strategies and activities, UNESCO is actively pursuing the Millennium Development Goals, especially those aiming to:

• halve the proportion of people living in extreme poverty in developing countries by 2015

• achieve universal primary education in all countries by 2015

• eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education by 2005

• help countries implement a national strategy for sustainable development by 2005 to reverse current trends in the loss of environmental resources by 2015.

• UNESCO and the United Nations Millennium Goals".

Your Excellency,

How will you achieve your - declared as ambitious - goal to "build peace in the minds of men" as long as Asafa Dibaba, instead of teaching his students, is unjustly and unlawfully tortured in the – well known and constantly denounced as inhuman – Abyssinian jails?

Your Excellency,

How will you help your member state "Ethiopia" to "build their human and institutional capacities in diverse fields", if you can’t oblige the lawless, immoral and inhuman administration of ‘Ethiopia’ to immediately liberate Asafa Dibaba and any scholar and intellectual imprisoned on national and political grounds?

Your Excellency,

Where do you plan to set your wonderfully evangelized "genuine dialogue based upon respect for shared values and the dignity of each civilization and culture"? In Abyssinia’s notorious jails where Asafa Dibaba is now being
exposed to malnutrition, contagious diseases, and tortures?

Your Excellency,

Is it perhaps high time for you now to consider what your vision is with respect to the "observance of human rights"?

Point C

Demonstrating UNESCO’s commitment to capacity building in Africa, shortly before the beginning of your tenure, the international body launched the International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA) to be headquartered at Finfinnee in Occupied Oromia – which is not to be called "Addis Ababa" because less than 18% of the country’s population use this name, which is the result of military invasion, illegal occupation, excruciating tyranny, and physical – cultural genocide.

In the "About UNESCO-IICBA" section of your website (http://www.unesco-iicba.org//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=52〈=en), you state the following:

"The UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA) was officially established by the UNESCO General Conference in October, 1999. Its establishment was part of UNESCO’s drive to decentralize its functions. In particular IICBA expressed UNESCO’s commitment to capacity building in Africa. IICBA is headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and presently has two nodes, one situated within the UNESCO Regional Office in Dakar, and the second one within Pretoria University, South Africa. Through these three centres IICBA provides services to some 20 countries.

About Capacity Building

At a superficial level, "capacity building" can be equated to training. However, it is well known that training may benefit individuals without strengthening the capacities of institutions and countries. Individuals who benefit from high level training may not be able to put their newly acquired skills to good use where their home institutions are unappreciative or even hostile to such skills application. Thus, unless capacity building is targeted at both individuals and institutions, its benefits may be uneven and unreliable. Capacity building therefore, must be defined first and foremost as building institutional capacities. "Institutions" include not only educational establishments such as teachers’ colleges and universities, but also the important principles, values, knowledge and processes which form the foundation of education.

At the same time, more personnel need training than previously thought. One reason for this is the high mobility of staff in many institutions and countries – as high as 20% a year in many cases. Another reason is that the increased professionalization of teachers and educational administrators, through, for example curriculum skills development, improves the critical interaction among researchers and developers, as well as school and classroom practitioners. The danger of planners and managers who are increasingly out of touch with the grassroots, and a grassroots which finds its supervisors remote and unreal, is thus minimized. Hence, it is clear that capacity building must be done at a number of levels: national, provincial, district and local. It is when such knowledge and skills become common currency at local level, particularly at school level that capacity building makes a difference.

Much research and development has been done on education in Africa by universities, research institutes, donor funded consultancies, etc. However most of this work may not be utilized in implementation programmes. One of the main tasks of this Institute is to bring research and development closer to practical implementation programmes.

Another task of the Institute is to form a network of such programmes and institutions, allowing the sharing of training facilities and experience.

The Institute's responsibilities include:

- addressing the educational, technical and professional needs of members states;

- providing a forum for the sharing of both positive and negative experiences so as to enable institutions and educational systems to benefit from work done by sister bodies;

- bringing the latest research and development in Africa and globally to institutions in Africa;

- enhancing the capacities of regional, national and local level institutions;

- providing the opportunity for technological improvements, such as the utilization of electronic media for networking and for educational purposes".

Your Excellency,

Wouldn’t you agree with me that your "practical implementation programmes" have to start with Asafa Dibaba’s immediate release?

Your Excellency,

Be sure that you don’t need to answer to me! I feel safe to claim that you understand that you have principally to answer to your inner voice, face your own conscience, and save your moral and academic integrity.

No one can achieve all this, while keeping announcing magnificent plans and majestic projects, at a moment elementary respect to Humanity is denied by the gangsters who do anything it takes to prolong the abominable existence of the monstrous tyranny ‘Ethiopia’.

Your Excellency,

Help restore the Values you solemnly defend worldwide by visiting Asafa Dibaba in his jail and taking him out with you!

This act would restore UNESCO’s respectability among the long tyrannized Oromos.

Yours faithfully,

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis

Appendix A – OLF News about the Unlawful Imprisonment of Asafa Dibaba and Other Oromo Citizens

Oduu Oromiyaa - Madda Oduu ABO - Sadaasa, 2008

Widespread Detention of Prominent Oromos Resumed Again: At least 12 more Oromos Detained

(http://www.oromoliberationfront.org/News/2008/Widespread%20Detention%20of%20Prominent%20Oromos.html)

(OLF News, Nov. 6, 2008): The TPLF/Wayyaanee government continued massive arrest of prominent Oromos in an attempt to kill the Oromo nationalist spirit. In addition to the renowned Oromos the government security forces have arrested in the last couple of days, OLF News has confirmed that, the following prominent Oromos have been taken from their homes and sent to detention centers.

Those Arrested From Finfinnee ( Addis Ababa )

1. Mr Asafa Dibaba a teacher of the Afan Oromo language from Finfinnee ( Addis Ababa ) university,

2. Mr Kabbada Borana, the manager of Hilton Hotel,

3. Mr Nugusee Dibaba, a known college student,

4. Mr Fiqadu Jalqaba, a known college student,

5. Mr Bakala Nagari, a business man,

6. Mr Dajana Dhaba, a business man.

Those Arrested From Nekemte, Western Oromia

The following Oromos have been arrested from Western Oromia , Eastern Wollegga Zone, Nekemte town on 11/04/2008.

Mr Dastaa Kitiil , brother of Isheetuu Kitil, owner of Hawi Hotel

Mr Warqinaa, a teacher at Dallo school

Mr Namoomsaa Warqinaa, a teacher at Bakkee Jamaa school

Mr Geetahuun an employee of Wallagga University

Mr Balayii Kormee a worker of Nekemte Hospital Pharmacy.

Mr Kabbada Bultii, a business man.

Meanwhile the Wayyanee forces are repoted to have arrested several Oromo nationalists in Eastern Oromia, Eastern Harargee zone, Baddannoo, Burqaa, Kurfaa Callee, Gurawwa and Meettaa districts for allegedly supporting and giving food and information to the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA). Further more, in the eastern Wollegga zone of Finca’a district, at least two Oromos have been arrested.

@OLFNews

Appendix B – Oromo Reader’s Comments on Asafa Dibaba’s Interview

H. T. Dhugo Says:

October 18, 2008 at 11:09 am

Hi Folks!

In his poems entitled "My People (Decorous Decorum)" Asafa (2006) lucidly expresses and brings to attention the political silence of the Oromo while and after the May 2005 "elections" despite the no-gain of the people from the "elections" both quantitatively and qualitatively. The poems are the profound reflections of the versatility and professionalism of the poet in pulling together his personal, political, linguistic, cultural and poetic resources. Linguistic beauty of the poem is shown in the poet’s contextual use of Afan Oromo dictions in English sentences. A myriad of Oromo words are seen in the poems which are philosophically value laden; are very much in use by Gadamojjiis and Elders with crystallized experiences. Instances of such a language include words such as Faarsaa, Geerarsaa, Malkaa Irreessaa, Hora Arsadii,Finna, Hoo’u-qubaa, Heera
and Seeraa and so on. They make greater senses when looked at from context in the poem itself. Of course, there are Greek and Roman vocabularies intertwined in the lines of the poem beautifully.

In the content it appears that he criticizes the present silence of the Oromo
People which is arguably absolutely contrary to the deadly circumstances in which they are caught and are stifled. On this ground, he urges for an immediate withdrawal from this passive state of mind and physique.

In the opening stanzas a between the line comprehension shows he satirizes the quietude though it appears he is extolling it. In stanza 3 the poet likens the depth and breadth of the present silence to "Malkaa Irreessaa" , "Hora Arsadii and Waqaa". He speaks of the people as the appropriate beings to tell its plights during what is described in the poem as "these long nights". In the next stanza the poet presents the disparaging views of aliens to the Oromo and its movements. In stanza 5, 6 and 7 he suggests that there is a critical step to be taken by the people: "when the road taken is wrong, the road not taken is right"
(Asafa 2005:3).

Most striking to me, in stanza 23(P.7) the poet invites his people to make
weapons with which to fight for the injustices in Biyya Oromo out of his physical being. This alludes that everyone must present himself as a price for freedom rather than praying to stay alive to see a free Oromia. This stanza is one of the few stanzas that stand out from the whole poem and containing the overwhelming theme of the poem:

better later than never, My people.

make a bow and arrow out of my bone

make a string and sling out of my skin

make storm out of my anger

and tempest out of my tear and blood

make mud out of my flesh

make glue out of my sweat

and protect this Land, bond this Nation

before you die. If we are not living,

then why not We die? (7)

In the foregoing sections of his poems, the poet exposes the corrupt
characteristics of the people namely making ‘love with concubines’, ‘settling disputes and appeasing gods’ and ‘effervescing on fabulous feast’. In the wake of these preoccupations with their corrupt behaviors they could not respond to timely calls of struggling for survival and fatherland. In stanza 23, however, he overwhelmingly emphasizes that they must stop all forms of corrupt behaviors contributing to their passivity and in return leading to the postponement of the "an ended quest"-Reforming the Oromo Nation and protecting it. Otherwise the plights, disillusionments, destructions, exploitations and suppressions will endure on the people. The ironical state of having a house and no home, having a land and no country, having a people and having no nation nor nationality and having no citizenship will prevail producing more subjects, exiles, and distractedness in the Fatherland of the Oromo people:

I have a House

I have no Home

I have a Land

I have no Country

I have a People

I have no Nation

nor Nationality

or Citizenship-

I am Subject

I am on Exile

on my Fatherland,

My people,

where is my Home

what is my country

Who am I?

or, what is the difference? (10)

(Asafa Dibaba 2006).

Overall, Asafa seems to speak in the poems that it is only possible to have a home, a country, a nation, Nationality and Citizenship if only one comes back and examines one’s conscience and takes pragmatic actions to possess all that are naturally his/hers.

Note
Picture: What is UNESCO?
A brochure for Oromos to read in jail