Sowing Seeds of Hate in Universities?!
By Fitsum G.
September 5, 2006
It is easily admitted by any one that universities are venues of academic research and study, not one of vandalism or fields to sow hatred. Of late, alarming and equally disturbing news have been reaching us from the various higher learning institutions of the country. Depressive! Student ganging on ethnic lines and engaging in assaults and the like on others?! Sickening! Assaults, injuries, deaths, arrests and a breakdown of the peaceful scholarly environment. Paralysis of all academic activities! Can we afford that? It sounds like a Mafia or Camorra story! Campuses turning to barracks, rife tension, a few disturbing the peace of all. How many have been injured? How many dead? Are universities battlegrounds for such hate-motivated reckonings? Are students transformed into untamed herds of animals giving in to their basic instincts? Where does such mentality originate? Who are the authors, the masterminds? Which political organisation, which group? What are the benefits and who benefits from it? Could we down play it alleging that it is the device of certain desperate, academically poor students, freshmen? I sincerely doubt it! My fear is that such behaviour is increasingly going out of control, and we are running out of time. Unless we take timely and stern measures with all the culprits, such sensitive manifestations or impulses could only result in further tragedies.While Haromaya (Alemaya) and Adama University (Nazareth) are the latest in such ignominious list, we should not forget that there have been similar episodes reported elsewhere: Bahr Dar, Makelle, Dilla, Jimma, Addis Ababa, you name it. And the end seems remote. This is more than just bad news, or news to shelf and hope it will quell down or fade away in its own time. No! This is a potential wildfire. Any other assessment could risk to be an illusion or denial of the evident. When we reckon that university campuses are compasses of a nation, thermometer of the country, breeding ground of the leaders of the nation, cream of a population (having passed through a myriad of obstacles, screenings), our alarm swells up. Dismissing these episodes lightly could be tantamount to watching a child playing with fire; when we decide to put it out, it could be too late! What has Ruanda taught us? Burundi, Darfur, Somalia, the Balkans, Iraq, Palestine etc ? The endless cycle of violence has become a daily routine, turning these unfortunate societies into battlegrounds for extremist elements of all sorts!
Reason seems to be completely displaced. Dialogue and compromise seem to be banned terms! Don't we already have enough headaches to keep us busy? Poverty, diseases...? Feigning that the problem is simple thus downplaying the poisonousness of the matter is being a part of the problem than the solution. Nor should it be discounted as if it were the adventure of few unscrupulous, bored students. Rather, it should be taken as one expression of a potential social time bomb, and hence needs clearing! No one should be given the chance to poison the coming generation with heinous hate propaganda and unfounded tales today.
Students who are involved in such exercise, regardless of their motivation, (cultural, religious or political background) should come back to their senses and refrain from their provocative acts. Otherwise, they risk to be an insult, a disgrace to a whole generation of university students. The noble, learned, enlightened tradition of universities with lofty ideals, highly qualified researches and studies would be betrayed. If they are not fully aware of the repercussions of their acts, or are manipulated, paid, or even engaged as 'mercenaries', it is time that they ponder on their moves, while those who prefer to remain watching inertly should realize that they are being an involuntary accomplice to such phenomenon. Can one enjoy watching or warming up with the raging fire next door?! Are there people praying that Ethiopians get caught up in endless internecine clashes on ethnic or nationality lines? If any, we should engage day and night to disappoint these messengers of hate. We have had our share of civil wars, clashes, and bloodshed the scars of which are still evident. Enough! If we believe that there is any shred of a chance to resolve Ethiopia's critical 'nationality issues' through such senseless provocation or violence in the campuses, we are misguided!
How could we forget what happened just a few years ago in our own backyards, in Gambella? A catastrophe from whose wounds we are still trying to recover. That is why any controversy involving such underpinnings should be halted urgently, take what it may. Such ideas should not be given the chance of penetrating or appealing to the minds and hearts of people at large.
As much as possible, the future of this country should be determined only by certain principles that should be above ethnic or other affiliations, not on divisions and suspicion. It should be based on equality, supremacy and rule of law. Our mentality should be moulded in such a way as to be able to accommodate wider, extra-origin precepts. Before incidents of this kind become a daily event, indifferent to our attention, (just as the violence in the Middle East, Iraq, or even neighbouring Somalia have become, through repetition), and before our psyche or sub conscience learns to subscribe to it as 'normal', an urgent solution need be devised and enforced. We cannot afford membership in those terror-filled scenarios. No one can rewrite or replace the lofty ideals of tolerance amongst Ethiopians by newly bred war mongers and chauvinists in search of a crude form of ethnic cleansing. Thousands of years of more or less peaceful ethnic intermingling history and harmony among the various peoples of Ethiopia cannot be scrapped away by a few provocateurs, agents of hatred and intolerance. Hatred and violence have never paid, as a glorification of one nationality against others is obsolete, demodé and unacceptable. This is not intended to exaggerate or be too much of an alarmist, but a realistic concern of many. What will the next generation of Ethiopians look like if we continue to sow the seeds of hate today?!
Above all, if we can all concur on the same ideals of liberty, democracy and justice, how can we aspire to these values pointing our arsenal against those who may speak a different language or profess a different religion, than ours? What is overwhelming is the 'human factor', and as humans, we convene that all are equal. University students for sure are aware of this unless they have missed or disregarded their history, sociology, political science or law lessons. Our university students are hence supposed to have passed such 'primitive urge or mentality' of reasoning or measuring one's existence only in terms of compartmentalized boxes called ethnic origin, language origin, nationality, religion and the like. As much as one wants one's origin to be acknowledged and respected, one should equally be ready to respect that of others, dismissing the resort to violence, revenge or retaliation. They have never helped resolve such delicate issues. Mutual respect and love could hardly bought through the gun. Centre stage should be afforded for the quest for a peaceful transition to democracy and freedom.
There are people who sustain that such exacerbation of the nationality issue has been encouraged by an erroneous appreciation or implementation of the idea of federation here, based as it is on the composition and groupings of people along nationality, language, geographic criteria. This new socio-political framework may be embryonic crying for understanding, causing certain instinctive, half baked conclusions that can only result in unwarranted reaction. If it is not done in a very cautious and convincing manner, without implying to be exclusivist, it could lead to diffidence, suspicion and hatred. While the idea of federation is seen working reasonably well in most societies, we have a homework to do in terms of conveying the true spirit and rationale of federation here, and not let it be abused as a weapon of any sort of ethnic hatred, repulsion or discrimination. Obviously, this brings to the picture the irreplaceable role of the government called to do its part, in urgence. Our 'nationality or federation issues' can hardly be resolved through an invitation to civil strife.
Let's hope that the new Ethiopian year will not experience any more such venomous attitude in our universities and spread to the society at large. The role of each responsible citizen is clear. Let's pray for reason to reign supreme, and defeat all forms of manifestation of hate and provocation. If we acknowledge that every one is equal before the law, and the respect of human rights is our priority, our efforts shall have borne fruits. Happy New Ethiopian Year!!!!