Back to our roots, back to Geez.
Godofai Tgiorgis
05/05/10
What language is good for
Ethiopia? All of them. What official language should
Ethiopia have? Anyone of them. For convenience however
only one is possible. The question then is which language should we accept as
official one? The outright answer which comes to mind is Amharic. Amharic has
been used as an official language for couple of centuries now. Many people
speak and understand Amharic as a result. Therefore, if any, Amharic should stay
as the official language of the nation. But this is only fine as far as common
sense can go and is half true. In a nation where many languages are spoken
choosing Amharic only because it has been there does not follow logic. Amharic
as much as it is an asset is also a liability to many. The introduction of
Latin, the revival of Tigrigna, etc. was nothing more than a protest against
Amharic and through it the Amahara rule. Amharic is therefore convenient but not a
choice unless otherwise the people have a say for it.
The recent argument for making Oromigna
as a second official language of Ethiopia can be attributed to nothing but a
challenge to Amharic which is assumed to symbolize past wounds. Ethiopia needs
an official language and a second language as well. But that does not imply
that Oromigna should be the one. This is not because Oromigna does not qualify
to be so. But the argument from majority that it is relying on is too weak. The
Oromo people can have majority in number or many people from other regions can
work there but that does not give Oromigna the privilege to become a second
language. I am not against Oromigna becoming a second official language but the
argument from majority simply does not cut the ribbon. More work need to be done, more reasons have
to come forward and above all the people of Ethiopia should vote for it. If we
approve language based on what one is good at then TPLF has power now and
should claim Tigrigna to be official and so on and that is not right.
Existing situations can help one’s
case but should not be pushed to be a dictate. The Ethiopian people must be
given a sufficient reason that convinces them to give their consent to it
because the resentment that people have against one another is deep and fresh that
it is hard to cross the bridge without creating a full understanding. Whatever
measure we take should be all inclusive and accommodating and everyone should
be content and clear of what one is getting lest we go back to the old rivalries.
The problem of course is us, our opinion and experience, and not the language.
However, to avoid any backlash the language should come forth passing that litmus
test. And I believe the language that would pass that litmus test is Geez. Not
Amharic, not Oromigna, not Tigrigna but Geez. Adopting Geez as a national
language is therefore imperative not because it is our root but also because of
the present and future advantages it provides.
Why Geez? There are four main
reasons why Ethiopia should revisit Geez as its official language. First, Geez is a highly developed language by
comparison. Although I am not a Geez literate, Geez covers a wide range of
representation more than Amharic, Oromigna and Tigrigna combined. It is rich in
vocabulary and references. There will be no shortage of communication with
Geez. And recent words that followed recent technical and other developments
can be integrated easily. We can also add verbs and words from the native
languages to fill in the shortage if necessary.
Second, Geez is our history, our
script, our invention. Geez is our identity, our legacy and a symbol of
everything that is Ethiopian. It is our tradition that we must handover to our
future generations. Ethiopia stands out as pride of the Negro because of Geez.
Geez was what Africa today isn’t. Geez is the symbol of pride and defiance of
what the Westerners call the savage people. Geez is Africa as much as Africa is
Geez. Making Geez an official language is therefore nothing more than asserting
our place in the world, asserting our identity both as Ethiopians and Africans,
again.
The third reason is that it does
not side with anyone. All the resentments each ethnic has against the other will
be over with the advent of Geez because it does not side with anyone. Neither it
is with Amharic nor with Tigrigna. Geez is neither Christian nor Muslim. It is
impartial. Simply put it is the language our ancestors had before even they handed
us down the religions we believe in. Geez therefore belongs to all of us as
Ethiopians. It was not imposed and is not imposed. And if it becomes our
official language it will be so only by our choice.
The last but not the least is
that everyone will learn from the start. One cannot claim advantage over the
other. Everyone becomes a student and a teacher of Geez at the same time. Yes
the training might take much time and resource. It is going to be painful too. Regardless
it is worth the sacrifice because it is cost effective in the long run from the
country’s perspective. A maximum of ten years may take for its implementation
but this is short period of discomfort compared to the resentments we will
harbor for centuries. Geez will bring more harmony and peace than the dictates
or “high tech “languages we are importing.
One might suggest the Swiss model
that we learn the dominant languages simultaneously. Learning Amharic, Oromigna
and Tigrigna or other languages combined for example. But with Ethiopia having
so many languages this is not a good idea because it will bring only a
complication and extra burden to the minorities. And what Ethiopia needs from
now on is an official language that should not be a burden, in any form, to the
nationalities. We need therefore a language that is bipartisan and that reflects
our full participation. And Geez is the right choice in the right direction.
Yes we can choose another
language too but that choice better be a dialect that we own both in spirit and
script.
Yes it is one’s right to exercise
what one feels is right whether this is choosing language on its merit. However
no merit is to be found in the scripts we import except it shows our weak
spirit. We are simply short exchanging our home, our shelter for a mansion we haven’t
built. Many of us might have suffered badly by the Amhara or Tigray rule in the
past but that should not be an excuse for us to take refugee from what is ours.
We all belong to Ethiopia and Ethiopia is ours not matter what. As citizens,
therefore, we are good only as far as we preserve and respect what is ours. And
Geez is our heritage and therefore all of us have a duty to preserve even
without making it our official language. Geez transcends tribalism. Geez
transcends sectarianism.
Ethiopia can stride big time
economically, socially and politically. However, such stride will mean
something only if it is accompanied by preserving the culture, language and
values that it had for generations. All that is old is not bad and should not
be discarded. And Geez is one of them that should be preserved. We have to grow
up and we have to grow big but that growth will make more sense if we also
resurrect those forgotten values and languages that are our heritages. If we
can learn foreign languages, such as English, in our schools I don’t see any
problem in learning Geez. The difficulty should not arise because it is ours. We
can leave Geez aside and adopt any language we want but Latinizing or Arabicizing
it is outright wrong and hard to imagine. Let us fight on what is our right,
whether this is power or something else, but whatever fight we fight let this
fight not be over borrowed culture, language and scripts please. Ethiopia and
Ethiopians deserve more than this.
.