Godofai Tgiorgis Tgiorgis12@yahoo.com
6/28/2010
Thanks to many of you who sent me an encouraging letter and
suggestions to continue advocating for the return of Geez. I am glad to learn
that there is still an audience that is concerned with preserving the culture,
the traditions and the language that we overlooked as oldies. Although we have lost many without knowing
they are valuables, the fact that we have people who work to prevent that
instills hope that we can manage to retain those values that are on the verge
of disappearance through our united and concerted efforts. All we need to do is
start the initiative which I hope is possible at the universities.
As I expected, I also
have gotten many responses and comments that suggest otherwise. The river of
the cynics is full of cynicism that most of them are entrenched on the
impossibilities. Immersed in the dark all they want you is to share and foster
their dark thoughts, that it is impossible and that it is not acceptable. Some objections come from those who believe
that Geez is too incomplete and too old. Others come directly from those who
believe and see themselves as completely alien to Ethiopia and consequently, Geez.
And the echo one hears from both corners is that it is impossible. I will come
back with replies at another time to the first group but for now it is to the
second, that is, those who object Geez based on hate and imagined fantasy that I
am set to confront. I want to show them that Geez, as well as Ethiopia, is not
as alien to them as they think it is. And that learning Geez is possible.
We need to bring back
Geez and make it our official language before it is too late. As some correctly noted, it is a dying language,
a dying heritage. We will have enough time for our rivalries but not for Geez
because once it is gone, gone will be, with it and forever, the heritages we
pride ourselves. That is, we cannot afford to sit idle while our timeless
treasures are disappearing in front of our eyes. Therefore it is important that
we realize the urgency and act now while we have the time and opportunity in
our hands. At least we will have and be
able to pass it on to future generations.
Why do the naysayers
object retrieving back or making Geez an official language? They are saying no
not because Geez has no merit or it fails to fit in as an alternative. They are
saying no not because it lacks the qualities we attribute to other languages.
They are saying no because of one and only one reason: HATERED and MISTRUST
they have on one another as a tribe or a region. There is no particular culprit
to point at. All who play and played a regional and national role in Ethiopia
and Ethiopian politics are included here.
Hatred is the reason
but behind the root cause to all the clauses of hatred also lies
the malpractice of our administration and politics and their institutions. Political
and administrative inconvenience that each group experiences are the hub of all
the discontents we see now. The system was corrupt, the system was biased, the
system was oppressive and it therefore gave and continues to give rise to
resentment and conflict among these groups, which I believe is legitimate.
Injustice and inequality we suffer at the hands of the rulers is therefore the
prima facie cause of our discord and that hampers our unity as Ethiopians.
The suffering and conflict
are not limited to certain region or tribe as some want us to believe. With the
exception of minorities that have small population the main ones had a day both
to inflict and sustain a pain. Sometimes it is the South (mainly Oromo) and the
Tigray People at the hands of Amhara,
sometimes it is the Amhara and the Southern people at
the hands of Tigrayans and other times it is the Amhara and Tigray at the hands of
Oromo. The degree may vary and the power may shift from one to another but the
rivalries remain still. And it is this
conflict and rivalry and the hate that originates from it that has become an
obstacle to our progress and also now the return of Geez.
This problem is
prevalent in times of peace and when it comes to working and growing together
only. Instead of cooperation, hatred that drive the rivals to the extreme and
an isolationist view reigns. Simple things take huge place and therefore there
emerge different sorts of fantasies. The separatist movement we saw in Eritrea,
the liberation movement we saw in Tigray and Oromia etc. are the direct consequences of these charged
emotions. The highly sought after facts that
would justify such extreme hatred are not there but their artificial
substitutes were and are effective enough to let us stand opposed and break the
values and bonds we had and have in common. It is this hatred, this phobia of
the other that we see spilling over to Geez also.
Otherwise the
rivalries that hamper the united effort so much during peace time get
overridden when the nature of the conflict change from internal to that which
threatens the nation. When an external threat is imminent, all is forgotten and
all is forgiven and the arch rivals huddle together and march to battle. The
seemingly irreconcilable contradiction melts away mysteriously and the people
fight side by side and give up their lives to guard their nation. The regional
border that each demarcated as a hideout to fight the other now as barricade,
as mutual fortress. Surprise? That is Ethiopia and
that is how it went for centuries.
If asked whether we
have conflicts of interests, I will answer yes. And different
languages? Again, the answer is yes.
But if asked whether that implies that we are sworn enemies, my answer
is no because no matter how hard one tries, the facts are not there that
confirm otherwise. I am not going to go to length to explain that. I will leave that to the elders and highly
qualified scholars. But this much I can say. No matter how and to what degree
we conflict, we belong to the same people, the same family who lived in the
present Ethiopia for centuries. No matter how different we feel or look we are
thus Ethiopians. This is a fact we have to underline.
Why are we chewing on
our differences instead of working on what we have in common then? It is
because we created and live in the world of our imagination, a different one that
is, and we do not want to lose our sphere of influence of that region we consider
our prerogatives. Because we value high what we enjoy as an individual, in our
private world as chieftain, than what we do together as a nation, we thus, prefer
to remain in isolation, surrounded by a hate driven mountains. And this mountains and borders perfected for personal
protection are what has become a challenge to our unity and return to Geez.
Let us read Mr. Miftah
Nurbenur’s comment quite a perfect guard of those mountains.
“Sir/Madam you are an extremely naive (which I hope!!) person who likes the best for his country or an extremely dangerous
person who tries to trap innocents in to supporting his subliminal
political/religious agenda.Let's see each of them
separately.
Case 1: naivety,
You seem not to really understand what it means to be an Ethiopian , for people
who live in different part of Ethiopia and who grew with different ethnic
, cultural and religious background. I am afraid, you are one of those Addis Ababan’s whose horizon of “Ethiopia” only extends up to the
outskirts of the Capital city. With all due respect, I would say, you don’t
understand what the Geez (Like Amharic) symbolizes for those in the deep south and deep west and east of Ethiopia. You consider
this language the source of "pride" for "all" Ethiopians.
You don’t seem to obviously understand how a Muslim/ Protestant Ethiopian feel
about Geez. But most importantly you don’t understand which Ethiopian
ethnic/religious group really claims to be the "owner" of not only
the Geez language but Ethiopia itself. How can one trust a hyena, ones bitten
by it so badly?
I am not an Oromo, but I
understand how the Oromo's are trying to ascertain their economic/political/
cultural existence by trying to make their language an official one. Just like
you said, even the most illiterate Oromo would tell you that it is not about
being the majority in number that Oromos are moving
to make their language to have an official acknowledgement. It is b/c of the
existing harsh realities of Ethiopia, not only in the past, but also even today
there is a very dangerous threat from ethnic supremacists (especially Amhara) who regard their culture and religion is superior
to other’s and it should be considered the Identity of the whole of Ethiopia.
My friend, it is not that we the Southern, Eastern and Westerns Ethiopians (Benshangul, Gambella, Oromya, SNNP, Somali, Harar and
Afar) hate "your" languages (Tigrigna, Amharigna
or Geez) that we would not want to consider them as "our" own
language. But it is "you" who are tramping/ abusing our dignity by
making fun of our accents and by trying to dominate our cultural/economic/political
benefits by taking advantage of the languages that we agreed up on to
communicate with you just for the sake of our
national understanding.
Case 2: Dangerous person.
if you are one of those Shoa-Amhara/Ultra-Orthodox
supremacist dinosaurs, let it be clear to you. TPLF/OLF actually did not
directly fought the Derg regime itself, they were
fighting the supremacists and the Derg was merely the
figure head!!! The next time you try to build back a political system and Hailesilase-style repressive government up on Ethiopians,
which advocated for Ethnic& religious supremacy (Orthodox/Amhara),not only you will fail but you will end up tearing
this country apart over night. We are not going to fight another 17 year of
Gorilla fight!!!!
So, I think the best solution is
that, Oromiffa should be another official language as
long as the Oromos agree to the fact that we want the
main federal Language (Amharic) will become an official language too in their
own backyard (Oromiya). And let the Geez (our
“pride”) rest in peace in those old Orthodox monasteries. The same thing works
for Somali, Tigray languages ... etc..... That is the
rule of Give and Take.... peace!!!”
The Oromos
do not need an advocate for what they know is their right. They are well versed
in finding a way for that. If they need one even, it is not going to be a fox
in sheep skin. They need someone bold who speaks out in the open. But whether
an Oromo or not Mr. Miftah’s point summarized appears
like this: the Southerners do not need anything that is Northern. All they
symbolize is repressions and pain. They are not welcome in the South because
the South does not have hand in their generation whether this is culture or
Geez.
Mr. Miftah's
comment is not without merit however. Life in Ethiopia and for every
Ethiopian has never been the same and equal. Some had the upper hand and controlled
and manipulated the economy. Others were simply the sufferers. And those who
had the upper hand were from the Central and North while the South not only did
not have access but also were oppressed heavily by the apparatus. This, as I
said earlier, is the direct result of the weakness of the administration no
matter who controlled it. And I do not blame Mr. Miftah
and others, who experience the problem first hand, if they harbor such emotion.
However, the question
is, should this be a reason for the Southerners to deny anything that is
Northern, and for some, that they are Ethiopians? My answer is no. Does the
donkey, to use his terms, who is bitten by a hyena have to run away forever to
nowhere for a shelter or face up the beast and be counted as one among its
peers in a nation of multi animals? It better opt for the second because a
stranger donkey in a stranger land is a sure thing to become an appetizer. We
can fight for power or justice and demand what is legitimate and I do not have
a problem with that. What bothers me much is disassociating oneself from what
is one’s own. For me, this does not make sense. In fact it is foolish because instead
of bringing a solution all it does is give the other party an opportunity to
continue exercise its abuse.
We need to find a better a solution. And the
first step to that I believe is to accept reality about ourselves. We have to
accept that we are Ethiopians first. Then comes the fight for one’s right
whether through violence or peaceful means. There is Ethiopia a framework to
work with and then there is a cause to fight for, as citizens, regardless of
the means. Mr. argument can be taken as a perfect example of this.
“I totally disagree with your suggestion of
making Geez an official language of Ethiopia. Are you telling us to learn new
language? Why? Let me tell you this: we all share the spirit of Ethiopia and
we all are proud of being Ethiopian. But, Geez is not part of us all. I grew
up in the south and the south has no clue of Geez. Geez is the sole property
of Amhara and Tigray.”
This
is one step forward to mutual understanding because the fight is not on who
we are but on what we should have as a nation. And I am for that.
That
said, Geez, as Mr. Tola
pointed out, is the brain child of the north. It was born there. And I do not
think it is something that one should be ashamed about. Quite the contrary.
Ethiopia (including the South) should be proud that a language as refined as
Geez is born in its soil. Geez is its mark, the fruit of its children, one
that makes them stand tall all the times. The North is Ethiopian and anything
that is Ethiopian also belongs to the South including Geez. Period. Not knowing
Geez and not knowing Geez as an Ethiopian language is different. The first needs exposure and the second... Mr. Tola’s argument
that South does not know Geez and therefore does not need it is invalid
because it is up to an Ethiopian to know its roots including Geez.
As
we all know, coffee and the use of coffee was invented in the south by the
South. And if their arguments hold, I am told not to be proud of that coffee
which is from South because I am from the North. I do not know if I am naïve
or dangerous but I do not see any common sense in this. And as for me, I proudly
tell anyone that I belong to the original Kefa
coffee growers. I tell them that I am from the land of the origin of coffee.
What else is there to be proud of other than being known as the pioneer by the
remarkable discovery of one’s peer? I still tell them, with the at most air,
I, both as an African and Ethiopian, am from the land of coffee and correct
me if I am wrong.
I also tell the same thing to those who ask
me about my relationship with the Oromos and the
land of Oromia. I tell them yes Ormoia
is in the South and has, of course, a language and dance style (which is very
similar to Amharic by the way) that is different from the North. They did not
have much to be happy about the past treatments as citizens but that aside, I
tell them, there is nothing much that sets us apart.
I tell them we are one. Yes there are some who want to be seen as alien but
that is, I tell them again, the product of anger than a fact. Leave alone Ethiopia
which is their land, I tell them Geez too, no matter how they want to
distance it as alien, is their property, their byproduct, their language.
Thus
I tell them that the argument of the Southerners against Geez from the
premise that the South is not North or the South is not Ethiopia does not
have an iota of truth because the fabric of the unity and oneness is more
than hate can explain. The extremists can dig for more to prove they are the
other. But, I tell them, what they will dig out from the soil of Oromigna and the soil of the south in general is the
bones of the sons of the south and north mixed together. I am sure there are
not going to be new surprises. That is what was there and that is what is
there.
Again
Mr. Tola and again back to Geez. “Why would the
others take Geez as another new language? What is Geez to the Oromos, Sidamas, Kembatas, Somalis and many others? We already have
Amharic, and for the sake of inclusiveness and rationality, we can add Afan Oromo as a second official language which I believe
is legitimate. What do you think? Which is easier, teaching all
Ethiopians Geez or making Afan Oromo the second
language which already at least 25 million Ethiopians speak?”
Geez
to the Oromos or Sidamas
is as Oromigna to Oromo and Sidamigna
to Sidamas. But if that is not the case then Oromigna likewise is nothing to the North, Sidamas and other nationalities in the South. And God
knows if the minorities in the South are willing to accept Oromigna as their official language because it is from
the South. That said what Mr. Tola and others did
not understand is Geez is not about a language choice, majority or location. Geez is about a common will and common
obligation. Geez therefore is not fit for any, be it from north or south, language
comparison because it is about preserving our past and history which I
believe is also the past and history of the Southerners.
Those
sages who look at us down from high above the skies of Ethiopia, however, are
sorry to see us fighting over Geez or any other Ethiopian language. Such
fight is time spent for nothing because from their perspective what is good
for Ethiopia is not Oromgnia, Amharic, etc, or Geez
but English. Yes, English. According to Mr. Gudaye Tasisa and others English is the best pill that will cure
the ills of Ethiopia. If I may add a
rare one.
Hi Mr
Godafi,
I read your piece in Aigaforum
regarding what should be the national
language of Ethiopia. I have seen also a response
to your suggestion.
I suspect you are really not serious in suggesting a dying language
that is hated by at least 2/3 of the population (all Muslims, and
members of the "Cushitic" ethnic groups).
Geez could work for Tigres
and Amharas (though I doubt it either group will
embrace it to any
degree). What Ethiopia should have used as an official language was
a language that doesn't "belong" to any of the ethnic groups-- such
as
English…”
Here is another note
from Gamsale embza for
English. Just read.
“This I
am sure will create a bad feeling to sneak it that way even though that may not
be your intention at all; Note that how the Latin alphabet was introduced in
Ethiopia in 1992 as a reaction to oppose Amharic. If you really believe in
a peaceful-coexistence with less friction on languages why not suggest English
which neutral even though not ours. It has a lot of advantages (good for future
generations communicate with world, as neutral as you can get, very advanced
for the sciences and expression in general); suggesting it is not likely to
create any negative feeling from anybody.”
Finally we got people
who cannot envision nationalities in the context of Ethiopia but have the vision
to see Ethiopia in the context of the world. That is good and a step forward to
internationalism because we too are the World. But cannot we be one with Geez? According
to them, the answer is no because English is equated with peace and anything
Ethiopian and Geez, with conflict. And
anything that is marred with conflict is not fit for the world. Therefore any
language that is Ethiopian, they tell us, should not become an official
language. I do not know if this is a solution but I know for sure this is a no
joke suggestion.
In Ethiopia where
every native phrase or word is accompanied by English in every speech to show modernity,
it will not be unusual if we see some of ‘the educated’ show a big heart for
English. That is the only means they see will help them gain and retain a
status as an “educated class”. But what took me by surprise was to see Mr. Chekol A championing the same argument. The surprise is not
the claim but the energy and time he spent to validate the need for English in his
community, the Agew/Awis.
In his article
titled “English Instruction Medium for Primary Schools in Indigenous Agaw-Awi…” he
has to say the following.
“… Awi primary education in the language of birth is hindered
by several problems. The result of this ailing process is inevitably
undermining ongoing rehabilitation, risking the survival of Awi
as a distinct ethnic community. In
order to evade the stated undesirable outcome, the Agew/Awi’s unique social context has to be taken into account,
of course, ensure sustainable community rehabilitation. For that intension, the
English instruction medium is favored in the present recommendation, first for
the reasons discussed above, second not to use any of adjacently spoken
languages as the instruction medium to minimize its negative impact on
identity, third raise generation fluent in English for better academic
performance, and fourth withstand hypocritical behaviors from any direction. At
the same time, actions proposed in this recommendation section hopefully
implemented to facilitate Awi language
rehabilitation, so that it can develop to a higher level. For the stated
objectives, I humbly recommend zonal, regional and federal government to take
the following measures in collaboration.”
An
Agew/Awi for English! An Agew/Awi that gave Ethiopia a
gift of wonders forever for English! An Agew/Awi that gave Amharic so much to its dance and music styles
treating Amharic and Geez as aliens! An Agew/Awi the very original of the origins who made Ethiopia,
Ethiopia, opting for English! And all that because few from the Amhara, or any, made fun of the Agews/Awis! What a correlation? What a vision? That is me expressing my emotion but there are
four main points Mr. Chekol stressed as reasons why
he opts for English.
The
first is the need to ward off influence, the second the need to rehabilitate
and the third the wide access to resource and finally the promotion of good
academic performance. Because of these four reasons Mr. Chekol
advocates English be used as an official language at the local level among the Agew/Awis. If need be I will come
back to these with more explanation but for now I believe the following short
comment will suffice to show that his is not the right choice.
Yes
the Agew/Awi has been
mistreated badly by the ruling classes in the past. They have been treated as
second class in a country that they built from scratch. Their language was
weakened and often times they were picked for insult for speaking Amharic with
accents. They did not have chance for education and other privileges that the
country gave to the very few. They were almost forgotten and everyone with
sober mind will admit the plight of the Agew/Awi was more than words can explain. Like the other ones
this too is a grave sin of the past we have to atone as a nation.
Many
things have to be done to redress past wounds and damages. The poverty has to
be alleviated, the education has to be expanded, the language has to be taught
in classes and encouraged to be used in offices, etc. Every right they have to
have, every wealth the country produces they have to share. This is a must do
if, as a country, we are to progress. The question then is do the Agew/Awi need English to have
this? The answer is no.
English
might be effective in warding off Geez as an alphabet And Amharic as a language
but I really don’t see how it provide social cure. English, for that matter any
language, has, as far as my knowledge is concerned, neither the ability nor the
power to foster rehabilitation or understanding. It is the people, in this case,
the Agew/Awis who have the
keys. I am not underestimating the pressure minority languages face from the dominant
ones. It is no less an enemy and is one of the biggest contributing factors that
let minority languages decline. What I am saying is the solution to the development
of Agew and the language of the Agews/awis (0r others) does not lie in the use of English but in Agew/awi and the Agews/awis.
Too
many times people of a minority decent are picked for the language they speak, the
feature they look, the cloth they wear etc. And this definitely creates a
resentment that one cannot forgive easily. But this practice is however not
case specific. Any Ethiopian, regardless where he or she comes from and to
whoever tribe he or she belongs to, has a name. Everyone has something to say
about the other and no one is immune here. Take the Tigreans
for example. How many insults and vulgar comments do the extreme elites of Amhara shower them with on daily basis? It is countless.
But the Tigreans did not and should not and will not
renounce their identity because of that. Ethiopia simply is not the monopoly of
the Amharas’.
To
ascertain one’s independence and equality is not that easy. Where there is a
lot of bias and corruption and tribal rivalry embedded in the institutions,
there will always be injustice to witness which can come in different forms and
degrees accordingly. Whatever form it comes as however we do not have to remain
silent to it. We have to say no and we have to fight it. The fight can
sometimes be ugly and costly but if that is what it takes then so be it. And to
do that we do not need to borrow a foreign identity. The courage and morale we
have as Ethiopians is more than enough to handle the challenges. And I don’t
think the Agew/Awis lack
this.
There is another
objection to Geez that came from the corners of religion. Short of explicit
language, some representing themselves as Muslims, tell
us that Geez is not welcome by the Ethiopian Muslims because, according to
them, Geez is only for the Church and Christians. The Muslims have nothing to
do with it and therefore, they advise us, to keep Geez away from them and leave
it to the monks and in the monasteries. Preaching for Geez to become an official
language is an insult on the religions that are not Christian from their
perspective.
Religious intolerance
is not one of the characteristics that define Ethiopia. Take Judaism, Ethiopia
has offered more than shelter to the Jews. To Christianity, Ethiopia has
welcomed Jesus and the Mother. And take Islam, all we have to ask is the sons of
the prophet or consult the Koran. To all Ethiopia has stretched its generous
hands when they needed it badly. Thus, Ethiopia and the Orthodox faith that
portion of the population follow transcend any kind of religious sectarianism. And
Geez, being an Ethiopian, too transcends that sectarianism and has every right
to feel at home among the Muslims. It is a home grown language of their
forefathers. Ostracizing Geez as an alien and Christian only is therefore a fool
idea of the fools who do not know how they got into Islam to begin with. Even
without that, Geez is a national treasure and far and beyond what we believe
in.
The idea behind
objecting Geez as Christian by the Muslim extremists has another implication:
courting Arabic to become their official language. The idea behind this idea is
that not Geez but Arabic is the language of Muslims. It is here where their
confusion starts and if there is anything to be clear it is therefore this
notion.
One of the problems
that we should not opt for Arabic is the same reason we put for English. We have
plenty and we do not need to borrow. The other thing is that it is a threat to the
culture and norm we grew up with. The
Arabs care less for the other community of Muslims as Muslims than they care
for the expansion of their language and cultures. That is what we need to be
aware of. For those who believe otherwise, there is a hard fact they have to
face. What surprises the Arabs is not that the African became Muslim but how a
Muslim of an African decent (an Abid) can be named after
the prophet’s. Added to this is that with Arabic comes not freedom but slave
masters and servitude. If this does not
sound right all one has to do is ask not the Kafirs
but the Muslim brothers and sisters who made it safe home from the Middle East.
Having said that let
me now comment on the last comment by Ato Getachew Reda. Worried of the
complications and possible resistance by the Amhara
community, he suggests Amharic to stay as an official language. Not only that I have also got some comments
from the Amahara community defending Amharic, the
status quo. They see the revival of Geez as the declaration of war on Amharic. Some
even have suggested that the move for Geez is a deliberate war launched to maim
the influence of Amharic. But that is not true. Amharic can stay as Amharic and
Geez as Geez. And the question is not
whether to destroy Amharic but whether we can bring back Geez. Hate should not
have nor needs to have any place here.
Because of the biases
and mal administrative practices people witnessed, it is difficult not to
assume the existence of hate. It is
therefore normal to see those emotions (hate) that spill over from it now and
then directed against one another. The problem however is not to have hatred
but the degree. It is going too far. And
none of them are exception. And such attitude is killing not only our country
but also our own unity at the local level. It is just a disease we have to find
a cure sooner than later. We cannot
simply stack with hate and hope for a progress. Poverty is our enemy but hate
mongering is no less.
That said however, there
is one thing that I want to remind those who could not feel anything but hatred.
The hatred they unleash or are poised to unleash is not going to be easy cost
wise. Unless they follow the virtuous path even to dismantle the things they hate,
the consequences we will face as society will be immeasurable. There is no win win situation here. A slight misstep will only bring mutual
destruction. Yes destruction not only to who are targeted but also to those who
ignite the fires. No one is safe here.
There is one more
thing they should understand also. As
much as there were perpetrators of injustice from the North or the Center,
there were also people who fought alongside the Southerners and shed their
blood to dismantle that injustice. The fight of Southerners for freedom and
right was not a one man show. It was and is the fight of all Ethiopians from
every corner. Yes, it was the fight of all Ethiopians from every corner. That
too is what we need to remember. That is what we should capitalize on. “The one
who forgets who helps him during a storm does not remember the storm” says a
West African proverb. And we do not need to be that.
This is not to say
that the South does not have any role in Ethiopia and Ethiopian politics. Ethiopia did not make it this far because of
the struggle and sacrifice of the Center and the North alone. The South too has
always stood by Ethiopia’s sovereignty and its independence. The southerners
are not strange to spilling their blood to defend the country. They have
marched in every war Ethiopia fought and stood guard in every border. They have
shined in every victory it secured. And this is not a charity or a generous
alliance from a foreign born. It is a duty of a citizen. And this is what the
extremists should have but failed to learn. And the same thing is true with Geez. Geez is the blood and bones of their
ancestors.
We do not need to linger
on old wounds embedded in the language, religion, region, etc., divide generation
after generation. We have to bury those old memories once and for all and start
fresh to a new destination with a new direction. And the argument for Geez
should be seen from this perspective. But even the argument for Geez is only
valid if we unite ourselves first as Ethiopians. Only if we do that can we say
yes to Geez and also for all languages that are ours. Our problem is not
language or the use of it but the bad ideas behind these languages. And it is these destructive ideas that we have
to fight from start to finish. Only if we clear this do we see the need for our
unity and also for Geez.