Historical surgeries: beautify the disfigured and disfigure the others

There has never been a flawless Ethiopian ruler. As a matter of fact, all were formerly outlaws and came to power by forcefully subduing and/or killing their opponents mercilessly. Menelik was among the cruelest ones that no words can express the crimes he committed against Ethiopians. He was known to indiscriminately cut off breasts and limbs of those he succeeded to subdue. Menelik not only amputated helpless Ethiopians but also sold Ethiopia piece by piece to France and Italy. Today’s Djibouti and Eritrea are monumental witnesses of his salesmanship.

Thanks to historical surgeries of his disciples though; the devils incarnate in action is now portrayed as a saintly hero of all time…nicknamed as “Emeye” …an adorable mom. The surgeries were insanely monotonous that went on for centuries and still are underway to this day. They were and still are unnaturally difficult since they had to create a new Menelik that absolutely denies his disfigured personality and demonic history. The fact that he happily handed over and signed Eritrea to Italy and Djibouti to France for few rifles must be awarded to his diplomatic mastery. The fact that he mutilated innocent Ethiopians of all age groups and genders must be amounted to “holy wars” that meant to expand Ethiopia’s territory. His totally reductionist campaigns that meant to rebuild Ethiopia of purely homogeneous ethnicity, history, religion, language and culture must be considered as angelic crusades that meant to unify Ethiopia. To affect these, songs of all genres have been sung, movies and theaters have been done…media outlets of all kinds have been dedicated to praise his newly personified self for centuries now.

The surgeries don’t stop there. They must go beyond surgical personification of adding all kinds of historical cosmetics to the newly created Menelik devoid of his true history. They must also go on for centuries of surgery after surgery to disfigure other Ethiopian rulers whose history and personality undermine the newly created Menelik. Lessons had to be taken from such historical surgeries and addition of cosmetics of beautification and be applied to recreate ghostly vampires. The old church along with its religious and political affiliates had to preach the whole nation. Voluminously fabricated Gospels had to be written and be used as the only reference books during the ministries of naming and shaming.

That was what exactly happened to Emperor Yohannes IV, the true Emperor in action who gave his everything (including his dearest life) to his country. He was portrayed as a traitor whose name and history is still a taboo in the country he gave his life defending foreign invaders. To the sane ones wow amazement even his 27 years of Ethiopian Emperorship have been denied any mention in Ethiopian history books. Almost all literatures produced by historical surgeons jump from Emperor Tewodros to Menelik.  The fact that Emperor Yohannes IV has ruled Ethiopia for 27 years is equally painful whether to mention those years or not. Most of them prefer to ignore those years as though they had never been there. Because they reason out, doing so would deter or prolong Menelik’s mission of rebuilding a homogeneous Ethiopia for the fact that Yohannes was a Tigrian. Had he been from Amhara, all historical surgeons would have gathered from all corners of the world to portray him like the angel’s boss.

And if a few ever had the gut to mention those years that the altruist emperor ruled Ethiopia, that would only be used as golden opportunities to attack him calling all combinations of cuss words. His only being an Ethiopian Emperor without any statue is a monumental witness that speaks boldly and loudly that historical surgeries have been underwent to disfigure him. Rather his true personality and historical legacy is booming like Mekelle city where his palace proudly perches till today.  Though the web of historical truth cannot be completely destroyed, his farsighted decisions and selfless sacrifice have been preached as diplomatic and warrior ship weaknesses. I cannot say he was a saintly ghost, though; neither was he both a demon and a traitor as those who dread his true personality and historical legacy have been tolling to portray him.

Now, all historical surgeons have turned their equipment against Meles Zenawi, another Tigrian threat whom they consider has destroyed Menelik’s reductionist mission. All so-called enlightened individuals of historical surgeons have been in a fully-fledged campaign to remake not only Meles ‘personality but rather are working hand and glove with Ethiopia’s historical alchemies  to halt the construction of GERD - a national monument of his mastermind. Actually working not only to halt the construction of the dam but also to reverse back Ethiopia’s developmental journey. To such extent is how much they stoop to disfigure an individual’s history. To such extent is how many times they repeat historical treasons simply to aggrandize an individual and disfigure others.

The picture above is taken from a facebooker calledEduardo Byrono. On his facebook update he claims that he was asked how he “views the two long gone rulers of Ethiopia” namely Menelik and Meles. The question (if any) I suppose was meant to know who this individual subscribes to…to the historical surgeons of cosmetics experts of towards scholastic historians. Mister Eduardo, a diaspora form America, proved as follows that he is among the historical surgeons.

 For him ...Menelik has opened the heart and the mind of the primitive society then gracefully directed it to a right civilization by pulling it out of that completely backward generation, when even wearing a shoe was considered as an act of a devil and has brought each and every technology that the world has to offer in his era. …..And he has introduced unity.

I’m sorry to say but, who closed “the heart and the mind of the primitive society” that Menelik opened 100 years ago? I mean even after his death (disappearance) his palace was under his kinship for almost a century. Could that be possible to close “the heart and the mind of once completely backward generation” that has been opened for centuries with in two decades? Where has that “civilized generation” gone now? Where has the “unity” that was created by Menelik’s garrison and was there for centuries henceforth disappeared now? Hmmm! For Eduardo like geniuses, the following is the answer beyond doubt.

“Then four generations later,” goes on Eduardo’s historic operation disfiguring and aggrandizing individuals

 an eloquent talker and a rebel leader named Melese Zenawi has emerged out of the woods and kidnapped the same society back to primitiveness by infecting it a tribalism poison and the way things seem at the moment, I am so afraid that this ብሄር ብሄረሰቦች thing will be a tall wall to divide the next generation bitterly.….And He has introduced division.

Well, for individuals of such self-grandiose Ethiopian socio-political and cultural dynamism is as simple as this. At some time, someone comes from somewhere and immediately changes the society from primitive to civilized. Then comes another and turns it back to primitive and so on…just the way we switch off and on the light. This way, one can simply unite and divide by introducing few ideologies. Ethiopians are of like the herds that an individual gathers together and/or separates apart as they wish.

Here is the crux of the message though; we cannon judge a herd as civilized, neither can we say it is primitive. Once civilized, a society is highly resistant towards primitiveness…even impossible to achieve such a change within twenty years. Civilizing a society cannot happen overnight...it takes centuries. The same is true to reverse back civilization towards primitiveness. Human beings are naturally resistant to change…external pressures cannot change them unless they opened up from inside.  It is not a building that can be built and demolished within a few years.

And if what Eduardo and his likes are claiming is true, Menelik must have built the so-called Ethiopian unity and civilization on sand. How otherwise can “Emeye’s” maneuver evaporate within two decades? That also means Meles was more successful than Menelik in that he was able to disunite those who the latter has united and built another “tall wall to divide the next generation bitterly.” This means Meles has outsmarted not only Menelik but zeroed what Haileselase and Mengistu did. In other words, Meles was much more sophisticated and mind master than the trio of Menelik, Haileselase and Mengistu…a shocking news to all historical surgeons.

By the way, in today’s Ethiopian socio politics it is not only Meles that is considered an ethnic leader. Menelik is also an ethnic ruler supposedly from that of Amhara. It is common to observe some Amhara elites to brag about Menelik and Tewodros…as their sole Ethiopian heroes. But, I don’t personally consider any Ethiopian ruler as ethnic one. In no way can Meles be an ethnic leader whereas Menelik be a public leader. Either both are equally ethnic leaders or both are public leaders unless historical surgery is underway.