1 - Gissu,
are you talking about change and change for the worst? If so, the poem implies that there was a time where we were full of hope (could see the light at the end of the tunnel).
I wonder what that was…
81 (the yr you wrote the poem) was a year before I left home and I do remember how everyone had lost hope …This could be seen in the long lines at the immigration office and the increasing number of young men/women who were making the long/risky journey to Kenya and the Sudan… War…forced draft… drought… woyane/EPLF keen to take over...
The poem certainly tried to capture the Zeitgeist of the time you described. But in general it is intented to be about dashed dreams following an initial period where people dare hope against hope. As such it might also apply to more recent episodes of our checkered history. How true is the French saying " Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose" ? So-called "new eras" are seldom really new.
3 - I think that is the beauty of the poem. You can substitute whatever situation you have experienced or anyone else has experienced. Like yekolo, I had sort of the same vision of people lined up to get out of the country in the early 80's, but my vision was at the American Embassy.
But then again, you can also say that it's about a public demonstration of some sort political or non poltical. At least in the first stanza. You can go on and on and on with it...hence the beauty.
It certainly does the job, Gissu. Great poem!
5 - Melancholy - that's what I felt when I read your poem. Ayee etioPia, history has a way of repeating itself - when will we be able to close one chapter and move one - zelalem teselefen, zelalem tebetenen...You have a beautiful way with words, through your pen, it almost doesn't seem like the same language I use everyday. (Comment this)
6 - The words r beautiful no doubt, Gisu. 1981 was two yrs b4 1983 and if time only could go back there were so many ways....in retrospect, like letting the former province go while keeping Assab and the Ethiopian Army and such to prevent bad things from happening. And no I am not forgetting the '12 generals' who tried and paid the price with their lives. U see Yekolo, we haven't even forgotten those :) How can we forget Shibere and the hundreds who were martyred recently?
A decade or so ago, I remember reading Muluken Mellesse's interview with one of the independent magazines in Addis. Muluken blamed the "TIZITA"-loving-chigirTerie-born-to-always-regrette-something-Ethiopian-music-lover-audience for being one of the reasons why he stopped singing. I think he has a point and can afford to say what he said b/c he was one of the best and I also think there is something in us Ethiopians that craves for the bitter taste of misery. I think the author of Hell-Hole Diaries at Seleda a few yrs ago should have suggested spraying the country (from the sky) with anti-defeatism rather than deodrant. And I'm not in one of the state of minds Hakim Wogesha described either when I say this: but my guess of 'mental'-% is much bigger for us Ethiopians than 17% and I've no authority on the subject, on any subject really.
Dear Gisu, about the same time u were writing that poem, another person was translating GONE WITH THE WIND into Amharic while sitting in jail probably for being/suspected member of TPLF. Though he didn't finish the whole story when it came out as a book in Megabit 1982 Eth Cal., (it stopped in the middle of the misery of the south)...may be it is just me being paranoid here and conspiring analogy so let me give u another scenario.
Negadras Afework G. Iyassus always wrote beautifully but in support of Italian colonialisation of Ethiopia many times. His wife was Italian and he knew he wouldn't suffer personaly but he changed his mind after Ethiopia won. I'm not trying to draw a parrallel here and I know all three of my favorite writers here, Yekolo, Wogesha and yourself are only concerened more than I'm but look how happy you made the likes of 'tobia' in comment section on the other entry, so happy that s/he posted one of the Woyane websites as a source to accuse someone of genocide. If I were u, I would delete that comment including this one here b/c mine is too long : (
Let's say you are playing soccer and your team is fighting a one goal deficit and there is only half an hour left, would you be listening to the guy in your team who is declaring defeat already or the few that think there is still plenty of time left to win the match and point out the fact that the goal keeper where you shoot at has been red-carded like Aresenal's at UEFA cup finals the other day? Well, you still need to score though :-) and u know what u guys talking about is a little more serious than football. (Comment this)
are you talking about change and change for the worst? If so, the poem implies that there was a time where we were full of hope (could see the light at the end of the tunnel).
I wonder what that was…
81 (the yr you wrote the poem) was a year before I left home and I do remember how everyone had lost hope …This could be seen in the long lines at the immigration office and the increasing number of young men/women who were making the long/risky journey to Kenya and the Sudan… War…forced draft… drought… woyane/EPLF keen to take over...
Lovely poem
(Comment this)
The poem certainly tried to capture the Zeitgeist of the time you described. But in general it is intented to be about dashed dreams following an initial period where people dare hope against hope. As such it might also apply to more recent episodes of our checkered history. How true is the French saying " Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose" ? So-called "new eras" are seldom really new.
(Comment this)
But then again, you can also say that it's about a public demonstration of some sort political or non poltical. At least in the first stanza. You can go on and on and on with it...hence the beauty.
It certainly does the job, Gissu. Great poem!
(Comment this)
beautiful poem (Comment this)
(Comment this)
A decade or so ago, I remember reading Muluken Mellesse's interview with one of the independent magazines in Addis. Muluken blamed the "TIZITA"-loving-chigirTerie-born-to-always-regrette-something-Ethiopian-music-lover-audience for being one of the reasons why he stopped singing. I think he has a point and can afford to say what he said b/c he was one of the best and I also think there is something in us Ethiopians that craves for the bitter taste of misery. I think the author of Hell-Hole Diaries at Seleda a few yrs ago should have suggested spraying the country (from the sky) with anti-defeatism rather than deodrant. And I'm not in one of the state of minds Hakim Wogesha described either when I say this: but my guess of 'mental'-% is much bigger for us Ethiopians than 17% and I've no authority on the subject, on any subject really.
Dear Gisu, about the same time u were writing that poem, another person was translating GONE WITH THE WIND into Amharic while sitting in jail probably for being/suspected member of TPLF. Though he didn't finish the whole story when it came out as a book in Megabit 1982 Eth Cal., (it stopped in the middle of the misery of the south)...may be it is just me being paranoid here and conspiring analogy so let me give u another scenario.
Negadras Afework G. Iyassus always wrote beautifully but in support of Italian colonialisation of Ethiopia many times. His wife was Italian and he knew he wouldn't suffer personaly but he changed his mind after Ethiopia won. I'm not trying to draw a parrallel here and I know all three of my favorite writers here, Yekolo, Wogesha and yourself are only concerened more than I'm but look how happy you made the likes of 'tobia' in comment section on the other entry, so happy that s/he posted one of the Woyane websites as a source to accuse someone of genocide. If I were u, I would delete that comment including this one here b/c mine is too long : (
Let's say you are playing soccer and your team is fighting a one goal deficit and there is only half an hour left, would you be listening to the guy in your team who is declaring defeat already or the few that think there is still plenty of time left to win the match and point out the fact that the goal keeper where you shoot at has been red-carded like Aresenal's at UEFA cup finals the other day? Well, you still need to score though :-) and u know what u guys talking about is a little more serious than football. (Comment this)