(By Teferi Fufa; August 2000)
Onesimos Nasib, the man popularly known as Abbaa Gammachiis, has been accused of blasphemy and excommunicated postmortem from the protestant churches in Ethiopia. His accusers allege that he had ties to the "narrow nationalist" group known as the Oromo Liberation Front. To prove their case they pointed to the page where he identified himself as Nama biyya Oromo, a man from the Oromo country. In addition, the works of this former slave - including the Oromo language Bible, many books of songs and stories, and the Oromo spelling book - were presented as evidence. Exhibiting their righteous or shall we call it unrighteous indignation, some zealots were quoted as saying, Too bad he could not be brought back to suffer the fate of current counterparts, Oromo authors and artists. Paradoxically many of the believers look to this man as their spiritual leader and a patron saint for making the message of salvation available in their own language, exactly what he is now being blamed for.
His Excellency Dr. Nagaso Gidada, the president of Ethiopia, has been called on to expunge this devil, the Oromo language and its agents the OLF supporters, from the church. Tired of his ceremonial position, which brought him neither respect nor prestige, the president was said to be more than happy to oblige. While many are said to be delighted by the news of the president serving as their god-sent exorcist with enthusiasm, others, according reliable reports, find the specter of a political figure arbitering spiritual matters troubling.
Believers were heard arguing whether or not God has language preferences. Some of them felt there are ten languages acceptable to God with English sitting at the pinnacle of the hierarchy in the first place and Amharic sealing the bottom in the tenth place. Still some others felt that when a language is used for political purposes God refuses to respect that language, and since for political purposes its use in the church becomes a political act and therefore unacceptable to God.
This left the believers who have limited knowledge of Amharic in doubts about their salvation. Would God even accept their prayers? How would He look on their prayers offered in an improper Amharic? Could it be that when they try to pray for His mercy in their broken Amharic, they actually invite His wrath? Confusions abound.
Consequently, demand for instruction in Amharic language has risen to levels hitherto unheard of. Business savvy young Ethiopians are said to be offering Amharic as Sacred Language (ASL) courses for a hefty fee. Though business is looming, piety is in short supply. All those who have good grasp of Amharic are urged to offer their prayers for those otherwise unworthy souls.
Dear Reader,
The message above is not extracted from any wire report. Nor is it copied from any printed material. Yet we are all aware of the drama that is unfolding in Ethiopia regarding the Oromo language and the works of the protestant churches. Qubephobia is riding the crest of anti Oromo waves. The protestant churches in the Ethiopian Empire are willingly enlisting themselves in the service of the state to subdue the elusive qube.
Those of us who are upset that the OLF is not doing enough to make the Woyaanee feel its presence can find comfort in the fact that the Woyaanee regime manages to see images of the OLF every place it finds Oromos. OLF, in the eyes of this regime, is the aspiration of the Oromo people for freedom. Such aspiration is not an organization. It can never be destroyed. May freedom come and save them and us from this quagmire.