On Dr. Bereket and other hyphenated individuals.

Something has caused some folks to hate their heritage and by extension to hate themselves. They distort, omit, invent, exaggerate or otherwise minimize Ethiopian history and the contribution of Ethiopia to the world merely to suit their ambient conditions. Indeed it is wonderful that Professor Mammo¹ steered our attention to examine the role of such individuals. These folks do not feel that they are to be held responsible or accountable for what they speak or write. Accordingly, Dr. Berket is unable to comprehend why he cannot work for years to foment disunity while at the same time he was preaching unity of country or of Africa. He personifies the unity of contradictions, if such a concept would have any meaning.

A Hamasen friend had told me that Isayas's dad, Ato Afeworke, belonged to the “Ethiopia or Death Party” and had travelled to Khartoum to receive the Emperor Haile Selassie as he was returning to displace Italian occupiers. As Commander Assefa informs us, Ato Habte Selassie, the father of Dr. Berket, also belonged to “Ethiopia or Death Party.” Those sentiments might have partly shaped the emperor’s view of Eritrea. The late Mr. Spenser informs us that at the time he wrote his book the number of educated Ethiopian from Eritrea far exceeded those that came from any other province. Moreover, those who went to foreign lands for higher education outnumbered the rest of Ethiopians. Emperor Haile Selassie's hope was that education would save the whole of Ethiopia from its economic hardships. Clearly that did not pan out as several individuals seem to be afflicted by an identity crises.

It is unclear why several Ertra-Ethiopian intellectuals hate their heritage. The speculation that I have heard from one of my Hamsen friends is that it emanates from the Italian occupation. According to him, the Italians had destroyed the norms, morals, and self-images of the Ertra-Ethiopians so that these individuals would not imagine that they are responsible for what they speak, write or act. My Hamasen friend points out how Italians had dishonored all Ertra-Ethiopian "noblemen" by making them laborers to their previous servants. Apparently, Italy had expunged Ethiopian values out of them. One could consider my friend's views as hypotheses, and prove or disprove them by conducting research. Yet, even if such speculations were true, I had asked him to explain why the Woyane Tigre, who had not suffered Italian occupation hate their Ethiopian heritage? He said that my assessment was not true. He said that the noble people of Aksum are as well behaved as any from the rest of Ethiopia. By contrast, he went on, the Adwa child had been deprived of Ethiopian values even under normal political conditions. Presumably, such depravity causes the Adwa child, particularly Ato Meles Zenawe, to sympathize with the Ertra-Ethiopian. His views were unconvincing to me, particularly when those from the vicinity of Mekele, such as Ato Seye could sell their souls and become turncoats at every occasion. I can say that I do not have a clear reading of the reasons behind why some folks hate their heritage, and therefore hate themselves.

Remarkably, several of the educated Ertra-Ethiopians (hyphenated Ethiopians) had studied social sciences and had become professors of African Studies and such. Apparently, one of the tasks they advanced was to soil the history of Ethiopia. Presumably, they made Ethiopians history as though it began with the reign of Emperor Menelik, and they shared all kinds of falsehoods against Menelik’s achievements. They mislead themselves and some gullible Oromo-Ethiopians intellectuals who believe that they would have become God knows what, were it not for Menelik’s conquest. This sort of rendition seems to tickle the fancy of some Oromo-Ethiopian intellectuals (hyphenated Ethiopian).

Here is a curious but to the best of my memory true story told by one of my Ethiopian friends. An Ethiopian professor who worked in the African Studied department at one university (A) had to write a letter to the president of another university (B) requesting to know why university B had accused him. The story began when a hyphenated professor (Oromo-Ethiopian intellectual), who is hired at an African Studies department at university B tried to intimidate the Ethiopian by sending a letter, written with official stencil complete with a letter head of university B, to the president of university A, in which he was badmouthing the Ethiopian. My friend called me by phone to ask if I knew the Oromo-Ethiopian. Then, he proceeded to inform me that this hyphenated person, not only hates his heritage but he also tries to use intimidating tactics similar to what some Ertra-Ethiopian Africa-Studies professors engage in. Reportedly, the president of university A sent the letter to the Ethiopian and asked him to do with it as he pleases. That is when my friend sent the letter to the president of university B. My friend said that he had heard nothing from the hyphenated person ever since. Presumably, the hyphenated person had learned that such tactics of intimidation do not work.

Commander Assefa is to be thanked² for sharing with the reader what he know about Dr. Bereket since their days in high school. Also Dr. Msmaku Asrat³ is to be thanked for letting us know Dr. Bereket as a college teacher in Adiss Abeba. Apparently, to use an old cliché, the most competent chameleon would disrupt itself in trying to imitate the different hues that Dr. Bereket would present himself to others at different times. Hence, Dr. Bereket would serve as a model of the lost Ethiopian child who is unable to comprehend his heritage irrespective of his education or age. Worse for Ethiopia, he shall speak and write falsehoods about his heritage and the contributions of Ethiopia to world civilization. Other hyphenated individuals will join him in such vain effort.

Apparently, in 1974 Dr. Berket had served in the "inquiry commission” against ministers who had worked with him. See the URL below.