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The point I made in my AJE article a few days ago didn't need proof but if you need one, here it is, ⬇️from no one but the public face of the Make Ethiopia Great Again (MEGA) warriors. I described Adwa as Ethiopia's finest hour and called for understanding and consensus.
MEGA warriors came out screaming "dishonest", "liar", a "Muslim", "tribal" etc. Unless we celebrate and glorify Minilik, man we hold responsible for the mass murder of our ancestors, we have no common ground. They believe they have privileged access to the Truth ...
And the only historical evidence that counts is theirs. Everybody else is languishing in some sort of false consciousness - we are simply not aware of our own true situation. We are brainwashed etc. I could dismiss this as cultural hegemony and move on but there is a limit ⬇️
The indignity of celebrating your oppressor. I cannot think of anything more morally depraved & abominable than demanding that we celebrate an individual etched into our collective consciousness as a murderer.
The ever-escalating delusion of the Make Ethiopia Great Again (MEGA) corner is terrifying but who gave them the last word on Ethiopia? We will continue to urge, call for, and advocate for a new Ethiopia that acknowledges and celebrates Ethiopians with all their complexity.
Just like Trump's MAGA people, MEGAs see nothing but the untarnished glory and continuity behind us. Their mythico-religious discourse does not see the subjugation & the battle cries that can be heard just beneath their history. The aim is to return us to that inglorious past.
Their stance on Minilik, their audacious and utterly deplorable demand that we glorify their horrific hero, made that abundantly, and self-evidently clear. We did not fight to resurrect a feudal Empire that disrespected and demeaned us. That is an important piece of our history.
