When you wrote your article, what were you thinking? Were you trying to reach a very few people who can understand your professional language codes or what? Do you really believe you were trying to communicate your thoughts to an average Ethiopian who knows English? Or were you addressing a particular group of specialists in the study of ethnicity and political unity?

I think someone has to let you know that you have a big communications problem. It would be better if you write in plain English. You have utilized words, phrases, or concepts that require an extra effort to just comprehend what you are trying to say. For example, the following suck the desire oof the reader to follow up what you really mean by what you just wrote down:

1. ascriptive characteristics
2. constructionism
3. ethnicization
4. imaginative reinvention of identity
5. incomprehensible “Amhara or Tigrean hegemony”
6. instrumentalization
7. liberal democracy
8. maximism
9. primordalism
10. traditional identities

If you fail to communicate the meaning of each of the above-listed items, how do you think you can influence people with this article. I do not think you did this for looking big and important.It seems you lack experience of interacting with the common people. I believe that you have to really improve on communicating your thoughts to common people. The ideas in this article could be very important to Ethiopians and neighbors of Ethiopia, but there would be no gain if we, people less-knowlegeable than yourself, cannot easily comprehend what you intended to say. That is a waste of time and energy. Please come down to our level and say what you wanted to say.

If we look at the problem in Somalia, it is not clan problem as many try to present it, but the problem of colonial borders and the problem created by Ethiopian empire. Somalia is devided in to six by colonialists and these six territories do lack a solidarity to one an other because of that devision. additionaly Weyane regime is working day and night since 1991 to devide Somalis on clan basis. United and sovereign Somalia meanse a support base for ONLF and OLF, which Weyane wants to hinder. For e.g the main purpose of the invasion in 2006 was to tackle and hinder these liberation fronts, who could have a base in somalia and challenge Weyane.

Regarding the fear of border wars if Africa attempts to abolish colonial borders, some people paint the negative scenario deliberately. Actually there can be peacefull solutions in disputed areas like the one between Oromia and Ogaden; Amhara and Oromia; Tigrai and Amhara…etc. Europeans solved such conflict based on referendum. For e.g the region called Saarland (now in Germany) decided through referendum not to join France, but Germany. Each disputable community or district can decide per referendum to join for instance either Oromia or Ogadenia.

This is the 21st century, ethnic affiliation is simply that, organizing society on sub-national basis, language is a form of communication, it should not be viewed as a source or tool for identity. Modern Ethiopia can be administered without resorting to ethnic deliniation. In fact every administrative area of Ethiopia should include a mixture of ethnic groups, so they can have a chance to communicate and work for shared prosperity.

What Ethiopia needs is a leadership that sheds the old and backward ethnic divisions and teach its children true nationalism. With its abundandent natural and human resources Ethiopia has all it needs to help the people lead happy and peaceful lives as brothers and sisters. There is no need to look back on failed practices of overt and covert ethnic domination of the past and what is going on now in Ethiopia.

Ethiopians have to get together, talk to each other without suspicion, ethnic division exposes the people of Ethiopia to further exploitation and leaves them vulnerable to become tools of foreign powers in perpetuity. All you have to do is look at the most recent three regimes to look how the people of Ethiopia got underserved by regimes who don’t trust their people and end up being tools of foreign powers, as a result the people of Ethiopia are mired in unending conflicts, domestic and foreign. Time to take stock, learn from the past and work for a united Ethiopia where everyone cares for his nation and people instead of narrow allegiance to your little ethnic group at the expense of others.

The only thing I ask to change in order to accept your Geography Based Federalism (which you Prof. Mesay support), which is a pretext for deviding Oromia, is LET’S USE AFAAN OROMO instead of Amharinya as a federal language and then dismantle Oromia. Mind you I am not saying, let’s use both languages as federal labguage, but I do say let’s demote Amharinya to only local language and promote Afaan Oromo to federal language. That meanse no Amharaization, but Oromization. Then I am sure Oromos will be ready to dismantle Oromia. But definetly amharas will form ALF (Amhara Liberation Front) to struggle against Oromo domination. Can you agree dear Professor Mesay????

As far as I am concerned the common ground/purpose for the future Ethiopian/African UNITY must be based on an attempt of forging Independent Oromia, Independent Tigrai, Independent Amhara…etc in an Integrated Africa. That meanse we need to forge Independent Oromia in an Integrated Africa with Finfinne being the capital of both Oromia and Africa. Oromia being at the center, all languages (nations) in Africa can forge their mononational or multinational states. Africa will be the Language based Federation (Union) of these states with national freedom.

We nations in Africa suffer from conflicts based on colonial borders and because of disregarding national rights as some thing “ethnic”. This desigantion “ethnic” instead of nation/nationality/people is used by both European colonizers and their puppet African colonizers aka Abyssinians. In reality Africa was borderless, all being called as Ethiopia (meanse black faced in Greek) or Sudan (also meanse black faced in Arab), both refer to land of blacks. It is true all of Africa is land of blacks. If at all there should be a border between states, then not colonial borders. We need to get rid of the sham colonial borders which created artificial states like Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Kenya. By dismantling these colonial bordres which devided true natural states like Tigrai (in to two), Afar (to three), Oromia (to two) and Somalia (to five), have have to strive to forge INDEPENDENT natural states to be integrated in to United States of Africa.

To tackle the problems of nations in Africa and to deal with the present global challenge, Africans are trying to come together and forge an AUG (African Union Government). We are looking at USA or EU as an example. But both can not be good examples. USA is the melting pot for all nations around the world migrating to America and learning english. EU is the Union of well developed and independent mono-national-states, all with their own respective languages good developed and used.

Africa can be neither a melting pot nor a union of well developed only mono-national-states. The nations in Africa are diverse in development and size. What is good for Africa is to build a union (federation) with autonomous national areas for all nations aka “ethnies”.

Based on their size and development, some nations can forge mono-national-state like Oromia. The others, which are too small to have their own state can forge multi-national-state like SNNP of Ethiopia, with all nations having their own Province/Zone, District/Wereda or Community/Qebele as autonomous natonal areas based on their size. Relatively bigger nations like Sidama can have their own autonomous Province, nations smaller than this like Alaba can have autonomous District and the smallest nations like Dorze can have their own Community. Based on their geographical position, certain small nations like Agew and Harari can join the bigger neighbour nations like Amhara or Oromia, but have their own autonomy, be it as province, district or community. Such 5 tier organization (African Federation — Mono-/Multinational States — Mono-/Multinational Provinces — Mono-/Multionational Districts and Mono-/Multinational Communities) is the best way of adiministrative Organization for Africa.

In Short Ethiopian model can be used as that of African, just changing its fake status under Weyane to a very genuine one, for which OLF and the likes are struggling!! Then we will have not only an Integrated region named Ethiopia/HoAfrica, but also an Integrated continent Africa build on the center called Oromia with Finfinne as a capital. The only question we people need to ask our selves is that, at which level are we thinking, talking and walking when we try to deal with politics?? Language Based Federalism (LBF), rather than Geography Based Federalism (GBF), is the panacea for regional integration of Ethiopia/HoAfrica and continental integration of Africa.

Ethiopia has the lowest Ethnic number based on population proportion.

In Africa:

North Africa-
Not only many Ethnics but also races such as blacks, Arabs, Berbers, Turks and the likes are living there. In Egypt the real Arabs are only 15% of the population. The rest are Blacks, Coptic, Berbers, Turks, Mediterranean, Syrians, Palestinians and the likes. Except the blacks, the rest came there during Roman empire, Greeks invasion (Alexander the great), Arabs Invasion(since 7 century) and more than 500 years under Ottoman occupation. Yet, we don’t see race or Ethnic problems there.
In all Arabs nations including Saudi, Iraq, Lebanon and the likes, we find many races and Ethnics, too.

The rest of Africa:

Sudan 597 Ethnics 45 million people
Democratic Congo 700+ 55 million
Nigeria 550 140 million
Cameroon 250+ 25 million
Tanzania 120+ 40 million
Chad, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Angola…

Ethiopia 69 registered. Some have only less than 2000 members.
Ghana 60
Uganda 55
Kenya 44
.
.
.
A small country like Gabon has 40 Ethnic groups the while the population is only 1.5 million.

In Western Europe, USA and elsewhere are all human races and Ethnic groups living, working and associating together.
India has more than 1000 Ethnic groups and different races.
Russia has more than 300 Ethnic groups and more races.

The point is that Ethiopia has only one race. Based on the number of the population has the lowest Ethnic numbers. We have African born traditions, customs, rules and the likes. Unlike the rest of Africa that was badly affected in its own place by colonizers and slave owners came from beyond Africa and had hateful action against blacks based on race. The rest of Africa is created and functioning with its colonizer and master legacy

In USA there are hundreds of Ethnic groups among the white people. It is the same thing with the blacks and other races living there. Yet, they are living together with harmony speaking the same language to communicate.

There fore: The woyane Ethnic politics is an Evil work calculated to serve them staying in power with divide and rule principle. But in reality, Ethiopia has the lowest Ethnic numbers and behaviour differences among the world. We all look the same (with Habesha face). Look how the Sudanese, North Africa, Middle east, India, Russia, USA, west Europe, Brazil, Latin America and elsewhere the people are looking like among each other. There are skin, eyes and hair colour and faces differences among them. But in Ethiopia we all look the same. The day the Tribalist woyane is gone, it will be the day Ethnicity in Ethiopia will be love and respect one another, as we all look the same naturally. Woyane also showed us about the very bad side of being Ethnicity. People need peace, unity, love, respect and good life; not division, hostility, isolation, Kilil and the likes that are very bad to all of them.

Do you think the woyane doctrine of Tribalism system will serve Tigrians with good in the long run? No. No. No. They are damaging their future this way because of they are blindly supporting the Tribalists that are committing crimes in their name. They need to say to the Tribalist Woyane “No in my name”. Soon rather than later woyane will be forced to leave, that is reality. Just about of time. They can buy the time, but they will be out of means to continue that way. Nobody is fore ever especially those are the bad. But the people will remain forever. Think about it. Don’t support the Tribalists. They are bad to all of us. They are doing all these evil acts only for their good. If they think about Tigrians, they would never use Ethnic policy and kilil to rule the nation by themselves as they are wishing only for themselves.