Comments on: Italy must compensate Ethiopia, too

By: Kalubicha Zergekun

Kalubicha Zergekun — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 22:34:48 +0000

Italian Fascists knew it; and the rest of the world too. Ethiopia has never, ever been colonized. Period. Yes, it is true, and has been a fact that Itlian Fascist had attempted to colonize Ethiopia during those bitter fight, nevertheless, the Fascists failed disgustingly and shabefully, this is and has been the greatest fact about what had happened during the struggle against fascists.

Soon or later or now or in the future, Italian Fascists must pay the compensation as they had paid a terrible price for attempting to colonize Ethiopia. It is also a fact that Italian Fascist had admitted that they were mislead and misinformed about the commandable patriots of the sons and daughters of Ethiopia as to how had been unbeatable and undefeatable they were that no foreign invaders had succeeded in invading and colonizing Ethiopia.

As to about the compensation, well, when the right government comes to power to represent Ethiopia and Ethiopians, they Italians shall be firs, advised to come up with their own initiation to do the right thing and do things right;if they fail to do so, well and again, Ethiopians shall have to force the government of Italy to monitory price for the crime they committed against Ethiopians.

By: yikerbelen

yikerbelen — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:41:06 +0000

Prof mammo muchie, i do agree with your article that Ethiopia deserves both material compensation and morale apology from the colonial power like britian, france , usa,bermany Italia[ even leage of nation] for their supprot to italia’s invasion ethiopia and for their giving of recongnation ethiopia as if italia’s colony. Even if ethiopia was not under any bloody colonizers rule, It paid the high prices in their children ‘;s life in adwa, five years war against italia. So to all ethiopia’s intellectuals all over the world,it is the right time ask both material and morale compensation from colonial powers and dismatle the agreement between britian, sudan and egypt over ethiopia’s river.

By: Ayana

Ayana — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 10:18:39 +0000

The dogs which fight each others to get a piece of bone from hynas will fall victim to hynas by themselves. As Ato Alemu Ashana said,( Guest No.9 )even if we get billions of compensation it doen’t bring solution for our country. We have to learn how to stand on own foot and take our own affairs into our hands. Every Ethiopians must understand this, especially our intelecuals. We must stop the dream of getting helps from others.

By: Alemu Ashana

Alemu Ashana — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:46:41 +0000

Ato Mamo Muchie,

” Beggars remain Beggars”. We Ethiopians couldn’t use our rich resources to bring our country out of poverty because we have used to look at others hands or pockets. Come on, stop this childish notion of getting conpensation from Italy or Egypt and commit yourself to the present crisis of our country ( politically and economically). Today the urgent action which we need is the political settlement for our country and then we will start to build it. If we are commited to work for motherland, even we can feed other countries. It is the greedy bellies which have undermined the country and exposed its peoples to hunger and agony. Surprisingly, Egypt has no any river or rainy season than a Nile river. But we have never heared hunger in Egypt, when Ethiopia has tausends of rivers and a heavy and long rainy season and a home to the series of chronic hungers history. So, let us destroy a culture of begging and develop our country .

By: Belachew

Belachew — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:11:15 +0000

Is there any one who deny that Italy had used leathl gas bomb on ethiopian patriots? the issue is not about colonizing, but about the harm done by Italian fsacists. therefore, I do not know why eritrean specially the tigrian speakers are complaining about the issue of compensation for ethiopia. I think and as i have read it, eritrean were very delighted for being colonized by Italia and still they are proud for being colonized. since you have accepted colonization in open hand, then you have no case to complain.

By: Alem

Alem — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:10:47 +0000

are going to make them pay for kicking their ASS out of our country. Hey, if they agree to pay for losing the war.. then we are all up to that idea. However, i do not think that will ever happen because they are the losers when it comes to invading Ethiopia.

By: Mulualem Ayalew

Mulualem Ayalew — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:12:43 +0000

The compensation was paid during Emperor Haile Selassie’s regime to the tune of 49 million American dollars.Th Koka Hydro-electrical plant is a result of that.
Thanks for the concern.
Mulualem

By: Tedlaye

Tedlaye — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:59:47 +0000

That is nonsense Prof
First of all I do not believe colonialists did as much damage as we Africans did and keep on doing to ourselves. If it were not for them most of us would have been still swinging on the trees. Through out the years Africa keep on loosing everything built by the so called colonialists who are considered to be monsters in your sight. I am sure as a Profesor you know Ghana and Malaysia gained their independence on the same day. By then Ghana was the largest gold producer in the world and Malaysia was a slave society. Can you compare them? I do not think it is a compensation that catapulted Malaysias growth. I would rather that money you earmarked for compesation stay there so that our brothers and sisters who are in those countries may benefit from it rather than it be used for the fat cats in power. As to Abay as a scholar you should have known there are multitudes of options we could have used with out disapointing and hurting anyone.

By: Observer (Ta-Azabi)

Observer (Ta-Azabi) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 23:38:53 +0000

Mammo Muchie:
If there’s anyone Italy needs to apologize to it is the Eritrean people. Under Italian occupation, Eritreans were treated as second class citizens in their own land. They were living in a substandard condition while the white colonizers and their families were having great times. As you might know Gorgusuum, a beach on the outskirt of Massawa was reserved for Whites only.
Honestly, when I read just the subtitle of your article I didn’t bother to read them all for I immediately observed major contradiction to how most Ethiopians want the world to perceive their country’s geopolitical history: THAT IT IS THE ONLY AFRICAN COUNTRY THAT WAS NEVER COLONIZED. Mr. Muchie, how’s is it possible that you’d expect a compensation and/or apology from a european country that attempted, but never colonized Ethiopia? Or, are you one of those advocates of a fabricated history designed to annex a sovereign country? Are you attempting to scratch the wound that was inflicted on both the peoples of Eritrea and Ethiopia out of ignorance and selfishness just when some good citizens of both nations are in the process of healing them?
As always, I thank the Ethiopian Review for allowing me to have my 2 cents on such matter.

By: Eritrawi

Eritrawi — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 23:06:40 +0000

My Ethiopian brothers and sisters, the main reason Italy agreed to compensate Libya is not because they felt bad about the colonial period and how they treated them, it is because Libya has OIL, Italian companies will get in and make a killing developing oil fields so they will recoup whatever “compensation” they gave out. Colonialism has hurt every African country but worse than colonialism Africans have been hurt by puppet governments after they managed to fly their flags, stop blaming the colonial powers for all your ills, it is high time that African leaders marshall their populations and start improving the standard of living of their citizens, once the country is developed everyone will want to trade with us, heck they might even volunteer to “compensate” us for the grievances we feel were commited against us. In the end though WE have to be masters of our destiny not some developed western country who will develop us while we look up on them, this is slave mentality and should be defeated by us, anyone who thinks that our past colonial masters have the obligation to develop our societies is nothing but defeatists who doesn’t believe in our peoples ability to develop themselves. Our worst enemy is not colonialism, it is the backward thinking that we are not capable of taking charge of our affairs and develop ourselves. Our former colonial masters will keep doing what they are doing as long we beg them to give us something when we perfectly know the solution lies within us not in the hand of the so called developed world. Mental slavery is our main problem, not others, this is the 21st century, time to own up our problems, tighten our belts and take charge of our affairs!!!

By: Boku

Boku — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 22:19:31 +0000

I thought Ethiopia was the only country that was not colonized?

By: Azanew

Azanew — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 21:42:32 +0000

Profesor? Where wer u when Italia payed money to built KoKa.
You dont know that? To fallow Libiya is not called an intelectual and learned men. Come up with another question, please