I won’t respond to each tweet, let me give you my general take. I have no intention of flattening history, but neither do I prostrate to appease anyone. What doesn't sit right with me is the totalizing narrative that portrays our history as one of native colonialism. 1/ https://twitter.com/AskMariam/status/1283440434350563334
The narrative that now animates nativist entitlement and violence doesn’t operate in a vacuum. It is an outcome of foundational mythologies. As long as its logic remains embedded in these myths, understanding/healing will remain elusive. What are these foundational myths? 2/
Myth 1: The Oromo are native to every territory they currently occupy and everyone else residing in it is a settler. Reality: The Oromo are latecomers themselves to most of these territories, making the claim of nativism categorically wrong. No group can make that claim. 3/
Myth 2: The Ethiopian state is created by Amhara monarchs who colonized a helpless Oromo population. Reality: Far from being helpless victims, the Oromo were at the heart of the reintegration of Ethiopia – as soldiers, generals, emperors – building the state as we know it. 4/
Myth 3: The Oromo are marginalized economically, with their resources exploited for the benefit of others, especially the Amhara. Reality: By most economic indicators, contemporary Oromia is on par or ahead of the peoples that are blamed for exploiting it. 5/
Myth 4: The Oromo language and culture were proscribed by the Ethiopian state until 1991. Reality: While there was a bias towards the Amharic language as the language of the state, other languages were not only allowed but also thrived. That is why they survived. 6/
As long as the radical Oromo elite uphold these fabrications to be truths and attempt to impose them on everyone by force, by utilizing the presence of a hostage population as a bargaining chip, understanding each other is unlikely. 7/
Yes, cycles of violence “aren't broken by espousing double standards”. Neither are they broken by passing from generation to generation half-truths and fabrications that callously portray a specific community as an enemy, neither are they broken by fanning faux nativism. 8/
While your call for acknowledging past violence and injustice sounds innocuous, it is loaded. Who do you want to take responsibility? Please don’t say ‘everyone’! We both well know that is not the case, a certain group is expected to take the blame. I don't see that happening. 9/
And yes, violence anywhere is unfortunate and regrettable. Why can't I 'contain the contradiction'? Well, you just assumed. Wrongly. I just happen to see what poses a bigger threat to my country. And I’m not interested in false equivalences. 10/
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