By Dr Tigist Mengistu
Recently I posted something on my face-book page. I thought it was something very harmless till I saw the reaction that it generated.
So I have decided to write this article so that I can express, explain myself better. I am very sorry if some of my friends were very offended but what I said. That was not my intention.
So for those of you that have not seen my Facebook page. This is what I said. I put the flag of Scotland, England and Wales as well as the Union Jack and said that when they all fly together it adds to the beauty and not take anything away. I also used that as comparison to some people in Ethiopia wanting their own flags. Why not? If they feel it expresses their identity better.
I know this is a controversial topic but I felt it needs to be said. First of all I would like to tell you that I am now in my 40s. I have lived in Ethiopia for only 12 years of my life, which is less than a third of my existence. I use a travelling document of a foreign country. Yes a travelling document! That is what it is to me. When people ask me where I am from I say I am an Ethiopian. I teach my children about Ethiopia and Ethiopian history. I teach them to say that they are Ethiopians.
No one has forced me to do that. I choose to be an Ethiopian. When people I consider Ethiopians choose to identify themselves as not-Ethiopians, it saddens me but I choose to respect their choice. Since I would like my choice to be respected.
No two countries are identical but as a human race we can all learn something from each other. For that reason I used the example of UK with its different flags and one flag that unites its nations. Scotland had a referendum not long ago and they chose to stay within the UK. Therefore the fact that they want a flag that expresses their identity does not automatically translate into wanting a separate country.
So I thought I would look into the meaning of flags. Historically flags originated as military standards. That is a symbol that is carried by an army to differentiate itself from the enemy. Present day flags have evolved such that they are used as symbols of a country. They are also used by the citizens to express their patriotism and their devotion to their mother/father land.
Types of flags on land
1-Civil flags
2-state flags
3-military flags
At sea flags also have their own types. For the purpose of this article I will stick to flags on land.
Some countries use the same flag for all 3 purposes. Also called the National Flag. Ethiopian flag which is green, yellow and red is our national flag. National flags are included in the constitution of the country.
The national flag, when flown with other flags, must always be given position of honour and priority. Other flags may be flown but never higher than the national flag. No other flag is equal to the national flag.
The tricolour of Green, Yellow and Red is not just the Ethiopian flag but is adopted by many African countries and is adopted as a symbol of pan Africanism all over the world. It is a heritage we should be very proud of. I am proud of my flag, my Ethiopianism and my heritage. It is something I choose and do willingly. It will not work if I cannot choose it of my own free will.
1-This was the flag of Ethiopia before the rectangular flag was created
2-Emperor Minilik adopted the rectangular flag in October 1897-1914 (1890-1907 Ethiopian calendar)
3- The plain flag was the flag of the Ethiopian empire from 1914-1936
4-Flag of Ethiopia from 1941-1974 where the symbol of Lion of Judah was added. I would like to briefly remind that the years between 1936-1941 was when Ethiopia was under the occupation of Fascist Italy
5-The official/national flag of Ethiopia from 1975-1986. Essentially the imperial flag without the lion of Judah .This was a period of Dergue.
6- The state flag between 1975-1986 i.e. during the Dergue era.
–
7-Flag of People’s democratic republic of Ethiopia (1986-1991). In 1986 Dergue disbanded itself by handing power back to the people.
8-Flag of transitional government of Ethiopia adopted May 1992
9-Flag of Ethiopia from 1996-2009
10-Current flag of Ethiopia adopted in 2009. Different from the 1992 flag by the fact that the blue background darker and the star made bigger
In recent years the use of the plain tricolour without any political emblems has become a symbol of protest and unity against the tribalistic way the country was being ruled for the last 27 years. This in my opinion shows as a nation we are tired of current divisive tribal politicians trying to rewrite our Ethiopian history.
My point is not about disrespecting our flag or heritage. Ethiopia is a country of many tribes. Recognising and acknowledging these individual tribes does not weaken us quite the opposite. It will strengthen us. We need to have a union that respects individual rights. National rights come with national duty. One cannot exist without the other.
Humans are social animals. When we attempt to live with each other we surrender some rights in order to benefit from the protection we get from the collective group.
I am not trying to trivialise the issue. But I am trying to explain it in its simplest form. If we take a family as a social unit. It begins with a union of a man and a woman and they produce offspring. A marriage is a compromise. Sometimes one party compromises more than the other and at other times things change. Traditionally women tend to sacrifice and compromise more. It is a very well-known fact that married men are happier and healthier than their single counterparts while it is not the same for women. Single women are happier and healthier than their married counterparts.
If a woman in marriage says I am not happy. The husband cannot tell her that she is, just because he is happy in it. And trying to convince her that she is and refusing to listen to her is not going to strengthen the marriage but weaken the bond. Unless they are able to talk and iron out the differences the marriage is not going to last.
The green, yellow and red tricolour is not just the pride of Ethiopian but the pride of all the black people on this planet. But we should ask ourselves the question. Why do certain people of Ethiopia feel that this symbol that we are ready to die for does not represent them?
As a doctor I have been trained to differentiate between a disease and a symptom. Let’s take the example of a man with a headache. That is his problem. The whole purpose of the visit to a doctor is to find out why he has these head aches and to stop the pain. The head ache is not the disease. It is the symptom. It is a symptom of stress, eye problem, sinusitis, migraine, side effects of drugs, brain tumour …I can go on and on
So if we come back to the question of flags. The fact that some people in Ethiopia do not feel the green, yellow and red does not represent them is not the disease but it is a symptom of something else.
The fact that we have done multiple investigations and could not find something tangible that we can treat does not mean the man does not have a headache. The headache is real and it is still there. Telling the man all your tests are normal therefore you have no head ache does not solve his problem. Let’s give him pain relief and then try to do some life style modifications. Advise him to eat healthy, stop alcohol, do exercise, get good night’s sleep etc.
In fact it is also a well- known fact that people with chronic pain feel better just by speaking to a health professional who is willing to be patient, give them time and listen to them. This is, mind you, just listening without giving any treatment. The question we are taught to ask the patient is ‘why do you think you have these pains?’
Ask the people why they want a different flag?
Like I said I am not a politician and some people might say I am looking at this from a simplistic point of view. I am just expressing my opinion.
Those who want their own flags should also recognise that the rest of Ethiopians are proud of their heritage and the pride that comes with being an Ethiopian. We are the only country in Africa that has not been colonised by foreign powers. That freedom did not come cheaply. It was passed on from generation to generation through the sacrifice of many lives. By honouring our flag we honour the memory and the lives of those who paid the ultimate price so that we can live.
As a nation we have survived being swallowed by the Roman Empire and Ottoman Empire as well as European colonialism. This was paid for by blood signified by the red in our flag. We have also paid dearly for the religious freedom –signified by yellow.
Ethiopianism is more than just the people, the flag, the food, the land and the rivers. Everywhere I go I proudly introduce myself as an Ethiopian. Some people have even have gone as far as saying to me ‘are you not ashamed to say you are an Ethiopian?
I have nothing else that I am more proud of than my Ethiopian heritage. Yes we are poor now, yes we still need food aid, and yes we have one of the highest child and maternal mortalities in the world. As a nation what we need more than anything else is peace. And peace will only come if we choose to listen to each other.
Let’s agree we all want the best for our country but we differ in what we think is the solution. Let’s not questions ones patriotism just because they disagree with us. We have tried this method before and it does not work. Einstein has said if you try the same method over and over again but expect different results then you are mad.
Some of you have heard me mention the missed opportunities in our history. If we are not careful then this will be another missed opportunity in our history. The spirit of Ethiopianism runs deeper than any symbol. The life of individual Ethiopians is greater than the symbolism of Ethiopia. The biggest asset a country has is its people.
Tribalism is a disease. Nothing good will come out of excluding others and promoting ‘them and us’ attitude. I agree with very many who want go back to the province system (ክፍለሃገር) as opposed to region (ክልል) based on language. I believe that is the way to promote Ethiopianism. Let’s stop politicising our flag and just keep the simple green, yellow and red that is not burdened by any political symbols. Let’s stop tribal politics and remove the mixed message. We talk about one Ethiopia but we still have ethnic based exiled parties taken to their ethnic regions rather than coming together as one national union.
Let’s sit down and listen to each other before we go too far into the opposite corner. Once we dig deep into our own corner then it becomes a matter of pride and self-preservation to win no matter what it costs.
Let’s try a different method. The listening method. Maybe we can finally reach the potential we all know we have.
By Dr Tigist Mengistu
The post “My Flag is My Identity” Dr Tigist Mengistu appeared first on Satenaw: Ethiopian News & Breaking News: Your right to know!.