ESATTV/Radio:- An Independent or Biased Towards Amhara Nostalgically Dreaming For the Past? Moderator, Sidama National Regional State Information Network March 07, 2014 The Ethiopian Satellite Television Services ‘ESAT’ claims to be ‘nonpartisan and an independent Media outlet primarily established to promote Free Press, Democracy, Respect for Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Ethiopia. It broadcasts from its Studios in Amsterdam, The Netherlands- with branch studios in Washington D.C. and London’ respectively; ethsat/about-us/. Whether ESAT is fulfilling its professional obligations and promises, this brief article will have its own actual stories from which the audiences can make their own judgement. It’s established on April 24, 2010 aiming to present accurate and balanced news, analysis and information………and much more? Apparently, all ESAT’s journalist have fled persecution and human rights violations of the incumbent TPLF led Ethiopia’s dictatorial regime and most of these journalists further claim for having been persecuted whilst working at various Media outlets of Ethiopia; mainly on publishing critiques on local Newspapers -the acts of Freedom of Expression the regime in power hardly tolerate. Due to this, it’s imperative that all ESAT’s journalists were involved in exposing the inhumane actions of the incumbent; whether their activities reflect the interests of Ethiopian nations and nationalities or focussed on demonising the current dictatorial regime whilst running their hidden agendas -we can judge them based on their current actions in Western democracies. Obviously, the regime in power, targets them as it does to others vocal individuals of the entire regions of the country such as Sidama, Oromia, Ogadenia, Gambela, Shakacho, Benshagul, Gedeo and others. Refutably, however, what the aforementioned journalists are doing under the cover of ESAT is unclear as to whether they are actually walking the walk of 21st Century on ‘Agreeing to Disagree’ (concept of democratic dialogue) or are nostalgically sticking to their past and the perception and attitudes it entails. Therefore, the biggest question is, that, is ESAT Radio/TV independently on nonpartisan basis addressing the issues relevant to the entire peoples of Ethiopian Nations and Nationalities; or working as one ethnic national’s propaganda machinery? Is it failing to fulfil its promises on its claimed impartiality and independence? On several occasions, whenever I watch ESAT’s TV or listen to their Radio programs, I observe one thing which clinically reveals their hidden motto they can hardly disguise. If there happens to be any news about very minor issue from the North’s Amhara region, they profoundly magnify and supersize the news and go on and on for about weeks. Diametrically opposing to the former, they often don’t report the fact, deliberately distort or belittle issues related with others nations’ and areas where the interests of historically oppressors are at stake and peoples are aware of their collective rights as given ethnic nationals such as Sidama, Oromia and others various regions. I didn’t and never support the uprooting of Amharas from Southern Ethiopian, Benshagul or Gambella. I have officially condemned the Sidama’s criminal cadre Shiferaw Shigute (whilst south Ethiopia’s puppet president) when he ordered Amhara ethnic nationals to leave their homes from the south of Ethiopia; for the issue ESAT was persistently claimed the actions as genocide committed by the regime in power on Amhara people. I wanted to show here how partial they are when it comes to others nations and nationalities on whom the regime in power commits and its predecessors have committed actual genocide not only physical removal from their lands. ESAT journalists don’t want to mention the massacre and genocides committed by their successive rulers, rather they defend their kings’ indefensible brutal actions. Just few months ago, they’re defending the massacres and genocides committed on Oromo, Sidama, Wolayta, Ogadenia and on others oppressed nations and nationalities by their king Menelik II about 100 years ago. Whenever any issues related with Sidama nation’s fundamental rights are at stake, the Sidama nation reacts in unison. ESAT’s journalists deliberately distort the fact and fabricate something irrelevant to the issue the Sidama nation was demanding. The Sidama nation moved from corner to corner in Unison demanding their constitutional rights to regional self-determination on various occasions and are doing so as we speak for the action the regime in power committed genocide on Sidama nation on Looqqe massacre of May 24, 2002. Their journalists such as Messay Mekonen and Fasil Yenealem, whose ancestors have dehumanised the Sidama & their cousins are sucking their blood like mosquitoes –attempt to belittle Sidama nations’ bigger causes by reducing it to the level of neighbourly skirmish based on unfounded and fabricated allegation. ESAT has officially claimed that the Sidama nation was preparing for war against Wolyta ethnic nationals who are in Hawassa and others settlers with whom the nation, in its soil, has peacefully cohabited for several decades. Peace loving and egalitarian Sidama nation proved them utterly wrong! Moreover, during Sidama’s New Year ‘Fichchee’ 2012 Celebration, the Sidama people of all walk of life were peacefully flocking towards their capital city ‘Hawassa’ on its eve (Fichchee) and actual festivity day known as ‘Cambalalla’ to celebrate it in their Guduumalle (where they’ve celebrated their Fichchee since time immemorial). As ESAT’s journalists aren’t happy to accept the fact that the Sidama nation has got its own calendar that uniquely characterise the nation and they are celebrating it in Hawassa city, they had to fabricate something against the peaceful celebration of their Fichchee; one of the noble cultural heritages the Sidama nation bitterly fought and preserved it to this date in spite of occupiers’ language, culture, ways of life and religion systematically imposed on them. For this reason, ESAT has nominated one ‘Habesha’ reporter from Hawassa who claimed to be lively observing hundreds of thousands of armed Sidama people entering into Hawassa from all corners; and later on further claimed that the settlers in Hawassa became extremely anxious fearing the worst. He claimed that hundreds of Sidama horsemen were also hiding somewhere at the outskirt of Hawassa to ambush non-Sidama residents. Contrary to ESAT’s unfounded allegations, extreme paranoia and hallucination, nearly one million Sidamas, as always have peacefully and happily celebrated their Fichchee (apart from Cursing Shiferaw Shigute for his evil acts against the interest of the Sidama nation); they eventually returned back to their districts and villages gallantly singing and dancing their ancestral songs without breaking single glass let alone satisfying ESAT’s unfounded allegations. Once again the Sidama nation proved them wrong. This is the Sidama nation; uniquely peaceful and gallant that never trespasses its norm and moral values; yet never allows others to walk over its dignity even during the older times when the Sidama was ruled in & with darkness. The Sidama nation taught them all, those who were beating war drums, its utmost nobility and wisdom by dashing their unfounded claims. Inherently violent those who believe in violence whilst keeping their grips onto power, the current ESAT’s runners’ nostalgically and subconsciously dream for their old regimes. They all also ideologically act in such a way that is so intricate to others, boldly and inhumanely act like their forefathers behaved in an occupied Sidama, Oromia, Ogadenia and others lands. Contrarily to theirs, time and again the Sidama nation has shown its civility and how it defends its rights in a civilised manner despite the atrocious situation the nation is obliged to live under. This isn’t the only story I’m narrating. Fasil Yenealem, one of ESAT’s founding members interviewed one of the Sidama persons who is involved in United Sidama Parties for Freedom and Justice (USPFJ) sometime late 2012. Few days after interviewing this particular Sidama nationalist, Mr Yenealem prepared some sort of documentary and broadcasted it without mentioning to the interviewee the fact that he is using it as a documentary. Whilst doing so, he’s used Suri and Hammer (half necked) people with their cultural attributes in his documentary claiming that they were Sidamas’ and used Hammer’s music, dances and geographical areas as if they were the Sidama land. Im not at all undermining Hammer culture here, but showing how heinous they are. He was conveying his own and his ill-compatriots’ messages to Sidama people and others in his hideously planned documentary. The ultimate aim of this chauvinist was avoiding Hawassa town from the radar of Sidama nation whilst talking about Sidama to confuse audiences. He also used misnomer Sidamo instead of Sidama when he introduced the documentary for which he refused to apologise to this date. Asking him to apologise for deliberately distorting the reality, the Sidama Interviewee automatically demanded for its correction (re-sending him the necessary pictures and Sidama music to replace it with) or otherwise for unconditional removal after the documentary has been on air for about 10-12 hours. However, unrepentantly arrogant ‘Fasil Yenealem’ has neither done the necessary correction with professionalism nor apologised for his deliberate distortion. The Sidama interviewee relentlessly insisted that it must be unconditionally removed if he remains unrepentant for his professional malpractices and unwilling to publically apologise to the Sidama nation- as his action is an insult to them. Eventually, he was unwillingly obliged to remove it. Ever since, Mr Yenealem and his ESAT colleagues entirely avoided all Sidama related news apart from Messay Mekonen’s sporadic blabbers about Hawassa city’s ownership, claiming that Hawassa doesn’t belong to Sidama nation; the belief and attitude all ESAT’s journalists entertain the only area they fully agree with incumbent regime. Another story is; on 15th of January 2014, Abebe Gelaw (another Amhara’s renowned Chauvinist and ESAT’s key players), was attempting to undermine the success of the ‘Boycott Bedele’ campaign, blaming Oromo and Sidama campaigners for being racist and for being driven by current regime. As he was one of my face book friends, I always logically challenged his obdurate attitudes and dogmatic behaviours whenever he writes some biased comments. There comes a lot of ‘likes’ when I write some reply on his writings. Automatically he cuts my entire comments that received tens of likes ‘off’ within short span of time. On this particular occasion however, my message was the following; (15 January 2014): Hello, Yemiyen wode abiye yiluhal new negeru Abe!! Who calls us Gaalla, Sidaamo, Woyilamo, Darassa...........so on and so forth!! Dont you honestly feel ashamed of talking like this if you think that youre honourable person who upholds truth and honesty? I thought that you are articulate and brave enough to a degree to acknowledge the fact instead of talking simple fallacious accounts of those who are doing nothing but, trying to justify what they have done and are doing is blessing denying the fact that actually its Curse!! Who is the racist here dear Abe? Honestly, this is simply pathetic!!’’ Abebe Gelaw sends me the following response in my inbox for my above message with my above message cut off from the comments I publicly posted in response to his claims of Oromo’s being racist whilst demanding their fundamental rights. By the way he deleted my response 15 minutes after I’ve posted it and after it has received over 50 likes. ‘Hey, I didnt like this comment. Sorry this politics of attrition wont help us to move forward. While you are entitled to your opinion, you should respect the fact that I do not want to be part of it. I feel ashamed of racism’ Content URL: https://facebook/abegelaw/posts/10203040900203098’. The saddest thing is that he thinks that he is entitled to erroneously believe and allege the Oromo and other peoples for being racist whilst inherently the racists are themselves since his ancestors have colonised and brutalised our nations and nationalities. Living in the Western democracy and enjoying the fruits of freedom of expression, acting in the way all ESAT’s journalists are behaving boggles mind and unsettles the feelings of genuinely democratic thinkers; therefore they are lagging behind the ethos of independent journalism. Time and again ESAT has shown that, more than its predecessors’ Amhara Diaspora Medias such as VOA & German radio Amharic services, its’ being Amhara’s spokesperson becoming evident. Thus is not an independent Media that entertains all ideas, ideals and thoughts to justify its certain degree of nonpartisan. Peoples of Ethiopian nations and nationalities must know this fact and boldly tell ESAT’s journalists such as Abebe Gelaw, Fasil Yenealem, Messay Mekonen and others to behave in such a manner that is acceptable by the majority of the Diaspora peoples of the Empire. They must also engage with nationalists and all peoples of that region. Restricting their coverage to the Ethiopianist ideologies further reveals their hidden mottos, yet never help them to justify their independence whilst vehemently hating those who fight for the independence of their own nations and nationalities. Moderators, Sidama National Regional State Information Network March 7, 2014 sidamanationalregionalstate.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/esat-tvradio-independent-or-biased.html
Posted on: Fri, 07 Mar 2014 12:55:15 +0000