On a passing remark: Here is my stake on one contemporary political agenda in our country: On the politics of “Wolkayt identity”

Seife Hailu, Assistant professor in political science, Mekelle University
Tigrai Online, Ethiopian News, August 9, 2016

On a passing remark: Here is my stake on one contemporary political agenda in our country: On the politics of “Wolkayt identity”

I say this: What seems to be politically inevitable is politically impossible! Wolkayt is Tigray’s and the people of Wolkayt are Tigrians. Period! This is so on at least three grounds:

1. History: If we make a back ward mapping to the history of Ethiopia (E.g. to the 17^{th C}.) we found it to be crystal clear that let alone Wolkayt even a good part of today’s Amhara region was all that of Tigray because our boundary with Shoa by then was Lemalimo. In fact, if we push history further back (to the ancient and medieval period of our history) we also get a bigger picture- the whole of the Abyssinian/Christian highland state (Habesha land) was Tigray’s land. So, therefore, from a historical perspective, the argument that Wolkayt has a different identity than being Tigrian is ahisorical, invalid, unsound and uncogent.!

2. Politics: If the argument that Wolkayt is not part of Tigray and its people are not Tigrians is based on political reasoning then the simple question to ask here is: What does the current political map of Ethiopia read and say about the matter?  And, the answer is pure and simple. It reads as “Wolkayt under the current political map of Ethiopia is part of the National Regional State of Tigray”. Finished!

3. Force: If still there is an argument which might possibly state that Wolkayt can be made part of other identity apart from being Tigrian by force (war and military might) well that would not also hold water because when it comes to the history of Tigrians (Wolkayts included) on matters of land, wife and identity, history has time and again crystal clearly proved that our recorded history is a history of victory. No one has also lived to tell the opposite story in this regard. Pertinent to the matter at hand, we have for instance the history of “ሓጎሰ ሜዳ ፀበቦ” and “ገብርየን ማርየን” from which we all can take a lesson also. Therefore, as the saying “ ድንሽ ከም ምቕላጥ ቀሊል ኣይኮነን” also goes  the mantra of  taking some body’s land and changing peoples’ identity by force can’t be as simple as some would naively imagine. This is not just about propaganda. It is a history tested truth especially as applied to the history of Tigray and Tigrians. Today’s rhetoric will also be not an exception. It can only be to some old actors a historic fatigue and to other new comers a day dream. This is so for a simple reason. The  children of Tigray from my generation will not allow such eventuality to step in because not only are they well aware that their grand fathers never allowed it to happen but also about the fact that their grand grand fathers did even more and better in this regard. So, force as a strategy also simply doesn’t work. Hence, I think, it is now high time to close the chapter of the historically, politically and militarily senseless discourse on the politics of “Inventing new identity for Wolkayt and the Wolkayts” and then push forward to the agendas that affect us most.

“Tigray is too small to be divided and too big to fall!” “Long live father land!”

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From Admin
No one knows about the identity of Wolkayit And Tsegedye. Here is the truth spoken by the people themselves. We all know what all this barking is about. Nothing will be changed by piling up mountains of lies.