War and remembrance: orality, literacy and conflict in the Horn
2006; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 18; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/13696850600750335
ISSN1469-9346
Autores Tópico(s)African studies and sociopolitical issues
ResumoAbstract This paper is concerned with the portrayal of conflict through the written word and oral recollection, and the popular perception of war over time, with particular reference to Ethiopia and Eritrea between the eighteenth and the twentieth centuries. It seeks to explore the roles played by the regional chronicles and traditions of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and by orality and literacy in the modern age of armed struggle and revolution, in the creation and assertion of identities. The basic aim of the paper is to demonstrate continuity between apparently distinct forms of 'war and remembrance'. The first is the chronicle tradition of the Ethiopian highlands, dating back several centuries, both contemporary and retrospective in composition, and in which the seminal role of conflict is continually emphasised. The second is the rhetoric and symbolism of the modern era of liberation struggle in Eritrea, as represented by the Eritrean People's Liberation Front. In this context, the memory of war, and the articulation of that memory in various forms, is as crucial as war itself in the creation and consolidation of identity, most dramatically in nationalist discourse. Notes 1This is, however, debatable in reality and deserves rather more research. 2Indeed, in Keegan (Citation1993: 69), there is a map of the world indicating 'military and non-military zones': much of Africa (Ethiopia and the Horn excepted, notably) is in the 'non-military zone'! 3The publishing house Red Sea Press has played a key part in the development of this literary tradition. 4This is a good example, indeed, of the tradition of fukera, oral poetry and praise-singing, often martial and 'boastful' in tone. 5The author conducted interviews along the former central front on the Eritrean side in July 2000. 6Such 'regional nationalism' pre-dates the TPLF, of course; the 1943 Woyane uprising is often cited as an early form of Tigrayan 'national' consciousness. 7 Sha'abiya is Arabic for 'popular' or 'of the people', and is the nickname widely used for the EPLF. It was used in a pejorative sense by the TPLF, which in turn was called the Woyane – simply meaning 'revolt' or 'uprising', after the 1943 revolt noted above – by the Eritreans. 8It is notable, for example, that recently (July 2004), in the Italian Club in downtown Asmara, there was an exhibition 'celebrating' the service of Eritreans in the Italian colonial army. The centrepiece monument in the exhibition was adorned with such slogans as 'La spada che illumina la battaglia' and 'L'Italia onora il valora eritreo di ogni tempo'. 9This tradition has, of course, carried on into contemporary Ethiopia itself, through literature, song and, more recently, the internet. Very often the concern, again, has been with conflict, and with Eritrea in particular, from singers such as Telahun Gesese, whose anti-EPLF anthem was much-utilised by the Ethiopian government in the 1980s, to the writing of Bealu Girma Citation(1984). As in Eritrea, modern historical writing inside Ethiopia has been concerned with the 1998–2000 war and perceptions of the historic relationship between the two countries, for example Addis Birhan Citation(1998). The Walta Information Centre has had a major role to play in the development of public discourse – see for example Walta Information Centre Citation(1999) – while there are a number of very polished websites fulfilling the same function, for example www.ethioview.com. 10Popular singers have also played a crucial role in this, notably Yemane Baria, whose songs of love, patriotism and war formed to a very real degree the soundtrack to the Eritrean struggle. His death in November 1997 tempered the celebrations surrounding the introduction of the new currency, the nakfa, in Eritrea. 11Examples include Setit, Keste Demena and Tsigenay. The much-vaunted ethos of self-censorship (Connell 1997: 295) was not regarded as sufficient in the crucial period following the end of the war in 2000; the war itself, ironically, had provided the private press with much of its material. Additional informationNotes on contributorsRichard Reid Richard Reid can be contacted at Department of History, University of Durham, 43 North Bailey, Durham DU1 3EX; email: r.j.reid@durham.ac.uk
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