Mesfin Zegeye
9 November 2009
Addis Abeba — On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Kembatti Menti Gezma - Tope [Kembatta Women's Self-help Centre - Ethiopia] (KMG), a group of journalists had the opportunity to talk to members of the so called Fuga community about their relationship with other community members and recent developments in their relations and lives as well as their major grievances and what they think of Dr. Bogalech and KMG's efforts.
From the start I would like to say that the members of the community we spoke to consider the name Fuga derogatory to the community labeled and hence I use it to show the situation on the ground and hence should not be considered in any way an endorsement.
Abera Menamo is a member of the Fuga community from Tembaro wereda. According to him, there is still a lot of discrimination from which his community members suffer. He has explanation as to how the problem originated. He said the low esteem his community came to suffer came down generations and it has to do with their weak economic status. Because of their poverty they resort to practices detested among other communities. But they do so in the struggle for survival, he said.
"When our great-great parents had nothing to eat, they began to eat unclean animals and also hunted. They also ate leftovers of food during mourning and other occasions. These and other related practices gave rise to the low status they occupy among the rest of the communities." Abera seems to say the despising happens in one direction only. "We eat their food but they don't eat ours." Yet, there are changes suggesting, with more efforts, all these could be put behind them.
"We come together in Idir, weddings, we work together when labour contribution is required, and in wedding ceremonies. But when it is required to contribute food for a certain occasion, we contribute money in its place for the other communities will not like food from us. " Also, they have not yet reached a stage to drink coffee together as many Ethiopians do among neighbours, Aberra said.
He has a suggestion as to what should be done to address the uneasy relation among them. "Our people need to avoid doing the things that offends the other communities. And this requires awareness creation, changing their attitudes, changing their traditions on both sides." A feeling of despondency is in the air, that segregation will always be there, he says. This may be a way of describing the enormity of the task and the fact that changing the situation in a relatively short span of time is unthinkable. Too good to be true.
"But our children are different. They don't know much about their parents' traditions and do not follow their parents' way of life much." Aberra spoke well of Dr. Boge -as Dr. Bogalech Gebre, Executive Director of KMG, is affectionately called among the public. He said she has made an unforgettable history. It is her efforts that brought them to the fore, according to Aberra. Before that they were submerged and unnoticed in the kebele. She taught them about human rights. It is KMG which taught them those things and not the government, he added. KMG helped in terms of material support too.
Awareness creation efforts have also been made in bringing respect and tolerance to mitigate the discrimination among communities.
The KMG 10th year celebration included discussion between the Fuga and Wenamo communities in an attempt to ease relations. The discussion resulted in a joint manifesto in which both sides agreed not to engage in practices that would be distasteful to the other.
Aberra said there is one problem which is most pressing of all the problems his community has faced.
"The name given to us. We want the name Fuga to change." Complicating the matter further is their helplessness. "But we don't have the capacity to address that. We don't have educated people among us, we don't have economic strength." "It is the Hadiya that gave us the name Fuga. We want this to change." He explains the evolution of the word. "Fuge means blow the whistle. And they say 'if a Fuge comes, give him something to eat.'" Different communities gave them different names, their own versions, he said. For the Welayta it is Moorenesh, for Tigrians it is Kayla, for Gonderines and Gojjamis it is Felasha, and so on.
Culturally, the community is submerged among the cultures and traditions of the surrounding communities at the expense of their own. He said that they have a secret language and it is called ebraist (Hebrew). "We are bête Israel." But the language has been increasingly submerged by other communities' languages. The members of the community began to speak the language of the community within which they live. They don't speak well in their language and their children far less so.
Livelihood is a serious challenge. It appears the Fuga community is desperate for jobs. "Our children have good opportunity for education. The problem is finding jobs. 'Who will you teach as a teacher, our community or yours?' they say", he said. Because of that it is very difficult to seek employment in the zone and wereda. Consequently, many of them go into the military.
"My children say 'who would give us the job they refuse to give to you?'", he said.
One of the arenas at which they have been doing something to get the recognition they deserve and improve their status is bring the issue to the attention of the government.
Melesse Anito, another member of the community, said he represents the Fuga community in 12 zones. He studies where members of the community are found, collects their signatures and passes on the information to their people in Addis. They in turn would pass that on to Israel, he said.
They have requested the government to take action in changing the name Fuga and the government has said that it is looking into it and would respond, he said. There are people in Addis who follow up the issue, he added.
Dr. Bogalech said the discrimination of the Fuga community is one area they are working on. She said the Fuga community go through a lot difficulties because they were despised by the rest.
Organizing discussion between the communities is a tool to address the challenge. "We were afraid that hostility and vengefulness between the Fuga and the rest would cause confrontation," she said. But nothing of the kind happened. On the contrary, a joint manifesto for peaceful co-existence came out it. Keeping their differences aside, they agreed on areas they have to do to avoid offending the other.
One of the programs KMG is engaged in deals with creating awareness on the rights people have. In addition to the awareness creation, community conversation is employed to let the communities arrive at their own conclusions. KMG facilitates for communities to look into themselves and their traditions, and make conclusions accordingly, Dr. Bogalech said. There is a long way to go, yet.
"Members of this [Fuga] community hide in the forest when they see people from other communities on the road. Even little children beat them up," Dr. Bogalech indicated with a heavy heart.
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