Kalayu Abrha
Enderta is a great land, with great people, and great history. It traces its origin to the ancient Kingdom of Axum in which Quiha was one of its important sites. The history of Enderta among many other things was interwoven with the famous salt mining at Arho (Now in Afar), the major rock salt market at Mekelle, and the shipment of the vital commodity to the rest of Ethiopia. The late medieval history of Ethiopia does not shine without mentioning the name of the capital of Raesi Woldeselassie: Hintalo. The then Overlord of Tigray for 30 years-Raesi Woldeselassie- according to the British Museum biography series “was the first ruler of this period to have close contact with Europeans, hosting three British visitors, George Annesley, Viscount Valentia, his secretary Henry Salt, and Nathaniel Pearce. Pearce lived with Raesi Woldesellasie from about 1808 until the Raesi’s death”.
The British diplomat Henry Salt described Woldesilassie as “distinguished still more for his intrepidity and firmness than by the policy with which he has uniformly ruled the country under his command”. Another British traveler, Mansfield Parkyns, also commended Raesi Woldeselassie maintaining his long rule with the character of a good and wise prince”. In the history of Monarchy in Ethiopia, no one is a match for the benevolence and patriotism of Emperor Yohannes IV. He built the then Capital City of Ethiopia raising the status of Enderta as the capital territory of Ethiopia. Mekelle, now sprawling in the central plains of Enderta, has been the administrative hub of Tigray. The City is the second largest in Ethiopia. Enderta is not only a gallery of long and glorious history but also a beacon of freedom. Blata Hailemariam led freedom loving people of Enderta, brought into alliance much of Tigray and rebelled against central rule in Addis Ababa.
For those who may have been puzzled by what and where Enderta is and why it got so much of political attention in Ethiopia in the last couple of days, this is its historical geography in a nutshell. Many viewers, readers, and listeners of media outlets may have been surprised, as much as I myself was caught off-guard, by the news of the birth of a new political party named “Tensae 70 Enderta”. Sajid Nadim of My Views on News amused me by reading the name as “Seventy Enderta”. I was caught off-guard because I never expected a party to be named after a zone which is the capital territory of Tigray: Mekelle. Let me tell you a story which may or may not be the truth; but it serves my purpose well. Enderta was not forced to be the capital territory of Tigray and of Ethiopia for over 15 years.
When Emperor Yohannes IV of Ethiopia wanted to build his palace at his father’s place in Tembien the locals refused to allow him to do so. The Tembenites were wise enough to avoid the building of a capital city within their territory in fear of being overwhelmed by immigration and the unwanted acculturation and economic pressure that follows it. When he asked the people of his mother’s place-Enderta-they allowed him to build his palace in its present site on a commanding hill site in the center of Mekelle. Except for the palace staff who flocked to the small “hadamu-town” of Mekelle from as far south as Wello to Sidama, not many people from the rest of Tigray migrated to Mekelle. Although Mekelle was the administrative center of Tigray, and of Enderta’s as well, it was not an economic magnet to pull Tigrayans from all over the region. For a century until the 1990 no town in Tigray was more vibrant than any other. Either they were all equally economically good or economically bad. Localism or parochialism a carryover from the feudal past had remained a potent divider so much that there was a widespread tendency for people to be considered as aliens if they happen to find themselves in a locality in Tigray different from their own. There were times during the formative years of TPLF the inherited localism became a spoiler and wreaked havoc to the young political organization.
As time passed, Tigrayans became better educated, and the iron fist of Military Rule in Tigray added into that, localism was fading out into history. Mekelle, located in the middle of rich agricultural land of Enderta became the political, social, and economic centripetal force sucking in people and resources from all corners of Tigray. Within a matter of twenty years Mekelle became the Primate City of Tigray. When Enderta allowed Emperor Yohannes IV to build his palace in Mekelle this was not to be a short term lease; it was destined to last for good. Enderta has to be aware of the pros and cons of being a capital territory. As Mekelle became oversized it turned out to be a huge burden on its hinterland: Enderta. It is a normal part of urbanization that if people are left to spontaneity cities will grow horizontally. Humans abhor high-rise living if they can have the chance to avoid it.
The speed of physical growth of Mekelle in response to high immigration rates continued to butcher the fertile agricultural land in the outskirts of the City. City planning was alien to rural-urban linkages and the mutual benefits that must be agreed upon. The tyranny of the city was unmistakable over the helpless land owners in the adjacent rural areas. Land was the cheapest, but the house built on it was the dearest. With impunity, the City continued to rob the locals of their land and impoverish them. This inflamed the Enderta population and old wounds were scratched. TPLF authorities were oblivious to the disappointment of thousands of locals not bothered by the creeping distrust on the ruling Party. This became a goldmine for political opportunists and fanned it beyond proportions.
The famers of Enderta on the frontlines of urban expansion of Mekelle have a legal problem not a political problem. Their land is taken for small bills not because they are Enderta, but because the laws are not working. The same thing is happening although at very low level, in other cities of Tigray. The expansion of Mekelle is not as bad for the rural residents as it may seem to be. Urbanization benefits local farmers by creating a huge market for their products and employment opportunities during the off-farm season. Would Enderta fare better if the capital of Tigray is moved elsewhere? The answer is absolutely No! The whole Enderta will go rioting if this move is attempted. The fact that Mekelle-Enderta is the center of Tigray is already well accommodated in Enderta mentalities. They see themselves not as different but as hosts of Tigrayans from all over Tigray. Every Tigrayan agrees that the people of Enderta are most hospitable and kind.
A political party is formed for something where interests are so different that they cannot be accommodated in an inclusive setting. We know there is the “Asimba Party” which I accept as separate. Erob people have a lot of uniqueness that must be addressed on its own. BUT Enderta?” “Restoration of Enderta or Renaissance of Enderta”? What does that mean? What is Enderta to be restored to? What did it lose that it had before? Its land? This is a legal issue not a political one. For this Enderta needs a strong group of attorneys of law to take land grabbers to court. Is it that there is a man from Adwa or Shire or Addigrat at the palace and he has to be replaced by a man from Enderta? Is right and freedom or restoration and renaissance as simple as this? What the farmers of Enderta need is a high-tech agricultural and health extension services from Mekelle University. It already has its sons and daughters working diligently on the matter. The only thing that Enderta reaps from supporting a deviant political party founded in its name is to seed discord with the people of Tigray. The people of Mekelle were praised for how kindly they hosted the IDP from all over Tigray. This has to continue to be their role in Tigray: Hosts! The new Enderta Party is a conspiracy on the people of Tigray woven by those who never hesitate to chew the people to their bones. The people of Enderta choose their leaders not from among those who want to use them for political and financial end, but those who serve them well from wherever they come. My recommendation is: Stop the meaningless party and establish a development association to facilitate investment and job creation for Enderta and also organize a society of attorneys to sue land grabbers. Enderta will befit more from cooperation with other fellow Tigrayans residing in Enderta rather than isolating themselves into a separate political entity. Small may be beautiful, but larger is more beneficial.