DOHA – (AP) || The Ethiopian supporters are the loudest in the stadium at the track world championships — because they’re trying to drown each other out.
As Ethiopian runners clean up on the track and celebrate together, the fans are divided into two rival political camps.
One group displays pictures of past monarchs like Emperor Haile Selassie and flies an older version of the national flag, one which some Ethiopians consider less inclusive. The other fans champion a long-marginalized ethnic group, which produces many of the nation’s great distance runners.
Around 100 fans from the Oromo ethnic group, many of them migrant workers living in Qatar, fly the flag of the once-banned Oromia Liberation Front at every distance race at the championships.
The world champion in the 5,000 meters, Muktar Edris, seemed to endorse them Monday when he picked up and wore an OLF flag thrown to him by fans after winning gold. That had disappeared when Edris arrived to speak with reporters, draped once again in the Ethiopian national flag.
A team official refused to translate a question from The Associated Press to Edris about the OLF flag, saying: “Athletes only represent their country, not a political party.”
The divisions between fans were starker in the women’s 10,000 on Saturday, when Sifan Hassan won gold for the Netherlands. She was born in Ethiopia’s Oromia region but left as a teenage refugee before eventually gaining a Dutch passport. The OLF-supporting fans backed her, but others were left cold by an athlete not wearing Ethiopia’s uniform.
At one stage, a group with the national flag moved down to the front of the stand to cheer Ethiopia’s runners, antagonizing the nearby OLF supporters. Qatari police moved in to keep the groups separate as they called to each other.
The Oromo are the largest of Ethiopia’s numerous ethnic groups, but have historically had little influence in the ruling classes, though the reformist Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is Oromo.
In recent months, several parts of Ethiopia have experienced deadly unrest fueled by ethnic tensions and disputes over resources. In the past week, Ethiopian officials disclosed more than 1,100 people were killed in the unrest that is putting a strain on the reforms the new prime minister is taking in the East African nation.
The OLF previously waged guerrilla war against the Ethiopian state and remains controversial after its official return to the country last year by invitation of the new Ethiopian government. OLF members kept their arms and some have allegedly continued to commit violent acts amid a split between the group’s political and military wings.
The OLF says its members were not treated well after their return home last year and the government is still harassing their members.
In the Khalifa International Stadium, some Oromo fans were resentful of the group waving old-style national flags, accusing them of ties to the Ethiopian embassy and of wanting a return to the monarchy, which Ethiopia abolished 45 years ago.
“This is Oromia,” said Kemal Ketubo, in the crowd with the OLF flags. “We are supporting our team, the national team of our people.” Gesturing to the group with Ethiopian national flags, he said “they want the 18th century, like it was before.”
Fans waving Ethiopian flags dismissed the division. Zerhuan Lanta said the championships should be a moment of unity for Ethiopia, where distance running is by far the most popular sport.
“Every moment, you have to watch,” said Lanta. The divisions among the fans were just “a political issue,” he added.
My best advice is for these two groups to calm down and work together to sort out any issues raised by both. The time now is not like no other. It may have similarities to one other time from the past in the mid 1970’s but this one looks like the last gasp(chance) before unprecedented mayhem. I wish both sides harness their so heated emotions but rather set their eyes on the prize which is to work together hand in hand to lead the country to a system where the rights of the individual are protected by the law and no one is allowed to be above the law.
Now I am going to say something I never said out loud in the past but which has been in my thought for quite some time. This has to do with creating a country with more than one official language based on the size of its natives plus non natives who speak it. What I would like to see is possibly four or five official languages.
1) Amharic,
2) Oromifaa
3) Somali
4) Afar
5) Arabic.
English should maintain its current status in schools.
These five languages have speakers outside the country. For example, Somali language is spoken in Somalia(Somaliland and Puntland included), Djibouti and Kenya. Afar is spoken in Djibouti and Eritrea. Arabic is also widely spoken in Somalia, Sudan, Djibouti and Eritrea(Throughout the Middle East off course). I had the privilege and honor of spending my formative years with the noble peoples of Somali and Afars. I can manage basic communication in them. I may not that proficient in it but I can hold myself in Amharic also. Let me put it this way. I won’t go hungry and homeless if you let me loose in any of these regions. What needs to be done is to organize linguistic and education experts and come up with a curriculum that makes learning and mastering these glorious languages a breeze. These are all beautiful languages. Let’s start with teaching the children at an early age these languages and I am quite sure very majority of them will grow up to be proficient in speaking them the rest of their lives. It will help minimize and even eradicate any misunderstanding that has been lingering among them.
The other conclusion I came up with lately is avoiding someone from the three ethnic groups as the next prime minister. We have seen it all. The individual can be the most qualified for the job. But coming from Tigray, Amhara and Oromo ethnic background does not allow him/her to be independent at all times. There will be a boatload of baggage that follows him/her all the way to his office. He will not be left alone. These three, as we can see it all now, have destructive bigots running amok in their regions that when they see someone they think is one of them, will throw every possible distracting stone at him/her. I would like to see an Afar or a Somali as the next prime minister. These two are the only ones that can do their work without being called a neftegna or ethnic extremist. These two have very capable and well qualified politicians among them. And they have shown their commitment to live in a union with the rest of 80 plus ethnic groups for the last century.
Again this is my personal thought which I have been sharing with my close friends who hail from various ethnic groups for quite some time now. You can agree or disagree with it. But I ask you all to remain civil just as our legendary custom in telling me your different ideas.
Forget about A220. What a photo finish at Doha in the men’s 3,000 steeplechase? What a gallant fight to the finish!!!! All glory to both finishers!!!! This is what you call the hearts of champions. In my heart that young man Obbo Girma is also the champion. It was not easy for our noble Kenyan neighbor. 1/10th of 100? Come on!!! In boxing it is call a draw!!! I am still shaking, man!!! What a finish!!! These two lion just dug deep down to the last drop left in their energy tank and kept digging in, digging in!!!! This is just like the close finish that man of the lion heart, Obbo Haile battling his Kenyan arch rival, Paul Tergat at the 2000 Sydney Olympics to the finish. We should all tell that heroic young man, Obbo Girma, that he is our champion. He did not lose today!!!
Meanwhile, even after 24 hours I still could not overcome the goose bump the men’s 3,000 final gave me yesterday. That kid deserves all the glory afforded to a champion. Lemecha bin Girma is yet a 19-yr old teenager for crying out loud!!!! In fact, I am ordering the sports authorities of the old country to bestow the status of a champion upon this gallant fighter. Yes, you heard me right! Where did I get that authority from, you may ask. You are looking at a beyond-repair-with-no-healing-in-sight Afro, Ethio-centric nigga here!!! Ok, our women didn’t come out with a medal. So what? They will come out roaring the next time around. So what? Leave me alone on that one!!!! But I was compensated very with the women’s 1500 final. The gold and the bronze medals were won by the two Ethiopians, Sifan bint Hassan and Gudaf bint Tsegay. You heard me right!!! What? Dutch? Don’t even think about it!!!!
I meant to say: But I was compensated very well