Some Eritrean-Tigrians use of their own Tigrigngna language

Though the PFDJ's regime itself, in its policy on the Eritrean language/languages, did clearly spell out the equality of all Eritrean ethnic-languages, in praxis, it still employs, deploys and uses its “Tigrigngna” language, as if it were, de facto “national language of Eritrea”. Knowing however, the regime's inconsistency in putting into practice its own social, political and economic principles, its exclusive use of its “Tigrian” language, does not surprise us much, taking into consideration also the domination of its ethnic Tigrian members in all sectors of its administration. The regime's tendency to dominate the Eritrean society also linguistically can be therefore, considered as consonant with its own ethnic formation. Its principle of “equality of all Eritrean languages” does considerably suffer when in ethnic homelands, like that of the Kunama people, the natives are forced either to speak “Tigrigngna” or tend to translators, in order to have their daily matters looked into. The problem here does not lie on the use of the “language” itself, but on its users who either are the right people put at the wrong place or are the wrong persons, put at the right place. The natives are surely the right people in their own respective homelands and therefore, the non-natives, especially those administering the ethnic homelands, who come into question.
Why does the PFDJ's regime nominate and appoints only the Eritrean-Tigrians, as regional governors, towns and cities' administrators, leaders of infrastructural activities, commanders of the city police and of the armed forces, chiefs of the ethnic villages and officials of other political, social and economic sectors, where those ethnic or local languages are predominantly spoken and therefore persons speaking those languages are required to be in place to serve those native populations? How much “Tigrigngna” is understood and spoken, outside of the Eritrean-Tigrian highland regions of Akele-Guzai, Hamasien and Serae? Where is then, the regime's principle of the equality of all Eritrean languages? Why not then, employ local people in those regions and deploy the local languages in order, not only, to administer the local matters, without hindrances and more efficiently, but also to save that principle? Would it not have been more impressive if the PFDJ's regime had stuck to the old “Arabic/Tigringnga” as the “twin national languages of Eritrea”, but yet used the local ethnic languages to serve the local populations? To advance a principle and act contrary to it is paradoxical.
Leaving aside now, the PFDJ's regime and its ideologies, principles and policies, which, to our view, are very succinctly summed up in its well-known slogan “NHNAN ELAMANAN”, which, by the way, has never been given, to the Eritrean people, its official translation, except what we have taken as simply and literally meaning, ”WE and OUR AIMS/OBJECTIVES”, let us consider how the “Tigrigngna” language is regarded and used by other Eritrean-Tigrians, particularly by the Eritrean-Tigrian writers, writing in English language. They are very fond of adopting “Tigrigngna” vocabulary: words, phrases, sentences, idioms, proverbs and so on, often without even translating them, as if, not only all non-Tigrian Eritrean ethnic members, but also the international readership understood and were to understand that language.
Choosing randomly, from the various articles we read and where we keep coming across such Tigrigngna vocabulary, used frequently, mostly by the same authors, we intend to question what kinds of messages such uses of an ethnic language does send to a nation and society of eight/nine (8/9) linguistically and culturally different ethnic and folk-groups. Surely, it does not worry us when/if and as long as such vocabulary is used in writing articles in Tigrigngna language and addressed to the Tigrigngna readership, but when/if they are written in English and addressed, not only to all Eritrean citizens, but also to the international readership, their messages seem to indicate that the “Tigringnga” is the only national language of Eritrea and that all the Eritrean different ethnic-groups do/can read, understand and get those messages.
Even for those of us who are able to understand fairly, the ordinary meaning of the “Tigrigngna”, vocabulary, some of its words, phrases, idioms and proverbs are often, not only difficult to understand their surface meanings, but also to decipher their deep and puzzling messages which, we believe, are connected more and strictly with the Tigrigngna culturo-traditional heritage and values and therefore understandable only to the Tigrian community.
As already reported and commented on, in one of our previous articles, a certain Ato “Estifanos Medhanie”, in his article titled, Declaration of Law, Independence ,and Governance (Feb 20, 2009)”, used words like “Sewihat-na”, with not translation; the acronym “Higdef”, the phrase, “nei mei-walu hizi heiu kalsina” again with no translations. Other words and phrases like “bahlawi” and “kibut hiwet” to are thrown there, with no translations, leaving to the reader to try to solve the puzzle or just forget it.
The first and the biggest obstacle this writer, and his fellow-Tigrian writers should try to overcome, is that of being able to transcribe adequately, the Tigrigngna words in Latin or European alphabets. This, to our view, is the most challenging task to be tackled and find a common stand.
Secondly, not only the surface meanings of the Tigrigngna words used, but also their deep and culturally related connotations too are to be explained so that the non-Tigrian fellow-Eritreans, as well as the international readership, can get the right messages. What may mean, for instance to a Kunama and to a Baria/Nara, the saying, “nei mei-walu hizi heiu kalsi-na?”
What about the Tigrigngna words “desa” and “tiesa” and their principles and significance, as used by Ato “Musie Hadgu”, when raising and commenting on the issue of the “land proclamation”, promulgated by the PFDJ's regime?
Ato “Berhan Hagos” is one of those Tigrian writers, not only very fond of profusely using the Tigrigngna vocabulary and sayings, but also confining the themes of his own articles, strictly within the Eritrean-Tigrian linguistic and cultural heritages and values. He very often, cites, either criticising or praising mainly the Tigrian politicians, writers, historians and heroes of the pre-and-of the-“ghedli” years. What message do carry and what would, his latest slogans like: “Hijiwin Ab Metkelna!
Kem Wetru Awet N'Hafash! mean to us, non-Eritrean-Tigrian ethnic members and to the international readership? Are these not, anyhow, the same slogans, the PFDJ's regime itself and its loyalists keep uttering in all of their seminars, meetings and festivals?
Titling her article as “The Real Purpose of Hizbawi Mekete, Selam Kidane”, describes the reactions of “women folk of the (Tigrian) family enjoying their afternoon coffee”, simply by repeating their own expressions: “abza awel bun na endo aytihawiKuna”.No translations or explanations are given, leaving the reader, firstly, to keep scratching his/her own head, trying to read those Tigrigngna words correctly, let alone to understanding their surface and deeper meanings. It is not an easy task.
The writer goes on to throw in also the following phrases:
“ambessa zewedey anbesssa endika!.Aye za gualey kchin..
AditmEbil ala... Hilew kunetat hager”
Surely, in above phrases, there is a great deal of the Eritrean-Tigrian culturo-traditional values embedded, which also are parts of and shared by all Eritrean-Tigrians for, as the saying goes, “a folk's wisdom lies in its adages”, but never forget that a nation of many and different folk-groups, like Eritrea, has just as many and as varied “wisdoms” and ”adages” as those folk-groups themselves. Only the “Tigrian adages”, do neither represent those of Eritrea's many folk-groups, nor do they have the same meanings for them all.
It is to be remembered that every Eritrean ethnic-language has its own different adages, reflecting the different cultural heritages and the wisdoms of its own native speakers. None of those languages is above the others.
The followings are therefore, the main messages, this piece of writing intends to send, specifically to the Eritrean-Tigrian leaders, leaderships, politicians, academics, writers and ordinary citizens, who have always held and keep holding the idea that:
A) because the Tigrigngna is the language of the natives Tigrians, (the
majority ethnic-group in Eritrea) and also understood and spoken by many other Eritrean ethnic-members, is either qualified to enjoy a privileged position, (official national language) or perhaps even claim to have better adages than the other ethnic languages and therefore that it has the right to impose its own language, culture and wisdom;
B) because the Tigrigngna language has its own characters and written form, it should be used for and by the other ethnic languages too;
C) because the Tigrigngna is the language of or spoken by the past, present and perhaps also even by the future rulers of Eritrea, it should and must assimilate all the other Eritrean languages and cultures, would be and is simply an arrogant assumption, derived from an innate attitude of contempt and of belittlement, some of its native speakers have always nurtured, towards the other Eritrean ethnic-groups, their languages and cultures. We Kunama retain that it is precisely such chauvinistic mentality which is leading many Eritrean-Tigrians to see and present their ethnic-Tigrian language as if it were almost one of the internationally known, spoken and understood languages like English, French, Arabic and so on. Linguistically analysed, phonetically as well as graphically, the Tigrigngna is one of the few languages in the world which have unique characteristics and utterances which only their native speakers can master and therefore they cannot be taken as languages to be easily learnt, correctly pronounced and through which messages can be send across without misunderstandings. The Tigrigngna guttural vowels, consonants and their sounds within sentences, are so peculiar that many other Eritrean-ethnic members like the Kunama, are very often either not-understood or even misunderstood. A language of such peculiarity is and should humbly and quietly remain within its own geographical and cultural borders, but some of its native speakers feel so proud of it that they keep attempting to nationalise and internationalise it. It is time those Eritrean-Tigrians considered and realised also the basic difficulties of their own Tigrigngna mother tongue.
The VKP/KAM: (May 4, 2009). Reviewed , January, 11.2012