The national question or regionalism: Revisiting the Tatek magazine nearly 50 years later

An Awash Post reader recently shared a fascinating and highly relevant article from the 1973 (1965 Ethiopian Calendar) issue of the Tatek Magazine, a publication of the Ethiopian Student Union of Europe (ESUE).

We are republishing it almost half a century later for three reasons. First, Ethiopia is in the grip of one of the most trying times in its history. The country can use a dose of the revolutionary spirit, ideas, and civil discourse that shaped the 60s generation. Second, the article tackles the thorny national question that Ethiopia had been grappling with since its inception, a question, if left unaddressed, that is likely to haunt the country far into the future. And finally, in a few months, Tatek will celebrate its Golden Jubilee, and our reader hopes that the re-issuing of this piece will spur more reflection on the contributions and experiences of ESUE and other student associations of that era.

It is important first to contextualize the article. In the 1960s and early 1970s, there were not many Ethiopians living in Europe or other countries. And most were young students. They were organized mainly under student associations. The Ethiopian Students Union of North America (ESUNA) and ESUE were the biggest and most prominent. It should be noted that the Ethiopian Socialist Movement (MEISON) and the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party (EPRP) later evolved out of these two unions.

When this article was published in 1973, except for the Eritrean liberation movements, there were no formally organized political organizations or parties in Ethiopia. And as the article laments in the first paragraph, students took it upon themselves and tried to tackle one of the most complex subjects due to the lack of revolutionary organizations to shoulder this responsibility.

The Ethiopian student movement started to be radicalized around the mid-1960s. For example, the “Land to the Tiller” demonstration was for the first time held by the then Haile Selassie University students in February 1965. However, the national question, the subject of this article, became a point of discussion only toward the end of the 1960s. The famous Walleligne Mekonnen article, “On Question of Nationalities in Ethiopia,” came out in November 1969.

Outside Ethiopia, a 1969 article in Tatek entitled “the Problem of Regionalism” was the first publication to analyze the country’s national question. Rather than recognizing the issue as a national question, that article dubbed it a regional issue, denigrated liberation movements as tribalists, emphasized class struggle from a Marxist angle, and outrightly condemned secession movements.

However, within a few years, a significant reversal occurred. In 1971, Tilahun Takele (Berhanemeskel Redda) wrote an article vigorously advocating for the right to self-determination. Two years later, the 19th Congress of ESUNA and the 11th Congress of ESUE passed resolutions for the first time, boldly recognizing the right of nations to self-determination and rejecting attempts to belittle the national question as tribalism and regionalism.

For the student movements, it was not easy to accept the right of nations to self-determination as one of their key political stands. The diverse demographic composition of the student body did not make the task simple. The majority of the students came from the ruling Amhara and Amharinized urban classes.

However, most opposition to the idea did not come from the right. It came from those who espoused leftist ideology but strongly opposed the principle of self-determination of nations under the guise of preaching the primacy of class struggle. Therefore, the struggle to establish the idea of self-determination among Ethiopian students was intense on every level. Students had to organize in study groups and study leftist literature on national questions for years. The Tatek Magazine was established, and this article was written explicitly to challenge the opposing idea and equip students with a firm theoretical grasp on the question of nationalities.

The ideas that Tatek championed finally became a dominant thought in the Ethiopian body politic. In fact, with all its limitations, it became the cornerstone of the 1995 constitution. However, the hegemonic ideology that the article fought against did not die. In recent years, it has reared its ugly head and attacked the right of nations to self-determination with all its vigor. Currently, we see an apparent backsliding and reversal on the right of nations to self-determination, mainly among some segments of the Amhara elite.

Finally, even though Haile Fida is rumored to have played a significant role in the writing of this article, it is evident that students from different nations, including many Amhara, took part in it. Such a collaboration is almost inconceivable to imagine in Ethiopia today. The strength of the article is thus not only in boldly recognizing the existence of national oppression in Ethiopia and prescribing a solution to overcome it but also in its authorship and calling for the solidarity of all nations to tackle this thorny issue.

The Awash Post invites further reflections on the national question debate and the lessons, accomplishments, and memories of the 1960s and 70s student associations.

Happy reading and send us your reflections at theawashpost@gmail.com.