The haze and the dew

Written by Basse Habtie

Translated by Demeke Tassew

May 12, 1983 Ethiopian Calendar, at six day time, the raio announced, "We will broadcast a
press release from the Parlament Very soon."
"What are they going to tell us today?"
"Who knows. Any way it is better to wait and listen."
My friend and me have a small hotel. We work and live there.
"There is a rumor that the man has exiled." said my friend with slow voice.
"Who? Chombe?" my friend often calls our president, Mengistu Hailemariam in this name.
"Yes, people are talking about it, but i don't believe that."
"Last time we were expecting him to announce that he resident from his position by his will, but
he appeared on the media and thought us history. And today, he may teach us philosophy."
"Oh Chombe! She is brave enough."
The radio started transmitting the press release.
An old man who always drinks and enjoys with teenage girls was in the hotel. When he listened
the news, he couldn't control his joy. He thrilled as a child. I had never thought that he could
jump this much. He was too old to jump this high. The way he expresses hi joy was amazing. But
I was disapointed by his behavior. Eelier this news I had heard him saying, "Brave is Mengistu
Haile Mariam- the one and the only Ethiopian. The true descendent of his brave fathers, Emperor
Tewodros and Alula Abanega. "
Seeing him cheering with the news was disappointing. How could a person behave unlikely with
in this short period of time?
After two days, at six in the afternoon, there was a news on the radio. And the journalist called
the name of the then president Mengistu hailemariam with no title.
"Listen" I shouted "They forget calling him as comrade Mengistu. They don't even give him a
respect., Ah! Are they really human beings? " I was disappointed.
"Why does this thing eats you this much?" Asked my friend looking at me with astonishment.
"How dare they ignore his honor? It is unethical."
"Oh please calm down, every boy is looking at you" my friend whispered.
I became hot and shouted at hi, "who? who is looking at me?
My friend became puzzled with my behavior and said "wait, .." But i didn't listen him. I
continued shouting,
"No need to be silent. We are people of our culture. Our saying goes as follows,
I would never disregard a person,
whom I honored before
even if Nile sinks, (let alone a person),
when time disgrace it.
"But friend, it is not a simple matter. He had had a number of mistakes." " Said my friend.
"I know, he was mistaken. I am not saying that he was innocent. To tell you the truth, I have
never seen him doing the right thing throughout his presidency. He is a man who destroys the
country for 17 years. However, they used to call his name with his complete titles and honor.
The journalist who was always busy reporting the righteousness of Mengistu. But now... that
same journalist is calling him with disgrace. And..." I was about to continue, but my friend
interrupted me and said, "Stop it! It is enough."
"But I insisted talking loudly, "No! I won't stop telling people the truth. I don't mean that he
deserves respect. However, at least the journalsits shouldn't disgrace him right after his exile.
They should tell us his mistakes while calling him with respect and honor as usual."
"What is the purpose of calling him with respect and telling his mistakes at the same time? By
the way, one of the major mistakes engistu had commited is that he distructed our culture. He
made us a naked nation. A nation with no culture."
"But you too forget calling him with respect"
"I have never called him with respect. Mengistu for me is dirty... just a garbage. I have always
felt sad for our culture, not for him."
In the same night VOA transmit the following:
"...Ethiopian radio that used to refer to Mengistu as the brave, wise and popular leader, was
announcing his exile by undermining him." And in my mind I said, ' you respect Mengistu
because you were not victim of the poison Mengistu sprayed all over the nation."
In the next days, Addis Ababa was crowded by weak and tired soldiers. Soldiers who carried two
Kalashnikovs and Bazookas, on their right and left shoulders. Soldier...soldier...soldier...
everywhere were soldiers. ..Soldiers who worn faded green colored field jackets. Faded tired
soldiers . Addis Ababa was crowded by soldiers. Whatever I see was a soldier, noting else.
The situation dismayed Addis Ababa. People were very much worried about the soldiers.
"Do you think these soldiers are ours?" one would say.
"No! others reply "No they are theirs. They controlled the city."
"These demoralized soldiers will kill us. ." "The other would forward his fear. " This amount of
soldier without a leader and starved too, still having a weapon in his hand... imagine , they will
kill us for sure."

The other one on his side would say says, " I don't think they are only the soldiers of the
government, the Woyanes are with them."
People was saying so many things. Most of the residents of the city were numb, regardless of
their attempt to continue life as usual.
Rumors were all over the town...rumors about the upcoming devastation in the city.
The infant Government that substituted Mengistu Hailemaiam made the soldiers to settle in one
compound. ...or shall we say it has tried? Those starved, tormented and demoralized soldiers
were damped in different camps all over the city.
One of our customer told us that a lot of soldiers camped in the big field found at the middle of
the city. He said, "There is a big field in our village. They settled there."
"Who are they?"
"ourr soldiers"
"o...k"
"The villagers feed them"
Another customer intrudes at the middle of our conversation and said,
"In a village called Gullele, they beg for food from each house."
"really? Are they begging?" We ask him with one voice.
"Yes, they beg in the name of St. Marry."
"Even the kebele representatives are asking for food. To deliver it to the soldiers. They speak
with humbleness. Do you imagine kebele representatives speaking with humbleness with
residents? Unbelievable."
Villagers don't let the kebele representatives down. Each of them contributed 'injera' and wote
and gave it to the soldiers and fed them.
I thought something evil. What if the soldiers need more than food? As my understanding the
soldiers were starved of food only, ... I am sure they are starved of other desires of a human
being and it might reveal itself very soon.
Those armed soldiers might attack innocent people for money and other things...That though
made me desmayed, and I prayed...I prayed for God not to let such a thing to happen or to kil
me before I see it happen.
Addis Ababba was fading away. At day time it was burnt by sparks of rumores flaming all over
it. At night, it was plowed by gun. Oh! Addis Ababa... it was fading away.
"Woyane is near the city" One might say
"Where are they know? Te other might ask.
"In Ambo... They are in ambo." The third one might answer.
"Ambo...oh! It has been weeks since they conrolled Ambo."
"No, they are in Meki...Meki.. here few killometers away from Addis."
"No Addis Alem.. They are in Addis Alem.."
Everybody speaks what he think is correct. Every one speaks, but no one is listening the other.

Saturday afternoon. suddenly, most of the merchants started closing their stores. ..hurry, haste
was here and there. Few stood in front of their shops pretending not o show any fear on their
face. But one could clearly see that they were in jittery. I tried to speak to some of them, but no
one was in a mood to answer.
I saw Addis Ababa... Fog covered it. Brightness, gaiety, and good odor of the city were not
around.....
"Why don't you close your hotel?" Someone asked me, astonished with our negligence.
"I don't understand, what is going on?" I answered his question with question.
"It is robbery, what else?" he answered shrugging his right shoulder.
"Have you heard anything?"
"I heard nothing ... but!"
"What is it?"
"They robbed Merkato."
"Who?"
"Tateke is conquered."
"Tatek!? Here?"
"They conquered it."
Addis Ababa's sky had been plowed by gun since Friday night. The number of soldiers was
increasing. Bogies started strolling the city pairing with soldiers they know. It was a frightening
Saturday.
Two of my customers entered to my grocery in a haste. When I asked them what happened. They
answered panting with frieght, "did you hear a gun fire?They were shooting on us. It is
amazing!"
"were they police men?"
"What police men are you talking about? They were soldiers."
"Why did they do it?"
"They asked for a money."
And they told me that they escaped safely after giving them the money.
It was heard that there was an active sell out of weapons in the city. One could buy a very new
Klashinkove with hundred bullets for only thrity birr. Some one offered me to buy one, but I
refused to do it. Why should I get armed, eventhough most of the people in the city were setting
themselves armed with guns.
According to the rummer, there was enough weapon in the city that suffices to fight the Woyane
baI would be very happy if woyanes were defeated, however, how on eart this armed gurella
group, that came all through that difficult journy of war, be defeated with regular residents. It is
almost impossible to defeat Woyane, hence, for me, it is better let them get in to the city with
peace. Leaving with Marxist misery is better than dying with the gun of a mad soldier. God
knows what will happen n us. But I made my self ready for woyanesto come.
A number of robberies about robbery ... robbery by bodgies, by soldiers, by peope themselves...
robery was everywhere. My friend was apset of these vagabonds. He said to me
"Thes vagabonds, they are going to disturb us."
"What happened?"
"Some body fussed me this morning? He was with a soldier."
"What were they demanding? "
"They asked for bedroom."
"Why didn't you tell them that there is no bedroom?'
"That was what I did, but they were not willing to go. Especially the soldier."
II hear that most of the soldiers often ask for bedroom and when they were told that there is no
bedroom they ask for beer, AWhen they are told that there is no beer, they blare on the owners.

Terror was everywhere. ..The city was terrorized... Me too was terrorized. My frieght was very
cold. I was very much afried of the bogies and the soldiers. It is the hearsay that increased my
fear.
"The soldiers and bodgies robbed the Debrezeyit airforce camp around Gullele" One maight
say.
"What about the guards? Were they not around?"
"What Guard are you talking about? It has beeen monthes since they stopped working.."
'I see"
"Would woyane get this much victory, if the air force was fighting?"
"Debrezeyit fall in the hands of the woyanes!"
"Ok! let it fall in the handes of the woyane, but why on earth shouldairforce generals be
slaghtered. I mean, they just did a feavour for woyanes by not firing on them."
The other day, some one might come and announce a sad news for people around him;
"Three houses were exploded by soldiers"
"Jewellery shops, are empty now?"
"What happened to them? Were they robbed?"
"No most of them took their property home. They took their gold filling it with sacks."
"With sack!...THe gold?"
"It may be.. gold with sack."
"What is odd about it ... people are well armed."
In the mean time, the hearsay about Woyane was also a hot issue.
"Debrezeyet is under control."
" What about the airforce?"
"They gaged...They gaged all of them at eh middle of the night while they were sleeping."
Oh woyane...Woyane is hurtless."
"Are they not human beings? The may be communists but still they are human beings. "
"Tegrie.., don't forget that they are Tegries."
This was what disturbed me very much. I remember, some other day, I saw few people hurting a
Tigre at the middle of the road. When I asked them why they were doing it, they said, 'let them
hurt him, he is Tigre.' At that time I snarled at them.
"What happened to these people? " I said to a person beside me . "Why didn't they understand
that Mengistu Hailemariam and Melese Zenawi are quarelling for power? We Ethiopians need a
true an good leader, not a Tigre, or Oromo, or Amhara one."
"It is what is happening in our country now. What makes you this mad?' He asked me.
"You see, politicians use this ethnic conflict as a means of securing their political power."
"You can't change these things anyway. You better forget it." my friend advised me to stop. But I
continued shouting with anguish.
"Is it not Addis Ababa, where we boost about our civilization? Is it when we select a wife only
that we ignore ethnicity? It is shameful...It is madness...It is submitting oneself as a stick for
politicians.. "

However, conflict was everywhere. The city became a war field. I was disturbed by all of those
things. Nonetheless, I prefer keeping silent. There was no use of speaking the truth. When people
think in mob, conscience becomes blind.

Monday night, 11 O'clock.

"You better close your hotel. You don't have to rent a bedroom too. "Everybody was advising us.
The city was stormed with gun fire. Automatic shooting was tattering the silence of the city. I
saw peace wearing a torn out close flying out of the city. The thieves and the soldiers were
agonizing the city.
"Look Master, two of them are with what is his name." A waiter who work in our hotel shouted
looking towards the street. The budgie with the soldier was a well known delinquent in our
village. I was looking at the street through my window.
"What are they doing?" I asked him
"They are talking to a passerby... Look they are robbing him."
"Let's get inside, close the door. They may shoot on us if they know that we are looking at them."
I ordered him and went to my bed room.
One O'clock. I became accustomed to the sound of the gun fire. We human beings are amazing
animals. How could one be familiar with the sound of a gunfire?
Three O'clock, night. The electric power was gone. Addis was swallowed by darkness.
Fortunately, a bright full moon was shining over the city. Full moon surrounded by a faded
rainbow was on the sky. The faded rainbow symbolizes war, and social unrest. There was a
wind too, another symbol for war.
"What a wind?" Asked the waiter.
"It has been just like this throughout this week." I told him.
"It is common to see such a wind in May."
"I don't think so, in May hot weather is common, not wind."
"People say wind is an indicator of war and unrest."
"Is that true?"
"I don't know."

Ten O'clock in the night. The gun fire became different. The sound of heavy gun machines
started to be heard. It was not ordinary gun fire, but a gunfire between two armed forces.
I was standing near my window. I could see the parliament building. beside it, was the Party hall.
I could see the flames of gun fire piercing here and there. Gun fire was all over the city. It sounds
like the sound of roasted popcorn.
Squinting through my window, I was waiting... what was I waiting for? I was a backed by my
expectation. I was waiting for a bullet demolishing that hall. I was stunned too. I stunned not
because of my thought but it is because I hated that meeting hall a lot. I believed that all of the
devastating policies and political decisions were designed and ratified in that hall. Whenever a
bad proclamation was released, That hall always to my mind at first. Weakening my mind with
such absurd thoughts for a long hour, I felt asleep.
I was in a deep sleep, dreaming about a goat acting on a stage when a sound shouted at me
"Master, master, come and look!" It was the waiter.
"Master, Master, please wake up and see." He was shouting and knocking at the door.
"What.. What is happening?" I said heaving from the bed at once.
"You don't have to miss it. Everyone is gathered to see them." His astonishment is clearly heard
from his voice.
I walked to the window.
Farmers, slimy farmers, strong hairy farmers, farmers wearing torn out closes on their heads,
farmers Holding automatic guns of different kind on their shoulders...on their necks... on their
mules... mules loaded with big bags and sacks...
"Oh me! Are we defeated by these people?" Said the waiter standing beside me. I had heard this
question so many times before and I would hear it in the future. A question with no answer.
What did I feel? Was I happy? Sad?
May be I was confused..may be...