Page 66 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 17

Re-Education

His naive trust in nature led to his and psychological aspects. The way
demise. Filled with hope, he had five he handles the various misfortunes
children. Little did he know, nature of life is astonishing. To help his
had another plan for him; a package feeble wife and his eight-year-old
of drought, followed by poverty. daughter, Bersufekad begins to grind
This bad omen took his five chil- cereals and collect firewood. Ethi-
dren, six with his wife, and finally opian tradition labels these as the
seven with his inevitable death – tasks of women. He copes with this
‘five six seven’. For Bersufekad, this dilemma by doing these tasks during
was the doing of God; it was divine! the night and on holidays. His will
As evident in this monologue, he to fight poverty is tested again in
vehemently accuses the Divine: the conversation with his neighbor,
Abel Merawi ‘Five six seven! Tell Him if you can Mrs. Shumnesh. Upon hearing her
Abel Merawi is from Addis Ababa. He find Him. Tell Him that I asked complaint of being a widow with no
is an English literature teacher, freelance why he gave me five children but children to help her, he offered her
nothing to feed them. Tell Him
to foster one of his. Her decline to
writer/reporter for Ezega.com and an Am- that I asked why there is no sign of his offer is truly shameful for any
haric-English translator and editor. He laughter while five children gather father. He must live with the agony

also writes for www.msingiafrikamagazine. and spend the whole day. Why have of the degrading offer of a father
com. You can reach him via: abelmerawi4@ all my children perished without trying to give away his child and the
even once playing hide and seek?
cold refusal it received.
gmail.com Why have You watched quietly while Sebhat takes away everything from
I buried my wife and children one his main character and paves the
by one? Tell Him that I said so. Tell road to Bersufekad’s insanity. The
Him that Bersufekad asked who will loss of his family drove him to the
his ox. An injured ox equals to an be punished when Judgment Day graveyard, making him converse
unproductive ox, which leaves the comes. Tell Him that Bersufekad with the dead. We find him compar-
owner with one seemingly useful act asked who will be punished when ing Satan to our belly. He says to the
– slaughtering the ox for consump- Judgment Day comes. Five six sev- dead, “It lurks in the dark, being the
tion. This is what Bersufekad did; en! If Judgment Day comes …’ master; making us bow. Five six sev-
this marked his departure from san- The above words crush the soul; en! Spending all day working, toiling,
ity. The author portrays this very act create sympathy. Yet, this sympathy lying, and deceiving – for what? For
as one which marked the battered must ignite a question. As Ber- food. For whose? For Satan’s belly.
farmer’s downfall. The treasured sufekad puts his God on trial, let Belly: this darkness, this house of
companion, Sisay, was more than a us put Bersufekad himself in trial Satan. Humans consume food that
mere ox. Sisay symbolized livelihood too. Is he not the one who had five amounts to a mountain throughout
and genuine loyalty. Sisay was the children? Is he not the one who did life. Though it is never filled; this
world for Bersufekad just as any ox not devise a second plan but only belly, this absurd. It can never be
is to the farmer.
wished for nature or God to pro- filled, this Satan. Belly! Belly! Belly!”
vide? I hope I don’t appear so cruel This is where Bersufekad becomes
It is necessary to reflect at this turn for blaming the victim! I think it is a philosopher of life. It is truly a
of events. Who was to blame; Na- proper to question his ways. This remarkable speech, symbolizing our
ture, God, or himself? Bersufekad superstitious outlook is the major lives.
took it as the work of God. I believe reason that makes it hard for 80%
this is the reaction of most Ethiopi- of the Ethiopian agrarian and pasto- His speech goes with an analogy of
an farmers throughout the centuries; ral population to provide sufficient human suffering with Jesus’ cru-
always waiting for rain and depend- crops for the nation. I think Sibhat cifixion. His grievance makes him
ing on oxen for farming. Hence, the wrote this literary piece not just to philosophize about human misery.
world of the farmer crashes when create sympathy, but also for us to He speaks with fury, “Yet who is not
nature changes its course.
question our ways. crucified being human. Who is not
nailed by the cry of his child? Who
The expression, ‘Don’t put all your At this juncture, let us shift our is not buried by the death of his
eggs in one basket’ suits Bersufekad.
focus to Bersufekad’s philosophical wife? Who is not numerously buried

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