The Desert Shepherd: The Life and Ministry of Dr. Tibebu Haileselassie

Introduction

Evangelical mission among the Somalis began in the late 19^th century similar to the catholic mission, and it did not target a specific political region initially. As we see shortly, evangelical mission to the Somali region had some similarity with that of evangelical mission to the Oromo and other southern people.[2] As we study the historical advancement of evangelical mission in the Somali region in the last century and half, we should understand that much of the documents on evangelical mission among the Somali people are not compiled; and some were even destroyed by successive governments in the Somalia and Somali region. Therefore, our literature highly depends on the works of present-day historians and scholars.

Similar to protestant mission progress in Ethiopia and the horn, the greatest factor that affected protestant missions among the Somali people is also the political situation in the country. The period from 1890s to 1950s is known for the political dynamic the horn of Africa especially the Somali people faced.[3]

In 1884, the scramble for Africa took place, and European colonies agreed to divide and colonize Africa. A vast land of Somalia fell under three main colonial administrations, namely British, French and Italian administrations. British protectorate of Somaliland was established in 1884 through a number of Anglo-Somali Treaties of Protection (Sh. Abdirahman, 1990). In the same way, Italians made their direct claims of Italian Somalia and its coast in 1889. It was in the Italy occupied Somalia that the first ever protestant missions began through Swedish Lutheran Missions.

In the British protectorate of Somaliland, however, protestant mission was prohibited because of by request from the Somali clan leaders. Although we do not have a document on a mission involvement in the Ethiopian occupied Ogaden during this period, the missionary activity that took place during this phase had significant impact for the following phases in the 20^th century.

Brief Discussion of the History of Protestant Mission among the Somalis

Although my main focus in this paper is to discuss the life and ministry of Dr. Tibebu Haileselassie, I will do a brief review of the protestant mission among the Somalis in Ethiopia. For the sake of our study, and because of the nature of the history of the missions, I have divided protestant missions in the Somali regions into four phases based on the events that took place and that highly affected it.

The first phase of protestant mission lasted from the advent of the Swedish Lutheran Mission to the 1948 where Ogaden was officially given to Ethiopia after the fascist Italy invasion left following defeat in the Second World War. During this phase there were two prominent evangelical missionary organizations that made it to the Somali people with their gospel message, namely the Swedish Evangelical Missions (SEM) and the British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS).

Phase one of the history of evangelical mission (1890s to 1950s) towards the Somalis can be considered as a success with the pioneering works by Swedish Evangelical Mission and John Ethelstan Cheese in Kismaayo, Jubaland. However, SEM faced significant challenge from the geopolitics of the horn in that period which finally led them to be expelled by the Italians in 1935. After the expulsion of the SEM from the Somaliland, John Ethelstan Cheese tried to continue by himself the works started by SEM.

However, John was not as strong as SEM and he also had to travel many places, establishing his station in Mombasa and as far as Muscat, Oman, working alone. For this reason, there was a significant gap in the mission field after the SEM left. Not only this but also the Ogaden Somalis on whom this paper mainly focuses, were not reached between 1897 to 1950 as stated earlier.

Phase two was the period between 1950 where the British handed over Somalia to the ten years Italian trusteeship under the 1949 U.N decision[4] and 1974 where evangelical churches and mission activities were ordered to halt both in Somalia (socialist government) and in Ethiopia (Dergue regime).[5] On the other hand, in 1952, Britain also signed a treaty with Ethiopia giving Ethiopia back all of the Ogaden (Britain had incorporated some part of the Ethiopian Ogaden region into British Somaliland). Hence, the Ogaden mission can now be seen along with Ethiopian mission.

After the end of World War II, fascist Italy was expelled from Ethiopia with its repressive treatment of missionaries. Emperor Haileselassie I had allowed foreign missionaries to work in the country even though there was a constant threat from Ethiopian Orthodox Church on the missionaries. For this reason, in early 1920s the Emperor had given order for the missionaries to work on areas where there was no Ethiopian Orthodox activity in order to ease the tension and in 1945 a comity agreement was signed by dividing the mission agencies onto the non-Abyssinia land of Ethiopia[6]

Here, since our main focus is the history of evangelical mission in Ethiopian Somali region (Ogaden), a specific emphasis to that is given. Therefore, phase two, three and four deal exclusively about the progress of evangelical mission in the Ogaden/Somali region of Ethiopia.

In phase two we see the activity of mission organizations such as the Mennonite mission (Meserete Kirstos Church), Sudan Interior Mission (Ethiopian Kale Hiwot Church), the Ethiopian Mulu Wongel Church mission in Ogaden areas.

Phase Two (1950s-1974) of the evangelical mission history among the Somali people, was mostly a pioneering missionary work particularly in Ogaden. It was also comparatively the golden age for Somali mission not only because of the convenient sociopolitical situations in Somali inhabited areas in horn of Africa as compared to Phase One and Three but also the mission activity in Somali bear significant fruit.[7]

Foreign missions in Ogaden had Ethiopia’s protection and appreciation for their works during this time while the same was true in Somalia.[8] Sudan Interior Mission (SIM) being the pioneers in the Ogaden, their effect during those days is still unmatched to any church or missions’ organizations to this day.

In Phase Three, however, things changed. The geopolitics of the Horn of Africa gradually made foreign missions or Christian missions in general difficult every place. In Ethiopia, the Derg regime shut mission organizations and missionaries were expelled from the country and their properties were nationalized while in Somalia the Siad Barre socialist government did the same a bit harshly.

This period was also characterized by the famine in the Somali inhabited areas following the Ogaden war (1977-78), one of the disastrous wars in the 20^th century Africa. The disaster this war brought is unparalleled both in Ogaden, Ethiopia, and Somalia. However, it also paved some ways for mission organizations to reenter into Somalia and provide help in disaster and relief work.

Although this period was so difficult for the church to thrive, there were also underground mission works done mostly by individuals and by few organizations.

Phase Three of Somali mission was characterized by persecution by the Ethiopian Derg government in Ogaden and the Siyad Barre communist government in Somalia. Missionaries were expelled both from Ethiopia and Somalia with their properties being nationalized. Although there were converts in underground, it was also difficult to maintain their faith in the area. For example, a possible Somali Muslim convert by the name “Hussien” who saw Don McClure “as a father”, used to live in Gode, however, in fear of persecution fled for his life.[9]

The Ethio-Somalia war of 1977-78 which was a result of Siyad Barre’s “Greater Somalia” vision aiming to reincorporate Ogaden into Somalia republic that produced a strong reaction from the Ethiopian military regime, also resulted in famine and drought in the region in the following years which led the migration of as close to a million Somalis from Ogaden to Somalia. Other Ethiopians including Dr. Tibebu Haileselassie were also taken captive by the Western Somalia Liberation Front (WSLF). However, most of the prisoners were released after 11 years.[10] Hence, due to the politics and the war during Phase Three, no visible missionary activity took place both in Ogaden and Somalia (Even though some missions were allowed to provide help post-Ogaden war).[11]

In 1991-92 major political events took place in both Ethiopia and Somalia. In Ethiopia the Marxist Derge was overthrown by Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) led Ethiopian People Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). In Somalia, the Siyad Barre communist regime was overthrown by Isaaqi fighters under Somali National Movement.[12]

The comparison between Ethiopia’s post-military state and that of the Somalia displays the tragedy Somalia had to endure for the following two decades. While Ethiopia was able form a transitional charter and solid Federal government that ratified a constitution that upheld individual and collective rights including the right to worship and assemble, Somalia did not have an official government until August 12, 2012. Hence, religious right and mission activity in Somalia did not show progress as compared to the Siyad era. In fact, some claim that it got worse.

The new Ethiopian constitution (ratified in 1995) also made the Somali state among the nine autonomous regional states in the country. After the fall of the Derg regime in May 1991, in May 1995 a new legislative body, the Council of People’s Representatives, was elected with the majority of seats going to the EPRDF. In August the Constituent Assembly officially transferred power to the new legislature, and the country was renamed the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. A new constitution came into force in August 1995 providing ethnic based federalism for the first time in the country`s history. The new constitution provided self-determination and nine ethnically based regions (Asnake K., 2009), where the Somali Regional State is one among the nine regional states provided by 1995 constitution of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Hence, many Somalis who migrated to Somalia in since 1960 came back to Somali following the change in Ethiopia (Abdi Samatar, 2008).

Consequently, missionaries and mission agencies that were expelled in the Derg regime came back to full activity following the downfall of the Derg regime with Churches also getting reopened.[13] Therefore, Phase Four (from 1992 to 2020) has been a period of freedom in most sense even though the success of the mission works in Somali region during this phase of freedom with many evangelical churches flooding to Somali state.

In all the earlier three phases, Ogaden mission was limited to certain area of the Ogaden region, in this Phase Four, however, evangelical Christians’ presence in every zone of Somali state can be proved. Evangelical churches such as Ethiopian Kale Hiwot Church (EKHC), Ethiopian Full Gospel Believers’ Church (EFGBC), Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY), Meserete Kiristos Church, Ethiopian Guenet Church (EGC), Ethiopian Addis Kidan Baptist Church, Assemble of God Church in Ethiopia, and others have planted churches and engaged in building schools and other development projects in different zones of Somali region during this phase.

• Ethiopia Mulu Wongel Church and Dr. Tibebu Haileselassie’s Mission

The Ethiopian Mulu Wongel Church was officially founded in 1967 in Addis Ababa, even though it was late in 1992 that it was legally registered.[14] With its Pentecostal renewal and revival stream, Mulu Wongel spread all over the country with in few years of its establishment. The revival this church experienced also spread to other mainline protestant denominations that to this day Protestants in Ethiopia are called “Pentey” a short for Pentecostal.[15] However, Mulu Wongel, as the foremost Pentecostal church in Ethiopia endured great persecution when the Derg came to power.

The Derg, the military junta that seized the power after overthrowing Emperor Haileselassie I in 1974, tried to catch the attention of the Ethiopian people in various ways. One by which it showed its supposedly harmless face was its open espousal and encouragement of ecumenical relations between various religions. Under the auspices of Mohammed Qaddafi, the Libyan President, a congress of Christians and Muslims was organized in Libya, 30th January-6th February 1976, on the theme of ‘Religion does not divide us.’ The military rulers applied a double-pronged strategy. On the one hand, they were trying to create a platform from which they could gain influence and control over the leaders of the two great religions in Ethiopia. On the other, they were keenly aware of the need to secure the support of Muslims in the unfolding Ethio-Somalia War (also known as “the Ogaden war”) of 1977.[16]

The Derg announced its own version of the Chinese Cultural Revolution on 12th September 1978 when it had already been abandoned by the Chinese government because of its regrettable consequences.[17] The media began to call openly for the eradication of backward practices and the rooting out of alien values associated with foreign influences, an allusion to the Evangelical faith to which the tag Mete (literally ‘newcomer’) was applied.[18] For instance, one of the official Amharic language newspapers, Addis Zemen, openly stated that there were some foreign agents who, under the guise of religion, were subverting the Revolution. The newspaper mentioned that the government would not tolerate the hidden schemes of imperialists who sought to derail the Revolution by numbing the minds of the youth through idealistic thoughts.[19]

Beginning in June 1979, flagrant denunciations of religion appeared in official newspapers such as Addis Zemen. Dawit Wolde Giorgis, a former authority on the Derg period, noted that the highest echelons of the government had given instructions to the political cadres (party officials and their cohorts) to eliminate religion. By providing a personal witness of his close participation in several high-level meetings, he testified that religious practices had been ‘disparaged in every manner possible’. Dawit adds that the military rulers began to make sweeping attacks against Evangelical Christians of the south and western parts of Ethiopia in the early 1980s with unimaginable hatred.[20]

As Pentecostalism and mainline protestant churches were under attack, the Mulu Wongel mission was highly targeted. The Mulu Wongel churches in country sides were also closed. This will lead us to anticipate the same had also happened in the Ogaden region.

According to Gashu Gebreyohhanes, a Mulu Wongel Pastor in Jigijga, Mulu Wongel was shut down in Ogaden region during this era. It was difficult to proceed with church service or even a house worship services because of the communist spies who would inform the local authorities.[21] This again is seen in the ministry and life of Dr Tibebu Haileselassie, a Mulu Wongel member and a medical doctor, who decided to serve the Somali people living in Kebri Dehar during the Derg era. For convenience, it is better to look at the ministry and influence of Dr. Tibebu and Lishan Agonafir along with the Mulu Wongel mission.

The Life and Ministry of Dr. Tibebu Haileselasssie

Tibebu Haieselassie was born in Addis Ababa on September 8, 1947 and was a son of an Orthodox priest. Growing up, Tibebu was a brilliant student, excelling in all his studies, winning scholarships to the best schools in Ethiopia, and receiving awards from Emperor Haileselassie for his academic achievements. He was a thoughtful and considerate child to his parents, siblings and friends, thinking beyond his age.[22]

Tibebu went to the prestigious high school of General Winget in Addis Ababa Ethiopia, a school that educated Ethiopia’s brightest. Even from this group, Tibebu always ranked top of his class. After completing his secondary education, he went to Addis Ababa University and continued to excel and graduated from Addis Ababa University Medical school with honors in June 1975.[23]

On September 21, 1975, he married Lishan Agonafer at Mulu Wongel Church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Even though the country was under war from North and East, Dr. Tibebu chose to serve the people in the east, in Ogaden region. He was placed in Kebrei Dehar, Ogaden. Dr. Tibebu served in Kebridehar, Ogaden for two years from 1975-1977.[24]

During this time of his service with his wife Lishan, Dr. Tibebu also made it his aim to reach the local Somalis to reach them with the gospel in addition to the service he gave.[25] Dr. Tibebu, Lishan and their two relatives had worship service in their home at Kebri Dehar. Non- Somali people eventually came to attend the worship services in Dr. Tibebu’s house, some got converted in the meantime. However, ethnic Somalis did not come nor were they converted in Dr. Tibebu’s house.[26]

It is also necessary to note that there was no evangelical church in Kebri Dehar in those days; hence, Dr. Tibebu was a pioneer I his mission in the area. Even though no ethnic Somali was converted in the two years Dr. Tibebu’s mission activity in Kebri Dehar, the local Somalis loved Dr. Tibebu. During the 1977 Ogaden war, the Somalian forces under Siad Barre invaded the area, the local Somalis protected Dr. Tibebu chanting, “You kill us first before you kill Tibebu. He is our doctor. Do not harm him!”[27]

It was during this time of service when he, along with nearly 4000 civilian residents, was taken as civilian prisoners of war into Somalia on July 24, 1977, when a full-scale war broke out between Ethiopia and Somalia. In his time in Somalia, Dr. Tibebu served his fellow prisoners as their advocate, doctor, and educator, fighting for their basic rights. He was able to learn the Somali language, translate Somali text books into English and Amharic and establish a K-12 school for the prisoners. He and his fellow prisoners were miraculously released from Somalia after 11 years. Shortly after his release from Somalia, he began working with UNICEF, serving the underprivileged in Kenya, Southern Sudan, Somalia, Lesotho, Iraq, Israel/Palestine and New York.[28]

Dr. Tibebu as a Prisoner of War

July 24^th, 1977 was a difficult day for the residents of Kebridehar, Ogaden. On that very day the Ethio-Somalia war broke out. Dr. Tibebu and his friends were at their usual place, at the hospital, when they heard the first missile blow. The residents of the town ran for their lives and most of them took a shield at the hospital because it was thought hospitals would be spared from a war attack.

Coincidently, on this very day, while Dr. Tibebu was fighting for his and others’ survival in the war torn region, his wife Lishan Agonafir was giving birth to their second child at a hospital in Adama. Not knowing what was happening to her husband, she was waiting for his arrival.

The war ended within half day. The Somalia military won and took over the land. Colonel Ali, a military leader of the Somalia brigade, told the people who were shielding inside the hospital to leave the hospital; otherwise, Ethiopia would retaliate and the hospital itself would not be spared.

Following Colonel Ali’s order, Tibebu was taken to Wabe, a nearby village. There he was met by two Somali physicians, Dr. Muktar and Dr. Nur, and he was told that his job was to treat wounded soldiers. In that desert clinic, Dr, Tibebu received his belongings that he had left at Kebridehar.

The soldiers saw Dr. Tibebu’s Thompson Chain Reference bible when they delivered him his belongings. He feared perhaps this was the end to his life. Nevertheless, the soldiers did not say anything. They gave his bible. However, Dr. Muktar asked Dr. Tibebu. “Is this the Bible?” Tibebu answered, “Yes it is.” Dr. Muktar gave the book to Dr. Tibebu and left.

On that particular day, Tibebu along with other Ethiopian prisoners of war started their journey to Mogadishu. After 30 hours of journey, they arrived at Mogadishu in the midnight. They were given food and a place to stay. In the meantime, the news of Dr. Tibebu’s disappearance after the breaking out of the war reaching to his wife and their family who lived in Adama.

Dr. Tibebu was taken to a prison at Danan. He was introduced with Abdi Abdule, a physician who worked at the prison. Dr. Tibebu was given the responsibility to become the head of the physicians in the prison site at Danan. Tibebu was shocked by their decision but he was confident this was God’s providence. He was reminded of Joseph’s story from the book of Genesis. Gradually, more prisoners flooded to the Danan prison. It became Dr. Tibebu’s job to treat those prisoners of war.

Dr. Tibebu had decided to be frank about his faith to whoever asks. He started a small prayer meeting in his dorm and invited some of the prisoners to join him. Tibebu also did not stop to openly pray before eating his meal. On one occasion the soldiers asked him, “What are you doing?” when they saw him bowing his head for prayer before eating.

Dr. Tibebu answered, “I am praying and thanking my God.”

“Oh okay! We thought the doctor was sick. If you are praying that is good. Are you a religious person?”

“Yes, I am. I believe in Jesus Christ.”

“Oh! Good person like you should become a Muslim.”

Dr. Tibebu was afraid to answer to the soldier this time because all the other soldiers were following the conversation. Hence, he kept on thinking how to wisely pass this scenario.

The soldier, however, did not stop the conversation. He continued, “You should believe that Allah is greater and Mohammed is his messenger.” Dr. Tibebu couldn’t hold it this time. He blurted, “I believe in Jesus Christ alone.”

The soldier continued, “You wouldn’t have said this in the desert to our soldiers when you were begging for your life. You would have denied Jesus and followed Islam.”

“I would never deny my Lord Jesus. Never! ”

“You would rather die, then?”

“Yes, I would rather die than deny my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Then none of the soldiers responded to Tibebu. Most of the soldiers were devout Muslims; however, they did not do anything to Dr. Tibebu other than watching him with suspicion.

Dr. Tibebu was interviewed by the Somalia national radio station about issues related to medicine and politics. He strictly avoided commenting on politics and limited his comments to the health issues he faced while he was in Ethiopia and after he was taken to Somalia. In his 9 month stay in the Danan prison, Dr. Tibebu served the prisoners and others with utmost ethics.

The prisoners were transferred to Hawai, a rice production site, for physical labor. Dr. Tibebu served as a physician to the prioners who were doing a physically demanding job. The most common treated diseases were Malaria, Pneumonia, Diarrhea and other infectious diseases. Many prisoners died because of the diseases because there was not enough medication for them. Dr. Tibebu felt so sad looking at the prisoners dying from diseases that could have been treated easily with antibiotics.

In order to stop the diseases, Dr. Tibebu came with an idea of prevention. The prison guards and the prisoners together started to clean the areas and keep personal hygiene. It was said that because of such moves by Dr. Tibebu, they were able to save many people. Dr. Tibebu earned much respect Colonel Ahmed Hussien, the prison officer.

Dr. Tibebu saw that there were many hundred kids in the rice production site who spend most of their days without doing anything. While in prayer, he came with an idea to start a school for the kids in the prison camp. He presented this idea to Colonel Ahmed Hussien who already was fond of Dr. Tibebu.

Colonel Ahmed welcomed the proposal forwarded by Dr. Tibebu. The school began teaching with six teachers all of whom were prisoners of war. The six teachers and other 30 assistant teachers were exempted from the physical labor and started teaching the kids. They prepared a text book and taught the students. It has been said that many students made it a higher degree from that prison school.

Dr. Tibebu served as teacher and a physician to the prisoners and the soldiers for 11 years in row. He was loved by the prisoners and officers alike. They all wanted to be treated by him. He was also a fluent Somali speaker which made communication and relationship smooth with the prison officers.

Dr. Tibebu’s Legacy

Dr. Tibebu reunited with his wife in Kenya through the World Red Cross Society after 11 years. They continued living until his death in 2011.

Dr. Tibebu loved the Somali people even before he started working at Kebridehar. He served them wholeheartedly. The politics of the day did not hinder him from serving the Somali soldiers and prison officers. Many became his lifetime friends.

Although Dr. Tibebu’s ministry in Somalia was mainly to fellow prisoners, his lifestyle also affected the Somalis who monitored his activities in the prison camp.

Dr. Tibebu’s ministry in Kebri Dehar can also be seen as the fruit of the Mulu Wongel church beside the personal character and motivation of Dr. Tibebu. As we noticed earlier, Mulu Wongeln church was founded mainly by university students of the 1960s. Tibebu was converted at the Swedish Pentecostal mission service in 1967, the same year Mulu Wongel was founded.[29] The influence of this revival in “Giorgis Chapel” (because it was found in Arada Giorgis, Piassa) on the life Tibebu was eminent.[30] It can be said the Pentecostal mission of the 1960s highly influenced Dr. Tibebu and Lishan Agonafir.

Even though Mulu Wongel church did not have official mission or church to Somali region during this phase, people like Dr. Tibebu were agents of the persecuted Mulu Wongel church during the Derg era.

---

Notes and References

[2] The pioneer missionaries that arrived to the Somali and Oromo people were the Swedish Evangelical Mission.

[3] Since Ogaden became part of Ethiopia after the 1897 treaty, and Ethiopia regained it in the 1952, Ethiopian Somali evangelical movement during the period 1890s to 1950s should also be studied along the protestant missions to the Somalia and Somaliland

[4] U.N. Resolution 289 (IVA) adopted by the General Assembly in its 250th Meeting on 21 November 1949 which among other things stated: ‘ 1 .That Italian Somaliland shall be an independent sovereign state; 2 .That this independence shall become effective at the end of ten years from the date of the approval of a Trusteeship Agreement by the General Assembly; 3 .That, during the period mentioned in paragraph 2, Italian Somaliland shall be placed under the International Trusteeship System with Italy as the Administering Authority’. Yearbook of the United Nations 1948-49, p. 276; UN Publications.

[5] In Somalia church properties were nationalized in1972 and missionaries were expelled totally by 1976 while the Dergue regime of Ethiopia had already shutdown churches, especially Pentecostal churches, by 1971.

[6] Charles Partee, Adventure in Africa: The Story of Don McClure: from Khartoum to Addis Ababa, p. 396

[7] In Ogaden the work done by SIM and in Somalia by SIM and Mennonite mission had remarkable significance that Prof. Said Samatra described the mission as “strong”. See Ahmed I. Samatar, Interview with Professor Said Sheikh Samatar at the 2005 Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association, Washington, D.C., Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies, Vol 5. (2005). P. 3

[8] See Getachew Belete, “Elohe ena Haleluya, Ye Kale Hiwot Betekristian Tarik,” Vol 1. P. 348 and Russell Wolford, Patricia Wolford, “Missionaries, Mercenaries and Misfits,” 25-26

[9] Charles Partee, Adventure in Africa: The Story of Don McClure: from Khartoum to Addis Ababa, p. 9

[10] See Lishan Agonafir, Tibebu Yemidrebedaw Eregna

[11] Swedish Evangelical Mission were invited by the Somalia government to restart their mission work in the region following the drastic consequence of the war. See i detta tecken evangeliska fosterlands-stiftelsen 150 år. 35 (“SEM’s 150 years” published in Swedish)

[12] Ibid, 71-76

[13] See Tibebe Eshete, “The Evangelical Movement in Ethiopia: Resistance and Resilience” (2009)

[14] See Bekele Woldekidan, “Revival Ethiopia ena yemechereshaw mecheresha” (Amharic) p. 84-87

[15] Jörg Haustein, “Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity in Ethiopia: A Historical Introduction to a Largely Unexplored Movement” Hatem Elliesie (ed.): Multidisciplinary Views on the Horn of Africa. Studien zum Horn von Afrika, 1, Köln 2014, pp. 117

[16] Tibebe Eshete, Marxism and Religion: The Paradox of Church Growth in Ethiopia, 1974-1991, Freedom of Belief and Christian Mission, Vol. 2, P. 242-258,

[17] In his speech, Mengistu Haile Mariam, the most prominent officer of the Derg (President of Ethiopia, 1987-1991), stressed the fact that unless the Ethiopian people made successful campaigns on the cultural front to defeat backward cultural practices, the triumph of socialism could hardly be realised. For his full speech, see Addis Zemen, 16th September 1978. The ideas of the Cultural Revolution modelled on China’s were more a result of the influence of widespread literature than an outcome of a direct ideological push from Beijing.

[18] As early as 1975, the term Mete was beginning to gain currency, at least in the media, to refer to Evangelicals. An article published in Ye Zareitu Ityopia, on 19th January, mentions the word mete as the products of a foreign religion, the brainchild of imperialism, preaching other-worldliness and a slovenly attitude detrimental to the progress of the country. It accused the mete religion of not only being counterproductive, but of sapping the ardour of the youth to combat social injustice. Ye Zareitu Ityopia, 19th January 1975.

[19] Addis Zemen, 21st May 1978. In fact, the newspaper was very pointed in mentioning the southern provinces and the Kale Hiwot Church of SIM background.

[20] Dawit Wolde Giorgis, “Red Tears: War, Famine and Revolution in Ethiopia” (Trenton, NJ: The Red Sea Press, 1989), 121.

[21] Interview with Gashu Gebreyohannes, May 2019

[22] Lishan Agonafir, Tibebu Yemidrebedaw Eregna

[23] Ibid

[24] Ibid

[25] Ibid

[26] Ibid, and email exchange with Lishan Agonafir, 2020

[27] Email exchange with Lishan Agonafir, June 2020

[28] See Lishan Agonafir, Tibebu Yemidrebedaw Eregna

[29] Ibid, 94-97

[30] Ibid, 115-116

This article was adopted from Somali Bible Society Journal, Volume II, Issue I June 2021.