Overview to Social Change Interview:

The Ethiopian Red Terror was a period of political violence that occurred all over Ethiopia from 1977-78. The catalyst for such a period was the Derg Regime, a Marxist military group that usurped power from Ethiopia in 1974. During the Red Terror, the Derg regime engaged in many inhumane acts such as detentions, tortures, forced disappearances, and even extrajudicial executions. Who you were/what you did had no significance in who got killed or not; It didn’t matter if you were a citizen, student, journalist, or a part of an opposing party. The Derg regime targeted whoever they deemed a political opponent. The Ethiopian people couldn’t even feel safe in their own country; Fear was instilled into the people and that steered a lot of people away from being political activists. Thousands of people were killed, tortured, and displaced from their families, which is why citizens were fearful and distrusting the government.

As with other countries that have experienced political violence, the citizens of the country might sometimes be displaced/forced to migrate due to political conflict. It’s estimated that half a million people fled the country and immigrated to neighboring countries, such as Sudan, Kenya, and Somalia, during the Red Terror. Unfortunately, the end of the Red Terror didn’t mean an end to conflicts in Ethiopia. However, the Red Terror definitely had an impact on the conflicts that Ethiopia still experiences between different ethnic groups/political factions.

Biography:

Bekure Getaneh, my dad, was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on May 29th, 1964. He lived in Ethiopia throughout his childhood and some of his young adult years. Despite being a young teen, he had his fair share of struggles during the Red Terror. He was involved with youth groups that would protest the Derg regime, which is why he, as well as some of his brothers, were arrested for months at a time. Even after being released from prison, he still had his fair share of struggles. He was expected to take on some responsibilities due to problems his family was going through, such as the death of his father, the arrests of his older brothers, and the financial situation he was in.

 

Zekarias Getaneh: What was the Red Terror about?

Bekure Getaneh: The Red Terror is about controlling the government, you know, that we had in 1974. They Ethiopian students were protesting against them, the Emperor to make the land reform…to create the land reform meant to create public government. But the Emperor didn’t want it and the students protesting then there was no organized group at that time therefore the military took the power. The military formed a committee called Derg, which is controlling everything and . They couldn’t be able to go anywhere. They don’t have ideology. There was a party called EPR formed. There was another party also called. What if I forgot the name, but the Derg Regime, they established their own party, and they want to control the power and they started killing people. That’s called the Red Terror, the Derg Regime started killing the members of EPR. Left and Right, the younger generation. At the time, the students in the college students and high school students were participating. And the young kids like us, I was seventh, seventh or eighth grade when seventh grade, yeah, when it started when we were called youth vanguards for the party for the EPRP, and EPRP was the people in a EPRP was were killed left and right, the government, the government want to squish that movement because the party was dangerous. And therefore they started killing people left and right on the streets, and also arresting people they accused.

[My dad was talking about the Red Terror. From his experience, he observed his fellow students who sided with EPRP (Ethiopian People’s Revolution Party) protesting about the land reform in Addis Ababa. The Derg, the regime controlling Ethiopia from 1974, wasn’t pleased with the protest going on so they sent the military to control the people. Protesters were killed left and right. The Derg regime was doing everything they could to instill fear into the protesters from actions such as: forced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, detentions, and tortures. It didn’t matter if you were a student, journalist, or an opposing party; If you were deemed a political opponent, the Derg Regime ensured they made your life a living hell.]

Zekarias Getaneh: But what do you remember about the Red Terror and how did you first become aware of it

Bekure Getaneh: First time? I was, you know, I was in seventh grade. When I first started, The Red Terror, I was in seventh grade, I was seeing young kids killed by the military, on the streets. I saw some people died on the street shot and dead. And they took it to I was good. My father was 1970…1970…1977 My father was sick because Girum [my dad’s brother] was arrested and then I saw loss of human bodies in the hospital, called Paul’s hospital. I saw lots of dead bodies there young kids.

[The Red Terror started when my dad was in 7^th grade. At such a young age, he observed the military that should be defending the country killing their own citizens. Young adults who were protesting, a freedom we’re entitled to, were killed out in broad daylight. My dad was describing the traumatic sights he saw in the nearby hospital when he was visiting his Father, who had lung cancer at the time. In that same hospital where he was visiting his dad, he saw numerous corpses.]

Zekarias Getaneh: What were your brothers exactly protesting against to get them arrested?

Bekure Getaneh: He was, he was a member of the EPRP youth association. And he was protesting, the first time he was caught. He was in the school called teqbarred the place where most of the kids in there is high schoolers. And on that on that school. There are people who are supporting the government. That’s called Tseded party called Tseded and they are supporting the government and one of their member was killed on the street by someone we don’t know. And because he was killed, they have to catch, they suspected Girum and another one of his friends Girum, fortunately, he was at home in my father was coming home. When they come in, my father was in the military and in the police academy but at that time retired in when they see him can’t they can’t be able to kill him. They try to catch him and they caught him and they put him in prison. First time. He was there for almost two months.

[My dad’s older brother, Girum Getaneh, was imprisoned 3 times during that period of political conflict. For the first time, he was arrested under the suspicion of murder. Someone of an opposing party was murdered and Girum and his friend were the prime suspects. Fortunately for him, my grandfather, or his father, had the connections to get Girum out of prison. After a bit of negotiations, he was released from prison after 2 months of being in there.]

Bekure Getaneh: Then my father had connections at that time and they made him released in the second time, he was under protest and the protests in the city of the city of Addis somewhere in the center called the Mercato. He was protesting he was arrested there. And he went he was taken to the main palace, Ethiopian government palace and he was beaten there. And fortunately, my father was at that time also had the connection and they tried to compromise and then after he was beaten they released him after two months. For some time. He was caught in the same area Mercato and other time my father was be sick and he was in hospital. He had liver cancer. I guess, and he can’t be able to see him he can’t he’s in prison in my father couldn’t be able to see him. He couldn’t be able to read this. He was so sad. And he passed away. On that year, while my brother was arrested, and he died, and then Girum was taken into prison, and finally he served, five years prison time after that.

[The second time Girum was arrested, the same situation happened; His Father’s connections helped him get out of prison within 2 months. However, this time, Girum experienced some torturing since he was older. The third time Girum was arrested was the worst time; His Father passed away from Liver Cancer, so Girum couldn’t use his connections he was previously able to. Additionally, the third time Girum was arrested, he was no longer just a youth vanguard, he was a senior youth vanguard, meaning his punishment was more severe. He served 5 years and was severely tortured.]

Zekarias Getaneh: During that time did you have to like, get a job to make money for your family?

Bekure Getaneh: We had, we know what we did is it is it is big things in the week, after my father deal before my father passed away, was arrested for three days before my father was passed away. Girum’s youngest brother, Dereje got caught and he was imprisoned in the prison. And ehh after my father, my father, when my father passed away, on the third day of my father passed away, I was caught, I was in the youth vanguard, and you know, youth vanguards. And what we do is we go, they want to protest, they write they write the slogans, EPRP slogans, on the street on the fence of people’s house. And to support that we go out in the morning and we turn off the lights from the neighborhood, we know with the bulbs outside, in the houses, we turn it off, we make me make the bulbs to burn out. That That thing is the assignment given to the young kids who are in the seventh grade, eight grade. I was in the seventh grade, and we were doing that in they know, government knows also, and they arrested us after my father passed away in the third day of my father’s burial, after the third day of my fathers burial.

[For my dad, life was a struggle during that period. In such a short period of time, his father was arrested, his two older brothers, Girum and Dereje were arrested, and he was caught and arrested. Since he was only in 7^th grade, however, his punishment wasn’t as severe as Girum. My dad and Dereje weren’t tortured, and my dad was imprisoned for 2 months while Dereje was imprisoned for 4 months. My dad was caught vandalizing the area in an act of protest, as what was assigned to the youth vanguards. All of these events occurred within the span of 3 days.]

Bekure Getaneh: I was arrested, I was in the prison. In [undiscernable name] prison for two months. And then my father passed away. And after that, it is it is the life was so hard. We have to do a lot of things. You know, I did personally, after I was released and Dereje was released, Dereje started to sell some stuff on the street. I started working as a laborer during winter, so you know, what I do is cover my expense for school expenses in some other things. I, in the summer, in the winter, actually here [in America] summer is the break, but in Ethiopia, it’s the winter, the winter times is a break. We are during that time, what I do is I go do labor jobs and get 2 Birr [Ethiopian currency] per day at the time. That’s the big money 18 Birr a week or two months you do it for two months and then you go to school with that money you buy your clothes you buy, you buy, you shoes and your clothes in it’s enough for you for the year and your supplies.

[After my dad and Dereje were released, they had to work to make money to assist themselves and their family. Dereje became a street vendor while my dad found labor jobs. With my dad’s labor jobs, he would make 2 Birr a Day ($.03USD in today’s exchange rate), which doesn’t sound like much, but he’d work everyday without a day off to make ends meet.]

Zekarias Getaneh: I didn’t know you were arrested over those two months.

Bekure Getaneh: I didn’t. That’s why I admit that is not in I would youth vanguard in a as a youth, a younger youth in the seventh grade. It’s not, it’s not actually, you know, they I was not beaten because it’s already my friends were already exposed everything and I don’t have to do anything. But my Dereje [his brother] was beaten a lot. He couldn’t be able to like they couldn’t be able to, he couldn’t be able to tell them what they want and therefore, He was beated hard. And he was in the young, in the youth association also, Girum was a senior youth association. And he was the head of the region, regional head, one of the regional heads because of that he was, he was, given five years prison time. But for us, Dereje stayed about four months, I stayed about two months and we went out of prison. I went off to prison first because I was so young and then after life was a little bit difficult.

[My dad didn’t experience any abuse whilst in prison because his friends already confessed and gave the government all the information they demanded. His brother, Dereje, however, was beat a lot because he didn’t have the information demanded from him while being interrogated. Girum got it even worse since he was in a higher position.]

Bekure Getaneh: But after that we didn’t I didn’t I never protested against government. I didn’t because the way the organization, both organizations a EPRP, a member of the EPRP was not for me, when I get matured, I see the the weakness of EPRP also in that also they are they were communists in the government. The government was communist and this parties are communists but they are organized they want to take power their Marxist communist, Marxist Leninist. And because of that, I didn’t like either of them the way they were organizing and that’s why they failed. And because of that, I never participated in any political organization organizations, then after for supporting the Communist Party, communist is not the right way of life for me.

[After getting arrested, my dad stopped participating in protest. As he grew older, he saw the weakness of both sides; they were both communists, an ideology that my dad doesn’t agree with.]

Bekure Getaneh: That’s why I didn’t participate. But I was against government, the government affected us and [it] silenced us. And you can’t talk about anything about the government or leaders of the…leaders or the time, even the leaders in the community, the community leaders, you couldn’t talk about them. You don’t say anything. And I started going, most of the time, I use my time to go to the library in support my life, selling in the summer, also in the school school year, we are we were at that time, the school was half days half in the morning, you got to the School. Some people are going in the mornings and some people are going in the afternoon, my schedule was morning classes. In the afternoon, when I come out, we buy some stuff from somewhere, like eggs, eggs used to be sold with 1 birr, 10 eggs, At that time, 10 birr and you buy it from far away, and you bring it to our neighborhood and we sell it eight for 1 birr, a profit of 2 eggs per 2 eggs means about 25 cents 25 cents per birr, you will save a lot of money. That’s one, you’d survive, that’s the way to survive.

[My dad was talking about how the government essentially silenced the people. Freedom of speech, a basic right to Americans, but a privilege to citizens of other countries. Another thing he mentioned was how school worked in Ethiopia at the time: half of the students would have morning classes and the other half would have classes in the afternoon. During the school year, after my dad finished his morning classes, he’d traverse to another city, buy the eggs there, and then go back to his city and sell it for a higher price to make profit.]

Zekarias Getaneh: How was this period of political unrest? How did it shape your personal beliefs and values and did it impact your world view?

Bekure Getaneh: My personal belief? my personal view my …. my worldview, you know, the way the communism party the Communist Party, the communist organizations were organized that they make you not to believe in any other thing other than the communist ideology if the anybody opposing the their idea is exists they want that person or that ideology to be squashed and therefore what I was, you know they make me to fear and they make me not to support communist communist ideas then after but I didn’t expose it in I was saying both the government in both of our government was a communist the opposition’s were the companies, the rebels, fighting the countryside were all communists are called we are because that means companies are fighting with Communists, that means they want control, not really, Communism, the way the idea is, for the people, people government should, we have to be with informed with the people. But the way I see it, it’s not because the way they fight. It’s not that that’s not the way that that ideology to attract people. But the practicality is a different thing therefore, in my life, I do not participate in this kind of politics. The only thing I have to support is the country, the country in any way, whoever is leading to support these against other countries, you know, not to be invaded, not to be conquered. So other than that, I don’t want to participate in the politics, the political system in the country with the way the communism were going. But there’s no proper election. There are no proper election, they don’t allow it. And they tell you to choose this person. When you when you go to voting areas, they tell you put marks for this person, that’s the only thing you can do. Therefore this shapes your idea, and it is it making you not to think about supporting the government and also, eventually when I get matured, I decided to leave the country if this is not a country for me to live in, because the way the things is are going still, that ideology is still deep rooted in the people and especially, the political movers the political figures, they want to shift people in their own idea and they don’t care about the life of others. That’s why we see lots of killings. Now also. The ideology is the most they are saying we are no communists, but they are, you know, like, dictatorship. The community like is like the entire ship and they want to survive by killing by suppressing others idea by making not anybody to object or to give a to suggestion, feeling the belongingness of the country.

[In response to my question about whether or not the Red Terror altered or had any impact on my dad’s personal beliefs and values, he explained how he had his own opinions, but was terrified to articulate it at the time to anyone because he was fearful of the consequences of voicing his own opinions. Despite the fact that the government was awful towards it’s citizens and it’s provided my dad nothing but hardships, he still holds love for that country. Unfortunately, the ideologies that were being fought during that time period are still deeply rooted in the country. The belief of both sides is that they have to suppress the vocality of the other side by killing their people.]

Bekure Getaneh: Because of that, most of us, you know, even Girum before he was arrested, he tried to escape from the country and he walked about 700 miles 700 kilometers, walking , not working. Actually they take some buses, some routes. They were caught at the border of Ethiopia and  [undiscernable] and they brought back to Addis first time before the before he was arrested, he tried that one with his friends and even came back to Addis came back to you by the time we went went to Hareg to hide to hide himself for a couple of months, then he came back to Addis.

[Girum tried escaping the country; He traveled 700 km to the border of Ethiopia in an attempt to hide for a few months, but was unfortunately caught and arrested]

Bekure Getaneh: That shaped our life. And everything has changed after that. And also, the governor government took over everything, all assets we had, we had land, the land reform is okay. It is for the people if it is all of its people, but the house he built by to survive renting those houses, the government to them as extra houses, they don’t give you anything, if you are getting of less [more] than $250 a month from other resources, you will not get anything called the compensation for the house you built for rent. If you are getting less than 250, up to 250, they will compensate you but the rest, the government took it over even though you bought you build the house by your own money. The house is taken by it and because of that our some of our houses were taken. It is owned by government still it is owned by government. You can’t be able to ask nobody going to ask even though you have built it. They took it and it is a property of the government now. Then after

[Something I didn’t know about the hardships that my dad, my uncles and aunts, and grandparents faced was the fact that on top of arresting and torturing a few of them, the government also essentially stole their land. My dad was talking about how a lot of houses that his family built were taken by the government to be used as extra housing. If you were making less than $250 a month, you were compensated for the houses taken, but if you were making $250 or more a month, you’d get 0 compensation for the land that was basically stolen. To this day, the houses my dad’s family built are still owned by the government and they haven’t been compensated]

Zekarias Getaneh: Wait, did you move to America because of the political disconnect?

Bekure Getaneh: Yes, and somehow but it’s not the it’s the after the Derg regime was overthrown by the EPRF. The EPRF is mainly mainly led by TPLF, the Tigray Liberation Front, The Tigray liberation front. their Idea is to to make their region more powerful, they are fighting for the for their own regional government, they after they control the regional government, they are controlling the country they pay the TPLF, the TPLF they started to go called make coalition with some Oromos, Amharas and Southern Region but with the way they come they fought when they can before they come in to the Addis two years before they formed, Oromo organizations, they formed the Oromo party, they are from the prisoners of war, they got some military people from the war and those people were made to organize the political party. They organized our political party. And from Amhara region they don’t get because they couldn’t be able to the Amhara people were not never been thinking about the ethnic. Organization, therefore, they organize it Ihiden. It’s called Ihiden that Ethiopian democratic  movement in the organized kind of party and they created a coalition called EPRF. Between among these four parties, that’s how they’re from south region, people, all these people who are creating the three parties other than the TPLF are most of them are from a military. They caught them as a military, they were fighting for the government with the government. But after they surrendered to the TPLF, they caught them they put them as a prisoner of war. And they make them they change their ideology, and they make them to organize in fight against the government.

[These issues regarding regional conflict are still going on today. Every now and then, I hear my dad complain about the needless bloodshed in Ethiopia due to people of the same country despising each other simply because they’re from different regions. Another thing he’s mad about in regards to this topic is how superpowers like the US keep putting fuel to the fire and get in Ethiopia’s business. Unfortunately, these regional conflicts have been happening for generations, meaning that the youth who are going to eventually be in positions of power will know nothing but regional conflicts. There was never a time they experienced where there was minimal regional conflicts.]

Bekure Getaneh: In that situation, the major role player was TPLF until they were and when they come into the country, they said it is a new normal, you suppress others and to make themselves be but that doesn’t mean they Tigray people that live people aren’t a beneficiary but the leaders because they are communists, the communists are rare. The idea is the same but they told the American government that they are they are no more communists they will be there will support democratic but the way they organized it was not giving a chance for any other party.

Bekure Getaneh: They squished OLF they squish the Amhara by finally they organized Amhara party, they changed the Ihiden to Amhara party and they organized it in, they were dictating whatever they want. And that makes us to think about moving out of the country. You know, it’s not going to be better from what is worse,  another worst says coming in, we decided and personally we decided to move out.

Zekarias Getaneh: For my last question, I want to say, looking back on your experiences during this time, what do you want future generations to remember or learn from?

Bekure Getaneh: Future generations and..for me, you know, discussing ideas, whatever it is, either communism or capitalism, whatever ideas you have, instead of taking arms against each other, or killing is taking somebody’s life, because of ideology. If you love your country, if you love your neighbors, if you love somebody there, you don’t have to fight. You have to fight with ideas, and you have to put your ideas in, make your ideas sellable, marketable, and make people to vote for whichever ideas is best. That is the thing I have. But I don’t know when it’s going to materialize. I don’t know. Yeah, because now the new government, the government of EPRF divided the country in ethnic, ethnic situation, and this will be my most challenging thing, because it was planted, the ethnic city was planted for the last three years, three years is not a little time, the younger generation doesn’t know about living together, they will they know, you know, what they do this, you have to leave this area is yours is yours. Nowhere else, those people are supposed to be there and they have to work there, they have to live there, they have to go to school, they have to do everything there they don’t have experience. They don’t have to intermingle with other tribes with other ethnic groups. And that makes it a little bit hostile. But hopefully, things will be better. And things will be different is to experience other cultures, then it’s a cultural experience, other places is to move from places to places, learn more from others, and have open ideas, an open idea or ideas or question from any ethnic group from any person to any party will

Zekarias Getaneh: open dialogue between each other.

Bekure Getaneh: Yes, yes. That’s the thing I want for the future that makes you know, moving from one place to another place, you will have an opportunity economic opportunity, political opportunity, whatever it is, you have to go to from one region to another region, you can live with it for five six years, you learn the language you learn the culture, you will be you can be a political figure over there also, you can be you can you could have been a political thinker, you can be economically somebody economic, influencer, whatever you want to be, you have to be free. That is the freedom the Liberty or freedom. Experience that is the thing I hope they will get now.

Zekarias Getaneh: I think I’m done. Thank you.

Bekure Getaneh: You’re welcome. Anything else?

Zekarias Getaneh: Nah, it’s all good.