Ethiopian Books: Pornographic, Patriotic, Religious

Giday Gebrekidan 

In Ethiopia if a book is to be a bestseller then it will have to be either pornographic or patriotic or religious. It doesn’t matter if it is fictional or non-fictional. Whatever form or style you chose to write with, whether you present your topics humorously, sordidly or gravely if the three ingredients (pornography, patriotism and religion) are not used as a hook then you will find no reader.

If you see most of the books that sell well their covers are nude women, Ethiopian map or Ethiopian historical figures or religious icons.  
You know how they say Russian writers are lucky that they have readers. Yes they are blessed, fortunate to have readers but they created those readers. Russian writers whether they are patriotic or religious or both they have never failed to study and write about universal truths. The Russian writers are real students of the human condition; they are not looking after cheap praise.

Ethiopian readers are not lucky; they never had any writer that made them fall in love with the study of truth for truth’s sake with the exception of Dagnachew Worku and Sebhat G.Egziabher. Both writers show nationalistic and pornographic themes consecutively but both go beyond them. Adam Reta too might be the exception but I haven’t read him yet.     

The majority of the writers are busy telling their readers that Ethiopia is the origin of everything, the biblical Adam and Eve; the evolutionary’s extinct monkeys like Lucy; origin of civilization itself; origin of ancient traditional wisdoms; the second Israel, a holy land; a land that will be the next world super power according to prophesy. People filled with this naïve nationalistic mentality have no time, motive or patience to learn enjoying the study and pursuit of ideas, thoughts of universal significance. Even if Ethiopia was the origin of everything the true writer’s role is not to beat that drum endlessly. It’s the propagandist that uses flattery; the real writers study characters and build it in their readers. The real writer doesn’t spread naiveté, he ends it. The other patriotic best sellers are the radicals who mercilessly criticize the society, they already have well established fame and they use that to be as radical as possible. These are not writers, these are more of activists with agendas; the universal truth is not their agenda. In fact they will dismiss it if it goes against their agenda.  

Besides these flatterers and activists there are those who tale their sexual adventures, at the end of their book the reader learns nothing except for the fact that he wants to fornicate ASAP. Some readers (not some, just all) that buy these books buy them with the intention of arousing their sexual desire. There is nothing to be gained from these books except for the plan to do it with someone.      

The religious books if they are completely theological they are good readings. The problem comes when a writer uses religious passions to find readership. This kind of writers I call ‘Ababa Tesfaye for grownups,’ Ababa Tesfaye uses fascinating Aesopic tales to teach children; the writers for grownups use religious opinions to manage their readers. It’s not such a bad thing but it’s not mature enough. Unless the reader builds his religious and moral thinking on a deeper, firmer philosophical foundation it will easily fall when the wind of doubt gets a little stronger. Like children will outgrow Aesopic tales the adults too will outgrow their ‘grownup Aesopic tales.’ On the other side of this part we find writers who use religious opinions and legends to seduce readers. These are even worse with no use except for book sales, the Ethiopian version of Dan Browns.  

The religious writers (not the Dan Browns, the Ababa Tesfayes) are better-off economically speaking. They are self-published or there are institutions that will sponsor or publish them. They are not like a passionate writer with no penny to his name. They start writing and publishing after they get their earthly affairs in order, probably married and employed too. The true bookworm of a writer is having trouble eating and affording the books he wants to read.

When you go and talk to a publisher about publishing a book the first thing he will want to know is if it’s about Ethiopia or sex. The mood of the book market does swing a lot, for instance this year many publishers are publishing children’s books, just around last week a single self-published writer published more than twenty children’s books he prepared. But in general pornography, patriotism and religion are always in demand.  

This is a hopeless situation. Sadly the major Ethiopian writers are propagandists busy in flattering the reader not instructing. This is a dangerous situation for the country as well. When each writer is busy demonstrating the greatness of Ethiopia others will follow in trying to show who is also great among Ethiopians themselves. Since no one speaks the hard facts everyone will be busy demonstrating the perfection, originality, holiness and ancientness of their traditions. Someone needs to make them love universalities not drive them to pick on each other about particularities.

And so in Ethiopia unlike in Russia there is no one to bless but we don’t know whom to curse. We can’t discuss about things that don’t exist. There isn’t a good universal writer and there isn’t the audience.  To create the audience we needed the writer, to nourish the writer we needed the audience. It’s a vicious cycle of incapability and helplessness.  

March 15, 2016.