Afarvänner i Sverige
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Afarvänner i Sverige
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The Afar people and their land in the Horn of Africa
Pre-historic times In the Ethiopian parts of the Afar region, the two oldest finds of pre-historic man so far were discovered. In 1974, the first famous find – an Australopithecus afarensis – was made. It is also known by the name of “Lucy” and she lived 3.5 million years ago. In 1994, another fossil of pre-historic man was found, the Ardipithecus ramidus. This time, it was a man who had lived 4.5 million years ago.
The older fossil was found in Aramis and the younger in Hadar. Both localities are situated along the Awash River, which runs through the Afar region in the Horn of Africa.
The most recent find was made in the spring of 2003 on the same spot and it was named Idaltu, which means “the elder” in the Afar language. This is the oldest find ever of the species of Homo sapiens. The fact that the find is 160 000 years old indicates that, in fact, the cradle of humankind lies in the Afar country. The Afar people are considered to be one of the oldest people in the Horn of Africa.
Historic times Etymologically it is accepted that the words “Africa” and “African” are derived from the word Afar. It is an historical fact that the Afar people have lived in the region long before the time of ancient Egypt and the Pharaohs. It is also considered a fact that the Afar people are the original inhabitants of the region.
Thousands of years before Christ, the Afar country (also known as the Afar Triangle) became the first African country of which the old Egyptians knew. From time immemorial, trading and other contacts were made between the Egyptians and the Afar people along the shores of the Red Sea. During the prospering ancient Egyptian culture, the Egyptians imported luxury articles such as incense, tea, ebony and salt from the Afar country. Trading also took place between the Afar people and the Phoenicians, who referred to the Afar country as Bakhur (incense).
The Afar also had relations with the Romans, who called the Afar coastal area “the unknown land”. The Persians were also aware of the country through trading, and they called it by its proper name, i.e., Afar. In this connection, the Somali author Ibrahim Mah says, in his book “The third defeat” on page 36: “If we look back in time we understand that during the past 2000 years there has been a succession of names linked to the Horn of Africa. Before Christ, the entire region was called Pount, after that it was named Afar. The Afar are a semi-nomadic people and they live of the land.”
Already in the 10th century, well organised kingdoms were functioning in the area. The first Dulum transformed into the Sultanate of Ankala in the 13th century, which turned into the Sultanate of Adal in the 16th century.
Long before the establishment of colonialism in the end of the 19th century, the Afar Triangle, which has an area of approximately 250 000 km2, has attracted powerful countries around the world. The geographical location of the Afar country has since long caused the Afar people to be subjected to various kinds of external aggressions. They have a long history of occupational wars. In the 13th century, it was attacked by Portuguese forces and, during the centuries that followed, they were continuously attacked by Turkish, Egyptian and Abyssinian forces until the beginning of the 20th century when Ethiopia was in the making.
Colonial times In the end of the 19th century, France and Italy sent their envoys to the Horn of Africa in order to come to an “agreement” with the partly independent Afar sultans from the Adal Sultanate, which was unsettled at the time due to incessant attacks from the Abyssinian highlands. As France, as well as Italy, promised military protection for the Afar Triangle in exchange for being allowed to build and use harbours along the Red Sea’s coastal line, the Afar sultans trusted them. Italy was given access to Assab (today Eritrea) and France to Obock (today Djibouti).
After some time, both France and Italy forged the agreements and split the Afar Triangle between them. The Afar leaders had no idea that the European great powers were planning to divide the entire continent between them, something that was decided in Berlin 1884-85. The North Eastern parts of the Afar country was incorporated into the new Italian colony, which was named Eritrea. The South Eastern parts fell in the hands of France who called the new colony the Territory of Obock. Afar sultans protested but the very badly equipped Afar army could not resist the European invasion troops that were equipped with technologically advanced weapons.
As late as after the Second Word War the Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie took the only part of the Afar country that was still independent, i.e., the Western part. He occupied it, aided by the Western countries. The Afar people protested this agreement and tried to resist. The king in Addis Ababa, who had the total support of the Western world, countered with overthrowing the Afar sultan in Awsa in 1942 and replacing him with a nephew who was loyal to him.
Present time The Afar people live under very difficult conditions. They inhabit one of the hottest and driest areas in the world – the Afar Triangle, which stretches over the boarders of Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti on the Horn of Africa. As pastoralists they are completely dependent on being able to roam freely, which is necessary to find water for their animals. This, however, has become increasingly difficult as the river banks are brought under cultivation and the political boarders, which are little known to the animals, are highly palpable.
In the wake of these circumstances the humanitarian situation is difficult. The men need to leave their families in order to find pasture for the animals. The women are left to themselves to tend for the children without being able to influence their situation would something unexpected occur, e.g., illness or accidents. Epidemics are numerous, such as, deadly diarrhoeas. Outbreaks of malaria and tuberculosis also occur frequently – illnesses that can be treated were the medicines available. In this exposed situation, however, the diseases quickly become life threatening.
The practice of FGM (female genital mutilation) aggravates the situation further. It leads to complications both during childbirth and during the actual operation, and it is associated with much suffering. Infections are frequent.
In addition, HIV/AIDS is a huge problem. Prostitution is common in the conglomerations that build along the highway between Addis Abeba and Djibouti. Polygamy and the custom of men taking over the wives of their dead relatives help to propagate the disease even further.
The Afar people have not had any opportunity to assert themselves in regional or international contexts. Most are illiterate and, being pastoralists and semi-nomadic, they live far away from modern society, marginalised and isolated in their respective countries.
International organisations for human rights, for example, Human Right Watch and Amnesty International, often report on a shortage of human rights on the Horn of Africa. Humanitarian organisations do not have free access to certain areas.
It is important that help reaches these people before it is too late. What can I do?What can I, as a Swede in Sweden, do? Can I do anything at all?
We believe that it is possible for Swedes to join with Swedish Afars to influence public opinion and exert influence. Modern technology opens ways for us to help by seeing to that development aid reaches those that need it the most. This helps to alleviate the situation for the Afar people. Every contribution makes a difference.
If you want to improve upon the fundamental human rights in this part of the world, you are very welcome to join us!
We aim at:
ContactHamad Yacin Issa, tel +46 (0)18-30 40 79
Postgiro: 480 33 73-2
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Last changed: 06 maj 2010 |
