Mereja Forum

[Fiyameta]

I heard a veteran Eritrean fighter recite the following words in a poem, but I'm unable to decipher the metaphor he used to describe a certain situation. Can you please help? Thanks in advance.

ህዝቢ ኤርትራ ባዕሉ ጎቦ ኮይኑ፣ አብቲ ጎቦ 'ውን ተጸጊዑ።

[sesame]

ህዝቢ ኤርትራ ባዕሉ ጎቦ ኮይኑ፣ አብቲ ጎቦ 'ውን ተጸጊዑ።

There is a saying “ወይ ጎቦ ኹን፡ ወይ ድማ ኣብ ጎቦ ተጸጋዕ". If you are an Eritrean then "ጎቦ ትኸውን" and rely on yourself, i.e., "አብቲ ጎቦ ትጽጋዕ" , and if you are an Agame then you are always looking for someone else to take care of you, that is, you look for a mountain to rely on, or "ኣብ ጎቦ ትጽጋዕ".

[Fiyameta]

ህዝቢ ኤርትራ ባዕሉ ጎቦ ኮይኑ፣ አብቲ ጎቦ 'ውን ተጸጊዑ።

There is a saying “ወይ ጎቦ ኹን፡ ወይ ድማ ኣብ ጎቦ ተጸጋዕ". If you are an Eritrean then "ጎቦ ትኸውን" and rely on yourself, i.e., "አብቲ ጎቦ ትጽጋዕ" , and if you are an Agame then you are always looking for someone else to take care of you, that is, you look for a mountain to rely on, or "ኣብ ጎቦ ትጽጋዕ".

Thank you, brother Sesame. I appreciate it. The poem makes perfect sense, now that you have helped me find the meaning in the metaphor. It's true that whenever you rely on a powerful "ally" to promote your whatever cause, promoting the interests of your "ally" becomes of a paramount importance over your own self interest, creating a master/slave relationship.

Ethiopia under PM Abiy finds itself today on the receiving end of a mean-spirited media smear campaign carried out by its former "allies", due to its attempt to promote its own national interest. It's a small price to pay to get a greater but delayed reward. People with higher IQ choose delayed rewards more often than those in the lower IQ group when they are exposed to challenging situations.