Berimba's Resistance

When Balambaras Aike Berinas, also called Baldambe, told me the story of his father, I felt very privileged to be the one to record and translate his exciting narrative, realizing it was a 'historic' moment: Spoken words were being transformed into written ones, and a text with its own distinctive features and literary style was emerging.

The drama of Berimba's Resistance was played out in the hot and rugged terrain of southern Ethiopia where, in the aftermath of the Ethiopian conquest, Berimba (ca. 1875 - 1952) was chosen by the Hamar to act as their spokesman. Baldambe relates in minute detail how Berimba dealt and negotiated with the intruders, and how he resisted their often high-handed rule until eventually he was murdered.

Ivo Strecker is Professor emeritus for Anthropology at the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz.