Thank you for your prompt response.

While I see your criticism as fair, I must note that your response either misses the point or avoids it altogether. To address your points about me supposedly making assumptions, I'd have to first disagree with you.

Truth is, I never said you have a bias in favor of the Northern tribes. I merely stated that your source of information is incomplete and shows bias--whatever that source may be. Any allusion I made with regard to you personally goes only as far as your apparent affinity for those with whom you've found historical interest and parallel. That, if we are to judge fairly based on your other articles, is more than a mere assumption. Still, affinity for does not necessarily result in bias. To me, addressing that instead of the main issue seems like an unnecessary distraction.

Regarding the second "assumption," if you read what I said carefully, you should notice that what I said was merely that it "seems" like it. I don't know how you would call that an assumption. This is again another trivial point, in my view. Whatever the source of your information is, it's simply inaccurate.

Another thing I'd like to address, since you made a point of mentioning the locals there as one of your sources, is that the average (educated) Ethiopian is notoriously ignorant about Ethiopia's true history. Until very recently, and in many circles even today, there persists a historical fairy tale regarding the origin of the Oromo, ranging from the ridiculous (Madagascar), to the implausible (southern Africa), to the absurd (the sea).

Since much of the source of historical information taught in schools comes from annals of the Orthodox bishops and other historical scribes in the monarchy, such fairy tales have often been promulgated by the educational institutions and consumed by the ignorant public who've been given no reason to think otherwise. Of course what you read isn't directly from there, but that's another topic.

If you ever go back there again, just ask any "expert" on Ethiopian history, let alone your more likely misinformed guides, regarding when the numerically most dominant Ethnic group in the region (numbering 30-35 Million) is supposed to have appeared on the scene. They'll have absolutely no qualms about telling you that they arrived en masse less than 400 years ago from the obscure "south" or Lord knows where, with no trace of them anywhere else on the continent. How any serious person reconciles this with rationale is a mystery to me.

Anyway, my apologies for another lengthy post. I didn't mean to write an essay. But it seemed I had to make these points, even if reading it may take one ad nauseam. Now, going back to the main issue of Addis Abeba, I would still ask that you update your article, unless you have reason to disagree with the alternate account. Plenty of historical reference if you'd like.

Regards


P.S.

Btw, I wouldn't have asked what region your driver/translator is from. It's wrong of you to assume that his region would have mattered to me.

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