By Hénock Gugsa ( ሄኖክ ጉግሣ )
Previously, when the spirit has moved me, I have dared to write about some particularly unique aspects of life in Ethiopia. You may call them one man's stubborn forays into cultural, day-to-day phenomena that are taken for granted in Ethiopia. But they could and should certainly fascinate and intrigue Ethiopians and non-Ethiopians in equal measure. Some of you may have already read or sampled my writing on the topics of "meganya" ( meganya መጋኛ) or "the yogurt fly" ( the yogurt fly የ፡ እርጐ፡ ዝንብ). In the same vein, I would like to address here another interesting Ethiopian reality known as: Selabi. [Pronounced … sel-ah-bee ሰላቢ]
Well, what is selabi? I am not really certain of the exact meaning of the word … I must defer that to linguists. But it is my educated guess that it derives from a root word: meseleb, which could mean … to put one over, to blind, to cheat, etc. It is a word highly charged with negative connotations.
A selabi is a person that practices trickery, black magic, and disappearing acts of self or of objects nearby. No good can come of any association with a selabi. It is bad luck, and bad karma to have a selabi around you. After an encounter with a selabi, you could be dispossessed of your mojo, and life can suddenly become a series of missteps and disillusionment. In extreme cases, even your health and well-being could be affected … and that is something to be considered seriously.
Selabi is a close kin to meganya, but in a phantom-like (poltergeist) way. A selabi’s mischief is sly and subtle, and by the time it is detected, it is probably too late for countermeasures. Ethiopian parents protect their children by making them wear some talismans and spell-potions around their necks. It is believed that these items are effective defenses against selabi, meganya, and the pervasive evil-eye!
When the word “selabi” is uttered in any public setting, it is like an alarm bell, a clarion call to stop whatever you're doing and observe your surroundings closely. Saying “selabi” is like shouting “fire!” The significance and urgency of the situation is left up to the people on hand at the time.
To me, “selabi” conjures up images of some sociopathic individual who for obvious or non-obvious reasons sets out to make other people’s lives a misery. A selabi could be one person acting alone, or it could be a group of people working in evil unison to bring about the demise of an individual or another group of people. Even governments can be selabi!
The pseudo-socialist (in reality fascist) government of Mengistu Haile Mariam is a prime example of a selabi institution that did more harm than good in Ethiopia over two decades ago. In a period lasting almost 16 years, Mengistu and his "dergue" (ደርግ) committed atrocious acts on a nation that already had enough on its hands dealing with natural calamities, such as droughts and famine. And in the end, true to form, and like the selabi that he was, Mengistu slipped out of the country and fled to Zimbabwe. To date, he has been living there in luxury after having plundered whatever he could from poor Ethiopia. Not surprisingly, it is no irony that Mengistu has been the honored guest of another selabi who goes by the name of Robert Mugabe.
In conclusion, I say to the reader: be alert, be wary, there may be a selabi near you. Don’t put your trust or faith in strangers. Be doubtful and skeptical of governments and especially of politicians. The media should also come under your close scrutiny especially those that are commercial and yet claim to be free. Question and examine closely everything and everyone! Good faith is only good as an ideal. In reality, trust (እምነት) is just another tool that a selabi could turn and use against you! My apologies for a sour-note exit!
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* “Selabi” ~ © Hénock Gugsa (ሄኖክ ጉግሣ) - 12/26/2011
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