Shifta
Encyclopedia
Shifta is term used in Eritrea
, Ethiopia
, Kenya
, and Somalia
for rebel
, outlaw
, or bandit. The word is derived from shúfto. Historically, shifta served as local militia in the lawless rural mountainous regions on the Horn of Africa
. The word shifta can be translated as 'bandit' or 'outlaw', but can include anyone who rebels against an authority or an institution that is seen as illegitimate.
.
In Eritrea during thr British administration, military units were used to police the lawless areas and stop common shifta activity
In Ethiopia, individuals who started as shifta have risen to the level of warlord or Emperor thus legitimizing the concept of shifta itself. Two nineteenth-century shiftas, Kassa Hailu of Gondar
and Kassai Mircha of Tigray
, became respectively, Emperor Tewodros
and Emperor Yohannes
in the later 19th century. Thus the shiftas formed the military elite and became the core of the resistance, using their military skills against the Italians.
A shifta, however, whose acts surpassed social norms would be called t'era-shifta and would be regarded as a thief or bandit. The Italians not surprisingly labelled all shiftas as t'era-shiftas, of the criminal type. Nevertheless, to be described as a shifta, especially during the Italian occupation
, was an honour for an Ethiopian and this was how resistance started and spread.
Both Isaias Afewerki
of Eritrea and Meles Zenawi
of Ethiopia were called shifta when they served respectively as rebel leaders of the EPLF and TPLF.
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, and Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
for rebel
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
, outlaw
Outlaw
In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...
, or bandit. The word is derived from shúfto. Historically, shifta served as local militia in the lawless rural mountainous regions on the Horn of Africa
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...
. The word shifta can be translated as 'bandit' or 'outlaw', but can include anyone who rebels against an authority or an institution that is seen as illegitimate.
Concepts
The term shifta has positive and negative connotations, that of a common bandit and that of a revolutionary; both concepts being distinct but not necessarily mutually exclusive. Shiftas are often considered as highly respected, politically minded outlaws struggling for social order or a political cause. When applied in this context, shiftinnet (being a shifta) in its diverse forms has a social function as a form of conflict resolutionConflict resolution
Conflict resolution is conceptualized as the methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of some social conflict. Often, committed group members attempt to resolve group conflicts by actively communicating information about their conflicting motives or ideologies to the rest...
.
In Eritrea during thr British administration, military units were used to police the lawless areas and stop common shifta activity
In Ethiopia, individuals who started as shifta have risen to the level of warlord or Emperor thus legitimizing the concept of shifta itself. Two nineteenth-century shiftas, Kassa Hailu of Gondar
Gondar
Gondar or Gonder is a city in Ethiopia, which was once the old imperial capital and capital of the historic Begemder Province. As a result, the old province of Begemder is sometimes referred to as Gondar...
and Kassai Mircha of Tigray
Tigray Province
Tigray was a province of Ethiopia. The Tigray Region superseded the province with the adoption of the new constitution in 1995. The province of Tigre merged with its neighboring provinces, including Semien, Tembien, Agame and the prominent Enderta province and towards the end of 19th century it...
, became respectively, Emperor Tewodros
Tewodros II of Ethiopia
Tewodros II was the Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 until his death....
and Emperor Yohannes
Yohannes IV of Ethiopia
Yohannes IV , born Lij Kassay Mercha Ge'ez, was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1872 until his death.-Early life:...
in the later 19th century. Thus the shiftas formed the military elite and became the core of the resistance, using their military skills against the Italians.
A shifta, however, whose acts surpassed social norms would be called t'era-shifta and would be regarded as a thief or bandit. The Italians not surprisingly labelled all shiftas as t'era-shiftas, of the criminal type. Nevertheless, to be described as a shifta, especially during the Italian occupation
Italian East Africa
Italian East Africa was an Italian colonial administrative subdivision established in 1936, resulting from the merger of the Ethiopian Empire with the old colonies of Italian Somaliland and Italian Eritrea. In August 1940, British Somaliland was conquered and annexed to Italian East Africa...
, was an honour for an Ethiopian and this was how resistance started and spread.
Both Isaias Afewerki
Isaias Afewerki
Isaias Afewerki is the first and current President of Eritrea, attaining that status when he led the Eritrean People's Liberation Front to victory in May 1991, thus ending the 30-year old armed liberation struggle that the Eritrean people refer to as "Gedli".-Early life and rise to power:Afewerki...
of Eritrea and Meles Zenawi
Meles Zenawi
Meles Zenawi Asres is the Prime Minister of Ethiopia. Since 1985, he has been chairman of the Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation Front , and is currently head of the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front .Meles was born in Adwa, Tigray in Northern Ethiopia, to an Ethiopian father from...
of Ethiopia were called shifta when they served respectively as rebel leaders of the EPLF and TPLF.
See also
- BrigandageBrigandageBrigandage refers to the life and practice of brigands: highway robbery and plunder, and a brigand is a person who usually lives in a gang and lives by pillage and robbery....
- Shifta WarShifta WarThe Shifta War was a secessionist conflict in which ethnic Somalis in the Northern Frontier District of Kenya attempted to join with their fellow Somalis in a Greater Somalia...
(1963–1967) in northeastern Kenya - KlephtKlephtKlephts were self-appointed armatoloi, anti-Ottoman insurgents, and warlike mountain-folk who lived in the countryside when Greece was a part of the Ottoman Empire...
, a similar status in Greece.