Shifta

Shifta is a term used in East Africa meaning rebel, outlaw, bandit, vigilante, brigand, or patriot originally having a heroic or anti-heroic connotation rather than a villainous characteristic similar to the legendary heroic romanticization of the outlaw Robin Hood in Western Society but over time, especially today, it has taken on a more villainous connotation. [1][2] It is a term mostly used in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Tanzania, and Somalia. The Swahili word was loaned from the Somali shufta during the Shifta War, which is in turn derived from Amharic ሽፍታ (šəfta).[3][4] Historically, the shifta served as a local militia in particularly remote, rural and often lawless parts of 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, like the Arbegnoch guerillas during the Italian occupation of Ethiopia.[5]

Concept

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. They 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 resolution.

In Eritrea, during the British administration, military units were used to police the lawless areas and stop common shifta activity.[6][7]

Ethiopian cavalry in 1770, during the Zemene Mesafint

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[8] of Gondar and Kassa Mercha of Tigray, became Emperor Tewodros and Emperor Yohannes respectively in the late 19th century. Thus the shiftas formed the military elite and became the core of the resistance, using their military skills against the Italians. Conventionally however, a shifta whose acts trespassed social norms would be called t'era-shifta and would be regarded as a thief or bandit. The Italians 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.

In recent times, both prime ministers Isaias Afewerki of Eritrea and Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia were called shifta when they served, respectively, as rebel leaders of the EPLF and TPLF,[9] along with members of the Amhara ethnic nationalist Fano.

See also

References and notes
  1. "Somali Refugees in Kenya". Human Rights Watch. Archived from the original on 2007-03-16. Retrieved 2007-03-29.
  2. "African Banditry Revisted" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-08-11. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
  3. Hamilton, David; Shinn, Thomas P. Ofcansky, Chris Prouty (September 2004). Historical Dictionary of Ethiopia. Scarecrow Pres. ISBN 9780810849105.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. shifta Definition Archived 2008-04-11 at the Wayback Machine, Encarta
  5. "Hunt for tourists moves to Eritrea". Scotland on Sunday. Retrieved 2007-03-29.
  6. "Battling the Shifta in Eritrea". Archived from the original on 2007-02-09. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  7. "THE ROYAL BERKSHIRE REGIMENT THE LAST TWELVE YEARS". Retrieved 2007-04-07.
  8. Jon Abbink; Mirjam de Bruijn, Klaas van Walraven (2003). Rethinking Resistance: revolt and violence in African history. Brill Academic Publishers. pp. 95–96. ISBN 90-04-12624-4.
  9. Abbink, Jon; Mirjam de Bruijn, Klaas van Walraven (September 2003). Rethinking Resistance: Revolt and Violence in African History. Brill Academic Publishers. ISBN 9789004126244.
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