Ethiopianness and Ethiopia in Hade Zanta (A Story) a Pre-Referendum Eritrea Tigrigna Novel

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to describe Ethiopianness and the image of Ethiopia in Hade Zanta (a story), a pre-referendum Eritrea Tigrigna novel, as well as the national identity of the novel. Following the referendum held in June 1993 G.C., without paying attention to the spirit of the time that the texts have been grounded, Eritreans considered that earlier works are Eritrean literatures, including Hade Zanta. The current study was initiated on the basis of this assertion.In order to argue that Hade Zanta is Eritrean and/or Ethiopian Tigrigna literature, it demands looking into its critique and history from the text. Purposive sampling was employed to select themes of national identity. To interpret the novel’s identity endeavors, historicizing and politicizing have been made aligning with the spirit of the time; identity issues of Ethiopianness and Ethiopia were also analyzed by juxtaposing King (Government) and Flag, Heroism, Natural Ecology and Homesickness. The intermingled presentation of story, event, and characters’ experience in the novel in its part magnifies the internal and external image of Ethiopianness and/or Ethiopian; as the historic and political interpretation codes showed, the novel’s national representation, and thus, the novel’s national literary identity is found to be Ethiopian.