Editor's note: why Adyabo Times exists
Opinion. A space for Tigrayan voices to explain their own history and argue about their own future.
Tigray's story is told every day, but rarely by the people living it. Governments describe it in statements. Foreign newspapers describe it in a few paragraphs between other crises. Social media turns it into slogans. Too often, the people of places like Adyabo appear only as numbers: displaced, killed, in need.
Adyabo Times exists to change that, in a small way.
I grew up knowing Adyabo as a place of farmers, traders, families and long memories. The wars of recent years did not erase that, but they buried much of it under fear and grief. Now, with fighting returning and the peace agreement in ruins, it matters more than ever that we write down what happened and what is happening, in our own words.
What we will publish
\\Reporting.\\ We will stick to what can be verified. When the federal government, the TPLF, the interim administration or anyone else makes a claim, we will say who said it. When we don't know something, we will say so.
\\History.\\ Today's crisis did not start in 2020, and it will not be understood without the decades before it. We will explain that history plainly.
\\Testimony.\\ We want to record the experiences of people from Adyabo and across Tigray: what they lived through, what they lost, and what they still hope for. No one will be named without their consent.
\\Opinion.\\ Opinion pieces will be clearly labelled. That includes my own.
What we ask of readers
Read critically, including what we write. Tell us when we get something wrong, and we will correct it openly. Send us your stories. Disagree with us when you think we are mistaken.
Tigray's future will be argued over for years. Tigrayans should be at the centre of that argument, not on the edges of it.
This is our contribution.
— The Editor, Adyabo Times