GlobalPost
By James Jeffrey
May 24, 2018

The necklace was given to the institute by the descendants of Robert Napier, one of the most famous British generals of the imperial era, who in 1868 led an expedition to release British hostages being held in then Abyssinia by Emperor Tewodros.

After defeating the emperor’s forces and ransacking his mountaintop fortress at Maqdala, the victorious troops carted away — on 15 elephants and hundreds of donkeys — looted treasure to the Horn of Africa coast and back to the UK.

The complex issue of what to do with art and objects looted from Africa and now residing in museums across America and Europe has dragged on without resolution for years, though recently there appears an increasing willingness to engage with the conundrum at various levels.

Last November, during a visit to the West African country of Burkina Faso, President Emmanuel Macron of France described the restoration of African artifacts as a “top priority” for his country and that “African heritage cannot be a prisoner of European museums.”

Meanwhile, at the start of April, London’s Victoria and Albert Museum opened a new exhibition, “Maqdela 1868,” to mark the 150th anniversary of the battle and to confront the collection’s controversial background.

“They are stunning pieces with a complex history,” says Tristram Hunt, the Victoria and Albert museum’s director. “We want to better reflect on the history of these artifacts in our collection — tracing their origins and then confronting the difficult and complex issues which arise.”

“Camp at Zoola,” Abyssinia Expedition 1868-9, panoramic photograph by the Royal Engineers.

Credit: Courtesy Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

The looting caused much consternation in England at the time. Prime Minister William Gladstone condemned the taking of treasures from Maqdala and “deeply lamented, for the sake of the country, and for the sake of all concerned, that these articles … were thought fit to be brought away by a British army,” Hunt says. Gladstone urged that they “be held only until they could be restored.”

In addition to the necklace returned by the Napier family, there have been other notable restorations over the years. A famous biblical text, the Kebra Nagast, was released by the British Museum in 1872 to the new Abyssinian King Yoannes, on the order of Queen Victoria herself. An imperial crown, throne, cap and seal have also been returned. But these have been exceptions to the general rule.

In 2007 former Ethiopian President Girma Wolde-Giorgis made a formal request for the return of the remains of Theodore’s son Alemayehu who, following his father’s death, was taken to Britain aged 7 to be looked after. He succumbed to illness, dying aged 19 and is buried at Windsor Castle.

“The inclusion of [a photo of Alemayehu] in the display juxtaposes Alemayehu with some of the other great treasures taken from Ethiopia, reminding us that not only material possessions were lost to the British forces,” Hunt says.

A photograph of Prince Alamayou taken on the Isle of Wight by Julia Margaret Cameron, July 1868.

Credit:Courtesy Victoria and Albert Museum, London, with thanks to Mrs. Ida Perrin, 1939.

Girma’s request was reportedly turned down based on potential damage an exhumation might cause to the surrounding graves.

“Why are the remains of Prince Alemayehu still in Britain?” says Alexander Herman, assistant director of the Institute of Art and Law, an educational organization focused on law relating to cultural heritage. “After years of requests, the monarchs have responded either by refusal or silence. But perhaps the time has come to do the honorable thing and return the remains to the country with the most obvious historical and cultural connection to them.”

Before his death in 2017, the historian Richard Pankhurst, recognized as arguably the most prolific scholar in the field of Ethiopian studies and who spent much of his life in Ethiopia, had long campaigned —  unsuccessfully — for the return of about 350 manuscripts taken from Maqdala that ended up in the British Library (he was successful with the restoration of a giant obelisk taken by the Italians in 1937 being returned to the northern Ethiopian city of Axum in 2005).

“The British Library is responsible for preserving, researching and providing access to the collections in our custodianship,” says Luisa Mengoni, head of the library’s Asian and African Collections. “Our priority is to make the library’s collection of Ethiopian manuscripts fully accessible on-site and online so that they can be researched and viewed by as many people as possible from across the world.”

The ongoing debate sees technology playing an increasing role.

“The technology of replicas now makes it easy to reproduce objects such as manuscripts and copies could be left in UK institutions and the originals sent to Ethiopia, or, if not acceptable, the reverse for now, with the possibility of exchange of replicas for originals later,” says Alula Pankhurst, the son of Richard Pankhurst and an Ethiopia expert himself.

But the role of technology is seen differently by those at the British Library.

“We have both a growing opportunity and growing responsibility to use the potential of digital to increase access for people across the world to the intellectual heritage that we safeguard,” Mengoni says. As a result, she explains, during the next two years the library aims to digitize some 250 manuscripts from the Ethiopian collection, with 25 manuscripts already available online in full for the first time through its Digitised Manuscripts website.

Another potential dilemma over whether artifacts are loaned or returned to their lands of origins is how museums currently housing items decide whether African institutions are fit to take care of such artifacts. This approach, however, is problematic for some, who argue it expresses a paternalistic attitude toward Africa that smacks of “neo-colonialism.”

Cotton dress embroidered with silk, said to have belonged to Queen Woyzaro Terunesh, made in the 1860s, given by the Secretary of State for India.

Credit: Courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

“It’s true that the level of care and quality in Britain is much better than ours, but if you come to the Institute of Ethiopian Studies you can see how well [items previously returned] are kept and made available to the public,” says Andreas Eshete, a former president of Addis Ababa University — which houses the institute — and, who co-founded the Association for the Return of the Maqdala Ethiopian Treasures (AFROMET), which has engaged with the British parliament over Maqdala.

Another potential problem with restorations, some argue, is that African borders were drawn by European powers during the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 without reference to the boundaries existing at the time — hence it would be hard to decide where older artifacts belong.

The Maqdala manuscripts pose a particular conundrum as they had been looted by Tewodros himself, says Yves Marie Stranger, editor of “Ethiopia: Through Writers’ Eyes.” So the British stole already stolen items.

For now the debate continues, on the whole, relatively amiably, with cooperation already occurring between both sides. While preparing the Maqdala exhibition, the V&A Museum collaborated with the Ethiopian Embassy in London and local Ethiopian diaspora community to enable “a vital new understanding of the collection’s significance,” Hunt says.

In February 2018, the Ethiopian ambassador gave a speech at the opening of the library’s free display titled “African Scribes: Manuscript Culture of Ethiopia,” which aims to raise the profile of the tradition of Ethiopian scribes and make these manuscripts known to a wider public. The library has previously also worked with Ethiopia’s Ministry of Culture, the Institute of Ethiopian Studies and the Anglo-Ethiopian Society.

“We recognize the huge significance that the manuscripts have for many in Ethiopia and for many others around the world,” Mengoni says.

When talking to both sides of the debate, it becomes notable that at a certain level each side is united and in agreement: These objects are unique, often beautiful, represent important elements of Ethiopian culture and history, and need to be preserved and made available to educate and inform.

“While some restituionists may grumble that the majority of items have not been returned, much has been done to spread the knowledge of their existence — and great artistry — to Ethiopian scholars, and to the world at large,” Herman says.

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Daniel Mumbere

Ethiopia’s prime minister, Abiy Ahmed has met with representatives of exiled opposition party, the Oromo Democratic Front (ODF) after the latter agreed to participate in Ethiopia’s political discourse peacefully.

ODF had confirmed in a May 13, 2018 statement that it had reached an agreement with the government after talks at an undisclosed location to return to the country to partake in the democratic process.

The ODF leaders, led by Lencho Leta, Chairman of the Front, arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Wednesday.

Upon arrival at the Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Leta told journalist that the outcome of the talks would inform ODF’s participation in Ethiopia’s politics.

‘‘Based on conditions and how our talks with the government of Ethiopia turn out, ODF will decide to operate as a legal political party on its own or by forming alliances with other political parties,’‘ Leta is quoted to have said.

State broadcaster, Fana BC reported that both parties have agreed to work together to foster Ethiopia’s national unity and deepen the democratic process.

Leta added that his party agreed to return home after being encouraged by ongoing democratic reforms. He also called upon other political parties based in the diaspora to return to the country.

Ethiopia takes reform path to quell protests

The ruling party has since the beginning of this year released political prisoners, changed leadership from Hailemariam Desalegn and closed the notorious Maekelawi prsion.

The new premier who took office on April 2 has since toured several regions of the country and met with opposition leaders, pledging reform and steer the country away from destructive politics of intimidation and repression of dissenting voices.

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Africa Day Prof Mammo Muchie SBS Amharic

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Daniel Mumbere

Angolan journalist Rafael Marques has won a top press freedom award for braving decades of government harassment in his quest to fight corruption through journalism.

The journalist who has been jailed in the past for reporting on the plunder of Angola’s natural resources, was named ‘World Press Freedom Hero’ by the International Press Institute (IPI).

About the World Press Freedom Hero award
IPI’s World Press Freedom Hero award honours journalists who have made significant contributions to the promotion of press freedom, particularly in the face of great personal risk.

I am honoured because this award comes at a time when I am on trial for exposing high-level corruption, while President Lourenço claims to be fighting it.

The award will be presented to Marques on June 22 in Abuja, Nigeria at the IPI’s annual World Congress and General Assembly. IPI will also present the 2018 Free Media Pioneer Award to Philippine news website Rappler.

Marques, an anti-corruption crusader
Marques started his journalism career reporting for state-owned newspaper Jornal de Angola in 1992, but he was soon fired after failing to favorably report on the government as expected.

In 2008, after years of writing for independent outlets in Angola and authoring numerous reports on human rights violations, Marques founded the watchdog website Maka Angola, which provides investigative coverage of corruption involving top Angolan political, business and military leaders.

His reports which have often called out former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos and his cronies for corruption, incompetence and sabotage of the national economy have earned Marques persecution and harassment.

In 1999, he was arrested and charged with defamation after describing president dos Santos as a dictator. He spent 43 days in pre-trial detention before being convicted and given a six-month prison term in March 2000. Angola’s Supreme Court later reduced the penalty to a suspended sentence.

IPI Executive Director Barbara Trionfi hailed Marques for his dedication to pursuing truth at all costs.

“Despite Angola’s systematic repression of independent media, Rafael Marques has managed, at great personal risk, to bravely and persistently shine a light on abuse of power at the highest levels”, she said.

Reforms in the post dos Santos era?
Marques welcomed the award as ‘wonderful news’.

“I am honoured because this award comes at a time when I am on trial for exposing high-level corruption, while President Lourenço claims to be fighting it,’‘ Marques remarked.

Marques and a colleague, Mariano Brás Lourenço are battling a court case where they are accused of insulting a public authority over a 2016 article scrutinizing a real-estate transaction involving Angola’s then attorney-general.

The pair face up to four years in prison if convicted. The case has raised doubts about possible democratic reform in Angola under President João Lourenço, who succeeded dos Santos last year.

Previous winners of the award include Ethiopian journalist and blogger Eskinder Nega, who spent nearly six years in prison before being freed in February 2018. He was named the 2017 World Press Freedom Hero.

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Ayah Aman May 25, 2018

CAIRO — In an effort to break the stalemate between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the round of negotiations held between the three countries’ foreign ministers, irrigation and water ministers, and heads of intelligence ended May 15 in Addis Ababa with the signing of a document containing five clauses.

The aim of the document is to create a new road map that would avoid procrastination and have the three countries renew their pledge to cooperate in accordance with the Declaration of Principles signed in March 2015.

Ayah Aman is an Egyptian journalist for Al-Shorouk specializing in Africa and the Nile Basin, Turkey and Iran and Egyptian social issues. On Twitter: @ayahaman

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ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopia says it is releasing an Ethiopia-born British national detained in Yemen in 2014 under the country’s infamous anti-terror law.

Andargachew Tsige was secretary-general of the opposition group Ginbot 7 based mainly in Ethiopia’s arch- foe Eritrea.

The state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate reports that Andargachew was pardoned under “special circumstances” with the intervention of the attorney general. The report says close to 600 people are being released in all.

Britain had been trying to secure Andargachew’s release since his arrest.

Ethiopia’s new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was installed in April and has since secured the release of several thousands of prisoners, including high-profile politicians and journalists.

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Human Rights Crisis in Ethiopia and the Implications of Accountable Government in East Africa:

Amnesty International has been at the forefront, exposing atrocities committed by the TPLF (Tigrean People’s Liberation Front) regime in Ethiopia for the past twenty-seven years. Those atrocities include the killing of hundreds of peaceful demonstrators, arbitrary detentions by security forces, extrajudicial executions, Inhumane torture in prisons and intentionally orchestrated ethnic cleansing, which resulted in displacements of tens of thousands. Along with other human rights organizations Amnesty has played a significant role in demanding and pressuring for the release of political prisoners languishing in TPLF prisons. The two Ethiopians coming to New York on June 8, 2018 are among the few political prisoners recently released from prison.

Human rights issues are not known to be limited by boundaries, and Ethiopia’s case is no exception. The recent flow of thousands of Ethiopians to Kenya is an example of how one country’s human rights issues could easily spill over and destabilize a neighboring nation and the whole region.

Eskinder Nega: A prominent award-winning Ethiopian journalist, blogger and human rights activist. Eskinder and his wife founded his first newspaper, “Ethiopis,” in 1993, published in Addis Ababa. Due to his writing, he has been jailed more than six times. Their publications were later banned and the TPLF denied them licenses to launch new newspapers. In 2006 he was arrested with his beloved and pregnant wife, Serkalem Fasil, who was also a journalist. The cruel regime kept her in prison denying her basic medical checkups until the last minute, resulting in her delivering the baby in jail. Eskinder was later sentenced to eighteen years.

The charge against Eskinder included conspiring with a banned opposition party called Patriotic Ginbot- 7 to overthrow the government. While Eskinder has no affiliation with the group, false evidence was orchestrated by the regime’s intelligence services which is well known for presenting such evidence to a “kangaroo court,” full of judges that are TPLF members. The state television channel, which is also a propaganda machine for the regime, shamelessly labelled Eskinder and the other journalists as “spies for foreign forces.” Ethiopians love Eskinder because of his dedication to the struggle towards democracy and they know that his only crime was publishing the truth. Eskinder was recently released from prison in February of 2018 after serving seven years in prison.

    Bekele Gerba: An Ethiopian Academician and the Deputy Chairman of the opposition party, “The Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC),” is a leading figure advocating for nonviolent struggle which unfortunately is considered as a crime by the autocratic TPLF regime. His last arrest took place shortly after some peaceful anti-government protests in 2015. Security forces surrounded his home, terrorized his family and took him to the notorious Maekelawi prison. He was released in February 2018 after serving close to three years in captivity. While he was in prison, he translated Martin Luther King’s book “I have a Dream” into the Oromo Language.

Bekele was sentenced to prison for false crimes by the TPLF judges who had no consideration for the law and only cared about their party affiliations. He was beaten to unconsciousness during interrogations and was held incommunicado for months while his health was deteriorating. Based on his recent VOA interview, Bekele has witnessed so many atrocities committed by the ruthless regime while in prison, including a healthy man losing both his legs to torture by the TPLF cadres. Despite all he witnessed and personally endured, he is still hopeful and determined that Ethiopia will have a democratic system that treats all its people equal after 27 years of cruel ethnocentric dictatorship. Ethiopians love Bekele for his perseverance and determination towards establishing a democratic Ethiopia.

We would like to thank Amnesty International Bronx Chapter President Nick Ogutu, his staff and the African diaspora, for organizing the event and inviting these prominent East African Figures (including Professor Bekele Gerba, Eskinder Nega, Dr. Awol Allo, Hon. James Orengo, and Irungu Houghton) to New York.

Please register for the event using the following link:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ethiopia-humanitarian-crisis-and-implications-for-accountable-governments-in-east-africa-tickets-46081354572

NY/NJ Ethiopians Task Force (www.ethionynj.com)

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By Tadesse Nigatu

Introduction

The lessons from history is that, humans are the main actors who shape their own future through their actions. Their actions are guided by their wills, wants, attitudes and perceptions of the future. With the right wills, wants and attitudes, Ethiopians, can create a better future for ourselves. This write-up depicts one optimistic scenario which KERRO, FANNO, ZERMMA, NEBRRO, and WODELLA type grass-root movement of Ethiopians can change the current unbearable situation into a pleasant future by weaving education, technology, democracy and ethical conducts and jump to modernity. Since the most important asset of a nation is the co-coordinated efforts of its citizens, grounded on a clear vision, integrity, positive attitude, strong will and commitment, it is possible that ordinary Ethiopians can build a better future.

The Ethiopia 2048 scenario puts together an optimistic future for Ethiopia that Ethiopians ourselves could build. Scenario construction is one of the predictive tools used to envision what could happen. Scenario construction method helps to scan the future, which, in turn helps to construct a future story to enable one to see what could happen if certain actions are taken today. By doing so, the method encourages to take certain actions which could result in the realization of the story. Of course, the scenario has to be plausible. And to be plausible, a scenario should be clearly anchored in both past and present facts. Scenario is not a construction of wish lists. It is rather a picture of the future painted from what is possible. The scenario must be grounded on facts that exist today.

One of the facts is that Ethiopia has millions of sons and daughters who are capable and willing to change their future for the better. That they want to build society free of abject poverty, political repression, inequality and injustice is tangible. If these millions can construct an optimistic future story and participate to realize the likelihood of its plausibility is very high.

If we take a holistic approach to the society’s fundamental activities such as good Governance, Economics, Educational, Technological/scientific, Health, Environmental, and Ethical practices as interdependent and we self-organize around them starting at basic societal levels such as family, we can gradually progress to national level. The interconnected, interdependent and inseparable nature of those major activities in the country is accurately reflected by systems thinking world outlook. As such, making system thinking part of the scenario construction can serve us dependably: as we strive to change our nation by outlining practical actions. Viewing the fundamentals of Ethiopia as interconnected and interdependent rather than as isolated, can speed our development by synergizing each effort to build an Ethiopia where every citizen enjoys a standard of living of an advanced nation by 2048, in thirty years, that is.

Can we really do it in thirty years?

It goes without saying that this is an ambitious scenario. But most optimist scenarios are ambitious by their nature. The question is: are thirty years enough?   Can you believe that over 40 years flew by, just between the military junta known as Derg and the repressive EPRDF alone? Yes, leap-frogging to an advanced nation in 30 years appears unreasonable.  But if most patriotic Ethiopians decide to attack the multi-faceted national problems from multiple directions and move step by step, we can implement the dreams of the scenario. Nowadays, thanks to the advances in technology, we do not have to go through the zigzag roads the advanced nations took during the last three hundred years. If the patriotic and skilled Ethiopians begin to THINK BIG and utilize the potent power of peaceful grass-root movement of millions, cooperation, strict discipline and technological advances in various fields including solar energy, the Internet, cell phone etc., it is achievable in thirty years.

As you read what follows, put yourself in 2048, and look back (back cast) to the present to see what were done to get there.

The Beginning

Most Ethiopians loved their country and each other as always. In many occasions, they did what they thought were good for their country. The political organizations fought for political reforms. Educators have been at the forefront of education and educational reforms. Ethiopian students stood for social and political changes. Farmers and workers not only struggled for democratic and labor right, but also created the products to sustain our lives. Medical doctors and nurses took care of the sick. Journalists wrote and spoke the truth. Musicians and artists entertained and motivated us to be good to each other and be patriotic.  Business people and entrepreneurs created new wealth and looked for a corruption-free economy. Environmental groups worked to stop environmental deterioration. Ethiopians in the diaspora not only provided financial support to families but also cried for democracy and justice in their country. But, despite all the efforts both from within and out their country, millions of Ethiopians, were not able to make meaningful progress. It was still one of the poorest.  The main reason for their failure was that they were betrayed by their past and present governments which they thrusted and depended on.

As time went by, citizens figured out that rather than depend on the undemocratic governments, their needs would be met if they depended on their own collective efforts and if they put their futures in their own hands Just like the KEERROS, the FANNOS, THE ZERMAS, THE NEBRROS did recently. So, citizens began to recognize the need to break the silo and come together to bring meaningful change to their country. Thanks to the efforts by few change agents, all the groups (not just the political groups but also the workers, farmers, teachers, students, women, journalists, musicians etc.) started discussions among themselves as to how to coordinate their previously isolated activities to create synergy to address their immediate challenges and develop the nation for the long term.

Eventually, those discussions and interactions led to repeated conferences and then to the formation of coordinating body. That coordinating body took a step to develop a unifying theme which all groups could agree upon. That led to the identification of goals that are common to all.

In one big conference that took place sometime in the summer of 2018, the representatives of all the groups agreed to leapfrog Ethiopia from underdeveloped to developed nation by 2048. They then decided to unite their loosely connected associations with vision and mission and named their umbrella association

Ethiopia 2048 movement. As starter, they agreed on the following guide lines and resolved to implement them starting at individual level.

1. Recognize every citizen has power. The will power that citizens possess individually as well as collectively is the only asset that a nation can harness to move forward and develop.  Development is the business of citizens.  So, to empower every Ethiopian to be responsible and accountable for their collective destiny is the primary task of the movement. Citizens must recognize that they are the source of creativity, knowledge and wealth. When they respect and listen to each other and work cooperatively they can do miracles.  In Ethiopia 2048 Ethiopians need to harness this collective power to win over poverty, ignorance, diseases and tyranny. Then, use that achievement as stepping stone to further develop the nation, stage step by step.
2. Recognize the important role of ethical practices. That is, to be good, fair, honest, caring and responsible to fellow citizen and your society. Develop Ethical guide lines and promote their implementations by every member of the Ethiopian society. To strengthen the ethical practices in every aspect of life use the power of music, art and literature to reinforce ethical practices at every level starting from home. Ethical citizens can create an Ethical nation by freeing ourselves from subjugation, injustice and corruption one citizens at a time.

1. Practice democracy, justice, equality, peace and cooperation starting at family and community level and then proceed to regional and national levels to pave the way for good governance and economic development. If most of the citizens possess these values, the nation would possess them as well. Encourage dialogue and discussion to solve disagreements in peaceful manner.

1. Protect our environment. Teach that every citizen has the obligation to restore and protect the environment. Create the awareness among the citizens that without our forests, fertile soils, rivers, and its natural habitats we will not have home called Ethiopia.

1. Seek peaceful methods to engage with the powers to be, including governments and international organizations to achieve the Ethiopia 2048 goals.

The above agreed upon guide lines led to the formulation of vision and mission statements as well as bylaws.

Vision: Developed Ethiopia that becomes a member of the advanced nations by 2048.

Mission:

Starting at grass-root (family, friends and community) level in small communities

• Empower citizens to teach each other and expand literacy and skills training and education at all levels
• Expand the application of traditional and modern technology and entrepreneurship to grow the economy and improve living conditions.
• Implement democratic and ethical principles in every activity
• Apply the principles of sustainable development to protect the health of people and the environment
• Utilize music, art and literature as motivational tools to reach the objectives of Ethiopia 2048

Agents of the movement started working to disseminate the ideals of Ethiopia 2048 and encouraged Ethiopians all over the world to join or form the grass-root movement. To that end they launched a web site and facebook, published newsletter and acquired radio and Television Stations to reach millions of Ethiopians.  The movement was legally incorporated in Ethiopia and in various nations and states around the world where significant number of Ethiopians lived. The branch organizations were free to do what they felt was important to accomplish the mission.

Moving Forward

The huge task of the Ethiopia 2048 movement was divided into seven key functional areas, namely, economic, political, educational, technological, healthcare, environmental and ethical movement. Appropriate organs were also formed for each function by skilled volunteers. Each functional organ developed short and long-term objectives, structures and rules for the respective teams starting at community, all the way to national levels to synergize the efforts of the movements at every level.

Activities were taking place community by community and district by district all over the country in almost identical manner and within reasonable timing as this was the intention of the 2048 movement to bring a uniform development in every part of the nation. When working on the key functions, they were treated as integrated and inseparable as if one depends on the others. That is, work on each function is done parallel with the others staring at grass-root communities.

The implementation of Ethiopia 2048 is divided in three-ten-year time plots. The remaining part of the scenario is divided in to three ten-year terms.

The First Ten Years

The goals of the movement for the first ten years was to reduce poverty, eliminate illiteracy, reduce disease and slow deforestation. Accomplishing these required concerted efforts from locally formed teams around the major activities of the movements namely economic, technological, health, environmental ethics and good governance issues.

Since Ethiopia’s economy was largely agricultural, the focus of the movement of that period was to improve harvest by changing agricultural practices. One starting point was to identify ways to improve farming productivity. Farming brings together plant seeds, soil, watering, farming equipment to facilitate the growing and harvesting agricultural produce. The experts of the movement in each field equipped with the best practices in each aspect of farming started training farmers with the best know-how to improve farming. As part of that process, Agricultural engineers, extension workers and college students in the field (from technology team) looked at traditional farming techniques and selected as to what should be preserved and maintained and what should be changed. The team also, identified other farming methods from other cultures that gave improved harvest. The best farming equipment, soil handling, water delivery (irrigation) and seeds were identified and applying them began.

With help from mechanical and industrial engineering students, professors in local colleges, and engineers in the field built several prototype farming equipment and evaluated in farm fields and the better ones selected.  Then farmers were introduced and trained in the new farming techniques. In the meantime, businessmen and investors were encouraged to collaborate with metalwork and woodwork shops in the community to manufacture the improved farm equipment and make them available to farmers at affordable price. The goal to transfer best practices in farming skills and technologies were made available to farmers in very reasonable time. The fact that farmers were encouraged to be open minded to accept new ideas and practices made the change easy.

Striving for continuous improvement was a key aspect in dealing with traditional technologists such as black smith, wood workers and equipment makers. To that end, engineering departments of nearby colleges were encouraged all the time to work with those technologists to improve farming equipment so that they save labor and increase productivity. Gradually, productive and affordable farm machineries were made available to cooperatives and individual farmers through small interest loans. Financial support that assisted that type of loans were made available by the diaspora who backed the Ethiopia 2048.

Plant scientists came with variety of drought resistant plants to improve yield in areas where rain is small or unpredictable. Also, animal science experts in the movement trained farmers in the best practice of animal husbandry to breed healthy domestic animals.

Diversifying the economy with cottage industries that converted farm products into other products were encouraged. That lead to the start of small industries that could package and preserve perishable produces such as tomato, onion, potato and others to keep them longer before they spoiled. That also made it convenient for commercial shipping to where they were needed. In addition, the formation of volunteer farm and other economic cooperatives was put to work to synergize their financial, skills and organizational resources of communities all over.

Agricultural business and trade was encouraged and facilitated so that farm products from abundant regions were sold to where they were needed at fair price. Cellular phone, facebook and the internet was instrumental for sharing information regarding market needs between individual farmers and between regions. That created win-win situation for the buyers and the sellers. In the meantime, fair trade and ethical business practices were discussed and practiced in all communities, thanks to the encouragement ethics team in every community.

Farmers were also encouraged to build local roads to make transportation available for as many people as possible. Volunteer engineering students and civil engineers, and the locals cooperated in planning and building the roads. In all these, practicing good ethics and democratic principles and team work were constantly discussed and practiced by people from local ethics and political teams.

Also, applying practical organizational principles, sharing of responsibilities, willful cooperation and consensus building, self-reliance, hard work, creativity and innovative attributes were discussed regularly in the communities all around.

Literacy campaign took place in every community. High school and college students, teachers and other working professionals were involved. “Zero illiterate in our community” was the motto. Everyone who did not read was a target and instructors took the pain to accommodate their student’s schedule to make sure that they got their education. Lessons in ethical behavior were also given where literacy classes were held.

Just in five years, the farming community showed significant changes both in their behaviors and productivity. Farm yields have improved both in quality and quantity. As the result, even members who contributed the least had more food than they needed for their families. The excess food they had enabled farmers to sell and buy other needed items.

While all those were happening, the health team, has been making progress in initiating training programs in hygiene and sanitation with a goal to enhance preventive measures against various diseases. The health team was regularly “preaching” about the importance of sanitation and clean water in the farm communities. With guidance from technology group that focused in water –well drilling and pumping, farmers took steps to make water supply available within minimum traveling distance. They made sure that everyone got enough amount of water to meet basic needs. Then as techniques of water distribution improved, the quality and quantity water that each family got grew.

In parallel, the environmental team started its work with environmental education.  Here the key objective was to redeem and protect the environment. The first practical task was the protection of forests and the soil by planting trees. Also, with help from the health team, birth control education and methods were encouraged not to overload the environment with large population. To reduce the reliance on wood as a source of cooking energy, simple but effective solar cooking techniques were introduced. Initially that focused on simple solar cookers. That paved the way for the next generations of improved solar cookers. To minimize the consumption of forest trees for home construction, simple technique was introduced by the technology team for producing bricks from local soil with which to build homes.

While that was taking place, teams from good governance and ethics teams made concerted efforts to educate farmers and the surrounding community about the benefit of applying democratic principles, conflict resolutions etc. when they dealt with each other or with the local political officials. The ethics team trained the locals in good values like hard-work, integrity, honesty respect etc.

The movement did not limit itself to the farming communities alone. There were significant efforts in big as well as small cities. The economic development teams at various cities and towns were advising and helping small business to improve their performance. Education groups were providing classes to reduce illiteracy at all levels at student’s convenience. The technology teams were also working with all sorts of small manufacturers to help them improve their tools and eventually their yields. The environmental teams encouraged families to plant trees in their yards and to clean polluted areas in the neighborhood by going door to door. The health teams were restless teaching about the importance of clean water, sanitation, hygiene as well as treating the sick. Political teams went door to door (held meetings) to teach the value of democracy, fair election, and justice. The same was true for the ethics teams who tirelessly advocate in creative ways the importance of good ethics to our communities and the nation.

Within ten years, each farmer became self-sufficient. They have enough food, clean water, good hygiene, soil erosion was reduced, lots of trees were planted and the environment improved. Each farmer at least has a couple of trees by his/her house. There were improvements in housing as well. The newer houses were cleaner, sturdier, and had more space. Thanks to the education team each farmer can read and write. All school age children were able to attend schools. The biggest challenge of the first ten years were fighting against individualism, corruption, bribery that was rampant. It was hard, partly, because, the corrupt individuals were also those who had political power or political connections. But thanks to the ethics and political teams who were present and persistent teaching and encouraging community members to handle things the correct way, the corrupt individuals gone diminishing. The contribution from singers, drama artists and poets in educating the population about the value of democracy and good ethics for collective growth was invaluable. At that point, the morale of Ethiopians all over the country was high. The trust level in each other has increased a lot. Every body’s confidence on themselves and on each other as well as in their country got stronger. They clearly could see the brighter future ahead of them.

The Second Ten Years

During the ensuing ten years, some of the cottage industries that began with the help of technology groups continued to operate. Some even grew and started to buy raw materials from the neighboring farming communities. For example, the cottage industries that extract oil from oil producing seeds, the small leather factories that  converted  leather to shoos, belts and other items, the small brick making factory  that made bricks from selected soil for home construction, the black smith that  forged  metal or the woodwork shops  that made home furniture not only started selling their products to neighboring communities, they also began buying raw materials they needed from those other communities in larger quantities. The ones that grew, started hiring farmers and training them first as part time and then as things improved into full time workers. Now the economy started diversifying. Initially, the market for the cottage industries were the neighboring farmers. That slowly started expanding to the nearby farming communities. At the same, time the engineers in the technology groups were hard at work to improve the tools and machines so that the industries met the growing market need. Also, since the quality of the products continued to improve year by year, the products were getting the attention of city dwellers and the demand was growing. That created the opportunity for the small cottage industries to cooperate with each other or to mage and become bigger to respond to the market needs. When the industries grew, they started hiring more. The farm economy was diversifying more and more by the year.

During the first ten years, the leadership of science and technology taskforce started to build a center with the task to do research and development in various fields that were relevant to the nation, particularly focusing in farming, metals, ceramics and polymers and their efficient processing as well as in clean solar energy. That effort slowly grew and began contributing to the materials and energy needs as it was their task to consult, share knowledge, and teach how-to-do things better to help small and medium industries.

In the meantime, due to the long presence of the good governance (political) teams in every part of the country and their good connection with the people, a strong, thrusting relations were built between them and the communities. That opportunity to work in the community at the grass-root level not only built trust between the people and the political workers, it also helped building thrust among political workers from different parties themselves. That thrust in turn helped many of opposition parties to merge and reduce their numbers from fifty or so into two- major ones. That was in itself progress.  In addition, the political awareness of the community grew to higher level. Their awareness was at a level that no government official’s malicious intent could manipulate or bribe the people.

As the result of that tireless and persistent political work, in one major election that took place during the first years of the second ten-year of the movement, most of the candidates from the ruling party were rejected by the people, and the big majority of their seats were taken by the coalition of the opposition parties.  That was a big victory for the country. Then, all undemocratic decrees made by the previous government was voted down and replaced with the pro-people ones. All the rudiments of corruption and poor governance lost anchorage to hold on to. Also, the newly elected officials adopted the goals of Ethiopia 2048 and voted to make it the government goals as well. Yet, volunteerism and the work of the movement continued.

Helped by the civil engineers from the technology group, the shorter community roads built earlier by farmers, kept growing year by year some even connecting to the bigger highways and improving access to wide area transportation. Now, farmers and cottage industries could take their products to the market quicker and further. With help from electrical engineers of the movement, the farmer cooperatives now could afford to generate electricity from solar energy for their members. They did not have to deal with long copper wire or government’s bureaucracy. They also did not need to cut trees for cooking anymore. The health movement of the first term continued to be stronger and stronger. Sanitation and hygiene became the rules not the exceptions.  City streets and neighborhoods are tidier and had trees on their sides. The common diseases that ravaged communities for millennia became rarity. Mountains, fields and even cities were much greener. It became very hard to find someone who cannot read or write. Every family could afford to send their children to school and schools are within walking distance of any community. Graduating from high school became a mandatory for school children.  The political and economic atmosphere became such that business and agriculture were thriving and new ones starting by day. As such, the opportunity to find jobs were getting much better.

At the end of the second ten-year term, things were much brighter.  All UN development indicators showed that Ethiopia was in the category of developing nation like that of India, Brazil or China. Thanks to the volunteers of standards group of the movement, standards of our universities were at par with the rest of the world. Colleges were graduating world class professionals.  The qualities of our manufactured goods and agricultural produces can compete in the world market. Thanks to the research and development institutions of the technology group and the collaborations from our universities as well as innovative entrepreneurs, Ethiopians have started manufacturing their own cars tractors, graders and other heavy-duty machineries. We made our own solar panels and use them as our main energy source including to use them to pump water for irrigation. Our materials industries mainly, metals and ceramics were good enough for our needs so did not need to import them from other countries. The result of the second political election also went in favor of the Ethiopia 2046 movement. Due to consistent efforts from health workers, hygiene and sanitation have become tradition. Also. clean water was available uninterrupted thanks to the technology group. Just for these reasons alone the common diseases that used to attack the population have disappeared for the large part. People were much healthier.

The third ten years

At the beginning of the third–ten years, Ethiopians were in much different realities from what they started in twenty years ago.  At this time; they were not worried about starvation, or the spread of environment induced seasonal or water borne diseases. The political atmosphere was much friendlier, the economy was growing and functioning in a balanced manner. Yet, there are still many communities that did not get their fair share of the success. There are places that did not have good access to transportation, good hospitals, or modern school facilities. So, the goal of the third term was to maintain and improve on the success of the past two decades and to work harder to bring those underserved communities to the same level and move on. The movement functionaries also had recognized that the success achieved can easily be reversed if they were complacent. So, they kept their intensity as strong or better.

The teams responsible for ethical practices all over the communities continued to be vigilant and worked with musicians, actors and poets, to emphasize the virtue of hard work, love for the people and country, respect people’s right and the environment, and to be fair and seek the truth. Since political power can corrupt, politicians also needed to be reminded that they are accountable for their actions all the time. To that end, teams from the political groups and journalists, continued to be vigilant when it came to democracy, justice and respect for the rule of law.

“Access to transportation for all” became one of the mottos of the time. So, the national, the reginal as well as local governments and the general population, led by professionals in civil engineering, collaborated to connect every corner of the country by roads and highways. Where roads already existed, they were upgraded to asphalts or concrete surfacing. It took a little more than five years, but it was done. Public transportation was made the main mode of transportation but there were many who could afford to own private vehicles. In addition, railways that run across the four corners of the country were built so that trains could be used for long distance travel. The advances in transportation made fast travel accessible not only for people but also for goods and services which altogether improved commerce and tourism.

Also, the “affordable housing for everyone” slogan emphasized the goal to make housing available for everyone. That took the cooperation of investors, banks and the government as a guarantor. Everyone with some income could afford a decent place. Housing regulations were stablished so that all houses had certain standards (including area size, cleanness and planted trees) they needed to keep. Deliberate attempt was made to make roads accessible to residential areas so that transportation was not an issue.

The availability of electric power for every home and company was addressed by two sources. Solar electric and hydroelectric. Ethiopia was fortunate to have many rivers and lots of sunshine. All that was need was skilled engineers and technicians who could convert them to use; and colleges and universities were busy producing enough of them. The energy sources were so abundant that most vehicles be it commercial or private were designed to run with electric power.

The combined efforts in research and development by the movement research centers, universities, and new industry R&D centers as well government have begun producing world class research papers as well as patents. Ethiopia was no more just a consumer of other researchers but also a contributor to scientific knowledge. That was also the case for medical research as there were now many world class hospitals which were research hospitals also.

Ethiopians manufactured from the simplest nails to the complicated agricultural harvesters, combine, sophisticated, machineries, computers and anything in between. Due to the excellent reputation of Ethiopia’s aviation technologies, it was possible to manufacture every part that went into airplanes. Ethiopians had the skill set and know-how and the investment to build airplanes and drones. They were manufacturing solar panels and the electronics that go with it since a decade ago. Ethiopia was also catching up with computers and related communication technologies such as the internet and defense related capabilities.

The education system kept pushing students and teachers for the highest standard. That really paid off as it was the educated citizens who built Ethiopia to bring her up to advanced nation level in such short time.

Those prevalent issues from thirty years ago such as ethnic politics or the demand to push for separation were unheard of since the country has made significant advances in good governance, in technology and economy. People with different ethnic groups did not need to split-up to practice their democratic and civil rights in democratic society and Ethiopia had become a democratic country. Ethiopia has become such a good nation where other people from different countries wanted to come and live in.

By 2048, every Ethiopian who wanted and able to work could get a job. Everyone could eat more than three times a day if they wanted to. Clean water, medical treatment, housing, and transportation were accessible to all. Communication tools such as computers and cellular phones and the Internet were affordable and available to all. Students achievements were at world class level, and schools and colleges that produced them met and exceeded world standards. The economy was strong because the workforce was highly skilled. Big cities, small towns, rural areas and mountains were all green as they were filled with trees. Those were not only good for the environment but also for the country’s economic vitality. Our rivers and soils were protected so that they will be there for the many generations to come. Both the farming and manufacturing industries applied advanced technologies and use only clean energy. Our democratic system was young and vibrant and was built to sustain. Ethiopians are proud of their nation more than ever.

Plausibility of the Scenario

This Scenario is plausible because:

1. There are many Ethiopians who think big
2. There are many Ethiopians who have world class skill set in various disciplines and who love to contribute to the development of their country.
3. KERROS, FANNOS, ZERMMAS, NEBRROS, WODELLAS and others have shown us models that worked to bring changes in our country. All we need is adopt that model for a wholistic development.
4. Some of the works of Ethiopia 2048 are already started independently by grass-root organizations. What is needed is to bring them together.
5.  The Ethiopian people are ready for fundamental change.
6. Ethiopians have recorded some success in our past.

Let’s dream and make it real. Let’s start the Ethiopia 2048 movement. It is up to us, especially the Young!

Tadesse Nigatu

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The Role of Ethiopian Public Intellectuals: Dr Fekadu Bekele – SBS Amharic

The post The Role of Ethiopian Public Intellectuals: Dr Fekadu Bekele – SBS Amharic appeared first on Satenaw: Ethiopian News & Breaking News: Your right to know!.

ADDIS ABABA, May 26 (Xinhua) — Authorities in Ethiopia’s northern Amhara regional state announced on Saturday they’ve intercepted 116 guns and thousands of bullets which were being smuggled to Ethiopia from Sudan.

Aberaraw Yehuala, Chief of West Metema locality police department, West Gonder zone, Amhara regional state, said the illegal arms were intercepted through the coordination of local civilians, regional security forces and the Ethiopian army, reported state media Ethiopia News Agency.

Yehuala further said the arms were intercepted in a three-day period this week, during checks on lorries coming from Sudan and that three drivers have been arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle the illegal arms to Ethiopia.

Violent anti-government protests in Gonder region of Amhara regional state in July 2016, over a reallocation of a district to the neighboring Tigray regional state two decades ago morphed into an armed confrontation between security forces and armed civilians, leaving several dead from both sides.

Since then, the Ethiopian federal government and Amhara regional state have strengthened checks on vehicles entering into and from Sudan to Gonder region to avoid a repeat of the July 2016 clashes that shocked many Ethiopians.

Ethiopia strictly controls licensing and movement of arms across the country and private arms ownership is relatively rare in the East African country.

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ESAT Tikuret Reyot With Andualem Ayalew Sat 26 May 2018

The post ESAT Tikuret Reyot With Andualem Ayalew Sat 26 May 2018 appeared first on Satenaw: Ethiopian News & Breaking News: Your right to know!.

By almariam On May 27, 2018

Author’s Note: In this memorandum commentary, I reflect on a poem read by the late Ghanaian President Kwame Nkrumah at the inauguration of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1963 in honor of Ethiopia. Nkrumah’s special poem extols Ethiopia’s natural beauty and bounty and the wisdom of its people.

Nkrumah’s poem, “Ethiopia Shall Rise”, has puzzled me for decades. It is at once a prophetic, mysterious, cheerful, inspiring, upbeat and confident poem.

I know from PM Abiy’s public statements that he has profound respect for past African leaders. I do not doubt he appreciates and respects the two original giant pillars of African unity and Pan-Africanism, H.I.M. Haile Selassie of Ethiopia and Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana.

A leader who does not look back and learn from the mistakes of his predecessors is doomed to repeat them. PM Abiy is determined not to repeat the mistakes of past African leaders but to follow in the footsteps of those who have done right by Africa. Like Mandela, he is determined to correct government wrongs with human rights.

Paraphrasing a line from Shakespeare, “Some are born leaders, some achieve leadership, and some have leadership thrust upon them.” Abiy is a born leader. Every day, he is proving to be a transformational leader.

Ethiopia is blessed with born leaders like Abiy. I don’t mean just political leaders. I mean young leaders in all fields of human endeavor. But they have not been given a chance to prove themselves. Few knew of Abiy Ahmed until he assumed office. Few would have predicted the rise of a young leader like Abiy and even fewer who could have predicted what he is doing today. Abiy is determined to empty the prisons of political prisoners.

Of course, I am not surprised. For years, I have been preaching the rise of Ethiopia’s Cheetah Generation and proclaiming Ethiopia shall rise on the wings of her young men and women.

I have known for a very long time that Ethiopia is full of Abiy Ahmeds. They go by different names: Eskinder Nega, Lemma Megerssa, Andualem Aragie, Nigist Yirga, Emawayish Alemu, Abubakar Ahmed, Okello Akway Ochalla, Demeke Zewdu, Abubaker Ahmed and so many others.

Today we are witnessing in Ethiopia the victory of nonviolent resistance over the bayonets and guns of the Forces of the Dark Side.

I have previously chastised and challenged the Forces of the Dark Side to rise above their negativism, defeatism, cynicism and pessimism and join the Forces of the Light Side so that they too can see Ethiopia rising like the sun from the darkness of tyranny and state terror.

I hope Nkrumah’s poem will inspire PM Abiy Ahmed and encourage him to keep on keeping on following in the footsteps of Nelson Mandela and leading his army of 70 million young people on the long road to freedom. I also hope it will inspire all Ethiopians who love their country and people unconditionally and are determined to work to improve the lives and human rights of their people for no other reason but because it is the right, the human right, thing to do.

A new day is dawning and over the horizon and Ethiopia is rising. Let us all rise and shine in the Land of 13-Months of Sunshine.

The great Pan-Africanist’ ode to Ethiopia: Ethiopia shall rise. (Ye Ityopia Tinsae)

I am always fascinated by the idea of “rising”. Those of us in the Christian faith believe in resurrection. I believe an entire nation that has been left for dead can be resurrected, certainly not in three days, but in three years or so. When I think of Nkrumah’s poem, I think of a dead Ethiopia rising from the grave of ethnic apartheid, the hell of corruption and the pit of crimes against humanity.

Nkrumah’s use of the “rising” metaphor in his ode to Ethiopia is somewhat puzzling. Given the circumstances, it would have been more appropriate for Nkrumah to declare “Africa shall rise.” After all, between 1960 -1963, over two dozen African countries rose from the ashes of colonialism and became independent. (We’ll talk about neocolonialism another time.)

But Nkrumah prophesied about an Ethiopia rising. What did he mean by a “rising” Ethiopia? Rise from what? Rise like what? Rise like the Phoenix from the ashes?

In August 1962, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., gave his timeless speech in which he said, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed…” Dr. King was talking about the unfulfilled American creed of “all men are created equal”.

In May 1963, Nkrumah prophesied Ethiopia shall rise. Did he mean rise and shine on the African continent?

Mandela said, “Our greatest glory lies not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall.”

Are we witnessing the glorious rise of a failed Ethiopia?

We are today witnessing an Ethiopia rising. Behold, Ityopia’s Tinsae. My cup runneth over just thinking about it.

Ethiopia shall rise like the sun over Pan-Africa!

Nkrumah was passionate about Pan-Africanism, but he never wrote prophesying “Pan-Africanism shall rise”.

Nkrumah was passionate about Africa, but he never wrote a poem of an “Africa Rising”.

Nkrumah loved Pan-Africanism and Africa, but he had a love affair with Ethiopia. Nkrumah had a special place for Ethiopia in his heart.

Though Nkrumah was the foremost Pan-Africanist of his time and arguably of all time, he saw Ethiopia as a special beacon of light and freedom for all of Africa. He was deeply impressed by Ethiopia’s long and successful defense of its territory, sovereignty and independence from repeated incursions by European colonialists. He saw Ethiopia as the cradle of African civilization. He saw Ethiopia as the salvation of Africa. “Ethiopia shall rise and remould Africa’s destiny.”

Ethiopia shall rise over the Forces of the Dark Side and shine

Looking back, I believe Nkrumah was not only an ardent Pan-Africanist but also an African “prophet”.

Nkrumah’s poem is indeed “prophesy”.

Nkrumah knew Ethiopia shall rise long before the blind visionaries made her slip and fall into the quagmire of ethnic politics.

Nkrumah knew Ethiopia shall rise long before those who declared “Africa is rising… The African Renaissance has begun…”

“Ethiopia shall rise!”, poetically declared Nkrumah.

I say, Ethiopia shall rise like the morning sun and the full moon at midnight.

Ethiopia shall rise up and shake off the sooty dust of dictatorship that covers her.

Ethiopia shall rise again and brightly shine like a precious gem.

Ethiopia shall rise above sectarianism and communalism.

Ethiopia shall rise from the depths of doubt to the heights of faith.

Ethiopia shall rise, and stretch out her arms to God and embrace all her children.

When Africa was under colonialism, Ethiopia rose up against colonialism and became the sun light of freedom for Africa.

Today, Ethiopia is rising on the wings of Ethiopiawinet for all Ethiopians.

Lemma Megerssa said it best:

EthiopiaWINet is an addiction [deep passion]. It is in the heart of each and every Ethiopian. If there is a way to open and look at what is in the hearts and minds of Ethiopians, what we see here today [EthiopiaWINet] is what we have seen here today [our unity in our Ethiopiawinet]… [EthiopiaWINet] is to be free.

In my very first speech as a human rights advocate in 2006, I defined our Ethiopiawinet as a condition ordained by God: “We are first and foremost Ethiopians, one people, woven by the hand of the Almighty into the most beautiful ethnic mosaic in the world. Look in the Holy Bible. Look in the Holy Q’uran. The learned scholars tell us that Ethiopia and Ethiopians are mentioned in the Holy Bible no less than thirty-three times, and as many times in the Holy Q’uran.”

In my “I, Proud Ethiopian” commentary, I affirmed, “There is only One Ethiopia home to its diverse peoples. We believe in the indivisible unity and oneness of the Ethiopian people. There is no Tigrean Ethiopian. There is no Oromo Ethiopian. There is no Amhara Ethiopian. There is no Gurage Ethiopian. There is no Afari Ethiopian. There is no Somali Ethiopian…There is ONE and FOREVER will only be ONE Ethiopia and ONE Ethiopian people.”

Ethiopia is rising because Ethiopiawinet is rising higher and higher in the hearts and minds of the Ethiopian people.

I have quoted Gandhi hundreds of times over the past 13 years. “Remember that all through history, there have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they seem invincible. But in the end, they always fall. Always.”

Ethiopia is rising on the ashes of tyranny and despotism.

Ethiopia is rising because the Forces of the Dark Side are, in the end, falling.

Watching Abiy walk the talk on the long road to freedom

In my Memorandum No. 1 to PM Abiy, I advised him to follow in Mandela’s footsteps.

No doubt, he will take missteps and slip up as he matures in leadership. I am even more sure that the Forces of the Dark Side will toil day and night to trip, fall and never rise.

But if he follows Mandela’s footsteps, he could fall a thousand times and rise up each time and keep on walking on the log road to freedom.

I have concluded PM Abiy truly understands and applies Mandela’s principles of leadership:

Honesty, sincerity, simplicity, humility, pure generosity, absence of vanity, readiness to serve others – qualities which are within easy reach of every soul – are the foundation of one’s spiritual life.

Our human compassion binds us to one another – not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future.”

Lead from the front, but don’t leave your base behind.

Lead from the back and let others believe they are in front.

Over the past seven weeks, PM Abiy has shown honesty, sincerity, simplicity, humility, pure generosity, absence of vanity and readiness to serve his people.

PM Abiy in his spellbinding public statements speaks truth to power, that is himself and his own administration. He said, “We in the government are thieves. We steal the people’s money.”

PM Abiy said that he is young and has much to learn. If he makes mistakes, the people should teach him, as his parents, with a little “qunticha”, (a little more than “go to your room” type of punishment).

PM Abiy declared his cabinet will meet on Saturdays so that the work week is not wasted. He urged all official meetings should be short and purposeful.

PM Abiy preaching the gospel of Ethiopiawinet and convert the suffering of the people into hope for the future.

PM Abiy preaches revenge and hatred will only result in more suffering, poverty, conflict and death. As Dr. King said, “An eye for an eye leaves everybody blind.” PM Abiy does not want to see an Ethiopia of self-inflicted blindness.

PM Abiy says what he means and means what he says. He tells is like it is and lets the chips fall where they may. Just like me!

Ethiopia Shall Rise

In May 1963 when the Organization of African Unity (replaced by the African Union in 2002) was founded, Ghanaian President Kwame Nkrumah accentuated his closing remarks by reciting a poem he had written as a crowning tribute to an ascendant Ethiopia. Addressing H.I.M. Haile Selassie, President Nkrumah said: “It only remains for me, Your Majesty, on behalf of my colleagues and myself, to convey to the Government and people of Ethiopia especially to His Imperial Majesty, my sincere expression of gratitude for a happy and memorable stay in Addis Ababa…”

With confident cadence, Nkrumah recited a poem of such exquisite eloquence and grace that my eyes well up every time I read it.

Ethiopia shall rise
Ethiopia, Africa’s bright gem
Set high among the verdant hills
That gave birth to the unfailing
Waters of the Nile
Ethiopia shall rise
Ethiopia, land of the wise;
Ethiopia, bold cradle of Africa’s ancient rule
And fertile school
Of our African culture;
Ethiopia, the wise
Shall rise
And remould with us the full figure
Of Africa’s hopes
And destiny.

At that historic inaugural conference, H.I.M. Haile Selassie made the most compelling case, the most passionate plea for African unity, independence and Pan-Africanism:

…We look to the vision of an Africa not merely free but united. In facing this new challenge, we can take comfort and encouragement from the lessons of the past. We know that there are differences among us. Africans enjoy diverse cultures, distinctive values, special attributes. But we also know that unity can be and has been attained among men of the most disparate origins, that differences of race, of religion, of culture, of tradition, are no insuperable obstacle to the coming together of peoples. History teaches us that unity is strength, and cautions us to submerge and overcome our differences in the quest for common goals, to strive, with all our combined strength, for the path to true African brotherhood and unity… Our efforts as free men must be to establish new relationships, devoid of any resentment and hostility, restored to our belief and faith in ourselves as individuals, dealing on a basis of equality with other equally free peoples…

H.I.M.’s words could be said of an Ethiopia rising today. Change the word “Africa” with Ethiopia and his speech would offer a great moral and political lesson for contemporary Ethiopians. “History teaches us that unity is strength. Ethiopians today must establish new relationships, devoid of any resentment and hostility, restored to our belief and faith in ourselves as individuals, dealing on a basis of equality with other equally free peoples…”

Nkrumah is not only Ghana’s son, but also Ethiopia’s.

When the Forces of Darkness said Ethiopia’s history is only one hundred years old, Nkrumah said “No. Ethiopia is the cradle of Africa’s ancient rule.”

When the Forces of Darkness tried to shroud Ethiopia in the darkness of tyranny and dictatorship, Nkrumah said, “Let her shine. Ethiopia, Africa’s bright gem.”

When the Forces of Darkness said, “Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the Ethiopian people,” Nkrumah said, “No. Ethiopia is the land of the wise.”

When the Forces of Darkness hatched plans to make the Nile a source of war, death and destruction, Nkrumah said, “No. Ethiopia is the birthplace of the Nile” which gives the gift of life to Africa.

When the Forces of Darkness toiled day and night to crush our spirits and cast our souls into the pit of despair and misery, Nkrumah said, “Hold on! Ethiopia is Africa’s hope and destiny. ”

When the Forces of Darkness seem invincible and we sometimes lost faith and felt downcast, we should let our spirits rise and be carried on Nkrumah’s prophetic words, “Ethiopia shall rise.”

As I read Nkrumah’s poem from May 1963, I also remember H.I.M. Haile Selassie’s speech before the United Nations General Assembly in October 1963.

In that speech, H.I.M. passionately defended the cause of Pan-Africanism and articulated the ideology needed for the ongoing struggle to protect and defend African independence and secure world peace:

… Until the philosophy that holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned; until there are no longer first class and second-class citizens of any nature; until the colour of a man’s skin is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes, and until the basic human rights are guaranteed to all without regard for race… the dream of lasting peace … will remain but a fleeting illusion to be pursued but never attained…. That until the ignoble and unhappy regimes that hold our brothers in Angola, in Mozambique and South Africa in subhuman bondages have been toppled and destroyed; until bigotry and prejudice and malicious and inhuman self-interest have been replaced by understanding, tolerance and good-will; until all Africans stand and speak as free beings, equal in the eyes of all men as they are in Heaven — until that day the African continent will not know peace. We Africans will fight, if necessary and we know that we shall win, as we are confident in the victory of good over evil…

In a risen Ethiopia, there shall be no place for a philosophy that holds one ethnic, religious, linguistic or gender group superior to another.

In a risen Ethiopia, there shall no longer be first class and second-class citizens.

In a risen Ethiopia, ethnicity, religion, language, region or gender shall have no more significance than the color of one’s eyes.

In a risen Ethiopia, human rights shall be guaranteed to all.

The great African author Chinua Achebe wrote a book (Things Fall Apart) asking why things keep falling apart in Africa. Things fall apart in Africa because African “leaders” do not respect the human rights of their people. To paraphrase Achebe, “Africa is what it is because its leaders are not what they should be.” Few African leaders respect the dignity and humanity of their people. How can Africa rise when her leaders trip and make her fall every time, and keep her from rising up by pressing their boots on her neck.

But things that fall apart also come together and rise.

I ask, “Why do things fall apart in Ethiopia?” Things fall apart in Ethiopia because Ethiopia’s “leaders” do not respect the human rights of their people.

So, I present again my poem “Ethiopia Up-Rising” , which I wrote on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of the OAU/African Union in May 2013.

Ethiopia Up-Rising!

Ethiopia up-Rising! Africa Rising!
Ethiopia Africa’s bright gem
Shall rise up from the ashes of tyranny
Like the spring sun rising at dawn over the African horizon
Like the full moon rising over the darkness of the African night
Ethiopia shall rise and shine!

Ethiopia shall rise from the heights of Ras Dejen
To the peaks of Kilimanjaro
From the pits of the politics of identity
To the summit of national unity and diversity
Ethiopia shall rise and shine!

Ethiopia of the wise
Shall rise above the streetwise
Its people to galvanize, mobilize and organize
To humanize, harmonize and compromise
Ethiopia shall rise and shine!

Ethiopia Africa’s hope and destiny
Shall rise and its tyrants shall fall
Their lies, cruelty and corruption
Buried with them in the steel coffin of history
For “justice will rise in Ethiopia like the sun, with abundance of peace forever.”

Ethiopia shall rise by the sinews of her youth
Up-rise on the wings of her persevering children
Ethiopia shall rise and rise
Her youth will up-rise
Rise Ethiopia, up-rise.

My personal message to PM Abiy

For years, I have talked about the rise of the Cheetah Generation.

Ethiopia is rising today because Ethiopia’s Cheetah (young) Generation has risen.

The young people have risen and as they rose, they lifted up Ethiopia. Behold Abiy Ahmed, Lemma Megerssa, Eskinder Nega, Andualem Aragie, Nigist Yirga, Emawayish Alemu, Abubakar Ahmed, Okello Akway Ochalla, Demeke Zewdu, Abubaker Ahmed and so many other unsung young heroes and heroines building Ethiopia from the ground up so that she rise and shine.

My message to PM Abiy is this: You are doing a hellava job. Keep on keeping on. “A thousand-mile journey begins with the first step.” You are just taking your first steps on a thousand mile walk on the long road to freedom. But you are not walking alone. We are all walking with you. It does not matter if we are walking with you from ten thousand miles away. Let us all walk together under the Ethiopian sky.

Just keep walking. If you lead from the front, we got your back. If you lead from the back, you will find out we won’t back down, we’ll stand our ground against the Forces of the Dark Side.

Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow. Back in my day, we used to sing: “Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow/ Don’t stop, it’ll soon be here/ It’ll be here better than before/ Yesterday’s gone, yesterday’s gone/ Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow/ Don’t stop, it’ll soon be here/…”

I have heard you urging people in your town hall audiences to verify your statements by using the internet. Well, I am going to return the favor by asking you and all of my readers to listen to Margaret Singana’s song from South Africa “We are Growing” (full lyrics HERE), which to me means “We are rising. Ethiopia is rising! Higher and Higher…”

…

Be a man of kindness now
A man so big and strong in mind
Be a man so humble now
A man of man, now let it shine…

Let Ethiopia shine like the sun over the African continent!

“Ethiopia shall rise…rise… Up-rise!

ETHIOPIAWINET TODAY

ETHIOPIAWINET TOMORROW

ETHIOPIAWINET FOREVER!

Professor Alemayehu G. Mariam teaches political science at California State University, San Bernardino. His teaching areas include American constitutional law, civil rights law, judicial process, American and California state governments, and African politics. He has published two volumes on American constitutional law, including American Constitutional Law: Structures and Process (1994) and American Constitutional Law: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (1998). He is the Senior Editor of the International Journal of Ethiopian Studies, a leading scholarly journal on Ethiopia. For the last several years, Prof. Mariam has written weekly web commentaries on Ethiopian human rights and African issues that are widely read online. He blogged on the Huffington post at  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alemayehu-g-mariam/ and later on open.salon until that blogsite shut down in March 2015.

Prof. Mariam played a central advocacy role in the passage of H.R. 2003 (Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act of 2007)  in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2007. Prof. Mariam also practices in the areas of criminal defense and civil litigation. In 1998, he argued a major case in the California Supreme Court involving the right against self-incrimination in People v. Peevy, 17 Cal. 4th 1184, cert. denied, 525 U.S. 1042 (1998)  which helped clarify longstanding Miranda rights issues in California criminal procedure. For several years, Prof. Mariam had a weekly public channel public affairs television show in Southern California called “In the Public Interest”. Prof. Mariam received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1984, and his J.D. from the University of Maryland in 1988.

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By Assegid Habtewold

One’s leadership is tested when confronted with tough decisions. ESFNA’s leadership is at a crossroads. The decision in front of them makes or breaks the organization. It is going to leave a positive or negative scar in the history of the organization.

The decision? They have to make a quick decision, by tomorrow, whether to allow the newly named Prime Minister of Ethiopia- Dr. Abiy Ahmed, to address the Diaspora community at this year’s annual event in TX.

By the way, if the info I got is correct, it wasn’t ESFNA that initiated the invite. The PM himself took the initiative. He deserves appreciation for taking this historic and bold gesture!

Past leaders despised the Diaspora because of its firm stand about Ethiopians unity and its fight against repression and lack of democracy back home in Ethiopia. Unlike his predecessors, however, Abiy chose to reach out. This by itself regardless of the final decision ESFNA reaches is a massive milestone in Ethiopian politics!

That being said, here are a couple of facts. Though I don’t have the accurate statistics, from what I’ve read on social media in the past couple of days, Ethiopians in the US are divided on the issue. Some are advocating for his invitation while others oppose it. Both parties have strong positions and arguing based on the higher purpose of the organization and one of its internal regulations, respectively.

Ethiopians who are quoting the mission of ESFNA are saying that since the organization’s purpose is “Bringing Ethiopians together” and Dr. Abiy promotes Ethiopians unity, love, tolerance, and forgiveness among Ethiopians, he should be allowed to address the gathering when he visits the US. On the other hand, those who oppose the idea are quoting one of the internal regulations that prevent inviting politicians as guests. The latter argue that he is the chairman of the ruling party that ESFNA should be nonpartisan and refrain from showing favoritism to any political party. Of course, others counter-argue about the last statement by saying that though Abiy is the chairman of EPRDF, he is appearing at the event as the leader of the Ethiopian state, in his Prime Minister office.

There are many other forceful arguments from both sides, which I’m not covering for the sake of space limitation.

For your info, one of the themes I covered in my third book entitled “Soft Skills That Make or Break Your Success” was problem-solving and making tough decisions. From my experience as a workshop facilitator for some government agencies, major corporations, and community organizations on the same theme, I shared some insights, models, and approaches in the book on how to tackle problems like the one ESFNA leadership is facing. By the way, when I coach leaders, I don’t tell them what they should decide. My job is helping them gain clarity to make the right decision. It’s not my place, as a coach, to suggest what I think personally is right.

One of the most common challenges leaders face is making choices between two rights- Right Vs. Right. It’s easy to choose right from wrong. What would you do when you have two seemingly right choices like ESFNA is confronted with?

I encourage ESFNA’s leadership to do their homework and also take away emotion. You should be rational. Use your value as a barometer to make the right decision. For that to happen, nonetheless, you should avoid making a hasty decision. ESFNA’s leadership should first gather enough data to fully understand the issue, employ critical analysis, consult key stakeholders, sit down and brainstorm, and finally, make the RIGHT decision you and the coming generation leaders won’t regret.

At the end of the day, the question is whether the leadership should side with its purpose (mission) or the internal regulation. Which one should override? Is it the mission or the internal regulation that should take precedence? Which value (s) of ESFNA should dictate the final decision?

Of course, the decision should not be binary- Yes or No. During the brainstorming session, some of the leaders should come up with alternative options (middle grounds) that may satisfy both sides.

If you were one of the leaders of ESFNA, what would be your decision? Why?

Dr. Assegid Habtewold is an organizational and leadership expert and author, and the founder of PRO Leadership Global (www.proleadership.org). Assegid can be reached a ahabtewold@yahoo.com

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Ethiopia pardoned on Saturday an opposition leader with British citizenship who had been sentenced to death, the latest in a series of pardons and releases of jailed dissidents announced in the wake of years of violent unrest.

Andargachew Tsige was sentenced to death in absentia in 2009 over his role in the opposition group Ginbot 7, leading to his arrest in Yemen five years later and extradition to Ethiopia.

Andargachew served as secretary-general of the anti-government group, which describes itself as a reform movement but is branded a terrorist organisation by Addis Ababa.

Ethiopia’s political reforms
Attorney General Berhanu Tsegaye said on Saturday Andargachew has been pardoned “under special circumstances” along with 575 other inmates.

The decisions were made with the “intention of widening political space,” the attorney general told reporters in the capital, Addis Ababa. Andargachew is expected to be released within the next two days.

Thousands of prisoners, including several senior opposition leaders, have been freed since January having been accused of a variety of charges such as terrorism or incitement to topple the government.

SUGGESTED READING:Ethiopia activists stage online campaign for ‘Prisoners of Conscience’
The pardons are part of reforms that the government has pledged to undertake after violent unrest broke out three years ago, sparked by an urban development plan for Addis Ababa that critics said would trigger land seizures in the surrounding Oromiya region.

The protests broadened into rallies over political rights, leading to the resignation of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in February. He has since been replaced by former army officer Abiy Ahmed.

New Ethiopia PM reaches out to opposition
Ginbot 7 is among five groups Addis Ababa has blacklisted under anti-terror legislation, alongside the secessionist groups Oromo Liberation Front and the Ogaden National Liberation Front, as well as al Qaeda and Somalia’s al Shabaab.

Last week, the government and an exiled opposition party from Oromiya opened talks with the aim of enabling it to return to the political fold.

The Oromo Democratic Front (ODF) was formed in 2013 by former members of the Oromo Liberation Front and seeks self-determination for ethnic Oromos, Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group. Its leaders have been living in exile.

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Abdur Rahman Alfa Shaban

“The President invited all Africans to travel to Rwanda without visas, we will follow you very soon,” these are the words of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed during a state banquet for Paul Kagame last Friday.

The idea as and when it is implemented will further open up Ethiopia to African visitors and help boost the country’s tourism potential and in the long run its economy.

Ethiopia boasts the continent’s best national carrier, Ethiopian Airlines, which has made the Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, not just a regional but global aviation hub.

For a country that is widely seen as not open in respect of visa acquisition, the disclosure by the PM has been received with different reaction especially on social media. Ethiopia’s tourism agency has long branded the country as “Land of Origins.”

Whiles most people expressed joy at the idea, others also had concerns with respect to security and for one commenter, the state of the capital Addis Ababa – stressing the incidence of street dwelling and lack of basic amenities.

Fitsum Z. Mulugeta@fitsumzewdu

It’s about time, claiming to be land of origins #Ethiopia should welcome everyone ‘Home’ or at least #Africa/ns to their capital free of hustle https://twitter.com/ThisIsAfricaTIA/status/1000269038734467073 …

3:40 AM – May 26, 2018

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Gorbatchev@GmGorbatchev

Replying to @ThisIsAfricaTIA

If indeed it’s true it will be a good move for Ethiopia

9:41 AM – May 26, 2018

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efremJatta@efremkwassi

Replying to @AngelaRoothaan and 3 others

Africa needs to unite itself and work towards propsperity and peace. Then EU would be begging for for free visa agreement.

8:00 PM – May 26, 2018

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Olatunde A. D@OlatundeAD1

Replying to @ThisIsAfricaTIA

That will be great, that would bring a lot fortune to Ethiopian and strong relationship
More grease to elbow Ethiopia, good initiative

1:25 AM – May 26, 2018

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Benjamin G. Sishuh@bengsishuh1

Replying to @addisstandard

YeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaI’m very happy to hear this amazing news!! #Ethiopia should be the first, everyone will follow!
This will attribute greatly to the weak internal integration and economy!

2:19 AM – May 26, 2018

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Benjamin G. Sishuh@bengsishuh1

Replying to @addisstandard

History teaches us that unity is strength, and cautions us to submerge and overcome our differences in the quest for common goals, to strive, with all our combined strength, for the path to true African brotherhood and unity.
Haile Selassie

2:37 AM – May 26, 2018

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Ruthie@mame1st

Replying to @addisstandard

Great for tourism but you need to tidy up AA. Especially strrt dwelling & toileting.

2:21 AM – May 26, 2018

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Kagame in Ethiopia on official visit

Kagame arrived in Ethiopia on Thursday evening for a three-day official visit. He was the first African leader to undertake an official visit to Addis Ababa since Abiy took office on April 2.

Abiy hailed his guest as not only leading his country but the entire continent in ways that were revolutionary. Kagame is currently the President of the African Union (A.U.) – a year-long roles that revolves among African leaders.

“President Kagame is not only the President of Rwanda but he is also leading the continent in great, wise and miraculous ways of transforming the continent and economic integration, as well as realising the vision of our forefathers,” Abiy added.

Rwanda’s visa-free regime

Starting January 1, 2018, Rwanda announced a global visa free entry for travelers from everywhere in the world.

A communique released by the Directorate of Immigration and Emigration said citizens of all countries the world over could enjoy 30 days visa on arrival under the regime. With some entrants required to pay a fee where applicable.

Rwanda already had such a system in place for all African countries and a number of countries outside the continent. The country is reputed as one of the most open in visa openness index publications.

A November 16, 2017 document read in part: “30 days visa upon arrival – Citizens of all countries to get visa upon arrival without prior approval, starting 01 January 2018. Before that, only African countries and few others were getting visa upon arrival.”

The new visa regime also touched on other areas like visa reciprocity for specific countries whose citizens get free visas with 90 days validity. The countries in question are Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, Ghana, Guinea, Indonesia, Haiti, Senegal, Seychelles and Sao Tome and Principe.

This is in addition to the Democratic Republic of Congo, East Africa Member Community Partner States, Mauritius, Philippines and Singapore. This takes immediate effect.

“Nationals of Australia, Germany, Israel, New Zealand, Sweden, United Kingdom, and United States of America will be issued with entry visa valid for a period up to 30 days and pay for a visa ($30) upon arrival without prior application,” according to a government portal.

It also addressed the area of visa waiver for particular diplomatic and service passport holders, another directive that takes immediate effect. There is also a 90 day visa on arrival for travelers from the COMESA (The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa) region subject to payment of visa fees.

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Dr Girma A Demeke The Identity and Prehistory of the Ethiopian People – Pt 1 SBS Amharic

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ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopia’s state-affiliated broadcaster reports that a landslide triggered by heavy rains has killed 23 people in the country’s Oromia region.

Fana Broadcasting Corporation reported that the landslide happened Saturday evening after hours of heavy rains in the area. The report said 16 of the fatalities were women. It said six others were injured and taken to health centers after sustaining heavy bodily injuries.

Ethiopia is receiving heavy seasonal rains which sometimes cause severe landslides in some parts of the country.

Close to 50 people died in a similar landslide in May 2016 after heavy rains caused flooding and landslides.

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Will Ethiopia’s new prime minister manage to introduce change and push the country towards democratisation?

by Yohannes Gedamu

Over the last three years, protesters across Ethiopia have been demanding political and economic changes and voicing their frustrations with government policies. Earlier this year, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), the coalition that has been ruling the country for 27 years, finally realised that this latest episode of popular unrest will not settle without the government introducing major changes.

Thus, the coalition unveiled a reform agendafocusing on the need to broaden the political space, to release political prisoners, and listen to voices of opposition. As a show of commitment to the demands of the people to end the political violence and pave the way for the implementation of the reform agenda, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn announced his resignation on February 15.

After a month of suspense and uncertainty, Abiy Ahmed, a young technocrat from the establishment took his seat. Ahmed’s ascent to political power ensued amid visible intra-party tensions that exposed the deep divisions in the otherwise secretive EPRDF coalition.

In the absence of a strong and credible opposition – due to the EPRDF’s decades-long repression of political dissent – Ethiopians pinned their hopes on the new premier and his broad political appeal even though he himself is part of the ruling coalition they have long been protesting against.

A flicker of hope

Ahmed came to power with huge fanfare. Although the regional state of Oromia and the party that administers the region, the Oromo Peoples Democratic Organisation (OPDO), are considered to be the new premier’s main political power base, Ethiopians from the country’s second-largest region, Amhara, and its administrators from the Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM), also provided their full support to Ahmed.

The OPDO and the ANDM are two of the political parties that make up the four-party ruling coalition, and they enjoy massive political capital that comes with the responsibility of administering the two most populous and resourceful regions in the country’s federal arrangement.

Until recently, however, these two political parties were unable to exercise their political power at the federal level. The Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), a political party that led the way in the creation of the EPRDF, was instead dominating the ruling coalition and controlling the security apparatus of the state.

For a long time, the OPDO and the ANDM were blamed for failing to foster unity between Oromos and Amharas. Recently, however, they united their efforts to bring an end to the TPLF’s domination of the ruling coalition and are now lauded for reigniting the once weakened Ethiopian nationalism among their supporters. By working together, the political elite within these two parties managed to garner wide popular support. Ahmed’s rise to political power was the direct result of the change in attitude within these two political parties.

Understanding the rising ethnic tensions and mistrust between regional elites that became evident in the last two decades, the new premier adopted a reconciliatory tone. Since taking office, Ahmed has been attempting to tackle the mistrust among factions within the ruling coalition as well as that of the citizens through discussions of “Ethiopiawinet”, the Amharic word for Ethiopianness.

Through these discussions, Ahmed has managed to further reinvigorate Ethiopian nationalism and utilise it as a uniting force. For many Ethiopians who were disillusioned by the divisive ethnic politics of the last two decades and even questioned the fate of the nation, his nationalist rhetoric has aroused new optimism.

Since taking office, Ahmed has also secured the release of thousands of Ethiopiansimprisoned in Sudan, Kenya and Saudi Arabia – a move that attests to his commitment to revive Ethiopian nationalism and protect citizens wherever they are.

However, Ahmed is still not immune to criticism.

Ethnic Amharas remain targets of brutal killings and evictions in a region known as Benishangul Gumuz. The fate of tens of thousands of ethnic Oromos, who have been internally displaced since they were evicted from Ethiopia’s Somali region, is still unclear as there are no signs for a return to normalcy.

Ahmed has condemned these injustices, but he is yet to take concrete steps to address them. Perpetrators of these crimes are still enjoying impunity, as none of them has been brought to justice or even questioned.

Furthermore, despite the relative calm in the country, extrajudicial killings of people still continue. Ahmed’s administration still has a long way to go in reassuring citizens and investors alike that calm is fully restored in Ethiopia.

Abiy’s premiership as an EPRDF’s survival project

Despite the cautious optimism that Ahmed’s assumption of the prime minister’s post brought, Ethiopia has still not embarked on a true transition to democracy.

To this day, the most important goal of the ruling EPRDF is its own survival. Under late-Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, the EPRDF survived internal divisions stemming from the way the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea ended.

The coalition also survived an electoral defeat in 2005. It did so by imprisoning the leaders of the opposition parties which won the vote and by clamping down on protests. 

After Zenawi’s death in 2012, many in Ethiopia once again questioned the EPRDF’s chances of survival. But the coalition managed to stay in power even after Zenawi’s passing, thanks to what they referred to as “the emergence of collective leadership”.

Having Ahmed assume the position of prime minister is yet another survival strategy by the EPRDF.

What the years of protests and opposition activism managed to achieve was have the four political parties within the EPRDF come to a consensus that limiting the dominance of the TPLF within the coalition is key to their collective survival.

Unfortunately, this would not necessarily translate into efforts to broaden the political space in the country at large.

Reforms enacted by the government thus far, the release of notable political prisoners and talks with the weakened opposition groups do not necessarily indicate that a roadmap for democratisation will emerge. Although some Oromo political leaders from the diaspora have returned home, others haven’t and the government has not taken the initiative to engage them. Ahmed needs to make good on his promises and invite the opposition leaders in the diaspora back home. Opposition leaders like Andargachew Tsege, who was recently pardoned by the government, should be included into the national conversation. 

In addition, despite commendable attempts by Ahmed to diversify the new cabinet, he has made the mistake of re-appointing many former officials to various important posts and board memberships. Moreover, although  his eager interest in listening to popular grievances across various forums is applauded, there is still no sign that institutional reforms are to follow anytime soon.

The electoral commission remains a partisan institution and the electoral system still favours the EPRDF. The “anti-terror” proclamations that were used to stifle political dissent are still laws of the land. Moreover, although Ahmed seems eager to correct the wrongs of the past few years, Ethiopia remains under a state of emergency declared manymonths ago. This makes it difficult for Ethiopians to exercise their rights to peaceful assembly and freedoms of expression.

Ahmed needs to use the popularity and approval he gained to start a meaningful dialogue with political opposition at home and abroad if any of his promises regarding democratic opening and hopes for national reconciliation are ever to materialise.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

Can Ethiopia’s new leader bridge ethnic divides?

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By Yaye Abebe

The ongoing discussion on inviting Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to speak at the 35^th ESFNA sport and cultural festival in Dallas, Texas is in need of seeing the bigger picture.

Abiy came to power through the young generation’s sacrifice. In the past three years, the youth of Oromia, Amara and Konso paid with their lives to resist the EPRDF’s government with their blood and sweat. It is the youth that gave Ethiopia a glimmer of hope against a sustained, brutal crackdown and years of political repression by the regime.

The new Prime Minister so far has walked the talk by releasing prominent political prisoners such as Eskinder Nega, Andualem Arage, Dr Merera Gudina, Bekele Gerba, Ustaz Ahmedin Jebel, Nigist Yirga, Chaltu Takele, Andargachew Tsige and the tens of thousands of political prisoners who were languashing in federal and regional prisons.

Abiy has given Ethiopians a fresh hope with a message of peace, reconciliation and consensus building. His message of forgiveness is what Ethiopians for the past 27 years, or may be for the past 40 years, has been waiting to hear. The Prime Minister’s message is about the renewal and revival of the heart and soul of our country.

The way forward for the diaspora community is to empower and embrace the message of Prime Minister Abiy while sustaining the pressure demanding for the legitimate rights and interests of the Ethiopian people. We in the diaspora must walk the talk of unity and togetherness instead of fomenting the outdated narratives of us-against-them.

Today Ethiopia is on the early steps of healing the deep political wounds of the past 40 years that have mutated into generational, regional, religious and ethnic conflicts.

The ESFNA board needs to transcend the façade of political-free festival while in reality the tone and atmosphere of the diaspora community has been that of politicization, division and animosity. Churches are divided, communities are tense, generations are at odds: we are all suffering from disharmony.

Dear ESFNA, invite Prime Minister Abiy, not as a political party leader, but as a symbol of honoring the sacrifices paid by the youth for a transformative change in Ethiopia.

Inviting Abiy is a noble and historically appropriate move that will prevent unnecessary and unforeseen divisions within the diaspora.

Say Yes to Abiy! See you in Dallas!

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