By Eleni Zaude Gabre-Madhin
Much has recently been made of my ethnic identity although this is a matter of no relevance whatsoever to a reasoned discourse on the existence of the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange. However, when the unnecessary gets in the way of the important, however unpleasant it may be, it must be faced.
I am Ethiopian, as truly and wonderfully as that is, and no one has the right to define, reduce, or otherwise dismiss my identity. I do not apologize for or defend who I am, as each one of us, whoever we are, has a God-given set of circumstances that uniquely defines us.
My reality is that, born in Addis Ababa, I first left Ethiopia with my family at the age of four to live in New York city, accompanying my father, Zaude Gabre-Madhin, who was a senior United Nations official, prior to which he served in the Imperial government. Upon returning a few years later, my family then left Ethiopia again, escaping the chaos of the new Derg regime, this time to Rwanda and later Togo, Malawi, and Kenya. I thus grew up in six different countries, going to school in French as well as English, and learning Swahili along the way. Throughout this time, my parents, to whom I owe everything, instilled in me and my sisters the deepest love and pride for our country Ethiopia. As I grew up in different cultures, grappling to understand my adolescent identity, I drew on the stories my parents told me of my heritage and of those who came before me. My mother, Bizuwork Bekele, who never missed a chance to boast about her beloved Harar, shared stories of my incredible great-grandmother, Imahoy Saba Yifat, from Menz and Gondar by origin, who lived in rural Hararghe as a widow after the Italian invasion and was one of the few women fighters of her time standing up to the invaders to defend the land and her six children. I heard about her son, my grandfather, Ato Bekele Haile, a respected magistrate serving as a judge in Harar town, himself of Gurage and Amhara ancestry, and of my mother’s birth in the historical site today known as the House of Rimbaud. As a young child, I loved to sit for hours with my maternal grandmother, Imahoy Beletshachew Habte-Giorgis, a witty, intelligent, and extremely strong-willed woman who would often exclaim in Afan Oromo which she and her children, including my mother, spoke fluently, as she laughed recalling how she managed her coffee farms in the areas around Jijiga, Fedis, and Deder, where many of my relatives still live today.
My father, for his part, mostly to amuse his daughters, named the water tank in our UN provided house in Kigali, Rwanda, “Bulga Springs” to recall his father’s birthplace in northern Shewa. He would proudly speak of my grandfather, Fitawrari Gebremedhin, a noble and highly disciplined official in Emperor Menelik’s time, who later settled in Wolaita Soddo in the late nineteenth century, marrying my grandmother, Woizero Ayalech Alaye, niece of the great Wolaita King Tona. At the age of seven, I remember visiting Soddo where my father was born and where many of my relatives still live, to spend time in his last years with my grandfather who was then nearly a century old. A tall, dignified, and handsome man, deeply religious, my grandfather showed me and my sister his coffee farm and I remember him speaking of my much loved late grandmother, and of his childhood and the family still in Bulga, and his laughing politely, not understanding, as I chattered to him in English with children’s jokes I had learned in New York.
Thus I grew, within and outside Ethiopia, celebrating all the different identities and cultures that are woven beautifully into the tapestry of my identity as an Ethiopian. To my parents, always, we were Ethiopian and that was something to be deeply proud of, recognizing and cherishing all of our different ethnic strands. I never knew until much later, nor did it matter, which particular ethnic group I should claim. In my extended family, my aunt married a man from Wollega and my uncle married a woman from Asmara, my great aunt married into the Abba Jifar clan in Jimma, and the list goes on. So the Ethiopia I knew growing up with my cousins was a kaleidoscope of identities bound together in one Ethiopia.
This is my Ethiopian story, and it is unique to me, as each Ethiopian would similarly have. It is the story of my Ethiopia, the Ethiopia for which I have enduring love and to which I have returned after thirty years to contribute in the best way I know how. This is my Ethiopia to which I bring all the global experiences which have shaped me, as I have lived my adult years in Mali, Switzerland, and the United States, trained and worked in some of the best institutions, and traveled and explored dozens of countries around the world. This is my Ethiopia that represents all of my heritage, the strong and courageous women and men in my family through the ages whose blood flows in me. This is my Ethiopia for which I am willing to work, fight, and believe all things are possible. This is my Ethiopia to which I have brought my US-born sons, to instill in them the pride and love of all that we are as Ethiopians. I would like to teach them that in our increasingly inter-connected world, they are Ethiopians but also global citizens.
Ethiopia is ours, to claim, to build and to restore. Rather than engage in destructive ethnic bigotry, far better to embrace all of what we are and to build together a better future for our children. My personal identity is irrelevant to my choice or ability to lead an initiative to bring a better marketing system for all Ethiopians, regardless of their ethnic roots or which corner of the country they claim. A market is above all a connection between humans, an exchange of goods and money that links two sides. The market is neutral as to who is on either side, it is the connection that counts. I have always found traders to be the most pragmatic people in the world. Let us too live by this market principle: we are far richer and far stronger if we build on our connectivity to each other in meaningful ways, and that much weaker if we seek isolation and succumb to narrow divisiveness. Let us be like the market. I believe it is our only hope.
(Eleni Zaude Gabre-Madhin, Ph.D., is chief operating officer of the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange.)
60 thoughts on “Let’s be like the market – Eleni Gebre-Medhin”
እሌኒ ማለት ወያኔ ማለት ነዉ። ከዉስጥ ሆነዉ በርሃብ ከሚተበሱት ኢትዮጵያዉያን እየነጠቀች የምትበላ የወያኔ ወኪል አማራ ነኝ ኦሮሞ ነኝ ብላ ብቅ አለች። አሳፋሪ ነች ትግሬነቷን እንኳን እራሷ ትደብቀዋለች፤ ጉደኛ የምታታለዉን ደደቢት ሄዳ ታታልል። ለኛ ታምራትም በረከትም አማራ ነበሩ። ይህን ዝባዝንኬዋን መቀሌ ወስዳ ትለጥፍ፤ አሳፋሪ ስንት አይነ ምሁር የዘረኝነት ትምህርት ቤት ምሩቅ። አምራቹን በዘዴ ከወያኔ ጋር ለመዝረፍ የግባች ናት። በምንም መልኩ ኢትዮጵያዊነት የምባል ነገር የላትም። ደግሞ አማራ ነኝ ልትል ትሞክር። ቂቂቂ……….. ዶር ለባ ብለናል።
WOW, Eleni I am surprised that the unelected regime, I mean junta in Ethiopia, who profess that Woyane is the one who introduced Ethiopians through its kilil..I mean KILKIL Policy, have not put you in prison like Birtukan Mideksa. You better leave soon or you will be joining Birtuyee in Kaliti.. What you wrote above is against the junta’s so called ‘constitution’!!! Good Luck on your efforts but I can assure you that your efforts will not bring any fruit to the poor farmers in Ethiopia since the junta alrady started using your Commodity Exchange as another mechanism to fill up their pockets and MARK MY WORDS ONCE THEY ARE DONE USING YOU THEY WILL THROW YOU IN JAIL OR KILL YOU BECAUSE YOU HAVE REVEALED YOURSELF NOT TO BE A TIGRE! These bastards have a deep hatred to the Amharas, which you belong to, and if truly YOU ARE WHO SAID YOU ARE THERE IS NO WAY YOU WILL GO ALL THE WAY WITH THE WOYANE! That my sister is our litmus test! DEATH TO THE WOYWNE!!! AND LONG LIVE BELOVED ETHIOPIA AND ETHIOPIANS!!!
Dear Eleni
A nice and solemn statement!! But willingly or unwillingly, you are “working, fighting and believing” in a system that promotes ethnic bigotry and sterotype. With the kind of idea that you purportedly promote above, you may not last long in your position. Or you’re merely mouthing what you do not believe in. By the way, which ethnic party have you subscribed to? Evidently, they would not let you ensconce yourself in a such an “exalted” position without exhorting you to fill the recruitmement form!
Eleni
Your narrative is compelling. I have great respect for anyone with conviction strong enough to give up the comfort and security of the West and return home wherever it is to lend a helping hand by doing what they know best. Your efforts are commendable.
Don’t be distracted by the negativity that has become the trade mark of the Starbucks coffee seeping Diaspora; coffee grown by the same farmer whose life you are trying to change one day and one step at a time.
I hope and pray that the current Ethiopian leadership would be influenced by your vision and “identity neutral “world view.
May the Lord protect and watch over you and your loved ones
Dr
Very impressed by your article! You don’t owe anyone an explanation. God bless you and keep on doing the right thing!
Oh please– save us your patronizing “love of country” BS to your Woyane cadres. That may impress your crime partners. You are simply a broker (“delala”) on behalf of Woyane in the looting of Ethiopia. You are just the educated version of “Aba Dula Gemeda”. It is only obvious that you are blinded by the love of money aka GREED not love of country. Despite your BS smoke screen, you remain enemy of the Ethioopian peasants in helping to loot the coffee, hydes, oil seeds and others from the Ethiopian peasants. In the process provide legitimacy for the Woyane money Lanundering scheme!
Market needs well functioning institutions. There are no well functioning institutions in Ethiopia. Market without well functioning institutions is like fish without water! So you want us to be like fish without water? what an expert advice!
Immebetie!!! Ayzosh Berchi!!! I have commended you before on this very website for your extremely valuable effort to introduce modern ways of exchanging commodities to our beloved Ethiopia. Our countrymen have been exchanging commodities for centuries. That is why we can find market days specifically dedicated for such purpose for every sizable town in the country. Tuesday used to be the market day for the small town I grew up. The next town had Thursday as its weekly market day. Now this way of having commodity exchanges does not go far enough to promote wealth and fair competition that will directly impact the farmers, be it small or big. By God!!! A commodity exchange is long time coming for our country. It is about time and May God Bless You for doing just that. As any new beginning, it may not be as attractive to many or flawless in its progress. But keep plugging away and you may have many people lined up in front of your office one of these days to apologize to you and take most of what they are saying now back. Ig enusalehu!!!!!
This comment is rather for Dr. Eleni herself.
Questioning your ethnicity is wrong and not civil whatsoever in the first place. On the other hand it is a very challenging time for many people to evaluate things without bias towards once ethnicity. That is why I dearly appreciate the rather positive step you have taken tackling the question head on and clear everything up. Communication and transparency is vital for someone like you who embarked on such a huge responsibility that may have national impact.
Having said that, people might still have serious questions about the integrity and independence of the ECX, which is quite healthy. I have read atleast two solid articles (“The dangerous hype behind the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange” and “Is the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange good for coffee growers?”) questioning the professional standards, financial transparency, independence, etc of ECX and wheteher it will really benefit Ethiopian farmers which I believe you might have already read. I don’t think many people will doubt your positive intentions and skills for the job. But they might have questions about whether the ECX with such a huge potential remains independent, transparent and professional. That will be, by the way, your toughest challenge if otherwise there are other motives in the works. If you become victor in keeping ECXs integrity, you will be a heroine. If you fail and the ECX is derailed from its genuine objectives that it was established for, then that will be a doom and you will regret it for the rest of your life. I hope answering those concerns with the exact same openness and transparency we see in your article today will be very important and critical for the work you are doing.
Keep the good work up.
I like your story. Truly genuine. I don’t like the ill policies of this government but you are doing heck of a job.
I admire you! Good job Eleni!
Now that you proved you are like one of us or all of us, the question is what’s next? Are you saying that now is the job of the rest of us to figure out whether or not your initiative is as genuine as your ethnic fusion? Our good Doctor, I don’t think it works like that. What people are saying is one thing and what you are narrating is another thing. “Fiyel wodih, kizimzim wedia”, as the saying goes. Ethiopian Commodity Exchange is a naked lie and it is too late to mislead/misinform all the informed about it. Furthermore, I wish you told Melese how great it is to be primordial ethnic soup long time ago before telling all of us now. Because we the rest, do not have a problem with that in the first place. It was Melese and his likes who are sick of this ethnic harmoney and co-existence of the Ethiopian people. Please get to the point and do not try to confuse us with your market and ethnic fusion junk. “Lemayawkish tategn!!!”.
Well written!
“We will be happy to see Ethiopian people eat three times per day that is our priority” this was the statement when the butcher of Addis Crime Minister Zegnawee took over our beloved city 18 years ago. I share your dream of civilized and prosperous Ethiopia but our country is under the worst dictator of the century. Let us get rid of this ethno fascist group first before we implement modern commodity exchange. My dear ye Harerr ledge; let me ask you one question; do you think the playing filed is equal to all Ethiopians to participate on free market? Good luck to you but make sure you don’t loose your US passport and keep it in safe lock for future exit.
Dr Eleni….it’s not about ur ethinc background it’s about who u work for. your boss is the evil agent silent killer meles
I know who Eleni is since i first met u at IFPRI training some years before. I have read many of ur articles. I am proud of u since long time. Ethiopia needs elites like u.
Unfortunately Ethiopia has produced one ugly generation. That generation did so many worse things to the country. That generation became communist and introduced so many shames to the country. That generation introduced tribalism and ethnicity. That generation disintegrate the country. That generation made the country land locked. That generation , in general, destructed Ethiopia.
It is members of that idiot generation who are questioning ur identity, ethnicity and etc.
But do what ever u can irrespective of these blunt minds. Ethiopia needs u. Ethiopians are one of the most humilated people. Serve them. We need u. We need ur help. support ur poor nation and still be proud of what u are doing despite meaning full reaction u may encounter.
However u must realize that the existing regime is the master of the ethnic model . Be sure that one day they may target u simply because of ur ethnic background or something like that. Watch for that always and do ur job
I dont care about her ethncity. but She is a 100% Woyane.A distraction tool for TPLF.
Dear Dr. Eleni,
Your statement is compelling and really moving the bottom of the heart feeling expression. Even your strong critiques won’t refute your positive intention. The issue is not your ethnicity or for that matter the commodity exchange but the way you handled coffee trade as opposed to sesame trade that was displayed in the recent documentary.
You owe to Ethiopian public to clearly explain why coffee traders must be thrown in prison and contemplate to cut their hands. Where is the free market? Contrary to sesame trade is handled you aligned yourself with the system for the cash cow by resorting forcefully to destroy the coffee traders. You statement must be clear whether the action taken against the coffee traders are justifiable or not.
Salaam
Eleni,
Your outrage on the Diaspora who questioned your honesty with such emotional narrative does not lessen the damage you are doing on the peasantry of Ethiopia, nor does it raise the level of your acceptability among Ethiopians. You should have directed your emotional comment not to the Diaspora, but towards the Tigre racists whom you are serving to punish and ride on the backs of the poor farmers of non-Tigre Ethiopians. If you are principled and have the courage to fight for the wellbeing of poor farmers, you would not have dined and wined in the palace of racist master meles zenawi. You would have been fighting for their voice out from here or dared to confront your masters on the fallacy of their racist ideology even from within.
Are you trying to prove that you are not ethnically Tigre? If you are not, then you belong to the group which the late Prof. Asrat identified as Hodam; and I guarantee you that is exactly what you are. There are many like you such as Samuel Assefa, Mulugeta Asrate Kassa, Dawit Yohannes, Genet Zewede blab la; who will go to any length to fill up their belly that never seems to fill up no matter how much garbage it takes in. Don’t pretend you are working to better the lives of peasants; you are trying to tie their hands behind their back and deliver them to the racist weyanes. Didn’t you literally do the same thing to many businessmen recently that with your blessing were thrown to jail? Shut up….and continue to fill up your enlarged belly…..until…..the time Ethiopian weyane victims will claim their rights.
Dr. Dr. Eleni
Your statement is very compelling and really moving the bottom of the heart feeling. Even your strong critiques won’t have an issue in your ethnicity or for that matter the commodity exchange. The main issue is the way you handled coffee trade contrary to the main objectives of the project.
You need to explain more on coffee trades, throwing the traders into jail and contemplating to cut their hands off. Where is the free market?
Salaam
This is all to say that she (Eleni) is not a Tigre and her link with the Woyane is not because of her ethnicity. Very funny. It don’t matter what ethnicity she is. Regardless what she is composed of, she is Woyane. As in Tamirat Layne is woyane, as in Tefera walewa is Yoyane, as in Girma Birru is Woyane,etc. If she really cares about ethiopia, specially about ethiopian economy, why doesn’t she critisize the Woyane economic polices or even challenge Meles? in land policy? Privatization? The fact that TPLF party running close to 100 companies? The corruption and conflicts of interests? She never said a damn word about it. Why? Because she is woyane!! It’s irrelevant whether she is Tigre or not, she is damn Woyane.
Dear Eleni
Many thanks for your bravery and patriotism . We share the same story like you . Your true love to mother ethiopia brought you back home to serve her children. Even the situation at home is not condusive you are trying your citzenry obligation with great professionalism. The regime can come and go the true interest of the nations remains fore ever. Your are trying to make a difference even though the political system and the insititutions in place are not helpful for success.
Be and remain yourself. Try and do what you think right !Never pay attention for any empty cry to influence your activity.
I am Proude Of you because I share the same multy-ethnic background above all as a proud ethiopian !
Keep Up the nice work Sis !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Melkamu Thewodros
Well you have your own Ethiopian story to claim and we have our too. A person is defined not only by the greatness of his achievements (positive) or the colorfulness of his story. If I am working for a repressive regime, that has no regard for free market, that runs more than 300 tax-exempt and disproportionately favored than non-TPLF owned business and claim that you are working for Ethiopia is utter contempt to the intelligence of the people. Why is that Tigreans get the pivotal jobs, then Eleni? Are you the only worthy person for that position or is it that your ethnicity would be a convenience for the TPLF and a guiding light for you. So don’t brag about Ethiopianness when you and we all know that you got that position for being a Tigre. Some weak minded people might find your song of Ethiopianness amusing for the competent and disenfranchised people of Ethiopia who are being taken as second rate citizens and mowed by your boss Meles (and you) who is dying to protect the TPLF above all Ethiopians. So what did Legesse Asfaw (I guess you know who he is) did except working for a killer like Mengistu and what difference do you have than him?
Elleni
Who are you blaming? Are you really working for the development of Ethiopia that you have said “weaker if we seek isolation and succumb to narrow divisiveness”. Give me break! Who is the base for the weaker and narrow divisiveness? Where are we now in 18 years? What have you accomplished in, for whatever time, you were working with narrow divisive Ethnic based elites? I am sorry, what I have learnt from your demagogy, you haven’t even understood the market. Market needs free will, free of government intervention, free and equal participation of all citizens. I think posting your biography is part of your shrewdness, ingenuity order that have given to you to do to make rally Ethiopians around you, which is old trick.
Other than the commodity exchange, in between please feed the hungry one as well.
The Woyane idealogy and economic philosopy is a roadblock to economic development and free market principles. So it oxymoronic to work for Woyane and except different results.
While your intentions are noble, but with Woyane, there will not be Ethiopia, as your parents described, because it has been fractured and disintegrated culturally and geographically.
Woyane’s despite residing in Ethiopia act like occupiers, and hate Ethiopia and what it was and what it represents, the mosaic strands that you and most of us are; that is why they created killel to break us down into our geness and destroy us as people and as a nation.
Many Ethipoians, who opened businesses or factories have been booted out once the regime desires for any reason to take it or to give it Tigrean clans.
Ethiopians have no right and have no countries. The Woyanes know only how to destroy, how to divide, but not how to build anything that will serve the collective interest of the Ethiopian people.
They only thing what is in it for them?
Their ownership of land, Interent and other means of production are a road block to economic development and I believe if you really love and care for Ethiopia, you should work for their downfall and the liberation of Ethiopia.
ECX for Woyanes is a tool for garnering foreign currency, and control, but not staving of famine or promoting free market, or making Ethiopia self-sufficient. For them, they care little if at all want Ethiopians to vanish or starve to death.
Our people are fleeing as refugees or dying of starvation, primarily due to their divisive ethnic and economic policy, for lack of freedom to work as an Ethiopian and for lack of transparency or security unless one is born Tigre or their lacky – which does not always guarantee security.
I am afraid for your security and that of your indepedence in a system imbued and shaped by ethnocentrist and anti-free market proponents.
Dawit
Dear Eleni,
Keep doing your good job. You are an inspiration to me and many Ethiopians. Do not worry about the negative people. Good job should always be rewarded regardless of ethnicity and political background as long as it is benefiting and may bring change in our country. In fact most of us in the Diaspora oppose the regime there, but we should not oppose the good work of individuals blindly. The poor people must live a life and see at least some changes.
Dear Eleni
You profess to be a champion of free enterprise. Your recent measures at ECX do not to hold that up. Just a couple of questions: How do you justify the confiscation of tens of thousands of pounds of coffee from pirvate operators and then lock them up in jail, to boot? What has the nationalisation of sesame trading and consequent disempowerment of the small sesame farmer got to do with the free market system?
My sister Eleni i commend your good intentions, but where were you for the last 18 years when weyane installed the KILIL in Ethiopia? who introduced the ethnic policy in the first place? and while you were there didn’t you know weyane ordered the people of Ethiopia not to use the original flag which is the way Ethiopianess have been expressed with out its ugly mark on it? did you say any thing to Melles about it? as you said “Imahoy Saba Yifat, from Menz and Gondar by origin, who lived in rural Hararghe as a widow after the Italian invasion and was one of the few women fighters of her time standing up to the invaders to defend the land and her six children” Imahoy defended the flag Eleni. You are a smart educated person in one of the best institutions in the US, that is why weyane got you. They are using you to make things work for them.By the way while you are working to benefit them since they know who you are i bet you they have gotten some thing on you to black mail you so that you live with your head down watch out.You said “Ethiopia is ours, to claim, to build and to restore” you are right but it is your wish for now.
I read a defensive passing of note (7 paragraphs and 1118 words) entitled “Let’s be like the Free market” by Eleni Zaude Gabre-Madhin which has been posted today on Ethiopian Review.
As I was one of the people who also wrote about Mrs. Eleni Zaude Gabre-Madhin’s active and collaborative role in the regime destroying Ethiopia , I felt to make a response to her most recent piece.
Unlike to Mrs. Eleni Zaude Gabre-Madhin’s and the regime she is actively serving, her ethnic identity ( (Amhara , Guragae, Oromo, Adare, Tigrai etc) has never been a matter of relevance to most Ethiopians.
The issue and the outrage against Mrs. Eleni Zaude Gabre-Madhin has been primarily related to her active role in the plunder and oppression of Ethiopians ( coffee farmers and traders etc) , her knowing collaboration with the oppressors, her principles of morality and integrity.
Except tribalists like the regime members she is a part of , no one defined, reduced, or otherwise dismissed Mrs. Eleni Zaude Gabre-Madhin’s identity. To her surprise, most Ethiopians do see Mrs. Eleni Zaude Gabre-Madhin’s and her likes as Ethiopians despite their Crimes , deprived morality and lack of Integrity that can be easily considered outside the Ethiopian norms.
Mrs. Eleni Zaude Gabre-Madhin’s defensive writing appears to be intended to downplay and soften her active enabling role in the dictatorial system and her complicity in supporting the gangsters committing crimes just by focusing on trivial and tribal issues.
In the 7 paragraph thesis, as enablers almost always do, Mrs. Eleni Zaude Gabre-Madhin’s avoids talking about her active role in the existing dictatorship and the policy she and her bosses are imposing on Ethiopian coffee farmers and traders. Lastly and as mentioned earlier, Mrs. Eleni Zaude Gabre-Madhin’s tribal root is only important to herself and the regime she is willingly and knowingly serving than to most Ethiopians.
See:http://www.ethiosun.com/accountablity/lets-be-like-the-effort-free-market-%E2%80%93-and-oppose-tyrants-monopoly/
Dear Elleni,
The story you wrote is interesting. I remember Tamagn Beyene’s song about a similar issue “min tebye litera”, please correct me if I am mistaken.
It is truly fictious. How many people do you have in your office? Can you tell us from where they are? I am just asking you to answer the question for yourself. I know your office and I know your people. A friend of mine came to your office for a job interview. You can tell us who the hell you have from A to Z. Who do you call when you face a problem? You directly report to Meles. Do you think others enjoy what you have? How much are you paid in a poor country? Are you really helping or being helped?
You have the audacity to claim that you are trying to help Ethiopians and the Ethiopian economy. Your attempted ethnic smoke screen that you deliberately inserted in the discussion is simply a futile exercise. You have no objective except to take advantage of a woyane led criminal enterprise and in the process fill your insatiable greed.
Needless to say that you are doing more damage to the struggle of the Ethiopian people who are fighting the Tigre occupation of Ethiopia than the likes of Aba Dula Gemeda, Kassu Illala, Girma Biru and others. You will one day be answering to the Ethiopian people for partnering with Tigre criminals as well as providing a cosmetic cover for Woyane lloting of the Ethiopian treasury in the eyes of the international market. It is also obvious you are serving as a main tool in the woyane laundering of wealth into save havens around the world. In the meantime, mark my word we will keep track of the trail of money of your and your partners.
Dear Eleni Bravo!! For the courage to address this issue head on, for all that you have accomplished and trying to accomplish. Keep up the great work and May God Bless you in every step of your way.
For those who have commented negatively and advised Dr Eleni to stop working, what do you propose? Should everything be stopped until the current regime is gone? How much more hunger and poverty can be tolerated until then? Shouldn’t roads, hospitals and schools be built until such time, shouldn’t farms be farmed until such time? Is the solution to leave the country and never return back until everything is nice and cozy?
What an amazing woman Eleni is to have the vision and courage to return and do something while she still can and while she is still young and vibrant to face the challenges that she had to face and is still facing.
How else do you propose that we perpetuate change in Ethiopia if you don’t roll up your sleeves and do something. Blogging on the internet alone does not create “injera”. If all of us who have taken the time to write here were willing to sacrifice and make a difference by actually working for Ethiopia in Ethiopia, boy we would have gone a long way.
Infrastructures have to be built, technology has to be embraced, advancement has to be sought and a country has to be developed no matter who is on top and whatever atrocities the leaders are doing. Fighting the injustice works only if you are doing it from within not half way around the world and simply hating.
Eleni
The whole point is you are supporting and working for ethnically based government who is destroying the unity of the country. What is wrong with to a pure tegrie, oromo, or amhara. You story is not an excuse for sucking the blood of Ethiopia by collaborating with the woyanie bandas.
If you are so diverse in your ethnic backgroung, I wonder which ethnic identity did TPLF (the tigrean government which you serve) deliver you in your Kebele ID!
Do they still write ethnic identity in Kebele IDs?
then you must have married some TPLF/tribal gang to have your post
You are good in your own defense, persuasive with a marketable writing.
“In my extended family, my aunt married a man from Wollega and my uncle married a woman from Asmara, my great aunt married into the Abba Jifar clan in Jimma, and the list goes on.”
How about your husband/father of your children? It seems he is the only one missing in the picture.
“The market is neutral as to who is on either side, it is the connection that counts. I have always
found traders to be the most pragmatic people in the world”.
Human emotion and connectivity is some what different. In some ways, by disclosing your genealogy in an emotional ,affected and connected way, that may not translate human relation into being pragmatic in a given profession.
In the PBS documentary-magazine, it left an impression that
-A good trophy image of the regime.
-A profile of Elleni Gebre-
-Although ECX is one year old, the farmers feed back was not high lighted except one lone farmer’s comment on general condition of farming in Ethiopia (which was not positive).
You are admirable for who you are: Energetic, enthusiastic, motivated, optimist and skilled.
Keep strong with an eye on results.
Good luck
I read your article with great passion. You said your uncle married to woman from Asmara. Can I ask you one question? is your uncle’s wife deported from Ethiopia during the Ethiopian Eritrean war? have you defended all the Ethiopian woman of Eritrean orgin deported from Ethiopia? Never happended during Menilik (when Eritrea was under Italia), never happened during the imperial time and never happened during the cruel dergue….but happened during the leadership your serving now. The problem of these woyane gangs do not stop for Eritreans only they are committing the same grave mistaks with the Ethiopians of all race. Great Ethiopia a home of many nationality is now blong to one cruel ethnic group
Let me tell you one thing? if an Oromo man was asked where he is from before the gangs come to power even during Haile Selasie? He used to say proudly… I am from Ethiopian? Well if you ask the same question now would you get the same answer. I doubt!!. Who is dividing Ethiopia into elite ethnic and not important national?? Have you got a clue?? if yes why dont say something inorder Ethiopia citizens who tell the same stroy as yours. We have a genuin fear that ethnic divisions may be a time bomb? who will be responsible for the crimes that are comitted in Ogaden, Oromia?? in whose name is it?? We should stand up and we should defend our Ethiopian brothers in Oromo and Ogaden. A crime and attrocities are being comitted in our name. We should learn from previous crimes and we should tell them that we are on thier side
Eleni……..it is time to speak up the crime that is commited in Harar if you really care about the unity of Ethiopia
Have a nice weekend
Biniam
Elini, what is your point? who said you are not Ethiopian? Even if who has moral right to say who is Ethiopian and who is not? Now you you are trying to conivience us you are working for Ethiopia? do you think you will bring change by yourself alone. I appreciate your personal success though you are descended from privellaged fuedal family. You think you love Ethiopia, but what about others? what about Birtkuan? what crime she did to be in prison? doesn’t she have the same history you have? isnt she Ethiopian? what about other political prisonors? which come first? free market or free country? We all have different professions. we all love to see free and prossperous country. But people like you are dragging us back a day by day. Why do you think we are strongly opposing this gvt? do you think it is because they are Tigrie only? Now you are creating mechanism for TPLF hynas to control coffee from middle business men? The only thing you could achieve is kicking out middle bussiness men and replacing them with cadries, then you will repeat history of those fuedals. anyway good luck and I wish to read article not in your geneology but your interest in coffee? Your fathers directly collected coffee from farm but you will be collecting from farmers, then you join neonefitegn TPLF.what difference you can make if were Tigrie-now try prove as are not Tigrie`? what is this non-sense.
Eleni
You are right you shold be messaured by your deeds not from which ethinc group you are.
The issue should be as a person who claim Ethiopian and love Ethiopia dearly,work with a government who is working to destroy the commen fabric which holds the country together.How are you not able to see this Dr.Dose this take more than a docterat?????
13 Aug 2009
Why don’t we get some prespective here? Eleni is one person. She bravely did what most of us will not do in her area of expertise.
Eleni is not GOD. She cannot solve the ills of all of Ethiopia both past and present. She has courageously taken steps to better at least one aspect of the social and ecomonic ills that has been plagueing our country. If one dismisses everything else, she has created jobs for many by establishing this exchange. Families are being fed because someone is gainfully employed. These are a few less people who are not relegated to begging.
Moreover, she has established an infrasturcture that is going to be there whether the current leadership is there or not.
Despite all this,she as one person has achieved what no one else has attempted. She is a true heroine. It is very obvious to see how much people hate the current government but this should not be an excuse to target a person who is truly trying to do something and drag her through all this mud.
She cannot be a political fighter,economic fighter or a person to deal with the social issues of Ethiopia all at once. The admirable Ms Birtukan is fighting the political fight in her expertise. Eleni is fighting the economic fight in her area of expertise. The rest of us should find our own expertise and passion and fight to build a better Ethiopia. People like these women are the ones who are making a difference and sacrificing a lot.
I am so proud to have Ethiopian women such as these ladies who are our leaders, who have convictions and passions to make Ethiopia a better place. The rest of us, if we cannot in any way contribute to the betterment of Ethiopia then crying fowl everytime someone tries to do something will be the only thing we will ever do. I know we are better than this. We just need to focus on what is important a the end. What is a lasting solution?
Dear Dr Eleni,
No one has the right to question you Ethnicity or Ethiopiawinet. You do not owe anyone any explanation as to which ethnic group you belong. You are as Ethiopian as one can get. There is no doubt about it. But, you will be accountable and judged be it good or bad you have done so far and what you will be doing going forward. As a graduate of one of the prestigious institution on this planet, how does make you fell working NOT for the Ethiopian people but being an instrument to the government that is holding its citizen hostage? As an economist how does make you fell when Woyane is selling the lands to foreign investors in the name of progress to accumulate foreign currency in their personal accounts abroad? Be it intentional or not you are an instrument for the government who is responsible looting the poor farmer in the name of free market. Didn’t Stanford teach you Ethics? Or did you miss the lecture about Ethics?
Dear Eleni – I am really impressed by your personal and family story. You are extra-ordinary woman. I mean it. Your personal belief in country and citizenship is extraordinary. You have the courage to say I am a proud Ethiopian with unwavering love to my country. You must be a rare breed in an anti-Ethiopia and pro-ethnic tribal government.
I wish I can forward your posting to Bereket and Meles. I am sure just reading the phrase “absolute love of country” called Ethiopia will make them puke.
If I had painted you with the same brush as Meles [Woyane], it is because you work for him. You definitely chose to do so, in order to help your beloved country [now I don’t doubt you; let somebody call me naive]. This does not mean that I agree with your “ECX project” which off course is out of the point in here.
Given your unwavering love to your country and to your people how do you really tolerate the boundless injustice committed and being committed by this Government that you are serving?
Can you really be neutral? Isn’t the injustice against your beloved people [you are a great mom, you can put face to it: children are massacred on the street, can you really be neutral to this? people who stood for justice are in jail or in exile]
May be I am head of myself [I should have first asked you, do you believe that this Government has committed horrific crimes against your beloved Ethiopia; the Ethiopia that your Grand ma and Grand pa fought for? If you believe so, which I hope you do, what great purpose are you serving my sister? Do you believe that markets can thrive in an opaque society entangled with fear?
(I Hope I will live to hear your answer)
Sincerely,
Yohannes
ዕሌኒን ለቀቅ ወያኔን ጠበቅ!
አድጊውን ፈርቶ ቀልቀሎውን
please leave her alone..open your mind and be positive for someone who is trying her best…go on dear Dr Eleni..who cares which tribe she came from?????ha???…..we only need
her intelligent positive mind!!!
Eleni,do you by any chance live in the International Space Station?Other wise I have no idea what you are talking about.On your article you stated “Ethiopia is ours to claim, to build and to restore.Rather than engage in destructive ethnic bigotry,far better to embrace all of what we are and to build together a better future for our children.”Really?, Is that what is happning right now or all the contrary?, Have you checked who is ruling the country, the military, the civil sector and the buisiness?. Above all have you cheked who your boss is?
If you have the answers for all these questions I above mentioned, then come back with another article to convince me that you are not serving a destructive ethnic bigotry ruleres.By the way what is your identity card say about your ethinc background?
Hello Elleni,
Really i am very proud of you. Your back ground is good that’s why you are standing for your country. Also you have Harar blood i am also from Harar. Keep going when i came to Ethiopia i will meet you. Godbless you. Specially these people where they lived out of Ethiopia they talk too much they don’t do nothing just Poltics our people at this time needs work not politics.
Dear Dr Eleni,
I have been alwyas proud of You.By the way I am one of those who read your publications particularly in Institutional Economics.I had alwyas desire too see you.However, I don’t want to miss this time just to say few words for you.
Sister, you will not have age like that of MATUSALA of the Bible.Do what you can do for our beloved country before it is late.And let history judge what we are contributing either for the good or bad of our country. You don’t have time to stop barking dogs.Rationality assumption is not there…..Press on. Don’t despair. Always remind that there are brothers and sisters follow suit you.
Long Life to Ethioia and Dr Eleni.
“Tenayistilghn”
Eleni where do you go to do your grocery? which area do you live in Addis Abeba? do you get electric every day? when was it at any time in Ethiopia electric was out more than one day let alone for five days? why are the factories with out power? do you know Teff is sold for $1600 Ethiopian birr? Eleni didn’t you told us you went to Ethiopia to make sure grain is distributed for less farmed areas? where is the beef? why did you turn your face on the hunger stricken people of Ethiopia? and went on treading COFFEE? Why are you telling me to lend you my shoulder to cry on? Gud Eko nuw.You shouldn’t have mentioned your ethnic background that was a low blow especially coming from you, a lady who have a high caliber like you shouldn’t come down to this degree. You disappoint me big time.
Dear Eleni.
I appreciate what you are doing in our country that the important thing not your ethnic background you are the best keep it up and ignor those negetive thinkers (Hager Bewere Ayadgem).
As far as self serving articles go, I have to say this is a lame one. As many of the commenters have mentioned above, nobody gives a rat’s ass about Eleni’s ethnic background except the government that recruited and hired her to run this sham of a commodities exchange in Ethiopia. I have watched the PBS documentary ‘The Market Maker’ about the ECX and read all the follow up articles written by the likes of Dr. Seid Hassan following that broadcast. After reading Eleni’s article, I have to go back and read everything all over again, thinking I must have missed something.
At the beginning of his article, Dr. Seid said, “…We were disappointed (but not surprised) by the failure of the documentary film which failed to show us the difficulties that the ECX has and would face, let alone Dr. Eleni’s failure to explain to us how the ECX could “transform the Ethiopian economy.’…”
And Dr. Seid finishes his excellent article with the following: ” Let there be no more hypes, no more deceptions. Most importantly, it is time for those enablers of Meles’s greedy and kleptocratic regime that the creation of hypes real consequences. As a gimmickry mega project, the ECX has been and will be used to both squander the meager resources of the country and as means of controlling the outputs of the Ethiopian peasants. Let it be known that those who are a part of this process, including those at the helm of the ECX will be accountable for what they have done to Ethiopia and its people.”
On all the articles that I have read regarding the ECX, I have never seen anyone mentioning Eleni’s ethnicity or last name (Gabre-Madhin) and trying to make hay out of that except Dr. Eleni herself. Dr. Eleni, in her infinite wisdom, instead of answering the legitimate concerns and questions put to her by well intentioned Ethiopians like Dr Seid, has chosen instead to ramble about her ethnicity, pedigree and genealogy. The question we all need to ask is, is Dr. Eleni really that dense that she failed to understand the issue at hand or does she think we are stupid to see her ploy at side skirting to address the real issue?
Dear Eleni Zaude Gabre-Madhin, Ph.D., COO of ECX,
We will have more respect for you if you are honest with us and tell us why you have chosen to enable the ethnocentric tribal regime in Addis with your credentials, instead of trying to turn the table on the people who question your false assertions. Remember, both ‘Kilil’ and ethnic federalism in Ethiopia is the brain child of TPLF, which are your employers at the Menelik palace. You could tell us that with middle age approaching fast and furious, you were frustrated and dissatisfied with your life as a professional in the west. You could mention that after a hard day at the WB, you were sick and tired of TV dinners for you and the kids, and you were specially sick of the Chinese takeout: a fare of yuck choy and moo shoo, night after night. You could tell us that you wanted a charmed life for yourself and the kids. That you wanted your kids to be chauffeured to their elite private schools and events. That you wanted your house cleaned and your meals cooked and served by liveried maids and servants. Remember, the truth always shall set you free!
Respectfully,
Surafel
I do not think you are that innocent to understand what is going on in your beloved country, and I should not tell you what is going on with the free market economy you are talking about. It is the Weyane who created this ethnic animosity among we Ethiopians. If you love Ethiopia, you should stand against this narrow ethnic dictatorial anti Ethiopian group, which became against the unity of our country and against free market economy.