People-Centered Private Initiative and Socio-Economic Development In Ethiopia
By Ahmed A. Moen
Ethiopian Review, February 1994
In order to understand relations among Muslims, Christians and Traditional faiths in the Horn of Africa, we need to underscore some established historical, religious and sociological factors that have direct bearing on the social responsibilities of the three communities or groups. This is not an easy task, but there is a reservoir of goodwill and inclination towards constructive collaboration, peace and dialogue on the part of the adherents of these religions.
Understanding the underlying cross-cultural dynamics will motivate these communities to work in partnership with agents of social change, peace and development. If we are courageous and sincere in our attempt to create mutual understanding, tolerance and interdependence, then we must face many harsh realities and work together to change attitudes for the better.
To order a simple conceptual framework of people-centered private initiative and socio-economic development in Muslim settings in Ethiopia, one has to examine the structures and the jurisprudence governing charity and philanthropy. I expect the reader will bear with me when I quote the Qura’n and the sayings and practices of the Prophet Mohammed to validate the influence these concepts have on the humanitarian behaviors and practices in sustaining the private voluntary sector.
Given the sensitive political and social climate nowadays, it would be politically correct if one discusses non-controversial and equally valid social theories and literature base that explain pertinent sociological variables that influence human behaviors toward charity giving even before all religious commandments came into existence.
This approach may be more safe. But the challenge here is to compare and contrast the underlying historical and socio-economic forces associated with institution-building and religion-driven values promoting longstanding social responsibility.
The fact of the matter is that there is strong evidence of constructive, dichotomous social responsibility supported by obligatory and voluntary charity and philanthropy in the private sector. The proper questions to ask here are:
(a) How can one perceive the cultural bridges that connect diverse peoples, and sustain inter-faith understanding of Ethiopian Muslim communities in an integrated socio-cultural environment?
(b) In order to mitigate the negative perceptions surrounding the legitimacy and access to private voluntary humanitarian assistance and denominational fund raising how do we go about understanding and explaining the inevitable
predisposed social and cultural attitudes and political biases towards the source of support?
(c) Although the absence of tax break removes the economic incentive to invest in charity, philanthropy, or endowment, how do we motivate the various communities to sustain and increase relative social responsibility, as well as strengthen holistic private initiatives? One can’t answer all these questions, but they seem to be germane to the issues of tolerance, interdependence, and the constructive role private initiatives play in sustaining social responsibility.
The Land Of The First Migration
Ethiopia is a country of diverse culture and a cross-road of major religions –Islam, Christianity, Judaism and African traditional beliefs. Its history, literatures, and artifacts mirror its continuous historical heritages since human civilization begun. Its geography, archeology, technology and scripts reflect one of the oldest human civilization in the Horn of Africa. In my province-by-province field service as a young pioneer in the malaria control project, I was able to see, feel and touch real people who enhanced my learning experience about Ethiopia.
The most observed traits I found are the richness of its diverse ethnohistory, religions, languages, social values, behaviors and practices that bind as well as distinguish different peoples. It is, indeed, a fascinating mosaic picture and a community of nations and tribes as described in the Qur’an and the Scriptures: “Oh mankind! We created you from a single pair of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other, not that you may despise each other.” Qur’an XIV:13
In another verse, it says: “And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the variations in your languages and your colors: verily in that are Signs for those who know.” Qura’n XXX:22 It is against this rich history, cultures and traditions that one finds Islam is not a strange religion and can easily be identified with Ethiopia. Ethiopia, then Abyssinia, is renown in the Islamic history as the “Land of the First Migration” or “Dar Al-Hijrat-Al-Ula” where Muslims and Christians discovered their interdependence as children of Abraham.
Fourteen centuries ago, the Abyssinian king, Negus Atsmaha, granted political asylum for those who feared religious persecution and denied freedom of expression. This occurred hundreds of years ago and well before the Geneva Convention on Protection of prisoners of War and the universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948. What took place fourteen centuries ago left an indelible mark in the Islamic history. Indeed, it gained Ethiopia recognition and respect beyond its geographical boundaries.
The Ethiopian peoples pride themselves when the Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, described their country as a land of justice and a haven for peace. He said: “Go to Al-habasha because in it there is a just king.” He felt that his relatives and followers are more secured and protected in a distant kingdom and a hospitable neighbor than in hostile Arabia. The Qur’an described the dramatic scene when the King of Abyssinia and his priests then insisted on listening to the story of E’ssa (Jesus), peace be upon him, and his virgin mother, Maryam, peace be upon her as revealed to the Prophet Mohammed: “Behold! the angels said: Oh Mary! Allah has chosen you and purified you–chosen you above the women of all nations. Oh Mary! worship the Lord devotedly; prostrate yourself and bow down in prayer with those who bow down.” Qura’n III: 42-43. Undoubtedly, the interpersonal reaction of the audience was very vivid, full of compassion and appreciation for those revealed words: “… And nearest among them in love to the believers will you find those who say, “We are Christians”: Because among these are men devoted to learning, and men who renounced the world as hermits, and they are not arrogant. And when they listen to the revelation received by the Messenger, you will see their eyes overflowing with tears, for they recognize the truth.
They pray: “Our Lord we believe, write us down among the witnesses.” Qura’n V:82-83 One can imagine, way back in our history, the tolerance of the enlightened leaders who were willing to challenge the potentates, chiefs and nobility of Arabia to offer convincing arguments about the heresy of the Prophet Mohammed before denying asylum to his relatives and followers.
When the Arabian delegation failed to support their case against a divine Messenger whose evidence as the Qura’n, the king and his priests preferred to turn the Arab emissaries back to Mecca empty handed and risk war. Subsequently, when the Muslim state developed during the life of the Prophet, granting protection to prisoners of war, asylees and refugees has become the most important moral and religious obligation: “If one amongst the Pagans ask you for asylum, grant it to him so that he may hear the Word of Allah; and then escort him to where he can be secure, that is because they are men without knowledge.” Qura’n IX:6. It is ironic that in the Middle Ages’ Inquisition period when Jews and their descendants expelled from Spain and Portugal found haven in the Muslim Othman Empire.
It was the Sultan’s turn to emulate the Ethiopian Negus in protecting the Jews from persecution and burning at the stake. Development of Islamic Heritage and Education in Ethiopia The legacy of Islam and its propagation in Ethiopia have been consolidated by trade,, inter-marriage, and teaching of the Qura’n and the practices of the Prophet Mohammed. During this period, several renown Islamic learning centers existed in the former seven Islamic kingdoms or sultanates, i.e., Arbabini, Bali, Dara, Dawaro, Hadiya, Sharka, and Yifat as well as Harer. When the Muslim states declined, very few of these islands of excellence survived in places such as Harer City, Yifat in Wello, Diar Nurhussein in Bale, Jimma Abaji far in Kafa, Abret Sheikhotch in Shoa, and Addis Alem in Gonder. Except in name, other Muslim cultural and educational centers such as Hadiya completely deteriorated in the past one hundred years.
Although these learning and cultural centers lacked academic recognition and financial support from the central down to the provincial governments, for the Ethiopian Muslims, their historical significance is not lesser than the oldest cities and contemporary universities in the continent of Africa such as the Quirawan University in Tunisia, Al-Azhar University in Egypt and several other learning centers in Morocco, Mali, Nigeria, Sudan, and Senegal.
In a Muslim community, seeking knowledge is considered a mandated social responsibility and necessary means to self-development. The Prophet Mohammed Said: “Seek knowledge from cradle to grave.” He exhorted his followers to: “Seek wisdom even if it is in China.” One of the early believers asked on of the Prophet’s companions how can Muslims seek knowledge from China when the most learned person like the prophet Mohammed was amongst them. Muslim scholars consider this exhortation as an impetus for creativity, pragmatism, and inquiry into science, technology, mathematics, and humanities. The fact of the matter is that in Islamic teaching, in as much as God is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth, human knowledge is an indivisible part of this Light. Thus, knowledge as a universal domain is free and can’t be patented, fractionated, owned or monopolized by a single individual or a nation. Islam as a holistic faith suitable for human life puts more emphasis on the Oneness of the Creator and His Omnipresence as a common denominator. In other words, the right of access to the common body of knowledge and creative sciences transcends and breaks all man-made geographical barriers. Man is taught new knowledge at every given moment. Nations and humanity at large learn fresh knowledge at every stage of development. The Qura’n says:
“He Who taught the use of the pen; taught man that which he knew not.” Qura’n XCVI:4-5. Notwithstanding the decline of prominent Muslim learning institutions in Ethiopia, the sayings, traditions and practices of the Prophet Mohammed and the stories of the Great Prophets–Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mohammed, peace be upon them–have been preserved in tablets, parchments, and engraved stones in the Ge’ez and Arabic alphabets in many ancient cities and villages.
Many Muslims transmitted their religion and heritages through oral recitation of the Qura’n and the sayings of the Prophet. Muslim children were taught in primary religious schools their history and traditions using the Arabic, Hareri, Somali, Afan Oromo, Afar, Amharic, Tigrigna and all other languages of Ethiopia.
In the Horn of Africa, the Muslims of Ethiopia were among the most literate population who wrote and memorized history, folktale, poems, songs, and religious chants. They practiced traditional medicine (kitab), taught mathematics and astronomy, especially during the Middle Ages didactic teaching in religious schools, small group learning circles is very similar to those followed by all other religious and traditional believers in Ethiopia.
Today, there are some traces of the sayings of the Prophet Mohammed engraved on the entrances of old homes, public buildings, arch-like gates, learning centers, tombs and mosques such as Masjid Jami, Abadir and Sheikh Al-Hashimy tombs, historical walls and gates of Harer City, Abret Shekhotch, Diar Nurhussein, Yifat, and many other worship places where Ethiopian Muslims settle from Gonder to Kefa and from Wello to Bale; from Shoa to Harer; from Hadiya to Assosa.
The desire for learning, teaching and research drove Muslims to travel as roving students or nomads known in the Oromo vernacular language as “Deresa” or “Ghariba.” Some scholars still keep hand written history, science and mathematics manuscripts in their family collection for generations. In this and in many other means, the Afan Oromo, Amharic, Hareri, Guragigna, and Tigrigna speaking Muslims, in particular, expanded and preserved their knowledge, heritages and literatures.
Traditional Perspective of Private Voluntary Initiatives As a living social organism, a community can’t progress without social responsibility. The social responsibility is embodied in building housings, educational institutions, health facilities, roads, water wells, worship places, etc.
Its main purpose is to achieve better quality of life and self-empowerment. In a Muslim setting, beside the public sector, one of the means to support and finance the private initiatives called “Sadaqah,” meaning philanthropy or charity, the other is called “Zakat,” meaning an obligatory annual “alms” or “tithe” paid on profit generating capital, property and personal income. The driving force perpetuating charity, philanthropy and endowment is derived mainly from the teachings of the Qura’n, the sayings and practices of the Prophet Mohammed, and humanitarian social obligations towards universal brother hood. For example, the Prophet said: “Things that benefit the believer are: A lifelong good deeds, a blessed son or a daughter who prays for him/her after his death; a perpetual charity or endowment after death; and a living knowledge beneficial to the posterity.” Thus, in life every individual is judged by his/her good or bad intentions and deeds. Any good intention benefiting human beings deserves tenfold rewards.
The traditional embodiment of these good deeds are exemplified by building schools and mosques which serve as means to promote knowledge and spiritual growth. The second level of social responsibility is to support social organizations and cooperatives. The means to achieve the highest piety is to be engaged in “Halal” commercial activities that sustain self-discipline, work ethnics, civic duties and enrich quality of life in the community. The Qura’n says:
“Those who if We establish them in the land, establish regular prayer and give alms (Zakat), enjoin the right and forbid wrong; With Allah rest the end and decision of all affairs.” Qura’n XXII:41. Given this socio-cultural framework, to the Muslims of Ethiopia, to finance and sustain religious institutions, private educational facilities, and community-based social organizations using voluntary contribution and assistance from “Halal” sources, i.e. interest-free loan, income, gift or endowment granted by individuals or philanthropic foundations, continue to be legitimate constraints.
Very often, the “Halal” or what is called “purity test” drives some Muslim groups to seek investment and funds from exclusively Muslim sources in order to satisfy specific religious, social and economic oriented needs. There is no reason for a community to reject financial assistance donated from legitimate sources believed to be given in good faith. The fact of the matter is that indigenous projects in the developing countries resort to all sorts of external assistance from private voluntary organizations and international donors.
The financial dependence on external seed money was impinged on the religious and non-religious managed organizations because of lack of indigenous technology and severe public and private financial constraints. For many decades, financial and in-kind contributions for building religious schools, churches, hospitals, water wells and pipes, etc. were accepted in good faith for a variety of reasons. It was not an issue then, and should not be now provided everybody has equal access to private investment and philanthropy.
All one has to keep in proper perspective is the constructive role private voluntary and non-governmental humanitarian organizations play in our educational, economic and social development. Private charity and philanthropy as a critical source of humanitarian and development assistance should be encouraged, neutralized, dignified and freed from the ongoing controversial partisanship, political polarization and mal-distribution which may hurt the poorest of the poor, the hungry, and the illiterate, and, in particular, those disenfranchised communities who live at the subsistence levels.
Charity and alms-giving is as Ethiopian as Teff. When private institutions lack financial resources and political support from the public treasury, private voluntary initiatives were the only means to sustain them. It is an established fact that many Muslim religious and cultural institutions are preserved and sustained by private charity, alms and endowment invested in interest free business and income generating real estates, wherever permitted by the government. Continuation of this kind of private initiative is an invaluable heritage that must be encouraged and maintained regardless of differences in religious creeds.
Needless to say that private initiative is a competitive enterprise and a legitimate practice in a democratic society. It requires creativity, imagination, leadership, marketing strategy and capability to test what works and what does not work outside the public sector. Usually raising funds and investing private voluntary funds in schools, clinics, roads, water wells, and worship places have always served as a catalyst for cooperation and collaboration among peoples from all walks of life without discrimination.
If properly managed, collaborative private initiatives usually foster cross-cultural understanding, universal brotherhood, compassionate interdependence, and interfaith understanding, and social responsibilities. Having said that, beside the generous role played by religious oriented private organizations, one should underscore the successful non-governmental and non-denominational private voluntary initiatives that built shelters, schools clinics, safe water supplies, and distributed foods that saved the lives of many millions of children and women.
Private voluntary organizations such as Oxfam, Radabarn, Save the Children, Doctors without Borders, to name few, have transcended the national and international boundaries to treat and comfort the needy and destitute irrespective of the political, religious and social system in existence.
Their role has been to complement and close the socio-economic and health gaps between the haves and have notes under adverse conditions such as famine, civil strife and social disorganization. In the case of local private initiatives in Ethiopia, there examples of community organizations that aspired to raise matching funds to build schools, construct shelters for needy women and children, and provide workshops and handicraft training for the orphans, street children and destitute. For example, the Abadir School and Social Welfare Program succeeded in training and creating jobs for the first batch of thirty orphans, divorced and unemployed women. The program launched a collaborative and matching fund campaign to initiate sewing and handicraft vocational hands on training curricula.
The first batch of graduates of the Abadir School are being placed and supported through private voluntary community initiatives in the community and diverse philanthropic foundations. There are other equally important centers of excellence such as The Integrated Holistic Approach in Addis Abeba. This organization is offering shelters and rehabilitation assistance for thousand of under-privileged city dwellers.
It appears that the mission, personal commitment, motivation, leadership, and management styles of these programs were critical contributors to their success than the sources of funding or denominational affiliation. In Ethiopia, private initiative can thrive and revive its integrated and holistic approach, only in an atmosphere of freedom of expression, freedom of belief characterized by trust, equity, justice, love, democracy, peace and stability.
Harmony and peaceful co-existence can develop when one recognizes that there is a room for everybody in a diverse and democratic environment. The present political, economic and social realities dictate that in as much as there is strong indigenous impetus to improve quality of life, there is a great benefit in collaboration and partnership between donors and recipients of private philanthropy and external humanitarian assistance. external assistance can succeed when available seed projects are employed to trigger self-reliance and economic independence. Ethiopia is a country built on the collective efforts and interdependence of its own people who value love and care for their neighbors and the weakest of the weak. In dealing with humanitarian assistance, all communities must be given equal access and opportunity to legitimate philanthropic funds that serve their own needs.
It must be remembered that in a country whose economic and social infrastructures have been devastated by a long civil strife, command economy, communism and over-regulation, poverty is color blind and non-denominational. It can strike back any time unless the little people play greater role in shaping their own vision, history and willingness to share
all kinds of resources. It is only through just sharing that we can achieve unity in diversity and promote excellence through constructive competition. In economic terms, there are limited public resources in the country and there are a lot of activities requiring private initiatives out there.
The wise thing to do is to look for untapped local and external private sources to assist in developing private voluntary initiatives. One must not lose night that the goal of private investment in the social sector is to promote self-sufficiency, sustainability and people-centered interdependence and socio-economic development, in the long run.
People-Centered Interdependence And Socio-Economic Development With the spirit of socio-economic development and peaceful dialogue in mind, in Ethiopia, there are evidences of successful indigenous, people-based self-help socio-economic development models. Some of their achievements are the product of evolutionary self-empowerment, interdependence and indigenous decision making process. One of the practical examples that comes to the mind is the success of the Gurage self-help programs which just celebrated its twentieth birthday.
It shows that when people share common cultural and ethnic background to promote excellence, they can also generate constructive development forces driven by dialogue, community awareness, self-esteem, respect for neighbors, deference and tolerance for religious diversity, work ethics, and professional skills.
As long as development programs foster dignity of labor, social welfare, and common goals, people incline to participate in economic and cultural exchanges. Competitive self-help models such as the Gurage development programs would serve as a good example to be emulated or replicated by divergent communities interested in local and regional development. The Gurage leadership and people made of several clans (bet), Muslims and Christians, invested more resources and energy on goodwill, collective local development and institution building as their focus of social and political activities, i.e. roads, bridges, farms modernization, clinics, schools, mosques, churches, public transportation, etc.
This pattern of behavior is partly due to their understanding of their cultural make-up and pride, self-reliance, competitiveness, constructiveness, and community involvement. This attitude is not only limited to the Gurage as a group. Knowing that Ethiopia is a conglomerate of nations and tribes, I don’t want to glamorize or glorify the Gurage development model that outlived the socialist revolution of Ethiopia, I have also seen equal examples of islands of excellence in many parts of Ethiopia, particularly, in the area of social, health and economic development. My emphasis is that the Gurage people, Muslims and Christians, knew how to cooperate as a group interested in economic and cultural survival through unity of purpose and peaceful development. Their struggle to gain national political power as a measure of success was secondary to their basic survival in an aggressive and competitive environment. Moreover, on their part, the Gurage Muslims who constitute numerical majority understood the value of partnership and power
sharing to achieve holistic community development. They stand out as a people who understand Islam not only as an inclusive, collaborative religion and way of life but also a governing system which condones competition and cooperation to achieve the common good.
The ordinary people never doubted that their potentiality for mutual development, political and socio-economic power reside in self-empowerment and co-existence than seeking direct assistance from no-show central government. When I asked a Gurage peer who was my related mentor about this unique pattern of collaboration and harmonious social exchanges among his people, he quoted verses from the Qura’n which he said served as a guideline in their community decision making process: “Help you one another in righteousness and piety, but help you not one another in sin and rancor: Fear Allah for Allah is strict in punishment.” Qura’n V:2. And “If your Lord has so willed, he could have made mankind one people, but they will not cease to differ. Except those on who your Lord has mercy: and for this did he create them.” Qura’n XI:118-119. I feel that there are many chapters and verses in the Bible and other books of wisdom which carry the same inspirational meaning and message.
Peace Is A Pre-Condition For development
Notwithstanding this extensive, open-ended discourse on religious, cultural and economic diversity in Ethiopia, in all honesty, it is very difficult to assign praise or blame on one specific groups for our social and political illness. The mere recognition of equality and meritorious excellence is something good that we have to strive for.
Contrary to the outmoded political and social-perceptions, the grassroots level tolerance, patience, open-mindedness, and heterogeneity allowed Islam to prosper and propagate overtly or covertly. By and large, before the existence of the modern nation states and political boundaries, the Islamic cultural centers in Harer, Yifat and Diar Nur Hussein have served as the beacon of knowledge and cultural exchange in the Horn of Africa for many centuries.
The fact of the matter is that there is a definite change in the social and political priorities of the country, we have to accept that, and we have to accommodate ourselves to the inevitable new realities. Every one deserves a fair share of what we have, and very few should be blamed of what we lack. Even then, they should be forgiven for some of their shortcomings if we seek reconciliation and peace. In the New Ethiopia everybody recognizes that peace is fragile.
The issue of development and progress in the aftermath of protracted civil strife is a two-sided coin. There is no development without peace and no peace without development. Realistically, we have to understand and appreciate not only where we were as a great civilization centuries back, but also where would we like to be in the future among great nation. The responsibility for re-building the country rests on every able shoulder in the country. That is the question that boggles the mind of the development minded people.
Conclusion
It is important to examine the strengths and weaknesses of various social, cultural, religious and economic dimensions of interdependence whenever preparing people centered development project analysis. I chose to offer a micro-analysis of religion-driven indigenous private initiatives, and the Gurage people’s development process as an inter-group and inter-faith collaborative case study because of my intimate knowledge, kinship and cultural legacies in the context of the Ethiopian body politics and cultural social dynamics. The analysis presented herein may be imperfect, but can serve as one of the tools to be used by the mainstream social and development experts who are searching for different cultural and social perspectives impacting on antagonist partnership and collaboration. The case analysis doesn’t exclude other pertinent factors influencing collaboration and partnership between and among various Ethiopian ethnic, social or religious groups.
At this point in time, what is important is that many dormant self-help and private initiatives suppressed during socialist era are now revived and are competing for local and external humanitarian assistance. Most of them seem to focus on reviving the traditional principles of cultural and economic interdependence and collaboration which may create unjustified misunderstanding. The clarifications offered here imply that there are a variety of command denominators that motivate people to develop interdependence, collaboration and cooperation to achieve socio-economic goals. Among these are: economic interest, geographical contiguity, political coalition, ethnic affinity, religious mission, local or regional homogeneity. The key for their success, however, resides on the emphasis on inclusive and mutual exchanges without negating self-reliance and individual identity altogether.
Unlike the sibling rivalry that destroyed Cain and Able, in order to achieve partnership socio-economic development and peaceful transition require mutual and warm accommodation suitable for twin brothers or twin sisters. Their simultaneous conception in the same womb and symbiotic growth process help to nurture mutual relationship that may mitigate destructive sibling rivalry in real life. In order of succession and necessity, physical, psychological and social well-beings coupled with unwavering commitment to political stability and peace are pre-conditions for human development and socio-economic progress.
In order to end the uncharacteristic cynicism, violence, incrimination, and mistrust which seem to be characteristic of post-dictatorship societies in the developing countries nowadays, the various forces vying for peace and development, individually and collectively, can benefit better if they focus on people as the core purpose of development and nation-building. After the bitter lessons learned from two decades of civil strife and political turmoil in Ethiopia working for peace and development is the only alternative in sight.
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Dr. Ahmed A. Moen, Associate Professor, International health and Development; Epidemiology and Biometrics; and Comparative Culture, Health and Illness, Howard University. Currently he is an adjunct Professor in the School of Continuing Education, Howard University, Washington, D.C., and one of the founding members of the Ad-hoc Committee for Peace in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa since 1990.