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Ethiopia

TPLF and the culture of violence

Posted on , Updated on by Yilma Bekele

TPLF and the culture of violence. By Yilma Bekele.
According to ESAT the FBI has foiled an attempt by the Ethiopian government to assassinate Ato Abebe Gelaw. Goosh Abera and his accomplices are under custody. Please note here I said the Ethiopian government since there seems to be no thin line between the TPLF party and the government. Why am I not surprised? I am not surprised because for the TPLF violence is sanctioned by the party leaders as a legitimate tool to achieve political, economic and military dominance.
The following weeks as we look closely at Goosh Abera and his criminal friends and the FBI presents a psychological profile of the alleged conspirators we are sure to find out certain telltale signs about TPLF and their bizarre psychopathic behavior. Individuals like Goosh are most probably equipped with basic rudimentary education if any and survive by their wit and ethnic fueled bravado. In Ethiopia they are known for carrying weapons conspicuously, brandishing them at will and revealing in their thuggish behavior. They are the kind that administers summary judgment on street corners, bars and clubs.
How was TPLF Chairman, the recently departed Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi able to achieve this goal in Ethiopia? The simple truth is by using violence to silence, intimidate, and eliminate his and the party’s actual or perceived enemies using any means necessary. You do not need to be a Sherlock Holmes to detect this pungent smell of gun powder around most Woyanes.
Mengistu Hailemariam prepared the perfect ground for TPLF to flourish. He has already disarmed the population, delegitimized the family system and used the lowest denominators to be in charge of the Kebeles. TPLF inherited a demoralized, confused and tired population to mold in its own image.
The first target of this terrorist organization was the educated citizen. The University was stripped of its most experienced and independent thinkers. By ’94 the University was a former ghost of itself. The political system was dealt in a harsh way. Professor Asrat was murdered in the most inhumane way possible. Teachers President Assefa Maru was shot against a wall execution style. Masses of independent publication owners, editors and reporters were brutally beaten, murdered, bankrupted, intimidated, exiled or killed even in exile. Bank employees were fired in masse, telecommunication workers were discarded teachers and their unions were digested even Chamber of Commerce was not immune from TPLF take over. One thread common to all is that none of them were acquired peacefully. Violence was the main calling card of the TPLF.
Every opportunity he got the sick dictator used to trash our country and our history and every opportunity they got his security department used to bully, intimidate and made to cower with fear. My dear fellow citizens, you know there is nothing new in what I am telling you. Some have witnessed it, plenty have experienced it and a vast majority would try not to think about it. The shame is unbearable.
One thing about TPLF is it is not a behind the curtain type of organization. It practically advertises every hit and all illegal acts. They use their criminal action to send a clear message to the citizen. That is why they insist that all are aware and versed on their mode of operation. They use their Television news, their newspapers and radio to send warning messages before they take action. When the unthinkable happens some are heard to say ‘he/she was warned but refused to listen-they deserve it!” You see the victim assumes the blame.
They have been systematically killing any and all emerging Ethiopians. They have goon squads that go around intimidating anybody they perceive to be a challenge. They use beating and flogging opponents to shame them in front of family, friends and a whole village. They use blackmail as a tool. They use the law to break the law. Meles used to amend the Constitution in a weekend. Even the Constitution is not worth any respect. Once you trash the Constitution what is on your way?
That is what the FBI s telling us. Their dirty deeds have arrived in America. Under Meles they were content in infiltrating our organizations such as Political Party support groups, Eders, Churches, Sport organization and disrupting from the inside. There is no Organization in North America that has not been a victim of TPLF insider disruption. They are crafty, relentless and completely understand our frame of mind. They exploit our ignorance, selfishness and greed to keep us in a daze.
The new TPLF leaders are a little bit reckless. I understand that too. It comes out of desperation. The group is under tremendous pressure. The late dictator I am afraid was a very selfish person. The sun revolved around him. When he left the light went dim. I do not think any social or military organization can take credit for the current upheaval. In my humble opinion the stink is coming from inside. I agree things are getting ripe on the outside and that could intensify the pressure inside the TPLF bowl. I am afraid the last CEO did not really care to what came after him. He was too busy surviving from day to day in this shark infested pond that he did not have the time and luxury to bother with outcome. He left an army with too many generals. Here in America there is a saying ‘all chiefs and no Indians.’ Debretsion, Bereket, Sebhat, Gebru, Abbay and a bunch of tin pot Generals are on their own trying to carve the biggest pie for themselves.
This desperate act of attempt to assassinate Ato Abebe here in the US is the work of a mad man. If the group was trying to send a message about the long arm of TPLF it is a very stupid and crazy gesture. We have been complaining about their disruptive activities in our midst but this mission of trying to kill is a little concerning. There is no question the FBI will get to the bottom of this incident. It should be treated as act of terrorism by a government and investigated to the full extent of the law and let the chips fall where they may.
I am sure the alleged conspirator will name names and tell us who gave the order for such criminal act. I doubt one individual will take it upon himself to take such mission. The Ethiopian Government under Dictator Meles routinely used to kill, rough up and intimidate its opponents in the African countries they are exiled to. The new guys are a little daring. Prime Minister Debretsion and security chief Workeneh Gebehu Should be interviewed about the work of their agents and made to take responsibility for their actions. We hope the US government will take the necessary action of baring all Ethiopian Government officials and family members from entering the country before everything is known about this conspiracy to commit crime in the US. We should demand the US government protect us from the monsters they have been coddling.
This definitely is not their first time committing crime here in the US. They have been using every legal and illegal means to harass, bankrupt and shut down Ethiopian Review Web site. They have employed what is known as denial of service attacks (DDoS Attack) to block ER and various Web sites, they have hired attorneys to intimidate ER publisher and are present in every of our Churches sawing dissent and negativity.
As Ethiopians in exile we should take the actions of these criminals seriously. It is true there is no criminal without the victim. Sometimes it is unfortunate things happen but you really can’t leave your door open and cry about being robbed do you? It is time we accept responsibility. The Ethiopian people that are facing the brunt of TPLF abuse should wake up and face their coward enemies. By now it should be clear silence is not the answer. The one year anniversary by our Muslim citizens is clear indication the regime does not listen to reason. The steadfastness of our Muslim brethren should be applauded and emulated by the rest of us. The call by our Orthodox church in exile for every one of us to safeguard our religion and our country is a timely reminder.
The fact that we have muscle now is a very empowering feeling. The cooperation between Ginbot7, Afar Front, anti Woyane activists in Tigrai, OLF, Patriotic Front and the formation of Ginbo7 Forces is the right direction considering the nature of TPLF. As I said before leveling the playing field is called for. That is one small step for our Fronts and one giant step for Ethiopia.
As for the Diaspora it is time we stop enriching the coffers of the evil regime. Any kind of involvement in their Ponzi scheme adds one day more to their life. As there is no little pregnancy there is no such thing as a little investment. It has to be a clean and complete break. This Abesha way of qualifying our illegal act is not good for our future. Your selfish action is hurting us and we ask you stop it. It is like MLK said ‘In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.’ It is something to think about.
We feel the pain and hurt of our friend Abebe and his family. He has never threatened those that have hounded him and his family from his beloved homeland. His only weapon is his pen and pencil and the power of reason to resolve contradictions. Exiling him was not enough. Now they want to kill him in cold blood. That is the only language they speak. They have killed so many but they are unable to understand their violence has not resolved any of the outstanding issues. Don’t they see it? Don’t they know there are a lot more Abebebes as there were plenty of Asrats, Assefas, Eskindirs, Reyots? When is this madness going to stop? When is our country going to be a citadel of peace and harmony instead of a poster child for famine and civil war?
You know what no one gives you your freedom. You have to snatch it from those that want to make you their slave. No oppressor has ever said enough, I am going to leave you alone here go in peace. No, every oppressor faced by human kind was compelled to relinquish power by force. Not reason but force. The French revolution, the American revolution, the Russian revolution, the Chinese revolution, the South African revolution are all examples of the citizens taking matters into his hands and forcing the oppressor to step aside. Woyane dogs are not going to wake up one morning and pack and leave. You and I have to push them out. That is the only proven way. Anything else invites more abuse.

The role of higher education and Ethiopia

Posted on by Yilma Bekele

The role of higher education and Ethiopia. By Yilma Bekele
My beautiful and brilliant niece graduated from college a few days ago. We are all proud and happy with her accomplishment. It gave the whole family an opportunity to get together. Believe me the festival was preserved on video and camera, posted on Facebook, published on Instagram and micro blogged on tumblr. That is how important it was. No question it was a proud moment for her parents and an early Christmas present to the whole clan. We were lucky and our daughter was strong and focused and it all worked out pretty good.
Here in the US Universities, Colleges and institutes of higher education are held in high reverence. The vast majority are public institutions funded by the citizen. There also exists plenty of private non-profit and commercial places of learning. They are all designed with two purposes in mind. Knowledge and Utility.
They are places of socialization where the individual learns the democratic process such as tolerance, respect for others and the value of freedom. It is here where change is the norm innovation, curiosity and looking into the future is encouraged and the human mind is left to soar like an eagle in a storm.
The speeches during the graduation ceremony reflected these learned values. The rainbow nature of the graduating class speaks plenty to the capacity of the US system to absorb the best from the planet and toss it into what they call the melting pot. The graduate school representative’s speech was a perfect example of using education as a tool to help create a positive environment where society as a whole thrives.
The graduating class representative from the International Studies program gave a very forceful speech based on his experience as a young man in Tanzania. This is the way he started his long journey ‘… my first visit to Africa was five years ago …..i had never been to a developing country before and I went to Tanzania mostly because the idea of travelling outside my comfort zone scared me and I didn’t want not to do something potentially meaningful just because it scared me clearly I had brain development issues. I was also eager to make a difference the Africa I thought knew was the Africa of save the children brochures poor and in need of help I was comparatively reach and looking to help surely this will work out.’
His visit to Africa opened his eyes to the many problems facing mankind. His stay at the University gave him ‘some clarity’ not only how to view the situation but the knowledge on how to interpret them and be part of the solution. In his own eloquent words this is what he said.
‘USF helps us to fill in those gaps and it also helps us to recognize them understanding what we don’t understand made us more likely to question and more likely to dig deeper to find the root of problems.
Therein lays the beauty of our education. The world after all does have problems and the problems do have solutions. USF help us to figure out what they might be and what we can do to help. It is inspiring to feel that you’ve a better understanding of the world than you did just a year ago and you can attribute that improvement to something other than brain development.’
The President of the University spoke last. He joked about the most expensive Christmas gift they were receiving paid by themselves or their family and went on to remind them of the huge responsibility of living a meaningful life. He used a passage from a book ‘Tuesday’s with Maury’ to drive his point home. He choose a section which he referred to as ‘probing even disturbing’ where in the book Maury asks his middle aged friend ‘have you found someone to share your heart with, are you giving to your community, are you at peace with yourself and are you trying to be as human as can be?’
It is a perfect illustration of how the University was able to nurture and produce young minds skilled both in knowledge and utility. It has fulfilled its promise to society and the tax payer’s money and the tuition paid by the students is a worthy investment.
It is with sadness we hear the disturbances at Addis Abeba University the last few days. It would have been understandable if the students were protesting about the quality of education, the lack of freedom, the dismal state the library or internet, the issue of press freedom in the country or the non-existence of opportunity upon graduation. It is none of the above. The Ethiopian institution of higher education is not geared to equip the young minds to ask such probing even dangerous questions. Addis Abeba University is the reflection of the TPLF mentality of dumbing down the population and keeping them at each other’s throat.
From what we hear the upheaval was based on ethnic grounds. There is no question like the rest of the country the University is the playground of the TPLF mafia group. The administration and faculty is chosen based on loyalty to the regime and the once proud and independent student union has been demolished to be replaced by ‘Teletafi’ created in the face of TPLF. From experience we know Woyanes are good at starting conflict whenever they want to divert attention away from their criminal acts. The fact that they were successful in the University is what I find troubling here.
The very same place where students sacrificed asking ‘Land to the Tiller’, the very hallowed ground where they marched against the illegal regimes in Rhodesia and South Africa, today they are supposedly confronting each other arrayed in their own Kilil. What a shame is an understatement. It points to few facts about our country and the new society the TPLF regime has been constructing the last twenty years. In the particular case of the University it is obvious it has become a cadre training institute rather than a place of knowledge and utility. It is an absolute failure on both fronts.
This is made obvious by the recent report that stated the abysmal state of Medical school graduates from the so called medical schools. According to the newly minted proud TPLF windbag Dr. Tedros Adhanom ‘This year, for the first time, we enrolled 3,100 medical students, which is almost tenfold compared to what we used to enroll five, six years ago.’ Dear reader, this is a typical TPLF statement void of value and substance.
The report by PRI based on site interviews with teachers, students and aid workers makes it clear that the so called medical schools lack such rudimentary accessories as skilled teachers, half way equipped laboratories and decent libraries. Our brave Foreign Minster’s take on the dismal situation is ‘I don’t think we will change this country by waiting until we get something perfect to start to start something…it cannot be perfect. We have to start with what we have.’
On the surface one might be sympathetic to such talk. You would think a poor country doing its best to relieve a major problem by using its meager resources. But that is not a true statement. The actual situation is a country with plenty of human and material resources hell bent on mismanaging its god given asset. The TPLF regime sole interest is holding onto power regardless of the consequences.
The regime is interested in inflating the numbers for propaganda purpose rather than being concerned with quality. Like every one of their pie in the sky schemes they use numbers to show how much more they are achieving. The economy is showing double digit growth but the number of those starving is in the millions, the Federal system is working wonders but there is conflict in every region, the number of Doctors is increasing by tenfold except they are not real and according to foreign observers ‘they could do more harm than good.’
I would like to see Dr. Tedros and Dr. Debretsion take one of their medical school graduates as their family doctor. Would they take prescription drugs from those clinics and would they allow one of the surgeons to operate on their son or daughter? I doubt that. Medical practice is not an experimental science. Good enough does not work when it comes to human life.
Training excellent doctors, having great centers of education is not an out of reach dream for our country. It is a question of resources management and defining priorities. The regime spends millions on Chinese technology to jam and block Internet and other media to keep information from our people. Do you think that money could be used for education? The regime employees millions to spy on their family and neighbors can that budget be allocated for good purpose? The regime has one of the highest numbers of troops in Africa, is that necessary? It is all about priorities isn’t it?
Education is not taken seriously in today’s Ethiopia. The regime is not interested in producing an educated and motivated generation. They cannot afford a smart and questioning youth. There are not enough trained teachers, the class rooms are crowded, books and supplies are non-existent and the facilities are mostly from the Imperial era somehow still standing by the grace of God. Why do you think this is so?
The TPLF regime is not into education. Let alone as a national policy the regime does not even allow private individuals to donate books, computers and other learning tools without their permission. One has to get a written stamped document from the zone, Kilil, Ministry, Foreign office just to bring a computer. Internet is a government monopoly and communication is a regulated enterprise. Why do you think they do this?
Control is the key word here. The TPLF regime must control all aspects of the individual’s existence. They control where you live, what you own, where you work, what you read, what you watch and if possible what you think. They instill fear, they trade with fear, and they are peddlers of fear. You the reader of this article are terrified of the TPLF machine even from thousands of miles away. You wouldn’t dare criticize the regime without looking around you. You would not sign a petition afraid who might see it. You dare not go out on protest afraid of cameras. Fear is engrained into our very existence.
Have you heard the saying ‘I’m like a mushroom, keep me in the dark and feed me bullshit.’ They falsify statistics and claim double digit growth, they graduate a bunch of dressers and call them doctors, they open high schools and call them colleges and universities and we go along with that. Because the TPLF leaders are not educated they show absolute disdain to the expert or the educated. Being a medical doctor is not a simple matter. The title is conferred upon someone after a rigorous training and it carries a lot of both privilege and responsibility. Being a university or college professor is achieved after a lengthy process of learning and publishing and peer review.
When out TPLF bosses play around with such titles it is not a simple matter. It demeans the professions and the efforts of the people that sacrifice to achieve such noble goals. This is another continuation of their cynical view of our country our people and our future. The late criminal Meles used to reveal in insulting our past and mocking our achievement. His children are continuing the legacy of making our country and people not worthy of any pride. Even becoming a doctor has become a joke. I do not mean to dis respect my brothers and sisters working hard to learn under the difficult condition imposed by the regime. I share their frustration when asked to do the impossible without adequate training and necessary tools. My sincere apology since we are both victims of a nefarious system. We shall overcome.

አዉራ የሌለዉ ትግል፤ እረኛ የሌለዉ መንጋ ነዉ – እኔ መሪዬን መርጫለሁ እናንተስ?

Posted on , Updated on by ENTC PR

ከፍስሃ እሸቱ (ዶ/ር)

በቅርቡ ከዳር ቆሞ ለዉጥን መጠበቅ የህልም እንጀራ በሚል በትግሉ ጎራ ላይ ያለኝን የግሌን አመለካከት የሚገልፅ ፅሁፍ ለወገኖቼ ማቅረቤ ይታወሳል። ይንንኑም ተከትሎ የተለያዩ አስተያቶች ከበርካታ አንባብያን ደርሰዉኛል። ወገኖቼም በቀረበዉ ሀሳብ ላይ ተነስታችሁ ለሰጣችሁኝ ገንቢ አስተያቶች የከበረ ምስጋናዬን አቀርባለሁኝ። ከበርካታ ወገኖችም በፅሁፉ የተዘረዘሩትን ችግሮችና የመፍትሄ ሀሳቦች በመገምገም በቀጣይነት ምን ማድረግ አለብን ትላለህ የሚሉ በርካታ ጥያቄዎችም ቀርበዉልኛል። በበኩሌም ለጥያቄዉ ከፍተኛ ትኩረትን በመስጠት የላይና የታቹን በማሰላሰል፤ የግራና የቀኙን በማመዛዘን፤ በልቤ የሚሰማኝን ከህሊናዩ ጋር በመሟገት ለዉይይትና ለተግባራዊነቱ በጋራ እንድንቀሳቀስ አዲስ ሀሳብ (thesis) አቀርባለሁኝ።
ባለፈዉ አንድ አመት ጨቅላ የትግል ተመክሮዬ፤ በነፃነት ትግሉ ጎራ ዉስጥ ከበርካታ ወገኖች ደግሞ ደጋግሞ የሚነሳዉና አብዛኛዉ ህብረተሰብ የሚስማማበት ጉዳይ የህወሃት/ኢህአዴግ ስርአት ለሃያ አንድ አመታት በላያችን ላይ እንደፈለገዉ እየጨፈረብን፤ ህዝባችንንና አገራችንን እያመሰ፤ ወገኖቻችንን እያሰቃየ፤ ከሃገር እያሰደደ፤ እያሰረ ሲሻዉም እየገደለ፤ ተንሰራፍቶ አገራችንና የኢትዮጵያዊነትን ስሜት እያጠፋ ያለዉ በስርዓቱ ጥንካሬ ሳይሆን ባንፃሩ በተቃወሚ ጎራዉ አንድነት መጥፋትና መዳከም ነዉ። የህዙቡንም ስሜት ባጭር ቃላት ስናስቀምጠዉ አሰባሳቢ መሪ ወይንም አዉራ መታጣቱ ነዉ።

በትግሉ ጎራ ሁሉም ስርዓቱን የመለወጥ በምትኩም ፍትህ የሰፈነባት፤ ህዝቦቿ በእኩልነት፤ በነጻነት፤ በክብርና፤ በአንድነት የሚኖሩናት፤ በፍፁም ዲሞክራሲያዊ መንገድ ተመርጦ ህዝቡን የሚገዛ ሳይሆን የሚያገለግል መንግሥት የሚመሰረትባት ኢትዮጵያን መመስረት አንድ ቋንቋ ይናገራሉ። ሆኖም ይህንን አንድ ቋንቋ እየተናገሩ፤ እንደ ባቢሎን ቋንቋ ተቃዋሚዉ መደማመጥ፤ መከባበር፤ መተባበር፤ መቻቻል፤ አቅቶት፤ ህብረተሰቡም ማንን መደገፍ እንዳለበት ግራ ተጋብቶ ሁሉም ዉጥንቅጡ ባለበት ሁኔታ ዉስጥ እንገኛለን። ጉዳዩ ባጭሩ ሲጠቃለል የሚያስተባብረን፤ ምክር የሚሰጠን፤ አቅጣጫ የሚያሲዘን፤ ስንጣላ የሚያስታርቀን፤ ስንደክም ሚያበረታታን፤ የአንድነታችን፤ የጥንካሬያችን የተስፋችን ምልክት መሪ ማጣታችን ትልቅ ኪሳራ ላይ ጥሎናል። እኛ ለፍትህ፤ ለነጻነት፤ ለእኩልነት፤ ለዲሞክራሲ፤ ለአንድነት፤ ለኢትዮጵያና ለኢትዮጵያዊነት ክብር ከምንም በላይ ሁላችንንም የሚያኮራ የትግል አላማ ይዘን መሪ አጥተን እየተንከራተትን ሳለን፤ ባንፃሩ ገዳዮች፤ ጨቋኞች፤ ዘረኞች፤ ከፋፋዮች፤ ኢትዮጵያንና ኢትዮጵያዊነትን በእርኩስ ተግባራቸዉ እያጠፉ ያሉች የስርዓቱ አቀንቀኞች ግን በህይወት ብቻም ሳይሆን ሞቶም እንኳን አንድ አድርጎ እስተባብሮ የሚመራቸዉ ማግኘታቸዉ ብርታትንና ጥንካሬን ሰጥቷቸዉ የመሪን፤ የመተባበርንና ያንድነትን አስፈላጊነት በተግባር እያስተማሩን ይገኛሉ።

የእራኤል ልጆች በፈርኦኖች አገር ሲማቅቁ መሪያቸዉ ሙሴ ነፃ አወጣቸዉ፤ አርባ አመትም በበረሃ ሲንከራተቱ የብርታታቸዉ፤ የጥንካሬያቸዉ፤ የአንድነትና የተስፋቸዉ ምሰሶ ሆናቸዉ፤ ጥቁሮች በነጮች ጭቆና ሲዳክሩ ማርቲን ሉተር ኪንግ የአንድነታቸዉና አቅጣጫ ጠቋሚያቸዉ ሆኖ በእርሱ ራእይ ጥቁሮች ነፃ መዉጣት ብቻ ሳይሆን ዛሬ ታላቋ ሀገር አሜሪካ በጥቁር መመራት ጀምራለች፤ በደቡብ አፍሪካ ጥቁሮች አገራቸዉን ተነጥቀዉ እንደ እንስሳ ሲገዙ ማንዴላ የትግላቸዉ ምልከትና አስተባባሪያቸዉ በመሆን ነፃ እንዲወጡና በአለም ላይ የነፃነት ተምሳሌት ለመሆን በቅቷል። ሌሎችም እንደ ጋንዲ፤ አን ሳን ሱቺ፤ የመሳሰሉ የነፃነት አዉራዎችን በዚሁ አጋጣሚ መጥቀስ ይቻላል። አኛ የነፃነት ትግል እያከናወንን የመገኘታችን ያክል ከነዚህ አገሮች የመሪን አስፈላጊነት የምንማር ይመስለኛል።

ጊዜዉና ትግላችን የራሳችን ማንዴላ፤ የራሳችን ማርቲን ሉተር ኪንግ፤ የራሳችን ጋንዲ እንዲሁም የራሳችን አን ሳን ሱቺን የመሰለ የሚያስተባብረን፤ ያንድነታችን፤ የነፃነታችን፤ የአልሸነፍ ባይነታችን፤ ምልክት የሚሆን መሪን እየጠየቀ ይገኛል። ብዙዎቻችን የአሰባሳቢም ሆነ የመሪ አስፈላጊነት ላይ የምንስማማ ቢሆንም ዋናዉ ጥያቄ ግን ለመሆኑ እንዲህ አይነት መሪ በሀገራችን ይገኛል ወይ የሚለዉ ሆኗል። ለጥያቄዉ ያለኝ አጭር ምላሽ ያለመጠራጠር በትክክል ይገኛል ነዉ። ከዚህ አንጻር ሌላዉ የሚነሳዉ ጥያቄ የምንፈልገዉ መሪ ምን ምን መስፈርቶችንና ባህሪዎችን መላበስ ይኖርበታል የሚለዉ ይሆናል። በኔ እምነት መሪዬ ብዬ የምከተለዉ ፍፁም የአገር ፍቅር ያለዉ፤ ለሀገሩና ለቆመለት መርህና አላማ ለመሰዋት ወደሗላ የማይል፤ አርቆ አሳቢ፤ በሚያወራዉ ሳይሆን በተግባር የተፈተነ፤ በትግሉ ሳያሰልስ ለአመታት በመታገል መስዕዋትነትን እየከፈለ የሚገኝ፤ እንደወርቅ በእሳት የተፈተነ፤ ለማንም የፖለቲካ ቡድን የማይወግን፤ ለሰዉ ልጆች ክብር ያለዉ፤ መልካም ስብእና ያለዉና፤ ሀገራዊና አለማቀፋዊ እዉቅናና ተቀባይነት ያለዉ እንዲሆን እመርጣለሁ።

መቼም ነብይ በሀገሩ አይከበርም ሆኖብን ነዉና ኢትዮጵያ በታሪኳ የእንደዚህ አይነት ጀግኖች መካን ሆና አታዉቅም። ሀገራችን ታሪካቸዉንና ገድላቸዉን በኩራት የምንዘክርላቸዉ በርካታ ብርቅዬ ልጆች ያፈራች ስትሆን በዘመናችንም ከላይ የተዘረዘሩትን መስፈርቶች የሚያሟሉ ልንኮራባቸዉና ሊመሩን የሚችሉ የጊዜአችን ጀግኖች አሉን። ከነዚህ ብርቅዬ የሀገራችን ልጆች መካከል አንዱን መርጠን በማክበርና ልንሰጠዉ የሚገባንን ድጋፍ በመስጠት ከልባችን የምንከተለዉ መሪያችን በማድረግ አሁን በየአቅጣጫዉ የተበታተነዉን ትግል ማሰባሰብ ይጠበቅብናል። ትግሉ ከተሰባበሰ፤ ከተቀነባበረና፤ አቅጣጫና ግብ ኖሮት ከተከናወነ ጥንካሬ በማግኘት ዉጤታማ መሆኑ አይቀርም። ስለዚህ ምርጫዉ የሁላችንም ነዉ። በዘመነ መሳፍንት በታሪካችን እንዳሳለፍነዉና በወቅቱም ትግል እንደምናደርገዉ ሁላችንም የየራሳችንን ትንንሽ ዘዉዶች ደፍተን እርስ በእርሳችን እየተናቆርን ትናንሽ የሃሳብ ጉልቶችን ይዘን መቀመጥ። ወይም ፈረንጆቹ እንደሚሉት ከጊዜዉ ጥያቄ ጋር አድገን፤ ከራሳችን በላይ ሀገራችንና ህዝባችንን አስቀድመን በአንድ መሪ ዙርያ በግልም ሆነ በድርጅት ተሰባስበን ትግላችንን ማከናወን።

የኔ፤ የግሌ ምርጫ ግልፅ ነዉ። መሪ እፈልጋለሁ። የራሴን ኢትዮጵያዊ ማንዴላ እፈልጋለሁ። አስተባባሪ፤ መካሪ፤ አቅጣጫ ጠቋሚ፤ አስታራቂ፤ የተስፋ፤ የአላማና የኢትዮጵያዊነት ምልክት። ወያኔ ሟቹን መሪያቸዉን ታላቁ መሪ ብለዉ እንዳመለኩት፤ እኔም የኔ የምለዉ መሪ እፈልጋለሁ። ለመሪዬም የሚገባዉን ክብርና፤ ድጋፍ፤ ለመስጠት እሻለሁ። በመሪና በኢትዮጵአዊነት ካምፕ ዙርያ ተሰባስበን ዘላቂ፤ መሰረታዊና እዉነተኛ ለዉጥ እንዲመጣ እሻለሁ ለተግባራዊነቱም እታገላለሁ። በዚሁም የልባዊ ፍላጎትና ጽናት በመነሳት መሪዬን ከጀግኖች መካከል መምረጥ ጀመርኩኝ። የህሊና ምርጫዉም እጅግ አስቸጋሪ ነበር። ሁሉም ጀግኖቻች በተለያ ደረጃ የራሳቸዉ የሚከበር ባህሪና የከፈሉት መስእዋትነት ቢኖርም የግድ አንድ መምረጥ ስለሚኖርብኝ ሁሉምን ሚገባቸዉን ክብር በመስጠት ምርጫዬ ግን አንዱ ላይ አመዘነ።

የኔ ኢትዮጵያዊ ማንዴላ ማነዉ በምንስ መመዘኛ ተመረጠ? ለሚለዉ የኔ ኢትዮጵዊዉ ማንዴላ
1. በትግሉ ከሃያ አመታት በላይ ተፈትኖ እስካሁን ያለማመንታት በፅናት እየታገለ ያለ፤
2. ለኛ ነፃነት፤ ለፍትህ፤ ለመናገር መብት ለእኩልነት በመቆሙ ከዘጠኝ ጊዜ በላይ በፋሽሽቱ ስርዓት ለእስር የተዳረገና አሁንም ለበርካታ አመታት ተፈርዶበት ወህኒ እየማቀቀ ያለ፤
3. ሀብትና ንብረቱን ለሀገሩና ለወገኑ ክብር አሳልፎ የሰጠ፤
4. ለሀገሩና ለወገኑ ነፃነት እስከ መሞት ለመታገል በቃልኪዳኑ የፀና፤
5. እንደሌላዉ ከሀገር ተሰዶ መኖር ሲችል ባርነትንና ጭቆናን ለመታገል ሀገር ቤት በመቅረት እየታገለ ያለ፤
6. በበሳል አንደበቱና በሰላ ፅሁፎቹ ስርዓቱን በፍፁም ጀግንነት ያንገዳገደ፤
7. በፀባዩ፤ በበሳልነቱ፤ ባጠቃላይ በስብእናዉና ለሰዉ ልጆች ባለዉ አመለካከት ፈፅሞ የተከበረ፤
8. የተከበረ የቤተሰብ አስተዳዳሪ፤
9. የሀገሩን ፍቅር ከልጁ ያስበለጠ፤
10. እኛ የሚገባዉን ድጋፍና እዉቅና ባንሰጠዉም በአለም አቀፍ ደረጃ እዉቅናና በርካታ ሽልማቶችን ያገኘ፤
11. በርካታ ፅሁፎችን የፃፈና ለኛ የታገለ እንዲሁም ትምህርቶችን ያስተማረ ሲሆን ሌሎችም እጅግ በርካታ ነጥቦች ማስቀመጥ ቢቻልም በኔ እምነት እንደወርቅ አንድ የሰዉ ልጅ ሊቀበለዉ የሚችለዉን ፈተና በእሳት የተፈተነና አሁንም ድረስ እየተፈተነ ያለ ነዉ።

ከዚህ አንጻር በኔ ፍፁም የማያወላዉል እምነትም ተበታትኖ ያለዉን የትግል ጎራ አሰባሳቢ ሊሆን የሚችል መሪ ከጀግናዉ እስክንድር ነጋ የተሻለ የኛ የዘመናችንና የራሳችን ማንዴላ ይኖራል ብዬ አላምንም። በኔ አመለካከትም እንደ እስክንድር ያለ አለም አቀፍ እዉቅና ያለዉ ጀግና በመካከላችን ማግኘታችን እድለኞች ነን። ጊዜዉ ያለፈበትን በእጅ ያለ ወርቅ፤ ወይም ነብይ ባገሩ የሚለዉን ሗላ ቀር ብሂልና አለመካከት ጥለን በወርቃችን በመኩራት፤ በሱ ዙርያ መሰባሰብ እንጀምር ብዬ ጥሪዬን አቀርባለሁኝ። ስምን መላዕክት ያወጡታል እንዲሉ በታላቁ በእስክንድር ትግላችን መሪ፤ አሰባሳቢ፤ ክብር ያግኝ። የኛ የምንለዉ፤ የምናከብረዉ፡ የምንኮራበት መሪ ይኑረን። በሱ ዙርያ ሰላምን፤ ተስፋን፤ አንድነትን፤ ጥንካሬንና፤ ዉጤትን እናግኝ። ይህንንም ካደረግን በኔ እምነት የምንመኘዉን ለዉጥ እንጎናጸፋለን።

በእስር ላይ ያለና ፖለቲከኛ ያልሆነ ጋዜጠኛ ባለሙያ እንዴት ይህንን እልህ አስጨራሽ ትግል ይመራዋል የሚል ጥያቄ ሊቀርብ ይችላል። ለዚህም በአጭሩ በአለም ላይ የነበሩትና አሁንም ያሉትን የታላላቅ ለዉጥ መሪዎች ማንነትን መለስ ብለን ስናጤን፤ ስንቶቹ ፖለቲከኞች ነበሩ የሚለዉ አፀፋዊ ጥያቄ ምላሹን ይሰጣል ብዬ አምናለሁኝ። ብዙዎቹ ለእዉነት የቆሙና በአርአያነትና በቁርጠኝነት የታገሉ ምሁራን፤ የህግ፡ የሀይማኖት፤ አልፎም ተራ ሰዎች ሆነዉ እናገኛቸዋለን። መሪ በሚያሳየዉ የአላማ ፅናት፤ በመርሁ፤ በተግባር መፈተኑና ሌሎችን ለትግል ለማነሳሳት ባለዉ ፋና ወጊነት ስለሚመረጥ እንዲህ አይነት ጥያቄ እስክንድርን በተመለከተ ሚዛን አይደፋም።

እኔ ምርጫዬን አደረኩኝ። እናንተስ? መሪ አሰባሳቢ ፈላጊዎች ከሆናችሁና እርሱ ምርጫችሁ ከሆነ እንሰባሰብ። በሱ ዙርያ የኢትዮጵያዊነት አንድነት መድረክ እንፍጠርና ተሰባስበን በጋራ እንዲመራን እንጠይቀዉ። ከእስር እንዲፈታም ታላቅ አለም አቀፋዊ ዘመቻ እንጀምር። በዘመቻዉና በሱም አመራር ለትግላችን አለም አቀፋዊ ድጋፍን እናሰባስብ። በዚህም ጥንካሬን በማግኘት አገራችንና ህዝባችንን እንታደግ። ያለዉን የሰጠ እንደሚባለዉ ይህ ለኔ የተሻለዉ አማራጭ ይመስለኛል። ከዚህ በፊትም ደጋግሜ እንዳቀረብኩት ትግል ያለ አቅም አይታሰብምና ተበታትነን ከምንጓዝ አዉራችንን በመምረጥ እንሰባሰብ። በመሰባሰባችንም አቅምን አጎልብተን የኢትዮጵያ ልጆች ይሰባሰባሉ፤ ሀገራችንም አጆቿን ወደ አምላኳ ትዘረጋለች፤ ታላቅም ሀገር ትሆናለች የተባለዉን ትንቢት በኛ ግዜ አዉን እናድርገዉ። እንደ ምናደርገዉም ጥርጣሬ የለኝም!

አምላክ ኢትዮጵያን ይባርክ!

A film in memory of Alem Dechasa

Posted on , Updated on by EthiopianReview.com

By Rebecca Whiting

(Al-Akhbar) — The situation of migrant domestic workers in Lebanon, structured by a lack of protective labor laws and a culture of racial inequality, marks a huge failure in the country’s human rights record. Documentary filmmaker Vanessa Bowles chose to explore this cultural phenomenon and her personal relationship with it, having grown up constantly tended to by migrant domestic workers. Alem & Asrat was first screened in Lebanon January 4, a look at the realities of two women’s experiences.

In February 2012 a video captured on a mobile phone showed Ethiopian domestic worker Alem Dechasa being dragged by her hair and violently forced into a car in front of the Ethiopian embassy. It went viral. Lebanese society and the wider world were shocked by the public scene of abuse.

Days after the video was aired on LBCI, Dechasa, who had been put in a psychiatric hospital, hung herself. Despite the outcry and widespread nature of the video, the murmur soon died away. Though the most public case, Dechasa’s was tragically one of many. Human Rights Watch documented an average of one death a week due to unnatural causes during 2008, which included suicides and falls from buildings. No official count has taken place since.

Bowles began her project at the exact time of Dechasa’s death and wanted to tell her story. Concurrently, she wanted to delve into her own proximity to the lives of domestic workers. She talks openly about the bonds she formed with the women who have passed through her life and introduces Asrat, the young woman who has been with the Bowles’ family for the past five years. As she works, she talks about her reasons for leaving Ethiopia; a voice too rarely heard.

Bowles’ journey took her to Ethiopia to meet the families of Dechasa and Asrat. She is met by a group of young activists called the Good Ethiopians, who have been campaigning for Dechasa’s family. One of the activists says that if he had one message for Lebanese people, it would be that “Ethiopians are humans, too.”

The group take Bowles to meet Lemesa Ejeta, Dechasa’s partner and father of their two young children. In the small settlement of mud houses and lean-tos in Buraya outside Addis Ababa, Ejeta talks of the six years spent planning and the money borrowed for Dechasa’s move to Lebanon. It had seemed like their only hope of providing for their children.

Recruiting agents often tour the villages of Ethiopia, looking for women to traffic to Lebanon. The women have to pay a hefty charge of 10,000 Ethiopian Birr ($547) for their tickets and agent’s fees. Bowles meets other people from Dechasa’s village who have family members in Lebanon who speak out about their fears for their loved ones in such a hostile environment.

The Good Ethiopians organized a fundraising event and successfully secured the money to ensure that Dechasa’s children will have full educations. At the time of filming, Ejeta had still not told them of their mother’s death. The shots of their faces during the fundraising event where they see a large projected video of their mother being beaten are devastating.

At the end of Bowles’ film she goes to meet Ali Mahfouz, the brother of the head of Dechasa’s recruiting agency and the man who beat her. She described him as very eager to tell his version of the story. He talks, with little pity, of Dechasa’s being moved from one house to another when her employers would change their minds about wanting her. According to him she broke down and tried to harm herself after being sent to a third home within one month of arriving and receiving no wages for her work.

He wanted to send her back to Ethiopia as mentally unwell but said that she resisted, insisting that she could not return as she had not succeeded in sending money back to her family. The infamous scene in front of the embassy he describes as him trying to protect her from herself.

Activist Wissam al-Saliby has kept the blog Ethiopian suicides since 2009 in an effort to document the abuses and deaths of domestic workers. He explained that the there is no official incident tally as the only bodies that have the information are the individual embassies of the countries where the women come from. The vacuum in the reporting on these deaths is shocking, with only the severe cases being mentioned in the media. “So many deaths go unnoticed,” said Saliby.

Domestic workers are not covered by Lebanese labor laws, meaning that they have no minimum wage and no social security. Many of the women working here come from countries that have banned their nationals from working in Lebanon, including Ethiopia, the Philippines, and Madagascar, because of the lack of labor rights. Desperate for work, women are often trafficked into the country and have scant or no protection against abuse. Lebanon’s immigration system does not respect these bans from other countries and once out of their homelands, women are not discouraged from coming to work.

After years of pressure to reform labor laws, on 10 December 2012, International Human Rights Day, parliament announced a national human rights action plan, drawn in conjunction with the UN. The plan as yet is a draft that will be submitted to the government for approval and amendment. After eventually being passed through parliament it will be an annex to the constitution and is expected to take five years to implement.

Point 19 on the action plan concerns the rights of migrant workers. Several NGOs and experts were consulted in the drafting process, including Dima Haddad, senior social worker at Caritas Lebanon Migrant Worker Center, an organization that has long championed the rights of vulnerable workers, Dechasa included.

Haddad explained the framework of the plan put forward to the government concerning migrant workers. The plan recommends that Lebanon signs the two international conventions pertaining to the rights of migrant workers. Also, the labor law must be amended to include domestic workers.

Haddad further explained that, importantly, the sponsorship system must be abolished or replaced with one that respects workers’ rights. The plan calls for the regularizing of domestic workers recruitment agencies as well as working on agreements between Lebanon and the countries migrant workers originate from.

It is also suggested that the Ministry of Labor creates a national committee dedicated to developing a strategy for improving the situation of migrant workers on different levels. There is a further suggestion that social workers might take on the role of inspecting and monitoring homes as places of work.

On January 3, attorney at Caritas, Joyce Geha, finally received a date for a hearing of the case against Ali Mahfouz, which will take place February 11. The process took an exceedingly long time as she had to wait to be granted power of attorney by Dechasa’s parents and the Ethiopian embassy before she could represent her case and submit a request to the court against Mahfouz.

Should Mahfouz be charged with assaulting Dechasa and be implemented as a cause in her suicide, the case would be a precedent, Geha explains. According to Human Rights Watch, Lebanon has a very poor record of punishing those who abuse domestic workers.

Ethiopia 2013: Year of the Cheetah Generation

Posted on , Updated on by Alemayehu G. Mariam

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Year of the Cheetahs

2013 shall be the Year of Ethiopia’s Cheetah Generation.

“The Cheetah Generation refers to the new and angry generation of young African graduates and professionals, who look at African issues and problems from a totally different and unique perspective. They are dynamic, intellectually agile, and pragmatic. They may be the ‘restless generation’ but they are Africa’s new hope. They understand and stress transparency, accountability, human rights, and good governance. They also know that many of their current leaders are hopelessly corrupt and that their governments are contumaciously dysfunctional and commit flagitious human rights violations”, explained George Ayittey, the distingushed Ghanaian economist.

Ethiopia’s Cheetah Generation includes not only graduates and professionals — the “best and the brightest” — but also the huddled masses of youth yearning to breathe free; the millions of youth victimized by nepotism, cronyism and corruption and those who face brutal suppression and those who have been subjected to illegal incarceration for protesting human rights violations. Ethiopia’s Cheetah Generation is Eskinder Nega’s and Serkalem Fasil’s Generation. It is the generation of  Andualem Aragie, Woubshet Alemu, Reeyot Alemu, Bekele Gerba, Olbana Lelisa and so many others like them. Ethiopia’s Cheetah Generation is the only generation that could rescue Ethiopia from the steel  claws of tyranny and dictatorship. It is the only generation that can deliver Ethiopia from the fangs of a benighted dictatorship and transform a decaying and decomposing garrison state built on a foundation of lies into one that is deeply rooted in the consent and sovereignty of the people.

Ethiopia’s Hippo Generation should move over and make way for the Cheetahs. As Ayittey said, Africa’s “Hippo Generation is intellectually astigmatic and stuck in their muddy colonialist pedagogical patch. They are stodgy, pudgy, and wedded to the old ‘colonialism-imperialism’ paradigm with an abiding faith in the potency of the state. They lack vision and sit comfortable in their belief that the state can solve all of Africa’s problems. All the state needs is more power and more foreign aid. They care less if the whole country collapses around them, but are content as long as their pond is secure…”

Ethiopia’s Hippo Generation is not only astigmatic with distorted vision, it is also myopic and narrow- minded preoccupied with mindless self-aggrandizement. The Hippos in power are stuck in the quicksand of divisive ethnic politics and the bog of revenge politics. They proclaim the omnipotence of their state, which is nothing more than a thugtatorship.  Their lips drip with condemnation of  “neoliberalism”, the very system they shamelessly panhandle for their daily bread and ensures that they cling to power like barnacles on a sunken ship. They try to palm off foreign project handouts as real economic growth and development.  To these Hippos, the youth are of peripheral importance. They give them lip service. In his “victory” speech celebrating his 99.6 percent win in the May 2010 “election”, Meles Zenawi showered the youth with hollow gratitude: “We are also proud of the youth of our country who have started to benefit from the ongoing development and also those who are in the process of applying efforts to be productively employed! We offer our thanks and salute the youth of Ethiopia for their unwavering support and enthusiasm!”

The Hippos out of power have failed to effectively integrate and mobilize the youth and women in their party leadership structure and organizational activities. As a result, they find themselves in a state of political stagnation and paralysis. They need youth power to rejuvenate themselves and to become dynamic, resilient and irrepressible. Unpowered by youth, the Hippos out of power have become the object of ridicule, contempt and insolence for the Hippos in power.

Ethiopia’s intellectual Hippos by and large have chosen to stand on the sidelines with arms folded, ears plugged, mouths  sealed shut and eyes blindfolded. They have chosen to remain silent fearful that anything they say can and will be used against them as they obsequiously  curry favor with the Hippos in power. They have broken faith with the youth.  Instead of becoming  transformational and visionary thinkers capable of inspiring the youth with creative ideas, the majority of the intellectual Hippos have chosen to dissociate themselves from the youth or have joined the service of the dictators to advance their own self-interests.

Chained Cheetahs

The shameless canard is that Ethiopia’s youth “have started to benefit from the ongoing development.” The facts tell a completely different story. Though the Ethiopian population under the age of 18 is estimated to be 41 million or just over half of Ethiopia’s  population, UNICEF estimates that malnutrition is responsible for more than half of all deaths among children under age five. Ethiopia has an estimated 5 million orphans; or approximately 15 per cent of all children are orphans! Some 800,000 children are estimated to be orphaned as a result of AIDS. Urban youth unemployment is estimated at over 70 per cent. Ethiopia has one of the lowest youth literacy rate in Africa according to a 2011 report of the United Nations Capital Development Fund. Literacy in the 15-24 age group is a dismal 43 percent; gross enrollment at the secondary level is a mere 30.9 percent! A shocking 77.8 per cent of the Ethiopian youth population lives on less than USD$2 per day! Young people have to sell their souls to get a job.  According to  the 2010 U.S. State Department Human Rights Report, “Reliable reports establish that unemployed youth who were not affiliated with the ruling coalition sometimes had trouble receiving the ‘support letters’ from their kebeles necessary to get jobs.” Party memberships is the sine qua non for government employment, educational and business opportunity and the key to survival in a police state. The 2011 U.S. State Department Human Rights Report concluded, “According to credible sources, the ruling party ‘stacks’ student enrollment at Addis Ababa University, which is the nation’s largest and most influential university, with students loyal to the party to ensure further adherence to the party’s principles and to forestall any student protest.”

Frustrated and in despair, many youths drop out of school and engage in a fatalistic pattern of risky behaviors including drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse, crime and delinquency and sexual activity which exposes them to a risk of acquiring sexually transmitted diseases including HIV.  Poor  youths (the overwhelming majority of youth population) deprived of educational and employment opportunity, have lost faith in their own and their country’s future. When I contemplate the situation of Ethiopia’s youth, I am haunted by the penetrating question recently posed by Hajj Mohamed Seid, the prominent Ethiopian Muslim leader in exile in Toronto: “Is there an Ethiopian generation left now? The students who enrolled in the universities are demoralized; their minds are afflicted chewing khat (a mild drug) and smoking cigarettes. They [the ruling regime] have destroyed a generation.”

Unchain the Cheetahs

Many of my readers are familiar with my numerous commentaries on Ethiopia’s chained youth yearning for freedom and change. My readers will also remember my fierce and unremitting defense of Ethiopia’s Proudest  Cheetahs — Eskinder Nega, Serkalem Faisl, Andualem Aragie, Woubshet Alemu, Reeyot Alemu, Bekele Gerba, Olbana Lelisa and so many others — jailed for exercising their constitutional rights and for speaking truth to power. But in the Year of the Cheetahs, I aim to call attention to the extreme challenges faced by Ethiopia’s youth and make a moral appeal to all Hippos, particularly the intellectual Hippos in the Diaspora, to stand up and be counted with the youth by providing support, guidance and inspiration. In June 2010, I called attention to some undeniable facts:

The wretched conditions of Ethiopia’s youth point to the fact that they are a ticking demographic time bomb. The evidence of youth frustration, discontent, disillusionment and discouragement by the protracted economic crisis, lack of economic opportunities and political repression is manifest, overwhelming and irrefutable. The yearning of youth for freedom and change is self-evident. The only question is whether the country’s youth will seek change through increased militancy or by other peaceful means. On the other hand, many thousands gripped by despair and hopelessness and convinced they have no future in Ethiopia continue to vote with their feet. Today, young Ethiopian refugees can be found in large numbers from South Africa to North America and the Middle East to the Far East.

In this Year of the Ethiopian Cheetahs, those of us with a conscience in the Hippo Generation must do a few things to atone for our failures and make amends to our youth. President Obama, though short on action, is nearly always right in his analysis of Africa’s plight: “We’ve learned that it will not be giants like Nkrumah and Kenyatta who will determine Africa’s future. It will be the young people brimming with talent and energy and hope who can claim the future that so many in previous generations never realized.” We, learned Hippos, must learn that Ethiopia’s destiny will not be determined by the specter of dead dictators or their dopplegangers. It will not be determined by those who use the state as their private fiefdom and playground, or those who spread  the poison of ethnic politics to prolong their lease on power. Ethiopia’s destiny will be determined by a robust coalition of Cheetahs who must unite, speak in one voice and act like fingers in a clenched fist to achieve a common destiny.

I craft my message here to the Hippos out of power and the intellectual Hippos standing on the sidelines. I say step up, stand up and be counted with the youth. Know that they are the only ones who can unchain us from the cages of our own hateful ethnic politics. Only they can liberate us from the curse of religious sectarianism. They are the ones who can free us from our destructive ideological conflicts. They are the ones who can emancipate us from the despair and misery of dictatorship. We need to reach, teach and preach to the Cheetahs to free their minds from mental slavery and help them develop their creative powers.

We must reach out to the Cheetahs using all available technology and share with them our knowledge and expertise in all fields. We must listen to what they have to say. We need to understand their views and perspectives on the issues and problems that are vital to them. It is a fact that we have for far too long marginalized the youth in our discussions and debates. We are quick to tell them what to do but turn a deaf ear to what they have to say. We lecture them when we are not ignoring them. Rarely do we show our young people the respect they deserve. We tend to underestimate their intelligence and overestimate our abilities and craftiness to manipulate and use them for our own cynical ends. In the Year of the Cheetah, I plead with my fellow intellectual Hippos to reach out and touch the youth.

We must teach the youth the values that are vital to all of us. Hajj Mohamed Seid has warned us that without unity, we have nothing.   “If there is no country, there is no religion. It is only when we have a country that we find everything.” That is why we must teach the youth they must unite as the children of Mother Ethiopia, and reject any ideology, scheme or effort that seeks to divide them on the basis of ethnicity, religion, gender, language, region or class. We must teach to enlighten, to uncover and illuminate the lies and proclaim the truth. It is easier for tyrants and dictators to rob the rights of youth who are ignorant and fearful. “Ignorance has always been the most powerful weapon in the arsenal of tyrants.” Nelson Mandela has taught us that “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Educating and teaching the youth is the most powerful weapon in the fight against tyranny and dictatorship. In the Year of the Cheetah, I plead with my fellow intellectual Hippos to teach the Cheetahs to fight ignorance and ignoramuses with knowledge, enlightenment and intelligence.

We must also preach the way of peace, democracy, human rights, the rule of law, accountability and transparency. No man shall make himself the law. Those who have committed crimes against humanity and genocide must be held to account. There shall be no state within the state. Exercise of one’s constitutional rights should not be criminalized. Might does not make right! In the Year of the Cheetah, I plead with my fellow intellectual Hippos to preach till kingdom come.

We need to find ways to link Ethiopian Diaspora youth with youth in Ethiopia in a Chain of Destiny. Today, we see a big disconnect and a huge gulf between young Ethiopians in the Diaspora and those in Ethiopia. That is partly a function of geography, but also class. It needs to be bridged. We need to help organize and provide support to Ethiopian Diaspora youth to link up with their counterparts in Ethiopia so that they could have meaningful dialogue and interaction and work together to ensure a common democratic future.

The challenges facing Ethiopia’s Cheetah Generation are enormous, but we must do all we can to prepare the youth to take leadership roles in their future. We need to help them develop a formal youth agenda that addresses the wide range of problems, challenges and issues facing them. All we need to do is provide them guidance, counsel and  advice. The Cheetahs are fully capable of doing the heavy lifting if the Hippos are willing to carry water to them.

Ethiopian Youth Must Lead a National Dialogue in Search of a Path to Peaceful Change

I have said it before and I will say is again and again. For the past year, I have been talking and writing about Ethiopia’s inevitable transition from dictatorship to democracy. I have also called for a national dialogue to facilitate the transition  and appealed to Ethiopia’s youth to lead a grassroots and one-on-one dialogue across  ethnic, religious, linguistic and religious lines. I made the appeal because I believe Ethiopia’s salvation and destiny rests not in the fossilized jaws of power-hungry Hippos but in the soft and delicate paws of the Cheetahs. In the Year of the Cheetahs, I plead with Ethiopia’s youth inside the country and in the Diaspora to take upon the challenge and begin a process of reconciliation. I have come to the regrettable conclusion that most Hippos are hardwired not to reconcile. Hippos have been “reconciling” for decades using the language of finger pointing, fear and smear, mudslinging and grudge holding. But Cheetahs have no choice but to genuinely reconcile because if they do not, they will inherit the winds of ethnic and sectarian strife.

In making my plea to Ethiopia’s Cheetahs, I only ask them to begin an informal dialogue among themselves. Let them define national reconciliation as they see it. They should empower themselves to create their own political space and to talk one-on-one across ethnic, religious, linguistic, gender, regional and class lines. I underscore the importance of closing the gender gap and maximizing the participation of young women in the national reconciliation conversations. It is an established social scientific fact that women do a far superior job than men when it comes to conciliation, reconciliation  and mediation. Dialogue involves not only talking to each other but also listening to one another. Ethiopia’s Cheetahs should use their diversity as a strength and must never allow their diversity to be used to divide and conquer them.

Up With Ethiopian Cheetahs!

Africans know all too well that hippos (including their metaphorical human counterparts) are dangerous animals that are fiercely territorial and attack anything that comes into their turf. Every year more people are killed by hippos (both the real and metaphorical ones) in Africa than lions or elephants. Cheetahs are known to be the fastest animals, but their weakness is that they give up the chase easily or surrender their prey when challenged by other predators including hyenas. A group of hippos is known as a crash. A group of cheetahs is called a “coalition”. Only a coalition of cheetahs organized across ethnic, religious, linguistic and regional lines can crash a crash of hippos and a cackle of hyenas and save Ethiopia.

In this Year of Ethiopian Cheetahs, I expect to make my full contribution to uplift and support Ethiopia’s youth and to challenge them to rise up to newer heights. I appeal to all of my brother and sister Hippos to join me in this effort.  As for the Cheetahs, I say, darkness always give way to light. “It is often in the darkest skies that we see the brightest stars.” Ethiopia’s Cheetahs must be strong in spirit and in will. As Gandhi said, “Strength does not come from physical capacity”, nor does it come from guns, tanks and war planes. “It comes from an indomitable will.” Winston Churchill must have learned something from Gandhi when he said, “Never give in–never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” Ethiopian Cheetahs must never give in!

Professor Alemayehu G. Mariam teaches political science at California State University, San Bernardino and is a practicing defense lawyer.

Previous commentaries by the author are available at:

http://open.salon.com/blog/almariam/

www.huffingtonpost.com/alemayehu-g-mariam/ 

Amharic translations of recent commentaries by the author may be found at:

http://www.ecadforum.com/Amharic/archives/category/al-mariam-amharic

http://ethioforum.org/?cat=24

 

 

“I am a journalist” – Reeyot Alemu

Posted on , Updated on by EthiopianReview.com

(IWMF) — It was only a matter of time before Ethiopian journalist Reeyot Alemu was sent to prison. Her country has become one of the most oppressive in the world for press freedom, with numbers of jailed journalists rising steadily each year.

Alemu was arrested on June 21, 2011, and accused of conspiracy to commit terrorist acts and participation in a terrorist organization under the controversial 2009 Anti-Terrorism Proclamation. Based on no evidence other than her articles criticizing the Ethiopian government, Alemu was sentenced to 14 years in Ethiopia’s notoriously ill-maintained Kaliti prison.

Although the U.S. government has expressed concerns about “the extent to which Ethiopians can rely upon their constitutionally guaranteed rights to afford the protection that is a fundamental element of a democratic society”, Ethiopia remains a key U.S. ally in its battle against al-Shabaab, al-Qaeda’s Somalia affiliate, which some believe has resulted in an unduly lenient attitude towards Ethiopia’s human rights violations.

The arrest of Martin Schibbye and Johan Persson, two Swedish journalists, made evident the damage to its reputation the Ethiopian government was willing to accept in its effort to silence independent reporters. They were picked up after crossing the Somali-Ethiopian border illegally while reporting on ONLF rebels and the humanitarian situation in the closed Ogaden region. The 14-month-long diplomatic tug of war under the watchful eye of the international media ended when Schibbye and Persson were pardoned and released in September 2012 after they admitted guilt and were sentenced to eleven years in prison.

Reeyot Alemu refused to admit guilt in exchange for clemency and has, instead, appealed the verdict. In August 2012, to the surprise of many experts in the diplomatic community, and in part due to the international attention Alemu has received, including winning the 2012 IWMF Courage in Journalism Award, two charges against her were dropped and her sentence was reduced to five years. Alemu hasn’t given up – her court dates have been postponed numerous times but there is still a chance that the appeals court will decide to drop the remaining terrorism charges against her on Tuesday, January 8th.

“Reeyot is young and well-educated. She could have easily left her country or chosen a different career – but she loves Ethiopia and her profession. She always held her head high and she gave me strength”, Martin Schibbye said in an interview with the IWMF.

The first time he met Reeyot Alemu was on a prison bus from Makelawi, the central police investigation headquarters in Addis Ababa, to the Magistrate’s Court where the prosecution repeatedly filed 28-day extensions to keep political prisoners in custody without charge. “What do you do?”, Schibbye remembered asking Alemu on their first encounter. “I am a journalist”, she replied. They quickly realized that everyone on that bus was a journalist or a politician from the opposition and that they were all charged with a crime they hadn’t committed: terrorism. “That was the moment when we realized that we had ended up in a major crackdown against free speech in Ethiopia”, Schibbye told the IWMF.

Despite being separated from each other for the majority of their time in prison, the journalists in Kaliti felt a strong bond and built an emotional support network to help each other through their long days of confinement and uncertainty. “Even locked up in a dark room without shoelaces, deprived of your freedom of expression as well as your physical freedom, you can still keep the most valuable thing that nobody can take from you: the right to determine who you are. Every morning we woke up and said to each other: We are journalists, not terrorists … this is just another day at the office”, Schibbye said.

After spending 438 days in the custody of Ethiopian authorities and closely monitoring the cases of his Ethiopian journalistic colleagues, Schibbye delivers a damning verdict on the state of democracy in Ethiopia. “There is no such thing as an independent justice system, it’s completely politicized. If the order comes from the federal level that Reeyot is to let go, she will be free. But if they feel that they gain more from keeping her in prison, for example to scare other independent journalists, they will keep her locked up. This decision lies entirely in the hands of the Ethiopian government.”

Schibbye suspects that intimidation of independent journalists played a substantial role in Ethiopia’s motivation to jail European journalists like himself and Johan Persson. “Reeyot and some of the other jailed journalists were brought to Johan’s and my sentencing hearing”, Schibbye recalled. “The Ethiopian authorities forced them to witness the rendering of our verdict as if to say: ‘Look what we can do to these European guys … imagine what we can do to you!'”

While organizations such as the IWMF may not have the political clout to provide direct protection or effect instant change in situations like Alemu’s, the value of international attention should not be underestimated. “When you’re locked up as a prisoner of conscience, the greatest fear is to be forgotten,” Schibbye explained. “The support from the outside is what keeps you going, it’s more important than food and medicine. And international recognition such as the IWMF Courage in Journalism Award does in fact provide a certain level of protection. Prison guards and administrators will think twice because they know the world is watching”, he said.

Even though their interactions were very limited due to a strict communication ban in Kaliti prison, Schibbye was deeply impressed with Alemu’s strong moral beliefs. She hasn’t grown tired of pointing out that she is a journalist, not a terrorist. “During the interrogation in Makelawi, Reeyot never broke down. She kept explaining to the police interrogators, some of them younger than her, why she was fighting for freedom of speech and democracy”, Schibbye remembers.

The last time Schibbye saw Alemu was in August 2012, not long before he and Persson were released from prison. They passed each other outside the prison administration offices, being escorted to and from their cells, Schibbye recalled. “She looked fragile but she is a survivor!”