Not a safe planet to be an Ethiopian. By Yilma Bekele
The terrorist group ISIL murdered twenty eight Ethiopians in cold blood in the deserts of Libya. In Durban South Africa two Ethiopian brothers aged twenty two and twenty four were locked inside their ‘container shop’ and set on fire. In Beirut Lebanon a young girl jumped from her employee’s residence on the fourth floor and was badly hurt while across town another one committed suicide by hanging herself.
Thousands of Ethiopians are stranded in Yemen where there is practically no government leaving them at the mercy of warlords and smugglers. The jails from Kenya to South Africa are filled with immigrant Ethiopians with no paper.
The simple question is why are they roaming the planet and exposing themselves to great danger? If it is dangerous out there why are they leaving their homeland? When they do come across danger who looks after them?
The Ethiopian government has shown its indifference during the last exodus out of Saudi Arabia. They are again showing their absolute lack of respect to their fellow citizens by not even acknowledging the sad situation.
Their Ambassador to Egypt did not show shame splitting hair by explaining that based on his research Ethiopians in Libya are held by ‘smugglers not ISIS’. It is good to know our embassies are in touch with the underground. The Ethiopian government first pretended not to know, announced it is in the process of confirming their nationality and finally proclaimed a period of mourning.
We Ethiopians have no one to appeal to regarding our safety as human beings. We have no organized body like a Government that would do what is necessary to protect our life and property. There is no one that would assume responsibility to what is happening to Ethiopians all over the world. The Ethiopian government and the Ethiopian people are second to none at pointing fingers.
Under normal circumstances anywhere such a government that leaves its citizens to face danger in such a callous way would collapse in no time. First and foremost the citizens will demand accountability and the government would show remorse and submit its resignation.
The Ethiopian Government would of course condemn International terrorism and use the occasion to point out how they are victims themselves. The Diaspora Ethiopians will vent out at ISIS, South Africa and Arabs etc. Last week I would have said the Ethiopian People would grumble a little and pray a lot.
This might be the beginning of the Ethiopian Spring which we all have been waiting for. The Ethiopian youth has become hip to what is happening and are in the process of taking things in their hands.
The news from South Africa followed by the tragedy in Libya has angered our people. Meskel Square and Gotera area saw the potential of people’s power.
Just a week ago US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman gave a clean bill of democratic health to the TPLF dominated government. It is sad but not surprising. Sometimes we confuse rhetoric for reality. The US government has never shied away from propping up, coddling or enabling such rogue regimes all over the world. Often the need for stability triumphs over the oath to respect basic human values. In the end the US does what is best for the US. At the moment the Woyane regime is the only game in town and it has managed to stifle all dissent, scare all enemies, jail all opponents and seems to have a grip on the situation and that is good enough to our western enablers.
It is a different story this week. The youth that compromises over seventy percent of our population is realizing the nature of the beast that is called Woyane. They are witnessing the bankruptcy of the system. They know the people that died in Libya. They are familiar with their brothers and sisters that are getting burned in South Africa, jailed in Zambia, being humiliated by Arabs in the Middle East and they are ready to say enough.
We cannot be mad at the savages of South Africa. We cannot dump it on the ISIS monsters that took advantage of young boys with no evil in their heart to score a cheap political point with the west. We cannot fume at the grotesque and degenerate Lebanese that gets his kicks by acting like an animal.
Our business is with our government. Our task is to ask accountability from those that purport to be elected. That is what our people are starting to do. That is what our children are asking us to do to help them with this noble act of saying enough to dictators and war lords.
What exactly are they asking us to do? It is not a major sacrifice when you think about it. They are asking us to do the right thing for a good cause. There will be no one watching over your shoulder, there will be no one checking on you. It is all based on an honor system. Your conscience is the only one that is keeping score.
The task is simple. Don’t we all claim we would do anything to help our country be free and our people enjoy the fruits of what life has to offer? When is a good time than today to show our solidarity with our people and actually stand up for what we claim to believe? Condemnation is good but it does not carry weight.
What is being asked of you is to ‘boycott’ anything and everything to do with Woyane’s Ethiopia. They caused South Africa, they facilitated Beirut and they exposed us to ISIS with their war in Somalia and association with Yemen. All disasters that affect us is due to the greedy, illiterate and money centered policy of the TPLF mafia.
Our people are waking up to do what must be done. Our task from outside where we live free is to help them achieve that goal by doing all we could to help not harm the cause.
In our case in North America boycott of Woyane is a very simple task. Before we buy enjera we should ask where the Teff is grown. There is no harm in eating bread as a substitute for people and country’s sake. We should avoid all Ethiopian produced beer. It is not about Heineken but the Woyane owners. We should not fly Ethiopian (Woyane) Airlines. Paying a hundred dollar more is not such a sacrifice for freedom. We should definitely stop getting involved in the Ponzi scheme of condominium building on stolen land. All major building material supply is owned by Woyane and their subsidiaries.
We Ethiopians in North America are enjoying the fruits of victory achieved by African Americans that used boycott as a means of protest. When it was felt boycott of the Bus system was important they walked instead of riding the bus. You are asked to take a different airlines. Is that too much to ask?
Wendy Sherman can affix any stamp on Woyane for all we care. It is not what a foreign official say that is important here but what our people think and feel about Woyane is what matters. We know it, we feel it in our bones and we are working very hard to overcome fear but no one can tell us about the good nature of the people in authority. Their actions towards our people is not different from ISIS. Our rulers are too smart and use western jargon to fool the foreigners that they pay dearly and our people were deliberately kept in the dark. But no more.
Our youth were screaming ‘Woyane Leba’ as they marched. Their fight is not with South African thugs or ISIS terrorists but their quarrel is with the bully in those masquerading as a legitimate government.
We in the west have to be careful in our response to such a disaster befalling our people in all corners of the world. Mere condemnation by the affected party is not enough. The whole world is unanimous in condemning the acts of the ISIS terrorists. All persons of authority including the pope have spoken against the inhuman act.
We Ethiopians should go beyond that. If we meet for a vigil in our Church, Mosque or town square we should use the common ground that brought us together to open a dialogue so we do not have to meet again for such sad situation. We are all sad but we should channel our strength to do something positive with it to improve the lives of our people. It is not easy but it is a necessary step so we avoid future calamities like this.
It is the real Ethiopian Spring. Time to start the new season with something fresh and something new. Our young people have finally decided it is enough. They are going to make their stand at home. The running away is not the solution. Cleaning one’s own house is the way to go. I believe we are entering a whole new world. Spring is here!
http://amharic.voanews.com/content/ethiopian-youth-and-2015-elections-debates-on-voa-04-18-15/2728160.html
http://ethsat.com/