Ethiopia
Has Leaders Who Can Build Bridges to a New Ethiopia!
August 15, 2008
People tell me that the movement for freedom and justice
in Ethiopia has died because we do not have the leaders
who can give us a vision for a new Ethiopia and who
can demonstrate it by their actions. I may have agreed
with this statement before, but no longer do so because
I have discovered that we have some of the best leaders
among us that we could ever ask for—qualified,
capable and full of personal integrity and character.
These new leaders are emerging and older leaders are
changing their views as together they catch the vision
of a different Ethiopia where truth, freedom, justice,
equality and civility replace the lies, human rights
abuses, injustice, cronyism and hate that now prevails.
I wish I could name all of them, but there are too many
to be named. Many of these leaders may not be known,
especially outside their groups, but they are already
working among us.
Our present crisis may be the catalyst that is drawing
in new people—people who may have never joined
the struggle otherwise. They are people who are bridging
the gap between previously divided factions by building
new relationships. As a result, I now can identify Ethiopians
from all over the country who possess the humility,
expertise, talents, commitment and vision to bring about
a New Ethiopia.
They have not emerged as leaders in the past for a variety
of reasons—because those in power closed the door
to them for not “fitting” certain requirements
or equally because these quality people did not feel
the need or urgency to become involved and were instead
leading private lives filled with family, education,
career and other personal pursuits. They are the kind
of individuals who would have been happy to simply pursue
their own lives, but difficult times have drawn out
these new people of strength, commitment and character
to rise to the challenge of the day.
Others may have devoted years to politics in hopes
of bringing about change for their own groups, but may
be newly convinced that reaching out to others in unity
around principles of truth, freedom, justice, equality
and civility are the guideposts to follow to revive
a dying country. These leaders are the true “new
breed” of African leaders, not the false “new
breed” like Meles who Tony Blair and Bill Clinton
praised. Instead, these new genuine, life-valuing leaders
are the ones at the forefront of breaking down the invisible
fences built on years of prejudices, alienation, suspicion,
factionalism, abuse and misunderstanding.
However, do not expect division and conflict to disappear
because these two opposing worldviews between the “true
new leaders” and the “false old leaders”
will clash and collide, causing new divisions. If the
push for unity gains momentum—and I believe it
will—those resistant to change or to shifts in
power may attempt to sabotage its progress and this
will probably reach to the inner sanctums of most every
organization.
Within these organizations, it will be important to
create room for dialogue so that what is best is strengthened
and what is enabling destruction, is confronted. As
this happens, many organizations will feel the brunt
of the growing pains necessary in the birthing of a
New Ethiopia. Just like a mother who struggles in labor
during the birth of her child, so must we struggle and
labor for the birth of a country that will sustain life,
not take it.
We must understand that there are powerful forces—people,
government, institutions and outside entities like unethical
multi-corporations with corrupt and exploitive business
practices—like the Chinese Oil Company that was
trying drill in Gambella region during the massacre
and now in the Ogaden region, that will fight against
a free Ethiopia, but we must persevere in a civil manner
until we accomplish our goals with the help of our Creator.
Unless what has been destroying us is confronted by
what will free us, we will stay stuck in the same downward
cycle that will ultimately destroy Ethiopia.
Look at the example of the
Oromos:
This is the second year I have been invited to speak
at the yearly meeting of the Oromo American Citizens’
Council in Minneapolis. I wondered if anything would
be different this year. I can enthusiastically say,
“Absolutely!”
The 2008 Oromo American Citizens Council, the OLF and
the Oromo Community all showed a significant shift of
paradigms since last year, with much greater visible
openness to engaging with other Ethiopians than was
seen only a year ago. Last year at the rally and the
meetings, I witnessed an almost total focus on Oromia
with exclusion of everything “Ethiopian.”
This year, despite some wariness, there was a very different
mood apparent. The Oromo were not the only ones a year
ago to be suspicious, so were some Ethiopians from the
highland and north who advised me not to go. This year,
no one made such a suggestion and instead, it seems
to have been perceived as a good thing by all.
When I sat and ate breakfast and lunch with our Oromo
brothers and sisters, we talked together as family and
as human beings. The Oromo extended their hand of friendship
through leaders like Mr. Degage Kumera; the Chairman
of the Oromo American Citizens Council and Mr. Robsan
Itana; the founder and director of Oromo American Citizens
Council and other executive members of Oromo American
Citizens Council. The caring and the warmth that extended
from these leaders made us all feel welcome. These are
people who care about the country. It was all apparent
from the way they set up and conducted their meeting.
These are the kind of leaders that will have a place
in a better Ethiopia where solidarity could exist like
we have never seen before.
They understand very well the role the Oromo must have
in shaping a future Ethiopia that embraces—rather
than dominates—all of its citizens, something
they may be able to better understand because of their
own painful experience of being severely repressed and
marginalized during the last several regimes. Because
of being the largest ethnic group in the country, Oromo
have historically been seen as a threat to any minority
regime; however, any Ethiopia that does not embrace
Oromo along with the smallest of ethnic groups, will
not be a society that is free, just and harmonious.
These new leaders recognize that to survive as a people,
they must engage with others to create a society conducive
to the survival of all people. As the largest of groups,
they have even a greater responsibility to include all
and they are moving in the right direction. It was apparent
in the way they reached out to include new people as
presenters. As one Oromo organizer said, “Never
before have we had such a diverse panel of guests.”
In the past, Ethiopian society and Oromo society, when
not in embroiled in conflict, co-existed without almost
ever intersecting—that is, except in inter-marriage—creating
a surreal world of experience because of the close proximity,
but disconnectedness of the two. However, something
is beginning to change this pattern of alienation from
each other as increasingly more Oromo are reaching out
to embrace new people and groups within Ethiopian society
and those groups are reaching back. It is time for the
disconnected world of Ethiopians to come together. Judging
from what happened during the last week, the effort
of these Oromo leaders to build a new bridge among Ethiopians
was successful. I was thrilled to be part of it.
We do not have to wait for well-seasoned
politicians to take action
The Ethiopian Diaspora media took notice too and when
they did, it made the top news on most websites—a
feat in its own right! When was the last time you saw
an Oromo organizational posting of an upcoming meeting
hit the front page of a non-Oromo website, let alone
appear on most all of them—Abbay Media, Ethiomedia,
Abugida, Ethiopian Review and many others?
What does this mean?” I think it means that we
do not have to wait for well-seasoned politicians to
take such action, but instead, that it can begin at
the ground level and be led by leaders of our civic
organizations. They are in touch with the people.
I wish I could name all of them but to name a few of
them. Mr. Robsan Itana, is by his actions, words, how
he treats others. Like Mr. Guled Kassim, very bright
youngman from the Oganden region, by his noble words
of encouragement to us all. By his words of remind us
to care for each other and be active in social justices.
Like Professor Alemayehu G. Mariam; by his brilliant
writing and soul healing words toward his beloved people
and country. Like Dr. Golto, specialist in surgery and
he is a man whose conscience has directed him to put
so much time into this. Not into power or leadership
but wants to help because he is Ethiopian.
Like Mr. Ibrhim Yousuf from the Benishangul Human Rights
Foundation who challenged Ethiopian Muslims to advocates
for Human Rights in Ethiopia. Mr. Ibrhim Yousuf himself
is an Ethiopian Muslim who is ready to work together
with other Ethiopian to create a unique environment
in new Ethiopia where Muslims, Christians and Jews can
live together in harmony like they have been for centuries.
Like Ms. Abeba Fekade, from International Ethiopian
Women’s Organization, who said we have no other
choices but to find a way to work together for a health
society.
Like Mr. Abraha Belai, the Chief Editor of Ethiomedia,
who courageously stood up for the truth and for what
was right even though it meant alienating some within
his own ethnic group. Mr. Abraha is a Tigrayan who publicly
and jointly come forward as Ethiopian, separating himself
from the policy of ethnic hatred that Meles and his
TPLF. The list can go on.
These are true leaders who display humility, caring
and strength of character in the way they can sit together,
discuss issues and respect each other despite sometimes
disagreeing. These people have what it takes and we
should rally behind them. None of these want a dynasty
for themselves or for their tribe, but are bridge builders
who can take us from the confines of tribal thinking
to the values and attitudes of what is important in
a well-functioning multi-cultural society.
We have been watching those driving the political machinery
of Ethiopia to discover who can help us accomplish goals
to benefit the country. Some of these doing a great
job, came into the struggle following the pain surrounding
the election of 2005 when the dreams for a genuine democracy
were hijacked and instead backfired in the death of
197 peaceful protestors.
These are people like those who run the websites where
we can keep up with what is going on. Some got involved
because of pictures on those websites of the dead youth
and crying mothers. Others have been brought into the
struggle by the suffering of their families, friends
and communities. I was brought to the struggle through
the death of Anuak and have continued as I see other
suffering Ethiopians.
Many have been outraged by other things and will not
rest until what triggered them is resolved—like
me who will not stop speaking up until justice comes.
These people have what it takes and if we combine each
of these unique people with their unique talents, the
light of the full moon will break through the darkness.
These people, if brought together, can accomplish in
solidarity what could never be accomplished alone.
We have had a culture that avoided
politics, regardless of the suffering
We have had a culture that avoided politics, regardless
of the suffering, but the suffering has just gotten
too great to run the other way. Meles has led us where
we do not want to go, but these leaders on the ground
are picking up the slack for those who have been unwilling
or unable to change our downward direction.
The spine of Ethiopia has been broken, but the spirit
of reconciliation seen in these new leaders will provide
healing. These leaders are the seeds for the future.
They are ready and if we plant, water and nourish them,
they might rise up and bear wonderful fruit for not
only Ethiopia, but for the whole continent.
I have seen these Ethiopian people of differing background,
gender, educational level and religion. I have met them
in airports, hotels, restaurants and at meetings. They
keep saying, “We don’t have the leaders
who put the people first or who speak the truth, instead
they mislead us in their lies.”
I have talked with these Ethiopians who were working
hard cleaning public restrooms in Minnesota, making
beds in Munich, driving a taxi in Washington D.C. or
driving a bus in Seattle. Some are dishwashers, servers
in a restaurant or parking attendants and are here because
they had no hope or future in Ethiopia. Others are very
well educated and working in hospitals, universities
and clinics in the West.
Many, if not most would go back to contribute in any
way they could. An Ethiopian woman in a Geneva hotel
who was making a bed told me, “I would like to
go back to Ethiopia to train my people to be the best
professional bed-makers possible and teach the people
to make sure everything in rooms such as these were
clean.
Like Dr. Golto Ailo, a well-respected spinal surgeon,
who has told me how he I would love to go back to perform
surgeries in Ethiopia. He is extremely conscientious
with every patient and does his best to help in addition
to all he has done for this struggle. He is a real leader
with great wisdom. Professor Alemariam could help restore
justice and the rule of law. I could list thousands
of great Ethiopians like these, but there is not enough
room.
Our problem is that now, in Ethiopia, we now have these
greedy leaders who have no love for the people. They
do not realize they are in this world for a short time
and that thirst for money and power can blind them from
seeing anything. Meles and others will not change it
for us without pressure.
We are that pressure and we cannot do it if we are
broken up into warring factions that worsen as we become
numb to our moral conscience. It is then that people
slide into becoming subhuman, enabling them to commit
acts like what happened in Rwanda, in Yugoslavia and
like has been done to some of us during Haile Selassie,
the Derg or now under the EPRDF.
To avoid a future that replicates the past, we cannot
rely on leaders with the same kind of thinking. In actuality,
as we intermarry outside our groups, we will be the
same ones we are fighting like the wonderful man by
the name Brahan, in Minnesota who told me that “1/8
of me is Amhara, 1/8 is Oromo, 1/3 is Gurage and I don’t
know what the rest is.”
One man from Winnipeg told me that he did not want
to go to Ethiopia with his eight years old twin boys
because people tease them for their tribal background
when it differed from others.
A hotel worker at the Radisson in Washington DC is
Oromo and told me she does not want to bring her children
with her when she goes to Ethiopia because she does
not want to expose her children to the tribal thinking.
Another man I met has a daughter who is Gurage who
married a man who is half Tigrayan and half Amhara and
he told me that this was infecting their marriage.
Another man I recently met told me his ethnicity was
divided into five parts.
In an ethnically divided society this creates “ethnic
identity confusion,” but in a multi-cultural society,
he fits in perfectly and becomes more identified with
being “Ethiopian,” or simply, a human being!”
A man from Rochester, New York told me that because
of the way he had been treated by the TPLF that we should
show them.” I asked him what he meant by “showing
them.” He said, “.By killing.” I never
ignore these kinds of comments and challenge those holding
these views. I then asked, “Do you want your children
to have to live in this kind of environment, with someone
else wanting to kill them in the future because of your
actions now?”
Usually the person had not thought about how their
own actions created a hateful, violent and dangerous
society for their own children. What if their child
married someone “from that other ethnic group
and had children that were partly from that other ethnic
group?” This is one of the most mixed societies
ever, but Meles has destroyed our society and it will
take years to heal, but we now have leaders who are
challenging this barbaric and ungodly thinking.
“There is no future without
forgiveness”
As Archbishop Desmond Tutu said, “There is no
future without forgiveness.” However, it will
take lots of work. Imagine a society where the people
are taught hatred, golden tribe ideology and shame instead
of the truth that God loves each person and that what
He desires is a humble, loving servant-heart towards
others.
There is something wrong in our society and it should
not be ignored. It is the responsibility of every living
Tigrayan to speak up against this evil, apartheid system
of the TPLF that has been put in place in their name
and which is sustained by some among the elite who exploit
others without mercy.
It is something people have to talk about in order
to replace nihilism with life. Can you imagine what
would happen if Ethiopians fell into violent chaos against
their brothers, sisters, neighbors and fellow human
beings?
Ethiopians are already shamed because they cannot take
care of themselves and are at the bottom of most every
index scale, but can you imagine if Ethiopia fell into
worse violence than Rwanda or Yugoslavia, becoming the
country known as one of the worst moral failures in
the universe?
We must help those hurt and angry in our society to
regain their senses by respectfully confronting these
attitudes and beliefs wherever they are found. However,
it is these new leaders that are rising up all over
who must take charge because these new leaders must
do it because an unhealthy society cannot find solutions
to its problems from the same kind of people who have
led them into the pit of inhumanity and death.
Opportunistic societies, filled with greed and heartlessness,
cannot be changed by opportunistic, greedy and heartless
people. They are too much into power rather than submitting,
serving or sharing. We need new thinking from new leaders
and we thankfully, we have them, leaders like--- Golto
Aila; Degage Kumera; Alemayehu G. Mariam; Guled Kassim,
Teddy Fikre; Achame Shana, Meron Ahadu, Kifle Teka;
Abebe Gelaw, Emebet Bekele, Mesfin Berhanu, Lemlem Tsegaw;
Abebe Belew; Alebachew Kassie; Fekade Mariam; Berhan
Tsehai; Agonafer Shiferaw,Genet Abraha;Yassin Kassim;
Sioum Gebeyehou; Leoul Mekonen; Abebe Gebre-Tsadik;
Enndelbu Worku; Zenebe Tamirat; Negussie Ali; Terefe
Masresha; Pelle Danabo; Lulit Mesfin; Mikael Deribe;
Judge Wolde Michael Meshesha, Ibrahim Mohammed, Eyob
Tadesse Nigussie; Abeba Fekade; Hagos Berhe; Robele
Ababya; Tedla Asfaw; Abraha Belai; Elsabeth Girma, Mekonnen
Alemayehu; Mamo Muchie; Orion Mengistu; Aden Yunis;
Robsan Itana; Melaku Terefe; Girma Kassa; Adam Zerihun;
Abebe Bogale; Wondimu Mekonnen; Yilama Bekele; Girma
Aweke, Sebsebie Abera; Kinfu Assefa; Ghidey Zeratsion;
Genet Mersha; Teodros Kiros; Abiy Ashenafi; Melegudi
Agita; Ferecha Tulu; Meron Agonafer, Mulugeta Mindaye;
Elias Wondimu, Mengistu Yemane, Takele Argaw, Melaku
Mekonen; Yami Getachew; Fisseha Abebe, Elfneh Sileshi,
Bekele Molla; Yoseph Tafari; Dagnea Teshome; Gabe Hamda;
Berhanu Kebede; Mistre Haile Selassie; Samuel Berhanu,
Teklemichael Abebe Sahlemariam; Lischan Gizaw; Yonatan
Degagu; Bedilu Tekle; Kifle Mulat; Melkie Demissie,
Seid Hassan; Selam Beyene, Aster Meshete; Wudineh Zenebe;
Elizabeth Demissie; Martha Admassu; Muluneh Yohannes;
Eshete Hailu; Mareshet Meshesha, Mimi Tamrat; Ahmed
Ali; Merid Bekele; Endashaw Worku, Kale Negash; Tewodros
Asfaw and many, many more. I wish I can name all of
them.
I am inspired by these leaders and thousands more whom
I have met— by their courage, their determination,
their love, their care— by you name it! I have
met with so many remarkable Ethiopians from many different
ethnic groups that I’m overwhelmed with the beauty
and variety of our fellow-Ethiopians. All of them have
touched me and taught me so much more about our shared
humanity. These friendships have broken down many of
the negative stereotypes that have been promoted and
exaggerated in the past. With God’s help, we can
find healing, reconciliation and restoration.
In closing, I want to share this Ogadeni tale with
you that I just recently received from one of those
leaders we need who can see the truth. It speaks to
the heart of what is at risk in our country, the suspicion,
lack of care and humanity towards our fellow Ethiopians
as not be of value.
An Ogadeni Tale: The Lion and the Three Oxen
We Ethiopians are like the three oxen in the story
I am about to tell.
In an Ogaden tale, there used to be three strong
oxen in the bush; one red, one white and one black.
One day a lion came upon them and wondered to himself
about how he might eat the three oxen. The lion realized
that he could not attack all the three oxen at the
same time because of their combined power. He made
a plan to divide them and to eat one at a time.
The lion came to the red and to the white oxen and
told them that the black ox was spoiling the valley
and the bush where they lived. He suggested that the
black ox should be killed in order to save their environment.
Unknowingly the two oxen thought that the lion was
right and allowed him to kill and eat the black ox.
After few days, the lion again came to the red ox
and told him that the white ox was arrogant and was
intending to kill him (the red ox). The lion suggested
that he, the lion, should protect the life of the
red ox by killing the white ox. The red ox agreed
to the lion’s plan and the white ox was killed.
After few days the lion came to the helpless red
ox and said, “It is now your time to die.”
The red ox now understood the long planned trick
of the lion, but was now helpless against him by himself.
The red ox said to the lion, “You killed me
when you killed the black ox.”
The friend who sent this tale to me added these words
at the end.
“So dear Ethiopians now Meles is killing Ogadenis
because they are supposedly Muslim terrorists, at
the same time he is killing Anuak and Oromo because
they supposedly want to disintegrate Ethiopia and
others will follow for some other justification. In
the end, the Tigrai people will be in the Meles slaughter
house because now they can no longer help themselves.
When will we wake up? Maybe after, when we all die
in the hands of Meles”… and the TPLF policies
that teach hatred, division and destruction until
the life and soul of Ethiopia has died.
For the revival of the soul of Ethiopia, come to the
Symposium in Washington D.C. regarding “Where
do we go from here?” on August 30, 2008. It will
be the next step in the formation of the Solidarity
Movement for a New Ethiopia. You will have opportunity
to hear directly from some of the new leaders I have
mentioned.
May God breathe life back into this neglected, abandoned,
forgotten, bleeding, wounded and dying nation.
____________________________________________________________
For more information please contact
me by email at: Obang@anuakjustice.org
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