1. We, Ethiopians have been devastated by what has happened to our compatriots in Libya which is extremely difficult to find words of expression. What makes our sorrow so intense and unbearable is not only because those evil-minded groupings (ISIS) murdered our brothers as they did this inhuman act to many other innocent people including their own country men and women. Our sorrow gets deeply heart- breaking when we seriously think about the very root cause for the horrible death of our brothers on one hand, and making repeated failures to stop it on the other hand . And that root cause is nothing, but the total despair which keeps striking hard all aspects of life in our country because of the evil-driven agenda and practice by (TPLF/EPRDF). It is a quarter of a century since this generation, especially the youth has lost one of the most critical values, to dream an Ethiopian dream and pursue happiness as citizens. I do not think there could be any other acute crisis of a generation than fleeing to any other country despite all kinds of nightmarish situations such as the one we painfully are mourning about at this moment in time. How can we explain to ourselves let alone to the world when close friends of those who have been murdered and beheaded tell us assertively that because of the hopelessness in their country, they will try to flee their country with any available means they could afford?
Given the unprecedented despair which keeps getting worse not just year after year but day after day, this kind of very disturbing state of mind is the reflection of not only a few but hundreds of thousands of young Ethiopians. There is a need for us to recognize that it is very difficult to bring about the change we desperately aspire with this kind of troubling mentality of “it is better to flee our country despite all expected and unexpected dangers on our way or in countries where we may find ourselves than staying being hopeless in our country.”
Yes, we have watched an extremely inhuman things being done by ‘humans’ to our compatriots on our television windows and any other means of communication. Fellow Ethiopians, not only because this kind of act of horror has been done to us as Ethiopians but as human beings it is also deeply painful to listen to those evil-minded groups saying that they had to murder or behead those innocent people who refuse to become one of them in the name of the Creator and His messengers (prophets).
Needless to say, human history is not short of evidences about using religion/faith as an instrument for advancing the interests of those who are either in power or those who wildly mad about taking it over and quench their monstrous self-interests. We most of us seem wondering how the very gruesome things we are witnessing could happen in this modern age of ours. Sadly enough, the reality in this world we do live in is not as simple as the good wishes we do have or we may have. And what we can do about this very unfortunate reality is deal with it realistically, systematically and decisively. There is no any other way. However, this cannot be done with ruling elites who do rule their own people with an oppressive and their own way of terror. Simply put, it is only and only when we would be able to establish a political system that should be responsible to the people and accountable for its wrong doings that it would be possible to deal with all kinds of evil act doers and subsequently defeat them. I hate to say but I have to say that this will never become true if we continue the way we have done things for the last quarter of a century. Let be me more clear and specific: we may make ground –breaking rhetoric and speeches; we may pray day and night; we may sing heart- breaking songs; we may write and read wonderful poems; etc. I sincerely believe all these activities and offerings are very essential. However, there is an absolute need for us genuinely admit that we will remain languishing in the same vicious cycle unless we act as a people who want to be where we want to be.
I hear some fellow genuinely concerned and deeply saddened Ethiopians wondering how our country which has a very remarkable historical ties with a history of Islam deserve this kind of inhuman treatment. This is very true and legitimate if we are talking about governments, the people with normal state of minds and who operate under relatively normal circumstances. Unfortunately enough, the groupings (extremists/terrorists) we are talking about have no any sense of the things we are trying to argue and justify about. Yes, we can and should strongly remind those appropriate governments or moderate Muslims of the world about what Ethiopia had done to Islam (the followers of Prophet Muhammad). What I am trying to say is that whenever we face this kind of uniquely horrible groupings, it is desirable to make our arguments, complaints and outrages well targeted and qualified accordingly. And that is why I am saying that multitude of challenging things we are facing in this highly messy world we live in are so complicated and delicate, and need to be dealt with accordingly.
The question of why and how all the devastating dramas are getting the day-to-day experiences; and who is in the very front of or behind these tragic events is not also as simple as we do hear and read. Well, I think who is or who are in the very front is self-evidently clear. They are the very evil-minded individuals and groupings who try to manipulate the minds and hearts of the people in the name of religion.
But, we cannot afford not to ask the question; who is or who are playing a game that helps those who are in the front of committing all the horrible things we are witnessing? Yes, this is part and parcel of the critical questions we should be worried and should be discussing rationally, truthfully, frankly, and wisely.
There is no doubt that those tyrannical regimes such as ours whose political crime against their own innocent people is part of a conducive factor and breeding ground for those evil-driven groupings. Needless to say, the political games of double standard being played by those powerful governments (“donors”) must be questioned and challenged accordingly. Yes, this world is being messed up by the dirty politics of rhetoric about legitimate principles and moral values on one hand, but practically standing with “the very bad guys as long as they stay loyal to our interests” on the other hand. I do not think we have to do kind of simple study let alone research for verification of this very ugly politics of double standard.
Who worked hard in the process of bringing the ruling elites of TPLF/EPRDF to the Arat Kilo Palace and still now helping them to stay in power despite the political crime they do commit against the innocent people of Ethiopia? Whose high ranking diplomat unequivocally told the people of Ethiopia that “ our bad guys are doing great and moving in the right direction, and it would be not only wrong but also kind of terrorist act to try to get rid of them?’ Fellow Ethiopians, this was not heard somewhere else and in any ordinary occasion. It was aired and echoed right in the capital of the country, Addis Ababa where the realities of the day speak clear and loud. Fellow Ethiopians, despite the fact that there is a need for us to firmly stand against those groupings who are trying to put the very norms and values of the people of the world upside down in the name of Allah or God, we cannot afford to lose our appropriate focus on the very conspiratorial politics being played by all governments which claim to be fair plyers of the game.
I strongly believe that it is morally and politically the right thing to share our griefs regardless of our territorial and political boundaries, whenever and wherever it happened or may happen. And the situation we are dealing with at this moment in time is a strong testimony of this. While we mourn the horrible death of our compatriots away from their homeland, we cannot and should not lose our focus on the issue of how and when the deadly political machine must end. Do our “donor powers” remember how many innocent Ethiopians were massacred in different parts (regions) of the country for the last two decades? How many were gunned down during and right after the 2005 elections on the streets of Addis Ababa? Who was held accountable for either giving order or carrying out the killings of those innocent citizens for the simple reason they tried to get their voices heard about the gross violation of one of their basic rights, voting for the ones who they believed they represented their interests? The list of horrible experiences is so long.
I hate to say but I have to say that unless this time of horror makes us listen to each other and engage in a serious business so as to get out of the tug of war between or among ourselves, there is no any other way to change things for the better. Until we take this way of doing things as urgent and serious as it should be, there is no any reason not to see the continuation of what we are witnessing even in a much more catastrophic manner. Agree or disagree, the most reliable and sustainable instrument to fight and defeat those evil-driven groupings (deadly extremists) is to establish a society that is not only reconciled with itself but also with others. To this end, we desperately need to force those tyrannical ruling elites either to come to the negotiating table or to get off peoples’ way. How? By not messing with each other, especially with the very endless and fruitless conversation on the question of which method of political struggle. I wish I could be deadly wrong when I argue that given the very brutal political act of TPLF/EPRDF for the last two decades and the way it gets worse and worse, the idea of either this or that method of struggle does not make sense at all. Look what happened to UDJ and AEUP. And look what is happening to Semayawi and now to the people, particularly to the youth who went to the streets of Addis Ababa just to express their outrage and grief about what happened to their compatriots in Libya. It is from this crystal clear reality that I would argue that the belief that it is possible to radically shake the balance of power through non-armed struggle only is not convincing at all. It is equally wrong to undermine the role that could be played by those who have chosen non-armed struggle. What is most desirable and truly feasible is to create kind of mutual understanding, if not to unnecessarily and negatively mess with each other. That is one of doing things different from what we did.
2. This said, let me proceed to some points of view I want to express concerning the terrifying situation we are facing. Before I jump to the points I want to make, I strongly want sincerely to underscore that at the very end of the day, it is we Ethiopians who should be responsible for what terribly went wrong for the last two decades, and for the unprecedented situation where we are now, and most disturbingly for a seemingly not focusing on things that could and should make this horrible situation as a turning point of our political history. I am not stupidly denying the ongoing awakenings and movements both in Ethiopia and in the diaspora. What I am trying to reflect is that the things we are doing are still over- dominated by kind of emotionally reactive phenomena and events. I strongly believe that though our outrages and devastating griefs are reasonably understandable, we equally, if not much more dominantly need to focus on the question of what is practically to be done to bring about a political environment that could address the horrible situation we are experiencing in this 21st century.
The tragedies we continue to face both at home and abroad necessitate the need to make a meaningful balance between our devastating sorrow and figuring out how to deal with the very root cause of it. We honestly and courageously have to admit that it is extremely difficult to either explain or comprehend why and how we went deep down to this extent in this 21st century. I do not think it is either an exaggeration or a matter of pessimism to question ourselves why and how we found ourselves in this situation of being counted as one of the most “wretched of the earth”( to borrow an expression of Frantz Fanon.) Needless to say, the very root cause of the tragedies we have come across and continue to witness what is happening to us in neighboring countries (Sudan, Kenya, Djibouti), in and across the Red Sea, in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, in the middle of the Sahara desert, in northern Africa, and all the way down to southern Africa is the political persecution and socio-economic devastation in our country. If there are fellow Ethiopian who disagree with this day-to-day experience in our country, they must either be those members of the ruling circle, or their parasitic cadres, or those who sold out their souls and conscience for satisfying their beast-like personal interests, to say the least.
We are now witnessing our brothers and sisters being burned alive, hunted down just like any wild animal, and beheaded just as simple as any anything. Imagine how this is unbearably painful to parents of ours who do regret even when they feel that they use a word of mouth that may hurt the feelings of their sons and daughters. It is this kind feeling that I did feel when I saw the parents and families of those who were murdered thousands of miles away from their homeland by those evil-driven people of the so-called ISIS. I do not know what else could be a very horrifying testimony how our national pride is not only being terribly tested but most dangerously dragged down right before our own eyes, not to mention the eyes of the world.
I do not know what kind/level of dehumanization could make us the people of action and to say enough is enough if it is not this kind of extremely dire situation in which we are dealing at this moment in time. I do not know what else could bring us together and do things differently if it is not the situation in which our very lives are treated as simple as anything both in our own country, on the way fleeing our country, and countries we may flee to. Expecting due respect from those who reliably treat us humanely leave alone from those who do hate us and do inhuman things to us while we are being dehumanized in our own country is not realistic at all. Is it not our own rulers who did not only prevent us from making our voices heard on behalf of our sisters and brothers who are terribly abused and murdered in countries where they fled? Is it not the evil-minded ruling elites of TPLF/EPRDF who have beaten up and have dragged down members and supporters of peacefully dissenting opposition parties on the streets of Addis Ababa for the simple reason that they decry the inhuman treatment of their compatriots in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere? So, what do we expect something different from those who not only hate us but also know very well how we are treated by our rulers right on the streets of our own homeland? What do we really expect from the security forces of those countries who are witnessing that our own state machineries and security apparatuses are mainly used to crack down not only any opposition attempt but any citizen whom they suspect of with dissenting opinion? We desperately need to be as realistic as we should be and act accordingly if we really are ready to do things differently. Yes, to mourn and to pay due tribute to our compatriots who have been murdered is necessarily the right thing to do. But, moving urgently and decisively to the very critical issue of how we should deal with the very root cause of all our dehumanization is the serious call of the time. We cannot afford to continue the vicious cycle of treating the symptoms we suffer from.
Now, the question is whether we are honestly willing and able to learn from our unprecedentedly bitter lessons and get out of the horrible nightmare we are suffering from. It is when and only when we answer this tough but unavoidable question that we would be able to change today’s devastating grief and mourning into opportunities and show the world that we are people of great history who rise up victoriously and proudly despite all the very difficult journeys we might have come across. It is when and only when we go beyond the political culture of making great and heart- breaking speeches as well as offering inaction prayers and preaching that we would be able to take the place we deserve in the history of the world in general and Africa in particular. Simply put, if we do not only preserve but also use the great history and genuine sense of faith our forefathers and mothers registered and the cultural values they had passed down from generation to generation appropriately, there is the danger of seeing history just as mere thing of the past instead of the happenings and records of both good and bad things to learn from and apply them accordingly. Needless to say, this kind of trend is not only undesirable but horribly self-defeating. I strongly argue that there is a desperate need to strive hard in this respect if we want to address the horrible situation we are experiencing. To this end, there is a desperate need for us as people to move forward in a real sense of unity of purpose, seriousness of purpose, inward-looking way of thinking, and politics of civility, taking responsibility, forward-looking and effective way doing things.
This being the case , it would be terribly wrong for us not to admit that our own horrifying failure to listen to each other and act together as a people has contributed to the situation where we are in now . It has to be stressed that unless we want to add terrible self-disingenuousness to the misery we are facing, it is very hard to comprehend what is going wrong with us let alone to get others (not Ethiopians) convinced and paly their constructive roles. I wonder whether we will be ready to open our minds in such a way that we could deal with the tragic situation we are facing at this moment in time. Yes, the situation where we are in right now is not a situation we do things in kind of on and off (emotional reaction) fashion of which we have tried and terribly failed for the last quarter of a century.
Was there any year of the last 24 years and most particularly since the 2005 elections that has passed without horrifying life experiences one way or another? Except the degree of the intensity of the pain, there was no any single year without its own dehumanizing experience. Imagine how it is extremely embarrassing for the people who claim to be the owners of glorious history of independence, the coexistence of the two great religions (Christianity and Islam) and a truly sensible socio-cultural fabric to find themselves in a total despair in all aspects of their lives. Imagine how it is painfully embarrassing for us to be challenged with the question of “why and how you Ethiopians flee to countries which are not only better than your country but where you have to pay an incredible degree of suffering?” Yes, we may try to explain that though our country is not naturally poor, we are forced to flee because of the total absence of freedom and human rights. This of course is true. But, we do not have any convincing answer to the question, “So, whose responsibility is to make things right at home? What kind of unified and determined political struggle you did for the last two decades? How fleeing your country in mass and a non-stop manner regardless of the consequences you may face could be taken as a better alternative instead of getting things right at home and live with the national pride you deserve?” Are these not extremely challenging questions? I strongly argue they are.
I do not think I need to go back and enumerate the political atrocities committed by the ethno-centric ruling elites since they took over Arat Kilo Palace, replaced all the military and security apparatuses with their own rebel fighters, and controlled all socio-economic sectors and networks. I strongly believe that it is when we open our minds for critical and realistic thoughts that we cloud be able to sense a real sense of break-through.
I have tried to listen to and read the messages from many secular and religious institutions and circles about the horrible situations we are dealing with at this very moment in time. I sincerely share the deep sorrow they felt and the outrage they expressed. I share the very optimistic views of many fellow Ethiopians who see this very challenging moment as something that could entail opportunities.
But, I want to underscore that this very desirable and encouraging optimism demands necessarily on the question of how we are willing and determined to do things differently. How many times we decried the deadly political agenda and practice of TPLF/EPRDF for the last two decades? How many innocent citizens we terribly lost and how many times we did mourn and grief? How many times we did say that things have reached their bottom line and enough is enough? How we decisively are ready to go beyond expressing our anger and emotions that could pay the way for bringing the vicious cycle of horror to its end? How we assertively are ready to go beyond issuing statements and reporting back that we are doing great while we are not moving practically? How we are ready to make our prayers and preaching truly relevant to the great teachings of the great religious leaders who sacrificed themselves for the sake of justice and human dignity in this planet earth? How most of our religious leaders, preachers and other clergymen do have the courage and honesty to live by example as far as standing firm for freedom and human dignity on this earth is the very reason to be blessed.
I recently watched the discussion conducted by Wondimagegn Gashu of ESAT (London) with Memehir Tariku from the E.O.C and Ato Nasir of the Muslim community in London. I was so impressed how they strongly and justifiably made religion and the very essence of freedom, justice and human dignity inseparably linked. Memehir Tariku was powerfully right when he said, “Egziabher zim alalem. Zim yalnew egagn nen.”(God has never kept silent. It is we ourselves keep silent/passive.”) That is the way we should be critical of ourselves. Well, although it is we the people that we should be at the forefront of the fight for freedom and justice, our religious leaders and educators have a lot to do with standing firm and honest for the just cause. Unfortunately enough, the E.O.C itself has fallen apart leave alone to be one of the unifying institutions for unity of purpose and the realization of genuine freedom and justice.
Those members of religious leadership in Ethiopia have allowed themselves to either be remain opportunists or parts of political figures of the ruling party in religious uninforms (cloths). I am sorry to say but I have to say that those in exile could not be immune from the criticism of being terribly ineffective as far as what is really happening even with themselves is concerned. I do believe that it is neither a taboo nor a sin to say that preaching unity but remaining disunited, and holding regular and especial conferences or meetings and issuing statements and communiques on the situation in our country, and trying to tell not to show us how we should practically lead by example will never take us anywhere .I hope those religious leaders and educators who have a relative sense of serious and genuine concern will try hard to do things appropriately different from what we have done for so long.
Yes, those compatriots of ours who have been murdered by the hands of wildly evil persons are martyrs. And I strongly believe that their martyrdom is not only heavenly but also a very powerful message for us on this earthly life; because they have shown us how the need to stand together and root- out the very root cause of our untold sufferings has reached at a very critical stage. That is how I want to look at the way they have been murdered and the powerful message they left behind. The rest is up to us!
I watched the way the youth of Addis Ababa reacted not only to what happened to our compatriots but also to the very outrageously nonsensical response from the ethno-centric and tyrannical ruling circle of TPLF/EPRDF. And I have to say that it is something which sparked the light of hope and courage. Yes, it is encouraging to watch Students of Addis Ababa University not only expressing the deeply heart- breaking grief they felt but also condemning the very nonsensical response by the ruling party. Though it is reasonably fair to question the persistence and success of these kinds of awakenings and movements, there is no doubt they do say a lot about how things could be unfold themselves in institutions of higher education which have been used as centers of movements for freedom and justice in the history of the political uprising in our country.
Well, there is no doubt that the ruthless ruling elites will never leave any stone unturned to crackdown any movement leave alone the one we witnessed at this critical moment in time. That is why it is very necessary to think ahead, to plan smart, to get organized and to act accordingly if we want to see things unfolding the way we want. I hate to say but I have to say that if this young generation tries to do things with a badly dichotomized state of mind; the desire to live free in their own country on one hand but longing for fleeing the country regardless of a horrible fate they may face like those of our compatriots who have been murdered by the hands of evil-driven groupings on the other hand will make things regrettably worse. The very mentality of “I prefer fleeing my country and face whatever it comes if I cannot live with freedom, justice and economic opportunity” is deeply troubling. The moment we become victims of the idea of fleeing our country as the choice than the idea of bringing about good governance and socio-economic justice in our own country, we have to admit that our struggle against ruthless ruling elites of TPLF/EPRDF keeps falling apart. I hope we all agree with a very touching saying, “There is no place like home.” But that home should be a real home to all members (citizens). Who can and should make that real home? Those members (citizens) who want to live in it with peace, love, justice, and shared prosperity. How? Either by putting pressure on those who want to rule with the use of oppressive machine they control and the economic resource they exploit to come to their sense of humanity or by forcing them to get off peoples’ way.
3. Concluding remarks
. We deeply feel the very painful pain because of the total absence of fundamental civil liberties in our country and this is a good thing as it serves as a driving force towards the solution we want to bring about. We do ask very right and legitimate questions about what went wrong and why, and this is a very good thing as it serves to correct what went wrong and move to the right direction. We do try to answer those critical questions the way we understand them, and that is great as trying to do so could pave the way for dealing the challenges we face in practical terms. However, there is something terribly missing; and this missing part has caused an untold sufferings for the last quarter of a century. Now, here we are once again being devastated by what has happened to our compatriots in Yemen, South Africa and Libya. It goes without saying that we are facing a very serious challenge than ever. And there is a need for us to courageously admit that unless we have to figure out what is missing and bring it up front and deal with it, there will not be any sounding reason to expect things getting better. Yes, that missing element of our struggle is the need to sacrifice our individual or group egos for the very sake of collective action towards our very common destiny and fate. I hope the bitter lessons and experiences will make us do things differently, not as usual.
. I read the statement from Global Alliance for the Rights of Ethiopiansconcerning the very dire situation we found ourselves in. Its central message goes beyond dealing with the very symptoms of a serious political illness in our country. It says, “Beyond Anger and Grief” which is to mean that unless we do something that targets the root cause (tyrannical ruling elites), we will never break the vicious cycle we have come through for so long. In other words, we cannot afford to form alliances after alliances that are designed to deal crises after crises.
. I read a very short but powerful article in Amaharic by Professor Mesfin W/Mariam posted on Ecadform.com today
. It is titled “Ewunetu Yiwuta (Let the Truth Reveal.)” I found the very concluding part of his article very powerfully challenging if we are courageous enough to face it. He asks, “By the way, don’t we have Archbishops, Bishops, monks/nuns, priests – sheikhs, elders in the country?” Is this not a painfully disturbing challenge we are facing? Unless we want to remain disingenuous/dishonest with ourselves that is the reality we found ourselves in. As a matter of fact, this is not the case inside Ethiopia only. Sadly enough, we are not fortunate enough to have kind of people whom Professor Mesfin is asking about in the diaspora except handful of them. And that hurts our hearts and minds badly. Let’s hope we could see them doing things differently.
. Some political groupings in the diaspora such as Shengo and Transitional Council? I hate to say but I have to say that they do not seem genuinely and seriously ready to do things differently. They have continued producing statements after statements on each horrible situations happening to Ethiopians both inside and outside. They have continued calling for the formation of a larger coalition (a statement on April 25/15 posted on the Habesha.com) as if this has never been tried. I do not know why these groups don’t frankly tell us why they didn’t want to organize themselves at least into two or three united political forces instead of talking about being under kind of amorphous and ineffective umbrella with their the ‘independence ‘of their own respective circles and thrones. As frustrating as it might be, I hope with those freedom fighters who are at the forefront of the struggle (be it non-armed or all-around), we as responsible citizens and as a people in general will do things differently and shorten the dire situation we are experiencing.
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