Ethiopia: “Fish don’t hold the sacred liquid in cups!” - Kedir Ahmed

5:45 PM, Tuesday September 18th,2018. After 2 weeks of school break, it was the first class of the semester. The professor introduced himself, and began to go over the course. I glanced over the class, and saw excitement on the students’ faces.  

They look eager to learn for they recognize that they are one step closer to graduation. I didn’t share the same enthusiasm and hopefulness on that day. My mind kept projecting the horrible images that came out of Burayu. Mothers, children and defenseless men running for their lives! 

On the other side, men with machete, and sticks chasing innocent people and killing them ruthlessly! The loud voice of the professor brought me back to where I was and woke me up from my daymare. I looked at my classmates once again, and wondered, “do they know how lucky they are to live in USA?  

A nation viewed as “the land of opportunity, freedom and democracy”. A nation that inhabits people of all color, race, ethnicity, different religions, cultures and political outlooks. Despite all these differences, for the most part people manage to live peacefully due to the presence of strong civil and political institutions.

We, Ethiopians, on the other hand, pride ourselves at having ancient history and culture. We claim that Ethiopia is the birthplace of humankind. We assert Ethiopia is mentioned in the Bible several times. 

We had one of the oldest civilization and 3 thousand years of history. Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) sent his followers to our country fleeing persecution in Arabia. Bilal made the first Prayer call. We accepted Christianity before many Europeans did. 

We built rock-hewn churches. We were the first African nation that defeated a European army and became a symbol to other African nations in their struggle against European colonization. We claim Gada system is compatible with modern democratic governance. I could go on and on.

Despite all these conducive conditions that could be the bedrock for building a vibrant and modern society, we still engage in barbaric acts of violence against our own people. We repeatedly fail to learn from our history.  

Our country witnessed terrible conflicts that took the lives of many innocent people. We have gone through difficult times that endangered the existence of our country. To me, it is just a miracle that we still have a country called Ethiopia.

We are now at critical juncture of our history. The political actions taken today could determine the fate of the future of Ethiopia. God forbids, we might witness the disintegration of Ethiopia if we were to continue to behave recklessly with no concern to others and to the survival of our country. 

There are two opposite forces at play here. One is adamant that “Ethiopianism” is the way forward. On the other hand, ethnic fanatics contend that their affiliation to their tribes should come first prior to being called Ethiopian. In the middle, there are people who want to take advantage of the animosity between these rival groups, and provide fuel to both sides to ignite the fire of hatred and division.

The question now becomes how can we extinguish the fire that could destroy our co-existence, and work in unison towards building a house of understanding and compromise that shelters everyone, and protect us from self-destruction and demise? I wish I had a magic formula. 

The truth of the matter is our political, social and economic problems are so complex and deep rooted, it is very difficult to find a common ground let alone a plausible solution. No matter how hard it looks to break the cycle of missed opportunities that our country undergone throughout our history, we need to start somewhere, and find ways to capitalize on the current political change. But in doing so, for the margin of error is so small, we should be careful in our approach and actions. A simple mistake might lead us to catastrophe and cost us dearly.

I had high hopes in Dr. Abiy and the so called “Lemma team” before they let the agents of tribalism and nationalism enter into the country without a well-thought out strategy to overcome the threats they pose to the stability of the country. 

We are being told that Ethiopia has two governments- one run by EPRDF and the other by Qeero. We are witnessing the symptoms of Zemene Mesafint weakening our country. Outlaws are taking over the duties of police and security forces and act like mafias who put the safety of the people in danger. 

People are allowed to express their views freely through mass demonstration and media but are not made aware of the responsibilities and consequences of freedom that come with it.
It seemed like there is a competition among organizers at who draw the largest crowd in a given event. 

Our people have not disappointed us in this regard either. It is proven that our people are very hospitable, and are willing to go out on the streets in large numbers to show support when their “heroes” come from abroad.

It is understood that the social, economic and political problems of our country won’t be resolved overnight. However, Dr. Abiy and his team need to be aware that the honeymoon stage of the political upheaval has ended, and should begin to devise a viable strategy, if they have not done so yet, that gives us a clue to which direction our country is heading. 

So far, Dr. Abiy has shown us his “spiritual” leadership ability. He seems to draw inspiration from “Forgive them for they know not what they do,” and “if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” 

These are important moral values that have tremendous power to bring harmony and peace among people. However, if his “forgiveness and reconciliation policy” is not backed up with justice, equality and rule of law, people would begin to doubt his leadership and message.

The message of Medemer (United we stand, divided we fall) has inspired millions of people in Ethiopia and abroad, and instilled energy and hope in their hearts. People see Dr. Abiy as the redeemer who preaches the message of love, unity and integrity. 

He is expected to lay the foundation of freedom, prosperity and democracy through radical reforms. He has done a pretty job of selling his vision to the public. He continuously reminds people in his addresses that Ethiopia is endowed with vast resources that could satisfy the needs and interests of all people if we stop quarreling over trivial stuff and be able to see the big picture.

Abiy’s message of inclusiveness and caring for others reminds me of Rumi’s poem.

“Are you jealous of the ocean’s generosity?
Why would you refuse to give this love to anyone?

Fish don’t hold the sacred liquid in cups!
They swim in the huge, fluid freedom.”

Despite Dr. Abiy’s effort to bring people together, the violence and unrest across country have begun to overshadow his achievements so far. It is now time to show his leadership before the situation on the ground gets out of hand. 

The voices of tribalism and nationalism are now dictating the course of the country’s politics. His message of Medemer is fading away from the peoples’ memory. The “Abiymania” seems now to have subsided. People are now asking questions, and they want answers sooner than later.

I believe he should stay on the original message that won him the hearts and minds of the people. The problem is the preacher doesn’t have disciples. Apart from Lemma Megerssa, there is no one else who can reach out to the people, and convey the message of love and unity with measured words and wisdom. Dr. Abiy surrounded himself with young and inexperienced people who seem to be incapable of handling the current political and social change.

One of the “Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership” tells us that a leader should “inspire a shared vision.” Dr. Abiy has done that. The noble idea of Medmer reverberated around the country. People start to imagine a bright future to come, and aspire to achieve big things. 

Because of that, people have put their trust on him. He needs to understand that their trust can be eroded easily. It would be harder to get the public trust back once it is lost. Therefore, the message of hope and bright future should be supported by tangible results.

Note: I may continue on how Dr. Abiy fares with the rest of “The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership.” Inshallah!