Category: Statements

By the beginning of World War I in 1914, initial African resistance to the invading European colonials had been effectively crushed and the whole of Africa had been colonialized – with the exceptions of Liberia and Ethiopia. Over the next decade, as colonial rule became more institutionalized and heavy-handed, African resistance to colonialism reappeared, becoming increasingly focused and intense.

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, new mass-based political parties appeared in virtually every African colony. Unlike earlier African political organizations, these parties were not restricted to the educated African elites, and actively recruited the support of the masses, even as the cause itself was re-focusing. Expanding beyond traditional African political demands for more opportunity and an end to discrimination, the continent’s central demands were for complete political freedom and an absolute end to colonial rule.

The dynamic and speedy re-emergence of African nationalism took European colonial powers by surprise. The Italians and the British, followed by the French and then by the reluctant Belgians, eventually responded to the call for independence.

Libya (1951) and Egypt (1952) were the first African nations to regain independence. Ghana (Gold Coast) in 1957 was the first country south of the Sahara to become independent. 1960 was a banner year for African independence as fourteen African nations gained their independence; and by 1966, all but six African countries had become independent nation-states.

THE PROMISE OF INDEPENDENCE

Independence was supposed to bring with it legitimacy and accountability as well as the establishment of a new social contract between African citizens and the state. The institution of the state as a ruling body was adopted in Africa as a useful residual remnant of the colonial system of governance. The State structure was adopted by all former colonies as a viable and effective mechanism for the efficient exercise and administration of supreme political authority. Of course, ostensibly, the supreme, absolute, uncontrollable power – the complete right to govern – was ultimately vested in the people. Sovereignty, therefore, implied the necessary existence of the state for the legitimate application and exercise of the power, in implementing the public will in civil and political matters.

THE REALITY OF INDEPENDENCE

In the near half-century following independence, it has become increasingly evident that the promise of the three fundamental human rights of safety, liberty and property, that independence was meant to confer on the former colonies, has not been realised. For Africans in general, the power of being able to enjoy a permanent well being, irrespective of the disposition of those from whom Africa calls itself independent, has yet to be realised. Many post-colonial African economies are yet to be democratized and history in this regard is important. The baggage of the past – institutions, customs etc. – tends to distort the manner in which Africans respond to the economic opportunities available to them. It is an unarguable truth that the contemporary identity of Africans has been largely shaped by its colonial past and the Soviet/U.S. Cold War contention that followed.

Africa’s collective understanding of the challenges and opportunities of independence are largely shaped by Africa’s unfortunate and frequently brutal past. Race too is a major factor in shaping the worldview of many Africans, to the extent that any failure to seize opportunities has been blamed on the historically defined racial architecture. It has been easy, for example, to allege (with cause) that white people in Africa were enriched economically by the politics of their day. It was, therefore, justifiable for many Africans to claim that whites were rich because Africans were poor and whites had to be rich because they controlled the colonial state. Fair enough as far as it goes, but one would have naturally expected that the advent of independence would diminish the pace of wealth accumulation by non-Africans. However, the fact is that the post-colonial era has strengthened, rather than weakened, the economic power of non-Africans and the political apparatus of the state has become monopolized by a few Africans in a system where cronyism and political patronage still flourish. Indeed and unfortunately, it is a common African perception – perhaps not all that unlike the impressions of Europeans and Americans – that the most certain and speedy path to personal prestige, wealth, influence and independence is via the capture, by hook or crook, of high political office.

Candidly speaking, the transfer of state control from white Europeans to Africans has not yielded the intended economic benefits for the majority of Africans, and the link between the nuances of economic and political power must be better understood if Africa’s prospects are to improve.

THE COLD WAR AND AFRICAN INDEPENDENCE

Though Africa is far removed geographically from Washington and Moscow, the continent has unfortunately provided a perfect “arena” for these two politically and economically contending superpowers to embroil their willing African “gladiators” in constant rounds of seemingly endless proxy wars. These Cold War confrontations have proven disastrous for African development, and by manipulating and accentuating ethnic rivalries have played a major and continuing role in the continents civil wars – Congo, Angola, and Sudan for example, and rampant coup d’états in Ghana (1966) and Congo (1960) – Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia present day.

In Africa (as in Latin America and South Asia), the American/Soviet Cold War struggle for dominance precipitated a series of devastating consequences – e.g. colonialism, “artificial” national borders, Inter-Africa rivalry for land and political power, etc. The calculus of great power contention pitted unwitting African ethnic groups against each other and African nation against African nation – Angola vs. South Africa vs. Namibia, for instance.

The abrupt end of the Cold War (1989-1991) was both as unanticipated as it was unprecedented; no one expected matters to end when and in the manner they did.

The African conventional wisdom had been that the end of the Cold War marked the end of Africa’s victimhood as pawns in Washington and Moscow’s proxy battles. Finally, it seemed, the stage was set for Africa to concentrate on securing its rightful place in the world and creating a better life for its people. Unfortunately, however, the war’s ending was to be something quite different, the unleashing of civil strife unmatched in the history of contemporary Africa. The war’s end marked the outbreak of even more civil wars, strife and general political chaos. West Africa in particular literally went up in flames: Liberia burned; Sierra Leone imploded and the Ivory Coast went helter-skelter. In the Eastern and Central Africa, Uganda, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi too were caught up in savage conflagrations. The southern region of Africa witnessed growing wars in Angola and Mozambique, while fighting escalated in the perennial hotspots in the Horn of Africa—Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia.

During this same period, and from my personal perspective as an Ethiopian, few tragedies in the history of nations compare to the communist coup that led to the 1974 arrest, and subsequent death by torture, of my grandfather The Last Christian Emperor, His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I.

In 1974, Washington and Moscow’s ubiquitous Cold War contentions on the African continent converged to precipitate a collateral calamity of epic proportions for the Ethiopian people and their venerable and millenias old Empire. By deposing, torturing and murdering the Emperor Haile Selassie, the Derg, a communist military junta led by a brutal ideologue and revolutionary, Mengistu Haile Mariam, had destroyed the Emperor’s passionate and relentless drive for modernity and stifled a benevolent and progressive governance. Once known as the “conscience of the world”, Ethiopia, was quickly engulfed by a brutal and propagandizing communism that transformed our respected nation into a tragic collection of warring factions and fractious ethnic states, with little unity, crumbling infrastructure, crushing poverty, and frequent bouts of famine and disease. Indeed, during the 1980s, the name of Ethiopia became synonymous with human misery.

In their cynical ideological tumbles across the African continent, the contending Cold War superpowers had manipulated, exploited and exacerbated Africa’s tender and extant Post-Colonial ethnic, religious and regional rivalries. Consequently, ethnic and religious differences became increasingly focused and intransigent – inevitable flash points for violent conflict. But while the African proxy wars of Washington and Moscow had inflamed the continent, ironically, it would be the eruption from the fall of the Berlin Wall that showered fiery embers of discontent, conflict, social upheaval, traumatized refugees, displaced populations, massive arms flows, mismanagement, public corruption and general unrest across the width and breadth of Africa. The confident optimism that had greeted the Cold War’s end and the widely held belief that the decade of the 90s heralded a new future for Africa revealed itself as sheer fantasy.

THE PRESENT SITUATION

Will Africa get it wrong again? The encouraging spread of democracy and fall of military juntas and dictators—historically the scourge of Africa’s progress— portends a better future. At present, there are more African democracies than ever before including – Benin, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and others. This has already reaped huge economic benefits for the continent as many African countries (Ghana, South Africa, Botswana, etc) and what I term the nascent Democracies – Ethiopia in particular – are registering economic growth rates of 5% or higher. The fall of military dictatorships suggests that an increasing number of African nations are now better governed and more politically transparent.

The present concern is can the institution of democracy peacefully prosper in Africa without confrontation and conflict. Democracy is a recent phenomenon on the African continent, and there are significant political remnants from the previous era that benefit from historic systems of corruption and tyranny. Moreover, even the system of democracy itself has its own flaws that in many instances tend to accentuate fundamental and already existing differences.

During this hopeful moment for Africa, a period of relatively increasing peace and domestic harmony, major continent wide problems remain concerning de-militarization, integration and assimilation of large, poorly educated and semi-nomadic populations into stable political entities and civil society. Also, instilling habits of stability building social values, respect for the rule of law, free elections and human rights will not be easy. Add to this the fundamental African issues of persistent and widespread poverty, little or no education, lack of health care and food shortages etc. and the challenges remain sobering.

THE FUTURE: ETHIOPIA SPECIFIC

Experience and common sense inform us that generalizations can be deceiving and that the perfusion of rich regional cultures and diverse historic experiences of the African people defy neat categorization. I agree and in my comments, I have used generalizations, but only insofar as they are accurate and pertinent, and now I will address the specific future, as I see it, for my country, Ethiopia, and its nascent democracy.

Increasingly, Ethiopia is being acknowledged as the genesis and true cradle of human civilization. African cultural diversity flourishes in our country in an exotic profusion of unique and extraordinary beauty, and sometimes-deadly passion. Thus, there is the immediate necessity to develop an encompassing, Pan-African culture of “Bridge Building” promoting understanding and tolerance between people – not by edict and force, but through enlightened agreement and consensus: one-on-one diplomacy.

Enlightenment, of course, derives from education, which requires good health, which requires dependable food supplies, which requires stable economics – and thus, the challenge and promise for the new African Millennium become clearly framed:

• Culture,
• Education,
• Health,
• Food and
• Economics.

ECONOMY

While it is well known that the African continent with its roughly 680MM inhabitants is the only region in the world where the number of extreme poor has actually risen over the past fifteen years, it is less well known that prior to the current global economic downturn, African countries were experiencing major improvements in key development fundamentals.

Still, poverty persists at the core of Africa’s problems. Moreover, and due to the current global economic malaise, some Sub-Saharan countries are anticipated to suffer economic instability, as 2009 economic growth rates are projected to decline 50% on average. Most of Sub-Saharan Africa is already in the World Bank’s lowest income category of less than $765 Gross National Income (GNI) per person per year, and I am unhappy to report that Burundi and Ethiopia are among the region’s worst performers with a disgraceful $90 GNI per person.

On a more encouraging note, and though peace remains fragile in some regions of the continent, overall, Africa is experiencing a decline in political conflicts and wars – especially in West and Central Africa – and after all, all wars inevitably obey the same brutal economic rubric:

War equals destruction, equals impoverishment, equals social disruption, equals out-migration… Our own Ethiopian Diaspora being a specific case in point.

HEALTH:

Unfortunately, Ethiopia’s health issues are typical of Sub-Saharan Africa. Our population has reached more than 77 millions inhabiting a landlocked area slightly less than twice the size of the U.S. state of Texas. As is usual for most of Africa, HIV/AIDS is an enormous problem, as are many other infectious diseases such as diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, typhoid fever and malaria. First and foremost, we must educate our children, and through them, their parents, to improved hygiene, health care and nutrition.

As I have earlier noted, unless a person is healthy and fed, she has no energy or enthusiasm for anything else.

Governments have recently been joined by a long list of private donors and dynamic advocates such as Bill and Melinda Gates, Warren Buffett and Bono whose contributions and commitment to Africa’s war on poverty and disease are both inspiring and humbling. Thanks to their efforts, there are now billions of dollars becoming available for health spending — with thousands of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and humanitarian groups vying to spend it.

Unfortunately, decades of neglect have rendered local hospitals, clinics, laboratories, medical schools, and health talent dangerously deficient and much of the cash now flooding the field leaks away without substantive result.

Few of today’s well-intentioned donors seem to appreciate that Africa’s health care problems are a long slog, and will require at least a full generation (if not two or three) to substantially improve — and that efforts should focus less on particular diseases than on holistic measures that affect entire populations’ general well being.

EDUCATION:

As I noted earlier, Education is surely the single most effective and immediate way to improve the lives of all Africans. As in any nation, our Ethiopian youth represent the country’s best hope for the future.

In concert with this educational focus, we must target our training to prepare Ethiopia and Africa’s youth for the most immediate, practical and productive jobs of the future, with a strong emphasis on technology.

Help in this regard has appeared unexpectedly from the two most revolutionary and empowering inventions for accelerated self-help and social and economic development that the world has ever seen – the Internet and the cheap Net book type computers.

The force-multiplying potential of these two revolutionary devices affords all people (under-developed nations in particular) the opportunity (and ability) to literally leapfrog the traditional business models, timetables and infrastructure costs that “More Developed” nations have taken to industrialization and economic development. In this revolutionary and historic moment, we Africans are realizing that virtually instantaneous and incredibly inexpensive access to the sum total of all human knowledge (and experience) lies immediately at our fingertips via the Internet. Moreover, inexpensive, direct and virtually instantaneous contact with the Global Community can be established cheaply and at will.

Through computerized and Internet distributed remote learning, we can now share information and instruction faster, more efficiently and richly than mankind ever dreamed possible, and this revolution is only just beginning. The implications for bridge-building, cultural development and learning are unprecedented, and encompass every aspect of human endeavor, from healthcare to sophisticated telemedicine and beyond.

Power technologies are also evolving and increasingly decentralized – with semi-autonomous power generation in the forms of solar, hydro, wind and geothermal available and becoming increasingly cost effective.

Today is a time of miracles for humanity and no one can fully grasp the spectra of possibility – but I am convinced that the implications are both revolutionary and unprecedented in human experience. This is our moment, the time when underdeveloped nations can catch up, contribute and fairly compete – even with the most advanced societies, and in a profoundly shorter time span than virtually anyone could have imagined 20 years ago.

Let us all commit ourselves to pray and work for enduring peace, prosperity and good will in the world. Let us also pray that during this new African Millennium, we Africans realize the full promise of our independence by finding the wisdom to consolidate our victories and banish forever the unwanted baggage of colonialism, Cold War, underdevelopment, poverty, cultural malaise and disease from our lives.

May God bless Ethiopia and Africa.

Thank you for your warm hospitality, kind attention and interest. HIH Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie Chairman – The Crown Council of Ethiopia

It is with deep sorrow that the Crown Council of Ethiopia reports that Her Imperial Majesty Empress Medferiashwork Abele passed away on Friday March 13th, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Her Imperial Majesty was buried at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa which is the traditional burial place for members of the Imperial Family, patriots, and prominent dignitaries.

Abune Paulos, Patriach of Ethiopia lead the funeral service which took place on Tuesday March 17th. 2009.  Hundreds of mourners including members of the Imperial family, the old Ethiopian Nobility, close family friends who flew into Addis Ababa from various parts of the world, prominent members of the Clergy, and the Rastafarian Community, were there to pay their respect.

Her Imperial Majesty who was 84 years old is succeeded by her son Crown Prince Zera Yacob, her three daughters Princess Mariam Sina, Princess Sihin and Princess Sifrash Bizu and their children. It must also be sadly remembered that Emperor Amha Selassie’s eldest daughter HIH Princess Egigayehu who was from his first marriage to HIH Princess Wolette Israel Seyoum, great grand daughter of Emperor Yohannes of Ethiopia, died while in prison under the communist Military Government of the Derge. Therefore, there are also Princess Egigayehu’s six children and seven grandchildren.  

Her Imperial Majesty Medferiashwork was born in 1925, in Dessie town of Wollo Province in Northern Ethiopia.

She was the second of three daughters of Major General, Dejazmatch Abebe Damtew by his wife Woizero Wosenyelesh Mengesha. On her father’s side the Empress was the descendant of the prominent Adisge Clan. Her paternal uncle, Ras Desta Damtew was the first husband of Princess Tenagnework Haile-Selassie. Ras Desta, who was a major hero and martyr of the Ethiopian resistance against the Italian occupation, was the father of Princess Aida, Prince Amha (who died at a young age), Princess Hirut, Princess Seble, Princess Sophia, and Commander Iskender Desta. Her Majesty’s maternal grandfather was Ras Bitwoded Mengesha Atikem who was the hereditary Lord of Dermot and Agewmidir, Viceroy of the Kingdom of Gojjam, and thus, a leading nobleman during the reign Of Emperor Menelik II.

As it was the tradition for children of noble families, Her Imperial Majesty began her early education with a private tutor. She then attended the well known Empress Menen School for Girls in Addis Ababa. Soon after the Italian occupation of Ethiopia, Her Majesty accompanied her family to exile in Jerusalem, Israel. While in Jerusalem, her parents and their three daughters lived in close proximity to Empress Menen, consort of Emperor Haile-Selassie who spent a good portion of her exile in the Holy Land. During that period, the young Medferiashwork was enrolled in a boarding school.

After the overthrow of the fascist Italian occupation of Ethiopia in 1941, young Medferiashwork returned to Ethiopia with her family. When Crown Prince Asfawossen and his first wife, Princess Wolette Israel Seyoum divorced in 1941, Medferiashwork Abebe was considered a prime candidate for the position of Crown Princess.

Thus, in April 1945, the young Medferiashwork married Crown Prince Asfawossen and became the Crown Princess of Ethiopia. The Imperial couple had four children namely Crown Prince Zera Yacob, Princess Maryam Sena, Princess Sihin and Princess Sifrash Bizu.

As a Crown Princess, she became one of the most influential and popular members of the Imperial Family. Many admired her courage, tanacity, and her commitment to charity work. Furthermore, the Crown Princess’s devotion in overseeing the bringing up of her children was exemplary. In 1960, during the attempted coup of the Imperial Guards against Emperor Haile-Selassie, when Crown Prince Asfawossen was compelled to announce that he would take over from his father and serve as a Constitutional Monarch, the Crown Princess Medferiashwork who was not placed under detention like some members of the Imperial Family, used the opportunity to host secret meetings of the loyalist leaders that defeated the coup attempt within a few days.

In 1973, when Crown Prince Asfawossen suffered a stroke, the Crown Princess accompanied her husband to Geneva for treatment. Thus, when the Military Government of the Derge abolished the Monarchy in Ethiopia the following year and imprisoned many members of the Imperial Family, Crown Prince Asfawossen and Crown Princess Medferiashwork, and all their children were safely in Geneva, Switzerland. After a few years, the family moved to London, UK to continue their life in exile in more familiar surroundings.

In the years that followed, the Imperial Couple faced a life of great uncertainty in exile and endured the imprisonment and death of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, and that of other close relatives and friends. During these difficult years, the Empress was a tower of strength and an anchor for her husband and her immediate family. The presence of the Emperor and Empress amongst Ethiopians in exile also served as a great symbol of hope for the rest of the Imperial Family in exile, and the larger Ethiopian community in the Diaspora. At this time, the Imperial Couple was greatly comforted by the sincere friendship of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth of England, other Royal Families in Europe and around the world, as well as devoted friends of the family of many nationalities.  

On April 6th, 1989, when Crown Prince Asfawossen reclaimed the Imperial Crown in Exile under his baptismal name of Amha Selassie I, Her Imperial Majesty Medferiashwork was proclaimed Empress Consort of Ethiopia in Exile. In 1991, the Imperial couple moved from London to the Virginian suburb of Washington DC to be close to the large Ethiopian Community there.

Empress Medferiashwork was widowed in February 1997 when Emperor Amha Selassie I passed away in Virginia after a long illness. Due to the strong historical and personal link of the Imperial Family to their homeland, Her Imperial Majesty Medferiashwork and other members of the Imperial Family ventured to return to Ethiopia for the first time since 1973 to place the remains of His Majesty Amha Selassie amongst those of his ancestors.  This great and historic step marked the beginning of the Imperial Family’s return to Ethiopia to live as other citizens in their homeland.

After the passing away of the Emperor, the Empress led a quiet life in Virginia with occasional trips to Ethiopia. During this time, Her Majesty, focused largely on charitable endeavors. Empress Medferiashwork was a major patroness of various Orthodox monasteries and nunneries in Ethiopia. She was particularly devoted to the mountain Monastery of St Mary at Gishen where a fragment of the true cross is venerated.

In November 2000, Empress Medferiashwork attended the re-burial of her father in law Emperor Haile-Selassie, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In March 2005, Her Imperial Majesty together with many members of the Imperial Family attended the funeral of Princess Tenagnework Haile Selassie who had first become her aunt by marriage and later her sister-in-law by marriage. Three years ago, Her Majesty returned to Ethiopia to live there permanently. She passed away on Friday March 13th, 2009 after a relatively short illness.

During her life, Her Imperial Majesty received the three highest Ethiopian Imperial Orders which are Grand Collar and Chain of the Order of Solomon’s seal, the Grand Cordon Order of the Star of Solomon, and the Cordon of the Order of the Queen of Sheba. Her foreign Orders include the Order of the Seraphim of Sweden, Grand Crosses of the Orders of St Olav of Norway, and the Beneficence of Greece.

In closing its tribute to Empress Medferiashwork Abebe, the Crown Council of Ethiopia would like to express its deep gratitude to all those who extended tremendous goodwill and support to their Imperial Majesties and to the rest of the Imperial Family during the many difficult years in exile.

May Her Imperial Majesty Medferiashwork’s soul rest in peace.

For the first time in the history of the United States, the American People have elected a multi-cultural President of African decent. The Ethiopian Crown Council congratulates the people of the United States and President-elect, Barack Obama, for this transcendent and inspirational example of multiculturalism and racial harmony. As the climax to more than a century of bloody struggle against imperialism in the old world, and the withering vestiges of slavery in the new, President-elect Obama’s victory presents a shining beacon of hope for all humanity – Africans at home and of the Diaspora in particular.

More than seventy years ago, Ethiopia’s emperor, Haile Selassie I, stood before the League of Nations in defense of his country’s rights against Italian aggression.  In the 1930s, as he spoke, virtually every inch of African soil lay under foreign colonial rule and African-Americans suffered under a stifling regime of segregation. Yet a scant thirty years later, Martin Luther King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his struggle to free African-Americans from the burden of racial prejudice in America, while ironically at the same time, Nelson Mandela languished in an apartheid South African prison – another symbol of a continent still struggling to shake itself free.

Now, 45 years after the March on Washington, 46 years after Mandela’s arrest, and 72 years after Haile Selassie’s demand for freedom to the League of Nations, every inch of Africa is free and African-Americans have seen previously unimaginable dreams realized.  Though grand it may be, we must remain humbly ever mindful that this final victorious link in a century’s old chain of hard fought accomplishment, is not Barack Obama’s alone.  There is a saying that we all stand on someone’s shoulders, thus we must never forget the great personal sacrifice of countless unsung heroes across America who helped make this extraordinary moment possible.

Thousands upon thousands of Ethiopian-Americans have supported President-elect Obama.  Every Ethiopian who left our homeland behind to seek hope in a new world can now see himself in Obama’s Kenyan father, and as a son of Africa the eyes of all Africans are upon him.  Moreover, every child born to Ethiopian émigrés on these new shores can now see itself in Obama – and know that one day they too might hold America’s highest office.  The President-elect has shattered barriers to capture the imagination of all Ethiopian-Americans, challenging them to participate fully in American democracy in the certain knowledge that they too can shape the fate of that great nation.

In the past, the Ethiopian Crown Council has applauded George W. Bush and his administration for eight years of strong support for Africa.  Bush’s accomplishments in terms of African aid and bilateral development, and in the struggle against HIV, have been unprecedented.  We call upon the president-elect to follow his predecessor’s example in this regard and build ever-closer ties between the United States and the entire African continent.

For many generations, America has seen itself as a city on a hill, a fortress for freedom built anew by those who have left their old world and their old lives behind in search for a better tomorrow.  For centuries, Europe’s gifts to America have kept that dream alive, as all European countries (and others) have contributed their sons and daughters to build America’s future.  Today, it is Africa’s turn.  

On January 20, 2009, a Kenyan-American will be inaugurated leader of the free world.  Through his extraordinary example, the President-elect has shown Africa — indeed, the world — that all barriers can be broken. He has demonstrated to African-Americans that their imagination must ignite with a renewed sense of what is now possible – today it is a Kenyan and perhaps one day soon it will be a South African, a Ghanaian and an Ethiopian.

The Crown Council of Ethiopia, HIH Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie, Haile-Selassie, Chairman

Africa in the New Millennium, University of the West Indies Mona, Jamaica

Good evening ladies, gentlemen and distinguished guests. It is both a pleasure and an honor to be with you in beautiful Jamaica, here at the venerable University of the West Indies – where coincidentally, during his legendary initial visit to Jamaica in 1966, your distinguished faculty awarded my grandfather, the Emperor Haile Selassie, an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

It is clear that Destiny has intimately linked Ethiopia’s Imperial family with the Jamaican people, and We are eternally grateful for the love, enduring friendship and generous hospitality of the Jamaican people.

Looking at the prospect for Africa in the new millennium necessitates first looking back and recognizing those from the past who, through extraordinary effort, skill and personal sacrifice, have made the present what it is – and thus, the future possible. Before embarking on this solemn and joyful journey, I am both cautioned and informed by one of my favourite quotes from My Grandfather:

“The tide that is sweeping Africa cannot be stayed. No force on earth is great enough to halt or reverse the trend. Its march is as relentless and inexorable as the passage of time.”

H.I.M. Emperor Haile Selassie I, April 18, 1960

Being with you here in Jamaica this evening – it would be unthinkable to neglect the charismatic prophet and Jamaican-born black leader Marcus Garvey, who in the 1920s urged all blacks to see themselves in a common struggle, and promoted the concept of one African people. Garvey wanted blacks to view everything through a shared vision and to worship God “through the spectacles of Ethiopia.”

Garvey’s Rastafari beliefs evolved from a particular experience — slavery and its aftermath in Jamaica — and a particular view of how that suffering might be overcome. In this case, worldly hardship was endured through a hope and promise – adapted from the biblical vision of Zion – that someday blacks might return to a land from which they were exiled: Ethiopia.

Also in looking back, we cannot neglect the African Americans, whose heroic struggle for equality essentially reinstated and preserved the human dignity of all people of African heritage. Again, the contributions of Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King, Rosa Park, and unsung countless members of the Ethiopian and African diasporas – who have made enormous sacrifices of personal time, money and effort – have benefited us all. Indeed, Ethiopia’s own Dr. Melaku Beyan, whose organized resistance to the brutal Italian fascist aggression, received substantial support from countless African Americans and the African Diaspora at large. 

Later, what the Emperor’s land grant patronage accomplished for Rastafarians, other extraordinary Jamaicans – Bob Marley most prominently – continued in the arena of international mass media and culture , with their music empowering Rastafari ideas in a global context.

It is important at this point to raise again another of the wonderful and enduring contributions which the Emperor made at around the same time. As a result of the Emperor’s 1966 visit, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church was founded in Jamaica, and thus began the true global journey of our ideals and our particular legacy of Christian ideals, which uniquely reaches back to Biblical times. Jamaica thus became an iconic location for the spread of our ancient faith into the Western Hemisphere.

Finally, and most importantly, the new African Millennium must acknowledge the heroic struggle for independence that was waged and won by gallant African leaders on the African continent. Thus, we salute the memory of Emperor Menelik II, Emperor Haile-Selassie I, Kwame Nkrumah and Jomo Kenyata – as well as the enormous contributions of Julius Neyrere, and Nelson Mandela, whose foresight and immense personal sacrifice enabled all African countries to welcome this new Millennium as free nations.

But now let us turn to the present….and the problems and opportunities facing Africans.

Common sense informs us that it is sheer folly to generalize about Africans and Africa, as the rich regional cultures and diverse historic experiences of the African people defy neat categorization. In what is increasingly being acknowledged as the true cradle of civilization, African cultural diversity flourishes in an exotic profusion of unique and extraordinary beauty, and sometimes-deadly passion. Thus, there is the immediate necessity to develop an encompassing, pan African culture of bridge building promoting understanding and tolerance between people – not by edict and force, but through enlightened agreement and consensus – one-on-one diplomacy.

Enlightenment, of course, derives from education, which requires good health, which requires dependable food supplies, which requires stable economics – and thus the challenge and promise for the African Millennium become clearly framed: Culture, Education, Health, Food and Economics.

ECONOMY

While it is well known that the African continent with its roughly 680MM inhabitants is the only region in the world where the number of extreme poor has actually risen over the past fifteen years, it may be less well known that African countries have experienced major improvements in key development fundamentals. Still, poverty remains at the core of Africa’s problems.

African economies are forecast to grow by an average of 6.2% in 2008 after a strong 2007. The latest edition of the Economic Report on Africa (ERA 2008), the annual joint publication of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African Union (AU), says that growth on the continent was driven mainly by robust global demand and high commodity prices.

“Other growth factors in Africa include continued consolidation of macroeconomic stability and improving macroeconomic management, greater commitment to economic reforms, increased private capital flows, debt relief and increasing non-fuel exports,” the report says.  

It adds that Africa has also witnessed a decline in political conflicts and wars, especially in West and Central Africa, though peace  remains fragile in some parts of the continent and growth performance varied sharply across countries and regions

Most of Sub-Saharan Africa is in the World Bank’s lowest income category of less than $765 Gross National Income (GNI) per person per year. Ethiopia and Burundi are the worst off with just $90 GNI per person.

Even middle income countries like Gabon and Botswana have sizeable sections of the population living in poverty.

North Africa generally fares better than Sub-Saharan Africa. Here, the economies are more stable, trade and tourism are relatively high and Aids is less prevalent.

Development campaigners have argued that the rules on debt, aid and trade need reforming to help lift more African nations out of poverty.

HEALTH

Unfortunately, Ethiopia’s health issues are typical of Sub-Sahara Africa. Our population has reached more than 77 millions – populating a landlocked area slightly less than twice the size of Texas. According to the UNFPA’s 2007 report, our population is growing at an average rate of 2.3 percent annually. As in many African nations, HIV/AIDS is an enormous problem, as are many other infectious diseases such as diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, typhoid fever and malaria. First and foremost, we must educate our children, and through them, their parents, to improved hygiene, health care and nutrition.

As We have earlier noted, unless a person is healthy and fed, she has no energy or enthusiasm for anything else.

African affairs activist and performer Bob Geldof recently wrote for Time Magazine, “the current administration in Washington has initiated the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) with cross-party support led by Senators John Kerry and Bill Frist. In 2003, only 50,000 Africans were on HIV antiretroviral drugs — and they were required to pay for their own medicine.” Geldof continues, “ Today, 1.3 million are receiving medicines free of charge. The U.S. also contributes one-third of the money for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria — which treats another 1.5 million. It contributes 50% of all food aid (though some critics find the mechanism of contribution controversial). On a seven-day trip through Africa, Bush announced a fantastic new $350 million fund for other neglected tropical diseases that can be easily eradicated; a program to distribute 5.2 million mosquito nets to Tanzanian kids; and contracts worth around $1.2 billion in Tanzania and Ghana from the Millennium Challenge Account, another initiative of the Bush Administration.” As unprecedented as it was unexpected, a  “point of light” in Washington’s foreign policy has been its generous African largess.

Governments have recently been joined by a long list of private donors and advocates, topped by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett, and figures such as Bono, whose contributions to today’s war on disease are truly breathtaking.

Thanks to their efforts, there are now billions of dollars being made available for health spending, with thousands of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and humanitarian groups vying to spend it.

But much more than money is required. It takes states, health-care systems, and at least passable local infrastructure to improve public health in the developing world. And because decades of neglect there have rendered local hospitals, clinics, laboratories, medical schools, and health talent dangerously deficient, much of the cash now flooding the field leaks away without substantive result.

Moreover, in all too many cases, aid is tied to short-term numerical targets such as increasing the number of people receiving specific drugs, decreasing the number of pregnant women diagnosed with HIV (the virus that causes AIDS), or increasing the quantity of bed nets handed out to children to block disease-carrying mosquitoes.

Few of today’s donors seem to understand that Africa’s health care problems are a long slog, and that it will take at least a full generation (if not two or three) to substantially improve public health — and that efforts should focus less on particular diseases than on holistic measures that affect populations’ general well-being.

EDUCATION

As I noted earlier, Education, of course, is the single most effective and immediate way to improve the lives of all Africans. For example, about one half our Ethiopian people over the age of 15 can read and write and according to the UNFPA’s 2007 report our population is growing at an average rate of 2.3 percent annually. This means that we will have two million more children each year, with each and every one needing to be fed, schooled, and provided with basic health services and jobs. Our Ethiopian youth, as in any country, represent our nation’s hope for the future. Only by adequately caring for and preparing them is there hope for us to eradicate the social ennui and poverty that plagues our nation.

There is progress. School building has greatly accelerated and enrollment has increased from 39 percent in 1991 to almost 80 percent today, as the government’s budget allocation for education has risen steadily from 14.2 percent in 2001/02 to 19.7 percent in 2004/05. Additionally, a number of higher institutions of learning, both public and private, have opened. Yet the question of the quality of the education as well as the increasing number of dropouts is a continuing concern. Obviously, much remains to be done.

In concert with this educational focus, we must target our training to prepare Ethiopia and Africa’s youth for the most practical and productive jobs of the future, with a strong emphasis on technology.

In this particular regard, help has appeared unexpectedly from the  single most revolutionary and empowering instrument for accelerated self-help and social and economic development that the world has ever seen – the Internet.

The Internet’s unique, force-multiplying potential affords all people (under-developed nations in particular) the opportunity (and ability) to literally leapfrog the traditional timetables and infrastructure investments that “More Developed” nations have taken to industrialization and economic development. In this historic and seminal moment, we Africans have realized that literally instantaneous and incredibly inexpensive access to the sum total of all human knowledge (and experience) is now virtually at our fingertips via the Internet. Moreover, inexpensive, direct and virtually instantaneous contact with the Global Community can be established at will.

Through Internet based distributed remote learning, we can now share information and instruction faster, more efficiently and richly than mankind ever dreamed possible and this revolution is just beginning.  The implications for learning and bridge-building cultural development are unprecedented, and extend from culture and healthcare to sophisticated telemedicine and beyond.

Power technologies are also evolving and increasingly decentralized – with semi-autonomous power generation in the forms of solar, hydro, wind or geothermal etc. available and becoming cost effective.

This is a time of miracles for humanity and no-one can fully grasp the  full spectra of possibility; but I am convinced that the implications are both revolutionary and unprecedented in human experience. This is our moment, the time when underdeveloped nations can catch up, contribute and fairly compete – even with the most advanced societies, and in a profoundly shorter time span than virtually anyone could have imagined only 20 years ago.

Thank you for your kind attention and interest. May God bless Ethiopia, Africa, and Jamaica – and let us all commit ourselves to pray and work for enduring peace and good-will in the world.  Let us also pray that during the new African Millennium, we Africans perfect our independence by finding the wisdom to consolidate our victories and forever banish the stigma of underdevelopment, poverty, cultural malaise and disease from our lives.

The Address given by HIH Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie, Chairman of the Crown Council of Ethiopia, at the Celebration of the Ethiopian Millennium in Washington, DC 

Honorable Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen

It is my distinct honor and great delight to be with you today, to welcome with optimism, the new dawn of the Ethiopian Millennium. Let us embrace this Millennium celebration with great joy, as it has brought us all together in spirit, undivided by politics, ethnicity or religion.

On behalf of the Ethiopian Community in the Washington, DC, area, it is my great honor to lay a wreath at the African American Civil War Memorial, on this Festive occasion. As the Ethiopian community has increasingly expanded people’s exposure to African heritage in the nation’s capital and it’s surrounding, it is befitting that Ethiopians and the larger African American Community should join hands to usher in together, the new African Millennium.  

This Millennium celebration gives us the opportunity to acknowledge and to express our high esteem for the achievement of African Americans, whose heroic struggle for equality has reinstated and preserved the human dignity of all people of African heritage. We Ethiopians have greatly benefited from the struggle and sacrifice of African Americans in this country. The contribution of Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King, Rosa Park, and many others, has, indeed, put us all in better standing.  

Rabbi Arnold Josiah Ford and his family, Colonel Hubert F. Julian, and Colonel John C. Robinson of the African American community, as well as many others, had stood by us during Italy’s attempt to colonize Ethiopia.  Ethiopia’s own Dr. Melaku Beyan, who organized resistance to Italian invasion of our country, was supported by many African Americans. The support that we received from African Americans during our struggle against European invasion has, thus, bound our two communities together. Therefore, we are deeply grateful for this and other ties that we have established with African Americans.  

This African Millennium celebration cannot be passed without due acknowledgment and high tribute for the struggle for independence that was wedged and won by gallant leaders of the African continent. Thus, we salute the memory of Emperor Menelik II, Emperor Haile-Selassie I, Kwame Nkrumah, and Jomo Kenyata, as well as the contributions of Julius Neyrere, and Nelson Mandela, whose foresight and great sacrifice has today enabled all African countries to welcome the new Millennium as free nations. Let us hope and pray that, during the new Millennium, we Africans will struggle and win the fight against underdevelopment, poverty, and disease, to make Africa’s freedom whole.  

When we celebrate this unique milestone in our ancient history, each and everyone of us comes with great hope and expectation that it will bring us unfathomed gifts of hope, peace and prosperity for each of our families, our beloved country and, indeed, for all our friends throughout the world, who had welcomed us into their midst, and who had stood by us during our hour of need.

This joyous occasion also gives us the opportunity to reflect on some self-evident truths such as – there is no future without a past, no joy without sorrow, and no gain without pain – . If we accept these facts, and show our determination to move forward to better pastures, we will be able to draw from our vast experience the threads that will firmly bind the link between our country’s past and its future.  

Thus, when we are critical of the past or the present, let us endeavor to also acknowledge all the achievements that have been made by different groups and build on these, rather than continuously dismantle, only to start allover again, what has been already achieved with great sacrifice and pain by all parties.

We Ethiopians are proud of our ancient history and distinct culture that has been preserved unbroken since pre-biblical times until the modern age. Ethiopia is the home of Denkinesh – who is known to the world as Lucy – the earliest humanoid, and thus the cradle from where human society first emerged.  

As our country is home to the Jews, Christians, Muslims, and those of traditional beliefs, it has served as a bridge between people of different ethnic, religious and cultures backgrounds.  

Furthermore, Ethiopia is a country that is custodian of the Ark of the Covenant. The worldwide Christian community considers Ethiopia as an illustrious realm mentioned in the bible more than forty times. The Prophet Mohammad called Ethiopia “the land of righteousness” and ordered his followers never to provoke Ethiopia. Thus, as there is a distinct link between Ethiopia and the biblical world of Jews and Christians, so is there a direct link between Ethiopian society and the very foundation of Islam.

Therefore, Ethiopian civilization is a world treasure of great importance, as it is the root of Judeo-Christian civilization, as well as the fabric of Muslim society. Thus, as we celebrate the new Millennium, let us pledge to always uphold and preserve this ancient heritage that has been the beacon of hope and a bridge of peaceful coexistence for African people.

Periodic wars, famine and revolution in Ethiopia have taught its people to be strong and diligent. While Ethiopians have embraced the laws and life styles of their new homelands throughout the world, many have learnt new skills and technology. Thus, they have been able to contribute greatly to the economy and administration of their new homes in the Diaspora.  I am sure that our forefathers will warmly smile in their eternal rest to know that their off springs have spread their ancient culture, their numerous languages, their unique form of religious devotion, and their complex courtesies, throughout the world.  

In closing, I would like to inform all gathered here that both the African Union and the Council of the District of Columbia have officially recognized and declared the new Millennium as the African Millennium.

This is, indeed, in appreciation of Ethiopia’s ancient history, as well as its role as a beacon of African independence. It is also an expression of their resolve to promote cooperation and partnership amongst all people of African heritage. Therefore, let us all join hands and pledge to make all people of African heritage take their rightful place in the world community during the new Millennium.

May God Bless Ethiopia, Africa, the USA, and bring lasting peace to the whole wide world!

I wish you all a Very Happy Millennium. Melkam Addis Zemen le Hulachiu.

Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie

The Crown Council of Ethiopia rejoices with the Ethiopian people in the just and compassionate release and pardon of our previously imprisoned countrymen, and calls for similar compassion and release for all political prisoners.

We are both mindful and thankful for the selfless and constant efforts and sacrifice of the many whose labors have converged to produce this historic moment of national reconciliation and healing. We are also particularly thankful in this instance for the wise guidance and counsel of the Elders – a venerable, treasured and enduring institution of traditional Ethiopian society and culture.

Providence has presented the Ethiopian people with this Golden Moment for national dialogue and reconciliation. We urge that the Elders and all Ethiopians seize this opportunity to exert maximum moral influence and guidance in an intense campaign for peace, social equity and the rule of law. We dare not fail in this effort as we are admonished by the lessons of history that even as there have been many great and ancient states, inevitably they all perished when they became fond of conflict – either with others or among themselves.

His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie has taught us that while different traditions, ethnic groupings and religions in their historic forms tend to bind us to limited groups and militate against the development of a broader sense of national or global community, the rich and ancient traditions of the Ethiopian people transcend and unite all Ethiopians in an enduring bond of nation and brotherhood.

HIM also taught that forgiveness is always an intimate and profound journey of healing and discovery. And though we may know fervently with every fiber of our being that we must forgive, still the quest for peace and forgiveness is fraught with frustration and difficulty.

By the end of 1941, Ethiopia, with British help, had finally broken the last remnants of the Italian Fascists’ unjust occupation and resistance. A large number of Italian soldiers, together with their commander-in-chief, became Ethiopia’s prisoners. The Ethiopian people and HIM demonstrated transcendent magnanimity and the extraordinary principle of unconditional forgiveness through HIM’s order that absolutely no retaliation be taken against the captured Italians – and even offered sanctuary to those Italians who wished to remain as émigrés and citizens. Our Ethiopian legacy has always strived for excellence, and if HIM and the Ethiopian people could find forgiveness for the vanquished Fascists, we can surely practice maturity and forgiveness in our dealings with each other.

God Bless Ethiopia…

It is with deep dismay that members of the Crown Council have followed recent reports of conflicts between Christian and Muslim Ethiopians in various parts of our country. Our heartfelt condolences are sent to all those who have lost loved ones. We Ethiopians have for centuries lived side by side in peace with mutual respect of all religions. Therefore it is disheartening to hear that certain misguided people have now been swayed by the current tide of intolerance and violence.  

History had taught us for centuries, how the Christian Ethiopian King had welcomed the followers of the Prophet Mohammed when they fled from persecution in their home land, and allowed them to live amongst his people in peace, undisturbed because of their religious difference. It is written that, in appreciation of the King’s hospitality, the Prophet Mohamed himself had instructed all his followers never to attack Ethiopia. Given this rich history of mutual respect, why has the Islamic Court in Somalia declared a Jihad on Ethiopia, contrary to the teaching of the Prophet Mohammed?

In more recent times, our forefathers had believed, advocated, and upheld the fact that “religion is a very individual personal expression of our relationship with our God, while a country is a shared entity for which each and every citizen has the responsibility to work and protect locally, regionally, and globally.” This deeply held conviction and continued teaching had, in the past, united our people and made Ethiopia the beacon of religious freedom and tolerance. Thus, Ethiopians of Christian and Muslim faith had intermarried and many of us have relatives from the respective faiths.

Regrettably, the intentional disconnect from value building blocks, such us our ancient history, religion and tradition, which were the trademark of the communist Dergue government, have resulted in weakening the long established values and the mutual respect that existed between people of different faith. However, by the Grace of God, there are still Ethiopians who deeply believe and uphold our long established values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

Recently, we were most encouraged to hear that some Ethiopians of Muslim faith had condemned the violent attacks on Christians in the Western Region, and that a Council of Elders of both faiths, is discussing in Addis Ababa how best to educate our people so as to help reconcile the current conflict. The discussion that was held between Christian and Muslim Religious Leaders on the Muslim Radio here in the USA, on the eve of October 29th 2006, has also shown that Ethiopians of different faith are committed to jointly seek solutions to promote peace within our country and with our Muslim neighbors. This kind of interfaith dialogue must continue to be promoted and supported.

Furthermore, we implore our country men of all faith to teach our youth about the value of tolerance and peaceful coexistence. The news media also has great responsibility to be tactful while reporting the various incidents so as not to inflame the already strained relationship between some of our people. We must acknowledge that we are all stakeholders in creating a culture of peace in our country. After all, the core teaching of all religion is reconciliation, harmony and Peace.

May God in his infinite mercy grant us Peace.

The Crown Council of Ethiopia has followed with deep sadness the damage caused by floods throughout Ethiopia in recent weeks. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of approximately 1000 people who have lost their lives. We pray that the over 500,000 people who have been adversely affected by the floods, particularly those who are displaced and lost their livelihood, may find support to whether the storm and have the means to reestablish their lives.

Natural disasters and emergencies always bring us to our senses, and make us realize our common humanity. It is at times like these that we all recognize the supreme value of human life above all else, and our interconnectedness to each other and to nature.

In recognition of these facts, many local, national and international people, as well as national and international organizations have, and continue to render assistance to those who are currently facing emergency needs in Ethiopia. The Crown Council expresses its deep appreciation and sincere thanks to them all. In doing so, however, we would like to point out that the task of alleviating the current emergency problems is far from over.

In the short term, rescue missions are still required in areas were the flooding continues. Preventative measures need to be supported where the overflow of additional water reservoirs is anticipated. Those who are displaced, particularly children who have lost their parents, need food, shelter and medicine. As the threat of waterborne diseases including diarrhea and cholera, as well as malaria is real amongst an overcrowded population who reside in makeshift shelters, assistance is also needed to alleviate these problems.

In the long term, those who have lost their means of livelihood such as livestock and income generating projects will need supported to reestablish their means of survival. Furthermore, the population in flood prone areas would benefit from learning about essential emergency preparedness activities at the local level.

In light of the above, the Crown Council of Ethiopia adds its voice to the appeal for additional aid for the Ethiopian people who are adversely affected by the current floods. Mindful of our people’s resilience and great courage in overcoming continued onslaught of nature, we are confident that with God’s grace and worldwide support, the people now adversely affected will once again regain their hope and determination to build a better future.

May God in his mercy look kindly on Ethiopia.

The Crown Council of Ethiopia has been informed that the “Haile Selassie International Development Foundation”, that also refers to itself as the “Haile Selassie I Foundation”, (which confuses it with the Foundation established by the Crown Council, and also with the Haile Selassie I Memorial Foundation, that is well known in Ethiopia), has organized an event on June 27th, 2006, at Debre Haile Kedus Gebriel Cathedral. The Guest Speakers at the gathering include Ms Ana Gomes, Member of the European Parliament; US Congressman, Mr. Christopher Smith; and Mr. Obang Metho of the Anuak Justice Council. The co-sponsors of the event are the Gambella Development Agency, and Anuak Justice Council.

In 2004, the Crown Council had publicly announced that it had changed direction to become a non political organ of the Ethiopian Crown, and will henceforth focus on humanitarian, development, and historical preservation. Thus, the Council does not sponsor or participate in any political forum. The same applies to the Haile Selassie I Memorial Foundation of which I am also a member. Therefore, the Haile Selassie International Development Foundation should be recognized as a separate entity, without confusion with the work of either the Crown Council, or that of the Memorial Foundation.

With all due respect to the Administrators of the Debre Haile Kedus Gebriel Cathedral, where the event will be held, to the co-sponsors the Anuak Justice Council and the Gambella Development Agency, as well as to all the guest speakers, it is my duty as the Chairman of the Ethiopian Crown Council to inform them, and the public at large, that, the Crown Council, in 2004, had publicly disassociated itself from the Haile Selassie International Development Foundation. The Council was forced to take this action because it does not agree with their method of work which is designed to confuse them with already existing well established organizations, and also because we feel that their objectives do not accurately reflect the legacy of Emperor Haile Selassie I. Our Statement of disassociation could be found on the Crown Council website. The Haile Selassie I Memorial Foundation has also disassociated itself from the work of the Haile Selassie I International Development Foundation, and has posted a Statement to this effect on its website.

Thus, it must be recognized that Mr. Bekele Molla, President of the Haile Selassie International Development Foundation, Ms. Sosinna Tesfa, the General Secretary, and their supporters, have no association with either the Crown Council of Ethiopia, or with the Haile Selassie I Memorial Foundation.

Members of the Crown Council of Ethiopia, like all Ethiopians, have been, and will continue to be deeply concerned with developments in our country that followed the May 2005 elections. In this regard, the Crown Council had issued two Statements – the first on June 10th, 2005, and the second on November 11th 2005. These Statements were publicly announced, and widely circulated by both the Ethiopian, and the International Media. As the unity, equality, and peaceful development of our country is our sincere desire, similar public Statements of concern will be issued by the Crown Council, if and when needed. May Peace based on Equality and Justice descend upon Ethiopia.

Over the past two weeks, we have followed the appalling news from our country with deep sadness. Our heartfelt condolences go out to all those who have lost loved ones. Our message to them is that “Each and every Ethiopian has sustained a major loss. We are all deeply wounded and bleed from within for our beloved nation.”

Regrettably, we seem to remain oblivious to the tragic lessons learned from the terrible events of last June. Indeed, accusations and counter-accusations have accelerated and extremism has gained a life of its own. The emotionally seductive rhetoric of, “You’re either with us or against us” leaves no room for productive negotiation and compromise. Such strong and inflammatory speech erodes the right to freedom of thought, as it aims to silence the legitimate voice of the people. Polarization and confusion reign. At present, there is no indication that either side is making any serious effort towards dialogue and reconciliation, which undermines the fundamental prerequisites for democratic governance. Is Ethiopia in the process of bidding farewell to its commitment to democracy?

As we still mourn the 36 people whose lives were needlessly lost in June 2005, 46 more of our compatriots have been sacrificed by their own nation. Hundreds more have been wounded, thousands imprisoned, and many unaccounted for. History and experience have taught us that violence begets violence and can never be a vehicle for lasting change. Yet, we seem to cling to the erroneous belief that genuine expression of heartfelt grievance can be forcefully silenced. It is well to remember that fires hastily subdued are likely to flare up again at a later date. Besides, setting alight the passions of political fire in a land of ethnic and religious diversity is sheer madness and a highly irresponsible act; for once lit, the fire can spread uncontrolled and consume us all.

At this sad time of confusion and national turmoil, all Ethiopians have a moral duty to express our unrelenting resolve to break the cycle of violence. Thus, we once again implore all parties and the public at large to exercise maximum flexibility and restraint in their dealings with each other and with the public at large. Let us all use the lessons learnt from our tolerant coexistence with many ethnic and religious groups, to guide us in dealing with the current political challenge.

We all share the collective memory of fear, intimidation, brutality, indiscriminate killing, and the trauma and humiliation of exile that has undermined our personal and national identity. The massive brain drain — a result of nearly 30 years of unrelenting political turmoil — and an unprecedented exodus of those seeking refuge and a better way of life has created a nation of refugees and servitude. Coupled with the impact of periodic drought, dire poverty and ravaging disease, these misfortunes continue to adversely impact on our self worth and our international image. It is clear that our collective psyche cannot and must not be made to sustain further humiliation and bloodshed. It is time for us to focus on fighting the massive wars on poverty and disease, and refrain from any act that will further damage our national psyche and obliterate Ethiopia from the list of honorable nations.

We must all recognize and uphold the higher goals for our nation. National unity based on equality, justice, and peace must never be sacrificed for short term political gain. Our objective to institute democracy to give equal opportunity to all our citizens, and our devotion to the rule of law, must never be compromised to maintain or attain political power. Unless we urgently begin dialogue with mutual respect, and get back on track to work towards achieving our national goal, we are bound to repeat the darkest periods of our nation’s history. We must, therefore, develop short and long term strategies to help us back on course to work towards achieving our ideal.

In the short term, we suggest that all political parties should jointly establish a forum for mediation and conflict resolution to help address the current problem by bringing back relevant parties to the negotiation table. Prominent, respected religious, civic, academic and business leaders that uphold the higher objectives of our nation above ethnic, religious, political and financial consideration, should be selected to serve on the Mediation Board. The Board should be immediately established to urgently help to explore ways and means for peaceful resolution of the current political impasse. At the same time, the Board should develop and disseminate confidence building measures to generate tolerance, understanding, and some measure of trust. Ethiopians at home and in the Diaspora, as well as the international community must actively and enthusiastically engage with and support the work of the forum.

Once the overriding current problems peacefully subside, the Mediation Board should work on a long term strategy to help us avoid similar political deadlock in the future. In this regard, the Board should review and advise on how best to address the underlying problems that continue to simmer beneath the surface to undermine trust and confidence between leaders and the people, between political parties themselves, and also between the various groups of people that compose our nation. Such long neglected core issues of contention that continue to erode trust and confidence and hamper social, economic and political development must be sincerely and fully addressed. This will help us to avoid squandering every opportunity that comes our way for true reconciliation and socio-economic development. The adaptation of the South African model of “Truth and Reconciliation” and the teaching of “Tolerance” as practiced in Lebanon and in the USA, should be explored to help develop a suitable template that is most befitting for Ethiopia’s particular case.

In concluding we must be candid. All political leaders are ultimately accountable to their constituents, and the only justification for government of any sort is to ensure the protection and prosperity of its people. At this stage of our nation’s history, the elected leaders have been given the clear public mandate to institute democracy and democratic principles as a mechanism for lifting Ethiopia from under development. Thus the leaders have a sacred and profound responsibility to do the public’s bidding and not to divert them to other agendas. If the leaders fail the people at this crucial juncture, history will judge harshly.

May God grant us the wisdom to rise above our current problems and help us to create true peace from conflict.