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Interview
on Contemporary Ethiopia: Lessons Learned
Desta,
Asayehgn Ph.D.
On
January 17, 2012, I read an interesting interview
given to the Ethiopian Observer website by Dr.
Ghelawdewos Araia. Generally, if we look at it
from the standpoint of art, a discourse between a
journalist and an interviewee is very intriguing.
But, what was amazing to me was the
relevance of the
questions used by the interviewer
(Ethio-observer). They caught my eyes, vibrated my
brain, and highly motivated me to read and examine
the content of the interview process and learn
from the interviewee. Though the interviewer
didn�t give out to his readers the
interviewee�s educational background,
institutional affiliations, past writings and
experientially background, I know that Dr.
Ghelawdewos Araia is a graduate of the most
prestigious Columbia University and the author of
innumerable books and articles.
The types of questions
used by the interviewer were very instructive,
well prepared, and objectively designed to elicit
the expert views of the well-known and highly
respected historian and political economist, Dr.
Ghelawdewos Araia. In short, the questions were
well researched and the interviewer seemed to have
read the enumerable articles and books authored by
Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia.
I am sure that the interviewer must have
contacted Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia earlier to prepare
him and let him know that he would be asking him
about subjects very much related to the history
and the current political and economic situation
of the
Ethiopian state. Also, I am assuming that Dr.
Ghelawdewos Araia had verified the content of the
interview process before the final text was
posted.
Concerning the history of Ethiopia, Dr.
Ghelawdewos Araia has fully documented that the
three thousand-year old of history Ethiopia is a
reality not a myth, as claimed by some pseudo
historians who say that the
�history of Ethiopia is just a century
old.� As succinctly discussed by Dr. Ghelawdewos
Araia, during Aphilas in the last quarter of the 3rd
century AD and during Kaleb in the first decade of
the 6th century AD, ancient Ethiopians
exercised hegemony over Southern Arabia, and he
demonstrated that the historical account of Yemen
reveals that the country was a colony of ancient
Ethiopia. Though brilliantly and chronologically
explained, Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia could have gone
one step further like Churchward (1993) to expound
to his readers that Ethiopia is the birthplace of
man-kind.
Its peoples wandered along the Nile valley
to present-day Egypt, and subsequently dispersed
themselves to all parts of the world. Also, being
in the same kingdom and as a result of commercial
interaction, Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia could have
ascertained that the Sebaeans from Southern Arabia
(who were described by Herodotus as men of stature
or uncommon size) carried on commercial activities
in Meroe, the most important commercial city in
ancient Ethiopian kingdom. .
Regarding the current political divisions
of Ethiopia, based on regional and thus
predominately on ethnic demarcations, Dr.
Ghelawdewos Araia seems to prefer to see a
regional arrangement of Ethiopia that is based on
the Southern Ethiopian Peoples Regions where
Amharic is used as the lingua franca for
communication, education, and business activities.
According to Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia, this would
bring about unity, with healthy diversity, and
stability. If
further questions were asked about Article 39 of
the Ethiopian Constitution,
I am sure
Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia would have gone one
step further to analyze the weaknesses of Article
39, which in an era of globalization has confined
the Nations, Nationality and Peoples of Ethiopia
into water tight compartments. Relating to the
amalgamation of Walkaite and Woldia-Almata to the
Tigarai Region, using secondary data from Manoel
Barradas of 1934 edited by the well-known
historian, Richard Pankhurst in 1996, a specialist
on Ethiopian Economics, Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia has
demonstrated that since the 17th century
Walkaite and Waldia were part and parcel of the
Tigrai region of Ethiopia. However, Dr.
Ghelawdewos Araia, seems to be of the opinion that
if Ethiopia needed further restructuring, a
referendum could have given the Ethiopian people a
voice in the creation of the regional Ethiopian
states rather than as it is currently, left to
Ethiopia�s ruling regime to decide by fiat.
In short, as I previously pointed out
(Desta, 2011), in order to achieve internal
harmony among distinct and irreconcilable ethnic
and various groups, policy makers in Ethiopia need
to include all stakeholders in designing plans for
the nation�s federal development. But, the
inhabitants in the Federal State of Ethiopia
should have the right to travel and settle within
any region of Ethiopia.
Also over the years, since the country has
already invested in the expansion of the Amharic
language, with the increase in teaching of local
languages in each region, the teaching of the
Amharic language is crucial for a pan-Ethiopian
federal language of communication throughout the
country.
Concerning the
assertion by the Diaspora that since the Tigrai
Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) exclusively
dominates the political scene in Ethiopia and the
TPLF is amassing the wealth of Ethiopia to harness
projects in Tigrai, Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia seems to
be of the opinion that like many other cities in
Ethiopia such as Bahr Dar, Adama, Hawasa, Harara,
that Mekelle should have its fair share of the
development process.
As to the 2005 and 2010
election processes, Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia believes
that the elections were not free and fair because
the people in general and the opposition parties
in particular were not allowed to freely express
themselves. According to Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia it
is regrettable that � �after the butcher
regime of Mengistu Hailmariam was done away with,
unlike his expectations the Ethiopians were not
enjoying at least a modicum of democratic rights,
tolerate one another, and build a new Ethiopia
together.�
In short, according Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia,
the overall trend and political atmosphere in
Ethiopia does not seem to favor democratic
transition. Thus based on this statement, Dr.
Ghelawdewos Araia, believes that Democracy in
Ethiopia is forestalled at least for now. However,
with a constructive criticism, Dr. Ghelawdewos
Araia suggests that if democracy is to exist in
Ethiopia, ��Ethiopians must adjust their
psychological makeup to tolerate one another and
lay the foundation of a political culture in which
democracy thrives.�
Unlike the tunnel
vision common among a number of Ethiopian
Diaspora, the most impressive lesson that we can
learn from the interview of Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia,
the distinguished political philosopher and
seasoned writer, is that instead of attacking the
personalities of the members of the Ethiopian
ruling party, it would be healthier if the
Ethiopian Diaspora would analyze the viability of
the various policies set by the ruling party in
Ethiopia. In conclusion, this interview was
grounded in current research related to
Ethiopia�s history and political economy and
included relevant insights from first-hand
reflective experiences. I found that it was
organized logically. The publication is not
technical but aimed at both specialized and
general readers, and is very suitable for
open-minded Ethiopians seeking a better
understanding of the current Ethiopian situation.
To policy makers in Ethiopia, I hope the genuine
views expressed by Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia are taken
seriously as they make fundamental
transformational policy changes within the
Ethiopian system.
References:
Churchward, A. cited in a. Atiemo, (1993).
Africa
Revisited: A Journey into The Glorious Past. Portland:
Alphia Production
Company.
Desta, Asayehgn (2011).
�Federalism in an Era of Globalization:
Reflection on Ethiopia�.
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