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Pioneer Of Modern Ethiopian advertisement

Most Ethiopians especially in towns are without doubt on familiar terms with the name Woubshet Workalemahu. He was born in 1938 EC in an area called 'Mafud', the province of 'Menze' and 'Yifat'. This hero figure is the ninth child of the family. He is a father of two. One of his sons is a Professor. The other one is financial expert and investor. Woubshet has a diploma in creative advertisement from the Netherlands. Furthermore, he possesses a diploma in advertising and public relations from American Biographical Institute. Woubshet loves his country more than anything and known for his philanthropic works. Above and beyond, he was able to collect over 155,000,000 birr for humanitarian works at no cost. If he had been paid for this, he would have collected up to 15 million birr.

More to the point, at the time when the people of Wollo were hit by drought and the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples of Ethiopia were hit by flash flood, Woubshet has publicized his solidarity by organizing various fund-raising activities. Moreover, a couple of years ago when Dire Dawa city was flooded, he played a part in arranging a telethon in conjunction with his workmates with the intention of rehabilitating the victims. Hence, the committee was able to collect over 100,000,000 birr. Devoid of any hyperbole, there was no stone Wubshet left unturned to drag the victims from the trouble they were in as instantly as possible.

Being active member of the society, Woubshet is board member of the Ethiopian Red Cross Society and the Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of Badminton Federation, President of the Ethiopian Swimming Federation and the likes.

Woubshet is the first African to win the Ad Honorem in advertising and public relations. To everyone's surprise, he has visited 43 countries thus far. He speaks four languages: Amharic, Ge'ez, English and Russian. During the Ethiopian Millennium, Woubshet has been also chosen as Honorary Ambassador of the Generation. He had recently a stay with The Ethiopian Herald to share his professional and private life to the general public. Excerpts;

I have been clued up that you bear a resemblance to Emperor Haile-Sellassie in many ways. What is more, there was even a time you turned out to be once the talk of the general public in this regard. Is it true?

Certainly is. During Haile-Selassie regime people thought that I bear a resemblance to Emperor Haile-Selassie in an assortment of ways. This rumour was spread across the country like a wildfire all at once. To the best of my knowledge, the tittle-tattle was able to spread throughout the country on the basis of various reasons. For instance, as my father was the governor of Arsi Province, he did not have the faintest idea that I was conceived. During Haile-Selassie regime, when on earth the Emperor went to Wollo, he was in the habit of taking rest under a big tree situated in 'Chira Meda'. At that specific juncture, beautiful women drawn from different areas of our surrounding were sent to accompany him. As my mother was also one of the most beautiful women of the time, she was also sent to the big tree. While we are on the subject, my father went to meet his maker when I was one. The reason why I also wear a cloak has its own story. The thing was, on one occasion I had the chance of taking part in theatrical play revolving around Emperor Haile-Selassie. In the stage play, I acted like the Emperor. The Emperor was one of the attendances. He turned out to be infinitely happy along this line. At the end of the day, he asked me what I ardently desire. I told him without any fear that I would be happy if he gave me his cloak. After the Emperor laughed till his sides shook secretly, he ordered one of the palace servants to bring me the cloak in the blink of any eye. When I tried it on happily and hurriedly, it was the wrong size. Almost immediately, the emperor ordered the servant to take the cloak back and bring me a gold medal containing his picture as an alternative. When the Emperor figured out my disappointment, he ordered a new cloak to be primed in my size. In the fullness of time, the Emperor blessed me to dress in the cloak at whatever time I am invited to significant occasions. There is something which always makes me laugh whenever I think back to the cloak. The thing was, once I went to Metu to show theatrical play concentrating on the Emperor. Numerous people had attended the play. The hall was full of audiences. When the programme officer began saying, "Now the Emperor is going to put in an appearance," all the audience rose to their feet respectfully. At that point in time, higher officials of the province were taking the weight off their feet in the front row of the hall. When I began shambling here and there on the stage acting and talking like the Emperor, the officials laid face down on the stage. When I was at a loss what to do, I said, "please be seated, we have seen you." Surprisingly, this part was not included in the play script. By the way, my father was a highly respected man. As I have tried to mention so far, he passed away, when I was one. As I have learnt from my father's photo, he used to wear a cloak. My grandfather was also in the habit of wearing a cloak all the time.

It is public knowledge that you are the pioneer of modern advertisement in Ethiopia. You have also passed through many ups and downs to take the industry to a new level of victory. By the way, what pushed you to get engaged in advertising?

It is a long story. To begin with, in the place where I was born, there was a popular market place called 'Mafud Amaha Eyesus.' Every Saturday, close to 3,000 people attended the market. When I realized the backwardness of the market system, I reached into a conclusion to come up with something which could alleviate the problem to some extent. My mother and my grandmother did not have the faintest idea about my plan as I did not utter a word mistakenly on the subject of the secret. At some point, I went to some businesspersons and said, "If you long to put up for sale your grains in the blink of an eye, pay me some amount of money. I will pick up the pace of selling your grains using my new creativities." In spite of the fact that all the businesspersons in the market place love me with all their heart, they were not willing to lend me their ears. They thought I was making fun of them.

In next to no time, I began explaining to customers the available number of oxen, sheep, goats and other goods in the market. I was also putting in plain words how many quintals of Teff and beans were obtainable. More often than not, I brought into play a sheep or goat hide to write lists of available items in the market using a bamboo pen with soot ink. Most people were thinking that I was going insane. However, I made use of various effective techniques which smooth the progress of the backward market system. Advertisement was introduced in our country earlier than the introduction of radio and television.

Would you tell us more about how you were able to come to Addis Ababa? What was life like in Addis ? When did you join the Hager Fiker Theatre?

Well, one of my brothers named Lij Gebreamlak Workalemahu was living in Addis Ababa, around Ras Desta Hospital. He was the governor of the then Woreda. In a short time, I was able to join Tesfa Kokeb Boarding School. At some point, I went to Hager Fiker Theatre with my family members to watch theatrical play. I watched the famous actors and actresses of the time were making the audience burst into laughter. They also made me laugh till my sides shook. In spite of the fact that I tried all I could to join the Hager Fiker Theatre, all my efforts went for nothing. Some other time, I went straight to Hager Fiker Theatre to beg them once again but with little hope. Fortuitously, I learnt that Hager Fiker Theatre was recruiting talented youths and thus I got registered in a little while seeing that I was excellent at acting. Sadly enough, as I was a student, I was forced to distance myself from Hager Fiker Theatre right away. At the time, I was in Tesfa Kokeb Boarding School, I was taking part in a certain theatrical play with artist Getachew Debelqe and artist Merawi Sitotaw. As I was excellent at acting, I was taken to Harar Hager Fiker Theatre where I was off from my studies. After I stayed in Harar for two solid years, I was transferred to the Addis Ababa Hager Fiker Theatre where I served as playwright, programme officer, actor and the likes.

How and when did you manage to open your own advertising and public relations organization? What were the challenges you have come across so far in due course of running the agency, if any? How do you define the current Ethiopian advertisement industry?

Most people are on familiar terms with Lion Advertising and Public Relations Organization that was opened in 1965 EC. By the way, I feel affection for lion very much. I do not even know why I am in love with lion up till now. I do not even think a lion can cause harm. Devoid of any exaggeration, I began harvesting the fruit of success within the shortest time possible. To my amazement, the start-up capital was only two thousand birr. I purchased the required office furniture on credit from my fans. By the way, Philips Company has helped me learn modern advertisement techniques in Holland. I would like to extend my hearty gratitude to Ato Hassen Mohammed and Mr. Boucamp for their support by the time.

Vividly, the advertisement industry in America and Europe has almost reached to advanced level. Though it is incomparable, the Ethiopian advertisement industry has also been demonstrating dramatic change with times. Furthermore, the payment for advertisement is not good enough. If we always keep on working dependably, we can handle our customers for long. As most businesspersons of our country know the benefits of advertisement, certainly the industry would be flourished. Additionally, prior to advertising , advertisers should know the inside out of the thing they are going to advertise. If you ask me, advertising is required for only good item.

What exactly do you think should be done to take Ethiopian advertisement industry to a better level?

The advertisement industry is growing from time to time even though it lacks ethical practices. To take the Ethiopian advertisement industry to a new level of accomplishment, I would suggest a certain association which can monitor the overall activities of the entire advertisers should be established. For instance, in most countries advertising tobacco and alcohol is completely impossible. In most cases, we do not accept advertisements which have the capacity of intimidating the youth's self-possession. We cannot simply bring advertisement techniques from other countries for the reason that our culture is a little bit tight.

I have been well-informed that you were confined to bed on one occasion due to a serious poor health? What was the cause of your illness?

Once I was suffering from insomnia. There was no stone I left unturned to unchain myself from the trouble I was in. I have passed through many sleepless and painful nights. Sorrowfully, not a soul was able to discover the disease I was suffering from. Dejectedly, people were coming up with different speculation regarding my condition. My weight kept going down. I lost all my hair. I found myself a hopeless guy. Death was getting itself ready to swallow me straight away. I was in desperate mood.

On one unlucky day, while I was having my dinner with relatives and loved ones, I fainted and fell down. Immediately, I was taken to Yekatit 12 Hospital. My hair was turning into red. Doctors were fighting to save my life. One day, one of my friends came to visit me and said, "You have eaten a rat poison. That is why your hair is turning into red. Therefore, you should be able to look for a solution instantaneously." I was not able to believe my ears. I was taken to Switzerland shortly. I was examined by seventeen doctors and at the end of the day, they removed the poison. Bit by bit, I was able to feel myself. Nobody had expected I would stay alive. I would like to forward my deep respect and appreciation to Dr. Portman, the chairman of the Oris Watch Company in this regard.

Let us now turn to your personal life. I am sure our readers would like to know more about your own family. Are you married? If so, what was your love life like? Whom do you live with at this moment in time?

Before I got married, I had the opportunity to spend my time with a couple of girls. I began living under the same roof with my wife in 1963 EC. She is from Dilla town. I had passed through many ups and downs as a consequence of my wife's love. It is a long story to put in plain words the channels we have gone through to make our dream become a reality. Devoid of any overstatement, our wedding was the talk of the entire Dilla. At that point in time, I was hiding my height from the wedding attendances seeing that I was not tall. Happily, nobody had noticed my height by reason of the countless cars filled the town of Dilla. Most people thought that I was one of the relations of the royal leader. The late Tilahun Gessesse was one of the singers who added colour to the wedding.

You are expressing your love towards your country in various ways no matter what the cost may be. Where does this never-ending love come from? How do you define Ethiopia?

To the best of my knowledge, there are two affluent countries in the world. The first one is America, which is wealthy in science and technology and the second one is Ethiopia, which is well-heeled in culture. What is more, Ethiopia is not a colonized country. We are also rich in history while others are rich in capital. Ethiopia is also the cradle of human kind.

To my mind, our problem is the image we have about ourselves; we belittle ourselves. All Ethiopians love their country more than anything, I do believe. In the same way, if you love your country with all your heart, you will be successful in life. We should always take part in our country's happiness and tribulations. Ethiopia is a civilized country. We may be late to acquaint ourselves with the current modern life style. For instance, Sauna bath existed in Ethiopia during King Fasiledess. The Rock Hewn Churches of Lalibela and the Obelisks of Axum make abundantly clear the Ethiopian civilization.

What clicks into your mind when you learnt the determination of the government to construct the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam? What contributions have you been making to the construction of this landmark Dam?

Frankly speaking, when I learnt the news of the government determination to build the Grand Renaissance Dam, I could not believe my ears. I expressed my infinite happiness in various ways. At the moment, I have been throwing in my share to the Dam no matter what the cost may be for the reason that it gives me pleasure and satisfaction. By the way, the late Prime Minster Meles Zenawi is courageous. I am highly proud of our achievement. Currently, I have been throwing my share by advertising 'Abay' without charge. Furthermore, I have planned to come up with new advertising techniques which trigger off the general public to work hand in glove till the completion of the Renaissance Dam. I consider the Nile River as the drop of my blood in view of the fact that it belongs to all Ethiopians. After the completion of the Renaissance Dam, industries and factories will expand in the left, right and centre of the country without a shred of doubt. What is more, countless jobs will be created in a little while.

You have been to various parts of the country with the intention of encouraging people from all walks of life to donate blood for their compatriots. What was the reaction of the people towards the campaign like? Are you achieving the intended target as expected?

I have been to various parts of the country with an eye to heartening the public to donate blood to their compatriots. To my amazement, everybody is donating blood from time to time at any price. They have been demonstrating their unreserved respect and positive reception where on earth I go by means of donating blood with pleasure. At this moment in time, mothers die to scarcity of blood in hospitals give up for good leaving behind their beloved ones. The number of blood donors has been increasingly steadily. In this fashion, we have been able to rescue the lives of many people from taking their last breath on account of shortage of blood. My satisfaction is immense in this regard.

Before winding up our conversation, is there anything you would like to add?

At the outset, I have been to different parts of the world many times. Without any exaggeration, the love of America has already been engraved in the heart of my heart seeing that America is everything to me. More to the point, the bread of countless needy people who go to America from different parts of the world buttered well within a year or so. It is also the secret of my sons' success. God bless America!

As far as my country is concerned, as the youth possess brilliant mind, they should be on the right track giving due weight and attention to the culture of Ethiopia. They do not have to belittle their culture for the reason that Ethiopia is the uncrowned queen of culture. The Obelisk of Axum, the Rock Hewn Churches of Lalibela and all that cannot be found anywhere. Furthermore, our country is the cradle of human being and the origin of coffee. Nobody can disagree with this fact. As to me, the youth ought to refrain themselves from smoking and munching 'Khat' in addition to brining into the light themselves with the history of their forefathers.

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AKALA: THE VERSATILE RAPPER

Akala, born Kingslee James Daley in 1983, is a UK-based rapper, poet and academic. Growing up in a musical family, he was lyrical from a young age. He released his debut album “It’s Not a Rumour” in 2006, which earned him best hip hop act at the Music of Black Origin (MOBO) Awards. So far he has released six albums including “Knowledge is Power and “The Thieves’ Banquet”. His songs like “Fire in the Booth”, “Find no Enemy” and “Malcom Said it” are among his famous tracks. He performed alongside musicians like Damian Marley, Nas and Christina Aguilera. Also an educator and activist, he is recognized for his lectures concerning racism, black history, inequality and injustice. He tackles real social and political issues through his artistic works like his novel and plays. Through his Hip Hop Shakespeare Company and British Council’s project - Horn of Africa Leadership and Learning for Action (HOLLA), Akala came to Ethiopia and performed along with young Ethiopian hip hop artistes. The Reporter’s Meheret Selassie Mokonnen sat with Akala for an interview before his performance. Excerpts:



The Reporter: Tell us about the project that oversaw your performance in Ethiopia?



Akala: The Hip Hop Shakespeare Company has been on for a while. It looks at Shakespeare’s lyricism in hip hop. We have done many projects like this one in Ethiopia. We worked with the British Council, and it was a residency in Khartoum, Sudan working with young people from Addis Ababa, theater groups from Juba and Khartoum. We brought them together and used the Hip Hop Shakespeare Company model and methodology as a way for them to create collaboration shows in Khartoum, Juba and Addis. We have got many similar projects like this. One is in Zimbabwe starting next month. We have done works in Nigeria, Morocco, Tunisia and some in India, Indonesia, the Philippines and many places. Continuously, the company is doing workshops in educational stuff in the UK every week.



My performance in Africa Jazz Village incorporated a selection of my own songs. The youngsters from Addis performed a show inspired by Shakespeare’s poem. They also used some old traditions of Amharic poetry. Ethiopians have hundreds of years of recording their own literature. I am very excited about history. I love history. I think it is important for local artistes to be drawn towards that too. They are very confident and strong with really good ideas and poetry. We do two things: one is educational workshop residency and and the other is called peer leader program. We are constantly trying to find ways and means of developing a solid artistic base where artistes can earn a living doing educational work and at the same time develop their art. We can do this with only the most talented people because of the nature of what it is.



What kinds of music did you listen to growing up and who are the musicians that inspired you?



I was lucky I grew up in a very musical family. My step dad was a theater stage manager and a DJ. My real dad was a DJ. My earliest musical influences were primarily Caribbean. My family is from Jamaica. They immigrated to the UK. I grew up hearing conscious roots reggae like Dennies Brown, Gregory Isaacs, obviously Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. As I became a teenager I picked my own music which was primarily hip hop. I can mention Public Enemy, KRS-One, Wu-Tang Clan, Immortal Technique, Nas and others. I had a very musical upbringing. I was always inspired to write lyrics, songs and poems very early because of the level of lyricism I was accustomed to growing up. As I got old I started listening to a wider range and I went back and discovered Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and Harlem Wolf Pack. I immerse myself in researching music so that I would have a wider palate.



You used to play football for West Ham United's youth team, and you also had a restaurant. What triggered your transition to music?



I always wanted to make music. But, when I was growing up UK hip hop didn’t have an industry yet. We only had some talented rappers. When I come to other countries and I do mentorship programs, I try to explain this to people. Many people don’t understand even though Britain is a rich and developed country, it’s only during the past ten years that UK rap has been a viable carrier. Before that the idea of a British rapper making money and actually being able to sustain himself was completely ridiculous. No one could do it. So they didn’t really last ten years. Now lots of us have been able to create independent successful careers, mainly because of the internet. It was the shift in perception and opportunity that made it a viable career rather than just a hobby.



I was always rapping and making music but the change in technology helped. In the UK for a long time we didn’t have the confidence, everyone wanted to be like Americans. All the ridiculous imitation was rapping about American stuff in American accent. Once we found our own voice, sound and style, many of us, myself included, have a fan base in the United States. Maybe 10 to 15 percent online followers will be people from the States. I never think we supersede the American hip hop industry. I don’t think many people imagine a stage where the names of UK rappers will be put alongside the big American rappers. We might not be pop stars in the same way. But, if you look at online forms you can see that names of UK rappers are starting to come up. So, it is good.



Besides being a rapper you are an educator. Records has it you were an ‘A’ student as well. What was your upbringing like and using education as a means of survival?



I grew up in London where we have some stereotypes of different communities. In some ways my upbringing was very stereotypical in other ways completely not. My dad and mom split-up. We didn’t have too much money. By the UK standards we were very poor. Growing up things like violence are very normal. Young boys stabbing each other, gun fights and sometimes shooting. People outside have a perception as everything is wonderful, streets are paved of gold. This is what my grandmother thought before she came. But, in reality London is a very violent and difficult city to live in if you are poor.

I had parents and influences that always encouraged me to be educated. There was these challenges of drugs, gang violence, racism and classism. I was lucky in many ways. My education and my community helped me to negotiate with those parts. But, I made many mistakes like most while growing up. This is a very big thing in the UK and they talk about teenage gang and violence in the media. I think it’s very important people have a more realistic narrative of what life is like especially as children of “immigrants”. You cannot just come and become Puff Daddy. I am not saying there isn’t more opportunity than perhaps other places in the world, there is. But the opportunity is close but far. You can’t necessarily attain all you can see around you. This creates frustration and resentment. The street I grew up on is called council houses. Government accommodation, social housing for people that don’t have much money. The very next street had Ferrari, Lamborghini and million pound houses. George Michael lived just at the top of the hill. The proximity between wealth and poverty is real. Last year two million people used what we call food banks. There are areas, particularly in the north, that are very poor. This is all part of growing up.



In your music and also while you share your views about mainstream hip hop, you often criticize the issues that are mostly raised. How do you describe hip hop?



Hip hop is primarily a continuation of African old traditions brought to the United States and the Caribbean by the descendants of the enslaved Africans from the traditions of the Timbuktu, Yorubaland and Ghana. The problem is sometimes when we talk about the music of African diaspora, the mainstream discourse is almost like it just popped out of a vacuum. Like Jazz just happened, hip hop just happened. As if the people of African heritage did not bring any culture to the Americans with them. Only the Europeans brought culture. But if we know the history of that region, we know it is a very sophisticated region of many different empires.



Even in Timbuktu they had a university 800 years ago. So, understanding that history we know the music. The attempt to interrupt the culture by slavery, colonialism or racism was not successful. The music is the production of this resistance. I don’t have a problem with some rap being about materialism, selling drugs or killing people. Because this is a reality of a neighborhood like The Bronx where hip hop comes from. But, the reality is 90 percent of the people are not killing anybody and are not selling drugs. They are going to work, going through normal stuff or trying to send their kids to the university. For me what I am interested in is making hip hop a realistic picture of the African-American or black British experience. My criticism is about an industry that only promotes one particular image of blackness or black people.



Sex, sexism, drugs, violence and Champagne popping. These are things that exist. But, they are not a genuine representation of the whole picture. It is like looking for a key hole, you are not seeing the whole door kind of thing. Some of my favorite rappers rap about this kind of stuffs. But, they are so skilled with their word play. It is like a Quentin Tarantino or Francis Ford Coppola movies. There is a space for that. Nobody criticizes them for making films about the mafia or violence. Because there are a range of films about so many other things it is just a small picture. What I am concerned with is why aren't rappers challenging their government’s foreign policy or rap about serious political issues, even in the West where we are told there is no censorship. We cannot get that on the radio and mainstream TV. The last group to have this kind of mainstream push with this kind of political content was Public Enemy 20 years ago and to a degree someone like Kendrick Lamar today.



But, in that gap we don’t really have much mainstream content challenging or speaking against injustice and if we look at who owns and controls hip hop that shouldn’t be surprising. For me hip hop was always about this mission. The very word hip in hip hop comes from verb hippie, which means to open your eyes and see. It is a term of enlightenment as my great friend and scholar MK Asante says. Rap taught me things about history, word play or words I didn’t even understand when I was listening to Wu-Tang. I had to go to the dictionary to find meaning to words they were using in their rap. Harlem used to have what they call street corner preachers. In the African American tradition there are poets, preachers and educators that would stand up and preach on street corners about different things. Marcus Garvey came out of this movement. There is always this tradition of poetic oratry as a force of education within the African diasporic tradition. To me the best hip hop is a continuation of that. I have always tried to use my music to pass on what I have been lucky enough to receive.



Considering the place mainstream hip hop has, do you think those kinds of music with deep message get wider acceptance?



In my own country I am not on the radio in the daytime because of what I speak about. I am not saying this to be arrogant, it is now proven that I am one of the most successful UK rappers ever. There has only been ten or fifteen people who can sell the level of live tickets that I can or more. Some have been very successful to twenty-five thousand people. That is fantastic but, we have got into a certain level now where year in year out we are selling thousands of live tickets but we can’t get in the daytime radio. This is what makes the big deference. The radio never plays, even in the UK where we have supposedly free speech, the radio will not play a song speaking out against the war or foreign policy. These are challenges you face in every society.



If you are not saying something that is “radio friendly” or to whoever is in charge of the radio playlist – no matter how popular you are – you are not going to get on the radio. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a serious appetite for intellectual questioning and politically challenging hip hop. I can say there is because, if there wasn’t I wouldn’t have a career. Over ten years we have been able to create a really strong fan base because people are tired of songs about Champagne. I love beautiful women as much as the next guy. But, the music is so uncreative that I watch a TV and I’m bored looking at beautiful women. I can predict what every single video is going to be. How can something be so unimaginative it makes a man bored of looking at gorgeous women? As we see in Lamar who is widely successful. And Jacob, he didn’t have any features on his last record. They are the only two mainstream hip hop artistes really with anything social to say. They are still not on the promotion level of the other pop artistes but, they have been successful. There is always definitely an appetite for this.



What are your thoughts about Ethiopian hip hop?



To be honest I am not an expert on Ethiopian hip hop. I worked with rappers from Addis. One mostly raps in Amharic, very good flow, use of word play and syllables. Another one raps in English, but she is trying to find her own self within that. More of the Ethiopian music I have seen is the traditional. The venue I played at is owned by Mulatu Astatke. His album “Sketches of Ethiopia” is an album I listen to all the time. I know that was inspired by Miles Davis. The challenges for Ethiopian hip hop artistes, which is the challenge for hip hop artistes everywhere, is to find one’s own voice. You can be influenced by American or UK rap but if you reflect that you will never be successful or original. Whereas, if you can take hundreds of years of traditions of Ethiopian music, take different languages of Ethiopia and the challenges of this society and package it in a way that is unique, creative and original you have a really genuine brand of Ethiopian hip hop. This is what I like to see.



How do you perceive the concept of raising awareness about critical social and political issues through music? Or music in relation to activism?



It has always been essential. The most famous example is probably the African-American civil rights and black power movement. We look at the role that all the artistes played from Jimi Hendrix speaking against the Vietnam War and Muhammad Ali as a poet and a boxer. Also Sam Cooke, Nina Simone and Billie Holiday. There is this tradition of outspoken artistes in a climate that is very difficult and where they may be killed for what they say. In the apartheid struggle in South Africa there is the role played by Miriam Makeba, the independence struggle in Zimbabwe and Thomas Mapfumo. In post-independence Nigeria, the role Fela Kuti played in being a critical outspoken opponent of Nigerian military regime that eventually killed his mother comes to mind.



It is the same in the class struggle in the UK during the industrial revolution. Poems and folk songs have been used to communicate complicated ideas very easily and quickly and also to unify people and get them to think about issues. This is one of the reasons music is heavily sensitive in the world. Today it is not old style censorship. It’s not if you say that we are going to kidnap and kill you. The new way is promoting much music that isn’t saying anything and drown out a few critical voices - which could have been Bob Marley or John Lennon. It is a very complicated situation for powerful interests. Bob’s or Rage Against the Machine’s message makes a lot of money. But, in many ways it is critical of the very system that allows it to make money. On the one hand the system promotes those like Bob that makes hundreds of millions of pounds and on the other hand it promotes ideas that may undermine the larger interests like arm companies or colonialism.



Make no mistake, music is like everything else in the world owned by huge corporations. The company that owns 40 percent of the music industry is not a music company. It is a French waste management company called Vendee. Music is a tiny part of what they do. Understanding this in context and difficult negotiation going on between the role art plays in society, I think art, particularly music, has a very central role. There is also a space in music that allows people have a good time, to party or since life is difficult to let out some steam. I am not one of those saying all music has to be like Immortal Technique’s. One of the reasons Bob was a fantastic artiste is he made serious musical songs, love songs and the song “Jamming” just to jam. This is a brilliance of an artiste. We can’t have every song about the same subject, even if that subject is a critical politics. This is boring.



You lecture about African history in different venues. What do you mainly focus on?



The most recent lecture I did was at Oxford University, Oxford Union, about African history. Looking at the ways – in which Ethiopia was obviously a part of – of Gonder, Axum and lots of ancient sophisticated empires and states. It was looking at the ways in which African history had to be functionally distorted so that racism, slavery and colonialism could be justified. Besides, Africa was this backward uncivilized continent that Europeans brought civilization to. This, of course, is nonsense. But every empire finds a way to justify itself. I was looking at that history and the reality of what was going on in Africa from 1500 all the way back to ancient Nubia, Egypt and all of those things giving people a broad sort of overview, which I was lucky enough to study.



How do you describe yourself and the things that inspire you?



As an artiste and social entrepreneur, I wrote a graphic “The Ruins of Empires” novel in 2014. We are trying to turn it into a play. I always try to encourage young hip hop artistes to think of themselves as writers, and rap is one form in which they work. This way the opportunity is larger. One might write a play, film script, poetry or do journalism. I am not good at playing musical instruments. I play a bit of guitar. My understanding of the electricity of putting different musicians in a room, picking up what is right is intuitively good. But I don’t have formal knowledge of music theory. I rely on other people to help me create a sound scopes. It is also about having the intelligence to pick people more intelligent than you. Because you can’t be great at everything.



Are you a revolutionary?



I wouldn’t say so. I think this term is easily used. Revolutionaries are created by the circumstances of their life and period of history they are born in. It is not like waking up and saying I want to be a revolutionary. If you are in Apartheid in South Africa in 1989, the repression is so strong and the very nature of your environment creates that decision for you. You don’t have a choice. As much as there is certainly injustice and challenges in the UK, and it’s not a perfect society by any means, it certainly is not Apartheid South Africa, or America in 1964 or today. You never know whether someone is revolutionary till they are put in a very difficult position. Nelson Mandela was in prison for 27 years. Many people in America are still in jail from 1960s civil rights movement.



I would say I try to have a revolutionary leaning. In my music, I try to promote ideas for the betterment of society and for the challenge around power. It is irresponsible for me as a music artiste who has quite a good life, successful, not struggling on the day-to-day basis of my personal life, to use the term. We will see. The real revolutionaries are in places like Haiti even here in Ethiopia, America and UK dedicating their lives to changing people’s lives day in day out putting up with police brutality and direct repression by the states. Every society has problems and injustice. Ethiopia has injustice, history of monarchy of empires and challenges. I try to promote these ideas, even though those people are demonized. When fighting for social change in your own time you are demonized. Then history looks back and says what a wonderful thing you did. In civil rights movements, they were called terrorists, imprisoned, beaten up, assassinated, dogs set on them.



Because now we see racism was stupid, everybody says they did a great thing. At the time if you are fighting against slavery, they had some guy who said any African that rebelled against slavery was clinically insane. In UK's class struggle, if people criticized the government, they were imprisoned, killed or transported to Australia. Today everyone say how wonderful and democratic Briton is. They don’t tell you how many people had to shed their blood for everyone to be treated like equal human beings.



You speak highly of Malcolm X, Bob Marley, Sun Tzu and similar other figures. You incorporate them in your lyrics. What is the role of these figures in your artistic works?



I try to draw inspiration from as wide an area of people as possible. So the music will be as wide as possible. The wider set of influences are from ancient Chinese philosophy, to the civil rights movement, to African history and the feudal system in Europe. It is almost like being a painter. If you only have two colors, you can paint a beautiful picture but, not as beautiful as if you have every color available. It is important for artistes to read a lot, widely and try to use that inspiration in what they create.



It has been around a decade since you released your first album “It’s Not a Rumour”. How do you see your journey?



It has been a pleasure. I have always wanted to do things independently, which means a certain amount of struggle. But I relish these changes. Being able to have a career for ten years, tour the world, collaborate with great artistes and make six albums, I always have the feeling if you can make a living making art you should never complain. The vast majority of the world is in a far more difficult scenario. I feel honored and I am grateful to all the people that have supported me. I hope to continue.

Source: Ethiopian reporter 

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RESURRECTING THE "BROWN CONDOR"

Many Ethiopians are not familiar with the name John Robinson. a.k.a. "The Brown Condor". The African-American aviator and activist who, almost single-handedly broke down the doors of segregation in the field of American Aviation in his early career and who is recognized today as the "Father of the Tuskegee Airmen" of World War II fame. Col. Robinson also flew over 700 hours of dangerous missions for Ethiopia during the fascist invasion of Ethiopia in 1935 carrying men, equipment and supplies to and from the front lines of the battle all over Ethiopia. He also flew Emperor Haile Selassie on dangerous missions that boosted the morale and patriotic spirit of Ethiopia's courageous patriots. Born in Carrabelle, Florida, but raised in Gulfport, Mississippi, Robinson was the first African American to be licensed in the United States. In the last few years the great legacy of his heroic deeds and amazing commitment to his beloved Ethiopia has come to be spoken of by thousands of Ethiopians and Americans who before knew nothing of this great work. Last year the US Embassy dedicated a reading garden in his name, also the first bust of Col. Robinson was unveiled in Gulalle Cemetery and a few weeks ago another bust was unveiled in the newly inaugurated Ethiopian Airlines Academy. And also recently two Heads of States, Prime Minister Hailemariam and President Barack Obama both featured Col. Robinson prominently in their historic speeches on July 27, 2015 here in Addis Ababa. Recently Henok Reta of The Reporter sat down with Yahoshuah Israel, American Author and founder of the Col. John C. Robinson Global Initiative and foremost authority on the legacy of Col. John C. Robinson. Yahoshuah had just recently released his book called; "The Lion and the Condor: The Untold Story of Col. John C. Robinson and the Crippling of Ethiopia". Excerpts:



The Reporter: As a Cultural Historian who has obviously committed a great deal of time and energy in resurrecting the legacy of Col. Robinson and the important relationship that he helped to establish between Ethiopia and the African American community can you tell us how this all began?



Yahoshuah Israel: Col. Robinson's story is one of the most amazing chapters in Pan African history which had its inception here in Ethiopia. Its importance cannot fully be appreciated without realizing the politics that existed in the world during the time of Col. Robinson and Emperor Haile Selassie and the fascist invasion of Ethiopia under Mussolini. During this time all of Africa was suffering under the oppressive weight of European colonialism. But this was also the time when Africa's young freedom fighters, Nelson Mandela, Jomo Kenyatta, Sekou Toure, Kwame Kwame Nkrumah and many others were beginning to organize their respective movements in their home countries. In the middle of this great tumultuous time Ethiopia was shinning like a brilliant glorious sun on the mountain top to not only its African brother nations but also to countries like Cuba, China and other countries in South America. The great victory at the battle of Adwa by Emperor Menelik had resonated throughout the entire world that white dominance was not to be the undisputed order of the day. Ethiopia literally became the inspiration of all the oppressed peoples of the world as she hurled a spear into the heart of the concept of "white supremacy".

Against this backdrop a conspiracy was contrived by the European countries with the tacit approval of America that Ethiopia must be defeated and reduced to a colonized nation – just as all the other African nations were – in order to stop the other nations from following her example of freedom. This is the stage on which Col. Robinson stepped on May 29, 1935 when he arrived in Addis Ababa to begin the training of Ethiopian pilots for the coming war. The League of Nations having already secretly sold Ethiopia out and the American government at that time went along with the plan by not providing Col. Robinson the military fighter planes that he needed to effectively defend Ethiopia from the skies against the Italian war planes. Even though during this same time America was not only supporting China against Japan's attempt to colonize China but actually created a group called the American Volunteers that are famous for flying missions defending China; they were called the "Flying Tigers".



My book, The Lion and the Condor. provides an accurate picture of the obstacles that Col. Robinson, Emperor Haile Selassie, the Hakim Worqeneh Esheté (Known as Dr. Martin to the western world), Malaku Beyen and the fearless patriots confronted in the war. All of these things had been forgotten and covered up or so distorted that they did not truly reflect what actually occurred during this tremendous period in Ethiopian history. It is because of the efforts of several others and myself that the awesome resurrection of Ethiopia's and America's great hero Col. Robinson is echoing across two continents today. The main characters who deserve mentioning are former president Girma Woldegiorgis and Lij Daniel Jote Mesfin, president of the Ethiopian Patriots Association. Without a doubt, had it not been for their embracing the need to remember the great sacrifice and service of Col. Robinson we would not be having this conversation today. Although, Thomas Simmons, author of the first book on Robinson, came here a few years ago with Yaw Davis, and the US Embassy dedicated reading garden to his memory very little momentum had developed after these events. It was not until the historical commemoration last year during the 74th Victory Day celebration organized by the International Council for the Commemoration of Col. Robinson (forerunner to the Col. John C. Robinson Global Initiative) in partnership with the Association of Ethiopian Patriots, and President Girma that a tidal wave of progress has been made to truly resurrect the important history that had been forgotten for over 80 years.



So what led you to dig more into the life of Col. John Robinson?



What gave rise to my research was an incident that I encountered with a person here in Ethiopia. This individual let me know – in no uncertain terms – that the history that had been written about Col. Robinson was not accurate. It was at that time that I resolved in my mind to discover the truth of Col. Robinson's life particularly his life here in Ethiopia which is where his legend truly begins. The first thing I discovered was that neither of the authors of the two previous books written of him felt it important enough to come to this great country and investigate the myths and stories that were told of him here. As a result much of what they wrote about Col. Robinson I found to be inaccurate when I spoke with those who actually knew him and remembered significant episodes in his life here in Ethiopia including people like Prof. Abiy Ford, and President Girma and recently deceased, Gabriel Tedros. Through the most remarkable coincidences I was even able to locate the stepson of Col. Robinson who is 87 years old and lives in Holeta. He provided a wealth of unknown history of Col. Robinson's personal life. My book documents and resurrects not only the personal life of Col. Robinson but also such important characters of Ethiopian-African American history as Malaku Beyen, Hakim Worqeneh Eshete, Innis Minion Ford, and also heroes of he Imperial Ethiopian Air Force which Col. Robinson established. People like Col. Semret Mehdane, who was a courageous young cadet and becomes the first Ethiopian CEO of Ethiopian Airlines. As a cadet he was instrumental in saving the lives of many of his fellow cadets at the threat of facing court marshaling from Baron von Rosen who eventually is relived from his position; Major General Asefe Ayene, and may others whose deeds are so inspiring but were lost to history. It seems that the hand of destiny had decided that these wonderful efforts of men and women connected to that time could help inspire us in the development of a great Ethiopia today and so the Almighty had resurrected their amazing legacies. My book contains the contributions of many key individuals that make it a classic in historical research. As I have already mentioned certain key people there are others such as Ambassador Rudolph Agstner of the Austrian Embassy who provided a wealth of information on a woman known as Madame Eisner who was the romantic partner of Col. Robinson for over 15 years and whom he was living with at the time of his death. She was famous here in Ethiopia and was a special cook to Emperor Haile Selassie. She loved Col. Robinson so much and was so heartbroken when he died that every Friday after his death (he died on Friday) she would light a candle in her bedroom and pray and cry for Col. Robinson. She did this for the remainder of her life. Another remarkable story in the recounting of this astonishing history is that of Mario Capussi, an Italian immigrant that came here during the occupation. Mario Capussi loved Col. Robinson and felt that he was a great man. When Col. Robinson died Mario was so saddened that he started a tradition of putting flowers on his grave. This became a family tradition that his son and daughters maintained after Mario's death in 2010. It was only due to the remarkable love and admiration of this Italian family for Col. Robinson that we were able to rediscover the long lost grave of Col. Robinson after more than 60 years. This is only a glimpse of the important information contained in the new book, "The Lion and the Condor".

Your book, The Lion and the Condor: is subtitled, The Untold Story of Col. John C. Robinson, and the Crippling of Ethiopia". You have discussed some of its important contents concerning Col. Robinson; Can you share with us what your book speaks of regarding the "Crippling of Ethiopia?"



Thank you for asking this very important question. It is critically important in providing an answer to young and old Ethiopians on why and how Ethiopia, which was the head of all African nations and had inspired the entire world before the war, became the least of all African nations. To answer this question I must give great credit to a little known paper written by Richard Pankhurst it is called, Post World War II Ethiopian British Military Policy and Action for the Dismantling and Acquisition of Italian Factories and Other Assets, 1941-42. This paper details how during the five year occupation Italy had invested an enormous amount of infrastructure all over Ethiopia. Italy had industrialized Ethiopia to an extent that shocked the British military when they finally escorted Emperor Haile Selassie to re-enter Addis Ababa on May 5, 1941. There were hospitals, airports and modern factories in all the major cities of Ethiopia built by the Italian immigrants that numbered over one million who had flooded into Ethiopia. Modern state-of-the-art factories and car manufacturing plants that produce everything from pure oxygen for the hospitals to a huge dry dock that conveyed supplies and equipment. Over 16 pages of modern industrialization assets that was now rightfully the possession of Ethiopia. When the British Military saw this they were shocked; they realized that if this development was left to Ethiopia, Ethiopia would immediately become one of the most developed nations on the continent of Africa. This would definitely doom and bring about the demise of colonialism which they were determined to not allow. The military began immediately to dismantle all the factories and structures that had been built by the Italians and they were shipped to their other colonies; Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, India, Egypt, etc. In fact the various colonies began to fight over the assets. Those that they could not dismantle they destroyed. At one point a stand-off occurred in Jimma where the Emperor is said to have stood in front of a British army refusing to allow the dismantling of a rope factory. Britain, who has been called the "liberator" of Ethiopia, was in fact the crippler of Ethiopia. It can be argued that this incident should not be pointed to as leading to Ethiopia's historical position of being poor and backwards and that's true there were other things that contributed to this. But it cannot be disputed that this massive dismantling of assets that rightfully should have remained in Ethiopia was the first of a chain of events that led to crippling of Ethiopia. The awareness of this that occurred some 60 years ago makes it all the more amazing of what's happening today in this great country. Ethiopia is one of the fasting growing economies in the world and is taking its long-awaited position among the leading developing countries. I ask the question in my book, "What if the growth that we see today had been allowed to begin 50 years ago? Where might Ethiopia be positioned on the world stage of nations and narratives had Emperor Haile Selassie been able to keep those assets; and had Col. Robinson been supported properly by the American government in connection with Ethiopia's defense? Of course there are those who will say, "we cannot really know what might have resulted had these things not occurred". But I say clearly and without any doubt that had Ethiopia not been crippled by deception and intrigues and detrimental governmental policies by key players in the world at that time history would be much different today.



What is the mission of your organization, The Col. John C. Robinson Global Initiative?



The mission of the CJCRGI is to continue the legacy of Col. John C. Robinson in building a progressive and mutually rewarding relationship between the African American community and the world diaspora and Ethiopia and all of Africa. We see Ethiopia as the de facto heart of Africa and Addis Ababa as the de facto capital and we are dedicated to turning the attention of black Americans to their mother country so that they can actively help in Ethiopia's development. During Col. Robinson's time the hearts of African Americans was with Ethiopia and all of Africa but we had very little economic power. Today Black Americans have a buying power of over 1.3 trillion dollars annually. If we were a nation we would be ranked number 16 in economic strength among the world. We impact significantly every industry in the world including medicine, science and technology, entertainment and sports. Our vision is to make our brothers and sisters in America realize that our motherland is the richest continent on earth yet we have fallen far behind in participating in its development. They need to know that not only does Africa need them but that they, even more so, need Africa. Our mission is to make them see that their future is rooted in our motherland. We are a people with a history and lineage that goes back to and beyond the biblical times of Queen Makeda and King Solomon. Most importantly they need to know that in our unity we are prophesied to be the architects of a new world built on justice and equality for all people. Something that others have spoke of doing but whose actions have nearly destroyed our earth. Ethiopia and all of Africamust visualize themselves as saviors of the world. Because we have been mentally broken by the institutions of racial oppression we don't think of ourselves as being able to effect powerful change in the world. Little white kids in Europe and America grow up thinking that they can save the world. This is projected in their movies and literature. There is always some super hero saving the world from destruction. We have to realize that we are the real super heroes. Ethiopia has a legacy of diverse religions and ideologies living together in harmony that no other nation can boast of. The culture of Ethiopia is such that you can find the roots of true humanity and civilization spreading from Abay (the Blue Nile) radiating outwards to all of the world. Yet Ethiopians are the most humble of the God's people. I often say to myself that Ethiopia needs to develop a bit of an ego and step up on the world platform of leadership because the world has much to learn from her.



What other projects are you engaged in at the moment?



I have just completed another book that tells the forgotten story of Ametsegna Washa (The Cave of Rebellion). It is about a war crime committed by the fascist Italians in 1939 that killed in some accounts from 2,000 to 5,000 mostly villagers and 900 patriots with illegal mustard gas. The story of what happened is so compelling that it must be told so that the world is aware of the atrocities that were committed in Ethiopia during Col. Robinson's time. The world is familiar with the tragedies that occurred in Nazi Germany, and in China and other war torn countries but many of the things that occurred here have been covered over and treated like they are not important. I was asked by Lij Daniel Jote Mesfin to participate in an historical expedition to Ametsegna Washa (the Cave of Rebellion as the Italians named it). It is about 350 kilometers from Addis in the Amhara Regional State. In the cave are the remains (skulls and skeletons) of the people who were killed in the most horrible way. I was the first American to witness this terrible tragedy and I am compelled to give voice to those courageous patriots and villagers who lost their lives and have been forgotten. This powerful picture book was commissioned by Lij Daniel Jote Mesfin and will be featured as part of the 75th jubilee anniversary of The Ethiopian Patriots Association's celebration of Victory Day on May 5th. All proceeds will go to the Patriots Association. I have also signed agreements with Hierarchy Motion Pictures of Beverly Hills in California to produce a full length movie of Col. Robinson based on my book, "The Lion and the Condor." The movie will portray Emperor Haile Selessie, Hakim Worqeneh Esthete, and many other key Ethiopian heroes that the world needs to know of. The CEO told me that he wants Will Smith to play the title role of Col. Robinson. The plans for the movie are great but equally as exciting is the fact that Teddy Afro told me that "we must not forget him (Col. Robinson) I will write a song paying tribute to him in an upcoming album"! I consider Teddy Afro the Michael Jackson of Ethiopia if he makes a song about Col. Robinson, Ethiopians all over the world will know of him and his love for Ethiopia.



There are several other projects we are working on and we will be announcing in the near future. The Reporter will be the first to know. I hope this interview will become a main source of reference for students and people all over the world who want a factual account of the amazing story of the Resurrection of Col. John C. Robinson and the historic relationship between Ethiopia and African Americans.

Source: Ethiopian Reporter 

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LIDETU’S TAKE ON GOOD GOVERNANCE

Lidetu Ayalew, the founder and the longest-serving president of the Ethiopian Democratic Party (EDP), rose to prominence in Ethiopia’s opposition politics during the highly contested 2005 general elections. The aftermath of that election, although it won Lidetu and his party seats in parliament, alienated him from a strong support base due to a split within the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD). The impact continued during the 2010 general elections as EDP failed to win a single seat in parliament. And in 2011, Lidetu stepped down from his party’s presidency and virtually vanished from active politics since then. He then traveled to UK to do his MA in Developmental Studies at the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies. As the country warms up to the fifth general elections, Lidetu, a member of EDP’s Central Committee, has once again resurfaced with a new book titled Tiyatre Boletica (Theatre of Politics). Recently, following the chain of political unrest in Oromia and Amhara Regional State and the current debacle regarding severe deficits of the EPRDF-led government in delivering good governance and stamping out rent-seeking and corruption, Solomon Goshu of The Reporter approached the seasoned politician to reflect on current events that have transpired in the political agenda. Excerpts:



The Reporter: As you may well know, the ruling party EPRDF and the government have admitted that lack of good governance is becoming a real threat to the political order. There are also different degrees of reception for this pronouncement by the government. In your view, what is the source of this problem?

Lidetu Ayalew: As you said it, the basic issue with the current debate regarding lack of good governance in Ethiopia is the depth of the problem and the degree of political commitment to combat it. In the eyes of the opposition and part of the public, government pronouncement is nothing more than a theatrical orchestration to benefit the officials in the ruling party. So, in my opinion, the problem is a real threat to the system; and I don’t believe the actions of the government this time around are genuine. I gathered that the government has been rudely awakened and that it rightly perceives that the problem is a credible threat to the system as a whole. One thing I can assure you is that if what some people claim, those who say that government’s campaign against lack of good governance is not genuine, is true, the problem would definitely bring the system tumbling down in a short period of time. But, since it is a threat against the party’s own survival, I think that the urgency the government is showing is real. You see, that is one of the problems with the government in that it always acts when its own survival is at stake instead of nipping the problem in the bud while it was easy to do so. Although the party is seeing the problem from its own perspective, the problem is also a threat to the overall national security of the nation; and I argue that should have been the frame of reference to evaluate the problem. At any rate, regardless of why, I think EPRDF is genuine when sounding the alarm on rampant deficit in good governance. On the other hand, I also sense a gap in the definition of the very conception of “lack of good governance”. The party perceives lack of good governance largely to mean bureaucratic hurdles and corruption that the public has to face while receiving services from governmental agencies. But, I argue that this explains only part of the problems since the term ‘good governance’ also refers to democratic and human rights and how the government upholds them in a given county. It incorporates the overall relationship between the government and the public. It is about whether a government that has entered into contract with the public via election is fulfilling its end of the bargain. So, it has a highly political nature unlike the portrayal of the ruling party where good governance is mostly about economic matters. Hence, I don’t think, a solution or a campaign that emanated from this sort of understanding of the problem of lack of good governance would be successful. On the other hand, even with this narrow definition of good governance, we don’t often see the source of the very problem being discussed by the party and its top leadership. To successfully suppress any problem, one has to first understand and discuss the very source of the problem. We haven’t seen that happing in any of the public platforms. For me, the source of the problem is the political corruption that the ruling party itself encouraged. I think economic corruption is just a follow-up of the political corruption that the ruling party aided and abetted. This is manifested in the bureaucracy, which is filled not with technocrats but political appointees. This is political corruption. And one could not be surprised if a bureaucracy that is organized in such a way falls prey to an endemic economic corruption few years down the road. In other words, a party that encouraged its cadres to repress opposition voices and the media and violate basic human rights to solidify its grip on power cannot be surprised when these same cadres invite themselves to the cookie jar (economic corruption). In my over twenty years’ experience in Ethiopia’s politics, I have not seen a single EPRDF cadre being reprimanded for violating the election code of ethics or abusing an opposition or violating human rights. So, how can you stop this opportunist force when it is engaged in economic corruption? It is difficult.



According to scholars, the ethnic federalism system that the ruling party and country had embraced for the past two decades has their own challenges. Primarily, such federalist arrangement hinges on apportioning political power and sources fairly among the various ethnic groups in the country. How do you think this has affected the quality of services in the public sector?



The central point here is that in a country which is organized on ethnic and language lines, other matters that are important for governance and economic growth will be pushed aside since ethnicity would take priority. This is what we are seeing these days in the form of lack of good governance. When people go to government offices these days, they don’t go there to get services from institutions but personalities. So, the public would get services from government institutions depending on their political or ethnic relationships with those in the bureaucracy. The basic building blocks of a government bureaucracy which is professional training, work experience and ethical standards have been brushed aside. So, the majority of the people who join the public sector, especially in the countryside, are those who have not done well in their education or profession. If you come to the urban areas, people who mostly choose to join the public sector are those who are not competent enough to get employment elsewhere like the private sector and the NGOs. Even then, it is clear that the public sector doesn’t pay nearly enough to sustain livelihood. However, most choose the public sector expecting to exploit the administrative loopholes and get financial gains from corruption. My observation is that the system itself breeds politically loyal yet corrupt bureaucrats. So, government’s campaign against lack of good governance will have to defeat those in its own structure. That is why it will be a difficult battle. Yet again, I believe that respect for the equality of the nations and nationalities is not necessarily in contradiction to assigning administrative work based on merit. The fact on the ground shows you that the problem is not about the ethnic affiliation anymore. It is about political loyalty. The federalist system is correct in affording nations and nationalities the right to govern themselves. But, I argue that the federalist system is also expected to deliver economic growth and development and administrative justice. I think the basic problem with Ethiopia’s federalist arrangement is that it is only used to address the question of nations and nationalities in Ethiopia. But, that should not be the case. In Ethiopia, the federalist system could not be used to address other economic and administrative issues properly because the focus is on ethnic and matters of nations and nationalities. However, yet again, so many years after the implementation of the federalist system in Ethiopia, still the question of nations and nationalities is becoming a problem. So, what I want to reiterate is that it is not ethnic affiliation that is becoming a problem; rather it is political affiliation that is suppressing merit.



In his recent appearance in parliament, Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn alluded to the argument that good governance is the main problem of the country and that there isn’t an unanswered question regarding rights of nations and nationalities in Ethiopia. What do you make of this assessment? And do you think this could be construed as a shift in EPRDF policy after the departure of the late Meles Zenawi?



If I can start from the last one, if we ask if there are discernible shifts since the death of Meles, I would argue that there are some visible changes. For me, there is big leadership gap since the departure of the late prime minister; it is not clear where the power center lies in the party. And I think, this confusion is apparent even among members of the party. Especially, after the TPLF split, power was almost under the control of the late prime minister. So for me, the EPRDF is in the process of power consolidation and it is not clear yet where this consolidation leaves the decisive power: either in the hands of an individual or a group. This has its own problems manifested in the variation of political decisions that are lauded in public and those implemented on the ground. This is highly natural. So, political parties have to go through this process and consolidate centers of power. This has not happened yet in EPRDF; but I think this would take place in time. The other point is that observed in post-Meles era is that there are tendencies to be populists; for instance, we see decisions being taken hastily and then being reversed following public uproar. This is manifested in the two recent decisions (one, the reversal of the Addis Ababa-Oromia integrated master plan and the other the recent decision to suspend traffic regulation following uproar by taxi drivers). I think these tendencies are really dangerous for the party. Regarding the recent statement of the Prime Minister in parliament, I was really shocked when I heard the speech. If you ask me it could be a spur of the moment thing; but if it is indeed spoken intentionally, I would say that it is a really debatable issue. As far as I know, the constitution never said that the question of nations and nationalities is fully answered but it laid down the ways of properly addressing these issues. On the other hand, these kinds of issues by their nature are not issues which are raised at certain time and get settled once and for all. The issue can resurface at anytime. But, the issue should be about having the mechanism (the constitutional mechanism) to address the concerns. I think this is one of the issues which should have been considered while drafting the constitution. Once you connect the question of identity with ethnicity, language and the like, the quest for the recognition of identity would not be limited to the nine regions and major ethnic groups in the country; it is a never-ending quest. It cannot stop at regional level, woreda or kebele levels; it can go down to the level of an individual family. If we take the case of the South Region, we have 46 ethnic groups mashed together to form the regional state. But, there is no identity called South; it is a direction not an identity so you can tell these various groups that they have a region and there would never be additional quest for identity. So, really, to say that this quest has all been answered and that there could never be a quest for identity is unconstitutional by itself. If the statement is indeed the formal stance of the party then it could be construed as a paradigm shift and that we all have to debate on the matter. It is about dissolving EPRDF and remaking it.



You have said that the government bureaucracy is filled with incompetent political appointees who could not do the job professionally. On the other hand, regarding the lack of good governance, you have argued that the party is nurturing civil servants and bureaucrats which are completely out of control. Don’t you sense the contradiction there?



The primary motivation for the government to organize such a bureaucratic force is to ensure its political dominance. The party organized this force to make sure that it has a firm grip on power and the government affairs are at its disposal by having its own people in most governmental posts. Nevertheless, the party should have been worried about the fate of the political order; it should have questioned if this force did not have its own question few years down the road. Slowly, this bureaucratic force started to seek its own economic gains. Definitely, the party did not expect this; and now that it has come clear the politically loyal bureaucrat also has its own agenda. Now, two are at loggerheads; and it would be interesting to see who comes out on top. So, they are not contradictory, one comes after the other: first it was the political corruption and now it has been transformed into economic corruption. Now, this corrupt bureaucratic force is not small; it is numbered in tens of thousands. Furthermore, this force had already tested the sweet taste of corruption and it would have the drive and resolve to continue the system. The measures that should be taken now are very decisive since they can affect the whole governmental bureaucracy and there is the risk of freezing public sector if the measures are drastic. So, I think the solution should be all embracing and political in nature while not forgetting to improve the income of civil servants. The lower salary is indirect license to be corrupt since peoples’ basic instinct is to ensure the survival of oneself and one’s family. I think there are few leaders in that party that have understood the danger well and what it means for the survival of the party. If they were to go harsh and take swift measures, I think there is a danger of losing some of the member parties in the EPRDF as a party altogether. But, I think this is the hard truth that these leaders had to face. One cannot balance the political avalanche and cure the corruption problems all at once; they have to make a choice.



At one time or another, EPRDF had authored policy and strategic documents articulating the extent of the problem of good governance and rent-seeking and the possible corrective measures needed to remedy the situation. Do you see a uniform approach when it comes to the stand of the sparty on these matters?



In my opinion, the extent of the problem of corruption has been elevated to a social problem in Ethiopia; now it is a problem that has made its way into the societal psyche. It is a big problem where an all-inclusive solution is the only framework that would even begin to scratch the surface of the problem. So, I do think changing the mindset is the first and important ground to combat the problem since the extent of problem is now scary. Compared to Kenya or Nigeria, the level of corruption in Ethiopia some five or six years ago was largely negligible. The campaign should start from the party itself and then extend to the society as well since the extent of problem is now societal.



Another confusing fact is that for a party that prides itself on having mass base and mass network that extend up to an individual level, how can a problem this big remain hidden for such a long time?



The party has been talking about lack of good governance in the last twenty years. And it has tried to implement a lot of corrective mechanisms to this effect over the years. However, these measures have utterly failed because, as I have said earlier, the party was weak in identifying the source of the problem. So, the basic problem is in recognizing the existence of a political corruption which then gave rise to an economic corruption. When the party recognizes the emergence of political corruption in the country, then the appropriate corrective measure would start in the political arena. The party always tries to address this issue without endangering its firm grip on power and political hegemony; it is practically impossibility. If you have the commitment it should be the right kind of commitment which can go as far as being willing to compromise one’s grip on political power. The party that gains unwavering support from the public is the one that says the political survival of my party could not come before the interest of the nation. So, the campaign should start with the party itself. Without defeating its inner demons, it cannot get rid of those corrupt individuals in the bureaucracy.



Apart from that what about the measures that are being taken at present. Some in the public still claim that measures that have been taken are limited to the lower tier of the political leadership. What is your take in this?



As far as measures are concerned, to successfully fight this problem, other things that are fundamental are the work of democratic institutions and their independence to bring those to justice. Just like the bureaucracy, these democratic institutions are also composed of politically affiliated individuals. These people are people who do not have the caliber to challenge the system when they see that it is going in the wrong direction. So, we cannot say these institutions have the capacity to struggle and overcome these challenges that are haunting the political order. There are not many strong media outlets apart from government’s outlets which never questions the system. From the very start, these institutions were not organized to safeguard the system but the party and its grip on power. Hence, at this point, these institutions would be next to useless to fight corruption and lack of good governance; they are toothless tigers to say the least. You can see that, human rights abuse, corruption or administrative injustice have actually gotten worse since the establishment of the Human Rights Commission, the Federal Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission and Ombudsman Institute. So, they have to be independent from the influence of the government and the party in the first place.



How do you see the contradiction between the country-wide unrest which is going on in Ethiopia at the moment and the clean sweep victory that the ruling party declared just few months ago?



In my opinion, the ruling party should have been scared when the electoral commission announced that EPRDF and affiliates have won 100 percent of the legislative seats from the House of Peoples’ Representatives down to the kebele and woreda council levels. In a nation where there are diverse views and opinions, there is no way that one party can win 100 percent of the seats in the legislature. On the one hand, this election result reflected that plurality of view has lost any footing in the Ethiopian political system. Plus, when you see the wave of unrest that swept across the nation in a manner of months since winning the election, it tells you that the election does not reflect objective realities on the ground. In fact, in my view, these kinds of conflicts are totally natural in a country where plurality of opinion has been repressed. So, I think, it is not too late for EPRDF to stop and think hard as to what is going on around it. You can’t have it both ways in a sense that the government can’t expect to close violent ways of voicing dissent while choking peaceful ways via 100 percent dominance at all levels. It is just not possible. If you ask me, the basic question in Ethiopia today is respect for plurality of opinion. When it comes to ethnic identity, religion, culture and so on, there is at least one platform where these diversities come out into the open. However, name one government structure where plurality of opinion is adequately entertained. It is very difficult. If you see, countries which were rather stable for many years and suddenly ierrupted into violent conflict this is because these countries have not implemented reforms to accommodate diversity of opinion.



Talking of the recent violent clashes in Ethiopia, the ruling party seems to have shifted the narratives, which were a conflict instigated and sustained by anti-peace elements, to the one that is caused fully by the ruling party itself and its faulty ways. The PM made the pronouncement in his recent statement to parliament. What is your take on this?



I concur with the view that the problem has its source basically from the objective realties that has prevailed among the people. But, I cannot fully disregard the presence of some groups who are trying to benefit from the situation from behind. Nevertheless, these forces managed to get access because of the poor and belated handling of the situation. So, we can say that the fertile ground was already there. I think such forces will always be there. All they want is to escalate the situation and take matters into their worse form. I think this would not benefit anyone; the people would not stand to gain from this. But, like I said before, the basic reason behind this is the inability to address the problems appropriately and in a timely manner. So, I think it is a good start for EPRDF to admit that problem begins and ends with the party itself and the local context at large.



What do you think is the role of political parties in mitigating the current situation in Ethiopia?



I think political parties have an irreplaceable role to play in this situation. The ruling party has to open its door to let political parties play this positive role. EPRDF has to abandon its old ways of labeling all political parties as anti-peace and anti-development forces and start to entertain their varied views in the political market place. We have a number of political forces in Ethiopia with varying political views which in one way or the other represent certain section of the population. As I said before, in Ethiopia, there is a significant variation in political opinion and the country needs a system which accommodates this diversity. There should be a genuine multiparty system. On the other hand, the opposition parties should also look into themselves; and they have to check the direction they are following. For instance, regarding the recent unrest, some political parties without fully appreciating what the causes and consequences of this conflict were, they have shown tendencies to fuel the situation on the ground; and this is quite wrong. It is wrong to view everything as a potential opportunity to overthrow the government. Political parties need to calm down and craft their agendas in-line with the interest of the public. Their activities have to be completely legal and peaceful. In fact, the existence and activities of political parties do not always have to hinge on the potential of holding governmental power. A political party can come up with a concrete policy alternative and influence the government into making policy changes by peacefully pursuing their political agenda. This kind of culture is what guarantees their eventual rise to power.





Source: Reporter

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