Like most of the Ethiopians who were there, I went to the meeting uninvited with one of two purposes in mind: to change the agenda to what it should be-the dictatorship in Ethiopia- or to prevent the meeting from taking place altogether. It is fair to say that we have succeeded more than partially.
It is unbelievable how far the TPLF-EPRDF supporters can go in their savage indecency. They were insulting their own fellow Ethiopians using words so immature and uncouth that a 6- year- old would be embarrassed to utter. Although there was some shouting from our side as well, this was nothing compared to the boorish behavior and blind denial of truth on the other side.
Having experienced rudeness of unparalleled proportion from my own fellow Ethiopians, I began to see the validity of the advice some of my friends give me: to avoid anything and everything that has to do with Ethiopian politics altogether. But this is the very trap that the regime in Ethiopia wants us to fall in. They create a situation in which Ethiopians curse and insult each other in public (do not forget that whatever else we say about them, the so called TPLF-EPRDF supporters among us are our brothers and sisters; they are Ethiopians, like all of us, I guess).Who wants to be insulted? No self respecting person would tolerate such disrespectful behavior under any circumstances. So, what do we do? We either give up as my friends would suggest I do, or take ourselves down to the level of the other side and engage in a worthless exchange of words that may even lead to violence. Either way, the group in power in Ethiopia knows that this is the sure way to prevent any meaningful diaspora struggle from coming to fruition. It served them well so far anyway, for 20 years to be exact.
The truth is that what happened in Dallas is not an isolated occurrence. In recent days, the regime seems to have stepped up its assault on the diaspora. Similar incidents happened in Seattle, Washington DC and London. The attacks on our faith and community organizations, particularly in churches have been going on for long. The recent controversy surrounding ESFNA has the governments’ hand behind it.
The question is what should we do? In my opinion, we need a new direction and perspective in the way we view the whole problem. I may sound like I am playing with words, but instead of looking at the people who proclaim to support the regime as an enemy to be defeated; we need to see them as a challenge to be overcome. It is only when we see them as a challenge that we engage them, and expose their bad deeds for all to see including themselves. This strategy might even help us to isolate the elements that need a little push to come to their senses from those that have totally been taken by hatred and self interest to give a blind eye to the suffering of their own people. We cannot afford to avoid them and leave them alone to do what they want, which is actually what they prefer. If we think that what they do is wrong (which even they themselves know to be the case), they need to be told. But how do we tell them in away not only helps us triumph over the misinformation ad deliberate denial of truth they operate by, but also one that can be a positive force to combat the forces of repression and division in our community at large.
It may be a cliché but the key to do all this is to create an effective structure that can coordinate so that we can involve a significant number of the diaspora population. We need to organize ourselves both locally (in our respective cities or countries) as well as globally. In the short run, this will help us fight to protect our cultural, religious and community institutions from TPLF/EPRDF encroachment and will in the long run be a force to support the wider struggle to establish democracy and rule of law back home. I understand our situation is very different but we can take some lesson from the Tea party movement in America and use it as a source of inspiration. The tea party movement reminds us that grass root mobilization, when effectively organized using the power of the internet and other modern forms of communication, can create miracle. We may have different opinion about the nature of its influence and some even question whether it is a genuine grass root organization at all. But no one disputes the fact that the Tea party movement, with in a short period of time, has become a huge force to reckon with in the American political system. I do not see why we cannot organize our diaspora community in a similar fashion.
A couple of months ago, I saw some encouraging signs in this direction. There were some calls on the web (especially on ethiomedia.com) to establish a US-wide organization for the Ethiopian diaspora. Among them were the one put forward by Professor Getachew Haile and another one by anonymous group consisting of concerned Ethiopians. While I applaud those individuals for taking the initiative towards such a noble cause, I also urge them (actually, all of us) to follow through and take it to the next level. Obviously, with the dictatorship in Ethiopia getting worse by the day, these sorts of grass root movement are needed more than ever.
We need to come to terms with the unpleasant fact that our struggle so far has not produced any significant result. If anything, the regime in Ethiopia has deteriorated to an absolute tyranny, the problem of the people has grown more acute and unbearable. We in the diaspora are as divided and ineffective as ever. In the wake of this painful truth, it is imperative to do some soul searching and ask ourselves as to why, after 20 years, have we not had any successes? I would not submit that the reason is not just because some self- serving individuals are willing to sacrifice anything for their individual interest nor is it just because of the tribal and dangerous policy of the divide and rule used by the regime in power. But the question is why are they so effective for so long (who know how long we have yet to go)?
For me, the very fact that these elements flourish in our midst means that as a society (as a country), we have a deeper and more serious problem. It means that a very fertile ground has been created in our society where virtues like truth, honesty and love of country are not valued so much any more. Instead, a very misguided individualistic culture based on greed, dishonesty and narrow mindedness is taking root. It looks like some of us are preoccupied with our own material enrichment (and perhaps those of our immediate family’s) at the cost of everything else. To the extent that this analysis bears any resemblance with the reality we live in, it says some thing about the depth of the problem we face and the level of struggle needed to much it .We are not just fighting misguided and isolated individuals or groups motivated solely by self interest. We are fighting with the value system of the entire society. It is a call to re-evaluate ourselves and strengthen our moral basis as a people. This is why I think a broad based, grass root movement is urgently required if our diaspora institutions, indeed the whole democratic struggle, is to be saved.
Meanwhile, I have news for TPLF/EPRDF agents /supporters. We do not hate you. But we abhor what you do. We want you to join us and be a voice for our brothers and sisters who are voiceless. But if you ignore this call and continue to be instruments of repression, we want you to know that we are determined to organize, fight and expose you for what you are. You may dismiss this as an empty word. But get this: you can only go so far with lies and disinformation. You cannot deceive all the people all the time. We have decided to stand for the truth because unlike our people back home who are in an open air prison, we have the freedom to do so.
