This is the first of many blogs, I plan to post!
After much soul searching, I reached to this conclusion. That most of us, Ethiopians, live in severe denial of the stance of our country Ethiopia in the sight of the world. Once again this is not an attempt to solve a generation old question “why Ethiopia is a world apart”, but it is an attempt to question some of our thinking patterns.
Growing up, as over three fourth of an un-fortunate citizens of this country, we learn the make believe story that we crammed from our public school and half slumber society. All of a sudden we grew up and found ourselves facing with the harsh reality with an un-true self image of being an Ethiopia, and what Ethiopia embodies to us.
My first awakening came on my arrival to America in the late 90’s. I was amazed with not only the very complex roads and infrastructures, but also how green the country was. Wow….! I was made to believe that Ethiopia was/is the most greenish nation on the planet earth. Since then, my questioning mind never rested but questioned ideas like “Ethiopia, was the only nation chosen by God, with so many divine promises. Ethiopia was the only nation that has so much natural resources, wild animals and diverse tribal existence. We are actually not black, but we are brown people with special culture, tradition and history. We are the nation that was never been colonized in the face of the 19th century, we are the land that was filled with hero’s like Tewodros. We are a unique nation that deserves the attention of the whole world.”
But, reality as harsh as it always is, explicitly announces Ethiopia as a nation that heavily relies on begging to survive on the face of the earth. A nation full of citizens where ‘pride has more important place than winning a daily bread’, a nation full of citizens who chose to live in the past glory they have never seen, but have no future plan that they don’t think they will exist tomorrow.’
I had to face this ruthless reality before I started peeling off the garbage that has been build generations ago. Garbage that buried the truth so deep, that we made to believe what doesn’t represent the truth as the truth.
Are we really who we say we are? Or rather, are we really who we ‘think’ we are?
I will keep peeling off the garbage of our thought pattern…. Hang on write back.
Selam Qwou. Teyakiw
