Ethiopianism - Part II

“A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how many want in.. And how many want out.”
― Tony Blair

I had a great dialogue with a friend of mine about this obsession of the meaning of being an Ethiopian, which seems to sprawl its roots in me. We consciously attempted to flip every historical footprint that is ever declared on behalf of our birthplace.

We gazed at the chronicles; from the tribe of Kush to Queen Sheba, from the Axumites to the era of the Kings, from the fables to the controversial declaration of what being an Ethiopian mean for a native of the land.

Our upbringing was filled with the mystical and heroic stories of Ethiopia and Ethiopians that the feeling of greatness hovers above our head like a piece of blessed cloud.  It is almost impossible to assert one’s Ethiopian identity outside this prideful curtain that is most deeply rooted in the historic “past”.

But then reality hits; why in the world, how in the world, these glamorous and prideful existence led many, Ethiopians, go astray like flock of sheep without a shepherd.  Tony Blair once quoted “A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how many want in.. And how many want out.”  As we Ethiopians jokingly say, almost every person would like to leave the land – if given a chance.  Our self dismantling way of life is not a sign of a great nation and its people!

So, I wonder, and then what does being an Ethiopian really mean?  If the historical account is put aside, if the arrogant curtain of “...I’m better than you, we are better than everybody, we are greater than everybody ...” bluff rolled up, what is the real meaning of being an Ethiopia to each native?

I’m still digging!

Pazion - 2011

ETHIOPIA :- A NATION LEFT BEHIND! PART I

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 19^th 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

“MY WAY OR THE HIGH WAY… PART II” of ETHIOPIAN’S APPROACH!

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The story goes like this:

A peasant raised a dog, this dog used cause all kinds of troubles. This peasant repeatedly warned the dog, but the dog did not cease its misbehaving and its mischievous acts.

One day this exasperated peasant took the dog to the weekly market, and then he started yelling … “Mad dog, Mad dog … Watch out!”. The crowd started to throw stones at this mischievous dog……

The peasant got his revenge… and the story of the dog foiled down sadly….

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Selam All,

Some of the comments I have received after the last ‘my way or the highway’ blog implied that it is a worthy/healthy thing to self-examine. I agree with you. As Socrates once said ‘The unexamined life is not worth living. ... Wisdom begins in wonder. ... There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance.' “

Then I don’t see why some of you readers think, shining a light up-on my Ethiopian way of thinking, my brain wiring and my expression in the world would be wrong?

And then again, I asked my self the job of 'teyaki' in 'ethiomind' is to ask questions on how we Ethiopian’s think. A Question that tickles our inner most brain cells. And the hope is that some day many of us might find ourselves awake from our day dreaming.

The one and most absurd comment I have received is that I might be a banda, who is hired by the government. An idea like this seems to be one of the recent fad, which is spreading faster than the Californian wild fire. What a stretch!

Pointing out that the idea of ‘my way or the highway approach’ doesn’t serve Ethiopia and Ethiopian’s doesn’t mean upholding the government philosophy. Or it doesn’t require being a hired pen to express my opinion. Thanks to the technology.

Of course, I had said that the so called ‘intellectuals’ pretension to know ALL the answers to Ethiopia and there is no other view than their ‘sophisticated’ approach… is just an eerie feeling.

This extends to all disciplines of study and walk of life. Our strength and our power is in our mutual acceptance to one another and respect the other person’s opinion. At the end of the day the winner is the all inclusive person/race.

But, it triggered another issue that is equally important in Ethiopian’s way of thought process. It is label giving and calling names. Especially those we have a ‘beef’ with. Well, the world was supposed to revolve around us – I guess.

Zemene Mesafint, Zemene Negestat, Zemene Derg, Zemene Zenawi… it is imperative to know that the years, days ‘zemenochu’ are changing and we are in the year of technology & communication zemene siltane….. but we haven’t graduadted from the SAME school of thought.

It is sickening to hear and see us ‘Ethiopian’s’ (especially the once living in the western hemisphere) still dwell in our ‘comfort zone’ while in reality we live in amnesia. That we don’t know or remember we are suffering from sleep paralysis. We are W-A-Y behind from the whole world. We can’t afford to live in a very narrow approach of life, in a narrow kind of circle, in a very narrow kind of existence.

I found it to be very comical that we demand even the ‘westerns’ should accept this bias of ours. Well for some-one who defines the boundaries and the standards, it might be a legitimate demand to make. But, are we, can we???? Not really.

Let’s stop putting name tags and labels. Let’s stop hair splitting, and see our REAL stance on face of the world. Physicians tell us the awareness of the problem is the first step in finding the real solution.

These are my two cents, I blog on

So, hang on… write back

Selam Qwou.
(ethiomind@gmail.com)