Ethiopia: What Lays Beneath “A child that is born in prison fears the free world”
Ayyaantuu - November 20, 2007
Ebissa Ragassa, Freelance WriterThus far the appearance of Ethiopia has been perpetuated rather than the nature of Ethiopia as it really is. Each successive government continues to affix its own veil rather than shade some light on the causes of Ethiopia’s dysfunction. Massive energy and vital resources are spent by ruling groups in indoctrinating, creating a hypnotic state among its very citizens and imposing flawed model of thinking, rather than encouraging mutual reality. All different Ethiopian citizens or peoples of that land are contending based on their own individual or group’s appearance of what the state of Ethiopia is, or what it should be. Henceforth, the fundamental nature of Ethiopia has not changed since its inception. For some, Ethiopia is a step-mother; for other, it is their biological parent. For some, it is source of empowerment; for other, it is a cause of agony. For some, Ethiopia is an ancient country; for others, it is a two-century-old in the process of becoming. The clash of these competing ideas is the present day drama of Ethiopia. Whether the drama will unfold in tragic end or in a new beginning remains in our determination to look beyond the appearance, unwrapping the veil of Ethiopia, hopping over the propaganda and the our biases, and entering the domain of the truth.
We must recognize that Ethiopia is just an idea that exists in our mind; it is not a natural phenomenal like the sunset and sunrise that continue to exist independent of our thought. Ethiopia is not a fixed entity despite the common perceptions. Although some group do entertain that Ethiopia is a natural phenomena that can only be transformed by divine intervention, I contend that Ethiopia is a thought that can be altered to transcend us, elastic enough to stretch us. Since Ethiopia is an idea, it does not belong to no one, no ethic group has patent over Ethiopia, while Ethiopia’s past history is contrary to this idea ...