Superficial positive-image-building campaigns will not unite Ethiopia
Gadaa.com - January 10, 2008
By Qeerransoo Biyyaa
Since September 2007, the regime in Finfinnee (Addis Ababa) has been engaging in huge positive-image-building campaigns in the eyes of the West. Positive-image-building campaigns make one of the components of the millennium goals. This campaign has involved music concerts, exhibitions, and bazaars.
Today I will focus on why these superficial image-building campaigns can not help unite Ethiopia. I will show how it deepens the divide amongst the peoples of the country who want to determine their own destiny. If you ask the regime or supporter of the regime why creating awareness in the West about Ethiopia is important, you will get misleading arguments like this: “The country badly needs foreign investment to grow. This will signal to the world Ethiopia is a better and stable place to put their money in.” This quote is from my reader who sent me an email following my previous article. At its very best this rhetoric is a propaganda which tries to conceal the fundamental questions of freedom and democracy, the lack of respect for human rights and the right to self determination up to secession of peoples. The oppressed people of the country are now focusing on trying to find answers to these fundamental questions in various forms of struggles. Examples are everywhere about the violation of human rights in Ethiopia and particularly Oromia and Ogadenia ... READ MORE