Consciousness is the Source of Empowerment - Finfinne Times - March 18, 2008
In his review of Aleqa Asres Yenesew's book titled Tekami Mikir, translated as "Useful Advice" by Dr. Messay Kebede, the latter seems to subscribe to the author's school of thought that "the heritage of a legacy and the assumption of a common destiny define a nation rather than its ethnic or linguistic oneness." Dr. Messay goes on to add that "what matters is not that facts justify the discourse, but whether the discourse is empowering."
Aleqa Asres's book was reportedly published in 1958, and Dr. Messay's voluminous review was posted on the Ethiopian Review website, among others, on March 14, 2008. Based on Dr. Messay's review, the content of Aleqa Asres' book seems to be thought provoking, especially given the fact that it was written about half a century ago. The central message of the book, as can be gleaned from the review, appears to be warning about the risk of departing from the deep knowledge endowed in the Ethiopian tradition in pursuit of what is termed as "modern education." The debate on this very important issue should have been brought to the policy fore at the time and conclusively fathomed. Aleqa Asres should have been praised for raising the issue even if his crucial prescription as a solution to the issue could have been conclusively defeated then as it can be defeated now ... Read more.