As we approach the Ethiopian millennium in September of 2007, the nation has to reflect on the past one hundred years. No doubt, the country has seen one dramatic incident after another: famine, revolution, being the capital of Africa, border wars, peacekeeping missions, Olympic triumphs, archeological findings and a host of others. Ethiopia did start the now ending century with the hope the Adwa war had ended, rebuilding was on the start, legislative reforms were being incorporated, a more centralized government was taking effect.
Ethiopia became the first African member of the League of Nations - small but important strides were made towards building a modern state. Then betrayal occurred when the War with Italy started, the League of Nations started treating both the aggressor and the victim on equal footing, the plight of Ethiopians became overshadowed by the looming fears of the Second World War. That war ended and reconstruction started with promises of yet another hope for a brighter future. This time, Ethiopia became more involved in international politics joining the UN, helped in establishing the Organization of African Unity, encouraged independence movements across Africa as well as looked towards a lasting solution for the Eritrean dilemma which culminated in a federation to end up laying ample grounds for secession.
Years went by, coups after attempted coups took place, Ethiopia experimented with socialist ideology, joined the Non-Aligned movement, ushered in mass education strategies, the famines continued to occur the biggest being in 1984 which led to the famous ‘We are the World’ concert that ended in pouring in of badly needed aid and sparked the fight against hunger that has now become one of the world’s biggest priorities. The Dergue came and was toppled, Ethiopia started a new era of private press, general elections, multiparty/opposition party politics came into being.
Then in 1998 a border war broke out with Eritrea, which continues to loom over both nations with little hope of either side compromising. Hugely contested election took place in 2005. In fact one could take a long time to mention the highlights of this century.
The question remains is what have we learned from our experiences? How could we incorporate our experiences, successes and challenges with the celebrations of the Millennium? As a nation, has the country really made concrete steps to create an atmosphere of tolerance and mutual respect? Are the prospects for the future sunny or cloudy?
All of the above questions do require brooding over. Ethiopian history seems to continue to have a familiar pattern war –peace- development, war- peace-development and of course the occasional natural disaster mostly famine but more recently floods. Ethiopians do pride themselves as having a rich history and culture dating to thousands of years.
For sure great strides have been made but the question is, did we capitalize on the opportunities presented to us effectively? It is difficult to really say whether Ethiopia passed or failed during the past century. In fact, Ethiopia accomplished so much during the times of crises. What Ethiopia failed to do is to learn from the past and change the mindset in regards to what Ethiopia is. We cannot continue to bask in the glory of our ancestors ; we need to create our own successes as well as rectify past mistakes.
As the new millennium draws, Ethiopia needs to change for the better. Only very few people have the good fortune to see the change of a millennium. The new millennium which has less than 300 days left should not be a mere change of a number but a rallying point for change- a change for the better rather than for the worse,- a change that is grounded on the ideals of tolerance, political maturity, cooperation, peace and development. Has Ethiopia run out of positive surprises for the World? Only Ethiopia can answer this.
During these celebrations, we should not fail to honor those who stood with us during troubled times. There are many of those who have gone extra miles to make it happen for those who needed a hand. Paramount among them are the artists who organized and raised funds for the 1984 famine like Bob Geldof, Harry Belafonte, Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie and the members of the ‘We are the World’ team. Journalists such as Jonathan Dimbleby, Mohammed Amin who helped bring to light the devastation of the 1984 famine and others like the nurses who have come all the way here and slept in the dust and wilderness between the dead to save others must be invited to the millennium celebrations to show the nation’s appreciation. These people decided to come to our help out of compassion and a sense of duty. What better way of showing our gratitude is there than by letting them celebrate this truly unique milestone in a true Ethiopian way?•