Why our beloved country continues to bleed and be so poor for so long?

Editorial at NILE STREAMS

The cry for help:

Our great country, Ethiopia , is crying for help perhaps louder today, more than ever before. She is raising her voice to be heard. She is looking for a way out from the endless circle and mess, and be on the right track to reach her long dreams of overcoming perpetual poverty once and for all. She is yearning for growth and prosperity like many of her old and new friends around the world.

Twenty years ago, the world was shocked when it saw thousands of innocent Ethiopian children perish in their mothers' skeletal arms; when men and women were left in the dusty roads and fields with their bare bones scattered all over the place; when they were crying with grief and dry tears begging for food; when hundreds were dying everyday, unable to survive, for lack of a mere bread and water.

Then too, our country cried for help! The terrible hunger touched the deeper senses of the human spirit and the guilt of millions of people around the world. It brought into question the whole meaning of life and humanity. With the power of television, the shocking images of starving Ethiopians-the dying children, mothers and fathers were vividly shown in the living rooms of everyone, creating fear that the country was dying slowly. This brought out the highest level of the humane consciousness and spirit. There is no question the “Art Streams”, in the fields of photography, TV images, films, poems, songs (remember: “We are The World”), literary articles and speeches played a key role in touching this spirit, and in mobilizing an unprecedented effort to save lives. Perhaps, this was a proof that when politics fails, the Arts take the stage to correct the situation, by raising consciousness and the human spirit to connect, however transient it might be.

Many countries, most of all, famous humane artists put on the frontline the force of their prestige, popularity and creative talents to pull worldwide resources and generously helped to save this beautiful and ancient country of dignified people. They did this to avoid seeing a permanent scar on this colorful and great country, with deep culture and history. They stood on her side to overcome its temporary crisis. They heard her cry and reached out to help her stand on her feet, praying for her and hoping she will have a better future sooner than later. For many living Ethiopians, this was a traumatic experience. However appreciative we were for the great generosity of the world, this history evokes a deep feeling of shame and regret on us that we had to lose over a million of our innocent people due to starvation, when there were plenty of resources to avoid it.

Unfulfilled Expectations:

Unfortunately, twenty years later, the country is still not sure if it is fully out of the dark or is able to void the repeat of that terrible history. Its future is still uncertain and precarious, with no end in sight for its poverty. Our people, young and old, are still dying in thousands, if not in millions, as in the mid 80's, due to chronic hunger, disease, natural disaster as well as sadly enough due to entrenched and interwoven socio-economic and political problems. The socio-economic and political problems of this poor country are still so complex and intricate, with no tangible hope in site; requiring perhaps greater wisdom, patience, calmness, hard work and most of all unity and tolerance especially among its elites and leaders. Tolerance especially may well be her primary soul and spirit for a peaceful, stable and democratic life to take roots in her soil. A peaceful, stable, secured and democratic society and culture may well be the only guarantee to lead her outside of the poverty circle into a route to economic growth and prosperity. Peace, stability and democracy cannot, however, be nourished without tolerance and recognition and accommodation of differences. Unfortunately, these key factors are still missing in our country, especially among the political elite, who supposedly assumes the responsibility to lead the country out of poverty.

The Ethiopian Political Elite:

The saddest and most depressing feature of our country's life, at least as seen in our life time remains to be regrettably the political situation, at times much more than the cycle of drought and starvation. The poverty, starvation and degradation could probably have been overcome if we were fortunate enough to find the secret to solve our political problems. At least one generation already lost the opportunity to find that magic formula, and simply vanished. Now, the new generation also seems to be consciously or unconsciously on the verge of losing its great chance, destiny and social contract; the opportunity to shape the future of its beautiful and good old mother land. Partly, if not mainly, the vestiges of the earlier generation should take blame for this sad situation.

The political situation in our country is solely controlled and maneuvered by the political elites, whose true dreams and aspirations don't always necessarily coincide with the people's dreams, wishes, prayers and hopes, and worst of all have no accountability. The lack of willingness or ability, on the part of the political elite, to relate or distinguish political power from the true aspirations of the people, leads to cyclic crisis, violence and betrayal of the people's trust, wishes and aspirations. Often, the people are used by the elite as a means to climb or cling to power and to perpetuate the crisis in one way or another with intermittent cycles of violence and destructions.

What is ironic, depressing and somewhat perplexing is that whenever the country seems to get an unprecedented opportunity to perhaps come out once and for all from its chronic problems, the political elite squanders it and dooms the people's dreams. It fails to wisely catch the moment and the historic opportunities mainly because it is often blinded by the lust for power at any cost, ideological dogma, conceit, arrogance, suspicion, intolerance, internal strife and narrow and self centered goals.

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