Blindfolded in a Minefield.

1995 Simeon Mountains in Ethiopia. Finding my father’s grave. He died in 1994.

‘At a superficial level the conflict is between, on the one hand, a pan-Ethiopianist political centre advocating for a more unitarian state and, on the other, ethno-nationalist forces fighting for a federal order. This follows a familiar fault line in modern Ethiopian politics.

But, based on my long-term research on local and national politics in Ethiopia, this is where historical parallels between the current and past conflicts in Ethiopia end.’ - Tobias Hagmann

The first time I stepped on Ethiopian soil,

in search of my father, was in 1995 and it remains one of the greatest moments of my life. The man named Why came home. I was 29. Ethiopia welcomed me with open arms and joy. She still does. Whenever the subject of politics came up in conversation fellow Ethiopians gently shielded me with love. And love is what I needed more than anything.

From then I have spent much of my life with Ethiopia. My father was a pilot for Ethiopian Airlines and my mother married a minister under Emperor Haile Selassie. Their stories and histories are entwined in me whether I like it or not. But i had little idea of the depth of disagreements into the rich culture from which I was born. I wasn’t sure of what I should or should not say. I didn’t know who was not talking to whom or why. I didn’t know which subjects were off limits and which subjects were open to discussion or that my choice of language (outside of English) could displace me. Given all of this, I have chosen not to speak of what I do not know. Until now.

In the present days of conflict

in Ethiopia I find myself in a strange dream: a blindfolded man in a minefield. There is beckoning from all sides telling me to step left or step right, to speak out or to stay quiet. I must take off the blindfold to see where I stand in reality.

My relatively simplistic knowledge of Ethiopian history is informed by ‘A History of Modern Ethiopia 1855 – 1991 by Bahru Zewde and the subsequent administrations and prime ministers as listed in the public sphere thus : ‘Meles Zenawi served as president of the Transitional Government of Ethiopia from 1991 to 1995,[3] then served as the 2nd prime minister of Ethiopia from 1995 to his death in 2012’. Hailemariam Desalegn was prime minister from 2012 – 2018’ and from April 2018 Abiy Ahmed has held the position of democratically elected Prime Minister of Ethiopia. I am aware of the Ethnic origins of all of them.

From the outset of his tenure Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed at 42 years of age released political prisoners and gave permission for political exiles to return to Ethiopia. He developed his cabinet in government which was nearly fifty percent female and appointed Sahle-Work Zewde as president of Ethiopia. He brokered peace between Eritrea and Ethiopia which ended a war of over 20 years. In 2019 Ethiopia hosted World Press Freedom Day. And he oversees the near completion of The Renaissance Dam. In The Nile it is a symbol of Ethiopian self-reliance and confidence. A symbol of the future.

Sunrise from Entoto looking over Addis Ababa January 2019

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None of what is happening in Ethiopia today can be reduced to a simple binary by someone like me. And so I stand for peace in all its complexity. Peace to all Ethiopians. These particular articles from eminent Ethiopian writers, historians and activists, further my understanding. So this is where I stand. I love you Ethiopia. I love you.

Ethiopia’s Civil War: Five reasons why history won’t repeat itself: The Conversation.

Reforming Ethiopian Ethnofederalism by Befeqadu Hailu. City Press

The age of disinformation. What exactly is happening in Ethiopia? by Bahru Zewde

Ethiopia’s Long War by Maaza Mengiste: LRB

Correction: 1st December 2021. I mistakenly attributed the quote at the beginning of this blog to Befeqadu Hailu. This has been rectified. Sincere apologies to Befeqadu Hailu and Tobias Hagmann.. The original quote was written by Tobias Hagmann in an article called Ethiopia’s Civil War: Five Reasons why history won’t repeat itself.