የሰላም መድረክ ኢትዮጵያ/ PEACE TALK ETHIOPIA ስራችን ስላም ነው፡፡ / We Work for Peace

Canada - India Diplomatic Tensions and Talks on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

EPRP

Toxic Polarization : The Politics of "Us" versus "Them" and Its Deadly Effect in Ethiopia .

Conversation with Dr. Senait Senay

የኢትዮጵያን የተወሳሰቡ ችግሮችና ፈተናዎች ለመወጣት ምን አይነት ተገባራዊ ስራዎች ያስፈልጋሉ?

አሁን በስራ ላይ ያለው የኢትዮጵያ የትምህርት ስርአት ምን ይመስላል?ምን አይነት መሻሻሎችስ ያስፈልጉታል? ለምን?  

በተቋማት ደረጃም ሆነ ከተቋማት ውጪ የሚደረጉ ትምህርት ነክ የሆኑ ስራዎች በአገር የዕውቀት የስልጣኔ የልማትና እድገትጉዞ ላይ ጉሉህና ወሳኝ ተጽእኖ እንደሚኖራቸው በሚገባ ይታወቃል፡፡ በአገራችን በኢትዮጵያ በቀዳማዊ ኃይለስላሴ ዘመነ መንግስት የዘመናዊነት ምሰሶውንና መሰረቱን ያገኘው የኢትዮጵያ የትምህርትስርዓት ከ1966 እኢአ በኃላ የመጡት የፖለቲካ ስርዓቶች የትምህርት ስርዓቱን ከፖለቲካ ፍላጎታቸውና አጀንዳቸው ጋር የሚጣጣም መስመር ለማስያዝና ይህንንም ለማስፈጸም በተለያዩ ደረጃዎች ባሉ የትምህርት ተቋማት ውስጥ ተጽእኖ አሳድረዋል፡፡በመሆኑም ትምህርት እውቀት እውቀት ከመሽተት ይልቅ የፖለቲካ ጠረን ይዞ እንዲቀረጽና እንዲወጣ ሆኗል፡፡

ትምሀርት አንድ አገር የሚቆምበት መሰረትና ምሰሶ ነው፡፡ትምህርት  የአገር ፖለቲካዊ ኢኮኖሚያዊና ማህበራዊ አቅጣጫ መቃኛ ብቻ ሳይሆን የሞራል የስነምግባር የስብዕናና የሰነ ልቦና እርከንና ደረጃ የሚሸመነው በትምህርት ውስጥ ነው፡፡በተቋም ደረጃ ጥራትና ብቃት ያለው የትምህርት ስርአት ፈተናን ከማለፍ ባሻገር ወይንም በተለምዶው የቀለም ሰው ከመባልና ከመሆንበዘለለ ሰብዕና ይቀርጻል፡፡ የሞራልና የስነ ምግባር መስፈርቶችንና ድንበሮችን ያስቀምጣል፡፡ ከዚህ ባለፈም ግዙፍ ፍልስፍናዊ ጥያቄዎችን ያጭራል፡፡ የህይወት ትርጉሙ ምንድንነው? በዚህ ምድር ላይ ከራሴ ባለፈ ከሌላው ሰው እንሰሳት አራዊትና ተፈጥሮ ጋር ያለኝ ግንኙነትና ያለብኝ ኃላፊነት ምንድነው? ?ለህይወት ትርጉም የሚሰጡ ነገሮች ምን ምን ናቸው? ወዘተ የሚሉትን ጥያቄዎች አንዴ ብቻ የትምህርት ቤት ፈተናን ለማለፍ ሳይሆንበህይወት ዘመናችን ውስጥ የመጠየቅና ለእነኚህ ጥያቄዎች መልስ በመፈለግ ውስጥ ለህይወታችን ትርጉም የምንሰጥበት ሂደት ነው፡፡  

ትምህርትንና እውቀትን የስራ ማፈላለጊያና ስራ የማግኛ መሳሪያ ብቻ አድርጎ ማደራጀት አንድም የፖለቲካ የበላይነትን ለማስፈን እንደ መሳሪያ ሲያገለግል የአገራዊ የወቀት የብቃትና የሰብ እና ሚዛንን በእጅጉ ያዛባል፡፡በመሆኑም ይህ አይነት የትምህርት ስርአት  ህግን የማያውቁ ብቻ ሳይሆን በህግ አስከባሪነት ስም ህግን የሚጠሱ ህግ አስከባሪዎችን በዳኝነት ስም ፍርድንና ፍትህን የሚገመድሉ በጋዜጠኝነት ስም ሙያውን የሚያጎድፉ በኢኮኖሚ ሽፋን አገርን የሚዘርፉ ኢኮኖሚስቶች በንግድ ስም ህዝብን የሚያስመርሩ ነጋዴዎች በመምህርነት ስም እውቀትን የሚገድሉ መምህራንን በህክምና ስም ዜጎችን የሚገድሉ የህክምና ባለሙያዎችን በሃይማኖት ስም እምነትን የሚያጠፉ ሃይማኖተኞችን በስርአት ስም ስርዓትን የሚያጎድፉ ስርአት አልበኞችን በፖለቲካና ዲሞክራሲ ስም አምባገነንነትን የሚተገበሩ ዜጎችን ይፈጥራል፡፡

ዜጎች በውስጣቸው ያለንንና ሊኖር የሚችል ልዩነትን በመሰዳደብ በመበሻሸቅ ዱላ በመማምዘዝና በመገዳደል ሳይሆን በሃሳብ ፍትግያና  ሙግት መፍትሄ ወደ መፈለግ ባህል መሄድ አለባቸው ካልን ተማሪዎችን እንደ መንጋ ከትምህርት ቤት ቅጥር ግቢ አውሎ ስዓቱ ሲደርስ ወደ ቤት የሚልክ የትምህርት ስርአት ሳይሆን በጥልቅ እውቀት ስነ ምግባርና የሞራል ልዕል የሚቀርጽ የትምህርት ስርአት ያስፈለጋል፡፡ይህ አይነቱን የትምህርት ባህልና ስርአት መገንባት ደግሞ በ21ኛው ክፍለ ዘመን በአለማችን ካለው እውነታ ጋር አገርንና ህዝብን ለማራመድ ዋነኛው መንገድ ነው፡፡

በዘሬው የሰላም መድረክ ኢትዮጵያ ዝግጅታችን

በአገራችን በ አሁኑ ወቅት በስራ ላይ ያለው የትምህርት ስርአት ያለበትን ሁኔታ የምንቃኝ  ሲሆን በሞራል በስነ ምግባር በእውቀትና በብቃት የታነጹ ዜጎችን ለማፍራት የትምህርት ስርአቱ ምን አይነት ይዘት ቅርጽና አካሄድ ቢኖረው ይበጃል ለሚሉት ጥያቄዎች መልስ ለመሻት እንጥራለን፡፡  ፡፡

በዚህ ጉዳይ ላይ ለመወያየትም አንድ እንግዳ ጋብዘናል እንግዳየ አቶ መሰረት አበጀ ሲሆኡ

በኢትዮጵያ ከሃምሳ አመታት በላይ የዘለቀው በዲሞክራሲያዊ መሰረት ላይ የቆመ ፍትሃዊ የፖለቲካና የኢኮኖሚ ስርአት የመገንባት ምኞትና ውጥን በውስጥና በውጭ ኃይሎች ርዕዮተ አለማዊና ጅኦፖለቲካዊ ፍላጎትና ሴራ ቅንጅት በተከታታይ እየከሸፈ ኢትዮጵያ አሁን ካለችበት  ምእራፍ ላይ ደርሳለች፡፡

በመጀመሪያ በ1966 የተነሳው ህዝባዊ አመፅ በጥቂት የጦር መኮንኖች ተጠልፎ ለአስራ ሰባት አመታት አስከፊ በሆነ የፖለቲካና ኢኮኖሚያዊ ስርአት ውስጥ አገሪቱ አልፋለች፡፡ የኢትዮጵያ አገራዊ ችግር ከመደብ ቅራኔዎች የመነጨ ነው  በሚል ማርክሳዊ ሌኒናዊ ትንታኔ ላይ የተመሰረተው ይህ የምስራቁን ርእዮተ ዓለማዊ ፖለቲካ መሰረት ያደረገው ፕሮጄክት አገሪቱን ባእድ ለሆነ የፖለቲካ  ቀመር ቤተ ሙከራ በማድረጉ የፈጠረው ውጥንቅጥ ቀላል አይደለም፡፡ መዘዙም እስከ ዛሬ ድረስ ባለው የኢትዮጵያ ፈተና ውስጥ የሚታይ ነው፡፡

ወታደራዊውን ስርዓት በጉልበት የተካው የህወሃት/ ኢሀዴግ መንግስት የአገሪቱ መሰረታዊ ችግር ከማንነት ጥያቄዎች ጋር የተያያዘ ነው ከሚል ድምዳሜ ላይ በመድረስ ኢትዮጵያን ማንነትን መሰረት ወዳደረገ የጂኦግራፊያዊና ፖለቲካዊ አወቃቀር መውስድ ለሰላምና ለእድገት ብቸኛው አማራጭ ነው በማለት ለሃያ ሰባት አመታት አገሪቱን የዚህ ስርዓት ቤተ ሙከራ አድርጎ ቆየ፡፡

ይህ የሃምሳ አመታት የጥቂቶች “የእኔ አውቅላችኋለሁ”ጉዞና አገርን የፖለቲካ ቤተ ሙከራ የማድረግ አባዜ  እንዲሁ የፖለቲካ ጉዞ ተብሎ የሚታለፍ አይደለም፡፡ ሚሊዮኖችን ለጭዳ ያቀረበ አካል ያጎደለ ለከፋ አገራዊ የስነ ልቦናና ስነ መንፈሳዊ ቁስል ምክንያት ከመሆን ባሻገር ልጆችን ያለወላጅ ወላጆችን ደግሞ ያለ ልጆች ያስቀረና ለአገራዊ ኢኮኖሚ መድቀቅ ጭምር መንስኤ የሆነ ነው፡፡ በዚህ ደም አፋሳሽ ውጥንቅጥ ውስጥ ልጆቹን ሃብቱንና ህይወቱን እየገበረ የተጓዘው የኢትዮጵያ ህዝብ የዛሬ አራት አመት ገደማ ፍንጥቅ ያለውን የለውጥ ጮራ በማየት ምናልባት ከዚህ ከረዥም የጨለማ ጉዞ  በስተመጨረሻ ብርሃን ልናይ ይሆን ብሎ ከጫፍ እጫፍ በደስታ ወጀብ በመናወጥ በዘፈን በሆታና በእልልታ ስሜቱን አስተጋብቶ ነበር፡፡

የቅርብ ጊዜውን በተለይም ያለፉት ሃምሳ አመታትን የኢትዮጵያውያን  የፖለቲካ ስሜት ለታዘብ እንዲህ አይነቱ አገራዊ ስሜት ተፈጥሮ አያውቅም ቢባል ማጋነን አይሆንም፡፡ እድሜ ፆታ ሃይማኖት ዘር ሳይለዩ ኢትዮጵያውያን ባገር ውስጥም ሆነ ካገር ውጪ ምንም ሳይቆጥቡና ሳይሳሱ ወደ መንበረ ስልጣኑ ለመጡት ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር አብይ አህመድና መንግስታቸው ሙሉ ድጋፋቸውን በፈቃደኘት ሰጥተዋል፡፡

ይህ የዛሬ አራት አመት ገደማ ኢትዮጵያና ህዝቦችዋ በአራቱም የአገሪቱ ማእዘናት ያስተጋቡት አዲስ የተስፋና የአገራዊ ራዕይ እምቢልታ ዛሬ ያለው ቃናና ድምፅ በእጅጉ የተለየ ነው፡፡ቃናው ለዝቦ ድምፁም ስልል ብሎ ወደ ተፈለገውና ወደ  ተጠበቀው እየሄደ አይደለም በሚል በብዙዎች እይታ ከጥያቄ ውስጥ ገብቷል፡፡

ሁለት አመታትን የፈጀውና የዛሬ አራት ወር ከሶስቱ አንድዋ በሆነችው የበደቡብ አፍሪካ ዋና ከተማ በፕሪቶርያ በቀድሞው የናይጄሪያ ፕሬዝዳንት ኦሌሴንጎ ኦባሳንጆ አደራዳሪነት የሰላም ስምምነት ከተፈረመ በኃላ የቆመው የሰሜኑ ጦርነት በሰው ህይወት አካልና በአገሪቱ ኢኮኖሚ ላይ ያደረሰው ጉዳት እጅግ ከፍተኛ ነው፡፡ ቢያንስ ከግማሽ ሚሊዮን በላይ ህይወት መጥፋት ምክንያት ሆኗል፡፡ ሚሊዮኖችን ከቤታቸውና ከቅዬአቸው አፈናቅሏል፡፡ ይህ ሳያንስ በምዕራቡ የአገሪቱ ክፍል በተለይም በወለጋ በአሸባሪነት የተፈረጀውና ራሱን የኦሮሞ ነፃ አውጪ ሰራዊት ብሎ የሚጠራው ቡድን በህፃናት በእናቶችና በአረጋዊያን ላይ ያለማቋረጥ እየፈፅመ ያለው አሰቃቂ የጅምላ ጭፍጨፋ ንብረት ማውደምና ዜጎችን ማፈናቀል ዛሬም ጋብ አላለም፡፡

ከላይ ከዘረዘርናቸው ፈተናዎችና ውጣ ውረዶች በተጨማሪ ከዋጋ ግሽበትና ከሌሎች የስግብግብነትና ሙስና መንሰራፋት ጋር በተያያዘ ህዝቡ ኑሮውን አሸንፎ የመኖር አቅሙ ከዕለት ዕለት እየተዳከም ከመምጣቱ የተነሳ ምሬቱን ማሰማት ቀጥሏል፡፡ከማንነት ፖለቲካ ጋር በተያያዘ የሚደርሰው ፖለቲካዊ ኢኮኖሚያዊና ማህበራዊ በደል ለከት እያጣ በመምጣቱ በ ህዝብ በመንግስት ላይ ያለው እምነትም እየተመናመነ መጥቷል፡፡የዛሬ አራት አመት በተስፋ ያሸበረቀው የኢትዮጵያ ህዝብ መንፈስ ዛሬ ውሃ እንዳጣ ችግኝ ወይቧል፡፡

ይህ በአገር ውስጥም ሆነ በውጭ ትልቅ ተስፋ የተጣለበት ለውጥ እንደተጠበቀው ኢትዮጵያና ኢትዮጵያውያን አካታች የዲሞክራሲና ፍትሃዊ የኢኮኖሚ ስርአት ከመገንባት ትልሙና አቅጣጫው ወጥ ቷል በሚል ዜጎች ስጋታቸውን ያሰማሉ፡፡

ችግሩ ምን ይሆን? ይህን ግዙፍ ተስፋ የተጣለበትን ለውጥ ሙሉ በሙሉ ከመቀልበስ ማዳንና ወደ አጫረው አገራዊ ስሜትና ተሳትፎ እንደገና ማምጣት ይቻል ይሆን?

ምን አይነት እርምቶችስ ያስፈልጉታል? ለውጡን ወደ ተፈለገው አቅጣጫ ማምጣት ካልተቻለስ የሚያስከትለው አደጋና መዘዙ ምን ሊሆን ይችላል?

የሰላም መድረክ ኢትዮጵያ ባዛሬው ዝግጅታችን ከላይ ላነሳናቸው ጥያቄዎች መልስ እንዲያፈላልጉንና አቅጣጫ አመላካች የሆኑ እይታዎቻቸውን እንዲያጋሩን ሶስት እንግዶችን ጋብዘናል፡፡

የዛሬ አራት አመት ገደማ ግዙፍ አገራዊ የተስፋንና የአንድነትን መልዕከት ይዘው ወደ ብሄራዊ የፖለቲካ መድረክ ብቅ ያሉት ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር አብይ አህመድና አጋሮቻቸው የጀመሩት የለውጥ ሂደት አሁን ያለበት ደረጃ ምን ይመስላል? ያለፉት አራት አመታት ሂደትን መለስ ብለን ስንቃኝ ምንድን ነው የምናገኘው? ጦርነት የጅምላ ግድያዎችና የተለያዩ ፖለቲካዊና ማህበራዊ ቀውሶች በተስተዋሉባቸው በእነኚህ አራት አመታት ምን ስኬቶችስ ተመዝግበዋል? በአጠቃላይ ኢትዮጵያና ኢትዮጵያውያን ከአራት አመት በፊት ከነበሩበት የፖለቲካ ኢኮኖሚ ማህበራዊና የፀጥታ ሁኔታ አኳያ ተነስተን ያለፉት አራት አመታት ስንመዝን ሁኔታዎች ተሻሻሉ ወይንስ እየተባባሱና እየከፉ ነው የቀጠሉት?

የቋንቋ አቅም ብርታቱ የልሳን ሁሉ ጉልበቱ የዕምባን ጎርፍ የዋይታንና የሲቃን ግዝፈት የሃዘንን መጠነ ድባብ መግለፅና መሳል ሲያቅታቸው ከሰማያዊው ኃይል እርዳታንና ፅናትን ከመማፅን ባሻገር ወደ ሊቃውንቶቻችንናወደ የጥበብ  ድምጻቸው እንሮጣለን፡፡ እነርሱ እንዲያረጋጉን ለእንባችን ምክን ት ለዋይታችን ቃላት እንዲፈጥሩልን እንጠይቃቸዋለን፡፡ አሁን የደረስንበት ፈታኝ ጊዜም ሊቃውንቶቻችንንና አበዎቻችንን ለዘልአለም ካሸለቡበት ዕረፍት ሳይቀር ቀስቀሰን ምን እናድረግ? ምን እንሁን? ምንስ ትመክሩናላችሁ? እንዴትስ  ትገስፁናላችሁ? እንላለን፡፡

የዛሬ አራት አመት ገደማ ግዙፍ አገራዊ የተስፋንና የአንድነትን መልዕከት ይዘው ወደ ብሄራዊ የፖለቲካ መድረክ ብቅ ያሉት ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር አብይ አህመድና አጋሮቻቸው የጀመሩት የለውጥ ሂደት አሁን ያለበት ደረጃ ምን ይመስላል? ያለፉት አራት አመታት ሂደትን መለስ ብለን ስንቃኝ ምንድን ነው የምናገኘው? ጦርነት የጅምላ ግድያዎችና የተለያዩ ፖለቲካዊና ማህበራዊ ቀውሶች በተስተዋሉባቸው በ እነኚህ አራት አመታት ምን ስኬቶች ተመዝግበዋል? በአጠቃላይ ኢትዮጵያና ኢትዮጵያውያን ከአራት አመት በፊት ከነበሩበት የፖለቲካ ኢኮኖሚ ማህበራዊና የፀጥታ ሁኔታ አኳያ ተነስተን ያለፉት አራት አመታት ስንመዝን ሁኔታዎች ተሻሻሉ ወይንስ እየተባባሱና እየከፉ ነው የቀጠሉት?

የሰላም መድረክ ኢትዮጵያ ከላይ በቀረቡት የምዘናና የግምገማ ጥያቄዎች ላይና ተያያዥነት ባላቸው ጉዳዮች ላይ ሶስት እንግዶችን ጋብዘን ያዘጋጀነውን ውይይት በቅርብ ቀን ይዘን  እንቀርባለን፡፡ እንድትከታተሉንም ከወዲሁ እንጋብዛለን፡

ይህ የሰላም መድረክ ኢትዮጵያ ነው፡፡

ፕሮግራሙን የማቀርብላችሁ ድጋፌ ደባልቄ ነኝ

ከሰው ሰራሽም ሆነ ከተፈጥሮአዊ ምክንያቶች ጋር በተያያዘ በአለማችን በሰው ልጆች ላይ በየጊዜው የሚደርሱ የህይወት መጥፋት የአካል መጉደልና የንብረት መውደሞች በርካቶች ናቸው፡፡ እነኒህ አብዛኛዎቹ በአይን የሚታዩና የሚዳሰሱ ጉዳቶች ሲሆኑ በአይን የማይታዩ የማይዳሰሱ ጉዳቶችም በከፍተኛ ደረጃ የሰው ልጅን ለህመም ይዳርጋሉ፡፡ ይህም የስነ የአዕምሮና የስነ ልቦና ጉዳት ነው፡፡  ለምሳሌ ከ1989 - 2015 ባሉት አመታት ውስጥ 1.45 ቢልዮን ሰዎች ለጦርነት ጉዳት የተጋለጡ ሲሆን ከእ ነኚህ ውስጥ 354 ሚሊዮን የሚሆኑት በስነ ልቦና ህመም ወይንም ቁስል እንደተጠቁ ጥናቶች ያመለክታሉ፡፡

በአገራችን ደግሞ ባላፉት ሰላሳ አመታት ብቻ ሁለት አበይት ጦርነቶች የተካሄዱ ሲሆን እነ ኚህ ጦርነቶች በሰው ህይወት አካልና ንብረት ላይ ያዳረሱት ጉዳት ግዙፍ ነው፡፡ ከዚህም በተጨማሪ ከፍትህ መታጣት ከህግና ከሰብ አዊ መብት ያለመከበር ጋር በተያያዘ በርካታ የስነ ልቦናና የስነ አ ዕምሮ ጉዳቶች ደርሰዋል፡፡  ምንም እንኳን በዚህ የስነ ልቦና ህመም የሚሰቃዩ ወገኖች በትክክል ባይታወቅም በቀላሉ የሚገመት እንዳልሆነ መናገር አስቸጋሪ አይደለም፡፡

ታድያን ይህ ለረዥም አመታት ሲነባበር የቆየ ህመም ምን ብናደርግ ነው ደረጃ በደረጃ እንደ ህመሙ ክብደት በግለሰብም ሆነ በአገር ደረጃ ማከምና እንዲሽርም ማድረግ የምንችለው? በመጠኑም ቢሆን ለዚህ መሰረታዊ ጥያቄና ከጥያቄው ጋር ለተያያዙ ጉዳዮች መልስ ለመሻት ዛሬ አንድ እንግዳ ጋብዘናል፡፡

The political arrangement established in in 1994 after TPLF/EPRDF took power from the military regime was supposed to bring all ethnic groups of the country together through some kind of federal political arrangement based on language and ethnic lines.  This new arrangement was also supposed to bring peace and harmony to the country and as a result the political fragility, war, conflict and violence that stalked the country would come to an end.

Unfortunately, those anticipated outcomes as a result of the new political arrangement didn’t materialize. In fact, the country is more divided, more polarized, and more fragile today than in the past. Identity-based violence and killings have become routine in some parts of the country.  For the last two or so years the country has faced one of its deadliest wars, in which some estimates put the number of the dead at half a million. With infrastructures destroyed and millions displaced, the impact of the war is still visible. It will take years to rebuild and return the internally displaced back to where they were before the war.

While the war officially ended after the Pretoria and Nairobi peace deal, the implementation of the agreement is still on going. The Pretoria peace deal brought some glimmer of hope that the country is going to get a break from the cycle of violence, death, and destruction. There was a degree of optimism since the northern war ended. The country now can focus on the violent groups operating in the west and also create a conducive environment for rebuilding the war ravaged infrastructure in Tigray, Afar, and Amhara. Unfortunately, even before the Pretoria peace deal ink was fully dry, the country is now engulfed in another major crisis, perhaps one of the most consequential crises in recent memory. Following the internal division within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Oromia regional security forces shot and killed 37 followers of the Church and wounded a large number of people the church alleges. The situation overall has raised serious alarm and concern across the country as the ethnic polarization pulls the religion into them mix.

In 2018, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed appeared on the national political scene. It was the most jubilant and joyful moment in Ethiopian politics. People inside and outside of the country were almost euphoric. The Ethiopian people hoped for a government that would uphold the rule of law, build democratic institutions, and serve the people for the first time. Although it appears there were genuine attempts to democratize the country and work towards building sustainable peace, those attempts didn’t turn the country away from war, conflict, and violence.

What went wrong? Why is the country still in the vicious cycle of war and conflict? How can Ethiopia extricate itself from the tragedies of war and conflict?

Did the government of Ethiopia abdicate its responsibilities? 

የቋንቋ አቅም ብርታቱ የልሳን ሁሉ ጉልበቱ የዕምባን ጎርፍ የዋይታንና የሲቃን ግዝፈት የሃዘንን መጠነ ድባብ መግለፅና መሳል ሲያቅታቸው ከሰማያዊው ኃይል እርዳታንና ፅናትን ከመማፅን ባሻገር ወደ ሊቃውንቶቻችንናወደ የጥበብ  ድምጻቸው እንሮጣለን፡፡ እነርሱ እንዲያረጋጉን ለእንባችን ምክን ት ለዋይታችን ቃላት እንዲፈጥሩልን እንጠይቃቸዋለን፡፡ አሁን የደረስንበት ፈታኝ ጊዜም ሊቃውንቶቻችንንና አበዎቻችንን ለዘልአለም ካሸለቡበት ዕረፍት ሳይቀር ቀስቀሰን ምን እናድረግ? ምን እንሁን? ምንስ ትመክሩናላችሁ? እንዴትስ  ትገስፁናላችሁ? እንላለን፡፡

Today on the first episode of the year 2023 we will ponder around the question of justice and peace. Specifically, we will discuss or attempt to answer the question: Can we sacrifice justice for security?

In any post conflict society, the issue of justice in its various forms is the key question that follows once the guns are silent. As such peace and justice become inseparable. Death, physical and psychological trauma, displacement, and anguish that war brings are not going to vanish simply because the guns went silent.

Once the guns are silent there are lingering questions that require clear answers and a path to address them. How do traumatized people recover from war induced violence? How does a nation heal from layers of injustices? What are the appropriate and practical processes of healing?

What is the role and importance of collective mourning in the national journey of healing?

How do we remember the war dead? The disappeared? And those who lie in unmarked graves? What do we tell their family about how and why they died? How do we do historical accounting of such tragic events without embellishing the truth?

These are questions that are not going to be answered just with the brilliance of the mind but then

softness of the heart.

If justice perishes, human life on earth has lost its meaning” Immanuel Kant

Post Pretoria and Nairobi: What has been accomplished? What remains to be done?

Special Episode: Conversation with Alastair Thompson 

As the situation on the ground changes dramatically on this special episode we ask questions about the conflict, peace talks and all recent developments. What is next for TPLF leadership? Exile? perhaps. 

In recent years post World War II and Post-Soviet World War order has been rattled by several new developments. The rise of new economic and military power and the weakening of the old and most recently the war between NATO Ukraine on one side and Russia on the other brought significant security and military implication on our world. Including the possibility of nuclear war.

One of the strategic areas affected by this new reality is the Horn of Africa region. On our program today we will explore a few questions in relation to the HoA. What are the implications for the region? Why are so many actors interested in the Horn of Africa region? These and other related issues will be our topic of discussion today.

እኔ ይቅር ባልኩኝ

Freedom of speech and assembly are fundamental values of a democratic society. As such they are guaranteed and protected by law. Citizens have the full right to express their dissatisfaction, defend and demand their rights from their governments in a peaceful manner; to petition their governments and present their grievances.

At the same time, however, the same law that guarantees peaceful assembly and expression also stresses that any form of violence, whether against an individual, community or property during a demonstration is intolerable and prosecuted accordingly.

In recent months, a very troubled and concerning development has been observed in several European cities. Supporters of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front have violently attacked Eritrean community centres and Embassies across Europe. Obviously, these kinds of activities are unlawful and law enforcement authorities are taking all necessary actions in accordance with the law of the land.

While measures are being taken by the law enforcement forces, targeted communities’ members, particularly the Eritrean communities, are shaken by such brazen and targeted attacks. Despite the viciousness and violent nature of the attacks members of the community have remained peaceful and left the matter for the law enforcement to deal with it.

To get some background information and dynamics behind this violence we have invited Feven Yemane to help us navigate through the historical and current dynamics and what and who is behind it.

Feven Yemane is an Eritrean-British Lawyer and community activist and we reached Feven Yemane in London England.

Repeated efforts to resolve the conflict in northern Ethiopia in a peaceful manner has failed. Once again, the tragedy of war is unfolding. The Ethiopian Federal government’s “unconditional” readiness to hold peace talks “any where any time” has not been reciprocated by the TPLF. Given this fact, is there any hope for sitting and working out some solution to this senseless violence?

To discuss these and related issues we have invited three young social activists to share their perspectives with us.

Betawi, Netsanet and ቀሃስ have been hoping and advocating for peaceful resolution of the conflict in Northern Ethiopia.

Is the Peace Talk Dead? 

On August 11, 2022, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, announced the commencement of the second turbine and production of power at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The next day he also announced the completion of the third filling of the dam. The news of power production and the third filling of the dam was received with excitement by many among the Ethiopian public and the diaspora at large.

This excitement is understandable as the construction of the dam brings the dreams and aspirations of successive generations in accessing the energy of the Abbaye River to help the country lift itself out of poverty.

What is unique about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is that $5Billion US dollars was raised from the Ethiopian public for its creation, in effect making every citizen owner of the dam. As such the dam has brought the Ethiopian people together for a common purpose and shared goal. It has symbolized the spirit of national unity and national purpose.

While the dam instilled national sentiment of unity in Ethiopia, it has brought anxiety and concern to neighbouring countries, particularly Egypt. Certainly, change to the status quo always creates discomfort. However, the building of the dam could usher a new spirit of cooperation between Ethiopia and its neighbours.

To discuss the near completion of the dam and its impact on the region and also new era of cooperation, we have invited Professor Ashok Swain for his reflections on this important issue.

War is a real time tragedy with real life consequences. Those unarmed and unprotected men, women, children, along with the frail and the elderly caught in the middle, endure most of the suffering. There is nothing good about war, even in the name of self-defense. The very nature of war, whether waged in the name of “liberation,” “freedom,” or authoritarian desire for domination, only causes pain and trauma. The other tragedy of war is that those who gain meaning and purpose from it fail to realize that they have diminished their humanity and the humanity of fellow human beings.

The currency of war is human life, and the profit is destruction. Even for those war profiteers making fortunes. To think otherwise is to fall into the dark corners of illusion.

Over the last few years Ethiopia, a country of 110 million, has experienced one of its most destructive wars in recent memory. A war that has killed, maimed, and destroyed lives. Schools burned, hospitals and health facilities looted, even the places of worship, such as churches, mosques, and monasteries, desecrated.

The irony is that such twisted and cruel notion of “liberation” and “freedom” is premised by denying the right to live in freedom to those who groups like the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and others claim to represent. The truth is there is a lust and addiction to violence, domination, and disregard to the sanctity of human life that has emerged among groups in Ethiopia.

While it is hard, even impossible, to think there will be a transformation toward peace, the Ethiopian government’s desire to engage in peace talks without any preconditions is a start.

The fact is all parties must enter into talks in good faith, and it is the hope of the Ethiopian people and peace-loving people around the world that those involved will have the courage to work together to end this senseless violence.

Water, Peace and Conflict in the Horn Of Africa

ኢትዮጵያ አገራችን አሁን ካለችበት ደረጃ የደረሰችው በአጋጣሚ አይደለም፡፡ ለአራት አስርተ አመታት ለሚጠጋ ጊዜ አገርን ከፋፍሎ ወደ መበተን ማድረስን አላማውና ግብ አድርጎ የተነሳው ህወሃት በመባል የሚታወቀው ቡድን ሌት ተቀን ሲሰራበት የቆየውና በፕሮግራሙ ያስቀመጠው እኩይ ተግባር ውጤት ነው፡፡በመሆኑም ይህንን እውነታ ከግምት ውስጥ በማስገባት በኢትዮጵያ በዲሞክራሲያዊ አስተዳደር ላይ የቆመ ፍትሃዊ ስርዓት ለመገንባት የተጀመረውን የለውጥ ጎዞ ለአንድ አፍታም ሳንዘናጋ መረጃና ማስረጃ ለሌለው ወሬና ሹክሹክታ ሳንፈታ በተቀናጀ መልኩ ክግብ ማድረስ አገራዊና ታሪካዊ ኃላፊነት ነው፡፡ዛሬ የህወሃት በመባል የሚታወቀው አሸባሪ ቡድን መሪዎች ለጥቅማቸውና ለንዋይ ማካበቻ ሲሉ ብቻ ያጠለቁትን የኢትዮጵያዊነት የማስመስል ጭንብል ሙሉ በሙሉ አውልቀው እኛ ካላለብናትና እኛ አፅሟ እስኪወጣ ድረስ ካልጋጥናት “ኢትዮጵያን ለማፍረስ እስከ ሲኦል ጥግ ድረስ እንሄዳለን” ብለው አገር የማፍረስ አላማቸውን በይፋ አውጀዋል፡፡ይህ ቡድን በይፋ ያወጀውን አጥፊ ተልዕኮ ለማሳካት የኢትዮጵያን ስምና አንጡራ ሃብት ተጠቅሞ የገነባውን የዓለም አቀፍ መረብና ግንኙነት እንደ አጋዥ በማድረግ የአገራችንን ገፅታ ማጠልሸት ብቻ ሳይሆን ይህንኑ በአገር ስም የተገኘ አለም አቀፍ ቦታ መልሶ አገር ለማፍረስ ሲጠቀምበት ማየት በእጅጉ የሚያሳዝንና በአጎርስኩ እጄን ተነከስኩ የሚለውን የቆየ አባባል ያስታውሰናል፡፡ይህ ደግሞ በማንኛውም መመዘኛ ሲለካ ከፍተኛ የአገር መክዳት ወንጀል ሲሆን የኢትዮጵያ ህዝብና መንግስት ይህ ክህደት ተገቢውን ፍርድ እስኪያገኝ መትጋት ይኖርባቸዋል፡፡ከዚህ በተጨማሪ ይህ ቡድን አላማውን ከግብ ለማድረስ የኢትዮጵያን አንጡራ ሃብት ጦር መሳሪያና ታሪካዊ ስም በመጠቀም መሆኑን ማንኛውም ኢትዮጵያዊ ለአንዲት ሰከንድ እንኳን ቢሆን መዘንጋት አይኖርበትም፡፡የሰላም መድረክ ኢትዮጵያ ከዘህ በታች የተዘረዘሩትን ሰባት አንኳርና መሰረታዊ እውነታዎችን ሁሉም የኢትዮጵያ አገራችን ጉዳይ ይመለክተናል ለወደፊት ዕጣ ፈንታዋም የድርሻችንን እንወጣለን የምንል ሁሉ ልናስተውላቸውና የዓለም አቀፉ ማህበረሰብም ያውቃቸውና ይረዳቸው ዘንድ ኃላፊነታችንን መወጣት ይኖርብናል፡

1- በስልጣን ዘመኑ በየእስር ቤቶቹ በሴቶች ወንዶች አዛውንትና ህፃናት ላይ ሰቆቃ ከመፈፀም ባሻገር ከወራሪ ጠላት ባልተናነሰ መጠን ለሰልፍ የወጡ ሰላማዊ ተቃዋሚዎችን በስናይፐር ማጨዱን ላፍታ እንኳን እንዳንዘነጋ፡፡2- ለያሃ ሰባት አመታት መንግስት ሁኖ በቆየባቸው ጊዜያት ባንድ በኩል ለዘመናት ትውልድ የገነባውን ኢትዮጵያዊ ክብርና ታሪክ ሲያዋርድ በሌላ በኩል ደግሞ ይህንን የኢትዮጵያን ታሪካዊ ማንነት በመጠቀም በኢትዮጵያ ስም የመደባቸውን ተወካዮቹንና የዘረጋውን አለም አቀፋዊ መረብ በመጠቀም ዛሬ ኢትዮጵያን ለማዋረድ ለማፍረስና ዝቅ ለማድረግ እየተጠቀመበት ይገኛል፡3- ከኢትዮጵያ ህዝብ መቀነትና ኪስ በተዘረፈ ገንዘብ ውጭ አገር ለትምህርትና በቅንጦት እንዲኖሩ የተላኩ የአመራሩ ልጆችና ዘመድ አዘማዶች ይህን ከህዝብ የተሰረቀ ገንዘብ እየተጠቀሙ በያሉበት አገር የማፈረሱን ሴራ እያገዙ ይገኛሉ፡፡4- ቡድኑ ዛሬ በኢትዮጵያ ህዝብ ላይ በይፋ ያወጀውን የሽብር ዘመቻ የሚያካሂደው አሁንም ከኢትዮጵያ ህዝብ መቀነትና ኪሰ ተዋጥቶ የአገር ዳር ድንበር ለመጠበቅና ለማስከበር በተሸመተ የጦር መሳሪያ ሲሆን ይህ ደግሞ በክህደት ስራው የታወቀውን አሸባሪ ቡድን የክህደት እርከን ከሁሉም የከፋ ያደርገዋል፡፡5- ይህ ሁሉ አልበቃ በሎት ይህ የአሸባሪ ቡድን የትግራይ እምቦቃቅላ ህፃናት ልብ ውስጥ የጥላቻን መርዝ በመርጭት ከእርሳስና ደብተር ይልቅ ከህፃን ቁመናቸው የበለጠ ክላሽንኮቭ በማሸከም ለሽብር ድርጊቱ መስዋዕት እያደረጋቸው ይገኛል፡፡6- በቅርብ ጊዜ የኢትዮጵያ መከላከያ ሰራዊት ለትግራይ ህዝብ በተለይም የትግራይ ገበሬ የክረምቱን ወቅት ተጠቅሞ ካለረሰና ከልዘራ የሚለውን አገርዊና መንግስታዊ ኃላፊነት ያለው ውሳኔን በመውስደ የአገር መከላከያ ሰራዊት ከአካባቢው መውጣት ለትግራይ ገበሬ ምቹ ሁኔታ ይፈጥራል በሚል ነበር፡፡ ይሁን እንጂ ለትግራይ ህዝብ የአዞ እንባ በማንባት “ ህዝቡ ተራበ” “ ዕልቂት ተፈፀመ” በማለት ሲያላዝን የቆየው አሸባሪ ቡድን በነጋታው የህዝቡን ኢኮኖሚያዊና ሰብአዊ ጥቅም ወደ ጎን ትቶ ወደ ለመደው የሽብር ስራው በመመለስ የትግራይን ህዝብ መከራ አራዝሞታል፡፡7- የቡድኑ ባህርይና በሰው ህይወት የመቀመር ልምዱ እንደሚያሳየው ድርድርን እንደ ጊዜ መግዣና ማዘናጊያ የሚጠቀም በመሆኑ መንግስትም ሆነ ሌሎች ችግሩን በሰላማዊና በድርድር ይፈታ የሚሉ አገራዊ አካላት የቡድኑን ተፈጥሮአዊ ባህርይ ለአፍታም መዘንጋት አይኖርባቸውም፡፡ 8- ለዘመናት የኢትዮጵያ ህዘብ መስዋዕትነት የከፈለበት የዲሞክራሲ ትግል ዛሬ ፍሬ አፍርቶ በአገራችን ታሪክ ለመጀመርያ ጊዜ በህዝብ ለህዝብ የተመረጠ መንግስት ማቆም ተችሏል፡፡ ይህ በቀላሉ የሚታይ እንዳልሆነ መዘንጋት የለበንም፡፡ኢትዮጵያና ኢትዮጵያውያን ላንዴና ለመጨረሻ ጊዜ ከአምባገነናዊ ስርዓት ተላቀው የተለያዩ የባህል የሃይማኖት የወግና ስርአት ሰርጦቻችንን ለፍቅር እንጂ ለጠላትነት ለመደጋገፍ እንጂ ለመገዳደል ለመተቃቀፍ እንጂ ለመቧጠስ እንደማያውሉ ባለፉት ጥቂት አመታት በተግባር አሳይተዋል፡፡ዛሬም ይህን አሸባሪ ላንዴና ለመጨረሻ ጊዜ አስወግዶ በዲሞክራሲያዊ መርህ ላይ የተዋቀር ፖለቲካዊ ኢኮኖሚያዊና ማህበራዊ ስርዓት በመገንባት ዜጎች በሰላም የሚኖሩባት የተከበረች የበለፀገች አገር ለመገንባት ደፋ ቀና በማለት ላይ ይገኛሉ፡፡ያለንበት ዘመን ያልተረጋገጠና መሰረት የሌለው ወሬና ሹክሹክታ እንደ ሰደድ እሳት የሚጓዝበት የቴክኖሎጂ ዘመን በመሆኑ በውጭም በውስጥም ያላቸሁ ኢትዮጵያውያን ለዚህ አይነቱ እንቶ ፈንቶ ጆሮአችሁንና ጊዜያችሁ ሳትሰጡ ለሚደረገው ትግል ሁለ ገብ አስተዋፅኦ ማበርከት ታሪካዊ ኃላፊነት መሆኑን በመገንዘብ ያለማሰለስ መሳተፍ ያስፈልጋል ፡፡ ከሁሉም በላይ ደግሞ ለአንድ አፍታም ቢሆን አገራችን ትልቅ ብቻ ሳትሆን ዓለምን የሚያስደምሙ ገድሎችን ካሰመዘገቡ አያቶችና ቅድመ አያቶች የተወለድን መሆናችንን ሳንረሳ በፖለቲካው ኢኮኖሚውና ፀረ ሽብር ትግሉ ተሳትፎአችንን ከፍ አድርገን አገራችንን ከሚመጥናት የዕድገት የክብርና የሰላም ማማ ለማድረስ እንትጋ፡፡አገራችን ኢትዮጵያ በዓለም አቀፍ መድረክ ብቻዋን ስትቆም ይህ የመጀመሪዋ አይደለም፡፡ እንደውም አንዱ የአገራዊ ማንነታችን መገለጫ አያቶቻችንና ቅደመ አያቶቻችን እውነቱንና ፈጣሪን ብቻ ከጎናችው አድርገው ታሪክ መስራት በመቻላቸው ዛሬ እኛ ልጆቻቸው አንገታችንን ቀና አድረገን መሄድ ችለናል፡፡ይህ ያለንበት ወቅትም እኛም እውነቱን ጨብጠን በየ እምነታችን ፅንተን ኢትዮጵያ ይህንን የፈተና ጊዜ በአሸናፊነት ትወጣ ዘንድ የምናግዘበት ነው፡፡

የትህነገ/የህወሃት የጅምላ ጭፍጨፋ ጅማሮ ባህርይና ታሪክ ከአሲምባ እስከ ማይካድራና መተከል፡ ከቀድሞ የኢሕአፓ አመራር አባላት ከአቶ መሃሪ ገብረእግዚአብሄርና  ከአቶ ሰለሞን ገብረስላሴ  ጋር የተደረገ ቆይታ 

Reform, Peace, Conflict and the Rule of Law in Ethiopia

Combating Hate Speech in the Age of Social Media: Conversation with Bernie Farber Chair of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network

The existence of various identity groups within a sovereign state territory presents a positive potential for constructive social, economic, political, and cultural collaboration and partnership that could be a force for building an enduring national political structure benefiting all citizens.

On the other hand, however, identity, and most importantly its interpretation, could be vulnerable to political manipulation by those holding power to serve as a rationale and justification for exclusion and dehumanization of the “other” and eventually for the unleashing of organized violence. In almost all cases of such violence, the development of a well-constructed narrative that amplifies and exploits the perceived or real differences to the point of dehumanization is a premeditative launching pad for violence and war against a particular group or groups.

In the past, this kind of “large group identity” interpretation and its political manipulation has led to an abhorrent degree of violence which has manifested itself through the Holocaust, civil war, ethnic cleansing, and genocide. It is in our recent memory, such an extreme and exclusive interpretation of identity has led, for example, to the genocide in Rwanda, which resulted in the deaths of 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus by the Hutu extremists.

In the former Yugoslavia, the suffering and death of thousands was attributed to the same manipulation and exploitation of large group identity. We are also watching with horror the unfolding catastrophe facing Rohingyas in Myanmar, which the UN has called “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.” These were countries that at some point enjoyed peace and a good degree of coexistence and unity. With irresponsible political manipulation and in the absence of responsible leadership, social cohesion and coexistence could unravel rapidly, paving the way for intractable conflict and deadly violence.

“Large group identity” and its interpretation and, most importantly its manipulation by the political elite for advancing political goals, continues to be a major political asset and dangerous trend in parts of the world where identity is a readily available force for those with political power to mobilize. It is at times the unquestioning loyalty that those among the elite often count on to advance their political ambitions that makes large group identity a social identity that could serve certain political goals or objectives. Often, simply being a member of a specific ethnic group is sufficient enough to win trust and to be trusted, regardless of the undeclared or declared political and economic intentions of the upper echelon of the political elite, or those often-considered leaders.

It is this blanket trust from “my” group or groups that most often offers the political elite significant capital to maneuver without any discernible challenge to their political narratives and ideological views or ambitions to power.

It is important to stress the fact that war, genocide, and ethnic cleansing do not start with weapons. Before the peace is shattered, before the smell of gun powder infects the air, before mothers weep for their children, the premeditation begins with words. A carefully constructed narrative of dehumanizing the “other” already has been in the works.

Our collective humanity compels us when we hear the words of hate and dehumanization against any group that we must speak up. We must raise our voices. We must not wait until the vile words of hate are directed at us or our group. As history teaches us by the time the dehumanization gets to us, it might be too late.

The Nile - famously known as the world’s longest river, it’s name derives from the Greek “Nilos” (Latin Nilos) meaning valley or river. Its basins and paths travel through 11 countries. In Ethiopia, where 86 percent of the water originates, the name “Nile” is foreign. Instead, it is known by the name “Abaye”,

The Nile, or Abaye, has been a source of life from time immemorial. Its power and generosity are embedded in the culture, music, expression, and legend. Abaye is also the vein that connects the people and the land it nourishes.

A giant among the world’s waterways, it rises tall, emerging from the Northern Highlands of Ethiopia. Snaking through the valleys and dry lands, it joins the White Nile in Sudan before continuing its journey to Egypt. This uninterrupted journey is Abaye’s ongoing routine.

No power, no technology, no concrete tower can stop Abaye from its thousands of years’ journey.

Explorers, historians, geographers, and colonial powers all attempted to unlock the mystery and power of Abaye. Beyond the curiosity, the colonial powers also acted as the authority in determining the rules for sharing the water. In line with the overall injustice of colonialism, they arbitrarily - without the presence of representatives from Ethiopia - allocated the amount of water flowing down river on behalf of the colonies. What they did not know was that before their written water agreement, the people of the Nile have been sharing the water with the spirit of friendship and generosity. For the people of the Nile, the spirit of brotherhood is more binding than words written on paper.

However, in recent years particularly following the building of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam there has been some unfounded concerns in some corners about possible reduction of water reaching their territories. Indeed, climate change and population increase have significantly raised the alarm about water scarcity. In this regard, the Nile Basin countries are no exception.

From its initiation,  the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project has raised concerns about the flow of the river to countries downstream, particularly to Egypt. Any major development project, regardless of the country or the region, must be sensitive to environmental limits and social impacts.TheGrand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is no exception. The allocation of water should and must be just and fair for every country involved. Pulling people out of poverty and addressing clean energy needs is also a necessity.

Ultimately, Ethiopia is responsible for its own development. However, it must continue to be a good steward and a good neighbour. These historical and cultural traits of sharing and caring for each other remain unchanged among and between the people of the Nile.

Finding a new framework  that is fair and just is the right way to address this issue. Hence, the solution is in not an outdated colonial document it is rather in the consciousness of free and independent Africa.

ቅዳሜ ጁላይ 18፣2020 በኦታዋ ሰአት አቆጣጠር ከጥዋቱ 10 ሰአት ጀምሮ በኢትዮጵያ ፌዴራላዊ ዲሞክራሲያዊ ሪፐብሊክ የውጭ ጉዳይ ሚኒስትር በክቡር አቶ ገዱ አንዳርጋቸው የሚመራ ቡድን ታላቁን የህዳሴ ግድብ በተመለከተ ማብራሪያ ይሰጣል፡፡

ልዩ የፕሮግራም ማስታወቂያ በካናዳ ለምትኖሩ ኢትዮጵያውያንና ትውልደ ኢትዮጵያውያን በሙሉ

Over the last few decades, the theoretical concept as well as the practical application of reconciliation as a remedy in moving post-conflict societies forward has become attractive around the world. As such academic institutions have developed curricula and designed theoretical frameworks and applications. Political leaders proposed the establishment of some form of commission to address historical trauma and past injustices.

In this regard, several countries established commissions to document past atrocities and to propose ways leading in the path of healing. While the overall success of such work is difficult to measure, the minimum bench mark is avoiding retribution and not sustaining the cycle of violence. Certainly, there are several examples of reconciliation processes around the world, one country is often recognized as a success story. South Africa’s traumatic past in which the aparthied system brutalized, marginalized and oppressed the black population while white minority enjoyed economic and political power is a recent memory. Despite this painful history however, South Africa’s oppressed majority chose reconciliation and restorative justice to address past woes. Hence, South Africa remained as an example to the world in designing a reconciliation process that is forward looking.

While we refer to South Africa’s journey of reconciliation, countries are  still grappling to develop a genuine framework that is capable of boldly looking at the past and charting a course for the future.Which pauses numerous questions:

1- How do we measure the success or failures of the reconciliation process?

2- How is reconciliation viewed from the survivors as well as perpetrators perspectives?

3- How do we navigate the emotional, psychological and spiritual dimensions of reconciliation?

4- Is reconciliation possible without economic justice?

On today’s episode we will discuss these and other related questions .

To help us in our quest for answers we have invited Dr. Sarah Malotane Henkeman.

Dr. Sarah Malotane Henkeman is conflict analyst and conflict  resolution practitioner. She wrote and co authored several books. The title of her recent book is Disrupting Denial: Analysing Narratives of Invisible/Visible Violence and Trauma.

Episode#15 ቃል መጠይቅ ከወይዘሮ ሜሮን አሃዱ ጋር፡ጥቁር አሜሪካውያን የአሜሪካ ምክር ቤት አባላት በህዳሴ ግድብ ዙሪያ በመካሄድ ላይ ስላለው የሶስትዮሽ ድርድር ያወጡት መግለጫና ይህም ይሆን ዘንድ የዳያስፖራው አስተዋፅኦ::

Anti-Black Racism and the Global Resistance.

Transitional Justice and Reconciliation 

 In recent years, nations have been tilting towards restorative forms of justice instead of retributive to exorcise the demons of the past and move from a traumatized history into a place where healing and a shared common future is possible. In this regard, over the past thirty years, several countries, such as Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Ghana, Guatemala, Kenya, Liberia, Morocco, Philippines, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa and South Korea, among others, established Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (with slight variations of the names). The line of reasoning for such an approach has been that restorative justice would provide greater healing and future harmony than retributive justice that errs on the side of punitive measures. Forgiveness is a process, not an utterance Evolutionary biologists believe that both revenge and forgiveness are ‘built-in’ features of human nature. At the same time, they also emphasize the importance of the context and factors that influence the decision in choosing one over the other. While it is understood that each one of these actions have emotional underpinnings, they lead towards utterly different results. It is very important to recognize that forgiveness is not simply the utterance of words. Rather, it is an outcome of emotional, spiritual and psychological soul searching. In fact, if we limit forgiveness to the expression of a few words, we may have misunderstood the heavy burden and true meaning of it. While forgiveness from the survivors’ perspective is intimately a personal matter of healing and recovery, it also comes with a heavy responsibility of rehabilitating and re-humanizing the perpetrator. It is about recovering one's humanity which was dislocated in the process of harming the other. While reconciliation of national scope has the nature of a collective journey, forgiveness remains a personal narrative wrestling with its own physical, emotional and spiritual pain. Without forgiveness, we remain hostages to the person who harmed us. We are bound with chains of bitterness. Until we can forgive the person who harmed us, that person will hold the keys to our happiness; that person will continue to be our tormentor. When survivors are able to forgive, they take back control of their own fate and our feelings. They emerge as their own liberators. Forgiveness, in other words, is the best form of self-interest. This is true both spiritually and scientifically. We don’t forgive to help the other person. We don’t forgive for others. We forgive for ourselves. On the other hand, as the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr put it ‘forgiveness is the final form of love.’ Forgiveness gives us the power for a new journey. This power is a product of the admission of wrongdoing and the contemplative willingness to forgive. If forgiveness is the highest form of love, then it couldn’t come easy. For love is not just an expression of words. In the end, forgiveness is not an intellectual exercise rather it is a personal narrative that could only be expressed through and from the heart. A survivor cannot be forced to forgive. However, she/he can be given a facilitated process that offers the option of forgiving. More importantly, forgiveness is not a transactional practise where one is on the giving end the other is there to receive. Instead, it is a common journey on a shared path with its ultimate destination of healing and peace.