Shame on VOA Amharic program!

In their March 8 program, which is international women’s day, VOA Amharic service had a panel discussion with three Ethiopian women considered to be women’s right activists. While I was listening their debate, one question sparked at the back of my head. The question was “How a person can swim in a dry desert with no water body unless he hallucinates?” As those so-called patriots were saying the oppressed women are in hamlets of Ethiopia. But our patriots are living in European and American luxurious villas hundreds of miles far away from the actual field. And as they have said it, the countries where they are living in are democratic and free. So how the hell can those ladies feel the day-to-day agony of Ethiopian women? Or faded memories are sufficient conditions to struggle for the right of others? Are writing and lighting candles on the streets of foreign countries really struggling for Ethiopian women’s rights? Ethiopian women’s multi-faced problem could not be solved doing paper works abroad.

As you may agree, if someone wants to study swimming, he has to be in the swimming pool for training to apply the theory/lecture he is given. Unless this student gets the skills from that actual water body, it is difficult to be said a swimmer. I believe in “knowing is doing/practicing.” So, are those ladies real swimmers or they are assuming themselves as real swimmers? I personally consider their act as swimming in the middle of a desert.

It is known that in our history we had so many patriots, brave warriors and wise women. We also have them in our present days struggling at the right time and the right place. On the top of those present day women right activists are those true daughters of Ethiopia who threw away the Derg regime on the barrel of their guns along side with their male fighters, those women fighters who wrote new Ethiopian history in their red blood, those brave women who burnt themselves to light the future of Ethiopian women. They are still in the actual field with the real oppressed women doing what they ought to do. And their blessed deed is hundred fold louder than the VOA Amharic service. Are those women abstract to the VOA Amharic service or those guys don’t know there are such women in Ethiopia? I don’t think so. Anyway, I will leave the answer to them. This is the reason why I always ashamed of those pigs! A person who feels shame is the person who knows what shame itself is but I don’t think those guys know it.

Let’s raise one simple question, which is “where were those so-called women right activists by VOA Amharic service during those days of plight?” The answer is short and precise. That is in their luxurious apartments feeding themselves super hamburgers. They lived abroad. They are living there. And they will live there till the last second of their life. Doing their paper work.

Yaekob Gared

Marc 14, 2006