Pleasure or pressure? When a revolution is replaced with a rock concert.

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Paulos Yrgaw(07/08/05)

"If violence is the mid-wife of history" writes Luiz Costa-Pinto, "then it is ideas that render history pregnant." The maxim however, has become a relic or else a museum display whose instant image sets train of memories where the dark past is tainted with a Marxist revolution as a means to an end. Instead, romanticized catalogue of colors have become adjectives and superlatives of a revolution as a push or a catalyst for a social change and to mobilize public opinion as well. We have orange, pink, and rose revolutions where the scarlet blood loses its meaning. For good we lost it and the better we have become. And recently, a new kind of catalyst is in a full swing where Hollywood stars and the hip-hop demigods take the center stage to pressurize the wealthy nations as the latter summons to tailor out prominent issues where debt relief and poverty in Africa are some of the most outstanding concerns.

It is rather ironic that, most of the resonating and chronic anomalies of Africa are attributed to the specter of colonialism when Leopold, Brazza, Cameron, Peters, Livingstone, Goldie, Lugard among others set out to materialize the "The Scramble for Africa" which gravitated Africa into a black-hall of poverty ad-infinitum. And now, their blood-lines are redeeming themselves through un-conventional way, as our continent strives to maintain a critical velocity to escape the grip of the black-hall. Cynicism is however on the rise and equally the need of a sea of people in a music orgy to make a lasting impact on the "G-8" is sidelined by a shrugging remark. As this writing, however, whether it is the moral dimension on the "G-8's" part or the impact of the stars, the wealthy nations have courageously stepped an extra mile to cancel all the debts of some African countries and pledged an aid package in billions of dollars in the near future. These are needless to say a nursery and an advancing edge for Africa, even though a tag of conditions are attached to it. It is a bitter and a harsh reality that, Ethiopia in particular can not get rid of the bogeyman of poverty at least for a number of years a head with out a foreign aid, trade partnership, and debt relief. These ends can only be achieved when political stability, good governance, transparency, human-rights respect and democratic rights to each and to every nation and nationality is in place.

It is safe and imperative to emphasis that the incumbent government has proved its competency to lead and aspire the people in the last fourteen years (except a hiatus during the relatively recent war) where school enrolment, economic growth, road construction, clinics in rural areas, tourism, above all the need to express ideas through press or words flourish beyond one’s expectations. And these noble achievements, as the Prime Minster said it in his recent interview, are a pride of the noble struggle and a chin-up moment for the Ethiopian people. The incumbent government however, can not clap by its one hand alone, it needs a partner. A sober partner, where the spirit of the partnership is the interest of the Ethiopian people nothing more nothing less. I believe the onus to provide a clapping hand rests squarely on the Opposition camp.

The Opposition first however, needs to abide by the letter and spirit of the constitution. It is perhaps the only document that can glue the nation together, subscribing otherwise is not only extra legal activity but also tantamount to a call for a insurrection. And in an insurrection nobody benefits, we lose our stage in history and become a laughing stock of the envy. This is of course a high time where a growing pain is felt everywhere as Ethiopia molds itself into a new and better state. In the meantime, it is a trying time as well, as Ethiopia sails through the seemingly troubled waters. I am optimist that, Ethiopia will find a hope in her children, the hope can only be projected when all the driving force to move the country forward rests on the interest of the people.

As we have prided ourselves as being independent through out history, we can equally pride ourselves being economically independent and we are at arms length away to achieve it. "Traveler" says a Spanish adage, "there are no roads. Roads are made by walking."

Paulos Yrgaw

Ottawa, Canada.

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