GONDAR – President Ambassador Sahilework Zewde called on Ethiopians to safeguard and promote Timket and other heritages in a view to generating income and passing down core values of such cultural heritages to posterity.
The president conveyed the message while she delivered speech at the Ethiopian Epiphany (Timket) holiday in Gondar city yesterday.
The President said Ethiopians have a long lived culture of preserving heritages and this norm has enabled the nation to inscribe over 10 heritages in UNESCO’s tangible and intangible heritage list.
As to her, this year’s epiphany is unique as the country is celebrating it after the festivity inscribed on UNESCO. “It is inscribed as the fourth Ethiopian intangible heritage under UNESCO which makes the nation among the world countries that have high number of heritages in the list and the country is also the first in Africa to have many internationally recognized heritages.”
She noted that the country has inscribed not less than 14 heritages in the UNESCO. And it is also working to inscribe more heritages.
Religious leaders and elders ought to play their due role in nurturing the generation in a way it can develop patriotism and preserve its heritages or identity, she stated.
Ethiopians have norms of peace, love and togetherness and the norms are the characteristics (features) of the peoples to the world. Promoting these norms has something to do with building the positive image of the country, she said
adding Epiphany in Gondar is more colorful and the people ought to be gratified for its significant experience in conserving the culture and site that it performed for long.
She also expressed her gratitude to those who participated in the inscription of Timket. The president stated that: “The world already gave us recognition but it is our responsibility to preserve it.
According to her, the country is not getting the income needed comparing to its abundant heritages. Therefore, Ethiopians need to utilize, conserve and promote their heritages so that they can get better revenue, she underlined.
Member of the synod Abune Andrias shares the president’s call. He noted that the generation needs to preserve nation’s history especially the Ethiopian Epiphany.
As to him, the baptism of Jesus is to appear with humans as one of them to purify them from sin. Accordingly, he prefers to act as human physically and struggled with devil to set free man from his sin. He noted that Jesus is baptized in water which both the wealthy and destitute will drink implying that he care for both.
Therefore, man should follow the suit of his creator so that he can pave the righteous destiny to the future, he pointed out. Ethiopians have been celebrating Epiphany in a way it keeps the symbol where Jesus baptized in Jordan so that they need to conserve this heritage, he underlined.
The Ethiopian Herald January 21/2020
BY YOHANES JEMANEH
