Today’s exclusive column guest goes by the name of assistant Prof. Ahmed Zekaria. He is the Chief Curator of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies Museum. To this point, aside from successfully partaking in the documentation, conservation, display, exhibition and catalog preparation and the jazz, he has worked magnificently in various capacities.
The Ethiopian Herald sat down with Asst. Prof. Ahmed Zekaria to have his thoughts concerning the ongoing reform. He has touched upon more than a few issues regarding the present situation of the country and the way forward. Excerpts are below:
These days, conflicts have been surfacing in some higher learning institutions. What do you think are the major causes of the problem?
At the moment, we are fully involved in local politics. The population pressure and economic problems should be considered as one factor throwing cold water into the ongoing problem. Our political tradition is also not tuned with the time of the day seeing that they have not been yet developed properly. They are still in their infancy. When we come to the constitution, it gives legitimacy to the various Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples of Ethiopia that could not be defined properly. In reality, a wide spectrum of variables could join up with problems.
To fly and reach a certain destination, we need to have two wings. If one cannot balance the two wings, one cannot fly by any means necessary. At the moment, we are trying haphazard types of flying that lead to failure now and then. If we do not come back to our senses and balance duties and responsibilities, the whole lot will be incomprehensible to hit the intended target. As an individual, we need to know the nitty-gritty of our duties and rights. If we miss the target, humanity could go out of its limits and cause damage.
At present, medical school students do not have time to consider another thing except their education seeing that they know after graduation they might have better opportunities. In some areas, some subjects are not fortunate like medical school students. As students see every so often their seniors who are not yet employed, they give up hope at the drop of a hat. Therefore, we have to concentrate on creating a job.
By the same token, political parties should push ahead with their programs and economic agendas for the upcoming election. But if we do not see the concrete programs and step forward and knuckle down to the ethnic lining, we cannot solve our social, economic and political problems.
The different Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples are known in the past for living in peace, love, and harmony. But at present, this reality on the ground seems to have been eroded to some extent. What should be done to bring them into a state of unity?
I have the nerve to say, we have not clearly defined the three terms. One has to come up with a clear and simple definition of what is meant by Nations and Nationalities, and Peoples of Ethiopia. To praise my father I should not insult my mother. As Ethiopians are admixture of different ethnic backgrounds, we do not have one brand of these and those types of Nations and Nationalities. Our cultures, languages, and religions are all our rights. No one has the right to interfere in our rights.
Political agenda is common for all of us. If we do not agree on principals on how to run the country, then we are at a loss. As to me, regional administrations could be defined in various ways. Aside from sharing our rights, the basic means of survival that can make a reality on the day should be discussed as it should be. Besides, we have to place emphasis on political and economic issues other than the ethnic lining because if we do proper surveys in the Ethiopian context, almost certainly a considerable proportion of our population live with people from different cultures.
What should be done to get to the bottom of the present problem?
The watertight reality that we have to take into consideration is a hundred million people living under the umbrella of Ethiopia. Honestly speaking, it is not an easy number. We need to know how to unshackle the farming comminutes now and again. We have every requirement of having good harvests like water, soil, labor, and other related aspects but we are not producing enough to survive. One has to ask why we are not able to produce enough to feed ourselves.
As to me, if we systematize ourselves with some sort of miraculous solutions on the land issues considering farming we can see some hope at the end of the tunnel. Intermarriage is another reality on the ground. Denying this reality and categorizing one and all in one basket does not help by any means. Furthermore, all cultures and religions should be respected in addition to creating a lot of job opportunities. The issue does not stopover there. We have to confront our economic realities by bringing into play various effective strategies.
How can we promote culture and intercultural relations among the general public?
Well, at the minimum, without a shred of a doubt, with shared cultures of the county, we keep afloat a wide spectrum of cultures to be cherished. We should be able to create a forum for the various cultures of the various Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples of Ethiopia like music, food, dress and other related aspects. These are areas that we have to open up and share them mostly
in urban sectors seeing that rural areas are not fortunate to share various cultures in urban areas. If we make a pitch for the various cultures of the country on various occasions, we can achieve the desired goal with no trouble.
Diversity is not a curse by itself. It is a blessing if one knows how to utilize the energy of diversity as it should be. As music is opening up and turning out to be a dominating scene, the film should be another area that one has to consider. To my mind, journalists should come up with a range of creative approaches to familiarize the general public with the various cultures of the country. They do not have to focus only on finger counted cultures of the country. If we open up our horizon and take account of at least inclusive approach, the intended target will be achieved beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Can we say that religious
leaders, elderly people, and other pertinent bodies have been carrying out
their duties and responsibilities as they should be? If not, why do you think
they fail to achieve the desired goal?
I am one of the members of the Council of Elders. At this instant, we are making an effort to achieve the desired goal. Of late, we have made a lot of successful meetings between the people of Tigray and Amhara and the people of Somali and Afar. They have been giving their all to hit the target. We see positive energy along the lines of elders. There have been efforts to get the country back to the people and restoring the former glory of the different Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples of Ethiopia.
But one thing that one needs to understand is the fact that religious leaders, elderly people, and other pertinent bodies cannot achieve the desired goal by themselves. It needs the efforts of everyone. To get to the bottom of the problem amicably, the government and the society should come into a consensus and work in unison.
Likewise, at present, religious institutions are trying their best to get the situation of the country back to normal and put on the right track. Furthermore, following the different turmoil that passed through different structures, the whole system is not functioning properly. In reality, the institutions are as well facing problems intending to adjust themselves with the new reality on the ground. They are continuing their efforts to resolve their dispute. That is why we are still surviving.
All and sundry should come to their senses. As the existing problem needs the concerted efforts of everybody, the government by itself could not solve the problem. But if we all work in unison, we can see some results down the road. As it is impossible to clap with one hand, accomplishing the desired goal alone in isolation will be easier said than done. The government with the military alone cannot solve the problem of the country. Hence, all forces should come together to unravel the problem.
Can we conclude that members of the Council of Elders are achieving the intended target or reaping the fruit of success? If not, what is the missing link?
As life is trial and error, we are making an effort. There are some success stories here and there. Time will tell the whole thing. As far as I am concerned, we have to attach importance to land-related issues of the country. Moreover, the Pandora box should be opened and tabled for discussion almost immediately. If we fail to do so, we cannot see a bright future at the earliest opportunity.
What are the major setbacks that should be dealt with?
The government should liberate agriculture given that it gives rise to agroindustry. The later then gets the jump on high capacity industries. They have to be interlinked and interrelated and linked to production. What is more, we have to keep our eye on things that can solve the major problems of the country. If we link agriculture to agroindustry and our basic needs, we can at least have breathing space for hard currency.
It is crystal clear that our exports and imports are not heading in the right direction at this point. Likewise, the trade balance is every time beyond our comprehension. If we cannot come up with the solution of trade balance, we cannot exist by any means in the International Economic Environment. To avoid the crash of this type, we have to consider liberating the farming and creating job opportunities. To attract FDI without a hitch, one has to have peace and tranquility.
The other thing is that as the minimum wage is not that satisfactory, it creates problems of survival every so often. The aforesaid issues should be resolved in the course of time. Tourism and other economic related issues are other areas that we have to take into account. To reap the fruit of success, we still need to have peace and tranquility. If we maintain peace and tranquility, we can talk about tourism. Moreover, mineral areas like mining should be another area of our potential that we have to consider. If we combine them with all economic realities, at least we can come up with a better future.
Do you think Ethiopia has been securing a lot of advantages out of the western education system? What are the pros and cons of adopting policies and experiences from other countries?
To my way of thinking, we have to come up with our local experiences to build solutions. Ethiopia is the cradle of mankind and one of the countries considered never colonized in the continent of Africa. Besides, it is known for its rich history, culture, beliefs, traditions, and all that jazz. Our great-great grandchildren are better off all over the world. We share from their experience too. But we have to start from our hard fact realities. If we do not know ourselves well, we cannot move one step forward. In other words, we cannot see any progress.
Modern education by itself cannot solve problems in a place where there is no concrete solution but it could feel gaps.
I cannot argue on the lines of modern education given that it is common for all of us. Understanding the existing knowledge or reality and adopting them could not have a better impact by now.
One can improve, adapt and transform different policies but simply copying from other countries could not help us solve our problems and attain the intended target. Aside from coming to our senses and see our objective realities and formulate our policies- social, economic or political, we have to know ourselves better because knowing ourselves is a key to solve problems.
The Ethiopian Herald Friday, February 21/2020
BY ADDISALEM MULAT
