Journalism is a profession one chooses to devotedly serve the people. Being a journalist is being a warrior because the career entails the danger of losing a life while seeking answers to citizens’ questions. Many journalists lost their life that way. Numerous journalists had been detained and killed in Ethiopia for the last four decades. However harrowing things proved to be, few and the luckiest have got a chance to see rays of hope in democratizing the country. The profession presupposes patience, wisdom, impartiality etc. If not managed in a proper manner, it causes destruction.
Today’s guest is journalist and activist Abebe Gellaw. Abebe was born in 1972 in the Capital Addis Ababa. He was brought up and raised in Addis. He committed himself to bringing a change in the country. While he was a political science student at Addis Ababa University (A.A.U),40 professors were fired without a reason. Due to this Abebe started activism and wrote different articles denouncing injustices.
At that time not only professors, many staffers of A.A.U were fired. Instead of answering questions properly the government started to hurt them.
After Abebe got out of prison he started writing for The Ethiopian Herald. Though he won scholarship to attend his education in America, the process was blocked by the then chiefs. Fortunately, Reuters offered him a training chance to London. He went there.
He lived in London for about nine years and continued his activism. He taught English language to the Eastern European students and others at the University of North London. Abebe won a prestigious fellowship at Stanford University and moved to America. After two years stay there, ESAT was launched. He started working with them.
He earned his BA in Journalism from Addis Ababa University (A.A.U) and BA in Law from the University of London Metropolitan. He had taken Teachers Training courses in English for other language speakers. In addition, Abebe had won several awards like Champions for Change Award, BT award (British Telecom), help for the refugee community and also had won Human Right Awards Fellowship.
The Ethiopian Herald had a time with Abebe Gellaw.
Ethiopian Herald:How did you join journalism and Ethiopian Press Agency? How was your stay?
Abebe: I became a journalist by accident. While I was suspended from Addis Ababa University for political activity, someone I knewstarted a newspaper and wanted me to come aboard. I was an editor. Even while I was a student I used to write articles for The Ethiopian Herald.
I had talents for literary pieces like writing short stories. There was no freedom of press, while I was writing for Herald. There were many officialswho wanted to write only on the government’s side. In my view, government should not own media. Even if it owns, there should be press freedom especially editorial policies must be handled in an independent way.
Herald:How do you see freed om of the press in actualizing democracy in Ethiopia?
Abebe: Press is an important tool in actualizing democracy. Press freedom is a new experience for Ethiopia. Following the reform, everybody is expressing his/ her feelings. In the absence of press freedom, there is no democracy. Press freedom in Ethiopia is at an embryonic stage. Press freedom should be guaranteed if the country wants to actualize democracy.
Herald: How do you assess the reform in the country and the role of ESAT?
Abebe: The reform, which was started eight months ago, is very promising. I am really excited to see such a change taking shape in the country. Even it is after twenty years in exile I am able to come back home. Most of the journalists and activists were forced to leave the country due to harassment, torcher and threat of imprisonment. Now, they are getting back home.
There was no press freedom during the past systems. For example in absentia, I was charged as a terroris and sentenced 15 years to jail. But, I had never been a terrorist. I was defending innocent civilians and exposing the heinous ones.
Though the change is promising, there are things that make us unhappy. Displacement is one thing. People are being displaced from different parts of the country.The other thing is disagreement among members of the ruling party of EPRDF. There are groups who undermine the changes in the party and also the changes that the country is undergoing.
Observably, there was no media that persistently reported the injustices in the country consistently as ESAT. Especially, in exposing the violation on human and democratic rights, ESAT had played a great role. People started questioning the government tuning to the information disseminated by ESAT.So, we have done a great thing in this regard.
Herald: How does ESAT plan to handle its journalistic trend down the roads?
Abebe: It is a new phase for us. Because, the first phase of our task was defending the people and opposing the government. We are not repentant of what we had done because we had no other option. When journalists are denied their basic rights,they become freedom fighters. This has been not uncommon in so many countries.
We are on the way to find our new tone and come up with the reality on the ground. Though it takes time, we are planning to be a professional media. It needs human resources and capital. It is not what we can do overnight but it is our next agenda.
Herald: What was your feeling on the moment you exposed the late prime minister? And what inspired you?
Abebe: My purpose was exposing the reality in the country to the world. Many were talking about the amazing development in the country not how the people were suffering due to the violation of human and democratic rights. I tried to expose the injustice in the country.
Prime Minister Meles was a very talented person. He had an opportunity to transform Ethiopia. But he squandered his talent in an inappropriate way. He was a very capable man. I had no problem with him. But my problem was with his policies, which were very destructive and which caused many death tolls and imprisonments.
I was trying to expose the reality to the world. He had to release political prisoners and respect the law. I told him freedom is what we need, not food. I managed all things in less than one minute.
Herald: Are your journalists professionals?
Abebe: I used to be executive director until recently. I vacated my position because I want to focus on something else. Professionalizing the Ethiopian Satellite Television is a priority. As we have finished the first phase, we have to kick start the second phase. We have set out the plan to develop our coverage throughout the country. We cannot bring a change overnight but it is mandatory.
Herald: How do you see BBC’s labeling of ESAT as an insincere news media?
Abebe: Actually they apologized. That was intentionally done by the BBC Afaan Oromoo program. They tried to amplify the video that we broadcast by mistake. One of our producers did the mistake and he was reproved. In my opinion, that was really a bad story. The producer should have verified tips before broadcasting it. We challenged the BBC and wrote to them a letter and they corrected it. They explained ESAT was mentioned in the group by mistake and corrected it.
Herald: Some are seen blaming your media for declaring war on the people of Tigray, what is your take on that?
Abebe: ESAT never declared war on the people of Tigray, because we serve all Ethiopians including the people of Tigray. Ethiopia without people of Tigray is unthinkable. Tigray is a very important part of Ethiopia. Our issue is not with the people, it was with the party (TPLF). The two are separate entities. The party looted the whole country using the name of Tigray people but if one looks at the people of Tigray, they are disadvantaged.
But a few people from that ethnic group amassed wealth through corruption and illegal ways. Tigrians are part of our history. What happened was another mistake we admitted. It was a time massive protests were taking place in the country especially in Gondar. We received press release from those who were coordinating the protest. One of our editors posted things on the YouTube without editing the content of the press release. It wasn’t disseminated to Ethiopia. We had deleted it and corrected things. It was not really war but was saying “this is the struggle of 5 milloin against 95 million”. It should not have been broadcasted. As a director, I gave an order to pull down the video from the YouTube. We have no plan to declare war on anybody. But some are using such mistakes for political gain.
Herald: You are blamed for mongering on one ideology called unitary system and lacks inclusiveness? What is your take on that?
Abebe: That is a misinterpretation. ESAT never supported unitary system that is an old system. We have accepted federalism but federalism has many versions. There is federalism in Canada, USA, and Europe, among others. But the one we have is mostly based on ethnic indentity which is a very dangerous version of federalism. It separates people on ethnic lines, not ideology.
So your ethnic identity becomes the only identity in the nation and you promote the interest of your ethnic group instead of promoting national interest. This may lead the country to disintegration. As far as ESAT is concerned, we never promote unitary system. We believe in inclusiveness. In the country we do have more than eighty ethnic groups. All are important components of the country.
Herald: Some say you are the media of one party, what do you say on that?
Abebe: That is not true. Some are saying we are owned by Ginbot Sebat which is completely false and a misconception. We had partnership with Ginbot Sebat and other known and unknown groups fighting against the injustices that were perpetrated in the country. But that partnership is no more important because we are a vibrant media organization and we want to emerge a strong media organization.
It is misconception. We have 60 big supporters across the USA and Europe. Ethiopians are our financial source. Ethiopians owns ESAT.
Herald: Do you think your media matches its name ESAT; do you think you are addressing the questions of all Ethiopians equally?
Abebe: I think I should leave that question to the Ethiopian people.
We have never disseminated any new supporting and opposing any group. We have been attacking the ruling party. Currently, the party is reforming itself and as long it does not go astray we are not going to object it.
We cover news collected across the country. The blame that we are covering news and issues only from the northern part of the country is not true. There is no other media that gives extensive coverage as ESAT. There are so many allegations against ESAT. This is because we are bold enough and we are taking part in the country’s change.
Herald: What is your take on citizenship and ethnic politics?
Abebe: Ethnic politics has a fragmenting impact on a country like Ethiopia. If you take Rwanda there are two ethnic groups. But we know what happened to that country due to ethnic politics. And also what happened in Yugoslavia was tragedy due to ethnic politics. It denies the right that you should have as a citizen because somebody come and say you don’t belong here and leave. It has very complex agenda. We should not promote ethnic politics. Citizen politics is appropriate to the country. It guarantees all people of the country equally.
Fellow Ethiopian should focus on how to solve problems peacefully. Ethnicity did not help the country for the last twenty eight years. Activists and politicians should not work on how to divide the people. We are one of the most destitute country and kwon for famine. Too much water had passed under the bridge while we spent enough time on blaming and hating each other. Let us work and transform the country. Let us develop the culture of dialogue than arguing each other.
The Ethiopian Herald March 3,2019
BY AMBO MEKASA
