ADDIS ABABA – “The occasion was fascinating and helpful to know more about the cultures, costumes, dances and languages of various peoples. “The participants also taught me few words of their languages.”
Sureya Yusuf, 15, a six grader hails from Halaba zone, SNNPs state, said the above statement, She came to Addis Ababa last Tuesday to participate in the 13th Nation, Nationalities and Peoples (NNPs) Day. Participating in the occasion helped her to know more about her country and the people that came from the four corners of the nation.
Together with her fellows, she has visited historic places in the capital including the Addis Ababa Museum, old churches and the FDRE Parliament. She also received as gift a student bag and various books from the city administration. She said that the occasion was fascinating and helpful to know more about the cultures, costumes, dances and languages of various peoples.
“The participants also taught me few words of their languages.” She believed that celebrating such occasion will help to know each other and to promote tolerance among the people. “And this is also supportive to live in peace. “We have the culture as to how to deal with conflicts and bring about peace,” she noted. Part of the occasion, was held yesterday at the Meskel Square which brought thousands of celebrants into a grand coffee ceremony.
On the occasion, Addis Ababa City Council Spokesperson Abebech Negash said that this year’s NNPs Day focuses on tolerance, forgiveness and reconciliation. The people need to use tolerance as a key to utilize diversity for common interest, she said. The country needs to solve disagreements and grievances through dialogue, she said.
Therefore, such occasions would help to bring the public together and discuss the way to develop the nation through exploiting diverse knowledge, she underlines. As to her, representatives from 76 nationalities have been participating in public discussions about the country’s cultures.
She also noted that the coffee ceremony is mainly intended to create edutainment platform to the participants to make dialogue about peace and unity. She also expressed that today the participants are also attending a symposium and the final ceremony would be held Saturday with various programs at Addis Ababa stadium. The 13th NNPs Day is being taken place in Addis under the theme: Colorful Ethiopian Unity Decorated with Diversity.
The Ethiopian Herald, December 7/2018
BY YOHANES JEMANEH
