BY FITSUM GETACHEW
Studies show that propaganda is information that is relayed to an audience using the most effective manner of reaching it. It does not necessarily need to be true or even plausible for that matter. What it does is provide the audience with the kind of information they would like to hear depending on which side the audience one may be.
It is stated that the first goal of propaganda is to attract the audience. Then it needs to keep it glued to the material in display or on air. If the audience rejects beforehand the material in display, then probably the mission is as good as failed. Evidently, there must have been something unappealing or any way wrong in the message, in the producer of the message or in the content and even in the target audience. It should then attract it and possibly fascinate it and hence make a deep impact on it or influence it to such an extent that then this audience will be motivated to relay the material availed to another person or group of persons, share it with others, thus capturing their attention. You see nowadays the role of the social media has been crucial.
Propaganda needs to be contagious so that it spreads like wild fire and affects every one of those who have been exposed to it. It must be like a fast spreading virus. Besides inventing stories, events that appeal to the intimate feelings of the audience, and repeating them as if they have happened, or are still underway, propagandists need also to imagine things that the audience would desire to hear or view and then project them with all the flavour available. Propaganda must present a future that is as bright as possible if the audience does as told or recommended. It must give the impression that a wide gate is opened and that the dark tunnel is finally behind! All pain and anguish is over, a new day is up.
Besides, propaganda needs to be repeated infinite times so much so that it can have the power to completely brainwash an audience and never be willing to listen to alternative voices, even when it would have been reasonable to do so. That is why it is said that propaganda is very effective in harnessing support and followers. The Nazi propagandist Gobles would say do not bother at all but continue to repeat the message again and again until people are convinced that the message is after all true!
As much as it is toxic and poisonous, it is equally effective and bears the desired fruits. Therefore, the propaganda producer and disseminator must try and make sure that it reaches the intended audience, attract it and possibly fascinate it and hence make a deep impact on it or influence it to such an extent that then this audience will be motivated to relay the material availed to another person or group of persons, share it with others.
We have noted that propaganda is intended to play on the sentiments of people, on their emotions in such a way as to solicit more attention, and ask for more material and that becomes a success, strong in terms of reaching the objective of carrying out a certain mission. Propaganda is a means to reach a certain objective and that is why it is key. Research shows a people well exposed to cleverly crafted propaganda is more responsive to any demands on the part of the government. History tells us what has happened in the Nazi-Fascist period in Europe when the followers of Hitler and Mussolini were intoxicated with propaganda and hence submitted to the requests of the two dictators!
History has also shown us time and again that in politics, in power struggle, and particularly in conflict situations, propaganda is a deadly weapon, may be even more than the actual physical warfare, strategy or leadership skills.
Propaganda motivates and raises people’s emotion to the desired level and can help recruit as many soldiers or combatants as necessary to sustain a conflict. It motivates people to contribute whatever is necessary to carry out a conflict, an attack, a defense or even raise funds to finance any such mission. It creates such a feeling inside that convinces them that the cause is right and noble, morally correct and hence worthy of being supported even if the sacrifice is the ultimate one, that is life.
That is why it is said propaganda is key in any mission more so in conflict situations. If a country fails this crucial test, it may do well in the other fronts, but its success will be darkened or not given enough credit by those who may not have sided against it, but are waiting for signals of victory or at least hope of final victory. This is why propaganda matters and the form and content matter. This means dissemination as well as the audience it is directed to, the language used, the phrases, as well as the content matter a lot. It must not be forgotten or neglected that the kind of language used matters so that it can easily be understandable by the audience.
In war situations, not only should the propaganda talk about the strength of the producers of the message but also the weaknesses and the imminent defeat of the enemy thus boosting their morale to unprecedented levels and keep on fighting even in desperate situations. Soldiers that are well fed with success stories, victories are more motivating to fight on longer despite suspecting that they may be near being overwhelmed, defeated.
What is more, in any propaganda campaign accepting defeat is unimaginable, denying the evident can be a winning strategy. If the propaganda results to be clearly unfounded, you allege or attribute the negative result on the conspiracy of outside forces ‘enemy forces’ that may even have no bearing on the situation. You express the hope that more assistance is coming your way so that the situation will immediately make a 180 degree turn around. Nourishing hope into the audience is important because without hope no mission can be taken seriously; no mission can succeed.
Coming to the current conflict situation between the terrorist TPLF and other forces in Ethiopia, the propaganda campaign long prepared and crafted by the TPLF damages has somehow penetrated the psyche of all those who may have some remote feeling to them forgetting that in fact they are their enemies. They have evidently worked hard for decades exposing the entire population behind them to false narratives and never allowing them to have any other means of information on how false their claims and assertions may be. A generation of poisoned individuals has been formed with false or exaggerated narratives and empty hopes and all the empty promises have not even awakened all those who support the poisonous rhetoric of a few some even say ‘deranged individuals’, crazy to be always in powerful positions subjecting the entire population to practical slavery and destitution!
Even assuming that the founders of TPLF had the intention of ‘liberating’ their people of some sort of dependence or oppression, what has come to result is that once these forces came to power they forgot and abandoned totally their constituencies. And yet these were the people who paid the maximum sacrifice to bring them to power. These leaders just continued to live in lavish style while the people languished in utter misery.
Some observers are heard asserting that the FDRE must be in the drivers’ seat when it comes to propaganda, lobbying and asserting its truth, narrate its side of the story in a very efficient manner so that the truth is uncovered from where it had been buried for years. Those who have made the mistake of supporting the terrorist TPLF must be given the chance to ponder on what they earned by sacrificing for these ruthless and cruel personalities who have never in their history heeded to human life!
We have noted just a few days ago when they used children and the elderly as cannon fodder! Is this a healthy proposition?! And yet the terrorist TPLF has not hesitated a second to do it. The history of TPLF shows that it has used propaganda for the worst of causes that has not helped improve the lives of the poor peasants. How long can this story go ahead? When will there be an end to the vicious cycle of violence and deaths? History tells us that this matter has persisted for almost six decades and what is tragic is that it continues to this day, unabated!!
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD AUGUST 24/ 2021
