BY GETACHEW MINAS
Culture is the basis for sustainable development in Ethiopia. Amartya Sen, Indian Economist and Philosopher, confirmed that cultural matters are integral parts of the lives we lead. He established that if development can be seen as enhancement of our living standards, then efforts geared to development can “hardly ignore” the world of culture. As the world prepared for Rio+20 meeting, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, the “focus” was on environmental sustainability and green economies. This required a more efficient institutional framework for sustainable development. The main concerns of the meeting were jobs, energy, food, water, oceans and disasters. These were the key factors which would drive the Rio agenda and shape the outcomes of the meeting, with culture as a social base.
The role of culture in fostering sustainable development was increasingly recognized. The Ethiopian people, with the exception of the communist TPLF followers, are all familiar with the intrinsic value of culture as a “repository” of symbols and identity. Many are also becoming aware of the powerful contribution culture can make to the economic, social and environmental dimensions of development, and to each one of the key priority concerns mentioned above.
At summit meetings on sustainable development, the importance of culture for development was confirmed in principle and practice. Rio+20 provided an opportunity to move from theory to practice and agreed on a concrete agenda for integrating culture into development programs at global and national levels. In the documents, it was asserted that culture was a crucial factor in designing development strategies and how they would be implemented.
Culture and sustainable development are inseparable key factors in making an appropriate use of human and natural resources. In Ethiopia, culture should have been at the center of development but, the TPLF functionaries worked for cultural destructions. The junta was against people’s culture since it provided the frame of people’s relationship to others in their society.
Culture also defines the relationship of people and the world, including the natural environment and their behaviors. Development initiatives and approaches which take local conditions and cultures into account are likely to result in more context-sensitive and equitable outcomes in Ethiopia. But, this was not tolerated by the TPLF junta. The junta encouraged ownership of development initiatives only by its target beneficiaries and supporters.
Heritage and culture, as social factors, contribute significantly to creativity. They add to sustainability of production and consumption patterns in resilient communities. But, social resilience was intolerable by the TPLF as it counters its oppressive rule. However, the Ethiopian people have a well developed culture that enables them to cope with disasters.
Through strengthening safe access to water and food, people have the culture of minimizing the impact of severe poverty. In this respect, the role of culture is prominent. In the preamble to the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, culture is defined as the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group. It encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs.
Culture and nature are intrinsically and inextricably linked and together hold the key to sustainable development. Cultures are rooted in nature in terms of time and place. They define how people relate to nature and their physical environment, to the earth and to the cosmos. Cultures express people’s attitudes to and beliefs in other forms of life such as animal and plant.
Even in the globalized world of pluralistic and diverse communities, including Ethiopian communities, cultures tend to make roots in. They adapt to the particularity of a specific environment and historical context. This is due to the close interdependence of biological and cultural diversities.
Cultures develop over time through mutual adaptation between humans and the environment. Rather than existing in separate and parallel realms, they interact with and affect one another in complex ways. For this reason, traditional and indigenous practices use environmental resources. They embody a more sustainable pattern of land use, contributing to food security and water access. This is done based on knowledge and practices developed over centuries of adaptation in Ethiopia, which the TPLF tried to liquidate. It intended to weaken the natural environment and prevent sustainable development in the country. It is, therefore, necessary to “revitalize” the weakened cultures of all the Ethiopian communities in totality.
Culture is a dynamic force for change rather than a rigid set of forms or parameters that must be strictly adhered to. As it is noted by sociologists, a society’s culture is neither static nor unchanging. It is rather in a constant state of flux, influencing and being influenced by other world-views and expressions. Globalization and its unprecedented acceleration in the global flows of capital, labor, and information, is having negative influence on local culture.
This phenomenon promotes the “integration” of societies with new elements. However, this trend was promoted by the TPLF so that it might bring with it a “loss” of cultural uniqueness in Ethiopia. This in turn can lead to loss of identity, exclusion and conflict as intended by the junta. This is especially true for traditional societies and communities, which are “exposed” to imported and rapid modernization in the country.
The models of modernization are imported without being adapted to the local context. Balancing the benefits of integrating into a globalized world against protecting the uniqueness of local culture requires a careful approach. Placing culture at the heart of development policies does not mean to confine and fix it in a conservative way. But, it means to invest in the potential of local resources, knowledge, skills and materials to foster creativity and sustainable progress. But, the TPLF did not recognize and respect the diversity of cultures by destroying the conditions for mutual understanding, dialogue and peace in Ethiopia.
In the Universal Declaration of Cultural Diversity, no one may “invoke” cultural diversity to infringe upon human rights guaranteed by international law, nor limit their scope. The cause of aversion and hatred of the TPLF in protecting local cultures was its dislike to “reconcile” universal human rights with Ethiopian cultural diversity. As much as traditions are to be valued and safeguarded, the junta wanted them to “spell” stagnation, oppression, inertia, privilege and cruel practices. The TPLF was against the universal nature of human rights established in the international law and in the UN Charter.
Internationally, emphasis is given to acknowledgment, understanding and “tolerance” of other cultures. This is based on a binding global ethics founded on universal values and mutual respect across cultural boundaries. UNESCO confirms that human rights include many very important cultural rights, which should be given equal attention. These rights include participation in cultural life enjoying one’s culture, etc. Even these, however, are “not” unlimited. In accordance with international law, the “right” to culture is limited at the point at which it “infringes” on another human right.
In Ethiopia, the TPLF designed strategies to “delink” culture from development. Unfortunately, culture was eventually left out as indicator of development. This was largely due to “difficulties” in concretely measuring and demonstrating the impact of culture on development. Many of the setbacks in the implementation of many well-intentioned development programs are due to a lack of consideration for local specificities.
Cultural identities and values, the “softer” dimensions of development, are crucial for sustainability. It is, however, acknowledged that the diversity of the world and all cultures and civilizations contribute to the enrichment of humankind. It is emphasized that culture is important for development and it contributes to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
The UN adopted three historic resolutions, which marked a profound shift in perspective on culture. It changed the view of culture as “decorative” or secondary to “key” development initiatives, to one which recognizes its fundamental role in addressing global challenges effectively and sustainably.
Two other important UN resolutions specifically on culture and development were adopted, which emphasized the importance of culture. It was recognized as an “essential” component of human development. It was also recognized as a source of identity, innovation and creativity for the individual and the community. But, the TPLF was against culture as it is a “foundation” of identity for Ethiopians. However, these people have shown great attachment to their cultures despite repeated threats from the junta.
As mentioned earlier, the UN stressed that culture is an important factor in the “fight” against poverty, providing for economic growth and ownership of development processes. It acknowledged the positive contribution of culture in achieving sustainable development goals.
However, the operational implications of this “paradigm shift,” have not yet been fully reflected in development policies and programs. The time has now come to take action and fully integrate culture into the practical implementation of the global development agenda. This involved the participation of several UN entities that have already taken action in this regard.
Culturally adapted education is a cornerstone for citizenship building. Culture-oriented citizens are prone to equality and gender empowerment. Sociocultural approaches lead to effective and efficient policies and programs of development. These programs would be supported by cultural and traditional know-how that are inexhaustible resources for sustainable development. In Ethiopia, they enhance cooperation among partners thereby contributing to poverty reduction and improved standard of living of the people. These efforts build strong national ownership of development programs through participatory processes.
The contribution of culture to sustainable development is immense provided that it is wisely nurtured. Culture is the fountain of progress and creativity for Ethiopians. Though partly destroyed by the TPLF, it must be carefully re-cultivated to grow and develop. Studies indicate that socio-cultural resources, including the language, the music, the arts and the literature, which accompanied life styles, are fundamental for spiritual wellbeing. There is also an intrinsic value of culture in societies. It is to be noted that the Ethiopian culture is intrinsically linked to sustainable development and cooperation.
The Ethiopian Herald October 14/2021
