BY LEULSEGED WORKU
Addis Ababa, the hub of various ethnic groups and a seat for several diplomatic communities, is a multiethnic city where people with different ethnic groups, culture, and religious background live in unity with diversity.
However, this is not without a challenge. The issues of historical ground on the foundation of the capital, failure to respect the cultural values of others among others have been challenging it Nevertheless, thanks for the age-old culture of tolerance among its residents;Addis is one of the places where cultural tolerance is entertained freely and a city its residents live peacefully.
As it was recently indicated by Addis Ababa Leadership Academy President,Desalegn Petros (PhD), the role of traditional self-help and religious institutions have a crucial role in strengthening and deepening unity among the people not only in the capital; but also across the country.
According to him, Addis Ababa, as a growing city, has several challenges and is also a city where there are opportunities. Using the available resources and opportunities, the academy conducted a research that aimed at alleviating the problems in a sustainable manner; and exploiting the available opportunities for the development of the City.
In his exclusive interview with The Ethiopian Herald, he said, multiethnicunity is one of the focusing areas of the academy. Conducting research in such areas, prioritizing social values and indigenous knowledge is expected to bring unity in diversity.
“Our social values are the basis for harmonious relationships among the society. Traditional self-help institutions such as Eder, Ekub and others can be taken as a good example in this regard.While building smart cities, identifying gaps and filling them with better technology and software has also a significant role in speeding up city`s development.”
Asked to what extent the Leadership Academy is working to overcome the multicultural challenges in the City, Desalegn said; absence of strong institutions are part of the problem in losing multicultural unity.Having a strong sense of belongingness to institutions and fairness within institutions will create trust among the society. That is why the government is working aggressively to fill those gaps. Institutions are not built overnight. It needs time. Therefore, using research outcomes the Leadership Academy together with stakeholders will work aggressively to satisfy the needs of citizens.
Building strong multinational unity needs strong institutions. Whenever there is trust in a particular institution within the society, there will be a strong unity. In this regard, special attention has been given to studies and researches to solve the current problems of the city.
On his part, Academy Vice President Mandefro Haile said, the academy is carrying out multifaceted activities and is working diligently to alleviate various problems faced by the city. Various researches conducted at the city level are focusing on alleviating such problems.
Presence of traditional self-help associations and religious institutions has added another value for the city to deepen its root for tolerance and love. According to research made by the Academy, Eders operating in Addis Ababa are playing a significant role in bringing people from all cultural and ethnic backgrounds together. Since these informal institutions are established basing the principle of supporting each other in times of hard times, they play key role in bringing members of a given community into one platform to share burdens.
This togetherness among members has a vital role to share common values and entertain differences. Since all members of a given Ekub consider themselves as “one”, no external pressure will deter them from carrying the burden of the other. No matter what the cultural or religious background of a given member, Ekubs serve as centers to entertain others `s value.
What is more, since this association is founded independently from religious or ethnic background, it serves as a bridge in bringing people from different walks of life to share ideas, invest capital and work for common good aside from being an alternative saving institution Ekubs are also institutions where members develop trust among each other and help each other in times of financial crisis or when business fails. For this reason, Ekubs are considered as one means to strengthen multinational unity and integrity.
Whenever the issue of multinational unity and tolerance is raised religious institutions are always there. All religious institutions are founded based on the principle of peace, tolerance and love. Irrespective of the type of religious institutions individuals follow, they give due respect to their religious fathers and the principles preached by them. For this reason, the possibility of conflict among devout religious members is rare.
The Ethiopian Herald April 15/2023
