As the old adage goes, Old is gold, elders and elites have a key role in any society to settle conflicts in a peaceful manner. Indeed, old is truly gold. Their experience has left them with a lot of lesson to handle problems or settle deputes.
Haile Gebre, is among those Ethiopian elders who played a key role in pacifying the conflict between Oromo Democratic Party (ODP) and the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF). He is one of Ethiopian elders who give value to peace at the expense of his own interest. For Haile, dialogue is the best remedy to cure all forms of conflict.
Haile believes that open discussion is the best solution for the new Ethiopia. “We are accustomed to talk from our perspective. We do not hear the view of others. We should nurture dialogue for good.”
Dialogue should not be concluded with argument. There should be a win-win situation between the twoparties, says Haile.
Considering and respecting one’s idea is always right and sensible. “We should develop the culture of understanding the pain of the other parties so as to achieve common ground,” he remarked.
What is more, we should not always expect one solution for multidimensional challenges. There are always thousands of solutions to settle a certain dispute. When people gather to discuss on ideas, there would be an opportunity to find out diverse solution.
Reverend Tasew Haile is Director of International Revival Ministry that works in Peace and justice issues. The Reverend also values intellectual dialogue to reach to common goal. Dialogue is not a new concept to Ethiopians. The problem is, most of the time the discussion focuses to win the argument instead of getting common ground out of it.
He said: “What we need now is sit down and talk. We cannot solve our problems by arms or violent acts or hate speeches. We need an intellectual discussion to solve all the problems in the country.”
The active involvement of elders, religious fathers, political parties, activists and civil societies is a key factor, in this regard.
The role of media should also be given special emphasis. Media and media personnel should be impartial. Unluckily, in one way or another, most African media are affiliated to either with the incumbent or the oppositions.
Having morally responsible media personnel that disseminate balanced information to the society and do not fuel chaos is not only necessary but also mandatory. Media is the fourth branch of the government and it has to be independent.
Religious institution and elders were centers to resolve conflict. However, through time, this culture had been eroded for several reasons. There was a tendency to affiliate with the ruling party or the opposition.
According to him, currently good signs are being witnessed. The role of Aba Gedas and other elders is bearing a fruit in this regard. Since, these elders have come from the society; they know the social values of that particular community and have developed respect from the society.
All Inclusive Knowledge Based Dialogue Project Facilitator, Garedew Assefa, on his part said that knowledge based dialogue always have positive reward. It will bring people together for common good.
“Absence of dialogue has cost the nation a lot. When we come to a table for discussion we can put ourselves into the shoes of others. If not, we cannot understand the pain of others and they would not be willing to hear our problem as well. Discussion is vital to deepen our unity.
“Our difference does not exceed our unity. Our unity has depth. But, we do not discuss. Most of the times, we prefer to focus on our difference instead of our unity. Dialogue will help us to identify gaps,” he reiterated.
The Ethiopian Herald July 24/2019
BY LEULSEGED WORKU
