Sheik Mohammed Al Amoudi, Ethiopia's Eternal Love

An English Translation by Washera_2000

March 2008

We human beings are created in this world to live our assigned life both in happiness and sorrow. So what is the secret behind the differences in our nature and character? What is the measure of our success? Just like the differences in our creation, our interpretations of the world we live in are also different. This world has allowed us to see a lot and learn a lot. Most of all, we know that those who are blessed are the ones who are the first to come to the service of their country and their people. These are the people who leave their good deeds etched in gold to live from generation to generation. In our present world, there are very few people who can exhibit that degree of dedication. Among those few generous people, Ethiopia has produced one of its own such individual by the name of Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi. In this short video, we will take just a piece of his magnificent life and try to present it to you.

Born to this famine-stricken and destitute country, where misery and disease have ruled for centuries, Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi was able to rise out of this misery, to be among the few richest people on the face of this planet, and also bring respect and hope to Ethiopia.

Born in Dessie and raised in Woldia, Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi presently is the richest black man on earth. The 2007 Forbes magazine puts his total assets at eight billion dollars and ranks him at number 86, among the world's billionaires. Such is Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi's status that he brings pride to Ethiopia and allows our flag to fly wherever he is honored.

However, unlike many of these billionaires, worldly luxuries have not spoiled him and tempted him to stay away from the misery of his country of birth. He did not turn his back to the diseased and the poor of his Ethiopia. When the time came, he made his pilgrimage back to Ethiopia to fulfill his promise. He came back with the wealth that he had amassed over a period of many years through hard work. Most of all, he had packed abundant, limitless love for his motherland. This is all a new history for the new Ethiopia. This amazing journey starts right here in the old town of Woldia.

Woldia, the town that nurtured and blessed this national treasure of a man, is located in Northern Wollo zone, about 520km from Addis Ababa. Nowadays, the town is bustling with activity and growing left and right. So we asked this lively town several questions. How did you raise Sheik Mohammed Al Amoudi? Who did he rough it up with while growing up? Where did he go to school? And later on where, how, when did you send him away? Woldia opened up its arms wide and invited us to view its surroundings from the comfortable view of its famous land mark, Mt Kore and we saw it all.

One of his childhood friends Wale Mekonnen:

" That Mosque you see in the distance is the location of Mohammed's childhood home. That neighborhood is called Mugad and the area around Kore is called Islam Kebele. He lived there with his parents while going to school at Taitu Butul School. In those days, it was all forest, no homes, very quiet and we came here in groups of 3 or 4 to study. Now, this area has been urbanized and is called Addis Alem (New World), where government officials and other civil servants reside. That flat open area below us is called Mechare Meda. This is a famous landmark and MIDROC calls one of its business neighborhoods by this name. The other landmark you see way out there is Dashen Bank. The people that lived where the new bank was built, were moved to new homes built in what is called MIDROC Neighborhood. They are happy campers!"

We take you now to the childhood home of Sheik Mohammed. Most of the homes are still the same. Sheik Mohammed's parents were business people. They had two connected houses, one for living quarters and the other for their garment business. So, who were his parents? What was their life like?

Their old neighbor, now a town elder, Haji Siraj Adem says this:

"The father of Sheik Mohammed is Sheik Hussein Ali Al Amoudi. His mother is called Rukia Mohammed Yasin. Both were very generous people. The father helped poor people all the time. When a poor man comes to his shop he knows him from a distance and goes to a drawer where he keeps money and just takes out a handful without looking at the amount and hands it to the beggar, pretending like he was shaking his hand. In our religion, you left hand is not supposed to see what your right hand does and that is what we would see him do time and again, as we worked alongside him in the garment shop. So that was what the father was like, always helping the poor.

"His mother had her own special ways. She would ask us to buy sheep for her. She will have it killed and divide the meat in several portions. She will then hide some cash and salt blocks inside the meat and ask us to deliver it to the elderly men and women in the entire neighborhood. She did this regularly.

"Their children are, Sheik Mohammed, brothers Seid, Hassen, Abdella, and Salih and his sisters Tuiba, Nur and Fitum. As the saying goes, the good deeds of his parents have crossed over to the children. God has created them to be useful to humanity."

Very close to Sheik Mohammed's house is the one that belongs to his childhood friend, Mr. Melaku Beza. He tells us about his memories as follows:

" Our neighborhood is Mugar. Growing up with Mohammed meant we walked to school together every morning. We will have our school and our fun all day and walk back from school together. We continued to be together late into the evenings too. In fact, there were these two rocks across from their shop and most evenings we would sit on those rocks and chat and laugh about our day in school, in the moonlight or even in the dark, since there was no electricity. During the day, we played soccer with balls made of cloth or plastic. We had fields lined by eucalypts trees where we played soccer after school.

"Mohammed loved soccer. He was also very good in Math. I think his ability to memorize all these phone numbers throughout the world is because of his Math ability. Even then, he never used a paper and a pencil to do Math problems. He did them all in his head. We were classmates until the eighth grade. "

This is the Etege Taitu Elementary school that was established in 1948. Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi finished elementary school here. At that time, this school auditorium was a famous land mark in Wolida. On Saturdays and Sundays this auditorium fills up to standing room only with people who come to see shows and musical events. And young Mohammed was a famous drummer of the music band. To this day, if he sees a drum he does not pass it.

"This house was the residence of the school director, the Indian Mr. Vias. It has since become a reading room. The current Director, Mr. Mamo Alemayehu has this to say.

" At present, I serve as the school Director for Etege Taitu Bitul full cycle Elementary school. In this school, we have 60 teachers, 5 administrative stuff and 2333 full-time students in 33 classrooms. Since we cannot accommodate every one, we teach in shifts. This has been all possible because of the huge generosity of Sheik Mohammed Al Amoudi. The building was falling apart and the fields had become cattle fields. Now, you see the buildings renovated and a large concrete wall surrounds the school. In the name of the school and myself, I would like to send my sincere thanks to Sheik Mohammed."

We asked Etege Taitu Bitul School our last question. Do you have any concrete evidence of Mohammed Hussein's life with you? From a safe drawer came out this antique looking old ledger book. Written so very crisply, was the names of all the students treated between 1957 and 1962, by the school's medical officer, Aba Fenta Gebre. So, the Taitu Bitul of old still lives on with its memories. But that famous Woldia auditorium is no more. In its place stands the new Woldia Cultural Center, all paid for by Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi.

Down the street from Sheik Mohammed's childhood home is the home of his other friend Alem Chekole. He continues the story thus:

"Mohammed has been an activist for a long time. Many people follow him. He has many friends and some follow him to learn from him. Even in school, he had many friends that he helped and some even lived with him. His parents were well to do even then. They had a two-door house; one for living quarters the other for their garment business. Their garment shop also provided burning oil, eating oil, and building material for the entire area.

Any way, one thing I remember distinctly is his love for music. We had these University teachers who came on a national service program to teach us. Among them, I remember Gash Jami Mabi, Solomon Gebre Kristos, and Tsega Zeab Gebre Tatios. These people did not only teach us, but organized us into groups to play soccer and musical instruments. One of these teachers had a Clarinet and with the accompaniment of Jazz instruments and Masinko by a student called Mesfin Kassu, we made great music. Mohammed enjoyed playing in the band and loved that clarinet so much that he bought it for himself when the teachers left. "

Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi continues to help Selam School too. The Director of the school:

"This school was built by Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi. The school provides elementary school education from grade 1 to grade 8. We have 1,200 students at this school and we are preparing to open grades 9 and 10 next year. We also provide education at Fetah Elementary School for 300 students, for a total of 1,500 students. In addition, we have over 42 feeder schools around Woldia and in the countryside. These schools provide education for 6,000 students ".

Among the famous buildings built by Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi in our country, Nani Building is one of them. This beautifully exquisite building was designed by Architect Habte Gebriel Habte Selassie who is an old friend of Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi, and who has made a name for himself in the process.

"This is a big undertaking. When Sheik Mohammed gave me this opportunity, I accepted it with great excitement and anticipation. Located at the entrance of the Ghion hotel, it is a 21-story master piece that shows his knowledge and understanding of architecture. It has also given me fame and fortune. His important place has allowed us to be known and our profession to be respected. In building this tower, Mohammed has allowed me to reflect his respect for humanity and my own inner feelings about my work. I have done the same with the Volvo Exhibition tower and the Sara Electric Bulb Company".

After completing 8th grade, Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi headed to Weizero Sihin Secondary School in Dessie. After that, he travels to Saudi Arabia and we witness the beginnings of his amazing business success. After completing his education in Saudi Arabia, Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi went directly into the construction and real estate business where he first made a name for himself. He grew quickly and diversified into Oil, minerals, agriculture, hotel and tourism and engineering fields. He laid down an investment network in Great Britain, USA, and Scandinavian countries, Eastern Europe, Greece, Middle East, Asia and Africa.

The two major investment arms are the Coral Group and the MIDROC Group and between them employ over 40, 000 people. The MIDROC Group is divided into three parts as MIDROC Europe, MIDROC Middle East and MIDROC Ethiopia and is making significant contributions in the growth and development of these countries and in the improvement of the lives of their peoples. The Coral Group is making huge investments in Europe, Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Africa, Angola, Morocco and Scandinavian countries including ownership of the Swedish Prem Petroleum Company. Prem Petroleum is the largest petroleum company in Sweden and provides ¾ of the refined oil needs of the country and ¼ of the needs of the other Nordic countries. Since 2005, Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi himself chairs the board of Prem Petroleum and closely guides its progress. This shows how much attention he gives to these investments and as a result, the sales of Prem Petroleum in 2006 were 67.4 billion Kroger.

Prem Petroleum is the owner of two huge oil refineries. These are Premraf Lyski and Premraf Guttenberg. These two refineries have no equal in the world in their cutting edge technology. Between them, they produce 15 million tones of refined oil every year. In addition, these companies lead the refinery work in Morocco and gas and oil explorations in West Africa and North Sea shores.

These major investments are led by Svenska Petroleum Exploration A.B., which is also involved in oil and gas production in Angola, Cote de Voir, Norway and Great Britain. Svenska Petroleum Exploration A.B. is 100% the property of the Swedish Petroleum Company, but all these world-wide investments belong to Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi. Because of these and other investments, Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi is the major foreign investor in Sweden. In return, King Karl Gustav of Sweden has bestowed on him, the great Royal Order of the Polar Star medal, twice.

MIDROC Europe continues its investment in property development, newer technology areas, in consulting and contracting areas in Scandinavian countries and especially in Germany, France, Poland and Great Britain. This has resulted in its turn over in the past several years to surpass 3.8 billion Kroger. It employs over 2,000 people and continues to expand.

The Middle East part of the MIDROC Global Group is showing tremendous activity in the area of engineering, communication, oil production and trade. As a result it employs over 24,000 people of different nationalities. Its annual turnover has also risen to over 9 billion Kroger.

It is not going to be possible to try to document the world-wide investments of Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi in a short video like this. He leads his business by traveling to Europe, America, Middle East and Africa, which adds up to bring him in equal standing to the worlds billionaires. Because his investments have included the development of countries and helping people, he has received many awards throughout the world.

Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi travels the world to fulfill his commitments. As a result, he has built many residences in several countries. Because he does most of his work in the air, he has seven different size jet airplanes. He criss crosses the vast oceans with modern luxury liners and speedy yachts. It is the wealth accumulated through such hard work that he decided to come home to Ethiopia with.

After his arrival in Ethiopia, Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi started laying down the foundation for developing Ethiopia in different areas. But, before anything else, however, to draw the world's attention to Ethiopia, he built a world famous hotel, the Sheraton Addis. Hence, Sheraton Addis became the symbol for a bright new future for Ethiopia.

Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi:

"We have a rich history, our climate is good and the scenery is beautiful. Even though it took us a long time to build this hotel in the capital of Africa, in Addis Ababa, you can see the result by yourselves. Even if I don't tell you how much it cost us, you will understand when you go around and see for yourselves. Up until now, the workers and myself have worked hard on this project. From today on, it belongs to all of you, to receive your guests and for your own entertainment and relaxation".

After that, Ethiopia truly captured the fascination and attention of the world. Before long, Addis Forum conferences were being held at the Sheraton that attracted famous world leaders and businessmen. The wishes of Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi were fulfilled. Our country became the central hub of Black Africans.

Why do we say that Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi is the exemplar son of Ethiopia, the redeemer, the benefactor? It is because he has built over 30 different companies worth billions of dollars to help in the basic infrastructure that has given a new possibility of growth and development for a new Ethiopia. The wealth he has poured on this country is not one he will benefit from in his life time. But in our countries history, he will be remembered as a martyr who paid the price for the success of our countries vision.

Dr. Arega Yirdaw, CEO of MIDROC Ethiopia tells it this way:

"The family of Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi has invested in over 30 companies in this country. I was given the opportunity to run 14 of these as a holding company, for the first time in the history of this country. This is not only very challenging in terms of running the companies, but also in teaching people the kind of management leadership required to accomplish such a task. Sheik Mohammed's investment in Ethiopia is not only a profit based investment, but also a human investment. It is an investment based on guaranteeing people a job that will bring food to their children and afford them an education. MIDROC has had a huge contribution in this area and the country has been greatly rewarded.

When we look at the overall investment of MIDROC, we have over 15,000 employees. If you multiply this with the family members that are supported by these employees, the numbers are over 60,000. I manage over 50% of the investment and I have over 6,000 employees under me. The investment areas are highly diversified to include mining, agro-industry, real estate, factories, security and protection companies. When we look at all the investments of Sheik Mohammed, it includes several sectors like hotel, health, education and agriculture.

"MIDROC Ethiopia is a Sheik Mohammed and family investment. It is a home boy investment. It is a slightly different investment. Our focus is primarily on the employee. Which means, we are focusing on ways our employees can benefit from their job through education, through making sure their children are fed and educated? Just like the Ethiopianization of the Ethiopian Airlines, we want to prepare our employees and their children to run these companies. It is an investment not based just on profit making, but on their health and their future. That is why we are moving ahead with a healthy, happy and proud work force as we expand the economic scope of our country. Sheik Mohammed would rather see a lazy employee moved to a less demanding job or retired with full pay to support his family rather than being fired. If Sheik Mohammed hears that an employee was dismissed without pay, I think he will be distressed a lot.

"This is the kind of investment I am talking about. In one sense, many don't understand it, in another sense it has resulted in attracting more investment in our country. Other investors can pack up and leave if their adventure is not profitable. Sheik Mohammed and family have no such inclination. Their investment comes from the heart and is here to stay for good. There is only one thing I want to say to Mohammed. Continue what you are doing without wavering in your path. Continue your love for your family, your friends, your country like always, without any regrets. There is a certain belief in our country that eulogizes some one after they have passed away instead of honoring them while they are still alive. We have changed that in our company. We identify hard working and successful individuals and compensate them and thank them on the spot. So, we pray to the Almighty God for Sheik Mohammed's long and healthy life, to continue to help his friends and his country and keep enjoying himself while doing it".

In addition to this, Sheik Mohammed Al Amoudi is the first one to respond when natural disasters hit, by being the right hand of development organizations in the different regions of the country. Beyond development, would it be too much to say that he has a pure and loving heart which worries for the well-being of all those he comes in contact with, paving the way for their contribution to our universal success?"

"My own personal story starts with a chance encounter that I had with him when he dropped by at my office to make a phone call. My boss, the General Manager of Sheraton Addis was out of the country and I proceeded to open his office for him. Sheik Mohammed refused that and said, "No, let me sit here with you and make my call". I gave him the phone. He proceeded to ask me about my health and my children. I told him I only have one child and all I do is to educate her and do everything for her. He looked at me and said, "From today on, don't worry about her. I will pay for her education". At that moment, I felt like God had just descended from heaven into my life because, I was so desperate at that time. Well, after that, I was able to take her to the United State all expenses paid and enrolled her at the George Mason University in Virginia. She graduated with honors in Biology and joined the Howard University Medical School, in Washington D.C. She will graduate in two years, God willing. In short, he educated one doctor for Ethiopia. I would like to thank Sheik Mohammed from the bottom of my heart for changing my life and my daughter's life. I wish him and his entire family a long life, health, love, peace and happiness."

Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi asks all those he sends abroad for education to promise to come back and serve their country. One such Ethiopian is Meron Mengistu. Meron will graduate next year with a doctorate degree in Molecular Biology. Sheik Mohammed believes that the future of Ethiopia is in the hands of its educated youth. To that end, his commitment and support to youth organizations and individuals is boundless. Here are the comments by some of these young entrepreneurs who benefited from his help.

Young women:

"Addis Coffee is a four year old organization. It was established with the help of Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi. We started with one and we now have five branches and the expansion will continue. With his help, I was able to start the business with 30 employees. I now have 275 employees. "Your dream is to help the young to succeed. Your dream is coming true. We are helping ourselves and helping others. We attribute our success to your generosity. I pray to God for your health and long life".

A young man:

"My line of work is in renting construction equipment. We have a lot of employees who drive heavy trucks and thanks to Sheik Mohammed, our business is growing rapidly. In the name of my employees, my family and myself, I wish him a long and healthy life".

Another young man:

"I have listened to many of his speeches on many occasions. His speeches focus on the youth of our country. He wants to see the youth changed so as to change our country. I wish every one had the opportunity that I had".

Another young man:

"What I believe to be the dream of Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi is to leave a successful youth for the next generation. That is what I heard from his speeches. He wishes he could help all. He is not one who lives at a distance or feared and avoided because of his beard or his wealth. He is a down to earth human being with good intentions for us all. Those of us who are lucky enough to get his help will continue to work hard and also help others in the process to make his dream come true."

To protect the honor and dignity of our country and not let her poverty interfere with her central place as Africa's capital, Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi has fulfilled his obligations and stands as a national treasure. This is what he had to say at the opening ceremony of Sheraton Addis:

"I would like to thank everybody who supported us with this place. This is a gift from my country to the whole of Africa. This is a gift to the whole continent of Africa. It will stay that way and we will keep it that way."

In the area of sports, Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi has not hesitated to pour his wealth to make Ethiopia the owner of a new history in the making. Beyond helping individual sports people and our national teams, Sheik Mohammed has sponsored the Middle and East African cup for three consecutive years. He has received recognition and multiple awards for his world-wide participation in humanitarian activities. Among these are the gold medal he received from Seth Platter of the Federation of International Football Association and the honorary doctorate degree bestowed on him by the Addis Ababa University.

"I focus more on satisfaction rather than profit making at the expense of my fellow citizens. This perhaps is the main reason why most of my advisors and business associates tell me that I do invest particularly in Ethiopia and in Africa with my heart. Let me tell you a small story. In 1985, my partners came to my office in Riyadh and they said to me "let us invest in Paris and other places." I said Paris is far away. I am telling you this is 20 years ago. I said I would like to start in Africa. They said, "why Africa? There is no stability, there is no peace." I said to them I want to be there first. When other investors come, they open the door and they see me there. Either they join me or they fight me."

We have tried to highlight only a few of the endless love and contributions that this great Ethiopians has made to his country. The number of young people abroad getting their education, the number he has helped with wedding expenses, the many he has pulled out of misery and destitution to success and self sufficiency is countless.

One of the civil servants of Sheik Mohammed's humanitarian concerns says;

"His humanitarian aid extends to the old, the weak and the sick. As a person involved in doing the paper work and arranging the transportation of the sick going for treatment to America, Bangkok or South Africa, I have witnessed the miraculous cure and turn around in the lives of many of these patients. I see Sheik Mohammed as a gift to his country sent to us by the Almighty God."

That is why we repeatedly applaud him and this truth and his story will be etched in the history of our land for ever. In the new Ethiopia, his noble deeds will be passed from generation to generation without losing its flavor. Beyond that, can we thank him enough or be satisfied with any kind of gift?

In our introduction, we had asked about what yardstick to use to measure his generosity. As we conclude our video, we wished that Ethiopia had the ability to voice its opinion. If you say why, it is because we are fragile beings who are bright one moment and gone the next. Instead, we wanted the eternal earth to be the witness. However, we still elected to hear from those who can articulate their story more succinctly.

Because we lack a Heart Center in our country, many young lives have been lost unnecessarily and many more are counting their days. Heart disease in children is especially mean. To combat this, one patriotic Ethiopian starts out with a dream to do something about it. His name is Dr. Belay Abegaz.

" When I first met Sheik Mohammed 18 years ago, he said, "Are you Dr. Belay? Is that you? I have heard a lot about you. I don't know when, but some day I will help you, I will help you well. Take care. Work hard." I said to him, I was doing a simple thing. Even my office is made of a container that I begged for. Since we don't have money, we can't afford to rent. I told him that I did not want to use the money I collected begging to go for rent. He said, " Listen, and let me tell you something. Starting from a house whose ceiling and wall were corrugated iron and the floor dirt, one can achieve greatness." He told me the name of such a person. I made a mental note of that. God willing, in the year 2007, we were able to open the first world class Heart Center here in Ethiopia, while still working from our container offices."

Twelve years ago Mr. Benyam Tilahun, let me mention his name, had gone and told Sheik Mohammed about my plan to take some Ethiopian singers to the US to raise money for my Heart Center. He let me to talk to him on the phone. I told him my plans. He said, "by the way, how much money do you need?". I told him two million dollars. He laughed at me. He said, "You can't build a hospital with two million dollars. I will give you two million dollars. When you need more I will give you more. But, let me tell you something. Go ahead and do your begging abroad. If you have to beg, beg for medical equipment, not money for building a hospital. We Ethiopians should be the ones to build the hospital."

I can in no way pay back for the support I received form the Ethiopian people. But, there are Ethiopians with at least one child. So I started a campaign to raise one dollar for one heart to raise at least 25 million dollars. Sheik Mohammed, in addition to the 8 million he had given me before, he gave me 25 million more just a few days ago. That is a total of 33 million. In addition, most of his organizations in the country gave me 3, 4, 5 million dollars. That makes the gross total to close to 40 million dollars. At a minimum, Sheik Mohammed has paid for 40 million families of my One Dollar for One Heart project. He has made me proud of my people and allowed me to see my dream come true before I die. It has been 28 years in the making and 25 years since my travails began and Sheik Mohammed has made it a reality. Mohammed has stood beside his Ethiopians. Any one who does such good deeds for children is one loved by the Lord. It is not money, it is not wealth. May God allow him to stand beside Him. May God pay him back in kind. I am not the one saying this. It is the children who have become beneficiaries of his generosity. Because of him, our country has become equal to the rest of the world. Let me just digress a little and mention that the only country with a population of 80 million that did not have a heart center was Ethiopia. I can only thank him in the name of these children or else I have no right to talk about this. May their God find him a place next to Himself. I have no other wish for him"


Professor Yonas Kinfe has been serving his country in his profession for over 40 years.

" I describe his help as a "soft" help. It is about preventing immigration out of the country and bringing home those who have immigrated and it is much bigger advantageous for the country than these edifices and construction investments. I would not have been able to expand into research and to travel the world and participate in international forums, if it were not for his tremendous encouragement and financing. This is an investment that is not conspicuous, but prevents brain drain. Sheik Mohammed has allowed me to proudly serve my country and help myself in this profession.

"The other chapter of my life is about my health. Last year, I lost my vision because of retinal detachment. At a time when retirement income is not even sufficient for day to day expenses, Sheik Mohammed came to my rescue and I was sent for an emergency surgery at a world renowned center and gained back my vision. What else can I say other than thank you? There is nothing you can give him in return. May God bless him with more. And that is why He will give him more."

Sheik Mohammed laid the foundation for the history of our musical king, Tilahun Gessese, which would have otherwise been lost and forgotten. Every time Tilahun fell ill, Sheik Mohammed was always there for him. And we continue to have our now fragile Tilahun Gessese.

"He allowed me to be with you now. He is my right hand, my mother and father, my brother and my friend. I have no words to say about him when you ask me. My life was going to be cut short. He came and saved me. I am able to sit, eat, talk and walk, all because of him. I wish him and his family plenty of healthy years."

Bethlehem Abebe is a 27 year old young woman. She was only six months shy of a Sociology degree from Addis Ababa University and her family was preparing for a grand graduation when she suddenly fell ill and started a long fight for her life.

" My problem was with my immune system. My immune system is very aggressive not only to diseases, but also towards my own organs. At one point, I was very sick and in a delirious state, they tell me that I referred to him as my uncle. I truly thank him."

Her Father: " For me, this was something completely unexpected. I had lost hope and had given up. I was waiting for the day when I would carry her to her grave. God had another miracle for me. May he not show me his illness. May I pass away before him. He does not know me, but this is what humanitarian help means. My wish is to meet him some day and thank him in the name of my family. May God bless all that He has given you."

There was no Ethiopian that was not shocked and angered by a horrifying incident that happened to a young girl. Her name is Kamilia Mehadi. She was sent to France by Sheik Mohammed to get a very specialized medical treatment. We were able to talk to her while she was on a brief visit to Ethiopia to see her parents.

"When the doctors saw my picture, they assured me that they will make me much better. What they have done now is just an emergency procedure. I am here to visit my parents. When I go back they will put me back to what I looked before this accident. Sheik Mohammed saved my life and the lives of my family. There is nothing I lack while I am getting treatment. I also get a chance to come and visit my family in between. I don't know how to express my happiness with all this generosity. May Allah reward him for this. My parents and I will always remember him in our daily prayers. May he live a long and healthy life."

And the father says:

"When all that poisonous acid was poured on her body and was burning her and tormenting her beyond belief, Sheik Mohammed came to her rescue. Alhamdulilah! I have no words to express his kindness. He has arrived for her like St. Gabriel to cure her. Alhamdulilah, may the Almighty prolong his life."

And her mother says:

" I told the doctors to take skin from my face and use it for her. They took a piece for testing and told me it does not match. I tried everything to help. Finally, I thought about taking my own life by drinking poison. They told me I was loosing my mind and I was in constant pain. I raised her and put her through school and then this happens. If it were not for Sheik Mohammed's help I would have lost her. He saved all of Ethiopia, not just us. My Allah give him health and long life."

Sofanit Debalke was an Ethiopian beauty working as a hostess with the Ethiopian Airlines. While on vacation to visit her family in America, she came face to face with an unexpected horror of her life, breast cancer! She lost hope. She said farewell to her parents and came back home to count her last days. Sheik Mohammed heard about the ordeals of this young lady and came to her aid.

" As we all know the name itself is very scary. After that fact, I never knew there was a chance for a life. I cried a lot. I had children and I was very sad to realize that I could not remain a mother to them. Sheik Mohammed, my gratitude is so great that I can't thank you enough. May you and your children live long and happy. May God bless you."


Hiwot Yeyesuswork is a mother, who suddenly found herself with breast cancer. All her dreams were coming to an end when Sheik Mohammed showed up in her life. When we met her, she was unable to express her feelings, her pleasures. Her eldest daughter, Belen Legesse, a second year Addis Ababa University student was beside her and came to her rescue.

" It was a Saturday morning when she called me and showed me this lump in her breast. I was panic-stricken, but I reassured her and told her she will be OK. She was tested the following Tuesday and she came home with the devastating news. I had heard about cervical cancer before. I never suspected such a day will come into my family. I had lost hope completely. I never thought I would see the day where she would be sitting next to me like this. It is because of him that this happened. If she were not here, I would not have continued my education. Being the eldest in the family, I would have taken up many household responsibilities. And my mother was not only a mother to me, she is my best friend too. I have hope now and I have her next to me, thanks to Sheik Mohammed. I thank him sincerely in the name of my father and all of my family. I have nothing else to say. He did the unexpected for me. He gave me back my mother. I don't know how else to thank him."

Sheik Mohammed, may Allah bless you.

The making of a house

Labor by love with your own hands
Build me a house with strong pillars
Lay down the tiles of endless love
In a manner well built and tough
Mount the walls and ascend them high
Low and modest beneath the sky
Leave one room unmarked by paint
Color and class duly absent
Leave me a space for some patience
A room to use for the bad times
Build a vast one for some kindness
It will help me as an entrance
Create one window for each room
That will battle against the gloom
I will use it to compromise
If not to see the morning sunrise
Build me a boundary as a fortress
One that implies dignity and grace
Unmovable with hate and need
Unshakable by fruitless greed
Set a dwelling complete with life
Labor with love deep from the heart
Labor by love with your own hands

WHAT DOES MUSICIAN AND ACTIVIST BONO SAY?

Written from his speech in 2005

Bono, the lead singer of U2, uses his celebrity to fight for social justice in Africa.

JOIN MY CALL TO ACTION TO AFRICA.

February 2005.

You must see this video after you finish reading this article.

TellMeWhy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzLZ32kZT5M

What really turns me on about technology is not just the ability to get more songs on MP-3 players; this revolution is much bigger than that. I hope, I believe. What turns me on about the digital age, what excites me personally is that you have closed the gap between dreaming and doing. See, it used to be that if you wanted to make a record of a song, you needed a studio and a producer. Now you need a laptop. If you wanted to make a film, you needed massive, massive equipment and a Holy Wood budget. Now, you need a camera that fits in your palm and a couple of bucks for a blank DVD.

Imagination has been de-coupled from the old constraints. That really, really excites me. I am excited when I glimpse that kind of thinking rip large. What I would like to see is idealism decoupled from old constraints, political, economic, psychological, whatever. The geopolitical world has a lot to learn from the digital world. From the ease with which you swept away obstacles that no one knew could even be budged.

First, I would like to explain why and how I got to this place. It is a journey that started 20 years ago. You may remember that song, "We are the world" or "Do they know it is Chrismas?", "Band-Aid", "Live aid". Another very tall, grizzled rock star, my friend Sir Bob Gedof, issued a challenge to feed the world. It was a great moment and it utterly changed my life.

That summer, my wife Ally and myself went to Ethiopia. We went on the quite to see for ourselves what was going on. We lived in Ethiopia for a month, working in an orphanage. The children had a name for me. They called me the "girl with a beard". Don't ask. Anyway, we found Africa to be a magical place. Big skies, big hearts, big shining continent, beautiful royal people. Anybody whoever gave anything to Africa, got a lot back. Ethiopia didn't just blow my mind, it opened my mind.

Anyway, on our last day at this orphanage, a man handed me his baby and said, "Would you take my son with you?" He knew in Ireland that his son would live and in Ethiopia his son would die. It was the middle of an awful famine. Well, I turned him down. It was a funny kind of sick feeling. But, I turned him down and it is a feeling I can never quite forget. And in that moment, I started this journey. In that moment, I became the worst thing of all. I became a "rock star with a cause", except this isn't a cause, is it?

6,500 Africans dying every single day from AIDS, a preventable, treatable disease, for lack of drugs we can get in any pharmacy. That is not a "Cause", is it? That is and "Emergency". 11 million AID orphans in Africa, 20 million by the end of the decade. That is not a "Cause", that is an "Emergency". Today, everyday, 9,000 Africans will catch HIV because of stigmatization and lack of education. That is not a "Cause", that is an "Emergency".

So, what we are talking about here is Human Rights. The right to live like a human. The right to live, Period! What we are facing in Africa is an unprecedented threat to Human Dignity and Equality.

The next thing I would like to be clear about is what this problem is and what this problem isn't. Because, this is not all about charity. This is about justice. Really. This is not about charity. This is about justice. That is right. That is too bad, because we are very good about charity. Americans, like the Irish are good at it. Even the poorest neighborhoods give more than they could afford. We like to give and we give a lot. Look at the response to the Tsunami. It is inspiring.

But, justice is a tougher standard than charity. You see, Africa makes a fool of our idea of justice. It makes a farce of our idea of equality, it mocks our pieties, ducks our concern. It questions our commitments. Because, there is no way we can look at what is happening in Africa and, if we are honest, conclude that it will ever be allowed to happen anywhere else. Not here, not in America, not in Europe.

In fact, a head of state you are all familiar with, admitted this to me. It is really true. There is no chance that this kind of hemorrhaging of human life would be accepted anywhere else, other than Africa. Africa is a continent in flames. And deep down, if we accept it that Africans are equal to us, we would all do more to stump the fire out. We are standing around with watering hose. And what we really need is the fire brigade.

You see, it is not as dramatic as the Tsunami. It is crazy really, if you stop and think about it. It has to be like an action movie these days, to exist in front of our brain. The slow extinguishing of countless lives is not as dramatic enough, it would appear. Catastrophes that we can avert are not as interesting as ones we could avert. Funny that. Anyway, I believe that that kind of thinking offends the intellectual rigor in this room.

6,500 people dying every day may be Africa's crisis. But the fact is in the last 19 years, we in Europe and you in America are not treating it like an emergency. I want to argue with you tonight, that that is our crisis. I want to argue that, though Africa is not the front line in the war against terror, it could be soon. Every week, religious extremists take another African village, they are attempting to bring order to chaos. Well, why aren't we? Poverty breeds despair, we know this. Despair breeds violence, we know this. In turbulent times, isn't it cheaper and smarter to make friends out of potential enemies than to defend yourself against them later. The war against terror is bound up in the war against poverty. And I didn't say that, Colin Powell said that. Now, when the military are telling us that this is a war that cannot be won by military might alone, may be we should listen. There is an opportunity here and it is real. It is not a spin, it is not wishful thinking. The problem facing the developing world afford us in the developed world, a chance to re-describe ourselves to the world. We will not only transform other lives, but we will also transform the way those other lives see us. And that might be smart in these nervous dangerous times.

Don't you think, on a purely commercial level, that anti-retroviral drugs are advertisements for Western ingenuity? Doesn't compassion look well on us? Let us cut the crap for a second. In certain corners of the world, brand Europe, brand USA is not at its shiniest. The neon sign is fizzling and crackling. Some one has put a brick through the window. The regional branch managers are getting nervous. Never before have we in the West been so scrutinized. Our values, if we have any, our credibility, these things are under attack around the world. Brand USA could use some polishing. I say that as a fan, you know, as a person who buys the products. But, think about it. More anti-retroviral could make sense. That is just the easy part or ought to be.

Equality for Africa. That is a big, expensive idea. You see, the scale of the suffering mums us into a kind of indifference. What on earth can we all do about this? Well, much more than we think. We can't fix every problem. But, the ones we can, I want to argue, we must. And because we can, we must. This is the straight truth, the righteous truth. It is not a theory. The fact is, ours is the first generation that can look disease and extreme poverty in the eye, look across the ocean to Africa and say this and mean it. We do not have to stand for this. A whole continent written off, we do not have to stand for this.

So, let me say this without a trace of irony, before I back it up to a bunch of Ex-Hippies. Forget the 60s. We can change the world. I can't, you can't, as individuals. But, we can change the world. I really believe that the people in this room, look at the Gates Foundation, they have done incredible stuff, unbelievable stuff. But, working together, we can actually change the world. We can turn the inevitable outcomes and transform the quality of life for millions of lives, who look and fell rather like us when you look up close.

I am sorry to laugh here, but you do look so different than you did in Haight- Ashbury in the 60s. But, I want to argue that this is the moment that you were designed for. It is the flowering of the seeds you planted in earlier headier days. Ideas that you gestated in your youth. This is what excites me. This room was born for this moment, is really what I wanted to say to you tonight. Most of you started off to change the world didn't you? Most of you did, the digital world. Well now, actually because of you, it is possible to change the physical world. It is a fact. Economist confirm it. They know more than I do.

So, why then are we not pumping our fists in to the air? Probably because, when we admit we can do some thing about, we've got to do something about it.

This equality business, actually, is a pain in the ass. But for the first time in history, we have the technology, we have the know-how, we have the cash. We have the life saving drugs. Do we have the will?

I hope this is obvious. But, I am not a Hippie. I am not really one for the warm fuzzy feeling. I do not have flares in my hair. Actually, I come from punk rock and the clash of big army boots not sandals. But, I know toughness when I see it. All the talk of peace and love on the West Coast, there was muscle to the movement that started out here. You see, idealism detached from action is just a dream. But, idealism allied with pragmatism, with rolling of your sleeves and making the world bend a bit, is very exciting. It is very real, it is very strong and it is very present in a crowd like you.

Last year at Dayton, this organization I helped set up, we launched a campaign to summon this spirit in the fight against AIDS and extreme poverty, and we are calling it the "One Campaign". It is based on our belief that the action of one person can change a lot. But, the actions of many coming together as one, can change the world.

Well, we feel that now is the time to prove we are right. There are moments in history when civilization redefines itself. We believe this is one. We believe that this could be the time when the world finally decides that the wanton loss of life in Africa is just no longer acceptable. This could be the time that we finally get serious about changing the future for most people who live on planet earth.

Momentum has been building. Lurching a little. But, it is building. This year is a test for us all, especially the leaders of the G-8 nations, who really are on the line here, with all the world and history watching. I have been of late, disappointed with the Bush administration. They started out with such promise on Africa. They made some really great promises and actually have fulfilled a lot of them. But, some of them they haven't. They don't fit their foot on the ground when they push is the truth. But, my disappointment has much more perspective when I talk to American people and I hear their worries about the deficit and the fiscal well-being of their country. I understand that. But, there is much more push from the ground than you would think, if we got organized.

What I try to communicate, and you can help me if you agree, is that aid for Africa is just great value for money, at a time when America really needs it. Putting it in the crassest possible terms, the investment rips huge returns, not only in lives saved, but also in good will, stability and security that we will gain. So this is what I hope that you do, if I could be so bold and not have it deducted from my number of wishes.

What I hope is that, beyond individual merciful acts, you will tell the politicians to do right by Africa, by America and by the world. Give them permission, if you like, to spend their political capital and your financial capital, your national purse, on saving the lives of millions of people. That is really what I like you to do. Because, we also need your intellectual capital, your ideas, your skills, your ingenuity and you at this conference are in a unique position. Some of the technology we have been talking about, you invented them or at least revolutionized the way that they are used. Together you have changed the Zing guys from analog to digital and pushed the boundaries, and we like you to give us that energy, give us that kind of dreaming, that kind of doing. As I said, two things are on the line here. There is a continent, Africa. But, there is also a sense of ourselves.

People are starting to figure this out. Movements are spreading up. Politicians, pop starts, priests, CEOs, NGOs, models unions, student unions. A lot of people are working together under this umbrella I told you about, the "One Campaign". I think they just have one idea in their mind which is, where you live in the world should not determine whether you live in the world. History, like God, is watching what we do. When the history books get written, I think our age will be remembered for three things. The digital revolution, yes. The war against terror, yes. And what we did or did not do to put out the fires in Africa. Some say we can't afford to. I say we can't afford not to. Thank you.

OK, my three wishes:

You see, if this is true and I believe it is, that the digital world that you all created has uncoupled the creative imagination from the physical constraints of matter, this should be a piece of piss. I should add that this started as a much longer list of wishes. Most of them impossible, some of them impractical and one or two of them certainly immoral. This business can get to be addictive, you know, when some body else has to pick up the tab. Anyway, here is number one.

I wish for you to help build a social movement of more than one million American activists for Africa. I believe it is possible. From Holy Wood to the heart lands of America, we know there is more than enough energy to power this movement. We want all of you here, Church America, Corporate America, Microsoft America, Apple America, Coke America, Pepsi America, Nerd America, Noisy America. We can't afford to be cool and sit this one out. I do believe that if we build a movement that is one million Americans strong, we are not going to be denied. We will have the ear of congress. We will be the first page on Condi Rice's briefing book and right into the Oval Office. If there are one million Americans who are ready to make phone calls, ready to be on e-mail, I am absolutely sure that we can actually change the course of history literally, for the continent of Africa.

My second wish:

I would like one media hit for every person on the planet who is living on less than a dollar a day. That is one billion media hits! Could be on Google, could be on AOL, could be NBC, could be ABC. We need some air time for our ideas. We need to get the statistics out to the American people. I really believe that old Truman line, "if you give the American people the facts, they will do the right thing". This has to be described as an adventure not a burden. Please visit www.ONE.ORG and help us.

My third wish:

I wish for TED to truly show the power of information. It's power to rewrite rules and transform lives by connecting every hospital, health clinic and every school in one African country and I would like it to be in Ethiopia. I believe we can connect every school in Ethiopia, every health clinic, every hospital. We can connect to the internet. That is my wish. I think it is possible. I think we have the money and brains to do that. And that would be a mind blowing wish to come true. I have been to Ethiopia, as I said earlier. It is actually where it all started for me.

The idea that the internet which changed all our lives, can transform a country and a continent that has partly made it to analog let alone digital blows my mind.

But it didn't start out that way. The first long distance line from Boston to New York was used in 1885, on the phone. It was just nine years later that Addis Ababa was connected by phone to Harare, which is 500km away. Since then, not that much has changed. The average waiting time to get a land line in Ethiopia is actually, about seven or eight years. Wireless technology wasn't dreamt up then.

Anyways, you know I am Irish and I know how important talking is. Communication is very important for Ethiopia. We will transform the country. Nurses getting better training, pharmacist able to order supplies, doctors sharing their expertise in all aspects of medicine. It is a very, very good idea to get them wired. That is my third and final wish for you at the TED Conference.

Thank you very much.

To help with this wish please contact – tedprize@ted.com

Subject: Join me in fighting poverty!

Hi,

I've just signed the ONE Declaration committing myself to help fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty.

I'm asking you to make that commitment, too, by adding your voice.

I think your name belongs on that declaration, too. You can put it there by visiting:

http://www.one.org/declare/

ONE is a new effort by Americans to rally Americans - one by one. So far, over two million have signed the declaration in support of a historic pact for compassion and justice to help the poorest people of the world.

Together as ONE we can make a difference!

Thanks!

TELL ME WHY:

TellMeWhy.wmv (video/x-ms-wmv)

IN MY DREAM, CHILLS OF SIN

A SONG OF LOVE FOR EVERY BOY AND GIRL

THE SKY IS BLUE, THE FIELDS ARE GREEN

AND LAUGHTER IS THE LANGUAGE OF THE WORLD

THEN I WAKE IN DAWN I SEE

IS A WORLD FULL OF PEOPLE IN NEED

TELL ME WHY?

DOES IT HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS

TELL ME WHY?

IS THERE SOMETHING I HAVE MISSED?

TELL ME WHY?

I DON'T UNDERSTAND

WHEN SO MANY NEED SOMEBODY

WE DON'T GIVE A HELPING HAND

TELL ME WHY?

EVERY DAY I ASK MYSELF

WHAT WILL I HAVE TO DO TO BE A MAN?

DO I HAVE TO STAND AND FIGHT

TO PROVE TO EVERY BODY WHO I AM?

IS IT WORTH MY LIFE TO FALL

TO WASTE IN A WORLD FULL OF WAR?

TELL ME WHY?

DOES IT HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS

TELL ME WHY?

IS THERE SOMETHING I HAVE MISSED?

TELL ME WHY?

I DON'T UNDERSTAND

WHEN SO MANY NEEDS SOMEBODY

WE DON'T GIVE A HELPING HAND

TELL ME WHY? X 3

JUST TELL ME WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY?

WHY, WHY, WE DON'T CELEBRATE?

SOME ONE TELL US WHAT THE CHALLENGES WOULD BE

* Bono's wishes

Bono

WISH ONE: I wish for you to help build a social movement of more than 1 MILLION American activists for Africa.

Goal:

* Empower Americans to fight stupid, crushing poverty in Africa and AIDS by making a big noise.

Actions Taken:

* Rights to the URL www.ONE.org secured and delivered by the Jane Addams Hull House.
* Sun builds cool SMS technology that allows instant sign-ups at U2 concerts; a team from Sun travels with the U2 tour to run it.
* Multi-company team of Sun, Macromedia, Microsoft and Tribe, redesigns the www.ONE.org website.
* Anonymous TEDster commits $10M over five years to Bono's team.

Result:
1.4M signups ahead of G8 summit where major debt cancellation/AID package agreed. www.ONE.org signups subsequently exceed 2M.

WISH TWO: I wish to tell people ONE BILLION times about ONE, with as much of this as possible before the G8 Africa Summit in July 2005.

Goal:

* ONE billion media impressions for the mass-market campaign to tell everyone in the US about www.ONE.org and the global fight against poverty.

Actions Taken:

* John Kamen, of @radicalmedia, creates ONE film which plays all over TV networks and the Internet
* Google contribute adwords
* Jay Amato and Viewpoint negotiate 1.5 BILLION online ads with help from 24/7 Real Media, About.com, Accuweather, ad pepper, AOL, Boston.com, Burst Media, CBS, UPN and CBSNews, Ebay, Gamespot, iVillage, MaxOnline, Monster.com, MSN, MSNBC, NowPublic, Right Media, UGO, ValueClick, VIEWPOINT Search, Whitepages.com

Results:
Exceeded 1 BILLION impressions target before the G8 summit. Total impressions granted eventually exceeded 2 billion.

WISH THREE: I wish for you to show the power of information -- its power to rewrite the rules and to transform lives -- by connecting every hospital, health clinic, and school in one African country, Ethiopia, to the Internet.

Goal:

* Track and improve public health with information technology; expand the resources available to local schools

Actions Taken:

* Sun, AMD, HP, Cisco, and TEDsters Taylor Milsal and Joseph Mouzon meet with DATA for a half-day brainstorm.
* NYC meeting with Jeffrey Sachs' Earth Institute team from Columbia.
* TED delegation are hosted in Addis Ababa by Tom Darden's Cherokee House.
* TED delegation visits schools, clinics, and meets with government: Ministry of Health, Ministry of Information, Ministry of Building Capacity, The World Bank, State Department, Ethiopian Telecommunications, local NGOs.
* Big problems are encountered: Pushback from teachers and doctors, government telecoms monopoly and erupting political violence.

Results:
After in-depth research, TED reports back to Bono ... this is NOT the best way for TED to help in Africa. Instead, TED decides to connect the community to remarkable people, projects, businesses in Africa and announces TED Global in Tanzania, June 2007.

My Comments on the Confusing article by Kuchiye "Why it is strenuous to be an EPRDF fan." (http://www.abugidainfo.com)

Washera_2000
January 7th, 2008 at 1:14 pm

Dear Kuchiye:

I have followed your writings from way back when you used to scribble in the comments section of the one blog we both loved, Weichegud. You have come a long way, baby! You are now writing articles. I encourage you to keep it up.

I commented extensively on your article on why you decided to become a Kinijit supporter. I don’t think you read it, or may be it does not make sense to you. I hate to burst your bubble, but there are some basic confusing remarks in your present treatise as well. Let me go on one by one.

1. I agree with you on the question of our access to the sea. In fact, I have been advocating that EPRDF needs to pay attention to the needs of the Afar people whose border extends all the way to Massawa. I believe in initiating negotiations with the Eritrean government even as we remain bogged dawn with the Badme issue.

2. I disagree with you about your “piece of land that is of little consequence” allegation. The Badme issue is by no means over yet.

3. It saddens me to see you talk about “divide-and-rule” and “mafia-type interest groups”, when you describe EPRDF’s ruling style.

4. You muddy the waters further by stating that “EPRDF dared to take a chance at democracy” only to spoil it by “killing of peaceful demonstrators, the mass arrests, the ban on independent media.” Did you expect a “mafia-style” government with “divide-and-rule” philosophy to “dare take a chance at democracy?” Or were you setting up the statements to help you with your atrocious conclusions? Did you forget the remarkable achievement made by the Shimagiles and the Ethiopian government to release the Kality prisoners, most of whom are freely going about establishing their parties in this Ethiopia, while others continue their tourism abroad? This in the same Ethiopia that you claim is ruled by those who have "...fear of creating political space to accommodate genuine opposition". Ask w/t Bertukan Mideksa if she shares your opinion.

5. You allege to know EPRDF’s political philosophy “that is founded on ethnicism, propaganda strategy that boarders fear mongering, economic policy that endows the ruling party and its clique but denies the citizen, fear of creating political space to accommodate genuine opposition, habit of holding others accountable for its own ills.”

6. You then borrow a line from (sic) Dr. Berhanu Nega, “For EPRDF, human and democratic rights are inconvenient truths that have to be recited on world political stages to satisfy the minimum requirement of donors.” to put your appalling finishing remark, "the absence of press freedom and the totally suffocating political climate Ethiopians are forced to live in.” Have you been to Ethiopia recently to witness the "suffocation" that you refer to both to the people and the press?

What is even more astounding is your unsubstantiated optimism expressed thus; “there is still time to right the wrong and to build a vitally necessary level of trust between all the parties who have vested interest in Ethiopia.”

You started off by telling us about attributes you consider important in any decent human being, “Keeping an open mind, avoiding being judgmental, believing in the power of discourse, self respect, respect for the values of others, sensitivity to real or imagined fears–” You don’t see how your statements in numbers 3 to 6 contradict the basic tenets of decency that you advocate in the second paragraph? Where is the respect and fair judgment you offer the EPRDF government? How can you expect any fragment of goodness on the part of EPRDF to listen to you when you label it as a “divide-and-rule” and “fear-mongering” regime that according to you is performing unconstitutional acts regularly and repeatedly? Where do you find the optimism to work with such a regime?

I may agree with you on re-visiting our land policy and even willing to look into the issue of ethnic federalism. I am an ardent supporter of free market economy and I am anti-secession. But your arguments fall short on many counts.

I respect and applaud you for your “self-assessment” exercise you have indulged into. I respectfully ask you to re-examine your flowed thought process.

Please do go back and re-examine your values with a clear-headed and sober mind and body. Give EPRDF due credit for the good it has done and figure out a way to work with it with respect and brotherhood. Then and only then, will your optimism take root and your contribution to a lasting democratic legacy to our Ethiopia be a realistic goal.

Thank you for your misguided, but thought provoking remarks.

WHY I DECIDED TO BE AN EPRDF SUPPORTER AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE ONE

By Washera-2000, plagiarized from Kuchiye December 29, 2007 (http://www.abugidainfo.com/)

January 1, 2008

I was fascinated by an article written by Kuchiye in the above web site. My experiences with Kuchiye are identical in many areas. So I have taken the liberty to freely plagiarize from that wonderful treatise. Kuchiye, bear with me.

Like any other decent citizen I have always taken interest in the affairs and wellbeing of my country. I am from the same generation that Kuchiye is. Unlike Kuchiye, I did not have the maturity level and the political wherewithal in high school to understand politics, let alone write an article on human rights and democracy. We had school magazines back then including Times and Newsweek. I remember one of my best friends who is still alive and near by reading these magazines cover to cover, including the ads. I enjoyed academic competition, tennis and reading the likes of Charlotte Bronte, Conan Doyle and Jules Verne. Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare would come later.

My memory of the 1953 coup was the demonstration we had in the town of Gore in support of His Imperial Majesty. I was at the front of the line carrying the Green, Yellow and Red. I did not even know who Germame Neway was until I came to high school.

Decades have elapsed since the 1953 coup d'etat and though I maintained some degree of interest in politics, it was somewhat in disconnected fashion. Politics seemed unrelated to my way of life and political activity was the exclusive domain of aristocrats, scoundrels and cold-blooded murderers. My only aspirations were to be in the best profession in the country and marry the daughter or grand daughter of the Emperor so that I can get two gashas of land for my poor family back in my village of Gara Kufa in Harar province. I have seen a royal family member receive a mountain for a birthday! That ambition will lead me to complete the first part of my dream and come to the United States to continue further in that profession. Outside a brief brush with royalty, any possibility of my second dream was suddenly cut short by the arrival of Mengistu and his murder squad, just as I was coming into the party scene. In 1991, when those scoundrels were kicked out of my country, I joined the Washington political scene and briefly dabbled in organizing and chairing a political party. That activity and a couple of bad coincidences would lead me to a brief stay in "Kality prison", when I went back to visit my country after 17 years of absence. I had to sign a paper saying I would never get involved in any political activity, before I could get my freedom and return to the United States. So, it was back to political obscurity and raising family.

Then 2005 happened. The period leading to the 2005 election was laden with hope and excitement. It was unlike any other in our lifetime, for it sucked the most skeptics out of self imposed exile and the most indifferent out of centuries old slumber. Many Ethiopians opposing EPRDF started to believe that democracy was possible and that governments can change through the power of the ballot. On the national level the government has been transforming its governance principles along more and more democratic lines. The relative peace in the country and the continued growth in the economy have lead to its increased popularity. When 2005 rolled in, EPRDF has had over a decade and a half of governance, improved infrastructure, growing military power in the region and confidence in its political ideology. So, EPRDF was motivated to opening up of the political process and more freedom for political parties in the opposition camp. It mattered very little whether the motivation grew out of conviction or national or international pressure. A significant chunk of the credit also goes to those Ethiopians who came out in millions to participate in the democratic process. The 2005 elections sparked national debates and managed to glue an entire population to the TV set, the radio and newspapers.

That was when I also started to believe democracy was indeed possible and Ethiopians, who I believe are the most politicized humans in Africa, were behind this movement for real. In essence, I took the lead from the average Ethiopian. After 15 years of absence from the Ethiopian political scene, I believed the statute of limitation on my participation clause had expired or I was ready for the consequences if any. I lined up behind the “Yichalal” national wagon authored by no other than Haile Gebre Selasssie. Who could blame me for that? I can assure you my support for Kinijit did not spring out of a lottery draw or from previous association with its component parts which I had none. Due diligence was involved in my choice of Kinijit.

However, my support of Kinijit was on an ideological level and not on a practical level of joining any opposition party. I followed the election process in Ethiopia via all available modern news media, in particular, through the various pal talk rooms. The pal talk medium gave me an instant, live access to discussion forums where interviews, debates and group and individual discussions can be had with a flip of the finger. I followed the processes day in and day out, at home and at work. I argued with individuals and debated groups. I was bounced and banned time and again for my political opinion, which basically boiled down to advocating peace and a strong belief in working with EPRDF. From the beginning I believed the constitution was acceptable with a few controversial articles and I did not hesitate to articulate my disagreements.

While we were in the middle of this debate and excitedly waiting for the Kinijit leaders to join parliament, the unthinkable happened. Hundreds of lives were lost; thousands were put to prison, including many of the Kinijit leaders. That was a low point in my short political career. At one moment, I wanted to resign from my job and join a non-profit organization to serve my country. When that appeared unrealistic, I joined the campaign of peaceful struggle to get the Kality prisoners released. The pal talk medium, especially the Ethiopians Forum for Political Civility, provided me the podium to argue this belief to its ultimate outcome. This medium also provided me an opportunity to interact with the many Ethiopian officials who came for extensive interviews on the issue of the prisoners in particular and the state of affairs in Ethiopia in general. The two-and-a-half years I spent in pal talk gave me an incredible education and information about my country and the leaders involved in governing it. I met many more Ethiopians with incredible talent, dedication and love for their country. I supported individuals, groups, support organizations and political parties that I believed were working toward improving good governance and democracy in Ethiopia. Most of all, I expressed my disagreement with the imprisonment of the CUD leaders and took this argument to the highest Ethiopian officials I could access. I visited Ethiopia on more than one occasion and articulated my position in no uncertain terms.

When the CUD prisoners and many thousands more finally came out of prison, my confidence in the good that EPRDF is capable of doing was boosted dramatically. Suddenly, my hopes that were dodged when the CUD leaders entered Kality, was replaced with the optimistic attitudes I had for the 2005 elections. What was even better was that EPRDF appeared to have understood its errors and was taking extraordinary corrective steps.

Then another previously simmering episode exploded when the CUD leaders left Kality and started their tour in Europe and North America. The conflict between the Ato Hailu Shawel's wing and that of w/t Bertukan Mideksa reached its nadir with the firing of prominent CUD leaders and w/t Bertukan herself. This split within CUD did not stop here. Back home in Ethiopia, the division among the CUD members that had joined parliament continued with the split of Ato Ayele Chamiso and Ato Temesgen Zewde. The former will claim the official "Kinijit" name and the later will have w/t Bertukan and her group joining him. In the meantime, a certain Dr. Berhanu Nega continued his anti-EPRDF rhetoric from his fellowship office in Washington, DC. Ato Hailu Shawel remained in hiding in Minnesota, conspiring to fire more CUD members and hire more friends of Dr. Taye W. Semayat. This is the tragic state of affairs within Kinijit that, only a couple of years ago, appeared ready to re-write the history of modern Ethiopian politics. The history is written alright, but with a sad commentary included.

Ever since the release of the CUD prisoners and after my continued communication with some EPRDF officials, my political thinking was getting further clarity and it became unambiguously obvious to me that the path to follow was in support of EPRDF and work within it to continue the democratic change it was allowing to flourish. The last few years had given me an opportunity to meet with these EPRDF officials and develop affection and respect for the enormous responsibility they hold on their shoulders. I believe I have reached that point in my life and in my conviction to impact the political process in Ethiopia. Let me then innumerate why I support EPRDF and believe in working within the system to bring change.

1) I truly understand and appreciate the sacrifices that were paid by the people that fought to overthrow the Derg regime. We all need to pay tribute to their sacrifice that has made this democratic discourse possible. It is time for us to do our share.

2) The last 17 years of EPRDF rule has brought, peace, ethnic empowerment and some degree of economic growth. Basic infrastructure has continued to improve and that gives me confidence that this growth will continue. I feel it is time to look into our economic policy, educational system and border and sea port issues. This can all be done by participating in the political process within EPRDF.

3) EPRDF is a decidedly multi-nation and nationalities party. Take a look at the diversity of the leadership and the statistical result of the 2005 election which transcended ethnic and regional boundaries. No amount of negative propaganda aimed at portraying it as an ethnic party will change the fact. However, more needs to be done to bring the various nationalities even closer together through policy changes in the area of common national languages and building better communication infrastructure.

4) EPRDF believes in a peaceful political struggle as the only salvation for a war and strife weary Ethiopia. Among other things, the path chosen considered the level of political consciousness in Ethiopia, the fragile nature of relationships and international political experiences. The belief in growing our democracy includes continued vigilance to protect our constitutional rights. The door for negotiations with any friend or foe should always remain open. A lot needs to be done in the area of human rights and individual freedom. Article 10 of our constitution guarantees Human and Democratic Rights.

1. Human rights and freedoms as inherent rights of man are inalienable and inviolable.

2. The human and democratic rights of peoples and citizens shall be protected.

We protect these rights by active participation in the existing political system alongside our EPRDF brothers and sisters.

6) EPRDF strongly believes that Ethiopia’s democratic aspirations will forge ahead if and only if stake-holders breakout of their intransigent positions and discuss their visions and fears after getting elected and joining parliament. Accept the constitution, organize or join a legal party in the country, run and get elected, join parliament and engage actively in the political process to affect change. The political suicide committed by Kinijit after the 2005 elections should never be repeated. Kinijit has damaged its credibility and needs a long time to recuperate.

7) EPRDF is committed to stamp out hunger and poverty in our country. We should all join in this fight even as we continue to struggle for land reform policy and introduction of advanced agricultural productivity measures.
Some day, we will move to a market driven economy and recognize individual ownership of land and capital as the engines that drive a vibrant economy and a great nation.

8) EPRDF is aware of Ethiopia’s current and evolving international responsibilities in a region that continues to originate numerous global challenges. The strong relationship established with the United States in fighting terrorism has given it a status of a strong and powerful ally with a super power. Its own superpower status in the horn of Africa in particular and in the continent in general has been reaffirmed. The crisis in Somalia or the brewing situation with Eritrea will soon find a decisive culmination. The Ethiopian people will no doubt be behind EPRDF, especially when it comes to the intransigent situation with Eritrea.

9) The regional division along the lines of nations and nationalities may be misconstrued as going contrary to economic, social and international logic. It is further alleged to restrict the unleashing of the full potential of human and national resources. On the contrary, EPRDF believes in Article 39 that among other things, states that every nation, nationality or people in Ethiopia shall have the unrestricted right to self determination up to secession. It further believes that such rights guarantee the freedom to stay or to secede. There is no statement in the constitution that prevents future bylaws or amendments to this article. All the pros and cons about this article can be debated within EPRDF.

10) I believe EPRDF is committed to the exercise of internal democracy as it, along with other parties, strives to cultivate democratic culture in Ethiopia. If there are deficiencies in this regard, then let us join it and make a difference.

11) I believe EPRDF is a dynamic and vibrant organization, always cognizant of the ever changing nature of society, the changing priorities of our nation and of the world. It is adept and is determined not to fall prey to paradigm paralysis.

EPRDF proved to me its desire to resolve conflicts peacefully and legally. At the same time, the resolution of the Kinijit debacle with the help of the Ethiopian elders was another dimension of its flexibility and desire to end conflicts amicably. That goodwill gesture on the part of EPRDF to resolve our political crises would later be abused by the likes of Berhanu Nega. For me, that was a huge step forward in the road to democracy and I was fully convinced that EPRDF is willing to listen and change for the good of the people.

The resent town hall meetings by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to address the peoples' concerns over major economic policies or temporary market fluctuations is a clear indication of his desire to pay even closer attention to our nations needs. On the international forum, PM Meles continues to show his talent and ability to articulate third world concerns to world powers. His recent appearance with the likes of PM Tony Blair at the Clinton Global Convention on the environment was a show-stealing performance that won him a standing ovation, in the process winning back his place among world leaders and bringing respect to our country. Such dependable leadership gives me absolute confidence in our ability to win the argument on any issue that we can put our hearts and minds to.

This, in short, is the EPRDF I chose to support and the basis of unwritten contract signed between the two of us. As a side note; I am not overly concerned about any internal crisis within EPRDF, for no organization worth its salt grows to be wiser and stronger without enduring growing pain.

Thank you Kuchiye. May the strong argument win.