CYBERNATIAN

 

 

 Lesson Learned             

                                                

A misunderstood or perhaps as well

misguided use of “Traditional” to mean “National””

I confess me to join the great international carouse of lauding the recent mediation that resulted in the release considerable number of prisoners of conscience in Ethiopia. I as well would like to congratulate all who have worked hard for such a climax’s realization if at all; my layman’s congratulations meant anything. In reminiscing the last 20 months in the Chapters of Ethiopian history there are two things that come to my mind and give me hope and jubilation in what is to transpire tomorrow in this nation that began with the beginnings of nations and lasted to celebrate its 3^rd millennium birth date. For the first time in many decades may be in a century it had acquired a leadership that has been tested through defeats and triumphs, torments and celebrations, comforts and collective and individual good times and bad. Time and conditions have created at last a leadership that had stood up to the task and pass the challenges of the time and condition in space. Only those who had been endowed with such responsibility and burden and pass the test be granted the whole thrust of the people whom they bowed to lead and this I feel have been to a degree un seen before realized. As is often the case those who haven’t taken the test and passed it or those who hadn’t taken it at all either remain in the relative obscurity or flicker and disappear, only those who dared and persevered won the hearts and minds of their compatriots. The second point that strikes a chord is that thrust is not that is granted just for the asking, but has to be earned and this leadership has indeed earned better than most in recent  history of this nation and people had mustered. In conclusion here I would just like to say that  mutual trusting relationship between this leadership and the people have been crated and it sure is going to last a long time and pass on to the very topic that initiated me to write this piece.

“Every politics is local” is a beautiful and true to what it says American saying. In deed principle may be Universal and Global, but practice is individual and local, this is what comes to mind when the current or current past “traditional mediation” methods that was instrumental in securing the release of considerable number of prisoners of conscience in Ethiopia. As traditions are evolving in time it is an inevitability that they modernize and become non traditions or modernism takes over and modernism is a consequence of cross traditions, cross boundary, cross cultural, cross national and cross racial relationships and communications I am afraid if there is such a thing called ours alone tradition and theirs alone tradition in this time and age and I feel that the emphasis may have been misplaced. Mediation between contending parties by independent or non partisan groups is I am afraid an international or global phenomenon than it is an African only, an Asian only, an American only or European only domain  that undue emphasis was given to it I feel as by the likes of Dr. Mamo Muche. On the contrary there is something to be lauded and may be audaciously boisterous about is the fact that national and local figures have been elevated to the point of being knowledgeable and capable of understanding and resolving the issues of national  intra and inter political party contentions. Though it is hard to refute the degree of sophistication, intellectual depth and the high national and international regard these mediators muster and call them traditional by any measure of tradition may seem somewhat troubling. Yet the acceptance of such a distinguished national group as mediators of a grave national issue by the current government and the contending parties is a monumental step towards self confidence and may be self sufficiency for no one knows the local circumstances and conditions than the locals themselves. It has been somewhat mentioned about modern legalistic approach of modern day Africans to things contrary to traditional approaches in Dr. Mamo’s article and wondered if I say a word or two and fade. The American way of trial by jury attests the same fact that it is the locals to the place o incident and the peers of the villains and victims that best know the  circumstances and conditions of the incident from the victims and villains point of views to make a sound judgment a case. I am sure that the parallels are such that I need say much. At last and again Politics is local and that is how it ought to be seen that indeed was the new beginning if any. I remain corrected if I am wrong then now and always.

 Ayele Teklemariam

 A will that defies the power of torture.

 A will that defies the power of torture, torment and turmoil as it had always

 won, it has once again triumphed. A clear conscience, a stand on the side of truth often traverses a long treacherous path before it lights the torch of freedom in victory.  Today I see the flickering light of freedom in Ethiopia and it indeed is going to take some work and some time to see it bloom in full. Here it would be unfair to pas this moment and opportunity without congratulating all those who had worked so hard on the side of conscience and freedom and those who went to jail for their sanity and clarity of their conscience. This congratulation goes without saying as well to those who had been the instruments and powers on the other side, for them to have their conscience and future freedom to spare. The politics of tolerance is only possible if every player has in one the serious intent and belief in what he does and not to do harm to the other that by default would do away with vindictive counter acts and fear of revenge. These more than often have been the hardest realizations that had set parties and groups in a path of constant bloodletting fights and conflicts even over differences that warrant not fighting, but serious and light discussion

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