Barack
Obama has Opened Up a New Door of Opportunity and Now
We Must Move Ahead!
November, 6, 2008
One minute after 11:00 PM (EST) on November 4, 2008
was one of those significant moments in American history
that will forever divide the past from the future. For
the first time, a person of color—of African American
heritage—was elected President of the United States
of America.
For the African American, it has been a long and hard
struggle starting with the emancipation from slavery
in 1865 to the Civil Rights Movement of the sixties
and finally to the election of President-elect Barack
Obama. Great grandchildren of the slaves and great grandchildren
of the owners of those slaves came together to choose
this man, the child of a white mother and a black African
father.
For many white Americans, race was not an issue; instead,
they simply wanted the best candidate to win and Obama’s
message of hope resonated with them; however, for African
Americans, Ethiopians, Africans and people of color
from all over the world who have felt marginalized and
excluded for years, Obama’s election signified
the beginning of a different world where skin color
and ethnicity would become increasingly less important
and a candidate’s qualifications and positions
on key issues would take precedence.
Obama emphasized that America was not for only one
preferred group when he said that America was not a
red America, a blue America or a white America, but
the United States of America. This means that America
must be for conservatives, liberals, Republicans, Democrats,
Independents, people of differing ethnic, racial and
religious background, people of different states and
regions and in essence, for all the diverse people that
make up the United States.
This is the same “beautiful and multi-colored,
multi-shaped garden of humanities” that I dream
about for Ethiopia that appeared in Grant Park in Chicago
when Senator Barack Obama’s victory was announced.
As the people celebrated, many with tears of joy running
down their cheeks, embraced each others, waved flags,
news commentators could not help but remark on the uplifting
picture they saw of a multi-cultural, multi-racial crowd
of young and old alike, united around a candidate whose
message drew them together as one, showing a real-life
image of American diversity and unity at its best!
Ethiopians and Africans from all over the world were
watching this historic moment in American history that
is certain to affect matters “beyond the shores
of America.” Now that the celebrations are over
and the tears are dried, I am making an urgent call
to all Ethiopians for action.
The end of the Obama campaign must mark the beginning
of our own “Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia”
that reflects the diversity of Ethiopians coming together
around greater principles and values, just like diverse
Americans came together in unity and hope of a better
future for the United States of America.
Could Ethiopia hope to become the United People of
Ethiopia where humanity was more important than ethnicity
and where freedom, justice and opportunity for all,
undergirded every part of our society because of the
basic truth—no one will be free until we all are
free?
Now is our time to come together in solidarity and
unified purpose. Obama’s victory has opened up
a new door of opportunity for Ethiopians and we must
now move ahead before it closes!
If you as an Ethiopian identify with Obama’s
win as signifying the importance of reaching out to
many diverse groups and breaking down racial and ethnic
barriers, then you too must be willing to do the same
for Ethiopia. Each and every Ethiopian needs to do the
same.
Let us look at how Obama did it. Obama drew people
together around shared principles and ideals, not by
race or ethnicity because by his actions, you can see
that he believes that all people are equally human.
Can Ethiopians do the same? Can Ethiopians use such
principles to embrace, not only our own people, but
also all people in the Horn and in greater Africa, as
all deserving of the same rights and privileges? I am
convinced we can, but first we must be open about some
of our challenges.
For example, the negative attitude of some Ethiopians
towards others based on skin-color or ethnicity is a
part of Ethiopian society that no one wants to talk
about; however, it must be addressed through respectful
education of our people in order for us to move ahead
or we will remain in the dark ages of thinking while
America and others in the world move ahead. This is
a problem that no one wants to face, but it will destroy
us as a people if we do not face it. Until we can become
a nation that values its minorities, its marginalized
and its mainstream people groups as equally part of
the future of Ethiopia, we will remain divided and find
it difficult to bring freedom and opportunity to our
country.
Americans have worked very hard to choose their future
as a people. What just took place in America is what
Ethiopians, Africans and many in the world are hungering
for—the opportunity to help determine their destiny.
Ethiopians over our entire 3000-year history have rarely
had a choice in determining our future. This is what
is lacking on the continent, but right now we have a
new opportunity, even though it might start as a small
movement of committed Ethiopians. Who knows how it might
mushroom into something far greater. Look at Obama’s
example.
Just four years ago, most of us had never even heard
of him and now he has been elected to the highest office
in the world. This man held a vision of a different
America and started with just a few people at his side,
working out of a basement room in Washington D.C. that
sometimes flooded, causing them to have to pick up their
papers from the floor.
His language of acceptance, justice, unity, inclusiveness
and hope was what attracted many supporters, but the
road to the presidency required perseverance, sacrifice
and hard work. History was made in front of our eyes
and could be made in Ethiopia, but it cannot be done
as long as we are divided. The antidote is the moral
and spiritual transformation of our culture, one person
at a time, into a people who can work together with
humility and determination for a better future not only
for themselves or their ethnic groups or regions, but
also for other Ethiopians.
We must be able to provide a better alternative to
Meles and this is the way we can do it. If Ethiopians
do not unite, Obama will not have group representative
of Ethiopia with whom to work.
Ethiopians have what it takes, but need to be empowered
as a people to take control of their own future so they
are ready for their own historic moment. It is doable
if Ethiopians start reaching out and reconciling with
one another. Senator John McCain provides an example
to us in what it takes to work together in his concession
speech after losing the election.
After many months of hard work, after much money had
been spent and after the inevitable disappointment of
losing a hard campaign, McCain showed himself to be
a man of grace and humility. He ended his campaign by
putting the best interests of the country ahead of any
self-interest as he promised to do whatever he could
for America and called Obama his own president. Public
servants like this are what have helped America succeed
in being able to move ahead in unity despite losses,
disagreements and disappointments.
Ethiopians from all over the world have seen this modeled
before their eyes this past Tuesday and now let us join
hands and become something bigger than our tribes, our
egos, our political parties, our power and self-interest.
Let the next story people will be talking about in the
world come out of the success of the Ethiopian people
to come together to gain their freedom.
The Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE) has
a primary goal of bringing Ethiopians together and is
working behind the scenes and publicly, wherever possible,
to create a stronger collective and more representative
voice of the Ethiopian people that can draw on the strengths
of Ethiopians across political, regional, ethnic and
religious lines in creating new solutions to the many
complex problems facing Ethiopians. An objective of
the movement is to help open up the society to genuine
political expression by diverse groups with differing
needs.
The time of one tribe take all is over. It is no longer
a sustainable approach to governing in Ethiopia. The
sun is setting on the dictators and killers of Africa
and the new dawn is coming for remembering that we are
all part of the greater family of human beings, previously
alienated by false teaching and the selfish interests
of leaders who capitalized on our failures. Let us be
reconciled and reunited as we decolonize Africa from
the African predators who keep the people enslaved and
find their support to do so from the African Dictators
for Live Club—the so-called African Union.
This is the language Obama and McCain will understand.
This is the language the whole world needs. It is what
gave Obama the election. It is what gives McCain the
humility, courage and higher principles to join Obama
in solidarity now for the benefit of America.
This is what is lacking in Ethiopia and Africa. We
Ethiopians must decide on the future of Ethiopia and
whether we will any longer tolerate the thinking of
Meles and the TPLF known for their racism, cronyism,
division, hatred, greed, dishonesty, cruelty, killing
and imprisoning opponents, repression, devaluation of
others and backwardness, all creating a beggar nation
ruled by a handful of rich and powerful elitists.
The models of focused determination of Obama’s
campaign and the humility of McCain to concede to Obama
and work with him for the best interests of the country
are models of what is desperately needed in Ethiopia
and in all of Africa. We Ethiopians must not lose the
opportunity of this time in history by falling into
old traps of division. We must rise above the fray and
capture this moment as our own. Can we do it? Yes, we
can!
This is the time to prepare now. It is time for Ethiopians
to become the team that is ready for the soccer match
of its life. For Ethiopia to put that ball into our
opponent’s net to score a victory for freedom
will require knowing the game, knowing our opponent,
listening to our coaches, being willing to enter into
the game to play and TEAMWORK! Can we do it? Yes we
can!
Right now, the Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia
is mobilizing and reaching out in anticipation of calling
Ethiopians to action. Will Ethiopians be ready when
the call for action comes? Start now by reconciling
with your neighbors. We must have representation from
all over Ethiopia, something that can begin here in
the Diaspora, but must be grounded in every region of
the country and you must be talking to each other.
We must gain a better understanding where we are going
with the financial sector, the agricultural sector,
with the privatization of land, with the economy, with
health care, with our homeless, with education, with
policies regarding our neighbors like Somalia, Sudan
and Eritrea, with our armed groups and military, with
HIV/Aids, with access to clean water, with foreign aid,
with territorial disputes, with national debt and with
inner conflicts.
We must have lines of communication between segments
of society opened and secured. We must have a game plan.
We must have inclusiveness. We must be willing to get
into the game to play. We must be prepared and now is
the time of our preparation. Do not expect Obama to
make that call for us. He has helped create an open
door, but we Ethiopians must be ready to move through
it. Let us be prepared to create our own historic moment
dividing the oppressed Ethiopia of the past from the
free Ethiopia of our future.
I have a dream of Ethiopians of every region, culture,
ethnic group, language, religion, political party, age,
gender and of any other difference you can think of,
coming together in the capital cities of the free world
to show the world the solidarity that will usher in
a new era for Ethiopia. Imagine the mall in front of
the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC where Martin Luther
King, Jr spoke. Now imagine what it would look like
if one million Ethiopians from all over the Diaspora
came out in solidarity that they flooded the mall with
a sea of Ethiopians. Imagine seeing all the diversity
of the beautiful garden of Ethiopia there, all calling
for a new and better Ethiopia—one with freedom,
with justice, with the rule of law, with the respect
for human rights, with equality, with transparency,
with civility and with opportunity!
No one will ignore such a strong and massive outpouring!
It would be a shock, but immensely inspiring to the
whole world! This can be done and all that is needed
is for Ethiopians to believe it is doable and to come
together in solidarity around God-given principles.
If we Ethiopians can do this, President Barack Obama
will know that there is no justice in Ethiopia. The
whole world will know there is no freedom in Ethiopia.
The whole world will know there is no peace in Ethiopia.
The whole world will know that Ethiopians are ready
for change! The whole world will know that God has not
forgotten about Ethiopians—that is, if Ethiopians
remember that God is in charge of the nations, their
coming and going and that God created and knows every
human being and hears their individual cries for His
intervention.
This is one of the goals of the Solidarity Movement
for a New Ethiopia. Will you be part? May God bless
the Ethiopian people and help them to become a transformed
people, a transformed nation and a blessing to other
people in the world!
____________________________________________________________
Please do not hesitate to email me
if you have comments to: Obang@solidaritymovement.org
Obang Metho, Executive Member of the Solidarity Movement
for a New Ethiopia