By Mahidere-Andinet – Atlanta (August 11, 2008) There was a complete silence from corner to corner that one could hear a pin drop. Everyone was on his feet with heads bending down and staring at the colorful carpet of the Holiday Inn hotel in Decatur, Georgia.
Some have in fact closed their eyes with deep praying mood while others kept their eyes open but with a profound sense of meditation. Soon, a strong and low pitch voice broke the silence by saying–: “Let us pray!!” That soft and melancholy voice was no other than that of Human Rights watch hero, Professor Mesfin W/ Mariama’s.
The short and strong wordings of prayers by the visiting veteran of Human Rights watch were the followings: —
“Ethiopia is in a deep serious problem, the Ethiopian people are in a deep serious problem. We, the people are unable to agree, unable to cooperate and cannot create harmony among ourselves. Consequently, we are in a position where we can no more assist or help our people and country. Please (referring to the Almighty) open our minds to the truth, our hearts to love, and our spirits to harmony so as to make us save Ethiopia from disaster.”
During those moments of prayers some were overheard struggling to hold their tears and yet others were trying to reach to their pockets looking for handkerchief.
Such was the opening scene when the renowned human rights advocate Professor Mesfin Woldemariam along with the Ato Asrat Tasse, secretary of the new Unity for Democracy and Justice Party, addressed Ethiopians living in metro Atlanta and its environs last Sunday afternoon.
None of the participants were surprised when 78 year-old veterans called for a prayer. Because, a former employee of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council Ato Theodors Haile, currently editor of the most popular entertainment and promotional magazine, Dinq, published in Atlanta, told the assembly earlier that Professor Mesfin is one of the most devoted Christians with deep rooted and strong Christian beliefs and values.
Theodros further said that the Professor used to keep himself incommunicado, cutting all kinds of outside communications, during the Ethiopian lent seasons as prescribed by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and remained behind doors in his own private house. The focal point of the professor’s address was “change”, a change that every individual, irrespective of who is who should undergo in order to accomplish the noble cause– building of the new democratic Ethiopia, where justice, equality and genuine freedom prevail. According to the Professor, even members of the ruling party, Woyane should be able to change themselves which some participants argued that it was the Woyane group not the Ethiopian people that is adamant to change.
“It is only when we stand for worthy principles that we can change ourselves”, he told the gathering, calling for every Ethiopian “to do away with rage and desperation.” He repeatedly questioned “how can one be desperate over his helpless country? How can one feel hopelessness over his own people who are in mere destitution? “To run away from the struggle arena”, he said” is either foolishness or to completely overlook the basic principle in which the struggle stands for.”
The icon of human rights watch, professor Mesfin, called on all Ethiopians to contribute and place their inputs towards the success of the struggle. He emphasized the necessity to build the financial capacity of Andinet Party in order to create a strong and civilized society which subsequently would be able to establish a democratic government in Ethiopia.
The secretary general of Andinet Party, Ato Asrat Tasse eloquently addressed the need for non-violent form of struggle in Ethiopia. He said that given adequate financial support, his party strongly believes that peaceful means of struggle will undoubtedly bear fruits in Ethiopia.
He further noted that Andinet doesn’t believe that Andinet Party alone by itself would bring the necessary change in Ethiopia, but with the collaboration and full participation of all parties concerned. To this end, Andinet urges convening of a national reconciliation conference. He also warned the ruling Woyne party that it would be absolutely naïve to think that the Ethiopian people would abandon the struggle in fear of harassment, persecution or loss of lives.
Speaking of the financial need, the general secretary outlined that the party needs a total of $ 912,000 in order to smoothly run its 11 permanent committees and to carry out the party’s urgent tasks for a year.
Towards the end of the meeting, the Atlanta branch of Andinet Support Group in North America, organizer of the meeting, presented a crystallized plaque to both members of the delegation as a token of appreciation for their relentless sacrifices they have paid and most importantly as a reminder of the responsibilities they shoulder to safeguard the well-being of Ethiopia.
Ato Girmaye Gizachew, Chairman of the Atlanta Support Group said on the occasion that “every time you see this plaque and every time you read the wordings inscribed on it, we want you to remember your stay in Atlanta, and most of all the high responsibility entrusted upon you in protecting and safeguarding the Motherland.”
Ato Cheru-Terefe, a local veteran fighter was also awarded similar plaque for his unflinching struggle he made since late 60s for the well being of the Ethiopian people and establishment of a democratic government in Ethiopia.
The more than 3 hour long meeting was eloquently and professionally conducted by the secretary of the Atlanta branch support group, Ato Eyob Kidan-Mariam.
August 13th, 2008 at 4:13 am
I was one of the fellow Ethiopians who have had admiration and respect for professor Mesfin Weldemariam. I do not know what has happened to the professor at kaliti prison. He should have quit politics with the integrity and respect he used to enjoy among Ethiopians. His move to create Kestedamena, a party which was responsible for the failure of the October 2005 public uprising and the survival of the regime of Meles Zenawi is one of the monumental mistakes he has made. Some of Keste Demena`s core leaders were the beneficiaries of the woyanne system who can not be decisive against Meles Zenawi`s brutal rule. They want to reform the woyanne system and share some power with or be part of it. Now these same groups have appeared in two colours. The Loyal andinet party lead by Ms. Birtukan Mideksa and genbot 7 led by Dr. Birhanu Nega. They are trying to divide the broad anti_woyanne struggle by employing different tactics but with the same objectives of serving woyannes, eating some woyanne crumbs and weakening the genuine opposition.
August 13th, 2008 at 8:31 am
Prayer is good. But the professor seemed timid to call the name of his God. In the bible aren’t Christians to pray in the Name of Jesus.
Anyhoo, I like the professor but it’s his non-violence / turning the other chic motto I can’t stand.
August 13th, 2008 at 8:44 am
Woraw:
For your information please read “Mistere Silasie (Trinity)”.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:18 am
Professor Mesfin Woldemariam has to stop acting like a preacher. This is a political forum. It would have been more valueable to spend his time by lecturing/teaching others to stand for their Rights, Justice and Fairness. In my opinion, it looks like another dictator to force the audieance to pray before the political forum.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:36 am
I agree with the professor and WOraw. Praying is the ultimate solution for any problem. There is no body higher than God, and we should remain asking his help.
You are absolutely right Woraw. The professor needs to pray in the name of Jesus! That is what the bible teaches us. I am pure Orthodox, grow up in strict Orthodox family. Though i know a little about bible, i also know that all the Apostels (Paul, John, Peter …etc) prayed in Jesus name. So, that is a good point.
August 13th, 2008 at 10:03 am
The pro.mesfin ask the audiance to pray ,it is not good. this is apoltical forum,in Ethiopia there is differant religinous.the main is muslium ,and ortodoxe.I am ortodox but i don;t agree with pro.mesfin in alot of case.in the meeting there is ortodox ,Musliam,and differant religiouse.
August 13th, 2008 at 10:05 am
Hi Dear Readers,
There is no problem for Prof Mesfin in praying to almighty God. But what we shoud never deny is the current humilation of the Ethiopian people by Tigrians, the disrespect of Meless to the entire population and his decision to braek down Ethiopia into pieces and even to give huge amount of land ‘with the size of Eriteria’ to sudan knowing that the current generation is extremely coward, snatching fertile lands from Gonder and Wollo to create Greate Tigray. All these delebrate actions of Tigrians against Ethiopia and its people could only be sorted out by and only by armed struggle and whate ever peoples’ uprising together with praying to God.
That is it.
God bless Ethiopia and support the peoples armed struggle
August 13th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Prayer and pure Orthodox aside, for the professor to stay out of jail I think he has to say ‘Meles is not the enemy’ crap.
I think he needs a lot of prayer with his non-violence/turn the other chic motto to get red off Woyanne.
Wish him luck on that.
August 13th, 2008 at 10:08 am
I use to like the aging professor - but not anymore!
He was first a respected humanright activist then turned to be a confused poltician fighting with everybody except the yes girl Birtukan Medkissa. He has no shame in fighting with those who sacrified 17 years of their life fighting the TPLF while he was pleading and appeasing dictator Zenawi.
And now he is acting like a PRIEST & a PASTOR.
He should be ashamed of himself.
August 13th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Dear Reader
Profersor mesfin is a prominant and well known schollar .That is why he try to bring change in Ethiopia.He is trying to tell the problem for God to solve our current problem in our country.But he is not preaching about religion this gentel man has great respectation for Ethiopia people and he contribute alot .I read about his research about ethio sudan border that he make with his other scholar during Derg regim now today Woyane does not want to quet that.
So please give respect to the respected scholar
God (Alah) bless him
August 13th, 2008 at 11:48 am
No body denies that the Professor is a prominent, well known scholar and more for that matter. Our concern here is His non-violence/turn the other chic crap is not palatable to most Ethiopian right now. He need to step out of that box.
August 13th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
No problem with praying. we are always told to struggle peacefully even though the woyane thugs are not playing according to the same rule. When we say freedom,equality and justice their response is violence. For we aksed our human rights God gave us, we are killed, tortured and imprisoned. We spent more than seventeen years to sort out this problem peacefully in vain. The tribal thugs regime told us to try them in a way they understand. That is why we need to change our means of struggle.
August 13th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Profersor mesfin is a prominent and well known scholar. He has also paid a lot of sacrifice to bring a change in Ethiopia throughout his life by himself and along many other strong Ethiopians including the former kinijit leaders. Prof. has also entitled to continue fighting the weyane gangs by any principle he believes in. We the Ethiopian people have no problem if someone decides to fight weyane by pray, or by throwing stone or by peaceful struggle or by armed struggle or by any means possible. However we are asking the respected professor to STOP attacking others who believes that armed struggle has to be added to fight the weyane criminal gangs. If so, we all can continue fighting the weyane tyranny without targeting each other. Let the eyasu EPRP BOZENE group that are incarnated at the EPRP retirement centers fight stong oppositions while the rest of the opposition groups are keep shaking the weyane gangs everywhere by any means possible. I myself used to believe that weyane can give up power using peaceful struggle that can be gained through a fair and democratic election and I was also a strong supporter of the former kinijit. I still have a huge respect and internal best wish for the current leaders, members and supporters of UDJ. However, after the aftermath of deadly 2005 election, I am forced to change my believes and I was so glad that when I heard the formation of Ginbot 7. From now on I strongly support G7 by any means possible but in the mean time I continue to support those who are fighting weyane using peaceful struggle whenever I get the chance.
Death to weyane members and supporters!!!
August 13th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Woraw:
If you are so gun ho about armed struggle, what are you doing in this forum? Why don’t you join one of the G7 brigade in Asmara, or wherever it is they are kicking Woyanie ass even as we speak? Peaceful or not, at least Professor Mesfin is fighting Meles face to face, while you are trying to blog Woyanie to death. What amazes me is, how some of you can talk out of both sides of your mouth, that is sit in the west and blog peacefully and yet advocate armed struggle so that a poor starving farmer in Ethiopia would fight it for you.
August 13th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
hagos araya you are dowing a great job. keep it up man.
long live eritrea. dowen with weyanes and there likes.
August 13th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
I appreciate and respect Prof. Mesfen. He has many original ideas, he is known of firm stands since his youth age. He contributed too much, knows the history and culture of the country very well. But it doesn’t mean I worship him. I don’t forget that he is a human as we all i.e he can not have all answers for all questions (problems) of Ethiopia. Do you remember or read his book “Egziabherena egna - God and us”. If I am not mistaken there is a discontinuity in his thought. Emphasizing on prayer brings not much.
August 13th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Well We need one Ethiopia, with multicultural ethinic groups from south to north, east to west equally sharing the power. The Likes of Prof. Mesfin are trying to bring the Amhara to power. The likes of OLF is to bring oromo in power. And Woyane is fighting to remain in power. But we need Ethiopia where no particular ethinic group dominates the leader ship, no discrimination among ethinic groups and equal development through out the nation.
I curse Woyane for what it is doing, but who ever curse woyane, because his ethinich Group is not in power is BE MUCH MORE CURSED THAN WOYANE.
ONE ETHIOPIA with a flag of GREEN - YELLOW - RED.
August 13th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
NOTE TO Mahdere Andnet reporters,
Dear Mahdere Andnet,
Your report is great.
But, surprised to see you report it in english, hope next time you’ll report in our mother tongue.
Thanks,
August 13th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Prof Mesfin, God says ” Knock my door in time of trouble, i will help you;
raise your hand when you are down, i will lift you” We know this and more since the beginning of Christianity. We Ethiopians go to church 7 days a week , we fast 242 days a year, we crawled on rough field of Gishen Mariam and all churches on our knee for miles praying for change. We carved Churches in Lalibela and Axum when people of the world live like pagans. Our people’s life revolve around our religion. We also know God gave us the wisdom to know what is wrong and what is right. Prof Mesfin, Don’t make fun of our religion; your ideology fits for Conservative christian party of Ethiopia: it is not a party for the oppressed people of Ethiopia . Our fathers(Muslims and Christians) prayed when they are ready, when they kneel down to pull the trigger. They pray for their soul, they pray for their comrades, they pray for their country. They die praying. It is a disgrace when 95 % Ethiopians cry and want God to solve their problem. TPLF thugs love to see these spineless sell outs crying in the basement of a hotel.
“During those moments of prayers some were overheard struggling to hold their tears and yet others were trying to reach to their pockets looking for handkerchief.” How pathetic!!!!
If i were God, i will tell all Ethiopans who cry with Prof Mesfin to Go to HELL because they are not worth saving. God created spine. we need to use our spin like people on the far North, the Eritrean brothers and Sisters of ours.
Go G7
Cheers!!!
Peace and unity for the people of Eritrea, Ethiopia and to the HORN!!!!!
August 13th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Folks;
Some of you are accusing Prof. Mesfin for his advocacy of peaceful struggle. Compared to his education, experience and wisdom, you are not his match. Why don’t you bring the big guys that dominated the discussion forums in the past few months all over the U.S. and Europe promoting violence? They were breathing fire and talking tough. I am talking about Berhanu Nega and his cohorts.
The moment the good professor arrived in the U.S. and made his first speech, the violence camp vanished into the thin air. The peace camp that was verbally intemidated by the violence camp started to talk and write while the violence camp went silent. Now, the need for peaceful struggle is firmly anchored among the diaspora community disarming the violence camp its mass base. One wonders where the violence camp had gone. May be to the war front? Oh, no.
It is time for them to come out from hiding and challenge the professor on the points he advanced for weeks. He would have agreed to an open debate with them. A debate that can be transmitted live all over the world. If they do that, they will help us all make a crucial decision on the future of our country. But, they won’t do it because they lack courage to stand his logic and wisdom. It is understandable that they retreated under a lame excuse saying they don’t respond to positions of individuals. It is sad that they forgot the prof. represents hundreds of thousands of members and supporters of a political organization he and others lead. They are a force to recon with.
Again, would Berhanu Nega stand face-to-face with the Prof. are argue his position and leave the judgment to us? Or, would he, like Andargachew Tsege, hide himself behind an audience and learn from the prof.? If he does not want a debate, he should shut his mouth. We are not interested to hear or read additional notes on unanswered questions. Enough is enough.
God bless Ethiopia.
August 13th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
Our problem in Ethiopia is man made and secular. It needs secular solutions.
The more we pray to god; the more problems created under our feet. We need secular remedies–either peace full of armed.
August 13th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Prof. Mesfin is more arada than Dr. Birhanu. The professor is a believer and a scientist at the same time. He make fun of Ethiopians who he says do not have faith in number, science (sint lij aleh teblo siteyek. . . hulet, sost, inja … arat yelal. speach in boston.) And yet the professor without a blink began his speach in prayers “Amlakachin hoy. . . .
He uses prayer to appear popular. He use science to pose as scientific.
Since he is with people who still thinks religion is an asset, well, let him be and serve who ever is bankrolling him.
August 13th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Ato Surafel,
I am amazed to read your comment about peaceful things and the like. Few weeks ago you and I discussed about the Ark and Aksum. I helped you see that Aksum was not in existence during King Solomon era. I suggested that there is no Queen Sheeba in our histry, and told you that she was a creation of our priests.
You agree with the story on Aksum, probablly because I indicated Richard Pankhrest. But here you are advocating cadre views defending a plitician(prof. Mesfin) from a crtic citizen! Mesfin is not fighting any one, let alone “face to face”. He was in prison just few mos. ago for crying out loud! He is making a twenty days , nine cities tour. And yet he wants to collect almost amilion dollar from the diaspora.
I was not born yeaterday, sutafell.
Don’t bother.
What are you after all? Mr know it all?
August 13th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
surafel,
you seem to sympatize for the ethiopian farmers who are going to fight woyane for the nations freedom but I never see you implicitly or explicity sympatizing for those who died or dying by wayane
everyday since their arrival from the bush.your sympathy looks it is for something else.hope you what I mean…
August 13th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
I really amazed how some of you replied for the call of help from God.Some of you are trying to press down wha Prof.Mesfin call for help from God.Ethiopians will get relief soon with the help of God.Whether you pray for Jesus or God,all are the same.Jesus Is God not human being.Ethiopians desperatly need the power of God these days.We will keep on calling to get the help of God ! We need someone who have the fear of God to lead the country.I know those of you who have communist and imperialistic mentality do not want the Guidance of the Almighty God.Please God give us power and Strength to do away with this brutal regime(Woyane) and to bring peace and reconciliation to Ethiopia.
August 14th, 2008 at 12:13 am
Dear Abebech,
How nice to hear from you again! Looks to me your warped sense of reality is getting worse with time. I was under the impression that you accepted my persuasive arguments regarding Axum, Queen S. and the Ark of the Covenant, which were based on hard historical facts and cold logic. Apparently you have chosen to disremember our entire back and forth exchange and start from square one all over again.
What never ceases to amaze me is, your penchant for grabbing the tail end of issues and running with it to the edge of a cliff, without understanding the underlying basics in the first place. In this post, I was just expressing my frustrations with reckless individuals for trying to wage a war that they are not planning to participate in.
I am at a loss here at your ill concealed hostility towards Professor Mesfin. I mean, where is that coming from? Look, I will not insult your intelligence by trying to explain who Professor Mesfin is. I know a lot of Ethiopians have diverging opinions regarding the Professors’ stand vis a vis freeing Ethiopia from the yoke of the TPLF thugs. But there are certain things that all Ethiopians are unanimous about: that he is a person of integrity, that he always tells the truth as sees it and that he never panders or cowers to authority for fame or personal gains. And my friend, that is why Professor Mesfin is a legend in his own time.
Regarding Professor Mesfin’s current tour:
He was invited by Kinijit North America (ANDNET) Support Association and the various UDJP support groups in the cities that he is currently visiting. He is not here, as you falsely intimated, to raise millions from the Diaspora; he is here to thank Ethiopians in North America for their valiant efforts (demonstrations, petitions etc.) to free the Kinijit leaders and also to discuss all issues of concern to Ethiopians. I know some of the support groups may ask a voluntary contribution at the door to cover miscellaneous expenses like meeting hall rental etc. But it is very unwise of you to say he is here to raise millions, which is NOT TRUE. In the future, I strongly advise you to rely more on facts and less on your fertile imagination.
August 14th, 2008 at 1:21 am
blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Shameless people!
you keeping thanking eachothers for nothing. bekte!
August 14th, 2008 at 1:31 am
Great post. It’s interesting to know that building self-confidence can be as easy as ABC. Interestingly enough, www.confidencebuildingcourses.com offer good tips too. Might be interesting to check it out.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:18 am
Caaaachissa Duuubeee,
I agree with you, you are a very wise man!
Anyone who criticizes professor Mesfin, please do yourself a great favor. The next time he comes to a city nearest you, go and talk to him in person, take him out to lunch or coffee, I know it is very intimidating for most people, but please understand that Professor Mesfin is a very simple and accessible man. Please talk to him like you would talk to your own father and please don’t be afraid to tell him what you think of his ideas to his face and listen to what he has to say. It is OK to criticize Professor Mesfin, believe it or not he actually prefers talking to and arguing with people who don’t agree with him.
Good_job:
No, I don’t know what you mean because your last sentence, by design or ineptitude was incomplete, but I can guess though.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:32 am
I think there are many aspects to Prof Mesfin’s enviable character.He is a man of great moral courage.Timidity is not the hallmark of his personality.Being a man of deeply held principles,he has always fearlessly spoken truth to power.He is the opposite of that ubiquitous and opportunist intellectual who while attending to the call of his appetite and lured by perks and status serves those who are in power.His self-respect and pride has carried him through out the years enabling him to castigate servility (he calls it ASHKERNET) and never kowtowing to any one.
He is spiritual.He is not one of those rather shallow,dogmatic and intolerant religionists.While remaining a Christian,he can,with large heart, engage with other faiths and can easily see the common denominators binding his faith with others. He strongly believes in the amazing and transcendent power of LOVE.
He has the experiential knowledge that it is not easy to love in this world of greed, hate, division and injustice but still he draws his courage to love from a benevolent,righteous and just Deity presiding over a morally ordered Universe.
So, when he is inviting you to pray, he is not proselytizing you to his brand of faith but trying to energize you with the GRACE of LOVE and also attempting to spiritualize your politics which often is brutish lacking a moral and human dimension to it.
Yes, he is also a humanist. And there is no contradiction between his spirituality and his humanism. The latter informs his conviction that men and women are makers of their own destiny.They are born free;They have inalienable rights and they want to live in dignity.They,not God,are the ones who autonomously fashion their lives according to their legitimate and earthly needs. And that is why Prof Mesfin was able,for instance,to envisage and organize EHRCO,the pioneer human rights advocate group and the first of its kind in the political history of our country.
What is more, Prof Mesfin is non-conformist,single minded and candid in his thinking.
Neither today nor yesterday,these qualities have unfortunately not endeared him to many.
There was a strange time in the past in our country when it was a vogue to be a Marxist and everybody in those Marxist days was an intolerant Marxist who never tolerated anyone except a Marxist.Yet,Prof Mesfin, the ‘reactionary feudo-bourgeois intellectual’, who, despite the Marxist wrath and anathema imposed on him, was the lonely voice who openly and courageously declared that he was not part of the day’s oppressive communist orthodoxy.
Similarly, he is now single-mindedly advocating non-violence as a viable means of changing the authoritarian political tradition of our country and this,once again, is sadly earning him harsh criticism and at times outright verbal abuse.Like he stood tall yesterday with our fear or rage,we see him standing tall today too harbouring no timidity or nursing no resentment.
As such,Prof Mesfin’s strategy of non-violence is not, as it is often made out to be,some cranky idealistic vision.It is a strategy steeped in reality. Prof Mesfin has closely lived with our people all his life.He has his hand on their pulses.He knows their day to day struggle;he is conversant with their diverse culture and tradition;he also understands what makes them ‘a historic people’;he discerns their aspirations and while not lacking keen perception of their possible pitfalls.
Of all the politicians who have stood the opposite side of the regime, Prof Mesfin,I believe,is that one person who brings us the much desired LONGER PERSEPCTIVE for our struggle.
Our rulers think that they can easily deal with us saying that we have short memory,short perspective.
We can deal with each other better,tolerate each other better and unify each other better and can more effectively deal with the regime if we have LONGER PERSPECTIVE.
Thanks to his LONGER PERSPECTIVE, Prof Mesfin has seen it all, experienced it widely and lived through three successive regimes.
As a father,so to say,he is agonizing to share his ‘first hand experience’ and his ‘knack’ with his youthful and fiery sons and daughters so that they can safely navigate through their journey fraught with dangers.
He invites them to pray because he wants to remind them that the stakes are really high and eagerly urges them to contemplate their chosen path in order to safely arrive at their final destination.
If they give him deaf ears or if they rash to malign his message for what it is not,they do it at their own peril.
May the Almighty help us!
August 14th, 2008 at 4:07 am
Sorry Guys but Nobody answers your Prayers.
August 14th, 2008 at 8:13 am
Abebech are you allright or not? Queen Saba (Sheeba) created by priests you sayed. Shame on you! I am hesitating that you are not an Ethiopian or before you write didn’t read or learn the real Ethiopian Queen of Sheeba’s HIstory. Some foreign Jornalists tried to change our History. I thought you read false and modified Queen Saba’s(Sheeba)History. You can contact or ask everything professor Tadese Tamrat Ethiopian History expert. No one can change the real History.
August 14th, 2008 at 11:11 am
ethiopians and there dirty poletics in western country.
every ethiopians love to be abave there on brothers
and thats why you see them talking nonsens. just for better life.
shame for thos who say unity for ethio. kkk haw can????? big hods.
August 14th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
A few points that we need to be careful about are the open display of faith of one paricular group when we are dealing with a country like Ethiopia may not be such a good idea. We all know that prayer is limited to a certain faith while Ethiopia has many religons. To some it may look like shoving their fairh down somebody’s throat.So it is good to to stay secular and deal with real problems without any public display of paricular faith.
We also have to be careful when we put politicians on high pedastle. In tihis case the professor has a an extensive both public and intellecual career.We may have to go back and analise them very carefully. We might find something in his past that may give us a reason to pause.
August 14th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
When I read almost all of the comments i noticed one thing and that is HOW POOR WE ETHIOPIANS ARE IN ENGLISH GRAMMER AND VOCABULARY.
Would you guys try to improve your English, please? Some of you lived in North America for more than 10 years but don’t know how to spell even basic words. Nasty!!!!!
August 14th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
O! For God’s sake get real now fun. Big deal!
Who cares about English grammer now.
August 14th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Surafel
Being a staunch supporter of the professor your self you need calm down. I do not think the good professor approves your harsh words. I sensed some sort of violent behavior in between the lines of your writings. After all non-violence/ turn your chip motto started from here. You need to walk the walk not only talk.
August 14th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Where to continue? Let’s see.
Surafel says that he was under the impression I accepted his “persuasive”arguement regarding Aksum, Saba, Solomon.
good. But he has agreed that Aksum was not in existence during King Solomon’s time. That was an idea I forwarded to him and am glad he accepted it. Now I suggested that Professor Tadesse Tamrat and Dr. Lapiso Delob both teach that King solomon/Queen Sheeba is not a real history. It(the known sexy story)is a legend. This is where Surafel is not clear. Hopefuly we will come to that understaning too.
Now back to the professor.
The professor is a human being. We should not worship anyone.
I like Aradaw’s comment on the prof. use of Science and religion. I think the prof. was caught mixing religion snd science TO HIS ADVANTAGE.
The rest of you gangs out there who still think of praying as a good thing, well, that’s your right. But do not try to impose that on someone else.
August 15th, 2008 at 7:48 am
In reading many of the above comments,I cant’ help reflecting on one of the problems plaguing our political culture i.e the issue of building consensus politics.
In this kind of politics, there are certain general norms and standards that all players are expected to follow. While the place of leaders in playing their leading roles is well defined and that of followers is also clearly delimited. Both Good leaders and conscious followers play by these normative standards to bring out desired actions and fulfill goals.
Unfortunately,there is little sign of consensus politics when one reads many of the above comments. They seem to be very fractious and negative.
Particularly regarding the relationship between leaders and followers
many of the comments above reflect the culture of unhelpful polemics, insinuation and denigration.
Professor Mesfin,as a leader, appears to be the hapless victim of these.
Those who have positive attitude and admiring views for him even are unfairly criticized for lionizing or worshipping him.
Of course his critics are of a mixed bag.The motives of the criticism widely diiffer.It should not be forgotten that many TPLF cyber zealots posing as people belonging to the opposition always join in the fray.One must never forget that for such TPLF operators this is their paid job which they have to execute in order to lengthening their regime’s hold on power.This is interesting.While their regime has DENIED our people in Ethiopia to express their views,jail and kill many as a result,the TPLF enthusiasts rightly ENJOY to express their opinions(no matter how offensive it can often be) here on our various democrac forums.I invite my TPLF compatriots in particular to reflect on this.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:59 am
Fun
You are taking this stuff much too seriously.Some of us don’t realy strive to be a schoalr like you. The point is so long as you get the idea that is what matters. Besides some people have their own lives they don’t live to breath this rubbish every day.
August 15th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Preaching the old song.
I happen to attend a town hall meeting held by two special guests of Andent/Kinjet Atlanta support Association. Among the guests where, Professor Mesfin Woldemariam and Mr. Asrat Tasew. After length introduction of the two guests by the chairman of the Andent Party support Group Atlanta and some other sympathizer guests. Professor Mesfin begins addressing the audience and Mr. Asrat as well addresses the audience. After the conclusion of the two guest speech the floor were open for Q & A, and remark. During the Q & A professor Mesfin made a remark saying, I see uncertainty among the Audiences. The question you are asking is not what we except, I think either you are not having confidence on as or you don’t trust as or we have not address the issue properly. The professor also made remark we need to change within our selves the way we see things. Despite the respect I have for professor what he was preaching was same old song. What I men by this is, the professor has been baiting his lip for three decades because of the political system in Ethiopia. For example, the professor was highly instrumental the fall of the King Hialeslase regime, infact the professor always talk about the trip to TG by bus with only 5 Ethiopian Birr, anyhow, during the Derg Regime you all know what he had contributed to Ethiopian politics, toward the end of Derg era he was acting as a elder or shmagle, finally during the EPRDF era here you go again Professor Mesfin seeking a change. Dear fellow Ethiopian, Professor Mesfin telling as to redirect our remnants we have been carried like a luggage for a decade. He is preaching peace and harmony. Fine, why he fail to teach those student when he were professor at the university, rule of law, justice equality, by the way his student are the one giving a problem to Ethiopia, in my opinion the university he is belong was breeding,
Self-Centered, power monger individual. In conclusion of these comments, “wered en
ered tebabaluna asdebedebew afafe laye qomena”. The EPRDF Prime Minster Made it clear, if you disagreed the way we govern the country, you can’t take over the government nor make any change through a remote control or internet or signing up a
Petion to U.S. congress.
///
August 15th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Why is that these “god patrol” mixing their religion with politics?
Why is that these Cadre sounding people defending the prof. as if they are his guards?
What is wrong to express doubt about a poolitician?
Is professor Mesfin a super human where we all should bow down to?
Why are some people still thinking like my grand mother?
Why are people like Dwit(aug. 13th, 11:58) allowed to comment without any contribution to the ongoing discussion?