Having disagreements would have been acceptable if the political culture is such that political groups compete to win the hearts and minds of the populace to their vision rather than being at each other’s throat when in opposition and at the people’s throat when in power. The mode of dialogue thus far is violence (eliminating ones enemy), baseless accusations (trashing ones opponent), and misrepresenting facts (painting those with whom we differ as monsters). Ignorance along with a short-sighted view of selfish interests and a culture that looks down on win-win alternatives lie at the heart of why the search for a common ground has thus far been elusive. If this trend continues, as the situation indicates, the search for peace, stability and development not only in Ethiopia but also in the Horn will remain a pipe dream. One could deny these problems, continue to belittle the demands of nations for self-determination as “ethnic politics”, continue to give a deaf ear to the yearning of millions for a decent life and a blind eye to the suffering of millions. When faced with serious crisis one could choose to ignore it or do something right about it. While disheartened by the fact that political discourse in Ethiopia is still contaminated by shortsightedness, ignorance and malice, I am also encouraged by the ideas recently forwarded by Drs. Araya and Shewakena. It is the spirit of reaching at a common ground and as a positive response to their measured ideas that I would limit myself to arguing the points raised in the ongoing “discussion” about OLF and the Oromo people and refrain from hurling polemics.

Part I: The indictments against OLF

The many charges leveled against OLF can be summarized into three main strands:

(a) Inventing the Oromo problem

The charge is that had it not been for OLF, there will be no such thing as Oromo problem. The argument is that without OLF Oromos would have been content with their Ethiopiawinet. OLF is accused of repudiating the name Galla, which, according to the likes of Getachew Reda, or his mentor Aleme Eshete, one ought to wear with pride.

Those who charge OLF with the above crime base their allegation on the understanding they have about the Oromo history and condition. There are three variations of the way they interpret the Oromo condition:

One, the people who “migrated” to Ethiopia, or invaded it like a locust (depending on your view), during the 16th century is fully assimilated, through the magic of intermingling and intermarriage. The argument goes since the people so called Oromo did not exist in history nor at present with a common identity, no injustice was perpetrated against them and there is not such thing as an Oromo aspiration. These are the people who are blind to current reality. I will not waste time, as reality would wake them up, hopefully soon enough.

Two, the Oromo did not as a nation suffer national subjugation and discrimination. This group admits that there was injustice in Ethiopia in the past but denies the fact that it was directed against particular groups of people such as the Oromo. While denying the injustices visited upon Oromos by successive regimes, curiously this group tries to present the Oromo as the very perpetrators of injustice. These are the people with nostalgia to the past era of domination and who are in total denial. The most cursory glance at the condition of Ethiopia, past and present, clearly shows how the northerners and the neftegnas were privileged in general. No serious observer can deny this; therefore, I will not go into detail to explain this. To them, I say, keep dreaming and go ahead with your denials. When the time is ripe, you too will wake up to the sad reality.

Three, the Oromo does indeed exist and has its grievances and aspirations but those grievances are addressed and aspirations met by the current political setup. All the injustice and domination committed by the Amhara is past history and the reality under Tigrean rule is one of total bliss. These are the people who are intoxicated with power, and want to jealously guard their position. They delude themselves with this illusion by taking a false high moral ground. There are also others in this group who sense the end of the Tigrean hegemony and try to position themselves as arch-Ethiopianists. To them, I say one need not care as to who commits injustice. We ought to be against injustice period. You will be better off to atone before the wheels of history catches upon you.

(b) Waging a struggle against Ethiopian regimes

OLF is accused of committing the crime of fighting against Mengistu’s Dergue and Meles Zenawi’s TPLF regimes. Those on Meles’s payroll claim that if it were not for OLF’s agitation and sabotage, Ethiopia would have been at peace and its people would have been forging ahead on “the new road to progress, harmony and development.” In addition, OLF is accused not only for waging armed struggle, but also conducting it in a brutal manner. The examples given are reports of atrocities in Assossa in 1989, Baddanno in 1992 and Arba Gugu in 1992 (will address this at length later).

(c) Espousing an anti-Ethiopia agenda

The OLF is also accused of entertaining an agenda that is detrimental to Ethiopia. Since Oromia lies at the heart of Ethiopia and comprises almost 2/3 of it, the implementation of OLF’s program would be the end of Ethiopia. In addition, OLF is blamed for repudiating “Ethiopian history” by casting Ethiopia as an empire and its rulers, who are held as national heroes by other Ethiopians, as tyrants.

Part II: Refuting the allegations against OLF

(a) Did OLF really invent the Oromo problem?

As to the invention of the name Oromo and the repudiation of the word Galla, Dr. Araya has said it beautifully and I have nothing to add to it.

OLF came into existence in 1973. If the Oromo question did not exist before the inception of OLF one could presume that it could probably have invented it. Now, what shall we make of the Rayya & Azabo rebellion of 1920s? How about the appeals to the League of Nations for redress of Oromo grievances preceding WWII? What about the Bale uprising of 1960s and 1970s? How about the Macca & Tulama movement of the 1960s and 1970s? If the Oromo people did not have any grievance against the Ethiopian state, such as denial of use of their native tongue, dispossession of land, destruction of their heritage, serfdom and other forms of repression, why was the chant, “Land to the Tiller”, so poignantly heard throughout the South? If Oromos are equal partners in Ethiopia as alleged, why is it that successive governments come up with elaborate plans and programs to muzzle their voice?

The reality is that it is the repression and the injustice perpetrated against Oromos that give birth to OLF. And it’s the continuation of these injustices that sustains OLF. If the Oromo people did not have any grievances and were content with the state of affairs in Ethiopia, OLF could not have survived the onslaught from Siad Bare of Somalia, the Dergue, and today’s tyrant, Meles Zenawi, and chauvinists who think one needs their blessing to even call oneself with ones own name. To be sure, there are no people who are content with the situation in Ethiopia. If OLF happens to articulate aspects of this dissatisfaction, heeding the message rather than trying to kill the messenger will better serve Ethiopia.

Is it really true that there is no such thing as Oromo? Is it really true that Oromos are fully intermingled and intermarried with others as to cease to exist as a distinct nation? It is strange and sad to be embroiled in a debate to prove that you are not dead. Wishful thinking aside, the Oromo nation is today as robust, energetic and organic as could be. No need to say much about the people in Oromia because freedom of expression and organization is not there. In our exile life where most of us are forced to live, Oromos and others live separate existence. Aside from limited interpersonal interaction at the individual level between old friends, Oromos have their communities, associations and social events and others have their own. The two are not even in talking terms. Politically our differences are as wide as the oceans. And who are we to fool when we claim that most Oromos do not hold views similar to that espoused by OLF when the reality is out there for all to see with our own naked eyes?

Surely there are Oromo organizations other than OLF. Do they entertain better predisposition to dialogue with Ethiopians? To this day, OLF has been the only genuinely Oromo organization with a moderate political program. Meles has a reason to denigrate OLF, he has his power to protect. Why is this lost on the likes of Getachew Reda and company? It is because the only game they know is one of win-lose (winner take all). In order for their ambitions for domination to be realized, the desire of the Oromo people for freedom has to be suppressed. And what better way than to attack OLF, their vanguard organization? In some of the debates about the Oromo, intermarriage is often held as a powerful unifying force. If marriage is as powerful as is alleged by some, the magic of marriage is lost on other people of the world. To be frank there are thousands of Oromos who intermarried with other ethnic groups in Ethiopia and beyond and this is not unique about Oromos. Oromos are as human as anybody else- they love whoever they love. The question is how large is this intermarriage? Is it 1%?, 5%?, or 10%?. Even if we accept the whopping rate of 10% there are still 90% who value their identity as Oromos. Even amongst those from inter-ethnic marriage, a large majority of them do value their identity as seriously as any other Oromo.

Did the fact that the French had once a British monarch on their throne made them predisposed to willingly loosing their sovereignty to the British? A number of the leaders of the African liberation movements of the 1960s had European wives. Did that make European colonialism more palatable to them? Did the fact that Jefferson had sired children from a slave mother made him a kinder slave master? As a side note, if we have been intermarrying and intermingling all this time as alleged, is it not strange that some are unable to address their in-laws using their correct names?

The reason why some make a big deal out of the role of marriage is because they start from the wrong assumption that the appeal of Oromo nationalism is the hatred for Amhara or Tigay. There are thousands of Oromo nationalists, including some who founded OLF, who are born from an Amhara or Tigray mother or father. They love their mothers and fathers as any normal human being would, if not more. This does not mean though that they have a soft heart for injustice. In fact the relationship gives them a clear vintage point to observe first-hand the low status allotted to Oromos in Ethiopian society.

(b) Is Waging struggle against Mengistu’s Dergue and Meles’s TPLF a crime?

As Dr. Shewakena correctly observed where domination persists, resistance is inevitable. The more severe the repression, the more defiant the resistance gets. When hatred, bigotry and ignorance are added to it, the struggle between the forces of domination and liberation becomes the more combustible. This natural relationship between action and reaction is lost on those whose hearts are inflicted with hatred and whose reason is clouded by bigotry.

If one believes that these two regimes are just, democratic, legitimate and respectful of the rule of law, human rights and political freedom, then OLF is indeed guilty for waging a struggle against them. If that is the case then there will be plenty who would have to apologize. But where on earth does a freedom fighter apologize for fighting injustice? OLF did not pull a permit to launch its just struggle. It does not need anybody’s blessing to continue to wage it. No amount of propaganda will deter it from waging a just struggle with the support of the Oromo people. If the just demands of the Oromo people are met, then OLF will have no reason whatsoever to continue with the fight. Until that happens, the struggle continues, whether one likes it or not.

There are some who believe, alas how naïve, that OLF is some kind of fringe organization without mass base. If the political objectives of OLF do not correspond with the aspirations of the Oromo people, then why worry? If OLF was not dear to the Oromo people, there is not reason why thousands of Oromos languish in jail. If OLF did not have solid popular support, there is no reason why even those Oromos currently serving the regime in Addis live under the shadow of suspicion as OLF sympathizers. In fact, OLF is the only organization in Ethiopia with the largest following amongst the youth. This shows that OLF is not a spent force as some want to believe but rather an organization whose bright days are ahead of it.

Did OLF choose to pick armed struggle as its preferred means of struggle? Armed struggle is not conducive in Oromia. The geopolitics is such that waging armed struggle under the condition of strategic encirclement with no outlet to the sea or safe sanctuary is almost next to impossible. However, OLF is engaged in it because that is the only option left to it. Given its popularity, OLF would have loved to enter into peaceful political competition to realize the objectives of the Oromo people for self-determination. It is because of this desire that OLF joined the Transitional Government in 1991 and stayed in it until it was violently forced out in 1992. It is because of the desire of the Oromo people for peace that OLF time and again makes its position clear as to its desire to engage in a peaceful political struggle.

(c) Did OLF really commit those brutal atrocities ascribed to it?

Castigating ones enemy as barbaric has been a tried and proven tactic since time immemorial. Blaming the victim is nothing new as a political and military strategy. To justify the use of inhuman means to quash ones enemy, it is natural to first paint it as a monster so that one does not feel any compassion for it. Throughout Ethiopian history and literature the Oromo are cast as the “aramane.” In modern parlance this is called psychological warfare. What is being said about OLF today is a mirror image of what has been said and continues to be said about the Oromo people.

The people who manufacture these lies do not have a clear picture of the reality in Oromia. Wherever OLF operates, there are pockets of Amhara villages totally surrounded by Oromos. There are also Amharas and some Tigreans who live next door to an extended family of Oromos. The Ethiopian regimes did not station police units throughout these villages and neighborhoods to protect non-Oromo villagers as in Gaza and the West Bank. Nor did these villagers seek protection from the government because they know full well that their Oromo neighbors have nothing against them, and OLA (Oromo Liberation Army) means them no harm. When OLA units go throughout these villages, the non-Oromo villagers are the first to come to them with food, drinks and other supplies.

If this is the reality what should we make of the anomalies in Asoosa, Baddanno and Arga Gugu? To understand these incidents one needs to understand the nature of the Dergue and TPLF regimes. This is because their propaganda machines are instrumental in making the image of atrocities by OLF stick in the minds of some. It is in the nature of tyrants to paint their opposition as gruesomely as possible. Asoosa is exaggerated by the Dergue not only to win the support of the Amhara, provoked by the fear that Oromos are about to slaughter them, and to make Oromos ashamed about the tragedy as to submit to its dictates.

The myth about the atrocities in Baddanno and Arba Gugu are already debunked, by none other than the very people who committed it. The real victims of these tragedies were not just Amharas but hundreds and thousands of Oromos themselves. Thanks to the problems in TPLF that exploded in 2001, we now know the true story behind them (for details please review transcripts of former EPRDF henchmen who defected after the internal division of Wayane). EPRDF soldiers posing as OLA have been terrorizing both the Oromo and others in Oromia since 1992. Fearing an active Oromo rebellion in the middle of the country, the EPRDF chose to pit the Oromo against others for its own sinister goals. I believe when the dust settles all of these crimes will be exposed in due time and the culprits held responsible.

If anyone needs to be condemned it should be those who slaughtered a whole generation of youth in Ethiopia during the Red terror (amazingly a few now shamelessly pose as Pan-Ethiopian patriots). If anyone needs to be condemned it will be tyrants like Mr. Zenawi who gun down school children. If anyone needs to be held responsible it should be those who sent thousands of poor conscripts as cannon fodder in Badme only to lose it in The Hague. The organization that needs to be condemned is the one under whose watch HIV/AIDS is ravaging the country. It will be the regime under whose eyes famine is consuming human lives and poverty devastating millions when those on power live a grand life.

Before I wrap this part, one admission of fact and logic is in order. It is not a secret that OLA is waging armed struggle. Armed struggle by its nature is not pretty. Collateral damage is to be expected even among the most sophisticated army. OLA cannot be immune to this nature of armed conflicts. However, there is no time in its history where OLA purposely targeted civilians. OLA knows full well that such actions are counter productive.

(d) Is OLF’s political program anti-Ethiopia?

Leaving aside for the time being the debate as to the time of its creation, be it 100 years or 3000 years, there is no denying that Ethiopia has become a dysfunctional state in need of fundamental restructuring. A state where a piece of real estate is worth the life of thousands of young lives, a state where war, poverty, repression and injustice are intertwined and inseparable, a state where life is one long monotonous horror movie, a state that readily denies a whole section of the population the human dignity to be who they really are and moreover a state in which the wish of one person or group runs supreme cannot be anything but dysfunctional and thus in need of serious self introspection.

Whether one ascribes a divine, natural or artificial origin to it, Ethiopia could not be expected to thrive while forever remaining a prison of conscience. We could continue to call all kinds of names those who speak up against these injustices. We could continue to paint monsters out of them for speaking about the suffering of their people and articulating their yearning to be free from oppression. Whatever we do, the fact of the matter remains the Oromo question is not going away. So long as we continue to quote “Ethiopian history” not to uplift the human spirit or to prevent the mistakes of the past from repeating but to condemn the Oromo into a subservient position, Ethiopia and the miserable people living in it will never see a better day.

If one attempts to untangle oneself from the chains of one-sided and biased history and aspires a “more perfect union” where ones true identity does not have to be sacrificed in favor of an imposed, thus hollow, identity, where ones cultural and linguistic heritage does not have to be slated for extinction, and where the governed have a say in the way they are governed, one is called a secessionist, anti-unity, unpatriotic and tribal and all the derogatory names a sick man’s mind could conjure up.

If the denigration, humiliation, false caricature and misrepresentation of the Oromo would serve Ethiopia, enough have been done already. Detailed plans have been drawn to deny the Oromo their identity, deprive them their culture, language and the fruit of their labor, but the Oromo are still there. Their limbs, sex organs and breasts [harka harma muraa aanolee fi yakka Calanqoo) have been cut, but that did not stop them from being Oromo. Oromos have been put into prison in large numbers and forced to languish in the torture chambers, but that did not stop them from being Oromo. Oromos have been ridiculed, laughed at and called names simply because of their “un-Ethiopian” sounding names, but that did not stop them from calling themselves Oromo.

Despite all these sufferings Oromos had been the first to defend Ethiopia in times of its darkest hours, had been the first to bear arms in its defense, have been the first in giving it a place in world history by representing it in international competitions such as the marathon. Oromos have also been very patient waiting for a redress of their grievances. The reward for their achievements, contributions and patience has been more name-calling, arrogance, more contempt and more marginalization. Many have said their humiliations, their position as second-class citizens and the political, social and economic marginalization of their people has ended only to be contradicted by facts and attitudes that refuse to die.

Many Ethiopians fail to understand that it is these attitudes and the resulting practices that drive the majority of Oromo nationalists to question the Ethiopian identity. It is after seeing the same attitudes persist that millions of Oromos rally behind OLF. Others were former members of the so called multi-ethnic organizations who were frustrated by the lack of courage to address the Oromo question. OLF is the only organization in Ethiopia with the largest following, the only organization that inspires a cross section of Oromos, intellectuals, peasants, merchants, students, the youth, women, the elderly and what not. It is the only organization that I know of us that has songs sung about it, poems written about it, plays staged in its adulation. If one wants to exclude an organization with such support from the debate about the future of Ethiopia and the Horn, what is excluded is not OLF but the Oromo people from having a say in their future. By the way, OLF does not need anybody’s invitation for such a dialogue. As the organization spearheading the fight against TPLF’s tyranny it has already invited itself with its blood and toil.

Part III: The Crisis of the Ethiopian State vis-a-vis the Oromo Question

The correct answer to the dire situation in Ethiopia vis-a-vis the Oromo question is not more hatred, and nor more misrepresentation of facts. The recent hate propaganda against the Oromo people and their vanguard national organization, OLF, is not new and hardly surprising. Denigration of anything Oromo has been a deeply ingrained tradition in Ethiopia. The recent firework just shows how far we have to go to bring inter-communal harmony in the Horn of Africa. Actually, it is encouraging to see that there are new voices of reason that are beginning to be aired and loudly heard. As OLF has correctly articulated, and Drs. Araya and Shewakena indicated, resolving the Oromo question is central to the future of Ethiopia as well as the Horn of Africa. The first step to solve it is to understand it.

What is it that the Oromo want? Why do Oromos resist wearing the “Ethiopian Identity”? Why do they want to revive and resurrect their own distinct identity? In this short article I have attempted to shed light on the Oromo perspective as to the root causes of the crisis of the Ethiopian state, the way I perceive it as an Oromo. Now I will suggest a few ways forward and out of the abyss. I understand the misrepresentation of the Oromo perspective is not entirely out of ignorance, but out of a deliberate effort with deep historical roots and strong political motives, and my gestures for a common ground may be construed negatively.

(1) There is nothing inherently good or bad about states. Its value emanates from the greater good it renders to its citizens and subjects. If the harm it inflicts on people or the harm inflicted on people in its name is more than the general good it generates, a state is in danger of internal implosion or vulnerable to external threats. We could keep on talking about the long and ancient history of Ethiopia. That will not hide the fact that the people in Ethiopia today languish under tyranny, unable to feed ourselves, unable to see eye to eye on how to interpret their history, unable to chart a common vision out of the current state of crisis. Talk of ones glorious past does not provide peace of mind to a mother whose sons have perished from senseless military adventures. Talk of history does not bring food to a mother whose offspring is dying from starvation. Talk of our “glorious kings” does not give solace to a miserable soul gripped by the throes of death from HIV/AIDS. Talk of our intermingling and intermarriage does not and did not prevent brother from slaughtering brother. The benefit of “unity” is preached about at length for years. Did it change minds?

To be able to make the future of our children as bright as possible, we need to make a complete break with old attitudes, stereotypes and prejudice. Hate and bigotry, however deeply rooted, are not the way to solve our many social, political and economic problems.

Unless we reach a stage, in both our intellectual discourse and political experience, where injustice against one is taken as injustice against us all, we cannot be talking of a bright future. Even the most ardent Oromo nationalist does not go as far as denigrating the Amhara or Tigray as a people. Deep down in their heart they have always known that the real enemy is not the people but the oppressive systems. It is an irony to me how this minimum of human decency is lost with some Ethiopians.

(2) What is bleeding Ethiopia is not the struggle waged by OLF and many other organizations. Nor is it the desire of the Oromo and other people for a decent, free and respectable life. Ethiopia’s true enemy is the attitudes and polices that sanction violence to silence these desires for a better life. For the wishes of chauvinists to be realized, Ethiopia has to be at war with the Oromo in perpetuity. Successive Ethiopian regimes have been at it, but did this produce a stronger Ethiopia or a weaker Ethiopia?

Part IV: The true essence of OLF’s political objectives

Many people talk about OLF’s political objectives without taking the time to research and understand it. OLF’s position is that nobody could impose a solution on the Oromo people, by force or otherwise, the solution has to be one freely chosen by the people themselves. In layman’s language this is the essence of the right to self-determination that is derided as a blasphemy. Few of the people accusing OLF did even bother to read it’s political program, let alone digest it, and others are clearly engaged in intellectual fraud for deception.

The OLF program calls for unity “based on the freely expressed will of all people based on mutual interest.” However, if the answer to the Oromo people’s yearning for self-determination is more injustice and more killings, Oromos have every right under the sun to establish an independent state of Oromia. The Oromo are sick and tired, like many others, of a political system where calls for freedom are met by more repression.

How is it that demanding for real political, social, and economic change and the end to political domination, economic exploitation and cultural suppression is viewed to be destructive to Ethiopia? According to OLF’s program adopted in 1974, ratified in 1976, reaffirmed in 1989 and 1998 OLF’s “ goal is to terminate a century of oppression and exploitation and to form, where possible, a political union with other peoples based on equality, respect for mutual interests, and the principle of voluntary association.” In fact OLF’s program mandates the organization to seek such unity as a matter of standing policy. These objectives will be anti-Ethiopia if the Ethiopia one envisages is one in which the Oromo will have to have no say in their social, political and economic life.

Part V: The Road Forward

(a) A new political culture

The first step in changing the dire situation is to start a total paradigm shift in our political culture. The futility of a hierarchical relationship in which one is lording over the others cannot be a model for the future. Political dialogue needs to be elevated and freed from polemics and narrow self-interest. Accommodation, cooperation and compromise needs to replace the desire to impose ones will on others. If we disagree we could do so without being disagreeable. We need to be willing to question our deeply held views when confronted by facts. Others in Ethiopia could learn a lot from Oromo culture and that of the South.

(b) Win-win alternatives

An eye for an eye makes a whole society blind. We either all win or we all lose together. In today’s world, it is impossible to hide injustice for a prolonged time. To solve the many problems we are facing, such as HIV/AIDS, famine, poverty and the like, we need to have peace and stability. Peace and stability are impossible unless anchored on a foundation of justice. The fact that Oromo children learn in Oromiffa does not pose any harm to a child in Tigray, Gojjam, Gindar or Menz or Tegulet. The fact that an Oromo does not take Menelik, Yohannes, Tedros, H/Sillase, Mengistu and Meles as his/her hero does not make him/her an enemy to one who does. We could all have our heroes and villains. If we may not have many heroes in common from the past, why don’t we work on creating new ones in the future?

(c) Will of the people as the final arbiter

Every regime that came to power in Ethiopia and the ones who aspire to take its place swear in the name of the people. However, the people never had a voice. Ethiopianists make a great deal about the past glory of Ethiopia where despots ruled with impunity. I am not saying people need not be proud about their history, they should. The question is should we not rather dream about a better future? The people in whose name this glory is narrated live a miserable life as their counterparts in Oromia who are made to be ashamed by it. Is it not time to retire history to where it belongs, saving us from repeating the mistakes of the past?

If OLF is not indeed popular in Oromia, conduct free elections and find out. If regimes of Ethiopia are wise we would have been much better off if the situation in Eritrea was decided through popular vote rather than through the barrel of the gun. Given the choice and the assurance that there is fairness, people would always choose unity and harmony.

(d) Free political competition

For the Horn to have a future, the gun has to retire from politics. Political differences should not be shunned but rather welcomed. It is ok if we disagree so long as we do not become totally disagreeable. Violence needs to be removed as the only means to air ones views. People will keep on dissenting but precious lives do not have to be sacrificed.

(e) Right to self-determination

There is no political principle that is more derided than the right to self-determination in Ethiopia. Although human beings are rational beings, a few could be manipulated by demagogues but rarely forget what is good for them in the long run. Self-determination is simply a belief in the right of people to decide their fate without being forced into any arrangement without their say. No matter how nostalgic one gets about the past, we have reached a point of no return. The era of “Teqlay Gizat” is gone and the “killil” and “ethnic politics” is here to stay. Instead of seeking to reverse history, can we come up with creative ways to realize self-determination while balancing the desire for freedom against unity?

(f) Resize politics to its proper role

In Ethiopia, as is the case in many turbulent places, politics is the sole preoccupation for the learned and propertied classes. Having a conducive political environment is crucial but it is not a panacea for everything. The preoccupation with politics, while neglecting everything else, has made it appear as if politics is more important than life itself. There are hungry people who need to be fed. There are the sick who need to be treated and rehabilitated. There are children to be brought up with love and care. There are lovers to be loved. There is music, literature and art to be enjoyed. There is nature to be observed and preserved. There are friendships to be cherished. There are gardens to be watered. In Ethiopia politics is being played not for the common good it could produce but for its own sake. That is why we ended up producing politicians who are playing the game for their own benefit and at the country’s expense. Demystify and resize politics lest we remain at the mercy of the power-hungry to whom human life is to be freely expended as a means to stay on power or attain it.

OLF has made it abundantly clear that dialogue is the way ahead. Dialogue requires a partner. May God bestow upon us all the courage and wisdom to believe in fruitful dialogue to make the changes necessary to end human misery in Ethiopia and heal the troubled Horn.