PM ABIY AHMED SPEECH: “WE WILL MAKE HORN OF AFRICA HORN OF PLENTY AND ETHIOPIA CROWN JEWEL OF AFRICA”

[Below is a translation of  PM Abiy Ahmed’s speech given on the occasion of Mesqel Square dedication on June 13, 2021. Translator’s Note and explanations on translation provided in endnote.]

H.E. President Mulatu Teshome [former Ethiopian president], H.E. Maeza Ashenafi [President of Federal Supreme Court of Ethiopia], H.E. Binalf Andualem [head of Prosperity Party office], H.E. Ato Takele Uma [former Addis Ababa Vice Mayor and current Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Natural Gas], Faith Leaders, Invited Guests and Ladies and Gentlemen:

Mesqel Square is a venue that has seen and served many purposes.

It has been part of our identity, our place of gathering and our sacred space for public events.

Mesqel Square has received and welcomed many world leaders.

Mesqel Square has also bade farewell to many our dear departed leaders.

We have celebrated the Bonfire of the Holy Cross at Mesqel Square.

Mesqel Square has been the setting for many great popular celebrations.

Mesqel Square has also seen countless popular demonstrations of support and opposition.

Mesqel Square has dutifully served as the ground for early risers to do their exercises and the sportsmen and women to hone their skills.

Mesqel Square once was renamed Revolution Square.

Mesqel Square is the repository of the events of the 2005 election and the uncontained expression of popular elation of June 23 [2018 when a grenade attack occurred during PM Abiy’s speech].

Mesqel Square as the nation’s great public square has served the good and the bad and sent them off on their way.

Addis Ababa is our capital city where Ethiopians come from all corners of the nation. [PM Abiy lists places throughout the country].

Our capital is home to all who come from Mekele to Moyale, from Harar to Gondar, from Dire Dawa to Adwa, from Konso to Gelemso, from Welmera to Humera, from Degahabur to Bahi Dar, from Azum to Yirgalem, from Lalibela to Gambella, from Asosa to Hawassa, from Dima to Metema, from Jijiga to Bonga, from Biyara to Gera, from Shire to Bure, from Beji to Tepi, from Butajira to Gorgora, from Addis Ababa to Alaba, from Shashamane to Gawane, from Mojo to Nejo, from Metu to Bishoftu, from Enderta to Welayita, from Chencha to Kombolcha, from Beshasha to Menagesha [Beshasha which means ‘open handed/kind’ in Afan Oromoo, is a small town and birthplace of PM Abiy, Menagesha is seat of government].

On the occasion of this dedication, I say CONGRATULATIONS to all. CONGRATULATIONS to all of us.

Construction is not destruction. Wrecking what has been built is not renovation.

A tree that has been standing for one hundred years could be felled in just a few minutes.

It is easy to burn down a house that has been built at great expense and effort in a flash.

It takes months and even years to write a book and publish it. But to criticize and trash it takes only minutes.

A single match is enough to cause a forest fire. So it takes a single act of hate to destroy the goodwill and harmony that has been patiently built over decades.

Scheming to cause conflict and tear up a society that has lived in unity and harmony for ages is not an act of heroism or gallantry.

We have had enough of evil and wickedness.

The work of destruction cannot be regarded as “work”.

But the work of construction is arduous. It requires knowledge, skill and competence.

But to make a lasting change and be constructive, it is necessary to have a good heart and good will and requires a good deal of hard work.

Our country today faces choices: Construction or destruction, development or backwardness, building up or tearing each other down.

We Ethiopians must clearly realize being a knee jerk contrarian is not a sign or a demonstration of being civilized.

We must carefully understand pushing each other to extremes is not a viable option.

So, I call on all of us to join hands and work in harmony for the greater good and benefit of our country and harness our energies to ensure maximum prosperity for our people.

We must all work hard to make sure yesterday’s scar will not metastasize into tomorrow’s incurable cancerous lesion.

We can make history a record of our collective fingerprints for our collective prosperity today or a chronicle of the fist blows we have delivered on each other today.

Vision is hope that is focused on our yearning of today as we look through the despair and tribulations we face.

It is expected of all citizens to study the fingerprints that were left by our ancestors as we saddle up to claim our hopes for tomorrow and utilize the opportunities we have today.

That is our bridge to create the new Ethiopia.

Unless we commit to our collective prosperity and security, the trials and tribulations of yesterday will give birth to the pain and suffering of tomorrow.

That is why we must transcend the destruction and failures of the past, stop cursing the past generations and march forward with an open heart and open mind and take advantage of the limitless and bottomless opportunities that are before us.

Carpe diem!

That is why I say we must seize the moment, without tiring or second-guessing because prosperity beckons us.

If we can rise to the challenge, we can create a beautiful Ethiopia.

My people, peace is like health.

We will not truly appreciate its value until we have lost it.

But when we have lost it, we find out there is nothing more valuable and nothing more fundamental than health or peace.

We have seen proof of this as we faced the scourge of Covid-19, a virus the source of which we clearly do not understand, which has wreaked havoc in the world over the past year.

It is difficult calculate, measure or assess the loss of human life, wealth and time caused by Covid-19.

Trillions have been spent for the care and treatment of Covid-19 throughout the world.

Every year the amount of money spent on acquisition of weapons globally is incalculable.

That is why it is said the cost of one war is worth more than the cost of 100 years of peace.

If there are no healthy individuals and families, it is not possible to have a healthy country and nation.

Peace begins with individual.

Peaceful talk creates peaceful deeds.

And peaceful deeds create a peaceful nation.

Therefore, I ask all of you with the utmost humility, each one of us must seek peace and be messengers of peace.

Nature carries the load of all that is good and bad.

A beautiful forest sustains many trees.

It is a mistake to believe that to be good one must be part of the chosen few or to be part of the many is to be wretched.

Because our people are so many, it is wrong to believe the good life is gifted only to the few.

Because we have a large country, the view that only the few are entitled to good things is wrong-headed thinking.

We travel afar not because what we have here is not enough.

We must strive to expand the good we have here and make it available to the many.

If we plant the seed of unity today, if we lay a strong foundation for our prosperity today, we will be able to leave for our children a better and attractive Ethiopia.

A debate is heard among some that in order to have a renaissance, there must be a preexisting  civilization.

There are those who argue Africa does not have a past or even a present civilization.

They claim talk of an African Renaissance is just mimicry. There are many who belittle us like that.

Is Africa indeed a continent without history?

An empty vessel?

What about Ethiopia’s golden age?

What about the unsung great civilizations of Mali and Zimbabwe?

All the civilizations of Nubia and Carthage? Are not all of these great civilizations?

Africa had civilizations that are comparable to those in Asia and Europe.

Foremost among these civilizations is our own Ethiopia.

Indeed, we have the ability to reinvent our civilization or create an entirely new one.

In order to have a solid foundation for our identity and to realize our collective dreams, we must be able to connect our historical past with our dreams for the future.

By laying a strong foundation for our nation today, we can not only reclaim Ethiopia’s glorious past but also leave a lasting legacy for future generations.

I humbly ask all of you who are here today, the opposition and party leaders, to come and stand together for our country.

If we can do that, we will make the Horn of Africa the Horn (arm) of Plenty.

With all of our neighbors, we share not only borders but people, dreams and existential essence.

We share the same blood and bone. We are fused by language and tradition and our very existence is intertwined.

Beyond that, we have a quarter of a billion people in our region and our land is wide, fertile and beautiful spanning from the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.

If we could use our resources all along our Red Sea maritime boundary and our mineral resources, we could achieve prosperity that will exceed our wildest imaginations.

We must unburden ourselves from the deadweight of hate and suspicion and avoid the wicked trap of divide and rule. We must live in unity and harmony and work collaboratively to serve our greater collective purpose.

Then we can truly transform the Horn of Africa into the Horn of Plenty.

But the nation that is the glue in the Horn is Ethiopia.

That is why we have a special responsibility and we must take the opportunity at hand and make it happen.

If the countries of the Horn can unite and become Africa’s Horn (arm) of Plenty, the Africa that has been the playground of colonialists, will see their own endless possibilities.

Then, Ethiopia that has been Africa Shining Star will become the graveyard of poverty and the fountainhead of prosperity for all Africa.

If the Horn of Africa is no longer a region of poverty and conflict and instead becomes a family and a symbol of unity, then all of Africa will begin to see the African sun rising from Northeast Africa.

For all this to happen, the foundation and the starting point is maintaining an open mind, open heart and  unflagging vigilance; and we must be ready to work hard and show the results of our hard work.

If we defeat hate and division and ensure domestic tranquility, we can be the fountainhead of peace in our region.

If our surroundings are peaceful, those near and far, large and small, will beat a path to knock on our doors and become friends and partners.

My people, let us wake up! Let’s be industrious. Ethiopia’s prosperity will be born from the blood, sweat tears and unity of her children. Let us not forget that.

Ethiopia prosperity will come not just from the efforts of Prosperity Party but through the collective efforts of all parties.

As our forefathers toiled to build and preserve this country for us, they faced many challenges.

All of the relics we have today and proudly show off — Axum Lalibella, Gondar, Harar, Jimma, our treasures all over the land — when they were built our leaders were severely tested.

You have got to use the winnowing fork to separate the wheat from the chaff.

We must now winnow the chaff to make Ethiopia the crown jewel of Africa.

I want to reassure you again, in this challenge, we must feel pride not dread.

When we toil to achieve prosperity, there will be those who will help us out.

When we toil to achieve prosperity, there will those who will understand us.

When we toil to achieve prosperity, there will be those who will expend their money, time and knowledge to help us.

When we toil to achieve prosperity, there will also be those who stress themselves out watching us prosper.

There’s an Ethiopian saying, “Lies and the evening wear out as time passes.”

So it is also with the saying, “Truth and the dawn become clear with the passing time.”

But for those who understand this, those who help us, we will partner with them faithfully and with good heart and integrity.

We will work patiently with those who help us. But we shall continue with our work and our journey.

Ethiopia is like poetry [Q’ene, double meaning semna worq Ethiopian literary device]. We are like the poets. The history [poetry] we write today will be read not by us but by our children tomorrow.

If each Ethiopian today could raise his/her consciousness and commit to leaving his/her fingerprint for the generations to come and collaborate, Ethiopia could indeed be the crown jewel of Africa.

In a week’s time, Ethiopia will have its sixth general election.

In this election, the government is steadfastly committed to ensure a peaceful, democratic and just election where all parties can freely and vigorously participate.

From such a process, we shall have a parliament in which many diverse voices will be heard and all parties can come together to advance Ethiopia’s national interests.

We have to abandon the harmful ideas and practices of divide and rule.

We must be leaders in our country and not lackeys to be manipulated by others.

We must strive to build a government that is sustained by our collective efforts.

As the election approaches, I humbly ask the Ethiopian people to teach the world something.

Let us leave our fingerprints for posterity and set an example for the world.

On election day, 40 million people will come out to vote.

The same 40 million fingers can plant 40 million tree seedlings, 80 million tree seedlings or 120 million tree seedlings.

We can teach the world the same fingers that cast ballots to seed democracy in our country can also cast seeds into the soil that will grow into trees.

So, instead of being recipients of charity from them all the time, we should also be givers and teachers as well. I humbly ask you to undertake this call.

Lastly, the work we dedicate today at Mesqel Square starts here and will be passed on to the next  administration to continue.

I thank former Vice Mayor Takele Umma and the professionals who worked with him on this project.

To H.E. Adanech Abebe I would like to say, Addis Ababa can accommodate more than one great public square. I am hopeful and confident there will be many better and even greater public squares for our capital in the future.

Ethiopian shall thrive and prosper in honor, dignity and glory with the unrelenting efforts of her children. Long Live Ethiopia. Thank you.

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[Translator’s Note and explanations on translation]: The following is a translation of a speech given by Ethiopian Prime Minister H.E. Abiy Ahmed on June 13, 2021, on the occasion of the dedication of Mesqel Square after a massive renovation. I have provided the translation for the benefit of non-Amharic speakers. The complete video of the Prime Minister’s speech is provided herein. PM Abiy has used a number of complex Ethiopian metaphors and similes in his speech that are nearly impossible to accurately translate into English. But I have attempted to find comparable English literary devices. Admittedly, my translation does not do justice to PM Abiy’s speech in Amharic. Apologies for my deficient translational skills to capture the eloquence of PM Abiy’s refined Amharic diction, the subtleties of his ideas, his choice of poetic words or wings of his imagination. But half a loaf is better than none. So, here it is. Brackets [ ] are supplied by translator for clarification purposes.  All translational errors, inaccuracies and deficiencies are the sole and exclusive responsibility of the translator. – Al Mariam]