Medemer Generation (MEDGEN): A Virtual Intergenerational Conversation (Part III)
Reviewer’s Note: This is Part III of an “interpretive book review” of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s (hereinafter “Abiy”, “the author”) latest book, “Medemer Generation” (“MEDGEN”). While this review commentary stands on its own merits, I strongly recommend reading Part I, “Medemer Generation”(MEDGEN): Tip of the Spear for Ethiopia’s Peace, Prosperity and Progress,” and Part II, “Medemer Generation” (MEDGEN): Ethiopia’s Bridge to Peace, Prosperity and Progress” to gain a fuller understanding of the reviewer’s purposes and approach.
In his book “Medemer Generation,” PM Abiy Ahmed publicly presented what I believe to be the “agenda” of Medemer Generation. As I have presented in Parts I and II of this review series, PM Abiy offers some profound and practical ideas to deal with current and emergent challenges facing Ethiopia. He also offers a peek into the limitless opportunities awaiting Ethiopia once it synergizes its economy, politics and society.
For more than a decade, I have earnestly sought to spark an intergenerational conversation on Ethiopia’s past, present and future with Ethiopia’s intellectual community and political leadership. That attempt has been a total failure. However, conducting a public virtual intergenerational conversation with PM Abiy is not new to me. Beginning with my April 18, 2018 commentary entitled, “Memorandum No. 1: To PM Abiy Ahmed and Ethiopia’s Cheetahs/Abo Shemanes (Youth),” written barely two weeks after he took office, I have engaged him in virtual conversations on a variety of topics in my weekly commentaries. In “Memorandum #1,” I addressed issues of leadership and made some 20 prescriptions for a new leadership in Ethiopia. I wrote more than a dozen detailed open “Memoranda” to PM Abiy on a variety of topics in 2018 available at almariam.com. No fair-minded person could deny the exemplary leadership PM Abiy has shown over the past 5 years in maintaining the political unity of the country, resisting (defying) withering devastating diplomatic pressures and heroically struggling to maintain the country’s economy against crippling sanctions, paralyzing pandemic, destructive war and crushing debt burden. His critics always play a game of moving goalposts.
Gratitude and mea culpa
In Part III of the review commentary, I aim to engage PM Abiy in virtual intergenerational dialogue on the ideas presented in his “Medemer Generation” book. But first, I wish to thank PM Abiy Ahmed for taking the time from his enormous public duties to offer his road map to guide the younger generation to that glorious destination called “New Ethiopia.” Writing is very hard, I should know. That is why most people are incapable of or avoid writing altogether. Writing is not a matter of connecting words, sentences and paragraphs. It requires reflection, understanding, research, critical analysis and other literary skills. Those who criticize for “taking valuable governance time to write a book” are best advised to read the book before engaging in empty blather.
In the Foreword to his third book, PM Abiy noted, “The Medemer path is the results of my life’s journey.”
The great Maya Angelou observed, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” I certainly appreciate PM Abiy’s “agony” in telling his story of Medemer, which he has carried on his long path to reach the New Ethiopia and sharing it with the people of Ethiopia.
Second, I wish to apologize to PM Abiy for engaging his Medemer ideas on an individual basis. This virtual conversation should have taken place first among Ethiopian public intellectuals and second with PM Abiy in various forums. During the launch of his book, PM Abiy threw the gauntlet and challenged anyone to review and critique his ideas. He invited all to come up with ideas of their own that could even make his irrelevant. I am embarrassed no Ethiopian intellectual worth his/her salt has responded to his challenge, except myself. In my case, I have proudly declared from the day PM Abiy took office that I fully share in vision and dreams of a New Ethiopia. For the last 17 years, I have talked about the New Ethiopia as a “City Upon a Hill.” Suffice it to say, Ethiopia apparently does not have public intellectuals with the courage to discuss, debate and critique his ideas. If there are, it is not too late. They should come out and be heard. The fact remains that I am compelled to have this virtual intergenerational conversation as an individual diaspora Ethiopian public intellectual. Mea culpa! (My bad.)
Two paths that diverged and then converged
In his beautiful poem, “The Road Not Taken,” Robert Frost found himself on
Two roads (that) diverged in a yellow wood,/ And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood/ And looked down one as far as I could…
Then took the other, as just as fair,…/ Because it was grassy and wanted wear;…/
I shall be telling this with a sigh/ Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—/ I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Not to wax overly poetic, I believe PM Abiy and I found ourselves on the same two roads generations apart.
In his “Foreword” to “Medemer Generation,” PM Abiy makes a profound observation which resonated with me.
“The Medemer path is the results of my life’s journey…The Medemer Path is a work that has been formulated to bring about intergenerational Medemer or synergy. Medemer is the lens through which we see the future generation by pulling the capacities of the current building on the strengths of the past generations and correcting the mistakes of the previous.”
Of course, I never walked a mile, a kilometer, a single step in his shoes on the long path of Medemer. When he took up arms against military style Marxism-Leninism in Ethiopia at age 14, I was an associate professor of political science in California. When I was 14 years old, I was carrying books on philosophy and literature, not Ak-47s and tactical combat radio communications gear. He attended small town primary/secondary schools in Beshasha/Agaro in Southern Ethiopia, and I an elite school in the capital. After the overthrow of the Derg, he rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, served as a peacekeeping officer for the United Nations in Rwanda and returned to Ethiopia and earned an undergraduate degree in computer engineering and a doctorate in peace studies. My path diverged. I achieved the pinnacle of American academia and became a defense lawyer, indeed defending the US Constitution. I did not know of Abiy Ahmed until he became prime minster. I had seen a few short videos of him talking in public but I had no idea who he was until the day of his inaugural speech. In my view, he has strived to live out the promises he made on that day unwaveringly. It is too bad he has been unable to satisfy his critics by not being able to walk on water.
Following the 2005 election in Ethiopia, everything changed for me. I plunged headlong into the abyss of Ethiopian human rights advocacy.
PM Abiy and I took two roads, two paths that diverged. We took the ones less traveled by, and those roads eventually converged into a highway called “The New Ethiopia.”
Though we are literally a generation apart and with very different backgrounds, we share the same outlook, vision and dreams for Ethiopia. There are those who criticize me for “blindly supporting” PM Abiy. They don’t understand. It is not political or anything else. PM Abiy and I have Ethiopia on our minds 24/7/365! That is it.
For a decade and half, I had Ethiopia’s “Cheetah (Younger) Generation” on my mind, and PM Abiy had Medemer Generation on his for much longer. In my August 2012 commentary, “Cheetahs, Hippos and Saving Ethiopia,” I argued Ethiopia’s destiny will be determined by its “Cheetah Generation.” In “Medemer Generation,” PM Abiy announced the generation that will do the heavy lifting in building the New Ethiopia has finally arrived.
In my March 2007 commentary, I issued my generational proclamation in view of the sectarian and communal fire unleashed on Ethiopia by the TPLF:
My favorite people in the world are young people, young Ethiopians and Ethiopian Americans. They are the most courageous, audacious, tenacious and passionate Ethiopians I know. God bless them all! They are the only ones who can fight this fire and put it out. The rest of us are water carriers… Some older firefighters have a difficult time accepting the fact that we must make way for the younger generation of firefighters. We need to face facts. We no longer have that “fire in the belly” that we had in our youth anymore. Let’s not pretend we can put out the fire on our own.
Let us never doubt that our young firefighters, though they may inherit a society devastated by decades of political repression and human rights abuse, will one day be able to build a City Upon a Hill — a just, humane and pious society — where no man or woman will fear his or her government, where government will dutifully respect the rights and liberties of its citizens, where every person can stand tall and freely speak his or her mind, and where no man, woman or child will ever lose life, liberty of property without due process of just laws.
Or as I tried to explain in my September 2015 interview:
“Medemer Generation” as “prophesy” and “vision”
In Acts 2:17 is written, “Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.”
Abiy Ahmed and Medemer Generation shall prophesy and see visions and I shall dream dreams.
I have examined “Medemer” ideas and “Medemer Generation” with the intellectual surgical knife of the political scientists and cross-examined/interrogated its content with the meticulous attention of a trial lawyer. I have looked at it from different extremes. Is it a book about “social engineering”? Is it a statement of “political ideology”? Is it simply a statement of his Weltanschauung (world view)? Is it merely a polemic against those who resist change and work to keep Ethiopia in perpetual poverty?
The simple conclusion I have reached is that “Medemer Generation” is a prophesy and a grand vision of the New Ethiopia, a City Upon a Hill, which will rise from the ashes of poverty, ignorance, disease, ethnic, communal division. I do not want to be misunderstood.
When I speak of “prophesy” I am not referring to its ecumenical meaning. For me, “prophesy” is the perception, vision and dreams of societal potentialities for good and evil that could arise from change.
PM Abiy is telling me the meaning of the New Ethiopia through the lens of Ethiopia’s young people who will make it great again. As a MEGA (Make Ethiopia Great Again) Ethiopian, that pleases me. In the Medemer trilogy, he cuts through the dense fog identity and ethnic politics, communalism and sectarianism to paint a picture of Ethiopia and Ethiopians who will achieve heights of prosperity hitherto never seen through self-understanding and generational synergy. He makes intelligible the synergistic effort and unwavering struggle that must be made to conquer poverty and make Ethiopia great again. It is interesting to me that I should talk about “Ethiopian exceptionalism” based on its history as PM Abiy talks about Ethiopia’s greatest exceptionalism yet to come.
Enlightened v Benighted Generation
PM Abiy writes about the four generations (conservative, dreamer, disillusioned and alienated) that have defined modern Ethiopia. The advent of Medemer Generation, I believe, will further define generations in Ethiopia as enlightened or benighted generation. Western enlightenment evolved from a paradigm shift that occurred in the Renaissance which placed primary importance on individuals understanding their world through reason and science replacing the dark ages of superstition and ignorance.
I agree wholeheartedly that Medemer Generation will be an enlightened one, but my benighted (dark ages) generation (dreamers), will be an albatross around their necks. There are so many “educated” members of my benighted generation who live in their self-made dark ages stoking the fires of ethnic, tribal, communal and sectarian politics. These educated fools are guided by three basic principles: fear and smear, my way or the highway and herd mentality/group think. They thrive on the politics of division and hate and personal destruction. They are so narrow-minded that they are incapable of engaging in rational debate and discourse. They are bereft of the 3 “Cs”: critical thinking, creativity/imagination and cooperation. They believe academic credentials after their names somehow make them supermen who can dictate their half-baked ideas to the masses. They believe they are entitled to rule because they have college degrees without paying the sacrifices. They have proven to be Chicken Littles, crybabies and empty barrels which make loud noises but say nothing.
Let me provide one example which bears out my point. Some may find the following controversial but we can debate the details in the public forum.
Far too many in my benighted generation do not believe PM Abiy has any business serving as prime minster or charting a course for a new generation. Why? Because he came from a small village and modest background. He was not educated in the West. He is far too young and inexperienced for such a position. His ethnic background is problematic for them. Any ideas he may propose should be dismissed out of hand because he is not part of the hoity-toity self-appointed elite. They love to hate Abiy Ahmed. The truth is that they are scared of him. They are jealous of him. They know they cannot hold a candle to him. This is a fact. There is no one who could go toe-to-toe against Abiy Ahmed.
Whoa! I did not say that.
The late great Professor Mesfin Woldemariam, arguably the dean of Ethiopia’s public intellectuals and regarded as the harshest critic of regimes in Ethiopia during his 70 years of public life, said it plainly. (See full interview here.)
(Reviewer’s translation.)
… Abiy is special. Abiy, as far as I know, to the extent I know, there is no ferenji (foreigner) or habesha (Ethiopian), I have never seen anyone who has a mind like Abiy. Regardless of what field, regardless of what educational discipline, he can speak authoritatively without a piece of paper (note). I have no idea how he disciplined his mind. He is an amazing person… I just don’t know how his mind is crafted. I just don’t know [what to say] about that guy. His mind is phenomenal. He has an amazing mind.
When Abiy gets such appreciation from someone two generations before him, it is proof that he is a generational leader.
In the past week, there has been a disinformation campaign led by foreign TPLF noisemakers and other ethno-extremists claiming Abiy’s doctorate is “plagiarized.” I laugh at the extent to which these losers will go to smear PM Abiy.
The fact of the matter is that for years Abiy’s dissertation has been on the websites of those who are now campaigning to discredit him. Anyone can download and critically review it. I have reviewed it myself and it represents insightful original work.
The plain fact of the matter is that Abiy Ahmed is simply brilliant! He speaks five languages. He is well read, listens with incredible intensity and asks penetrating and incisive questions. He has a prodigious memory.
The bottom line is that Medemer Generation will be hobbled every step of the way as it marches on Medemer Path. But not to worry. The benighted will be driven out by the enlightened just as darkness is driven out by the light.
Ethiopian Unity and Medemer Generation
PM Abiy has declared everything is negotiable except Ethiopian unity, dignity and sovereignty. He takes immense pride in the victory at Adwa and repeat victory in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. Those victories represent the defining elements of “Ethiopianess” for him and all coming generations. But Medemer Generation faces a challenge in understanding and practicing the ethos of their forebears. Ethiopians, in their splendiferous diversity, came together to defend the territorial integrity of their country and dignity of their people becoming the only black nation in the world that was never conquered by whites. In the past two years, a bloody war was fought in Northern Ethiopia against forces that were hellbent on destroying Ethiopian unity so that they can create war lordships protected by so-called special forces. For nearly a quarter of a century, a regime with the singular mission of keeping Ethiopia divided was in place imposing apartheid-style Bantustan rule in South Africa. The “Kilils” or “Kililistans” designed to territorially organize Ethiopians by ethnicity, language, religion, etc. are vestiges of backward thinking that will sap the synergy out of Medemer Generation. I believe the guiding principles of Medemer Generation must be peace, prosperity and progress. Medemer Generation must follow a proven maxim of its own history. As I wrote in my February 2009 commentary, “Ethiopians United Can Never Be Defeated!”
The National Interest and Medemer Generation
In his book, PM Abiy reflects on the geopolitical dynamics of the Horn and Middle Eastern regions and perceives limitless opportunities for Medemer Generation. He persuasively and confidently argues that the balance of the 21st century will favor countries with the most arable land endowed with water resources. Like the 20th century Middle Eastern countries that dominated the world with oil, Ethiopia and other Horn of Africa countries could prove to be the Horn of Plenty for the region.
I agree water insecurity will increase significantly in the Middle Eastern region in the next couple of decades as runaway climate change transforms global landscapes. Water insecurity will give rise to food insecurity compounded by high population growth, poor development strategies, bad governance and resource mismanagement, environmental degradation and debt crisis among others. Middle Eastern countries will have to include Ethiopia as part of their long-term economic and strategic planning in meeting their food security needs. PM Abiy assures us that Ethiopia will soon achieve food security and sell its surplus production. I expect Ethiopia will give Ukraine a run for its money in wheat production with Medemer Generation getting into agriculture.
Regional peace is proving to be elusive as we are currently witnessing in the Sudan. There are too many foreign hands stirring the pot in the Horn. The only practical solution will come from Horn leaders who commit to dialogue and negotiations to resolve disputes. PM Abiy played a central role in bringing the civilian and military parties together in the Sudan in 2019 and averted what we are witnessing now. My view is that the cure to regional instability and conflict is economic integration. Of course, it is easier said than done. There is the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the largest regional economic organization in Africa with 19 member states including Ethiopia. It appears much more progress needs to be made to energize the economies of member states.
I also believe that Ethiopia will be a big geopolitical player in the Horn and Middle Eastern regions. Medemer Generation has its job cut out for it working to ensure Ethiopia will be respected.
Education and Medemer Generation
PM Abiy pegs Ethiopia’s prosperity on its capacity to raise the quality of education at all levels, introduction of rigorous STEM curriculum and innovation in all fields. Recently, it was revealed that 97 percent of students taking the national school leaving exam failed. That is a big wake up call for Medemer Generation. He has deep concerns about the quality of domestic educational institutions which he says, “should be more than degree mills” and organized to “spark the imagination of the youth and equip them with problem solving skills” in spaces where students can stretch their imaginations. He believes in student learning with practical application to their lives. He makes six specific recommendations to accelerate change in the education sector.
This is an issue that concerns me professionally and intellectually. Ethiopia’s educators and intellectuals must take the lead in making sure that epic failure as we saw in 2023 must never be repeated. Unfortunately, most Ethiopian “intellectuals” prefer to spend their time spinning tales of ethnic division, spreading rumors and disinformation and generally behaving like crybabies.
Over the past few months, I have attempted to address the issue of education in Ethiopia from a distance in various commentaries suggesting some possible solution. (Available at almariam.com) My concern is the example Ethiopia’s “intelligentsia” sets for Medemer Generation. If I could see it from the perspective of Medemer Generation, I imagine I would see the indolence, pettiness, idleness and apathy of my generation and declare us intellectually bankrupt. The cowardly empty barrels sit in their airtight echo chambers talking trash but never engaging in public. Indeed, it is the idle mind that is a factory of negative thinking, defeatism, pessimism, cynicism, determinism, fatalism, herd mentality and groupthink. Closed minds never open new doors of creativity, only serve as crucibles of brutality and cruelty.
Reforming education requires the best minds of a given society. I have spent over thirty years in American higher education as an academic and high-level administrator. The challenges are enormous even with substantial resources readily available. I have studied the applicable education laws and reviewed the empirical and qualitative research. I have written a few commentaries on education in Ethiopia in the past. But I am deeply concerned about the legacy of neglected education in Ethiopia. Malcom X said, “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” Medemer Generation must ensure every Ethiopian child, emphatically girls, becomes the proud owner of that passport.
Knowledge, Technology and Medemer Generation
PM Abiy believes national survival in the 21st century depends not on military might but on a nation’s capacity to innovate and make scientific advancements. The nations that can nurture and inspire the minds of their youth generation with scientific knowledge and imagination will be the winners. The rest will be consigned to poverty and dependence on the handout of those with knowledge.
PM Abiy believes the key to Ethiopia’s global competitiveness is the ability to make knowledge accessible to all sectors of Ethiopian society. He wants to vastly expand access to physical and virtual libraries with digital network infrastructure for the speedy acquisition and transmission of information and data. He argues for the establishment of research institutions and laboratories and the creation of forums for philosophical, political and social debates and discussions. He believes there should be knowledge incubators in neighborhoods and schools and ready access for youth to science museums and other exhibition centers that could spark curiosity and hunger for knowledge.
I agree that Medemer Generation will propel Ethiopia into prosperity on the wings of technology and science.
It has already been proven in other countries. In the People’s Republic of China, the national poverty rate fell from almost 90% in 1981 to under 4% in 2016. In other words, 800 million fewer people living in poverty in 2016. Key to China’s success has been massive reforms and investments in education across the board. The so-called “Asian Tigers” (Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan) powered by exports and rapid industrialization in a couple of decades joined the ranks of the wealthiest nations. “At the core of these East Asian countries’ superior performance are educational systems that rigorously select the best students for civil service and top business careers.” Underlying China’s and the Asian Tigers’ extraordinary development is massive investment in education and technology. America is a global power because it has higher educational institutions that are at the cutting edge of human scientific and technological advancement. Medemer Generation shall distinguish itself as the knowledge/technology generation.
Public Intellectualism and Medemer Generation
In the West, especially in America, there is a great tradition of public intellectualism. Public intellectuals engage in a variety of activities. They challenge the status quo, popularize ideas, write learned articles, engage the public with commentaries and blogs, give lectures and educate the public in the popular media. The late Prof. Mesfin Woldemariam was one of the few intellectuals Ethiopia has produced. He was a fearless dissenting voice against tyranny and corruption. I had the great honor of visiting him at his home in Addis a few months before he passed away in September 2020. I was first introduced to him in 1974 by my uncle Prof. Aleme Eshete of Addis Ababa University, another indomitable public intellectual. I had just returned from the US for a short visit. I have told the story of that meeting in my eulogy for Prof. Mesfin. The point I wish to make is that my meeting with elder intellectuals like Professors Mesfin and Aleme shaped my thinking and inspired me to seek knowledge and apply it to improve the human condition. I believe young people could benefit from good role models.
I confess I have great concerns for Medemer Generation. Who are the Prof. Mesfins and Alemes of Medemer Generation? Where are the public intellectuals who will inspire and challenge Medemer Generation to become the very best it can become?
PM Abiy should publicly challenge, if need be, time and again, Ethiopian intellectuals to rise up and engage the public, political leaders and policymakers in constructive discussion of Ethiopia’s varied problems. Many of us in the diaspora are quick to criticize PM Abiy and his government for everything but we rarely, if ever, make constructive contributions with lasting impact. Since we “educated” diaspora Ethiopians pretend to know better than those doing the heavy lifting in Ethiopia, we have a duty to the next generation to develop progressive and innovative ideas to make lasting changes in Ethiopia.
Morality/Ethics and Medemer Generation
Morality and ethics are core elements of Medemer philosophy. PM Abiy has a conception of moral society for Medemer Generation based on certain virtues rooted in the two great religions and the diverse traditional practices in the country such as compassion, altruism, tolerance, cooperation and so on. I also detect he is concerned about the seepage of Western morality into Ethiopian society. I believe he perceives the West in a state of moral decay and decadence. He cautions about the need to be careful what we mix up with Ethiopian values. His analysis of the “alienated generation” is indicative of his concerns. For instance, his discussion of the “alienated generation” compressed between “the forces the natural identity politics” and “globalization” has effectively “isolated itself from the country, our history and society… It is a generation that is overwhelmed by bitterness and frustration.” It is a generation that “ wallows in self-pity, hopelessness and victimhood.” It lacks a moral compass.
I believe PM Abiy has a larger point to make with his ideas about morality and ethics, that longstanding predicament of human existence expressed in the Latin proverb, “Homo homini lupus,” (Man is a wolf to man.) He believes moral virtues and ethical standards are necessary to transform the “jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood,” to borrow the words of MLK. Morality based on religious principles and ethics overlap but I believe there is a secular ethical dimension to his moral society that rises above culture, religion, time and space. Ethics is what guides action, the standards by which we exercise our rights and obligations in a humane manner. Personal integrity, fairness, self-respect and others, observance of rights and obligations, loyalty, etc., are ethical principles that have validity in any society. PM Abiy robustly argues that Medemer Generation needs a moral and ethical framework to guide their daily activities and help them make decisions that enhance their own lives and create a just society. I believe in maintaining high moral and ethical standards and have tried to demonstrate adherence to such standards in my life.
Trust and Medemer Generation
For PM Abiy “trust” is the sine qua non (absolutely necessary) of human existence regardless of time and space. He argues trust is an essential component of a free, democratic society. He discusses trust on many levels. Faith in the process of laws and elections creates public confidence. He believes political trust in the leadership, institutions and processes determine the legitimacy of governance. If the people do not have trust in judicial and law enforcement institutions, then perceptions of injustice persist. Ethnic and religious strife are the result of lack of trust. He perceives the decline in trust and polarization in society based on ethnic and religious identity as major obstacles to development and prosperity. He recognizes that rebuilding trust in Ethiopia’s political institutions, leadership and among ordinary citizen will take a long time and massive collective effort.
I agree with him that trust is the end product of a few other things such as integrity, truth, honesty, transparency, compassion. These are virtues that collectively define trust. I have great concerns for Medemer Generation that witnesses so much deceit, corruption, lying, cheating, manipulation and other forms of dishonesty which erode trust.
Trust is a very special and important virtue for me as a lawyer. In the legal profession, trust is a core value as well as an unattainable goal. In the public eye, lawyers are probably on the same level of trust as used car salesmen. The humorous byword seen on T-shirts and coffee mugs is, “Trust me, I am a lawyer.” Leaving aside what Shakespeare said about lawyers, Jesus said, “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.” In other words, lawyers are not to be trusted. But the foundation of the law is trust in the law and in the goodwill and good faith of those that manage the legal system, who are mostly lawyers. In 2019, 54 percent of US Senators and 37 percent of US House members were lawyers. As of July 2022, only 7% of the public had confidence (trust) in Congress! Surprise?!
I believe Medemer Generations must engage in some serious soul searching about building trust among its members. This is not to suggest elders and faith leaders and institutions, schools and public officials are off the hook. I just have grave doubts they will rise to the occasion. George Orwell wrote, “In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” I would say, “In a time of hypocrisy, treachery, trickery and pretense, building trust is a revolutionary and emancipating act.”
Social Media/Media and Medemer Generation
PM Abiy Abiy perceives social media/internet in general as a double-edged sword. He appreciates the democratization of digital knowledge and information to bridge the gap between the rich and poor (people/nations), yet he expresses concern, if not alarm, on the negative effects of this medium on Ethiopia and Africa in general. I believe he is wary of what I call “knowledge/intellectual imperialism” emanating from those few individuals (possibly allied with their governments) who control the flow, access and availability of information to the world’s masses on the internet and social media. He proposes a social media forum for Ethiopia.
I share PM Abiy’s assessment of the positive and negative aspects of social media. The internet and social media offer limitless ways for people to communicate ideas and share information. In my view, Western social media has rendered young people in general and in Africa in particular to become gossip/rumor mongers and spreaders of disinformation and falsehoods. I believe the social utility of social media is eclipsed by the tremendous social harm it causes. There is research showing ethnic violence in Ethiopia has been fueled by the interaction of mass media and social media. Unregulated access to social media is an open invitation to anarchy and lawlessness. There is considerable research which demonstrates the negative impact of social media on an individual’s life, academic achievement, mental health and cognitive ability. It is important to regulate access to social media in Ethiopia. I do not believe social media is a suicide compact. Social media will prove to be problematic for the Medemer Generation.
Prosperity and Medemer Generation
PM Abiy argues prosperity in Medemer Generation will be powered by knowledge, imagination and innovation and guided by the spirit of entrepreneurship. In my generation (and perhaps even today), the expectation was for one to get an education and expect the government to provide employment.
I have concerns for the Medemer Generation particularly because of increasing youth unemployment. The fact is the African job market is simply not equipped to absorb a massively growing youth population. There was the theory of “youth bulge” which postulated that as young adults enter the working age, the ratio of the non-working age population to the working age population will decline.
I agree with PM Abiy’s idea that prosperity will come to Ethiopia from two sectors: 1) Ethiopia becomes an agricultural powerhouse supplying the Horn region and beyond with much needed agricultural commodities, and 2) Ethiopia becomes a digital powerhouse (with abundant electricity from GERD) attracting foreign direct investment/venture capital, e-commerce, ecotourism and even artificial intelligence.
I am confident Medemer Generation will rise to the occasion hooked to readily available vast information and knowledge databases (and unhooked from social media). I believe the generation is interested in building personal wealth and through that it could reduce youth unemployment. For me, it will be “Youth managing youth unemployment.” It would be interesting how Medemer Generation will balance lifestyle, wealth/business with family, marriage, family and so on.
Art and Medemer Generation
I am pleasantly surprised and much impressed by PM Abiy’s appreciation and commitment to the arts broadly conceived. He perceives many redemptive values of art in society- from healing wounds to creating vital culture. He believes in art for art’s sake, for beauty’s sake. I am fortunate to have had broad exposure to Western art, music, literature, philosophy, visual and performing arts. My life has been immeasurably enriched. His commitment to support the arts and dedication to individual artistic expression warms my heart. I must confess many in my generation are clueless about art and the humanities. They ask dismissively, “In a country that is so poor and so many going hungry, what use does art have? What is the point of “wasting” money on public parks and public recreational facilities? ” It is worth noting that England produced its greatest artistic accomplishments during the Elizabethan (“golden age”) period. Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon and during his extraordinary literary creations, poor English farmers were engaged in food riots and religious and communal strife.
The arts are the most persuasive methods of changing hearts and minds. Listening to music can elevate the human spirit. The first line of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is, “If music be the food of love play on.” How many millions of Ethiopians have fed themselves on the music of the great Tilahun Gessesse and many others like him from my generation and Teddy Afro Kassahun from the present generation? How many have feasted on the folk songs of Asnakech Worku and Mary Armede and may others like them from my generation? Or enjoyed the stage and cinematic performances of the great Debebe Eshetu and others like him? Or the paintings of the great Afework Tekle and others like him with African themes and stained glass. I consider sport is an art form because it is an expression of human transcendence through physical excellence. Which Ethiopian did not feel pride when Abebe Bikila and Haile Gebreselassie won the Olympic marathon races? For Medemer Generation, the arts will increase empathy, encourage reflection, facilitate dialogue and help it generate new ideas and relationships that can enhance the expression of ideas and positive values.
“O say, can you see, by the dawn’s early African light… the New Ethiopia!”
Faith Institutions and Medemer Generation
PM Abiy has great faith in faith institutions and leaders. He believes faith institutions are the pillars of society, a source of spiritual strength and healing. I believe he views godless Marxism dimly, to say the least. In my view, he finds it incomprehensible how a generation could pray at the altar of Marxism in a society that is so deeply religious. He sees a great role for faith institutions in moral education and promoting peace and reconciliation.
For years, I have argued for interfaith councils to strengthen their brotherhood and sisterhood and keep religion out of politics. I have urged young people to lead the national dialogue on peacebuilding and reconciliation. In 2012, I wrote several commentaries arguing that Ethiopian youth must lead the national dialogue in search of a path to peaceful change. I am disappointed by the dissension and strife in faith institutions in Ethiopia over the past few years. I cannot honestly say they have been actively engaged in peacebuilding or social reconciliation efforts. On an individual level, a number of faith leaders have risked their lives to reduce strife and conflict from society. Youth faith leaders must take the lead in peacebuilding among youth.Community mobilization for peace, tolerance and reconciliation must be high on the agenda of Medemer Generation.
The environment and Medemer Generation
The impact of climate change and ecological degradation will increase over the next two decades and their impact on Africa is expected to be devastating in terms of health and economic outcomes. The fact of the matter is that half a century ago Ethiopia had around 40% forest cover. Today that figure is 15%. PM Abiy should be commended for his “Green Legacy Campaign” campaign which has resulted in the planting of billions of tree saplings. This I believe that campaign will be remembered as one of his greatest achievements in office.
In June 2019, I wrote a commentary entitled, “Generation Abiy and the Greening of Ethiopia.” I have celebrated tree planting in ode. In February 2019, I shared a dream about the rise of a youth environmental movement in Ethiopia.
As an environmentalist and proud tree hugger, I have always had deep concern for environmental conservation in Ethiopia. I am proud of the fact that Ethiopia is home to many species of plants and animals that cannot be found anywhere else on Earth. But many of them are endangered. It is my dream to see the day when an Ethiopian youth environmental movement shall rise and plant 110 million trees (one for every Ethiopian) and join hands to save our endangered species!!!
Environmental awareness and conservation must be at the very top of the agenda of Medemer Generation. It has been said, “Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” Generations from now, it will be remembered someone planted trees so the generation following Medemer Generation could say with a sigh of relief under a shade tree, “Thank God someone planted this tree long ago.”
Ethiopian Diaspora and Medemer Generation
When PM Abiy came to the US to meet with Ethiopian Americans in late July 2018, he made a profound observation:
This country has beautiful highways, it has beautiful malls. All of you with the means have cars. Lights don’t go out. Phones don’t cut out. Water doesn’t get shut off. So why is it that via Viber, via Facebook, via YouTube, you all spend every night in Ethiopia?
In my April 29, 2018 commentary, “Memorandum No. 3: Ask Not What Abiy Ahmed Can Do for Ethiopia, Ask What You Can Do for Your Ethiopia,” I noted:
I believe there are two types of Ethiopians today. Paraphrasing the words of Robert Kennedy, there are Ethiopians who look at things the way they are, and ask why? Then there are other Ethiopians who dream of things that never were, and ask why not? I belong to the latter group.
So, today the million-dollar question for Medemer Generation is not what Ethiopia can do for it but what Medemer Generation can do for Ethiopia. They should not make the gross mistakes of my generation. We are still asking (demanding) what Ethiopia can do for us. When Ethiopia says she is too poor to give us free houses, cars and the rest, we get on social media and defame and trash talk her. Medemer Generation should make careful study of diaspora Ethiopians, particularly so-called intellectuals, and say, “Ask not what Medemer Generation can do for you but what diaspora Ethiopians can do for Medemer Generation.”
The Physics of Medemer (Generation)
Medemer represents synergy (from the Latin root “syn” (“together”) and “ergy” (“work”)). Medemer describes a synergistic process of coming together of individuals, groups, leaders and institutions to work more energetically, effectively and creatively for the common good and in the public interest. That synergy is only partly metaphorical. When Albert Einstein published the most famous equation in science, E = mc2, he discovered energy equals mass times the speed of light squared. The equation basically asserts energy and mass (matter) are interchangeable; they are different forms of the same thing. The known universe (with space and time, planets, stars, galaxies, and other forms of matter and energy, comprising of only 5 percent of the universe) is made up of matter and energy (no one knows what “dark energy” and “dark matter” are.) The laws that apply to the physical universe, I believe apply equally to the social universe. After all, humans are stardust. “Every atom of oxygen in our lungs, of carbon in our muscles, of calcium in our bones, of iron in our blood was created inside a star before Earth ever existed.”
I took to creative imagination to suppose that social/human interaction energy/synergy must follow the same physical laws applicable in the universe. In October 2019, I created an equation for “Medemer”:
where Sc is social capital defined as the networks of relationships among people who live and work in a particular society; and Ac is defined as the number of active citizens involved in sustained engagement in their communities (at all levels: grassroots, civil society, villages, town, cities, nationwide activity).
If 100 million Ethiopians could only lend each other a hand (“Medemer”) in good will and good faith, they could uplift not only their country but also the world. A large number of ordinary Ethiopians organized, coming together in consensus with a common agenda and set of goals and acting synergistically as one can defeat the greatest enemies of the Ethiopian people: poverty, disease, illiteracy, ethnic hate, corruption, bad governance and gross violations of human rights.
The outcome of the collaborative synergy in Medemer is not limited to the pursuit of aspirations of a just, egalitarian, democratic and humane society. It also includes synergistic grassroots engagement in cleaning streets, planting trees and volunteerism in all aspects of society. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. In other words, for an organization or society to be successful, the functional elements cannot consist of merely individuals working independently and exclusively in their own self-interest. They must be part of a larger community that shares a common purpose, goals and objectives and apply social, political and economic synergy to create a public good.
In my view, “Medemer” ideas have relevance to understanding the fractious nature of Ethiopian politics has a broader meaning which incorporates the idea of dialectical “synthesis” (not only synergy) or the combining of the constituent elements of separate parts into a single or unified entity. It aims to harmonize the politics of identity, sectarianism and communalism into a synthesis of nation-building, civility, tolerance, love, understanding and forgiveness.
Applied broadly to Ethiopian society, Medemer creates a simple calculus: Without Oromos, there are no Amharas; without Amharas, there are no Tigreans; without Tigreans there are no Somalis; without Somalis, there are no Sidama; without Sidama, there are not Woleyita; without Woleyita, there are no Afari; without Afari, there are no Harari; without Harari, there are no Anuak; without Anuak, there are no Gurage and on and on. Amharas, Oromos, Tigreans…. and the other groups can work cooperatively and even competitively for their collective betterment and prosperity. Ethiopia is all of its people working together to conquer poverty and inherit prosperity in the New Ethiopia.
When Ethiopians of diverse backgrounds come together, they function like fingers on the hand. They can make a fist and repel aggression. They can open their palms and give each other a hand up. They can do things the so-called developed countries have done by harnessing (Medemer) their collective energies.
Medemer Generation/MEGA (Make Ethiopia Great Again) Generation and me
After all is said and done, there is one and only one generation that is the owner of Ethiopia’s destiny and the instrument to Make Ethiopia Great Again.
Medemer Generation (MEDGEN) is the MEGA (Make Ethiopia Great Again) generation. The rest of us are water carriers for Medemer Generation that will be doing the heavy lifting to build the New Ethiopia.
As for me, slightly paraphrasing Frost:
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads/paths diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one traveled by Medemer Generation,
And that has made all the difference for me.
