Matriarch of the Unholy Trinity Susan Rice, the current U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., has been waltzing (or should I say do-se-do-ing) with Africa’s slyest, slickest and meanest dictators for nearly two decades. More cynical commentators have said she has been in bed with them, as it were. No doubt, international politics does make for…
The Precarious State of Religious Freedom in Ethiopia In a weekly column entitled “Unity in Divinity” this past June, I expressed grave concern over official encroachments on religious freedom in Ethiopia. I lamented the fact that religious freedom was becoming a new focal target of official human rights violations. But I was also encouraged by…
On September 2, 2012, Susan Rice, the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., delivered a nauseatingly sentimental oration at the funeral of Ethiopian dictator Meles Zenawi. She called Meles “selfless and tireless” and “totally dedicated to his work and family.” She said he was “tough, unsentimental and sometimes unyielding. And, of course, he had little patience…
For the past several months, there has been much display of public sorrow and grief in Ethiopia. But not for the millions of invisible Ethiopians who are suffering and dying from starvation, or what the “experts” euphemistically call “acute food insecurity”. These Ethiopians are spread across a large swath of the country (see map above,…
By Alemayehu G Mariam Respeaking Truth to the Powerless For several years now, I have been “speaking truth to power”. In fact, the tag line for my blog page is “Defend Human Rights. Speak Truth to Power.” It is a special phrase which asserts a defiant moral and ethical position against those who abuse, misuse and overuse…
By Alemayehu G Mariam It seems Ethiopia finally has a new prime minister. Two days ago, the leaders of the ruling EPDRF party approved Hailemariam Desalegn, the current deputy prime minister [DPM], to replace the late Meles Zenawi as party chief and prime minister. But Hailemariam will not be sworn in until early October according…
መለስ ስለፈጸመውና ስላመለጠው ጉዳይ በሕይወት ዘመኑ እያለ በብቃት ያነሳሁት ስለሆነ አሁን ከህልፈቱ በኋላ ብዙም የምለው የለኝም፡፡ ሕልፈተ ሞቱ ያሳዝነኛል፤ ምክንያቱም፤ ጆን ዶን እንዳለው ‹‹የማንም ሰው ሞት ያሳንሰኛል፤ ምክንያቱም እኔም ቁጥሬ ከሰብአዊያን ጋር ነውና ፡፡ሞት ለሁላችንም በእኩል መንገድ መጪ ነው፡፡ሲመጣም ሁላችንንም በእኩል ደረጃ ያስቀምጠናል፡፡›› እንደ ሃቀኛ የሰብአዊ መብት ተሟጋች፤የለየለት ፈላጭ ቆራጭ ባለ ስልጣን ቢሞትም ያሳዝነኛል ምክንያቱም በሰብአዊ መብት ጉዳይ፤በፍትሕ ሚዛናዊነት ላይ፤በእኩልነት ላይእና በመሳሰሉት ላይ ሲጓደሉ ለሙግት በመሰለፌ ነው፡፡
Alemayehu G Mariam It is time to bury the hatchet and move forward in Ethiopia! Nelson Mandela taught that “If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.” I would add that your enemy also becomes your friend and your ally. Historically, when…
Alemayehu G Mariam Free to Speak To paraphrase an old expression, “There are two things that are quintessentially important in any society. The first is free speech and I can’t remember the second one.” Free speech is the bedrock of all human freedoms. In my view, the value a society gives to freedom of expression…
Alemayehu G. Mariam “Bondage” is the state of being bound by or subjected to some external power or control. When people are bound by debt, they are in “debt bondage”. When they are held in involuntary servitude, they are in “bondage slavery”. Before much of Africa became “independent” in the 1960s, Africans were held under…
