We celebrated freedom in Oakland, and San Jose California this past weekend. ESAT was the obvious choice to invite when it comes to ushering a new era in the history of our precious land. So the folks of Oakland and San Jose got together and decided on inviting the freedom fighters of our media to be our guests of honor. We also wanted to raise money for their new home in Ethiopia. It was also a birthday gift, ESAT is eight years old.
For an eight-year-old ESAT have definitely matured at an incredibly fast rate. Over twenty attempts have been made to burn down, smash, obliterate or close down our precious creation. The struggle to survive made ESAT strong. The enemy was well funded but it was also incompetent, stupid and out of its depth. The Chinese and the Italians couldn’t save it but managed to squeeze millions from our people’s mouth. The hardware and software to jam our satellite transmission was acquired from China while the hacking software to infect institutions and individuals was purchased from the Italian firm “Hacking Team” a firm that peddles offensive security software. It is ironic Woyane choose an Italian firm to attack Ethiopians. Like father like son situation you think?
ESAT has thwarted all attempts to kill it in cold blood and today it is posed to erect the first Independent News Media in the history of our nation. It is not the result of Government funding; it is neither due to the generosity of Fereng alms nor the fruits of a single entrepreneur. ESAT was created, made possible and was nurtured by thousands of dedicated Ethiopians like us in Oakland and San Jose and other Ethiopian sister support groups in every town, village and city on planet earth.
It is difficult for any parent to let go, but it has to be done. ESAT is ready to fly the coop and experience life to the fullest. In exile ESAT enjoyed unlimited adoration like any single child. Total love did not include turning a blind eye. Like any disappointed parent a few were quick to scold for any
Perceived mistake. Well some turned blue at the slight criticism of our perfect child. Some expected the child to learn to walk without falling and others said hush we got an angel here. Those incidents were rare and inconsequential but the experience has fortified ESAT.
We wish it long life and good fortune to serve our people. This is another Diaspora gift to our mother who is recovering from the radiation therapy she is going through to get rid of Woyane virus. Dr. Abiy is administering the dosage in small amounts with the intentions of rehabbing some. He is a kind surgeon, me – I will double the dosage, why stretch the suffering?
Our community in the Bay Area is a very caring and giving one. Here in Oakland we have hosted untold events to honor those that struggle for freedom in our homeland. I believe the hard working Ethiopians have contributed over two hundred thousand dollars the last twelve years to defeat tyranny. It might not be much but we gave what we could. We are pleased that what we fought for has taken roots in our motherland. We are conscious that we are lucky to have escaped that horrible reality to live in peace here on the other side of the earth. But we never forgot. We worked hard to have our people experience such bliss. We fought hard to make it so. We are happy our people asserted their freedom.
We used to meet and plan how to defeat evil. We formed a liberation army, we marched in every capital, we protested with candle light vigil, we signed petition, we prayed, we did not leave anything to chance to win our freedom. Well you get my drift; we did it all to be free. We were pleasantly surprised when the interlocker was set aside without much fanfare. So our get together this afternoon was to celebrate our newfound freedom and plot strategy on how to get out of the deep hole the recently departed left us in.
That is the reason why Ethiopians showed up smiling from ear to ear. Our get together the last few years have always been to complain and rage. You see this is the first time we got together and we were not angry. Our guests arrived on time too. I know it is not natural but they defied the sacred laws of being fashionably late. The support group stacked the deck by inviting top-notch professionals. Comedian Kibebew Geda and author and News analyst Ermias Legese were our top guns on the stage to celebrate freedom in Oakland.
That is when I said to myself change has come to Ethiopia. Our ancient land is entering the twenty first century in a quiet manner. We took our time. When it happened there were no guns blazing away, no drums beating, no fireworks lighting up the night sky to usher the new reality. We woke up one morning and Woyane was no more. We are entering a new era and this is exactly the time we should all wish, pray and hope for a steady hand at the helm. It is a small step for our generation but a giant step for our old country.
It took us two failed experiments to get where we are. True we lost plenty of our precious children. They have become the building blocks for what we call the new Ethiopia and they will be remembered forever. I believe when the final tally is taken by historians Ethiopia has lost more of its children from internal threat rather than a foreign aggressor. We have been our own worst enemy.
Constructing the new Ethiopia is what the weekend agenda was. The fact that we are discussing it is a miracle. The average Ethiopian has never been asked his opinion on how his country should be run. We are used to Kings passing enactments, Ras, Dejazmach, Fitawrari even Balambras enforcing the wish of the crown and the rest of us submitting. We graduated to Military/Socialist People’s dictatorship that morphed into tribal based Mafia organization dictating rules and regulations. The Imperial era lasted very long while the Military and the Tigrai mafia withered away before we
Even got introduced formally. No question both did harm to our country and people. It is also true both left us stronger, smarter and focused. We have harvested good from evil.
What happened about eight months ago is still being digested. What we know for sure is with the exception of a few, most Ethiopians are sleeping peacefully knowing they will wake up in the morning without fear for their safety and well-being. The weapon Woyane used to unnerve our people was ‘Fear’ and it made us unsure of anything. It is an evil weapon. I can tell from the faces of my friends and report from home fear is slowly dissolving away. It is leaving a lingering effect of uncertainty, paranoia and guilt as it washes over our country.
As I said the new reality is not welcomed by a few. Woyane warlords are being schooled on the subject of Fear. I pity their wretched soul. Everyday our people are uncovering new horror perpetuated by the disgraced tribal dogs. The government became a mafia organization and Woyane Tigrai used every arm of the state to advance their criminal activity. Ethiopia was run like Pablo Escobar’s Medellin Cartel or Chapo Guzman’s Mexican drug Empire. Our country was raped legally and with International consent for thirteen years. The 2005 election was what brought out the true nature of the beast we call Woyane.
Today Woyane warlords that were in power illegally are camped in the regional Kilil of Tigrai and taunting us. They are holding marches and rallies decrying the trampling of the Constitution and warning about impending doom that will come upon us. How could such simpletons like Meles, Bereket, Seyum, Abay, Samora and others pull such a feat over a population is a good question to ask? What is it in our character that allowed such gross and shameful behaviors to be played on our people and country?
We allowed it to happen. We have to look deep inside of us to confront the apathy we displayed when our family was disrespected. Some are trying to shift all evil and responsibility on the Tigrai mafia. That is not acceptable. That will not bring closure to the agony. The Woyane group is trying hard to implicate everyone in his or her criminal activity. That will not tell the true story either. The truth has to be told to start a new chapter of civilized discourse. The absence of accountability in the aftermath of the Derg era is what was lacking for true closure. We should do it right this time around so we don’t have to repeat this horror again.
Woyane, a small group of people from Tigrai were in charge for twenty-seven years. They used that authority to do harm to a whole nation including their own ethnic group. Society’s judgment against such criminals is state sanctioned murder or death penalty. Whatever we do to these low life criminals it does not bring back the loved ones we lost, the billions stolen and the decades wasted. Good luck finding a punishment fit for the crime.
What is sad to see is the attempt by Woyane scum to cry victim and force their people to pretend to agree with them. They are so stupid they think by playing that scam they will show the rest how powerful they are. They did the same thing when the nameless tyrant died. They ordered, forced, bused, paid for the population to come for the funeral and they pretended it was real grief.
Today instead of shock, remorse, shame and show of empathy to the victims of their horror show they are attempting to draw their Kilil into their criminal acts. The simple logic why the majority of those arrested happen to be from Tigrai is because they were the only ones in charge of everything in Ethiopia. The National Bank was their ATM, the National Security was their private police, the National Army was their mercenary force to serve foreign interest, the National Airlines was their tribal domain and even the Church became part of the criminal enterprise. This is the reason why when the law is invoked to its fullest, those from Adua, Axum and Mekele won. They say in America “If you don’t want to do the time don’t do the crime.”
Lets us hope for their own sake the residents of Tigrai Kilil will get the strength to listen to the rest of their cousins that suffered untold misery by their children. I am sure Woyane was not a loving force in Tigrai. In fact they perfected the art of hooliganism in Tigrai. No matter, we are not really interested what others think anymore, we have taken matters into our hands and have for the last five months been busy trying to figure out how to undo what Woyane Tigrai has been constructing in our country. The job is coming along very nicely, we have nothing to complain.
In fact just a week a go our PM sat down with leaders of newly being constructed political parties to chart a new road that will include all stakeholders. He did not insult, demean, marginalize or look down at the delegation. In fact he sat down and break bread with his competitors vying for the heart and mind of his people. We are pleased Tigrai was represented.
We don’t want a leader that closes a highway because he is going to use it alone, we do not want a leader that will cheerfully insult our past, we do not want a leader that works day and night to subtract from what we have especially when we found one that is schooled in the art of addition.
Despite what is being said on Tigrai TV the rest of us are marching along on road of freedom at a steady pace. There is some wobble but that is to be expected when you consider we were not allowed to walk straight for over forty years. We do not entertain toxic individuals that have been polluting our airwaves with their talk of telling the rest of us how useless we were before their coming. There are a few that still espouse the dreaded ‘ethnic first’ ideology we pity them, pray for them and we mostly ignore them. Today the winning formula is Ethiopianism. Most of us find ethnic politics to be boring, backward and fit for the feeble brain and we are not feeble. We are Ethiopians!
