December 16, 2005
Please, someone, make it stop
Paul Henze response to Prof. Clapham - Dec 13
Comment On Professor Clapham's Response To Dr. Tekeda - Dec 12
Prof. Clapham's response to Dr. Tekeda Alemu - Dec 5
Open Letter to Professor Clapham - Nov 19
Comments on Comments - Nov 18
Comments on the Ethiopian crisis - Nov 18
(The article that started it all)
Weichegud! ET Politics blogs on the exchange, then adds her own response to Paul Henze's comments on the diaspora during his 'Response to Prof. Clapham'.
So back to the question: What is the role of Diasporan Ethiopians? To me it is to tell the story. Period. It is not to legislate Ethiopia from thousands of miles away. It is not to dictate the manifestos of the opposition. And it is certainly not to be kingmakers. Those of us who have shamefully skirted our responsibility so far can't think we can make up for that transgression by swinging to the other side of the pendulum and be shrill adversaries. And... lest we forget, we owe a hell of a lot to those who paved the way for us, and were doing Ethiopian politics when Ethiopian politics was not cool.
Will it ever end.
Posted by aheavens at December 16, 2005 6:35 AM
Comments
When is it going to stop? :) I have a feeling it won't end soon...I had actually not seen the last installment by Paul Henze until now (and I wish I hadn't)-- the second paragraph got my blood boiling.
He says:
"The enthusiasm with which many opponents of the present government in Ethiopia have received your observations...[arises] from mere joy at seeing the EPRDF...denigrated and embarrassed"
This man is clearly a moron. How is it that he thinks the only people capable of objectivity are he, other ferenji and EPRDF supporters?
What ever other Ethiopians may think, atleast it is their country and they have the best of intentions. I can not say the same for him - he is an ex-CIA (by his own admission, it was on an intro to a seminar he gave) and not to be trusted.
Posted by: dinbulo at December 16, 2005 7:49 AM
Check out www.stoprepressioninethiopia.blogspot.com- exciting stuff!
Posted by: Dina at December 16, 2005 1:00 PM
Check out the speeches Dr. Berhanu Nega gave at the London and Stockholm (unfortunately it’s available only in Amharic) conferences. It is very clear for anyone who has heard these speeches that there will never be a more amiable and open-minded political opponent to EPRDF like the CUD was.
Videos of these speeches available at www.Ethiopianpolitics.blogspot.com
Posted by: Gondemo at December 16, 2005 4:26 PM
The way TPLF cardes are acting at home could be explained as tribal blindedness! How can the U.S., the land of freedom and the land of the Great Fathers, gave birth to a man like Paul Henze? Truly, this guy is the shame of America!
Posted by: Mintesinot at December 16, 2005 5:50 PM
The psychology of people like Paul Henze fascinates me. What is it that makes people with only an acquired attachment to Ethiopia so passionate to the point of rendering their consciences virtually immune to even the most obvious injustices?
Ignorance; that's one reason I can identify with. There was a time, when I was a young boy, when I felt no empathy towards Eritreans and Tigrays who were victims of the wars in their regions. When I didn't understand the concept of environmental conditioning, of social movements, and didn't understand the power ethno-nationalism can have over a people. There was a time I couldn't understand why people all over Ethiopia wouldn't want to learn and work only in Amharic.
But now, grace a Dieu, I know better (and of course have a long way to go). No longer is my conscience unmoved when I hear about deported Eritreans, or those suspected of being OLF members summarily jailed.
How about Henze? And Jeffrey Sachs, and the rest of them? Should have been easier for him given he's an outsider and this is his profession. He should, be all rights, be more empathetic.
Anyway, it's interesting but unfortunately not uncommon. After all, even the likes of Milton Friedman seemed content to go and work in the most disturbing atmosphere that was Chile in the 1970's.
Posted by: Gooch at December 16, 2005 10:15 PM
Paul Henze is ignorant or intentionally destorting the truth about Ethiopia. First we Ethiopians are very close to our family, only our body is outside. We support them financially and we closely follow what is hapening backhome. Also some of us travel back home every year some with in couple of years. In addition to these,thanks to the level technology, telephone services are cheaper and convenient these days. Some also use email, internet. Through all these meanses we are getting uptodate information.
Mr Henze has got a similar deceiving idea like TPLF. When the ethnic politics didn't help to get the peoples vote, tried to divid the city and the rural people though it is clear that lossing 100% of addis's vote meanse a clear reflection of the rural's conditions. Now Paul Henz trying to tell the world using the same logic diaspora and home. It would be professional to focus on the issue rather than creating more division. You proved who your are but we Ethiopians wherever we are will continue struggling untill the atrocity against the ethiopian people is exposed to the world and our people able to exercise their democratic right.
Posted by: abera at December 18, 2005 7:35 PM
Who is asking the comment to stop.. is it you
you Andrew Heavens or EPRDF??
• Paul Henze's misleading account
John W. Harbeson(Ph.D.) source www.ethiomedia.com
Paul B.Henze and the Moment of Truth
Response to "Comments on Comments"
By Kuraz Toronto www.ethiomedia.com
Posted by: yonas at December 19, 2005 2:33 PM
Just like the Su do Ku , which you found inappropriate in your otherwise, wonderful blog, this email has no relevance to Ethiopia. Its a request from me , to educate me on how to set up a blog , and tips to make it successful.
Regards
Sridhar Chari
Posted by: Sridhar Chari at January 3, 2006 2:11 AM