January 26, 2007
"Well that was a dynamic question"
There is something special about press conferences hosted by Americans in Addis. The journalists here tend to abandon their usual cool impartiality and got a little - how shall I say this - 'pointed' in their interrogation.
Yesterday, Ethiopia's press corps got its first chance to meet Dr Cindy L. Courville, the USA's Ambassador to the African Union. Every aspect of US involvement in Africa and beyond was raised. 'Wasn't the US support of Ethiopian troops in Somalia really nothing about supporting a government but all about the US taking over the region?'; 'Wasn't the war on terror rotten to the core?' (or something like that). I even heard one question starting "Madam ambassador, every day more widows are crying, more children are dying..."
At the getting-to-know-you tea and biscuits session after the conference, she was surrounded by a semi-circle of veteran hacks. Voices were raised. At least one finger was pointed.
The ambassador coped with it very well - "Well that was a dynamic question" was her response to one quite mild query early on. In case you were wondering, her answers were calm, diplomatic and straight down the party line.
After the journalists had got everything they wanted to off their chests, the calmed down too and realised they didn't have much to write about from the meeting. You will search in vain for a mention of it on Yahoo! news - just one photo.
Posted by aheavens at January 26, 2007 12:38 PM
Comments
Our powerful conscious we have to answer to….
Dear Ben,
I used to visit your site quiet often during the Ethio-Eriterian war. I do not do it as often as I used to because it seems to me that you are being as a mouse piece by the Ethiopian government. I listened to your interview that you have given to the Andenet Radio and it seems to me that this opportunity was taken by the pro meles people as well as the government to proof their patriotism.
I agree with you as well as the Ethiopian government in supporting the war against the Islamic Courts I have no doubt in my mind that Shabia and OLF are also part of this campaign. But I think you were used by the Melese's regime just like KIL is used by OLF.
If you listen to the beginning of your interview you barely touched the prisoners of conscious that Meles languishing them in prison. Your criticism should be equally balanced between Meles and the elected leaders who are held captive because they have the answers for all your wishes that you have listed on your interview. Do agree with me that all those dreams that you wanted to come true could be resolved by true representation and democracy? Do you agree part of the problem is the fact that these people are in prision?
How about putting the number of days the prisoners of conscious have been in prison along with the count down of the Ethiopian millennium? That is a fair balance don't you think?
You know Ben, one day there will be a true peace in our country and one fact that we all have to learn form history is that dictators will not live forever. At the end of the day the people will always win. The question is what kind of legacy are you building? I am sure we will meet in person someday hopefully in Ethiopia…. in our older age and look back at your negative or positive contributions that you made to attain this illusive peace that we have been searching for many years.
After everything is said and done history will judge you….all material belongings will vanish but your legacy will remain longer than your time here on earth.
Visualize yourself being a grandfather someday and you telling your grand kids what you have done to pacify this country of yours.
I beg you to dedicate a permanent reminder on your homepage for our prisoner of conscious that are languishing in prison. The CUD leaders and journalists! Please talk more about them and their personal lives and how their families are suffering.
I remain,
Tadesse
Posted by: tadesse at January 30, 2007 7:44 PM
Hi Tadesse - who's Ben?
Andrew
Posted by: Andrew at January 31, 2007 2:09 PM
Hi Andrew,
Not sure where you were going with this entry inro your blog, but you may have heard that there are political prisoners in Ethiopia; that activists in the country are being constantly harrassed, imprisoned, tortured and some even killed. Have you heard of that? Or do you really just spend your time photographing VIPs and defending the current government? And the new US Amb. to the AU, being a US representative, should have to answer these questions from the 'hacks'. The US, more than any nation, has shown disregard to human rights in Ethiopia, that is the sad reality.
So go on and defend the genocide accusations leveled at the opposition leaders; go on commenting on Gaddaffi's garb. That is so interesting.
Posted by: Yonas at February 3, 2007 12:40 PM