Andrew - Welcome to Ethiopia! You have finally reached your destination.
So much for sarcasm - I think the answer to your question lies in the brutal history of Ethiopia.
I am sorry to see you frustrated. On the sunny side it means your blogs and pictures leave no one cold. Regardless of what shit they throw at you I think you should print it all comments. Then you might hopefully shame them ...
Obviously, you won't be making a lot of friends and the more people read your blogs the more you are likely to be loved and/or hated.

Wish you all the best

Tom

I once remember a visiting professor saying, "I feel like I am talking to an empty room", while going to college in Ethiopia. We are taught to be quiet at home, at school, in public,.... making it impossible for people to express their feelings. Then comes the Internet that lets us express our opinion with the promise of anonymity, all the things that have been accumulated inside started pouring out.

There is also the mistrust of foreigners in Ethiopia because the once that have come before either told wacky tales about us or wanted to occupy us. I think people will always look at a ferenji no matter how close they are to the person as someone who probably has an ulterior motive of hurting them and what is theirs.

The other is Ethiopians are proud of who they are no matter how poor Ethiopia is. They walk with their held high and will defend the honor of their country, history,... with swords drawn not literally but they will try to defend it with what they can. And it seems like the Internet has given them that medium to do so.

I might be wrong but this is my take on the comments that you may find harsh.

Dear Andrew,

Please do not let the nasty comments discourage you from blogging. We enjoy your blog.

In the worst scenario, you can disable the comment section and keep on blogging.

Regards,
Alex

Unfortunately, under that famous calm polite demeanor of Ethiopians, there is a lot of hate and vindictiveness. Our political culture is simply the worst because it's foundation is violence. Both the victims and victimizers hate each other-hence tigre vs eritrean, oromo vs amhara, amhara vs tigre etc. etc.

We have been taught since our childhood to think of ourselves as superior beings (never colonized, 3000 years, written language of history blah, blah) even if we are mostly poor and illiterate and diseased. So we have a grandiose view of ourselves which makes us overreact to any criticism or differing point of view. Since our view of ourself does not match the view that non-Ethiopians have of us, we have a deep inferiority complex that makes us lash out.

As children we were brought up in totalitarian households that do not encourage open discussions with disagreements. Same at school. So we never learn to talk to each other without insulting the other person.

As you do not speak Amharic, Andrew, you miss on a lot of the insults and curses of Ethiopians talking to each other. People are polite to strangers and foreigners, but to employees, friends, wives, children-a lot of angry talk!. (Zembele!, zembeye! heed! etc. etc.).

On the intranet, with the polite mask removed, the writing in English...

Ofcourse there are a lot of civilized people in Ethiopia, but you know what I mean...

"So why is the Ethiopian blogosphere often such a nasty place to be? You tell me in the comments section below. Don't hold back now."

The reason there's no democracy in Ethiopia is not because the leaders are so unaccommodating. It's because if anybody else took up after them, that group/person is guaranteed to be as unaccommodating as the current people in power.

So why, you ask, is the Ethiopian blogsphere such a nasty place? Coz as a nation we're immature in handling dialogue and healthy discussions. If you gave the ordinary folk guns, they'd behave just like the current soldiers. As people in the Ethio blogsphere don't have guns, instead they hurl acrimonious words at you or anybody that can potentially 'hurt'. (there was once an article on BBC about Alex Last, the BBC correspondent from Asmara during the '98 war. He received an obscene amount of rude and churlish comments from Ethiopian readers. So much that that in itself became a news item :)

Having said that, I think we've come a long way since the end of the Dergue era do-not-think-nor-talk-nor-write-nor-speak-nor-breathe campaigns.

There's no way but up from here ;-)

Andrew, yes there may be some nastiness out there but I will suspect that you have managed to survive this long in ET owing to your thick skin. Shake it off when some ignorant goes on and on about some stupidity or another.

Keep up the good work.

"Unfortunately, under that famous calm polite demeanor of Ethiopians, there is a lot of hate and vindictiveness."

Of course, it's not just the Ethiopians.

The first people I really got to know when I arrived here two years ago was the NGO/charity people. And I was amazed to find out how much they hated each other.

The local NGOs resented the international NGOs because they got all the big grants. The international NGOs hated the UN because of their big unwieldy programmes, their big unwieldy salaries, their shiny white Landcruisers and their condescending attitude. The UN people were often disdainful of the NGOs, saying that their Landcruisers were pretty shiny too - and that their small, perfectly formed projects made no difference on the national/international scale.

Meanwhile there were all sorts of holy wars going on - cash-for-aid vs food-for-aid. And don't even get me started on the tensions between the government departments, the big international funding bodies, the UN, the international NGOs and, where they got a look-in, the local NGOs.

A bit later, another group of group of people I got to meet were the newspaper editors (we're back with Ethiopians now). And again, everyone hated everyone. Just ask any of them. They will admit it.

There are a number of very easy things that Ethiopia's private newspapers could do to strengthen their industry. They could form an association of private newspapers that could speak on matters of mutual interest. They could stop moaning about the quality of graduates that come out of Addis University's media studies programme and form their own training school. They could adopt a voluntary Code of Conduct that would take the wind out of the sales of the government's coming, controversial review of its press law. They could club together and buy their own printing press that would not mysteriously shut down during times of political instability.

They could do all these things. But the only problem is that they are currently unable to sit in the same room together - never mind agreeing on sharing printing time of a shared press.

Maybe it's something in the air.

Andrew ..Andrew ... you said it all! "Maybe it is something in the air." That is it! That is it! That air crosses across the wider spectrum of African Continent or any continent or any nation that breathes a collective mind-set culture.

Most of your commentaters hit it correct. By nature, we Humans have a thirst of power and authority. And as soon as environment and resources allow us to bring that evil gene outta of the bottle, we will. That is what has been happening in the world since the human creation.

Leaving all races aside, the white race has way back understood humanity so well, and decided to do good to its own race. It established institutions that garaunteed its existence and progressively nurtured freedom of thoughts, innovation. This nobel thing was made sure that it connects the dots at any cost to ensure its past, present, and future generations livelihood wherever its geographical location is.

And the rest of us!? Hmm.. Our own culture, our collective mind-set, our obsessive ego, unchecked pride, attachemnt to ethnic, and burgoeise mind-set, etc; have all sunk us so deep generation after generation. Of course, the world's political landscape & complexity also has had and still darts a bigger cut into it too.

We are deeply blinded by an insatiable self-centerism, pride, class, ethnicity, possession and continue to fail in working for a common good. I doubt, if we ever will be able to cross that horizon generation after generation to come.

How can one think freely and creatively and think for a common good, when the culture keeps breeding and teaching, individuals that value ethincity, religion, and pride more than a Human creature?

I believe, Should have been the other way around! Dont forget that the people that are in power, in the media, in the higher institutions are a reflections of us, the ordinary! So, if one freely thinks & independently ventures in a different directions, it is a violation of the status-quo and is subjected to virtual or actual DEATH! it happens in every conservative & liberal Ethiopian household. just venture and find out the deepth of it. We are just an obssessed lot for the mind-control thing. We dont need a mind-control drug, when we have a drugged culture that controls every freaken free thinkers!

Best Wishes!
There is no Rationale in scaling or gauging us! Just there ain't ! so GOOD LUCK!!!

Cute ending adrew, very cute:)

Bravo Andrew.

Great suggestions. I hope those in the Free Press, and all those who dream of freedom of the press in Ethiopia, seriously consider them. You suggested, among others, that the free press people “could club together and buy their own printing press that would not mysteriously shut down during times of political instability.”
Having a none-state printing press would be a significant/ great leap forward in the effort to develop an informed civic society. The more people write (with little or no government restrictions), the more we read and the better we express our disagreement without being “nasty” … I mean disagreeable. Some times ago I read a report on a country with similar circumstance, with regards to press/freedom of press, as in Ethiopia. In the event that a “non-state” printing press materialize through grant funding/private/citizens contribution, we would be wise to learn from others experience and be ready to tackle potential problem. Let me just post the link of the report for people to read.

http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/rights/articles/eav121703.shtml

Andrew,
You posed a serious question and the replies you’ve received are dead true. I take myself as being a fairly educated Ethiopian. I see myself as being a fair person, open minded and tolerant. But to reach this “level” I’ve been exposed to a foreign culture, attended foreign university and lived among so many foreigners. Not luxurious foreigners but immigrants. It took my about 20 years to hutch out from the cultural box I was formed in and be the person I am. My experience I’ve had to be active within my Ethiopian community kept on failing. The reason, many thought I was too compromising and “soft” on issues. I should be solid and aggressive and if it requires I should be ready to “kill” and “die”. Look at the Ethiopian political landscape today that will give you a good picture of what I mean.

As for me I’ll raise my children and make sure they have all the tools they need. But not all the norms and values I was raised in would be applied.

Keep on posting we are many that enjoy reading your comments.
Tazabeo

It is very interesting on how Ethiopians on this board like to pile on and act as though they are better than the average citizen. Folks, just check any of the innumerable discussion boards on the internet and you will find vile and vicious comments everywhere. We, Ethiopians, do not have a monopoly on it. It is just the anonymous nature of the internet and at the core of it basic human nature. We are no better or worse than any other culture.

I would bet you though that there are a lot more of the CHewa Ethiopians and the Balege ones. Andrew, just attribute all the nastiness to passion and let it go.

-Satenaw

Satenaw, Good point!

Our fathers have been more tolerant than us. They even use to become friends after fighting wars. There was god in their speeches. Our national character has changed over the last 32 or so years.
Both the dergue and now the TPLF are at the center of our intolerance and civilized discourse. They go to extreme to solve their problems.

Inspite of all of these one thing to know is that we Ethiopians are basically good people, dignified and highly self respectful. The disrespect from our leaders and their disregard to the sanctity of life is so animating.
Foreigners normally must pass the suspecion test before being accepted. Once you pass that you can not only be tolerated but would be respected.

We have become too godless.