Teodros Kiros - In Serach of an Ethiopian Obama

In search of an Ethiopian Obama

20 November, 2009 | Teodros Kiros, PhD

Ethiopia is yearning for a leader who can heal the wounds of the traumatized
Ethiopian public. Contemporary Ethiopia is despairing to found a leader, who could
unify the divided nation by invoking the idea of Andinet, anchored on the soil of
Ethiopiawinet.

By Ethiopiawinet, I understand, the

contributions of a mosaic of world historical

civilizations flowing from the cultures and

institutions of Axum, Lalibela, Harrar, the Great

Oromo lands, and the fertile soils of the South.

Each of these Ethiopian cultural crucibles are

rich enough to enable us to shift the

geography

of negative ethnicity towards the sunlight of a singularly Ethiopian nation
celebrating the profoundly shared destiny of all Ethiopians, residing in
contemporary Ethiopia.

A genuinely virtuous Ethiopian leader would use this rich heritage and articulate a
vision of an Ethiopia- that could invite its citizens to bring to the palaver of
Ethiopiwinet their hard earned traditions, customs and languages, without singling
out a single ethnicity, but by a grand harmonizing of all ethnicities and language
groups- to the historic task of uniting Ethiopians, who find themselves deeply
wounded by the scars of ethnic hostility.

An Obama like leader would serve as a leader who teaches, as a leader who unites,
as a leader who appeals to our best selves, as a leader who leads by transforming
us, cleansing us from hate, revenge and resentment.

Such a leader would skillfully bring us out of the suffocating cocoon of isolation to
the comforting zone of sharing our destines, and put us on the path of declaring
war on poverty, and set a humane agenda of putting an end to unnecessary wars
with our brothers and sisters in the East African neighborhood.

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Dr. Teodros Kiros can be reached at kiros@fas.harvard.edu