Ethiopia: Remembering Asrat Woldeyes
May 14, 2008 11:47 AM
By Tedla Asfaw
On May 14, 1999 the day Haile Gebreselasse's Endurance movie was released
in a movie theater near to Lincoln Center in Manhattan, New York when I heard
the sad news of the passing of Professor Asrat Woldeyes, the true son of
Ethiopia, who challenged the TPLF leadership face to face from day one and
was jailed for many years and died as a result of it nine years ago today.
I did not change my plan to watch Endurance and in fact watching the movie
and seeing the Ethiopian national flag wave high accompanied by our songs
made me cry both for the victory of Haile and the passing of professor Asrat on
that day. What a coincidence. I had not met this brave son of Ethiopia when he
came to New York to expose the brutality of TPLF and the targeting of
Amharas and call for Ethiopians to join him in his organization.
The All Amhara Organization he led was a God send organization that worked
to save many poor farmers who were killed for hailing from the wrong ethnic
groups. Until now no one is charged for those crimes that were well
documented. Who will forget those people thrown from mountain cliffs? If Asrat
and a few of his close allies failed in exposing this crime to the world, TPLF
might have set a record for genocide even beating Rwanda.
Nine years after his passing, his beloved Ethiopia is still run by warlords who
now spread their terror reign across international borders. This follows a sound
defeat at the ballot box three years ago. The Ethiopian people’s basic rights to
speak and organize have been denied and martial law is the rule of the day.
The unity Asrat called for then is still elusive and the bickering and fighting
among political groups is still unsolved. On this ninth anniversary of the
passing of Asrat and the third anniversary of Ethiopians people electoral
victory over TPLF we should honor him by mobilizing Ethiopians to hold each
others hand and defeat the brutal regime of Meles Zenawi.
We are also expected to hear the formation of new movement led by Dr.
Birhanu Nega on this day to add to many organizations we have in the
Diaspora. Time will tell if this one can differentiate itself from the pack in terms
of substance. What I believe we lack is bridge building skills between nationalist
organizations mainly OLF and ONLF and other multi ethnic organizations.
This division can only be bridged if we start working together as brothers and
sisters in common areas. This week celebration which will start tomorrow and
go on until Sunday is a good opportunity to come together as big family under
one huge tent enough for all of us as long us we keep the TPLF agents away.
There is a saying in Amharic; "Betebache Eyale Nethue Weha Ayetetame"
meaning you can not drink clean water while someone is stirring mud.
It is common in many Ethiopian cultures to seat and talk and reach to someone
when he or she is in trouble. Mother Ethiopia is agonizing and she is in pain
and need all her children today and she is calling each one of us.
May 14, 2008 11:47 AM
By Tedla Asfaw
On May 14, 1999 the day Haile Gebreselasse's Endurance movie was released
in a movie theater near to Lincoln Center in Manhattan, New York when I heard
the sad news of the passing of Professor Asrat Woldeyes, the true son of
Ethiopia, who challenged the TPLF leadership face to face from day one and
was jailed for many years and died as a result of it nine years ago today.
I did not change my plan to watch Endurance and in fact watching the movie
and seeing the Ethiopian national flag wave high accompanied by our songs
made me cry both for the victory of Haile and the passing of professor Asrat on
that day. What a coincidence. I had not met this brave son of Ethiopia when he
came to New York to expose the brutality of TPLF and the targeting of
Amharas and call for Ethiopians to join him in his organization.
The All Amhara Organization he led was a God send organization that worked
to save many poor farmers who were killed for hailing from the wrong ethnic
groups. Until now no one is charged for those crimes that were well
documented. Who will forget those people thrown from mountain cliffs? If Asrat
and a few of his close allies failed in exposing this crime to the world, TPLF
might have set a record for genocide even beating Rwanda.
Nine years after his passing, his beloved Ethiopia is still run by warlords who
now spread their terror reign across international borders. This follows a sound
defeat at the ballot box three years ago. The Ethiopian people’s basic rights to
speak and organize have been denied and martial law is the rule of the day.
The unity Asrat called for then is still elusive and the bickering and fighting
among political groups is still unsolved. On this ninth anniversary of the
passing of Asrat and the third anniversary of Ethiopians people electoral
victory over TPLF we should honor him by mobilizing Ethiopians to hold each
others hand and defeat the brutal regime of Meles Zenawi.
We are also expected to hear the formation of new movement led by Dr.
Birhanu Nega on this day to add to many organizations we have in the
Diaspora. Time will tell if this one can differentiate itself from the pack in terms
of substance. What I believe we lack is bridge building skills between nationalist
organizations mainly OLF and ONLF and other multi ethnic organizations.
This division can only be bridged if we start working together as brothers and
sisters in common areas. This week celebration which will start tomorrow and
go on until Sunday is a good opportunity to come together as big family under
one huge tent enough for all of us as long us we keep the TPLF agents away.
There is a saying in Amharic; "Betebache Eyale Nethue Weha Ayetetame"
meaning you can not drink clean water while someone is stirring mud.
It is common in many Ethiopian cultures to seat and talk and reach to someone
when he or she is in trouble. Mother Ethiopia is agonizing and she is in pain
and need all her children today and she is calling each one of us.
HOME | AUDIO | CONTACT US | ECADF LOBBY
| LIVE: ECADF DISCUSSION CLICK HERE |