Your Solution Madam? (Response to Ambassador Jendayi E. Frazer)
By Getachew Reda

A time comes in one's life when silence becomes dishonest. During the last fourteen years, many of us have expressed repeatedly our anger, our unhappiness, with a superpower's policy towards Ethiopia. Knowing the history of my country, knowing the views of the middle class educated Ethiopians, their relation and contribution to their people, as well as being myself a person living in America, seeing, reading, associating with the repressed and privileged black classes in America, I am not surprised Madame, Dr, Professor, Ambassador Frazer's inarticulate view about Ethiopia, Uganda, and the rest of the African nations.

She is a career diplomat. Her mission is therefore, to carry what the white house or her bosses at the State Department guide her to do. Hence, I assume, her mission is to do just that. Therefore, we Africans conclude, everything that comes out of her mind, everything said by her during the interview with VOA- Straight Talk Africa program aired from Washington Dc, expresses the views of the American administration.

Ambassador Frazer suggested.
(1) To see the demarcation of the borders between Ethiopia and Eritrea
(2) On that subject she also responded to some questions from the African audience.
My favourite anti-colonial writer had to say regarding colonialism in Africa during the colonial struggle: "It is a common saying that man is constantly a challenge to himself and that were he to claim that he is so no longer a challenge to himself, he would be denying himself. It must be possible, however, to describe an initial, a basic dimension of all human problems. More generally it may be said that all the problems which man faces on the subject of man could be reduced to this one question. " Have I not, because of what I have done or because of what I have failed to do, contributed to an impoverishment of human reality?"

As I said above, I am not surprised to hear from an African American individual, a terrible distance away from her ancestral origin, from her ancestral history, expressing views contrary to African realities by confronting the abused natives in order to defend tyrants and repressive institutions. It was true my Ethiopian patriotic brother Mr Wondem WoldeEmanuel in his recent article, addressing concerns with black officials in the UN: “Our Tolerance For Big Time Black Screw Ups!” said

<< It is against our belief and tradition to attempt to ruin our pride and confidence in ourselves by attacking a few of our kinds who have hardly climbed the ladder of such success and prominence. We feel we will be insulting or denigrating the black race, if we say anything bad about those, whose skin look like us, administering international and global organizations, even when their actions, or the lack there of, directly and adversely affect our lives and futures. It seems the overwhelming majority of us are afraid to talk about the truth and wish the problem will go away when the tenure of blacks in higher positions end. Obviously and in no time would we turn around and complain that we have been discriminated, if black faces are not seen in leadership positions. Until we say no to any and all forms of exploitations and incompetence, we will continue to suffer a lot and for a long time, as the white establishments have found the art of administering in a round about way, by proxies, than directly governing and taking the heat to be a safe, relaxing, less risky and a highly profitable way of doing business. The Black Officials who know their meaningless, but painful stay in such positions, without reform or change of paradigm, will not resign or even threaten to do so when they know they are played like a spade and sometimes treated like bunch of children. We, on the sidelines, have chosen to see them, and thereby ourselves, to be continuously used and abused>>

As assistance Secretary for African affairs, the views of her government, particularly to implement the goal and the policy of the Republican administration in Africa at this challenging era based on her argument on the ground of Africa is a disappointing one. When it comes to our continent, she is not alone with such defected view; many individual African Americans and others who should have been caring and supportive to our continent became totally damaging or unaware of the Ethiopian reality. As Mr. Herman Cohen has demonstrated in May 1991… Cohen, which later admitted his mistakes, and corrected some of his previous stands about both the illegal parties ruling now and the Red Sea port issue and Eritrea-Ethiopia matters, I hope she too might at the coming time on her retirement on her present thoughts. Therefore, it is our responsibility as citizens to adjust/address wrong and damaging records on a form of complaints and disappointments so that it might help people in responsible positions to correct their errors/mistakes.

We Ethiopians very well know, that, the Republican administration to begin with was and still is the first frontline organizer and lobbyist for Meles and Isayas to rule one nation Ethiopia, as two nations (1991…2006.. ?) in the world stage with the collaboration of the Egyptian Butros Butros Ghalli (well known adversary of Ethiopian sovereignty before and while UN secretary General, due to Egyptian well-known stand on the Nile River in conflict with Ethiopia). The conspiratorial effort also had as an objective to see a "land locked Ethiopia". The problem of Ethiopia begins not in 2006 but in 1991 when the Senior Bush arranged Herman Cohen to lead all the mission of splitting Eritrea and Ethiopia and recognize Meles and Isayas of Eritrea as the new friend of the West. The mission currently entrusted to Madame Frazer is to accomplish the unaccomplished in Ethiopia.

The Americans have supported the TPLF/EPLF insurgency since its origin in the forest (you might read the story of Copeland / the game of nations /and his mission in Eritrean hills during Emperor Haile Selassie and there after during Mengistu. (See articles by Professor Aleme Eshete and other sources). The two guerrilla leaders in power have contributed to an impoverishment of human reality, plus the devastating war in 1998 between TPLF (EPRDF) and EPLF. I doubt if Ambassador Frazer, a professor of African decent, with her huge experience as Ambassador in different country and in Africa knows the history of Ethiopia. Has she weighed the full significance of her enthusiastic participation in a mission of an illegal border demarcation, which she asserts as legitimate; I am sure she can live a decent life as a professor as she was before, without participating in such heinous crime against Ethiopian sovereignty. She alone can tell us why she wanted to be involved in such conspiratorial border demarcation and the game of splitting one sovereign people into two, which already recognized-land locked Ethiopia!

Her office and her job endow her with a mission throughout Africa, and she promises to focus on the promotion of democratic institutions. If according to her response "all change must come from with in" (for Democracy or and other issues), if that is the case, what is she doing there in Badime, Adigrat, Zalambessa, Ogaden, DireDawa…? Why can't she leave all the demarcation issue to the "people" instead of listening and being guided by cadres of Meles and Issayas who have no right to represent the voice of Ethiopia.? Not only has she asserted the right phrase "all change must come from with in" but also asked audience the right question: "what are the people going to do about it?". But instead of waiting and before giving time to listen to the voice of the people, she went on to tell us what America is doing. We on our part ask her why her administration was the front coordinator and care taker of the Algiers agreement that denied Ethiopia her historic and legal right to the Red Sea port? Can we ask who are they in truth to dismember Ethiopia and condemn her to be land-locked?

We are afraid American officials are fulfilling the Italian fascist dream to divide Ethiopia and Eritrea. Is the American government participating in such illegal activity with a full knowledge of its people? I believe it is not the people of America's wish to see Ethiopia a country of 77,000,000 people to loose her two sea ports, given to Eritrea with a population of 3,000,000: It is not the wish of the American people to see Ethiopia landlocked. We believe it is the work of a few conspirators within the government following pressure from Arab nations. Therefore we ask "who are they' to determine our destiny?

Let me ask in behalf of all those men and women who are afraid to ask the question (since we are told we live in a democratic country with the right to say freely and without fear whatever is in our mind) – Can we ask, " Who are they? "Who are the people doing this conspiracy upon an ancient nation that lived before any of them with pride as the legitimate owner of the Red Sea coast and ports?" Who are they, in truth, those creatures, who are behind the decision to land-lock Ethiopia and tampering and meddling with her sacred borders?

Listening to the Ambassador one might get the impression that she is not a person driven by unfairness, but that she was bound to do it from the standpoint of her job and her mission. Regardless of her denial that Americans are not involved in Ethiopian affairs and regardless of her defence of the tyrants of Ethiopia and Uganda, the furious tones from citizens of the above countries and her hesitation to respond to their questions on the air was a proof that many were not happy with the positions she has taken. And surely, her dismissal of callers complaints as distorted compares clearly to the colonialist physician's response to a patient during the colonial era in Africa "Don't simulate illness, you are all right my friend?"

This reminds me of a book written by an African psychiatrist “Medicine and Colony” during the colonial era expressing how abusive European colonialist physicians undermined native patient complaints.

Argaw a patient -" He (Argaw) has an ache in his belly, in his back, he has an ache everywhere. He suffers miserably. He was sick all over, but his face is eloquent….". The colonial doctor says, " Argaw fancies himself to be ill" because there was no (pen wound). But when you come down to it, the native patient is a simulator, a liar, a malingerer, sluggard…" That was exactly what the Ambassador sounded like when she tried to respond to those tough questions from her African audience. We are all familiar with the words, their origin and source, in each of her responses. It was clear that she had been oriented and conditioned to give such distorted and unjustifiable response on the air.

She claims that the opposition in the country told her, that they were forced by the Diaspora not to join the parliament, without mentioning who actually were the so called oppositions she contacted and accused us of forcing not to join the vicious, and a puppeteers repressing, controlled by pro EPLF/ELF institutions. Those of you who read the Algerian revolution under the French colonialism are well aware of how the France used some collaborators and defectors of the opposition to sustain the divide and rule policy and to silence the voice of national dignity.

Asserting that democratic atmosphere or democratic space is growing; investment programs are growing, etc. Is not different from that of the collaborators in "France" saying France undertook solemnly to fight poverty and to solve the housing problem in Algeria etc. All that was done in the hope of silencing the voice of dignity. It was orchestrated by France to solicit support and divide the focus of the people.

If you trace your research to the historical/colonial history in all nations, they all talk about, civilization, cutting of the cycle of African barbarism or cannibalism, space for Democracy, construction and development etc… This was the tone ever since colonial history in Africa started. They all sound the same. The host of VOA, Straight Talk Africa- was right when he addressed a caller "please don't call me a Doctor, you are calling a doctor without a clinic". Here we are witnessing, Madame Ambassador being involved (1) in a border demarcation and at the same time assigned as a (2) political expert on Africa. How do we Africans call such respected officials with multi expertise? (Hulegeb? An expert fit in every field?). How lucky we are!

To the same disappointment of me, Mr. Jackson of Rain Bow Coalition and other leaders of the black caucus (Congressman Thomas?) a few years back tried to urge Ethiopians and Eritreans to assemble behind Meles and Issayas of Eritrea- telling us they were symbols of peace. What happened next? War! Unbelievable war! Those brothers/sisters need to come back and read African history not as “a bookish” , but from their “soul” to acquaint themselves with the cultures and traditions of Africa and see the seriousness of the policy of the hidden game of “the game of nations” and how it was applied on the poor people of Africa with unbalanced game.

Here, - Madame Ambassador/Assistant Secretary of State for Africa had told a caller on the VOA Africa-"…it sounds like there is tyranny and oppression across Africa; that is not what is going on in Africa, callers are painting a picture that probably reflect the continent thirty years a go. Let me say that, I think it is a distortion to say the least. For example (Dr B C J ?) in Uganda is campaigning right now in Kampala out of jail…Ha! Ha!…(laugh)-so I don't know what else I can say" said Ambassador Frazer.

For her, the important issue is to thank African leaders for the scant space of democracy given away as donation by Meles to the Ethiopians and by the Ugandan dictator to the Ugandan people. I can't talk about what they are doing with Uganda's sovereignty. Let me focus in my own country Ethiopia. I say in Ethiopia, because, Meles is "trampling the Ethiopian popular sovereignty underfoot". For her to accuse callers as if they are distorting and painting falsely Africa’s reality , or accusing callers, fabricating the continent looked like thirty years ago under tyrants of repression is indeed “outrageous”.

. Running away from the reality is impossible. She knows well, the physical colony in the 51 African nations might not be visible; On the other hand, the existence of neo-colonialism is alive and strong than ever similar to the thirty years or even worst than the earlier times. The end of British and French colonialism has not been the end of colonialism tout court. Colonialism and imperialism continue under one name or another, under one form or another. And the Africans, although called independent and with colour full flags, although called sovereign, continue to suffer as oppressed colonial or neo-colonial subjects of one master after another. Ambassador Frazer is telling us “No, you are not dying, suffering, regressed, immigrated……. as thirty years back.”. She argued ignorantly with VOA straight talk Africa host "I differ with you on that.. there are no tanks on the street". This argument compares exactly to the colonialist Physician diagnosis.

Jandi Frazer argues and asserts that Ethiopians are not regressed as during Mengistu's era. She would certainly not have argued thus, if she had seen life during the era of Mengistu in Ethiopia and now under Meles for the last fourteen years. The streets that she claimed have no Tanks and Cannons are washed with blood. The press camera was even thrown to the ground and broken to pieces; people live in terror, terrified by gangs who claim to establish democratic institutions/economic development in Africa. Have you ever heard, Madame Frazer, disintegration out of planned and instigated religious and ethnic conflicts. Have you ever heard of the ever deepening famine and disease, mass death out of starvation, poverty, detention in masses, and concentration comps in malaria infested jungles, made to be hair shave by force one razor blade for five to six detainees on such highly contagious Aids epidemic Atmospher! mass exile to overseas in the last fourteen years throughout Africa and specially in that of Ethiopia/Eritrea of Meles and Isayas !

Have you heard of the huge corruption of high officials of TPLF/EPRDF governments and military leaders! Who brought this? Is it not the corrupt leaders that the Ambassador is defending as if they are doing great job than dictators who ruled thirty years back? Why are the present leaders more corrupt and more repressive tyrants than that of those thirty years back? Because Today's tyrants spend more money in modern fighter Jets, Tanks and USA battle field equipped fighting trucks, jeeps and commandos the Commandos- who kicked school children, pregnant, mothers and elderly fathers on a peaceful demonstrations? More nightclubs for the new bourgeoisie caste to dance in a capital where mothers spent sleeping nights outside in the chilly cold streets corners with their starved babies Why is the misery ease than thirty years back you think? Will it be because Meles Zenaw told us Ethiopian Airline is going to fly Dream Liner 787 to put the public in to a sleep so won’t talk about our lost sea ports?
Ambassador Frazer being an African American with a huge experience in Africa and a professor has clearly failed to convince me as an audience regarding her administration's policy when it comes to Africa. The street she claimed free from tanks roaming on the street of Uganda or Ethiopia is a spiritual betrayal of the reality on the ground. One does not need to retreat from reality in order to address government policy. If officials betrayed the cause of the people, specially if officials as an African Americans asserted the hidden agenda of racist policies to distort the African reality, and particularly hiding and ignoring genocide acts of governments like that of Meles's Ethiopia, and that of Beshir’s Sudan as if callers of the show are distorting Africa’s reality is really “disturbing”.

She, without feeling hesitation, accused callers as "distorters/ distortion" for expressed their heart-felt feelings regarding their continent's neo-colonial nightmare broke our hope. She felt bad, when callers complain about her administration's support for the perpetuation of the nightmare in Africa by supporting bloodthirsty tyrants like Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia. Is there not something comical to hear her speak of democratic space in those countries? A Jungle” democracy" accompanied by bullets, and bayonets on school demonstrators without substance is what she wants the people to follow, a "democracy" without free associations, without freedom of speech, without a free press, without opposition, without free elections, without the rule of law and justice hauled demonstrators on truck to a malaria infested jungle. Does a population have to be machine-gunned to perpetuate a small "comical space" of democracy? Madame secretary: How is it you refuse to hear the cry of mothers all over Africa, “Sudan” and of the mass murder and arrest in Ethiopia yelling, screaming- Help! Help! Help! Someone Help!

No, as her audience on the air, I shouldn't take her seriously from that day on. I will say it again, “her words, and style and the tone of responding was a replica, a direct copy of the orientation given by the TPLF/EPRDF officials”. The democratic space that she is talking about in Ethiopia is a signal of more traps and more abuse of society by Meles Zenawi. It is all cover-ups. Americans know Meles Zenawi is "freely" threatening the existence of the Ethiopian nation. AMAZINGLY Americans are defending their people and land even by going overseas, but when it comes to the people of Ethiopia, to Ethiopia's freedom and territorial integrity, to the deprivation of her seaports and territory, the propaganda of democracy becomes the cover-up to eliminate the legitimate outstanding question of Ethiopian sovereignty. And this propaganda is well orchestrated to indoctrinate people's minds at home and abroad.

No Ethiopia has ever colonized a land called ‘Eritrea’. We are one and the same people. How can Americans be accused of colonizing California or New York, integral parts of the United States of America? The same with Eritrea an integral part of Ethiopia throughout our millennia of history. We are one and the same people. Let the Eritreans stay where you want them to stay if that is their desire, but not at the expense of Ethiopia’s 70,000,000 landlocked people, Madame secretary.
We are disappointed, Madame ambassador. You have not been dignified in your testimony. You are watching the destruction of a black nation by being a physical witness and organizer of the illegal border demarcation. Though we believe there is an international conspiracy to land lock Ethiopia, we did not expect a black of African origin to participate in the illegal disintegration of Ethiopia through a fallacious border demarcation. This is truly a despicable act. One does not need to posses a degree, to see the constant lies and crimes committed against Ethiopia. Any ordinary with human sense will tell you the action is unfair. It is pathetic to see individuals belonging to own people, our own blood, participate in the destruction of a black nation through a hidden conspiracy.

Genocide is going on in Ethiopia as we speak in systematic and secretive tortures. Please, read the Gambella complaints in Ethiopia, please read the Oromo complaints against Meles administration in Ethiopia. How many of them can we mention here? Ethnic clashes are going on in Africa, in Somalia, in the Sudan, in many places of Africa- what kind of message is the Ambassador sending, by accusing bitterly callers as “distorters” of the African reality, particular the message signalling and to the African dictators like Ethiopia, Sudan, Djibouti, Eritrea…. ? Such teaching and systematic mystification and falsification that has been going on for dozens of years is a grave failure on the part of this administration.

Ambassador! There is work to be done here in yours and our own America, here among the black community, work that is not done yet. There too, in Africa, where you are participating to give life to the dead and forgotten illegal Italian fascist and pre-fascist colonial border demarcations, there is work to be done. Before you demarcate the borders between Ethiopia and Eritrea, and before you introduce your "space of democracy" in Ethiopia, there is still more work to be done here, in our America, in the promotion of human rights, and quality of life. Not that of a barrack building. There is work to be done in reducing the gap between the rich white minority and the oppressed blacks and coloured, between the city and the ghetto, between the greedy corporation and the uninsured workers and their small school children- black and white. There are tears to be wiped away! Inhuman attitudes to be fought! Condescending ways of speech to be ruled out! Men are to be humanized! Your solution Madame?

 

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