Remember the solemn adage -'my country for better or worse'?
Good, well then how much does this statement mean to the expatriate
Ethiopian? Are foreign based Ethiopians delivering on their national
duty of promoting their country's interests? A weighty topic to
be sure and one that this week's edition of Capital's society explores.
Read on!
Ethiopia First
Although it is difficult to quote an accurate figure, various
sources estimate that there are up to one to possibly 1.5 million
Ethiopians under some form of residency status in over 150 nations.
The diaspora communities may seem populous but are actually not
as numerous as the diaspora of other nations of comparable population
size to Ethiopia. Nevertheless, the foreign based Ethiopians, especially
as of recent years, are playing a growing role in the life of their
homeland. The EPRDF led government, in a bid to encourage the diaspora
to invest and otherwise engage in various pursuits, even long before
the countdown to the new Ethiopian Millennium, has offered the diaspora
numerous incentive packages. How successful this initiative has
been is probably argumentative. However, there are many tangable
investment projects, including construction and in the services,
implemented by returnee Ethiopians and others of the so called diaspora.
If things look so positive for the draspora on the home front, what
of the diaspora as it concerns standing up for Ethiopia’s
national interest while abroad? Not so peachy is the resounding
answer because many locals believe that Ethiopians abroad are simply
too tied up in either their personal lives or when not, bickering
in- their tribal and political polarity instead of devoting time
to the national interest.
Quite a number of communities around the world, for different reasons,
do not have an accurate picture of Ethiopia. For a country like
ours that has got remarkable historical significance to the whole
of the colonized world and blacks all over the globe, selling a
good image abroad should have been much easier a job. An organized
and united diaspora would contribute a lot to make that a reality.
However, trends don’t allow us to envisage that happening
anytime soon. Though there appear to be some efforts at times by
Ethiopians in the diaspora to promote more economic, political and
social interest in Ethiopia, their actions appear to be random and
unorganized. Maybe it is time to change that around.
Do you think Ethiopians abroad
promote their nation’s interests well?
I don’t think the so-called diaspora Ethiopians are representing
Ethiopia as well as they can, given the huge resources at their
command. Even Eritreans abroad, who number much less than Ethiopians
(abroad) do more to support their country. In my opinion, the majority
of Ethiopians abroad are concerned more with their personal lives
and only occasionally, whenever they feel homesick, remember their
nation.
Beza, Actress
Lets clarify what is meant by the ‘nation’s interests;
I think you are referring to standing up for your nation. Well,
I have two view points on this. If promoting your country’s
interests is to organize/ participate in anti- EPRDF rallies in
foreign capitals, then I don’t think that the best way of
helping your nation. On the other hand, if they consciously and
consistently try to portray a positive image of their country, regardless
of politics, then they are representing us well.
Mikias, Program officer
I believe that Ethiopians residing abroad, especially in the USA,
are doing a great job in promoting our national interests. They
write letters and sign petitions to congressmen and senators so
that they can influence decisions by the US government in regard
to Ethiopia. The passing of HR 2003 is proof that the diaspora is
active and influential.
Lema, Lecturer
The only good that foreign based Ethiopians contribute to their
homeland is in the form of the few dollars they send their dependent
parents and often lazy brothers and sisters.
Asfaw, Teller
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