There is a popular game that kids in Ethiopia play.  The game consists of a bunch of children throwing stones.  The kid who can throw a stone the furthest is the winner and gets to ride on the back of the “loser” until the kid who lost is able to throw the stone the furthest as he gives a ride of the winner on his back.  Eventually, once the losing kid walks long enough, he is able to toss his stone further than the kid who won.

How can this simple game teach a lesson to “adults” who have or seek power in Ethiopia?  The principle of this simple game is that there is no such thing as a perpetual winner.  The loser has the burden of working hard and supporting the winner—of being a loyal opposition—until he is able to prove that he can govern.  The winner understands that his time is not permanent and that in due time he will have to give way to a new voice.  There is an implicit understanding that both the winner and the loser have a legitimate place in the process of governing—both understand that the aim is not all or nothing.

The essence of this game and how it can teach a profound lesson to the current political climate in Ethiopia is synthesized by an Ethiopian filmmaker named Yared Shumete.  Yared was chosen as one of three finalists in the 2010 Democracy Video Challenge for his short video titled “Democracy is Fair Play”.  The three minute video shows this game being played out and sets out to remind Ethiopians and those that believe in democracy that the ideal of democracy is not hegemony but building a…continued…

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