This is Ethiopian Review Policy Research Center’s series on From Dictatorship to Democracy extracted/quoted from books and articles published by Albert Einstein Institution and similar sources.
Number One Enemy oF Civil Resistance is IMPATIENCE
The oft quoted phrase “Freedom is not free” is true. No outside force is coming to give oppressed people the freedom they so much want. People will have to learn how to take that freedom themselves. Easy it cannot be. We should expect to face repression.
Elements for Sucess
Bring about Global Campaign outcome such as: “We … call on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and America’s Western allies to publicly repudiate Ethiopia’s efforts to use terrorism laws to silence political dissent. We also urge the U.S. to ensure that our more than $600 million in aid to Ethiopia is not used to foster repression.” New York Review of Books
We can be sure that in our struggle for freedom we will face repression. The physical danger may not be as great as it would be in a violent struggle, but it is present nonetheless. We can expect to face confiscation of property and data; economic sanctions such as fines, blacklisting, and dismissal from jobs; legal harassment, including arrest and imprisonment; new repressive legislation; and direct physical violence.
Stubbornness and determination are essential elements for success in dealing with repression. Once we have chosen a course of action, we must simply refuse to give in. We must make it clear that the punishments meted out against us will not produce capitulation; for if repression is seen to weaken our movement, our opponents will conclude that they just need to apply more of it to make us submit.
Our resolve not to submit must be coupled with an equally firm resolve to maintain nonviolent discipline. We can be sure that the enemy will try to provoke us to violence, or falsely claim that we have engaged in violence, for that will give it free reign to engage in harsh and brutal measures against us without fear of the consequences.
Another essential element is social support. When acting alone, in isolation, our options for dealing with repression are limited. But when acting as part of a larger movement, not only can our actions be more effective, but the personal risk can be reduced and the impact of repressive measures can be blunted.
Now suppose that we have achieved a high level of rapport and solidarity in our movement. We have close personal ties with each other, and we take care of our own. Those who suffer prosecution and imprisonment would then not suffer alone; they would have the moral support and encouragement of their friends. They could count on financial and/or material aid for their families. These things would make their suffering far more bearable than facing it alone.
A final element of success is to know our own strength at each stage of the struggle, and to choose our battles accordingly. Biting off more than we can chew — exposing ourselves to a greater level of repression than we are prepared to withstand — will only destroy morale. Likewise, being excessively timid will allow opportunities to slip away.
To VIEW DIVISION OF RESPONSIBILITIES FOR SELF-LIBERATION CLICK:- Division of Responsibilities for Self-Liberation
TO VIEW Impatience No.1 Enemy of Civil Resistance CLICK.
all i can say is Elias keep up the good work.
To liberate our country Ethiopia i believe we have to use all means necessary,that includes armed struggle. but first we have to liberate our self from fear and why i am not doing whatever it is to help my people,what is stopping me from doing it.really the freedom i have today did not come free.countless of my for fathers have paid with there precious life and it is our turn to do the same..like they said freedom is not free………………..
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The woyane gujile is sucking the life out of Ethiopia because it is allowed to do so by us, by the people.
The gujile are hated parasites by all Ethiopians, even the opportunists serving the woyane machinery know, full well that they are standing on a shakey ground and will not hesitate to run away if they have their fill and have had enough loot of their own.
the main thing that keeps the woyane gujile in power is the division that the gujile have created among the people. fear, suspicion, reigns even among so called friends, spying on people is taken as a way of life.
the woyane gujile hate the people and this hate has created fear in the woyane camp. the woyane gujile even do not trust their own shadow.
Once people overcome their fear, the woyane will fall away like a pack of cards. the woyane rule is based on fear , intimidation and violence.
It will only take a little spark to start a mass unrest. all the conditions for a mass uprising in Ethiopia are satisfied and it is only a matter of time.
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Most of us have been silent for a long time in the face of Meles and its follower systematic crimes against the Amhara people. They have already killed the dreams of many bright Amhara’s students dream of pursueing higher education in medicine and Engineering b/c of a well organized discrimation against them. They are discouraging investment in our region .I urge all of you Amhara living here or at home , working with EPRDF or not, to just think about what has been done in the last 20 years against your own people and decide what to stand for. See what is being done to our brathers and sister living in south. The Amhara people who actually work with EPRDF should know more than we do what the Tigreans are doing against us. Lets not criticize them to death but find a way to get our message across so that they can join our struggle from with in. We have a lot of Amharas living in Columbus Ohio are and Virginia, the few crucial states for presidential election. we should use our voting power there to get our message across any president not to give our and other American tax money to support a the most dictatorial and ethnic based regimen in Africa. We should sponsor TV adds in this states to raise awarenes and to motivate all Ethioamerican to vote based on what the president stand for when it comes to Ethiopia. We should demand immediate cessation USAID to this regime. This money is being used to displace a lot of amhara oromos and Anuaks from their land. lets demand to freez foreign bank accounts of tigrean politician who are smuggling hard currency out of the country via EFFORT. lets demand travel restriction on high ranking Tigrean politician based on their crimes they are commiting on an ongoing basis LETS BE SERIOUS!!
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Hi and Hello,Ethiopians;
The beginning of success is to know the enemy;we know our enemy.We have come to know the enemy by what it has done and it is doing to our country and our people.Hence,our focus must be on what the enemy is doing and our power must be concentrated on the collaborative effort that we make to defeat the enemy;build the syenergy and outsource this dynamic energy in the form of people’s power to crush our common enemy.
yes,indeed;the enemy came into Ethiopia via invasion with a lot of guns and bullets in its hands and hand granades in its bags,deep hatred in its heart.The enemy launched a war on all of us and on our country years ago and invaded our country in 1991 and had been running a campaign of hatred among the population since then.This campaign group known by its name Gujilai as it was given this name by the same men and women who are currently holding the entire population a hostage at gun point.
The enemy has been looking out for our children to end their future.Today,our children ended up in Arab world for a slavery;you see,Ethiopians,how the enemy got what it wanted? We do have family values,but the enemy doesn’t have values for our families,our children;to us,love is love,but the enemy does not honor our value and dislikes us deeply .The enemy hates us and our children.We don’t trust our children and our country with the enemy;we never did.Was Zinawi growing up being bullied? He never has come out in public and spoke about it.Was Zinawi growing up being abused by his family member or members?
He was nine years-old and broke;too young to take care of himself.There was no doubt that Zinawi never had a positive rolemodel in the family.He was angry beyond his age.He never liked fish and frogs,never had a genuine smile on his face.Each stage of his childhood never has been checked;let alone it has been taken care of well.He then plunged into his adulthood world only connected to his distant relatives and their dark histories;dark and complex dimension of his childhood life.
What part of Zinawi`s life is bright? First,as a bandit,then as a robber,Zinawi began his criminal career.What exactly happened that afternoon was recorded in the charge-list.The Gujilais held bank employees at gun point and made off with a big heist;in the process, a good number of bank robbers were killed;for luck or cowardice,Zinawi escaped.The Gujilai,it was rather an odd group composed of sons of Askaris.It is why this Gujilai entered Ethiopia entact with inhuman behaviour towards Ethiopians.No sooner than the robbers invaded Ethiopia,they scattered allover and accross the country and quickly moved into villages,towns,cities,and neighbourhoods;they then broke into homes and vandalized the lives of families.
Now we know their origion;Fascist Italians created them to carry out what has been left off.Nobody knows if watching movies is the Gujilai`s passion,but no one doubtes the Gujilai`s boundless disliking Ehtiopians pushed them to become one of the worst serial killers,gangster,and assasins of our time.The Gujilais reamined fugitive.Recently,the blood addict Gujilais made their fiest feature film and released it on ETV for Ethiopians to watch it.Well,it is only their fate that will tell them whether they will win oscar or devil`s tropthy.Now that these robbers are wealthy,billions of stolen dollar in their bank account and thousands and thousands of gallons of blood in their hand hopelessly awaiting their fate;the fate that ends them up in the hands of Ethiopians.
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Like I read from most of you and that is true about the haten gujele,a gothering of good fornothing people but on the other side also I respect and honor Amharans,even if few there are Tigreans who have opposed them from the begining,these people,even if it takes long they are working to ashame and finally destroy these worthless people,it only because of these that I will leave this world when it comes proudlly,God blees you,Tadesse gebrezgi zebehere Enderta.
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