Ethiopia holds a special place in Pan-African imagination, aspiration: Ugandan Journalist

Addis Ababa, November 9, 2022 (FBC) – Ethiopia holds a special place in the Pan-African imagination and aspiration, said Ugandan journalist, Moses Khisa.

In his article, “Rooting for peace in Ethiopia”, which details the recent AU-brokered cessation of hostilities agreement (CoHA), Moses Khisa said he was chuffed by the agreement to end the 2-year conflict.

“For many of us with some connection and attachment to that historic African nation, Ethiopia, the two-year brutal armed conflict across several regional states in the north has been utterly crashing”, he said.

“In the Pan-African imagination and aspiration, Ethiopia holds a special place. It is not by accident that Organization of Africa Unity (OAU) was headquartered in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, and the OAU successor, the African Union, has sat in the same location since 2002”, Khisa stated.

“Ethiopia is most distinguishable for being the sole African state and nation to have successfully fought and defeated a major European power in the last quarter of the 19 Century when the rest of the continent was effectively conquered and colonized”, he added.

The Ugandan journalist went on detailing Ethiopia’s political, economic and social history in the previous centuries through different regimes.

According to Khisa, Ethiopia is not just a historically symbolic African state, it is also crucial to how Africa fares and is perceived today given that it is Africa’s second most populous nation and home to the continental body, the AU.

After mentioning that Ethiopia has suffered a lot with a needless war, he praised the agreement signed to end hostilities, further appreciating the contributions and efforts of the facilitators and AU at large.

“The announcement of a truce had been concluded under the auspices of the African Union and its special envoy, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, and mediator, former Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta is nothing short of encouraging news. We can only hope for the best”, he said.

He also commended the immense contributions of the former Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta.

“Peace is on the horizon. This will be a huge victory for the people of Ethiopia, for Africa and for the African Union. I can only say Godspeed. War is evil. It’s destructive and crippling”, he said.

Indeed, the African Union has demonstrated that the continent never lacked the the wisdom or the ability to deal with its own problems with African solutions. The wisdom of senior African leaders and the courage and commitment of the youth can only improve the continent in moving in the right direction.

As they say “Divided we fall, united we stand”, Africans should further strengthen efforts on instilling the concept and philosophy of pan-Africanism to the current generation.

Events such as the recent African Prospective Youths Conference can bring the people in the continent closer than before.

If political leaders, activists, advocates, journalists, academics and other concerned bodies scale up efforts on pan-Africanism, economic and social integration, and African fraternity the pinnacle of Africa could be on the horizon.