A I D A

A tragic love story about an enslaved Ethiopian princess and an Egyptian commander.

Giuseppe Verdi’s AIDA was presented by Victoria State Opera at Carlton Football Ground, Princes Park, Melbourne, 2, 4, 6 March 1989.

PERFORMANCE CUSTUMES

Aida is one of Verdi's greatest triumphs, telling a story packed full of human drama and tragedy, with a hugely effective ending that delivers a real sting in the tail.

The story tells of an Ethiopian (Kushite) princess, Aida, that revolves around its eponymous character, an Ethiopian princess who was captured and made into a slave in Egypt. No particular period was given, although the story takes place in the Old Kingdom which was the third millennium BC, the era between the third and sixth dynasties, 2686 – 2181 B.C. The action plays out against conflict between Ethiopia and Egypt. Both sides are at war, but principal characters between both sides find that they have come together – most notably, Aida and the Egyptian military commander, Radamès, who has fallen in love with Aida.

LIVE PERFORMANCES AT AIDA (CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW ‘ME’)

How can Aida fall in love with someone who is on the opposing side and vice versa? So it's that very conflict that gives the Aida opera its real edge. Love vs duty. Love vs patriotism. Love vs honour. Battles in which no happy ever after ending is guaranteed. Brimming with human passion and it seems many of its characters wear their hearts on their sleeves. Initially, Aida keeps her real identity a secret. Radamès, in turn, is adored by Amneris, the daughter of the Egyptian king.

However, the feeling is not a mutual one and Amneris even suspects that this is the case. Suspecting Aida and very much the jealous woman scorned by Radamès' love for Aida, Amneris uses duplicitous to the point where she tricks the Ethiopian princess into declaring her true feelings after falsely claiming that Radamès has died in combat. After Radamès returns successful from battle and a hero, the king says that he can have anything he wishes. However, his request for the release of Aida and her father Amonasro (now hostage) is denied.

Amonasro is also a very much passionate man, and in this case, that passion is fuelled by a love of his country. He cannot bear the thought of his daughter falling for an Egyptian warrior and in the third act, he denounces his daughter, casting her off as a slave of the pharaohs.

Instead, the Egyptian king proclaims that Radamès will be wed to his daughter and will be a successor to the throne. It's also Amneris who finds Radamès with Aida and raises the alarm. The irony is that in doing so, she starts the chain of events that lead to the final fate of Radamès.
However, Radamès arranges a clandestine meeting with Aida who has been instructed by her father to locate the Egyptian army. He not only suggests a safe route of escape, but also the location of the Egyptian army to Aida. Radamès is found with the enemy and is promptly captured and sentenced to death. Despite Amneris' pleas for mercy, Radamès is still taken to a vault in which he is to be buried alive. However, Aida is waiting there for him, and shares his death.
  
I pretty much enjoyed doing my act as the princess’s accompanying men with bunch of fun loving casts.  It’s a dramatically interesting story that excited minds of the audience and resulted in one of the world's opera masterpieces.

THE ORIGIN OF HUMAN ANCESTRY

                                         

CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF?

This is a heart wrenching 3 part documentary of ‘who we are’, ‘where we come from’ and what our ancestors have to endure to survive and thrive throughout their lives unlike our today’s humanity (cousins), ungrateful, unhappy, selfish and war prone with all the abundance of advanced technology to do the impossible tasks and amassing material benefits to satisfy our celestial quests. Please, must see all the episodes to grasp the different countries’ fascinating revelations.

Over 6 billion people live on our planet. The human species—with individuals of many shapes, sizes, and colours—appear to be very diverse. Where did all these people come from, and how closely related are members of the human family?

Both archaeological and DNA evidence support our origins in Africa. The oldest humanlike fossils have been found in Africa and analysis of genetic variation among living peoples suggests a common origin in Africa.

Route of Ancestral Emigration

Our species has now spread to all parts of the world, but our origins are debated. There are several viewpoints on this but the two major competing hypotheses on the origin of modern humans: the Out-of-Africa hypothesis and the multiregional hypothesis. Both agree that Homo erectus originated in Africa and expanded to Eurasia about one million years ago.

The ‘Out of Africa’ hypothesis is currently the most widely favoured explanation accounting for the origins of modern humans. It suggests that modern humans originated in Africa within the last 200,000 years from a single group of ancestors. Scientists have used genetic markers to trace the migration routes and origins of modern human populations.

Modern humans continued to evolve in Africa and had spread to the Middle East by 100,000 years ago and possibly as early as 160,000 years ago. Modern humans only became well established elsewhere in the last 50,000 years.

The ‘Multiregional’ hypothesis contends that after Homo erectus left Africa and dispersed into other portions of the Old World, regional populations slowly evolved into modern humans.

First thousand years ago, the planet was advancing into an ice age, causing draught in Africa and effectively increasing the size of the continents as the vicious cycle continues to this day. These changes made walking a coastal route for exodus, as it’s today, to Australia easier than it would be today with no barriers and restrictions.

Almost as soon as our ancestors left Africa about 50, 000 years ago, modern humans showed up in Australia, as they did in the present day migration from the early 17th century onwards when the continent experienced the first coastal landings and exploration by European explorers, with the establishment of British penal colony in New South Wales.

At about the same time a group took the coastal route to Australia, a related group headed to the Middle East, Western Europe, north and into central Asia. Central Asia became the staging ground for migrations of ancestors throughout the planet including to the Americas. Subsequent migration from central Asia also can be traced into north and east regions. Significantly, later migrations, about 40,000 years ago, moved into Western Europe and north and east to Siberia.

Migration also occurred into North and South America within the last 20,000 years. Scientists estimate that as few as 20 individuals may have founded the native population of the Americas.

With all the mystifying studies still underway in various countries to this day, I’m optimistic, value the scientific endeavour to unravel our origins and find no reason to doubt, we all are children of one family regardless of our present day country we call home as humans continue to emigrate to this day. Without all the cultures, beliefs, ritualistic conditions created to live in peace and harmony, the tentative and untimely religions chosen, the advent of diverse colours of our skins, preferred or life styles we’ve been conditioned to, foods we used to eating and so forth, lest we forget.

Above and beyond all the discoveries to be progenies of one species, we all are human beings with similar features and desires even if we didn’t come from the same sorts, no reason to feel and act the way we do toward one another. However, even if we do, we must rise to the challenges and learn to change our mindset and egos engraved in us for so long and mindfully focus on our potential to live together with all the difficulties and possibilities to be grateful and help one another. “If we can learn to hate, we can be taught to love” –Nelson Mandela

In spite of everything, I know how hard it would be, we all wear down sometimes in our lives, but we need to discipline and retrain ourselves again, again and again and strengthen our willpower if we want to ascertain change. We must also remember, we’re all came (born) with nothing and leave (die) with nothing. Think about that!
“No excuse to not get on.”

Also see: https://www.transpacificproject.com/index.php/genetic-research/

We Can Become Master of Our Mind

Throwing around mental health-related terms in a casual manner not only perpetuates a negative stereotype about anybody in general, let alone people with mental illness and brain injuries caused by different unfortunate circumstances, but the stigma associated with it may prevent them from seeking treatment and destined to withdraw. The sooner we all start taking mental health seriously - and treating it sensitively - the better the culture will be around mental problems.
It’s becoming so obvious now that the pressure and need to change our thoughts in order to change our lives as a collective issue is closing in on our society.  

Most of us have a public opinion about everything, from our PM’s performances, US presidential candidates, Donald Trump saga, gay marriage grapevines, diversity and refugee issues, among others. We like to think our views reflect our independent, avant-garde thinking, but we’re subtly, or sometimes not so subtly, influenced by the morals and values of others.

We like to agree with others because it’s helpful in forming and fostering social relationships. This keeps us from confronting others whom we believe to be lying or stretching the truth. We avoid confrontation because it creates an uncomfortable situation.

Research shows that these individuals are people-pleasers, some socially labelled pushovers, may be hardwired neurologically to be social conformists and avoid conflict. “This suggests sensitivity to mental stress and their discomfort is linked to an increased vulnerability to influence, potentially leading to poor decision-making, anxiety, or difficulties in interpersonal relationships.”

Studies also show that peer pressure during adolescence can lead teenagers to succumb to too much conformity, which could be dangerous to assert their independent opinions on diverse issues in the future. “Having a lot of trouble disagreeing due to heightened mental stress may be indicative of an array of emotional, attitudinal or social issues comprising an individual’s ability to make autonomous choices”, the study advises.

Sometimes agreeing to disagree is the best way to resolve a difference of opinion, without having to compromise our independence. This whole scenario will have devastating consequences on our long term mental health.

Mental illness and brain injuries are dangerously misunderstood topic with myths, prejudices and widespread lack of knowledge. No one wants to talk about it fearing isolation. Mental illness and injuries are not ‘weakness of character’. They’re mainstream issue that impact everyone in some way or another.

People from all walks of life working in all sorts of professions in industries, corporate and public sectors are affected by mental illness & injuries including their families & friends, your families & friends & mine, you and me. Mental illness doesn’t discriminate. When we realise that so many people from all walks of life affected by it, we behave worse than the illness, rather than putting more splinter in the wound, we should be more open about it and talk to each other rather than hush hushing and going around and talk about each other’s uncontainable & overwhelming behaviours, thoughts & actions, especially if the talk isn’t a positive bearing toward a proactive solution to the problem.

People with mental illness and injuries will struggle with the reality of managing their illness for the rest of their lives; somehow, they can and do get better. To be able to do this effectively, the whole society –family, friendship networks, teachers, employers, employees, landlords, etc. –has to develop awareness about mental illness and the effects of injuries.

I also believe that we should have an approved mental health check-up every year covered by either health insurances, accurately describing their gobbledygook and dubious policy statements clearly, or Medicare benefits depending on individual’s living conditions.   

We also must educate ourselves to avert our preconceptions and find ways we can genuinely contribute to their welfare and to the wellbeing of our society as a whole. No excuses are too great. We all have responsibility, especially, when there is lots of information available to us for any illnesses we can think of at the push of our finger tips. We mustn’t assume that everyone with the illness is dangerous, scary or out of control. If we know someone who has depression, we must not avoid them and assume they can’t cope. Instead, treat them as you would like to be treated.

We need to acknowledge that mental illness and all other brain injuries caused by different and unfortunate conditions , like any other illness we talk about, such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, sport injuries, car accidents, acquired brain injuries (ABIs) and work related injuries, among others, are distressing illnesses and we can openly talk about them and deal with in a positive, life affirming and rewarding way, without condescending, harbouring hate because of the person’s relentless mood swings & unpredictable behaviours, snubbing,  avoiding and abandoning families, friends, relationships, to openly deal with issues in a compassionate and inclusive way to learn from each other by including the low-spirited folks as being part of our normal everyday existence.

I know it’s a pretty hard task to follow through but if we can’t help them, we have, at least, the choice to recommend any alternative within possible reach to remedy the condition. However, I must strongly emphasise the whole purpose of this story that when we free our egos and stop from drowning in an evil acts of our illusions of thought for untenable desires, greed, anger, power, jealousy and simple stupidity, we can become master of our mind, thereby benefitting everyone around us.

Research also shows that one in five Australians will have or already have some form of mental illness. Nobody knows who is on medication out there, who is being treated and most of all who defines normal anyway? It’s a similar scenario to a futile ambition of hopelessly waiting for Mr/Mrs right? to come from nowhere to meet us so we can “live happily ever after”.

We all have our own quirky personalities, maybe not equate to an illness but prone to qualm, some favourably and some wary or bubbly, at times. Hey, if you don’t believe me start observing your own actions mindfully –without judging yourself. We may label people with different personalities if they don’t fit our expectations but the fact is acceptance is the key to let everyone be just like us.

Our old habits can get so deeply engrained in us that they affect our body and mind at a cellular or organizational level. We sometimes experience depressive feelings not caused by anyone or environmental events that happens around us but by our own emotional reactions as a result of distorted thinking.

The most important things that each of us must learn no one can teach us. Once we accept our disappointments, we will be able to stop dependability on therapists, families and friends, who turns out to be just another struggling human beings.   

If somebody does something that you blindly react to, then the pain gets multiplied and eventually the whole world is in trouble causing arguments, wars, misery and all kinds of ailing conditions. However, if we respond to situations mindfully, the individual’s and world’s troubles will start decreasing. –Buddha

I believe no meaning that comes from outside of ourselves is real. The Buddhahood of each of us has already been obtained and we need only recognize it.

We often send our messages in the way we know how, our own way, not in the way others welcome it; nevertheless, receivers often forget the messages come with good intentions & genuine advice before filtering it in their own thoughts and react badly.

Knowledge isn’t generally the driver of behaviour. We often don’t do what we should do because of inattention, apathy, avoidance, fear, being too busy, confronting an unsupportive environment, a negative attitude or habit or routine without being labelled a pushover. 

We can be sure there are few people we meet who either have been or are being treated for mental illness or we may be going through some tough times ourselves –isn’t it great to show some emotion without making jokes at the expense of those already overpowered, low-spirited and discriminated against.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a wicked sense of humour and I, always, crack jokes at my own expense by self-deprecating, is a fine line between being funny, to defuse a difficult situation, laughing with someone for self-reputation and laughing at the expense of the shattered and troubled individual, but we’ve to draw a fine line and construct sensibly.

Of course, there is humour dealing with mental illness and injured people with no doom and gloom as everyone needs lightness and laughter to reduce the stress of daily life.

We need to breakdown stigma and stereotypes, acknowledge past mistakes in the medical malpractices to heel the illness, ensure those same errors do not get grip in the twenty-first century and encourage all of us to work together to make someone with mental illness and injuries know, they are loved, they are still themselves, they are not alone and they certainly are not ‘abnormal’.

There is an unwise old saying “sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never harm me”. Whoever thought and said that (I like to think it’s an old adage) had no idea about depression, which has a huge impact on our society, the way in which the most simple words & phrases can be negatively interpreted, especially, by someone who is depressed, pervading every word, thought & feeling there by changing their ideas about themselves profoundly.

Even when we’re not ourselves, we still have enough of our personalities and awareness to deserve to be treated like the human beings we’re. Our behaviours may need containment at times but our souls don’t.

I pay my indelible gratitude to all the people that I have been in contact with, past and present, friends and families, regardless of their illnesses, who and what they are. As a result, I have gained a great deal of knowledge and extensive experiences dealing with the downtrodden and my intention is not to use over them and you, but to share it with them and you so that we all can see we have the same aspirations and desires on our life’s journey and I’m contributing my insight to empower all of us and loved ones for a safe ride.

I want this story for society to change, to challenge our own behaviours and who we are as a society and what is expected of us to live as a cohesive society and ask you to join the journey to a better and habitable lifestyle.

Eventually, we’ve to get off our bus & walk to find our own answer by experiencing it. I’ll give you the secret of happiness at the end of your reading!

Happy Ending!

FAIR DINKUM AUSTRALIA

I do not write this article for the sake of writing. There are many other things that I can do. Please, before you jump to conclusion and tell me, “If you don’t like it go back to where you come from”, read all and ponder on the concept mindfully. I love Australia and like some of you, I would like to see a prosperous, self-reliant and fair dinkum Australia. Fair enough to say, I’m a fair dinkum Aussie!

My intent is to provide analytical tools for our society who believes in one common cause, communal transformation, one country and a unified multicultural population whose hopes and aspirations for justice, freedom and opportunity are similar regardless of ethnic, origin or religious practices.

However, change must ignite within each and every one of us before we can have social change. If you want the world to change, “be the change you want to see in the world.”  –Gandhi. The political state of our nation is not the focus of the next chapter in Australia, but rather the social change result of the individual change we must ask of all Australians. What are the everyday needs of the average individuals?  From their wants and needs, can we construct a system able to grow concurrently with the minds of the educated and a productive workforce? “We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.” –Martin Luther King, Jr.
To satisfy everyone’s hopes and desires, we need to bring the ideals of multiculturalism and reconciliation into the limelight with genuine change imminent rather than window dressing and without just allowing it to glide around every so often like a cyclone. Our rainbows of races, particularly blacks, need to seize the opportunity in our public service fields and entertainment industries on major mass Media outlets.  

I see this on daily bases that the educated and talented individuals settling for ordinary jobs like driving taxis, working in the cleaning industry, security firms and various manufacturing companies, unfortunately, hanging up their years of educational degrees to rot.

The new generation of talented black Africans and indigenous people who are going through tough times showcasing their talent, from one location to the next in various local venues, must be given impartial opportunity without racial rules and must be accepted to suitably participate in the Australian media and given the chance to take part in political affairs locally and federally, if we have to live in a cohesive and all-inclusive racially undivided culture. The recent controversial, maybe for some, SBS documentary series, “Struggle Street” unearths the devastating impact of disparities that have been evident across several Australian suburbs for so long.

“Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and test of our civilization.” –Gandhi

We need to practice the primary principle of reconciliation… give and take and take and give. In a give and take process, how much one is willing to give determines how much one gets. Therefore, if we want respect, respect others. If we want freedom, let others to be free for equal share. If we want equality, treat others equally.

We need to create a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights; people could be judged by the content of their character rather than their ethnicity. Maybe the outdated forms of governance and beliefs of paying our allegiance to an overseas head of state need to change. The time to honour the principle of democracy is ripe. Now is the TIME FOR CHANGE to elect government “of the people, by the people, for the people”.

“I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it's for or against.” –Malcolm X

For this to happen, the political elite and the society must change their attitude and should stop honouring centuries old governance of one race domination. What are we scared of? What have we got to lose, aside from the outdated symbolic accolades of knighthoods & damehoods of the British Empire?

Our present PM, Malcolm Turnbull, a staunch republican aspirer, scrapped the symbolic accolades and remains to be seen if he seizes this opportunity to farewell everything of royal nature by instigating our self-reliance, to free Australia, befitting the “rapidly changing world”.  Malcom Turnbull is a reformed individual and he sounds like Obama convert, listening to the speeches he delivered in Washington using one of Dr Martin Luther King Jr.’s quotes, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”, he will be encouraged to stand firm to advance Australia. And, we will never, never succeed, if we never, never proceed!

We need to move forward as a new self-reliant and confident country with a renewed sense of earnestness building institution of all-inclusive education system which can rationalize the minds of the people and the political elite which is suitable for creative and innovative changes to bring transparency and accountability into operational and the awareness to reduce the feelings of discrimination and suppression.

Change in our perception is very essential in our society, in whatever areas of facilities we’re dealing with, whether sports, welfare or civic administrations or day to day communications, we’ve to be able to acknowledge black talents and appreciate their contributions and efforts in any organizations.

To appreciate how playing with the fire of racial hatred is so tense with unintended consequences, it will be good to remember that mutual recognition is a precondition for social trust. A sense of self-worth by any group in society is only partially internal; it also depends on the willingness of other competing groups in society to acknowledge the worth of the other. Everybody’s views should be represented and valued irrespective of their background, race, religion, etc.  

This is why status contests which lack good-will are inherently destructive. Where one race is discriminated informally or as a matter of government policy, cultural self-awareness eventually gives way to inherently exclusionary individual consciousness. “The time is always right to do what is right.” –Martin Luther King Jr.

Our future generation of black people are in desperate need of model leadership and guidance from the vast societal structure that are capable of mentoring the new generation into the new direction with improved possibilities without racial divisions and the rhetoric vision of status quo -business as usual.

Must read about Australia Day at https://timeforchangesociety.blogspot.com/2011/02/what-is-australia-day.html

Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!

TIME FOR FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE

 

May the New Year bring us courage to break our resolutions early and our expectations be realized with each and every day of the year. I hope the New Year brings peace and new inspiration to all of us.
My family and I wish you and your family all the best on your thoughts, actions and changes that will bring lots of happiness. My own plan is to swear off, every kind of virtue, so that I triumph even when I fall my wishes in 2016.

Time for fundamental change is about our way of life, our objectives and our decisions. We are convinced that basic human needs are the same everywhere and finally we all strive for the same thing to succeed in life.

My theory for my commentary focus is that the political tradition among Ethiopian elites at home and abroad abruptly blaming and shaming one another will not get us anywhere. Our history since the 1960s shows that it is a failed and disastrous political culture driven by elites who continue to focus on isolated and partisan pieces rather than serving the common good. We critique the governing party but fail to critique ourselves and one another civilly. By this I mean embracing each of Ethiopia’s citizens, defending and advancing their rights and their welfare. Instead of doing this, we continue to react to events rather offer ineffectual alternatives.

 Rarely, if ever do, we have self-doubt in what we say. Egos and self-aggrandizement in the name of a cause dominate intellectual thinking. It continues to be a culture of “my way or the highway.” We talk about freedom, justice and democracy all the time.

Do we have a common definition and understanding of these fundamental principles? What do you think? I, for one, don’t think so.

In other words, without a clear awareness and a common plan there is no forward movement and progress. Don’t you think it’s about TIME FOR CHANGE?

The only method to solve our problems at Home and abroad is an all-inclusive approach which is based on the reawakening belief. For this to happen, the political elite and the people must change their mindset and should stop venerating and lionizing the kingdom of the past temperament to reign again.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved our colourful, charismatic and engaging royalty. But that’s in the past, like everything else, all things good or bad must come to an end, that’s our history but can’t be our destiny.   

We need to move forward with a renewed sense of urgency building institution of all-inclusive education system which can rationalize the minds of the people and the political elite which is suitable for creative and innovative changes to bring transparency and accountability into operational and the awareness to decimate the inkling of nepotism and subjugation.
Don’t you agree that Ethiopian society need a profound transformation from within now not five or ten years from now?

We can’t afford to dwell on our differences. It is not sufficient when someone merely acknowledges, regrets, or apologizes for something they have done. Change in our perception is very essential in our society, in whatever level of services we’re dealing with, whether sports, welfare or community organizations or day to day interactions to be able to acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of individuals, members, volunteers, participants and most of all paying our gratitude to members in any institutions who’ve officiated unreservedly.

To appreciate how playing with the fire of ethnic hatred is so tense with unintended consequences, it will be good to remember that mutual recognition is a precondition for social trust. A sense of self-worth by any group in society is only partially internal; it also depends on the willingness of other competing groups in society to acknowledge the worth of the other. This is why status contests which lack good-will are inherently negative-sum games. Where a group is discriminated informally or as a matter of government policy, cultural self-awareness eventually gives way to inherently exclusionary group consciousness.

If there is one thing the majority in the diaspora and the people of Ethiopia loathe and reject, it is political bluffing, power mongering, egos and self-aggrandizement/self-centredness and hypocrisy. Division, narrow group think, personality cults, arrogance, hidden agendas, naming and shaming, character assassination of each other, one person or group trying to undermine the other and so on will not advance the common cause and or respond to our unity and the urgent solutions for the Ethiopian people, especially Ethiopia’s youth.

Our future generation is in desperate need of model leadership and guidance from the vast societal structure inside and outside of the country. It is ordinary Ethiopians at home who die for human, social and economic rights and freedoms. The rest of us can at least stand on their side. For this reason, I suggest that division must give way to cooperation, partnership and solidarity.

Creating confusion and resentment between the younger Ethiopian populations causes more dilemmas than immediate solutions. Although, the Oromo story is so poignant, in fact, not just Oromos, all Ethiopians have suffered massive injustices under successive governments and the only way we can achieve freedom and lasting democracy today is when united, reconciled and all is forgiven, change our perception, not when divided by ethnic groups or not when being polarized by historical lies presented as truth to serve a very few freedom or radical movement organizations.

Let me be clear here that I do not blame the new generation or all the courageous young journalists and freedom movement leaders who wanted to inform the public the truth through the glass doors they grew in. They are products of a traditional society which is high in power distance, i.e., a culture that accepts denigration & inequality between leaders and the led, the elite and the common, the managers and the subordinates, the professors and the students, favouritism over competence and nepotism instead of merit, etc., etc.
Our hope and Ethiopia’s future hangs in the hands of young generations who are in sync with twenty first century values where blind ethnic loyalty is regarded as ignorance, backwardness and primitive. It is rewarding to see around the US, Europe and anywhere else in colleges and universities that young Oromos, Gurages, Amharas, Hararians, Tigrayans, Eritreans and all other Ethiopian ethnic nationalities look and interact with distinctive sense of affinity towards each other.

It is now incumbent upon us, the older generations, to appreciate more and resent less, to encourage and support the interaction of young people and to undertake projects and discussions of the like organized by various institutions abroad and at Home. The least we can do is to refrain from infecting these young people with hatred towards each other. Instead let us earnestly tell them of the good and bad times we had in our Homeland and our determination to get ahead on our long journey to pursuing our success up to where we are today.

“One Ethiopia for all and all for one Ethiopia”

MENTORING NOT MENACING IS THE KEY TO RAISING RESPONSIBLE KIDS

On behalf of all migrant Australians, I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we live and pay our respect to their elders past and present. I’m proud to call it ‘my home’ and pay my allegiance to the flag and privileged to use my democratic rights to make inoffensive comments when I see, hear and feel something that betrays our social cohesion.

I just want to get it out of my chest about recent swimming's great Dawn Fraser’s comments about Australian tennis players at Wimbledon. I was not bewildered or surprised with her comments because I hear and see revolting remarks like that every single day.

We all may have come by different circumstances but now we have boarded on the same boat either to navigate together with family spirit by look at the more realistic picture, as they say the devil is in the detail and change for the better or sink together titanically. “Whatever we practise we will get good at, for better or worse.” –Law of nature. 
     
I believe like majority of Australians, I do think Australian swimming great Dawn Fraser stepped over the line when she unconditionally said; young Nick Kyrgios & Bernard Tomic are “being paid too much, arrogant and if they don't like it, go back to where their parents came from. We don't need them here in this country to act like that."  Can you imagine if that applies to every Australian kid if they behaved badly?

Dawn Fraser like Pauline Hanson haunted by their past both speak what’s in the minds of some Australians who couldn’t have the opportunity and celebrity status to say what, how and when they feel the pinch.  

Irrespective of Nick or Bernard’s perceived behaviour or sportsmanship they are still learning how to associate themselves with the level headed environment and persevere their new status as the world’s best tennis players.

I believe society is expecting too much of young people to stay still and behave like everyone else or want them to be someone they admire. We can’t change elephants to be like lions or vice versa. We need to accept growing up kids for what they are or drive them to the limit where they will be traumatised and stigmatised to display even more anguish and unwanted behavioural problems.

Dawn Fraser who is old enough to know better has shown us and the rest of the world how the racist past still droning around among people of her generation.

On the other hand, the media extends their support telling us that Dawn Fraser has apologised after suggesting Nick Kyrgios "go back to where his parents came from" over the claims she apparently knew they labelled him tanking during his 4^th round loss at Wimbledon.

The message still is disappointing. The media should stop playing mouth piece spreading the apology messages. If Fraser honestly wants to apologise, she should appear live and say it as she did the dreadful call on the young tennis player in first place.  

Why didn’t everyone raise their eye brows when, the then 20 years old, Lleyton Hewitt, was lobbing all kinds of racist tantrums against a black linesman for twice foot-faulting him for offences he committed in the US Open in 2001 while playing against, another black man, James Blake?

 

Kyrgios & Tomic Wimbledon 2015                          Blake Hewitt US Open 2001
                                                                          
Hewitt goes on to say, "Look at him (the linesman) and tell me what the similarity is (beckoning towards Blake)," brutal words clearly picked up by the courtside microphones. "I want him off the court, I've only been foot-faulted at one end. Look at what he's done."  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/usopen/3011926/US-Open-Crowd-chide-racist-Hewitt.html

Besides all the Australia’s past social stigmas, do you think the weight of their names, Kyrgios, Tomic vs Hewitt, made a difference?

I beg you not to step over the line to challenge and abuse me; rather take a good hard look at the whole unfolding argument mindfully if you sense this problem is incensed by Australia’s past social norms regressing again like that of the recent US wave of racial brutality by the police force against its own people.

We should take Dawn Fraser’s comments as a wakeup call for the old and new generations and embrace it seriously without making offensive judgements and learn from it and refrain not to make the same mistake again and again. Dawn Fraser and her generation grew up in a time of racial inequality and rampant era of all sorts of discrimination.

Make no mistake, things have changed and it’s time for change, we absolutely need to accept anybody that acts and does anything and everything different than us, without judging and labelling, mindfully. We realize that we are all different species and make different errs sometimes and we should accept that as a warning to check ourselves in the mirror without banging our heads against the mirror or wall.

This wisdom doesn’t come without attention, but paying attention to the things we find most offensive or uncomfortable isn’t for the faint-hearted, so it also requires courage to observe with an unbiased attitude.
Apparently, Dawn Fraser didn’t seem to have a rosy past too.

Here is a copy of bizarre online comment about her by:               [ mawson01 3:23 PM on 07/07/2015 If I recall, Dawn was arrested stealing a flag at the Tokyo Olympics. Not only that, she was not a "team" player in refusing to swim the medley relay.

Pot calling the kettle "black" maybe a risk but appropriate metaphor.]

A B R U T A L M E R C I L E S S L O S S O F L I V E S

What promises to be a better, peaceful and prosperous new year, 2015 has shifted its passage of astral travel already causing brutal, to name a few, heartaches around the world.

The Islamic State militants in Libya cruelly shot and beheaded 30 Ethiopian Christians.
The Nigerian militant Islamist group Boko Haram continues to harm innocent citizens.
The Attacks against foreigners including Ethiopians continues to haunt in South Africa.
The sinking of boats full of refugees in the seas of Middle East is becoming like the Watergate mystery.

The rampant culture of racism among United States police is regurgitating the social injustices that have been crushed, chewed and cremated in the past.

The dangers of online dating with the unknown and family violence crimes are creating indecisive results for justice systems.  

The Israelis and Palestinians continue to play tug of war destroying the peace process, people and their infrastructures.

The mysterious vanishing of Indonesian and Malaysian airplanes in the eastern hemisphere without trace continues to puzzle the International Air Transport Association and International Civil Aviation Organization.

The Bali 9 tragedy which saddened a lot of people around the world finally laid to rest.

Indonesian president, Widodo, executed Australian duo, Chan and Sukumaran and 6 other death row inmates from different countries in a cold blooded draconian style law and order while the 9th Philippine’s woman received a last minute reprieve.

I felt the pain pounding in my heart thinking what it would also be like for the families and friends of those executed by a barbaric style firing squad.

With all the miscarriages of justices and corruptions in judiciary systems in Indonesia & around the world, fortunately, luck has been with some people for surviving the merciless decisions. Regrettably, luck was not on Bali Nine Australian duo and 6 inmates’ side and certainly I am convinced that their time was up and destined to die this way mainly as a result of their Karma.

Karma is a fundamental doctrine that all of our actions- mental, vocal and physical will have equal repercussions, affecting us. It’s the principle of cause & effect where our intent and actions influence our future. Good intent and good deed contribute to good karma and future happiness, while bad intent and bad deed contribute to bad karma and future suffering.

It’s our actions, deeds and motives of the past, depending on its severity, that brought our harsh realities of incessant sufferings of today. 

We are mortal beings destined to go, in different circumstances good or bad, in an avoidable power like the source of a big torrential river grounded on our Karmic retribution. We can only redeem it in our present lifetime with good intentions and deeds for a very happy life in our next lifespan.   

Unfortunately, when our time is up nothing I mean nothing will save us. We all have seen people survive from unforeseen disasters like tsunami, bushfires, airplane crashes and so on, and tend to believe miracle and guardian angels are on their side.  

The truth is those survivors are not ready to pack up yet. Hey! I’m not talking about irrational wonder. This divine truth has been around since human evolution but we just haven’t been embracing it as a result of our varied upbringing and nurtured in a diverse spiritual choices. This may sound strange and new phenomenon to you but our life’s worth finding out more about the concept comprehensively without making overstatements or otherwise. We have the “Choice”.

However, this tragedy should be the day of awakening and whatever the cause maybe, good, bad, karma or else, the maximum punishments bestowed on human lives are excessive and unjustified and should be replaced with other forms of reprimands that can rehabilitate those honestly remorseful offenders.

They didn’t mean to bring anguish to their families and everyone around the world. Maybe they’re there to create a cause: telling the world that there still exist brutal injustices that need changing. They certainly caused huge impact of empathy reverberating in our nation and around the world that will bring change of hypocrisy, accountability and inequity.   

If offenders sincerely admit their youthful and stupid mistakes and asked you for forgiveness and mercy, what would you do?

As continuing track records of offences show, legitimizing death as a form of punishment to deter drug trafficking has never worked and lots of visiting innocent foreigners still keep falling victims of this brutal injustice. It’s very sad that this barbaric action would rather discourage more foreigners from visiting the beautiful Indonesian Isles thereby crippling its economy and human interactions.

Indonesian president Joko Widodo defiantly defends his reasons and appears to have rejected any clemency claims even before he reads each specific clemency petitions from death row inmates.

The president appeared inexperienced foreign policy diplomat who hasn’t anticipated the state of affairs that threatens to undermine Indonesian & Australian relations, a bilateral relationship far more important to Jakarta by ignoring an honest request for clemency of its citizens.

As for Widodo he will get his own remuneration as an effect of his deeds, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

It’s always a great occasion when nations decide to resolve their problems through diplomacy in a peaceful means of magnanimity, honesty, fairness, justice, and mutual benefits. Such great agreements are born out of strong principled presentations of each sovereign nation pursuing its national self-interest. Because of unpolarised interactions, national leaders will start to recognize the legitimacy of all well founded claims and concerns of each other as riparian conditions.

The exchange houses-diplomats are not to be used as rubberstamping institutions but as a functioning body to foresee and examine any requests, grievances, agreements, resolutions, treaties, even policies during the negotiations, ratifications and ultimately granting of the congenial decisions unconditionally.

This is a reminder to all countries who exchange diplomatic representatives such as embassies, consulates or any proxy agencies for their respective countries not as symbolic but must give assistance at a time of critical statuses and open to communicate effectively and fairly to listen to each other’s concerns and compromises to accommodate the interests in an harmonious and humane manner more specifically in a time of disaster and distress about their citizens.

I wish the Indonesian people and other present day law abiding countries to denounce the ‘out dated’ death penalty categorically and practice universal law to live with the global community humanely.

To those unsympathetic individuals who took an unlikely side because of offender’s ethnic backgrounds or filled with hate mongering biased moral judgement, must wake up to their consciousness to put “humanity before ethnicity” and practice the fundamental ethical principle of “treat others the way you want to be treated.” 

Finally, I send my deepest condolences to all the families of the executed, my warmest gratitude to the organizers of ‘We Stand For Mercy’ appeal, lawyers who indefatigably & effortlessly fought the injustice battle to the end and to those who took part in doing everything in this distressing, upsetting and heartbreaking epic journey.

 I hope 2015 finally ends on a very good and remarkable note.

Good bye & RIP 

OVERCOMING THE STATE OF NEW AGE BARBARISM

The group formerly established (by misguided & deceitful management? see video) as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) also known as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) recently renamed itself simply as Islamic state (IS), to represent worldwide Muslim Community, is appearing ferociously inhuman than first thought.

                Truth in Media - The Origin of ISIS from GC on Vimeo.
 

They remain condemned and unrecognized to this today. Many mainstream Islamic and non-Islamic communities refusing to acknowledge IS and considered the group unrepresentative of Islam.

The group has been designated as terrorist organisations by the United Nations & many countries are directly instigating war against them

.

They started their onslaughts by beheadings of soldiers, civilians, journalists and aid workers, as well as the deliberate destruction of monumental cultural heritage sites.

Now, they come up with a terrifying backwardness vengeance to crusade against Christians.

Recently dreadful news has been circulating around the world; this time IS is targeting Ethiopian Christians. Clearly, they must have run out of other justifications to turn their gun against their Christian fellow human beings.

Ethiopian authorities have finally confirmed 30 Ethiopians have been callously killed by IS extremists in Libya.
 

A song by Ethiopian Artist, Jacky Gossee, dedicated to Ethiopians killed by Islamic State in April 2015

The cold blooded execution of innocent Ethiopians by IS in Libya is heartless, horrible and absolutely against the teachings of Islam.

To the new generation’s young people whose opportunities are unlimited to succeed in anything they choose to do with the access of technology at their fingertips need to be extremely aware of the conundrums within it, their young and stupid identity augmenting their curiosity not to fall victims in the hands of IS or any radical organizations, which brutally carry out injustice against humanity, that will jeopardise their life.

This chilling fanaticism in the name of Islam against brotherhood of Christians is unsubstantiated and backwardness.

Come on IS! These acts of barbarity and primitive ideas of the crusade era won’t get you anywhere. You must find an ethical and vindicated reason for your resolution without killing unexpecting and uninvolved innocent people. 

 

We all understand the disparities and unfairness some of our Muslim brothers and sisters have to endure. The same is true for some Christian brothers and sisters but IS regrettably slaughtered amiable innocent Ethiopian migrants in search of peace, freedom and justice by instigating war on Christians.

Like all of us in the diaspora, those Ethiopians left home leaving everything behind and dispersed in every direction in search of all the opportunities that peaceful existence has to offer in an unknown distant country. Change, unfortunately, didn’t come as they anticipated for some fellow Ethiopians as they continue to suffer in the Middle East, Yemen and surprisingly subjected to discrimination assaults among our own bloodline in South Africa.

Opportunities in unknown distant countries have tremendously changed in the last two to three decades and apparently life has been harder for some previously migrated Diasporas everywhere for all sorts of reasons.

I hate to say but the truth will eventually emerge someday as more and more refugees mainly African origin, it seems, purposely dumped in the seas and an organized crimes have been committed by covertly sinking the refugee boats on their way to the imagined, “promise land”, better opportunities starting in Europe as a predominant destination.

        Ethiopian and Eritrean migrants on boat transporting from Libya to Italy

European countries can’t tolerate being a safe haven endlessly to the influx of refugees anymore as this continues to create all kinds of economic, political and social upheavals and imbalances with the already existing diaspora communities and its citizens. 

Now we have heard, seen and recognized all upsetting incidents thru all media hypes and the Ethiopian government’s guilty conscience pacification of 3 mourning days for the runaway peace seeking fallen victims, what do you think has to be done to stop this never ending brutal suffering?

An honest moral compass to transform our misfortunes ongoing in circles is to make an unconditional change in our own back yard. This may not be my areas of expertise but extensive life experience, my sense of right and wrong tells me that change starts with us (at home). Ethiopians need to change to create harmony among themselves and save our people from fleeing persecution to total destruction in the hands of a predator and Machiavelli. In addition, world communities need to take responsibility to defend its society from falling in the hands of terrorism in a concerted effort.

Above all, our leaders need to look at what worked and what did not and why. It appears that they were again finger pointing at each other for all the failures. None seemed to want to take the slightest responsibility for the letdowns.

Our political leaders do not seem to realize the importance of critical reflection and drawing lessons from past mistakes. Unfortunately, this trend seems to have been mainstreamed into the nexus of our culture. It is probably related to the failure of our institutions of higher learning in delivering and nurturing an intellectual nation that values competing models and views while promoting critical thinking. Such a culture has permeated all our social and political life.

Clinging to our established beliefs even in the face of contrary evidence, failing to identify real sources for our failings, failing to value the importance of doubt and scepticism in our thoughts and actions are only indicative of the failure of our educational institutions. We will never succeed in establishing participatory democracy until and unless we challenge this view openly.

This line of thinking encourages a fearful & reticent character which is adversarial to the democratic frame of mind. This is unacceptable, for it creates a roadblock to our collective search for democracy. Intimidating individual for offering a critique of an idea, action, or institution is an egregious violation of free speech, a quality vital in participatory democracy.

Let me be clear here that I do not blame the new generation or all the courageous young journalists who wanted to inform the public the truth thru the glass doors they grew in. They are products of a traditional society which is high in power distance, i.e., a culture that accepts inequality between leaders and the led, the elite and the common, the managers and the subordinates, the professors and the students, favouritism or partiality, nepotism instead of merit or competence, etc., etc.

Behaviours of all kinds that express such inequalities may be confused with humility or modesty or shyness culturally customary, prudence, and admiration that permeate our professional and social lives.

Let’s all be mindful, first we were divided as ethnic groups before we found our self-further polarised within our respective communities literally everywhere we look. Individuals with hard-line extreme views have held sway on our politics long enough leading us only to conflicts and failures, now it is time the forces of good from all sides of the divide start pulling in the same direction wisely focusing on the greater common good without dowelling much on the past. Our politics should move out of divisive cultures that characterised it for as long as we can remember by shunning the tendency of focusing on what makes us different since that approach has not only remained unproductive but also failed miserably and evidently as it stands out for the freedom it deprives and the refugees it produces. We have gone our separate ways with a great cost, yet any failure to chart a way of getting along constructively in any capacity either as people of one nation or as friendly neighbours is even likely to be at a much higher cost.

No words can describe the shock, grief, and compassion so many of us felt at the ruthless loss for the families and friends of those so inhumanely murdered Ethiopians. We owe our deepest condolences to them and utterly condemn these barbaric acts. I commend the diaspora Ethiopians for standing strong together as one Ethiopian family as we have always done irrespective of our religious differences to condemn the brutal suffering of Ethiopians wherever they are whether or not we share the same religion, ethnicity, political views, age, gender or any other characteristics.

We got it wrong once again and I beg to differ. I believe it is time to be free from the past and focus on humanity and citizenship rather than ethnicity. What brings us together is more powerful than what divides us.

It’s Time For Change that Ethiopians of every faith everywhere call out for our freedom and pursue the moral transformation of ourselves, our society and the government.
 

Ethiopia and its people will live together for ever!

H A P P Y 30TH A N N I V E R S A R Y

The Ethiopian Community Association of Victoria (ECAV) will mark its 30th anniversary in 2015 (more story http://www.simenehmakonnen.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/the-launching-of-ethiopian-community.html).

Since its establishment, in 1985, ECAV has served not only as the social hub for Ethiopians living in Victoria, but also organizing annual Ethiopian cultural and sports festivities such as soccer tournament competitions for all Ethiopians living in Australia and New Zealand during annual Christmas break times and celebrating Ethiopian New Years by inviting popular and famous Ethiopian celebrities and musicians.

In its 30 years operation, the community has endured enormous challenges and achieved significant contributions amid struggling to keep members and attract more new comers because of the political changes in the country.

I hear and see celebrations of all sorts from around Australia and abroad by diaspora Ethiopians about all kinds of achievements and establishments of their communities and organizations alike. Needless to say, this is a significant celebration for all of us. Our Victorian, Australian, community can still develop reflecting on what they have accomplished over the last thirty years & strife to maintain their goal for economically independent association where they can increase their services and initiate to launch more programs such as “my brother’s keeper”, a new pathways by addressing compulsory and growing needs for all younger generations who are faced with disproportionate challenges & trends of obstacles in their daily lives, the program which will empower them & finally paving the way to their success.

I’m so delighted to see our community for all Ethiopians marks its thirtieth anniversary since its establishment and indebted to everyone who have involved in its development in the process so far. There is still more to be done sustaining our solidarity among all Ethiopians. It’s my hope that the community will continue to fulfil its objectives and my pledge wouldn’t fall on deaf ears that I sincerely ask the community to keep a timetable to organize a celebration of unity, like all other diaspora communities, that will include a recognition ceremonial for the past & present founding members & those who have made substantial contributions to the community over the past three decades with no exceptions, exclusions and regardless of our current political differences created by an inevitable change of governance and disparities that have been overlooked among our homogeneously and harmoniously interrelated people.

It is common to read history backward and assume that a particular group is destined to become dominant, but conflict is part of the historical narrative and as such unavoidable part of human experience marked by complex relations and a never ending alternation between the oppressed and oppressors. A significant component of the walls of suspicion among us is the baggage that we carry in the form of historical narrative and particularly a deterministic notion of identity. I am not in any way suggesting we should not be unmoved by the past history of suffering and humiliation. After all, our experiences and memories help to shape our identity. Only by acknowledging our historical legacy, even when it might be painful, can we come to terms with our past as a way to better understand ourselves, identify our weaknesses, strengths, accepting the past and bridging the divide to transform to a better future for all Ethiopians. 
 
This year will also mark a celebration of different kind. Twenty-fifteen will be election time for Ethiopian people where we hope change is coming for the better this time around. We, in the diaspora, share our people’s endeavour & send them our encouragement in support of a peaceful transition and a democratically elected transparent government. We must show our solidarity and support opposition leaders and peace activists who stand for all Ethiopians, who are constantly under threats, intimidations and imprisonment pleading (bleeding) for freedom, justice and morally exercising their democratic rights.

Hopefully, this combined celebration will remove the old approach of inadvertent & ignoramus governance of nepotism & despotism and doing so will encourage more participation & conducive to more collaboration and fetches wholehearted appreciation from all Ethiopians, ultimately restoring the spirit & integrity of the community, thereby, attracting more members and connecting the crack and hopefully this unity, undoubtedly, will resonate back home enticing the essence.

May God give us the courage to live together as many entities but one community.