National Conference: Fertilizing Wisdom Of Our Two Giants
“Those who came with pure hearts, with malice towards none, with feelings of fellowship and eventual harmony, changed the mood.” Amanuel Sahle on “A Healing Journey.”
It is our fears that invest the unconscious with fearsome characteristics of dark underworld inhibited by evil masters. But in reality the unconscious contains all the energy and wisdom we need for healing and wholeness. Therefore, our fundamental human task (especially within the Eritreans) is the conversion of the devil within ourselves, that is, converting negatively charged psychic forces into positively charged (life-enhancing) and unifying powers. Indeed, the fear of those repressed contents of the unconscious, when acknowledged, the very forces could bestow a harmonious and unified communities.
The Participants of the NCDC, as reported, represents all the mixed emotions of our rainbow, the phobia and the fears of the unknown, the wisdom of doubts, the growing of wisdom of understanding to each other, and yes the healing process. There were no speech or language where his/her voice is not heard in the round tables of the workshops; and many happy returns of that understanding atmosphere. It was a monumental history logged into record books by Eritrean standard.
The Eritrean National conference for democratic change at Addis Ababa had shown the energy of wisdom and the healing of the participants, and by extension to the community they represented. A lot of credit must go to the preparatory committee, for which, finally conquer the wisdom of doubts and fertilized the seeds of wisdom to create a forum to unite the Eritrean people.
What had been said in the convention, all sorts of grievances, grudges old and new, the desire to hear each other, the common understanding to challenge the multitude of our nation’s problem, and the forward mission to form a united umbrella are reported by our independent journalists and writers (Amanuel Sahle, Bereket Berhane, and Tedros Abraham), and are out there for the public to discern it. Now the Eritrean people will be the judge. There was no hidden agenda as some would like to believe otherwise.
Despite there were at time a ‘bugs bunny’ strategy, where some detractors act wacky on occasions and draws their critics against NCDC into a tar baby/rope trap that end up exhausting themselves, the convention was concluded successfully. The good news is that their bad omen wishes turned ironically into an impressive lesson of magnanimity and harmonious conference without erratic walkouts. Indeed, the destructive critics launched by Meskerem, which I may call it “ Meskerem Derangement syndrome,” is one of the most massive and dishonest pile-on smear attacks in the history of Eritrean website against the NCDC. They earned high score of insane politics beyond EPFDJ in that regard.
Game Change, the Circle of Blessing.
NCDC of 2010 has changed the nature of Eritrean politics within the opposition camp for good. The partnership of Eritrean people and political organizations is a new break through in Eritrean politics. Purposefully, the organizers of the conference invoke implicitly by displaying the portraits of the two Eritrean political giants (welwel and Ibrahim Sultan), in front of the participants, to remind them and return to their bosom and contribute their share to the preservation of unity of their people.
Far thousands miles away from the convention, I heard the spirit of these two giants murmuring bits of wisdom to the participants, telling them to restrain from the ugly history of the last two decades; telling them “behold you carry your cooling influence to the heated political atmosphere; calling them “come back children, let us not part;” whispering to them an advice that “divided interests are the ruins of fool.”
The icons warned to those who came as a watch dog to their own national conference; they asked them who to whom is watch dogging? Who’s failing for whom? We believe you are a strain in the composite of your society and a DNA strand of your rainbow. You are here for cross fertilization the wisdom of your traditions, through which to change your vile body. Transform yourself and exercise certain authority to engage with your colleagues that have been granted to you by others.
Equally, the giants also reminded to the participants about the parable of the lost sheep referring to the boycotters. You have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. You must bring them also. They too should listen to our voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
Oh sons and daughters, listen to the genius out of you who came with samples of in vitro fertilized ideas ….that heals your social wounds and erase disfiguring and hypertrophied scars. Check organic wisdom in the library of your elders, to challenge the unique problem of your society. Re-erect the pillars of your founding fathers and rebuild the bridges that serve you to walk from both ends.
The participants in return whispered back by saying” welcome, welcome, oh ye, shower us with wisdom. Let us rather store your wisdom up for our use hereafter. We can not think of others that will supply us again in time of need.” None must store uncertain future evil, when so many are suffering under a present one. Those who are wishing to stop the gracious course of good, oh shame, shame, and shame! It is well that a part, at least, of what was lost, returns. Let us start and live by mutual giving and receiving.
Let us lend hearing ears to all grievances from all sides… reflect them in a civilized manner in the deliberation of the subject matter at our hand. “Words are slippery and thoughts are viscous” always reminded by Henry Brook. Let us bring new words like fresh seed sewn on our discussion, all for the strategy of game change.
Give them wisdom to the absentees who refuse to join us. The door is still open and our hands are still extended to hold them with an exuded love. Learned From your wisdom that tolerance is the only that hold the bonds of our configurations. Asserting your virtue, to give them a space and time to join us in forming peoples’ baito; Partnering with them, to nurture our community with flooding love and common purpose. All the advices are taken for the purpose of game change and new journey. Amen (Ewe kem’oe dema kekwen iyu).
We heard the subliminal communication of the two giants and the participants of the NCDC at Addis Ababa in a satirical form of spiritual message. No offences are intended except the desire of round table of workshops to build bridges to the fractured society of ours. Amanuel Sahle’s report has something for everybody and he is absolutely right when he said, we need more conventions to heal our society.
Cross Pollination of Ideas
In nature, cross pollination gives plants the genetic variability they need to adapt change. Similarly, in society cross pollination of ideas among diversified sectors of communities can give the same effect of adaptability to bring change. By that means, conflict doesn’t have to be bad thing at all times. When societies have the right skills and processes, conflict can be healthy and can be used to produce creative solutions. Some of the positives, but not limited to, are worthy of mentioning:
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It opens up important issues.
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It leads to greater clarification and understanding between people or social group for that matter.
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It enables opposite group to learn and expand their perspectives.
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It encourages meaningful dialogue and communications.
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It helps to understand singular vision and collective input.
It is a phenomenal ability to remember, that the fact if people work together it will be better for everyone. Now the commission must avoid structural inversion and trends born of the same old sources that move them backward, in order to germinate the seeds of cross pollinated ideas garnered from give and take. There is no doubt that the Eritrean political landscape has unequivocally introduced a new political culture…. the partnership of civic society and political organizations. The political leaders must understand that this is not a competition between civic organizations and political organization. It is a struggle of creating two spaces and two entities… the power giver and power receiver in a democratically structured governance.
NCDC has become a window into a critical year in our nation’s history. It opens up our important issues, to enable participants in the opposite group to learn and expand meaningful dialogue to come into a singular vision. Grappling with change, the participant’s probity was reassuring to the fearful public that they came out with unity and a sense of urgency to tackle the nation’s problem from the conclaved convention hall. Yes, when the useful deeds are done, and the sunshine is down on their labor, their spirits ascend again to its absorbing rays of hope to be carried forward to other gracious deeds.
Interestingly enough, unless the conventional wisdom is egregiously wrong, the game change is already at hand. The NCDC won the public nod by giving a considerable power to civic society as partners in the conference as well as in the formation of the commission that will work in drafting transitional constitution. The salvaging torch is now passed to the mandated commission to lead us into another national conference within one year period. As the saying goes a lawn that is well fed will grow strong roots and look wonderful when spring arrives, so also an idea cross pollinated by all stakeholders will set the motion to our new journey and we will look wonderful.
Conclusion
I believe NCDC reduced the mortality of Eritrean politics. How far? It is anybody’s guess to quantify it. As I see it, two things were anathema to many of us who were not part of the loops of ostracizing circles: boycotting from conferences and brewing crises. Whatever of change we dream for future Eritrea, let us seek the truth that can give us the fulfillment of freedom and liberty, and dreams of things that are not and ask why not. Now the best approaches is to let those wise enough to see what’s coming, take precautions to the survival of our co-existence, and do everything possible to suppress any scary rhetoric’s.
Awate Forum