Tough Times Ahead for Western Scholars Studying Ethiopia
EPRDF blamed several western scholars for the post-2005 international attention to the government’s human rights abuses and democracy deficit. It started replying to critical western scholars through a weekly Ministry of Foreign Affairs bulletin in 2006. The bulletin is sometimes edited by former BBC man Patrick Gilkes who consults the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The government has also used some of the carrots and sticks proposed in the document in the past. The document is intended to lead to a more coordinated and organized process of management.
(by Addis Neger Addis Ababa Contributors)
European and American scholars involved in study projects that relate to aspects of Ethiopian politics and economics will be carefully managed by Ethiopian government. In a confidential discussion document sent to the Office of the Prime Minister and Ministry of Foreign Affairs from Bereket Simeon’s Office of Communications, it is stated that the objective of the systematic management of western scholars is to either make them publish positive reports about Ethiopia’s political and economic progress or deterring them from publishing negative study papers.
The document proposes that the government ought to actively cooperate with academics and scholars of western research institutions by allowing access to records of importance as well as government departments and officials and involve as much as possible in the research process to affect the final output in favor of “Ethiopia’s interest.” Researchers working with local institutions affiliated with the government or research assistants with EPRDF connections will be treated favorably. According to the discussion document, western institutions that have research offices in Addis Ababa will be formally and informally lobbied to hire Ethiopian researchers sympathetic to the government’s interests. The discussion document details deterrence measures to be taken against western scholars who work with the opposition or publish study papers that tarnish Ethiopia’s record: vigorously and robustly criticizing their works and integrity, denying them access to data and governmental institutions, denying them visas or hassling them at the airport and actively pressurizing their funders and institutions that they are linked to.
EPRDF blamed several western scholars for the post-2005 international attention to the government’s human rights abuses and democracy deficit. It started replying to critical western scholars through a weekly Ministry of Foreign Affairs bulletin in 2007. The bulletin is sometimes edited by former BBC man Patrick Gilkes who consults the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The government has also used some of the carrots and sticks proposed in the document in the past. The document is intended to lead to a more coordinated and organized process of management.
EPRDF used this strategy in the past. It will aggressively implement this time around.Sometimes I regret that I didn’t had some social science courses, where are the social scienctist in the opposition camp, they can write a paper which disprove pro eprdf authors. It would be good to write journal paper than spend too much time on commenting on common topics.Addis neger staffs can initiate and coordinate this.The reward is like two birds in one stone: revealing the fact and academic contribution. The other thing we can do is we can give tips and overviews for the researchers before their arrival in ethiopia. how to read the minds of eprdf politicians, how to ask informants, the common techniques eprdf use to misinform.wake up social scientist, don’t say what can I do, you can write one journal paper in a year instead of discussing the same thing over and over again.
keep up the good work.
Remarkable!
i always believed in Bereket Simon competence in public relation management.
Perhaps, he should stay in office a few more years.
Though you you put it as EPRDF matter, it is indeed protecting Ethiopian interst.
How else do you think other countries do it?
What a move and NEWS!!!
Addis Neger’s are real investigators for real.This is a one million pound NEWS.I say so cause i partly know the story and that it is true.I have had a tip about this issue couple of months ago.This friend of mine told me that Western European scholars working in the area of poverty reduction,hunger,food security and generally development related issues are gonna be highly scrutinized.The fact that donors started to raise questions about the politicization of aid (including food) is attributed to the ” scholarly research” works of Western scholars particularly those of Western EU countries.
Most of this information is said to have been resourced by Ethiopian higher education students sent to these countries to do their further studies.The fact that these students found these Ethiopian centered researchers producing,lecturing and publishing papers that negatively paint the image of the country and in some cases ” the government” has become one of the major cause for the making of this soon to be ratified document. All this info. i gave is to an insider’s tip.
Since its coming to power, the EPRDF government has engaged in charm-offensive acts to lure western governments and scholars into supporting its policies. Some heavyweights in the academic world committed one of the worst sins in scholarly research, i.e. making sweeping generalisations. Jeffrey Sachs’s continuous downplaying of the significance of good governance in changing the plight of Africans; Dani Rodrik’s unsubstantiated love affair with the Ethiopian flower industry; and Joseph Stiglitz’s cute move to use Ethiopia to name and shame the Bretton Woods Institutions are just few cases in point. Given that the Ethiopian government is now ready to give them access to documents and data, I believe so many would not think twice before starting to speak an Ethiopian introduction of a new variant of democracy! I believe it is high time Ethiopian scholars stop chasing consultancy works and leave their marks on public opinion. A dignified person can not put a price on her principles!
This kind of campaign style policy/strategy and tactic has been part and parcel of the main bojectives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( it is quite approprate to call it the ruling party’s division for external relations) since May 28, 1991. This cheap srategy ( it is cheap because it serves dirty and cheap objective) might have become more aggressive, systematized and orchestrated because of the very desperate attempt by the ruling circle in search of some immoral, incompetent, dysfunctional and irresponsible “scholars/intellectuals’ who are ready to sell themselves by doing any dirty job. I understand this comment may seem so harsh.I wish it was not.But that is what the reality on the ground tells us, and that is what it is!!
The main question is not whether the ruling party uses that or this trash game , or who is selling his/her mental resorce for any cheap and bloody propaganda. I do not think we have to go deep and far to
justify these kinds of very unfortunate phenomena as our political history in general and the present political situation in our in our country in particular is not short of crystal clear evidences. The main concern has to be how are we ready to counter-challenge this horrible poverty of genuine knowledge which sooner or later can cause a very severe generational damge
What is news about this? It doesn’t even constitute a well written commentary. The last paragraph is a repeat of the first one. What is new about EPRDF lobbying to have a good name around the world by influencing the news establishments? All governments do, some being more aggressive than others. You have to understand the sensitive situation the current ruling party has been for the past decade or so. Are you becoming so desperate to the extent of magnifying a few paragraphs that are not worthy of being published as news? There are so many challenging issues that can be of interest to the populace. All you need is to know how.
YES! Make them all ‘the Paul Henzes and Patrck Gilkes’
By the way; does any one remember how the news of
a) the invasion of Somalia by our forces was leaked to the media back then?
by Patric Gilkes.
b) the news of Meles’s victory over the Siye faction was leaked/I suspect it was a preemptive move for at the time of the leak victory was not achieved/?
Via this same man Patrick Gilkes.
Check it out!
I support the government move. They should work hard to control those scholars who have multiple agenda. Whatever the motive is, this sounds good when it comes to the interest of our country.
This is outrageous. I doubt that this is true, I should have to see the scanned copy of the document.
So what?If Ethiopia plans to portray its development activities and the building of a new order,where the decentralization of power and self-rule of the people is actualized,the end result is promotion of Ethiopia.What is wrong in it?Any Government worth of its salt will surely endeavour to showcase what it has been doing to improve the livelihood of its people.Let everybody of us ask ourselves where we were during the demise of the Junta Vs the time of speaking.Come out bravely with the truth.It will not help to misconstrue the fact on the ground.You know the problem,we are shying away from the truth.Cheers
Why is any one surprised with the capacity of TPLF to falsify, deceit and cook the book At the higher end spinning foreign scholars doing research in Ethiopia is a piece of cake for TPLF who can snatch donors millions of dollar from the mouth of famine victim to finance its criminal enterprise.
At a lower level the network of TPLF’s cadres’ run media and the foot soldiers roaming around our community are trained to put a positive spin on TPLF’s rule targeting the unsuspecting.
When a regime is illegitimate, when it can not measure-up and when it actively commit political and economic crime against the people, what other choice does it have but to put spins to survive?
We do not need to look further; the desperate cadres are dispatched to put a positive spin in this media.
Note: teshome is using my name to spin watch out for cadres
NGO’s and in general so called western scholars on Ethiopia were largely on the side of TPLF specially in the early years of its rule. As the years go by and TPLF’s action are harder to justify these scholars for hire run for the covers. TPLF is beyond the deception stage. To decieve at least you have to have a sembelence of truth. TPLF has used them all. They have run out of deception tactics. How can one talk about the virtues of TPLF that jamms voice of America, Dustche Veller and claims these news sources are as good as the Rowandan stations responsible for the Rowandan genocide. How can one talk of TPLF’s democratic virtues when it wins elections by 99.6% margin. These and other facts makes it very hard to defend TPLF in the open market. Besides TPLF may think that this is the Soviet era of where information can be controlled. That is no longer the case. I say good job Bereket go ahead and waste your money on these merecenaries
This news points out an important fact: Woyeanes genuinely believe that denying and cover up will make westerners stop asking questions. It is a very childish reasoning. Social Science research is probably what westerners discuss openly. But much of their policies are made based on overt and covert intelligence. Just imagine how much diplomats, aid workers and disguised local spies they have. The government can barely hide its secrets from them. From personal experience, the woyeane security system used electronic and communication apparatus donated by the westerners. How many of them compromised? At least, I know there were evidences that some had been. In any case, the woyeanes are indulging, as usual, in their delusional and habitual denial in their desperate run from accountability. Not all western scholars are as sellouts as some local scholars proved to be. True scholars had in the past and even these days are playing crucial roles all over the world acting on behalf of humanity. Of course Woyeanea trys desperately to hide the truth. But it will all be in vain!
Should this occasion any surprise? Isn’t EPRDF intent on creating a hermit state a la North Korea?
Ambaye T
If all wha you wrote as TPLF success is true, then they should not have anything to hide or be ashamed about.
The truth, my brother, is completely different. The TPLF is the apex of a repressive structure and wants to keep the lower levels out of the reach of inquisitive individuals and institutions.
Addis Neger should be encouraged in bringing facts to all concerned! TPLF had started this 10 years ago by replacing top positions and rejecting any research that could lead to political suicide! Try to investigate all research projects that have been running and ask those academic researchers especially in government higher educational institutions! They will list challenges which hampering good and critical researches in their respective disciplines! Of course these challenges have been hampering critical students in any higher educational institutions to do their thesis without title or data modifications in the areas of politics,democracy, good governance, federalism and so on! It is impossible to present all negative impacts in this commentary! Genuine citizens should expose these systematic damaging and evil work of TPLF!
This is how EPRDF thinks. You can fool some of the people all of the time and you can also fool all of the people all of the time. Obviously it doesn’t work that way but so long as it helps them to stay in power for one more day they are happy to do anything. Even compromising academic freedom and integrity. What a shame.
What I find most troubling with the TPLF revolutionary democracy and their supporters is their aggressive attitude to diversity. Not accepting that a diversity in socio-econ, geography, and culture will lead to a diversity of interestsa and consequensly also oppionion, is to not accept nature. Furthermore the problem with the likes of Teshome and “whatever” is
that they take it for granted that any opposition towards the gov. is always based on a lie, whereas gov. statements are always right (there is absolutely no need to question the factuality of their statements, as they are infalable superhuman beings). Finally in a Stalinistic fashion nation is equated with ruling party, hence criticizing one is criticizing the other.