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-The Profit
Africa is an impoverished continent. Ethiopia is poor even by African standards. If you are an Ethiopian than you come from a poor country. I don’t care if you come from Bole you are still from a poor country. It’s a fact. Get over it.
Are you over it? Do you know why Ethiopia is a poor country? Do you care? Are you in denial?
Many Ethiopians are offended by being associated with the idea of coming from an impoverished country. Many Ethiopians are offended by even being associated with the rest of Africa. (AKA they try’n to pull an “Egypt” on us). But that’s a topic for a whole other article.
I am going to do something that many “abeshas” have a problem with. I’m going to make an analogy that relates Ethiopians to African Americans. Imagine that.
On the day that the Emancipation Proclamation (when the slaves were freed) was signed Africans in this country controlled only 2% of the entire wealth of the United States. One hundred and fifty years and a couple of civil rights movements later Africans in this country control half of one percent of the nations wealth.
“How could zat be?” you say.
What about Michael Jordan, Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby and Oprah Winfrey?
To that I leave you with this bit of trivial information.
Bill Gates has by him self 500% more wealth than all African Americans in this country combined.
What is za point?
From the end of slavery until the last civil rights movement African Americans held on solidly to their two percent of Americas wealth. It was when “Educated Negroes” left the ghetto to pursue the American dream that nearly all people capable of helping African-Americans left their respective communities to live and work among the Nech.
Those who would have normally helped to solidify their family and communities followed the dollar signs to the promised land “white America” Now all the divisions that prevented the advancement of their people (light skin, dark skin, Creole, Baptist, Catholic) were amplified when an opportunity to become apart of Americas elite presented it self. (The Civil Rights Act)
I still don’t see what zat has to do wiz Eto-pe-a.
At some point in the History of Ethiopia there was a need to be accepted by western society. Until this time Ethiopia flourished as an independent political entity. And although it was never all milk and honey in Ethiopia it wasn’t nearly as bad as it now. Tribal, class and ethnic divisions became exacerbated when the institution began to promote those divisions.
Ethiopian national identity became too wrapped up in being “Africa’s exception” that they never leveraged their collective resources.( other African People) And when the Sh%t hit the fan most of Ethiopia’s most wealthy and educated people left.
Ethiopia is no different than Harlem, or the South Side of Chicago. At some point in its history it was a shining example of African people and their ingenuity. Now these places are corrupt, poverty stricken, and obsessed with a good ol' days legacy that will do little to help them out of there current situation. But even Harlem has its Bole where the rich can work without having to deal with seeing poverty. (See Bill Clinton)
And like African Americans many Ethiopians blame the downfall of their people on a vast conspiracy plotted by malevolent western European forces. (The White man)
And like the elite African-American upper-middle class the Ethiopian elite don't want to realize that " maybe our people DO have it THAT BAD". and "Perhaps it is MY PROBLEM". " And maybe Western Europeans never had our best interest at heart and why should we expect them to?).
I'm not necessarily saying we should all go back to Africa to use the resources that we would normally spend on frivolous luxuries, to better help or struggling people. (Wait... actually I am)
If everyone who could leave the Ghetto, actually left the Ghetto, it would be even worse than it is now. Many of America’s historic Black neighborhoods exist to this day only because successful lawyers, doctors etc decided to stay and help, when they could have left long ago. Imagine how many Ethiopians would leave Ethiopia if they could afford it. Who would be left? The patriotic.
I know many people came to this country because of political drama and I understand the need for self-preservation. But what if America's economy collapsed and the political situation here got out of control. Would you leave? Where would you go? Canada? Switzerland? England? When would it stop?
What distant corner of the globe will you go to before you will stake a claim on it and be willing to protect it?
Are you an American now? An African-American perhaps?
Or are you a citizen of the world - capitalist opportunist that won’t let anything keep you from your $3 Starbucks cafe latte.
Today’s “Flavor of the Day” is Ethiopia Sidamo.
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