Ethiopia : Open letter to Ambassador Girma Birru ( Nazret)

I was formally invited by an embassy staffer, a decent Ethiopian, who happens to know me and my views and who, on more than one occasion, had a civil discussion and debate with me. When I drove 20 miles from my home that morning to Howard University, the only preparation I made was read the 158-page document entitled: “The Growth and Transformation Plan.” I was not prepared for what I was going to face at the entrance of the hall. I believed the messages you put out on the media that all of us, irrespective of our views, were welcome to the meeting. How can I suspect that a person of your position could give out a false public announcement? First, I faced the wrath of the protestors as I was crossing their picket lines. Then I met the people who were deployed by the embassy to man the gate, and do the sad job of screening participants and deciding what type of Ethiopian should be let in and what type should be kept out. I was told I was ineligible to enter and saw many people being returned from entering. One screener told me in the face that he reads my writings on the Internet and that the meeting is not for my kind of people. I asked him if this was the policy of the embassy and he told me yes. He further told me, and I quote him verbatim: “ante Tigre Titela Yelem ende min litisera Metah” (አንተ ትግሬ ትጠላ የለም እንዴ? ምን ልትሰራ መጣህ?)...read more..