Monday, March 02, 2015

Injera diplomacy and honouring heroes the Ethiopian way

Mar 02, 2015, ( Daily Monitor))--When President Museveni delegated the Prime Minister, Dr Ruhakana Rugunda, to represent him at the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Tigray Peoples’ Liberation Front (TPLF) in Mekele, Ethiopia, on February 17 and 18, Dr Rugunda in turn asked me to accompany him.

L-R Ethiopia Foreign Minister, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, African Union Commission Chairperson, Dr Dlamini-Zuma and Prime Minister Dr Ruhakana Rugunda share a meal of Injera at Mekele Airport, Ethiopia, on February 19. (Photo Daily Monitor)
I did not know that the experience would leave lasting impressions on all of us.The TPLF is a key partner in the ruling coalition in Ethiopia and one of Africa’s oldest liberation movements. My previous travels to Ethiopia had always been to Addis Ababa to attend the African Union summits, but on this occasion, we were to go up north, to Mekele City, near the border with Djibouti.

When we reached Addis Ababa airport, we boarded another plane to Mekele, and in slightly over an hour, we were in this sprawling city, that is under heavy construction. The sight of mortars rolling cement, and the moving of bricks and blocks is a common sight across Ethiopia. One person in fact commented that Ethiopia is the construction capital of Africa. Read more the full story at Daily Monitor »

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