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Esteemed Compatriots, Fellow Africans and Friends of
Ethiopia:
First and foremost, I am delighted that our country
is entering a new Millennium following great
challenges that we have started to successfully
overcome. I am also delighted to be one of those
millions to witness our country's transition from
the Second to the Third Millennium. I congratulate
all of us who have made it to this wonderful day.
Our country's transition to the Third Millennium is
not only that of crossing to another 1,000 years,
but also to a period of fundamental changes for the
better. I would like to think that it will be a time
in which we will have left the old year, decade,
century and Millennium and all the suffering and
enter a period of renaissance; a time of rebirth
when we as a people would realise our real
potential, which will of course mean that we need to
make a careful evaluation of our past and present
and prepare to meet the challenges of the future.
Our country is the origin of human kind, the land of
Lucy, Selam and Idaltu. It is
also a land that has its own alphabet, a land of
obelisks and rock hewn churches, the Harar Wall, the
Konso terraces and so many natural wonders.
Looking back from the threshold of the Third
Millennium, we realise that our country was the
custodian of a great civilisation in the first 1,000
years when Axum stood on par with other advanced
cultures of our planet. This was the time of great
art, music, architecture and engineering.
Even after the fall of Axum at the end of the First
Millennium, great civilisations and cultures emerged
in our country such as that of the Zagwe, Harar,
Yefat and others, proving that our country is a
custodian of a series of highly developed cultures.
This was followed by the Gonderian era which was as
great a civilisation as that of its contemporaries
in Europe.
Since the dawn of its civilisation, our country's
trademark has been hospitality, tolerance and
decency. Being one of the first to introduce some of
the world's great religions, its people have
developed a sense of acceptance and respect for all,
unparalleled in most parts of the world. Though
there is no denying that the political and military
elite of the past tried to use religion as a tool to
create discord in the society and that this
sometimes caused untold suffering and destruction,
it could never break the solidarity of the Ethiopian
people.
Ethiopia is a land of diversity. It is a mosaic of
many languages, cultures, styles and ways of living.
Even though the ruling elite of the 20th Century
considered diversity a weakness and tried to create
a homogenous society in every respect through forced
assimilation exposing the country to endless
conflicts that pushed it to the brink of destruction
as a nation, they did not manage to do away with the
diversity of the Ethiopian peoples. Needless to say,
our diversity lives on to benefit us all.
The other defining characteristic of our country is
that it managed to stand up to the challenges of
invasion and colonialism to become a bastion of
freedom, to all wronged people, especially our
fellow Africans. It is a fact that not only our
forefathers but also the present generation paid
with sweat and blood to keep this land free.
Through untold sacrifices and exemplary commitment
to the ideals of freedom and sovereignty, the people
have managed to keep Ethiopia free; this is the
shining essence of our county's image.
An overview of the march of time regarding Ethiopia,
therefore, helps us learn that it was full of ups
and downs, marked by moments of glory but also great
suffering and sacrifice. We would learn that our
country has survived the challenges that faced it in
its truly long history. Starting with a magnificent
civilisation whose creativity and genius has to be
yet carefully evaluated, it is a fact that, through
time, it sank deep into the quagmire of poverty and
backwardness that we are trying to overcome today.
What was not destroyed in this process was the
mosaic of its peoples, religions and cultures.
Amazingly, in its great suffering neither was its
determination to remain free, no matter what the
price has been.
Though this generation of men and women found a
country on its knees deprived of the basic needs of
life, it is determined to make poverty history
through hard work and commitment. We have now
reached a stage where we can see the light at the
end of the tunnel. There is a silver lining now for
those who are in solidarity with us to see and
rejoice.
This is the time of Ethiopia's renaissance and
rebirths, a time when we, its people, promise
ourselves that we will never stretch our hands to
beg for what we need, ever again! This generation is
at a threshold of great things to come.
As we move forward to the next Millennium, we know
it will herald the rebirth of our beloved country,
for we are now custodians of a great beginning as
demonstrated by continuous growth and all around
improvements in education and health, which would
greatly impact the quality of life of our people.
Wars and famines of the past notwithstanding,
Ethiopia's tradition as a beacon of freedom will be
paralleled by its commitment and performance in
development and democratisation as to be a source of
pride for all of us Africans.
Ethiopia will continue to thrive in the New
Millennium!
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