BEATING THE DRUMS AGAINST HUNGER IN ETHIOPIA

Let’s Beat the War Drums Against Hunger – is the title of a song by a group of Ethiopian artists who undoubtedly spoke for tens of thousands of people who gathered at Meskel Square in Addis Ababa on 25 May to show their commitment to the Ethiopian people’s fight against hunger.

The campaign, dubbed "A Birr to a Compatriot" is an indigenous initiative organized by a Committee of Ethiopian Volunteers. Chairwoman of the committee, Selome Tadesse told the gathering that Ethiopians have shown the world that they can handle their problems on their own. "You have made this one birr contribution not because you can afford to luxuriously dispense it. I know you have bought the ticket by taking away from your daily meal. The principal message we want to pass to the world today is that we can help ourselves, that though we are poor we have the culture of sharing, that we can eradicate poverty, that poverty is also our enemy and that victory is always ours," Selome said.

As the name of the campaign indicates, the appeal was made in such a way that everyone could contribute according to his/her means. From shoeshine boys to millionaire businessmen the contribution that was required from everyone was one birr - but of course those who could afford it gave much more. Melaku Ambaw of the Amateur Journalists Association came from as far as Dessie town, 400 km north of Addis Ababa. He said that every penny counted when it came to the fight against poverty. He added: "If we can put to use the money in everyone’s pocket, if we can galvanize the human and natural resources of the country, the Ethiopian intellectuals who reside in the country and abroad, I’m sure people have the capacity that can be a lesson to others. Even if the donors one day say enough is enough, this home-grown effort will show them that we have the potential to supplant external aid".

Many artists who performed at the concert gave their time for free and added colour to the event nicknamed Ethiopian Live Band Aid. Renowned vocalist and musician Alemayehu Eshete who was one of the performers said that he was proud that he had something to contribute for the people that are now in danger from the drought. He said his performance was not to entertain, but to rescue those in dire need of assistance. "I do not see this performance from an entertainment point of view, but unity and coming together to help the sufferance of the people out there," he added.

One woman who declined to give her name but clearly wanted to make her own contribution said: "The event is good. Particularly the fact that it begins from us is very good itself. I think it would be wise to feast with poor people than with those who are well off. In other countries there is what they call a ‘food bank’ where people could donate extra food they have for people who have less income. I would like our people also to get used to such a systematic way of helping the poor."

Many others, among them Irish rock star Bob Geldof, who was on a five-day visit to Ethiopia, criticized the West especially Europe for its "pathetic" food aid. Professor Andreas Eshete, President of Addis Ababas University and member of the "A Birr to a Compatriot" committee said affluent nations that are fighting terrorism should be equally concerned with fighting starvation. He said that he hoped that the international community now preoccupied by matters such as Iraq and terrorism, will not forget or neglect the plight of those in desperate need. Commenting on the agenda of the fight against terrorism in relation to the fight against hunger, Professor Andreas said: "These things are important and I don’t want to say they should be neglected. But they should not be seen as competing concern. If the fight against terrorism is important, among other things, it is because we are concerned with saving lives. And if saving lives is what matters to us, we should be concerned about saving the lives of those who are going without food".

Professor Andreas had a special message for his fellow Ethiopians as well as the rest of the world: "We live in a common world, we share a common moral universe. So, if people are hungry, even if I am better off than them, I must share their fate. That is one important part of belonging to the same society, I must share other people’s suffering, I must share other people’s hardship and this effort, I hope, will draw people’s attention. I think very few people, unfortunately, like to think about hunger unless they themselves are hungry. And that should change; hunger should be everyone’s concern and if it were everyone’s concern we could beat this problem in a short time."