MOMENTS AND MONUMENTS
According to the formal definition of a museum it is a “…non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purposes of education, study and enjoyment.” Here in Ethiopia, we enjoy myriad museums which document and preserve a wide range of topics from art to zoology. While ethnology, religion, science and other compelling topics inspire small to large scale museums dotting the capital city, it’s the Red Terror Martyr’s Memorial Museum (RTMMM) that has taken center stage recently.
RTMMM, designed by renowned Ethiopian architect Fasil Giorgis, was opened in 2010 receiving a range of responses from Ethiopians. The museum memorializes those who perished due to murder and torture at the hands of the Derg regime, during the Red Terror period. Content in the permanent exhibition include instruments of torture, “skulls and bones, coffins, bloody clothes, photographs of victims” original paintings and other ephemera presented with the message “…never again…”. However, some citizens felt this bitter history was best forgotten and just too painful to discuss, much more visit. On the other hand, the reported thousands of visitors monthly, think RTMMM is crucial. These visitors are on a need-to-know mission and also wish to pay homage to the victims in order to help ensure a future free of such heinous acts.
On Monday May 2nd, photos and videos circulated widely on social media of the Museum’s shattered ten-meter-high glass front, surrounded by large stones hurled during the sacred celebration of Eid, following the month-long Ramadan of fasting and prayer, at Meskel Square. After the fact, numerous stories have been unfolding, arrests have been made and investigations ongoing. Luckily, there were no reported fatalities however women, children and elders were said to be injured. This was a sad moment for all Ethiopians. Responsibility must be taken as every life is precious and all facilities which preserve and educate, must be protected. Ethiopia is going through a metamorphosis and though painful, arduous and mind-boggling at times, to quote Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “We shall overcome.” The RTMMM is an opportunity to remind ourselves of what has been sacrificed and how survivors, such as the docents in the museum, desire a peaceful path to a safe and prosperous sovereign nation.
The USA has 16 Jewish Holocaust Museums through-out the country. While 47 can be found worldwide from Albania to Uruguay hosting exhibitions, monuments and/or centers devoted to the tragic history of attempted genocide perpetrated by the Nazi regime. These spaces are considered sacred, though not places of worship. Like RTMMM, these spaces speak to atrocities of people whose loved ones live to also tell their stories for generations to come. These people were fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters – kith and kin. Lives lost, but not forgotten, are preserved in the RTMMM with rare documents, books, and paintings which provide reflection and education. The resilience of the RTMMM staff is not so easily stiffled however, as mentioned before, many are survivors of the Red Terror.
This knowledge is first-hand, based on my role as a co-curator, brought on 12 years ago to display two commission works of Ethiopian fine artist, Prince Merid Tafesse. The profound painter, whose family was also victim of the terrible period, painted two massive 5M x 5M acrylic on canvas works of art entitled, “That Moment” and “Mama Kebebush Admasu.” Both are displayed high on the wall above the RTMMM entrance stairway leading to the research library. “That Moment” is a striking artistic account of the lining up of men (all ages) to face the firing squad, who ironically will bill the family for bullets after burial. “Mama Kebebush Admasu” is a haunting image in a range of reds and shades of grey, representing a mother standing over shadows, representing four graves. A true story, this piece narrates the heart wrenching experience of the mother who lost 4 sons simultaneously in the Red Terror. The work is titled in her honor.
Museums and cultural spaces will be a major part of the “overcoming” narrative in Ethiopia. Art, history, heritage…places that preserve, promote and protect are all important to cultivating understanding, providing education and instilling humanity. Messages of responsibility, accountability, forgiveness, justice and peace are to be found in museums, for the people. The collective duty and aspiration must therefore be inextricably linked to the notion of respect and regard for history…our trials, tribulations and triumphs with unabashed commitment to changing hearts and minds for the betterment of all.
Dr. Desta Meghoo is a Jamaican born Creative Consultant, Curator and cultural promoter based in Ethiopia since 2005. She also serves as Liaison to the AU for the Ghana based, Diaspora African Forum.
The Rat Race
Sometimes life looks like we are constantly in a rat race. We are running here and there, from morning to night, trying to meet deadlines. And whether we like it or not we all need to meet deadlines, all the time. We must get the children to school in time, we must pay our bills in time, we have to write our reports in time, make our annual plans in time, deliver our goods in time, and just be on time. Or do we really? The way I notice deadlines being taken for granted and abused here makes me wonder how serious we really are in keeping our promises and delivering the goods and services we agreed to deliver. I have hired quite a number of consultants in my career, and I must admit I have been disappointed most of the time in the way they handled our agreement. Making sure an advanced payment is included in the contract, followed by a second payment upon delivery of the draft report I learnt just to forget about the final report as the consultants seemed to have already forgotten about the last 20% payment anyway as they were too busy serving other clients. It has become part of the deal, I guess. As a client though I have lost confidence in getting the service I agreed to pay for and will not go back to the same consultant again. The same applies for all sorts of other contracts. Ever seen a construction being completed in time? I haven’t. And it all seems to be calculated in the contracts up front or otherwise the service provider will come up with all sorts of excuses why timely delivery was impossible because of all kinds of external factors.
I do understand of course that everybody is trying to make ends meet and that in trying to achieve that, take on as many jobs at a time as possible. Business may be slow next month after all and the school fees for the children and the house rent need to be paid. In time, mind you.
The point of course is, that while making short term gains, confidence and thus business will be lost. As a result, more assignments will be taken on and not completed in time, resulting in more loss of confidence and business. In the end the clients will turn their back on us and go somewhere else and they can’t be blamed. The client simply wants value for money, no excuses.
So, whether we are in manufacturing, consulting, selling, importing, exporting, printing, anything for that matter, we better keep our promises. What can we then do to meet our deadlines and gain confidence and have more sales instead? Here are a few suggestions.
Whenever you take on an assignment you better treat the deadline seriously and get cracking immediately. Before saying yes to a new assignment check all current assignments and how much time they need. Also assess whether you can give all it takes to complete the assignment. This is important because nobody is interested in an average or substandard quality of work.
Next, check how much time you will be able to allot for the new project. Based on these factors you can estimate and discuss how much and how soon you will be able to deliver. Remember it is always better to tone down your promises but actually deliver beyond expectations. Under-promise and over-deliver, as the saying goes. This strategy will work to your favour rather than the opposite. Be careful not to overestimate your abilities and make the mistake of taking more work than you can tackle. In other word, don’t over-promise and under-deliver. Being over ambitious can be dangerous so take a practical view of the time and resources you have before making commitments.
Next, once you agreed on the assignment, begin working on it and set your mind to it. This will motivate you to do it in time and it will give you a head start. On the contrary, if you delay and keep things pending till the last minute, you will be subjecting yourself to unnecessary stress and last-minute work. And last- minute work may not be the best and will affect the quality of the outcome.
Also keep checking on your progress on a daily basis to ensure no last-minute surprises. Though you may get an extension of the deadline, this is not something to bank on.
If you have too many deadlines to meet at the same time though, you may have to put in extra hours. Don’t panic though. Instead put in what you can during each day and get help when you need it from capable colleagues.
Finally, when you have completed the assignment give it a thorough and final quality check and apply the finishing touches that will make it top quality. If you work with a well thought out plan of action whenever you have to meet a deadline, you will find the going easy. Instead of a threat, a deadline may thus be turned into an opportunity to prove that you are trustworthy to deliver quality work and in time.
It has been my experience that once you build such a reputation, clients will keep coming back and ask you for a next assignment, which is much more rewarding than having to find new clients all the time, who will be disappointed again sooner than later, because you have again not been able to deliver. Getting out of the rat race will help you to deliver what you promised.
Ton Haverkort
ton.haverkort@gmail.com
Dashen, Safaricom, NIDP ink MOU to issue digital IDs
Dashen Bank and the National Identification Card (ID) Program (NIDP) pen MoU in a partnership that will modernize citizens’ identification which is in alignment with the financial inclusion strategy of the government.
As per the agreement that was signed on Friday, May 7, customers of Dashen, one of the top-flight financial institutions in the country, shall easily be included in the registrations to the digital ID system.
In the continent, Ethiopia is one of the least performing nations in terms of civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) and the usage of digital platforms.
To improve the status, the government has been introducing different initiatives in the past over a decade, while the issue has only really started gaining traction in the past couple of years.
As per the effort to realize the unique digital ID system NIDP has been engaging in several partnerships with relevant private and public bodies.
Dashen announced that it is committed to the realization of the new scheme that is crucial to benefit the public in financial inclusion.
As per the agreement, the two bodies will work jointly by utilizing resources. The digital ID initiative includes gathering primary data and biometric information that includes photographs, fingerprints and scans.
“Though we have signed the MoU with NIDP formally today, we have been undertaking different processes for system integration that will lead to a pilot project under our branches,” Asfaw Alemu, President of Dashen, said at the signing ceremony, adding, “the initiative needs significant finance so we shall also discuss the issue and see who we could best partner with.”
“So, we are responsible to cooperate with the project to harmonize customers’ identity,” Asfaw said whilst he highlighted how the financial sector’s lack of national ID presented a big challenge for operation in addition to financial security assurance.
In a related development Safaricom Ethiopia also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NIDP to establish a strategic partnership to work together and use the National ID database for mutual benefit.
According to a statement from Safaricom, the agreement allows the parties to design a joint pilot project focusing on providing access to digital identity services, e-KYC verification, and other strategic partnership programs.
Accordingly, Safaricom will lead initiatives in providing the necessary equipment for the pilot and/or project undertaken with the NID program, among other responsibilities.
The statement further quotes the national Digital Strategy of 2025, “so far, the major identification programs for the different segments of the population – Kebele IDs, Tax Identification Number (TIN) cards, Passports, Driver’s license, Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) cards, Birth Certificates which only cover less than half of the population. As a result, every time an individual tries to access a benefit or service, they must undergo a full cycle of identity verification. Different service providers also often have different requirements in the documents they demand, the forms that require filling out, and the information they collect on the individual. Such duplication of effort and ‘identity silos’ increase overall costs of identification and cause extreme inconvenience to the individual.”
With a vision of building a foundational identification platform, the Ethiopian National ID Program has been established as a Program Office under the Office of the Prime Minister with a mission to issue a unique and verifiable digital identity to all Ethiopians and residents of the country by 2025.
