Our identities may differ, but our citizenship should unite us.
A country is not tested merely by who holds power. It is tested by how its citizens see one another, how they accept their differences, how they share justice, and how they build a common future together.
Perhaps the greatest question facing Ethiopia today is this: How can we build a common country without erasing our differences?
This is not the question of one ethnic group. It is not the question of one political camp or one community. It is the question of all of us.
Diversity Is Not Our Enemy
Ethiopia is a country where many ethnic groups, languages, cultures, histories, and ways of life come together. We should not seek to erase this diversity; it deserves to be respected.
But our problem is not our differences. Our problem is that we have turned our differences into walls.
My language may be a source of pride for me; the existence of another person’s language does not diminish its value.
My culture may be precious to me; the existence of another culture does not destroy mine.
My identity deserves respect; another person’s identity deserves the same respect.
Difference does not have to be a cause of conflict. It can be the beauty of living together.
When “I” Becomes Stronger, “We” Becomes Weaker
Everyone wants to protect the identity they call “I.” That is natural. But when the feeling of “I” destroys the meaning of “we,” the common country becomes weaker.
There can be “my ethnicity.”
There can be “my culture.”
There can be “my language.”
But above all of these, there must be “our Ethiopia.”
Because without a common country, we also lose the shared platform on which our individual identities can exist and flourish in peace.
There Must Also Be Room for Blended Identities
Here, we must face another reality.
Not every Ethiopian comes from a single ethnic background. There are families born from different ethnic groups. There are communities shaped by different languages and cultures coming together.
These people should not be forced to fit their identities into a single box.
One person may say, “I carry the heritage of two ethnic groups.”
Another may say, “I am shaped by many cultures.”
Someone else may say, “I do not define myself by only one ethnic group.”
And another may say, “Above all, I am a citizen.”
All of them should have the freedom and space to express their identities.
Because identity should serve to express who a person is, not become a chain that imprisons them.
Identity can be many things; citizenship, however, is equal.
Citizenship Is Our Common Ground
Shared citizenship does not mean erasing our differences.
It means equal rights, equal dignity, equal protection under the law, and an equal hope for the future.
Citizenship builds a foundation that connects us rather than one that separates us.
It is equal citizenship that ensures one citizen does not become superior to another because of ethnicity, and that no one is humiliated because of who they are.
Human Dignity Comes First
Before ethnicity, there is a human being.
Before politics, there is a human being.
Before regional identity, there is a human being.
Before any group identity, there is human life and human dignity.
Therefore, politics can only become trustworthy when it places human dignity first.
When the Law Is Equal for Everyone
Shared citizenship cannot be built through words alone. It must be built through law.
When the law applies equally to everyone, when justice reaches everyone, and when citizens’ rights are protected without being measured by their identity—that is when shared citizenship becomes a reality.
Without justice, unity is merely a word.
Without equality, coexistence cannot be sustainable.
When Politicians Stop Exploiting Differences for Political Gain
The differences among our people should never become political fuel. Dividing people into “us” and “them” may appear to be a way of gaining political power, but in the end, it is the people who pay the price.
Healthy politics does not inflame people’s differences; it manages them. It does not promote hatred; it builds reconciliation. It does not drive people apart; it brings them closer together.
Let Us Ask What We Are Passing on to Our Children
What will our children learn from us tomorrow?
Will we tell them:
“Be careful of those who are different from you”?
Or will we tell them:
“Respect your differences. Live with one another in equal dignity. Preserve your identity, but do not deny the identity of others.”
This is the historic responsibility of our generation.
The Final Choice
In the end, the question we must ask is simple: Can we respect our identities while remaining equal citizens?
The answer must be yes.
Because a country is not built when everyone has the same identity. It is built when people with different identities can live together in equal dignity and mutual respect.
Therefore—
Let there be “my ethnicity.”
Let there be “my language.”
Let there be “my culture.”
Let there be “my identity.”
But above all—
Let there be “Our Ethiopia”!
Because our identities may differ, but our citizenship should unite us.
Our differences deserve to be respected; our equality must be protected.
The time to move from “I” to “We” is now.
