SUMMARY

The Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS) of Addis Ababa University and the Peace Research Facility (PRF) of the Rift Valley Institute (RVI) jointly organized a seminar on the theme ‘Rethinking Ethiopia: A Seminar on Youth Voices’, held on 22 February 2024. The seminar was based on a call for submissions that these organizations made in September 2023, requesting essays commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1974 Ethiopian revolution. The seminar upon which this report is based was comprised of three parts.

Part 1 was a welcoming and opening of session greeting delivered by Dr Fana Gebresenbet from the IPSS, followed by opening remarks by Hannah Stogdon, from the RVI and Hannah Milne from the British embassy. Bringing Part 1 to a close, Dr Tekalign Woldemariam from Addis Ababa University gave a keynote speech. Part 2 consisted of presentations by the five essay finalists: namely, Betelhem Molla, Lamesgnew Negalign, Yidinekachew Solomon, Meselu Birliew and Lidya Yohannes. Part 3 was a panel of discussion on the theme of ‘Legacy and Looking Ahead’, with remarks by Dr Netsanet Gebremichael, Dr Yonas Ashine and Dr Semir Yusuf. Both the essay presentations and the final panel discussion were followed by question-and-answer sessions, offering the audience an opportunity to reflect upon and share their feedback. Dr Fana Gebresenbet concluded the seminar with final remarks and a thank you to the presenters, participants and everyone else who contributed to the success of the event.

This summary highlights the key takeaways from the seminar, including the importance of youth voices, the need for re-evaluating the challenges faced by Ethiopia and the significance of collaborative efforts in shaping the future of the country.

In the hope of making the essays accessible to a wider audience, the five finalist essays are also translated into Amharic, Afaan Oromo, Somali and Tigrigna.

You can access the the translations below:
Amharic version
Afaan Oromo version
Somali version
Tigrigna version

After the seminar, the essayists also had the opportunity to participate in a radio discussion. The discussion was broadcast on Sheger FM. In the first part, Betelhem Molla, Lamesgnew Negalign, Yidinekachew Solomon, and Lidya Yohannes discussed and reflected on their papers. One of the mentors, Dr Yonas Ashine, also participated in the discussion. In the second part, Meselu Birliew discusses the land question, one of the most controversial issues during the student movement and contemporary Ethiopia.

Find the to the two-part discussions below.