A new prime minister, even in the face of a brutal attack, preaches โlove winsโ to a country in need of a new political narrative.
As Africaโs second most populous country and its fastest growing economy, Ethiopia is extraordinary in many ways. It weaves together 80 ethnic groups as well as Christians and Muslims. On a continent with the worldโs youngest population, the median age of Ethiopiaโs 102 million people is 18.
Yet now add to this list a new prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, who took office in April as Africaโs youngest ruler with this extraordinary trait: He could be the only leader of any country who frequently tells people, โLove wins.โ
Last Saturday, for example, after he gave a speech to a large and adoring crowd in the capital, Addis Ababa, someone threw a grenade toward him, killing two people and injuring more than a hundred. His response? โLove always wins. Forgiveness will win. Killing others is a defeat.โ
After taking office, he apologized for the killing of dissidents under previous leaders. โI ask forgiveness from the bottom of my heart for the many advocates of freedom and justice…โ he said.
He admitted the country is in chaos, a result mainly of several years of antigovernment protests. He also admitted the government is tainted by corruption, pledging a crackdown and better rule of law. And he quickly tried to lift a climate of fear by releasing thousands of political prisoners and ending government blockage of opposition media.
His main message during a national tour: โWe are now on the path of change and love.โ
His biggest drawback is that he represents a ruling coalition, made up of representatives from different groups, that has been in power since 1991. As a young and reformist leader, he may have been chosen by the Ethiopian Peopleโs Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) in large part to preserve its dominance. He, in turn, could be trying to win the peopleโs support in order to fend off resistance from the partyโs old guard and achieve real reform.
His emphasis on love as a national unifier may stem from his pedigree. He has a PhD in peace studies and โsocial capital.โ His father is a Muslim from the largest ethnic group, the Oromo, while his mother is Christian from the second-largest group, Amhara. He speaks several languages, once worked in military intelligence, and earned a masterโs degree from the University of Greenwich in London.
To rise above a long history of ethnic conflict, Ethiopia will need love and forgiveness put into action. Ahmed says a country with so many differences could bring a blessing if people listen to each other and โthere is understanding based on principles.โ He has proposed a commission to look for new ways to blend the countryโs ethnicities into a larger political narrative than the shaky EPRDF coalition.
So far, Ahmed has caught the imagination of Ethiopian youth. Many in Saturdayโs crowd carried signs that read โOne Love, One Ethiopia.โ Two days after the blast, dozens of people were lining up to donate blood for the wounded. It was another example of love winning.
