The Ethiopian Millennium a special African Occasion

One of the values that Ethiopia is known for in the world is the fact that she possess a calendar all of her own which is some seven and a half years behind that of the Gregorian calendar. September 12^th 2007 will, therefore, be Ethiopia’s red letter day as the nation celebrates the end of the second and the ushering in of the third millennium by remembering the past, by experiencing the democratic present and by preparing well for the future.

The overall theme of The Millennium “The new millennium, will herald Ethiopia’s renaissance ” has spurred the society to make a difference in combating poverty and the causes of poverty as well as broadening the frontiers of democracy and good governance. By seizing the golden opportunity that stems from the feel-good factor of The Millennium, the nation also hopes to slough off Ethiopia’s negative image and make Ethiopia a magnet for the flow of tourists and investors.

To this end the Ethiopian Government has assumed its historic responsibility of spearheading The Millennium by establishing The Ethiopian Millennium Festival National Council which consists of a cross-section of the Ethiopian Society has the following objectives:

1. To enable the whole society to have shared vision with respect to national issues on development and building democratic system and thereby enter the new Ethiopian Millennium with the hope of seeing a better Ethiopia;
2. To mobilize the society around national development and good governance issues and thereby create national consensus
3. To promote, through the concerted efforts of the Government and citizens, the national heritage of the country throughout the rest of the world with the view to building the nation’s image via-a-vis investment, tourism, trade and other aspects of the country:
4. To convey the country’s major national objectives, missions and strategic interests to the society, the youth and the world in general.

The Secretariat of The National Council has, therefore, adopted a two pronged approach in order to realize the above objectives of The Ethiopian Millennium Festival. First, in realizing that the ushering in of a new millennium is a time of great joy. The Festival is designed to celebrate the diversity of the people who make up Ethiopia by honoring their values and cultures. The climax of The Festival will be the millennium eve celebration, appropriately named “Our Millennium,” to show case nationally and internationally that Ethiopia is a mosaic of nations and nationalities.

As The Ethiopian Millennium has been declared a special African occasion” by member states of the African Union, the political capital of Africa’ – Addis Ababa will be hosting a week-long festivities highlighting the nation’s commendable role in the decolonization of Africa and in the formation and enhancement of the African Union. Renowned African historians, authors, artists and musicians from the continent are expected to grace “Africa Week” in Addis Ababa during May 2008. “Wubnesh Ethiopia” (Ethiopia the Beautiful is a musical drama designed to show to the world that Ethiopia has benefited enormously from the Union of free and equal nations and nationalities. To be produced by a phalanx of the best and brightest in Ethiopia’s fast growing theatre world, the show will explore colorfully Ethiopia’s chequered, but gallant past, as well as the diverse cultures of its people.

The second approach that The Secretariat has devised is The National Program which offers every Ethiopian the Chance to participate in projects that would leave lasting legacy to society. The following are, therefore, but some of the tailor-made projects for the Millennium.

1. “Plant 2 Trees for 2000” – a clarion call for all Ethiopians to show their concern to the environment by planning 2 trees at the close of the 2^nd millennium
2. The establishment of “Millennium Parks” – where people will relax in a tranquil surrounding with access to a mini-museum, play-ground and refreshment area.
3. The establishment of a “Coffee Museum” at Bonga, Kefa Zone, Southern Ethiopia, to show case the birth place where coffee was born and bred before it got spread to the rest of the world
4. The holding of a raft of symposia on nearly every aspect of Ethiopian anthropology and polity.

The Official logo of The Ethiopian Millennium symbolizes Ethiopia’s gift to the world in the form of a coffee bean; second it symbolizes a weapon that we, Africans, used to defend our independence and thirdly is symbolizes a womb to signify the fact that Ethiopia is known as “The Cradle of Mankind.” The numbers are in Geez (old Ethiopian) and Arabic respectively. The color of hope a better future, azure blue, adorns its background to indicate that The Millennium naturally creates the feel-good factor amongst Ethiopians

Source: The Ethiopian Millennium Festival National Council Secretariat.