Emigrants and the state in Ethiopia: transnationalism and the challenges of political antagonism

ABSTRACT

Since the fall of military-socialist government in 1991 in Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) has embarked on the total restructuring of the state. It has presented ‘Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ as an ‘organizing principle’ and it has been working towards the rebuilding of the Ethiopian state along this line. The focus of this paper is EPRDF's policies and practices of engagement of Ethiopian emigrants. The analysis is based on information and interviews with government officials in Addis Ababa and with Ethiopian migrants in Washington DC during February–May 2013. This study indicates that the EPRDF government gradually started to focus its attention on Ethiopian migrants around the world, mainly due to the growing economic significance of their transnational engagement in Ethiopia. The study also shows the circumstances in which political debates about the conditions in Ethiopia has been permeating interactions within Ethiopians emigrants.

KEYWORDS:

• Emigration
• diaspora
• transnationalism
• political antagonism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Explaining the Ethiopian outmigration: Incentives or Constraints? By Seid Hassan and Minga Negash December 20, 2013.

2. ‘Ethiopia Foreign Minister, Dr Tedros Adhanom meets Ethiopian Diaspora in DC', Tigrayonline, 29 April 2013, http://www.tigraionline.com/articles/tedros-adhanom-meets.html, accessed May 2014.

3. Mr Mulugeta, General Director of the Diaspora Engagement Affairs Directorate General, interview, May 2013, Addis Ababa.

4. Mr Getnet, Officer, Ministry of Civil Service and Diaspora Coordinating office, interview May, 2013, Addis Ababa.

5. Officer at the Diaspora affairs office at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Interview May, 2013, Addis Ababa.

6. Mr Mulugeta, the General Director of the Diaspora Engagement Affairs Directorate General, Interview May 7, 2013, Addis Ababa.

7. Mr Mulugeta, Interview.

8. Program Assistant, International Organization for Migration, Ethiopian Office, Interviewed, May 7, Addis Ababa.

9. Ms. Firehiwot, Interviewed, May 2013, Addis Abba.

10. Received ECDC (Ethiopian Community Development Center) distinguished service award.

11. Professor Mohen, Howard University, Interview, May 2013, Washington DC.

12. Mr Dawit, Director, ECDSC, Interview, May 2013, Washington DC.

13. Mr Dereje, ZeEthiopia (media organization), Interview May 2013, Washington DC.

14. Mr Paulos, Private Physician, Interview, May 2013, Washington DC.

15. Mr Dereje, Interview.

16. Ms. Hermela, ECC Director, May 2013, Washington DC.

17. Mr Dawit, Interview.

18. Mr Dawit, Interview.

19. Interviews with Ms. Taera Asrat – University of Maryland Ethiopian Student Association-Incoming President, Mr Tedros Bitew – University of Maryland Ethiopian Student Association-Public Relations Representative, Mr Kirubel Tadesse-University of Maryland, Baltimore County Ethiopian-Eritrean Student Association-Incoming Vice-President, May 2013, Maryland, see also, http://www.umbc.edu/studentlife/orgs/eesa.

20. Interview with Lulit Ayne & Shimelse Mekonnen, Co-Founders + Vice-President and Executive Vice-President, respectively, Young Ethiopian Professionals, Washington DC, see also http://www.yepnetworks.org.

21. Likeseyuman Getahun, Interview, May 2013, Washington DC.

22. Interview with leaders of Ethiopian Student Association at Maryland University, May 2013.

23. Interviewee Ethio-American (business organization), Interview, May 2013, Washington DC.

24. Mr Yohannes, Interview.

25. Mr Dereje Interview.

26. Mr Dereje, Interview.

27. Mr Dawit, Interview.

28. Mr Yohannes, Interview.

29. Mr Yohannes, Interview.

30. Mr Paulos, Interview.

31. Mr Bregity, US State Department, African Affairs, Interview, May 2013, Washington DC.

32. Dr Dawit Teklu, Strayer University, Interview, May 2013, Washington DC.

33. Likeseyuman Getahun, Interview.

34. Mr Alemayehu, Interview, May 2013, Washington DC.

35. The most dramatic recent incident is allegations of protesters attempting to enter the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington DC, and the subsequent firing of a gun by the Embassy Security Guard.

36. Mr Mulugeta, Interview, 7 May 2013, Addis Ababa.

37. Mr Mulugeta, Interview.

38. Interview with Ethiopian emigrants in Washington DC, 25 May 2013.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the research project entitled ‘at the limits of the diverse nations: migration and the plurinational projects of Ecuador and Ethiopia’, Faculty of Social Sciences, Quito, Ecuador.