ETHIOPIA: As Ethiopia Celebrates New Year Cardinal Berhaneyesus Appeals for Dialogue Between Neighboring Countries Over The Great Renaissance Dam
H.E Berhaneyesus Demerew Cardinal Souraphiel
Habtamu Abredrew
Ethiopia has its own calendar and celebrated the New Year on 11th September 2020 when the month of Meskerem ushered in the New Year of 2013.
The New Year begins at the end of the rainy season of Ethiopia which runs from June to September. The end of the rainy season brings in sunshine, flowers, and ends hibernation for many animals, birds, and insects.
The “Adey” Ababa, a yellow flower associated with New Year, covers the valleys and hills. Young girls pick the yellow flowers and go around singing best wishes and offering the flower to families, relatives, and neighbors.
The darkness of the rainy season is replaced by the beauty of the flowers and the brightness of the sun. It is a time of hope and joy, a new beginning!
It is on this occasion that Cardinal Berhaneyesus D. Souraphiel CM, Archbishop of Addis Ababa and President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Ethiopia (CBCE) has sent his best wishes to all Ethiopia’s neighboring countries, more especially now as the Great Renaissance Dam of Ethiopia has caused some tension in the region.
“Happy Ethiopian New Year! May it be a blessed year of good neighborliness, peace, health, and prosperity!” he said.
“I especially would like to convey my New Year best wishes to Sudan and Egypt. As it is known, Ethiopia is building a dam, called the Great Renaissance Dam of Ethiopia (GERD), on the Abay River, known also as the Blue Nile, which flows to join the White Nile in Omdurman (Khartoum) and continues its journey to Egypt and ends in the Mediterranean Sea. Water is life and, as such, it is right that the three countries: Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt are giving it high value,” he continued.
Cardinal Berhaneyesus has underscored the importance of dialogue over the matter, reminding the neighboring countries of the message of Pope Francis on 15th August 2020 when he appealed to Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt to “not to let the dispute over the dam lead to conflict but to understanding and collaboration for the common good of all concerned.
“I am grateful for all the efforts of the international organizations, especially the African Union, which are facilitating such dialogues. The African Union’s stand: African problems with African solutions are encouraging. And may God continue to protect us from the COVID-19 pandemic,” concludes Cardinal Berhaneyesus.
