Ethiopia
It is the second-most populous nation in Africa,
with over 85 million people,
with 84 spoken languages.
Even more unique, however,
is the ability of Ethiopians to live together
in such a cultural context, in peace.
Certainly, Ethiopia may still be regarded
as special for another reason: religion.
Indeed, Ethiopia is one of those countries
which is historically linked with Judaism,
Islam, as well as Christianity.
In fact, almost 63% of the population is Christian,
and about 33% of the population is Muslim.
Against this background, one might conclude
that religion as such in Ethiopia comes as self-evident.
It is a common phenomenon.
And in relation to the latter,
one might ask,
whether such a situation, as persecution because of faith,
has ever taken place in Ethiopia?
It was Haile Selassie, one of Ethiopia’s
best known and most beloved rulers, who said:
"Throughout history,
it has been the inaction of those who could have acted;
the indifference of those who should have known better;
the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most;
that has made it possible for evil to triumph."
It sounds paradoxical, but those words were said
by Haile Selassie before his reign came to an end in 1974,
when a Marxist-Leninist military junta deposed him.
A Red Terror period started,
during which hundreds of thousands of people were executed,
not to mention the millions who suffered
from the regime in Ethiopia.
For us, Estonians, familiarly,
it is known that the communist power
did not tolerate religion as such.
And thus also in Ethiopia: those who remained faithful
to their faith were persecuted.
Amamo is one of those simple Christians
who has his own story to tell.
He is an Ethiopian who loves his homeland
and who loves God, and most importantly,
who did not remain indifferent.
But the question remains:
what can we learn from him?
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