Ethiopia: Representing Unrepresented Intellectuals – allAfrica.com



[ad_1]

By Desta Gebrehiwot

Inhabited by the fear of possible government animosity, threatened by self-inflicted fear and capacity limitations and disadvantaged by many institutions affiliated with the government, the majority of members of the intellectual community have been marginalized media, comments from researchers.

The situation has led to few figures to recur in the media landscape, limiting the plurality of ideas, they add.

The Department of Journalism and Communication of the Gondar University, Mustofa Worku, says that most researchers avoid the appearance of media or public forums because they are afraid of being exposed. be labeled and named.

But the main problem, he says. The media landscape is very narrow and isolates different points of view, mainly those who criticize the government, he believes.

"It embraces few individuals who can set the tone for their goals. But this is not to put all researchers in the same basket, there may be few who avoid the media for personal reasons. "

Without the engagement of dynamic and different intellectuals, it is more likely that political landscapes and landscapes remain unchanged," he adds, adding that the door to formal political participation is narrowing to dominant media and that many voices are not represented, offensive and extremist voices begin to circulate on social media

In the landscape, it seems that elites seem to have the facility that many researchers come to the forefront to publicize their opinion on various issues, he adds 59009] There is a window of change and hope in the country.And researchers should grasp the point. opportunity and help to frame the public opinion in the way that will help the development of the nation, according to him.In addition to their academic commitments, intellectuals must participate in the socio-economic and political activities of the country, he adds

In addition, the media must reach intellectual institutions and think tanks outside Addis Ababa. higher education institutions are developing, as is the number of academics, which will lead to the emergence of diverse ideas, which should allow the media to represent the different voices.

The Center for African and Oriental Studies Dr. Samuel Tefera says that many scholars have concerns that their comment will be correlative.

And there was a lack of mutual trust between the university and the media, he said. The government and the media rarely invite academics to discuss policy proposals and proposals, but most of the time it is after the adoption of documents that the government holds. with the scientists. Thus, the recommendations have no chance of inclusion. "

This has fractured the relationship of intellectuals with both parties, says Dr. Samuel.

On top of that, the public and private media are not independent, he notes, stressing that he is usually close to pro-government voices

The media should not be the voice of the government, as he said, "It should be only a forum for debate where different ideas are represented."

According to Dr. Samuel, the media has contributed negatively to the problem: they have not created discussion platforms where a large number of researchers could participate without covering forums organized by think tanks or research centers.

is not right to point fingers at the government or the media.The researchers themselves are either reluctant or unable to get their message across the socio-economic and political discourse of the country. that intellectuals, we must think out of the box. It is also our social responsibility to have a rational voice on the major incidents that occur in the country. Academic institutions should be a place for in-depth badysis of current affairs or urgent matters. But this has not been the case for many years. "

The Office of Government Relations and External Relations, Abdurahman Nbadier, agrees that only a few people have dominated the political discourse or the public opinion.

Previously, there was had limitations with regard to the participation of researchers in the political or economic aspects of the country. "

Researchers have avoided public forums for various reasons, he says.

"I do not think the government researchers were sensitive to their own opinions, but scholars were vulnerable to their own developed fear."

While the government will continue to create fertile ground for inclusive voices and diversity of ideas, researchers should be aware of their comments or opinions He adds that their research findings or recommendations will help decision-makers and the general public make informed decisions [19]. 659025] But things look good these days, says Abdurahman

Intellectuals are entitled to their own opinions and freedom of the press and expression can not be more guarantee to this regard

[ad_2]
Source link