Ethiopia’s National Flag Day

Monday (October 29th) marked the celebration of Ethiopia’s fifth annual National Flag Day with national flags flown across towns, cities and regions throughout the country, and Flag Day celebrations observed throughout the country. The occasion was held under the common theme: “Holding our flag high, we shall realize the Ethiopian Renaissance as initiated by its great architect Meles”. With the country still in mourning the loss of the late Prime Minister, the National Flag Day celebrations were another opportunity to honor and praise his leadership. Indeed, in tune with the theme of the Flag Day, members of the public at the National Stadium and elsewhere emphasized their commitment to realizing the vision outlined by the late Prime Minister Meles.

The day’s festivities culminated at the Addis Ababa National Stadium where representatives from the government, and the military, among them the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, General Samora Yenus, the police, religious institutions and foreign dignitaries as well as thousands of city residents participated. The Chairperson of the Flag Day National Organizing Committee and Speaker of the House of People’s Representatives, Abadula Gemeda, opened the celebration with a speech highlighting the importance of the day in building national consensus on the nation’s developmental and democratic goals. Ato Abadula urged the general public to fight the scourge of poverty that has plagued the country for so long by uniting its efforts under the policy of growth and transformation. He called on the current generation to use the flag as a weapon against poverty, evoking the memory of their forefathers who had used it to defeat foreign aggressors.

The guest of honor, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Ato Demeke Mekonnen, stressed that “by eradicating poverty we will preserve the honor of our flag as we have done throughout our history through immense collective sacrifice”. Ato Demeke expressed his hope that the national flag would act as a common thread between the present and the future, facilitating the transfer of constitutional and democratic values to coming generations. He called on the general public to intensify their efforts in order to maintain the rapid and sustainable development that the nation is currently experiencing. The Deputy Prime Minister also underlined the government’s determination to improving the livelihood of urban dwellers through increased generation of jobs and the implementation of development schemes aimed at making towns more habitable.

The Deputy Prime Minister, joined by members of the Federal Police and Defense Forces’ Guard of Honor, then raised the national flag while all those present joined in singing the National Anthem. Following the raising of the flag, the President of the Federal Supreme Court, Tegene Getaneh, conducted an oath-taking ceremony, reaffirming the nation’s commitment to economic growth and prosperity. The
celebrations were also accompanied by a parade of hundreds of children in cultural clothing, exemplifying the plural and diverse nature of Ethiopian society. They and the others in the stadium waved the flags of Ethiopia and of the Regional States and sang national songs.

Later in the day, officials and staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held their own Flag Day celebrations at the Ministry’s premises. Ambassador Fisseha Yimer, led the event on behalf of the acting Foreign Minister, and emphasized the significance of the celebration as an example of the nation’s sovereignty, equality and national pride. He noted that “the establishment of a new
constitutional order has instead turned the flag into an endeared emblem of the people, signifying their shared aspiration to building a new Ethiopia on the basis of democratic principles.” This contrasted with the past when the flag had served the interests of a repressive government. He called on the staff of the Ministry to contribute their share towards realization of the late Prime Minister’s vision of the Ethiopian Renaissance. Raising the flag and oath-taking concluded the ceremony.

National Flag Day has traditionally been celebrated during the second week of September. This year the celebration was postponed to October 29th due to the untimely death of Prime Minister Meles in August. **************
* Originally published on A Week in the Horn – Nov. 2, 2012 issue, titled “Ethiopia’s National Flag Day”. Items from A Week in the Horn are re-published here with a permission to do so.

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