๐๐, ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐!
โOh, when the saints go marching in,โ is a world famous traditional African American spiritual and gospel song that expresses communal joy, hope and eternal anticipation.
โOh, when the saints go marching inโฆ Oh, Lord I want to be in that numberโฆ Oh, when the drums begin to bang Oh, I want to be in that numberโฆ Oh, when the trumpet sounds its callโฆ Lord I want to be in that numberโฆ Some say this world of trouble is the only one we need, But I’m waiting for that morning When the new world is revealed.”
On the morning of July 15, 2026, I am waiting to finally see, along with 3,999 fellow Ethiopians, the glimmer of the New Ethiopia revealed at the Ethiopian National Dialogue Conference.
There will be Ethiopians from all walks of life — farmers, pastoralists, industrial workers, doctors, lawyers, engineers, business owners, educators, military and police officers, religious leaders, federal and local officials, politicians, men and women of all ages and othersโmarching into Addis International Convention Center ready, willing and able to engage in civilized conversation and dialogue about the past and future of their country.
These Ethiopians will gather not merely in a conference hall, but at a crossroads in our nationโs history. This July day and the coming weeks of discussions and deliberations carry both the weight of our past and the promise of our future.
We shall assemble in the Addis Convention Center to cast away division and discord in favor of dialogue; strive for understanding and tolerance by putting aside suspicion; replace despair with hope, and chart a course out of poverty into the promised land of Ethiopian peace, progress and prosperity.
Ethiopia is a land of extraordinary depthโrich in culture, language, and history. For centuries, our diversity has been a source of strength, resilience, and identity.
Yet we also recognize that this same diversity has, at times, been tested by misunderstanding and conflict. Today, we choose a different path. Today, we choose to listen. To talk with each other. To take a hard look at our problems and arrive at a consensus on how best to go forward.
Dialogue is not a sign of weakness. It is an act of supreme courage. It requires us to sit with those we may disagree with, to hear voices we may not fully understand, and to acknowledge truths that may challenge us. But it is through this process that nations heal, trust is rebuilt, and lasting peace is born.
Let us approach our Ethiopian National Dialogue Conference with open minds and open hearts. Let us remember that beyond every opinion is a human story of triumph and defeat, despair and hope; and behind every perspective is a shared desire for dignity, security, and opportunity. We are not strangers to one anotherโwe are brothers and sisters bound by a common destiny.
The future of Ethiopia will not be shaped by a single voice, but by the collective wisdom of our people. Each contribution made here matters. Each effort toward understanding brings us closer to a nation where differences are not feared, but respected; where disagreements do not divide us but strengthen our unity.
We must be guided by a simple but powerful truth: peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice, respect, and shared purpose. What we begin here today is not just a conversationโit is the foundation of a more inclusive, stable, peaceful and hopeful Ethiopia.
Let history remember this moment as the time when Ethiopians chose dialogue over discord, cooperation over confrontation, and hope over hesitation.
On this day of July 15, 2026, I shall express my hope and good wishes with a prayer of thanksgiving to God as well as a prayer for Ethiopian peace, progress and prosperity as we march out of poverty into the promised land of prosperity in the lyrics (paraphrased) of James Weldon Johnsonโs, โLift Every Voice and Sing,โ:
Lift every Ethiopian voice and sing,
Till earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the listโning Ethiopian skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea which Ethiopia shall soon access.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark and tragic past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun in Ethiopia,
Let us march on till victory over division, discord and despair is won.
God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who hast by Thy might,
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path of truth, reconciliation and unity, we pray.
โOh, when the saints go marching into Addis Convention Center for national dialogueโฆ Oh, Lord Thank You for I will be in that numberโฆ”
๐๐จ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ, ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐, ๐๐๐๐, ๐ฅ๐๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฒ.
๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐!