The Fallen Obelisk of Aksum

Ethiopian Observer Editorial

In his most recent article entitled Gratification and Gratitude for the Reemergence of Pan-Ethiopian Agenda, Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia proposed, among many other suggestions he presented, the erection of the fallen obelisk of Aksum. Professor Ghelawdewos is a leading Ethiopian scholar in education, international studies, political economy, and history, and a prolific writer on contemporary and current issues; he has contributed hundreds of scholarly works, not to mention his books on Ethiopia in English, Amharic, and Tigrigna. He also has written extensively on areas pertaining to his field of expertise mentioned above. What makes Dr. Ghelawdewos different from other writers is that his writings are objective, balanced, educational, and original; and with this unique style and integrity, he has been producing articles that reflect divergent issues and that could be considered blue prints for discussion forums, researchers, and individual readers. On top of this, Dr. Araia is the founder and president of the Institute of Development and Education for Africa (IDEA).

Therefore his present noble idea embedded in novelty in regards to the erection of the fallen obelisk of Aksum is not surprising; what is significant in his proposal is the fact that he argues, the standing of the obelisk is tantamount to the rise of Ethiopia, or as he further extrapolates, the erection of this enormous stele will symbolically represent the emergence of Ethiopia as one of the success stories in Africa, if not the world.

We at Ethiopian Observer fully endorse the idea of Professor Ghelawdewos Araia and will cooperate with his initiative and effort; ethioobserver.net will be the first media network to campaign for this great idea, and we urge Ethiopian Observer subscribers and other Ethiopians to follow suit and support the idea of erecting the fallen obelisk of Aksum.