Kenenisa is taking big time heat.

Kenenisa-heat wrote:

So many in Ethiopia are very disappointed in him. Apparently there are videos of him before RIO Olympics claiming they didn't let him in becaus he was Oromo. The same tribe Lelisa Desisa is from, the one being persecuted in Ethiopia. He claimed they discriminated against him and that it was all about race. But during the post race interview in Berlin he said it has nothing to do with race. He pulled a Donald Trump well a Hillary as well. Because they both flip flop. I don't blame him personally because he is looking out whats best for him. But he better becareful, Oromo people might kill him. What the guy is saying basically is "Why don't you just say I don't want to talk politics and sports should be out of it and shut your mouth" to Bekele. Bekele went as far as saying the current government is also trying to bring peace and that my friends didn't sit well with many Ethiopians.

There are so many videos out there on him but this one is funny. He speaks in Oromo, Amharic, and a little English as well. Somebody please interpret. Thank You

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2CKjRGSBDDs

fdafsdf wrote:

Lilesa had to flee his country for his protest. You can't blame Bekele for not wanting to do the same. He has spoken up against mistreatment in the past (at least when it came to Olympic team selection), but you could tell he was uncomfortable with the questioning. Even if he agrees with Lilesa and others, which I think he does, he doesn't want to publically acknowledge it and risk losing everything. He didn't denounce Lilesa and others for protesting. He was trying to agree but not agree, in broken English. It's great that people like Lilesa speak up, but you can't blame others for not doing so given what could happen to them. Bekele can probably do more good in Ethiopia by keeping his money and finding ways to invest in things that can help the Ethiopian people than by speaking up, having his money stolen, and being banished from the country (or worse: killed).

NativeSon wrote:

People,

You have to understand Ethiopia and its politics.

ethiopia is not like kenya where one can say almost anything.

in a manner of speaking, ethiopia is like a little north korea- a controlled system.

Clerk wrote:

To be sure, Bekele says that he doesn't believe there should be a mix of sport and politics. In saying that he implies that he won't make explicit statements about the conflict, like his countryman.

For Bekele, this is not a time for a Bob Costas moment of sportsmen coming to the rescue of society. Bekele has many more assets to protect in Ethiopia.

In the big picture, the Western perspective of civics and participation in and with the government is not congruent with the perspective of those in Ethiopia (many other countries too, of course.) For example, because the government is failing so massively in so many ways, many see as the most immediate fix is to get better individuals in government. The decision making, planning, and implementation is bad in a way that is characteristic of poor individuals, rather than a faulty system.

Halie Gebrselassie said this in February

“As an African citizen democracy is a luxury… the most important thing is a good governor,” the BBC journalist couldn’t believe what Haile said and asked him again “We don’t need democracy right now, what you mean by that? Surely everybody need democracy”

He says that as a man with political ambitions, supposedly running for parliament in 2020. There is some pragmatism in the rest of that interview, as he knows that good democracy cannot be earned overnight,. But, the fact that he as an individual is in a position of power (economic and cultural power) means that the most obvious route for him to implement change is as a powerful individual.

It would wrong to describe politics and civics in Ethiopia (and again, most other countries) as "complicated" because it would imply that it follows the same patterns familiar in the west. Commenters here need to realize it is a totally different set of norms, expectations, and perspectives.

That is all one piece of the context of Bekele's comments. It is not a failure of character like the OP implies, but just one consequence of the totally different relationship between individuals, society, and the government in Ethiopia.

Clerk wrote:

I want to follow up and reiterate something I don't think I explained well. In the west, powerful individuals can be powerful because they sway grassroots movements. That is not the case in Ethiopia, where powerful individuals are powerful because they have the money or political machinery to act on their will. Gebrselassie doesn't see his significance as a leader who can swing the people, using is cultural significance or even his importance as a businessman. He sees himself as an individual who can make the right decisions to benefit others.

Bekele's comments are made in this context: his "celebrity" is not a source of power, at least not to the extent it is here. Similarly, the power behind Lilesa's protest wasn't that he just earned the silver medal and was making a statement, but that the statement was being brought up in front of an international audience, for the biggest international forum. To expect Bekele, or anyone, to use their celebrity as a tool is just not congruent with the reality in Ethiopia.