← Africa Daily
Africa Daily
Focus on Africa: Ethiopia opens huge dam despite outside opposition
00:31:49
Egypt and Sudan have been opposed to the building of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
Loading summary
Transcript61 lines
- [00:00]
Antonia Salzano
Foreign.
- [00:06]
Charles Gitonga
Here is what's coming up for you on this edition of focus on Africa. After 14 years of construction and controversy, Ethiopia has inaugurated the Grand Renaissance Dam along the Nile River. However, this raises deep concerns for Egypt. Who are the separatist leaders indicted in the US for suspected crimes in Cameroon?
- [00:27]
Paul Njie
These are men who are resident in the United States but of Cameroonian origin. And, and they are said to be leaders of the Amazonian Defense Forces. That's the military wing of the Amazonia Governing Council.
- [00:39]
Charles Gitonga
And London born Carlo Akutis, who died in 2006, becomes the first millennial to be made saint by the Catholic Church. What is the process of becoming a saint?
- [00:49]
Bishop Matthew Hassan Kuka
Saints are just ordinary people who did ordinary things extraordinarily. First of all, it is something that happens after you've gone. And in very many cases, even to start the process, it has to be minimum of five or so years after you're gone.
- [01:04]
Charles Gitonga
It's Tuesday, September 9th. First we go to Ethiopia. The country is today celebrating the opening of a mega project that could prove to be a game changer in many ways. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is Africa's largest hydroelectric project. It has taken 14 years to build and at a cost of US$5 billion, the massive project is expected to deliver electricity to nearly half of Ethiopia's 135 million people who are currently not connected to the national power grid. Getinesh lives in a small farming community in southern Ethiopia. Her village is on the outskirts of Hawasa, one of the country's major cities, yet it does not have access to electricity. Getines and her family use kerosene powered lamps for light and firewood for cooking.
- [02:11]
Listener 1
When we run out of fuel, we might spend nights in darkness. Sometimes we use firewood as a source of light. Sometimes we can't even have enough wood.
- [02:22]
Charles Gitonga
Now she and her husband are are hopeful that the new dam will bring them electric power and herald the dawn of a brighter day. Here is her husband, Kermessa Geltja.
- [02:34]
Kalkidan Yebel Tal
I feel incredibly happy because this is our shared ambition. I don't even have words to explain my excitement.
- [02:42]
Charles Gitonga
At just under 6,700 kilometers or 4,200 miles, the Nile is one of the world's longest rivers. It has two major tributaries, the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The first stretches from its farthest stream in Burundi through Lake Victoria, flowing through Uganda and South Sudan. The Blue Nile runs from Ethiopia to Khartoum, Sudan's capital, where the two streams meet before flowing into Egypt as the Nile and to the Mediterranean Sea. Ethiopia's dam is built on the Blue Nile. For Ethiopians who helped fund the mega project, the dam is a symbol of progress and energy independence. However, Egypt and Sudan say the dam breached international law and would cause grave consequences to the two downstream countries. Professor Abbas Mohammed Sharaki is a geologist from the University of Cairo. He expressed his deep concern over Egypt's water security and survival.
- [03:43]
Professor Abbas Mohammed Sharaki
Egypt is so concerned about the GERD because the River Nile is the main source of Egypt. And about 97% of our water from the Nile and the Blue Nile provides the Nile river by about 60%. So Geert is controlling 60% of the Nile water and the Egyptian annual share. And the Blue Nile is an international river or shared river between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt, constructing any water project, like dams or like the girder in our case, we should negotiate, we should consult and we should have an agreement because this is international water and the dam will control the water for Sudan and Egypt.
- [04:43]
Charles Gitonga
Professor Abbas Mohamed Sharaki from the University of Cairo. I heard more from our regional correspondent in Ethiopia, Kalkidan Yebel Tal.
- [04:51]
Kalkidan Yebel Tal
The mood is certainly of joy and celebration, particularly among people who just realized how this dam has seen the finish line. After 14 years of construction. It's not as exciting as it was three years ago when the dam first began generating electricity. That was when one of the turbines began generating around 375 megawatts of electricity. So that was a huge moment. So it's not as exciting or as joyful as it was because, you know, by now a lot of people have come accustomed to the reality that the dam is now on the verge of being fully operational. However, there are quite a number of things that the authorities have planned and a lot of people seem to be unified around the fact that even in a country like Ethiopia, where there is quite a division among people along ethnic lines and there are ongoing conflicts in a number of places, places across the country, this dam and what it means seems to unify people in pride and in joy.
- [05:46]
Charles Gitonga
So beyond electricity, what does the dam mean for Ethiopia's broader economy and the development plans and ambitions that the country.
- [05:55]
Kalkidan Yebel Tal
Seems to have since it was announced some 14 years ago? The plan was clear by the Ethiopian authorities that this is going to be an instrumental and a very key part of Ethiopia's efforts to continue industrialization and then also to continue growing, growing its economy. Particularly in the 2000s and in the early 2000s, Ethiopian economy was one of the fastest growing in Africa and at some point even among the world. So Ethiopia wants to Capitalize on that momentum and then continue its growth. And it seems that this term and what it symbolizes and also what it offers in electricity, in its capacity to provide power to ruler families as well as to major industries in urban and industrial areas, was planned to be very pivotal. And it continues to be that Egypt.
- [06:48]
Charles Gitonga
Sudan, those two countries have opposed the plan to build and develop this dam. And they are even more worried that the dam is getting inaugurated and Ethiopia is pretty much forging ahead with the plan for what they aim to achieve. So on one hand, Ethiopians feel proud of what has been achieved, but at the same time, some of the neighbors, those two specifically, are very concerned about this. I wonder if ordinary people, you know, in the streets and towns and villages of Ethiopia are able to look at these two issues and reconcile them in some way.
- [07:22]
Kalkidan Yebel Tal
The position held by Egypt and Sudan from the very beginning has been very clear. They feel that their essential water supplies might be threatened by this dam. And also they're concerned by the fact that there isn't any binding agreement holding these three countries together and how to use the Nile waters. And particularly they have this fear around times of drought. The European position has been it doesn't have any aim or any plan to hurt these two downstream countries. And the dam is not going to limit or restrict the water flow in any ways. And it seems that among the ordinary people, that sentiment is shared. They are saying that the dam is in no way putting any risk to the two countries. But at the same time, this, the issue of the Nile particularly has been at the center of animosity between Ethiopia and Egypt for decades, if not for centuries. It's a very historical issue. Ethiopians cites some historical books or historical documents going back hundreds of years saying that they have not been able to utilize this water, even though Ethiopia generates around 85% of the Nile waters. So now what they're saying is it's time for the country and for the people to utilize this water. And it seems that many people don't seem to be concerned by these concerns coming from Egypt and Sudan, given that they feel they have not been utilizing the Nile waters for centuries, and now it's time for them to use these waters properly. So it doesn't seem many people are bothered by the voices coming from the two downstream countries.
- [08:51]
Charles Gitonga
So it's been 14 years in the making. Has the project become in some ways a defining symbol for the successive Ethiopian governments?
- [08:59]
Kalkidan Yebel Tal
Absolutely. It is one of those things that unified not just the people, but, you know, different governments. Even if one government overthrows another one. And then, you know, essentially declared it as sort of as a hostile figure. It seems that when it comes to the Nile waters, when it comes to this dam, the governments, the authorities, authorities seem to be unified about that. Even now when you speak to senior government officials, they speak starting from the imperial era. They said that Ethiopia's last imperial, Haile Selassie, had a plan to utilize this water back in the 1960s and 70s, but he couldn't do it because of the status and the state that the country was in. And then it was started by the late Prime Minister Mella Zanawi in 2011. And after that, another prime minister came and then he continued that project and now a different prime minister in Abi Hamed, who essentially saw it to be completed. So when it comes to this project, all these governments seem to be speaking on the same tone and it seems to be unifying people not just across political and ethnic lives, but across generations as well.
- [10:02]
Charles Gitonga
And Kalkidan, what about these claims by President Trump that the US has contributed financially to the construction of this?
- [10:10]
Kalkidan Yebel Tal
Well, President Trump spoke about that not once but three times. He said that the United States supported Ethiopia financially to build this dam. That was something that caught a lot of people in Ethiopia by surprise because the general understanding that the dam was built by funds collected entirely domestically, it was funded by the government as well as contributions from the public. And there were some confusion because the authorities here in Addis Ababa were not reacting quickly. But after some time they have reacted. And even we were speaking to the minister of water and Energy and he said that the dam undoubtedly was funded by the government and the people. So it seems that the authorities as well as the people are very much confused and surprised by these remarks from President Trump. And the official line is that this was built by funds allocated from the government as well as people who have contributed either by buying government issued bonds, by donations from their monthly salaries, if they are civil servants and others, by just, you know, giving one time contributions.
- [11:12]
Charles Gitonga
So the dam is officially operational. Now, what will be the next challenges for Ethiopia both in terms of distributing and getting this electricity to the people, but also I do not think it's a done deal between Sudan and Egypt. The concerns are still there.
- [11:28]
Kalkidan Yebel Tal
Yes, the authorities here say that currently around 46% of the entire population does not have access to electricity. And that's a huge number because Ethiopia is a huge country with population estimated between 120 and 135 million. So if we go by that number, tens of millions of People across the country still do not have access to electricity. So the first challenge is going to be trying to reach these people. And Ethiopia needs to enhance its electricity infrastructure. It needs to distribute more electric networks. And then some of the villages and towns and areas that do not have access to electricity are very remote. And the authorities now are facing challenges to try to reach these people. At the same time, as you said, the concerns are still there. There was a joint statement by the two countries recently saying that still the dam is a threat to their and still Ethiopia is acting unilaterally making any decisions regarding the dam. And even there was a statement from the Arab League of which the two countries are members, saying that this dam is going to have concerns for the two countries.
- [12:34]
Charles Gitonga
The BBC's Kalkidan Yi Beltal in Ethiopia, next to Cameroon. This Central African nation is predominantly French speaking. However, for years militants have been fighting for the independence of Cameroon's two Anglophone regions. They want their own state and claim that they've faced marginalization by the Francophone majority government. The struggle for power has led to a conflict between the separatist fighters and the government forces killing almost 6,000 people and displacing many others. Now it's emerged that their cause is led and supported by two men living in Minnesota, in the United States. The two, who are naturalized U.S. citizens are leaders of the Amazonia Defense Forces, the military wing of the separatist movement, and were indicted last week by federal prosecutors. US Prosecutors say the two men were allegedly planning attacks on local civilians and officials in Cameroon. If convicted, they could face life in prison. Meanwhile, the militants have declared a three week lockdown in Cameroon's English speaking nations. The BBC correspondent Paul Njie is in the capital Yaounde. And I began by asking him to tell us about these two men who've been indicted in the U.S. so the.
- [13:54]
Paul Njie
Two men indicted in the U.S. are Benedict Kwa and Pascal Wongbi. These are men who are resident in the United States. They are naturalized citizens, but of Cameroonian origin. And they are said to be leaders of the Ambazonia Defense Forces, that the military wing of the Ambazonia Governing Council. And you know, U.S. federal officials said that these two were using the United States as a base for their operations, you know, to facilitate killings, bombings, maimings, abductions back in Cameroon.
- [14:27]
Charles Gitonga
So the reason this is all happening is because, you know, there's a francophone part of Cameroon, you know, which is, I assume, the larger one and more represented perhaps, and also there is an Anglophone part of the country. Just give us the context around why and how this is happening and also who the Amazonians are.
- [14:48]
Cameroon Expert
So there's currently an armed conflict going on in the English speaking part of the country. And as you rightly said, Cameroon is a bilingual country with both French and English as the main official languages. And so the Francophone part makes up about 80%, while the Anglophone part makes up about 20%. And there had been a growing perception of marginalization of the Anglophone minority by the Francophone dominated government. And so that led to some clashes by separatists. It began really as some form of protests or strike actions by Anglophone lawyers and teachers, but that later morphed into an armed conflict when separatists also took UP arms in 2017 to say they are fighting for a breakaway state. So, yeah, basically these are the things that have led to that. Since then, separatists have imposed a boycott on education. Economic activities have been grounded as a result of that, and about 6,000 people have been killed and thousands or hundreds of thousands more displaced.
- [15:47]
Charles Gitonga
So what role then do these two accused play in the Anglophone part of Cameroon?
- [15:53]
Cameroon Expert
Yeah, so they are being accused of conspiring to kill, kidnap, maim and injure people abroad because they are based in the US So they are seen as those commandeering the actions on the ground from the English speaking regions. And, you know, they are accused of spearheading the kidnap of people of local officials and civilians. So basically they are part of just a wider group of armed groups in this Anglophone region that have been accused of rights abuses and atrocities. And people believe that with their indictment in the US it now will open the way for several other cases. But I should note that this is not, you know, the first case of indictment in the US of people accused of links with the crisis back home.
- [16:37]
Charles Gitonga
If you could tell us about Ambazonia and also who the Ambazonia defense forces are and their role in this case.
- [16:46]
Cameroon Expert
So Ambazonia is the name that the separatist movements have attributed to the country which they seek to create. And they believe that the English speaking minority deserves to be under that single establishment. But the Cameroonian government has been categorical in its denial that the country is seceding. So the government has said that Cameroon remains one and indivisible and that, you know, there is no room for separation. But the separatists say that they do not belong to the country where there is the marginalization. So you see, there is this conflicting view. And since 2017, when they declared their independence they believe that they are in control of the English speaking regions. And that's why they are able to, in their view, to order lockdowns, to order ghost towns, and to order that schools be shut. And of course, they believe that that's their own way of assuming control.
- [17:38]
Charles Gitonga
Just paint us a picture of, you know, what life is like in the anglophone parts of, you know, Cameroon, where this group is said to be in control.
- [17:47]
Cameroon Expert
It's interesting, Charles, that we're having this conversation right now because as we speak, there's currently a lockdown in the English speaking parts of the country imposed by the separatists to forestall school resumption. This, they believe is to be done for the next three weeks. They are saying that they do not want the school system commanded by the government in Yaounde, you know, to have an influence over the people in the English speaking regions. That's why they are putting this lockdown to show that they still have some level of control. And basically, when they call for lockdowns, what it means is that the economic activities will be grounded, circulation will also be brought to a halt and schools will be shut, businesses premises shut. And that's the reality here. Although I should note that as things stand, while a majority of the schools in the English speaking regions remain shut, there are a few that are open, notably some government run institutions and some private and confessional schools that are opening, but that the attendance is dismal and not as compared to that of schools in the francophone regions of the country which have gained steam and which are fully resumed.
- [18:56]
Charles Gitonga
So for these people, ordinary people that are affected in the way that you've described, do they feel just as strongly that there needs to be a separate country for them?
- [19:08]
Cameroon Expert
To be honest, Charles, it depends on who you ask. There are those split within the lines, some who are of the opinion that there needs to be a united country. There are others who believe that the country should have been united, but in a federal system. And then there are those who believe that, well, if things aren't working, the only way is to go their separate ways. However, the government is resolute that there is no room for separation. And in terms of its actions, it has seemed to, you know, position this as some people who are trying to distort the order of the national orientation, who are trying to distort the unity of the country. And in terms of also the arrests we are seeing of people abroad, it's also part of government's clarion call for its international partners to track down some of Those they accuse of stoking violence and division in the country so that they could be brought to justice. So the government over the years has been urging countries, friendly countries, to arrest some of these people and if possible, repatriate them back home so that they can face justice. And I would believe that with news of the arrest of some of these separatist leaders, the government would be smiling. But on the ground, the perception is divided along the lines of unity, federalism and outright separation.
- [20:28]
Charles Gitonga
Give us an idea of how the government in Cameroon has received responded to this push by the separatist group.
- [20:35]
Cameroon Expert
They have definitely responded in several ways and combat is one of those. The state forces have also been accused of extrajudicial killings and other forms of atrocities alongside the separatists. So they are not completely innocent in all of this, according to human rights groups. But the government has also seemed to position itself as a peacemaker. In 2019, the authorities organized a national dialogue meant to resolve the Anglophone crisis. But up until now, the results of that dialogue haven't really translated into a solution to the conflict because it's very much on as we speak, the lockdown is on, which means that things are not yet better. Although the government is saying that the situation is under control and that there has been an improved resumption of life in these regions, there does appear that while there are signs of growing normality in some areas, other areas are still, you know, reeling from the virulent impact of the conflict.
- [21:32]
Charles Gitonga
The BBC's correspondent Paul Njie in the Cameroonian capital Yaounde. This is Focus on Africa from the BBC World Service. Today we are diving into an extraordinary story of faith, technology and a teenager who just made history. A 15 year old computer whiz who loved coding, playing PlayStation and helping the homeless is now officially a saint.
- [22:15]
Professor Abbas Mohammed Sharaki
Og guardiamo a son Pier Giorgio Frasati.
- [22:19]
Charles Gitonga
Ya San Carlo accuti London Born Carlo Acutis, who has an Italian background, became the first millennial saint in a ceremony presided over by Pope Leo in a parked St. Peter's Square in the Vatican City. The teenager died in 2006 from leukemia. But in his short life he created websites documenting miracles as a way of spreading Catholic teachings, leading some to nickname him God's influencer. His mother, Antonia Salzano remembers what he.
- [22:49]
Antonia Salzano
Was like in everything. He was advanced and he started very shortly to ask me question about religion. I had the feeling that Carlo was special since he was small because he was very generous and was not normal generosity. Carlos followed the example of St. Francis. He was Very sensible to the poor. For example, when he was nine years old, we used to live in the center of Milano. Around our house. There were a lot of beggars living in the street. And Carlo used to question himself. I have everything. I have a love of my parents, and these people have nothing. And so he starts to bring sleeping bags to blankets, to bring food to these people. Carlo was somebody that if he met somebody in the street, even if he didn't know, he smile, say hello. He had a special gift.
- [23:41]
Charles Gitonga
Carlo's canonization got many people talking about it.
- [23:45]
Listener 1
I find his story to be very inspiring as he showcases a young person with a deep love for God and how he was able to show this love within the modern context.
- [23:57]
Listener 2
The story of Kahlo is one that excites me As a young person living in Ghana and also being a Catholic. It's an example to all young people around the world that with your skill sets, your small craft, something that you are doing in your own corner, you can also make impact and become a saint.
- [24:15]
Charles Gitonga
To understand more about Carlos Story and what his sainthood means in today's world, I spoke with Bishop Matthew Hassan Kuka, the current bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Nigeria. He started by telling me what a saint means in the eyes of the church.
- [24:33]
Bishop Matthew Hassan Kuka
In the eyes of the church, all of us are first of all called to sainthood. Because being a saint is a vocation, is another way of following the footsteps of Christ. Through the quality and nature of the work that they did. The church over the years, evolved a methodology for identifying men and women across time and communities who lived exemplary lives and who could be elevated to sainthood in doing that, of course, you were. Let me use a secular word, democratizing the process in the sense that people could now not see sainthood as something that is so distant from them, but something that is very close to them.
- [25:11]
Charles Gitonga
How does one then become a saint? What kind of life do you need to have led? You know, things that the church would later consider and start you on the process of becoming one.
- [25:23]
Bishop Matthew Hassan Kuka
This is not a life that you have a notebook beside you. No, it doesn't work that way. Because saints are just ordinary people who did ordinary things extraordinarily. First of all, it is something that happens after you've gone. And in very many cases, even to start the process, it has to be minimum of five or so years after you're gone before people start thinking and talking about those possibilities.
- [25:48]
Charles Gitonga
So what is the process like?
- [25:50]
Bishop Matthew Hassan Kuka
There are no applications. You don't write an Application, as I said, it is something that happens after you've gone. And then people begin to think about the kind of life that you lived. Then you open up a process, you open a file, and then you start a process of documentation. So, first of all, there's a conversation around the issue. And then, of course, there has to be an agreement by the local ordinary that the bishop, this process is worthwhile. And if it is deemed through listening to voices and listening to testimonies, that this person has lived a life that is worthy of emulation, then you start that process. And that process starts with records of the various testimonies and activities. And then people go into prayers, listen to testimonies. And as the process scales, people begin to write the kind of testimonies, what they thought this person did, that is worthy of emulation. Then, of course, the first thing is people begin to pray for miracles. And it could be somebody who is suffering from cancer, somebody who has a difficult problem or whatever. If there is a claim of a miraculous healing, for example, the process is quite technical in the sense that you have to have medical reports, you have to have scientific experts examine the claims that are being made, and all those things will be subjected to the rigorous test before they are followed through. So if it is established, for example, that a miracle has been worked, one miracle is enough to elevate you to a status of blessedness. So the process then goes on like that until finally you are declared a saint.
- [27:19]
Charles Gitonga
So, Bishop, let's just. If we may talk about that point about miracles. And I know this is a deeply spiritual process, and, you know, in the spiritual realm, you may not understand everything as a human being.
- [27:31]
Bishop Matthew Hassan Kuka
In this particular case, it has to be a case that, for example, somebody that may be suffering from disease that the world considers to be incurable. It depends on what the issues are, of course, miracles. The concept of miracle has become. It's a seriously discounted concept now, especially in Africa, where the world is now subjected to all kinds of interpretations, you know, but for the purpose of what we're talking about, if you survive a boat accident or a car accident and you claim that to be a miracle because, you know, you're free to submit whatever you think, but that has to pass most. It has to go through a very rigorous process of investigation. And in the course of that investigation, of course, some of the things that need to be discounted will be discounted even before they leave the table or of the postulator.
- [28:18]
Charles Gitonga
Let's look at Carlo Acutis. He died in 2006. When he was just 15 years old, he's now a saint. How unprecedented is it for someone this young to get into sainthood? We are even calling him the millennial saint.
- [28:34]
Bishop Matthew Hassan Kuka
I think what is very important is that I think the church, in its own wisdom, has actually seen the need, especially in this, of AI, that young people have somebody that they can look up to. And what is also beautiful about all of this is that this young man. What is beautiful about it is that now young people can understand. Not everybody is necessarily going to do it through the computer. There are many ways of young people witnessing, but it is that the doors are open beyond age, beyond gender. Now the young millennials have somebody that they can look up to.
- [29:06]
Charles Gitonga
Bishop, if you could just give us some of the other examples of people on the African continent that have actually ended up becoming saints.
- [29:14]
Bishop Matthew Hassan Kuka
One of my favorites is Bakita. You know, she was a Sudanese girl who was captured as a slave towards the end of the 19th century. She ended up being traded. She ends up in the hands of an Italian consul, who then takes her to Italy. But one of the things that I found very powerful was that when she now ended up in this convent of reverend sisters and she stopped to pray, and it's the first time she can hear the idea of God, you know, God as a father. They said she had hundreds of scarifications on her back from just flogging some people writing their names on her as signs of ownership and so on. By October 1, 2000, she had already been canonized as a saint. Again, we use her as a metaphor, you know, for helping women understand and come to terms with the fact that whether domestic violence or whatever the case may be, there is a sin that we can look up to. Only recently, Pope Francis, in June, before he died, beatified floribert Chui, a 26 year old young man from Congo who was a customs officer and had the problems he had and finally lost his life. What was his problem is that smugglers or people were passing through with the kind of food that he knew would be injurious, were, you know, contaminated. He stood his ground, you know, so people like that are also examples of what it is to be a public servant and what it is not enough to answer a Christian name.
- [30:41]
Charles Gitonga
All right, thank you, Bishop, for speaking with us.
- [30:44]
Bishop Matthew Hassan Kuka
Thank you very much for having me. God bless you. And I hope you also aspire to Saint Hood. We will really take up your course.
- [30:52]
Charles Gitonga
I hope my friends and family members will be happy to make the case for me. Thank you.
- [30:56]
Bishop Matthew Hassan Kuka
Well, even your family in the BBC. Thank you. God bless you. Thank you. Bye bye.
- [31:03]
Charles Gitonga
That's Bishop Matthew Hassan Kuka in Nigeria. To hear more about this story, you can also listen to Heart and Soul podcast episode titled My Blessed Boy. The Millennial Saint on BBC World Service. Focus on Africa was put together by Mark Wilberforce, Sunita Nahar and Yvette To Aguirre Maria in London. Makochi Okafo was in Lagos and Jewel Kiriongi in Nairobi. Patricia Whitehorn was the senior journalist in charge and Nick Randell our technical producer. Our editors are Mariam Abdallah, Andrea Lombard and Alice Muthengi. I'm Charles Gitonga and we'll speak again next time.