Comparative Analysis of The Concept of Communication for Development In The Books “JAPAN Endemin Seletenech” and “MENGISTINA Yehizib Astedade
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Date
2011-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The term “Ethiopia” has come to connote starvation and poverty for decades now. It is not
because the country is unsuitable for agriculture; however its name invariably raises
whenever the international media raise issues related to famine, starvation and drought.
Strangely enough, however, before Ethiopia became one of the foremost food aid receiving
countries in the world, some Ethiopian scholars had foreseen their country’s doom and had
warned that it would have occurred. The intellectuals had been highly concerned about their
country’s future and had penned that the problems they had observed should have been dealt
with right away: they had not only pointed out the problems elaborately but also had
suggested in their own ways the corresponding measures to be taken.
This study also analyzed the concepts of development communication discussed in the books
entitled “Mengistina Yehizib Astedader” (1916E.C/1924G.C) and “Japan Endemin
Seletenech?” (1946 E.C / 1954G.C) which were authored by two of these Ethiopian
intellectuals namely Kebede Mikael and Gebrehiwet Baykedagne. It examined economic,
political and cultural aspects of the society the authors commend, criticize and predict upon
and identified the effects they brought upon the government. This study was conducted
through textual analysis method. Different concepts of development communication the
authors raise are dealt with comparatively through point by point method of organization,
and sense for sense method of translation is used to translate Amharic texts into English.
The findings of this research indicated that Kebede Mikael and Gebrehiwet Baykedagne’s
concepts of development communication cannot be ultimately classed under any of
internationally recognized paradigms of development communication though they are
slightly similar with Modernization and dependency paradigms respectively.
Recommendations made in the two books for the most part went unheeded. Even though
those few heeded ideas brought about significant changes, those ignored recommendations
like, land reform brought the government down and ruined the country.
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Keywords
Communication for Development