Inclusive Democracy and "Medemer" (መደመር)
~ by Hénock Gugsa ~
DEMOCRACY !!!
The Inclusive Democracy Project ( መደመር )
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<<Inclusive democracy involves more than the formal equality of all individuals and groups to enter the political process, but entails taking special measures to compensate for the social and economic inequalities of unjust social structures. >> Iris Marion Young (extract from her book: "Inclusion and Democracy")
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<<What is Inclusive Democracy?
by Takis Fotopoulos
Inclusive democracy is a new conception of democracy, which, using as a starting point the classical definition of it, expresses democracy in terms of direct political democracy, economic democracy (beyond the confines of the market economy and state planning), as well as democracy in the social realm and ecological democracy. In short, inclusive democracy is a form of social organisation which re-integrates society with economy, polity and nature. The concept of inclusive democracy is derived from a synthesis of two major historical traditions, the classical democratic and the socialist, although it also encompasses radical green, feminist, and liberation movements in the South. Within the problematique of the inclusive democracy project, it is assumed that the world, at the beginning of the new millennium, faces a multi-dimensional crisis (economic, ecological, social, cultural and political) which is caused by the concentration of power in the hands of various elites, as a result of the establishment, in the last few centuries, of the system of market economy, representative democracy and the related forms of hierarchical structure. In this sense, an inclusive democracy, which involves the equal distribution of power at all levels, is seen not as a utopia (in the negative sense of the word) but as perhaps the only way out of the present crisis .... >> --- Source: inclusivedemocracy.org
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In Ethiopia, these days, they are using the term "መደመር" [Medemer] a lot in their political discussions. That is the zeitgeist now !
Literally, the word "medemer" means "to add" as in the arithmetic sense, or "to count", or "to be counted". In actuality, that word nowadays may be having a much bigger and more significant relevance in the political life of Ethiopians.
Of late, I've been made to understand that the specific reference of "medemer" is to "unity" (as in "United we stand, divided we fall"). But there is also a general allusion to "Inclusive Democracy", because in such a democracy, everybody counts and gets counted.
To top it all off, ... the impressively progressive leadership of the new Prime Minister seems to be steering the country in all the right directions !🤔🙂🙂
B R A V O !!!
