Ethiopia’s Story of Resilience and Untapped Potential

At the heart of Brussels, in a stately building acquired in 2016, the Ethiopian mission to the Benelux countries and the European Union may be the largest Ethiopian embassy anywhere in the world. With accreditation to the Kingdoms of Belgium, the Netherlands, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and EU institutions, the embassy is a hive of diplomatic activity.

CityNews Luxembourg correspondent David Danisa met with His Excellency Ambassador Eshete Tilahun to discuss Ethiopia – past, present, and future.

According to Ambassador Tilahun, Ethiopia’s weight in history cannot be overstated. Situated between the ancient worlds of Persia, Egypt, and Mesopotamia, Ethiopia’s statehood stretches back thousands of years. He pointed out that the country’s civilisation was already vibrant when the Pharaohs and Babylonians reigned. “Ethiopia was always there, the face of Africa,” he noted with pride. While many tend to think of Aksum as the beginning, he stressed that Ethiopia predates even that golden empire, with connections to the Meroe civilisation of Sudan and archaeological traces reaching into the southern and eastern regions of the country.

This deep historical grounding raises an uncomfortable question—why has Ethiopia not projected its heritage as forcefully as it could have?

The ambassador responded with disarming honesty. Ethiopia, he admitted, has undersold its treasures. “From the Queen of Sheba to the enduring presence of all three Abrahamic religions within its borders, from biblical references to its role as a sanctuary for the followers of the Prophet Muhammad, Ethiopia remains a cradle of shared human heritage”. Ethiopians he observed, often approach their past with humility, a cultural modesty that in today’s digital, image-driven era risks turning into silence. “We need to do more and more in this era of digitisation,” he said, urging fellow Africans to recognise Ethiopia’s legacy as their own and to showcase it to the world.

Speaking further, the ambassador linked Ethiopia’s historical weight to humanity itself. In his words, “Lucy,” the three-million-year-old hominid fossil, was discovered in Ethiopia, and new finds in the Rift Valley continue to reinforce the truth that humanity’s story begins in Africa. It is not only a national story but one that defines the shared identity of humankind”.

David Danisa, CityNews

Featured below is a portion of CityNews’ exclusive interview with Ambassador Eshete Tilahun.