The 24 May election was worse than a sham. In turning the poll into a process of complete elimination of the opposition, the government and the ruling party have loudly told the Ethiopian people that any hope of change through peaceful means is just an illusion.

Following the deeply destructive experience of colonialism, Africans must rethink their approach to modernization. Notably, they must engage in a serious critical review of the prevailing colonial model and creatively find grassroots forms of modernization