‘Faarsee Bulaa’ – Blessing the Brutal: Ethiopia’s Strange Ritual of Survival

By: Habte H.

That throw-away remark from commentator/activist Moges Teshome, whispered in an interview with Jawar Mohammed, punched right through the static of Ethiopia’s 24-hour news cycle. The phrase “Faarsee Bulaa” (loosely, “blessing for survival”) suddenly felt like the perfect label for a disturbing ritual that has become all too common: the public glorification of a leader privately feared, widely resented, and globally criticized.

Who Are the Faarsee Bulaas?

Picture a line of professional flatterers – some handsomely paid, others dragged in by fear, and a few perhaps chasing relevance – whose sole job is to perform loyalty. They appear at staged town halls, government-led rallies, or state-controlled TV shows, lavishing praise on “His Excellency” with trembling voices and forced smiles. While they bless, the rest of us watch with unease – scrolling past clips, gritting our teeth, and silently asking: When does this charade end?

I can hardly sit through these performances. Abiy Ahmed’s choreographed public appearances feel like theatre productions where the script is tired, the audience captive, and the lead actor over-rehearsed. A recent clip – featuring actor Habtamu Bogale lavishing exaggerated praise on the Prime Minister – almost made me spill my coffee. The awkward cadence, the hollow adoration, the unmistakable presence of invisible cue cards… it was all too familiar.

Ethiopia deserves better than the worship of men whose legacies are marred by midnight raids, prison doors slammed on journalists, and political dissidents who vanish without a trace.

Why Do People Keep Doing It?

A psychiatrist friend offered a sobering truth: fawning over tyrants is a global symptom of authoritarian rule, not an Ethiopian quirk. Here is the anatomy of the ailment:

1. Fear & Survival: In regimes where a raised eyebrow can land you in a jail cell – or worse – praise becomes body armor. Silence is not neutrality; it is suspicion. So, people clap, chant, and keep breathing.
2. Staged Loyalty: Ministries script “spontaneous” gratitude. Attendance is mandatory, applause monitored. These events are not celebrations – they are audits of obedience.
3. Propaganda’s Slow Burn: Repetition works. When every billboard, radio jingle, and school textbook deify a single man, even sceptics start doubting their own doubts.
4. Opportunism: Jobs, contracts, and building permits flow through one gatekeeper. In that economy, flattery is legal tender.
5. Learned Helplessness: Years of crushed protests teach citizens that resistance is futile. Eventually, survival morphs into ritual, and ritual into habit. What looks like devotion is often terror wearing a party hat. Bodies bow, hearts mutiny.
   
   

The Twilight of Manufactured Praise

Authoritarian performances always feel endless – until they do not. Ethiopia’s ruling party (PP) is entering what many observers call its eleventh hour. When the lights finally come up, those who spent years sprinkling blessings may discover they are standing on a bare stage with nowhere to hide. History judges court poets harshly. From Baghdad to Bucharest, those who pinned medals on despots often ended up rewriting their résumés in exile – or explaining themselves in court.

A Curse We Must Fight

The reflex to glorify power is not in Ethiopia’s blood – it is a learned survival tactic. But what is learned can be unlearned. And this particular curse isn’t just a burden we carry – it’s a sickness we must confront. When the daylight comes, this must be among the first things we cast off.

Because Faarsee Bulaa is not only harmful, but also it is the most humiliating and dangerous ritual in public life. A performance born of fear, polished by propaganda, and tolerated far too long. It is a lie repeated so often, some have forgotten it is a lie at all.

This is the behaviour we must stop – not later, not someday, but now. It is a national curse!!!. A stain on our dignity. A deeply foolish instinct that tells us to kneel when we should stand, to praise when we should protest.

The Final Word

Blessings are sacred. When we give them to brutality, we betray both our faith and our future. So, the next time a camera turns your way, and someone expects a scripted shout of praise, pause. Look around. Look within. The sun is rising. The lie is dying. And no one gets into heaven for blessing a tyrant.

May our words grow spines – and our silences light the way to truth.

Editor’s Note : Views in the article do not necessarily reflect the views of borkena.com      

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