Lately, individuals and organizations are becoming more interested in working on motivational, attitude changing and inspiration related issues in Ethiopia. Among those the energetic and vibrant Ebba Tesfaye is one. However, Ebba is only a 22-year-old youngster who is already advising and counseling his peers on issues ranging from relationship to motivation.

An only child to his parents, who grew up in an extended family of three generations, Ebba is a producer of two motivational radio programs—Sunrise and Late Night show—on Afro FM 105.3 for seven hours a week.  He is also a postgrad student at the Addis Ababa University (AAU) department of sociology. Busy between producing two radio shows and pursuing his studies, he takes time to sit down with Meirafe Berhane of The Reporter and talk about his work. Excerpts:

Where did you go to school?

We used to move around a lot for different reasons. So I changed schools frequently, about six schools to be exact. But I spent a considerable amount of my time at the School of Tomorrow, Akaki Adventist Mission School and later on I finished my high school in Dandi Boru. Currently, I am at the Addis Ababa University.

How did you join the media industry?

I think the media have always been in my blood and that is partly how I learned English. I always wanted to master the English language. So I used to watch a lot of movies. I used to watch a single movie repeatedly; at times I watched a movie for four and five times. By the fifth time, I had already memorized the entire line in the movie and I would go to my room to act the different parts.

I loved acting and I loved the language. I did my first act at grade three. The feeling was getting strong and I stared writing scripts and acting frequently. Later on, I started participating in the school mini-media.   

When I entered college at the AAU, the president at the time, Andreas Eshete, (prof.), initiated a campus radio station and I jumped at the chance. Working with the people at campus radio as chairperson of the board of directors of the station, I met a journalism master’s student. She saw me in one of the debate session in my class and she was impressed with my voice and reasoning. And then, she recommended me to a person who was working on a radio show called Peace Journey Africa on Afro FM 105.3.  Soon after, I managed to secure an internship and worked there for about three months before the show got canceled. However, the show was not what I had in mind; it was not motivational.  But, I have always believed that one has to climb the leader until one gets to the cake. Anyway, I landed a job at the station. I have always wanted to work on a live show and one day I got invited to do a part in the Late Night Show with a friend called Yoni. Of course, I accepted as it was the light that I needed to see. On the first day I went on the live show. The show Received unusually high response via text messages.

What were you guys discussing?

I was answering relationship questions, giving relationship tips, and talking about medical issues on how to keep one’s health. And people were impressed.

Where did you get the insight about the issues?

When I was young, I was a bit rebellious. When I got into the 8th grade, I started studying the Bible and I was changed. For me, it was more of a transformation than change. Then I started motivating people on different occasions.  I started to teach friends on relationships to friends. In school, if I saw classmates feeling bad, crying or something, I wanted to be the first person to get there and talk to them. And I realized that after talking to them, I was able to motivate them and I bring back the smile on their face. I will always pray in my heart to help me motivate that person. In my view, young people do not know how to interact with the opposite sex; so they always have relationship problems. My parents were very open to me; I can go and talk to them about anything. But, for most of the young people in Ethiopia, it is a problem. Parents think if they tell something to a child, the child will be spoiled. But the truth is the other way round. So, I always advise parents to talk to their kids because the kids will find out, anyhow. So, what I do is what the parents should have done in the first place; I try to get to the root of the problem by talking to the young people. I started studying about relationships by asking parents, people from my church and listening to relationship programs. And I think it gave me the practical knowledge on the matter.

So what are you doing currently?

I am working on two shows. I talk about motivation and offer relationship tips for young people as my audience is predominantly the young. And I also do motivational speaking in different venues. To me, it is not about the money, because money will perish but lives matter. Every time I offer counseling to people, I do not want to lose anybody and I do not want anybody to take their lives. So, I am always willing to do the guidance 24 hours, if need be, because I wonder if this person is thinking about suicide and if I could prevent it from happening.

Giving motivational and inspirational guidance is not an easy task to say the least, as it either makes or breaks a person. So, how did you get the courage to take on the challenge?

It is all from experience. Once I had faced most of those issues and I needed motivation as a young boy. There were times that I lost hope. But I managed to pull through those times and that puts me in a position to give advice. In addition, I study about motivation, listen to energetic preachers and I use old motivational methods. In the 21st century, we think we know everything; but we do not. The elders know things that we do not and those people have much knowledge. And you can also acquire substantial knowledge from the Bible and the Koran.

You have a lot of listeners and most of them confide in you. How does that feel?

It is a bit hard; there are some stories which are very hard to listen to as the people are really hurt. For example, I have met up with a friend who was raped by his uncle for eight years. So, one can imagine how it feels to share the burden in such stories. Sometimes, I switched my phone off and go into a private relaxing moments. Once in a while, I might go swimming or something, and that refreshes my mind. Otherwise, the traffic in my brain becomes very crowded. I also have five friends from different ethnic groups and we will joke and have a good time and that helps me to relax. I also watch comedians and pray to relive the pressure.

You are a young person and what you are doing is something very serious.  Who or what do you have to guide you?

I have elder people from my church who, well educated and with good knowledge, helped me. I sit with people who studied sociology and also read some psychological and self-help materials. In addition, my studies in sociology as well played a positive role in helping me understand how the social interaction influences people. On the other hand, I am also building a team of psychologists to give me the support I need in developing my ideas.

I am also aware that you are involved in some other projects. Can you tell us about them?

I am working on a “pay it forward” project. The idea came from a movie called “pay it forward” that tells a story about doing something to change the world without expecting something in return. So the project makes someone to ask “what should I do today to help somebody?” It is about opening up the mind and extending a helping hand to somebody who might need it. And one should not expect any reciprocal action; instead it will be paid forward to others who need the help. And people are already participating in the project. Under this project, I am working on starting up a library at a government school where the students do not have many books. I am motivating people to at least bring one book and contribute so that the sum total could open an actual library.

I don’t want money to come to me or any of the organizations. Because, I want individuals to see that, they can make a difference without paying money. And my other project is to support children from low-income families. I want to help in their education, clothes and all that.

As a career, where do you want to take what you have started now?

I am discussing with people to start guidance and counseling school. And I really want to take this to a higher level, where I can reach hundreds of thousands of people and talk to them. And get those people ready to go and help someone else. I do not want people to see what I am doing; but why I am doing it. And it is like what Martin Luther King Jr. said, “I have a dream, not a plan”. And people followed his dream not the plan.

Because of what you are doing and the size of your audience, do you consider yourself to be successful?

I would not say that I am successful. But I would say that I am on the way. However, I am succeeding in the small, baby steps that I am taking today.