Identities and the politicization of water: insights from the Nile

Welcome back!

This post will reflect on the Nile basin dispute through the lens of identity politics. It looks at how collective political identities were constructed around the Nile. The polarization of identities after the launch of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project (GERD) heightened mutual mistrust between Egypt and Ethiopia. It generated a legitimacy crisis over the river's governance. 

                                                                                                          Source: Khalil Al-Anani (2022) 

The Nile basin is perceived as 'the theater of unique Egyptian history' and has a tremendous spiritual and symbolic significance. The mainstream slogan of advocates for a 'single Egyptian and Sudanese people with a distinct national character' during the British occupation period was 'The unity of the Nile Valley—one Nile—one people—one king'. The river remains of particular importance today. The country owes a large part of its development and modern progress to the Nile basin. The 1929 and 1956 treaties conferred Egypt rights over the river, including veto powers over upstream projects. Unsurprisingly, it met Ethiopia's project with hostility. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt describes the GERD as an 'alarming attempt by Ethiopia to establish and exercise unfettered control over a vital transboundary river'. The Nile is an integral part of Egypt's identity. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi stated that 'the Eternal Nile will continue to strongly stream, connecting the South and the North with the bond of history and geography' and added that 'Egypt is the gift of the Nile'. 

On the Ethiopian side, the GERD has inspired unity and nationalism. The 'Ethiopian waters constitute by far the greater share of the Nile'. However, the country was not included in the 1929 and 1959 treaties. For Ethiopia, the GERD is an opportunity to rise as a major power exporter on the international scene. The hydropower infrastructure will generate around 6,450 megawatts of electricity, hence a significant power surplus. It will be crucial for the country's foreign relations. Such projects mirror modern progress and ambition, which Ethiopia seeks to add to its identity card.

Photo credit: Abinet Teshome  

 

In a country with longstanding socio-economic tensions and continuing episodes of political turmoil, the GERD seems to have triggered a national consciousness. Nationalist sentiments are made evident by the mobilization of the Ethiopian population, notably through the launch of a virtual campaign to support the project and the diffusion of the #it'smydam. Crowdfunding  was vital in enabling GERD to exist. Another case in point would be the gathering of thousands of Ethiopians to demand justice and pay tribute after the unexpected death of the mega project's chief engineer Simegnew Bekele. 

Such involvement on the part of Ethiopians translates into a national initiative and creates a sense of attachment. The completion of the first filling of the reservoir was highly celebrated, and 'our voice for our dam' was claimed in the streets of Addis Ababa. 

      

The new Ethiopian identity is constructed around notions of, for instance, deservingness (since Ethiopians have long been denied control over the river), entitlement (as the Blue Nile contributes to 86% of the Nile River), progress (which will stem from the new hydropower), and of course, pride.  

This post considered not only elites' stances but looked at community-level political movements. The Nile appears not just as a static asset or property but as a dynamic political symbol of national importance. Ethiopians' beliefs of entitlement over the Nile certainly existed before, but these were activated with the launch of the GERD project.