Interview with Azeb Wolde-Giorghis | A look at a faltering democracy

In more than 25 years of career at -, Azeb Wolde-Giorghis will have covered the worst tragedies. Civil wars, attacks, natural disasters, this former correspondent in Africa and Europe knows. But the fact remains that even for this seasoned journalist, what is happening these days in the United States is something disturbing, even unprecedented.

“We feel that it is the largest democracy in the world that could tip over,” notes the - correspondent in Washington with a certain fear.

Since taking office almost four years ago, Azeb Wolde-Giorghis has traveled the United States. This immense country, crossed by seemingly insurmountable divisions, she understands its contradictions and subtleties a little better today, but she continues to be surprised by it. One of the things that bothers her the most when she’s reporting is the level of misinformation among the population that gives the impression that Americans no longer share the same reality.

The journalist specifies that she has never feared for her safety since she settled in the United States.

However, it remains marked by the tension which reigned in the streets of Washington during a demonstration by the Proud Boys, a far-right pro-Trump group, a few days before the assault on the Capitol. “When we talked to people in Washington, they told us they were afraid to leave their homes. These are things you wouldn’t think you’d hear in a country like the United States,” recalls the woman who has nevertheless built up a shell over the years, covering the civil war in Liberia or the difficult aftermath of the genocide in Rwanda, in particular.

Uncertain outcome

Azeb Wolde-Giorghis does not dare to comment on Tuesday evening’s result because the race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris is so close. But the journalist does not rule out the possibility that the Republican candidate could win by a significant majority, once again defying the polls. On the ground, in the last few days, she said she had noticed a certain loss of steam in the Democratic campaign.

“In 2020, African-Americans turned out to vote in large numbers, particularly because of the assassination of George Floyd. This time, we do not feel the same mobilization. What also works against the Democrats is that young people are more divided. The situation in Gaza could cost them votes on campus. The Republicans are also attracting more and more young men, thanks to influencers who have very conservative speeches,” observes the journalist, who will be live from Washington on Tuesday for Kamala Harris’ campaign rally.

“If there is any hope for the Democrats, on the other hand, it is the women, who could mobilize more than we think because of the question of abortion,” adds Azeb Wolde-Giorghis, joined to Charlotte , in North Carolina.

The woman behind the journalist

The - correspondent will have spent a lot of time on the road in recent months. These are the hazards of the job, which requires some sacrifices, agrees the mother of two children, now aged 19 and 21. But careful not to dwell on her private life, she then quickly changed the subject. “When you’re a journalist, it’s easier to talk about others than to talk about yourself,” she laughs.

Discreet by nature, Azeb Wolde-Giorghis agreed to share a little more about his personal story in 2020 in the documentary Ethiopia of my heartstill available on ICI Tou.tv. This daughter of a former Ethiopian ambassador to Paris reflects on the forced exile of her family after the Marxist revolutionaries at the head of the country came to power in 1974.

As a child, Azeb Wolde-Giorghis experienced the pain of being uprooted. It’s difficult to remain unmoved when covering issues like racism or immigration, which were at the heart of the campaign which is ending.

“It’s certain that when you are a journalist, you have to try to put as much distance as possible between your experience and the subject you are covering. Afterwards, each journalist drags out his story. We cannot completely ignore it. Without saying that it influences our reporting, it is certain that it colors it,” she admits.

Visit the documentary page Ethiopia of my heart