Arabic Voices, English Tweets: How Ethiopians Won the GERD Media War











When Ethiopia first announced the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Cairo responded not only with diplomatic pressure but with a media blitz. More than 80 Egyptian outlets—newspapers, TV channels, and websites—saturated the Arabic media sphere with documentaries, opinion pieces, and reports painting Ethiopia as reckless and illegitimate.

But in parallel, a counter-offensive rose from Ethiopians themselves. Without official press credentials, they became digital warriors, mobilizing language skills, cultural fluency, and sheer persistence to rewrite the story of GERD in the Arab world and beyond.

Arabic-Speaking Ethiopians: Voices from Within the Region

One of the earliest and most prominent defenders was Faheed Mohammed, who recalls how Egyptian channels filled the airwaves with claims of looming drought, regional destabilization, and fabricated Ethiopian promises not to touch the Abay (Blue Nile).

Patriotic Ethiopians, he explains, stepped up where governments could not—using small independent media outlets, YouTube channels, and Facebook groups to counter the barrage of misinformation in Arabic.

“Since false reports in Arabic were constant, we provided accurate, up-to-date information about the dam to the Arab world. This prevented attacks and improved the reputation of our country,” Faheed told ETV.

Perhaps the most recognized Arabic digital voice is Ustaz Jamal Bashir, founder of the Kings of Abay YouTube page. Starting as a protest against Egyptian narratives, his platform exploded in reach. Bashir livestreamed 40 minutes to 10 hours daily, directly engaging audiences across the Middle East. His broadcasts amassed over 50 million views, not only debunking falsehoods but also reframing GERD as a symbol of fairness, development, and regional cooperation.

By invoking Quranic principles of justice and fairness, Bashir resonated with Arab audiences on cultural and religious terms, shifting conversations away from fear toward equity. Egyptian citizens themselves began acknowledging Ethiopia’s right to use its own resources, while Arab influencers visited Addis Ababa to see Ethiopia’s transformation firsthand.

The English-Language Front: @RenaissanceDam

While Arabic campaigns were crucial to countering Egypt’s regional influence, Ethiopia also needed to reach global audiences. Here, an English-language digital warrior emerged: The Asrat Blog (@RenaissanceDam) on X (formerly Twitter).

Handle: @RenaissanceDam

Followers: 16,000+

Following: 10 accounts

Active Since: November 2011

Profile: Senior Principal Electrical Engineer: GERD news, technical insights & geopolitical analysis. Bridging facts & perspectives.

Unlike Arabic platforms focused on narrative defense, @RenaissanceDam provides technical credibility and global framing. Posts explain hydrological mechanics, update international audiences on construction milestones, and contextualize GERD in geopolitical terms.

Pinned posts read like guided tours: “Assume I’m the storyteller in the passenger seat, guiding you through what the camera sees.” Such writing blends engineering detail with narrative flair, making complex issues digestible for diplomats, researchers, and diaspora readers.

The account’s independence, combined with its technical authority, has helped Ethiopia’s case resonate beyond the region—showing that GERD is not just a nationalist project but a continental development milestone.

Digital Diplomacy Without Embassies

Together, these Arabic and English digital warriors represent a new kind of diplomacy:

Arabic advocates like Faheed Mohammed and Jamal Bashir defended Ethiopia’s legitimacy directly inside Egypt’s linguistic sphere.

English voices like @RenaissanceDam translated GERD’s story into a global frame, reaching analysts, policymakers, and international media.

Neither group waited for government press releases. They operated as citizen diplomats, shaping perceptions through persistence, credibility, and digital creativity.

Lessons for Ethiopia and Africa

The GERD media war demonstrates that infrastructure projects are not only engineering feats but also narrative battlegrounds. In the 21st century, whoever frames the story often shapes the outcome.

Language is power: Arabic advocacy ensured Ethiopia’s voice was heard in the same language as the accusations.

Expertise is credibility: Technical insights from English-language accounts lent international legitimacy.

Decentralized patriotism: Because these voices were citizen-led, not state-scripted, they resonated as authentic and trustworthy.

Beyond Inauguration: Sustaining the Digital Front

As the GERD reaches inauguration, both Faheed Mohammed and Ustaz Jamal Bashir stress that the work isn’t done. Misinformation can still undermine cooperation. Advocacy must evolve from defense to proactive storytelling:

Showing how GERD prevents floods in Sudan.

Demonstrating how affordable electricity can power the Horn of Africa.

Positioning Ethiopia as a model of sovereign-led development.

The English and Arabic digital warriors of GERD have already proven that narratives matter as much as megawatts. In defending Ethiopia’s dam, they also defended the principle that Africa can speak for itself—on its own terms, in its own languages, and on its own platforms.