Above: Ethiopian man has been charged with possession and
an intent to sell Khat, a controlled substance in the U.S. The
stimulant is widely used as a recreational drug in East Africa.
My Fox Memphis
by Tealy Devereaux
Updated: Monday, 05 Jul 2010
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – One Mid-South man is behind bars after police caught him with a large amount of Khat at Memphis Smart Mart.
Smart Mart at South Highland and Southern was closed for business around 11 a.m. Monday morning. The store was back open to customers by that afternoon.
Police said the temporary shutdown came after the only employee on duty was arrested for the possession of a unique drug to Memphis called Khat.
“We don’t see it a lot. But we understand that people are addicted, are using it. They can chew it, chew the leaves, smoke the leaves, they can also brew it in tea,” said Lieutenant, Mike Shearin.
Above: Yonatan Tessema is a driver for ABC Express. He was
at Centennial Medical Center waiting on a client when police
mistook him for someone else. —- (Credit: News Channel 5)
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Updated: Friday, June 25, 2010
New York (Tadias) – Police officers in Nashville were staking out a building for a man with dreadlocks who had a run in with the law earlier this week when they spotted cabbie Yonatan Tessema – an immigrant from Ethiopia who also wears dreadlocks – and mistakenly took him down. “It took a broken car window, along with some bumps and bruises before police realized they had the wrong man,” News Channel 5 reports.
Tessema was at Centennial Medical Center waiting on a client who was at a doctor’s appointment at around 2 p.m. Tuesday when he received a call alerting him that his customer was ready to go home. “I was running from the hospital to my car because I didn’t want to keep my client waiting outside,” Tessema said. “That’s when they started flashing their lights, saying get the “F” out of the car, cursing.”
“Out the corner of my eye I could see a policeman running and he just knocked out my window,” Tessema said. “And then they pulled the door open. Somebody grabbed me from the side. Somebody grabbed my legs and they just pushed me down to the ground.”
Tessema said officers apologized profusely to him after learning they had the wrong person. “They just kept apologizing and the police officer who busted my window said get an estimate, get your window tinted and call me tomorrow and give me the estimate,” he explained.
Police said there will be an internal review to make sure the officers involved followed department policy during this incident. “Everyone was acting in good faith. The officers were trying to take a bad guy off the streets. A really bad guy,” according to Metro Police spokesman Don Aaron.
Watch: Innocent Man Mistakenly Taken Down By Nashville Police
Above:The taxi driver who was attacked by a mob of Lakers
fans following the NBA championship received a $10k check.
KABC
LOS ANGELES
By Robert Holguin
The 41-year-old immigrant from Ethiopia has been driving a cab in L.A. for seven years, but on Thursday, the occupational hazards got wildly out of hand.
“I was thinking they can kill me, that’s what I was thinking. I was scared. They burned the car, they shake the car, they turned over me,” described Teferi.
Teferi was caught in the mayhem that erupted shortly after the Lakers won the NBA Championship. A mob attacked his cab, then pulled him from the driver’s seat. After a few minutes, the cab was set on fire, and Teferi watched as it burned. His livelihood was destroyed.
Monday, the CEO of Staples Center’s owner Tim Leiweke presented Teferi with a $10,000 check.
Above:Abebech Gobena, who has been called ‘Africa’s Mother
Teresa’, is the founder of Ethiopia’s oldest orphanage. She is
the subject of CNN’s African Voices. – – (Cover Image: CNN)
CNN African Voices
June 22, 2010
Every week CNN‘s African Voices highlights Africa’s most engaging personalities, exploring the lives and passions of people who rarely open themselves up to the camera. This week the show profiles Abebech Gobena who has saved the lives of hundreds of orphans and is known as “Africa’s Mother Teresa.”
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Abebech Gobena is the founder of Ethiopia’s first orphanage
Her humanitarian work started when she saved the life of a baby girl suckling on the breast of her dead mother
Now Gobena’s orphanage cares for over 700 children
Above:Mourners at Friday’s public memorial service react at
an emotional visual tribute to the Seattle fire victims Friday.
(PHOTO CREDIT: STEVE RINGMAN / SEATTLE TIMES)
Updated: Saturday, June 19, 2010
By Marc Ramirez Seattle Times staff reporter
One by one, the lives lost to last weekend’s fire in Fremont were celebrated on screen, a series of snapshots taken in happier times. The boy who dreamed of playing point guard for the Boston Celtics. The siblings who adored their older brother. The girl who liked to jump rope. And the young woman who could win any argument she set her mind to.
The emotional slide show capped Friday’s public memorial to those five family members at Seattle Center’s KeyArena. The multicultural crowd, estimated at 3,500, largely reflected an East African population united in grief over the loss of so many young lives. “Your sorrow is our sorrow,” said Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn. “Your grief is Seattle’s grief. We walk with you in your grief because we are — and will be — one community.” Killed last Saturday morning in the swift-moving fire at Helen Gebregiorgis’ Fremont apartment were three of her children — Joseph Gebregiorgis, 13, Nisreen Shamam, 6, and Yaseen Shamam, 5; her sister, Eyerusalem Gebregiorgis, 22; and a niece, 7-year-old Nyella Smith, daughter of a third sister, Yordanos Gebregiorgis.
Watch Video: Memorial service for Seattle fire victims
Nisreen Shamam (left), Yaseen Shamam (C) and Joseph Gebregiorgis.
PHOTO BY JOHN LOK / THE SEATTLE TIMES
How You Can Help?
Donations to help family members affected by last Saturday’s blaze can be sent to the Seattle Children’s Fire Fund at any Bank of America branch. Donations also are being accepted at the Red Door tavern in Fremont. There will be a booth at this weekend’s Fremont Fair at North 35th Street and Evanston Avenue North to accept cash donations or gift cards from grocery or department stores. There also will be paper and envelopes available to write condolence notes to the family.
Watch Video: Ethiopian community mourns 5 dead in Seattle fire
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Updated: Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Seattle (Tadias) – As investigators continue to look into the cause of this pasts weekend’s apartment fire in Seattle that killed an Ethiopian family, including four children, the city’s fire chief described the frantic seconds after the blaze erupted Saturday morning in Helen Gebregiorgis’ two-story home in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood.
Seattle Fire Chief Gregory Dean told the media Sunday that the city’s deadliest fire in decades started in the living quarters of Helen Gebregiorgis’ three-bedroom, two-story apartment and spread to the second floor. He said the mother had gone upstairs to tell the others about the fire, grabbed her 5-year-old niece, Samarah Smith, and left the building, thinking the others were behind her. “She believed that the rest were following her and when she got outside they were not,” Dean said during a news conference at Fire Department headquarters in Pioneer Square. “We did find the four children and the aunt in the second floor bathroom, huddled together.”
Gebregiorgis, 31, lost her sons, 13-year-old Joseph Gebregiorgis and 5-year-old Yaseen Shamam, and her 6-year-old daughter, Nisreen Shamam, in the fire in the city’s Fremont neighborhood, the children’s grieving uncle, Daniel Gebregiorgis, told The Seattle Times. Also killed were Helen’s 22-year-old sister, Eyerusalem Gebregiorgis, and 7-year-old niece, Nyella Smith.
Video: Seattle Fire Chief Gregory Dean reacts to an apartment fire that killed an Ethiopian family
The fire was reported just after 10 a.m. Saturday morning.
According to Seattle’s King5 News, the first emergency vehicle to arrive at the burning apartment building had a problem with a pump that prevented it from spraying water on the fire, but a second unit arrived two minutes later and was able to fight the fire.
“They needed to be able to control what was in front of them before they could go up the stairs,” the Chief said. “There was definitely a delay in firefighters being able to get there. I think in looking at the pictures and what we saw and listening to comments, there was a tremendous amount of fire and smoke prior to the fire department’s arrival, which, again, makes it pretty hard to sustain life in that type of heated environment,” he said.
Dean said the truck with the mechanical problem arrived at 10:09 a.m., and a second truck about two minutes later, and a third at 10:12 a.m.
According to the fire chief, the department prepares for problems because they happen on a regular basis and this weekend’s particular problem would be investigated.
“We do what we call redundancy back-up to make sure that if something happens, we’re prepared for that type of thing,” he said. “In this case something did happen. The second unit came in, they did what they were supposed to do and we continued to fight the fire.”
“Our firefighters are beating themselves up, you know ‘could I have done more,'” the chief said. “Our hearts go out to the ones that lost their loved ones and we recognize there’s an impact on the community, recognize there’s an impact on our firefighters. We will be doing a follow-up with the community.”
—
New York (Tadias) – This week Tadias TV highlights international model Maya Gate Haile. The Ethiopian-born model grew up in Holland before relocating to New York where her fashion modeling career has flourished. She is represented by the world’s top modeling agencies including IMG, Elite and Ford.
The choice to become a model as a teenager was a tough, personal decision for Maya. Her parents, who migrated to the Netherlands when Maya was 13, pushed their daughter to focus on learning a new language, excelling in school, and perhaps consider becoming a doctor or a nurse.
“For a long time I had [modeling] on my mind, but I could not bring it home,” Maya says. And those who saw the tall, somewhat shy, and elegant girl with an infectious smile would often remark “Are you a model?” At 20 Maya finally decided to tell her decision to her family.
Maya recalls “My brother was really shocked: ‘You’re going to be a model? Are you kidding me?'” But Maya took the opportunities before her and delved into the world of fashion. As much as she loves her work, Maya points out that modeling for her is not “a final destination.”
“I love modeling because from modeling you can become something else,” she says with enthusiasm. She points out that one can grow from the networking opportunities modeling affords and get involved in other entrepreneurial or humanitarian ventures. “You could take advantage of modeling and you could be activists, film-makers, photographers. It is not only about modeling,” she emphasizes.
Which leads us to ask her what other projects she has been working on.
“I have several projects in mind but one that I am currently working on is to provide opportunities for girls in Ethiopia to get access to my world. I would like to give those who aspire to become models an opportunity to come to Europe and to get a taste of what fashion and modeling career is all about. I want to provide access and mentoring, so that they can see that it’s possible to be successful and to go after their dreams. I want to share what I have learned.”
Maya also works closely with UNICEF’s New Generation program. Her husband, Chef Entrepreneur and Author Marcus Samuelsson, introduced her to UNICEF and currently serves as Ambassador for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. Both Maya and her husband are particularly committed to supporting the organization’s immunization programs and its efforts to deliver clean and accessible water to millions of children around the world. Maya also focuses on providing entrepreneurial opportunities for youth aged 18-34 who are residing in developing countries.
Asked how her work with UNICEF has enriched her personal life, the model says it helps her to put her own life in perspective. “I could be one of the kids in Ethiopia,” she says. “I compare it to myself and my husband Marcus. Everyday we think about those kids in Ethiopia.”
On a lighter note, we asked Maya about her hobbies including basketball. “Who wins when the two of you play?” “I always win,” Maya says with a smile, “but you have to ask [Marcus]. He should tell you about it.” In the couples interview last summer Marcus confirmed her side of the story. “She kicks my ass in basketball!” Marcus told Glamour magazine. “Also, Maya translates so much for me—not just words, but culturally. When my sisters call with a problem, she takes the phone. I can’t give advice—unless it’s about cooking. Before Maya, my primary relationship was with food. Luckily, she loves to eat!”
Below is part of Tigist Selam’s conversation with Model Maya Haile at home in Harlem.
Watch: Tadias’ Interview With Model Maya Haile
Tigist Selam interviewed Maya Haile at home in Harlem on Tuesday
June 15, 2010. (Video by Kidane Films)
— About the Author:
Tseday Alehegn is the Editor-in-Chief of Tadias Magazine.
Watch Related Tadias Video: Video – Tadias’ Interview with Meklit Hadero
Above: NBC recently featured Ethiopian-American physician
Mehret Mandefro, one of this year’s White House Fellows, on
a segment aired on Nightly News. (Photo: Parlour Magazine)
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Updated: Thursday, June 17, 2010
New York (Tadias) – NBC’s Tom Brokaw recently highlighted the work of Ethiopian American Physician, Mehret Mandefro, a White House Fellow in 2009-2010.
Brokaw hosted a segment on Nightly News featuring White House Fellows, a prestigious program designed to give promising leaders “first hand, high-level experience with the workings of the Federal government, and to increase their sense of participation in national affairs.”
Mandefro was one of a diverse pool of Fellows hailing from various disciplines including medicine, business, media, education, non-profit and state government, as well as two branches of the U.S. military.
The White House Fellows Program was created in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson and during its short existence it has fostered leaders in many fields including Admiral Dennis Blair, Director of National Intelligence, former Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, retired U.S. Army General Wesley Clark, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, U.S. Senator Sam Brownback, U.S. Representative Joe Barton, writer Doris Kearns Goodwin, former Travelocity CEO Michelle Peluso, former CNN Chairman and CEO Tom Johnson, former Univision President Luis Nogales, and U.S. Court of Appeals Judges M. Margaret McKeown and Deanell Tacha.
Above: Fonte Coffee Roaster in Seattle sells the drink made
from Ethiopian Nekisse beans for $2.69 a cup. The same cup
drink goes for $12 a cup at the Chelsea spot of Cafe Grumpy.
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Updated: Sunday, June 6, 2010
New York (Tadias) – You may remember the recent amusing news story about $12 cup of Ethiopian coffee at Café Grumpy, a local coffee shop chain here in New York.
In her recent article, Melissa Allison, who “tracks Seattle’s — and the world’s — caffeine addiction” for The Seattle Times, writes the same cup of joe costs much less in America’s coffee capital.
“Trabant Coffee & Chai will soon carry one of the hottest tickets in coffee, a Nekisse micro-lot selection from Ethiopia, which recently sold for $12 a cup in New York and has appeared for considerably less — $2.69 a cup — at Seattle’s Fonte Coffee Roaster,” Allison points out. “Trabant’s roaster, 49th Parallel Coffee in Vancouver, is giving all the proceeds from its Nekisse sales to a non-profit called imagine1day to build classrooms in Ethiopia, said 49th Parallel owner Vince Piccolo.”
But New Yorkers have mixed opinions about Café Grumpy’s price. “There are flavors you would expect in a really nice glass of wine — it’s a cacophony of nuances,” Steve Holt, vice president of Ninety Plus Coffee, the company distributing the beans, told The NY Post. “You detect flavors of apricot, pineapple, bergamot, kiwi and lime. The deeper tones are levels of chocolate, and the finish is super clean.”
And why is it so pricey?
“It is a higher-end coffee, and you have to take a lot of time developing and processing it,” said Holt. “Once the coffee is harvested, it is dried on a raised African drying bed — the actual coffee cherries never sit on the ground.”
“People have had bad reactions to the prices,” Colleen Duhamel, a coffee buyer and barista at the cafe, toldThe New York Post. “They will think, ‘This place isn’t for me,’ and storm out.” “I’ve spent $12 on a cocktail, but I’d be reticent to pay that much for a cup of coffee,” said Whitney Reuling, 25, after tasting samples provided by the newspaper. “It’s good — but I can’t taste the difference. My palate is not at an advanced level for coffee — a $2.50 cup is fine.”
New York (TADIAS) – Tadias TV caught up with Meklit Hadero during her recent concert at Le Poisson Rouge in New York on June 1st.
The Manhattan appearance was a homecoming of sorts for Hadero, who spent part of her childhood in Brooklyn. She graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in Political Science before settling in San Francisco where she launched her music career in 2004.
The Ethiopian native, who left Addis Ababa as a toddler, tells Tadias she plans to return to Addis later this year to perform at an Afro-Roots concert. Her debut album On A Day Like This has garnered national attention with repeated highlights on NPR. Reviewers have compared her sound to that of Music legends Nina Simone and Joni Mitchell.
WATCH: Tadias’ Interview with Meklit Hadero
— Tigist Selam interviewed Hadero at Le Poisson Rouge after her concert with The Olatuja Project on June 1, 2010.
New York (Tadias) – This week CNN’s African Voices features Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, Co-Founder and Managing Director of SoleRebels, Ethiopia’s first fair trade footwear company.
Introducing her eco-fashion products, Tilahun described her work to Tadias Magazine last year as “a story of fair trade, eco-sensibility, and great innovative footwear products.”
“One of the truly unique and exciting things about soleRebels is that we are green by heritage, and not because some marketing folks told us to be,” she said. “We maximize both recycled inputs and craft our materials in the traditional manner — the way they have always been made in Ethiopia – by hand.”
She summarizes SoleRebels’ ethos in three words: “Roots, Culture, Tires.” The shoes are created using indigenous practices such as hand-spun organic cotton and artisan hand-loomed fabric. Tires are also recycled and used for soles. The end result is environmental friendly, vegan footwear. “Historically that is the way things have been done,” Tilahun says, and it not only makes great sense to continue the tradition, it also has generated income for local artisans.
African Voices, which explores the lives and passions of Africa’s most engaging personalities, airs weekly on CNN International: Saturdays at 11.30 & 18.30 GMT and on Sundays at 17.00 GMT.
New York (TADIAS) – This week CNN’s African Voices, a weekly show which explores the lives and passions of Africa’s most engaging personalities, profiles celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson.
The Ethiopian-born Chef, who lives in Harlem with his wife, model Maya Haile, was invited by the White House last fall to prepare the Obama’s first State Dinner. First Lady Michelle Obama called him “one of the finest chefs in the country.” Samuelsson was the youngest-ever chef to receive a three-star restaurant review from The New York Times in 1995. He has won three James Beard Awards, a prestigious recognition that is akin to “winning the Olympic gold medal for chefs.” Samuelsson has been named as one of “The Great Chefs of America” by the Culinary Institute of America.
Above:Sebri Omer just recently delivered to his home town
of Harar in Ethiopia its first fully-equipped ambulance, Daryn
Kagan reports.
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: Tuesday, May 18, 2010
New York (Tadias) – Former CNN news anchor Daryn Kagan reports on the inspirational story of Sebri Omer, an Ethiopian immigrant who built a hospital in his hometown of Harar and recently delivered the city’s first fully-equipped ambulance.
Omer, who emigrated from Ethiopia to the United States as a young man and built a successful small business as owner of a gas station and a car wash, had to sell half of his business to help finance his projects in Ethiopia.
Above:The Girls Gotta Run Foundation-supported Simien Girl
Runners team was highlighted in a segment of the British TV
documentary “Joanna Lumley’s Nile.” (Photo – GGRF)
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: Sunday, May 16, 2010
New York (Tadias) – A new documentary travel series hosted by the British actress Joanna Lumley features the Simien Girl Runners, a track team supported by the Washington, D.C.-based Girls Gotta Run Foundation.
The film traces Lumley’s journey as she follows the river Nile from northern Egypt to its source. The actress encounters the young athletes near the majestic Semien Mountains during the Ethiopia segment of her exploration.
The foundation – which was profiled here on Tadias Magazine in October of 2009 along with an interview with the organization’s Executive Director Patricia E. Ortman – was established in 2006 to provide funds for athletic shoes, clothes, meals, coach subsidies, and other training-related expenses for impoverished Ethiopian girls who are training to be professional runners.
Regarding Joanna Lumley’s Nile, Dr. Ortman points out that in her otherwise captivating documentary, the narrator makes a few errors.
The popular British actress “doesn’t get everything quite right, including the name of the team, which is the ‘Simien Girl Runners’ and not ‘Girls Gotta Run’,” Ortman said in an email sent to GGRF’s supporters. “She also mistakenly credits a Debark hotel for donating after practice meals to the team, meals that in fact GGRF pays for. And the girls who hold up their ‘bad’ shoes at the meal they share with her there are not GGRF-sponsored members of the team, but girls who sometimes run with them because they would like to be members of the team.” But, she adds, “It is still fabulous footage, a heartwarming segment, and clear she is quite taken with our girls.”
In an interview with ITV.com, Ms Lumley was asked, “Who was the most interesting or fascinating person you met on the trip?” Her answer: “The Simian girl runners have stuck in my heart.”
And what was the most amazing country Lumley visited? “I think the most astonishing country was Ethiopia,” she says.
Above:The man wanted for the Virginia killings of 27-year
old Seble Tessema and their 3-year-old daughter has been
arrested in NYC.
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: Saturday, May 1, 2010
New York (Tadias) – New York City police have arrested Simon Bahta Asfeha, the man accused of murdering his girlfriend – 27-year old Seble Tessema – and their 3-year-old daughter, ABC 7 News reports.
Police were responding to reports of domestic disturbance on April 11, 2010 at a high-rise complex in Alexandria’s West End neighborhood in the 300 block of S. Reynolds Street when they found the bodies of the mother and her child, both of whom had been stabbed to death.
Per ABC 7 News: “The U.S. Marshals fugitive task force, which had been hunting Asfeha, described him as a “monster” to the Washington Examiner, saying he had slashed his own daughter’s throat.”
Investigators in Alexandria had initially thought that Asfeha, who had previously been charged with assaulting Tessema, “may have sought refuge in the large Washington, D.C., area Ethiopian community or in a homeless shelter, ” according to America’s Most Wanted TV show.
But Asfeha apparently had run away to New York City, where a witness alerted authorities on his location. He was captured without incident on Thursday night in a coordinated effort between NYPD, the U.S. marshals, and Alexandria police.
Reports say “Asfeha will go through New York’s court system before he ends up back in Alexandria. If he waives his extradition rights, he’ll be back in the commonwealth sooner, authorities said Friday.”
“Everybody’s excited to have him in custody,” said Jody Donaldson, of the Alexandria Police Department. “This was a horrific crime. He’s been on the loose for a couple of weeks now. The [Alexandria police] chief was so grateful for all the work that went into this, with the Marshals Service and NYPD working with our department to make this arrest.”
Above: Ethiopia rejected allegations that building one of
Africa’s biggest hydropower dams would leave 200,000
self-sufficient people reliant on aid. (Photo: Treehugger.com)
Rights group Survival International (SI) said last week the dam would disrupt fishing and farming for tribal people, among them the Kwegu and Hamar tribes, and a group of charities have launched an online petition against the dam.
“We have made an extensive survey,” government spokesman Shimeles Kemal said late on Thursday.
“Highly renowned, independent experts have assured that the construction of the dam in no way causes concern for people living around there,” he said. He did not name the experts involved in the survey. Read more.
The Gibe III Hydroelectric dam project in Ethiopia is at the center of a dispute between environmental groups and developers.
Above:President Obama, pictured here signing historic care
legislation on March 23, today signed the final piece of the
health care puzzle, which includes sweeping changes to the
student aid system. (Photo: NYT)
ABC NEWS
By SUNLEN MILLER and HUMA KHAN
March 30, 2010
President Obama today signed the final piece of the health care puzzle, which entails sweeping changes to the student aid system and makes the federal government the primary distributor of student loans. To highlight the education reforms in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, Obama signed it at the Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria, Va., and focused on the largely overshadowed student loan reforms. “We’re finally making our student loan system work for students and families,” Obama said. “With this bill… we’re finally taking meaningful reform in our higher education system.” Read more.
TODAY: Video: Obama on faith, family and basketball
The New York Times
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
Published: March 23, 2010
WASHINGTON — With the stroke of President Obama’s pen, his health care overhaul — the most sweeping social legislation enacted in decades — became law on Tuesday. Mr. Obama affixed his curlicue signature, almost letter by letter, to the measure, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, surrounded by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid and a raft of other lawmakers who spent the past year on a legislative roller-coaster ride trying to pass it. Aides said he would pass out the 20 pens he used as mementos. Read more.
Above:Josef Tadele, 24, apologized repeatedly in court for his
participation in a plot to kidnap the family of a bank manager.
Tadele and his attorney also asked for leniency. (myfoxdC.com).
Hostage family to judge: Don’t be lenient
Related News: CNN VIDEO
A bank robbery scheme was cut short by a quick-thinking family
man. WJLA reports.
Above:Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia crossing the finish line at the
2009 New York City Marathon. She became the first Ethiopian
woman to capture New York’s laurel crown. (Photo: AP)
WorldFocus Ethiopian marathon runner fueled by homeland
March 25, 2010
Long-distance running is not only Ethiopia’s national sport; it is a source of pride for Ethiopians all over the world. Ethiopia boasts a long list of champion long-distance runners, including Abebe Bikila, Haile Gebreselassie and Fatuma Roba.
Derartu Tulu, a native Ethiopian, added to her long list of professional first-place finishes by winning the New York City Marathon in November 2009.
Worldfocus contributing blogger Tesfaye Negussie went to Ethiopia and interviewed Tulu about what it takes to be one of the best runners in the world.
Watch: Tesfaye Negussie’s interview with Derartu Tulu
Above:Gashaw Tahir traveled back to Ethiopia several years
ago and was shocked at the massive deforestation there.
HuffingtonPost.com
Posted: 03-20-10 05:39 PM
Ethiopian-born American citizen Gashaw Tahir traveled back to his homeland several years ago and was shocked at the massive deforestation that had taken place since his departure.
Rivers have dried, mountains have been deforested, and rising temperatures due to climate change are making plant life more difficult to maintain. Tahir decided that something had to be done. His story is told in a new video from America.gov.
Above: Joseph and Faris Gessese’s Columbus, Ohio, based
job search website has been revamped to serve all 50 states.
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: Monday, March 1, 2010
New York (Tadias) – Despite reports of better job prospects in 2010, it’s still a tough job market out there.
According to CNN: “New college graduates had 40% fewer job prospects (in 2009), a new report shows. And the outlook for 2010, while better, is still not very promising.”
However, for Ethiopian-American entrepreneurs Joseph and Faris Gessese, who were highlighted by NBC last year for assisting job seekers around Central Ohio, the down economy presents an opportunity for business.
Their original website OhioStateList.com, featuring resume builder and Video locator connecting prospective employees and employers, has been renamed and retooled to include regions beyond the Midwest.
“The new name is MyStateList.com, ” Eyaluta Seifu, Director of Public Relation for the website said. “And it has been expanded to service all 50 states.”
Joseph Gessese, who has a day job working on mortgages, told NBC 4‘s Marcus Thorpe that he knows many people who have lost their jobs and he hopes his website will become one-stop-shop for job seekers.
“You want to do something about it,“ Gessese said.
Above:Donald Booth, President Barack Obama’s nominee to
be next US ambassador to Ethiopia promised to be forward-
leaning on Human Rights.
AFP
Feb 2, 2010
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s nominee to be the next US ambassador to Ethiopia pledged on Tuesday to press the government in Addis Ababa to improve human rights, free political prisoners and make upcoming elections fair. Donald Booth said the United States had “complex interests” in Ethiopia, and that the two nations, while differing in tactics, saw largely eye-to-eye on the need to bring stability and prevent an Islamist takeover of Somalia. Read More.
MyFox — Police say it all started with a beer run and ended
with the death of an innocent driver, identified as 27-year-
old Abel Abebe, an ASU student from Ethiopia.
Above: FOX’s Food 101 features New York’s Queen of Sheba
Ethiopian restaurant located in midtown, Manhattan.
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: Saturday, January 30, 2010
New York (Tadias) – FoxNews.com’s Diane Macedo explores how to prepare authentic Ethiopian cuisine at New York’s Queen of Sheba restaurant.
The eatery was also one of thirty-three favorite restaurants of Voice food critic Robert Sietsema, author of Secret New York. Sietsema has reviewed more than 2,000 restaurants in the last 14 years.
Among those dishing out delicious and eclectic cuisine at last year’s second Choice Eats tasting event organized by The Village Voice, was the staff of Queen of Sheba, serving injera rolls with fillings of either spicy lentil or beef sauces. Eager tasters waited patiently in rows to pick up the wraps. In it’s description of the Queen of Sheba restaurant, the event publication wrote: “New York finally has its own Queen of Sheba, providing intriguing and sometimes fiery spice combinations.”
Diane Macedo explores the unique flavors of Ethiopian cuisine
Above:President Obama said Wednesday night that leaders in
Washington face a “deficit of trust,” as he used his first State
of the Union address to try to restore public confidence in his
administration. (NYT)
Above:On Martin Luther King Jr. Day a year after the first
African-American president took office, Americans appear
to have mixed views about the impact of President Obama’s
election on race relations. (The Christian Science Monitor)
FOX:During the biggest recession since the Great Depression,
a local Ethiopian family is bucking the trend. They are poised…
to open a new coffee shop. And they’re choosing to do it in the
poorest neighborhood in Washington, D.C.: Anacostia.
Above:Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says his comment
about Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential bid as “light
skinned” and “with no Negro dialect” was “a poor choice of
words.” (Mike Theiler / EPA file)
Video: Reid to Obama: Sorry for ‘no Negro Dialect’ Remark
Above:A homemade video by Zewdy, a talented young artist
from New York City is garnering growing attention on YouTube.
Tadias Magazine Arts & Entertainment News
Published: Friday, January 8, 2010
New York (Tadias) – We recently received several emails directing our attention to a music video by a multicultural artist named Zewdy, born in New York City and of Ethiopian and Eritrean heritage.
Partly owing to the young lady’s savvy use of social networking sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, the homemade clip is fast becoming an online sensation. In a sign consistent with viral videos on YouTube, Zewdi has already received over 15, 000 hits in a span of only six days.
“This is the great promise of YouTube: Your video can soar in popularity through sheer word-of mouth—or rather, click-of-mouth—until eventually people are making T-shirts about it,” writes Chris Wilson, who tracked the traffic trends of more than 10,000 YouTube videos for an investigative article published on Slate Magazine. “I crunched the numbers to find out what percentage of YouTube videos hit it big, cracking even 10,000 or 100,000 views. The results: You might have better odds playing the lottery than of becoming a viral video sensation.”
After one month of observation, only twenty five of Wilson’s ten thousand videos made the high mark: “A mere 25, 0.3 percent, had more than 10,000 views,” he observes. “Meanwhile, 65 percent of videos failed to break 50 views; 2.8 percent had zero views.” Slate Magazine’s advice: Don’t bet your career on launching your show biz on YouTube.
But the vibrant Zewdy is beating the odds. Here is the video in which she celebrates her multicultural background through music and dance.
Above:Ethiopians and other Orthodox Christians who follow
the Julian calendar celebrate Genna (Christmas) today.
Tadias Magazine
Editor’s Note
Published: Thursday, January 7th, 2009
New York (Tadias) – We would like to wish a very merry Christmas (Melkam Genna) to all our readers!
The following is an excerpt from an article entitled “How the Story of Christmas Saved Islam.” It was published on HuffingtonPost.com on Christmas day 2009. The writer shares the story of an Ethiopian Christian King and his decision to grant refuge to the family of the Prophet Mohammad, who arrived in ancient Ethiopia while fleeing from their pagan persecutors. The piece by author and Hollywood filmmaker Kamran Pasha highlights Ethiopia’s historic role in providing sanctuary for the earliest Muslims. We thought we would share it with you in celebration of Genna!
And our Christmas story begins with that first emigration, to the Christian kingdom of Abyssinia, in modern day Ethiopia.
In 615 C.E., five years after the prophet’s first vision of Gabriel, persecution of the Muslims had become a life-and-death matter. A Muslim woman named Sumaya, the first martyr of Islam, had been publicly murdered by a Meccan tribal chief. The weakest members of the community, such as the African slave Bilal, were subjected to torture. And the Arab chieftains were coming together to proclaim a ban of trade with the Muslims, prohibiting citizens of Mecca from providing food and medicine to members of the new movement.
Facing the very real possibility of extinction, a small group of Muslims led by the Prophet’s daughter Ruqayya and his son-in-law Uthman, escaped Meccan patrols and managed to get to the Red Sea, where they fled to Abyssinia by boat. They sought the protection of the Negus, the Christian king who had a reputation for justice. Read more.
Cover image: The Saint Yared Choir of D.C (Tadias File Photo)
Above:Etete Ethiopian restaurant in Washington, D.C., has
earned a recognition from Washingtonian magazine as one of
the “100 Very Best Restaurants” (Photo: Mayor Adrian Fenty
poses with the owners in July 2009. – DJ Photography)
Updated: Wednesday, January 6, 2009
Nazret.com has reviewed the hard copy of the 2009 list
and first reported the story here.
The following is a 2008 ranking published in January 2009: Washingtonian’s 100 Best Restaurants
Among local Ethiopians, the name Tiwaltengus Shenegelgn is on par with the name Michel Richard among foodies. Stevie Wonder seeks her out whenever he’s in town. What’s the fuss? Etete, as Shenegelgn is known—it means “mama” in Amharic—cooks with the finesse of a demanding craftswoman, her peppery stews hearty and complex but never burdensome. Read more.
Related from Tadias Archives Photos from Mayor Adrian M. Fenty’s Fundraiser at Etete
A fundraiser was held for Mayor Adrian M. Fenty at Etete Ethiopian restaurant in Washington, D.C. on July 30, 2009. The event was hosted by Ethiopian-American businessman Henok Tesfaye, President of U Street Parking, Inc., who gave the restaurant to his mother as a gift. The fundraiser attracted a diverse crowd of both Ethiopians and non-Ethiopians who paid between $500 and $2000 per contributor in support of the the Mayor’s 2010 re-election campaign. Here are photos courtesy of DJ Photography.
Above:An undated photo of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab,
the suspect in the thwarted bombing, was made available
by the U.S. Marshals Service.
Wall Street Journal
HONOLULU — President Barack Obama on Tuesday said a –
“potential catastrophic breach” of security led to the x-mas
Day attempted bombing on a Detroit-bound airplane.
Video: Obama on System Failures CBS
Man claims fellow passenger videotaped attempted bombing The Detroit News
Paul Egan The person was returning from Ethiopia with two adopted children
A Wisconsin man who was aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on Christmas Day says his daughter saw a man videotape the entire flight, including an attempt by a passenger to blow up the aircraft. Charlie Keepman of Oconomowoc said he and his wife and daughter, Ricki, were aboard the flight from Amsterdam to Detroit Metropolitan Airport as the family returned from Ethiopia with two children they had just adopted. “This person actually was videotaping it,” said Keepman, adding that several passengers saw the man, who was seated a few rows in front of them aboard the aircraft. Finding him and his videotape was of great interest to FBI officials who questioned passengers following the flight, Keepman said. Federal officials had no immediate comment. Read more.
Obama Seeks to Assure U.S.; Qaeda Group Stakes Claim The New York Times
HONOLULU — President Obama emerged from Hawaiian seclusion on Monday to try to quell gathering criticism of his administration’s handling of the thwarted Christmas Day bombing of an American airliner as a branch of Al Qaeda claimed responsibility. Read more
Obama vows to ‘keep up the pressure’ on terrorists
. Above: Former bank official Alhaji Umaru Mutallab,
father of the suspected terrorist. ( FirstBankNigeria)
Press Statement by the Mutallab Family
Our family, like the rest of the world, were woken up in the early hours of Saturday, 26th December, 2009 to the news of an attempt to blow up a plane by a young Nigerian man, who was later identified as Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab. Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab is the son of Alhaji (Dr.) Umaru AbdulMutallab, the head of this Family.
Prior to this incident, his father, having become concerned about his disappearance and stoppage of communication while schooling abroad, reported the matter to the Nigerian security agencies about two months ago, and to some foreign security agencies about a month and a half ago, then sought their assistance to find and return him home. We provided them with all the information required of us to enable them do this. We were hopeful that they would find and return him home. It was while we were waiting for the outcome of their investigation that we arose to the shocking news of that day.
The disappearance and cessation of communication which got his mother and father concerned to report to the security agencies are completely out of character and a very recent development, as before then, from very early childhood, Farouk, to the best of parental monitoring, had never shown any attitude, conduct or association that would give concern. As soon as concern arose, very recently, his parents, reported it and sought help.
The family will continue to fully cooperate with local and international security agencies towards the investigation of this matter, while we await results of the full investigation.
We, along with the whole world, are thankful to Al-Mighty God that there were no lives lost in the incident. May God continue to protect us all, amen.
Finally, as the matter is being investigated by the various agencies, and has already been mentioned in a US court, the family requests that the press should regard this as the only statement it will make for now.
Thank you.
Signed
The Mutallab Family
Abuja, Nigeria
——
Nigerian Charged with Trying to Blow Up Airliner Voice of America Nico Colombant | Washington 26 December 2009
U.S. authorities have charged a Nigerian man with trying to blow up a plane on its descent into the city of Detroit on Friday. The man, who comes from a prominent Nigerian family, was read the charges in a hospital Saturday, where he is being treated for burns. U.S. District Judge Paul Borman read the 23-year-old his charges in a room at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor. Read More.
Watch Video: Man charged in US plane bomb plot – 27 Dec 09
Wisconsin family battled fear on targeted flight Associated Press By CARRIE ANTLFINGER | 5:32 p.m. CST, December 26, 2009
MILWAUKEE – Richelle Keepman and her parents were flying home from Ethiopia where her parents just adopted two children when they heard a pop and saw two terrified flight attendants run for fire extinguishers. The 24-year-old, her parents, Charles and Patricia Keepman, and her new 6-year-old sister and 8-year-old brother were sitting near the back of the plane. They were about 20 rows behind the 23-year-old man who is accused of trying detonate an explosive device as the Northwest flight was preparing to land in Detroit. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab of Nigeria was charged Saturday in the Christmas Day attempt that only sparked a fire on the flight from Amsterdam. The family was flying from Addis Abeba. Read more.
Father of Terror Suspect Reportedly Warned U.S. Above: Former bank official Alhaji Umaru Mutallab,
father of the suspected terrorist. ( FirstBankNigeria) FOX News | Saturday, December 26, 2009
The alleged father of a Nigerian man charged with trying to blow up a Northwest Airlines plane on Christmas Day reportedly warned the U.S. about his son’s fanatical religious views and activities, the New York Post reported. Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, believed to be the suspected terrorist’s father, told a Nigerian news outlet that six months ago he alerted the U.S. Embassy to his son’s fanatical religious views, the Post reported. He allegedly told Nigerian newspaper This Day that he had informed both the U.S. Embassy and the Nigerian security services of his 23-year-old son Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s activities, the Post reported. Read more.
Above:Ethiopian born Sheba Sahlemariam’s music is a fusion
of many different cultures.
The Jamica Gleaner
Sadeke Brooks, Staff Reporter
Published: Sunday | December 20, 2009
The singer was born in Ethiopia but her family was exiled from the country when she was only a baby. Since then, she has lived in places like Germany, Guyana, Trinidad, New York, Canada, Kenya, and even Jamaica. Hence, her music is heavily influenced by varied cultures. “We did a lot of travelling when I was young and it has sort of given me a view that is very global. The music that I create sounds as diverse as my life. My life is about growing up in many different places. My life is a fusion of all those things and my music is a fusion,” Sheba told The Sunday Gleaner. “My musical style is fusing all the music that I grew up on; dancehall, reggae, Afro-pop, Ethiopian jazz and urban music. I am fusing all those things which sound like the soundtrack to my life.” The New York-based artiste said reggae and dancehall is also a big part of her music. Read more.
Video: Sheba Sahlemariam Live at Joe’s Pub (New York)
A refugee from the majestic war-torn land of Ethiopia, Sheba Sahlemariam was reared among the concrete jungles of New York City, Europe, the Caribbean and Africa. Named after the Queen of Sheba, famed empress of Ethiopia, to whom her family traces direct ancestry – Sheba Sahlemariam is a cousin to Emperor Haile Selassie – which highlights the serendipitous circumstances that moved her family from Ethiopia to Guyana, where she spent her early childhood and later, Jamaica, which deepened her connection to Reggae and Dancehall, the glue to her global and urban sound. Sheba stirs up a unique musical brew that is a mélange of Reggae grooves, Afro-beat, Ethiopian traditional music and jazz, R&B riffs, 16 bar rhymes, and Dancehall Sing-Jaying –souvenirs from her nomadic life.
Sheba’s gorgeous four octave range, soul stirring, provocative lyrics and fierce ability to dial up a diversity of musical styles puts her at the razor’s edge and will expel you from preconceived definitions of urban, pop and world music.
Watch: “Love This Lifetime” by Sheba Sahlemariam
As early as the age of four, she was singing and making up songs, but it wasn’t until a random meeting in Brooklyn, when Sheba forged a musical partnership with Tommy “Madfly” Faragher, that she finally begin to chip away at her lifelong dream to write and record music. Together they began to collaborate on what would be the basis for her first album: The Lion of Sheba. Songs from the forthcoming album are for real music lovers: big vocals, powerful songwriting and beats that challenge your boundaries. The wait is over. You may not be able to get to Ethiopia, but The Lion of Sheba will bring Ethiopia home to you. The Lioness, Sheba…soon come.
Above: Their album, Wudasse, “heard from the front stoops of
a brownstone in Harlem, feels very much like the crisp sounds
of summer jazz.”
Tadias Magazine
CD Review
By Nebiyu Kebede Shawel
Updated: Thursday, December 10, 2009
New York (Tadias) – Wudasse is the brainchild of Ethiopia’s bass legend Fasil Wuhib, paired perfectly with the emerging virtuoso Jorga Mesfin on sax & keyboard and Teferi Assefa, the seamless polyrhythmic drummer.
Wudasse’s debut album titled Selam (Amharic for peace) is piloted with great deft and command. Selam’s bold inroads into jazz is accomplished by the impeccable performances of Ahsa Ahla on percussion, Dale Sanders on guitar and David Bass on Baritone sax, alto sax and flute.
The Music
This is a momentous occasion after decades of stagnation in the Ethiopian music scene, during which uninspiring regurgitation of music from the “classic era” stifled creativity and left the pallets of many music lovers unfulfilled.
The last few years have witnessed a slow but steady shift in the opposite directions. Led by groups such as Wudasse and Bole 2 Harlem, this nascent revolution in Ethiopian music, towards originality and authenticity, shuns the superficial boundaries set by unauthenticated music producers perched atop a musical hierarchy with a jaundiced view of what constitutes marketable music. We will demand more!
The popularity and genius of musicians of “the classic era” as well as their contributions to Ethiopian popular music cannot be denied. The Nostalgic feelings evoked by these artists and their music, however, should not obscure the work of bands such as Wudasse, who are forging a new way forward, by returning to the originality and authenticity, which are hallmarks of the classic era.
The Album
The arts, notably music, have always been at the frontiers and at the root of a cultural identity. Music has always been a forum where intricate negotiations occur within and between cultures. Music sets the tone for a respectable and equitable transmission of cultures. This quality enables music to create a distilled and romantic self -portrait, from a delicate collage of different cultural influences.
Selam, Wudasse’s debut album, demonstrates how this process works by using familiar Ethiopian jingles and a gentle, uninterrupted mingle with jazz, to lure the listener deeper into a far-reaching album.
Opening track, Megemeria (Amharic for the beginning), revolves around a recognizable melody, which creates a comfortable buffer zone for a pleasant musical journey. An engaging conversation between the saxophone, percussion and guitars, is the central building block of this track. The intensity of this conversation is punctuated, at key junctures, by superb virtuoso excursions of each instrument.
Title track Selam, possesses an awesome power to evoke and provoke listeners into roundtable discussions. Selam, which is sixteen minutes long, provides ample room for experimentation and lengthy virtuosos. The track fluctuates between the cadence of a serious jazz work and the relaxed, intimate atmosphere of a jam session of musicians intimately familiar with each other’s vibe.
As Jorga Mesfin on Sax and Dave Bass on Baritone flaunt their Fukera (war call) style dialogue, intruding occasionally into the discussion is the Idir trumpet used to summon the town’s attention and a major cultural bridge in this composition. Bassist Fasil Wuhib responds to the idir’s call, by coaxing chords of the spiritual beguena from his bass guitar, while simultaneously keeping a close leash on Teferi Assefa’s unbounded drumming. Midway through the composition, the flute makes an entry to warn us all about the virtues of peace, accompanied by ruminations from keyboard and percussions. The dust finally settles in a chorus of peace, Wudasse Selam!
Track four, Ete Mete, is an adaptation of a childhood song about a girl’s coming of age, in which her suitor promises to abandon his marriage and elope with her, Ete mete yelomi shita, ya sewye minalesh mata? ……tidarun feto lewsedish alegne….
This track is littered with snippets, which point to the seamless chemistry prevalent within the group on this particular endeavor. A fabulous bass line, laden with chords, and soaring lyrical phrases across bar lines by the Saxophone, beckon to more than just a casual listen.
They are an invitation to delve deeper into the meaning of this song, an exercise that, in my view, has been obscured by the mere fact of its popularity within Ethiopian society. Throughout this meditation, as guitarist Dale sanders deftly drives a slim nail into a crystal ball with precession so not to shatter the glass, the rhythm section, hindered by no such constraints, is constantly stepping on the accelerator.
Heard from the front stoops of a brownstone in Harlem, it feels very much like the crisp sounds of summer jazz, versatile enough to create room for coexistence between the upstairs neighbor’s pulsating turntables and the chorus of young girls from Ethiopia chanting, Aywesdishim tidarun feto melolegnal gasha toroon defto…
The lyrical and abstract hypnotic sounds of the Imbilta (long mono note horns), alongside that of drums, play the dual role of keeping time while making time irrelevant, in Aba Gerima a soulful pearl which tops off Wudasse’s debut album.
This album is not only a tour de force as debut albums go; it thrusts Wudasse into a distinguished group of musical innovators, noticeably absent in the Ethiopian musical orbit over the past decade.
—— About the Author:Nebiyu Kebede Shawel is a writer currently residing in Harlem, New York.
The album reviewed above is available for sale on-line at cdbaby.com and additional information on the artists’ bio is available at wudasse.com
NYT: Formally accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo on
Thursday, President Obama robustly defended the use of
military force “on humanitarian grounds” and to preserve
peace. Read more.
Video: Obama Accepts Nobel Peace Prize (AP)
Video: MTP reflects on MLK’s Nobel
In his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, President Obama
highlighted the words of Martin Luther King, Jr, delivered in
the same ceremony in 1964. In the following video, Meet The Press
reflects on MLK’s Nobel.
Above:The Virginia couple, pictured here with President
Obama at the White House last week after sneaking into
his first State Dinner without an invitation says: ‘Don’t
Call Us White House Crashers.’
Video: ‘We did not’ Crash, White House Couple Says
Above:Secretary Clinton holds a Bilateral Meeting with Foreign
Minister Seyoum Mesfin of Ethiopia, at the Department of State.
The following video is photo op remarks before their meeting.
(Treaty Room, November 5, 2009).
Above:Derartu Tulu, winner of the 2009 New York City
Marathon, rings the NYSE Closing Bell on Nov 2.
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: Wednesday, November 4, 2009
New York (Tadias) – Derartu Tulu, winner of the 2009 New York City Marathon, became the third Ethiopian in three years to ring the closing bell on the floor of a U.S. stock exchange on Monday.
President Girma Wolde-Giorgis rung NYSE’s opening bell on March 2, 2007, and Ethiopia-born Ted Alemayhu – Founder & CEO of U.S. Doctors for Africa – became the first Ethiopian to ring the closing bell of NASDAQ on Thursday, March 23, 2006.
37-year-old Tulu was joined at Monday’s ceremony by Mary Wittenberg, President and CEO of the New York Road Runners and Edith Hunkeler of Switzerland, women’s wheelchair winner.
Meanwhile, Meb Keflezighi made an appearance on David Letterman where he presented “The Top Ten List.” Check out the videos below.
25 years after Michael Buerk’s broadcasts from Ethiopia, the documentaries have stopped, but the starvation hasn’t.
Michael Buerk describes them as “by far the most influential pieces of television ever broadcast”. The first of his two BBC News reports that revealed the horror of mass death by starvation in Ethiopia aired 25 years ago this Friday, with the second a day later. They prompted a huge wave of private giving, shamed negligent western governments into action and ushered in a new era in the aid business. Read more.
Oxfam’s deputy humanitarian director says the famine is
reaching a “tipping point”. Watch the video on BBC.
A severe and persistent five-year drought, deepened by climate change, is now stretching across seven countries in the region and exacting a heavy human toll, made worse by high food prices and violent conflict. The worst affected countries are Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and Uganda. Other countries hit are Sudan, Djibouti and Tanzania.
Malnutrition is now above emergency levels in some areas and hundreds of thousands of cattle – people’s key source of income – are dying. This is the worst drought that Kenya has experienced for a decade, and the worst humanitarian situation Somalia has experienced since 1991.
The high numbers of people affected – more than double the number caught up in similar food crisis in 2006, when 11 million were at risk – underline the gravity of the situation and the urgent need for funding to prevent the crisis getting worse.
Paul Smith Lomas, Oxfam’s East Africa Director said:
“This is the worst humanitarian crisis Oxfam has seen in East Africa for over ten years. Failed and unpredictable rains are ever more regular across East Africa as raining seasons shorten due to the growing influence of climate change. Droughts have increased from once a decade to every two or three years. In Wajir, northern Kenya, almost 200 dead animals were recently found around one dried-up water source. People are surviving on 2 liters of water a day in some places – less water than a toilet flush. The conditions have never been so harsh or so inhospitable, and people desperately need our help to survive.”
In Kenya , 3.8 million, a tenth of the population, are in need of emergency aid. Food prices have spiraled to 180 percent above average. Areas such as Rift Valley, which have never previously experienced a drought of this intensity are now affected. Conflict over rapidly diminishing resources such as water and pasture for cattle is increasing. Desperate herders are taking their cattle further to look for water and food, sparking tensions with other groups competing for the same resources. Sixty-five people have been killed in Turkana, northern Kenya since June 2009.
One in six children are acutely malnourished in Somalia , and people are trekking for days to find water in the northern regions of the country. Conflict means that people are less able to grow the food, and drought is creating hardship in areas where people have fled. Half of the population – over 3.8 million people – are affected.
In Ethiopia, 13.7 million people are at risk of severe hunger and need assistance. Many are selling their cattle to buy food. In northern Uganda farmers have lost half of their crops and more than 2 million people across the country desperately need aid.
Some 160,000 people mainly around the wild life tourist area of Ngorongoro in north-eastern Tanzania are also at risk. In Djibouti there are worrying levels of increased malnutrition and in South Sudan conflict has put 88,000 people at particular risk.
The aid response to the crisis needs to rapidly expand, but it is desperately short of funds. The World Food Program is facing a $977 million donor shortfall for its work in the Horn of Africa over the next six months. The government of Uganda appealed for donor money to tackle the food crisis, but has so far received only 50 percent of the funding it needs.
Rains are due in October but are likely to bring scant relief or worse still, deluges that could dramatically worsen the situation. There are genuine fears that the region could be hit by floods as a result of the El Nino phenomenon, which could destroy crops and houses, and increase the spread of water-borne diseases. Even with normal rain, the harvest will not arrive until early 2010. People will still need aid to get them through a long hunger season.
Oxfam staff are on the ground helping those at risk but the organisation is appealing for help from the UK public to help scale up its efforts. The agency is expanding its aid effort to reach more than 750,000 people but is in desperate need for funds to do this work. Oxfam is supplying emergency clean water and access to food, and also carrying out long-term projects to strengthen people’s ability to cope with future shocks.
The Election of Barack Obama HBO series Premieres
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 By The People: The Election of Barack Obama
While Obama’s meteoric rise to the White House has been well
documented in the press, few have witnessed the behind-the-
scenes story of the passionate campaigners who helped a young
African-American freshman senator attain the nation’s highest
office.
Above:Dr. Ebba K. Ebba, founding member of The Gemini
Health Care Group, a non-profit established to provide
health care to children.
Source: 50 in 52 Journey
An Ethiopian born immigrant who became a Pediatrician Dr. Ebba wanted to make a difference in the lives of Children in his home country. Not content to just volunteer his time he wanted to make as big a difference as possible so he had undertaken a dream to build a Children’s Hospital so that it won’t just be the power of one but of many to help the children. Watch this powerful video of one man making a huge difference and listen to important advice he has for anyone who has a dream.
About 50 in 52 Journey 50 in 52 Journey is a non-profit company inspired by one woman, Dafna Michaelson, and supported by a wide network of businesses and individuals. The mission: “To find the people who are moving America forward; to share and celebrate the incredible ways in which ordinary people do extraordinary things every day; and to bring together both problems and solutions with idea-generators and problem-solvers through the 50 in 52 Journey foundation.” Learn more.
Above:“The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has charged
a Tampa man in connection with an early morning apartment
fire… The man, 44-year-old Gezaheign Awasi, has been
arrested for starting the fire in his second floor apartment.”
(Watch video from ABC Action News).
Above:Ethiopian marathon runner Haile Gebrselassie and
American sprinter Tyson Gay go neck and neck in an Adidas
spot that offers an interesting insight into the running men
and their best performances. (ADweek)
Above:Aster Tareken says she is in shock after her ordeal.
“More victims are surfacing in connection with a local travel
agency that suddenly closed its doors earlier this summer –
leaving an untold number of customers holding the bag.”
(KOMO News)
Watch the Story
Video – Problems at Travel Agency in Seattle:
Ethiopia-Bound Ticketholders Stuck
New York (Tadias) – Bernos, which we first featured in March 2008, is an upstart clothing company founded by young Ethiopian and Eritrean American entrepreneurs and artists. In recent months, celebrities were spotted sporting the label’s hip tees on media appearances. Earlier this year, a member of the music group started by Somali-born rapper K’naan was seen wearing the Bernos Made in Africashirt in their music video. And today, we discovered another series of videos in our inbox showing Damian Marley, the youngest son of the late reggae legend Bob Marley, wearing one of the company’s inaugural designs Addis Ababa Classic during his interview on Boston’s Hot 97.5 station. Enjoy the videos:
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: March 28, 2008
New York (Tadias) – It all started with a boring job that left graphic designer Nolawi Petros itching to do something artistic.
Designing test booklets for No Child Left Behind at his day job did little to satisfy Petros’ appetite for artistic creation.
“The truth is, I was at a job where I didn’t have a lot of creative things to do,” Nolawi says.
So he decided it was time to launch Bernos, an online t-shirt vending company that now doubles as a sort of virtual Ethiopian community center through an active blog.
He had been kicking around the idea of starting a t-shirt designing and making venture for some time.
“If it works, it works; if doesn’t, it doesn’t,” Petros said at the time, but he thought it was at least worth a try.
It did work.
In May 2005, launched Bernos with three designs: Addis Ababa Classic, a red shirt with the words “Addis Ababa” written in a font resembling Coca-Cola’s, an Abebe Bekila shirt, and a shirt featuring Desta Keremela, the staple candy brand found in pretty much every souk in Ethiopia.
Above:Bernos shirt with the words “Addis Ababa” written in a font resembling
Coca-Cola’s. (Photo: Bernos.org).
Above:A shirt featuring Desta Keremela, the staple candy brand found in pretty
much every neighborhood shop in Ethiopia. (Photo: Bernos.org).
The business is named after the heavy wool cloak that became a status symbol after being introduced to Ethiopia by the Arabs.
“Wearing the Bernos in Ethiopia was a lot like wearing a sheriff’s badge in the American West,” Bernos says on its website.
“Today, anyone can capture and celebrate some of Ethiopia’s history and the status of the Bernos by wearing one of our unique t-shirts.”
And if the fact that they’ve sold out of many of their designs is any indication, the Bernos t-shirt is a status symbol that more than a few people have bought into.
Petros says that for the 13 designs that the website has now, he’s probably designed another 30 that he’s decided to toss out or hold on to for later.
While Petros handles much of the design work, he has business partners handle the other elements of running a business: Dawit Kahsai handles finances, Meron Samuel is the head of marketing and sales, and Beshou Gedamu is Bernos’ t-shirt model and photographer.
So far, the venture has been built on volunteer labor—the partners view their time as their primary investment in the business, Petros says.
The Bernos site gets about 500 hits a day, mostly Abeshas on the East Coast, Petros says, but although the Bernos team are Ethiopians (Dawit Kahsai is Eritrean), they don’t see their venture as an “Abesha” or even an “African” brand.
Most orders do come from major U.S. cities with big Abesha populations: Oakland, Seattle, Washington, DC, and New York City, some order have popped up from more far flung locations—everywhere from Fargo, North Dakota to Mississipi.
Even though they’ve cornered the internet-savvy Abesha market that likes hip T-shirts, Petros says a little number-crunching reveals that market is still pretty small.
“Let’s say there are 500,000 Ethiopians in the U.S.—out of those, 20 percent use the internet, (and of those, some) are into fashion or T-shirts. So, when you think about it, we don’t have a big market,” says Petros.
About 30 percent of the T-shirts go to non-Ethiopians, and Petros says they’re trying to expand that number. That trend has been reflected in the shift in designs from the “Addis Ababa Classic” that launched the site to more recent designs named “Roots,” and “d’Afrique,” which have more pan-African appeal.
Above:Another recent design named “Roots,” which has a more pan-African
appeal. (Photo: Bernos.org).
But Petros says he wants to branch out of that niche too.
“These t-shirts have mass appeal for all black people but also for white people,” Petros said.
With t-shirts that garner a broader following, Bernos hopes their line will eventually be carried by a national clothing chain like Urban Outfitters.
Above: That’s why some say that despite all the accusations
and emotions hindering the resolution of the Henry Louis Gates
Jr. imbroglio, there is opportunity for racial progress in President
Barack Obama’s “teachable moment” sitdown with Gates and
Sgt. James Crowley. (AP)
Video: Black Scholar Accepts White House Meeting Offer The Associated Press
Audio: Henry Louis Gates Reacts To Obama’s Remarks
during an interview with Gayle King on Sirius/XM radio
Obama on Skip Gates
At a press conference mainly on health care on Wednesday,
Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times asked President Obama
to comment on the controversial arrest. Watch the President’s
comments here.
Above:Ethiopian-American Researcher Mesfin Tsige, Ph.D.,
an assitant professor in the College of Science at Southern
Illinois University has earned a prestigious grant from the
federal government to study solar cell efficiency. (Read More).
Above: President Obama has asked police Sgt. James Crowley
and professor Henry Louis Gates to meet at the White House. Read more at U.S.A. Today.
Video: Black Scholar Accepts White House Meeting Offer The Associated Press
Audio: Henry Louis Gates Reacts To Obama’s Remarks
during an interview with Gayle King on Sirius/XM radio
Obama on Skip Gates
At a press conference mainly on health care on Wednesday,
Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times asked President Obama
to comment on the controversial arrest. Watch the President’s
comments here or read the text below:
Well, I should say at the outset that Skip Gates is a friend, so I may be a little biased here. I don’t know all the facts. What’s been reported, though, is that the guy forgot his keys. He jimmied his way to get into the house. There was a report called into the police station that there might be a burglary taking place. so far so good. Right? I mean, if I was trying to jigger in — well, I guess this is my house now so it probably wouldn’t happen. Let’s say my old house in Chicago. Here I’d get shot. But so far so good. They’re reporting, the police are doing what they should. There’s a call. They go investigate what happens. My understanding is at that point Professor Gates is already in his house. The police officer comes in. I’m sure there’s some exchange of words but my understanding is that Professor Gates then shows his I.D. to show that this is his house. And at that point he gets arrested for disorderly conduct, charges which are later dropped. Now, I don’t know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts what role race played in that, but I think it’s fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry. Number two, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home and, number three, what I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there is a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately. And that’s just a fact.
As you know, Lynn, when I was in the state legislature in Illinois we worked on a racial profiling bill because there was indisputable evidence that blacks and hispanics were being stopped disproportionately. And that is a sign, an example of how, you know, race remains a factor in this society. That doesn’t lessen the incredible progress that has been made. I am standing here as testimony to the progress that’s been made. And yet, the fact of the matter is that, you know, this still haunts us. And even when there are honest misunderstandings, the fact that blacks and hispanics are picked up more frequently and often time for no cause cast suspicion even when there is good cause, and that’s why I think the more that we’re working with local law enforcement to improve policing techniques so that we’re eliminating potential bias, the safer everybody’s going to be.
10 Questions for Henry Louis Gates TIME
By Henry Louis Gates Jr.
“If we all traced our family trees 50,000
years back, we’re all in Ethiopia. There’s no
question about that.” – Henry Louis Gates
You recently wrote about the complex feelings Abraham Lincoln held toward black people. Could you expand on that? Bill Bre, BREMEN, GERMANY
A fundamental part of Lincoln’s moral compass was his opposition to slavery. But it took him a long time to embrace black people. We were raised with a fairy-tale representation that because he hated slavery, he loved the slaves. He didn’t. He was a recovering racist. He used to use the N word. He told darky jokes. He resisted abolition as long as he could. But in the end, he was on an upward arc, one that was quite noble.
Can you define the word race? Treva Gholston STONE MOUNTAIN, GA.
People use the words ethnicity and race interchangeably. But race is not a biological concept. It’s socially constructed. We are [influenced by] the environment in which we live, but our physical features are inherited from our biology. If we all traced our family trees 50,000 years back, we’re all in Ethiopia. There’s no question about that. Read more.
Above:Walter Cronkite, the legendary TV news anchor
once known as the “most trusted man in America,” has died
at the age of 92. Cronkite anchored the CBS Evening News
from 1962 to 1981 with his trademark sign-off, “And that’s
the way it is…” (More at huffingtonpost.com).
Above:Six-year-old Abiyu Baker took on the role of his favorite
superhero for a day. The playful young boy from Ethiopia came
to the U.S. seven-month ago, adopted by John and Marissa
Baker. He was born with a blood disorder and is currently
receiving treatment.
Above: A vendor holds Michael Jackson t-shirt near Apollo
theater in New York. (Photo by Kidane Mariam for Tadias).
Michael Jackson was honored at a Los Angeles memorial
service as millions watched via TV and the internet.
Related: Michael Jackson – A Trip Down Memory Lane at the Apollo Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Updated: Tuesday, July 7, 2009
New York (Tadias) – As the world waited for Michael Jackson’s public memorial at L.A.’s Staples Center, New York held its own remembrance ceremony in Harlem on June 30, 2009 at the world famous Apollo Theater, which helped propel the legendary singer to international stardom in 1967.
Inside the theater, a moment of silence led by the Rev. Al Sharpton was observed at 5.26 p.m., the star’s exact time of death.
And outside, admirers wrote their condolences on a temporary mural wall, and lit candles, placed flowers and souvenirs by the wall. They cried, sang and danced into the night.
Here is a short Tadias video of the scene outside Apollo Theater on
June 30, 2009.
New York (Tadias) – The wrenching images of hungry children, which invaded living rooms around the world in the mid 80’s, prompted Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to organize the 1985 Live Aid concert and ‘raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia’. The multi-nation event, which showcased some of the biggest names in the music industry, included Michael Jackson, who co-wrote the project’s signature song “We Are the World” along with Lionel Richie.
The song was recorded on the night of January 28, 1985, following the American Music Awards.
Michael Jackson skipped the A&M Studios ceremony in Hollywood, California in order to prepare the song track as a guide for the rest of the singers, whom he helped persuade to participate in the charity concert. The documentary ” We Are the World: The Story Behind the Song” , described by the New York Times as a film “which examines how the song was written, how producer Quincy Jones and songwriters Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie persuaded some of the most popular performers in America to donate their services to the project…,” highlights Michael Jackson’s important contribution to one of the biggest people-to-people humanitarian projects focusing on Africa. Participating artists included: Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Diana Ross, Kenny Rogers, Tina Turner, Ray Charles, Harry Belafonte, Bob Geldof, and many more.
A quick search in Wiki about the song reveals an intense moment of artistic conflict during rehearsal:
“The dispute started when Stevie Wonder announced that he would like to substitute a line in Swahili. After a few rehearsals, a full-fledged creative conflict broke out. Geldof pointed out that Ethiopians do not speak Swahili. Michael Jackson then proposed to keep his original line “Sha-lim sha-lingay” but after a few rehearsals, it too ran into opposition, because it does not have a meaning. Eventually Al Jarreau cried, “We can make a meaning” and came up with “One World, our word” which was changed one last time in “One world, our children.”
Above: High School student Sara Tesfai is an up and
coming Ethiopian female artist who was born and raised in
Canada. She was raised by a single mom who supported her
talent from a young age. She started singing in church and
small gatherings at a very young age.
Above: Obama spoke at Cairo University after meeting with
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on the second stop of a
four-nation trip to the Middle East and Europe. (Getty)
Above:“Sonia Sotomayor has reason to be thrilled –
she is a slam dunk to get confirmed for the Supreme
Court, Thomas M. DeFrank writes.” – (NY Daily News).
Introducing Judge Sonia Sotomayor: “Pride of the Bronx”
Judge Sotomayor has made the American dream her own. Born
and raised in a South Bronx public housing project to Puerto
Rican parents, Sotomayor has distinguished herself in academia,
as a big-city prosecutor, and as a leading figure on the federal
bench. If confirmed, Judge Sotomayor would start with more
federal judicial experience than any new Justice in 100 years.
By William Branigin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 21, 2009; 10:39 AM
President Obama today delivered a forceful defense of his approach to closing the Guantanamo Bay prison and fighting terrorism, arguing in the face of criticism from both the left and right that America must adhere to its fundamental values as his administration works to safeguard the nation while cleaning up what he described as a legal “mess” left by the Bush administration. Read more. Watch video of the speech:
Above: This undated photo released by the Jefferson
County Sheriff’s Office, shows Anthony Warren. A video
released by the sheriff’s office shows five Birmingham
police officers beating an apparently unconscious Warren
after a roadway chase in Alabama on Jan. 23, 2008. The
video surfaced a year later after prosecutors were
preparing to try Warren for assault in connection with the
chase. The five policeman were fired. Warren pleaded guilty
to first-degree assault and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
(Miami Herald )
President Obama gave the commencement speech at Notre
Dame University on Sunday, May 17, 2009. Below is the
text of the President’s speech, as prepared for delivery.
But first, watch as Obama accepts an honorary degree
to hearty applause:
The President’s speech, as prepared for delivery.
Thank you, Father Jenkins for that generous introduction. You are doing an outstanding job as president of this fine institution, and your continued and courageous commitment to honest, thoughtful dialogue is an inspiration to us all.
Good afternoon Father Hesburgh, Notre Dame trustees, faculty, family, friends, and the class of 2009. I am honored to be here today, and grateful to all of you for allowing me to be part of your graduation.
I want to thank you for this honorary degree. I know it has not been without controversy. I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but these honorary degrees are apparently pretty hard to come by. So far I’m only 1 for 2 as President. Father Hesburgh is 150 for 150. I guess that’s better. Father Ted, after the ceremony, maybe you can give me some pointers on how to boost my average.
I also want to congratulate the class of 2009 for all your accomplishments. And since this is Notre Dame, I mean both in the classroom and in the competitive arena. We all know about this university’s proud and storied football team, but I also hear that Notre Dame holds the largest outdoor 5-on-5 basketball tournament in the world – Bookstore Basketball.
Now this excites me. I want to congratulate the winners of this year’s tournament, a team by the name of “Hallelujah Holla Back.” Well done. Though I have to say, I am personally disappointed that the “Barack O’Ballers” didn’t pull it out. Next year, if you need a 6’2″ forward with a decent jumper, you know where I live.
Every one of you should be proud of what you have achieved at this institution. One hundred and sixty three classes of Notre Dame graduates have sat where you are today. Some were here during years that simply rolled into the next without much notice or fanfare – periods of relative peace and prosperity that required little by way of sacrifice or struggle.
You, however, are not getting off that easy. Your class has come of age at a moment of great consequence for our nation and the world – a rare inflection point in history where the size and scope of the challenges before us require that we remake our world to renew its promise; that we align our deepest values and commitments to the demands of a new age. It is a privilege and a responsibility afforded to few generations – and a task that you are now called to fulfill.
This is the generation that must find a path back to prosperity and decide how we respond to a global economy that left millions behind even before this crisis hit – an economy where greed and short-term thinking were too often rewarded at the expense of fairness, and diligence, and an honest day’s work.
We must decide how to save God’s creation from a changing climate that threatens to destroy it. We must seek peace at a time when there are those who will stop at nothing to do us harm, and when weapons in the hands of a few can destroy the many. And we must find a way to reconcile our ever-shrinking world with its ever-growing diversity – diversity of thought, of culture, and of belief.
In short, we must find a way to live together as one human family.
It is this last challenge that I’d like to talk about today. For the major threats we face in the 21st century – whether it’s global recession or violent extremism; the spread of nuclear weapons or pandemic disease – do not discriminate. They do not recognize borders. They do not see color. They do not target specific ethnic groups.
Moreover, no one person, or religion, or nation can meet these challenges alone. Our very survival has never required greater cooperation and understanding among all people from all places than at this moment in history.
Unfortunately, finding that common ground – recognizing that our fates are tied up, as Dr. King said, in a “single garment of destiny” – is not easy. Part of the problem, of course, lies in the imperfections of man – our selfishness, our pride, our stubbornness, our acquisitiveness, our insecurities, our egos; all the cruelties large and small that those of us in the Christian tradition understand to be rooted in original sin. We too often seek advantage over others. We cling to outworn prejudice and fear those who are unfamiliar. Too many of us view life only through the lens of immediate self-interest and crass materialism; in which the world is necessarily a zero-sum game. The strong too often dominate the weak, and too many of those with wealth and with power find all manner of justification for their own privilege in the face of poverty and injustice. And so, for all our technology and scientific advances, we see around the globe violence and want and strife that would seem sadly familiar to those in ancient times.
We know these things; and hopefully one of the benefits of the wonderful education you have received is that you have had time to consider these wrongs in the world, and grown determined, each in your own way, to right them. And yet, one of the vexing things for those of us interested in promoting greater understanding and cooperation among people is the discovery that even bringing together persons of good will, men and women of principle and purpose, can be difficult.
The soldier and the lawyer may both love this country with equal passion, and yet reach very different conclusions on the specific steps needed to protect us from harm. The gay activist and the evangelical pastor may both deplore the ravages of HIV/AIDS, but find themselves unable to bridge the cultural divide that might unite their efforts. Those who speak out against stem cell research may be rooted in admirable conviction about the sacredness of life, but so are the parents of a child with juvenile diabetes who are convinced that their son’s or daughter’s hardships can be relieved.
The question, then, is how do we work through these conflicts? Is it possible for us to join hands in common effort? As citizens of a vibrant and varied democracy, how do we engage in vigorous debate? How does each of us remain firm in our principles, and fight for what we consider right, without demonizing those with just as strongly held convictions on the other side?
Nowhere do these questions come up more powerfully than on the issue of abortion.
As I considered the controversy surrounding my visit here, I was reminded of an encounter I had during my Senate campaign, one that I describe in a book I wrote called The Audacity of Hope. A few days after I won the Democratic nomination, I received an email from a doctor who told me that while he voted for me in the primary, he had a serious concern that might prevent him from voting for me in the general election. He described himself as a Christian who was strongly pro-life, but that’s not what was preventing him from voting for me.
What bothered the doctor was an entry that my campaign staff had posted on my website – an entry that said I would fight “right-wing ideologues who want to take away a woman’s right to choose.” The doctor said that he had assumed I was a reasonable person, but that if I truly believed that every pro-life individual was simply an ideologue who wanted to inflict suffering on women, then I was not very reasonable. He wrote, “I do not ask at this point that you oppose abortion, only that you speak about this issue in fair-minded words.”
Fair-minded words.
After I read the doctor’s letter, I wrote back to him and thanked him. I didn’t change my position, but I did tell my staff to change the words on my website. And I said a prayer that night that I might extend the same presumption of good faith to others that the doctor had extended to me. Because when we do that – when we open our hearts and our minds to those who may not think like we do or believe what we do – that’s when we discover at least the possibility of common ground.
That’s when we begin to say, “Maybe we won’t agree on abortion, but we can still agree that this is a heart-wrenching decision for any woman to make, with both moral and spiritual dimensions.
So let’s work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions by reducing unintended pregnancies, and making adoption more available, and providing care and support for women who do carry their child to term. Let’s honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion, and draft a sensible conscience clause, and make sure that all of our health care policies are grounded in clear ethics and sound science, as well as respect for the equality of women.”
Understand – I do not suggest that the debate surrounding abortion can or should go away. No matter how much we may want to fudge it – indeed, while we know that the views of most Americans on the subject are complex and even contradictory – the fact is that at some level, the views of the two camps are irreconcilable. Each side will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction. But surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature.
Open hearts. Open minds. Fair-minded words.
It’s a way of life that has always been the Notre Dame tradition. Father Hesburgh has long spoken of this institution as both a lighthouse and a crossroads. The lighthouse that stands apart, shining with the wisdom of the Catholic tradition, while the crossroads is where “…differences of culture and religion and conviction can co-exist with friendship, civility, hospitality, and especially love.” And I want to join him and Father Jenkins in saying how inspired I am by the maturity and responsibility with which this class has approached the debate surrounding today’s ceremony.
This tradition of cooperation and understanding is one that I learned in my own life many years ago – also with the help of the Catholic Church.
I was not raised in a particularly religious household, but my mother instilled in me a sense of service and empathy that eventually led me to become a community organizer after I graduated college. A group of Catholic churches in Chicago helped fund an organization known as the Developing Communities Project, and we worked to lift up South Side neighborhoods that had been devastated when the local steel plant closed.
It was quite an eclectic crew. Catholic and Protestant churches. Jewish and African-American organizers. Working-class black and white and Hispanic residents. All of us with different experiences. All of us with different beliefs. But all of us learned to work side by side because all of us saw in these neighborhoods other human beings who needed our help – to find jobs and improve schools. We were bound together in the service of others.
And something else happened during the time I spent in those neighborhoods. Perhaps because the church folks I worked with were so welcoming and understanding; perhaps because they invited me to their services and sang with me from their hymnals; perhaps because I witnessed all of the good works their faith inspired them to perform, I found myself drawn – not just to work with the church, but to be in the church. It was through this service that I was brought to Christ.
At the time, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin was the Archbishop of Chicago. For those of you too young to have known him, he was a kind and good and wise man. A saintly man. I can still remember him speaking at one of the first organizing meetings I attended on the South Side. He stood as both a lighthouse and a crossroads – unafraid to speak his mind on moral issues ranging from poverty, AIDS, and abortion to the death penalty and nuclear war. And yet, he was congenial and gentle in his persuasion, always trying to bring people together; always trying to find common ground. Just before he died, a reporter asked Cardinal Bernardin about this approach to his ministry. And he said, “You can’t really get on with preaching the Gospel until you’ve touched minds and hearts.”
My heart and mind were touched by the words and deeds of the men and women I worked alongside with in Chicago. And I’d like to think that we touched the hearts and minds of the neighborhood families whose lives we helped change. For this, I believe, is our highest calling.
You are about to enter the next phase of your life at a time of great uncertainty. You will be called upon to help restore a free market that is also fair to all who are willing to work; to seek new sources of energy that can save our planet; to give future generations the same chance that you had to receive an extraordinary education. And whether as a person drawn to public service, or someone who simply insists on being an active citizen, you will be exposed to more opinions and ideas broadcast through more means of communications than have ever existed before. You will hear talking heads scream on cable, read blogs that claim definitive knowledge, and watch politicians pretend to know what they’re talking about. Occasionally, you may also have the great fortune of seeing important issues debated by well-intentioned, brilliant minds. In fact, I suspect that many of you will be among those bright stars.
In this world of competing claims about what is right and what is true, have confidence in the values with which you’ve been raised and educated. Be unafraid to speak your mind when those values are at stake. Hold firm to your faith and allow it to guide you on your journey. Stand as a lighthouse.
But remember too that the ultimate irony of faith is that it necessarily admits doubt. It is the belief in things not seen. It is beyond our capacity as human beings to know with certainty what God has planned for us or what He asks of us, and those of us who believe must trust that His wisdom is greater than our own.
This doubt should not push us away from our faith. But it should humble us. It should temper our passions, and cause us to be wary of self-righteousness. It should compel us to remain open, and curious, and eager to continue the moral and spiritual debate that began for so many of you within the walls of Notre Dame. And within our vast democracy, this doubt should remind us to persuade through reason, through an appeal whenever we can to universal rather than parochial principles, and most of all through an abiding example of good works, charity, kindness, and service that moves hearts and minds.
For if there is one law that we can be most certain of, it is the law that binds people of all faiths and no faith together. It is no coincidence that it exists in Christianity and Judaism; in Islam and Hinduism; in Buddhism and humanism. It is, of course, the Golden Rule – the call to treat one another as we wish to be treated. The call to love. To serve. To do what we can to make a difference in the lives of those with whom we share the same brief moment on this Earth.
So many of you at Notre Dame – by the last count, upwards of 80% — have lived this law of love through the service you’ve performed at schools and hospitals; international relief agencies and local charities. That is incredibly impressive, and a powerful testament to this institution. Now you must carry the tradition forward. Make it a way of life. Because when you serve, it doesn’t just improve your community, it makes you a part of your community. It breaks down walls. It fosters cooperation. And when that happens – when people set aside their differences to work in common effort toward a common good; when they struggle together, and sacrifice together, and learn from one another – all things are possible.
After all, I stand here today, as President and as an African-American, on the 55th anniversary of the day that the Supreme Court handed down the decision in Brown v. the Board of Education. Brown was of course the first major step in dismantling the “separate but equal” doctrine, but it would take a number of years and a nationwide movement to fully realize the dream of civil rights for all of God’s children. There were freedom rides and lunch counters and Billy clubs, and there was also a Civil Rights Commission appointed by President Eisenhower. It was the twelve resolutions recommended by this commission that would ultimately become law in the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
There were six members of the commission. It included five whites and one African-American; Democrats and Republicans; two Southern governors, the dean of a Southern law school, a Midwestern university president, and your own Father Ted Hesburgh, President of Notre Dame. They worked for two years, and at times, President Eisenhower had to intervene personally since no hotel or restaurant in the South would serve the black and white members of the commission together. Finally, when they reached an impasse in Louisiana, Father Ted flew them all to Notre Dame’s retreat in Land O’Lakes, Wisconsin, where they eventually overcame their differences and hammered out a final deal.
Years later, President Eisenhower asked Father Ted how on Earth he was able to broker an agreement between men of such different backgrounds and beliefs. And Father Ted simply said that during their first dinner in Wisconsin, they discovered that they were all fishermen. And so he quickly readied a boat for a twilight trip out on the lake. They fished, and they talked, and they changed the course of history.
I will not pretend that the challenges we face will be easy, or that the answers will come quickly, or that all our differences and divisions will fade happily away. Life is not that simple. It never has been.
But as you leave here today, remember the lessons of Cardinal Bernardin, of Father Hesburgh, of movements for change both large and small. Remember that each of us, endowed with the dignity possessed by all children of God, has the grace to recognize ourselves in one another; to understand that we all seek the same love of family and the same fulfillment of a life well-lived. Remember that in the end, we are all fishermen.
If nothing else, that knowledge should give us faith that through our collective labor, and God’s providence, and our willingness to shoulder each other’s burdens, America will continue on its precious journey towards that more perfect union. Congratulations on your graduation, may God Bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.
New York (TADIAS) – Part two of Tadias TV’s Ethiopians in Hollywood series features writer and director Zeresenay (Zee) Berhane Mehari, who worked as Cinematographer and Second Unit Director on Aida Ashenafi’s highly acclaimed new film Guzo (Amharic for Journey).
The film, which won best picture at the 2009 Addis International Film Festival, chronicles the interaction between two young residents of Addis Ababa and their peers in the Ethiopian countryside. Over the course of 20-days both the urbanites and country folks are forced to confront stereotypes about each other and grapple with issues of gender and privilege. The film is scheduled to premier in Washington DC on May 9th at the Lisner Theater (GWU).
Zee first appeared on Tadias on our June-July 2004 print issue. The following interview was taped in Los Angeles last month. Part one of this series highlighted Academy Award nominee Leelai Demoz, who discussed his role as one of the judges at the 2009 Addis International Film Festival and his experience as a filmmaker.
Part one: Academy Award Nominated Director Leelai Demoz;
New York (TADIAS) – In the following interview with Tadias, Academy Award nominee Leelai Demoz, speaks about his role as one of the judges at the 2009 Addis International Film Festival and his experience as a filmmaker. The documentary Guzo (The Journey), directed by Aida Ashenafi won first place in this year’s competition. The film is scheduled to premier in Washington DC on May 9th at the Lisner Theater (GWU).
Leelai’s interview was taped in Los Angeles. Part two of our Ethiopians in Hollywood series features filmmaker Zeresenay Berhane Mehari, who worked as Cinematographer and 2nd Unit Director for Guzo.
Part Two: Featuring Filmmaker Zeresenay (Zee) Berhane Mehari
Tadias TV Cover photo by Kidane Mariam for Tadias Magazine
New York – The following video shows the second Choice Eats tasting event organized by The Village Voice, the nation’s first and largest alternative newsweekly. Among those dishing out delicious and eclectic cuisine was Philipos Mengistu, owner and Executive Chef of Queen of Sheba, and his wife, Sara. The event took place on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 at the historic 69th Armory on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. Enjoy!
New York (Tadias) – A little over a year ago, on March 28, 2008, we featured an upstart clothing company called Bernos, founded by young Ethiopian and Eritrean entrepreneurs and artists in the United States. And this morning, when we checked our inbox, we discovered an exciting short video in which Rayzak, a member of the Somali-born rapper K’naan’s crew, is shown wearing the Bernos Made in Africa shirt. Enjoy!
Bernos Tees blend hip and culture
By Tadias Staff
New York (Tadias) – It all started with a boring job that left graphic designer Nolawi Petros itching to do something artistic.
Designing test booklets for No Child Left Behind at his day job did little to satisfy Petros’ appetite for artistic creation.
“The truth is, I was at a job where I didn’t have a lot of creative things to do,” Nolawi says.
So he decided it was time to launch Bernos, an online t-shirt vending company that now doubles as a sort of virtual Ethiopian community center through an active blog.
He had been kicking around the idea of starting a t-shirt designing and making venture for some time.
“If it works, it works; if doesn’t, it doesn’t,” Petros said at the time, but he thought it was at least worth a try.
It did work.
In May 2005, launched Bernos with three designs: Addis Ababa Classic, a red shirt with the words “Addis Ababa” written in a font resembling Coca-Cola’s, an Abebe Bekila shirt, and a shirt featuring Desta Keremela, the staple candy brand found in pretty much every souk in Ethiopia.
Above:Bernos shirt with the words “Addis Ababa” written in a font resembling
Coca-Cola’s. (Photo: Bernos.org).
Above:A shirt featuring Desta Keremela, the staple candy brand found in pretty
much every neighborhood shop in Ethiopia. (Photo: Bernos.org).
The business is named after the heavy wool cloak that became a status symbol after being introduced to Ethiopia by the Arabs.
“Wearing the Bernos in Ethiopia was a lot like wearing a sheriff’s badge in the American West,” Bernos says on its website.
“Today, anyone can capture and celebrate some of Ethiopia’s history and the status of the Bernos by wearing one of our unique t-shirts.”
And if the fact that they’ve sold out of many of their designs is any indication, the Bernos t-shirt is a status symbol that more than a few people have bought into.
Petros says that for the 13 designs that the website has now, he’s probably designed another 30 that he’s decided to toss out or hold on to for later.
While Petros handles much of the design work, he has business partners handle the other elements of running a business: Dawit Kahsai handles finances, Meron Samuel is the head of marketing and sales, and Beshou Gedamu is Bernos’ t-shirt model and photographer.
So far, the venture has been built on volunteer labor—the partners view their time as their primary investment in the business, Petros says.
The Bernos site gets about 500 hits a day, mostly Abeshas on the East Coast, Petros says, but although the Bernos team are Ethiopians (Dawit Kahsai is Eritrean), they don’t see their venture as an “Abesha” or even an “African” brand.
Most orders do come from major U.S. cities with big Abesha populations: Oakland, Seattle, Washington, DC, and New York City, some order have popped up from more far flung locations—everywhere from Fargo, North Dakota to Mississipi.
Even though they’ve cornered the internet-savvy Abesha market that likes hip T-shirts, Petros says a little number-crunching reveals that market is still pretty small.
“Let’s say there are 500,000 Ethiopians in the U.S.—out of those, 20 percent use the internet, (and of those, some) are into fashion or T-shirts. So, when you think about it, we don’t have a big market,” says Petros.
About 30 percent of the T-shirts go to non-Ethiopians, and Petros says they’re trying to expand that number. That trend has been reflected in the shift in designs from the “Addis Ababa Classic” that launched the site to more recent designs named “Roots,” and “d’Afrique,” which have more pan-African appeal.
Above: “d’Afrique”, a more recent Bernos design. (Photo: Bernos.org).
Above:Another recent design named “Roots,” which has a more pan-African
appeal. (Photo: Bernos.org).
But Petros says he wants to branch out of that niche too.
“These t-shirts have mass appeal for all black people but also for white people,” Petros said.
With t-shirts that garner a broader following, Bernos hopes their line will eventually be carried by a national clothing chain like Urban Outfitters.
Above: Ethiopia’s PM Meles Zenawi (pictured here with PM
Gordon Brown) had a hard talk with Sudanese-born BBC
journalist Zeinab Badawi
BBC
Zeinab Badawi talks to Meles Zenawi, Ethiopia’s prime minister.
Ethiopia is host to the African Union and plays a prominent role in the AU’s affairs. As well as representing Africa at the G20 gatherings and sending troops to keep out Islamists in neighbouring Somalia, it is vocal in opposing the ICC indictment of Sudan’s president. Watch the Hard Talk Video at BBC.
LA Weekly
By Jeff Weiss in weiss
Wednesday, April 8, 2009.
A Conversation With Mulatu Astatke: On Heliocentrics, Ethio-Jazz and Ellington
Rivaling Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Franco, Tabu Ley Rochereau, and a handful of others, Mulatu Astatke ranks among the most influential African musicians of all-time. The father of Ethio-Jazz, the Berklee-trained Mulatu was the first of his countryman to fuse American jazz and funk, with native folk and Coptic Chuch melodies. The leading light of the “Swingin’ Addis-“era, Astatke is often acknowledged as the star of the epic Ethiopiques Series, At least, according to filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, who included songs from the Mulatu-arranged and composed, Vol. 4, in his ode to midlife melancholia, Broken Flowers. Read More.
Related: Ace to Ace interview with Mulatu AstatkeMulatu Astatqe (VIDEO)
In the Ethiopian musical world Mulatu Astatke is atypical, totally unique, a legend unto himself. He was the first Ethiopian musician educated abroad, object of tribute and admiration. Mulatu is the the inventor and maybe the only musician of Ethio-Jazz (Jazz instrumentals with strong brass rythms and traditionnal elements of Ethiopian music). Watch the video here.
Above:Countess LuAnn de Lesseps and her husband, Count
Alexandre de Lesseps, have separated.
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Updated, April 4, 2009
New York (Tadias) – The internet is abuzz with the news that an Ethiopian beauty has wrecked a royal marriage in Europe.
Countess LuAnn de Lesseps and her husband, Count Alexandre de Lesseps, have separated after the Royal sent an email informing his wife of 16 years that he is intimately involved with an Ethiopian woman in Geneva.
According to Monday’s New York Social Diary: “Alex, the Count de Lesseps has, it is said on the streets of Geneva, taken up with a beautiful Ethiopian beauty who is not only quite a bit younger than he but also quite a bit younger than his wife.”
The Count – whose great-great-great grandfather, Ferdinand de Lesseps, built the Suez Canal and started the Panama Canal, later presenting, for France, the Statue of Liberty to America – sent an email to a friend of Luann’s “saying he was with an Ethiopian woman in Geneva and he was serious with her”, NY Post reports.
And New York Magazinesays: “Count Alexandre de Lesseps was clearly always lucky to be married to his Real Housewife of New York City, LuAnn…. But, alas, the world is not fair, and according to ‘Page Six’ the aging lothario found some Ethiopian chippy in Geneva to shack up with, like they always do. He let LuAnn know he was leaving her just one month before her book, Class With the Countess: How to Live With Elegance and Flair hit stands.”
Book Tour is a Web feature and podcast hosted by NPR’s Lynn Neary. Each week, we present leading authors of fiction and nonfiction as they read from and discuss their work.
A nun gives birth to conjoined twins in a mission hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The mother dies in childbirth and the father, a British surgeon named Thomas Stone, disappears. It is this birth that sets in motion the action of Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese’s first novel. Listen: Abraham Verghese Reads From ‘Cutting For Stone’.
Related: Ethiopian-born doctor’s epic debut novel about his native country
NJ.COM
By Star-Ledger Book Contributors
Friday February 06, 2009
In 1994, an Ethiopian-born doctor named Abraham Verghese published a breathtakingly beautiful memoir called “In My Country,” about dealing with the AIDS epidemic in a small Tennessee town. A second memoir titled “The Tennis Partner” followed, establishing Verghese’s impressive literary reputation. Read more.
Above:President Barack Obama at the White House on
Wednesday, Feb. 25, presenting Stevie Wonder with the
Library of Congress Gershwin Award.
(Gerald Herbert / AP)
Source: The Cleveland Leader
A Chicago man has been arrested for allegedly sending President Barack Obama and his staff envelopes containing HIV-infected blood in the hopes of killing or causing harm to them. A spokesman for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said that this is only the second time that HIV-infected blood has been sent with malicious intent through the U.S. mail system. Read More .
Above:The inaugural ceremony at the the Capitol in Washington
on Tuesday. (Pool photo by Scott Andrews)
President Obama
First black leader stands on precipice of history at crucial time for nation
NYT
By CARL HULSE
Published: January 20, 2009
Barack Hussein Obama became the 44th president of the United States Tuesday, and called on Americans to join him in confronting what he described as an economic crisis caused by greed but also “our collective failure to make hard choices.” Read more at NYT.
In an inaugural tradition, the Bushes welcomed the Obamas to the White House
for tea. Michelle Obama’s outfit was designed by Isabel Toledo.
(Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press)
American milestone: Obama inauguration is a moment of celebration, reflection Above:We are one’: The crowd swelled to an estimated 400,000 at the Lincoln
Memorial in Washington Sunday. People bundled up to hear top performers
and speakers at a pre-inaugural concert. (Sarah Beth Glicksteen/The Christian
Science Monitor)
Washington
At noon today, history will be made on the steps of the US Capitol. Barack Hussein Obama will take the oath of office, placing his left hand on the Bible that Abraham Lincoln used when he took the same oath in 1861.
Back then, the nation was descending into civil war over slavery. Today, the new president faces economic challenges unmatched in generations, two wars abroad, and the continuing threat of terrorism at home. The difficult business of governing at a time of crisis will begin nearly from the moment President-elect Obama utters the words “so help me God.” His inauguration speech, delivered right after the oath, will reportedly focus on two themes: responsibility and restoring public confidence.
Got groove: Guests at the Obama Victory Gala danced the “Electric Slide” at the
community activity center in Springhill, La., last week. Organizer Linda Clayton lost
money on the event, but she has no regrets. “My pocket is broke, but my spirit is
full,” she says. (Mario Villafuerte/Special to the Christian Science Monitor)
But the special significance of Obama’s inauguration, as America’s first black president, will also be a moment for reflection and celebration. On a long weekend already commemorating the 80th birthday of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., Americans of all colors have converged on the nation’s capital in unprecedented numbers to bear witness to this latest step in the struggle toward racial equality. Read more.
Inaugural Bash: Words and Photos to Get You in Festive mood
Photos by Scout Tufankjian
New Yorker Scout Tufankjian, 29, knows something about foresight.
Last month, photos she started taking two years ago featuring a political long shot named Barack Obama hit bookstores in a sweeping, intimate portrait (“Yes We Can,” PowerHouse, $29.95) of the President-elect’s historic campaign. (Read more about the photographer at NY Daily News)
Tadias TV Above photo by Jeffrey Phipps for Tadias Magazine
Updated: Saturday, January 3, 2009
New York (Tadias) – Here is an updated video of Yohannes Gebregeorgis, one of the Top Ten CNN Heroes of 2008, at Cafe Addis in Harlem, NYC. The event took place on Saturday, December 13, 2008.
Above:President George W. Bush reacts after a man threw
two shoes at him during a news conference with Iraqi Prime
Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Sunday. (Evan Vucci / AP)
BBC
Thursday, 18 December 2008
The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at US President George W Bush has apologised to Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki, the prime minister’s office says.
Local TV reporter Muntader al-Zaidi wrote a letter to Mr Maliki asking for forgiveness over his “ugly act”, prime minister’s spokesman Yasin Majeed said.
Mr Zaidi has been in custody since he threw shoes and shouted insults at Mr Bush during Sunday’s news conference.
Muntader al-Zaidi has been charged
with “aggression against a president”
His actions have made him a hero in some quarters of the Arab world.
Iraqi officials have described the incident as shameful.
Mr Zaidi has been charged with “aggression against a president”, which carries a prison sentence of up to 15 years.
‘A lie’
Yasin Majeed said Mr Maliki had received a contrite letter from the journalist.
“Zaidi said in his letter that his big ugly act cannot be excused,” Mr Majeed said.
He said Mr Zaidi added: “But I remember in the summer of 2005, I interviewed your excellency and you told me, ‘Come in, this is your house’. And so I appeal to your fatherly feelings to forgive me.”
However, according to Reuters news agency, one of Mr Zaidi’s brothers expressed scepticism over the merits of the letter.
“This information is absolutely not true. This is a lie. Muntader is my brother and I know him very well. He does not apologise,” Udai al-Zaidi said.
He added: “But if it happened, I tell you it happened under pressure.”
‘Signs of blows’
Judge Dhiya al-Kenani said the shoes at the centre of the incident had been destroyed by US and Iraqi security agents when they were checked for explosives.
“I would have preferred to have had the shoes as evidence for the case but since Muntader al-Zaidi has confessed to his action and that the television pictures confirm it, the investigation can continue,” he told the AFP news agency. Read more at BBC.
Video: Bush Dodges Shoes Thrown by Iraqi Journalist
Photo: Barack Obama, a rookie senator from Illinois cloaked in a
mantle of hope and change, was elected America’s 44th President
Tuesday night, trouncing John McCain decisively to bring down the
curtain on eight years of Republican rule. (NY Daily News)
New York (Tadias) – Lynette Clemetson, Managing Editor of TheRoot.com, the daily online magazine that offers engaging commentary on current news from diverse African American perspectives, was featured on Newsweek’s “Press Box” video series. Watch it here.
New York (Tadias) – Time to laugh…before election day that is!
Saturday Night Live (SNL), the weekly late-night sketch comedy show based in New York City, which debuted on October 11, 1975, gave us some badly needed breaks and memorable laughs during this year’s rather intense election season. Here is a look back courtesy of MSNBC Video. Enjoy!
Updated: 6:36 pm (WATCH VIDEO BELOW)
WJLA/ABC 7 News
Mon September 29, 2008
WASHINGTON – A popular restaurant manager shot by a longtime friend Sunday night says he has no idea what provoked the attack, according to another of the victim’s friends.
According to witnesses, the gunman entered Meskerem Ethiopian restaurant as usual and greeted the manager, Mahaba Mohamed, with a hug. Everything seemed normal between the longtime friends, according to people who knew them.
“I know both of them, they grow up together, they’re like one family,” said Rezene Sium, a friend of Mohamed’s.
Sium said he was outside at the time of the shooting, but witnesses told him there was no provocation. At some point, the gunman drew the pistol and fired one shot in Mohamed’s neck. After shooting Mohamed, the man fired two shots in the air and then shot himself in the head, police and witnesses said.
D.C. police say they have no plans to close the restaurant or suspend its liquor license because it has no history of violence.
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Photo: Wolfgang Kumm/European Pressphoto Agency
Published: September 28, 2008
Filed at 6:17 a.m. ET
BERLIN (AP) — Haile Gebrselassie broke his own marathon world record on Sunday, becoming the first runner to finish under 2 hours, 4 minutes.
The Ethiopian clocked 2:03:59 to win his third straight Berlin Marathon, beating the mark of 2:04:26 he set last year over the same flat course. He also became the first runner to win the race three times.
”Today, I’m so, so, so happy. Everything was perfect today,” Gebrselassie said.
Running under clear, sunny skies in mild temperature, Gebrselassie paced himself well and controlled the race from the start.
The 35-year-old Gebrselassie was way out front as passed through the Brandenburg Gate and ran to the finish line to applause from the crowd lining the route.
Gebrselassie said his training in the buildup to the race was hindered by an injury.
”I had a small calf muscle problem and I stopped for a week, and then I started again a week ago,” he said. ”Then today I had, you know, some doubts … but it was really very good.”
New York (Tadias) – Presidential nominees Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain participated in a discussion regarding the importance of engaging in service and civic responsibilities on the seventh anniversary of 9/11 in New York at Columbia University.
The ServiceNation Presidential Candidates Forum was organized by ServiceNation, a collective of approximately 100 million Americans focused on increasing civic engagement in service and volunteer programs.
The Presidential Forum was part of a two-day summit which included speeches by Al Gore, Governor Patterson, Columbia President Bollinger and Barnard Provost Elizabeth Boylan. The forum was moderated by Judy Woodruff of PBS’ “NewsHour” and Richard Stengel, managing editor of Time magazine.
Governor Patterson announced a cabinet level position for community service, while Provost Boylan held a moment of silence in commemoration of 9/11. Presidential Candidates were interviewed separately for approximately 45 minutes each by the moderators regarding their views on community service, their experience serving the nation, and the possibility of expanding opportunities for college graduates in both volunteer and military service.
Approximately 1,000 Columbia student recipients of the forum lottery tickets listened to the presidential candidates in Alfred Lerner Hall, while an even larger crowd flocked onto the lawn in front of Low Library, which was packed to capacity. The majority of the young crowd clapped and cheered when Obama appeared on the giant jumbotron screen erected outside. A student observing the cheers commented “it’s pretty clear which way the wind is blowing here.”
While waiting for the forum to officially begin, students were encouraged to read and pass out pamphlets on volunteer opportunities as well as registering to vote.
The crowd in front of Low Library at Columbia University (September 11, 2008 |
Photo by Tseday Alehegn/Tadias)
A large crowd flocked onto the lawn in front of Low Library, which was packed to
capacity. (New York | September 11, 2008 | Photo by Tseday Alehegn/Tadias)
Students hold banners near the jumbotron screen on the lawn while waiting
for forum to begin. (Photo by Tseday Alehegn/Tadias)
Students reserving their seats on the lawn approximately 3 hours before the
forum started at 8:00 PM (Photo by Tseday Alehegn/Tadias).
Non-Columbia protesters outside the gates of the university during the
ServiceNation Presidential Candidates Forum (Photo by Tseday Alehegn/Tadias)
The top United Nations humanitarian official has begun his three-day visit to Ethiopia, where he is holding talks with Government officials, relief groups and individuals affected by the country’s drought and food crisis.
John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, travelled to Ethiopia’s Konso Special Woreda in Southern Nations Nationalities and People’s Region (SNNPR) today to review humanitarian efforts.
He met with farmers who had lost their crops to drought and visited an outpatient therapeutic centre and stabilization centre, which provide critical nutritional and medical help to children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. Some 75,000 Ethiopian children have been directly affected by the drought and are at risk of severe acute malnutrition.
Mr. Holmes also witnessed a government food distribution for the chronically food insecure. Throughout Ethiopia, 4.6 million people receive emergency food aid. A shortage of emergency resources, including ready to use therapeutic food (RUTF), emergency relief food and other critical supplies, is worsening an already dire situation.
“Ethiopia is facing a food crisis that is one of the worst in the world, especially in terms of malnutrition among children,” he said. “It is important that we make every effort to deal quickly and comprehensively with this tragedy.”
Earlier today, Mr. Holmes inaugurated the liaison office between the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the African Union, which will be headed by Kazimiro Rudolf-Jocondo.
During his visit, the UN humanitarian chief will also meet with the Deputy Prime Minister Ato Addisu Legesse and travel to Ethiopia’s Somali Region to review ongoing humanitarian efforts there.
DENVER, Colorado (CNN) — Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama laid out his credentials to take on and beat Republican candidate John McCain in the fall election.
“If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament, and judgment, to serve as the next Commander-in-Chief, that’s a debate I’m ready to have,” he said.
He said he was able to lead the country into an era of change after what he called eight years of failed policies.
“America, we are better than these last eight years,” he told supporters at the Democratic National Convention Thursday night in Denver Colorado. “This moment, this election, is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive.”
Obama was greeted by tens of thousands of cheering supporters chanting “yes we can.”
He emphasized his humble roots and the example of his grandparents’ service to the nation and their family.
“I don’t know what kind of lives John McCain thinks that celebrities lead, but this has been mine,” he said. “These are my heroes. Theirs are the stories that shaped me. And it is on their behalf that I intend to win this election and keep our promise alive as president of the United States.”
He brushed aside critiques from his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain, accusing him of being out of touch.
“It’s not because John McCain doesn’t care. it’s because John McCain doesn’t get it,” he said of economic problems facing the country.
Point by point, he addressed McCain’s policies on the Iraq war, the economy, offshore drilling and health care, accusing him of pursuing the same policies as the Bush administration.
He also said his judgment was better on foreign affairs, accusing McCain of turning his sights to Iraq days after the September 11 attacks when resources and attention should have been on Afghanistan.
“John McCain likes to say that he’ll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell — but he won’t even go to the cave where he lives,” he said to cheers.
Obama, who is the first African-American to lead a major party ticket, is accepting his party’s nomination on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech.
Earlier in the evening, other Democrats attacked McCain’s policies. iReport.com: Watch and share your thoughts on the speeches
Former Vice President Al Gore urged Americans to “seize the opportunity” to change course by voting for Barack Obama as president.
He reminded the audience at the Democratic National Convention of his failed bid to become president in 2000 when, he said, some believed there was so little difference between Republicans and Democrats that it did not matter who won the White House.
“Today, we face essentially the same choice we faced in 2000, though it may be even more obvious now because John McCain, a man who has earned our respect on many levels, is now openly endorsing the policies of the Bush-Cheney White House and promising to actually continue them,” Gore said.
“Hey, I believe in recycling, but that’s ridiculous,” he joked.
Gore suggested the election was close because people feared the change the Obama represents, and compared him and his promise to fellow Illinoisan Abraham Lincoln. Read more about the Democratic National Convention at CNN.COM
By ADAM NAGOURNEY and JEFF ZELENY Photo: Senator Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, on Saturday in Greenville, Del.
Haraz N. Ghanbari/Associated Press
Published: August 23, 2008
WASHINGTON — Senator Barack Obama introduced Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. as his running mate on Saturday, a choice that strengthens the Democratic ticket’s credentials on foreign policy heading into the general election against Senator John McCain.
Mr. Obama passed over other candidates, including Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana and Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia, who might have brought him a state or reinforced the message of change that has been central to his candidacy. He also bypassed Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, his main challenger in the primaries.
It was perhaps the most critical decision Mr. Obama has made as his party’s presumptive nominee. It suggested a concern by Mr. Obama’s advisers that his overseas trip this summer may not have done enough to deal with persistent voter concerns about his level of experience, especially on national security. Read More.
WASHINGTON — Barack Obama selected Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware late Friday night to be his vice presidential running mate, according to a Democratic official, balancing his ticket with an older congressional veteran well-versed in foreign and defense issues.
Biden, who has twice sought the White House, is a Catholic with a generally liberal voting record and a reputation as a long-winded orator.
Across more than 30 years in the Senate, he has served at various times not only as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, but also as head of the Judiciary Committee, with its jurisdiction over anti-crime legislation and Constitutional issues. Read More.
New York (Tadias) – Massinko Entertainment, the promotional group that introduced Teddy Afro to the Ethiopian American audience, has collaborated with Nahom Records and released the debut CD of emerging Ethiopian reggae star Eyob Mekonnen.
BEIJING — An ecstatic China, an ancient nation so determined to be a modern power, finally got its Olympic moment on Friday night.
With world leaders watching from inside the latticed shell of the National Stadium, the 2008 Beijing Olympics began with an opening ceremony of soaring fireworks, lavish spectacle and a celebration of Chinese culture and international good will. Read More.
Paris Hilton has finally responded to Republican presidential hopeful John McCain’s campaign ad of last week, which pitted his opponent, Democrat Barack Obama, as a super-celebrity in between footage of the heiress and Britney Spears.
New York – Ethiopian-American Yohannes Gebregeorgis (a CNN Hero), co-founder and director of Ethiopia Reads, a non-profit organization led by the celebrated children’s author Jane Kurtz, is bringing Books to some rural Ethiopian children on a donkey’s back. Watch the Video.
Above:After a tragic accident in 1969 left former
marathon runner and winner of two Olympic gold medals Abebe
Bikila paraplegic, he took up archery as a sport. He is pictured
here practising archery from his wheelchair in preparation for
the International Paraplegic Games being held at the Stoke
Mandeville Stadium in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire on 20th July
1970. He suffered a severe spinal injury which ended his running
career. (Photo by Roger Jackson/Central Press/Getty Images)
BOOK The glory trail (The Guardian)
It was the Rome Olympics of 1960 and an unknown produced the biggest surprise. Abebe Bikila, who’d begun running as a shepherd boy in the hills of Ethiopia, strode barefoot to victory in the marathon. He was the first black African to win Olympic gold. Tim Judah tells his story. Read More.
In 13 editions since its debut in Olympics, Ethiopia has scripted some of the most famous feats in track events — winning 14 gold, five silver and 12 bronze medals. But, not many of its athletes can match the aura and greatness of Abebe Bikila — the first black African athlete to win an Olympic gold medal (1960 Rome Games) and the first athlete to win the Olympic marathon gold twice.
It was a unique marathon in Rome — neither did it start nor finish in the main Olympic Stadium. And, the later part of the event was run in the dark, the route lit by the Roman soldiers holding torches. Inspirational sight enough for this Ethiopian to conquer Rome! 1960 SUMMER OLYMPICS TRACK FIELD MEN’S MARATHON: ETH BAREFOOTED RUNNER ABEBE
BIKILA IN ACTION APPROACHING THE ARCH OF CONSTANTINE, ON HIS WAY TO WINNING RACE
HELD AT NIGHT DUE TO SWELTERING SUMMER HEAT DURING THE DAY. BIKILA SET A NEW
WORLD REORD AT 2:15:16.2.(Sportsillustrated)
A legend “I wanted the world to know that my country, Ethiopia, has always won with determination and heroism.” (Abebe Bikila responding to a question after he won the Olympic gold at the 1960 Rome Games on why he ran barefoot.) Barefoot:Bikila won Olympic gold at the 1960 Rome Games (Britannica.com)
Born to a shepherd, Abebe Bikila was a legend in his own way.
When he could not find shoes which fit comfortably, Bikila decided to run the marathon barefoot, exactly the way he trained. A decision which stunned the fellow competitors but did not affect his grit and determination.
And, the rest is history. Bikila and his nearest challenger Rhadi had created a gap from the rest of the pack.
They stayed together until the last 500m when the Ethiopian changed gears to set a World record time of 2:15:16.2.
Rome: 10 September 1960, Rome, Italy. Abebe Bikila (Contrasto.it)
“I wanted the world to know that my country, Ethiopia, has always won with determination and heroism,” was his reply to a query on why he ran barefoot.
Legendary Abebe Bikila returns home with Africa’s first Olympic
Gold Medal. Bikila returned to Ethiopia as a hero. Emperor Haile
Selassie promoted him to the rank of corporal position in the
Imperial Bodyguard, where he served, and awarded him the
Star of Ethiopia. (tessemas.net)
Fate struck a tragic blow when Bikila met with a serious accident in 1969 which left him a paraplegic. He died in 1973 aged 41 due to cerebral haemorrhage. Read the story at Hindu.com
New York (Tadias) – The third Ethiopian Diaspora Business Forum, organized by The Ethiopian American (an online Diaspora magazine) and Precise Consult International (a consulting firm specializing in trade promotion, business management, and private sector development in Ethiopia), was held at George Washington University on Saturday, July 12, 2008. Here is the event video.
Ethiopian Diaspora Business Forum – Invest in Ethiopia
— Third Ethiopian Diaspora Business Forum
By Tadias Staff
Published: Thursday, July 10, 2008
New York (Tadias) – The third Ethiopian Diaspora Business Forum, organized by The Ethiopian American (an online Diaspora magazine) and Precise Consult International (a consulting firm specializing in trade promotion, business management, and private sector development in Ethiopia), will be held at George Washington University on Saturday, July 12, 2008.
The event, which aims to attract Diaspora investors by making a business case for investing in Ethiopia, will be closed to the public and attendance is by invitation only.
“Since the overall objective is to attract serious potential investors and help convert their interest into tangible projects in Ethiopia, the conference will be by invitation only and targeting specific groups of the Diaspora with the most inclination to invest in Ethiopia”, said the program literature sent to Tadias Magazine.
“These groups include Diaspora entrepreneurs in the U.S and working professionals skilled in industry, the services sectors, and information technology, among others.”
The forum is sponsored by George Washigton University, USAID and VEGA (Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance)’s AGOA + project in Ethiopia.
A VEGA newsletter earlier this year cited Victor and Lily Bag Factory, the first joint American and Ethiopian owned factory, as one of their prominent projects in Ethiopia. American businessman Victor Ozeri has extensive investment experience in factories in China, which supply the U.S. market with bags and sports uniforms. (See the VEGA newsletter at vegaalliance.org)
The forum’s first panel topic seeks to address how best to integrate government and Diaspora developmental organizations to boost Ethiopian economy. Featured panelists include: Dr. Liesl Riddle from The George Washington University School of Business; Dr. Elizabeth Chakao from the George Washington University Department of Geography; Mr. Thomas Debass, Senior Advisor for Remittances & Diaspora; and Mr. Henok Assefa, Managing Partner, Precise Consult International PLC.
The second panel topic will consist of discussions regarding how to start and operate a business in Ethiopia. Featured panelists include: Mr. Yemiru Chanyalew, CEO, eVentive LLC; Mr. Michael Gizaw, Managing Director for Africa, New Frontier Capital; Mr. Bob Rabatsky, Fintrac (USAID Agribusiness Trade Expansion in Ethiopia); and Mr. Addis Alemayehu, Chief of Party, USAID VEGA Ethiopia AGOA+.
— Third Ethiopian Diaspora Business Forum. At George Washington University, Jack Morton Auditorium (2121 Eye Street NW, Washington DC, USA). July 12, 2008. For details of the business forum or to RSVP, contact Yohannes Assefa at defar@att.net.
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – Ethiopia’s supreme court on Monday sentenced to death former Marxist ruler Mengistu Haile Mariam, granting a prosecution appeal that argued a life sentence he was given for genocide was unequal to his crimes.
But Mengistu, who has lived a life of comfortable exile in Zimbabwe since he was driven from power in 1991, is unlikely to face punishment unless Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe loses a run-off election next month and cedes power.
“Considering the prosecution’s appeal that a life sentence was not commensurate to the crimes committed by the Mengistu regime, the court decided to sentence him to death,” the court said in its ruling.
The prosecution in July appealed a life term handed to Mengistu in January 2007, after he was found guilty of genocide for thousands of killings during a 17-year rule that included famine, war and the “Red Terror” purges of suspected opponents. Read More.
New York – With a half-mile left in the ING New York City Marathon women’s professional races today, 2004 champion Paula Radcliffe, 33, of Great Britain ran one step ahead of Ethiopia’s Gete Wami, who had followed her closely for the entire race.
It ended in the same order. Radcliffe won after a dramatic duel with Gete Wami, who finished second, good enough to claim the first-ever World Marathon Majors (WMM) title and its $500,000 jackpot prize.
Two-time defending champion Jeļena Prokopčuka of Latvia came in third.
Gete Wami and Jelena Prokopcuka were the only two athletes with a real chance of winning the World Marathon Majors jockpot prize of $500,000. Gete came into the race leading with a total of 65 points and Jelena was second with 55 points. Berhane Adere, also from Ethiopia, was tied in second place with Prokopcuka at 55 points, but she did not compete in New York City Marathon.
Prokopcuka would have won the title if: she was second and Wami placed fourth or lower, or she was third and Wami placed below the top five.
But, the coveted prize went to Wami, who placed second at 2:23:13. And Prokopcuka finished the race third place at 2:26:13. Radcliffe, the British world-record holder covered the 42.2-kilometers through the five boroughs of New York City in 2:23:09.
“I’m so happy to be the first World Marathon Majors winner,” said the 32-year old Wami, according to the Bangkok Post, which quoted a story on the majors’ website. “I came to New York to win the jackpot, and I did it. The race felt good and I’m happy.”
Paula Radcliffe, 33, of Great Britain ran one step ahead of Ethiopia’s Gete Wami, who had followed her closely for the entire race. Photo: ING New York City Marathon
Radcliffe, who was returning after a two-year break to have a child—and then to recover from a stress-fractured sacrum that resulted from the birth—also simply loves to race.
“It was great fun today,” she said. “Way more than crosstraining in a pool. And I’m just so glad to be back.”
It was a competition among friends. Wami had commented about Radcliffe prior to the race: ““I consider myself to have grown with Paula since our track and cross country days, and I’ve appreciated our competition over the years.”
From left: Jeļena Prokopčuka of Latvia, Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain, and Gete Wami of Ethiopia. Photo: ING New York City Marathon
Gete Wami’s strong showing today comes only 35 days after winning the Berlin Marathon.
Gete Wami, racing 35 days after winning the Berlin Marathon, finished second, clinching a $500,000 prize for the women’s World Marathon Majors title. Photo: ING New York City Marathon
Wami’s 500,000-dollar prize will be awarded on Monday in New York by the consortium of the World Marathon Majors, an organization of five major marathons – Boston, Berlin, London, Chicago and New York – set up two years ago.
The inaugural Marathon Majors covered the races in New York, Boston, Chicago, Berlin and London in 2006 and 2007, plus the world championship race this year in Osaka.
The awards will be made to Wami and the men’s aggregate winner, Kenya’s Robert Cheruiyot, who secured his half-million-dollar jackpot with two wins in Boston plus first place in Chicago 2006 and fourth place there this year.
———————————— Wami v$. Prokopčuka: Battle for $500,000
By Tadias Staff
New York – Two-time defending champion Jeļena Prokopčuka of Latvia (above left) and World Marathon Majors (WMM) Series leader Gete Wami of Ethiopia are among the ING New York City Marathon 2007 favorites, according to ING NYC Marathon’s website.
Both are aiming not only to win the race but also to claim the first-ever WMM title and its $500,000 jackpot prize.
2007 real,- Berlin Marathon champion Wami, 33, arrived from her home in Ethiopia today to prepare for her race on Sunday. Berlin was only five weeks ago, and her attempted double is unprecedented among top-level professional runners, who typically run only one or two marathons per year. Everyone is wondering what kind of shape she’s in.
Heading into this second major fall marathon, Wami says, “I was happy I was able to win in Berlin. Had Berlin worn me out, I wouldn’t be here.”
When asked specifically about her physical condition coming into New York, ”I am well prepared to compete in this race,” Wami says.
She eased up at the 30K mark in Berlin to cruise in for a 2:23:17 win.
Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia (left) and World Marathon Majors (WMM) Series leader Gete Wami of Ethiopia (right). Photo: ING NYC Marathon
In a testament to the WMM Series, which was created to increase the visibility of professional marathon running worldwide, Wami noted that “yes, the fact that the WMM Series was taking place was an important factor in my decision to come here to New York.”
But she maintains a respect for the physical realities: “I have to listen to my body and know what it is telling me.”
Having fared well on flat, fast courses in the past, Wami is counting on her experience with this course (she placed seventh here in 2005, after giving birth to her daughter, Eva, now 4), and her training on flats, uphills, and downhills back home, to carry her to victory this year. “I know it’s tough terrain, and each athlete’s stamina will be a deciding factor,” she said.
Prokopcuka, 31, has achieved star status back home in Latvia, where she says, “people pay more attention to running now” after her second victory. Coming off her two wins here in New York, and a strong second-place finish at the Boston Marathon in April, she is ready to break the tape in New York yet again.
“The [ING] New York City Marathon is my favorite,” she said today, adding, “it is really exciting for me to have a chance to win for the third time and win the World Marathon Majors [Series].”
Prokopcuka is well aware of her second-place status in the WMM standings and the fact that there is only one race left to decide the winner of the $500,000 prize purse. With a three-peat in New York, Prokopcuka would add her name beside Grete Waitz, the only other woman able to best this race more than twice and also become 2006-2007 WMM Series victor, a title that will be presented for the first time on November 5. Challenger Wami has set her sights on the very same title. Only one woman can win.
Prokopcuka and Wami are quick to mention the other top contenders entered in Sunday’s race, especially world record-holder and ING New York City Marathon 2004 champion Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain.
“[The competitive field] will make November 4 exciting for me,” said Prokopcuka. “These women, especially Paula, don’t like to run slowly.” Wami commented, “I consider myself to have grown with Paula since our track and cross country days, and I’ve appreciated our competition over the years.” Also affecting the race on Sunday, world champion Catherine Ndereba and Boston’s reigning champion, Lidiya Grigoryeva will be taking the field.
“It’s a pretty complicated matrix of who ends up where. But each runner controls her own destiny if she wins,” said ING New York City Marathon race director Mary Wittenberg.
Wami leads the WMM Series with 65 points right now, and Prokopcuka is right behind her with 55. If either Wami or Prokopcuka takes the gold in New York, the champion of the five boroughs will also earn the WMM Series crown. Prokopcuka will win the title if: she is second and Wami places fourth or lower, or she is third and Wami places below the top five. In the case of a tie, the first WMM title will go to the winner in head-to-head competition, and Prokopcuka will take the coveted prize. In any other race-day situation, with Wami placing top-five, in a scoring scenario, she will take the WMM Series crown. But with two titles on the line this Sunday, only the race itself will provide definitive answers.
The 38th ING New York City Marathon is scheduled for Sunday, November 4, 2007.
The race through New York’s five boroughs (Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan), unites dozens of culturally and ethnically diverse neighborhoods, passing over five bridges, and finishing up at Tavern on the Green in Central Park.
The event attracts many world-class professional athletes, not only for the more than $600,000 in prize money, but also for the chance to excel in the media capital of the world before two million cheering spectators and 315 million worldwide television viewers.
This week we highlight MIKE-E, a multi-faceted Ethiopian-born artist from Detroit, Michigan. He has performed on HBO’s Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry and was part of the Detroit Slam Team to the 2002 National Slam Poetry Championship.
His work as a model has appeared in several national publications, including Vibe, The Source, XXL, and Rolling Out. Detroit’s Metro Times once wrote of him: “He looks like a model, talks like an activist…he’s the type of cat folks get mad at just for having the whole package. But dude’s too focused to pay attention.”
MIKE-E has teamed up with the American Cancer Society to present the 2007 Afroflow tour, an anti-tobacco initiative aimed at historically black colleges and universities.
His single, Ethiopia (Everything Will Be Alright), is Tadias’ music video of the week!
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Welcome back to Tadias TV!
Here is an Ethiopian Millennium song that has been making the rounds on You Tube and other music websites. It was played on 97.8 FM in Addis for the special Millennium music program.
We asked Maki Siraj (vocal) from Harlem to tell us about the Millennium Song project.
Maki: I got a call from Chachi that she wanted to do a song for the Ethiopian Millennium and asked me if I’m interested. So, I got on board and introduced to Isaac Haile Selassie and we hit it off! We decided the song will be a gift to our beloved country on her 2000 Year B.Day! Many talented artists and Musicians got involved from East and West coast, amazing musical talents: Isaac Haile Selassie who produced it, Chachi who wrote the lyrics and I am on vocal and vibes. The song was recorded in three different cities: New York, Atlanta, and California. All the music was recorded at Hughe Drive in California and all the musicians were from “The North Huntington Beach” Neighborhoods.
Credits: Chachi Taddesse (Lead Vocal), Isaac Haile Selassie (Songwriter/Vocals/Producer), Maki Siraj (Vocal), Shawn Taylor (Chief Engineer/Producer/Perc./Vocal), Pasquale DeRosa (Bass), Phil Simpkin (Guitar), Kristen Wyma(Flute), Bryan Watson (Trumpet), George Ordonez (Sax), Beza Taddesse (Backing Vocals), Joey Jonson (Backing Vocals), Kevin Bayless (Pick Guitar), Carlton Menues (Engineer-New York), Oga Otumala (Engineer-Atlanta), Tosin Bamgdose (Piano)
Welcome to Tadias TV! Our music video of the week highlights Teddy Yo, an emerging Ethiopian hip-hop artist. He is part of a new generation of prolific artists that are making the rounds on You Tube and other popular Ethiopian music websites, lead by Addis Live. Teddy Yo proves that hip-hop, which began 30 years ago in the South Bronx, a borough of New York City, translates to any language and any culture. His use of Amharic lyrics with sprinkles of various indigenous languages and cultural dances, makes his style organic Ethiopian. Tadias’ Music Video of the Week goes to…
