David Mesfin: A Look at his Role in Hyundai TV Ad w/ Bob Marley’s Song

May 16, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Published: Thursday, May 16th, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – David Mesfin may no longer have the dreadlocks that he used to sport when he was in college, but he still has a cat named Kaya, and Bob Marley is his favorite musician. “I grew up listening to Bob,” he shared in a recent interview with Tadias Magazine. David is also the Associate Creative Director behind a new Hyundai TV ad featuring the remix of the reggae legend’s popular song Three Little Birds produced by Stephen Marley and Jason Bentley.

“It was an honor to work on the spot with Bob’s music,” David said.

Hyundai’s television commercials (see videos below), which will begin airing in various U.S. markets this month, highlight “Assurance Connected Care” to the car manufacturer’s customers. The TV ads are designed to enhance confidence and the feeling of security among the brand’s drivers with proactive protection and services provided by the company’s Blue Link telematics platform.

“My copywriter partner Nick Flora and I wrote and produced four spots featuring the Marley track,” David said. “The idea we came up with uses ordinary street signs that communicate assurance and safety to new Hyundai owners, letting them know that everything is going to be all right, hence the music track from Bob Marley.”

“It’s amazing how much work goes in to a 30 or 60 seconds spot,” David said, speaking about his role in the project, which started months ago with concept development, presentation to client, producing and editing the final product along with the director, producers, music editors, editorial house and CG companies. “Overall what you are left with is the knowledge you have accumulated through the process, not to mention, the wonderful people along the way,” he added.

David also engineered the high-profile “Hyundai Epic Playdate” Super Bowl advertisement that aired nationally in February 2013. “That was a herculean task given the difficulty and amount of work that needed to be produced in a short amount of time,” he said. “But overall my team and I are truly happy with the end result.”

“How does it feel to see your work being shown during Super Bowl?” we asked. After all, it is the most watched television event of the year in the United States.

“By far it’s the most humbling experience,” he answered. “I watched it at home with my 8 year old son and wife.” David added: “The one minute Epic Playdate Spot played right before the kick off. The commercial featured the band, The Flaming Lips. They performed their original song written for the commercial called, ‘Sun Blows Up Today’ while a family had the most epic day ever.”

David’s career in advertising began in 1986 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he was born and raised. “I know it sounds like a long time ago but I was only 12 years old at the time,” he said. “I used to spend a lot of time at a firm called Neon Addis — a design and advertising office. There I was exposed to many forms of visual communications, print ads, billboards, neon signs and more.”

Later, after he moved to the U.S. and commenced college in the 90s, David said he knew exactly what he wanted to do in life. He graduated with a BFA degree in Visual Communication from California State University, Long Beach. “I have been enjoying this wonderful field for quite some time now,” he said. “Thus far I have worked with multiple agencies and clients such as Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, Isuzu, Farmers Insurance, Neutrogena, Network Associates, La-Z-Boy, Mandalay Bay, Walt Disney, Sony, Coldwell Banker, LA Phil, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Adidas, Oakley and MOCA.”

What guides David’s art in terms of creativity? “Have a compelling message and idea that can solve the problem in a unique and interesting way,” he said.

As to those who want to follow in his footsteps? “Be patient and have an open mind,” David advised. “It’s a very competitive and subjective field, so proceed with caution. If you really want it, give it all, and give it your best.”

The remix Bob Marley track is available to download for free on Youtube.com/hyundai.

Watch: Making of “Three Little Birds” Remix Hyundai AD (Hyundai USA)

Client: Hyundai Motor America
Agency: INNOCEAN USA
Product: Assurance Connected Care TV Spot

Executive Creative Director: Greg Braun
Creative Director: Max Godsil
Creative Director: Robert Pins
Associate Creative Director, Art: David Mesfin
Senior Copywriter: Nick Flora
VP, Director of Integrated Production: Jamil Bardowell
Producer: Curt O’Brien

PRODUCTION CREDITS
Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks
Director: Philippe Andre
DP: Alex LaMarque
Editorial Company: Arcade Editorial
Editor: Paul Martinez
Editor: Christjan Jordan
Executive Producer: Nicole Visram
Music company: Stimmung
Animation/Graphics Co.: yU+CO
Telecine Place: CO3
With Whom: Stefan Sonnenfeld
Online Place: Airship Post
With Whom: Matt Lydecker

Watch: 2013 Super Bowl Hyundai Santa Fe Big Game Ad “Epic Playdate” (Hyundai USA)

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Featured, Interviews

Harvard Gazette Interview With Birtukan Midekssa

May 15, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Harvard Gazette

Four years ago this spring, Birtukan Midekssa was in solitary confinement in an Ethiopian prison. Her cell was 13 feet wide and 20 feet long and had no window. She was allowed only two visitors: her elderly mother and her 3-year-old daughter.

Midekssa left Ethiopia in 2011, after two imprisonments that consumed 41 months of her life. She stayed first in Washington, D.C., and then at Stanford University. Today — grateful, happy, and energized — she has an office (with a window) at the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute, where she is a fellow this year. (A lawyer by training, Midekssa is also a Visiting Fellow with Harvard Law School’s Human Rights Program; starting in the fall she’ll pursue a one-year mid-career master’s degree in public administration through the Mason Program at Harvard Kennedy School.)

Most apt of all her local connections, perhaps, is her role as a Harvard Scholar at Risk. The program — based in New York, with dozens of affiliates at universities across the world.

Read more at Harvard Gazette.
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Events, Health

Atlanta Fundraiser Benefitting Clinic at a Time

May 15, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
Events News

Published: Wednesday, May 5th, 2013

Atlanta (TADIAS) — The U.S. based non-profit organization Clinic at a Time that works with rural public hospitals in Ethiopia to expand their existing facility and services, announced that it will hold a fundraiser this weekend at Lona Gallery in downtown Lawrenceville, Georgia.

The founder, Mulusew Yayehyirad, a nurse who lives in Madison, Wisconsin, said the event is scheduled for Saturday, May 18th; it’s titled “A Night of Hope” and will raise funds for a construction of four room maternal care recovery unit inside Bichena Clinic in the Gojam region.

The dinner is being hosted by Kindred and Meredith Howard, adoptive parents of twin brothers from northwestern Ethiopia, who lost their mother due to birth complications and lack of medical attention.

“What if Marta [the twins’ late mother] had access to maternity care?” the couple said in a statement. “What if there was a clinic nearby that Marta could have gone to while in labor instead of giving birth in her mud hut alone, while her husband was walking for hours to find the closest midwife to help her?”

“Our goal is to reduce these problems by assisting to improve what’s already working,” Mulu said.

According to the UN Population Fund 1 in 14 Ethiopian women face the risk of death during pregnancy and childbirth due to largely preventable health injuries. “To be honest, for me the clinics have not changed much since I was a child,” added Mulu who grew up in the region. “It’s mostly as I remember it.”

“People travel for days to get to the clinic, but they have to sit outside in the sun once they get there because that’s the waiting area,” Mulu said. “If we can build a patient waiting space, that’s one progress. In addition if we include laboratory equipment, delivery beds, etc, all contribute to the betterment of the present resource.”

Besides her book You Can Make Injera, which the nurse authored to generate revenue for Clinic at a Time, Mulu pointed out that the event will also feature Ethiopian cuisine catered by Piassa Restaurant and American food by Mimi Maumus.
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If You Go:
A Night Of Hope: Fundraiser Benefitting Clinic at a Time, Inc.
Hosted By: Kindred & Meredith Howard
Saturday, May 18, 2013 from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM (EDT)
Lawrenceville, GA
Click here to buy tickets.
Learn more at www.clinicatatime.org.
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Featured, News

How Big is Corruption in Ethiopia? $16.5 Billion Lost to Cash Smuggling

May 13, 2013 Tadias Magazine 1 Comment

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Updated: Tuesday, May 14th, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – Last week police in Ethiopia conducted a high-profile corruption sweep in Addis Ababa, the biggest of its type in the Capital in more than ten years, arresting several people, including a Minister and his deputy in charge of the Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority.

But how big is corruption in Ethiopia on the global scale? We placed a phone call to the Washington, D.C office of Global Financial Integrity (GFI), which tracks illicit financial flows out of developing countries worldwide.

According to Clark Gascoigne, a spokesperson for GFI, the organization’s latest available research data show that the amount of money that Ethiopia lost to smuggling of cash out of the country, both by the government and the private sector between 2001 and 2010, totals 16.5 billion U.S. dollars.

Mr. Gascoigne pointed out GFI’s statistics are based on official data provided by the Ethiopian government, World Bank, and IMF.

“Our numbers indicate all funds that illicitly left the country in a ten year period including by individuals and private companies illegally funneling their money out of Ethiopia,” he said.

Ethiopia also ranks 113 out of 176 countries in the Corruption Perception Index of Transparency International, the global civil society coalition that encourages accountability initiatives by regular citizens.

Meanwhile, the Federal Anti-Corruption Commission in Ethiopia said that Melaku Fanta, a Minister and the Director General of the Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority, and his deputy, Gebrewahed Woldegiorgis, are two of the highest ranking officials apprehended so far on bribery, kickback, tax evasion, illegal trading and fraud accusations.

The other individuals taken into custody on similar indictments in the recent roundup include Ketema Kebede, who is the proprietor of KK Trading, Simachew Kebede, owner of the Intercontinental Hotel, and investor Mihretab Abreha, as well as Nega Gebre Egziabeher of Netsa Trading PLC.
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Related:
So far 51 suspects arrested, most from tax, customs and business sector (AP)
The Grand Fall: Ethiopia Detains Top Taxmen (Addis Fortune)
Ethiopia arrests minister, 11 others over corruption (Reuters)
Melaku Fanta and other 12 detained on corruption charges (Walta Info)
Ethiopia’s Expanding Sectors Prone to Corruption (VOA News)
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Podcast

Update: Government Minister, Businessmen Appear in Court on Corruption Chrages

May 11, 2013 Tadias Magazine

By Associated Press

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — An Ethiopian court ruled Tuesday that prosecutors have two weeks to finalize corruption charges against two dozen people who have been arrested, including a senior Cabinet minister.

The 24 people charged include the head of Ethiopia’s revenue and customs authority, Melaku Fenta. They are accused of illegal trading and tax evasion.

Ethiopia’s top anti-corruption official, Ali Sulaiman, told parliament Tuesday that the suspects had been under surveillance for over two years.

Read more at The Washington Post.
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Tax Chiefs Arrested for Corruption

(Photo: Walta)

Tadias Magazine
News Update

Monday, May 13, 2013

Addis Ababa – A Minister and his deputy in charge of the Revenues and Customs Authority, as well as a number of business owners, investors and middlemen were among some two dozen people held on corruption charges in Ethiopia last week.

“Melaku Fenta, the director general of the revenue and customs was arrested on Friday alongside two other officials from the authority,” government spokesman Shimeles Kemal told the media.

Ethiopia ranks 113 out of 176 countries in the Corruption Perception Index of Transparency International.

Per Reuters ” that ranking puts Ethiopia above most nations in the Horn of Africa and east Africa regions, although Rwanda is ranked 50.”

Regarding the accused, “they were under investigation on suspicion of corrupt practices,” Shimeles told Reuters, without giving details.

Featured, Profiles

Gossa Tsegaye: Training Leaders in Television and Radio Production

May 10, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Updated: Friday, May 10, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – Last month the Center for Faculty Excellence at Ithaca College in upstate New York announced the recipients of the 2013 Faculty Excellence Awards, including Professor Gossa Tsegaye who has taught at the Department of Television and Radio for more than two decades. The accolade recognizes faculty members for outstanding work in the areas of teaching, scholarship, and service.

“I am very honored to receive the award because in my field of work it’s equivalent to the Oscars in academia,” Professor Gossa said in a recent interview with Tadias Magazine. “It’s always wonderful to be recognized by your colleagues.”

The gifted teacher, whose former students include David Muir, an Emmy award-winning anchor and correspondent for ABC News in New York, teaches media production at Ithaca College and has produced over 80 documentaries including a highlight of the 1969 Black students’ uprising at Cornell University, the homeless community in Ithaca, salt mine workers at Cayuga Lake, the Amish Community of Western New York, and Gossa’s favorite: Smile in the Wind, which explores the story of migrant labor in the United States.

Professor Gossa, who was born and raised in Addis Ababa and came to the United States as a high school student in 1970, said he developed his passion for broadcasting while growing up in Ethiopia where he had his own radio show in secondary school.

“I went to Teferi Mekonnen and I was actively involved in the media program,” he said.

While he was in high school Professor Gossa said he became a guest host on Ethiopian TV for a variety music show called Hibret Terit. “The regular host had traveled to Germany for a six-month training program and they were looking for someone to fill the position,” he said. “My teacher encouraged me to apply.” He added: “It was a great experience. Plus, I was getting paid 12 birr and 50 cents per episode. At the time, my friend, that was a lot of money for a 16-year-old.”

In America Gossa went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Television and Radio Production from Ithaca College and a masters in Communication from Cornell University. As an undergraduate he had brief gig with BBC’s Good Morning Africa while spending a semester abroad in London.

Today, Professor Gossa, who lives in Ithaca with his wife and 13-year-old daughter Nile, said his primary focus is teaching students how to write, direct, and produce in-depth documentaries for a television audience.

“The advent of social media has completely changed the landscape and the way we produce, deliver, receive and process information,” Professor Gossa said. “Increasingly media professionals are relying on text-messaging, Twitter and Facebook for breaking news coverage and often getting it wrong.”

“I am a traditionalist when it comes to teaching,” he added. “Because ultimately, how to write well and tell a story accurately matters. And the responsibility in construction of those images are important.”

We congratulate Professor Gossa Tsegaye on his accomplishments.
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To learn more about the Television-Radio program at Ithaca College, please visit: www.ithaca.edu.

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Podcast

Lily Kassahoun Creates Space to Watch Hockey in Addis

May 9, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Ottawa Citizen

BY TERESA SMITH

OTTAWA — As the Senators face off against the Canadiens in Game 5, and hundreds of thousands of fans cheer them on in Canada, one woman, lying on her bed in the dark on Ethiopia’s night, will be listening intently to the game streamed live over the Internet, yelling just as loudly when the boys in red score a goal.

Former Ottawa resident Lily Kassahoun, 41, moved home to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, almost two years ago to be closer to her family after two decades in Ottawa.

But while in Ottawa studying at Algonquin College and running Memories restaurant in the ByWard Market, Kassahoun fell in love — with Canada, with winter and, most of all, with the Ottawa Senators.

So, when she decided to open a restaurant and café in her home and native land, she wanted to pay homage to the true north strong and free by calling her business Oh Canada.

Read more at Ottawa Citizen.
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Featured, History

Letter From Harar: Dr. Clyde Kindell’s ‘Fond Memories of Ethiopia’ — Photos

May 8, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Updated: Thursday, May 9th, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – In the summer of 1966 when Dr. Clyde R. Kindell, the last American President of Alemaya College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts in Ethiopia, was preparing to return home to the United States, he received a letter from the Governor of Harar whom he had befriended during his eight-year stay in the country, which he kept as a memento.

The document, shared with Tadias, was written on June 11th, 1966 and signed by Fitwarai Tewahade Woldeyes. “Dear respected friend, I am very sorry to hear from your letter of 30th Ginbot 1958 EC [Ethiopian Calendar] that you are completing your term as the president of the Agriculture College of Alemaya and going back to your country,” it said. “I consider your departure as losing one of those highly esteemed Ethiopians not as a foreigner going back to his country.”

The governor goes on to inform Dr. Kindell that had he been younger he too would have chosen to enroll at Alemaya College. Nonetheless, “I am very grateful to learn from your diligence, honesty, and tact of making others work through cooperation,” he wrote. “Please, therefore, accept my heartfelt thanks and I wish you a bright future in all your endeavors.”

Upon his return to the United States, Dr. Kindell became president of Murray State College in Oklahoma, where he worked for 27 years until he retired in 1994.

In a recent phone conversation with Tadias Magazine from his current home in Denison, Texas, Dr. Kindell, now 86-years-old, shared his recollections of Ethiopia.

“To this day I am still in touch with the children of Fitwarai Tewahade, including Mel,” he said, referring to filmmaker and businessman Mel Tewahade, producer of the documentary Point Four, which explores the history of America’s “Point Four” foreign policy and its impact in Africa and Asia.

“I have fond memories of Ethiopia and the Ethiopian people,” said Dr. Kindell, who traveled to Ethiopia under Oklahoma State University’s Point Four agricultural program in the late 1950s. “My daughter was born in Jimma.”

Mel Tewahade told Tadias the letter was penned by his late father as a farewell and thank you to Dr. Kindell. “Since my father was the Mayor of the city of Harer and governor of surrounding region, he had frequent interaction with the American staff at Alemaya and that’s how the two developed their friendship,” he said.

Mel said that part of his father’s job was “to ensure that Americans were safe and any misunderstanding between them and the residents living around Alemaya was quickly and peacefully resolved, as well as security matters, such as attempting to reduce the use of Khat (Chat) in and around the school and developing a market for Alemaya grown potato.”

Dr. Kindell, who was 31-years-old when he first arrived in Ethiopia, served for two years as the Director of Instruction and Research at the Jimma Agriculture Technical School before taking the helm at Alemaya in Harar. He noted that he reported directly to Emperor Haile Selassie, who was the Chancellor of the nation’s university system.

“The Emperor was like a father figure to me,” Dr. Kindell said. “He would scold me from time to time, mostly for not learning Amharic fast enough.”

Dr. Kindell shared his “vivid memory” of an encounter he had with Emperor Haile Selassie in November 1963 as the Emperor prepared to leave for Washington, D.C. to attend President Kennedy’s funeral. “The Emperor had great respect and admiration for John F. Kennedy because they had met and Kennedy had sought his advice,” he said. “He was very saddened by his death.”

Speaking of Kennedy, Mel added that he has released another movie called Peace Corps in Ethiopia highlighting one of Kennedy’s legacies. “It was screened at Kotebe Teacher Training College in September 2012,” he said. “It was shown at the 50th year reunion of returned Peace Corps volunteers who served in Ethiopia and Eritrea.”

“The film is the history of Peace Corps involvement in Ethiopia from 1962 to 1976” Mel said. “We interviewed several volunteers and asked them to share their experience. Senator Harris Wafford of Pennsylvania and former director of Peace Corps in Ethiopia, outlines the contribution that Emperor Haile Sellasie made to the success of the program, and the support that Peace Corps got from President Kennedy and the director of Peace Corps Sargent Shriver.”

As to his own reminiscence of growning up near the school, Mel pointed out that the view from his father’s car window still remain fresh in his mind. “My most favorite of this time was the drive I used to make with my dad to Alemaya,” he said. “The lake was beautiful and there were plenty of fruit stands around the town of Alemaya. It was breathtaking.”

And back on the phone Dr. Kindell recalled, “So one day my wife and I had the Emperor over for dinner and all his family and other dignitaries were present,” he said. “I finally manged the courage to say, ‘Your Majesty, Ene bizu amarigna memar alchalkum.'”

Dr Kindell continued: “He sort of chuckled, and never bothered me about my language skills again.”

Below is a digital copy of the letter courtesy of Mel Tewahade:

Photos: Dr kindell hosting Emperor Haile Selassie and Jomo Kenyatta at Alemaya College

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To learn more about Mel Tewahade’s film “Point Four,” please visit the website www.pointfourethiopia.com.
—
Related:
Filmmaker Interview About the Movie ‘Point Four
Haile Selassie in America: Q & A with Professor Ted Vestal
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Podcast

Ethiopian Airlines to Press Boeing for 787 Compensation

May 8, 2013 Tadias Magazine

The Associated Press

May 8, 2013

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — The chief executive of Ethiopian Airlines says his company will seek compensation from Boeing for the grounding of its 787 Dreamliner planes.

Tewolde Gebremariam told The Associated Press on Tuesday his company will soon start discussions with Boeing over compensation.

By James Butty

April 29, 2013

Ethiopian Airlines over the weekend became the world’s first carrier to resume flying Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, since it was grounded in January with battery problems.

Stella Sabiiti, an international peace and security consultant with the African Union Commission for Peace and Security, was a passenger aboard a 787 flight from Nairobi to Addis Ababa.

Sabiiti said it was smooth and gentle. She also said she likes the inside of the plane, particularly the windows which, she said, change colors with the push of a button.

“It was one of the smoothest flights I have ever been on. The takeoff was so smooth, so gentle. Mid-air, we flew very well, very comfortably, and the landing was just as smooth as the side of a little baby,” she said.

Sabiiti said she had no idea she would be flying on the Dreamliner.

“No, I didn’t know, but the whole morning I was listening to the radio, and I was following events about the Dreamliner testing its flight, and I was thinking, ‘Well, good to those people.’ And, the news was unfolding very slowly, every half hour, every hour. Eventually, I heard something like Ethiopian Airlines from Addis (Ababa) to Nairobi, and it took time to sink in. Then, I realized, ‘Oh my, that’s the flight that will take me back from Nairobi to Addis, so I’ll be on the Dreamliner,’” Sabiiti said.

The Ethiopian flight was the first since regulators grounded the Dreamliner in January after two battery warnings on two separate planes. The battery faults raised fears of a possible mid-air fire.

Sabiiti said she offered a little prayer when she learned she would be flying on the Dreamliner.

“At first, I was thankful I would be on that flight. Then, after a few hours, I realized I would on that flight. So, I prayed for myself, as well as whom else would be on that flight. And, as we were boarding, we were joking with strangers. We didn’t know each other, but we were making jokes,” Sabiiti said.

She said the jet was being highly photographed by passengers and television crews.

Sabiiti also said she likes the inside of the jet, particularly the windows which can change colors with the push of a button.

“It’s beautiful, especially it’s wide inside, and it’s quite long and it’s high. But, what I love most about it are the windows. They change colors. You just press a button and it becomes dark blue, then you press the button and it becomes light. Everything is so smooth, everything is so automatic. But, I think also the air [in the cabin] is very user friendly. You don’t feel the dryness on the plane,” Sabiiti said.
—
Related:
When will United, others will resume Dreamliner flights? (USA Today)
Ethiopian Airlines Becomes First to Resume Flying Grounded Dreamliner (Reuters)
Ethiopia flies first Dreamliner since grounding (AP)
Ethiopian Airlines Ready to Return 787 Dreamliner Service (TADIAS)
Exclusive: FAA nears decisive step in restoring 787 to flight (Reuters)
Ethiopian Airlines Grounds 787 Dreamliner

In Pictures: Ethiopian airlines 787 Dreamliner lands in D.C. (Photos: Tadias File – Aug 2012)

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Featured

Ethiopian Diaspora Volunteer Opportunity With Cuso International

May 7, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
Events News

Published: Tuesday, May 7th, 2013

Washington, D.C. (TADIAS) – Cuso International, a Canada-based development organization that is one of North America’s largest non-profit groups promoting long-term development through volunteers, is seeking skilled Diaspora professionals to place in Ethiopia. Cuso announced that it will be hosting an information session at its Washington, D.C. office on Thursday, May 9th.

“We are currently implementing a project called Diaspora for Development (DfD); which is a livelihoods-development initiative co-sponsored by USAID and Accenture,” said Kayla Sainato, Program Support Officer at Friends of Cuso International in DC. “Under this project we are looking to place up to 12 Ethiopian diaspora professionals based in the U.S. in a variety of capacity-building roles in Ethiopia for 3 months.”

According the organization the goal of the project is to help equip beneficiaries in Ethiopia with skills that will enhance their access to employment and other opportunities. “We are looking for professionals with skills in enterprise development, small business management, microfinance, youth and women’s economic empowerment, market development etc., to lead these volunteer placements,” Sainato said.

In order to recruit volunteers, Friends of Cuso International will be hosting an Information Session in their Washington, DC office on Thursday, May 9th.
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If You Go:
When: Thursday, May 9th 2013 at 7pm
Where: 1101, 15th Street NW 3rd Floor,
Washington D.C
To Register, call 202-833-1169
More info at www.cusointernational.org
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Featured, Profiles

The International Leadership Academy of Ethiopia: Q & A with Haddis Tadesse

May 5, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Published: Sunday, May 5, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – The International Leadership Academy of Ethiopia (ILAE), which opens in September 2013 on the campus of Hope University in Addis Ababa, began as a vision of Ethiopian American social entrepreneurs living in the Seattle, Washington area, including Haddis Desta Tadesse, the Country Representative for the Gates Foundation in Ethiopia. “We had found success in the U.S. and like many Ethiopians, we still have strong ties with and care deeply about the future of Ethiopia,” Haddis said in a recent interview with Tadias Magazine. “We admire how developed countries harness their land, labor, capital and infrastructure.”

Haddis added: “We also admire Ethiopia’s quest for prosperity and recognize the role that strong, capable leaders play in making that happen. We therefore thought that one contribution we could make to Ethiopia would be to establish a school for the academically talented girls and boys from around the country, and offer them an education that would prepare them in leadership skills equal to the best schools in the world.”

To this end, Haddis said, the group has launched a preparatory program for 20 students who are attending weekend and summer classes to prepare them for high school.

Below is our Q & A with Haddis Tadesse:

Haddis D. Tadesse (Photo courtesy Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)

TADIAS: We understand that the school is one of the first of its kind to be set up in Ethiopia. Please tell us about the challenges and opportunities facing the new leadership academy.

Haddis Tadesse: We may be unique in today’s Ethiopian environment but the concept is not new to Ethiopia. General Wingate Secondary School played a similar role and produced many leaders in various disciplines. We also understand there is one other school in Ethiopia currently that targets gifted students. From what we know, we believe that our approach is unique in Ethiopia. While using the Ethiopian curriculum as a base and preparing students for the national exams, our curriculum is developed by experts taking best practices from around the world, introducing academic rigor, critical thinking at many junctures, responsibility for the environment through service programs both on and off campus, a strong sense of community within the student body based on collaboration and developing leadership skills. So far, the students seem ready and receptive to this program, as are their parents. As students will come from various school systems across the country and different proficiency levels, development and skills, they will require individual attention. That requires hiring capable teachers who know how to educate and nurture very smart kids and that requires capital to execute effectively. So, the financial burden will be our challenge.

TADIAS: How does admission to the school work?

Haddis: Similar to most selective, high quality independent schools around the world, admission is based on various criteria, including the student’s academic record, recommendations and interviews which examines the overall capacity and potential of the student. We have experts who are helping us with this effort including people who helped establish the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa.

TADIAS: Is it tuition based? If so, are there scholarship opportunities available for those who cannot afford it?

Haddis: The majority of our students would come from poor environments and they will not pay any tuition. However, we will have some paying students from families who can afford to pay and seek high quality education as well as from other country nationals who reside in Ethiopia.

TADIAS: Does the school have a relationship with other institutions of higher learning that would allow the students to continue their education after they graduate from ILAE?

Haddis: We have a relationship in Ethiopia with Hope University College, as we share their campus, facilities and to some extent will be exchanging teachers, but also have a primary relationship with the Northwest School in Seattle, an established, prestigious independent school. We will be having student exchanges through technology, and through them, will also have partnerships in Spain, France, China, Taiwan and El Salvador. In addition, we have a relationship with the University of Washington and Cascadia Community College. But our goal is not to send our scholars abroad. Our hope is that they will enter college in Ethiopia and other great universities in Africa and return to Ethiopia in positions of leadership and write a new chapter in the long history of the country.

TADIAS: What’s your vision for the academy five years from now?

Haddis: Five years from now we will have graduated our first class. We will most likely be on our own campus with dormitories, and have a student population from around the country. Every year after that, we hope to graduate students who will become CEOs of major business, political and social leaders, noble prize winner scientists, and many others.

TADIAS: Is there anything else that you would like to share with our audience?

Haddis: We are profoundly moved by the potential of these talented students and happy that we can affect the lives of at least a few people in Ethiopia. We deeply appreciate the generous support we have received to date. I also want to thank Tadias for your interest and support. I am a big fan.
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You can learn more about The International Leadership Academy of Ethiopia at www.ilacademy.org.

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Podcast

Boston Marathon Bombing Case: Robel Phillipos Given Bail

May 5, 2013 Tadias Magazine

VOA News

U.S. citizen Robel Phillipos is to be released to home confinement and monitoring with an electronic bracelet.

Phillipos is charged with lying to investigators looking into the deadly April 15 bombings.

Two other friends – Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev, originally from Kazakhstan – are to appear in court next week on charges of obstruction of justice and destroying evidence. Investigators charge the three lied about visiting Tsarnaev’s dorm room three days after the bombings and removing evidence.

Meanwhile, the funeral home holding the remains of bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev cannot find a place to bury him and may seek help from state officials. Tsarnaev’s parents in Dagestan say they will not fly his body back to Russia.

The 26-year-old Tsarnaev died after being shot by police and run over by a vehicle driven by his brother Dzhokhar four days after the marathon attack.

If convicted, Phillipos could go to prison for eight years and be fined as much as $250,000. Tazhayakov and Kadyrbayev face five-year prison sentences and $250,000 in fines.
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Related:
Audio: Reaction From Ethiopian Community Leader – VOA

Tadias Magazine
News Update

Published: Thursday, May 2nd, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – 19-year-old Robel Phillipos is one of three college friends of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing case, who was arrested Wednesday on charges related to cover-up and misleading investigators after the incident on Monday, April 15th. While Robel is a U.S. citizen the other two, Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev, both 19, are foreign students from Kazakhstan.

According to the criminal complaint Azamat and Dias are accused of removing evidence including a backpack and laptop from Dzhokhar’s dorm room following the marathon day bombings, which killed three people and wounded more than 260. Robel, who is said to have been aware of Azamat’s and Dias’ actions, is charged with lying to federal agents about it. And, if convicted, he faces up to eight years in prison along with a $250,000 fine.

The trio were students with the bombing suspect at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth in 2011. Robel was also a high school classmate of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Per CNN: “A yearbook photograph shows a smiling Phillipos. Almost directly in front of him, Tsarnaev stares at the camera — his hand gently resting under his chin. A friend described Phillipos as a ‘good kid. He went to school, never got in trouble, took care of his mom,’ James Turney told CNN affiliate WBZ. “He was not really outgoing, stayed in the house a lot, did homework, got good grades.”

The CNN report noted that Robel plays basketball. He doesn’t have “any anti-American thing about him,” Turney said. “It just doesn’t make sense. Robel doesn’t have anything to do with this, or what happened, so I don’t see why he’s being arrested,” he told WBZ.

Police say the accused, who appeared before a federal judge in Boston on Wednesday afternoon, did not aid Tsarnaev in the bombings.

Click here to read the criminal complaint (PDF).

Watch: 3 Friends Of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Arrested (CBS)

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Related:
Who are Azamat Tazhayakov, Dias Kadyrbayev and Robel Phillipos? (CNN)
How the Name “Mulugeta” Got into Social Media Frenzy (TADIAS)
Suspect Charged in Boston Bombing (VOA News)
—
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Podcast

Saint George VS Egypt’s Zamalek: Cisse’s Header Lifts Zamalek to Champions League

May 4, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Cisse’s late header in Ethiopia lifts Zamalek to Champions League group stage (Al Ahram)

By Hatem Maher

In-form striker Abdoulaye Cisse headed home at the death to lift Egypt’s Zamalek to the African Champions League group stage on the away goal rule following a 2-2 draw at Ethiopia’s Saint George on Saturday.

The Burkinabe put the visitors in front after two minutes but St. George’s Shimelese Bekele levelled the aggregate score on the quarter hour mark.

St. George were on course to cause an upset and eliminate the five-time African Champions after Isaac Isinde gave them the lead on the stroke of halftime but Cisse came to Zamalek’s rescue with a close-range header two minutes from time.

Cisse, who is enjoying a new lease of life under Brazilian coach Jorvan Vieira, got the nod ahead of Ahmed Gaafar after putting in some efficient displays lately, including scoring another late winner over Dakhleya in the Egyptian Premier League last week.

He also netted with eight minutes remaining to help Zamalek salvage a 1-1 draw at home to St. George in the first leg two weeks ago.

Ethiopia is on the rise with a Saint George-dominated national squad reaching the 2013 Cup of Nations after a 31-year absence and topping a World Cup qualifying group that includes South Africa. (Photos courtesy Saint George Football Club)

BBC News

Saint George hope to become the first Ethiopian club to reach the Champions League group stage when they host Zamalek of Egypt.

The Addis Ababa outfit exceeded expectations with a 1-1 draw against the five-time African champions in Cairo two weeks ago, taking the lead through Oumed Oukri before Abdoulaye Cisse snatched a late equaliser.

After decades in the football doldrums, Ethiopia are on the rise with a Saint George-dominated national squad reaching the 2013 Cup of Nations after a 31-year absence and topping a World Cup qualifying group that includes South Africa.

Having fired eight unanswered goals past Jamhuri of Zanzibar and comfortably disposed of Djoliba of Mali, the Saints find themselves in unchartered territory with a lucrative mini-league slot tantalisingly close.

“It would be amazing to make the group stage,” admits German coach Michael Kruger, who guided Egyptian club Arab Contractors to the 1996 African Cup Winners Cup title.

“We must be cautious and determined as Zamalek will come to Addis searching for a win and their continental experience is much broader than that of my players,” he warned.

Read more at BBC News.
—-
Related:
Young Ethiopian American Uses Soccer to Give Back to Ethiopia — Video
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Featured, Reviews

Marcus Samuelsson Wins James Beard Foundation Book Award

May 4, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
News Update

Published: Saturday, May 4th, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – Marcus Samuelsson has won the 2013 James Beard Foundation Book Award in the Writing and Literature category for his bestselling memoir Yes, Chef, which documents his remarkable life journey from Ethiopia to Sweden and the United States.

The James Beard foundation announced the winners for the Book, Broadcast and Journalism categories on Friday, May 3rd. The other nominees in Writing and Literature included Tracie McMillan, author of The American Way of Eating, and Thomas McNamee, who wrote the acclaimed biography The Man Who Changed the Way We Eat. The latter explores the work of the food critic and journalist Craig Claiborne and his prolific contribution to culinary writing in America.

(Courtesy photo)

Click here to see the complete list of this year’s winners (PDF).

Learn more at James Beard Foundation: www.jamesbeard.org.
—
Related:
Video: Interview with Marcus Samuelsson About His Memoir ‘Yes, Chef,’ (TADIAS)

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Events

Passport DC 2013: Photo Exhibition at the Ethiopian Embassy

May 4, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
Events News

Published: Saturday, May 4th, 2013

Washington, D.C. (TADIAS) – Cultural Tourism DC, a nonprofit that promotes DC’s art and cultural heritage, is currently hosting the sixth annual Passport DC— a month-long celebration in May comprising of international programs and events around the city, including a tour of 70 embassies, street festivals, performances and exhibitions.

Today and tomorrow from 10 am to 4 pm, more than 40 embassies will open their doors to the public. The open house at the Ethiopian Embassy features an exhibit of 30 recent photographs of Ethiopia taken by Matt Andrea during his travels to Africa. Matt will be there to discuss his photos and provide information about traveling in the country. There will also be an ongoing Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony (with free samples), Ethiopian food and tej (for sale), and vendors selling handicrafts, clothes, jewelry, freshly-roasted coffee and books.
—-
If you Go:
The open house at the Ethiopian Embassy
3506 International Drive, NW
Washington, D.C.
More info at www.culturaltourismdc.org.
Click here to view and download a copy of this year’s program.
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Podcast

Young Ethiopian American Uses Soccer to Give Back to Ethiopia — Video

May 3, 2013 Tadias Magazine

TC DAILY PLANET

BY LOLLA MOHAMMED NUR

Mikyas Woldemichael is a 22-year-old Ethiopian American who isn’t afraid to follow his dreams. The University of Minnesota student is the founder of Ra’ey Youth Soccer Organization, which support kids in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in training and improving their soccer skills.

He started Ra’ey, which stands for “better vision” in Amharic, a year ago when he went to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to volunteer for Ethiopia Reads. His goal with Ra’ey is to help kids who live in poverty by getting them physically active, involved in their community, and focused on academics.

US Slams Ethiopia’s ‘Political Persecution’ of Critics

May 3, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Global Post

The United States Thursday slammed “harsh” sentences handed down to an Ethiopian blogger and an opposition leader, voicing concerns about the “politicized prosecution” of government critics.

An Ethiopian court dismissed the appeals of blogger Eskinder Nega and opposition leader Andualem Arage, jailed last year for terror-related offenses.

Events, Featured

Classical Piano Concert by Girma Yifrashewa in Brooklyn

May 3, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
Events News

Published: Friday, May 3rd, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – Ethiopian classical pianist and composer Girma Yifrashewa is scheduled to perform at Issue Project Room in Brooklyn on June 8th.

“A highly accomplished performer of the romantic repertoire, Yifrashewa has chosen to remain in Ethiopia— where classical music is far from a dominant practice— forging a classical tradition for his own country,” organizers said in a press release. “Using traditional tunes as a foundation, Yifrashewa’s compositions combine the ecstasy of Ethiopian harmony with the grandeur of virtuoso piano technique into an effortlessly enjoyable, heady mixture. In this solo piano concert, Yifrashewa performs works by Chopin, Schumann, Debussy, and Mozart, as well as a set of his own Ethiopian informed compositions.”

Girma, who was born in Addis Ababa in 1967, is a graduate of the Yared School of Music and the Sofia State Conservatory of Music in Bulgaria.

“It was in Bulgaria that he made an impact as a solo pianist, performing the works of Schumann, Schubert, Chopin and Debussy, throughout the country until his return to East Africa in 1995,” the event announcement said.  “He has a preference and well-determined approach to the music of Bach as well as Mozart and Beethoven.”

“Yifrashewa returned to Ethiopia in 1995, teaching piano at the Yared School of Music until 2001. He received scholarships for short-term specialization courses from the British and German Governments, at the Royal Academy of Music in London (1997) and at the Hochschule fur Music Und Theater in Leipzig (1999). Currently Yifrashewa works to promote Ethiopian and Classical Music throughout the continent and beyond.”

National Mental Health Awareness Month – Community Forum In DC

May 2, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
By Tsedey Aragie

Published: Thursday, May 2nd, 2013

Washington, DC (TADIAS) – This is Mental Health Awareness Month and I will be moderating another public session on the topic on Monday, May 6th at the Shaw Library in D.C. The conference is the latest in a series of events on the subject designed to spur outreach and awareness efforts in our community. We especially encourage people with skills in health care to participate in the forum. During our last meeting it was highlighted that there is an under-utilized wealth of Ethiopian & Eritrean medical professionals among the East African populations in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Often behavioral health experts are at the forefront of this fight and your input is essential in our ongoing conversation.

“It is up to all of us to know the signs of mental health issues and lend a hand to those who are struggling,” President Obama said in the proclamation making May Mental Health Awareness Month. “Shame and stigma too often leave people feeling like there is no place to turn. We need to make sure they know that asking for help is not a sign of weakness — it is a sign of strength.”

The organization My Love in Action, which is currently conducting a needs assessment survey in our community, is hosting the upcoming town hall. As you know, particularly among Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrants, the stigma associated with mental illness has led to many unnecessary tragedies and it is important for us to uproot this problem as a shared responsibility. We encourage everyone to take part in the dialogue. We have some great programs, workshops and speakers lined up. And as always, your feedback is going to be very valuable.

For those who live outside Washington, you can still partake via a conference call (see info below) or follow the discussion live online.
—
IF you go:
Date: Monday May 6th
Time: 6pm sharp
Address: 1620 7th St NW, Washington D.C. 20001
Location: Watha T. Daniel Shaw Library (downstairs)
Phone conference: (267) 507-0240 pin #939807
Live Stream Link: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/filmstockinc
More information at www.myloveinaction.org
Follow updates on twitter @MyLoveInAction.
—
Related:
Report From Second Community Forum on Mental Health – Video
Dr. Welansa Asrat on Mental Health Taboo in the Ethiopian Community

Watch: Video Clips – ‘2nd Community Forum on Mental Health,’ December 15th, 2012

—
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Podcast, Reviews

Son Saves Up To Pay Off His Mom’s Mortgage — Video

May 1, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Published: Wednesday, May 1st, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – In the following video that is making the rounds via social media among Ethiopians, a young man in Canada surprises his mother on his birthday with a check that pays off her mortgage.

“At one point in my life I hadn’t been home for two and half years, I hadn’t spoken to anyone or sent any emails,” he says in the video posted on iProject Atlas. “I knocked at the door, she opened it, she said hi, she smiled and she just asked me what I wanted for dinner.” He added: “No questions asked, no whys, nothing, she just accepted me. Over time as she is getting older she is having a harder time keeping up with the bills so I have been saving for the last few years, have been getting ready and kind of wanted to do something for her.”

Why on his birthday? “I realize birthdays are a tradition and that tradition dictates that one should celebrate their existence on the day on which they were born every year,” the young man says in this written description of the video. “I just wanted to say that I am by no means a perfect son, for a long period I neglected my mother’s needs, I ignored her calls and brushed her off until I needed something. Just before I started putting money aside my Father passed away. It had a great effect on me because of the kind of person he was. I decided to make a change, value the only parent I had left.”

Watch the Video: Dear mother from iProject Atlas

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Featured, Interviews

Meskerem Assefa Advocates for Ethiopian Women in the Middle East

April 30, 2013 Tadias Magazine 1 Comment

Tadias Magazine
By Tigist Selam

Updated: Wednesday, May 1st, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – One year after the video-taped beating and eventual suicide of Alem Dechasa in Lebanon that shocked and galvanized the Ethiopian community worldwide, domestic workers rights advocate Meskerem Assefa of Beirut recently traveled to New York to highlight the continuing problem in the region. She was invited by the Ethiopian Social Assistance Committee as one of the featured guest speakers at the organization’s annual Women’s History Month panel on March 23rd in Manhattan focusing on Ethiopian women in the Middle East.

“Every time I get the opportunity to speak to the media in Lebanon, I say stop abusing our girls,” Meskerem said in a follow-up interview. Meskerem, who moved to Beruit 11 years ago with her husband, is a Lebanese national by marriage.

“I have a bit more rights than most Ethiopian women in the country so I speak on their behalf whether they like it or not because silence and fear are the worst enemy,” she added. “And as an individual that’s the least that I can do.”

Meskerem said there are an estimated 80,000 Ethiopians living in Lebanon alone, half of them illegals operating under the radar of both the Ethiopian and Lebanese governments. She pointed out that this group is the one that is most exposed to abuse. Furthermore, there is a growing crisis of immigrant children that are born out of wedlock by domestic workers.

“These kids are not citizens of the country, they have no rights, no education, or access to medical insurance,” she said. “For me this is most heartbreaking.”

“Over time we are getting help from the Lebanese people and various local NGOs that working to change the law and improve the situation on the ground,” Meskerem said. “We can only get a solution by continuing to organize and speak out.”

“I wish that I could also do more to help the children,” she said. “I have tried to organize games, dance, and other activities for some of them; I know that’s not enough but there is no budget.”

Meskerem emphasized the necessity for more Ethiopians to step up and get involved. “I am asking that all those who can assist should contribute to solve this issue together,” she said. “Even those in Ethiopia with the intellect and resources must do their part. What’s the point of being Ethiopian if you do not feel this piercing your heart.”

“Stop sending these girls without basic training and their full knowledge of what they are getting into,” she asserted.

Meskerem noted that she had opened an information center in Addis Ababa a few years ago. “I paid rent for two years out of my own pocket and I had to close it because there was no help and interest,” she said.

Woizero Zewditu Fessehaa, chairperson of The Ethiopian Social Assistance Committee, who hosted Meskerem during her New York stay, agreed that lending a hand to activists like Meskerem and establishing an officially sanctioned certification center in Ethiopia ought be a priority. “The young women in Ethiopia need be told before they leave their country not to expect to be fed butter with a spoon when they reach their destination,” she said. “That requires collaborative efforts from each and everyone of us.”
—
Related:
Ethiopia Cancels 40,000 Work Visas for Saudi Arabia-bound Housemaids (Arab News)
Changing Ethiopia’s Media Image: The Case of People-Trafficking (TADIAS)
Photos: BBC Uncovers Untold People-Trafficking, Torture of Ethiopians in Yemen
In Memory of Alem Dechassa: Reporting & Mapping Domestic Migrant Worker Abuse
Photos: Vigil for Alem Dechassa Outside Lebanon Embassy in D.C.
The Plight of Ethiopian Women in the Middle East: Q & A With Rahel Zegeye
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Events

2013 Global Diaspora Forum in D.C.

April 29, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
Event News

Updated: Tuesday, April 30th, 2013

Washington, DC (TADIAS) – The third annual Global Diaspora Forum will open on May 13th at the headquarters of USAID in Washington, D.C. with follow-up events scheduled for Tuesday, May 14th at the State Department. The gathering will feature multi-city satellite conferences connecting Los Angeles, Dublin, and Silicon Valley.

The 2013 Global Diaspora Forum theme is entitled ‘Where Ideas Meet Action,’ and the event
“provides the platform to discover inspiring stories from prominent diaspora figures in American popular culture, demonstrate exemplary initiatives in international development and diplomacy undertaken by diasporans of all generations, and showcase methods of organization and cultural bridge-building that encourage next-generation diasporans to connect with their countries of heritage.”

USAID will hosts the official opening of the two-day forum on Monday at the Ronald Reagan Building (Pavilion Room) with a breakfast reception and an “all-star” conversation with Dr. Rajiv Shah, Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

The afternoon lineup for the first day include symposiums hosted by various organizations around the Capital “showcasing the diversity of American diaspora communities, provide the opportunity to convene leaders and engage in a dialogue on wide range of relevant diaspora issues and engagement,” the program noted. “Events range from panels or roundtable discussions, to lunches, receptions, and networking events. Open to the public but may require participant reservations with individual event organizations.”

The second day of activities takes place on Tuesday, May 14th at the U.S. Department of State and will be headlined with a keynote address by Secretary of State John Kerry.

There will be live Q & A sessions and GDF Twitter feed throughout the day as well as online-streaming from L.A, Dublin, Ireland and Silicon Valley.
—
If you have questions about this year’s Global Diaspora Forum or would like to host your own satellite event, please download a copy of the Global Diaspora Forum FAQ fact sheet or contact info@diasporaalliance.org. Learn more at www.diasporaalliance.org. Or you can follow updates on Twitter @DiasporaIdea.
—
Related:
Kerry to Attend 50th Anniversary African Union Summit in Ethiopia
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Podcast

Trailer: Ethiopian Drama ‘Nishan’ — Cannes 2012 Pitch Selection

April 29, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Indie Wire

BY TAMBAY A. OBENSON

A year ago, Yidnekachew Shumete Desalegn was one of 3 Ethiopian filmmakers selected for a week-long visit to Monaco and Cannes for workshops, programs and events happening during the 2012 Cannes Film Festival in May.

Desalegn, along with Henok Mebratu and Olisarali Olibui Tongolu, were selected by the International Emerging Film Talent Association (IEFTA) and the Ethiopian Film Initiative (EFI). On their trip to Cannes, they met a range of international distributors, sales agents, producers, directors and film commissioners at the festival, and also had one-on-one sessions with established producers and production companies.

The goal of the ongoing initiative is to help raise the international profile of Ethiopian films, by presenting the country’s best young filmmakers and helping them establish themselves in the international film marketplace.

Adopted Against Her Will: Tarikuwa Lemma Shares Her Story – Video

April 28, 2013 Tadias Magazine

NBC News

By Meredith Clark

It may sound like a nightmare, but it happened to Tarikuwa Lemma, who told her story on Sunday’s Melissa Harris-Perry. Lemma came to the United States from Ethiopia for what she and her family thought was an educational exchange program when she was 13-years-old; after she arrived, she was told she had been adopted.

Once she learned what her adoption meant for her future, Lemma felt “a lot of grief and anger.”

“I didn’t want a new family because I had a family in Ethiopia,” said Lemma, who will start her freshman year at college in the fall. The family that tried to adopt Lemma and her two younger sisters changed their names and even stopped them from speaking their native language.

Adoption is a multi-billion dollar industry, rife with corruption and dissemblance, and in recent years it has morphed into an evangelical movement.

Julie Mehretu: ‘Liminal Squared’ Opening Soon in New York and London

April 27, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
Events News

Updated: Monday, April 29, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – There are two major upcoming solo exhibitions in New York and London featuring works by Ethiopian-born painter Julie Mehretu entitled Liminal Squared. The NYC event will mark the artist’s inaugural show at the Marian Goodman Gallery, which is scheduled to open on May 11th and remain on display through June 22, 2013, while the presentation in England will take place at the White Cube Bermondsey from May 1st to July 7th, 2013.

“A series of new paintings will be on view as well as a suite of five new etchings,” the announcement from Marian Goodman Gallery said. “The works were created over the past three years in New York in the aftermath of events of the Arab Spring which were the point of departure for the monumentally scaled Mogamma (In Four Parts), 2012, recently presented at Documenta (13), 2012, Kassel.”

According to the gallery the paintings “follow a group exhibition In Praise of Doubt at Punta dell Dogana, Venice in 2011; and a recent presentation of her Mind Breath and Beat drawings at our Paris space in January-March 2013.”

In London, White Cube gallery said it is pleased to present an exhibition by Julie Mehretu. “This is Mehretu’s first major solo exhibition in London and will feature new and recent paintings, some of which will be presented within a specially constructed environment designed by David Adjaye in close collaboration with the artist,” the gallery said in a press release. “Described by curator Douglas Fogle as ‘perfect metaphors for the increasingly interconnected and complex character of the 21st century’, Mehretu’s large-scale paintings, which are built up in layers, employ a broad lexicon of drawing techniques together with a precise, muscular abstraction to investigate the intersection of politics, architecture and history and the way these forces shape the formation of our social identity.”

Julie, who was born in Addis Ababa in 1970 and immigrated to the United States with her family in 1977, is one of two Ethiopian-born artists whose work is part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art — along with Skunder Boghossian. She has received numerous international recognition for her work including the American Art Award from the Whitney Museum of American Art and the prestigious MacArthur Fellow award. She had residencies at the Core Program at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston (1998–99), the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York (2001), the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota (2003), and the American Academy in Berlin (2007).

Below is a link to a highlight of Julie’s forthcoming New York and London show in Vogue Magazine.

Photos: Julie Mehretu in May 2013 issue of Vogue Magazine
—
If You Go:
New York
JULIE MEHRETU
LIMINAL SQUARED
MAY 11 – JUNE 22, 2013
Opening reception: May 11, 6-8 pm
MARIAN GOODMAN GALLERY
24 WEST 57TH STREET
NEW YORK, NY 10019
TELEPHONE 212-977-7160
FAX 212-581-5187
Email: Goodman@mariangoodman.com
Learn more at Marian Goodman Gallery.

London
JULIE MEHRETU
LIMINAL SQUARED
1 May – 7 July 2013
South Galleries, Bermondsey
144 – 152 Bermondsey Street
London SE1 3TQ
Learn more at White Cube.
—
Related:
Interview with Julie Mehretu (TADIAS)
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Health

Vipassana Meditation in Ethiopia

April 26, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
Reader Submission

By Yacob Gabremedhin

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Imagine sitting quietly at a retreat center in Debre Zeit for 10 days, meditating for more than 11 hours a day. That’s where I had my first real experience in meditation.

I started out in January 2009, a year after the first Vipassana meditation course had been offered. And there I was sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, in complete silence with 30 other participants receiving instructions both in Amharic and English. The first course in Ethiopia was organized in 2008 by former students who took similar lessons abroad.

Having been born and raised in Addis, where I attended Cathedral and Saint Joseph schools, and later part of the Technology Faculty at Addis Ababa University, I read and dabbled a bit in such things, this was not my first introduction to meditation. But it would prove later to be the most meaningful and lasting.

Ten days of silent meditation from 4 AM to 9 PM — no reading, no talking, no cell phones, internet or music. This is Vipassana meditation. It means ‘seeing things as they really are.’ Vipassana is one of India’s most ancient meditation techniques. It is the process of self-purification by self-observation. One begins by observing the natural breath to concentrate the mind. With a sharpened awareness the person then proceeds to notice the changing nature of body and mind, and experiences the universal truths of impermanence, suffering and egolessness. For this reason, it can be practiced freely by everyone, at any time, in any place, without conflict due to race, community or religion, and it will prove equally beneficial to the individual and those around them.

In the last 45 years alone business and national leaders across the globe including the President of India have taken Vipassana training. The Roman Catholic Church has allowed more than 6000 priests and nuns to take the course. There are coachings especially tailored for executives as well. Not to mention that federal governments of different countries, such as India, Israel and the US have come to understand the effectiveness of the technique and started teaching it in prisons as well. An introduction to Vipassana as rehabilitation was filmed in 2007 inside a maximum-security prison called the Donaldson Correctional Facility in Alabama. The documentary, The Dhamma Brothers, was featured on Oprah the same year and was awarded ‘Best Documentary’ prize at the “Wood Hole Film Festival” in Massachusetts.

Courses are run solely on a donation basis. There are no charges for the classes, food or accommodation. All expenses are met by contributions from those who, having completed a lesson and experienced the benefits of Vipassana, wish to give others the same opportunity.

All trainings given around the world are completely identical in format, timetable, activity and organization. The only difference is in the cuisine as each country serves mainly local dishes. All selections, however, must be vegetarian. In Ethiopia, we prepare yetsome megib (fasting food); injera or bread with shiro and misir wot, salads and cooked veggies.

The initial Vipassana mediation course in Ethiopia was led by former students who had studied with S.N. Goenka, who started teaching in 1969 after learning the tradition from Sayagyi U Ba Khin of Burma. In Debre Zeit approximately 30 students enrolled in the first retreat held from January 30th to February 11th, 2008.

To date, eleven such gatherings have been held in the country. Though those who come to attend are mainly Ethiopians residing in Addis and other large towns, students have also come from other nations in Africa, Europe, Asia the US, Canada and more. A number of Ethiopians residing in America have also taken classes here.

Having had an unforgettable experience at the end of my first session four years ago, I still continue to practice regularly whenever time and other resources allow, including a couple of workouts in Northern California and Georgia where I traveled to visit family and friends.

Today, as meditation continues to grow in Ethiopia, so are efforts to strengthen the establishment of a Vipassana Trust. Vipassana is not for adults only. There are also trainings designed for children. The program offers young people, between the ages of 8 and 16 years, an introduction to Anapana meditation, which is a practice of the observation of natural breath to focus the mind.

Those seeking to get in touch can contact us at: info@et.dhamma.org.

For more information about Vipassana Meditation courses in Ethiopia and rest of the world, readers can visit the website: www.dhamma.org.

Below is a slideshow of images from Debre Zeit:

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Do you have a story to share with Tadias Magazine? We warmly welcome our readers’ submissions. Send your story idea to the editors at articles@tadias.com.
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Featured, Health

Geographic Technology Helps Put Ethiopia on Map of Global Health Success

April 26, 2013 Tadias Magazine

The Huffington Post

By David J. Olson

In just six years, DKT Ethiopia has transformed its system for tracking contraceptive sales from pins and pencils to computers and satellites and, in the process, helped create a family planning and HIV prevention success story in the Horn of Africa.

DKT Ethiopia is an affiliate of DKT International, a non-profit organization that seeks to provide couples with affordable and safe options for family planning and HIV prevention in 19 low- and middle-income countries. In Ethiopia, DKT uses social marketing to distribute three brands of condoms (and eight variants), three oral contraceptive pills, two IUDS, two injectables, one brand of emergency contraception and several other health products.

It was in 2007 that DKT Ethiopia started using GIS (Geographic Information System), a tool to display and analyze sales, finance and inventory information geographically and, particularly, to plot every one of its 30,000+ direct and indirect sales outlets. This has made an enormous difference in DKT’s ability to know how its contraceptive sales are going in every corner of Ethiopia.

Click here to read more at The Huffington Post.
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Related:
Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, Norway Co-host Education & Technology Health Summit (TADIAS)
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Featured, Profiles

Le Figaro Names Three Ethiopians to ‘Africa’s 15 Most Powerful Women’ List

April 25, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine

By Tadias Staff

April 25th, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – Le Figaro has named three Ethiopians to its list of Africa’s 15 most powerful women, including the long distance track athlete and three-time Olympic champion Tirunesh Dibaba, and Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, the founder and CEO of the international Ethiopian shoe brand SoleRebels.

The French newspaper also selected Ethiopian-born model Liya Kebede who lives in the United States among Africa’s power women. Other leaders include Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the current President of Liberia, as well as the South African actress and fashion model Charlize Theron, and Kenyan activist, lawyer, and blogger Ory Okolloh who works as Google’s Policy Manager for Africa.

Click here to read the list at www.madame.lefigaro.fr

New Book Highlights Stories of 70 Accomplished Ethiopian Women (TADIAS)

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News, Opinion

PM Hailemariam Asked About Reeyot Alemu In France24 Interview

April 24, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
Editorial

Published: Wednesday, April 24th, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – In a wide-ranging interview with France24 this week, Prime Minster Hailemariam Desalegn energetically fielded a number of questions in his role as the current chairman of the African Union about the continent’s troubled spots, including the situation in Mali, the elections in Kenya, the prospect of peace in Somalia, and the border issue with Eritrea. But when the topic changed to domestic matters and the imprisoned journalist Reeyot Alemu, winner of the 2013 UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize, so did the tone of the Prime Minister.

“For us our due process of law is, you know, according to the international standard and practice and we will continue on this way whether whoever says it,” he said. “What matters is the peace, security and democracy in the country, rather than what somebody says.”

Reeyot, who is now 32-year-old, was arrested in June 2011 inside a high-school class room where she worked as an English teacher. She was wanted for her opposing views in her part-time job as a columnist for the then Amharic weekly Feteh. She is currently serving a five year sentence in Kality prison. UNESCO said last week that she was recommended for the prestigious award by an independent international jury of media professionals in recognition of her “exceptional courage, resistance and commitment to freedom of expression.”

“The whole important thing in this issue is that rule of law is one of the pillars of democratic process in the country,” the PM told the French television station, without mentioning Reeyot by name. “So we have responsibility also not only to have, you know, any kind of issues in the country, but to secure our people from any kind of terrorist actions.”

Hailemariam added: “In this regard, I think what’s important is that we are following all the international standard including the UN charter for human rights and democracy, which we have signed and ratified in my country. So I think it is according to the international, universal declarations that we are operating in the country.”

“Do you think there is room for improvement?” the reporter for France24 asked. “Do you agree that things could be better in this regard that there should be more vibrant press and a more vibrant opposition to make Ethiopia a real and full democracy?”

“I think there is no doubt about it,” the PM said. “Not only in Ethiopia, even in much more civilized democratic nations like France you have always something to improve. So how can we say there is no need of improvement in a fledgling democracy and a democracy of only fifteen years of age.”

The PM argued that establishing a culture of democracy takes time. “Therefore, we have a fledgling democracy, we have to learn lots of things, there are a number of rooms for improvement, including, the press, media and all kind of things,” he said. “We are learning from the international practices and my government is open to learn and improve things at home.”

The UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize is awarded annually during the celebration of World Press Freedom Day on May 3rd, which will take place this year in Costa Rica. The UNESCO jury highlighted Reeyot’s critical writing published in several independent Ethiopian newspapers on various political and social issues focusing on poverty and gender equality.

We urge Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn to do the right thing for Ethiopia and exercise his authority under the constitution to pardon Reeyot Alemu.

Watch: PM Hailemariam Desalegn interview with France24

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Related:
Reeyot Alemu Wins the 2013 UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize (RTT)
Reeyot Alemu: Ethiopia’s Jailed Truth Teller (The Daily Beast)
Eskinder Nega: An Ai Wei Wei Story in Ethiopia (TADIAS)
Prisoners of conscience in Ethiopia (Al Jazeera)
UN Finds Detention of Eskinder Nega Arbitrary (United Nations)
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Podcast

Africa’s Rift Valley From Above – Stunning Images From The Guardian

April 23, 2013 Tadias Magazine

The Guardian

German photographer Michael Poliza took to the skies by helicopter to capture the extraordinary landscapes of the Rift Valley in Kenya and Ethiopia from the air. These images appear in his books Kenya and Eyes Over Africa.

Click here to view the photos: Africa’s Rift Valley from above – gallery
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Related:
Ethiopia enlists help of forest communities to reverse deforestation (The Guardian)

Watch: How Ethiopia is Tackling Deforestation

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Podcast

Film: Aramazt Kalayjian Brings ‘Tezeta’ to Life

April 22, 2013 Tadias Magazine

The Armenian Mirror-Spectator

By Gabriella Gage

WATERTOWN — Tezeta is a word of great significance in Ethiopia. In Amharic it means memory, nostalgia or longing. It is also the name of a type of Ethiopian jazz and the ballads in that style that have been sung by countless Ethiopian singers. More recently, it has served at the linguistic inspiration for “Tezeta [The Ethiopian Armenians,]” a documentary by Armenian-American filmmaker, Aramazt Kalayjian.

The film, currently in production, explores the historic connection between Armenians and Ethiopians, with music serving as the main cultural bridge between the communities. Through the film, its creators hope to preserve the culture legacy of the small, relatively unheard of Armenian community in Ethiopia. “From 40 Armenian orphans adopted by Emperor Haile Selassie after the Genocide to perform as the first imperial orchestra of Ethiopia in 1924, to Alemayhu Eshete, the ‘Elvis’ of Ethiopia, Armenians have left their imprint on the cultural and musical landscape of Ethiopian society,” said, Kalayjian, creator and director of the project.

Watch:

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Podcast

Tsegaye Kebede Wins London Marathon

April 21, 2013 Tadias Magazine

The Associated Press

Published Sunday, Apr. 21 2013

LONDON – Tsegaye Kebede claimed a second London Marathon title on Sunday, cheered through the streets by thousands of spectators reassured by enhanced security at the first major race since the twin bombings at the Boston event.

A race that started with a tribute to the Boston victims with a moment of silence ended with a thrilling conclusion under clear blue skies.
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Related:
London Marathon: Ethiopia’s Tsegaye Kebede wins for second time (BBC)
Ethiopia’s Kebede Wins London Marathon, Beating 2011 Champ Mutai (Bloomberg)
Ethiopian Kebede overhauls rival for London Marathon victory (Irish Independent)
London Marathon 2013: Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia wins men’s race (The Telegraph)
Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa, Kenya’s Rita Jeptoo Win Boston Marathon (CNN)
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Featured

How the Name “Mulugeta” Got into Social Media Frenzy

April 20, 2013 Tadias Magazine 1 Comment

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Updated: April 27, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – Prior to the massive manhunt across Boston last week that eventually zeroed in on the two Chechen-born brothers suspected in the Marathon bombings, there were some cringing moments for the Ethiopian community during the media’s now infamous frenzy when tweets begun to appear with the name “Mulugeta” apparently picked up from local police radio communications.

According to The Atlantic Magazine at 2:14am Eastern on Friday, April 19th, “an official on the police scanner said, ‘Last name: Mulugeta, M-U-L-U-G-E-T-A, M as in Mike, Mulugeta.’ And thus was born the newest suspect in the case: Mike Mulugeta. It doesn’t appear that Mulugeta, whoever he or she is, has a first name of Mike. And yet that name, ‘Mike Mulugeta,’ was about to become notorious.”

“A single tweet references Mulugeta at the time his name was said on the scanner. A Twitter user named Carcel Mousineau simply said, ‘Just read the name Mike Mulugeta on the scanner.’ It was retweeted exactly once. In the unofficial transcript of the scanner on Reddit, at least as it stands now, the reading of the name was recorded simply: ‘Police listed a name, unclear if related.'”

What came next was a rapidly unfolding of false news. “This is the Internet’s test of ‘be right, not first’ with the reporting of this story,” Greg Hughes, who had been closely following developments online, tweeted. “So far, people are doing a great job.” Then, as The Atlantic noted, at 2:43am he declared, “BPD [Boston Police Department] has identified the names: Suspect 1: Mike Mulugeta.”

Tadias became aware of the trending conversation on Twitter when another post from the user Whodini Bolero turned up later that morning:

Mulugeta an Ethiopian name.There was a Team Obama staffer Selam Mulugeta in 2008. #tcot goo.gl/R1fKc

— Whodini Bolero (@WhodiniBolero) April 19, 2013

“The information was spreading like crazy,” the report added, quoting Kevin Michael (@KallMeG), a cameraman for the Hartford, Connecticut CBS News affiliate, who tweeted, only seven minutes after Hughes’ announcement, that “BPD scanner has identified the names: Suspect 1 — Mike Mulugeta.” The unconfirmed identification was subsequently retweeted by several media professionals, including Andrew Kaczynski at BuzzFeed, reaching “far and wide.”

The Atlantic also highlights that last week’s “Misinformation Disaster” was not limited to Twitter and Facebook. Cable Television and wire services, such as CNN, Fox News and the Associated Press all wrongly reported two-days early that an arrest had been made, earning a rebuke from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Click here to read The Atlantic Magazine’s story.
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Related:
UPDATE: Suspect Charged in Boston Bombing
The FBI Criticizes the News Media After Several Mistaken Reports of an Arrest (NYT)
Mistaken reports highlight dangers for media (Tampa Bay Times)
NBC’s Pete Williams: Media Hero of the Boston Bombing Coverage (The Atlantic)

Watch: Pete Williams Reports for NBC’s Nightly News

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Video: Boston bombing suspect finally in custody (NBC News)

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Health

The State of Women in Ethiopia’s Amhara Region

April 19, 2013 Tadias Magazine

The Word on Women – A second chance for Ethiopia’s child brides (Trust.org)

By Jeff Edmeades

Washington, DC – Once again, I have just returned to my home base in Washington, DC after spending several weeks in Ethiopia’s deeply poor, yet breathtaking, Amhara region. And once again – as is always the case – I was inspired by the sheer enthusiasm and thirst for opportunity among an often forgotten group: child brides.

Amhara has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world, with around three quarters of women aged 20 to 24 marrying before their 18th birthday. Over the past three years, I’ve been involved in an innovative project run by the aid agency CARE that is aiming to give these girls and young women who were married too young – some in their very early teenage years – a second lease on life. Their experiences of marriage are often quite similar, typically involving arranged unions either preceded or accompanied by school dropout.

The lessons learned from these often heartbreaking stories couldn’t be more relevant this week as former Prime Minister Gordon Brown meets with G8 Finance Ministers at the World Bank in Washington in his capacity as UN Special Envoy for Global Education.

In my conversations with these young wives, most have told me that they are hungry to return to school. For child brides in Ethiopia and worldwide, school often represents much more than just a chance to learn. It opens the opportunity both to dream big and to achieve small milestones, like simply having friends their own age with whom to talk and laugh.

The past two decades have seen a remarkable improvement in youth access to education throughout the world. More children and young adults are enrolled in school than perhaps at any point in human history. Yet despite these improvements, adolescent girls – especially those who are poor, living in a rural area, or belonging to a minority ethnic group – continue to miss out on the opportunity to go to school.

The most recent data suggest that 39 million girls between 11 and 15 years old are out of school worldwide, with some estimates suggesting that the total for all adolescents (ages 11-19) is as high as 60 million. These girls more likely to suffer from poorer health, experience greater poverty and be exposed to higher levels of domestic violence. Meanwhile, the social stability, economic growth, and basic well-being of uneducated girls’ families, communities and societies are more likely to deteriorate.

The evidence suggests that early marriage is certainly linked to school drop outs. However, it also shows that the main driver is much broader and much more difficult to address: entrenched, pervasive social norms that govern expectations about what girls can and will do with their lives – fueling both early marriage and school dropout. This isn’t to say that encouraging an emphasis on greater education for girls will not influence very early marriage, but rather, any attempt to address either educational outcomes or child marriage must begin by directly challenging social norms around gender.

This is what the International Center for Research on Women is doing in partnership with CARE and other local organizations in Ethiopia, and it is working. We’ve found that providing married adolescent girls with the skills – through trainings and education – to effectively challenge social norms from within their own communities has proven to be a powerful tool of transformation for girls and their communities. This is particularly the case when paired with effective community engagement and support.

Yes, there are many reasons why girls do not stay in school long enough to learn the critical skills they need in a world that increasingly demands formal educational qualifications. But the main reason is simply because they are girls.

We can begin changing this on a much larger scale by working with whole communities and involving parents, religious or traditional leaders, and other influential community members, as these individuals have the greatest direct influence on girls’ aspirations and behavior. Programs aimed at improving the lives of adolescent girls should be integrated, focusing on building girls’ health, their access to social support and economic opportunities, and above all should address expectations about the roles of girls and women in society. Economic interventions must develop realistic options for girls that boost their chances at staying in school and delaying marriage.

Finally, let’s not forget to work with girls who are already married, like those I visited in Ethiopia’s Amhara region; they have largely fallen off the radar of many policymakers and lie almost completely outside of any government support systems. Meanwhile, if current trends hold, an estimated 142 million adolescent girls will marry over the next decade. Let’s work to provide these girls with a chance to return to school and develop the skills and support networks that they deserve – and have the right to experience.
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Jeff Edmeades is a Child Marriage Researcher for the International Center for Research on Women in Washington, DC.
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Podcast

Kerry to Attend 50th Anniversary African Union Summit in Ethiopia

April 19, 2013 Tadias Magazine

IOL News

April 18 2013

Washington – US Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday revealed he will attend an African Union summit in Ethiopia next month, and said Washington had be more engaged with Africa.

The May 19-27 summit in Addis Ababa will mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Organization of African Unity, the predecessor to the AU.

Kerry told US lawmakers he was concerned by China’s growing influence in Africa, and viewed a recent tour of three African nations by Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a “negative development.”

“China is now out-investing the United States significantly in Africa,” Kerry told his former colleagues on the Senate foreign relations committee.

Although China was principally focused on resources which did not pose direct competition to the United States, Kerry said he was worried about possible negative consequences.

“Between Iran, China, other countries… they’re having an impact on the business practices and on the choices… some of the governments there are facing. And it’s not been a positive one in some regards.

Read more at IOL News.

Podcast

Ethiopian Airlines Ready to Return 787 Dreamliner Service

April 19, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Published: Friday, April 19th, 2013

New York (TADIAS) — Ethiopian Airlines is awaiting FAA’s consent to return its grounded 787 fleet back in the skies.

According to the Associated Press, Ethiopian CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said the airlines anticipates to hear from America’s Federal Aviation Administration in the coming days.

Per Reuters: “U.S. regulators are close to approving a key document that could start the process of returning Boeing Co’s grounded 787 Dreamliner to service within weeks, according to several people familiar with the matter.”

Ethiopian Airlines put the planes out of service for inspection following a safety warning issued by the FAA back in January requiring that all Boeing 787 jets should not operate until the risk of battery fires is addressed. The crisis began when one of the planes owned by the Japanese All Nippon Airways was forced to make an emergency landing in Japan when a cockpit warning indicated a battery problem and a burning smell.

“Ethiopian Dreamliners have not encountered the type of problems such as those experienced by the other operators,” the airlines said at the time. “However, as an extra precautionary safety measure and in line with its commitment of putting safety above all else, Ethiopian has decided to pull out its four Dreamliners from operation and perform the special inspection requirements mandated by the US FAA.”

Ethiopian airlines has been operating the Dreamliner since mid-August of 2012.
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Related:
Exclusive: FAA nears decisive step in restoring 787 to flight (Reuters)
Ethiopian Airlines readies grounded 787 for flight (AP)
Ethiopian Airlines Grounds 787 Dreamliner

In Pictures: Ethiopian airlines 787 Dreamliner lands in D.C. (Photos: Tadias File – Aug 2012)

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Family

Play About Adoption: Let’s Say They Did Their Research

April 19, 2013 Tadias Magazine

The New York Times

By FELICIA R. LEE

They didn’t see eye to eye on everything, but on one pivotal moment the playwright, Tanya Barfield, and her lead actress, Kerry Butler, agreed: When Ms. Butler’s character finally receives the photo of the child she hopes to adopt, the scene needed to be extended for a beat, or two, or three.

“It’s weird how you can even fall in love with a photograph and start showing it around or just start looking at it dozens of times in a day,” Ms. Butler said. Both women were intimately familiar with the issues — race and parenthood — raised by Ms. Barfield’s new drama, “The Call,” which depicts a white couple mulling whether to adopt a child from Africa. Ms. Barfield’s son and daughter were adopted from Ethiopia, as were Ms. Butler’s two daughters, the youngest of whom arrived last summer.

Read more at NYT.
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Podcast

Reeyot Alemu Wins the 2013 UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize

April 17, 2013 Tadias Magazine

RTT News

By RTT Staff

Imprisoned Ethiopian journalist Reeyot Alemu has won the 2013 UNESCO-Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.

Alemu was recommended by an independent international jury of media professionals in recognition of her “exceptional courage, resistance and commitment to freedom of expression,” UNESCO said in a press release on Tuesday. The Jury took note of Reeyot Alemu’s contribution to numerous and independent publications. She wrote critically about political and social issues, focusing on the root causes of poverty, and gender equality. She worked for several independent media. In 2010 she founded her own publishing house and a monthly magazine called Change, both of which were subsequently closed. Alemu was arrested in June 2011, while working as a regular columnist for Feteh, a national weekly newspaper. She is currently serving a five year sentence in Kality prison.

The UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize was created in 1997 by UNESCO’s Executive Board. It is awarded annually during the celebration of World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, which will take place this year in Costa Rica.

Click here to read more at RTT News.
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Related:
Ethiopian journalist Reeyot Alemu wins 2013 UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize (UN)
Reeyot Alemu: Ethiopia’s Jailed Truth Teller (The Daily Beast)
Reeyot Alemu Threatened with Solitary Confinement (CPJ)
Prisoners of conscience in Ethiopia by Birtukan Mideksa (Al Jazeera)
UN Finds Detention of Eskinder Nega Arbitrary and Calls for Immediate Release (Freedom Now)
Friends and Supporters React to Reeyot Alemu’s Media Award (TADIAS)
L.A. Times November 1, 2012: Reporter jailed in Ethiopia among women journalists honored in Beverly Hills, California.
Portraits Of Courage: Female Journalists Honored At International Women’s Media Foundation Awards (The Daily Beast)
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Podcast

UPDATE: Suspect Charged in Boston Bombing

April 15, 2013 Tadias Magazine 1 Comment

VOA News
Jim Malone

April 22, 2013

Nineteen-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev now faces U.S. federal criminal charges in connection with last week’s bombings at the Boston Marathon. If convicted, Tsarnaev could face the death penalty.

One week after the two bombings that wreaked havoc near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was formally charged in a Boston hospital room, where he remains in serious but stable condition.

A statement from U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Tsarnaev is charged with using and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction that resulted in death. A second charge of malicious destruction of property by an explosive device resulting in death also was filed. If he is found guilty of the federal charges, Tsarnaev might get the death penalty.

Investigators reportedly have been questioning Tsarnaev, and he has been responding in writing. He is suffering from a gunshot wound to his throat. Officials say it is not clear if the wound was self-inflicted or came in the shootout with police in the Boston suburb of Watertown last week.

Tsarnaev’s older brother Tamerlan died in that same shootout.

At the White House Monday, presidential spokesman Jay Carney said there is no doubt that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev eventually will face a trial in the civilian court system, and not through a military commission.

Images of Boston Bombing Suspects

“He will not be treated as an enemy combatant. We will prosecute this terrorist through our civilian system of justice. Under U.S. law, United States citizens cannot be tried in military commissions and it is important to remember that since 9-11 we have used the federal court system to convict and incarcerate hundreds of terrorists,” said Carney.

Some Republican members of Congress have urged the Obama administration to designate Tsarnaev an enemy combatant for the purposes of more easily questioning him about his motivation for the Boston bombing, and whether he and his brother had links with terrorist groups.

Senator Lindsay Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, spoke to reporters at the U.S. Capitol shortly after the criminal charges were announced.

“I hope that the administration will look long and hard at the evidence and keep on the table the ability to interrogate this suspect for intelligence gathering purposes about future attacks that we may face,” said Graham.

Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis told NBC’s Today program that law enforcement officials are still trying to find out why the brothers allegedly carried out the bomb attacks last week.

“We are satisfied that the two main actors, the people who were committing the damage out there, have been either captured or killed. There is still an open question as to exactly what happened in this investigation, and there are enormous investigative resources being poured into that right now,” said Davis.

Experienced investigators say the authorities in Boston will try to learn all they can from Tsarnaev through a variety of techniques.

Vernon Herron is a retired major from the Maryland State Police, now with the Center for Health and Homeland Security at the University of Maryland.

“Everybody has certain triggers that will prompt them to give you information or not give you information,” he said. “I have always found it easier to get information from suspects when you didn’t go in heavy-handed and when you spoke with them in a calm voice and tried to build a relationship with them long before you started asking them incriminating questions.”

Bostonians took part in a moment of silence Monday to mark the one-week anniversary of the bombing attacks that killed three and wounded more than 180 others.

Watch:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Boston Bombing Suspects Put Chechnya in Spotlight (National Geographic)

The two suspects in Monday’s Boston Marathon bombings are brothers of Chechen origin who grew up in Russia’s restive Caucasus region known for its history of ethnic and nationalist discontent. (Photo: AP )

By Anna Kordunsky

Published April 19, 2013

The two brothers suspected in the Boston Marathon bombings—one of whom is dead, the other provoking a massive manhunt across Boston on Friday—are Chechens who were raised in Dagestan and Kyrgyzstan before immigrating to the United States in 2002, according to news reports.

While nothing has yet been found linking brothers Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, who was killed by authorities, and 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to Chechen terrorist organizations, their ethnicity has once again directed attention to Russia’s Caucasus region. (Read “Chechnya: How did it come to this?” in National Geographic magazine.)

The area occupies Russia’s underbelly, situated between the Caspian and Black Seas, and has been a cauldron of ethnic and nationalist discontent for centuries.

Read more at National Geographic News.
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Related:
How the Name “Mulugeta” Got into Social Media Frenzy (TADIAS)
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Podcast

Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa, Kenya’s Rita Jeptoo Win Boston Marathon

April 15, 2013 Tadias Magazine 1 Comment

CNN

A strong kick won the Boston Marathon for Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa.

Bunched up with two competitors with a mile left, Desisa pulled away in the last few blocks, winning the men’s division Monday with a time of 2:10:22.

Kenya’s Micah Kogo (2:10:27) and Ethiopia’s Gebregziabher Gebremariam (2:10:28) finished second and third. American Jason Hartmann, of Colorado, finished fourth (2:12:12).

Click here to read more.
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Related:
After Finish, Bombs Shatter Boston Marathon
Tilahun Regassa wins Rotterdam Marathon

Tilahun Regassa of Ethiopia, pictured above in 2010, won the 33rd edition of the ABN AMRO Marathon in Rotterdam, Netherlands on Sunday, April 14th, 2013. (Photo: The Times-Picayune)

By Associated Press

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands — Tilahun Regassa led an Ethiopian 1-2 finish at the Rotterdam Marathon on Sunday, breaking away with 3 miles left.

He won the title in just his second marathon, finishing in 2 hours, 5 minutes and 38 seconds. That was 11 seconds slower than his personal best set in Chicago last year.

Regassa’s countryman Getu Feleke was second for the second straight year in 2:06.45. Sammy Kitwara of Kenya finished third in 2:07.22.

Click here to read more at The Washington Post.
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Related:
Ethiopian Gebrselassie wins Vienna half marathon (Bangkok Post)
Vienna City Marathon Results (San Francisco Chronicle)
Ethiopia’s Gebre Gebremariam is a closely followed favorite (The Boston Globe)
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News, Opinion

Eskinder Nega: An Ai Wei Wei Story in Ethiopia

April 15, 2013 Tadias Magazine 1 Comment

Tadias Magazine
Editorial

Updated: Wednesday, April 17th, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – In the early 1990’s when Ethiopian journalist Eskinder Nega was a young man living in the suburb of Washington, D.C., which is home to one of the largest populations of Ethiopian-Americans in the United States, he dreamt of one day opening an independent newspaper company in his native country. Unfortunately, two decades later Eskinder, now 45 years old, is languishing behind bars, locked away for 18 Years at Kality prison nearby where he was born and raised in Addis Ababa separated from his wife, 8-years-old son, profession, and branded as a terrorist.

Eskinder, who has been in and out of jail eight times since he returned to Ethiopia almost twenty years ago, stands convicted of attempting to subvert the country’s constitution, which in principle affords its 80 million plus citizens all of the universally accepted due process guarantees and human rights — including that “no one can be deprived of his liberty for exercising his freedom of expression or being a critic of the government.”

Last year around this time there was a glimmer of hope among Eskinder’s compatriots at home and in the Diaspora rightly encouraged by the news that PEN America had awarded him its prestigious “Freedom to Write” prize. Tadias Magazine had the opportunity to attend and cover the ceremony on May 1st, 2012 at the literary organization’s annual gala dinner held at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. We interviewed a number of people on camera including Eskinder’s wife, Serkalem Fasil — herself a former journalist who gave birth to their son Nafkot in 2005 during her own stint as a political prisoner — who accepted the award on her husband’s behalf, as well as her former cellmate the renowned Ethiopian opposition leader and former prisoner of conscience Birtukan Mideksa, who is currently in exile and a Harvard fellow in the United States. Both Serkalem and Birtukan’s spirits were buoyed by PEN’s success stories of advocating on behalf of those that are selected to be honored. Forty-six women and men have received the award since 1987; 33 of the 37 honorees, who were in prison at the time of their nomination, were subsequently released.

“International human rights law does not prohibit prosecution of members of terrorist organizations or those who support cooperate and assist terrorism by any means,” Ethiopian authorities wrote to members of the European Parliament in February who had urged Prime Minster Hailemariam Desalegn back in December to consider the release of the imprisoned journalist. “Rather, it prohibits any form of discrimination and impunity of prosecution.”

Since the Pen Award, however, impunity and unchecked power by a single party is what appears to be preventing officials from resolving the matter once and for all. Instead the ruling party agents have turned to a strategy of Chinese-style campaign, disturbingly similar to the attack against Ai Wei Wei — the contemporary artist and outspoken critic of the Chinese government. Eskinder’s personal story mirrors Ai Wei Wei’s in more ways than one. Both individuals had studied in America in their youth and returned to their birth countries to work. Both Ai Wei Wei and Eskinder turned to blogging as a means of expression, both were incarcerated for refusing to stop writing and asserting their right to self-expression. And both men had firmly decided to stay in their native country to continue their work despite the fact that unjust harassment was looming over them and they knew they were putting their lives at stake.

While Ai Wei Wei has received overwhelming international support from art institutions and human rights organizations, Eskinder’s story hasn’t reached the critical spotlight needed to win his rightful release.

The labeling of Eskinder as a ‘terrorist’ is designed to deflect criticism and to intimidate international agencies into covering their eyes and ears regarding domestic human rights abuses in Ethiopia. Meanwhile, local officials are busy exploiting the flow of financial assistance from the same donor countries that are eager to hunt real terrorists residing in the populous Horn of Africa region.

The Ethiopian authorities, of course, don’t see anything wrong with the fact that the Federal Police seem to be habitually confusing a “pen” for a deadly weapon. Today, Ethiopia is listed among the top ten most censored countries in the world. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) that compiles the annual data, says the nation is one of only two African countries along with Eritrea that still holds the distinction.

In the last decade Ethiopia has shown an impressive potential for economic progress as well, but also mimicking China in downplaying respect for human rights. Without specifically mentioning Eskinder Nega, there has been a development of late in the Ethiopian parliament that is apparently aimed at fixing the general issue concerning freedom of expression in the country. But let us cross our fingers that this time it’s not part of the fly-by-night and feel-good charm offensive intended to cloud the festering problem.

On the world stage, it is also encouraging to see the finding by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on Eskinder’s ongoing detention as a violation of international law. The panel of five independent experts from four continents held earlier this month reported that the government violated Eskinder’s rights to free expression and due process. The UN body called for Eskinder’s immediate release following sustained lobbying efforts by his international pro bono lawyers and support by his friends in exile, including Birtukan Mideksa, who recently wrote a well received Op-Ed piece on Al Jazeera English highlighting her anguish over the muzzling of progressive Ethiopian voices.

As fellow journalists it too is our desire to bring this hard-fought momentum one step closer to the finishing line. We lend our voice in urging all freedom loving citizens of the globe to stand with Ethiopians in demanding the unconditional release of our colleague, the award-winning journalist, publisher and blogger Eskinder Nega.
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Related:
UN Finds Detention of Eskinder Nega Arbitrary and Calls for Immediate Release (Freedom Now)
Prisoners of conscience in Ethiopia by Birtukan Mideksa (Al Jazeera)
Letter from Ethiopia: Regarding The Case Against Eskinder Nega
Video & Photos: Eskinder Nega Honored With Prestigious PEN Award
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Podcast

Israel’s Ethiopian Beauty Queen Sparks Debate

April 13, 2013 Tadias Magazine

The Daily Beast

By Don Futterman

Yityish “Titi” Aynaw was crowned “Miss Israel” just in time to be invited to meet with President Obama on his first presidential visit to Israel. Titi is the first black “Miss Israel,” and the first from Israel’s 130,000-strong Ethiopian immigrant community.

Titi has a compelling story. She lost her father as an infant and her mother at age 10 while still in Ethiopia, and came to Israel to join her grandparents who had previously made aliyah. In one decade, she became an officer in the Israeli Defense Forces, returned to Ethiopia to discover her parents’ story, and is now one of the most famous Ethiopian immigrants in Israel. A striking woman, at 5’9” and in heels, Titi towered over Israeli president Shimon Peres and even topped Obama.

Read the full article at The Daily Beast.

Watch: Yityish Aynaw — first Ethiopian-Israeli to win beauty title (Jewish News One)

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Related:
Miss Israel Meets President Obama: CNN Video & Interview
Yityish Aynaw: First black Miss Israel will go to the ball (BBC)
First Ever Ethiopian-Born Miss Israel to Meet With President Obama (ADW)
Miss Israel 2013 is Ethiopian Immigrant (The Times of Israel)
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Featured

13th Annual Media That Matters Film Festival: Call for Entries Now Open

April 12, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Published: Friday, April 12th, 2012

New York (TADIAS) – Do you have a short movie that can spark debate and activism in 12 minutes or less? The call for entries for the 13th Annual Media That Matters Film Festival is now open.

The festival, which takes place in New York City in the fall, is the leading platform for short films exploring some of the most burning questions of our time. Organizers say the jury-selected collection highlights the work of a diverse group of up-and-coming independent filmmakers.

The films are equally diverse in style and content, including documentaries, music videos, animations, experimental work and everything in between.

This year’s festival includes an Educators Forum that showcases academic curricula for each film, as well as moderated Q&A sessions with curriculum developers, filmmakers, and community activists.

We encourage you to submit your work.
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Please visit the Media That Matters website for submission details and the application form. You can follow updates on their Facebook page and on Twitter.

Click here to learn more about Media That Matters.
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Featured

10th Annual Sheba Film Festival

April 9, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
Events News

Published: Tuesday, April 9th, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – The Sheba Film Festival will mark its 10th anniversary this year with its annual line-up of films honoring the diversity of Ethiopia’s global cultural and religious heritage. The event, which takes place at various venues in New York from May 21st to June 6th, will include several prizes for the audience in commemoration of the 10th year celebration, such as a round-trip ticket to Addis Ababa sponsored by Ethiopian Airlines.

Among the films highlighted this year include Town of Runners an acclaimed feature documentary about young runners from Bekoji —an Ethiopian highland town known for being home to some of the world’s greatest distance athletes, as well as The Well: Water Voices from Ethiopia introducing us to a unique water management system that allows the Borana people in the southern part of the country to distribute water as the property and right of everyone.
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If You Go:
Tuesday, May 21, 2013 – 19:30
TAKE US HOME
JCC Manhattan
334 Amsterdam Ave
New York. NY 10023
Admission: $12
Followed by Q&A

Wednesday, May 22nd 2013. 7:00PM
LEAH
Center for Jewish History
15 W 16th Street
New York, NY 10011
Admission: $10
Followed by a panel discussion

Thursday, May 23, 2013
TOWN OF RUNNERS
The Schomburg Center
515 Malcolm X Blvd
New York, NY
Admission: $12

Thursday, June 6, 2013 – 19:30
THE WELL: WATER VOICES FROM ETHIOPIA
Faison Firehouse Theatre
6 Hancock Place
New York, NY
Admission: $12

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Click here to learn more about the 10th Annual Sheba Film Festival.

Featured

Photos from Three Goats Org Inaugural Launch at Ginny’s Supper Club

April 8, 2013 Tadias Magazine 1 Comment

Tadias Magazine
Events News

Published: Monday, April 8th, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – Below are photos from the launch of Three Goats org at Ginny’s Supper club on Sunday.

The New York based non-profit was established by model and philanthropist Maya Gate Haile inspired by her visit to Togowichale, Ethiopia two years ago. She had traveled to the small border town located between Ethiopia and Somalia to deliver much needed resources collected from a fundraiser she had hosted with her husband, Marcus Samuelsson, at their home in Harlem in November 2011. In return for her efforts the people of the town gave her three goats as a token of their appreciation.

“I was very touched and although I could not bring the gift to New York, I promised to bring the story with me,” Maya said at Sunday’s gathering in Harlem. “That’s how the organization was named.”

Three Goats aims to promote and support social entrepreneurial projects in various regions of Ethiopia. Programs include providing access to clean water via wells and innovative water purification systems as well as focusing on increasing retention rates and access to education for young girls.

Here are images from the launch event at Ginny’s Supper Club in New York on Sunday, April 7th, 2013.

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Related:
Three Goats Org Inaugural Launch at Ginny’s Supper Club
—
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Podcast

Feyse Tadese Sets Record at Paris Marathon, Dejen Gebremeskel Wins 5000 in Carlsbad, California

April 8, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
News Update

Published: Monday, April 8th, 2013

PARIS — 24-year-old Ethiopian long-distance runner Feyse Tadese Boru won the 2013 Paris Marathon on Sunday.

In the men’s race fellow countryman Tadese Tola finished second behind Kenya’s Peter Some who won the 37th annual competition in the second-fastest course record time.

Feyse set her own record in the women’s race finishing in a historic time of 2:21:06, two minutes ahead of the runner-up, her teammate Merima Mohammed. Kenyan Eunice Kirwa came in third.

Kenya’s Peter Some & Ethiopian Feyse Tadese Win Paris Marathon (The Washington Post)
Paris Marathon: Men’s winner posts second-fastest time ever, women’s winner sets record (AP)
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Related:

Carlsbad 5000 thrice as nice for Ethiopia’s Gebremeske (UT San Diego)

Dejen Gebremeskel, of Ethiopia, celebrates with the crowd after winning his third consecutive Elite Men segment of the Carlsbad 5000. (Andy Wilhelm)

CARLSBAD — Dejen Gebremeskel came to Carlsbad wanting to add his name to the Carlsbad 5000 record book.

“I wanted to make history for Carlsbad,” Gebremeskel said after becoming just the fourth man to become a three-time winner of the Carlsbad 5000. “This is one of the big races for 5K, so to win two times was big for me. And now to win again, it’s even bigger.”

Read more at U-T San Diego.
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Events

20th Annual New York African Film Festival

April 7, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
Events News

Published: Sunday, April 7th, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – The New York African Film Festival, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, is currently underway at the Film Society of Lincoln Center through Tuesday, April 9th. The festival also includes a panel discussion at Columbia University’s Institute of African Studies on Thursday, April 18th as well as events to be held at the Maysles Cinema Institute in Harlem (May 2nd-6th) and at Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Dance-Africa festival from May 24th to 27th.

“Under the banner ‘Looking Back, Looking Forward: 20 Years of the New York African Film Festival‘, our 2013 edition is dedicated to commemorating half a century of African cinema and two decades of work introducing American audiences to the best of this cinema and its protagonists,” the press release said. “To celebrate its 20th anniversary, NYAFF is paying homage to Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembène – the ‘father of African cinema’ – and to the first generation of African filmmakers, while passing the baton to a new group of storytellers who continue to challenge our understanding of the continent.”

Several featured filmmakers will attend screenings of their movies and subsequent Q&A sessions.

The panel at Columbia University is free and open to the public. The press release notes that it “examines how the next generation of African media makers are using new technological tools in exciting and still evolving ways to amplify their voices and find new audiences. These media makers’ use of Skype, cell phones, portable cameras has heralded a new generation that is playing by new rules.”

Featuring “filmmakers, new media distributors, critics, and academics” the panel “will offer insight into this rich and stimulating filmscape. In celebration of this new media, one panelist will participate via Skype. Film clips will also be shown.”

Below is a trailer to one of the movies highlighted at the festival, Nairobi Half Life, a Kenyan drama directed by David ‘Tosh’ Gitonga. It was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 2013 Academy Awards.

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If You Go:

2013 NY African Film Festival | List of Venues

FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER
Walter Reade Theater, 165 West 65th St.,
between Broadway and Amsterdam Ave, Upper Level.
Tickets: General Admission $13
Directions: 1 train to 66th Street.
Bus: M5, M7, M10, M11, M66 and M104.

MAYSLES CINEMA
343 Malcolm X Blvd / Lenox Ave
(Between 127th and 128th Streets)
Tickets: Suggested donation $10
email: cinema@mayslesinstitute.org
phone: (212)537-6843
Directions: Take #2 or #3 train to 125th Street.

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
Teachers College, 525 West 120th Street
(on 120th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Ave.)
Room TBA. No admission fee.
Directions: Take #1 train to 116th.
Columbia University, 606 West 122nd Street,
New York, NY 10027 (between Broadway and Claremont).
No admission fee.
Directions: Take #1 train to 116th or 125th Street.

BAMcinématek @ BAM Rose Cinemas
30 Lafayette Avenue in Brooklyn.
Tickets: $12 per screening
Buy online at BAM.org/BAMcinematek
Phone: 718-777-FILM (theater ID #545)
Directions: take the C train to Lafayette; the N, R, D or M train to Pacific; the #2, #3, #5 train to Nevins; or the G train to Fulton.

Click here to learn more about African Film Festival Inc.
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Art, Featured

Tadias Interview: Alemtsehay Wedajo, Founder of Tayitu Cultural Center

April 5, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Updated: Saturday, April 6, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – Washington, D.C.-based Ethiopian actress, playwright and poet Alemtsehay Wedajo has composed over 400 Amharic lyrics for many legendary singers from Ethiopia, including Mahmoud Ahmed, Aster Aweke, Muluken Melese and the late Tilahun Gessese. But she is best known for her signature works in theatrical productions, such as Yalteyaze (Available). Last year scenes from this play were selected for performance at the University of Southern California’s celebrating “Voices from the Black Diaspora” — a USC Arts and Humanities initiative exploring “Visions and Voices” the multiple ways that identity is transformed and articulated in a global world.

“Early in my younger years, 13 to be exact, my teachers recognized my interest and talent in the arts particularly in poetry, playwriting and acting,” Alemtsehay told Tadias Magazine.

Later when she immigrated to the United States after working for several years as an actress and as the first female director at Ethiopia’s National Theatre in Addis Ababa — where at same time she launched the ‘children theater section’ at the Ministry of Culture serving as its head for nearly a decade — she said her parents were still not pleased. “With all these accomplishments in my profession as a performer, my family, particularly my father, were never satisfied since I did not complete a university education,” Alemtsehay said.

“So, after I came to America, working two jobs and raising two children, I started attending college and completed my Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.”

Alemtsehay is also the founder of Tayitu Cultural Center, formerly known as Tayitu Entertainment, a U.S.-based non-profit organization which held its first book release event and reading session in Washington D.C. in August 2000. Since then, the program has become one of the primary platforms for Ethiopian drama presentations in the United States. For the past 13 years Tayitu Cultural Center has put together more than 30 stage shows and traditional musical concerts. Alemtsehay emphasized that the center conjointly trains young Ethiopian-Americans in Amharic-poetry writing and acting. Tayitu has nurtured a number of aspiring artists and comedians in addition to hosting a popular monthly poetry night called YeWeru Gitm Mishit, showcasing emerging and veteran talents not only in literature, but also in painting, filmmaking and music, as well as highlighting various communities.

“Regardless of the trauma of adjusting to a new life in America and supporting my family, my love for my profession never faded away,” she said. “Being a woman is not easy.”

The association was named after Empress Tayitu Bitul who is famous for her historic role at the battle of Adwa during the Italian invasion of Ethiopia in 1896. “My two big dreams are to build a statue of Tayitu in Addis Ababa and to establish a permanent Ethiopian Cultural Center in Washington D.C.,” Alemtsehay said. “My other female role model is the beloved great actress and singer the late Asnakech Worku.”

As for the current generation of young people who want to follow in her own footsteps, “Have faith, dream high, be strong and do not quit,” she advises.

Photo from African Poetry night organized by Tayitu Cultural Center. (Courtesy photograph)

Alemtsehay Wedajo (Courtesy photo)
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You can learn more about the artist and Tayitu Cultural Center at www.tayituentertainment.com.

Opinion

Photos From Bangkok: Thailand’s Only Ethiopian Restaurant

April 5, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
Reader Submission

Updated: Sunday, April 7, 2013

Food as Ambassador

Perhaps the best ambassador a nation can offer to the people of other countries is its food. No protocol, no bowing, no high-sounding words are needed, just good and honest taste. To know what a nation savors on its tables is to gain great insight regarding the heart and soul of the people of that country.

So, imagine my surprise when some Australian and Sudanese colleagues from the United Nations outpost joined me to go to a delightful little Ethiopian restaurant in the heart of Bangkok, Thailand. I’m sure they were trying to be kind since I am of Ethiopian heritage. Well, they were far more than kind. I wound up eating some of the best Ethiopian cuisine I have experienced outside of the motherland.

World Class Partners

As I said, the restaurant is small: seven tables. A very cozy and quaint place — the pleasing art, the great fixture accents, and the strong colors make it warm and inviting. The service is especially friendly and gracious. The restaurant is owned by two Ethiopians – Ambese who came to Bangkok via Virginia, U.S.A. and Taye Berhanu, who came to Bangkok directly from Ethiopia. Taye who served us is probably in his mid-twenties and very gracious and polite.

Ambese and Taye have brought their strong sense of Ethiopian etiquette and hospitality to this Asian capital where they serve the local members of the various African communities. Among them are
individuals from Ghana, Sudan, Nigeria, and Cameroon. Of course, other foreigners previously exposed to Ethiopian cuisine, are welcome guests at Ethiopia Restaurant as well when they get a hankering for Bozena Shiro, Awaze Tibes, or some other Ethiopian delicacy.

Menu from the Motherland

The menu at Ethiopia Restaurant could bring tears to the eyes (in more ways than one) to an Ethiopian starving for a taste from the motherland. That evening we began with the special Kittfo Ethiopian Beef Tartar. It was exquisite beef, very lean and finally chopped. It was served with mitmita, a spiced chili powder. What makes it so special is another spice that is especially prepared for Kittfo and made up of organic spices imported from Ethiopia. Since the beef and spice are served as is, or raw, it’s a perfect test for the skill of the kitchen. Ethiopia Restaurant passed with flying colors.

Bozeno Shiro was our next dish. A stew made primarily of ground chickpeas or broad beans, it is prepared with minced onions and garlic. Depending on regional variations, ginger, chopped tomatoes, and chili peppers can be thrown into the sauce. The chickpeas, along with cubes of lean beef, are simmered in a berbere sauce, which could best be characterized as an African barbecue sauce made up of cumin seeds, cloves, cardamom pods, and allspice, among other ingredients. The delightful dish was cooked and served on traditional Ethiopian clay dishes.

Awaze Tibes followed and I do believe it is the best I have ever had, with all apologies to cooks in the Ethiopian motherland. The dish consists of small cuts of lamb that have been marinated in herbs from the vast Ethiopian spice cabinet. It is then cooked with tomatoes, garlic, berbere sauce, and onion. The way it was served was fantastic.

An Exquisite Ethiopian Ending

Ambese and Taye ended our Ethiopian feast with the coffee ceremony. My heart was touched at how Taye carefully followed all the traditions necessary to keep the practice alive. He obviously cares deeply about Ethiopian tradition and that included the burning of traditional frankincense over a tiny charcoal stove as he prepared the brew. Of course, he prepared the coffee in the traditional Jabena pot, with its spherical base, long neck, and pouring spout, its long handle connecting to the base and the neck. The rich coffee was poured into cups of a kind you would find in any good Ethiopian coffee shop.

Needless to say, I left Ethiopia Restaurant feeling a little bit homesick. On the other hand, it was delightful to have discovered a place, however small, so deeply connected to Ethiopia and its foods and traditions. The sprawling Asian capital of Bangkok is known for its diversity; it’s nice to know that the diversity includes Ethiopia. Through Ethiopia Restaurant, Ethiopia is offering its wonderful food as an ambassador to the peoples of Asia.

Here are photos from Bangkok’s only Ethiopian Restaurant:

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If You Go
ETHIOPIA RESTAURANT
1/22 SUKHUMVIT SOI 3 (NANA NUEA) SUKHUMVIT RODE
KLONGTOEY NUEA, WATTANA
BANGKOK, 10110 THAILAND
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Featured, Interviews

Three Goats Org Inaugural Launch at Ginny’s Supper Club

April 3, 2013 Tadias Magazine 1 Comment

Tadias Magazine
By Tseday Alehegn

Updated: Monday, April 8th, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – When model and philanthropist Maya Gate Haile visited Ethiopia in November 2011 she headed to Togowichale, a small border town sitting between Ethiopia and Somalia – a place needing dire assistance where she delivered resources collected from a fundraiser she had hosted with her husband, Marcus Samuelsson, at their home in Harlem. In return for her work the people of the town gave her three goats as a token of their appreciation. Maya was sincerely touched by their gesture of thanks and vowed to continue dedicating herself to improving the health and well-being of children, women and families in the country.

“We flew from New York to Addis and from there we took a plane to Harrar then went to Jijiga and drove for five hours to Togowichale,” Maya says. “The residents in Togowichale have no clean water, there is no medical clinic, there is hardly any school for young people.” She added: “The place needs many things but what we can do is start somewhere by giving hope.”

Three Goats Organization, a New York based non-profit, has now been established to promote and support social entrepreneurial projects in various regions of Ethiopia. Programs include providing access to clean water via wells and innovative water purification systems as well as focusing on increasing retention rates and access to education for young girls.

By incorporating and designing nutrition workshops and developing recipes from local produce for balanced nutrient intake Three Goats organization aims to reduce the time spent by young girls on cooking chores, which usually keeps them away from attending school as regularly as their male peers. Children are also often pulled out of school to help their families earn income and the Three Goats’ City Food program will focus on increasing school attendance by providing food from local producers to assist struggling families to purchase food and offset inflation and high cost of living. Workshops are also being developed for farmers to assist them on how to diversify their crops. In addition, the Change Through Dialogue program offers funding for seminars, conferences, and academic workshops that focus on developing sustainable and entrepreneurial models to reduce chronic poverty as well as to provide mentoring opportunities for youth.

The inaugural launch of Three Goat organization was held on Sunday, April 7th, 2013 at Ginny’s Supper Club in Harlem.

Click here for Photos from Three Goats Org Inaugural Launch at Ginny’s Supper Club.
—
To learn more and support please click here.

Video: “HORN OF AFRICA” by THREE GOATS ORG. (ThreeGoatsTV)

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Art, Featured

Netsa Art Village: Ethiopia’s Cutting Edge Contemporary Art Movement

April 2, 2013 Tadias Magazine

By artdaily.org

April 2nd,2013 | AFP Jenny Vaughan

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Under a canopy of trees in a park not far from Addis Ababa’s National Museum, home of many of Ethiopia’s historic national treasures, a contemporary art revolution is quietly afoot. It is here at Netsa Art Village that the experimental work made from shoelaces by Merhet Debebe can be found, or the vibrantly-coloured work of Tamrat Gazahegn, who uses tree trunks as canvases. Nearby are the giant sculptures of jazz musicians, trains and horse-drawn carts made from metal scraps and trash by Tesfahun Kibru. The collective, the only one of its kind in Ethiopia, is made up of 15 artists who are spearheading Ethiopia’s contemporary art movement, shifting away from endless copies of Ethiopia’s ancient Coptic Christian paintings. Still in its infancy, the movement marks a daring shift away from the commercial art that dominates many of Ethiopia’s mainstream galleries, and seeks to put the country on the map in the international art world as a source for cutting edge work.

A New Era of Political Leadership Emerges in Ethiopia, but Dissent is Still Taboo

March 28, 2013 Tadias Magazine

by Associated Press

Mar 27th 2013 | Associated Press

BAHIR DAR, Ethiopia — Ailing ruling party veteran officials in Ethiopia are leaving their posts to a group of younger leaders in the East African nation which enjoys close ties with Washington but is increasingly looking to China as a model.

Newcomers dominated the ruling party’s election of the powerful 36-member executive and 180-member central committees. The election comes at the end of a four-day congress of the ruling Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front, or EPRDF, held at a regional town Bahir Dar.

But the leadership change doesn’t necessarily mean more political space for the country’s heavily prosecuted opposition which has only a single member in the 547 parliament seats.

Ethiopia: An Increasingly Comfortable Urban Middle Class is Learning to Enjoy Itself

March 22, 2013 Tadias Magazine

The Economist | From the print edition

Mar 23rd 2013 | ADDIS ABABA

THE brightly lit bars lining alleys off Bole Road in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, come to life around midnight. Folk melodies mix with electronic beats. Customers wiggle posteriors and rotate shoulders in fast dance-bursts derived from traditional music. Some disappear with hand-holding waitresses through a narrow door to a “kissing room”, only to return a quarter of an hour later more exuberant than ever. And it’s only Monday.

Illicit joys are proliferating in Ethiopia, even if its prim statist government sees pleasure as an enemy of development. Nightclubs are hazy with marijuana smoke. Qat, the leaf of a mildly narcotic plant, is ubiquitous; drivers talk of “taking a short qat” when stopping their cars to stock up. Two years ago non-medical massage parlours were confined to hotels frequented by foreign businessmen. Now Addis may have about 200 such establishments. Gratification costs the equivalent of three packs of Western-brand cigarettes.

Miss Israel Meets President Obama: CNN Video & Interview

March 22, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
News Update

Friday, March 22, 2013

Miss Israel 2013 met with President Barack Obama on Thursday at a gala dinner hosted by Israel’s president Shimon Peres. The 21-year-old former IDF officer, Yityish Aynaw, was crowned on February 27th becoming the first Ethiopian-born Israeli to win the pageant.

Yityish told CNN that she was excited because President Obama is her role model. “I did a research project about him when I was in High School,” she said. “I know that he is a very powerful man, charismatic and he achieved a lot on his own by the virtue of the fact that he believed in himself, and this stuck with me.”

Miss Israel attended the gala after the White House requested her presence.

Watch:

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Related:
Yityish Aynaw: First black Miss Israel will go to the ball (BBC)
First Ever Ethiopian-Born Miss Israel to Meet With President Obama (ADW)
Miss Israel 2013 is Ethiopian Immigrant (The Times of Israel)

Events, Featured

Today in New York: Ethiopia A Reenactment Through Fiction and Image

March 20, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
By Tseday Alehegn

Published: Wednesday, March 20, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – A discussion on human rights issues in Ethiopia will be co-hosted by Apexart, a contemporary visual arts organization located in Lower Manhattan, the Magnum Foundation Emergency Fund and Warscapes Magazine on Wednesday, March 27th. The featured speakers include Photographer Eric Gottesman, independent filmmaker Yemane Demissie, and novelist Maaza Mengiste.

Below is their short bio courtesy of Apexart:

Eric Gottesman

©Eric Gottesman

Eric Gottesman is a photographic artist, a teacher and an organizer. His work usually employs local strategies of display and addresses themes of participation, politics, identity, translation, transnationality, pedagogy, portraiture, and authorship. Many of his projects examine the long-term psychological impact of mass trauma. He has received an Aaron Siskind Fellowship, an Artadia award, a Massachusetts Cultural Council award and a Fulbright Fellowship in Art. In 2011, Gottesman and Toleen Touq organized the apexart Franchise exhibition We Have Woven the Motherlands with Nets of Iron in Amman, Jordan. In Baalu Girma, he addresses the repercussions of Ethiopia’s Derg regime through the life and fiction of Baalu Girma, an Ethiopian writer who was assassinated in 1983 after completing his novel, Oromai. Gottesman’s work explores the Ethiopian author’s life through re-enactment and documentary imagery that imagines the characters in Girma’s novel. He is currently an artist in residence at Amherst College.

Maaza Mengiste

At Göteborg Book Fair

Maaza Mengiste was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and lived in Nigeria and Kenya before settling in the United States. Her debut novel, the critically acclaimed Beneath the Lion’s Gaze, has been translated into several languages and appeared on several “Best of 2010” lists. The book was also selected by The Guardian as one of the 10 best contemporary African books. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, BBC Radio 4, Granta, and Lettre International, among other places. She is a Fulbright Scholar who has also received fellowships from the Emily Harvey Foundation, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, the Prague Summer Program, and Yaddo. Her new novel, set during the early days of WWII, tells the story of Fascist Italy’s invasion and occupation of Ethiopia and the army of Ethiopian men and women who confront them.

Yemane I. Demissie

Photo credit: NYU

Yemane Demissie is an award winning independent filmmaker who has received numerous awards for his work including the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, the Walter Mosley award for Best Documentary and the American Film Institute’s Filmmaker’s Grant. His films include two narrative features, Tumult and Dead Weight, and a documentary, Twilight Revelations: Episodes in the Life and Times of Emperor Haile Selassie. Currently, Yemane is producing The Quantum Leapers: Ethiopia 1930-1975, a six-part documentary series focusing on Ethiopian social, artistic, intellectual, political, and cultural history during the Emperor Haile Selassie era. He is also developing …and then the rains return, a narrative feature film set during the 1918 Spanish Influenza pandemic, a worldwide catastrophe in which over fifty million people lost their lives. Yemane teaches directing, writing, production, and film history and criticism in the Undergraduate Department of Film & Television at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
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If You Go:
Wednesday, March 27: 7-9pm
At Apexart
291 Church Street, NYC, 10013
Phone: 212 431 5270
www.apexart.org
Subway Directions: A, C, E, N, R, W, Q, J, M, Z, 6 to Canal or 1 to Franklin.
Event is free and open to the public.
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Events, Featured

Cultivating Social Impact Through Media: YEP Presents Journalist Bofta Yimam

March 18, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
Events News

Publish: Monday, March 18, 2013

Washington DC (TADIAS) – Award-winning Journalist Bofta Yimam is the featured guest speaker at a networking event in Washington D.C. on March 22nd hosted by the local organization Young Ethiopian Professionals (YEP).

Bofta, who is a native of Washington, D.C. and a graduate of University of Maryland, College Park, is currently a reporter for Fox 13 News in Memphis, Tennessee. She was a recipient of a Regional Emmy Award given by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Nashville/Mid-South Chapter) in January 2013 for her excellence in “Continuing Coverage” of the story of rape victim Kimberlee Morton whose activism changed the law in Tennessee. Kimberlee’s Law was signed by Governor Bill Haslam last year. Bofta interviewed Kimberlee for the segment.

The event’s announcement said the theme for the upcoming gathering is “Change Agent: Cultivating Social Impact Through Media. Here’s your chance to ask questions and engage directly with Bofta Yimam and take this opportunity to expand your knowledge and network amongst a vibrant group of diverse professionals.”
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If You Go:
Friday, March 22 at 6 pm
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (Choate Room).
1779 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20036.
(Few minutes walk from DuPont Circle Metro).
More info at www.yepnetworks.org
This is a free event, but with limited seats, registration is required for admission.
Click here to secure your place.
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Watch: Bofta Yimam’s Emmy Award Acceptance Speech Saturday, January 26 2013, Nashville

Watch: TADIAS interview with Bofta Yimam of Fox 13 News (WHBX)

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Featured, Profiles

Solomon Assefa: 2013 World Economic Forum Young Global Leader

March 16, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
By Tseday Alehegn

Published: Saturday, March 16th, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – IBM Research Scientist, Solomon Assefa, has been honored as one of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders of 2013. The Young Global Leaders “will join and co-create a community of insight and action that is committed to improving the state of the world,” stated the official press release. 199 young global leaders were selected from 70 countries worldwide including 19 honorees from Sub-Saharan Africa and 12 from the Middle East and North Africa. Other notable honorees in 2013 include Chelsea Clinton, Clinton Foundation Board member and special corespondent for NBC News; Nate Silver, statistician and writer of New York TImes Five Thirty Eight section; and William James Adams (aka will.i.am), singer and founder of i.am.angel Foundation. There are currently 756 members of the Forum of Young Global Leaders and the annual summit will be held in Yangon, Mynamar from June 2-5th, 2013.

Solomon Assefa was selected as one of the world’s 35 top young innovators by Technology Review in 2011.

A complete list of the 2013 honorees is available at WEF Young Global Leaders 2013
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Related:
Interview with Solomon Assefa: One of the World’s 35 Top Young Innovators

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Opinion, Podcast

Ethiopia’s Two Sides of Development: Successes and Pitfalls

March 15, 2013 Tadias Magazine

VOA News

Martha van der Wolf

March 15, 2013

ADDIS ABABA — The United Nations Development Program has released its 2013 Human Development Index. Despite recent economic growth, Ethiopia is still near the bottom of the index.

Ethiopia ranks 173 out of 187 countries in the Human Development Index 2013, unveiled by the United Nations Development Program, UNDP, on Friday.

The Index is part of the Human Development Report that is presented annually and measures life expectancy, income and education in countries around the world.

Since 2000, Ethiopia has registered greater gains than all but two other countries in the world – Afghanistan and Sierra Leone. But it still ranks close to the bottom of the Index.

However, Samuel Bwalya, an economic advisor for UNDP, says that not only the ranking is important.

“I think what matters in the index is how you’re moving, your own human development progress within the country, so you’re moving from 0.275 to 0.378, that movement is what matters,” said Bwalya. “It means that your country is making progress in human development. Now the ranking depends on how other countries are also faring.”

This year’s Human Development Report focuses on the major gains made since 2000 in most countries in the global South.

UNDP believes sub-Saharan Africa can achieve higher levels of human development if it deepens its engagement with other regions of the South.

But those countries must overcome many challenges, such as low life expectancy, high levels of inequality and the growing threat for environmental disasters that could halt or reverse the recent gains in human development.

Bwalya says that government policies are central to human development in Ethiopia:

“The most important is to continuously commit to two policy arenas: the economic program in the country is robust and the government should have continuous commitment to development,” he explained. “The second is that it should continue the social protection program that has been so important in reducing poverty.”

While the Human Development Report and Index celebrate improvements across the developing world, a hard fact remains – 24 out of the 25 lowest ranked countries are on the African continent.
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Related:
Why Are We Funding Abuse in Ethiopia? (The New York Review of Books)

By Helen Epstein

In 2010, the Ethiopian government began moving thousands of people out of the rural villages where they had lived for centuries to other areas several hours’ walk away. The Ethiopian government calls this program the “Commune Center Development Plan and Livelihood Strategy” and claims it is designed to bring scattered rural populations closer to schools, health clinics, roads, and other public services. But the Commune Center program has been marked by a string of human rights abuses linked to government attempts to clear huge tracts of land for foreign investors. According to testimony collected by Human Rights Watch and other groups over the past two years, the relocations have involved beatings, imprisonment, torture, rape, and even murder. In many of the new “villages” the program has created, the promised services do not exist. Deprived of the farms, rivers, and forests that once provided their livelihoods, many people fear starvation, and thousands have fled to refugee camps in Kenya and South Sudan.

Such mistreatment by the government is nothing new in Ethiopia, an essentially one-party state of roughly 90 million people, in which virtually all human rights activity and independent media is banned. But what makes this case particularly outrageous is that the Ethiopian government may be using World Bank money—some of which comes from US taxpayers—to finance it. If so, this violates the Bank’s own rules concerning the protection of indigenous peoples and involuntary resettlement. In response to complaints from human rights groups, the Bank’s internal watchdog recently conducted its own review of the Commune Center program—commonly known as villagization in Ethiopia—which confirmed the human rights allegations and recommended that the Bank carry out a full investigation of its activities in Ethiopia.

Featured

Oprah: SoleRebels Brand Transforming a Community, One Shoe at a Time

March 5, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Oprah.com

Transforming a Community, One Fair-Trade Shoe at a Time

When Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu sat down to make her first pair of shoes, in 2004, the Ethiopian native knew she wanted to update traditional tire-sole sandals. What she didn’t know, really, was how to make shoes. “It’s one thing to have an idea,” says Alemu, the cofounder of SoleRebels. “It’s quite another to implement it.” Clumsily built and uncomfortable to wear, that first pair weighed nearly five pounds. “They looked more like mini beds than shoes!”

Happily for the thousands of people who shop for SoleRebels shoes online and in markets and boutiques across Asia, Europe, and Africa, Alemu’s designs have since become sleek and stylish, from rubber-soled sandals to understated flats to plush daytime slippers called TooToos.

Read more at Oprah.com.
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Related:
SoleRebels Opens Second Taiwan Store (TADIAS)
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Opinion, Podcast

Ethiopia Presents Human Rights Action Plan | U.S. Failing Muslims in Ethiopia

March 5, 2013 Tadias Magazine

VOA News

Marthe Van Der Wolf

ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopia has unveiled its first Human Rights Action Plan, with the goal of ensuring human rights in the East African country. Activists have long complained about the Ethiopian government’s record of quashing political dissent and freedom of expression.

The Ethiopian government presented a draft Human Rights Action Plan on Thursday to discuss with stakeholders such as the United Nations, civil societies and development partners.

Musa Gassama, the regional representative of the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the plan does not introduce new laws for Ethiopia.

“What is new is to bring all these laws that we talk about, putting them together and analyzing them and seeing what actions could be taken to make sure that these laws are bringing benefit to the people,” he said.

The plan includes nearly 60 recommendations to cover gaps in sectors such as education, health and culture.

Ethiopia’s Minister of Justice Berhan Hailu explained that gaps have also been identified in the justice sector.

“We need a lot of proclamations and also guidelines for the protection of the rights of the people, for the accused persons, for the persons in prison and so on,” Hailu said. “For example, we have mentioned in the document the importance of a guideline on the use of force by the police.”

International organizations such as Human Rights Watch criticized Ethiopia’s election to the U.N. Human Rights Council in 2012. The country has one of the world’s highest numbers of journalists in jail, while leaders of peaceful Muslim demonstrations have been arrested and many opposition leaders are prison on charges of terrorism.

In addition, Ethiopia has not signed several international human rights treaties, such as the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and their Families, the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Minister Berhan said Ethiopia is making progress when it comes to ensuring human rights, despite the criticism:

“Those who don’t want to realize or to recognize this kind of progress might say that there is no good performance in human rights in Ethiopia, but we are doing our level best and the people of Ethiopia are now benefiting a lot, but we have gaps now,” he said. “In order to fill the gaps we have to work hard; we have to plan it, like the kind of plan that we have presented today.”

The Human Rights Action Plan will be sent to parliament for adoption this week, and is scheduled to be implemented over the next three years.
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Related:
From Expediency to Consistency Ethiopia’s Anti-Apartheid Movement? (Counter Punch)

The Significance of the 1896 Battle of Adwa

March 1, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
By Ayele Bekerie, PhD

Published: Friday, March 1st, 2013

Mekelle, Ethiopia (TADIAS) – In 1896, eleven years after the Berlin Conference, the Ethiopian army decisively defeated the Italian military at the Battle of Adwa. It was a resounding victory because it aborted Italia’s ambition to establish a colonial foothold in Ethiopia. On March 2, 1896, The New York Times reported with a headline: “Abyssinians Defeat Italians; Both Wings of [General] Baratieri’s Army Enveloped in an Energetic Attack.” On March 4, 1896, The New York Times featured another story about “Italy’s Terrible Defeat.” NYT also stated “three thousand men killed, sixty guns and all provisions lost.” It further indicated how high the defeat’s impact has reached by referring to the Pope who “is greatly disturbed by the news.” “The terrible defeat” sent shock waves throughout Europe and the colonized world. It was the first time that a non-white people had defeated a European power. According to Teshale Tibebu, the victory the Ethiopians had achieved over Italy was different than other battles won by African forces. This was permanent.

While Europeans saw the defeat as a real threat to their vast colonial empires in Africa, Asia, the Americas and the Caribbean, the colonized subjects in these territories understood the event as the beginning of the end of colonialism. Adwa as Davidson aptly puts it has become a prelude to decolonization in Africa. Clearly the victory at the Battle of Adwa lends itself to multiple meanings and interpretations, depending upon perspectives and stances in relation to colonialism. The purpose of this piece is to look into the interpretations of the event from the perspectives of the colonized and how the victory brought about the idea of global Ethiopia. It can be argued that the Battle has further enhanced the symbolic significance of Ethiopia in Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean. Ethiopia has become a symbol of the anti-colonial movements throughout the world. The Battle may have also given geographical and historical certitude to Ethiopia. The Battle of Adwa is another significant symbol in the imaginary of the idea of Ethiopia. This paper looks into the symbolic importance of Adwa in the conception and development of pan-African solidarity and identity.

Ethiopia at the time of the Battle was a highly traditional empire-state where kings and nobilities ruled over a predominantly agrarian people. Modes of rules were not only dictated by customs and personal whims, they were also exploitative. Adwa then ushered a new paradigm to alter or reform the tradition, to replace it with a modern system of centralized and unified government. While the symbolic significance of the Battle successfully echoed the call for freedom and independence and an end to colonial domination abroad, the full meanings of Adwa have yet to be fully realized within Ethiopia. Adwa suggests the power of indigenous multiple voices voluntarily cooperating to defeat and challenge the European colonial order.

Virtually all the regions, religions, linguistic groups, aristocrats and peasants pulled their resources together to formulate and execute a strategy of victory. By their actions the Ethiopians were not only affirming the power and immense possibilities of unity in diversity, but they were placing issues of freedom and internal reform at the top of the national agenda. Adwa necessitates a new set of directions interspersed with broader definition and application of freedom so that all those who participated in the Battle would be able to participate in the affairs of their country. As Maimre puts it, “from the perspectives of the thousands who participated in the campaign of Adwa, the resistance to the Italian invasion embodies the aspiration for freedom, equality and unity as well as the rejection of colonialism.”

Adwa reminds the Shoan nobility to let freedom ring from northern highlands to the rift valleys, the river basins, the plain lush fields of Arussi and the salty Danakil depressions. Adwa presents a unique opportunity to reconfigure the empire-state. Unfortunately, absolutism and imperial glory overshadowed and undermined the emancipatory route suggested by the historic event of Adwa. Adwa presses on the monarchy to modernize and to let the people involve in the political process through constitutional means. Unfortunately, the leaders resisted internal reform or introduced ineffective and nominal elements of modernity. Absolute monarchy, imitative and nominal modernization and detached and non-transformative tradition were pursued and, to this date, insist on clinging to the status quo. The status quo is the cause of immense poverty and disenfranchisement for the vast majority of the people in the country.

Adwa’s magnificent victory is a model in as far as people of various cultures, religions and languages willingness to assemble for a purpose. 100,000 Ethiopian troops took positions on the fields and mountains of Adwa to encircle and defeat the enemy. The multi-cultural army paid the ultimate sacrifice when about nine thousand of its soldiers died at the Battle. With their sacrifice, they set the stage for the birth of a new Ethiopia where the reach of freedom, politically and economically, would be more egalitarian. The model, unfortunately, was not pursued in post-Adwa Ethiopia. The model of voluntary cooperation and coexistence has yet to be implemented in the twenty first century Ethiopia. The model has yet to break the cycle of poverty and endless violent conflicts in the Horn of Africa.

While the victory is certainly a major milestone in Ethiopian history, Menelik and his successors failed to fully appreciate and adopt the new reality that emerged (locally and internationally) as a consequence of the victory. The meaning and reach of freedom hampered by intolerance to internal criticism and resistance to reform the monarchy. Internationally, most historians agree that Adwa opened the way for the ultimate demise of colonialism in Africa and elsewhere.

Adwa is significant because it disturbed the colonial order in the world. Colonial subjects interpreted Adwa as a call to resist and defeat colonialism and racial oppressions through out the world. With Adwa, they have a permanent symbol and a constant reminder that colonialism was wrong and it ought to be defeated. No system is just in as long as it treats human beings as objects and fodders to exploitative and profitable economic systems. Citizen subject is a right that cannot be denied and that should be exercised if at all freedom is a universal right of peoples and communities. Adwa, to most historians, is an African victory. The 1884-85 Berlin Conference was convened to divide up the entire continent of Africa and assign colonial territories to European powers. The Europeans allocated the Horn of Africa to Italy. Italy’s unsuccessful military push in Ethiopia was a part of the European colonial order in Africa.

In preparation for this essay, I conducted field and library research in Ethiopia and abroad. I visited the town of Adwa in September 2006 and March 2012. Adwa is only 25 miles west of the ancient city of Aksum. I made the journey to Adwa in search of memorial markings, to participate in the 116th Battle of Adwa Anniversary, to pay tribute to the war heroes and heroines, to converse with residents and to visit relevant institutions and museums. The Battle of Adwa is known locally as 1886, the Ethiopian calendar year for 1896.

I also had a chance to examine archival documents in the Institute of Ethiopian Studies at Addis Ababa University and the National Archive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The National Archive has, among other books, manuscripts and papers written in local languages and scripts, a rich collection of documents encompassing the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries of the Common Era in Ethiopian history. I particularly read and copied relevant documents from the archival collections of Belata Mersea Hazen Wolde Qirqos, Doctor Dejazemach Zewde Gebre Selassie, Dejazemach Kebede Tessema, and Aleqa Taye Gebre Mariam. Recent publications of memoirs in Amharic by former palace officials or associates, such as Fitawrari Tekle Hawariat Tekle Mariam and Dejazemach Zewde Retta, have also helped a great deal to elucidate historic events. Tsehafe Tezaz Gebre Selassie’s Tarike Zemen Ze Dagmawi Menelik Neguse Negest Ze Ethiopia (Historical Period of Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia) is a useful source of the Battle. Gebre Selassie served as a personal chronicler of the Emperor.

The collection donated to the National Archive by Belata Merse Hazen Wolde Qirqos includes a critical essay entitled Atse Menelikena Ethiopia (Emperor Menelik and Ethiopia) written by a great Ethiopian scholar, Gebre Hiwot Baykedagn. His essay criticizes Ethiopian historians for failing to engage in critical interpretations of the past. He also points out the achievements and failures of Emperor Menelik II. Another scholar who was trained in Europe, Afeworq Gebreyesus wrote the biography of Emperor Menelik. The work is regarded as serious and fruitful. Gebre Hiwot Baykedagn criticizes the book for lack of balance in the appraisal of the leadership of Emperor Yohannes II in comparison to Emperor Menelik. In addition, almost ten years ago, I participated in a book project to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the Battle of Adwa. The book, One House: The Battle of Adwa 1896-100 Years, edited by Pamela S, Brown and Fasil Yirgu, has contributors, such as the Late Laureate Tsegaye Gebre Medhin, Richard Pankhurst, and Teshale Tibebu. My contribution is entitled “How Africa Defeated Europe.”

Menelik’s (Abba Dagnew) success at the Battle of Adwa may be attributed to the following factors: One, he surrounded himself with great advisors, such as Empress Taitu Bitul, Fitawarari Habte Giorgis Dinegde (Abba Mechal) and Ras Mekonnen, a nephew and father of Emperor Haile Selassie.

Menelik was a popular leader, skillful diplomat, and good listener. Menelik believed in reconciliation. Those who revolted against him once defeated they were immediately pardoned and allowed, unfortunately, to retain their original privileged position. Menelik was keenly aware of the colonial expansionist ambition of the French, British and Italians in the region. As a result, he actively sought and acquired modern weapons from Europe. He even bought a large quantity of weapons from the Italians. He also fully exploited the rivalries among the three colonizers. More importantly, out of a long war experience, together with his ministers, regional kings, he developed a winning war plan.

Menelik’s war declaration was widely heeded and welcomed throughout the country, a clear affirmation of his popularity. Menelik’s declaration is an important literary document in the context of preparation, the will to fight and become victorious at the Battle of Adwa. Menelik appealed to love of family, religion and country. He reminded Ethiopians that the intention of the enemy is to take away the core values and traditions cherished by the people. Menelik declared (translation mine):

“Up until now, through the grace of God, who permitted me to live by destroying my enemies and expanding the territorial boundaries of our country. It is also through the grace of God that I am ruling. Therefore, I have no fear of death. More importantly, God has never let me down and I am confident that he will let me be victorious again.”

“At this time, another enemy has entered our territory by crossing our God given sea. His objective is to destroy the country and to change the religion. As a result of a major cattle disease that devastated a large number of our livestock and brought great sufferings to our farmers and pastoralists in the last few years, I remained quiet and patient to numerous hostile provocations. And yet the enemy continued to dig dipper in the ground like a hog.”

“Now God willing or with God’s help, I will not surrender my country. My fellow country folks, I do not believe that I disappointed you in the past. You have not also disappointed me. If you are strong, then help me with your strength to fight the enemy. If you are not strong, I seek your moral support for the sake of your children, wife and religion. If, on the other hand, you seek lame excuse not to join the national campaign against our enemy, I will be upset and I will not have mercy on you, I will punish you. My campaign begins in October, and I expect volunteers from Shoa to gather in Woreilu by mid October.”
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This article is well-referenced and those who seek the references should contact Professor Ayele Bekerie directly at: abekerie@gmail.com.

About the Author:
Ayele Bekerie is an Associate Professor at the Department of History and Cultural Studies at Mekelle University.

History

Women’s History Month 2013: Spotlight on Empress Taitu Bitul

February 28, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
By Ayele Bekerie, PhD

Updated: Friday, March 1st, 2013

Mekelle, Ethiopia (TADIAS) – Empress Taitu Bitul was actively involved in Menelik’s government. She exemplified the possibility of reform and transformation from within. She was a persistent critic of the nobilities and ministers of Menelik. Born in Wollo from a Christian and Muslim family, Taitu had a comprehensive early training in traditional education. She was fluent in Ge’ez, the classical Ethiopian language. Mastering Ge’ez was a rare achievement for a woman at that time. Education is often the privy of male children, who continue their traditional schooling in the churches and monasteries for an extended period of time. Those who passed the arduous levels of scholarship would be allowed to serve as deacons and later priests in the thousands of churches and monasteries throughout the country. Their studies include Ge’ez literature, chant, choreography and translation. Besides, Taitu was a great benefactor of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. She contributed land and building materials to several important monasteries. She also supported the Ethiopian Church in Jerusalem, Israel.

Taitu was married to Menelik at the age of forty-three and she was four years older than him. Apparently Menelik’s reverence for Taitu was in part dictated by custom. He was being respectful to an elder. On the other hand, the deference might have been earned as a result of the loyalty Taitu brought to the marriage from important northern regions of Begemedir, Lasta and Yeju. Clearly the marriage was more than romance; it was in fact, a political marriage intended to calm the competing Rases of the northern region. According to Qegnazematch Tadesse Zewelde, Taitu was co-equal with Menelik, who consulted her prior to making important decisions.

Taitu was known for her courage and uprightness. She urged the Emperor to reject the now infamous Wuchale Treaty of 1889 as soon as the discrepancies between the Italian and the Amharic versions were discovered by Aleqa Atsme Giorgis, a historian and a councilor to the Emperor. Taitu led her own battalion at the Battle of Adwa. At the Battle of Mekelle, she advised Ras Mekonen to cut off the water supply to the Italians in order to disgorge them from their entrenched and heavily fortified positions at Endeyesus Hill on the eastern part of Mekelle City. Tadesse also identifies Taitu as the receiver and analyzer of intelligence information collected by spies, such as Basha Awalom Haregot and Gebre Igziabher. Historians characterize the intelligence data obtained by Awalom and Gebre Igzabher as crucial importance to the Ethiopian victory at the battle. The information enabled Menelik to attack the Italians, at a site of his choosing, at Adwa instead of Adigrat, near the Eritrean border where the Italians expected to have a relative logistical advantage. The Italians were hoping that he would meet them in Adigrat, close to where they had a well-protected military base.

Because of the many absences of the Emperor from the capital city, Taitu virtually managed the affairs of the government in consultation with key ministers. Menelik conducted several campaigns both in the north and southern part of the country against his old and new rivals.

From the royal residence in Addis Ababa, a city that she founded, Taitu made a concerted effort to break the monopoly of political power by Shoan nobility. She used every opportunity to diversify the power base through marriage and other means. Through weddings, she weaved a complex web of partnerships between the Shaon nobilities and those of the northern highlands. It is true that she favored her relatives to be close to power. She presided over many arranged marriages favorable to her cousins whom she anticipated to take over from Menelik. And yet she spoke her mind and consistently defended national interests. Regardless, her removal from power at the end of Menelik’s reign and his prolonged illness soon after the battle, the opportunity to further pursue the full meaning of Adwa was not seized.

Following the war Taitu and Menelik shared the enormous task of building a newly reconstituted country with diverse population and cultures. Differing qualities of two great Ethiopians crystallized into an effective and successful leadership. Independence and cooperation defined Taitu’s relationship with Emperor Menelik II. Their marriage was that of equals characterized by trust, respect and reciprocity.

Taitu Bitul was an authentic Ethiopian leader. Her deeds at a critical moment in Ethiopian history not only saved Ethiopia from European colonization, but it also paved the way to decolonize Africa. Her advice and action resulted in the defeat of the Italian army at the 1896 Battle of Adwa. Taitu epitomized Ethiopian leaders at their best. She consistently fought hard for the public good. She knew and defended national interests by overcoming challenges both from within and from without. Her leadership immensely contributed to the process of nation building and modernization at the beginning of the 20th century.

Unfortunately, Taitu was forced out of power unceremoniously during Menelik’s long illness and later death. Lij Iyasu, the heir to the throne, failed to cooperate with her or at least to seek her counsel. Iyasu was overthrown by anti-Taitu group of Shoan nobility, three years after he assumed power at the age of fourteen. To her credit, Empress Zewditu who succeeded Iyasu maintained good relations with Taitu, but power had shifted to Ras Taferi, the regent who became Emperor Haile Selassie.

Taitu’s pioneering and enduring work in politics, economics, culture, social welfare, military have added to the definition and implementation of a national agenda. She pushed for common issues that united Ethiopians. The founding of Addis Ababa as a new capital city allowed people to migrate and settle in this new town from all regions of the country.

While the two books made an effort to document the biography of Taitu, Ambassador Mengiste Desta offers a more detailed chronology and contextual explanation than Tadesse Zewelde. Tadesse, on the other hand, utilizes primary sources and eyewitness accounts in his readable narrative.

Mengiste also turns his publication into a campaign to build a memorial for Taitu in Addis Ababa. He is urging committees organized to carry out the project to bring it to fruition. In an attempt to highlight the importance of a public tribute, the forward of Mengiste’s book is written by the Coalition of the Ethiopian Women Association that was established in 1996.

Menelik’s skills of military strategy and diplomacy are combined with Taitu’s good judgment, loyalty and vision of seeking and maintaining cohesive national interests. Taitu, unlike Baafina (the ex-wife who sought to undermine the king), consulted, caucused, shared and reinforced strong leadership with the Emperor. The married couple and partners became formidable leaders to face and resolve many challenges both in times of war and peace. They made Ethiopia’s transition to modernization an irreversible march of time.

It is also important to remember that Taitu brought to the union her northern experience and knowledge given her link to Gondar, Semen, Begemedir and Yeju nobilities. In addition to her insight of the inner workings of Atse Yohannes and Atse Tewodros’s palaces. In other words, the marriage can be characterized both as political and as the saying goes yacha gabecha.

Taitu insisted on remaining a respected person (not a dependent) by seeking ways to improve her life through education, a rare and groundbreaking approach given our entrenched and backward notion and praxis on gender. She studied Ge’ez in Gojam at Debre Mewe monastery. She also composed poetic verses both in Ge’ez and Amharic. Taitu, who is known as the light of Ethiopia, also played harp and kirar (a remarkable combination of spiritual and secular musical instruments) and designed decorative curtains for churches and monasteries.

What is more impressive is Taitu’s contribution to governance and nation building. She fully engaged herself in activities that significantly contributed to national interests. She named Addis Ababa (New Flower) as a permanent seat of the central government. She ran the administration during the frequent absences of Menelik from the Capital, originally located at Addis Alem before it was moved to nearby Entoto. She built a house in a land fenced to mark holding by the Shoan king, Negus Sahle Selassie, who is Menelik’s grandfather. The building commenced while Menelik was in Harar in a military campaign for an extended period of time. Upon his return, he approved the initiative and moved with her into the new house in Addis Ababa. (Negus Sahle Selassie shares credits with Taitu in regards to the founding of the city)

Taitu opened Addis Ababa’s first modern hotel, now known as Itege Hotel, a little more than a century ago and she also became its first manager. The restaurant serves local and international cuisines. Again Atse Menelik supported her entrepreneurship by becoming a regular customer of the establishment and by encouraging the nobilities and government officials to patronize the business. Besides inaugurating yengeda bet, she has launched and encouraged both local and international tourism.

In an attempt to modernize the Ethiopian economy and to counter the heavy handedness of the Abyssinan Bank, a foreign firm, Taitu started a domestic financial institution where indebted traders were able to obtain loans and continue commerce.

She set up the first wool factory in collaboration with experts from Turkey and India thereby paving the way for possible Ethiopian industrial age. Taitu also used local raw materials to manufacture candles. Church costumes were designed and made by tailors in an organized fashion thanks to her innovative efforts.

On a religious front, Taitu established the historic Menbere Tsehay Entoto Mariam church. She also commissioned the construction of a multi-storied home in Jerusalem to be used by priests and pilgrims from Ethiopia.

These are some of the accomplishments of Taitu. By any measurement, she is a treasure that deserves a national monument and her legacy continues to inspire the young generation to know, build and defend the country.
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This piece is well-referenced and those who seek the references should contact Professor Ayele Bekerie directly at: abekerie@gmail.com.

About the Author:
Ayele Bekerie is an Associate Professor at the Department of History and Cultural Studies at Mekelle University.
—
Related:
Today in History: 117 Years Ago Colonial Ambitions Were Put in Check
Call for the Registry of Adwa as UNESCO World Heritage Site (Tadias)
—
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Podcast

Ethiopia Elects New Leader for Influential Orthodox Church

February 28, 2013 Tadias Magazine

By Associated Press

Published: February 28

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Ethiopia’s orthodox church has elected a new leader of the influential body in the predominantly Christian nation.

Abune Matias, 71, was Thursday named the 6th Patriarch of the church officially known as the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. Abune Matias, currently serving as Archbishop of the church in Jerusalem, accepted the appointment.

Read more at The Washington Post.
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Podcast

Meseret Defar Sets Event Record at New Orleans Half Marathon

February 25, 2013 Tadias Magazine

NOLA

By Rachel Whittaker

Meseret Defar cruised behind Shalane Flanagan for the first third of the Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans Half Marathon. But by the 10K mark, there was no stopping the Ethiopian Olympic gold medalist.

Running on a sun-splashed course along majestic St. Charles Avenue and through the French Quarter, Defar set a new personal-best in just her second career half marathon, winning the female field in 1 hour, 7 minutes and 25 seconds. She finished a comfortable margin of 1 minute and 6 seconds ahead of Flanagan, who clocked in at 1:08:31 as the female runner-up.

Defar, 29, set her half marathon personal-best by 20 seconds Sunday, faster than her 2010 Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia race (1:07:45). She also broke the previous Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans female record with her time, edging New Zealander Kim Smith’s 2011 mark of 1:07:36.

Events

Tikur Sew World Tour: Teddy Afro Performs at B.B. King in New York

February 23, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
Events News

Published: Saturday, February 23, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – Teddy Afro performed live at B.B. King Blues Club in New York last night in continuation of his current Tikur Sew world tour. Teddy was the first Ethiopian artist to perform at the acclaimed Manhattan venue that is renowned for showcasing world-class musical talents.

Brooklyn-based musician Tomás Doncker opened the evening featuring collaborative work with guitar legend Selam Woldemariam.

Teddy’s latest album, Tikur Sew (black person) is on pace to become the number one selling Ethiopian album of all time.”

Video: Tikur Sew – Teddy Afro – HD English version – Ethiopia Music (2012)

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Related:
In Pictures: Teddy Afro & Abogida Band in South Africa
Interview With Tamirat Mekonen: The Person Behind Teddy Afro’s Music Video ‘Tikur Sew’

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Events

Gemini Health Care Group’s 5th Annual Fundraiser Gala – March 9th in Virginia

February 22, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
Events News

Published: Friday, February 22, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – Gemini Health Care Group announced that it will hold its 5th Annual Fundraiser Gala on Saturday, March 9, 2013 from 7 PM to 12 AM at the Sheraton National Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. The U.S.-based organization, which focuses on providing pediatric services and training in Ethiopia, was founded by Ethiopian American physician Dr. Ebba K. Ebba, formerly an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta and currently in private practice in Jacksonville, Alabama.

In a statement Dr. Ebba said this year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Irwin Redlener, founder and president of the Children’s Health Fund (CHF), which provides health care to homeless children in New York while supporting a national network of pediatric mobile clinics and fixed site facilities in rural and urban communities targeting medically underserved children.

“In addition, each year we honor individuals who have made significant contribution to medicine or to the community in general,” Dr. Ebba said. “This year, we will be honoring a couple of pioneering Ethiopian physicians, Dr. Taye Mekuria and Dr. Bekele Afessa, who dedicated their lives and career to the advancement of medicine. Mr. Melakou Guirbo, a determined organizer working to inspire and mentor young Ethiopians in the Washington, D.C. area, will also be honored for his community service.”

The evening program includes dinner, music, live and silent auctions featuring a variety of prizes ranging from artworks donated by local artists to round-trip airline tickets to Ethiopia.
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If You Go:
Gemini Health Care Group
5th Annual Fundraising Gala
Saturday, March 9, 2013
7pm – Midnight
The Sheraton National Hotel
900 S. Orme Street,
Arlington, VA 22204
To RSVP call 703-980-7168 or 914-826-6421
More info at www.ghcg.org
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Featured, Health

Diaspora Doctors to Start Specialized Hospital | Ethiopia’s Economy Benefiting From Emigrants Returning Home

February 21, 2013 Tadias Magazine

VOA News

BY Marthe Van Der Wolf

ADDIS ABABA — A group of 150 Ethiopian doctors living abroad are constructing a hospital in their home country that will offer state-of-the-art medical treatment. This new hospital is designed to reduce the number of Ethiopians seeking medical facilities abroad.

The Ethio-American Doctors Group, an association of more than150 Ethiopian doctors in the diaspora, is realizing its dream: establishing an up-to-date hospital in their homeland that includes a medical school and a medical research center.

Dr. Yonas Legessa Cherinet of the Doctors Group said the new hospital will feature 27 medical specialties that currently are not offered in Ethiopia.

“There are a varieties of fields where service is very limited here. I could mention vascular surgery, urology, pulmonology, neuro-surgery and reproductive endocrinology, which is not available. So many doctors are coming in with so many specialities, there will be a core group of these specialists who will be coming here to lead some departments, to work here,” said Yonas.

The Doctors Group hopes that fewer Ethiopians will go abroad for medical help if they can be treated inside the country.

Currently, many Ethiopians that can afford better treatment go to Asia, the Middle East and South Africa. The Bangkok Hospital in Thailand treated more than 6,000 Ethiopians in 2011 alone. A lot of money is involved, as the average treatment costs about $20,000.

Dr. Zelelam Abebe, who works in a private clinic in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, said there is a large need for first-class medical services in the country.

“I had to refer several people to hospitals abroad for different cardiac surgeries, brain surgery and advanced cancer cases,” he said.

Dr. Yonas said that providing for Ethiopians who might otherwise go abroad means the hospital will have to be run differently – and better – compared to most other facilities in the country.

“The reasons they mention [for going abroad] vary from the quality of care to the way they are treated in respect. So we want to bring a new culture here of medical care, which will be patient-centered,” said Yonas.

But with an average yearly income of $1,200, most Ethiopians will not be able to afford the treatments offered at the new facility. Yonas said money will be raised for those in financial need.

”We also have what we call the EDG fund, which will be taking 10 percent of our profit for people who cannot afford quality service,” he said.

Tariku Assefa is a general practicing doctor who works at the Black Lion Hospital, the largest hospital in Ethiopia, which also includes a medical school. He welcomes the idea of the new hospital, but hopes the new research facility will focus on diseases prevalent in Ethiopia.

“We use most of the research that were done in the western countries. We take example from America or other western countries because those research is done there. In most of the disease entity we don’t have our own figures, we use the figures of other people, which is somehow biased because the one which is in the West may not work for us,” said Tariku.

The hospital is scheduled to open its doors by 2016 and employ 300 to 400 people, of whom 50 will be physicians. Some doctors from the diaspora will return to Ethiopia, while others will commit several weeks per year to an exchange of knowledge with the hospital.
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Related:
Ethiopia’s Economy Benefits from Returning Diaspora (Public Radio International)

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Art, Featured

Tewodros Hagos: Winner of the First ‘Ethiopia Creates’ Art Prize

February 20, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
Art News

Updated: Thursday, February 21st, 2013

Los Angeles (TADIAS) – Last year, Negist Legesse, also known as Nikki, director of the Little Ethiopia Cultural and Resource Center in Los Angeles asked her friend, commercial director and fine artist Lori Precious, to co-create an art competition for Ethiopian artists in Ethiopia. The first place winner would receive a trip to L.A., an exhibition of their artwork and a cash award.

“I was immediately intrigued since I had traveled to Ethiopia a couple of times and had taken note of some interesting contemporary art, including a visit to artist Elias Sime’s studio in Addis Ababa, (who had a 2009 solo show at Santa Monica Museum of Art and is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art),” Lori said in a statement announcing the first winner of the prize. “I said yes and ‘Ethiopia Creates’ was born.”

Lori said then launched a website and made radio announcements in Ethiopia. “Nearly a year went by and many submissions were received,” she added. “I then selected a group of judges who I knew to have impeccable taste and a sharp eye for new talent.” The judges included Alitash Kebede, owner of Alitash Kebede Gallery in LA, Bennett and Julie Roberts, co-owners of Roberts Tilton Gallery in Culver City, and painter Laura Owens.

The inaugural award went to Tewodros Hagos, whose haunting portraits of faces from Ethiopia wowed the group. “The judges viewed all the work collected via photographs,” Lori said. “The verdict was unanimous. Tewodros Hagos won first place in a landslide.”

As the first winner of the prize, Tewodros, who is a graduate of Addis Ababa University’s art school, participated in a week plus residency in Los Angeles earlier this month, and the first American exhibition of his work was held at the Little Ethiopia Cultural and Resource Center (LECRC) from February 10th to 16th, 2013.

Tewodros also spent time with inner city kids where he gave after school art lessons. According to organizers, a portion of the sales of Tewodros’ art from the Little-Ethiopia exhibition goes to Artists for Charity (AFC) in Addis Ababa. AFC was founded by Ethiopian American artist Abezash Tamerat and supports 18 HIV positive orphans who live and study together.

Organizers said they hope to expand the residency program in California next year to include more workshops and displays of the artist’s work in local galleries.
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Podcast

Ethiopia Focuses on Entrepreneurs to Maintain Economic Growth

February 20, 2013 Tadias Magazine

VOA News

By Marthe Van Der Wolf

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA — The Ethiopian government and the United Nations want to train more than 200,000 entrepreneurs in the East African country. Both believe Ethiopia needs a stronger private sector to maintain its fast economic growth.

The Ethiopian government and the United Nations Development Program, UNDP, have launched a three-year program to train the entrepreneurs. The say the businesses established by these new entrepreneurs potentially could create about 1.2 million jobs.

Ethiopia’s minister of urban development and construction, Mekuria Haile, said the mindset of Ethiopians needs to be changed.

“In spite [instead] of looking for jobs and living as employees, to challenge their attitudes to become social and economic entrepreneurs who will create jobs for others. Viable and competitive enterprises that will become the backbone and foundation of the country’s industrial growth and transformation,” said Mekuria.

The focus is both on start-up entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprises. The development program is based on four pillars: institutional development, entrepreneurial development training, business development services and partnerships.

UNDP resident representative to Ethiopia, Eugene Owusu, said the four areas deal with the key challenges that entrepreneurs face in Ethiopia.

“More needs to be done to create a more conducive environment to allow business to thrive. The labyrinth of bureaucratic controls, lack of access to credit, a convoluted logistic system, amongst others, all require priority attention,” said Owusu.

Ethiopia is one of the world’s fastest growing economies, but still ranks only 174 out of 187 countries on the UNDP Human Development Index. Although human development has improved by 32 percent in the last two decades, almost a third of the country still lives below the poverty line.

Ethiopia has known double-digit economic growth for the last few years and has implemented the ambitious Growth and Transformation Plan to become a middle-income country by 2025. Much of the projected growth is based on the public sector, an approach that is difficult to maintain according to the International Monetary Fund [IMF].

The goal now, according to Ethiopia’s leaders, is to encourage a bigger role for the private sector in the East African country.

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn pointed out that the new three-year program will not establish new businesses just for the sake of having more entrepreneurs in the country.

“The government will not be in the business of propping up enterprises that are not competitive in the name of creating employment opportunity. That, we believe, is counterproductive,” said Hailemariam.

Ethiopia is Africa’s second most populous nation after Nigeria. Hailemariam said creating jobs for young workers is imperative, as a majority of the nation is under 25 years old.

“As much as our huge population can be a source of strength and growth, it could also be a source of vulnerability and social tension unless we are in a position to offer job opportunities that can absorb this huge chunk of our population,” said Hailemariam.

The first round of trainees, like marketing entrepreneur Azeb Assefa, ended their training on the day the entrepreneur program was officially launched. She said the training helped her improve her business skills as she learned to work on her improvement areas.

“I have weakness in networking, and I have a weakness in risk-taking and persistence. So the techniques that have been given for us to improve such things helped me,” she said.

Entrepreneurs graduating from the program, such as Azeb, are expected to train others.

The program will cost $26 million. So far, UNDP has allocated only $6 million. The Ethiopian government and UNDP say they will come up with the rest of the needed money.
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Related:
Ethiopia, UNDP launch entrepreneurship development project (Global Times)
Ethiopian Flower Exporters Cash In on Valentine’s Day (VOA News)
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Podcast

US Firm Links Chinese Army to Cyber Attacks

February 19, 2013 Tadias Magazine

VOA News
By William Gallo

February 19, 2013

A U.S.-based Internet security group is accusing the Chinese government of involvement in a sophisticated campaign of cyber attacks against American businesses, government and critical infrastructure.

A 60-page report released Tuesday by Mandiant details dozens of attacks by a prolific, China-based hacker group it says is using “direct government support” to wage a “long-running and extensive cyber espionage campaign.”

Mandiant says the group, referred to as APT1, has stolen massive amounts of data from nearly 150 organizations, mostly located in the United States, since 2006. It does not name the targets, but says they span 20 major industries, ranging from IT to financial services.

It says it has traced the activities of the group to a Shanghai neighborhood surrounding the headquarters of the People’s Liberation Army’s secretive unit 61398, which Internet security analysts previously linked to cyber attacks.

Chinese Government Reacts

China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei strongly denied the accusations at a regular briefing Tuesday.

“Hacker attacks are an international problem and should be dealt with based on mutual trust and international cooperation,” he said. “It is neither professional nor responsible to make groundless accusations without hard evidence. It is also not conducive to settling the relevant problem.”

When asked about the building Mandiant says is likely responsible for the hacking attempts, Hong said he does not see how the evidence is credible, given the difficulty in tracing the origin of cyber attacks. He also returned the accusation, pointing to a Chinese study that claims the U.S. is the source of most cyber attacks in China.

China has long been viewed as a major source of global hacking attempts. But Mandiant, like many other IT firms, has been reluctant to directly accuse the Chinese government of overseeing cyber attacks. Now, the group says it has acquired evidence to change its mind, saying “It is time to acknowledge the threat is originating in China.”

The Virginia-based company says its seven-year investigation revealed that more than 90 percent of APT1’s cyber attacks originated from the neighborhood of the 12-story PLA building. Although it could not trace the attacks directly to the facility in Shanghai’s Pudong district, it argued it is extremely unlikely the Chinese military would be unaware that hundreds of attackers were operating so closely to its grounds.

Recent Hacking Attempts Revive Concerns

A series of recent China-based hacking attempts on high-profile U.S. media outlets, including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, have revived concerns about Chinese cyber espionage. U.S. officials have increasingly warned of the threat, but some say Washington has not done enough to discourage the attacks.

Asia security analyst Wendell Minnick tells VOA that he was not surprised by the report. He says there is little incentive for China to discourage computer espionage activity originating from inside its borders.

“There’s no reason for (the Chinese) to behave themselves. They’re a hungry nation and they want to win. And, they want to dominate,” says Minnick.

The Tuesday report said Chinese hackers such as APT1 have traditionally focused on stealing information like technology blueprints, manufacturing processes and other information from foreign companies.

But Mandiant says APT1 recently has become more focused on attacking U.S. infrastructure, such as companies that control electrical power grids, gas lines and other utilities.

Washington this year increased the size of its own cyber security force by more than 4,000 people – up from the current 900. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta recently warned of the vulnerability of critical U.S. infrastructure, saying America faces the possibility of a “cyber Pearl Harbor” attack in the future.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Health

World Bank Selects Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya In New Health Study

February 18, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Ventures Africa Magazine

Updated: February 18th, 2013

VENTURES AFRICA – Global development agency World Bank is examining Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya and 19 other countries around the globe for a study on Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

According to the Bank, the 22 countries were selected as samples that have significantly expanded access to health care within the last decade, with the aim of providing fiscal solutions to healthcare challenges and helping countries make more informed health policies.

The other countries are Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Georgia, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kyrgyz Republic, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey and Vietnam.

Read more at ventures-africa.com.
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Related:
Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, Norway Co-host First GETHealth Summit at the U.N. (TADIAS)
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History

Lucy Makes Last Stop in California, Then Off to Ethiopia

February 16, 2013 Tadias Magazine 2 Comments

Tadias Magazine

By Tadias Staff

Saturday, February 16th, 2013

Los Angeles (TADIAS) – The famous Ethiopian fossil Lucy (Dinkenesh) will soon end her controversial six-year tour of the United States, making her last public stop at The Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California where she is on display through April 28th before heading back to Ethiopia later this Spring.

“Recently, Ethiopia expressed a desire to bring Lucy back, particularly so an exhibit at the National Museum of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa could coincide with the African Union’s next meeting in May,” reports the Orange County Register in southern California where the last exhibition is being held. “So the Bowers show will be the last chance for people outside of Africa to see the famous and important fossil.”

The 3.2 million years old Lucy was rushed out of Ethiopia in the summer of 2007 under a cloud of controversy over the ancient fossil’s safety and the financial motive behind Ethiopia’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s decision to approve the tour in exchange for millions of dollars despite reservations by experts. The famous bones were shunned among others by The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., which refused to display the fossil citing concerns that the remains were too fragile for touring and travel.

At the time authorities had hoped the exhibition would enhance the country’s image abroad. “Ethiopia has an image problem,” Gezahgen Kebede, the honorary consul general at the Ethiopian Consulate in Houston and one of the leading proponents of bringing Lucy to the United States had told The New York Times. “The bigger thing in my opinion is to teach people about Ethiopia,” he said.

The show entitled Lucy’s Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia and sponsored by the Houston Museum of Natural Science eventually appeared in New York and Seattle in 2008 and 2009. However, media reports at the time estimated that attendance in Seattle was less than half of what was projected. “The Seattle people, they just flunked it because they really didn’t do their homework in terms of solid advertising and how to penetrate the demographics,” Mr. Kebede, who had not seen the exhibition in Seattle, told NYT. “There are people in Seattle who didn’t know this exhibit was there.”

“Lucy is our ambassador of good will,” Amin Abdulkadir, Ethiopia’s minister of culture and tourism told the OC Register regarding the current California exhibition. “Lucy is our icon. She helps build the image of our country. It’s very good in terms of trade, investment and tourism.”

In between the controversy, Lucy was electronically scanned by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin, in collaboration with the Ethiopian government, and the first digital image of the world’s most famous human ancestor was created in the University’s High-resolution X-ray CT Facility.

The fossilized remains were discovered by American paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson in 1974 in the Afar region of Ethiopia. According to Johanson, an official at the Ministry of Culture, Bekele Negussie, gave Lucy her Ethiopian name Dinkenesh shortly after the landmark discovery. As to the inspiration for Lucy, Johanson shared its origins with Tadias Magazine a few years ago: “I was there with my girlfriend Pamela, and the Beatles song ‘Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds’ was playing on a small radio…that’s how she was named.”

Click here for a closer look at the California exhibit.

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If You Go:
Lucy’s Legacy: The Hidden Treasure of Ethiopia
Where: Bowers Museum, 2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana
When: Through April 28
Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays
How much: $13-$15 adults,
$10-$12 for seniors and students,
free for children under 12
Call: 714-567-3600
Online: bowers.org

In Seattle, They Didn’t Love Lucy (The New York Times)

Lucy at the Discovery Times Square Exposition in New York (TADIAS)

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Featured

The Last Frontier: Ethiopia’s Remote Omo Valley

February 16, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Forbes Magazine

By David Hochman

The road to the Mursi heartland is long and best tackled one obstacle at a time. Just to call it a road is a stretch, really. Steve Turner, our guide from Kenya-based Origins Safaris, estimates it has been five or six years since the last vehicle drove this way. Far beyond any game preserve or luxury camp comforts, we are on our way to visit the “vanishing” tribes of Ethiopia’s Omo River Valley, one of Africa’s–and the world’s–last great undiscovered places.

The itinerary evolves as we go along. Our tag-team pair of Land Cruisers galumphs down the scrubby track at a hiker’s pace, and every hundred yards or so the vehicles stop short, the doors swing open, and out come the drivers and guides to stare blankly at whatever gully, tree or torrent is blocking our way. It’s hot–84 degrees and rising at 10 a.m.–and the tsetse flies are on to us.

Click here to read more and view photos at Forbes.com.
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Podcast

The Economist: Ethiopia’s New Leadership is Practising Hero-worship

February 16, 2013 Tadias Magazine

The Economist

Feb 16th 2013 | ADDIS ABABA | From the print edition

DURING his two decades running Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi almost single-handedly engineered its rise from lost cause to model pupil. Even his enemies admit he was both popular and competent. Often working around the clock, he could make complex policy choices and then explain them to ordinary people. He planned meticulously for everything—from road building to oppressing the opposition—except, that is, for his own demise.

It came six months ago on August 20th, following illness at the age of 57, and left the state reeling. Meles, as he is known, had grabbed so much power that many feared his death would spark political chaos and an economic downturn. He alone had the trust of the soldiers, the financiers, the Ethiopian people and the West.

Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, Norway Co-host First Global Education & Technology Health Summit

February 11, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
By Tseday Alehegn

Published: Monday, February 11, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – The first Global Education and Technology Health Summit was held at the United Nations in New York last week, which brought together academics, social entrepreneurs, distance learning experts, physicians, business leaders and ministers of health for a talk on the impact of mobile technologies to improve global health.

The summit was organized by Johns Hopkins Center for Clinical Global Health Education and Global Partnerships Forum and co-hosted by the International Telecommunication Union as well as the governments of Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, and Norway.

Dr. Enawgaw Mehari, Neurologist and Founder of People to People (P2P) global network was a panelist discussing information and communications technologies, and the patient versus provider relationship. Citing his organization’s work, Mehari described the People to People as being founded on the principle of triangular partnership consisting of “the mother country (Africa), the Diaspora, and Western institutions.” The main effort is to “implement programs that contribute to closing the gap through education, training, and research,” Mehari told Tadias in a later interview. An example of such a program was an emergency medicine initiative coordinated by People to People, Black Lion Hospital in Addis Ababa, and Wisconsin University as well as a neurology program at Black Lion Hospital in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic.

Another panelist, Ms. Amy Lockwood, Deputy Director of the Center for Innovation in Global Health at Stanford University, supported Mehari and the role that individuals from the Diaspora can play by noting that pilots implemented by NGOs or student interns are short-term and don’t help to form the deeper, and more meaningful connections needed to scale and grow programs. “When you are a member of the Diaspora you have an umbilical cord” she said and urged practitioners to move towards implemented innovative projects with the support and collaboration of diaspora resources.

Dr. Seble Frehywot, Principal Investigator of the MEPI Coordinating Center at George Washington University also presented on the topic of creating centers of excellence for ICT in health education and research training that would likewise serve as hubs of innovation.

Ethiopian Diaspora physicians participating in the summit included Dr. Senait Fisseha from the University of Michigan who is both a doctor and lawyer by training and is involved in global health activities in collaboration with medical schools in Ethiopia. She felt the summit was “an interesting meeting looking at the impact of technology to improve health care services as well as global medical education,” but also pointed out that she “would like to see more healthcare providers and stakeholders at this meeting as well as diaspora from all African and Asian countries who really have a vested interest in addition to NGOs and funders.” She travels once a month to Ethiopia to oversee projects that are currently being developed on the ground.

On the topic of leveraging mobile technology to strengthen health systems, Dr. Ferew Lemma Feyissa, Senior Advisor at the Ministry of Health in Ethiopia, told Tadias that the summit has enabled them to network and meet with various technology company representatives including from Dell and Verizon who have shown interest in working with them as private sector partners. An area of health that Ethiopian Ministry of Health is primarily focused on is improving maternal and child health outcomes, and expanding emergency obstetric care at the district level. Dr. Feyissa notes that Ministry is also using mobile technology tools to “help us enhance the skills of health extension workers in the primary health care unit.” In the future, Ethiopia also hopes to use mobile health to address chronic care and to support the vastly expanded medical education system in Ethiopia.

During the ministerial addresses, Ethiopia’s Minister of Health, Dr. Kesetebirhan Admazu Birhane, described the three-tier health system, which is comprised of health centers and community health extension workers. “We consider our community health extension program as a pillar of our health system,” he said. “And through this program we have trained and deployed 38,000 health extension workers, with two workers per village.” Most of these professionals are women who have been “tasked to do health promotion, disease prevention, and provide basic curative services,” he added. The four areas of support for them include data exchange, improving supply chain so that workers are receiving supplies on a continuous basis, and using mobile technology to improve both communication between the community health extension workers and labs and hospitals. One outcome of this program is that “we have seen an increase in antenatal visits as well as an increase in institutional delivery rates,” Dr. Birhane said, citing the use of mobile technology to reduce maternal mortality in Ethiopia. “So the challenge is to have the same quality of success at scale.”

Similarly, the Director of e-health at the Rwandan Ministry of Health said his nation has three community health workers per 75,000 villagers, which exceeds the goal of the million community health worker campaign for Sub-Saharan Africa announced by President Paul Kagame, Novartis CEO Joseph Jiminez, and Columbia Professor Jeffrey Sachs this past January at the World Economic Forum.

In addressing some of the current challenges faced, Dr. Birhane noted the recent expansion of Ethiopia’s medical schools from just three to 25 new medical schools. Dr. Birhane spoke of the difficulty in retention of physicians who leave and practice in other countries, and mentioned the initiative to increase medical school enrollment capacity from “150 five years ago to 3,000 this year.” The challenge is that “we don’t have enough faculty,” he said, “and that’s where technology will definitely help.”

Dr. Wuleta Lemma, Director for the Center for Global Health Equity at Tulane University and Country Director for Tulane’s program in Ethiopia has been working for several years in Addis Ababa spearheading the development of a pre-service Master’s training program in health monitoring and evaluation, as well implementing an e-health and mobile health strategy called HealthNet in collaboration with the Ethiopian Ministry of Health.

Speaking of such efforts, Dr. Birhane said “we have tried to create a linkage between universities in Europe and the U.S. with our newer medical schools. And we have also created a network with the Ethiopian Diaspora.” He added, “I would like to call upon our partners here to work with us to really improve the quality of medical education in Ethiopia using information and communications technologies.”

State Minister for Primary Health Care in Uganda, Ms. Sarah Opendi cited similar hardship in the retention of trained doctors in her country, noting physician preferences to work for higher pay in the private sector or abroad. Yet, by using mobile technologies, Uganda has improved service delivery and monitoring of medicines, and has better quality of data from monthly reports, as well as improved anonymous consultation services for HIV/AIDS patients through the national, toll-free hotline. Uganda has also “connected regional referral hospitals with the national hospital so that doctors can easily consult with their colleagues.”

The Minister of State for Health in Nigeria, Dr. Alit Pate, shared with participants that his country has 65,000 registered health extension workers, but more initiative is needed, especially when it comes to evaluating the impact of using mobile technology to improve health outcomes. He mentioned an online portal for training midwives that initially received a lot of hits but then experienced a decline in submissions, and emphasized that incentives need to be put in place to encourage community health extension workers to continue submitting valuable data used for tracking progress.

Incentives such as providing promotion opportunities for community health workers to supervisory levels, and providing access to medical education via distance learning modules to increase medical student enrollment and retention are just a few ways that Dr. Feyissa at the Ethiopian Ministry of Health hopes to build and maintain a trained health workforce. Uganda’s integrated use of an innovative health system tracking service known as IHRIS is yet another avenue for better monitoring and evaluation of health outcomes.

The Summit also covered subjects such as health and media literacy, and leveraging social media to address issues including increasing organ donation. Sarah Wynn-Williams, Manager of Global Public Policy at Facebook informed the audience that the launch of Facebook organ donation profiles increased organ donation by 800% in California in the first week alone.

Lee Wells, Head of Health Programs (Africa) at Vodaphone Foundation looked forward to translating the success of mobile money such as the M-Pesa system in Kenya to the mobile health sector. He stated that “last year, 25% of Kenya’s GDP was transferred via M-Pesa mobile system.” He emphasized “It’s low-cost, let’s use what’s already available.”

Below are photos from the event:

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Events, Featured

Teddy Afro Live at B.B. King Blues Club

February 5, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
Events News

Updated: Wednesday, February 6, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – Teddy Afro and Abogida Band will perform live at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in Manhattan later this month in continuation of their current world tour, which included a concert in support of the Walyas at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa. Organizers said Teddy will be the first Ethiopian to perform at the acclaimed NYC venue that is renowned for showcasing world-class musical talent.

Brooklyn-based musician Tomás Doncker will open the evening highlighting his traveling musical production that pays tribute to Ethiopia’s role during World War II and featuring collaborative work with guitar legend Selam Woldemariam.

The event’s announcement noted that Teddy, who has dominated the Ethiopian music scene for nearly a decade, has garnered a global base of loyal and adoring fans as well as political foes who are opposed to his iconoclastic views expressed in his socially conscious lyrics that cover topics including politics, history, peace, love, justice, and equality.

The iconic Ethiopian artist was born in the Kuas Meda area of Addis Ababa, on July 14, 1976. “His late father, Kassahun Germamo, was a renowned Ethiopian songwriter, while his mother, Tilaye Arage, was a professional dancer,” the press release said. “Despite his parents being involved in the entertainment industry, they discouraged Teddy from becoming a musician.”

The announcement added: “Since signing with an Ethiopian record label in 2001, the pop star has officially released 6 albums: Abugida (2001), Tarik Tesera (2004), Yasteseryal (2005), Yasteseryal Edition 2 (2005), Best Collection-Nahom Volume 14 (2006), Tikur Sew (2012). His latest album, Tikur Sew (black person), smashed Ethiopian record sales and is on pace to become the number one selling Ethiopian album of all time.”
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If You Go:
Teddy Afro with Abogida Band
February 22, 2013
B.B. King Blues Club
37 West 42 St (212) 997-4144
New York, NY 10036
Showtime @ 11:59PM
Doors Open @ 11:00PM
Tickets $40.00 in advance, $50.00 day of show
Reserved VIP Booth on floor available for 4 & 6 people
$50 adv/$60 Day of Show per ticket – Must buy entire booth
A booth for 4 = $200/$240
A booth for 6 = $300/$360
Click here to learn more.

Video: Teddy Afro – Lambadina

Watch: Teddy Afro New 2012 – Tikur Sew official music video

—
Related:
In Pictures: Teddy Afro & Abogida Band in South Africa
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Events, Featured

Africa Remix: Music Conference at Harvard

February 5, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
Events News

Published: Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Boston (TADIAS) – Freelance editor and author Francis Falceto, who is credited for helping to propel Ethiopian music on the world stage through the éthiopiques CD series in the last fifteen years, will give a presentation at Harvard University later this week entitled: éthiopiques vs. ethioSonic: Sense and Nonsense in Musical Globalization.

Francis is the keynote speaker at a day-long conference called Africa Remix: Producing and Presenting African Musics Abroad scheduled for Friday, February 8th at Barker Center. The event also includes a discussion on remixing Ethiopian music featuring former Harvard student Danny Mekonnen, founder of Debo band, and an evening performance by his Boston-based group.

Organizers note: “Concert is free, but tickets are required. Free tickets available at Harvard Box Office, 617-496-2222.”
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If You Go:
Africa Remix: A conference, concert, and discussion
Friday, February 8, 2013 – 8:30am
Room 110, Barker Center / Lowell Hall
Harvard University
Click here to learn more.
—
Related:
How Ethiopian Music Went Global: Interview with Francis Falceto
Debo Band’s First Album: Interview with Danny Mekonnen
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Featured

Tiki Gelana Named Female World Athlete of the Year

February 4, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
News Update

Monday, February 4, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – Tiki Gelana, 25, winner of the women’s marathon at the London Olympic Games last summer, has been named World Athlete of the Year for 2012 by the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS). She was given the award at a ceremony in Japan on Sunday becoming the first Ethiopian woman to receive the coveted long-distance running prize that comes with a Golden Shoe sponsored by the athletic footwear company ASICS.

Previous Ethiopian winners of the prestigious award include her male compatriots Gezahenge Abera in 2000 and Haile Gebrselassie in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

“President Emeritus of AIMS Hiroaki Chosa and AIMS Board Member and Vice President of the Japanese Athletics Federation Dr Keisuke Sawaki presented Gelana with the acclaimed Golden Shoe Trophy during an awards ceremony after she had won the Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon earlier in the day,” reported the International Association of Athletics Federations.

“She started 2012 with a runaway win and personal best of 1:08:48 in the Marugame Half Marathon but that was just a warm-up for a decisive five-minute victory in the Rotterdam Marathon, where she became the fifth woman to break 2:19 for the distance when she ran a national record of 2:18:58.”

Click here to read more at IAAF.org.

In Pictures: Tiki Gelana Wins Gold Medal at the 2012 London Olympic Women’s Marathon

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Related:
Tiki Gelana Was Ready For The London Olympic Marathon (Runner’s World)
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Featured, Reviews

From California Comes Arada Fashion

February 2, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
By Aida Solomon

Updated: Sunday, February 3, 2013

Los Angeles (TADIAS) – Long before Ethiopian fashion became vogue in the U.S., California resident Henock Abey, also known as Henock Arada, 26, has been producing innovative apparel designs that incorporate elements of Ethiopian culture with western style. He started his Arada Fashion collection in 2001 to meet the growing demand, especially among young people in the Ethiopian community and beyond, of merging traditional patterns and symbols into elegantly casual, trendy street styles.

Born and raised in the Arat Kilo neighborhood of Addis Ababa, Henock says he “learned how to hustle” at a young age. That explains why it did not take him very long to dive into his art and business after immigrating with his family to Los Angeles as a teenager in 1999. Henock attended Westchester High School, where he says his interest in design, fashion and video communication was sparked.

“I wanted to combine our culture with a modern look to give people something they have never seen before,” Henock says, speaking of his work that includes a popular mini-dress.

He started-out with branded t-shirts depicting the Arada logo and humorous captions such as “I am Arada” and iconic Ethiopian crosses, mostly marketed to a niche customer base at various festivals, online, as well as in stores targeting the African Diaspora community. More recently he has expanded his portfolio to include skirts and bags.

As to his parents’ reaction to pursue his entrepreneurial ambitions at such an early age? Henock laughs before he answers: “My parents are used to me coming up with new ideas, so they weren’t that surprised.”

What started out as a hobby selling graphic t-shirts soon began to grow into a full-time work. By 2002 Henock had staged his first fashion show in Los Angeles to a widely positive reception in the community.

And soon afterwards he took his Made in Arada collection on the road showing in Washington D.C., Chicago, Phoenix, Atlanta, and Dallas. His designs proved to be a hit garnering a following, which includes over five thousand on Facebook. He says his next fashion show will be at the 2013 Ethiopian soccer tournament in Washington D.C. in July.

Henock’s future plans include opening his own store in the U.S. and Addis Ababa as well as giving back to charity and church. “Set yourself apart and don’t listen to the negativity,” he said.

Below are photos courtesy of Arada Fashion Wear.

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You can learn more about Arada Fashion at Facebook.com/Made.IN.Arada.
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News, Opinion

Letter from Ethiopia: Regarding The Case Against Eskinder Nega

February 1, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
Editorial

Published: Friday, February 1, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – Fairness, justice, forgiveness, equality before the law, and deference for the sanctity of life and human dignity are not foreign concepts to the diverse nationalities, cultures and religions that make up the modern Ethiopian mosaic, but it is not encouraging to see the legal language justifying the continued imprisonment of a number of Ethiopian journalists on the grounds that the nation’s current administration of justice meets international standards.

In a recent paper entitled Information on the Allegations Concerning the Arbitrary Detention of Mr. Eskinder Nega, Ethiopian legal experts wrote a 19-page response to the 16 members of the European Parliament who urged Prime Minster Hailemariam Desalegn back in December to consider the release of the imprisoned journalist Eskinder Nega. In the document, shared with Tadias, Ethiopian officials explain to the European MPs that their actions are anchored in international law.

“The trial process of Mr. Eskinder Nega demonstrates that due process guarantees were ensured in keeping with domestic legislations and international standards as enshrined in the ICCPR and other relevant human rights instruments to which Ethiopia is a party,” the document said. “International human rights law does not prohibit prosecution of members of terrorist organisations or those who support cooperate and assist terrorism by any means. Rather, it prohibits any form of discrimination and impunity of prosecution.”

This is open to interpretation, however, and it is apparently constitutional to brand citizens as terrorists for their critical views and subject them to arbitrary arrest and detention. It is illegal for writers, journalists, columnists, bloggers, and others with opposing perspectives to share unapproved observations with any audience if it touches upon subjects decrying abuses of power and corruption.

“The Constitution of Ethiopia strictly prohibits deprivation of rights or liberty without due process of law except on such grounds and in accordance with clearly established law,” the text continued. “This has been witnessed during the trial process of Mr. Eskinder Nega.”

The legal brief includes a twenty-six point argument covering topics including background of the case and pretrial detention, the charge brought against the defendant, the trial, observance of the right to legal counsel, as well as the accused’s right to visitations, and the appeals process in which Eskinder was actively involved.

In its opening paragraph the brief also highlights the individual freedoms and rights enshrined in the Ethiopian constitution. “No one can be deprived of his liberty for exercising his freedom of expression or being a critique of the Government,” it declared.

“Ethiopia is a country governed by of rule of law. All persons are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to the equal protection of the law.”

Then why are Reeyot Alemu, Eskinder Nega, Wubishet Taye and others languishing in jail separated from their families and friends? Why are they not able to practice journalism?

The brief also argues that in Eskinder’s case he was charged for conspiring to cause violence in collaboration with an illegal organization, noting that “Mr. Eskinder Nega was found guilty by court of law for involvement in a conspiracy to commit a crime of terrorism as an accomplice with a clandestine and terrorist organization named Ginbot 7 which has publically declared its intention to overthrow the democratically elected Government of Ethiopia through assassination of government officials, destroying public property, destabilizing peace and constitutional order of Ethiopia.”

“The Federal Prosecutor, after meticulously investigating Mr. Eskinder Nega’s participation in terrorism and ensuring the presence of ample evidence, requested the Federal First Instance Court in Addis Ababa for an arrest and search warrant.”

The document added: “Cognizant of its responsibility not to arrest, search or seize a person’s property contrary to the law, police arrested the defendant, searched and seized the relevant property of evidentiary significance after securing arrest and search warrant from the Federal First Instance Court. His house was searched and relevant evidences found were seized by court warrant issued by the Federal Court in accordance with article 26 (3) of the Constitution and article 19 of the Ethiopian Anti-Terrorism Proclamation. The defendant promptly brought before a court of law within 48 hours in accordance with article 14(3)(c) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and article 19 and 20(1) of the FDRE Constitution and tried without undue delay.”

The legal brief makes no mention of Ethiopia’s tradition of pardoning prisoners, most recently approved by the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi before he passed away on August 20th, 2012, which freed over 1,900 inmates including two Swedish journalists — reporter Martin Schibbye and photographer Johan Persson — who were jailed for assisting members of the outlawed rebel group the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF).

As always, we remain hopeful that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for the Ethiopian journalists still incarcerated. And once more, we call upon PM Hailemariam Desalegn who was recently elected as the new chairman of the African Union to lead the AU by example by helping to remove his country from the list of Africa’s top jailers of journalists — a distinction Ethiopia currently shares along with Eritrea as the only two African countries spotlighted as the world’s top ten leading press offenders.
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Related:
MEPs urge Ethiopia to release journalist (The Guardian)
Letter from 16 Members of the European Parliament (Press Release)
Ethiopia pardons two jailed Swedish journalists (Reuters)
Country List of Top 10 ‘Jailers of Journalists’ (CPJ)
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Featured, Interviews

Mikias Tefera: Promising Young Life Cut Short by Mystery Accident

January 31, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Published: Thursday, January 31, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – 18-year-old high school senior Mikias Tefera Tibebu was looking forward to college in California next Fall and dreaming of one day becoming a medical doctor when his young life was cut short this past December in an accident that police in Schaumburg, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, say was a hit-and-run yet to be solved.

Family members say Mikias had gone out with three friends for a movie and dinner on the evening of Friday, December 7th, 2012, but did not return home. His father, Dr. Tefera Tibebu Beyene, told Tadias he had spoken to Mikias only an hour before the incident and he was expecting his son’s arrival at any moment when instead he received a visit from police bearing bad news in the early morning hours of Saturday, December 8th.

Mikias’ body was discovered lying in a roadway less than two miles from his house at around 12:38 a.m., only minutes after he separated from his friends.

“We lost our son and our hero,” his father said. “We are still in shock and devastated by this tragedy. We wish this not to happen to anyone.”

According to the Chicago Tribune, authorities have checked nearby surveillance cameras but said there is no footage of the incident at that intersection. “If we had a piece of a headlight or a bumper, then we can say, ‘This was a blue car,’ or, ‘This came from a Ford,'” Schaumburg police Sgt. John Nebl told the paper. “There’s two different questions here. Who ran him over, and where are they? And why was he lying in the roadway?”

The investigation is still underway, but his father said the family has also retained a private investigator to help them find “the truth,” and hopefully closure. And they are offering more than $10,000 reward for information that might help solve the case.

Mikias, who grew up in the Chicago suburb, was born in Ethiopia in 1994 and came to the United States in 1996 when he was two years old. His friends and teachers remember him as a nice and bright student with a promising academic future and a rising athlete at Schaumburg High School where he was a member of the Track & Field team in addition to being an outstanding student who received Presidential Academic Excellence awards from President George Bush in 2007 and President Barack Obama in 2009. Mikias was recognized as an Illinois State scholar in 2012.

He was “a dedicated student with exceptional academic honors,” Schaumburg High School Principal Tim Little told the media. “A beloved friend and athlete, Mikias was also a committed member of the cross-country and track teams. Our thoughts and sympathies are with Mikias’ family and friends during this difficult time,” the Principal said.

Dr. Tefera said his son was also preparing for an interview at Pomona College in California where he was a finalist to receive a full scholarship for fall 2013. “Mikias was a great asset to his family and to his country,” Dr. Tefera said. “All people who knew Mikias have expressed how great a leader and role model he was.”

In an essay not long before his death Mikias wrote: “Both my parents are natives of Ethiopia and arrived in the U.S. in 1996. Coming from this culture I have gained perspectives that others are not as privileged to have. I have witnessed the sacrifice and hard work my parents have gone through in order to provide me and my siblings with a brighter future. But most important, I have come to realize the value of opening yourself to a diverse group of people as it allows you to be more aware of the world around us.”

Perhaps no one said it better than his former running teammate Brian Flight, who described the loss on his Facebook page: “Our buddy Mik is gone. And I sure wasn’t ready for him to leave. I know none of us were. He was a great man and sure as hell deserved better than this. Mik will be in our hearts and minds forever, but that doesn’t make it any easier to bear. We love you buddy and we’ll never stop.”

Our thoughts and prayers are with Mikias’ family and we urge our readers to extend your support to them.
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You can learn more about the case and provide assistance to the family at www.mikiastibebu.com.

Video: NBC Chicago on Mikias Tefera Tibebu – Local News Coverage

View more videos at: http://nbcchicago.com.

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Events, Featured

The 10th Annual African Economic Forum at Columbia University

January 30, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
Events News

Published: Wednesday, January 30th, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – For the past ten years the Annual African Economic Forum (AEF) at Columbia University has brought together some of the continent’s best minds, including policy makers, entrepreneurs, scholars and students to engage each other in dialogue on various topics focused on economic development and business opportunities in Africa.

The 2013 conference entitled Africa Ignited: Exploring Ideas, Shaping Outcomes will take place at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business on March 1-2.

The organizers’ press release states that “The Forum has grown from its modest beginnings to become the largest Africa-focused event at Columbia, bringing over 400 participants to campus last year.”

The event comprises of various panel discussions that engage participants in a wide range of topics including entrepreneurship, real estate, manufacturing, urban development and infrastructure, consumer markets, and more. It also includes a pre-conference party in February, an evening gala, networking sessions, and a career fair in March, which will bring together some of today’s influential business people and organizations working in Africa.

“As AEF marks a decade of successful partnerships that have brought exceptional minds together, our focus will be the realization of our discussions, the leap from ideas to outcomes,” the announcement said. “Across panels, we will highlight inspiring projects on the continent in the past decade, address challenges faced in their implementation, and solutions to address them. From the Economist to CNN, the media and the world have realized that Africa is on the move.” The upcoming forum is about embracing this momentum and sharing opportunities.

The event is jointly presented by Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business, School of International and Public Affairs, Law School, and Mailman School of Public Health.
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If You Go:
Registration begins on February 1st
space is limited.
Website: www.columbiaaef.com
Email: Columbia.AEF@gmail.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/CUAEF
Twitter: Twitter.com/ColumbiaAEF
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Featured, Reviews

Ethiopia Leaves 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, Walya Fans Apologize

January 29, 2013 Tadias Magazine 1 Comment

AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS

Updated: Wednesday, January 30th, 2013

South Africa (Tadias) – Ethiopia lost 2-0 against Nigeria on Tuesday in its final game in Group C at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in Rustenburg, South Africa, ending the team’s historic return to the continental tournament after 31 years of absence.

The Walya Antelopes could not overcome the Super Eagles to book their place in the last eight for the quarterfinals. The defending champions, Zambia, were also eliminated in the first round after a goalless draw with Burkina Faso yesterday at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.

The Burkinabe’s lead Group C in advancing to the next stage followed by Nigeria.

Meanwhile, Ethiopian fans who made their own headlines last week for unruly behavior apologized by waving a banner during the game against Nigeria.

“We apologise for our behaviour, but we love the game” was written in huge letters on the banner against the background of the green, yellow and red colours of the Ethiopian flag. According to Reuters: “It was unfurled at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace during the team’s final Group C match.”
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Related:
Nigeria tops Ethiopia, advances in African Cup (AP)
Ethiopia fans apologise for bad behaviour (Reuters)

Coach Sewnet Says Ethiopia Likely to Miss Top Players in Key Match

Ethiopia’s head coach Sewnet Bishaw gestures during a news conference at the Royal Bafokeng stadium in Rustenburg, South Africa, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. (Photo: AP)

By TALES AZZONI

AP Sports Writer

RUSTENBURG, South Africa (AP) — Ethiopia’s chances at the African Cup of Nations have taken a hit with the team’s two top players expected to miss the decisive Group C match against Nigeria on Tuesday.

Ethiopia coach Sewnet Bishaw said Monday that midfielders Asrat Megersa and Adane Girma may not recover from the injuries they sustained in the first half of the team’s match against Burkina Faso.
Ethiopia is last in the group but will still have a chance of advancing if it beats Nigeria in Rustenburg.

Ethiopia is last in the group but will still have a chance of advancing if it beats Nigeria in Rustenburg.

In its first tournament appearance in more than 30 years, Ethiopia earned a surprising 1-1 draw with defending champion Zambia in the opener, then fell 4-0 to Burkina Faso after Asrat’s and Adane’s injuries.

“Two very important players were out and I’m afraid that they are not coming back,” Bishaw said. “Adane and Asrat are not in a good position right now. It will be up to the doctor’s decision before the match.”

Read more.
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Africa Cup: Coach Sewnet Says Ethiopia Looking Ahead to Next Game With Nigeria

Coach Sewnet Bishaw says his team will aim for goals in its next Africa Cup clash with Nigeria. (MTN)

Tadias Magazine
News Brief

Updated: Sunday, January 27, 2013

South Africa – After a 4-0 defeat by Burkina Faso on Friday following 1-1 opener against defending Champion Zambia earlier in the week, Ethiopia will face Nigeria on Tuesday for its third and final game in the first round in Group C at the current Africa Cup of Nations underway in South Africa.

The Walya Antelopes still has a chance to advance to the quarterfinals but they must win the next match. The remote possibility also depends on the outcome of the Burkina Faso and Zambia contest scheduled for the same day.

Coach Sewnet Bishaw says he was surprised by the trouncing on Friday but promised to go on the offensive on Tuesday against Nigeria.

“We didn’t expect this result from the very beginning. We hoped that we would play again like the first game and take a point against Burkina Faso,” Coach Sewnet told reporters.

“We’re not going to the field to defend, because defending will only give you one point. Now we must try to play against Nigeria to score goals to have three points.”

He added: “Maybe if we have three points, totally we will have four points, and we may qualify to the next stage. “Not only will we just score one or two goals, we need to score lots of goals also, otherwise, it is a matter of dignity and to maintain the level of football of our boys.”
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Burkina Faso Beats Ethiopia 4-0 in African Cup

Addis Hintsa Tekle of Ethiopia and Djakaridja Kone of Burkina Faso compete for the ball during the 2013 African Cup of Nations match between their teams at Mbombela Stadium on Friday, January 25, 2013 in Nelspruit, South Africa. Burkina Faso won the game 4-0. (Gallo Images/Getty Images Europe)

Tadias Magazine
News Brief

Updated: Friday, January 25, 2013

South Africa – Ethiopia lost 4-0 against Burkina Faso on Friday in its second game in Group C at 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

The dominant performance by Burkina Faso included two goals by Alain Traore who led the 10-man Stallions into victory over the Walya Antelopes. The third score came from Yusuf Kone on the 80 minute mark and the final by Jonathan Pitroipa at the end of the game.

This time, it is was the Burkinabe goalkeeper Abdoulaye Soulama who was red-carded. He was dismissed around 60 minutes into the match for handball outside his penalty area.

Ethiopia used substitute goalkeeper, Zerihun Tadele, in place of Jemal Tassew, who was suspended for two games following his red card last Monday during the Walyas opener against Zambia.

Matthew Kenyon of BBC Sport in Nelspruit says “Ethiopia haven’t been at the Nations Cup for 31 years and this is a lesson in what happens in tournament football. It’s not fair — it’s presumably not fun — but it’s why we love the game so much. Burkina Faso have been superb tonight and thoroughly deserve an awesome victory. Man of the match must be Alain Traore – but Pitroipa and the skipper Kabore run him close. Burkina Faso top the group.”

It is also the first time the Burkinabe have ever won a game outside of Burkina Faso.

The website Super Sport noted: “Burkina’s last victory in the continental showcase came way back in 1998, but Traore ended that sorry state of affairs in style to push the west African nation to the top of Group C and within touching distance of the last eight.”

“With quarterfinal qualification going down to the wire, Burkina Faso take on Zambia here while Ethiopia face Nigeria in Rustenburg, with both matches scheduled for Tuesday.”
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Related:
The Stallions silence Walya Antelopes (Yahoo News)
Burkina Faso trounce Ethiopia (SuperSport)
Burkina Faso 4 – 0 Ethiopia (BBC)
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Ethiopia, Burkina Faso Face Off

Adane Girma of Ethiopia battles with Chris Katongo of Zambia during the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations match at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, South Africa on Monday, January 21st. (Reuters)

Tadias Magazine
News Brief

Updated: Friday, January 25, 2013

South Africa (TADIAS) – Fresh off their spectacular return to Africa Cup earlier this week, after more than three decades of absence and an impressive 1-1 opening against defending champion Zambia, the Walyas who electrified Ethiopian fans around the world are preparing for their next game today against Burkina Faso at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, South Africa.

For audiences in the United States the game will be televised on ESPN3 beginning at 1 p.m Eastern and can be watched on the Internet and mobile devices.

In South Africa coach Sewnet Bishaw told the Associated Press that his team’s strategy is in place for today’s match. “We will try to play as many passes as possible because the Burkinabes are huge and physically very strong,” coach Sewnet said. “We will have a better team for the second game and use players with speed and good passing abilities.”

Meanwhile, the Confederation of African Football has slapped Ethiopia’s football federation with a $10,000 fine for unruly behavior by fans last Monday, which included throwing plastic bottles, cups vuvuzelas, and other objects onto the field. The organization said it will suspend half of the penalty if the Ethiopians behave for the rest of the tournament.

It all began as a protest when goal keeper Jemal Tassew was given a red card for an aggressive tackle involving Zambia’s Chisamba Lungu. Jemal was taken off the field on a stretcher. His sending off started the wild outcry causing a security alert and delaying the game by several minutes. Jemal will not play against Burkina Faso on Friday as he is also suspended for two games.

According to AP: “Ethiopia drew by far the largest support base for Monday’s Group C double-header, with thousands of Johannesburg-based immigrants bussing in for the occasion. Sewnet predicted that the number of fans would double for the team’s next game.”

Burkina Faso coach Paul Put told BBC that after Monday’s performance his team can’t afford to take Ethiopia lightly. “We have a lot of respect for the Ethiopian team,” the coach said. “Any team that can draw with Zambia after playing against them with only 10 men after 30 minutes, that says a lot.”
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Related:
Ethiopia aim high ahead of Burkina Faso match (AP)
Burkina Faso vs Ethiopia (BBC)
Ethiopia seek to deepen Burkina’s Cup woes (AFP)
Great Start for Ethiopia at Africa Cup of Nations (TADIAS)

In Pictures: Photographs of the Walya Antelopes – Ethiopia’s National Soccer Team

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Profiles

Journalist Bofta Yimam Wins Emmy Award For Excellence in Reporting

January 27, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Updated: Monday, January 28, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – Ethiopian American Journalist Bofta Yimam, who is a reporter for Continue reading Journalist Bofta Yimam Wins Emmy Award For Excellence in Reporting →

Podcast

PM Hailemariam Elected as African Union Chairman

January 27, 2013 Tadias Magazine

By Associated Press

Sunday, January 27, 2013

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — African leaders met in the Ethiopian capital Sunday for talks dominated by the conflict in Mali as well as lingering territorial issues between the two Sudans.

The African Union says it will deploy a force in Mali, where French troops are helping the Malian army to push back Islamist extremists whose rebellion threatens to divide the West African nation.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is attending the two-day summit in Addis Ababa, where Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn took over from President Yayi Boni of Benin as chairperson of the African Union.

Read more.
—
Related:
Ethiopia’s Hailemariam Elected as African Union Chairman (Bloomberg News)
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Podcast

Israel Gave Birth Control to Ethiopian Jews Without Their Consent

January 27, 2013 Tadias Magazine

The Independent

By ALISTAIR DAWBER

JERUSALEM – Israel has admitted for the first time that it has been giving Ethiopian Jewish immigrants birth-control injections, often without their knowledge or consent.

The government had previously denied the practice but the Israeli Health Ministry’s director-general has now ordered gynaecologists to stop administering the drugs. According a report in Haaretz, suspicions were first raised by an investigative journalist, Gal Gabbay, who interviewed more than 30 women from Ethiopia in an attempt to discover why birth rates in the community had fallen dramatically.

One of the Ethiopian women who was interviewed is quoted as saying: “They [medical staff] told us they are inoculations. We took it every three months. We said we didn’t want to.” It is alleged that some of the women were forced or coerced to take the drug while in transit camps in Ethiopia.

Nigeria Tops Ethiopia, Advances in African Cup

January 26, 2013 Tadias Magazine

AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS
By TALES AZZONI, AP Sports Writer

Updated: Tuesday, January 29, 2013

RUSTENBURG, South Africa (AP) — Nigeria went from the brink of elimination to a place in the quarterfinals at the African Cup of Nations on Tuesday after striker Victor Moses converted two late penalties to earn a 2-0 win over Ethiopia.

The Chelsea striker scored in the 80th and 90th minutes, sparing the two-time champions an early exit with a scoreless draw at Royal Bafokeng Stadium.

Ethiopia, in its first tournament appearance in more than 30 years, finished bottom of Group C. Defending champion Zambia also was eliminated after a 0-0 draw with Burkina Faso, which won the group with five points. Nigeria also ended with five points, but had a worse goal difference.

Update: Senior Eritrean Diplomat Denies Coup Reports

January 26, 2013 Tadias Magazine

BY KIRUBEL TADESSE
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Posted on Saturday, 01.26.13

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — A senior Eritrean diplomat denied on Saturday there was an attempted coup early this week in the Horn of Africa nation and said reports to the contrary are a deliberate disinformation campaign.

Girma Asmerom, Eritrea’s ambassador to the African Union, said in a statement that coup reports were “wishful thinking” by people he did not name.

“There has never been an ‘attempted military coup’ and there will never be a coup d’etat in Eritrea,” Asmerom said.

Without explaining the incidents on Monday, Asmerom wrote of acts of terror being called something else.

“As is the case all over the world an armed crazy, stupid and terrorist individual or group can take stupid actions such as kidnapping of individuals or taking hostages by raiding government and private institutions and offices,” he said. “Such isolated incidents which frequently occur in the West are considered terrorist acts. I don’t understand why in Africa they are considered coup d’etats. It is the highest form of double standard and hypocrisy.”

But activists and experts said about 100 dissident soldiers stormed the state broadcasting at Ministry of Information in the capital, Asmara, and read a statement vowing to free all political prisoners and implement the country’s constitution.

Events

Black History Month: NYC Exhibition on the African Diaspora in India

January 26, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
Events News

Published: Saturday, January 26, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – In celebration of Black History Month the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture will host a five-month exhibition highlighting the history of Africans in India, which is scheduled to open for the public on February 1st.

“The exhibition will feature the extraordinary achievements of Africans who made their mark on Indian history,” the Schomburg Center said in a press release. “At the Africans in India preview, on January 30th, 2013, Her Excellency Ambassador Nirupama Rao of India will give remarks.”

This historical showcase, curated by Dr. Sylviane A. Diouf, curator of Digital Collections at the Schomburg, and Dr. Kenneth X. Robbins, collector and co-editor of African Elites in India: Habshi Amarat, is the first of its kind that retraces the lives and achievements of the many talented and prominent Africans in India.

“Since the 1400s, people from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and adjoining areas, have greatly distinguished themselves in India. The success was theirs but it is also a strong testimony to the open-mindedness of a society in which they were a small religious and ethnic minority, originally of low status,” says Dr. Sylviane A. Diouf. “ As foreigners and Muslims, Africans ruled over indigenous Hindu, Muslim and Jewish populations.”

Besides the presence of written documents, Africans have been immortalized in the rich paintings of different eras, states, and styles that form an important component of Indian culture.

“Although they were a common sight for centuries, the Africans who were an integral part of the history and culture of the Indian subcontinent have not received, in the present, the recognition they deserve,” the announcement said. “This groundbreaking exhibition brings out of obscurity the lives and achievements of some of the talented and prominent Sidis of yesterday and inscribes their unique story in the fascinating history of the global African Diaspora.”

Related Programs:
First Fridays at the Schomburg
Friday, February 1 at 6 p.m.
Featuring DJ Rheka playing classic Bhangra and Bollywood

Curator’s Talk with Dr. Sylviane A. Diouf
Tuesday, February 12 at 6:30 p.m.
Join Curator Diouf on a tour of the exhibition

Talks at the Schomburg: Dr. Kenneth X. Robbins and Dr. John McLeod
Thursday, March 21 at 6: 30 p.m.
Robbins and McLeod will discuss the history of Africans in India

Bengali Harlem
Saturday, April 6 at 6:30 p.m. with Vivek Bald
Bald will discuss his book Bengali Harlem and the Lost History of the South Asian American. Presented in collaboration with afrolatin@forum
Click here to learn more at the exhibition website.
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Related Article
New Exhibition Highlights the History of Africans in India (TADIAS)

Below are images from the show courtesy of the Schomburg Center.

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Featured, Reviews

Burkina Faso Beats Ethiopia 4-0 in African Cup

January 24, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
News Brief

Updated: Friday, January 25, 2013

South Africa – Ethiopia lost 4-0 against Burkina Faso on Friday in its second game in Group C at 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

This time, it is was the Burkinabe goalkeeper Abdoulaye Soulama who was red-carded. He was dismissed around 60 minutes into the match for handball outside his penalty area.

Ethiopia used substitute goalkeeper, Zerihun Tadele, in place of Jemal Tassew, who was suspended for two games following his red card last Monday during the Walyas opener against Zambia.

It is also the first time the Burkinabe have ever won a game outside of Burkina Faso.

Adane Girma of Ethiopia battles with Chris Katongo of Zambia during the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations match at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, South Africa on Monday, January 21st. (Reuters)

Tadias Magazine
News Brief

Updated: Friday, January 25, 2013

For audiences in the United States the game will be televised on ESPN3 beginning at 1 p.m Eastern and can be watched on the Internet and mobile devices.

In Pictures: Photographs of the Walya Antelopes – Ethiopia’s National Soccer Team

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Podcast

Ethiopia Fined for Fan Trouble at African Cup

January 23, 2013 Tadias Magazine 1 Comment

San Francisco Chronicle

NELSPRUIT, South Africa (AP) — The Confederation of African Football has fined Ethiopia’s football federation $10,000 after the team’s fans hurled vuvuzelas and other missiles onto the pitch during Monday’s 1-1 draw with Zambia at the African Cup of Nations.

CAF announced the fine late Tuesday, adding that half of the $10,000 penalty would be suspended on condition that Ethiopia’s fans are not found guilty of a similar offense during the rest of the tournament.

Ethiopia had plenty of supporters for its first African Cup match in 31 years, but the Group C game at Mbombela turned ugly when Gabonese referee Eric Otogo-Castane dismissed Ethiopia goalkeeper Jemal Tassew shortly after the half-hour mark.

Read more at San Francisco Chronicle.
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Art, Events, Featured

Haile Gerima’s Film ‘Bush Mama’ Part of L.A. Rebellion

January 23, 2013 Tadias Magazine 1 Comment

Tadias Magazine
Events News

Published: Wednesday, January 23, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – Ethiopian-born filmmaker Haile Gerima is among a group of African and African American independent producers and directors who were students at UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, in the sixties and seventies as part of an “Ethno-Communications” initiative designed to empower minorities. Their work is being highlighted in an upcoming film series at The Museum of the Moving Image in Queens from February 2–24.

“Now referred to as L.A. Rebellion, these mostly unheralded artists, including Charles Burnett, Julie Dash, Larry Clark, Billy Woodberry, and many others, created a unique cinematic landscape, as—over the course of two decades—students arrived, mentored one another, and passed the torch to the next group,” the museum said in its announcement. “They came from Watts. They came from New York City. They came from throughout America or crossed an ocean from Africa. Together, they made movies and produced a rich, innovative, sustained, and intellectually rigorous body of work. The filmmakers of L.A. Rebellion achieved this while realizing a new possibility for “Black” cinema, one that explored and related to the real lives of Black communities in the U.S. and worldwide.”
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If You Go:
February 2–24
36-01 35 Avenue
Astoria, NY 11106
718 777 6888
www.movingimage.us
Organized by the UCLA Film & Television Archive
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Below are images from some of the films featured at the ‘L.A. Rebellion’ series

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News, Opinion

Editorial: Our Role in Shaping U.S.-Africa Policy in Obama’s Second Term

January 22, 2013 Tadias Magazine 1 Comment

Tadias Magazine
Editorial

Updated: Wednesday, January 23, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – As we extend our best wishes to President Barack Obama for a successful second term in office, we also urge the White House to pay more attention to the diverse voices in our community and to engage the Diaspora as the U.S. formulates better policies towards Africa in the next four years. After all, as citizens, we are voters and taxpayers, and therefore stakeholders in what the United States does in Africa.

Influencing U.S. foreign policy also requires a culture of respectful political discourse among ourselves, which has not been the hallmark of the Diaspora during Obama’s first term, particularly by Ethiopian pundits in the United States.

In one of the many memorable lines delivered at his second Inaugural Address this week, President Obama said: “We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate. We must act, knowing that our work will be imperfect.”

It is a message that political leaders, activists and scholars in our community should take to heart if they are to be effective moving forward in communicating on behalf of a wider constituency and in shaping future U.S.-Africa and U.S-Ethiopia relations.
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Related:
Obama Stresses Unity in Second Inaugural Speech (VOA News)

Video: Sights and Sounds from the 2013 Inauguration (NBC)

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Featured, Reviews

Great Start for Ethiopia at Africa Cup of Nations: Zambia 1-1 Walya

January 21, 2013 Tadias Magazine 2 Comments

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Updated: Tuesday, January 22, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – The Walya Antelopes, the Ethiopian national soccer team, made a historic return to the Africa Cup of Nations Monday, successfully drawing 1-1 against the defending champion Zambia at Mbombela Stadium in Mbombela, South Africa. The game was Ethiopia’s first in the tournament after 31 years of absence.

Striker Collins Mbesuma scored the first goal for Zambia near half-time, and Adane Girma help equalize for Ethiopia in the second half.

Ethiopia finished with only 10 players after goal keeper Jemal Tassew was given a red card for an aggressive tackle involving Zambia’s Chisamba Lungu. Jemal was taken off field on a stretcher.

His sending-off had visibly angered Walya fans, some of whom unfortunately threw bottles and other objects on to the pitch causing a security alert and delaying the game by several minutes. According to Reuters it also created a disagreement between the Ethiopian and Zambian coaches.

“The goalkeeper is there to defend,” coach Sewnet Bishaw told reporters. “I do not think it was a sending-off, which is why the fans were so angry.”

“They were not angry with the Ethiopian team, but with the referee.” his Zambian counterpart Herve Renard responded. “I have looked at the replay and of course it was a sending- off. He had to go. The rules are quite clear, you cannot fly into an opponent like that.”

The Zambian coach added: “I congratulate the Ethiopian team they played very well and it was not a surprise to me.”

Ethiopia still faces Burkina Faso and Nigeria in the first round. The Walya’s next match is against Burkina Faso on Friday, January 25th.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Video: Goal by Adane Girma – Zambia vs. Ethiopia (Euro Sport)

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Related:
Ethiopia holds champion to make its point (CNN)
Zambia frustrated by Ethiopia (Aljazeera)
Ethiopia Draw Champion Zambia in African Cup (AP)
Ten-man Ethiopia hold Zambia on Nations Cup return (Reuters)

Video: Jemal Tassew takes red card and injury after foul

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Related:
Africa Cup of Nations 2013: Ethiopia Inspired by Their Past (BBC Sport)
Bonuses Promised to Ethiopian Players (BBC)
In Pictures: Countdown to Africa Cup 2013 (TADIAS)
Coach Says Ethiopia Ready Despite Second-guessing (TADIAS)

In Pictures: Photographs of the Walya Antelopes – Ethiopia’s National Soccer Team

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Podcast

Sights and Sounds from the 2013 Presidential Inauguration (Video)

January 21, 2013 Tadias Magazine 1 Comment

Obama Stresses Unity in Inaugural Speech (VOA News)

January 21, 2013

U.S. President Barack Obama is calling for united action by a divided America to address a host of domestic problems as he starts his second term in the White House.

Obama was publicly sworn into office Monday on the steps of the U.S. Capitol as hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the Mall, waving American flags and cheering the nation’s 44th president.

In his inaugural address, Obama invoked the enduring rights of the U.S. Constitution for “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” But he said the country needs to adapt to new challenges so that every citizen had a “basic measure of security and dignity.”

“We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity. We must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit,” Obama told the crowd. “But we reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future. For we remember the lessons of our past, when twilight years were spent in poverty, and parents of a child with a disability had nowhere to turn.”

Obama also said that the U.S. does not believe that “lasting peace” in the world requires “perpetual war.”

“We, the people, still believe that enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war,” the president said. “Our brave men and women in uniform, tempered by the flames of battle, are unmatched in skill and courage. Our citizens, seared by the memory of those we have lost, know too well the price that is paid for liberty. The knowledge of their sacrifice will keep us forever vigilant against those who would do us harm. But we are also heirs to those who won the peace and not just the war, who turned sworn enemies into the surest of friends, and we must carry those lessons into this time as well.”

The president said the U.S. would support democracy across the globe.

“America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe;” he promised, “and we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation. We will support democracy from Asia to Africa; from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom.”

Swearing In ceremony

Obama took the two-century-old oath from Chief Justice John Roberts. Obama promised to “preserve, protect and defend” the U.S. Constitution “to the best of my ability.”

Earlier, the president attended a church service and then headed to the West Front of the U.S. Capitol building for his public inaugural.

Monday’s crowd, while numbering in the hundreds of thousands, was smaller than at Obama’s first inauguration in 2009, when nearly two million people came to see the swearing-in of the nation’s first black president.

Obama was officially sworn in Sunday in a private ceremony at the White House, to meet the dictates of the U.S. Constitution that the country’s president be sworn in on January 20. But with the date falling on a Sunday this year, the major public inaugural activities are on Monday, including Obama’s inaugural address from a podium on the West Front of the Capitol overlooking the teeming masses on the Mall.

Obama took the oath Monday using two historic Bibles – one owned by 19th-century president Abraham Lincoln, and the other by civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated in 1968.

Monday’s inauguration coincides with the federal holiday marking King’s birthday.

Video: Sights and Sounds from the 2013 Inauguration (NBC)

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Inaugural festivities

After the ceremony Monday, Obama and his wife, Michelle, dined inside the Capitol with congressional leaders. They plan to ride in the inaugural parade, returning to the White House in a motorcade. They likely will get out of the car and walk part of the way, as they did four years ago.

Later, the Obamas will attend two official Inaugural balls, in contrast to the 10 balls that were held in 2009.

Vice President Joe Biden, who retook his own oath again Monday, joined the president Sunday for a traditional wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery and attended church with him on Monday.

Both leaders also took part in a National Day of Service on Saturday as part of several days of events related to the inauguration.

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Inauguration: Obama Takes Oath as Capital Prepares for Festivities (The New York Times)

President Obama took the oath of office from Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. at the official swearing-in ceremony in the Blue Room of the White House on Sunday. (White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

By JACKIE CALMES

WASHINGTON — With only his family beside him, Barack Hussein Obama was sworn into office for a second term on Sunday in advance of Monday’s public pomp, facing a bitterly divided government at home and persistent threats abroad that inhibit his effort to redefine America’s use of power.

It was a brief and intimate moment in the White House, held because of a quirk of the calendar that placed the constitutionally mandated start of the new term on a Sunday.

In Pictures: Teddy Afro & Abogida Band in South Africa

January 20, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
Events News

Updated: Monday, January 21, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – Teddy Afro performed in Johannesburg, South Africa this weekend at ‘Africa Cup Kick-Off Party’ supporting the Walyas.” The event took place at Sandton Convention Center on Saturday, January 19th.

Below are photos from the concert courtesy of the promoters.

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Featured

From Minnesota to Ethiopia: U.S. Soccer Star Fuad Ibrahim Eyes Africa Cup

January 18, 2013 Tadias Magazine

By James Montague, CNN

(CNN) — Life had not quite worked out the way Fuad Ibrahim had planned.

A few years ago the whole world was laid out at the 21-year-old American striker’s feet. Ibee, as he is known by his coaches and teammates, was considered one of the most naturally talented players ever to emerge in U.S. soccer.

He was quickly brought into the national team set up, playing in every game at the Under-17 World Cup finals. At the age of 16 he was the second youngest player ever to be drafted into the MLS. Perhaps prophetically, the youngest was Freddy Adu, a name that has become a euphemism for talent unfulfilled.

And then out of the blue an email arrived from the country of his birth — Ethiopia.

“It said that Ethiopia would like to invite me to play for the national team,” Ibee told CNN, speaking from his hotel room in the capital Addis Ababa.

Africa Cup Kick-Off Party: Teddy Afro & Abogida Band in South Africa

January 17, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
Events News

Published: Thursday, January 17, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – Teddy Afro will perform live in Johannesburg, South Africa this weekend at “Go Walya Africa Cup Kick-Off Party.”

The event, which is organized by the group Sefer Addis, is scheduled to take place at Sandton Convention Center (near Mandela Square) on Saturday, January 19th.

Organizers said Teddy will be accompanied by Abogida Band.
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If You Go:
Tikur Sew in South Africa
January 19th, 2013
Sandton Convention Center
Johannesburg, South Africa
Call: +27835534388 or +27712104358
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In Pictures: Photographs From Teddy Afro’s Concert in DC (November 23rd, 2012)

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Featured, News

Ethiopian Airlines Grounds 787 Dreamliner

January 17, 2013 Tadias Magazine

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Thursday, January 17, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – Ethiopian Airlines has temporarily grounded its 787 Dreamliners for inspection following a safety warning issued by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA said on Wednesday that the 787 should not operate until the risk of battery fires is addressed.

The crisis began when one of the planes owned by the Japanese airline, All Nippon Airways, was forced to make an emergency landing in Japan when a cockpit warning indicated a battery problem and a burning smell. Ethiopian follows Chile’s LAN, Air India and the European Aviation Safety Agency who have all sent out grounding orders.

“Ethiopian Dreamliners have not encountered the type of problems such as those experienced by the other operators,” the airlines said in a press release. “However, as an extra precautionary safety measure and in line with its commitment of putting safety above all else, Ethiopian has decided to pull out its four Dreamliners from operation and perform the special inspection requirements mandated by the US FAA.”

Ethiopian airlines, which has been operating the Dreamliner since mid-August last year, said it is working closely with Boeing to comply with the US FAA approved special inspection. “The airline aims to return the Dreamliners to service as soon as possible, after full compliance with the new procedure,” the press release said.

“Ethiopian would like to apologize to its esteemed passengers for any inconvenience this may cause in their travel experience.”
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Related:
Boeing 787 Crisis Widens, as Global Regulators Ground Dreamliner

In Pictures: Ethiopian airlines 787 Dreamliner lands in D.C. (Photos: Tadias File – Aug 2012)

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Featured

787 Dreamliner Battery Troubles Put Boeing on Edge

January 17, 2013 Tadias Magazine

The New York Times

By CHRISTOPHER DREW

Until smoldering batteries forced safety regulators to ground Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner jets last week, the aircraft manufacturer was flying high, with soaring profits and a recently regained No. 1 ranking in jet deliveries over Airbus.

But the grounding, prompted by a battery fire on one jet and the emergency landing of another, has knocked Boeing off stride. Now, investors as well as government officials are paying close attention to see how big the issue becomes for the company, which is one of the nation’s biggest exporters.

Ethiopian Business and Lifestyle