Tag Archives: Addis Ababa

Events

DC & Addis to Become Sister Cities

Tadias Magazine
Events News

Published: Wednesday, December 4th, 2013

Washington, D.C. (TADIAS) — Washington, D.C. and Addis Ababa will become sister cities this month when leaders from the two cities formalize Protocols of Friendship. The Sister City Agreement signing ceremony is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, December 11th at the John A. Wilson Building in Washington, D.C. Officials say the initiative will pave the way for various joint projects between the two municipalities in areas of mutual interest including economic development, information exchange, cultural education and youth engagement.

“I’m proud to announce that our city and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia have agreed to enter into a sister city agreement,” Mayor Vincent Gray told an enthusiastic crowd in November during his appearance at the Debre Selam Kidist Mariam Ethiopian Orthodox Church in D.C., where he first made the proposal public. “This agreement is inspired by the large and vibrant Ethiopian diaspora here in the District and by Ethiopia’s emergence as one of the fastest growing economies in Africa.”

The accord makes the Ethiopian capital the fourteenth sister city of Washington, D.C. The District of Columbia has similar arrangements with Bangkok, Thailand (since 1962); Dakar, Senegal (since 1980); Beijing, China (since 1984); Brussels, Belgium (since 1985); Tshwane, South Africa (since 2002); Paris, France (since 2000); Athens, Greece (since 2000); Seoul, Korea (since 2006); Accra, Ghana (since 2006); and Sunderland, United Kingdom – George Washington’s Ancestral Home (since 2006); Rome, Italy (since 2011); Ankara, Turkey (since 2011); Brasilia, Brazil (since 2013). According to Sister Cities International (SCI), the national membership organization for sister city programs in the U.S., sister city affiliations between the United States and other nations began shortly after World War II and developed into a national initiative when President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed the people-to-people program at a White House Conference in 1956.

During his remarks at DSK Mariam Ethiopian Orthodox Church last month, Mayor Gray encouraged the Ethiopian community to attend the signing ceremony.
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If You Go:
Signing of the Sister City Agreement between Addis Ababa and Washington, D.C.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Ceremony starts at 6:00 P.M. (Seating Begins at 5:30 P.M.)
Reception to Follow at The John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Mayor’s Press Room, G9
Washington, District of Columbia 20004
RSVP REQUIRED: No-Later-Than Monday, December 9, 2013
More info at: http://addisababa-dc-sistercitysigningceremony.eventbrite.com

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Events

In Pictures: Ethiopia Celebrates 2-1 Victory Over South Africa

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Published: Monday, June 17th, 2013

Addis Ababa (TADIAS) – The following photographs were taken in Addis on Sunday following Ethiopia’s 2-1 victory against South Africa making the Walyas one step closer to qualifying for the World Cup for the first time.

The images are from Edna mall, where thousands gathered around bars, restaurants and big screens to watch the game.


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Related:
World Cup qualifying: Ethiopia progress, South Africa knocked out (BBC News)
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Art

Tadias Interview: Aida Muluneh on Her Ethiopia Exhibition ‘So Long a Letter’

Tadias Magazine

By Tadias Staff

Updated: Thursday, June 6, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – Last month, the award-winning Ethiopian photographer Aida Muluneh held a successful solo exhibition at TO.MO.CA gallery in Addis Ababa entitled So Long a Letter, which featured her photographs mixed with pen drawings on leather and mounted on wooden board frames. In a recent interview with Tadias Aida said the show was inspired by one of her favorite books “So Long A Letter” — a semi-autobiographical novel originally written in French by the Senegalese author Mariama Bâ.

“In a sense it was my ‘So Long Letter’ to all the women in the country who often go unrecognized or are under-appreciated in our society,” Aida said. “I have always loved the book and the fact that it was written in a letter format.”

Aida said the book left a lasting impression on her because the author was exploring issues that were close to home: “Women in Africa.” She added: “With this in mind, I wanted to do an exhibition featuring all the various women that I had encountered in the course of the almost six years that I have lived here in Addis Ababa.”

Aida, who returned to Ethiopia in 2007, was born in 1974, but left the country when she was five years old and spent an itinerant childhood between Yemen and England. After several years in a boarding school in Cyprus, she finally settled in Canada in 1985.

In 2000, Aida graduated with a degree in Film from Howard University in Washington, D.C. She later worked as a photojournalist for the Washington Post exhibiting her work in-between throughout the United States. Her images are part of the permanent collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art, the Museum of Biblical Art, as well as various private galleries and collections in New York and across the country.

Today, Aida said, she finds herself in the middle of a thriving art movement in Ethiopia. “I have to say that the art scene here in Addis has flourished more than one can imagine and I would have to give recognition to the many artists and groups who are fighting the good fight to bring art into the forefront of society,” she noted. “The younger artists are exhibiting in various spaces and I have to say that almost every week there is an opening, this to me is a promising factor for the future of contemporary art in Ethiopia.”

Through her solo exhibitions as well as her work as Founder and Director of the first annual international photography festival, Addis Foto Fest, in Ethiopia, Aida is an active participant and organizer in the burgeoning local arts scene that has begun to attract increased worldwide attention. She emphasized that she continues to curate and develop cultural projects with domestic and global institutions through her company DESTA (Developing and Educating Society Through Art), a creative consulting venture based in Addis Ababa.

“We have to move from the shadows of our artists of the past and carve out our own visual language, which is happening even amidst the criticism and lack of support from older generation artists,” she argued. “With all of that said, we are all in our own way walking down the long path of doing something that we believe in and feel passionate about.”

Regarding the process of putting together her most recent exhibition Aida said it was a two-part project. “The classical black and white images that most often people recognize from my work was one part,” she explained. “Which came about by editing through my archives of images that I have shot in the past six years.” She added: “The other part is new work that I created, which is more of a personal design on combining image, pen drawing and paint. On the selection, the material used also has leather and in a sense for me its bringing together digital and analog forms of expression into one frame.”
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You can learn more about the show and Addis Foto Fest on Facebook.

Related:
Video: Tadias interview with Aida Muluneh taped in New York in 2010 (Tadias Magazine)

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Featured, History

The African Union Turns 50: Voices From Ethiopia — Past and Present

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Tadias Magazine
By Nuhamin Daniel and Benno Muechler

Updated: Saturday, May 25th, 2013

Addis Ababa (TADIAS) – It must have been some time around 1970. Solomon Kurabachew doesn’t remember exactly when he met his future wife, but at the time he was employed as an accountant at the OAU, where Lakatch, now his wife of 40 years, also worked as a secretary. In a recent interview at their home here in Addis Ababa, the couple shared with us their memories of how they met each other because of their work at the Organization of African Unity, which is the predecessor to the African Union (AU). On Saturday, May 25th the AU celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Each day after work, Solomon said, he drove home with two colleagues past the Emperor’s palace. And on the way once he spotted Lakatch and two of her friends waiting for a taxi. “So, one day when the three of us saw them again, we thought: ‘Oh, these girls are always standing here,'” Solomon recalled. “Why not give them a lift?” At first, Mr. Solomon said, the connection started out as “Selam and ciao.”

“Then lastly, me and one of my friends decided to talk to them so my friend and I stepped out of the car –one of the guys stayed in the car –and we said hello to the women and offered to give them a lift,” he remembered. “They said ‘No.'” But that was before Lakatch relented in giving him her phone number.

When Solomon began working at OAU in 1968, Mobutu Sese Seko was the chairman and the OAU’s nickname was the ‘Dictators’ Club.’ The heavily criticized institution is still a work in progress, but over the past five decades it has also been source of job security for many professionals like Solomon and Lakatch. And in recent years the newly inaugurated state-of-the-art conference center and office complex — a $200 million gift from the government of China — has added to the local economic boom.

For Fantahun Haile Michael, AU’s current project coordinator, the entity is not perfect, but “It’s the the only continental forum we do have.”

In an interview at his office inside the new building, Mr. Fantahun, who previously served as Ethiopia’s ambassador to North Korea and Zimbabwe, said the AU has no power to make binding decisions for all of Africa’s 54 states, but it does its best given all the constraints.

“Ultimately we’re trying to change the continent in order to better, for good, the lives of African citizens,” he said. As to his own employment at the AU: “It’s not about thinking about our own life, our well-being because we’re paid well,” he said. “That’s not something that should give us ultimate happiness. Ultimate happiness is how much we’re trying to change Africa.”

There sat another gentleman under a tree in the morning sun, dressed in a worn-out gray sweater, outside the AU compound, away from the basketball court, where from Mr. Fantahun’s office window view a few women played dribble. Teshome Kinfe Woldegiorgis, 24, is waiting for customers. Teshome washes cars and makes about 100 Birr a day, that’s before he quit his job at the AU that paid less.

“When I started at the AU, I was really excited,” said Teshome who made 400 Birr a month. “But that changed when I saw how conditions were.

Teshome grew up in the neighborhood around AU. After finishing grade 10 at school, he tried to make ends meet as a shoe shiner. One of his customers worked at the AU and got him a job as a waiter. Teshome served top officials like UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. After two years, he left his job.

“I remember that my feet were bleeding one day because I had to walk so much. And all that for only 400 Birr a month. I applied for other jobs that were better paid, but I never got a reply. You spend the whole day with top officials like the AU chairperson, Jean Ping. But you can’t even afford a new pair of pants with the money you earn every month.“

Kebede Assefa is one of those city residents who had to move to make way for the construction of the new AU building. He works as a barber some hundred meters down the street in a district of huts made of mud and iron sheet. A smelly river with yellow foam on the surface meanders under a bridge. The area will be demolished soon. Fortunately, this time, the city gave those losing their properties at least new housing. It was different when his old dwelling was demolished some years ago, he said. He is still waiting for compensation. Nevertheless, Mr. Kebede, who has only one leg since his car accident and now cuts hair while leaning on a crutch, thinks positively of the AU. “What can you say if the area here is to be developed?” he asked. “This district is really ugly. We need to grow. Why should it remain like this?”

At Solomon and Lakatch’s living room, “It was love at first sight,” Lakatch said, after Solomon noted that she had given him her phone number on his second try. Like the AU, the family of Solomon and Lakatch has grown since the early 1970s. The pictures of their four married children and five grandchildren hang on the walls of their living room. Also, just like the AU, the couple moved to a new home. While this one is much smaller and was not built by the Chinese, the old house next door accommodates a Taiwanese and a German who would probably have never come to Addis if the AU had not made the city become a regional center for aid agencies and the international media.

Mr. Solomon left the OAU in 1986 and worked at the delegation of the European Union in Addis until his retirement age. Maybe the AU will become an EU one day, he said. “Yes, working at the EU was more comfortable, but having double the number of EU member states makes life also more difficult for the AU.”

“At the African Union, on the other hand, there are so many different characters,” Mr. Solomon said while Lakatch boiled coffee in a pot placed on charcoal in the background. “It’s not a small organization. There are the French, the English-speaking, the Arabs. There are a lot of communication gaps between us. But at the EU, there are only two languages — French and English. You can communicate, you can understand each other.”
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Nuhamin Daniel is a journalist based in Addis Ababa. Benno Muechler is a freelance correspondent for German Public Radio (Deutschlandfunk) from Ethiopia.
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Related:
Photos: United Nations Marks OAU-AU 50th Anniversary (TADIAS)
AU Celebrates At Landmark Summit in Ethiopia (Video)
Ketema Yifru: The Architect Behind the OAU (The Ethiopian Reporter)
The OAU: Fifty years on (BBC News)
African Union Celebrates 50th Year (AP)
Watch: AU anniversary video spotlight (Economist)
Yadesa Bojia Reflects on African Union Flag on 50th Anniversary (TADIAS)
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Art, Featured

Yadesa Bojia Reflects on African Union Flag on 50th Anniversary

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Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Updated: Monday, May 20th, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – On the evening of September 28th, 2009, Yadesa Bojia, an Ethiopian American artist based in Seattle, Washington, was babysitting his children at home while watching CNN when he recognized an image on the TV screen of one of his artworks. “That’s my design!” he exclaimed. He was looking at the new African Union flag created using a sketch that he had submitted for competition two years earlier. “By then I had almost forgotten about it because at that point I had not yet heard back from AU,” Yadesa (a.k.a. Yaddi) recalled in a recent interview with Tadias.

Yaddi spotted the flag on Lary King Live whose guest was Muammar Gaddafi, the Chairman of the African Union as well as the head of the African Union Commission (AUC) at the time. The Commission was tasked to come up with an updated insignia for the continental body, and the interview conducted at the Libyan Mission in New York showed Gaddafi flanked by the new banner. “I could not believe my eyes,” Yaddi said.

Immediately, Yaddi contacted the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa to enquire about the new flag. “What flag?” the perplexed women on the other end of the receiver replied. “Sir, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“To top it off the next morning there was Gaddafi again on CNN wearing my design all over his clothing,” Yaddi remembered laughing. “I was losing my mind.”

Yaddi would eventually learn that his work was selected earlier that year by the Commission out of approximately 127 entries submitted in the span of two years from artists residing in several African countries and including two contestants from the Diaspora.

Three months after he first saw the flag on CNN, Yaddi finally received a formal letter from the African Union announcing the adoption of his design as the continent’s new emblem. The letter included an invitation along with a paid travel package for him and his family to attend the flag’s inauguration ceremony during the 14th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State held in Addis Ababa on January 31st, 2010.

The design depicts a green Africa, the color portray the hopes and aspirations of the continent, resting on rays of a white sun that symbolizes the people’s desire for friendship and co-existence with all countries around the planet. The map is circled by a ring of golden stars each representing member states, wealth and a bright future.

“I was told by an official from the Ethiopian ministry of Foreign Affairs that when Meles found out the winner was an Ethiopian, he told them to go find the guy,” he said. “Once I got to Addis, on the second day of events, I was approached by the protocol chief who informed me that the Prime Minister wanted to see me. So my wife and I had the chance to meet with the PM privately who told me that he was proud of my work.” He added: “In addition, I also met with President Zuma of South Africa, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete and other leaders who were very complimentary of the flag. Not to mention the five hours I spent with President Girma Wolde-Giorgis at the national palace.”


(Courtesy photos)

Although he received wide publicity in Ethiopia, Yaddi pointed out that his favorite moments were in the subsequent days spent in Addis, where people who recognized him would come up to him to give him a hug and a kiss. “A street vendor gave me a coin from the Menelik era that he was selling,” said Yaddi fighting back tears. “He sternly protested my offer to pay. The man told me that he just wanted to show his appreciation to me and he did not want any money for it.”

Yaddi says he continues to be proud of his contribution to AU and Ethiopia’s role over the past 50 years under starkly different successive regimes in keeping the organization alive. He is reminded of a forceful defense of this legacy by the late PM Meles Zenawi during his tenure as Prime Minister when there was a concerted effort to move the head office outside of Ethiopia.

“It was people like Nyerere, Nkrumah, who decided that Addis Ababa should be the headquarters of the OAU; Addis Ababa ruled at that stage by Emperor Haile Selassie,” Meles had argued. “Who trained Mandela? Who supported Mugabe in his fight against Rhodesia?” Meles asked. “There is one fact that nobody can deny — that irrespective of who is ruling Ethiopia, Ethiopia has always been committed to African independence and liberation.”

Indeed, it was 50 years ago this month that under the leadership of Emperor Haile Selassie 32 heads of state signed the founding charter to AU’s predecessor the Organization of African Unity (OAU). And to mark the occasion, Yaddi said, he has collaborated with his friend reggae musician Iré Taylor (Reginald Taylor) for a poetic and musical tribute.

“I wanted to commemorate the Golden Jubilee by remembering those who worked hard to establish the OAU, leaders like Haile Selassie, and applaud the Union’s historic and unwavering stand against apartheid in South Africa, as well as the present economic promise of African Nations and the selection of the first woman chair,” he said.

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You can watch the video on You Tube here. The music is also available on iTunes, spotify, Amazon, and Zune.
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Watch: African Union New Flag Design Winner Yadessa Zewege on ETV

Watch: ETV Interview Part 2

Watch: Tanzania’s President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete Poses for a photo with Yadesa Bojia

Watch: African Union African Union Yaddi & Iré (Official Music video)

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Related:
Photos: United Nations Marks OAU-AU 50th Anniversary (TADIAS)
Yadesa Bojia Interview with Voice of America
Moammar Gadhafi on Larry King 9/28/09
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Events, Featured

Ethiopia: Colours of the Nile Film Festival Announces Call for Entries‏

Tadias Magazine
Events News

Published: Wednesday, May 23, 2012

New York (TADIAS) – Africa’s newest film fest, the Colours of the Nile International Film Festival (CNIFF), announced its call for entries, open now through the submission deadline ending in late August. The festival is scheduled to take place in Addis Ababa from October 24th to October 28th.

According to organizers, the event is sponsored by the Blue Nile Film & Television Academy and the Ethiopian Filmmakers Association, and aims to highlight excellence in African film production, while hoping to attract audiences from the entertainment community and the continent’s burgeoning movie industry.

“I’m honored to have the chance to artistically oversee a festival that is truly devoted to the promotion of Africa Cinema” said Abraham Haile Biru, Director of CNIFF, in a statement. “We are looking forward to submissions from renowned African filmmakers and emerging talents in the different categories of CNIFF competitions.”

The press release noted that the categories for this year include feature length fiction films, short fiction films, feature length documentaries and short documentaries. Organizers said that competitions are judged by an international jury consisting of filmmakers and industry professionals.
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You can learn more about rules and requirements for film submission at www.coloursofthenile.net.

Featured, Interviews

How Ethiopian Music Went Global: Interview with Francis Falceto

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Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Published: Friday, May 18, 2012

New York (TADIAS) – In November 1987, when Francis Falceto, an editor with the French label Buda Musique, traveled to Washington, D.C. to finalize a licensing deal with Ethiopian producer Amha Eshete, owner of Amha Records who held the rights to the treasure trove of Ethiopian music from the 1960’s and 1970’s – little did he know that it would take another decade for the contract to be completed. But the result has been an astonishing twenty-seven volumes of the éthiopiques CD series, which has propelled Ethiopian music on the world stage in the last ten years and introduced the sounds of Ethio-jazz to audiences and musicians far and wide.

“Unfortunately, Amha was then in exile, and had no documents with him to allow the retrieval of the discs that had been initially manufactured, and where the recordings masters were still kept,” Francis said in a recent interview with Tadias Magazine. “We had to wait for the fall of the Derg and the return of Amha to his motherland to start tracing consistently the ‘holy’ masters.” He added: “After several years of intense tracking down, we finally located most of Amha Records masters in Athens, Greece. The day of February 1997 when I could go to Athens and get back these pieces of Ethiopian heritage has been one of the happiest day in my life, truly. By October 1997, the first éthiopiques CD were released. I had in mind then to produce a dozen, no more. But very quickly, other Ethiopian producers and artists came to me asking ‘I’d like to be part of éthiopiques… Ali Tango of Kaifa Records, whom I had befriended since my first trip to Ethiopia, joined promptly, then Tilahun Gessesse himself – another happy day in my life – and other artists. That’s how I have released 27 volumes up to now, and intend to reach possibly 34 or 35, hopefully, to complete this task.”

Over the years Francis has established enduring friendships in Ethiopia. But he is also aware of rumors and complaints about his motives. “Bizu meqegna alegn”, he said, using the Amharic word for people who wish ill-will on others. “Naturally, the fact that a ferenj takes care of such a marathonian project dealing with Ethiopian music heritage has also generated some suspicions.” He added: “The simple truth is that I did it because I could not see anybody, Ethiopian or foreigner, intending to do so. I would really love to be just a purchaser of ready-made éthiopiques, re-released by anybody else, and in a nicer way if possible. I would avoid then many headaches and complications.”

Francis said his admiration for world music dates back more than thirty years and is not limited to only Ethiopia. “I am basically a music lover, having started by 1977 to work in the frame of a non-profit organization presenting all kinds of concerts, both modern and traditional, but mostly devoted to rare, non-commercial, experimental or innovative music,” he said. “Then I have been a curator, programing for venues and festivals before I became a full time searcher in Ethiopian music history, basically freelance but related to the French Centre of Ethiopian Studies in Addis Ababa.”

As to those who tease him about the name of his employer, Buda Musique, which sounds exactly like the local word for “evil eye,” Francis said: “Let me say that its name “Buda Musique” is just a coincidence and has no reference at all to the buda and zar thing in Ethiopia,” he joked. “The company name used to exist long before I collaborated with this record label.” He added: “Buda Musique is a private record company, a small label mostly devoted to world music. It is not my company, actually, I never had any company. I am just the editor of the éthiopiques and ethioSonic series.”

Francis admits that the success of éthiopiques has been largely limited to media hype and has not translated well for him commercially. “Behind all my research work, full of fun and beauty, there are also a lot of difficulties – like finding the proper lyricists and composers, crediting the real backup musicians, solving the copyright problems, tracing the entitled beneficiaries, etc,” he said. “Curating éthiopiques series requires a lot of perseverance and endurance, and some masochism, probably. And the fact that Ethiopian CDs are available in western music shops doesn’t mean they are hot cakes.”


Francis Falceto in Addis Ababa, 2010. (Photo credit: Maga Bo/flickr)

How about the talk that some artists not being paid royalties? “The most sad and embarrassing remains the maliciousness of a couple of unfair people who have been incredibly benefiting from éthiopiques, in terms of fame but also of royalties and concerts booking, but who give forth endlessly and sick accusations and ignominious lies – almost nothing, so to say, with regard to their dishonor,” he said. “All in all, I have not to complain that much. The work is here to stay, to the satisfaction of a large public, and beyond the inconvenience it provides.”

Francis said there is “a huge gap” between the media coverage of éthiopiques and their market, commercially speaking. “It is just a niche market – which may be hard to believe for Ethiopian nationalist pride,” he continued. “Not to mention the Ethiopian culture of piracy since the invention of the cassette, or the piracy on internet.”

He points out that not all responses from Ethiopians have been negative. “The feedback from Ethiopia and Ethiopians is mostly warm and supportive,” Francis said. “After all, éthiopiques CD series is not only spreading Ethiopian music worldwide, much beyond my own initial expectation, but also reviving a glorious and unforgettable past of Ethiopia and Ethiopians.” He added: “I am especially touched by Ethiopians who e-mail me their remembrance and describe their emotions. It is not only the ones who were teenagers in the Ethiopian ’50’s and ’60’s who write to me, because it was the soundtrack of their generation, it is also their children, often raised abroad, and many of them are amazed by the music of their parents’ generation. I had never anticipated that éthiopiques could also contribute to reset Ethiopian memories and be a kind of funky bridge between the generations.”

Is he working on any upcoming projects? “I am presently working on Ali Birra, Kassa Tessemma and Muluken Melesse for éthiopiques, as well as on Daniel Techane and Trio Kazenchis for ethioSonic,” he said.

The latter is an impressive collection of music from notable musicians including Getachew Mekurya & The Ex, Debo Band, Either/Orchestra, Jazzmaris, Abegaz & Jorg, and Kronos Quartet. “Another phenomenon that I had never anticipated at all is the development that Ethiopian music has met worldwide after éthiopiques,” Francis said.

He said he is not nostalgic of the Empire time, but he does feel concerned by the state of Ethiopian music today. “Seeing its bad present situation, I thought that I should find a way to support and promote the best exceptions, and ethioSonic series is the solution I found,” he said. “As I don’t want to spend another ten years to establish the series through individual CDs, I have decided to release this large collection of 28 bands from 10 countries in order to show massively the evidence of Ethiopian music influence worldwide. I do intend to focus in the future on individual talents based in Ethiopia and the Diaspora, because there is more than one Ethiopian artist of international standard.”

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Related:
Amha Eshete & Contribution of Amha Records to Modern Ethiopian Music

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Featured, News, Profiles

WEF Africa 2012: Bethlehem T. Alemu Named Social Entrepreneur of the Year

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Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Published: Thursday, May 10, 2012

New York (TADIAS) – As the World Economic Forum’s meeting on Africa wraps up in Ethiopia, The Schwab Foundation announced six winners of the Social Entrepreneur of the Year in Africa award that were presented at the Addis Ababa event on Thursday by the Forum’s Founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab. The winners include Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu of Ethiopia, Co-Founder and Managing Director of SoleRebels; Sameer Hajee of Rwanda, Chief Executive Officer of Nuru Energy Group; Paul Scott Matthew of South Africa, Director of North Star Alliance Africa; Andrew Muir, also from South Africa who is Executive Director of Wilderness Foundation; and Seri Youlou & Thomas Granier of Burkina Faso, Co-Founders of the Association la Voute Nubienne.

According to The Schwab Foundation, the awardees are among a group of the foundation’s 17 social entrepreneurs from around the world who took part in the meeting. “Africa has seen tremendous growth over the past decade,” said Hilde Schwab, Co-founder and Chairperson of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. “Social entrepreneurs use innovative approaches to extend access to healthcare, education, energy and housing to marginalized populations that may not otherwise be included in the traditional markets. They ensure that growth, such as that Africa has experienced, is and will be inclusive.”

“I am truly honored that the Schwab Foundation Board has chosen to recognize me in this manner,” the Ethiopian winner Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu said in a statement. “I proudly share this recognition with every single one of the talented, industrious, committed and cultured people who everyday work alongside me to make soleRebels what it is – the coolest artisan driven footwear company on the planet.”

The ceremony, which was broadcast live via a web-stream on the forum’s website, was attended by hundreds of global leaders from various sectors and dignitaries from around the continent, including former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the secretary-general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Bekele Geleta, and heads of state from South Africa, Rwanda, Nigeria, Tanzania, Gambia, Gabon, and host nation Ethiopia.

“We deeply believe that economic as well as social progress can best be achieved through entrepreneurship.” said Schwab Foundation Chairman & co-founder Klaus Schwab. “Bethlehem embodies the vision and values of the global social entrepreneur community, and we are proud to honor her exemplary work in creating a highly innovative, ethical and sustainable business that continues to make a strong social impact with this special award.”

The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship was founded by Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, and his wife, Hilde. Since its inception in 2000, the foundation has recognized the world’s leading social entrepreneurs in over 40 countries.
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Below are the 2012 Social Entrepreneurs of the Year in Africa:

Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, Co-Founder and Managing Director, SoleRebels, Ethiopia
SoleRebels taps into Ethiopia’s rich artisan heritage to create durable, stylish and eco-friendly footwear for international markets. The company offers training and employment to hundreds of underprivileged workers in Ethiopia, creating a new employment model for local enterprises. By using recycled automobile tires for the rubber soles and other environmentally friendly practices, soleRebels is committed to a zero carbon footprint.

Sameer Hajee, Chief Executive Officer, Nuru Energy Group, Rwanda
With many homes in sub-Saharan Africa not connected to electricity grids, Nuru Energy works with microentrepreneurs to disseminate its Nuru LED light, which can be recharged using an off-grid, pedal-powered platform. The LED light gives up to 26 hours of light and costs one-sixth of kerosene to recharge. To date, Nuru Energy has set up 70 village-level entrepreneurs who have sold 10,000 Nuru lights.

Paul Scott Matthew, Director Africa, North Star Alliance, South Africa
In the 1990s, Paul Matthew saw the alarming impacts of HIV/AIDS on mobile workers such as truck drivers and realized these workers lacked access to basic healthcare. North Star Alliance provides mobile workers and related communities with sustainable access to high-quality health and safety services through a network of interlinked clinics known as “Roadside Wellness Centres”. Since opening its first center in 2005 in Malawi, North Star has grown to 22 centers in 10 countries.

Andrew Muir, Executive Director, Wilderness Foundation, South Africa
The Wilderness Foundation, founded in 1972, integrates conservation programmes with social and educational programmes. It has trained thousands of youth to be community leaders and national park rangers. Through its social intervention projects, young people are empowered to become financially independent entrepreneurs andbreadwinners for their families. Under the stewardship of the Wilderness Foundation, over 200 000 hectares of African wilderness has been rehabilitated and expanded in the interests of conservation and environmental protection. More than 100 000 disadvantaged/vulnerable youth have benefited from the Wilderness Foundation through our social intervention and environmental education programmes.

Seri Youlou and Thomas Granier, Co-Founders, Association la Voute Nubienne, Burkina Faso
More than a decade ago, Seri Youlou, a farmer from Burkina Faso, and Thomas Granier, a French mason, built a Nubian vault home in Burkina Faso that inspired them to establish the Association la Vaute Nubienne. By training farmers in the construction of homes with vaulted earth-brick roofs they are providing an affordable, ecologically sustainable housing alternative and source of income during the off-seasons. Today, more than 200 masons have built over 1,300 Nubian vault homes in West Africa.
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Related:
Balancing Economic Growth With True Sustainability (The Huffington Post)
World Economic Forum on Africa Goes Social (Voice of America)
Addis Ababa Hosts World Economic Forum & Ethiopia Investment Summit (TADIAS)

Featured, News

Addis Ababa Hosts World Economic Forum & Ethiopia Investment Summit

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Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Published: Monday, May 7, 2012

New York (TADIAS) – The Lion Economies – a term coined by the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company two-years-ago to describe the seven out of ten fastest economies currently located in Africa – is also the slogan being used to promote the 2012 “Ethiopia Investment Summit” that is scheduled to take place at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) building in Addis Ababa this week. The event is timed to coincide with the World Economic Forum’s meeting on Africa set to commence at the Sheraton Addis on Wednesday.

“The medium to longer-term goal is to change the image of Ethiopia from Live Aid to an emerging African frontier market,” says Henok Assefa, an investment and finance adviser based in Addis Ababa, whose company Precise Consult International is organizing the UNECA conference. “In the short run, we hope to initiate profitable and job creating opportunities for investors and for the country.”

But does not reinventing Ethiopia’s image abroad, begin at home, where it remains mostly a one-party-rule, and locked in chronic-poverty, corruption, embezzlement, and the muzzling of journalists?

“I’m not saying this to support the Government’s position,” Henok said. He points to a report by The Economist magazine published in December 2011 entitled The Hopeful Continent: Africa Rising, which gave a positive economic assessment for several African countries, including Ethiopia. “For me, whether you take the Ethiopian Government’s 11% growth numbers or you look at those alternatively suggested by the IMF at around 8%, you’re still talking about incredible growth in this country,” he said. “In fact, Ethiopia is expected to be the best performer, with The Economist Intelligence Unit forecasting the country to be the fastest growing in Africa and the third fastest in the world for the period 2011-2015.”

According to Henok, the UNECA conference will serve as a platform for foreign investors to explore Ethiopia as an investment destination. “It is designed to create a network and partnership between local CEOs and foreign CEOs and policymakers against the background of a discussion about investment opportunities and challenges in Ethiopia,” he said.


Henok Assefa, Managing Partner of Precise Consult International PLC. (Courtesy photo)

Returning to lack of political space, transparency and free-press? What is the impact on safe-investment? “I wholeheartedly believe that in this day and age, there is only one direction and that is free market and democracy,” Henok continued. “There will undoubtedly be many ups and downs in the process, which may frustrate many people.”

“We think Ethiopia offers immense opportunities in agro-processing for instance,” he said. “Food production is a major challenge at a global level these days with the earth struggling to support up to 9 billion people soon.”

How about the contentious issue of large-scale farm acquisitions by outside companies and individuals, which human rights organizations say causes various negative impacts on local communities and the environment? “The land grab issue does not worry me and should not worry investors,” said Henok, who attended Fordham University in New York and worked for the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce for more than four years before he moved back to Ethiopia to set up his consulting office a few years back. “I’m not sure how it is in other African countries but I’m confident that Ethiopia will be a winner when it comes to agricultural.” He added: “In fact, the potential for increased food production, tax revenues, foreign currency earnings, business opportunities for small business in upstream and downstream agro-industries, and finally employment up and down the chain could amount to billions of dollars within just a few years. For me, the alternative of sitting there and staring at this golden land for another 1000 years is clearly not an option. The NGOs who are making noise will get paid for doing so. Unfortunately, we can’t feed our people on NGO noise. Despite all the challenges, Ethiopia is an incredibly safe and stable country.”
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You can learn more about the 2012 Ethiopia Investment Summit here. More information about the World Economic Forum can be found at www.weforum.org.
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Watch: World Economic Forum on Africa 2012

Events, Featured, News

2012 Hub of Africa Fashion Week Opens in Addis Ababa

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Tadias Magazine
Events News

Published: Tuesday, April 24, 2012

New York (TADIAS) – The 2012 Hub of Africa Fashion Week opens today in Addis Ababa as part of an expo called “Origin Africa” – an annual event organized by The African Cotton and Textile Industries Federation (ACTIF) – to highlight apparel and accessories produced in the continent. The runway show is taking place at the African Union Conference center through April 27th.

The theme for this year’s show is environmentally friendly latest-style. “All designers have been asked to create a line which emphasizes sustainable development and eco fashion,” Clairvoyant Marketing Agency, one of the sponsors, announced in a press release. “They will also take part in the production of a short documentary, which will highlight the path taken in the creation process of their brand.”

The list of participating designers include Duaba Serwa from Ghana, CrossWord CW of Nigeria, twin sisters Ayaan and Idyl Mohallim representing Somalia with their line Mantaano, as well as Ethiopian designer Fikirte Addis, who won the Origin Africa Mauritius designers showcase in 2011 where DHL became her logistical partner.

Other designers hail from Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, The Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Africa, the press release said.

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You can learn more about the show at www.thehubfashionweek.com, or at www.origin-africa.org.

Featured, News

Eight Artists Selected for Sundance Institute Theatre Workshop in Addis

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Tadias Magazine
Art Talk

Published: Monday, April 16, 2012

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — Sundance Institute today announced eight artists selected to participate in its 2012 Theatre Stage Directors Workshop that is underway in Addis Ababa this week. They are Tesfaye Eshetu Habtu of Ethiopia, Habiba Issa of Tanzania, Aida Mbowa of Uganda, Rogers Otieno of Kenya, Wesley Ruzibiza of Rwanda, Freddy Sabimbona of Burundi, Azeb Worku Sibane of Ethiopia, and Surafel Wondimu of Ethiopia.

“The one-week exchange and development program taking place throughout the week is part of the Sundance Institute East Africa (SIEA) initiative, which supports the work of theatre artists in East Africa by creating exchange and exposure opportunities between U.S. artists and East African writers, directors, and performers,” the organization said in a press release.

“Sundance Institute has long believed that the best way to support artistic growth is by offering hands-on experiences and collaboration with other artists,” said Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute. “In that spirit, the Theatre Stage Directors Workshop has brought together a range of theatre artists from across the creative spectrum to collaborate on their new work.”

“In the tenth year of our East Africa initiative, we continue to let our previous experiences in the region refine the structure of our program and the support we offer,” said Himberg. “By focusing our efforts this year on the directorial process, our hope is to contribute to the growth of creative leaders in the region and by doing so, stellar work for future audiences to enjoy.”

Below are bios of the participating artists courtesy of Sundance Institute:

Tesfaye Eshetu Habtu (Ethiopia) was born in 1982 in Merawi, located in West Gojjam, Ethiopia. At Teachers’ College, he received a diploma in History. Tesfaye entered Addis Ababa University’s School of Theatre Arts and received his BA degree with great distinction. He joined the faculty of the School of Theatre Arts and has been teaching as a Lecturer in Drama and Theatre for the past three years, while completing an MA in Cultural Studies. Inspired to work as a theatre director, Tesfaye has directed nine traditional dramas from different regions of Ethiopia, all of which were filmed and presented on Ethiopian national television. One of these productions was presented at the 2008 East African Theatre Institute (EATI) Festival in Addis Ababa, winning First Prize. He worked as an Assistant Director on the feature length film Our Local Artists. Amongst other writings, Tesfaye published his article Historical Evolution and the Ethiopian Drama in Multicultural Societies.

Habiba Issa (Tanzania) has been working as an actress and stage director since completing her degree at the Bagamoyo College of Arts, Tanzania in 2003. She directed the play Dhamana Mabatini written by Godwin Kaduma. In 2007, she directed Kuku na Mayai Yake. After that she was named the Artistic Director at The Parapanda Theatre Lab Trust in Dar es Salaam. Two of her most successful productions with Parapanda (Tanzania’s leading theatre company) were Mfalme Salatani na Mwanawe Guidon by Alexander Pushkin in 2010, and Nguzo Mama by Penina Muhando in 2011. Habiba seeks to become a more knowledgeable person with independent thinking about composing and directing stage works so that she can share that information with her colleagues at Parapanda (“the mother of stage arts in Tanzania”) and other Tanzanian artists.

Aida Mbowa (Uganda) is a Ugandan director and scholar presently pursing a dual PhD in Drama and Humanities at Stanford University, focusing on dramatic literature and music in the wake of political movements, such as decolonization in East Africa and the African American Black Power Movement. In 2009, she co-directed a multi-media multidisciplinary performance with 10 Stanford students in collaboration with students and practitioners from Makerere University in Kampala, which performed at both the Uganda National Theater and at Stanford University. Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, Aida studied in East Africa with the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts International and completed her Bachelor’s degree, graduating magna cum laude with a BA in Performance and Identity Studies from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. In June 2011, she moved back to East Africa to finish writing her dissertation Dialogic Constructions of a New Black Aesthetic: East Africa and African America, 1952-1979. She has two articles en route to publication. The first, Abbey Lincoln’s Singing Screaming and the Sonic Liberatory Potential Thereafter, will appear in New Perspectives on Performance Studies: Music Across the Disciplines (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2012). The second article, Between Nationalism and Pan-Africanism: Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s Independence Men, will appear in the anthology Revisiting Modernization in Africa, currently under review with University of Indiana Press.

Rogers Otieno (Kenya), born in rural Kenya and known to his friends as ‘Rojeh’, is one of the brightest young faces of Kenya’s emerging arts scene. An avid performer from childhood, his first stage was the top of his school room desk where he would mimic his teachers. After school he joined a church performance group, which eventually led him to work at the Kenya National Theatre where he learned the ropes of professional theatre. For the past three years, Rogers was the Associate Director in charge of training at Nairobi’s The Theatre Company. Rogers’ original play My Moving Home holds the record for longest running play in Kenya in 2010. Performed in Kiswahili, Sheng (Kenyan street-slang) and English, the play uses music, narration and largely improvised dialogue to imitate the interactive style of street theatre that Rogers feels is closest to the East African traditional method, allowing for interaction with the audience. Rogers has also performed on several Kenyan television programs. For the last 11 years, he has been involved in performance, producing and directing live events throughout Kenya and internationally.

Wesley Ruzibiza (Rwanda), one of Rwanda’s leading dancers and choreographers, is a 2010 Sundance Institute Theatre Lab on Manda alum. Born in Congo in 1980, Wesley began studying contemporary dance in 2000, at the National University of Rwanda. He trained in African contemporary dance techniques with Arts Azimuts, part of the University Centre for Arts & Drama. His professional training continues both nationally and abroad, including through artists’ exchanges and Germaine Acoigny’s renowned Ecole des Sables in Dakar, Senegal. Appointed as head of Dance Department in 2002, he has given workshops on contemporary dance at the NUR University Centre for Arts & Drama and at various programs in Rwanda and abroad. Wesley’s choreographic pieces have been showcased for major cultural events, such as the opening of the Panafrican Festival of Dance (FESPAD), Rwanda’s Heroes’ Day, Genocide Commemoration Day, and the Under 20 African Soccer Cup. Wesley was selected for a choreographic training in Ouagadougou and Paris, which led to the creation of the first professional contemporary dance group in Rwanda, the Amizero Company, of which he is now the director. Amizero Kompagnie’s play Baho won the Silver Medal for Rwanda at the Sixth Annual Jeux de la Francophonie, Lebanon. Wesley holds a B.A. in Dance in Traditional and Contemporary African Style from Ecole de Sables. Wesley has also worked with an international multicultural project for children, The Longest Story in the World, touring in countries including Romania, The UK, and Bangladesh.

Freddy Sabimbona (Burundi), actor, director, producer and journalist – as well as the founding Director of the satirical comedy group Troupe Lampyre – started directing in 2007 with a play entitled Le retour d’un jeune homme responsable qui s’abstient after working for five years as an actor in Bujumbura, Burundi. Born in Washington DC in 1982, Freddy studied at the Lumière University Faculty of Law before turning to a career in the performing arts. Since founding Troupe Lampyre, he has participated in numerous international festivals and various programs focused on resolving ethnic conflict, including travels in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, L’Ile de La Réunion and France. In July 2011, he directed Mr. President, a play which talks about politics in Burundi from 1988 until 1993.

Azeb Worku Sibane (Ethiopia) lives and works in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She has worked professionally for more than 15 years in diverse roles including actress, production manager, translator, theatre director and playwright. Sibane has performed at Ethiopia’s National Theatre since 1992 and has appeared in works such as Ha-hu Weyim Pe-Pu by Laureate Tsegaye Gebremedhin and Keadmas Bashahge by Bealu Girma. In 2006 Sibane directed and acted in Eight Women, originally a French comedy drama that she also translated. The production was staged entirely by women, empowering women in Ethiopia to realize professional works successfully. Additionally, she has performed in numerous plays at the Addis Ababa Cultural Center and in live transmissions at the Ethiopia National Radio. In 2007 Sibane performed at The Swedish Theatre Biennale in Örebro as part of the Performing Arts Cooperation between Sweden and East Africa Project (PACSEA), which promoted knowledge and relationship building between the two regions. In 2008 Sibane was selected for an ApexArt Residency in New York City, where she performed The Devil’s Scarf and The Lion’s Whiskers.

Surafel Wondimu (Ethiopia) is a playwright, actor, director, poet, journalist and literary critic born in 1974 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He graduated from Addis Ababa University (AAU) with degrees in English Literature and in Contemporary Cultural Studies from the Institute of Ethiopian Studies. Currently, Surafel serves on the AAU Faculty of Humanities as a Lecturer and Assistant Dean. He also runs the private company Aesop Communication, which runs a weekly 19-hour radio program on FM 97.1. Surafel’s work as an artist and journalist for the Ethiopian National Theater and Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency includes: Sekeken, Death Day Party, Tesfa, The Inspector General, The Hidden Specter, and Dismissed. At the 9th Albugaa Theater Festival in Khartoum, Sudan, Surafel was awarded for writing and direction of his own work. In his academic and artistic endeavors, Surafel grapples with questions that stem from the very locale that he lives in and relates it to his daily life experience in this constantly mutating world. His central question is ‘what does it mean to be human for a citizen of this divided world, an African, and Ethiopian?’. He wants to experiment with forms of Ethiopian folk drama to bring ‘traditional’ dramatic elements into the modern mainstream theater, thereby redefining the epistemological location of Ethiopian theater.
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Learn more about the Sundance Institute’s theatre program at www.sundance.org.

Related:
Sundance Institute East Africa Presents Reading by Meaza Worku Berehanu

Events, News

Ethiopia: Africa 2012 World Economic Forum to Feature Sole Rebels

Tadias Magazine
Events News

Published: Sunday, April 8, 2012

New York (TADIAS) – The upcoming World Economic Forum on Africa that will be held in Addis Ababa from May 9th to 11th highlights the green footwear company Sole Rebels as a business model for inclusive growth and sustainable development in the continent. The private venture has been listed as part of the official forum program with designated site visits to its factory and store by delegates. Sole Rebel’s founder and CEO Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, who was one of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders last year, is also featured as one of the speakers at forum’s ‘Innovators’ panel. The two-day meeting, which brings together leaders in business, politics, academia and other areas, includes a variety of discussions revolving around this year’s theme: “Shaping Africa’s Transformation: New Models.”

“Grassroots, authentic growth is the key to powering global growth.” David Aikman, Senior Director of the World Economic Forum, said in a statement, adding “Bethlehem has done this and so much more. Her vision and her achievement of equitable and sustainable growth is spectacular and we are very excited that she will be sharing her ideas on this key panel of African Innovators.”

Bethlehem said she his honored by the opportunity. “I am very excited to be invited,” she said. “I have never thought of myself as an innovator per se, but rather I see myself as part of a larger group of talented people who when they combine these talents have succeeded in creating the first global African consumer brand while creating wealth and prosperity in our home community.”


Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, Founder & CEO, Sole Rebels at 2011 World Economic Forum Dalian, China. (Courtesy Photo)

In her role as a Young Global Leader in 2011, Bethlehem had also been tasked to launch a program in Ethiopia called Global Shapers as a key initiative to tap into the ideas and energy of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Shapers Community in order to tackle the growing youth unemployment crisis. The Global Shapers is a worldwide network of people aged between 20 and 30 who have demonstrated potential for future leadership. According to the World Economic Forum, more than 1.2 billion young people will enter the labour market in the next 10 years with only 300 million jobs awaiting them. WEF notes: “Creating opportunities for them is critical in reducing poverty, promoting social cohesion and ensuring sustainable economic growth.”

Review of the conference agenda shows that the ‘Africa’s Innovators’ pannel will address the issue what technologies and business models have the largest potential for inclusive growth and sustainable development. How can access to affordable and sustainable energy unlock development across all segments of society? How can a new social contract in the extractive industries be created and enforced? How can the continent reap its population dividend while creating shared opportunities for its youth?

The meeting’s co-chairs include Former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, who is currently Chairman of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa and the Africa Progress Panel, as well as Bekele Geleta, Secretary-General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
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Learn more about the World Economic Forum at www.weforum.org.

Related:
Interview with Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu

History, Opinion

Ethiopia: What’s Missing in African Union’s New Building?

46 Comments

Tadias Magazine
History | Editorial

Updated: Saturday, February 11, 2012

New York (TADIAS) – The forecourt of the recently inaugurated African Union building in Addis Ababa – a $200m complex funded by China as a gift to the AU – features a beautiful statue of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, one of the founders of the OAU. It is fitting that Dr. Nkrumah is honored for the role he played in African liberation struggles and the Pan African movement. It is also equally deserving and historically accurate to extend the recognition to other leaders who were involved in the formation of the organization.

On May 25, 1963, less than 22 years after Ethiopia fought and retained her independence from military occupation and annexation into the colony of Italian East Africa, several Heads of State from 32 newly independent African countries gathered in Addis Ababa. The meeting brought together various factions from across the continent that held differing views on how to achieve union among the emerging, decolonized African countries – an issue that also preoccupied the continent’s press and academics at the time.

(Photograph: The statue of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in Addis Ababa. Photo credit: us-africarelations updates)

One such promiment group, “The Casablanca bloc,” led by President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, argued for the federation of all African states. A second group of countries called “The “Monrovian bloc”, led by Léopold Senghor of Senegal, preferred a more gradual economic cooperation. Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia offered a diplomatic solution and brokered the establishment of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), now renamed the African Union (AU). The assembly settled its headquarters in Addis Ababa and entrusted Haile Selassie with the very first of its rotating chairmanships. Gamal Abdul Nassar of Egypt and Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana served as subsequent OAU leaders.

Today, however, we should not only remember the founders of the AU, but also embrace our modern day heros like Nelson Mandela who continue to give us renewed hope that ‘African union’ can be more than a name on a brick tower. By acknowledging our past legacy and embracing current inspiring leaders we can begin to set our sights on a new morning in Africa.
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Related:
A Chinese gift, an Ethiopian omission and a screaming Shame (The Africa Report)
Ethiopians give lacklustre welcome to Kwame Nkrumah statue (The Independent)
AU’s lavish new home hit by statue row (Reuters)
Ethiopia’s Conundrum : A statue for Nkrumah or Selassie? (The Africa Report)
African Union opens Chinese-funded HQ in Ethiopia (BBC)

Video: President John Evans Atta Mills of Ghana Unveils Nkrumah’s Statue In Addis Ababa

Art, Featured

How Fikru Mariam’s $37,500 Painting Saved 3 Ethiopian Children

14 Comments

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Published: Thursday, November 3, 2011

New York (TADIAS) – A painting by the prolific Ethiopian artist Fikru G/Mariam was recently sold in the United States for $37,500 to help pay for surgical expenses of three Ethiopian children with severe spine disease. Fikru, who works from his Addis Ababa and Paris-based studios, has exhibited at prestigious European galleries and cultivated an international following.

Fikru first learned about spine disease from an American doctor named Rick Hodes, who has lived and worked in Ethiopia for over 20 years. Dr. Hodes initially arrived in Ethiopia as a relief worker during the 1984 famine and has remained there ever since. He currently serves as Medical Director of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee in Addis Ababa. His work with severely disabled children, including those with spine diseases, is the subject of the HBO documentary Making the Crooked Straight as well as a book by journalist Marilyn Berger entitled This is a Soul.

Fikru met Dr. Hodes last year at a Thanksgiving dinner in Addis Ababa hosted by mutual friends – a couple from Orlando who are temporarily living in Ethiopia and are collectors of his paintings. “My friends Donald and Barbara Prearson first introduced Dr. Hodes and I at their home,” Fikru told Tadias Magazine. “Rick said he knew about my work from the displays in the house.” He added: “During the dinner Rick told me what he did as a Doctor in Ethiopia, and I was impressed.” Dr. Hodes showed Fikru photos of his spine disease patients. “I can probably say they were the most shocking images I ever saw in my life,” Fikru said of the photographs.

“Spine disease is quite common,” Dr. Hodes said in a recent interview with Tadias. “In America, at least 3% of the population has scoliosis, which is a spinal curvature. There is no data from Ethiopia, but it is quite likely that the rate is at least the same. We also have neuromuscular disease such as cerebral palsy and old polio leading to scoliosis.” Dr. Hodes said he receives at least 200 new spine patients a year. About two-third have scoliosis, which causes an S-shaped spine, and one-third have Pott’s Disease, which is tuberculosis of the spine. Without the possibility of spine surgery, Ethiopian patients often have progressive disease which may lead to paralysis and breathing difficulties. Many of Dr. Hodes’ patients have lost well over 50% of their lung function due to the lungs being compressed by twisted spines. “I work closely with an organization called FOCOS and raise money to send my patients to them in Accra, Ghana for surgery,” Dr Hodes said. “It costs me about $18,000 per surgery.” He added: “My overall goal is to [build] a hospital in Ethiopia where this surgery can be done, and to train Ethiopians to do these operations.”

The conversation with Dr. Hodes and the photos lingered in Fikru’s head long after the dinner. “It was painful to watch and the images stuck in my mind,” Fikru said. “I felt shame that I was not doing enough to help my people who desperately need my help while foreigners are doing a great job to save Ethiopian lives.” He added: “When I left the Prearson’s home that night I told Rick I will do something to help and contribute to save the children.”

“Weeks later when Mr. Noel Cunningham of The Cunningham Foundation came to Addis from Denver, I invited him to my studio and told him my plan to donate my painting to fund the surgeries,” Fikru continued. “I had estimated it to be around $24,000 but I thought they could get a better price for it at an auction.”

“We greatly appreciate your talent and your generosity in donating this painting,” Noel Cunningham, President of the Cunningham Foundation, said in a letter to Fikru. “In fact, your painting has raised money to provide complete medical and surgical care to 3 Ethiopian youth with spine disease.”

Dr. Hodes remembers meeting Fikru at the Thanksgiving dinner. “Fikru was very taken by the strength and the difficulties of life of my spine patients.” he said. “He has since met several of them, and he had a very good idea of the great difficulties they have. He would call me at least twice a week.”

Regarding the painting, Fikru said he came up with the concept a year ago at his Addis home-studio, which he designed.

“I talked to Rick Hodes this morning and he told me that the children will go abroad for surgery on Sunday November 6,” he said. “I will go to Bole airport to see them off.”


Fikru G/Mariam and Noel Cunningham with the painting “Dream Hunters”, which sold at an auction in Denver for $37,500 to help pay for medical expenses of three Ethiopian children with severe spine disease. (Courtesy photo)


The artist’s home-studio in Addis Ababa. (Courtesy photo)


Fikru G/Mariam designed and built his residence in Ethiopia, which also houses the studio. (Courtesy photo).
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You can learn more about the artist on his website at www.fikru.fr.
Click here to learn more about Dr. Rick Hodes.
Click here to read about The Cunningham Foundation.

Art, Featured

Tadias Q & A With Photographer Michael Tsegaye: Addis Ababa’s Red Light District

20 Comments

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Updated: Friday, September 16, 2011

New York (TADIAS) – Addis Ababa does not have a Red Light District per se, but the Sebategna area in Merkato comes close to it. Photographer Michael Tsegaye’s intimate portraits of prostitues from this neighborhood, entitled Working girls II, is currently showing at a highly-regarded international exhibition in Paris dedicated to non-Western photography. He is one of 46 contemporary photographers from 29 countries whose work is on display through November 11th, 2011 at the 3rd edition of the Photoquai Biennale exhibition of world images organized by the musée du Quai Branly.

“I wanted to share what I saw, but ultimately everyone will have their own response to it,” Michael Tsegaye, who was born and raised in Addis Ababa, said in a recent interview with Tadias Magazine. “A lot of the women, as well as the customers, come from many different parts of the country, since it’s close to the central bus stop. This creates an interesting social dynamic.”

And how did he gain the women’s confidence for such a close-up look at their lives? “I spent about two weeks with them, spending the day in the room where they live,” he said. “The first three days were very quiet, until they got used to me. We spent a lot of time talking, eating meals together, drinking tea and coffee.”

Below is our Q & A with photographer Michael Tsegaye:


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TADIAS: What prompted you to focus on this issue?


Michael Tsegaye

Michael Tsegaye: I had taken photographs of prostitutes in Sodo a long time ago, but then wanted to continue the project. I decided to try it in Addis Ababa since it is a very sensitive issue.

TADIAS: What do you want people to take away from these images?

MT: Whatever they’d like. I wanted to share what I saw, but ultimately, everyone will have their own response to it.

TADIAS: You say on your website that as a photographer you don’t want to be “pigeonholed.” What do you mean by that?

MT: It’s common for people in the art world to first define you as an Ethiopian or an African artist, as opposed to just an artist. Once you are labeled in that way, you are then easily exotified. You are not given equal stature with other international artists – -the Europeans, Americans etc. Your work is not judged on its artistic merit, or the idea it represents, but rather which continent it comes from.

TADIAS: How did you get into photography?

MT: It was by accident. I used go to the Geothe Cultural Center to use the library, and one day I came across a photography workshop that was being led by a German photographer called Ralf Becker. I sat in on the class, and he thought I was a student. Later, I walked up to him to ask questions and we started a conversation. He asked me to join the class, and I did. We are still good friends to this day. He bought me my first camera, a Minolta analog.

TADIAS: What is good photography?

MT: There is a quote by a Frenchman called Jacques Leenhardt. It says: “Photography is best when it emulates poetry”, portraying “… not only the complex and problematic reality of the outside world, but also the way a person’s eye has seen it. It shows a person’s self-expression, a person becoming the poet we all have within us…” I think this is a very true statement.

TADIAS: Do you have a favorite photographer?

MT: I dont have a favorite photographer, but I have favorite painters, like Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Repin. I like Vermeer and Rembrandt because they make good use of light, while Repin’s composition is a great example of Russian painting.

TADIAS: We understand that you too started out studying painting but later developed an allergy to oil paint? Can you tell us more about that and how it has impacted your artistic expression?

MT: Over time, the hours I had spent in the studio breathing in fumes from the oil paints made me very sick, which forced me to give up painting. I then switched to photography as my main medium of expression. In terms of its effect on my overall artistic expression, as a whole, painting and photography are very different disciplines. With painting, I spent a lot of time in the studio. But photography forces you to interact with people, to explore the country and what is around you. From painting, I learned how to use light and composition in my photographs, so it has made learning photography much easier for me. I try to photograph with a painter’s eye.

TADIAS: Regarding the photos in your latest exhibition, is there a reason why you selected the Sebategna area in Merkato?

MT: Yes. Sebategna is an area heavily populated with commercial sex workers. Since there are so many, over time the area has formed its own subculture. In Sebategna, you will find a diverse range of prostitutes: from the very inexpensive, to the more costly. They are also diverse in age as well. A lot of the women, as well as the customers, come from many different parts of the country, since it’s close to the central bus stop. This creates an interesting social dynamic.

TADIAS: How did you gain the girls’ confidence?

MT: I spent about two weeks with them, spending the day in the room where they live. The first three days were very quiet, until they got used to me. We spent a lot of time talking, eating meals together, drinking tea and coffee.

TADIAS: Any parting words?

MT: I’d just like to thank Tadias Magazine and urge the Tadias audience to continue supporting Ethiopian arts.

TADIAS: Thank you and wishing you continued success.

MT: Thank you very much.
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Learn more about Michael Tsegaye at: www.michaeltsegaye.com.

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Events, Featured

Ethiopia Festival Showcases Diaspora Music Collective

Above: The Arba Minch Collective, multidisciplinary group of
diaspora Ethiopian artists overlooking Arba Minch, photo ’09.

Tadias Magazine
Events News

Published: Monday, May 9, 2011

New York (Tadias) – The “Music Without Boundaries” festival under way this week in Ethiopia showcases a lineup of international bands and artists, hailing from at least five countries including Italy, Germany, Spain, Rwanda and the United States.

The roster of Ethiopian American artists taking part in the concert includes: Grammy nominated R&B singer Wayna, up-and-coming jazz vocalist Meklit Hadero, singer Munit Mesfin, as well as hip hop artists Gabriel Teodros and Ellias Fullmore. The participating Diaspora artists are organized under an umbrella group named the Arba Minch Collective, founded two-years ago by Meklit Hadero.

“In 2009 I had the idea to gather a group of ten outstanding Ethiopian Diaspora artists from multiple disciplines to travel to Ethiopia as a group (that we called the Arba Minch Collective). In December of that year we had our first epic trip, ” Meklit said in a recent fundraising letter sent to friends and supporters. “Together, we traveled through the country’s southern region, witnessing and documenting traditional and contemporary music and culture. We performed, gave workshops, visited schools, and met with Ethiopian artists who are reshaping Addis Ababa’s creative landscape. This May, we’re going again, this time to perform for the people at the Music Without Boundaries Festival, taking place in Harrar, Gondar, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.”

According to the organizers, the events in two of Ethiopia’s oldest cities – Harrar and Gondar – are free and open to the public. The show, which opened in Addis on May 6 will conclude in Gondar on May 14.

Per Meklit: “The music festival is not able to pay us for our trip, but because it is such a huge opportunity, we decided to make this happen anyway. The money we raise will go primarily to the cost of airfare. Other costs include accommodations within Ethiopia and ground transportation. Finally, during the entire trip, I’ll be taking photos and will have a photo blog on the National Geographic World Music website.”
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The tour by the Ethiopian American artists is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions must be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

Watch Video:

Funded by the People: An East Africa Tour – Meklit Hadero from Peter Varshavsky on Vimeo.

Cover image via www.arbaminchcollective.com.

Art

Hisab: The Hustle and Bustle of Addis Ababa in Short Animation

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Tadias Magazine
Art Talk

Updated: Friday, April 22, 2011

New York (Tadias) – In the following video entitled Hisab, Ethiopian American artist Ezra Wube takes a humorous poke at the hustle and bustle of Addis Ababa. The short animated video tells an urban folklore by bringing to life the sights and sounds inside the city’s popular blue and white minibus (a cross between a bus and a taxi). The short film’s main characters are four-legged residents – donkeys, dogs and goats.

“The technique I used to make the animation is called stop-action animation,” Ezra tells us. “The entire frames were painted on a single surface canvas. After painting a scene I take still picture and then paint the next frame on top of it. So its pretty much like watching the same painting changing continuously. The paintings physically no longer exist but only the memories.”

Ezra who moved to the United States at the age of 18 was born and raised in Addis Ababa. In 2003 he was awarded the Massachusetts Annual Black Achievement Award, and held his first one-person show at the Dreams of Freedom Museum in Boston, Massachusetts, curated by Emily Sloat Shaw. In 2004, he received his Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from Massachusetts College of Art. Upon graduation, Ezra was awarded a Dondis and Godine Travel Fellowship to conduct research in Ethiopia on folktales and traditional lore. In 2006, he held his second solo show entitled “Story Telling” at the United Nations in New York. The following year, Ezra was part of the “Ethiopian Millennium” art show at Blackburn Gallery, Howard University in Washington, DC. In 2008, Ezra participated in three exhibitions: “Reflections in Exile – Five Contemporary African Artists Respond to Social Injustice” at the South Shore Art Center in Cohasett, “Here to There” at the South Seattle Community College in Seattle, Washington, and “Abyssinia to Harlem and Back” at the Canvas Paper and Stone Gallery in New York.

Ezra received the Pamela Joseph Art Scholarship in 2009 while working on his Master’s of Fine Arts thesis at Hunter College in New York. And most recently, in 2011, Ezra held his first screening at Addis Atlier, “Memory and Process,” in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, curated by Leo Kosm.

Watch:

Events

Zena Bel Band at L’Orange Bleue

Above: Members of Zena Bel Band: violinist Kaethe Hostetter,
singer Selamnesh Zemene (C) and drummer Asrat Ayalew (R).

Tadias Magazine
Events News

Updated: Friday, October 1, 2010

New York (Tadias) – Addis Ababa-based Zena Bel Band will be performing at L’Orange Bleue in New York City on Saturday, October 2nd, 2010.

Zena Bel Band is a three piece group whose members came together when Boston’s Debo Band collaborated with traditional musicians in Ethiopia in 2009. The group is composed of two Ethiopian Azmari musicians, and one violin player from Debo.

The traditional drum “kebero” is played by Asrat Ayalew, while Kaethe Hostetter’s five-string acoustic violin evokes the Ethiopian “masinqo,” a one-string bowed instrument. Selamnesh Zemene, the vocalist, sings in a variety of traditional Ethiopian styles. Her mother and grandmother both having been Azmari singers, Zemene is steeped in this tradition. Azmari singing incorporates humor and improvisation in its performance.

The band plays both familiar Azmari songs that most Ethiopians cherish, as well as original songs by Selamnesh and her husband, who is also an Azmari musician. The trio’s repertoire includes the beloved Tizita and Ambassel songs by Bezunesh Bekkele, Birtukan Dubale, and Maritu Leggesse, and some regionally specific songs that display the rich diversity of Ethiopian traditions.

The music is by turns dreamily mesmerizing, circular, heavy, exhilarating, compelling and whimsical. Selamnesh’s sure and powerful voice reaches across political borders and musical backgrounds. Kaethe’s 5 string violin presents a modern ambiance. Asrat’s kebero provides the project’s strong backbone, as he highlights the contour of the songs.

This is Zena Bel’s first tour in the U.S. and they are thrilled to bring their music to new friends, and introduce a new take on the tradition that they are so proud of.

If you go:
Zena Bel Band in NYC
Saturday at 10:00pm.
L’Orange Bleue
430 Broome Street
New York – NY 10013
www.lorangebleue.com
Cover: $10
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Cover image: courtesy photo.
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Related events:
Ethiopian Dance Workshop
Melaku Belay with Zinash Tsegaye
Class for Children and Parents
Saturday, October 2
12:00pm – 1:00pm
Adult Class- 1:15pm – 3:00pm
University Settlement – Houston Street Center
273 Bowery (at Houston), NYC
Adults: $20 (Bring a friend, and both of you can take the class for $30)
Children under 12: $12
Students with student ID: $15
RSVP: info@hornartscouncil.org
Organized by the Horn of Africa Arts Council
Learn more about Melaku Belay at www.melakubelay.com

Watch: Backstage With Danny Mekonnen and Melaku Belay

Events, Featured

Hub of Africa Fashion Week to Take Place in Addis Ababa

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Tadias Magazine

By Tadias Staff

Published: Tuesday, August 31, 2010

New York (TADIAS) – The upcoming “Hub of Africa Fashion Week” to be held in Addis Ababa from September 23rd to September 25th will showcase the latest collections in clothing, footwear and accessories from emerging local designers hailing from six African countries, organizers said via email. The fashion week is being coordinated by Clairvoyant Marketing Agency and Yoha Entertainment.

According to the group, the event “aims to ‘Unite the Industry for Sustainable Development’ by featuring young up-coming fashion designers from Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, DRC and Tanzania as a means to create synergy,” Clairvoyant said in a statement posted on the show’s website. “Additional guest designers from Italy/ Berlin have been invited to participate.”

The event will highlight, among others, Ethiopia’s award-winning footwear brand Sole Rebels. The following are the selected designers that will be featured in the runway shows as provided by the organizers:

Mataano (Twins)

Born to Somali parents and raised in both their native country and Washington, D.C., identical twins Ayaan and Idyl Mohallim are owners of the brand Mataano (meaning “twins” in Somali). The company’s premier Spring 2009 collection launched in New York City on November 1, 2008, featuring a boutique preview of ten dresses, which garnered wide attention – including a highlight on Oprah Winfrey’s show.

John Kaveke

Kenyan Fashion designer John Kaveke studied fashion in Kenya and Spain. He worked as a designer for other fashion labels for four years before establishing his own clothing company called KAVEKE. His style is contemporary and he uses leather, denim, linen and Maasai beads in his creations. His designs, which are for both genders, express boldness, vitality and individuality.

Modahnik

Fusing her African heritage with her Western design sensibilities, Kahindo Mateene, the designer behind Modahnik, creates modern silhouettes that accentuate a woman’s curves and are visually appealing. The use of Hollandaise Wax, an African influenced colorful fabric, alongside silk satin is at the essence of Modahnik.

Banuq

Banuq’s collection is based on the concept of classic and timeless garments made to drape off the unique curves of each individual. Inspired by the lifestyles of travelers, explorers and people on-the-move, each garment demonstrates the designer’s relaxed yet tasteful approach to fashion.

Mafi Habeshigna

Mafi Habeshigna (Mahlet Afework) is a household name on the Ethiopian fashion scene. Mahlet was born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She started to design clothes in elementary school, where she famously redesigned her school uniform for her first fashion show. Her collections are eclectic styles of gilded glamour with cutting-edge look, feminine in flow and texture.

Sewasew

Sewasew Hailu has been in the fashion industry since 2004. Her designs distinctively promote the Ethiopian culture. Sewasew’s works have been displayed in the “Out of Africa Festival” (an international cultural show in Houston, Texas), the “Pan African Cultural Festival” in Algeria, the “Ismir International Trade Fair” in Turkey, the “Ethiopian Cultural Festival” in Germany, and the “African Mosaique” in Ethiopia.

Fikirte Addis

Fikirte Addis was Born on August 3, 1981, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She has come a long way from her earlier profession working with children as a Psychologist, while simultaneously pursuing her passion for haute couture. Fikirte opened YeFikir Design in 2009. Her inspiration comes from the Ethiopian handmade fabrics. YeFikir focuses on traditional fitting for everyday modern life.

Mapozi

The clothing line Mapozi utilizes Tanzanian local fabrics such as khanga, kitenge and Maasai blankets in a unique way through fusion of the western cut styles with the traditional African materials. Mapozi is the brainchild of Robi Morro.

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You can learn more about the event at www.thehubfashionweek.com.

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News

Ethiopia’s capital city: Make it prettier and cheaper

The Economist

Aug 26th 2010 | ADDIS ABABA

AMHARIC has no precise word for architecture, but it needs one. Ethiopia’s capital, founded by Emperor Menelik II in 1886, now has 4.6m people but that figure may well double by 2020. Dirk Hebel of Addis Ababa’s revamped architecture school says that “the first thing we do is to sit down with the students for a day and explain what [it] is”.

According to the UN, Addis has one of the higher densities of slum dwellers in the world. But their geographical pattern is unusual. Most African cities separate fairly neatly into poor and rich areas “like a sunny-side-up egg”, with slums spreading out from the rim, says Mr Hebel. But Addis is “more of a scrambled egg”. A lack of crime and a tradition whereby the rich seem to tolerate the poor living among them mean that Addis’s slums often lie in the seams between office buildings and flats in the more affluent parts of the city.

Some cash for the overhaul of the architecture school has come from a technical institute in Zurich, known by its initials ETH. Mr Hebel and Marc Angélil, head of ETH’s architecture school, have co-written a book that explores the city’s many architectural styles. Ministries built in Ethiopia’s Marxist period (1974-91) were kit models from the Soviet Union. Fascist-style buildings built during the Italian occupation (1935-41) have often proved more suitable. Messrs Hebel and Angélil think African architects could learn from the way the Italians allowed streets to radiate out from grand central buildings.

What the architects call this “mixity” of styles may offer a chance to tackle the scourges of traffic gridlock and pollution. The city still has some open spaces that could be artfully filled in if public transport and the water supply were improved, along with the planting of indigenous trees and grasses. Read more.

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Featured, News

Dispute Leaves Miss Ethiopia Without Prize

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Above: Contestants at the 2010 Miss Ethiopia Pageant in July
were promised that the winner will be awarded a brand new car.

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Published: Tuesday, August 10, 2010

New York (Tadias) – The winner of the 2010 Miss Ethiopia pageant was to receive a brand new ride, the Chinese made Lifan 320, except the car dealership Yangfan Motors in Addis Ababa, who is the announced sponsor of the event, says it never made a written agreement to deliver the prize.

According to Addis Fortune, “Ethiopian Village Adventure Playground (EVAP) is to wait until Thursday, August 12, 2010, to see whether Yangfan will award a Lifan 320 to the newest Miss Ethiopia. Failing to deliver the prize may result in being taken to court while Yangfan, in turn, threatened to sue EVAP for defamation.”


Melkam Michael, a sophomore at Addis Abeba University Law School, was named winner of the prize last month at a ceremony held at the Hilton Addis, featuring celebrity judges including Mulatu Astatke and Meseret Mebrate.

The pageant organizers, who had publicized the award in advance, accused Yangfan Motors of canceling its commitment at the last minute and stealing their copy of the written agreement. According to Murad Mohammed, director of EVAP, Yangfan Motors took his copy of the written document without his knowledge, and he has been unable to regain possession of it. “It is not the 18th or 19th century where people only agree on something orally,” he told Fortune.

Yangfan Motors’ local Marketing Manager William Wong rejected the claims, denying the existence of such a binding contract. “There was no agreement to cancel,” he said. “We did not agree to give them a car and because EVAP did not carry out its responsibilities, we are not going to give them any discount.”

The report, however, points to another document that indicates the existence of a prior understanding. “Yangfan Motors had sent EVAP a letter on April 23, 2010, complaining that they had failed to promote the company on public media and billboards. The company demanded that the problems be corrected within one week or it would be ‘forced to cancel our entitled agreement of cooperation,’ according to the letter. ”

Meanwhile, Melkam says although she is happy to be named Miss Ethiopia 2010, she would not mind to sit behind the wheel. “I would be happy if I get the promised car,” she said.

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Cover image: Group photo of Miss Ethiopia 2010 contestants (WorldShowBiz.info)