New York (TADIAS) – In celebration of Women’s History Month, Tadias is interviewing extraordinary Ethiopian women who are blazing trails in various fields including science, art, philanthropy, and business. We launch our series with a Q&A with Dr. Mehret Mandefro, physician, film producer, anthropologist and social change activist. She is a former White House Fellow, Fulbright Scholar, and currently teaches at the Department of Health Policy at George Washington School of Public Health & Health Services.
Mehret is also the co-founder of Truth Aid, an organization that produces visual ethnographies of health and social issues. Their current film project entitled Oblivion is based on a true story about a legal precedent-setting case that outlawed abduction for marriage in Ethiopia.
Below is our Q&A with Dr. Mehret Mandefro:
TADIAS: What do you most enjoy about your work?
Mehret Mandefro: I love teaching and working with students. I find the next generation to be very inspiring. I also like having the time to think, write, and create new forms of knowledge that will challenge audiences to think different about health and human rights.
TADIAS: Who are your female role models?
Mehret: My mother, Tsedale K. Mandefro, Abebech Gobena, Sister Zebider, Meaza Ashenafi.
Tadias: What challenges have you faced as a leader and how did you overcome those hurdles at work or life in general?
Mehret: In some work environments where I have been the youngest and happen to be the only woman sometimes it was a challenge to have my voice heard. So I went to great lengths to be very clear about what I thought. Learning to express your opinions in forums that are not necessarily friendly is an important skill for women to develop.
TADIAS: What are some practical tips you can give for young women who want to follow in your footsteps?
Mehret: You have to believe in your vision above all and be willing to put in hard work to execute. You also have to surround yourself with a support network that can nurture your growth. That’s very important.
TADIAS: Please tell us more about yourself (where you were born, grew up, school and how you developed your passion for your work?)
Mehret: I was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and I grew up in Alexandria, VA. I attended Harvard for college and medical school. I also received a Masters in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. My passion for public health and medicine emerged out of a study abroad trip I took to Kenya as a junior in college.
TADIAS: What would like to share on Women’s History Month with Tadias readers that we have not asked you about?
Mehret: Dream big. Work hard. But most of all never be afraid to do something different.
Thank you Dr. Mehret and best wishes with your endeavors.
New York (TADIAS) – Tomas Doncker’s new album entitled Power of the Trinity blends Jazz, R&B, Ethiopian beats, reggae and urban sounds, reflecting the diverse borough where he grew up in Brooklyn, New York. The CD, produced in collaboration with some of the best known Ethiopian musicians, is also a traveling musical featuring dance performers from the United States and Africa.
“The CD is what I like to call a global soul meditation and how I feel that we are all connected,” Doncker said in an interview. “I grew up in Brooklyn NY, in Crown Heights and I attended St. Ann’s school from 1st grade until the 12th grade.” He added: “Crown Heights at that time was a very dangerous neighborhood. Lots of gangs and violence, but we still managed to maintain a sense of community, at least among the families on my block.”
Receiving a scholarship to attend St. Ann’s made it possible for Doncker to meet people from diverse backgrounds and learn about other cultures. “It changed my life and helped to mold me into the artist that I am today,” he said. “My mother was my first role model, and she was a musician as well.”
Doncker said his latest album is inspired by a play named for Emperor Haile Selassie. “I was asked to score a play called Power of the Trinity by NYC Playwright Roland Wolf and in my research I realized that collaborations with this particular group of artists would really capture and enhance the feeling that I was looking for,” Doncker said. “The process of producing this CD and working so closely with these artists was one of the most rewarding artistic experiences of my life.”
Among others, the CD features guitarist Selam Woldermariam, whom Doncker dubs “The Jimi Hendrix of Ethiopia.”
“I call him the Jimi Hendrix of Ethiopia because Americans understand what I am talking about that he’s got some unique guitar talent,” Doncker said.
The following interview was taped follwing his CD release and tour launch party last December.
New York (TADIAS) – Mulugeta Bekele, an associate professor of physics at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, has been awarded the 2012 Andrei Sakharov Prize by The American Physical Society (APS). The prize was established to recognize and encourage outstanding leadership and achievements of scientists in upholding human rights. The citation that appears on the prize certificate reads as follows:
“For tireless efforts in defense of human rights and freedom of expression and education anywhere in the world, and for inspiring students, colleagues and others to do the same.”
The prize was presented at the APS March 2012 meeting in Boston and was shared with Professor Richard Wilson of Harvard University.
Professor Mulugeta completed his undergraduate studies in physics at Addis Ababa University and at Union College, Schenectady, NY, graduating in 1970. He was employed as a graduate assistant during the year 1970/71 at HSIU. He then went to the University of Maryland, College Park, MD for his graduate studies for two years and received his masters degree in 1973. Mulugeta returned to Ethiopia immediately after graduation and became a Lecturer at AAU, then HSIU. After the Ethiopian revolution, which took place in 1974 when the Emperor was removed and a military government came to power, Mulugeta was put in prison by the government for seven years. After prison, he re-joined the physics department at university and continued teaching for six years before going abroad to India to pursue a PhD at Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. Returning to AAU in 1997 Dr. Mulugeta has since worked with a research group involved in polymer and biological physics that has been getting support from Swedish International Science Programme. He is a founding member of the Ethiopian Physical Society and currently serving as the society’s President.
Ethiopia was brought to the world’s attention in 1896 when an African country with no industry of weaponry and with mostly bare-footed soldiers, defeated Italy, a modern European country, at the battle of Adwa. The 116th Year anniversary of the victory is being celebrated on March 1st in Ethiopia. This year I am fortunate enough to celebrate the victory in Adwa by attending the fifth annual conference on the history and meaning of the Battle of Adwa. It is also celebrated throughout the world, for Adwa stands for human dignity, freedom and independence. As such its significance is universal and its story should be told repeatedly. Its narrative ought to be embraced by young and old, men and women. The Battle Adwa should be listed as a World Heritage.
To Teshale Tibebu, “the Battle of Adwa was the largest battle between European imperialism and African resistance.” According to Donald Levine, “the Battle of Adwa qualifies as a historic event which represented the first time since the beginning of European imperial expansion that a nonwhite nation had defeated a European power.” The historic event has brought or signaled the beginning of the end of colonial world order, and a movement to an anti-colonial world order.
It was a victory of an African army in the true sense of the word. The Battle was planned and executed by African generals and intelligence officers led by Emperor Menelik II, who was born, brought up, and educated in Ethiopia. It was a brilliant and indigenous strategy that put a check to the colonial aims and objectives, which were originally conceived and agreed upon at the Berlin Conference of 1885. European strategy to carve Africa into external and exclusive spheres of influence was halted by Emperor Menelik II and Empress Taitu Betul at the Battle of Adwa. The Europeans had no choice but to recognize this African (not European) power.
Universality of the Victory at the Battle of Adwa
The African world celebrated and embraced this historic victory. In the preface to the book An Introduction to African Civilizations With Main Currents in Ethiopian History, Huggins and Jackson write: “In Ethiopia, the military genius of Menelik II was in the best tradition of Piankhi, the great ruler of ancient Egypt and Nubia or ancient Ethiopia, who drove out the Italians in 1896 and maintained the liberties of that ancient free empire of Black men.” Huggins and Jackson analyzed the victory not only in terms of its significance to the postcolonial African world, but also in terms of its linkage to the tradition of ancient African glories and victories.
Emperor Menelik II used his “magic wand” to draw all, the diverse and voluntary patriots from virtually the entire parts of the country, into a battlefield called Adwa. And in less than six hours, the enemy is decisively defeated. The overconfident and never to be defeated European army fell under the great military strategy of an African army. The strategy was what the Ethiopians call afena, an Ethiopian version of blitzkrieg that encircles the enemy and cuts its head. Italians failed to match the British and the French in establishing a colonial empire in Africa. In fact, by their humiliating defeat, the Italians made the British and the French colonizers jittery. The colonial subjects became reenergized to resist the colonial empire builders.
Adwa and Ethiopia’s Nationhood
Adwa irreversibly broadened the true boundaries of Ethiopia and Ethiopians. People of the south and the north and the east and the west fought and defeated the Italian army. In the process, a new Ethiopia is born.
Adwa shows what can be achieved when united forces work for a common goal. Adwa brought the best out of so many forces that were accustomed to waging battles against each other. Forces of destruction and division ceased their endless squabbles and redirect their united campaign against the common enemy. They chose to redefine themselves as one and unequivocally expressed their rejection of colonialism. They came together in search of freedom or the preservation and expansion of the freedom at hand. In other words, Adwa offers the most dramatic instance of trans-ethnic cooperation.
Leadership
Emperor Menelik II could have kept the momentum by reforming his government and by allowing the many forces to continue participating in the making of a modern and good for all state. Emperor Menelik II, however, chose to return back to the status quo, a status of exploitative relationship between the few who controlled the land and the vast majority of the agrarian farmers. It took another almost eighty years to dismantle the yoke of feudalism from the backs of the vast majority of the Ethiopian farmers.
As far as Emperor Menelik’s challenge to and reversal of colonialism in Ethiopia is concerned, his accomplishment was historic and an indisputable fact. It is precisely this brilliant and decisive victory against the European colonial army that has inspired the colonized and the oppressed throughout the world to forge ahead and fight against their colonial masters.
Menelik’s rapprochement, on the other hand, with the three colonial powers in the region may have saved his monarchial power, but the policy ended up hurting the whole region. The seeds of division sown by the colonizers, in part, continue to wreck the region apart.
Realizing the need to completely remove all the colonizers as an effective and lasting way to bring peace and prosperity in the region, the grandson of the Emperor, Lij Iyassu attempted to carve anti-colonial policy. He began to send arms to freedom fighters in Eritrea, Djibouti, and Somalia. He entered into a treaty of peace and cooperation with the Austrians, the Germans and the Turks against the British, Italians and the French. Unfortunately, the rule of Lij Iyassu was short-lived. The tri-partite powers colluded with the then Tafari Makonnen to successfully remove him from power.
Adwa symbolizes the aspirations and hopes of all oppressed people. Adwa catapulted Pan-Africanism into the realm of the possible by reigniting the imaginations of Africans in their quest for freedom throughout the world. Adwa foreshadowed the outcome of the anti-colonial struggle in Africa and elsewhere. Adwa is about cultural resistance; it is about reaffirmation of African ways. Adwa was possible not simply because of brilliant and courageous leadership, but also because of the people’s willingness to defend their motherland, regardless of ethnic, linguistic and religious differences.
Call for the Registry of the Battle of Adwa as World Heritage
A World Heritage Site is a site of ‘cultural and/or natural significance.’ It is also a site so exceptional, according to UNESCO, as to transcend national boundaries and to be of common importance for present and future generations of all humanity. The 1896 final Battle of Adwa and the successive preceding battles at sites, such as Mekelle between Ethiopia and Italy qualify, we argue, as a World Heritage Site. The victory achieved at the Battle of Adwa set the stage for international relations among nations on the basis of mutuality, reciprocity and transparency. Decolonization in Africa began with a victory against Italian colonial aggression in the Horn of Africa.
The Battle of Adwa was a global historic event, for it was a battle heroically and victoriously fought against colonialism and for freedom. It was a battle that stopped the colonial aggressions of Europeans in Africa. It was a battle that taught an unforgettable lesson to Europeans. They were reminded that they may co-exist or work with Africans, Asians or the Americans, but they cannot dominate them or exploit their resources indefinitely. Domination gives rise to resistance and the Battle of Adwa made it clear that domination or aggression can be decisively be defeated.
The mountains of Adwa, the mountains of Abi Adi Worq Amba and the hills of Mekelle ought to be marked as natural historic sites and, therefore, together with the battlefield, they should be protected, conserved and promoted in the context of its historic importance and ecological tourism.
Background on UNESCO World Heritage Sites:
At present, 900 sites are on World Heritage list. Only 9% of the World Heritage sites are in Africa, while 50% of them are in Europe and North America. While Ethiopia succeeded to have only 9 World Heritage sites, Italy has registered so far 43 sites! In Africa, the Battlefields of South Africa have registered as a World Heritage. Several Battles are registered throughout the world and throughout history and it is time that the Battle of Adwa is included in the list.
Adwa was a story of common purpose and common destiny. The principles established on the battlefield of Adwa must be understood and embraced for Africa to remain centered in its own histories, cultures and socioeconomic development. We should always remember that Adwa was won for Africans. Adwa indeed is an African model of victory and resistance. As Levine puts it: “Adwa remains the most outstanding symbol of the ‘mysterious magnetism’ that holds Ethiopia together.”
It is our contention that the Battle of Adwa was a battle that paved the way for a world of justice, mutual respect and co-existence. The Battle of Adwa was a battle for human dignity and therefore its story should be universally recognized and be told again and again. Registering the Battle will ensure the dynamic dispersion of its narrative in all the discourses of the world.
The lessons of the Battle of Adwa ought to be inculcated in the minds of young people so that they would be able to appreciate humanity as one without hierarchy. The Battle of Adwa reminds the young people that no force is powerful enough to impose its will against another people. Ethiopians, despite their disadvantage in modern weaponry, decisively defeated the Italian Army at the Battle of Adwa.
The Battle of Adwa and its cluster, as a great source of timeless inspiration for freedom and independence, should be registered as a World Heritage. This is because that event fulfills the following criterion: the Battle of Adwa is “an important interchange of human values.” Adwa enshrines freedom to everyone.
— 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. He was an Assistant Professor at the Africana Studies and Research Center at Cornell University. Bekerie is a contributing author in the acclaimed book, “One House: The Battle of Adwa 1896 -100 Years.” He is also the author of the award-winning book “Ethiopic, An African Writing System: Its History and Principles” — among many other published works.
New York (TADIAS) – In 2008, Trish Hack-Rubinstein, a flight attendant based in New York City, joined several of her airline colleagues on a volunteer trip to Ethiopia, and it became the beginning of new friendships and lasting connections to the country. That’s when she met Muday Mitiku, an Ethiopian teacher and founder of Fresh and Green Academy – an innovative elementary school in Addis Ababa that provides not only academic curriculum but also meals and showers for impoverished school children. At the end of each day, when the students are ready to go home, their caregivers also pick up clean water supplied by the school’s water purification system. Muday Mitiku has been serving as Fresh and Green Academy’s Director since 2000, and the school is striving to add one grade level each year with the support of Friends of Fresh and Green Academy in the United States.
Initially Fresh and Green was started as a fee-paying kidergarten, but Muday quickly realized the dearth of access to education for street children living in the area. As she decided to enroll these children into the academy free of charge, some parents pulled their kids out of the school. The venture was at the crossroads when Trish and her friends visited Fresh and Green four years ago.
“The school had no other source of funding as it was a private school started by this amazing woman,” Trish said in a recent interview with Tadias Magazine. “But when she started to bring in the poor children from the streets the money ran out.” She added: “I fell in love with the kids, moms, staff, director, and everyone else and knew I couldn’t just go back to the USA and leave them to fend for themselves. So I started Friends of Fresh and Green Academy Inc., a 501(c)(3) that supports the school. ”
What’s a normal school day like for a student at Fresh & Green? Trish describes the youngsters arriving at school at 8am, eating breakfast, brushing their teeth, taking showers, and putting on clean clothes and then having their academic lessons in accordance with the national curriculum. Extracurricular activities begin after lessons end at 3pm, which include classes in art, drama, music, computers, and physical education. “The students have been helping with the planting of vegetable gardens, which produce some of the food they eat,” Trish explains. “By 5pm the school children have eaten dinner and await their caregivers to pick them up from school.”
What makes Fresh and Green stand out as a model school for under-served communities is that it not only provides free education, clean water and nutrition services for students, but also supports the mothers of the children as part of its Mothers Co-op program.
“The Mothers Co-op has grown tremendously since it was started in 2006,” Trish said. “It began as 20 mothers helping to prepare school meals in shifts, and also meeting once a week to string beads. It expanded to 50 women cooking, beading and weaving, as well as working in a store in front of the school.” Looms and sewing machines have been installed on school grounds where the mothers are also learning to sew and make clothes. The Mothers Co-op also incorporates social networking traditions such as the Ethiopian coffee ceremony.
Through the assistance of Friends of Fresh and Green Academy, the overhead rent of the store is paid for by donors. Speaking about her non-profit organization Trish noted, “We have very little overhead, and no paid employees, so over 80% of the donations go directly to the operation of the academy.”
Friends of Fresh and Green Academy hosts quarterly fundraisers including child sponsorship programs, a silent auction and raffle event at Cielo in downtown New York in May, and a poker fundraiser in September. Fundraising is also conducted using various social media-based campaigns.
“Tadias readers can help us spread awareness, attend fundraisers, donate goods and services like clothing, shoes, fabric for the coop,” Trish said. “We can always use volunteers with fundraising ideas, accounting skills, grant writing and PR experience. But of course, most of all we need funds.”
Ultimately, Trish and other supporters of Fresh and Green Academy would like to see a self-sustaining institution. “Our dream is to build a school that can accommodate students through grade 12, with a boarding facility, a center for the Mothers Co-op, a working farm to cut down on the cost of food and possibly provide income for the school,” she said. “And a guest house for volunteers to rent rooms, which will also provide some income for the school.”
Reflecting on her work with the academy, Trish shares, “For the first time in my life I truly feel like I am doing what I was put on this earth to do. Nothing gives me more joy than to see the children eating playing and learning. Every time I visit the school (three times a year) I am smothered with hugs and kisses and I couldn’t be happier. I look forward to the day when I see them graduate from university and make a difference in their community and country. Everyone has the right to food and education.”
— To learn more about the organization, visit: www.friendsoffreshandgreen.com.
New York (TADIAS) — The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced the appointment of Haddis Tadesse as the foundation’s first official representative in Ethiopia. Ethiopian-born Haddis Tadesse, who has worked as an external relations officer for the foundation since 2007, will assume the new position later this month in Addis Ababa.
“Tadesse, who grew up in Ethiopia and was educated in the United States, will serve as the foundation’s liaison to the federal government of Ethiopia and the African Union,” the organization said in a press release. “He also will help the foundation strengthen its relationships with health and development partners operating in Ethiopia, including donor agencies, international NGOs and local Ethiopian organizations.”
“We invest more than half of our resources in Africa, and we want to build closer and more effective relationships with valued partners on the ground,” said foundation co-chair Melinda Gates. “Ethiopia is making great progress in health and economic growth, and we hope to support these efforts by appointing Haddis, who possesses deep knowledge of the country, its challenges, and its huge potential.”
Ethiopia is an important focus country for the foundation, which currently provides more than USD $265 million in funding to partner organizations that are operating health and development programs across the nation. This includes funding to help small farmers increase food production, as well as grants to expand access to childhood vaccines, maternal and child health programs, financial services for the poor, safe water and sanitation, and other effective, low-cost innovations.
“I am very excited to be the foundation’s first representative in Ethiopia,” said Tadesse. “I am especially thrilled to have an opportunity to help expand access to health and development in the land where I was raised.”
Tadesse earned a bachelor’s degree in business management and a master’s in public administration from the University of Washington in Seattle. He began working at the foundation as an advisor to the agricultural development program and has recently served as an external relations officer, managing the foundation’s engagement with key stakeholders in Africa.
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Source: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
New York (TADIAS) – As part of its annual Black History Month film screening, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in conjunction with the African Film Festival, Inc., is featuring a new documentary by award-winning Haitian film director Guetty Felin-Cohen. The film, Broken Stones, recounts the tragic earthquake two years ago while Haitians express their concerns and impatience with the reconstruction process as well as their aspirations for the country of their dreams.
(Photo: Writer & Director Guetty Felin-Cohen. Credit: Bellemoon Productions)
“I am a Haitian-American filmmaker who has shared her life between America, Haiti and France,” Felin said in announcing the film. “My sensibility, vision and cinematic language have been highly influenced and shaped by my life experience in all three countries.” She added: “I fell in love with cinema at a very early age at the drive-ins in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The ‘electric shadows’ on that glowing screen were a stark contrast to our realities and yet they deeply connected us to the outside world. Cinema, for me, became my own little sanctuary, my personal way of filling those chasms that were wedged by an insidious political system. I began seeing my parents and the adults around me like characters in a film that I was incessantly writing and directing.”
Today after several years in the business, and after becoming a mother, Felin says film-making fully defines her identity. “Cinema is how I engage the world around me, how I denounce social and political injustice, how I explore haunting themes such as memory, exile, foreignness, and the unending search for home, and also how I interconnect our common global humanities,” she wrote.
The special preview screening of Guetty Felin’s Broken Stones will take place on Thursday, February 23, 2012, 7 – 9 p.m., at the Schomburg Center in Harlem, followed by a panel discussion with the filmmaker and special guests.
— If You Go:
The event is free and open to the public.
For registration, visit www.schomburgcenter.eventbrite.com or call (212) 491-2040.
For more information, go to www.africanfilmny.org or call (212) 352-1720.
New York (TADIAS) – The latest CD by California-based musician Elias Negash, whose songwriting combines Ethiopian music with international influences, is entitled Jazzed Up. “It is a reflection of the various dynamic genres incorporated into the music,” Elias said in a recent interview with Tadias Magazine. “Ethio-smooth is included along with R&B, Reggae and Salsa.” He added: ” In so doing, the music has been refreshed and jazzed up. On this CD I am using musicians that are very good friends of mine. The five-piece group have played varying styles of music in the past, but currently we are focusing on a fusion of Jazz, Ethio- Jazz, Rhythm & Blues and other world music. These are the musicians I will be traveling with for years to come. We are called the ‘The Retroz Band.'”
Elias, who was born in Ethiopia and moved to the United States in 1971, has a long resume in the music industry. He was one of the pioneering figures in the Reggae and African music scenes in Northern California during the 1970s. He performed with groups such as Obeah, Axum, Caribbean All Stars and the Rastafarians. After a brief stint in Los Angeles working on the Royal Princess Cruise ship in the 1980s, Elias appeared on a sound track for the television movie Glitz and also performed in the TV series Murder She Wrote.
Elias now owns and operates SophEl Recordings, a music studio located in Oakland Hills, California that opened in September 2000. He says he enjoys spending time in this quite, residential neighborhood. “I often work with fellow music producer Gordon Brislawn, who was iTunes’ first call for 42 of iTunes front-page exclusives,” he said. “We have all the latest equipments to make any music project number one.”
Elias Negash at a recording session in Berkeley, CA. (Courtesy photo)
Regarding his childhood in Ethiopia Elias said: “I was born in Addis Ababa and grew up in a very big house in ‘Riche’ on the road to Debre Zeit. The house belonged to my grandfather. A couple of years before St. Joseph school was established I went to German School – Deutsche Schule – kindergarten in Addis Ababa for a year, then to Nativity Catholic Cathedral School for my first grade. And when St. Joseph school opened in 1960, I was transferred to second grade to persue my elementary and high school education.”
After completing high school Elias moved to New York with his uncle who was a student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. “Living in upstate New York for almost two years at a young age was a very cold experience,” he said. “My brother was living in Northern California at the time, and so he would tell me how the weather was so similar to our motherland. That really convinced me to move to California.”
Discussing his favorite musicians, Elias said his musical taste and influences are wide-ranging. “As far as Ethiopian musicians are concerned I like Mulatu Astatke for being the father of Ethio Jazz,” he said. “And Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru’s Classic piano solo album. Among male vocalists I listen to Tilahun Gessesse, Mahamoud Ahmed and Girma Beyene.” He continued: “Non-Ethiopians would be Ray Charles, Bob Marley, pianist Ramsey Lewis Ahmad Jamal, Booker T & The MG’s, Bill Evens, Jimmy Smith, Earl Garner and Oscar Peterson.”
Returning to the topic of his latest album “it reflects an experience of dialing up any baseline to a positive atmosphere,” Elias said. “It is my hope that listeners feel jazzed up.”
— You can learn more about the artist at www.eliasnegash.com.
To listen to and order the CD visit: www.cdbaby.com.
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.
New York (TADIAS) – Each week, as part of President Obama’s Winning the Future initiative, the White House recognizes champions from various sectors — ranging from educators to entrepreneurs and community leaders — and honors them for the work they are doing to serve and strengthen their communities.
Last week the White House recognized 14 “Champions of Change” who are leaders in American Diaspora communities with roots in the Horn of Africa. In the next few weeks Tadias Magazine will feature an interview series with several of the champions.
We start with Ethiopian-born Solome Lemma, a philanthropist, activist, and organizer. She is currently a grantmaking program advisor at The Global Fund for Children (GFC). Solome is a graduate of Stanford and Harvard Universities.
TADIAS: Solome, please tell our readers about yourself, where you grew up, your passions and top priorities?
Solome Lemma: I was born in Ethiopia and migrated to the US when I was 11. I lived in Marietta, GA for a year and spent the rest of my childhood in Los Angeles, California, until I went off to college. Since then I have lived in New York, DC, Boston, and Ethiopia and traveled to many countries in Africa. My passion is in seeing an Africa that is in charge of its own development and progress. An Africa that tells its own story, drives its own change, and sets its own agenda.
TADIAS: Through your non-profit work with the Global Fund for Children you have worked with grassroots organizations in over 25 countries in Africa. Can you share some of the highlights of that experience?
SL: Wow, so many incredible memories and highlights. I loved organizing a knowledge exchange conference in Senegal for grantee partners in English and French-speaking parts of West Africa. We held the exchange in Toubab Dialow, right on the beach and it was incredible to see people forge connections and lasting relationships despite the linguistic divides. After the conference, I had an opportunity to visit and stay with the great writer Ayi Kwei Armah. I will never forget him cooking dinner. We had a great conversation about Africa, literature, and following one’s authentic purpose. Throughout that Senegal trip, I remember saying to myself I can’t believe this is my life over and over again.
Sierra Leone was such a beautiful surprise. Before I traveled there, all I knew about the country was the long conflict . Once I got there, I found the most breathtaking, stunning place I have ever visited. Rolling hills, lush green trees, gorgeous white sand and Turuquoise water. River number two is a must visit. And While I am on that, Zanzibar still has a piece of my heart.
The most inspiring part of that work was meeting the incredible grassroots leaders who are the backbone of change in their communities. I have met the most driven, resourceful, creative, and impactful organizations in Africa. During my last visit in Mombasa, Kenya, I met with two brothers who were forced into the streets at the ages of 4 and 7. They lived on and off the streets into their teenage years. Today, they run am organization that works with children who live on the streets called Total War Against AIDS Foundation (TWAAYF). These two young men have turned their misfortunes into an incredible organization that uses the creative arts, music, education, and love to prevent other children from experiencing their fate.
Visiting the Joy Center in Ethiopia is always a great source of inspiration. The Joy Center is the first and only school for children with autism. I have visited the organization every two years since 2006 and it’s incredible for me to see the change in the students overtime. One particular young lady couldn’t move, speak, or eat on her own when I visited the first time. When I returned two years later, she was playing basketball and communicating with her teachers. Another two years later, she was talking to me. It’s a place where love and care make miracles.
TADIAS: Describe the project you are currently working on to focus on members of the Diaspora as agents of change.
SL: I am working to establish an organization that will promote philanthropy among the African Diaspora Community. We are the most educated immigrant group in America. The global African Diaspora sends $40 billion in remittances each year. Imagine how much change we can advance if we consolidate our resources to engage in collective philanthropy, supporting the work of African social change organizations. It’s time for us to step outside of the shadows of development and philanthropic organizations and take our rightful place as resources, sources, and agents of change.
—- Watch: Champions of Change in American Diaspora Communities Honored at the White House
New York (TADIAS) – In sixth century Ireland, a king was asked to adjudicate one of the world’s earliest legal cases concerning book piracy. A monk named St. Columba had admitted copying by hand, apparently without permission, a manuscript that belonged to another writer. The original author accused St. Columba of theft and illegal copying, arguing that the book was his brainchild. In his famous ruling against the pirate-monk, the king pronounced: “To every cow belongs her calf, to every book belongs its copy.” In other words, only the publisher has the legal right to control its intellectual property.
This brings us to the modern day piracy of Mengistu Hailemariam’s memoir that was recently scanned and distributed without authorization from the book’s copyright holder Tsehai Publishers. Unlike St. Columba, however, the responsibile party in the Mengistu case remains, at least for now, faceless behind the computer screen, and communicates only via a website based in Europe. The copyright infringers claim justification under the “Son of Sam Law,” an American law designed to prevent criminals from profiting from the publicity of their crimes.
We recently spoke to Elias Wondimu, Publisher & Editorial Director of Tsehai Publishers about the controversy.
TADIAS: Thank you Elias for your time. Please tell us about the recent unauthorized distribution of Tsehai Publishers’ Mengistu Hailemariam’s memoir. What exactly happened?
Elias Wondimu: On Jan. 14th, Debteraw, an EPRP affiliated website based in the UK along with Finot Radio, scanned the book and distributed it for free on the Internet. The group explicitly stated that their actions were in protest of Col. Mengistu Hailemariam’s book. This was done maliciously, attempting to punish the publisher for daring to produce the book. They also hoped to discourage us from publishing future books by Col. Mengistu or similar authors that they don’t agree with.
In “About us” section of their website, it states that they are “campaigning” for “free and independent media.” But, their recent actions have shown the hypocrisy of their claims. By trying to silence me as a publisher, they violated all notions of freedom of press and freedom of expression. Apparently, for this sect of the EPRP, “free and independent media” refers only to publications that align with their own views.
TADIAS: Where were you when you first learned of this? How did you feel?
EW: When I first heard the news, I was in my office working on our next book, a memoir by Rita and Richard Pankhurst, which was to be released next month. Since we’re in the final stages of editing, I was working late on a Friday night. At 9:00pm I received a phone call from a friend. He asked me in a distressed voice if I knew what had happened. When I said that I didn’t, he directed me to the website, where I saw the article. I clicked on the link and saw the entire book I had worked so hard on download onto my computer. At first I thought it was just a prank or some sort of a bad joke and didn’t take it seriously. I couldn’t even fathom something like that being done.
The first thing I did was to see if there was any altered content in the scanned file. I noticed that, while it contained all the front matter such as the contents, copyright page, and publisher’s note, I noticed that six pages at the end had been removed. These pages contained our best books that we thought that our readers should know and other upcoming Tsehai Publishers books. Even now, I am still puzzled why they did this.
Thinking they will take it down when they realized what they have done, so I didn’t do anything. But, when Monday came around I realized the gravity of the situation, and that I would have to take legal action. There are no words to describe the frustration I felt. After working so hard and devoting my life to the cause of freedom of press in Ethiopia and around the world, I could not imagine that something so devastating could happen. But, although I was discouraged and angry, I knew that I had to keep fighting for what I believed in.
TADIAS: Please tell us more about the book. How did you obtain the content?
EW: It has now been almost seven years since I was introduced to Col. Mengistu. Since I received the first manuscript, my staff and I have worked tirelessly to bring the book to press, preserving the highest quality of publication that is accustomed with Tsehai. As I wrote in the Publisher’s Note, this book is the first time in our long history that an Ethiopian leader has written a book, sharing his experiences after leaving office. Even though Emperor Haile Selassie was the first to write a two-volume political memoir while in power, throughout Ethiopian history, none of our leaders lived longer to tell us their experiences and challenges while ruling the country. However, we have had many chronicles, most of these were written much later on by people who had a political bias either for or against them.
This book gives us an unparalleled window into how the government was run. It also presents some of the major issues in our history, such as how the Derg was formed, and how some of the major governmental decisions were made, how the Somali war was started, and Ethiopia’s victory came about. Despite what others or even I might think about Col. Mengistu himself, I am proud to give the first unadulterated first-hand account from an Ethiopian leader. The publication of this book is a historical moment, and I wholeheartedly stand behind its publication.
TADIAS: Debteraw.com has issued the following comments in justifying their actions: “Mass murderer and brutal dictator Mengsitu Haile Mariam (exiled in Harare, Zimbabwe) has written a 500+ pages book that has been published by Tsehai Publisher[s] of Los Angeles. This mass murderer has not yet atoned or paid for his horrendous crimes and the mass killings of the Red Terror. He now hopes to benefit from the sale of his book of lies. We strongly feel that this criminal should be tried before a court of law and should be hindered from benefiting from his crime. Thus, we have published the book in PDF and we are posting it for free usage of all interested readers.” They also say that they are legally justified. What is your response and what steps are you currently taking to halt the piracy?
EW: Professional publishers publish books coming from various political and ideological quarters and by people who have been involved in all kinds of activities. This does not mean publishers agree with the contents of the book they publish. Publishers are not politicians or judges. They are not agents of censorship. They believe in freedom of expression, in the intelligence of the reading public, its capacity to separate the wheat from the chaff and to make informed judgments. This is precisely the perspective of Tsehai publishers also.
The claim “that they are legally justified” is a false one. There is no law that permits the violation of copyright laws. In fact, what they did is nothing less than a blatant violation of internationally accepted copyright laws.
Currently, we have retained a law firm known for its intellectual property law, including copyright and book publishing works. Our attorney, Steven Rohde, is the Past President of the Beverly Hills Bar Association, President of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, and vice president of PEN USA. Among many accomplishments, representing a different client a few years ago, Mr. Rohde personally took the California Son of Sam Law to the California Supreme Court and the law was struck down as a violation of the First Amendment protection for free speech and free press. So, Debteraw and its associates have seriously misunderstood the nature of the Son of Sam Laws and their legal status.
TADIAS: We also understand that this is Tsehai Publishers’ 10th year anniversary. Congratulations. Do you have any plans for the anniversary?
Thank you! Even though Tsehai was started couple of years earlier, it was ten years ago this time that I dedicated my full time attention into it. So we are very excited to celebrate a decade at Tsehai.
To celebrate the anniversary, we decided last year to publish a book every month in 2012. Because of the recent events, we were forced to postpone the publication of our first book this month. But we are determined not to let the unfortunate circumstances hold us back any more than this. We plan to get back on track and plan to release a book every month from February on.
We are also planning to host public events in selected cities in the coming months. If your readers would like to be informed or to get involved, we highly encourage them to visit and Like us at our Facebook page.
TADIAS: Please tell us briefly about Tsehai Publishers’ inception and key works in the past ten years.
Living in Los Angles in the mid 1990s, I noticed a major void in the publishing field on the subject of Ethiopia. Hardly any literature was available on Ethiopia, and what was there was seriously incomplete and flawed. I was tired of waiting for change to happen, and decided to take matters into my own hands. I founded Tsehai in 1997 with just this aim. Tsehai was named after and dedicated to my mother who had passed away the same year. In 2001, I left a job at UCLA and began running Tsehai full time. Since then Tsehai has published over 60 books, started three academic journals, and founded three imprints—African Academic Press, Marymount Institute Press and Chereka Books.
Over the years we have published many books that I am very proud of, one of which is The Conquest of Abyssinia. In the current religious and social climate in the world, Ethiopia is at the crossroad of fundamentalism, and has experienced it all. This book gives the first hand account of what happened during the tumultuous religious conflict in Ethiopia. Another notable book is Ethiopia and Eritrea, which was published originally in 1952. The book documents the struggle between the Unionists and Separatists in Eritrea. Currently, situations in Eritrea are not going well. Although the areas are separated politically, people are beginning to understand that they need a common ground. Because of the Separatists hold a monopoly over the literature available, the young Eritreans are not able to access information about their grandfather’s struggle to reunite with Ethiopia. This book is our contribution to the people of Eritrea, giving them back a piece of their lost history. Finally, our book The Evolution of the Ethiopian Jews addresses the ever-increasing number of Ethiopian Jews that now live in Israel. The book documents their incredibly complex history, from a captivating Ethiopian perspective. Similarly, all our books are selected and published to address issues that are affect our understanding and engagements among ourselves today.
TADIAS: What about the various journals you have started. What inspired them?
EW: Early in 2000, I was working at UCLA for Azlan a journal of Chicano Studies. The journal had been founded 30 years ago by Chicano students who were looked down on because of their Mexican heritage. These students realized that if there was to be any hope for their own academic future and next generations, they would need a forum for Chicanos to publish, which was non-existent at the time. The journal is now a major international academic platform and most scholars who published in it are leading figures in the field internationally. This story inspired me to do the same for Ethiopian Studies, which was just as lacking on the market. Except the one at Institute of Ethiopian Studies at Addis Ababa University, all the scholarship on Ethiopia was produced by European and American institutions. This was the impetus to begin the academic journals at Tsehai.
Our first journal was the International Journal of Ethiopian Studies (IJES), which is now currently available on JSTOR. IJES was the first academic journal to be started by an Ethiopian institution outside of Ethiopia. With the help of leading scholars in the field, we created a nurturing environment where academicians could publish scholarly theoretical and empirical papers and their research findings on Ethiopian social, political, economic, cultural and historical issues.
Our second journal is the Ethiopian Journal of Religious Studies (EJRS), which tackles the complex religious climate of the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is the home of the major religions in the world, but there was previously no forum where we can study or document its development. EJRS is the first religious Ethiopian journal, and is breaking new ground on this fascinating subject.
Our most recent journal is Ethiorica, which combines the words “Ethiopia” and “America” or “Africa.” Although Ethiopia has a very long and rich literary culture, there is currently no platform for burgeoning writers to show their talent. Because of this, there is no stimulating forum for inspiring and promoting Ethiopian literature, particularly among the youth. Ethiorica was our way of addressing this issue. The journal gives a platform for the best new writers to showcase their writing.
TADIAS: We know that you are also in the process of launching a children book series, tell us about it?
EW: We created an imprint called Chereka Books and it is dedicated to bringing accessible, joyful, and child-friendly illustrated books to children and young readers. These books are intended to entertain, inspire, and educate the children their culture and history. Currently, we have about twenty books in different stages of development and we will announce the details soon. In the mean time, you can be sure that the stories, illustration and production of the books will be as good or better than the many books that we have produced in the past.
TADIAS: Please share with us about yourself as well (where you grew up, how you developed your passion for publishing)
EW: I was born and raised in Addis Ababa. Although I had originally planned to pursue a career in medicine, I gave up that path and resolved to become a journalist. I believed that this would enable me to make the greatest difference for my country and in the world.
In September 1994, I left Addis to participate in the Twelfth International Ethiopian Studies conference at Michigan State University in East Lansing. But, my three-week travel plans became indefinite when the government clamped down on the press. Later that year, I joined the Ethiopian Review magazine in Los Angeles, serving as its editorial staff for the next six years. In these years, I got to work with many scholars, political activists and public intellectuals on issues of local and global interest.
As a journalist, I had fought for freedom of press and expression, and these experiences made me realize that I wanted to continue this through publishing. I cared deeply about Ethiopia, and wanted to make my contribution by publishing and distributing works of scholarship on Ethiopia by Ethiopians and non-Ethiopians throughout the world. After founding Tsehai, I realized how very rewarding the experience could be, and devoted myself fully to it. Today, with our three imprints, we publish a diverse list of books and journals, and we endeavor to encourage the acquisition of knowledge, and to bring quality and diversity to the publishing industry for many generations to come.
TADIAS: Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers that we have not asked you about?
EW: I would like to remind your readers of one fundamental issue. Circumstances in Ethiopia and elsewhere show how precious freedom of expression is. Without freedom of expression, there is no progress, no development, no democracy, and no vibrant culture. Ethiopia has lost many of her brilliant children because they stood up to defend freedom of expression. According to my humble opinion, it is our duty to struggle for freedom, equality, and justice to defend the freedom of expression of all Ethiopians, at home and in the Diaspora.
Last but not least, I would like to use this opportunity to say thank you to the many who came out in our support, donated money, purchased books, called and emailed to show their solidarity. We are also grateful to the wonderful editors, authors, staff and interns who work so hard to contribute knowledge that heals our wounded souls. You all are our heroes, so thank you!
—– Related:
The leaders in the EPRP organization who authorized the scanning and posting of the book published by Tsehai Publishers on debteraw.com committed an act that was illegal, unethical, and imprudent. To my mind, that marks it as “un-Ethiopian.”
As I have come to know Ethiopians in many traditions and walks of life, at first hand and through the reports of numerous scholars, I find them essentially law-respecting, ethical, and prudent human beings. Whether it is in observing the laws enacted by an Oromo gumi gayo assembly, a Sidamo town meeting, or Tigrayan court of justice, Ethiopians traditionally express a strong sense of devotion to validly formulated laws and judicial pronouncements. (This trait captured me memorably when, after the new Constitution of 1955 was published, janitors could be seen in the Department of Justice leaning on their brooms and studying it closely!)
Again, whatever religious belief system they follow – Christianity, Judaism, Islam, or the worship of Waaq – Ethiopians exhibit a keen sense of respect for moral standards. What is more, I have found Ethiopians of many classes and ethnic groups to be mature in cautioning against impulsive and socially destructive behaviors. Indeed, what I have glossed as the culture of Wax and Gold reflects a wish to avoid saying things that will illicit negative reactions from those with whom they associate.
The brazen act of the debteraw.com website in scanning and posting the text of Tiglatchn by Mengistu Haile Mariam is patently illegal and so repeats the very behavior that they condemn. On this point, a number of attorneys have assured me that such action stands in clear violation of international and national copyright laws. Although the responsible party claims justification by virtue of a “Son of Sam Law” which prohibits criminals from profiting from their crimes by selling their stories, Colonel Mengistu, however, has not been paid for this book. The publisher not only gave him no money for the manuscript but stands to incur a loss in producing this publication.
It is, moreover, unethical, since it violates commonly shared ethical standards by virtue of responding to a displeasing act with an effort to destroy the perpetrator.
Finally, it is doubly imprudent. On the one hand, illegally posting this manuscript in digital form only serves to increase exponentially the distribution of what this website has condemned as a “book of lies.” Indeed, the point should be emphasized that such a wide distribution will likely strengthen the credibility and endurance of Mengistu’s claims rather than their condemnation. What is more, it aborts the opportunity that publication provides for serious critical scrutiny of a book that patently contains a great number of unsustainable claims. This action might also discourage the Press from publishing a memoir of the EPRP.
On the other hand, the attack on Tsehai Publishers reinforces a tendency among Ethiopians to vilify and defame one another when they disagree. As I have argued for decades, this tendency stands to impede the formation of productive public discourse and to reinforce cycles of violent conflict.
The victim of this triply unscrupulous revenge, Tsehai publisher Elias Wondimu, is a truly heroic Ethiopian, who has invested a huge amount of his life in producing a harvest of publications that can help Ethiopians understand themselves and appreciate their rich traditions and complex society. I can think of no more appropriate response by all Ethiopians, including enlightened EPRP members, than to proceed forthwith to tsehaipublishers.com and order three books. It would be no less appropriate to send a contribution to the Press for the legal defense fund, which they will need to resolve the legal aspect of this unfortunate affair.
— About the Author: Donald N. Levine served as the Peter B. Ritzma Professor of Sociology at the University of Chicago. His research and teaching interests focus on classical social theory, modernization theory, Ethiopian studies, conflict theory and aikido, and philosophies of liberal education.
New York (TADIAS) – As we enter the new year and review last year’s contributions in the area of arts and entertainment, 2011 was a year of new beginnings from comedy, to music and fine arts, which should bode well for 2012.
I almost fell out of my chair when I watched the Simpsons episode in Little Ethiopia last November. Like many Ethiopians who tweeted and posted the video in social media, I was excited to share something funny that recognized Ethiopian culture – albeit in a respectful way. I laughed at every moment of the segment. Little did we know that the Simpsons (and Hollywood) would make 2011 the year of Gursha. My favorite part is when Bart and Lisa feed each other leftover injera at home and Homer Simpson telling his wife: “Marge, the kids are acting ethnic!” Hilarious! Watch it here, if you haven’t already.
In 2011, a young Ethiopian American music executive was appointed as the new head of the legendary Motown label now owned by the Universal Music Group. The company named Ethiopia Habtemariam, 31, Senior Vice President of Universal Motown Records. The promotion makes Ms. Habtemariam one of the most prominent women, as well as one of the most influential blacks in the music industry.
Abel Tesfaye’s Rapid Rise to Fame
My 17-year old cousin introduced me to the new R&B/rapper sensation Abel Tesfaye, a 21-year old Ethiopian artist born in Canada who has taken the music industry by surprise. He exploded into the music scene in spring 2011 after releasing his first nine-song free album, House of Balloons, via the internet. Abel, who goes by his stage name The Weeknd, has already been highlighted by Rolling Stone magazine, MTV News, BET and more. John Norris of MTV has dubbed him “the best musical talent since Michael Jackson.” And his first album, House of Balloons, has been named one of The Best Albums of 2011. But The Guardian wasn’t so enthusiastic. “The singing and songwriting on House of Balloons aren’t especially strong by R&B standards,” noted the UK newspaper. “What’s getting the Weeknd so much attention is [his] command of mood.” While a review by the Frontier Psychiatrist declared that the songs are “brilliant, disturbing, and not safe for work.” As to the lyrics: “So unsafe it should come with a child-proof cap.” Nonetheless, TIME magazine says: “Tesfaye has explored some of the dankest, darkest corners of our world, and thus has crafted some of the most compelling and captivating music for its genre.” There could be no doubt that Abel is a gifted musician and endowed with a soulful voice. He is an artist to watch out for in 2012. The following video is entitled The Knowing, the last track from the House of Balloons album. The mysterious meanings in this futuristic video is open to interpretation but its Ethiopian influence is obvious.
The event held on Thursday, August 11th, 2011 was attended by thousands of people. It was described by The New York Times as “generous, warm, high-spirited real entertainment for a big audience.” The Debo/Fendika collective was the second Ethiopian music ensemble to ever perform at the Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors event, following in the footsteps of Ethiopia’s leading musicians Mahmoud Ahmed, Alemayehu Eshete, and legendary saxophonist Getachew Mekuria, who made a historic appearance here in 2008. Watch TADIAS’ video coverage of the 2011 Lincoln Center Out of Doors concert at the Damrosch Park Bandshell in New York.
The 8th Annual Sheba Film Festival in 2011 featured the New York premiere of Yemane Demissie’s film Twilight Revelations: Episodes in the Life & Times of Emperor Haile Selassie. The screening took place at the Schomburg Center on Thursday, May 26th. The documentary, which features rare archival footage coupled with exclusive interviews and firsthand accounts, takes a fresh look at the mixed legacy of one of the most controversial African leaders in modern history. Check out the trailer here.
I am a huge fan of NBC Universal’s Focus Features program and last year they named Ethiopian Filmmaker, Zelalem Woldemariam, as one of the recipients of its 2011 grant for short films from Africa. His upcoming film entitled Adamet (Listen) is about preserving culture. “My film is about an Ethiopian drummer who learns about his identity and traditional music in an unexpected way,” Zelalem said during an interview with Tadias Magazine. “I have always been fascinated by our music and I have wanted to do a film that showcases this rich and colorful part of our culture for a long time.” You can learn more about the self-taught filmmaker at www.zelemanproduction.com.
Like hip hop, house music is fast becoming a universal language among youth worldwide and so too among Ethiopians. A new music video called Bole Bole, which was staged at Studio 21 in New York and directed by Supermodel Liya Kebede, is getting a lot of buzz online. The lyrics are entertaining. Click here to watch Bole Bole.
Ethiopian-American Singer/Songwriter Rachel Brown is another artist to watch for in 2012. After graduating from Harvard, the up-and-coming musician has been carving a niche for herself both in New York and around the country. With her effortless style, self-confidence and beautiful voice, she is mesmerizing. We look forward to hearing more of her in 2012. Listen to Rachel at rachelbrownmusic.com.
I’ve followed Ezra Wube’s work since 2004. I simply can’t take my eyes off some of his paintings. I continue to giggle at his recent short animation film Hisab (stop action animation painted on a single surface canvas). The video tells an urban folklore by bringing to life the sights and sounds inside Addis Ababa’s popular blue-and-white minibus (a cross between a bus and a taxi). The short film’s main characters are the city’s four-legged residents – donkeys, dogs and goats. Watch the video below.
Some rarely seen historical images from the Kennedy White House years, with the President and First Lady hosting Emperor Haile Selassie, are part of an upcoming film entitled Point Four — a documentary about Haramaya University (previously known as Alemaya College). Haramaya University is an agricultural technical college that was established in 1956 in Ethiopia as a joint project between the two nations. Watch the trailer here.
— The list was updated on Sunday, January 1, 2012 to include Ethiopia Habtemariam.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) East Africa has the second highest rate of deforestation on the African continent. It is estimated that if this rate is not curbed Ethiopia will lose its remaining forests within the next 27 years. Eden Reforestation Projects is a California-based non-profit that has been operating in Ethiopia for the past six years and planting seedlings to promote reforestation programs around the country. The organization’s mission notes that “environmental destruction, through radical deforestation is a major cause of extreme poverty and oppression in impoverished nations.” Eden Reforestation Projects has planted thousands of hectares of seedlings in Ethiopia, Madagascar, and Haiti. Your $10 donation can help plant at least 100 trees while at the same time providing employment for a worker in Ethiopia.
Founded by Dr. Mehret Mandefro, Truth Aid is a nonprofit social venture that produces media to raise awareness about important social issues. The organization is currently fundraising for a new film entitled Oblivion, a feature length narrative movie based on a true story about the legal precedent-setting court case that outlawed the practice of abduction for marriage in Ethiopia – also referred to as telefa. It tells the story of a 14-year old girl named Aberash Bekele who was accused of murder after killing the 29-year old man who raped, beat, and abducted her in an attempt to marry her by force. Tadias has featured Lawyer Meaza Ashenafi whose organization, Ethiopian Women’s Lawyers Association, was defending Aberash Bekele during the trial.
Imagine listening to community-developed soap opera on radio and learning about significant health issues such as HIV/AIDS and ending violence against women. This innovative project was developed by Population Media Center, which was founded in 1998 by Bill Ryerson, with the mission of using entertainment for social change. The projects target audiences by developing content using local producers and writers. The project also includes a radio talk show component for youth.
This New Jersey-based non-profit was founded in 1997 by Dr. Jane Aronson, a pediatric infectious disease and adoption medicine specialist, and now operates in five countries including Ethiopia. Worldwide Orphans Foundation focuses on providing community and capacity building programs including access to health clinics, HIV/AIDS treatment and training centers, and education and enrichment programs for orphans in Ethiopia. Dr. Sophie Mengistu, Country Director in Ethiopia, helps lead the WWO’s Family Health Clinic equipped with an on-site laboratory and pharmacy. Worldwide Orphans Foundation also runs the WWO Academy, which is a private school for orphans and vulnerable community children as well as WWO Camp Addis — a residential program providing athletic, academic, and nutrition resources for teens and children from the academy.
In 2010 Tadias interviewed Eric Schmidhauser at A Glimmer of Hope and learned about the organization’s comprehensive method of community development. A Glimmer of Hope focuses on lifting families out of extreme poverty by providing clean water, building schools and health clinics, and providing microfinance loans. 100% of your donation goes directly to the projects in Ethiopia. Since its inception, the organization has constructed more than 4,000 water projects, 335 school buildings, 170 local health facilities, and provided more than 17,000 micro-finance loans. Net result: 2.5 million lives changed for the better.
Abezash Tamerat founded Artists for Charity after traveling to Ethiopia in 2003 and “saw first-hand the devasting effects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa.” Since then she has opened the Artists for Charity Children’s Home in Addis Ababa to provide shelter, education, and medical assistance for HIV positive orphans. In addition, AFC runs the Desta Project, which brings international volunteers to live as artists-in-residence and collaborate with the children to create artistic products for income generation for the AFC home. Their Art Pen Pal program also encourages the AFC children to exchange art, ideas, and stories with students in other countries.
This international organization is one of the few operating in Ethiopia that focuses exclusively on providing support for children with physical disabilities. Mobility without Barriers designs and develops all-terrain mobility cycles to significantly improve the range and ease of travel for individuals with disabilities. The organization also addresses issues of social isolation, literacy, and poverty and helps to advance the quality of life of marginalized children. In addition to the mobility cycle program, the foundation also provides training for supplemental income-generating projects such as beekeeping and honey production and fabrication of components for mobility cycles.
Author Jane Kurtz, chairs this Denver-based non-profit that encourages children throughout Ethiopia to read by jumpstarting Ethiopian Children’s Book Week, building school libraries, and publishing high-quality, multi-lingual books for children in English and several Ethiopian languages. Ethiopia Reads has built libraries in both public elementary and junior secondary schools. Mobile library unit initiatives have also been developed for children in rural areas. With just $2 you can help provide funding for one language story book for a child. Ethiopia Reads is currently raising funds to complete the building of a library in the town of Awassa.
Founded in 2006, Girls Gotta Run Foundation (GGRF) is an organization run completely by volunteers who are enthusiastic about providing resources and support to Ethiopian girls training to be professional runners and world champions. The funding provided by GGRF helps to empower the young girls to remain in school, avoid early marriage and childbirth, and cover their sports training expenses. Currently GGRF runs three teams with more than 30 female runners.
Gemini Health Care Group (GHCG) is an Ethiopian-American organization based in Jacksonville Alabama, that focuses on providing medical services to children in Ethiopia. “We may not change the world,” says Founder Dr. Ebba K. Ebba. “But we can save a child.” GHCG is currently raising funds to build a children’s hospital in Addis Ababa.
—- Related: Ten Arts and Entertainment Stories of 2011
New York (TADIAS) – After near dissolution, the 28 year-old non-profit, Ethiopian Sports Federation in North America (ESFNA), recently held elections for new leadership. The organization was steeped in disputes for the past 15 months prior to the current resolution.
On December 11th a newly elected board announced that the organization’s annual summer soccer tournament and cultural festival would be held in Dallas, and noted that the upcoming guest of honor will be a sports figure from Ethiopia.
ESFNA’s executive board decision to rescind an invitation to former Ethiopian Judge and opposition leader, Birtukan Mideksa, in October 2010 initiated the disputes. Judge Mideksa had been chosen by the ESFNA board as a guest of honor for its July 2011 event, but internal strife ensued over whether the invitation was appropriate or not. The controversy escalated as resignations followed amid public criticism, including accusations of corruption and malfeasance. Ultimately an invitation was extended to Judge Mideksa and the tournament went on as scheduled in Atlanta albeit under a cloud of threats of boycott by several groups as well as calls for new elections.
“As most that follow ESFNA know, 2011 was a difficult year for the organization because of some decisions that it took or did not take during and following its annual October meeting in 2010 regarding a guest-of-honor selection,” read an official statement from the organization. “All in attendance knew this was a special meeting where all differences were going to be placed on the table and discussed so that the organization could identify mistakes it committed, learn from its mistakes and place safeguards not to repeat it. It was understood that after the discussion we will be united, and go forward even stronger than before.”
The tournament, and the ESFNA itself, was salvaged during a three-day meeting of the organization’s board in Northern Virginia. The board elected Getachew Tesfaye of the St. Michael football club in Maryland as the new president of ESFNA, and likewise installed a new treasurer and business manager.
“There have been questions about our political views,” Tesfaye said when the tournament-site selection was announced after months of delay. “This is a soccer federation. We do not discriminate based on political party, religion or tribe. If you serve the interests of Ethiopia, you are welcome to our tournament.”
Dallas was selected as the 2012 host over Seattle, Las Vegas and Denver, which also submitted bids to host the event. The new president told Tadias Magazine that Denver’s hosting proposal was nearly as persuasive as the one selected, but a down economy influenced the decision to return to Dallas a fourth time.
“We have not held a tournament in Denver yet, and did not want to take a chance amid the current financial situation,” he explained. “All tournaments held in Dallas have been well-attended by the Ethiopian community. Also it is central, and many teams and people can drive to Dallas. We took all that into consideration.”
Also in acknowledgement of the weak economy, the 2012 venue — a stadium in Addison, a suburb of Dallas — is significantly smaller than the 2011 site, the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
Regarding the guest of honor, Tesfaye said two prominent sports figures are being considered and an announcement is expected early in the new year.
Yohannes Berhanu, the new Public Relations Officer of ESFNA, said there is hope that internal divisions are now laid to rest, and that the organization will be viewed as a sports and cultural entity moving forward.
“The ESFNA was never into politics,” he said, while acknowledging the appearance of influence by big money. “The problem is interest groups or sponsors give some tendencies that goes this way or that way — like the big donors, or when we rally against what happens in Ethiopia.”
“In Atlanta there was a tribute to people who had been massacred,” he said. “That was human rights, something any human would do. We were with the people, but not on any side. We are not political, we have to accommodate everyone.”
Addressing guest-of-honor selections, Berhanu added, ” It could be anybody who does something big, like donate $240,000 [Sheikh Al Amoudi, who has donated to ESFNA, was a 2002 tournament guest of honor] or Judge Birtukan Mideksa. We wanted to recognize her for standing up for herself.”
“We are all Ethiopians. We came here and started the federation with four teams, and now there are 29 teams. People with political ties want to bring their own identity and go forward with that. That has nothing to do with ESFNA.”
The sport federation was formed in 1984, and the first annual tournament was held that year in Houston. Berhanu likened the federation’s inclusiveness to that of community groups.
“When they started this thing, they never thought it was going to become this big,” Berhanu said. “But wherever Ethiopians are, they love the sport, culture and getting together.” He added: Like a church or a community organization, we open our doors to everybody. Everybody comes with their own agenda.”
Of the athletes, he noted some are former members of the Ethiopian national team and are well-known and highly regarded.
“They are known not only for what they do in the soccer field, but in bringing people’s spirits up,” he said. “They are like Haile Gebrselassie. The players do a lot for us. People feel homesick, and the players are getting them together and giving them sports. It keeps them going.”
“We should be all working for the same goal,” continued Berhanu. “We have a country that needs our help and a community which needs our support. Otherwise, we will not grow as quickly as other communities.”
— Related: The New York Abay Team: Soccer With an Empire State of Mind
New York (TADIAS) – The Nation to Nation Networking (NNN) gala dinner this past October brought together individuals and organizations from a diverse set of cultural and national backgrounds who worked in the fields of science, education, health care, media, and development programming. We take this opportunity to thank NNN for its foresight and dedication to build bridges across cultures.
Ms. Abaynesh Asrat, Founder & President of Nation to Nation Networking (NNN) formed the organization with a focus on result-oriented programs including: creating awareness about significant roles that can be played by the Diaspora, providing youth & family services for immigrant communities, organizing multicultural programs, and developing locally sustainable projects in line with the Millennium Development Goals.
Tadias Magazine is proud to have been one of the award recipients during the gala dinner, and we celebrate the accomplishments of fellow honorees. Award recipients included Ms. Fay Bennet Lord, former Chair of the United Nations Global Concerns Committee and MC for the evening; Ms. Tania Leon, Composer and founding member of the Dance Theatre of Harlem; Dr. Arline Lederman, vice President of the Board of Solar Cookers International; Dr. Padmini Murthy, Chair of the Women’s Rights Committee of the American Public Health Association; and Elkhair Balla, Investment Banker, Social Entrepreneur and Founder of B Holding Group among others. Dr. Dessima M. Williams, Permanent Representative of Grenada to the United Nations spoke at the beginning of the night’s program and emphasized the importance of recognizing and nurturing young talent.
Below is a summary clip from the evening’s program:
Watch: Nation to Nation Networking Fourth Annual Award Gala
New York (TADIAS) – We recently spotted a selection of ready-made Ethiopian vegetarian food at a natural food market in midtown Manhattan and learned of Hiyaw Gebreyohannes’ Taste of Ethiopia brand. The organic misir wot, cabbage and greens, along with gluten-free injera is now available at grocery chains such as Fairway as well as in food co-ops and smaller markets.
Hiyaw was born in Djibouti. His parents walked for 17 days before crossing from Ethiopia into Djibouti, and they stayed there till Hiyaw turned one-year-old. In the 1980s his family moved to Toronto, Canada and eventually opened two Ethiopian restaurants — Blue Nile and King Solomon. Hiyaw says he literally grew up in the kitchen.
“There were hardly any Abesha people in Toronto in the 1980s and I spent many nights at our restaurant with the family,” he said. “There even was a bed in the large coat check room, and another bed at the back of the bar. I spent a lot of time at the restaurant and grew up around Abesha food.”
When Hiyaw’s mom moved to Michigan and opened two restaurants there, Hiyaw ran and operated an African fusion restaurant called Zereoue in New York. He then took a year off to travel, going twice to Ethiopia before experimenting with packaging Ethiopian food in Michigan.
“I knew that I wanted to focus on Ethiopian food, and I knew I didn’t want to work in another restaurant,” he told us. When the packaged food venture succeeded in Michigan he told himself it was a no-brainer to introduce the concept in New York.
Taste of Ethiopia currently offers vegetarian Ethiopian cuisine. The organic cabbage, carrot, and collard greens are sourced locally from farms in upstate New York while Ethiopian spices such as Berbere are imported from Ethiopia.
“I’ve tried to stay as close to my mom’s recipes, and not to lose the flavors of the cuisine,” Hiyaw pointed out. “But I’m also focused on using the freshest ingredients.”
Hiyaw would like his brand to be more than just the sharing of ready-made Ethiopian food. “A big part of why I did this includes the fact that as Americans we don’t eat well,” he noted. “It’s such an irony that Ethiopia is not known for food. Ethiopian food is nutritious and healthy.”
When thinking of how to grow his business, Hiyaw not only looks at being able to have Taste of Ethiopia products on Whole Foods shelves, but also to encourage school boards to be part of the initiative of getting healthy food into schools. He mentions that his goals are reflective of national health promotion campaigns such as First Lady Michelle Obama’s anti-obesity ‘Let’s Move’ program.
“With Taste of Ethiopia,” Hiyaw said, “we’re also talking about a social aspect, of changing how we eat to a more healthier alternative.” Hiyaw is also looking to hire within the community as his business grows.
Hiyaw Gebreyohannes. (Courtesy photo)
Taste of Ethiopia on display at a market. (Courtesy photo)
The Taste of Ethiopia brand. (Courtesy photo)
Describing the competition in the food packaging industry Hiyaw admitted, “It’s definitely hard. It’s not just about cooking the food. If you don’t have the right labels, right look, right marketing, if it’s not on the right shelves then it doesn’t really matter what you have inside the container, no one would try your food.” Having said that, however, he knows that the market is large and there is space to work hard, make good connections with buyers, and succeed immensely.
Hiyaw mentioned Cafe Spice (distributors of packaged Indian food) as a model success story. “They started from being a mom-and-pop restaurant in New York and became a $100 million business operating out of a 60,000 square foot state-of-the-art kitchen and distributing their products across the nation,” he said. “I’m only in the beginning stages, but I look at businesses such as Cafe Spice when I’m working to expand my business.”
In terms of mentors Hiyaw feels blessed to have learned from his mom and family. “I have so many wonderful women in my life — mom, aunt, sisters,” he shared. One doesn’t usually find too many Abesha men in the kitchen environment, but he says his mother was instrumental in making him feel comfortable and teaching him how to cook Ethiopian food. “I don’t only cook Ethiopian, I also do a lot of traveling and I try cooking food from different regions. All this comes from being comfortable in the kitchen.” As far packaging Ethiopian food in particular, Hiyaw said: “I’m going to venture out there and say that I think I’m the only person doing this. For this avenue I don’t necessarily have someone that I can look up to.”
Grocery chains and natural food stores have been interested in selling Taste of Ethiopia products and Hiyaw is careful about his limitations when it comes to distribution.
“There are challenges in negotiations and making sure that you’re not over-scaling what you can do,” he said. “Sometimes people are afraid that if they don’t say ‘yes’ they may lose the opportunity, but if you do say yes and then you don’t produce the amount agreed upon then you’ve closed the door completely.”
Right now Hiyaw wears many hats. “I’m owner and assistant and cook. It’s all about being humble, not being scared, and doing the hard work,” he told us. “I’ve learned this from my mom. She did everything — cooking, washing. She was the first one to get to the restaurant and the last one to leave. I’ve modeled my business after her restaurant.” Hiyaw’s brand is named after his mom’s restaurant in Michigan (also called Taste of Ethiopia) and whose motto is: “Be Authentic.”
Hiyaw also credits his mom’s entrepreneurial spirit for igniting the same passion in him. “I told my mom at age 10 or 11 that I’d never work for anybody, and I’ve had a few jobs, but never one that was 9 to 5,” he said. “So my mom plays a big role. All I’ve ever seen her do is her own business. Being right there at the table. It’s a great thing as an entrepreneur to sit at the table.”
Like any business Taste of Ethiopia also has its own set of challenges,but Hiyaw also sees the challenge as a moment of opportunity. “Rejection, failure — these things motivate me further. It’s thrilling to be able to watch problems and scenarios play out and then see the end results,” Hiyaw said. He is also heartened by the opportunity to share his work with the community. “When I get phone calls like this,” he added “it’s wonderful that someone wants to hear what my story is.”
Hiyaw also mentioned the recent cartoon episode featuring Ethopian cuisine. “Did you the see the Simpson’s episode? I am most proud that Abesha food can be shown in a different light. I grew up listening to Ethiopia being equated with famine, and being so self-conscious, I didn’t want to have the smell of spices from the restaurant on my jacket. I preferred french fries and hamburgers. Now that has changed.”
In addition to selling Taste of Ethiopia products Hiyaw also regularly organizes underground dinners, which consist of invite-only meals prepared and served at various non-restaurant locations. One theme, for example, was the communal table and the sharing of food from several African countries. Hiyaw sees this as an opportunity to get invited guests to open their senses and experience new food cultures. Hiyaw is also working on launching a food truck to further promote his business. “At the end of the day, it’s all about good food, great packaging, and hard work” he said.
Taste of Ethiopia products are currently available for purchase in the following New York locations: Fairway, Foragers Market, Park Slope Food Co-op, Westerly Market, Westside Market, Union Market (in Brooklyn), Integral Yoga Natural Food Store, and Blue Apron. Gourmet Garage and Dean & Deluca (on Spring St) will start carrying Taste of Ethiopia in the new year, with hopefully many more stores as well.
— Tseday Alehegn is Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Tadias Magazine.
New York (TADIAS) – It is not everyday that we encounter a positive portrayal of Ethiopian culture in Western comedy and literature. So it was refreshing to see the recent episode of The Simpsons, one of America’s favorite animated-cartoon family sharing a meal at a fictional restaurant in L.A’s Little Ethiopia. The segment, which aired in November, was a hit among Ethiopians who tweeted and posted a portion of the episode in social media circles.
“It was tastefully and respectfully done,” said Woizero Negest Legesse, Director of the Little Ethiopia Cultural and Resource Center in Los Angeles. “Who knew gursha would become so popular?”
“I saw the clips on YouTube and it was great,” said Leelai Demoz, an Ethiopian-American Academy Award-nominated television and film producer. Mr. Demoz said he was impressed by the due diligence that went into creating the neighborhood and cultural scenes. “I thought it was a very well done clip by someone who has obviously spent a lot of time in Little Ethiopia,” he enthused.
“We are so happy because The Simpsons put on the map not only this neighborhood, but also our food and culture in general,” Woizero Negest said. “As a matter of fact we are writing a thank you letter to the them.” She added. “We want to invite them back for a coffee ceremony.”
Chef Marcus Samuelsson blogged: “We love it when we see Ethiopian culture injected into pop culture.” He added, “The episode was accurate in finding traditional Ethiopian music and also highlighting the custom of gursha where Ethiopians lovingly offer food to one another.”
The Simpsons’ adventure starts when their car breaks down in Little Ethiopia, the stretch of Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles between Olympic and Pico Boulevards. The area is lined with Ethiopian businesses and restaurants. Luckily for them, their car malfunctions right across from an eatery. Initially Marge (the mother) is visibly concerned. But she has no choice but to follow her hungry kids (Bart and Lisa) into a restaurant. The reluctant mom was still uncomfortable with the milieu of the Ethiopian restaurant such as its display of CDs for sale. The humor does not stop there. Soon enough her taste buds will be dancing eskista while eating some delicious-looking traditional Ethiopian food served on a large platter. “Holy casserole-y!” says Marge. “That’s good gloop!” Bart agrees with his mother: “I wish I lived in Ethiopia.” But Lisa is the most descriptive. “Exotic, vegetarian, I can mention it in a college essay,” she says. “Mom, this is amazing!”
Mr. Demoz said when done right animated shows are powerful tools for creative and entertaining expression of social messages, but they are also hard work. “With animation you have so much freedom to express oneself, that the taste buds dancing seems like a logical and normal thing to see,” Mr. Demoz said. “I have never worked in that form so I am in awe of their talents. I have spent time with animators on a TV show and I can tell you that what seemed like a short three minute clip, took months and months to execute.”
New York (TADIAS) – Whether or not it is made from toasted or raw beans, cooked thick or thin, spiced up or buttered, shiro along with other legumes is perhaps the most nourishing, ubiquitous and affordable dish in Ethiopia. Unfortunately, shiro appears less frequently on dinner tables as a result of economic and social success. The trend is an irrational and en masse adoption of Western commercial diets (along with culture and politics); yet, the same diets are the main culprits for the growing health problem in the U.S. and Europe. We grab on fistfuls of processed foods in beautifully designed packets in lieu of our traditional diet. In this, we, Ethiopians, are not alone. Very few traditions have successfully resisted the marketing lure and the temptation of colorfully wrapped easy-to-cook and ready-to-eat meals. It does not help, that no one celebrates with shiro and that it is used to express pity or religious compunction. As a result, shiro recedes even further from our esteem and creative culinary imaginations.
Against this tide, we would like to argue that shiro and other legumes should be celebrated victuals in Ethiopian households (and non-Ethiopian households) for the following reasons. First, shiro is a healthy source of both macro-and micro-nutrients. Depending on regional preferences, a typical shiro dish is made from one of three legumes, broad (fava) beans, chick peas (garbanzo) or round peas, or as in the current trend, from flour mixture of all three beans. Although there are some differences in nutrient content, each of these legumes is a low fat source of protein, carbohydrate, fiber, iron and folate, among numerous other vitamins and minerals.
For those of you worried about getting adequate protein from beans, according to the USDA the average woman and man require 46 grams and 51 grams of protein per day respectively. However, for elite athletes the daily requirement is as high as 1.37 grams per kilograms of body weight per day. A cup of shiro provides about 16.3 grams of protein. Compare this with 20 grams of protein in a serving of chicken breast, 19 grams in salmon and 22 grams in beef steak.
Second, shiro is usually served with tomato salad and vegetables such as collard greens (gomen), cabbage, or string beans and carrot (fasolia), dishes that are rich in vitamin A and C. In addition gomen and cabbage have vitamin K and folate and are filled with phytochemicals including diindolymethane, and sulforaphane — antioxidants that boost the body’s cancer fighting potential. Carrots and tomatoes have carotenoids and tomatoes contain lycopene — a specific type of carotenoid that has a strong antioxidant property. When mixed with berbere, shiro provides additional vitamin A.
Shiro as many other Ethiopian dishes is never eaten without injera, preferably injera made of teff -a super grain that rivals quinoa in its proportional protein and superior calcium and iron content. In sufficient quantities, Teff also provides a third of the daily requirement for riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate and other micronutrients. Those of us living in the United States and outside of the Washington DC area, are not lucky enough to easily obtain teff-based injera and have to resort to various other combinations that are not as nutritious and that can be more calorie dense than teff-based injera. So, when consuming non-teff based injera, it is prudent to assess calorie and carbohydrate content, especially if one is concerned about obesity, metabolic diseases or have diabetes.
Third, “shiro yum!”. Ok, we may be shooting for the stars trying to sell creamy delicious shiro to kurt-loving readers and during the holiday season. But get into your meditative zone and consider all the possible flavors in shiro like coriander, cardamom, garlic, and berbere; also visualize other bean dishes like buticha, yeshimbra asa and ful. And, if only for an interesting addition to your bean dish cornucopia, foray into the unique land of hilbet, boquilt, siljo, or gulban. I guarantee if not your taste buds your body will be tingling happily. To err is human, so if you are not convinced enough to have shiro and other legumes frequently, we hope that this will at least engage your culinary imagination to include shiro in some form in your diet.
In sum, shiro is a great source of protein; and when combined with vegetables and tomato salad shiro-based meals provide almost all of the average daily requirements of folate, vitamin A, C and K. Include the goodness of teff and the meal will have additional micronutrients such as iron, calcium and vitamin B6. For individuals concerned about carbohydrates, injera made of teff has low glycemia load by virtue of its proportional fiber and protein content (estimated glycemia load of 84 for a cup of uncooked teff, compare this to 104 for a cup of uncooked rice). Add the antioxidant properties of carotenoids and phytochemicals, and shiro and its accompaniments are now in the realm of food-as-medicine. Above all shiro tastes heavenly. At a minimum, we should curb our flight into the dizzying glitter of substitute foods, even as many in the West reverse their course through the growing slow, organic, farm-to-table and locovore food movements.
WASHINGTON, DC (TADIAS) – When Physicist Solomon Bililign was a young teacher imprisoned in Ethiopia during the “Red Terror” era, he never imagined that he would one day receive a Presidential Award in the United States.
Now a professor at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, Dr. Bililign is one of nine individuals whom President Obama this week named recipients of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring. The honorees will receive their awards at a White House ceremony later this year. The award recognizes the role that mentoring plays in the academic and personal development of students studying science and engineering. According to the White House, candidates are nominated by colleagues, administrators, and students at their home institutions.
“Through their commitment to education and innovation, these individuals are playing a crucial role in the development of our 21st century workforce,” President Obama said. “Our nation owes them a debt of gratitude for helping ensure that America remains the global leader in science and engineering for years to come.”
“I am humbled by the honor,” Dr. Bililign said in an interview with Tadias Magazine following the announcement. “I am just one of thousands of mentors who happened to be nominated.” He added: I am sure there a lot more deserving mentors. The recognition would motivate me to do more.”
Dr. Bililign said that success in science, engineering or math is not as glamorous as success in performing arts or sports in the U.S., but the economic competitiveness of the nation, depends on a solid foundation in the sciences. “Young people need to be encouraged, pushed, persuaded to do it,” he said. “Not for the money or fame but for the love of discovery and innovation. I believe every one has a gift, and a mentor’s role is to identify the gift and nurture it.”
Dr. Bililign was born in Dessie, Ethiopia. He left the country in 1987 to pursue a PhD in Physics at the University of Iowa. “Both my parents were teachers,” he said. “They are actually the first graduates of the Debre Berhan Teachers Training program then run by the US Point Four program.” He continued: “Their first assignment was in Mekele, Northern Ethiopia where they started school under a tree by collecting shepherds from the field… that modest start grew into a big elementary school where my father served as a Principal for over 10 years and my mother taught home economics, until they transferred to Dessie. I did all my school grades one through eleven at Atse Yohannes Elementary and Secondary School.”
Dr. Bililign said he followed in his parents footsteps to be trained as a high school teacher and joined the Prince Bede Mariam Laboratory School in grade eleven. “ I graduated as a physics teacher from Addis Ababa University (AAU), but ended up as a graduate assistant at AAU and taught there as a lecturer for several years,” he said.
But Dr. Bililign’s life-journey has not always been easy. He was imprisoned and tortured during the “Red Terror” era. His father died in a car accident on his way to visit his son in prison.
“While no one had to go through [what I went through], I think I have turned that negative and hard experience to my advantage, where I spent most of my time teaching young prisoners during the day and prison guards during the night, trying to give hope in a seemingly hopeless situation, and keeping myself busy and overcoming negative feelings and bitterness,” he said. “The experience also gave me time to reflect on my life and see the bigger picture in life.”
And what is his advise to a new generation of aspiring scientists? “For the young people who are intimidated by the hard work needed in science, math and engineering, I say nothing in life is easy, it is all about deciding to do it with passion. Every thing will give up its secrets if you love it enough,” he said.
We congratulate Professor Solomon Bililign on his accomplishments.
President Barack Obama greets Dr. Solomon Bililign (left) and other recipients of the 2010 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring in the Oval Office, Dec. 12, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
New York (TADIAS) – Firehiwot Dado and Buzunesh Deba were greeted like homecoming queens with cheers and applause as they arrived for dinner at the Queen of Sheba Ethiopian Restaurant in Manhattan on Sunday evening, following their stunning victory at the 2011 ING New York City Marathon.
Firehiwot Dado, 27, won her debut NYC Marathon in 2:23:15, followed by her childhood friend, New Yorker Buzunesh Deba, four seconds later. It was one of the closest women’s finish in the race history.
“This is my first time coming to New York,” Firehiwot said. “It’s one of the top five [international] competitions. That I won prepares me and gives me hope for the next Olympics.” She added: “My goal is to win gold at the Olympics.”
The New York media had shown up at the midtown eatery after learning that the local hero would be dining there. Buzunesh Deba was visibly emotional as fans, friends, and strangers waited for a chance to hug and kiss her.
Buzunesh, 24, who led Firehiwot until the two overtook Mary Keitany of Kenya, said running in her Bronx neighborhood had inspired her to pick up the pace and added that she was pleased with the result because “my friend won.”
“We lived in the same town, and ran on the same team,” Buzunesh told Tadias earlier in the day.
“I want to thank the people of New York and the people of my country and everyone that supported us,” Buzunesh said. “Frehiwot and I showed good competition and with God’s grace we were victorious.”
Watch: Homecoming Reception For New York Marathon Winners at Queen of Sheba Restaurant
Watch: Firehiwot Dado & Buzunesh Deba take the top-two spots at 2011 NYC Marathon
A First, a Second, a Third and a Fourth: Ethiopia Leaves Its Imprint on NYC Marathon
New York (TADIAS) – The last was first, and the local hero finished second, as Ethiopian women ran 1-2 in dominating the female division of the 42nd ING New York City Marathon.
Ethiopian men finished third and fourth overall, and three placed in the top 10, on a crisp, sunny autumn morning that produced a course record 2:05:06 by Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya.
Tsegaye Kebede (2010 London Marathon winner) was third in 2:07:14 and defending champion Gebre Gebremariam this time was fourth in 2:08:00, with Emmanuel Mutai, no relation to the winner, the runner-up in 2:06:28. Ezkyas Sisay, who helped set the pace over more than the first half of the course, finished ninth in 2:11:04.
On the women’s side Firehiwot Dado, 27, who runs for the Ethiopian Federal Prisons Club, won her debut New York City Marathon in 2:23:15, finishing four seconds ahead of a closing Buzunesh Deba.
Deba currently lives in the Bronx — where she began a surge that led to her and Dado overtaking Kenyan Mary Keitany in the final mile of the 26.2-mile course through the five boroughs.
Keitany had started fast and built a lead of up to two minutes before fading. Deba and Dado picked up their pace about Mile 19, and caught the Keitany shortly after Mile 24 before passing her a mile later on Central Park South.
Dado, who won the Rome Marathon in 2009, 2010 and 2011, was a late entrant in New York.
“She definitely was the last woman we entered in the race,” said David Monti of the NYRR, the race organizer. He said Dado’s entry was not finalized until Oct. 9.
Sam Grotewold, also of the NYRR, added Dado’s victory was ” an upset, that’s for sure.”
At the post-race news conference Dado said, “I am very happy. It was a very good race. It was a tough race, and I didn’t expect this result. But I am very happy to have won New York.”
Coach Haji Adilo said he arranged for Dado to run New York because he knew she would be competitive after training in and around Addis Ababa last summer with Mamitu Daska, who won last month’s Frankfurt Marathon in 2:21:59.
“I expected Mary Keitany to win, and after seeing her start I didn’t think anyone was going to catch her,” said Adilo. “But when she began to slow down, I knew Firehiwot could win because she has a strong kick. When she won in Rome (2:24:13), her last half was 1:11.”
Dado told reporters she began running in secondary school, and credited Adilo for having “encouraged me and pushed me to start the marathon” distance because previously “I had no intention of doing that.”
(Photo: Firehiwot Dado & Buzunesh Deba hug after their NYC Marathon victory – Getty Images)
Deba, who led Dado until they overtook Keitany, said running into the Bronx had inspired her to pick up the pace and added she was pleased with the result because “my friend won.”
“We lived in the same town, and ran on the same team,” Deba said. “It was my dream to win, but maybe next year.”
Worku Beyi, Deba’s husband and coach, made this assessment as he displayed a slight gap between a thumb and finger: “She made a small mistake. She will correct it.”
Deba said running along a familiar route that included portions of Central Park over which she regularly trains helped yesterday, but stated in addition to Dado and Keitany she had to fight off cramps under her ribs in the final miles.
“I thank God that He gave me power, and thank you, New York Road Runners, and thank you the New York people, all of them,” she added. “They supported me. They cheered me. They called my name. I am so happy. It was hard. It was a tough race, and I finished second in place, so I’m so happy.”
The New York City Marathon captivated Ethiopians throughout the city — particularly the professional running community.
Abiyot Endale followed the race by video stream on the Internet, texts and phone conversations as he returned from Camden, NJ, where that morning he won the Cooper Norcross Bridge Run 10K in 30:05.
“Oh my God,” he said as Deba and Dado began to overtake Keitany. “Buzunesh has a chance to win the New York City Marathon!
“I know both of them,” he added. “We were on the same team. I don’t know which I want to win. ”
Firehiwot Dado and Buzunesh Deba, 1-2 in New York. (Getty Images)
Firehiwot Dado and her Coach Haji Adilo after the post-race news conference. (Photo by Jason Jett for Tadias Magazine)
Buzunesh Deba and Worku Beyi speak with the press after the race. (Photo by Jason Jett for Tadias Magazine)
Firehiwot Dado after the post-race news conference. (Jason Jett for Tadias Magazine)
Geoffrey Mutai tells news media he does not want to give himself a title, that it is up to them. (TADIAS)
Meb Keflezighi, the highest finishing American man, was sixth with a personal best of 2:09:13. (TADIAS)
Six Ethiopian women were among the Top 20 finishers. Trailing Dado and Deba were Misiker Mekonnin Demissie (11th, 2:31:40), Werknesh Kidane (14th, 2:33:08), Serkalem Biset Abrha (15th, 2:33:22) and Aziza Aliyu (17th, 2:38:33).
Dado earned a check of $180,000, including a $50,000 time bonus, for her victory. Deba received $65,000, plus a similar time bonus.
Kebede was awarded $40,000 and Gebremariam $25,000, both with time bonuses of $50,000 to $40,000.
During the post-race news conference male bronze-medalist Kebede was asked to comment on the late Sammy Wanjiru, with whom he battled at the 2010 Chicago Marathon. The question was an emotional one for Kebede.
“It’s true last year, Chicago, we had a very stiff competition,” he said. “I tried very hard to win, and at the end I wasn’t able to beat him, and he won. I actually prefer not to think or talk a great deal about him, because when I think about how he passed away, it really disturbs me and it makes me very sad.”
Mutai, who won the 2011 Boston Marathon in the fastest-ever marathon time of 2:03:02, is being given Wanjiru’s former crown as “world’s greatest marathoner” by many experts.
Asked what title he would give himself after the news conference, Mutai said, “It is not for me to give myself a name. You decide what to call me.”
Mutai became the first runner to set course records in winning both the New York and Boston marathons in the same year.
Watch: Firehiwot Dado & Buzunesh Deba Take Top-Two Spots at 2011 NYC Marathon
New York (TADIAS) – In a recent interview with PBS, Ethiopian-American Musician Meklit Hadero contemplated the various meanings that she came across when researching her name. “My father is from the south of Ethiopia and Hadero means milk,” she said. “But once when I was in college I had a friend look up in a Geez-Amharic dictionary. Geez is the ancient language of Ethiopia and Meklit is a Geez word. He looks it up in the dictionary and he said ‘oh, it means one who knows the balance of things.'”
Like the meaning of her name Meklit’s music is a balance of various cultures: American jazz, Ethiopian classics, and sounds from the vibrant San Francisco’s art scene — all held together with her eloquent poetry. Meklit, who left Ethiopia when she was one year old, grew up in New York and graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in Political Science before settling in San Francisco where she currently resides. She has been compared to Billie Holiday, Tracy Chapman and Joni Mitchell. But her creative renditions of the traditional Ethiopian song Abbay Mado is as original as her piece entitled People of Movement, a musical tribute to refugees worldwide.
“At the moment, I’m finishing up two new collaborative albums, both set for release early in 2012 on San Francisco’s Porto Franco Records,” Meklit tells Tadias Magazine. She is currently in Ethiopia. “I came here to inaugurate UN Women’s campaign for gender equity with a free concert at the UN compound in Addis, as well as to perform at and attend the African Leadership Network Conference,” she said. “It’s always wonderful to be in Addis.”
Describing her upcoming albums Meklit said: “The first is with two Arba Minch Collective members and Ethiopian-American Emcees Gabriel Teodros and Burntface. We were all in Ethiopia together in May 2011, where we played in the town square of Harrar, at the foot of the castles in Gondar, and in Addis Ababa. I’ve also got an album coming out with Oakland soul singer Quinn DeVeaux, exploring soul interpretations of indie-rock and art rock songs, and really highlighting the soul roots of that music.”
The Ethiopian-American group’s name is CopperWire and the album is called Earthbound. “It uses concepts of outer space and intergalactic distances to unravel ideas around diaspora, separation, and the longing for home,” she said. “We’re all so excited about how the music turned out.”
Also, last week, it was announced that Meklit will be a 2012 TED Senior Fellow. “I’m so thrilled about that,” she added. “Folks can always keep in touch with me on Facebook and Twitter.”
— Watch: “Quick Hits” Highlight of Meklit Hadero’s “Leaving Soon” (PBS/Sound Tracks)
New York (TADIAS) – NBC Universal’s Focus Features has named Ethiopian Filmmaker, Zelalem Woldemariam, as one of the recipients of its 2011 grant for short films from Africa.
Earlier last month, CEO of Focus Feature’s Africa First program, James Schamus, announced that their initiative exclusively for emerging filmmakers from Africa has awarded five artists $10,000 apiece. The grant is designed to help finance the production of a short film by each filmmaker.
“My film is about an Ethiopian drummer who learns about his identity and traditional music in an unexpected way,” Zelalem said in a recent interview with Tadias Magazine. Speaking about his film entitled Adamet (Listen), Zelalem adds: “I have always been fascinated by our music and I have wanted to do a film that showcases this rich and colorful part of our culture for a long time.”
The other winners include Ms. Oshosheni Hiveluah of Namibia, Mr. Cedric Ido of Burkina Faso, Mr. Mark Middlewick of South Africa and Ms. Akosua Adoma Owusu of Ghana.
According to the motion picture company, the winning filmmakers will also visit New York City this month for a weekend to meet each other as well as Mr. Schamus and President of Focus Features production Jeb Brody.
“I’m continually impressed by the range of great young artists we meet through Africa First,” Mr. Schamus said in a statement. “Each filmmaker has a distinctive vision and voice, and I look forward to learning from them at our summit.”
Zelalem is a self-taught filmmaker, born and raised in Addis Ababa. In 2005, he founded Zeleman Production, which now employes twenty-five people and has become one of Addis’ go-to studios for creating various media products. Zelalem’s first international recognition came in 2010 when his film called Lezare (For Today), a 12 minute movie which explores the link between environmental degradation and poverty, won the “Best Short Film Youth Jury Award” at the 7th African Film Festival in Spain.
Producer Kisha Cameron-Dingle, who serves as program director for the Africa First program, said, “We are particularly proud of the diversity and ambition in this year’s solid group, with new storytellers coming from several countries contributing to the program for the first time.”
“This means a lot for me and my Ethiopian filmmaker colleagues,” Zelalem said. “To be recognized by a Hollywood studio is a big deal.” He added: “Personally I hope it will open a lot of doors.”
— You can learn more about Focus Features’ Africa First program at focusfeatures.com.
New York (TADIAS) – Buzunesh Deba “is not in the local race, she is in the big race this time,” her husband-coach Worku Beyi emphasized last week in reference to the Ethiopian-born runner’s bid to become the first New Yorker to win the New York City Marathon since 1976 — before the race left Central Park to touch all five boroughs and become the world’s largest marathon.
On November 6 she will pursue the $130,000 overall top prize that goes to the first man and woman finishing the 26.2-mile race through Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan.
Deba has the runner’s resume to be considered among the top five in the elite women’s field at the 2011 New York City Marathon.
Last June she won the Rock n’ Roll San Diego Marathon in 2:23:31, blazing the first half of the downward course in 1:09:53. Three months earlier she won the Honda Los Angeles Marathon. Last year she was victorious at the Twin Cities and Grandma’s marathons in Minnesota.
Deba was among the top-10 finishers both times she competed over the marathon distance in New York City, finishing 10th, in 2:29:55, last year and seventh two years ago in 2:35:54.
The New York City Marathon is a demanding 26 miles, 385 feet (42.195 kilometers), with five climbs onto bridges, that runners seeking fast times typically avoid in favor of running over relatively flat courses in Berlin or Chicago.
Beyi insists if the weather is pleasant, Deba has a good chance of beating the New York City Marathon course record of 2:22:31.
“In San Diego she ran the first 5K in 16:0-something,” he said. “Her 10k time was 32 minutes, she was on world-record pace. Then until 23 miles, she was on sub-2:20 pace.”
The husband-coach told Tadias that he first met Deba when she was age 13, and a year later attended one of her races, positioning himself along a clearing about 400 feet from the finish line.
“Buzunesh was second, a good distance behind the leader, when she came by,” said Beyi. “I shouted ‘go, go, go’ the next thing I knew she began to run faster. She passed the other girl and won the race.”
“When I congratulated her after the race I asked her how did she manage to pass the other girl so quickly?” he continued. “She said, ‘You gave me power. You are my power.'”
His wife’s pre-New York marathon workout routines peaked this fall to 130 miles a week, covered in two-a-day training sessions. Recently, Deba has slowed to about 90 miles a week with robust-morning and easy-evening sessions.
“Nutrition is very important for running a marathon,” Beyi said. “Marathon training is very hard, you have to eat properly. Up to one month before the marathon we ate a lot of meat and injera, but injera makes you heavy. Now we eat mostly vegetables, with a little chicken and some lamb soup.”
Deba gives a lot of credit for her success to Beyi — both his training and cooking.
Beyi, a world-class athlete, competes less now because of a medical condition and instead focuses on coaching Deba. Quite a cook also, friends say, Beyi said he prepares their meals so Deba can stay off her feet after training.
For Deba, the ascension was gradual. She arrived in New York on an athlete’s visa in 2007, and her early performance was hampered by chronic ankle problems.
With uneven success, she competed across the country at various races. It was not until September 2009 that Deba ran her first race over a 26.2-mile course — The Quad Cities (Iowa) Marathon — and won.
She found her winning stride, and with coaching from Beyi and altitude training in New Mexico, victories followed at the 2009 and 2010 California International Marathon as well as in Minnesota, Los Angeles and San Diego.
Buzunesh Deba trains under the watchful eye of husband-coach Worku Beyi as members of the Manhattan College Jaspers track and field team look on at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx on Monday, October 24, 2011. (Photo by Jason Jett for Tadias Magazine).
Buzunesh Deba, far right, holds trophy after winning the 2010 Chris Thater Memorial 5K in Binghamton, New York. (Photo by Jason Jett)
Now Deba is on the brink of a life-changing achievement. If she wins the New York City Marathon next week, it would mark the first time a female runner has left her homeland as an adult and rose to world-class status on the North American road-racing circuit. Only Khalid Khannouchi, who was born in Morocco and lived first in Brooklyn and then in Ossining, NY, has done that to date, winning the 1999 Chicago Marathon in a world-record time of 2:05:42 that since has been broken. Meb Keflezighi, winner of the 2009 New York City Marathon, was born in Eritrea but as a child moved with his family to the United States and grew up in San Diego.
In recent days, Deba has been besieged with media requests – which included interviews with The New York Times and The New York Daily News.
With a victory in New York, Deba would take a big step from her colleagues who survive by the same pattern she had followed in the U.S. until this year — racing here and there, virtually anywhere, to secure enough funds to support themselves and send home to family in Ethiopia.
More than dozen Ethiopian runners living in New York and Washington, D.C., are pursuing with season-highlight anticipation that New York City Marathon race-within-a-race from which Deba is attempting to move on. For them there is still gleam in the prospect of being the first city resident or New York Road Runners member to finish, and the money that comes with the distinction.
Pride unites the network of Ethiopian runners who live in and around New York, training in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, Rockefeller State Park in Tarrytown and in Manhattan’s Central Park.
The pride is both for their homeland and in their resettlement in a country that offers greater opportunities — if they can find them amid all the competition from other Ethiopian nationals not to mention Kenyans, and East Europeans on the running circuit.
Friendships survive the race competitions, in which one runner’s success often means another’s failure in monetary terms ranging from several hundred to thousands of dollars.
Schadenfreude is a reality after each race, with everyone getting to share in it at some point as they hope for better for themselves in their next competition.
That is the manner in which relations within the network are affected by the hands of fate. One’s success is shared; one’s failure means there is opportunity for some other runner to move up.
The New York City Marathon brings local media attention to the running community each year. The scrutiny has not always been embraced by its members.
Nearly three years ago Village Voice reporter Graham Rayman extensively interviewed Ethiopian and Kenyan runners living in the Bronx for a post-New York City Marathon story. Rayman and photographer Jesse Reed spent days into weeks interviewing and photographing the runners in their homes as well as at training grounds in Van Cortlandt and Rockefeller State parks.
The result was a front-page story with a full-page picture of Ethiopian runner Abiyot Endale, who has photogenic looks to match his athletic prowess. However, photoshopped onto the bib of Endale’s running shirt was the headline: Will Run For Food.
The Ethiopian running community in New York was outraged.
Kassahun Kabiso, a Bronx runner who was featured in the report, said Rayman had befriended the runners and they had accepted him and his photographer into their homes and apartments. “He was our friend,” Kabiso said. “Maybe his editors changed the story.”
Rayman did not respond to a request for comment sent to his email account at the Village Voice.
The article, published December 17, 2008, is still viewable online along with additional comments but sans the cover photograph shown below.
The Ethiopian running community in New York is still stinging from the article, and wants the world to know that while their lifestyle is not luxurious neither is it impoverished.
“That was a bad article,” Beyi said, shaking his head, after leading Deba through a training session last week.
Endale and Derese Deniboba, who live at a Perry Avenue address in the Bronx that for the past six years has been home for Ethiopian runners, note that while they may live four people to an apartment the conditions are clean and well-maintained, if not spartan.
Deniboba recently recalled a conversation he had last summer with his absentee landlord.
“He called me over and said, ‘You know, you are not like the tenants I used to have. You guys are quiet, and never cause any trouble. Where are you from?'”
“I told him Ethiopia,” said Deniboba. “Then he asked, ‘What you do?'”
“I told him we are runners,” added Deniboba. “Then he said, ‘You guys are disciplined, you are in good shape. None of you are fat. I think I will take up running, too.'”
Will Run For Glory
Deba is running the New York City Marathon for the glory and the money.
Her six-figure annual earnings and a $40,000 Mizuno sponsorship, along with a 2011 Honda Insight hybrid car that was part of her prize for winning in Los Angeles, has her and Beyi preparing to buy a house in their adopted city — as she pursues United States citizenship.
Should Deba not win the New York race, but finish second, she would earn $65,000; plus bonus. A third-place finish would net her $40,000, fourth $25,000, fifth $15,000, and so on, plus bonuses.
November 6 likely will be a big payday for all the hard work and discipline Deba has put in every day the past few months, including rainy days on which Beyi suggested she rest but she insisted on going out and running in the rain for hours.
New York (TADIAS) – The New York Daily News highlights the Bronx-based long-distance runner Buzunesh Deba, who is preparing for the upcoming ING New York City Martahon. If Deba wins the race next month, she will become the first New Yorker to claim hometown victory in the annual fall race.
“Buzunesh Deba is a 24-year-old former gymnast who grew up in the town of Asela in Ethiopia’s Rift Valley, and now lives in a fifth-floor walkup on West 195th St. in the Bronx,” writes Wayne Coffey for the Daily News. “The apartment has…a few dozen trophies and medals, all of them the fruits of Deba’s rapidly ascending marathoning career.” He adds: “A month from now, in the ING New York City Marathon, Deba will endeavor to add to the collection – not only by scoring the greatest victory of her life, but by becoming the first New Yorker to win the five-borough race.”
“I hope to make the New York Road Runners, my husband as well as myself proud,” Deba told the newspaper, speaking through an Amharic interpreter.
Buzunesh Deba ran the 11th-fastest marathon in the world earlier this year at the Dodge Rock n’ Roll San Diego Marathon, finishing the race in the fastest time ever run by a woman in California.
“It’s remarkable to think that there could be a champion hiding in plain sight, training in our parks and streets right here in New York City,” Says Mary Wittenberg, CEO of the New York Road Runners.
New York (TADIAS) – The following is a video coverage of “Brunch for the Horn of Africa,” the fundraiser for famine relief held last month at Marcus Samuelsson and Maya Haile’s home in Harlem. The sold-out event was attended by a diverse crowd from New York and nearby states.
“The big part of this event is to inspire people to do it in their homes” said Marcus. “A brunch like this can raise awareness about a part of the world that is very troubled right now.” He adds: “This is something that as Ethiopians we can’t avoid…12 million people whether it’s on the Somali side or Ethiopian side it doesn’t matter.”
“It sends a signal that it’s very possible for all of us to do something to organize small groups to work within our mahber, book clubs, schools and organizations and set something up to help those who are in our home and our country,” said the author Maaza Mengiste, who attended the event. “I am very proud that as Abehsa we are helping each other, whether we live in Ethiopia or we are in the Diaspora, we can still reach out to those in need.”
“Famine is terrible because it’s something that is preventable,” said Robert Kayinamura, a Harlem resident who also attened the brunch. “I think it’s important not only to create awareness about this event but to continue to be aware of things in Africa.”
Watch: Harlem to Horn: Fundraiser for Famine Relief (Taped on 9/18/2011)
New York (TADIAS) – Brooklyn based musician Tomas Doncker’s new album entitled Power of the Trinity, which features well-known artists hailing from Ethiopia including Gigi and legendary guitarist Selam Seyoum Woldemariam, is as much a tribute to Ethiopia and its history as it is a soulful blend of R&B, spoken word and global urban sounds, reflecting the culturally eclectic neighborhood where he grew up. The CD also features Grammy award winning producer and bassist Bill Laswell, Pulitzer Prize winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa, and Electro-dub specialist Dr. Israel as well as reggae artist Tsegaye Selassie.
“Musically speaking, being able to work with Bill Laswell and Selam Woldermariam was like taking a journey into the heart and soul of Ethiopian groove, ” Tomas Doncker said in a recent interview with Tadias Magazine. Bill Laswell was the producer of Gigi’s 2001 album, which propelled the vocalist to worldwide acclaim. Selam Woldermariam, also known as Selamino, was a member of the storied Ibex and Roha bands.
According to Tomas, a theater production about Emperor Haile Selassie and his role during World War II, following the Italian invasion of Ethiopia, gave impetus to his new album. The drama was never staged but he said it inspired him to learn more about the Emperor. “I was asked to score a play called Power of the Trinity by New York Playwright Roland Wolf and in my research I realized that collaborations with this particular group of artists would really capture and enhance the feeling that I was looking for,” Tomas said. “It was the most rewarding artistic experience of my life.”
Tomas said he fell in love with Selam Woldermariam’s work long before he met the guitarist, whom he said he discovered through one of the earliest editions of the Ethiopiques series – number seven – which spotlighted the award-winning singer Mahmoud Ahmed and the historical band Ibex.
“Tomas Doncker had this CD and was searching for musicians that played with Ibex in those days,” Selam told Tadias. “A common friend knew where I resided and told Tomas about it, that’s how we connected.”
The name of the album, Power of the Trinity, is the English translation of Emperor Haile Selassie’s name. The CD cover shows a globe embedded with a giant map of Africa filled with a photo collage of the late emperor. Tomas Doncker’s own name is written using a combination of English and Geez alphabets. “Graphic Designer Michael Luciano and I worked very closely on this,” Tomas said. “We wanted to highlight Ethiopia as being one of the most important places in world history, perhaps even the cradle of civilization. You can’t do that without making H.I.M. a focal point.”
Selam, who majored in History at Addis Ababa University and is currently researching “the music history of the Horn of Africa,” says the collaborative project is more than a nod to the former king. “As we all know Ethiopian music is now a fashion throughout the world,” he said. “It is not surprising to see bands whose members are mainly western musicians playing Ethiopian music repertory of the 60s and 70s.” He adds: “This phenomenon was partly the result of the distribution of Ethiopiques CD series, produced by a good friend, Francis Falceto. And, fortunately, I was part of the group known as ‘Ibex’ that performed during the early 70s at Ras Hotel. It included the renowned performer Mahmoud Ahmed and we recorded his Ere Mela Mela on LP which later became Ethiopiques number 7 in 1989.”
For Tomas, it is also about crossing cultural boundaries. “I grew up in Brooklyn NY, in Crown Heights” he said. “I attended St. Ann’s school from 1st grade until the 12th grade. Crown Heights at that time was a very dangerous neighborhood. Lots of gangs and violence, but we still managed to maintain a sense of community, at least among the families on my block. Receiving a scholarship to attend St. Ann’s made it possible for me to meet people and learn about other cultures. It changed my life and helped to mold me into the artist that I am today.”
Tomas Doncker and Selam Woldemariam at the Blue Note in NYC on April 12, 2010. (Photo courtesy of Selam Woldemariam)
Regarding his new album Tomas said: “It is what I like to call a global soul meditation about Ethiopia and how I feel that we are all connected.”
Selam, who also served as a Production Consultant, worked on the Amharic translations for most of the compositions on the album. He described the genre of the new CD saying: “It is mainly a fusion work of Tomas’ compositions with Ethiopian rhythm and sounds. He uses the slow and fast Chik-chika rhythms on most of his compositions. This rhythm is extensively used in most Ethiopian music. Moreover, most horn sections on some of the tunes resemble the unique sound of Ibex Band from the Ethiopiques number seven volume. Therefore, I think we can safely label the new album as ‘global soul,’ a fusion of western R&B and African and Ethiopian music.”
Selam adds: “I would like to thank Tomas for dedicating his song, Seven Sons, in memory of Ibex.”
— Thomas Doncker’s “Power of the Trinity” is now available for purchase on I tunes. You can learn more about the artist at www.tomasdoncker.net.
Watch: Tomas Doncker introduces guitar hero Selam Woldemariam at the Blue Note in NYC
Watch: Inside Tomas Doncker’s “Power of The Trinity Project”
New York – Tadias Magazine will receive the Exceptional Service Award for ‘Bridge-Building Across Cultures’ from Nation to Nation Networking (NNN) at its 4th Annual International Diaspora Award Dinner on Thursday, October 13, 2011.
NNN is a U.S. based non-profit organization that works to foster understanding among different communities in the United States and beyond. Its founder is Ethiopian-American Abaynesh Asrat. Past recipients of the award include Elinor Ruth Tatum, the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the New York Amsterdam News, the oldest and largest African-American newspaper in New York, and one of the oldest ethnic papers in the country.
Tadias is a New York based online magazine tailored towards the Ethiopian-American community.
We are honored and humbled by the recognition.
— If You Go
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Three West 51st Street, New York City, NY 10019
Dinner at 6:45, ceremony – 7:45 PM
— RSVP by October 6, 2011. To sponsor the event, buy ads in the tribute book or purchase tickets please call 917-375-3636. Suggested Contribution of $150. All contributions are tax-deductible. NNN, Ltd. is a 501(c)(3) federally tax-exempt organization. PayPal payment option will be posted shortly. You can also make checks payable to: Nation to Nation Networking, Ltd. (or ‘NNN, Ltd.’) and mail to: NNN, Ltd. – P.O. Box 286702 – New York, NY 10128.
New York (TADIAS) – In a recent interview with Tadias Magazine Lady Kate Njeuma, CEO and Founder of Miss Africa USA, said her organization is making progress in its search for Miss Ethiopia to particpate in the upcoming annual competition.
The Miss Africa USA Pageant had reached out to Tadias last month saying that Ethiopian-Americans remained unrepresented as the group prepares to crown the 2011 Queen in November.
Ms. Njeuma said that has now changed: “We have been overwhelmed with responses from the community,” she said. “We are now at the point of finalizing our search to endorse one candidate to represent Ethiopia this year. We hope that after the interviews and selection process, our choice will be a good representative for Ethiopia.”
Regarding her reflections on the 25-year-old Leila Lopes of Angola, winner of the coveted Miss Universe prize, Ms. Njeuma said: It is very encouraging indeed for an African woman to win the Miss Universe Pageant. The first African woman to win was Miss Botswana in 1999, so Leila is the second in the pageant’s 60 year history. I think Africa has got to the point where people are not only seeing the negative things but they are realizing that Africa is very gifted.”
Leila Lopes, was among contestants hailing from 89 nations at the 60th anniversary of the beauty contest held in São Paulo, Brazil on September 12, 2011. Lopes dazzled the judges with her sharp replies to their questions. Asked what she would change to improve her appearance, Leila replied, “Nothing, I’m satisfied with what God has given me,” adding that “I consider myself a woman endowed with inner beauty. I have acquired many wonderful principles from my family, and I intend to follow these for the rest of my life.”
“Leila is such a beauty and she has the heart of an angel,” Ms. Njeuma said. “she has been involved in humanitarian work even before she won Miss Universe and has promised that with her crown she will do even more. She has made Africa proud and we are very proud of her too.”
Below is Lady Kate Njeuma’s recent interview with Voice of America on the same subject:
Watch: Voice of America’s Ndimyake Mwakalyelye spoke with Lady Kate Njeuma
Watch: Leila Lopes is crowned Miss Universe 2011 in Sao Paulo, Brazil – September 12th
New York (TADIAS) – Chef Marcus Samulesson and his wife Model Gate Maya Haile hosted “Brunch for the Horn of Africa” this weekend. The sold-out fundraiser for famine relief, held at the couple’s Harlem home on Sunday, was attended by a diverse crowd of friends, supporters, families with children, local residents and even some individuals who drove in from nearby states. It was a heartwarming and successful event.
Maya, who prepared Ethiopian food for the event, said she will travel to the Ethiopia/Somalia border in the next few weeks to deliver donations. “It will not be cash,” she said. “I will take needed-materials that will be purchased.” She said she will document her interaction with the victims and tweet her progress. You will be able to follow her through the hash tag #MayaHaile on the Twitter feed (@MarcusCooks) or through the MarcusSamuelsson.com website.
A young Ethiopian-American couple who attended the event said that they came from D.C., driving for three hours to be part of the gathering. Samulesson said he hopes his event serves as a launching pad for Ethiopians to convene similar kinds of get-togethers across the country to assist the famine victims at home. “This is just a kick-off event and we hope people everywhere can come together in a similar way,” he said. “People at this event gave $50, $100, $200. It is not much and it does not take a lot, but it makes a big difference to those who are starving in Ethiopia, Somalia and other places.” Marcus added Western countries are currently preoccupied with major problems of their own and are not responding urgently to the unfolding crisis in East Africa. “12 million are going hungry,” he said. “As humanitarians, as Ethiopians, it is left up to us to help our people. It is our responsibility”
Entertainment was provided by DJ Mengie NYC who treated guests with his signature selections of contemporary Ethiopian grooves. Attendees who dropped by included the Ethiopia-based Reggae Singer Eyob Mekonnen (who had performed at SOB’s in Lower Manhattan the night before), Ethiopian American Maaza Mengiste (Author of the novel Beneath the Lion’s Gaze) among others.
The video of interviews from the fundraiser will be posted shortly. In the mean time, you may browse photos from the event posted on our Facebook page.
— Tadias is a media sponsor of Brunch for the Horn of Africa.
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New York (TADIAS) – Governor Martin O’Malley of Maryland will attend the inauguration of Blessed Coffee, a community-based organization in Silver Spring, established under the state’s Benefit Corporations law that creates a new class of businesses that are required to deliver a measurable positive impact on society while meeting higher standards of accountability and transparency. The event will take place on Friday September 16th, 2011, 11:30am to 1:30pm at the Gazebo (Carroll and Westmoreland Avenues) in Old Town Takoma Park.
Blessed Coffee, founded by Tebabu Assefa and Sara Mussie, is the second Benefit Corporation in the state and it pledges to allocate 50% of its net profits from wholesale revenue to social programs in the coffee-growing region and 50% of net profits from retail and coffee shop revenue to support more than a dozen associations in the greater Silver Spring-Takoma Park area. Maryland became the first state to pass Benefit Corp legislation in April 2010. Several states have followed suit since then.
Organizers say the event will feature traditional Ethiopian music and coffee ceremony. Guest speakers include State Senator Jamie Raskin (D-20, Silver Spring and Takoma Park), Jay Coen Gilbert, Co-Founder of B Lab, as well as Tadesse Meskela, Founder and Manager of the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative — a 200,000-member farmers union in Ethiopia, which was the subject of the documentary Black Gold.
— If You Go:
Friday, September 16, 2011
11:30 to 1:30pm
Gazebo (Carroll and Westmoreland Avenues)
Old Town Takoma Park.
Silver Spring, Maryland
New York (TADIAS) – Marcus Samuelsson and his wife Gate Maya Haile will be opening their home to the public this coming Sunday, September 18th, 2011 for “Brunch for the Horn of Africa.” The fundraiser focuses on the food crisis in the region.
“The famine in East Africa is worsening, yet it receives little mainstream news coverage,” Samuelsson said in a statement. “In just one short month, the number of famine regions in Somalia declared by the United Nations has risen from four to six.”
Samuelsson adds: “Also, with news of aid for famine victims not reaching affected areas because of insurgents, many of us in the West and other areas are wary of donating money to nonprofit organizations. I am a huge supporter of the relief efforts currently in place by the UN World Food Programme and UNICEF, and they do a phenomenal job, but I also want to make a more personal impact in relief efforts for famine victims in East Africa, especially in my homeland of Ethiopia.”
The United Nations has warned that a humanitarian crisis of historic proportions is unfolding in drought-hit areas of East Africa, including Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti and Kenya. According to the U.N. it is the largest famine in 60 years. 12 million people are thought to be at risk of food insecurity this year, a much larger number in contrast to the widely publicized 1984 famine that killed approximately one million people. Ethiopians constitute 4.56 million of the current total food-insecure populations in the region.
“That is why I would like to invite you and your loved ones for a special brunch taking place at my home in Harlem to raise money for the famine,” Samuelsson said. “Please join me and my wife Maya on Sunday, September 18th, as we host you and fellow supporters in our home between 1pm and 4pm to raise money for famine victims.”
Samuelsson said Maya will travel to the regions on the Ethiopia/Somali border to deliver donations. “She will document her interaction with victims suffering from the famine and drought so you can see how your contribution will save lives and directly impact those who she helps,” he said. “You will be able to follow her progress on my website (MarcusSamuelsson.com) and through the hash tag #MayaHaile on my Twitter feed (@MarcusCooks).”
Tadias Magazine is a sponsor of this event and we encourage our audience to give with open hearts.
——– If You Go: This event is SOLD OUT! You can follow @MarcusCooks on Twitter for the latest.
New York (TADIAS) – Widespread news coverage of an Ethiopian migrant worker in Libya, Shweyga Mullah, who had cared for two of Moammar Gadhafi’s grandchildren and suffered abuse and severe burns, has elicited heated reactions from Ethiopians worldwide. Her story brings to the forefront the plight of thousands of female Ethiopian migrant workers who continue to work under dangerous conditions in various countries in the Middle East.
“My heart is burning,” said Rahel Zegeye, who left Ethiopia when she was 20 years old to work as a maid in Lebanon. She still works and resides there. “The Ethiopian government should press charges against the madam (Aline Skaf-Hannibal). I would like to see equal treatment of the case no matter who committed the crime.”
Rahel is also the Director of a new film called Beirut, which documents Ethiopian domestic workers in Lebanon.
We recently interviewed Rahel Zegeye about her movie and the living conditions of Ethiopian women in the Arab world.
TADIAS: Thank you Rahel for your time. Please tell us a bit about yourself. Where you were born, grew up, and when did you move to Lebanon and why?
Rahel Zegeye: I was born in Addis Ababa as the middle child of nine siblings. At school I took acting and film classes. When I was 20 years old I left Addis for Lebanon in order to work as a maid to earn money and help support my family back home. My father was a soldier and retired early. Since I was very young my dad has always been unemployed which was the main reason why I left to work.
TADIAS: Please tell us a bit about the film Beirut. What is it about?
RZ:Beirut is a drama about a group of Ethiopian girls in Lebanon working as domestic workers.
TADIAS: What inspired you to make the movie?
RZ: I want to shed light on the inner lives and thoughts of a domestic worker, an aspect which is usually hidden from the Lebanese and foreign public.
TADIAS: Are the characters fictional or are they based on people you know?
RZ: The characters are fictional but they are all based on the Ethiopian girls that I have encountered during my ten years working in the country.
TADIAS: Can you give us a brief description of the plot?
RZ: The story centers on Hiwot, Z, Zufan, Misir, Saba and Hana who are friends but lead very different lives. Hiwot, left her employer’s house a long time ago and started a life earning a living as a prostitute. She parties, smokes and drinks and seems very happy and free. The story starts when she wants to find a co-worker, another girl who could satisfy her clients (mainly Sudanese workers). Saba, still a housemaid, complains about her ‘madam’ and wishes to run away. One day she takes the courage and joins Hiwot in her free life, much against the objections of her two good friends Misir and Hana. Misir and Hana, both working as maids, represent the ‘good girls’ in the story. Although Hana is being mistreated by her madam she does not want to run away and join the ‘naughty girls’ but just wishes to return home to her country. The lives of the girls get intertwined once Saba, encouraged by Hiwot, goes and lives with an Ethiopian man named Yared. Yared is in fact married to Zufan, but is not a man to be trusted.
TADIAS: Your film also highlights prostitution prevalence among Ethiopian women in Lebanon.
RZ: Yes it does. Many girls who run away from their employers house resort to prostitution as a way to earn a living, especially if they cannot find work elsewhere.
TADIAS: What are the biggest problems that Ethiopian domestic-workers face with their employers?
RZ: There are many. Most common issues include bad treatment, abuse from employers, no rest and no day off. It is also very common that the maids are not paid on time or at all, and that the employers limit their food or let them stay without food. Many employers are very racist and do not treat their workers with respect, dignity or humanity. Sexual harassment and abuse by employers also occurs. For example I know three girls who were made pregnant by their mister and were threatened not to tell their madam, and had to leave the house to go to the hospital to make an abortion.
TADIAS: How true are some of the horror stories we hear and read about in the media? And what can women do to protect themselves from such violence?
RZ: The horror stories are real and they occur, there are many more horror stories that are not reported and written about. There is very little protection for the women coming to work in Lebanon. She can try to communicate with her employer but many times there will be language problems and if the employer is abusive then there is little chance they will listen to her. She can ask them to let her go to the embassy and to return home. If she returns to the agency that brought her here they will not help her, just change employers, which may be for the better or for the worse. If she runs away from her employers she will not have her passport and papers and cannot go back to Ethiopia.
TADIAS: What are their rights as domestic laborers? Can they report abuse without fear of retaliation by wealthy and powerful employers?
RZ: Migrant domestic workers have no rights and protection within the Lebanese labor law. They can report abuse to police but police tend not to look into these cases. Today when I took the taxi, the taxi driver physically harassed me and I refused to pay him. Although there was a police nearby that witness the incident he saw that the driver was Lebanese and I’m Ethiopian so he also said I had to pay the taxi driver. Racism like this occurs all the time. Another example is when my previous madam took 4,000 USD from my bag (money belonging to the Ethiopian girls at church which I was keeping safe for them). My madam claimed this was her money and I was devastated for one week not knowing what to do. I even thought about suicide. If I go to police he will beat me, keep me there and then when my employer comes the police will believe her and not me. In the end it was my madam’s son who came and told his mother to give back the money that didn’t belong to her. It’s these injustices that we endure and are powerless to do anything about that drives many domestic workers to choose suicide as the only way out.
TADIAS: What are your feelings about the case of Shweyga Mullah, the Ethiopian Nanny in Libya?
RZ: My heart is burning. The Ethiopian government should press charges against the madam. I would like to see equal treatment of the case no matter who committed the crime. The madam should not get a lighter sentence because she is a madam and not a maid.
TADIAS: We understand that you are having problems distributing your film. Can you tell us more about that?
RZ: As I worked on the project independently I didn’t have any support with the distribution when I finished the film in 2006. On top of that there was the July 2006 war in Lebanon and I had many problems with my employer which led to me leaving her. For four years I did not have any papers and could not return to Ethiopia. Now with the support of my employer and friends in Lebanon we have managed to get more interest in my project and I hope we can show the film to a broader audience.
TADIAS: How can interested distributors get in touch with you?
RZ: Send any email to me at barchzegeye@yahoo.com.
TADIAS: What is your advise to young girls in Ethiopia who may be thinking about taking a job as maids in the Middle-East?
RZ: First of all I would advise them not to come and work at all, it’s a very difficult life. Many regret the choice of coming to work and are crying every day. The stories that tempt them to come here are mainly untrue, it’s not a fast track to become rich. You don’t learn anything good from only overseeing the house and cleaning and you will not develop as a person. Also you must cope with isolation and face discrimination. For those that quit school in order to work, it’s better to finish your education back in Ethiopia and find a job, things are improving also in Ethiopia. If they still want to come then I would advise them to get all the information they possibly can from the embassy and agency and contacting their friends and family who are working abroad.
TADIAS: Is there anything else you would like to share with our audience?
RZ: I am now focusing my energy on my new ideas for a short film and welcome any advice, suggestions and support from the readers.
TADIAS: Thank you again, Rahel, and good luck!
— Tadias thanks Janie Shen for assisting with the interview.
New York (TADIAS) – The Annual Fundraising Gala benefitting the Gemini Health Care Group, a U.S.-based non-profit organization that focuses on providing medical services to children and pediatrics assistance to medical professionals in Ethiopia, is scheduled to take place in Arlington, Virginia, on Saturday, September 24, 2011.
The theme for this year’s event is “Bridging the Health Care Gap through Partnerships,” and the keynote speaker is Dr. Aziza Shad, the Amey Distinguished Professor of Neuro-Oncology and Childhood Cancer as well as Director of the Division of Pediatric Hematology/ Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation at Georgetown University School of Medicine. The entertainnemnt segment of the evening features singer Hiruth Girma, accompanied by Alemayhu Makonnen and his band.
“We are also delighted to honor outstanding individuals who have made tremendous contributions in the areas of education, research, public health and community service nationally and internationally,” the statment said.
The honorees include Dr. Aklilu Lemma (posthumously), who was the former Dean of the Faculty of Science and Director of the Institute of Pathobiology at Addis Ababa University. His pioneering research produced a cheap and locally available intervention that helped combat a parasitic disease called Schistosomiasis or Bilharzia. Other awardees include Dr. Ahmed Moen, Dr. Tsehaye Teferra and Ms. Mary Cohen.
The press release notes: “In March 2011, we took a medical mission trip to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia consisting of medical and surgical teams. Sub-specialists in pediatric ENT, urology, ophthalmology, audiology, neurology, pulmonology, endocrinology, dermatology and emergency medicine performed services at three local hospitals as well as at Mekanisa School for the Deaf. The medical team also conducted a two day Continuing Medical Education (CME) attended by nearly 120 pediatricians and pediatric residents and medical staff. While we take a moment to reflect on the past year’s accomplishments, as well as thank our supporters, our medical mission to Ethiopia continues.”
—- If You Go:
4th Annual Fundraising Gala
Gemini Health Care Group
Saturday, September 24, 2011
7pm – Midnight
The Sheraton National Hotel
900 S. Orme Street,
Arlington, VA 22204
To RSVP call 914-826-6421
More info at www.ghcg.org
New York (TADIAS) – World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will kick off their Annual Meetings in Washington D.C. later this month. According to the announcement, tentative schedule of events slated for September 23-25 include seminars, luncheons, and briefings exploring the world economic outlook, poverty eradication, economic development, and aid effectiveness.
On Saturday, September 24th, from 11:00am to 12:00pm, a panel discussion entitled “Africa Needs Growth That Delivers Jobs” will take place at the Wold Bank. Among the guests listed to address the panel include Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, Founder of SoleRebels and one of the 2011 World Economic Forum Young Global Leaders. She was also recently named by Forbes magazine as one of ‘The 20 Youngest Power Women In Africa.’
“This is one of the key panels at this annual meeting and we wanted a very dynamic young African entrepreneur who has created jobs herself to give a real time business perspective,” said Obiageli Ezekwesili, World Bank Vice-President for Africa Region. “Bethlehem was top of our list. Her participation will inform the critical debate on inclusive growth in Africa and provide key insights for policy makers, development partners and other participants.”
“We are very excited to have her participating,” Ms. Ezekwesili said in a statement
We asked Bethlehem a few questions regarding her upcoming presentation:
TADIAS: What is your speech going to focus on?
Bethlehem: I have been asked to give a real time business perspective as an African entrepreneur who has created jobs, and I would like to focus on what the challenges have been and where I see opportunities lie. I will be drawing on my background to look at sustainable ways to create jobs, especially for Africa’s growing youth population.
TADIAS: Do you have a blueprint for change?
Bethlehem: Not sure about blueprint, but my hope is that I can be a catalyst for policy makers and development folks to add a key dimension to their thinking on job creation so that they understand that entrepreneurs, specifically grassroots entrepreneurs are the engine of job creation.
TADIAS: What’s your perspective on how Africa can achieve economic growth?
Bethlehem: I do strongly feel that finished goods, in particular branded finished goods, hold the seeds to economic development. Across the continent there is too much extraction and not enough finished products, which has historical roots. This can be addressed by looking at what grassroots entrepreneurs are doing. For example, there are huge opportunities for the continent in the area of digital commerce. As a continent we have been late out of the gate. Strong efforts need to be applied as there are immense opportunities in various fields. The bottom line is that African entrepreneurs can create world class brands. But they are drowned out by too many issues. My goal is to start unlocking that potential.
TADIAS: How can the Diaspora participate?
Bethlehem: The Diaspora is key. They are investors, entrepreneurs, and the market for made-in-Africa products. They are also ambassadors of these brands in their respective countries. The way I look at it is that the Diaspora and the motherland are one. And if we function as one, we will then increase both our prosperity and visibility on the global stage.
TADIAS: Thank you, Bethlehem, and wishing you continued success!
New York (TADIAS) – Organizers of the Miss Africa USA pageant say that Ethiopia remains unrepresented as they prepare to crown the 2011 Queen at their annual event in Silver Spring, Maryland in November.
“Right now we are still searching for a candidate to represent Ethiopia,” Constance Nkwantah, Communications Director of the pageant, told Tadias Magazine.
According to Ms. Nkwantah the scholarship pageant is open to delegates from all 54 countries. Past winners have gone on to join forces with Habitat for Humanity, Concern USA, as well as Russell Simmons’s Diamond Empowerment Fund, to help raise money for various causes benefiting communities in Africa and the United States.
Below is our recent interview with Constance Nkwantah:
Tadias: Please tell us a bit about the Miss Africa USA Pageant. When was it launched and what is the objective?
Constance Nkwantah: Miss Africa USA Pageant is a Scholarship and Beauty Pageant and our mission is to empower young girls as Goodwill Ambassadors promoting positive causes in their home countries and the world. It showcases African cultures and diversity, bringing together all African nations in a grand celebration.
Tadias: How many African countries are represented at the upcoming contest?
CN: Our closing date is Sept 30th and the competition is open to all 54 countries. We are looking at up to 25 countries for the 2011 Pageant.
Tadias: Is Ethiopia one of them?
CN: Right now we are still searching for a candidate to represent Ethiopia. Ethiopia has very beautiful and intelligent women and it will be great to have a representation. Last year Ethiopia was well represented and we hope this year will not be different. We encourage all ambitious and dynamic young women aged between 18 and 30 to participate. We are still accepting applicants up until Sept 30th.
Tadias: How do you select the girls? What is the criteria to participate?
CN: Our selection is done via an application process, then we audition the girls and carry out interviews for each country in order to make a final selection.
Tadias: How do you answer critics who say that beauty pageants are demeaning to women?
CN: Miss Africa USA Pageant has never received such a criticism because we focus on the substance of a woman rather than the physical appearance of a woman or her sexuality. The Miss Africa USA Pageant preserves the African culture and therefore we do not have bathing suits as a segment of the competition which is what draws criticism. Rather, we focus on leadership skills and talent. Our Queen has huge responsibilities.
Finalists at the 2010 Miss Africa USA Pageant. (Photo credit: H Greaves Photography)
Some of the contestants at the 2010 Miss Africa USA Pageant. (By H Greaves Photography)
Sofia Bushen (L) was a finalist representing Ethiopia at the 2010 Miss Africa USA contest, held July 24, 2010 in Silver Spring, MD. (Photo: H Greaves Photography)
Tadias: What are the challenges you face as a pageant organization?
CN: Over the last couple of years, it has been difficult to get new sponsorships so a lot of the financial commitments are met by personal sacrifice. We appeal each year for sponsors to keep the pageant going and will continue to do so. We are grateful to Western Union and our presenting sponsors who have been there over the years. We hope to win back MoneyGram this year and other corporate sponsors. The pageant is very costly to produce and we need the support of the community.
Tadias: Could you share with us some success stories of pass winners of Miss Africa USA Pageant or other participants?
CN: Our focus is on promoting goodwill. The current Queen Fifi Soumah from the Republic of Guinea is right now in Guinea to launch her Foundation called TEARS AWAY. She is focused on promoting education of young girls. The United Nations statistics show that 81% of girls in Guinea cannot read and write. Miss Africa USA Fifi Soumah has established a scholarship program to help these young girls go back to school and get an education. She herself is a student at Montgomery College in Maryland. And In 2008 Miss Mfonobong Essiet of Nigeria completed her medical project where she donated a 40ft container of medical equipment and supplies to five different hospitals in her country. It was a very successful project. She is currently a medical student studying to be a Cardiac Surgeon.
Tadias: What should people expect at 2011 MISS Africa USA Pageant?
CN: The 2011 pageant is full of excitement. On the 12th of November we are having the African Banquet at the Hilton Hotel in Silver Spring Maryland. We have invited members of the African Diplomatic Core, community leaders and our sponsors and VIPs to be our guests at the official opening of the pageant. Finalists will be presenting their platform projects. The following day at the same loaction, we will host the final competition and a coronation ceremony. It’s a red carpet affair showcasing the culture, beauty and diversity of Africa. The entire family can attend.
Tadias: Is there anything else you would like to share with our audience?
CN: We are asking the community to come out and support the 2011 finalists who are representing Africa. We thank Tadias for the opportunity to reach out to the Ethiopian American community.
Tadias: One more thing, we understand that you’ve partnered with Nollywood Critics to present The 2011 NAFCA: “The African Oscar.” Can you tell us more about it?
CN: The awards is open to African Film Makers and the executive producer Dr. Victor Adeyemi is very open to collaborate with film makers from all over the continent. I would encouarage all film makers and actors who are interested in participating to contact us for more information.
Tadias: Thank you.
— If You Go: The 2011 Pageant is slated for Sunday November 13th from 5pm – 11pm. Tickets are $45 in advance and $50 at the door. Tickets start selling on Friday, September 9th via the website www.missafricaunitedstates.com. The African Banquet takes place on Sat Nov 12 and tickets are $100 each. Both events will take place at the Hilton Hotel 8272 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, MD. Free parking is available.
— Watch: Miss Africa USA 2010 Introduction Dance (Video courtesy of Miss Africa USA)
New York (TADIAS) – As Ethiopians worldwide prepare to usher in a New Year, early celebartions have begun in California. L.A.’s Little Ethiopia held its 10th street festival this past weekend, while San Jose is gearing up for the 7th Annual City Hall flag raising ceremony.
According to the San Jose event organizers, the flag raising scheduled for Thursday, September 8th at noon is the first in a series of programs designed to celebrate Enqutatash. It will be held a few days before the official date on September 11, which this year also marks the 10th anniversary of the attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. “The San Jose City Mayor, Vice-Mayor, and City Council Members will be in attendance,” announced the Ethiopian Americans Council — a grassroots policy advocacy organization that is the main host of the ceremony. “The EAC especially wants to thank the citizens of San Jose for their recognition of the diversity that has made this country so great and offering the Ethiopian-American community a time and a place to come together and take pride in their heritage.”
The press release adds: “The flag raising will mark the beginning of a week-long celebration of the Ethiopian New Year. As with any immigrant population in this nation of immigrants, Ethiopian-Americans cherish living in the United States of America. Though they are thankful for the peace and prosperity that comes with citizenship in America, they also cherish the remembrance of their lives in Ethiopia, of their families and friends, and of the way of life, that are all so far away.”
——– If You Go:
New City Hall
Thursday, September 8,
at 12:00 noon.
San Jose, California
New York (TADIAS) – Perhaps it comes with the turf — given the city’s many success stories — that the New York Abay soccer team believes it should dominate the competition.
So a loss last month in the semifinals of the annual Ethiopian Sports Federation in North America (ESFNA) soccer tournament, this year held in Atlanta, has leaders of the New York squad assessing how to better represent their world-capital city.
“We also finished in fourth-place in the Africa Cup last spring,” said Coach Binyam Tsehaye, referring to a March tournament in Macombs Dam Park at the New Yankee Stadium that fielded local teams representing 12 nations. “We seem to be always finishing fourth. We need to be finishing first. We want to represent our community better.”
Towards that goal the team has launched a recruitment drive focusing on New York and New Jersey youths unaware of the opportunity to continue participating at a highly competitive level in the sport they or their fathers grew up playing in Ethiopia.
New York Abay was formed in the late 1980s. Some of the original members now provide management and mentoring services, while the active players have participated for a decade or less.
Aman Tsehaye, like his brother Binyam a resident of West Orange, N.J., has lived in the area since 1989 but did not learn about the local Ethiopian soccer team until 2002. He joined immediately.
Aman Tsehaye noted the team has lost membership as older players started their own families and found they no longer had time for the sport. Several members were lost when their jobs were relocated to Virginia, he added.
Coach Binyam Tsehaye views the action, interjecting instruction, advice and reminders to be prepared for physical play during a New York Abay training at the Van Cortland Park Stadium on Sunday, August 21, 2011. (Photo by Jason Jett for Tadias Magazine)
In addition to the new youth movement the Tsehayes stressed that New York Abay, named for the Blue Nile River originating at Lake Tana near the Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia, seeks veteran, experienced players.
“There are a lot of former stars in Ethiopia now living in the New York area,” said Binyam Tsehaye. “We see them occasionally, at restaurants or events. It would be good to have them on the team. They don’t have to play every game, just two or three times a year.
“With all the pros in the area we should have one of the best teams,” he added “But you have to understand the pressure they are under to support family here and back home.”
Of course some of those same pressures are felt by current team members, several who work odd jobs or attend school and find it taxing to participate in the team’s Sunday- morning practices at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.
Samuel Tesfaye, a defenseman who resides in Manhattan, noted New York City itself is a challenge for a soccer squad.
“Competition is a way of life in New York,” he said. “It is not easy to play soccer in city parks, every place is so crowded. It’s difficult to find a spot you don’t have to pay to use, so we end up having to go to the Bronx. Other teams have an easier time in their communities, but in New York you have to apply and pay a lot of money to get a good field.”
And it can get less hospitable when the team leaves the city for a competition.
Tesfaye said New York Abay typically finds itself in an hostile environment while playing at so-called neutral sites.
When it lost 0-2 to Virginia in the July 6 ESFNA semifinal game at the Georgia Dome, most of the crowd was cheering for the opposition.
“You know how it is,” he said. “In other cities everyone loves to hate New York.”
Tesfaye and other team members said they suspect it was not only the fans in the stands who were against the New York team during the tourney in Atlanta.
“In the Virginia game the referee was a teenager, who had been a linesman in previous games,” said Tesfaye “At most he was 18 or 19 years old, and we thought that was an issue. The referee was very young, had no experience and was afraid to make tough calls.”
Tesfaye said the referee failed to whistle two hand-ball violations by the opposition, one as Virginia scored a goal on a header and the second after New York Abay moved the ball into the penalty box threatening to score a goal of its own.
“In Atlanta, unfortunately it did not turn out our way,” Binyam Tsehaye said. However, he is upbeat about the team’s chances in a regional soccer tournament to be held at Pier 40 in New York City on Sept. 4.
During a break in activity Fitsum Kahsay, one of the youngest members of the team, leaves practice early to accommodate his school schedule. (Photo: At the Van Cortland Park Stadium on Sunday, August 21, 2011. By Jason Jett for Tadias Magazine)
“We have a lot of young kids who have been playing together for a few years now and are jelling,” he said. “I think we can do well in this tournament. We are going to go out there and do our best. We want to represent our community better.”
Coincidentally, Sept. 4th is the final day of the World Championships in Athletics in Daegu, South Korea, with Ethiopian legends Kenenisa Bekele, Sileshi Sihine, Imane Merga, Gebregziabher Gebremariam and Sofia Assefa expected to compete that morning.
Binyam Tsehaye and Tesfaye do not see soccer, or football as it is known universally and among Ethiopian fans who crowd in living rooms and taverns for every broadcast of the national team or the English Premier League, taking a backseat to running.
“Football is the No. 1 sport in Ethiopia,” said Tsehaye. “Runners are more famous, but we all say that football is our national sport. We just are better at running compared to the rest of the world.”
“This is a team sport,” he said of football. “There is always more satisfaction winning as a team than as an individual.”
For New York Abay members the rewards are chiefly measured in personal satisfaction and camaraderie.
“It’s about bragging rights,” said Tesfaye. ” There is some money. The winner of the tournaments gets a monetary prize and trophy.”
Teams members did not hesitate to say they see no reason why they should not be the ones claiming the awards at the end of the upcoming Pier 40 tournament.
— Prospective members are welcome to attend a team practice 11 a.m. Sundays at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, N.Y. The sessions are held in the Van Cortlandt Park Stadium at Broadway and West 240th Street, or in soccer fields north of the stadium.
New York (Tadias) – Ethiopian-American Solomon Assefa was recently chosen by Technology Review as one of 35 innovators under 35. His research focuses on developing more power-efficient and faster supercomputers by using chips that communicate via pulses of light rather than electrical signals. We interviewed Solomon briefly and asked him to share a bit more about himself and his insights on technological innovation.
Tadias: Tell us a bit about yourself. Where you grew up, went to school, what were your early passions?
Solomon: I was born and raised in Ethiopia. I completed elementary and high school in Addis Ababa (Del Betegel then later ICS). I then moved to the U.S. where I obtained a B.S., M.Eng, and PhD from MIT. Prior to attending MIT, I often thought about practicing law similar to my eldest brother. But I later realized that I enjoyed math, science and engineering.
Tadias: Who are your role models in the science world? and beyond?
Solomon: In the field of science, my professors and research colleagues continue to inspire me daily. In addition, my role model is my eldest brother, Bekure Assefa, who has been very instrumental throughout my life. He taught me to work hard, confront challenges with determination, and pursue my passion to the fullest. These guiding principles continue to be a source of motivation in my life.
Tadias: Can you tell us a bit more about your current research endeavors and your role in the research highlighted in the Technology Review article?
Solomon: My research focuses on replacing some of the copper wires inside computer chips with tiny silicon circuits that can communicate via pulses of light rather than electrical signals. For example, I am working on a cheap method for integration of photodetectors (which are devices that convert light pulses into electrical signals) with minimal changes to the standard process used for making transistors. We hope that optical communications based on silicon nanophotonics will enable very fast and power-efficient supercomputers.
Tadias: What are your thoughts on the growth of science and development in Ethiopia?
Solomon: A significant amount of investment in science and technology is critical for Ethiopia’s development. It is important to nurture innovators who will transform existing industries and identify new areas of growth. It is also critical to have domestic policies that encourage home-grown technological innovation.
Tadias: Best book you ever read?
Solomon: My most recent favorite book is The Medici Effect by Frans Johansson. The book shows how breakthroughs happen at the intersection of various ideas, disciplines, and cultures.
Tadias: Thank you for sharing your time with us and wishing you continued success!
New York (TADIAS) – Forbes magazine’s contributing writer, Mfonobong Nsehe, who chronicles Africa’s success stories, has come up with a list: ‘The 20 Youngest Power Women In Africa.’
Among them are Ethiopian Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu and Kenyan-American Isis Nyongo — two dynamic business leaders whose work has previously been highlighted in Tadias Magazine.
“Of course, this is by no means an official or an exhaustive list,” the writer notes. “But these are 20 women, all under age 45, who wield enormous influence in African business, technology, policy and media. They are change makers, trendsetters, visionaries and thinkers, builders, and young global leaders. They are at the vanguard of Africa’s imminent socio-economic revolution and its contemporary renaissance.”
Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, the Ethiopian-born entrepreneur was recently named the ‘African Businesswoman of the Year’ by African Business Magazine, a leading pan African business publication. She is the founder of Sole Rebels, a brand of eco-friendly shoes and sandals made in Ethiopia. She was also named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum earlier this year.
Isis Nyongo is the Vice President and Managing Director of InMobi, the world’s largest independent mobile advertising network. Prior to her appointment earlier this year, Isis served as the Business Development Manager for Google’s operation in Africa. She spearheaded mobile partnerships and played a pivotal role in the development of Google’s content strategy in Africa. Tadias interviewed Isis in 2005, when she was a graduate student at Harvard Business School and co-chair of the Africa Business Club. “After graduation from Harvard Business School I want to focus my work in the marketing role with a view of moving back to Africa within 2-3 years,” she told us. We are not surprised that since then Isis has become one of the continent’s young leaders in her field.
We congratulate both Bethlehem and Isis on their accomplishments.
— (Cover Photo credit: Bethlehem courtesy of SoleRebels, Isis by Leon Muli)
New York (Tadias) – The following is our video coverage of the 2011 Lincoln Center Out of Doors concert at the Damrosch Park Bandshell in New York, which also featured Debo band and special guest Fendika. We had the opportunity to interview the band members, as well as the Director of Public Programming for Lincoln Center. The event was attended by thousands of people. It was described by The New York Times as “generous, warm, high-spirited real entertainment for a big audience. It was a delight to watch them.” The Debo/Fendika collective became only the second Ethiopian music ensemble to perform at the Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors event, following in the footsteps of Ethiopia’s leading musicians Mahmoud Ahmed, Alemayehu Eshete, and legendary saxophonist Getachew Mekuria, who made a historic appearance here in 2008.
New York (Tadias) – A young Ethiopian American music executive has been appointed as the new head of the legendary Motown label now owned by the Universal Music Group.
The company has named Ethiopia Habtemariam, 31, senior vice president of Universal Motown Records. Ms. Habtemariam will also serve as Executive Vice President and head of Urban Music for Universal Music Publishing Group.
The promotion will make Ms. Habtemariam one of the most prominent women, as well as one of the most influential blacks in the music idustry. She follows in the footsteps of Sylvia Rhone, one of the most powerful women in the field and the first black woman to lead a major record company.
Ms. Habtemariam, who began her career as an intern at LaFace Records in the 90s, is credited for signing publishing deals for artists such as Justin Beiber, Ciara, Polow Da Don, Chris Brown and Ludacris.
According to The New York Times: “The label was careful not to name Ms. Habtemariam as the new president of Motown, but she will have the top position at the label and will report directly to Barry Weiss, Universal’s top executive in New York. It is expected that if she is successful in the new job, she will most likely be promoted.”
“Ethiopia represents the new breed of today’s best creative music executives,” Mr. Weiss said in a statement. “There is no one more relevant and credible in the creative community to help us build upon Motown’s fantastic legacy and move the company into its next groundbreaking era.”
Ms. Habtemariam said she was honored to accept the appointment: “It is an extraordinary opportunity to call Motown home,” she said in a statement. “And I am grateful to Barry for giving me the honor and challenge to put a new creative stamp on a label that has such a rich history.”
She added: “I am truly excited to work at the label that cultivated the musicians who have inspired me over the years. Motown artists created the soundtrack to my life, and I can’t wait to develop acts that not only have cross-genre and cross-generational appeal, but can reach worldwide notoriety.”
New York (Tadias) – SoleRebels, one of Africa’s leading green-footwear brands, has announced the launch of its new e-commerce website. The Ethiopia-based company’s eco-fashion shoes – nicknamed the ‘Nike of Africa‘ – are produced using indigenous practices such as hand-spun organic cotton and artisan hand-loomed fabric. Recycled tires are also incorporated for soles. The end result is environmental-friendly and top quality, vegan footwear.
SoleRebels founder and managing director Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, who recently became the first Ethiopian to win the annual African Business Awards, says her company intends to grab a share of the growing online shoe industry.
“We are very excited about the launch of this new site as it will allow global consumers to buy direct from the soleRebels source using multiple online payment formats from credit cards to PayPal,” Bethlehem said. “We strongly believe that consumers want to touch, feel and interact with the soleRebels brand and the soleRebels site is the place for them to do that.”
SoleRebels footwear is also available for purchase on several online shopping sites including Amazon and Endless.com.
— You can visit the SoleRebels e-commerce website at www.solerebelsfootwear.co/
New York (Tadias) – After The New York Timespublished a cover story earlier this week featuring a heart-wrenching photograph depicting the worsening food crisis affecting millions of people in the Horn of Africa, the U.S. media may be about to boost its coverage of what’s being described as the “worst famine in a generation.”
According to The New York Times: “The famine in Africa has had to compete with the wrangling over the debt ceiling, the mobile phone hacking scandals in Britain, the killings in Norway and, in Africa itself, the birth of a new country, the Republic of South Sudan.”
“I’m asking myself where is everybody and how loud do I have to yell and from what mountaintop,” Caryl Stern, chief executive of the United States Fund for UNICEF, told NYT. “The overwhelming problem is that the American public is not seeing and feeling the urgency of this crisis.”
When a Rupert Murdoch-owned British newspaper published a cartoon last month showing starving Africans engrossed in the European phone-hacking scandal, it was swiftly and correctly criticized as a tasteless joke. “But the underlying point — that the media has largely ignored what’s happening in Africa — was well taken,” writes Dylan Stableford for The Cutline.
Until recently, ABC claimed that it is the only American news network to have a reporter at the epicenter of Africa’s largest famine in 60 years.
“But that may soon change,” says Stableford.
U.S. administration officials and lawmakers are ringing alarm bells and warning of dire consequences unless global partners urgently step up aid. AFP reports that “even though the famine is expected to worsen and eventually dwarf the 1984 famine in Ethiopia, which claimed nearly a million lives, the public is not stepping up to try to help as it did nearly 30 years ago, when the international community responded to the crisis with fundraisers like Live Aid.”
“It is the most severe humanitarian crisis in a generation, affecting food security for more than 12 million people across Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti and surrounding areas,” Democratic Senator Chris Coons said as as he opened a hearing on the crisis.
“Based on nutrition and mortality surveys… we estimate that more than 29,000 children under five — nearly four percent of children — have died in the last 90 days in southern Somalia,” Nancy Lindborg, assistant administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), told lawmakers.
Per the U.N.: The humanitarian disaster is likely to expand beyond Somalia in the next few weeks and spread into neighboring Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia.
Meanwhile, David Muir, the American TV journalist in Mogadishu, reported from the city on Monday’s “World News With Diane Sawyer,” describing the situation as the “worst famine in a generation.”
New York (Tadias) – The following video features the full version of Tadias Magazine’s recent interview with couture bridal-fashion designer Amsale Aberra.
Amsale discussed her reality TV show Amsale Girls, her success in the wedding-gown industry, her memories of Ethiopia, her musican daughter Rachel Brown, and more. Amsale also offers tips to brides and advise to aspiring fashion designers.
We have also included a second video highlighting a tour of Amsale’s luxury Boutique, taped immediately following our interview with the designer.
The interview took place at Amsale’s office in New York City on Tuesday, June 28, 2011.
Watch: Tadias Magazine’s Interview With Bridal-Fashion Designer Amsale Aberra
New York (Tadias) – The Boston-based Ethio-groove ensemble, Debo, and the Addis Ababa-based cultural dance group, Fendika, are set to collaborate on another exciting NYC summer concert. This time, the collective will perform on August 11 at The Lincoln Center Out of Doors, the same venue where the historic concert featuring Mahmoud Ahmed, Alemayehu Eshete, and Getachew Mekuria took place in 2008.
Debo is an Ethiopian American band led by Danny Mekonnen. The band’s unique instrumentation – including horns, strings and accordion – was inspired by the Golden Age of Ethiopian music in the late 1960s and early 70s, but its accomplished musicians are giving new voice to that sound.
The Ethiopian traditional dance and music troupe, Fendika, includes amazing young Azmari artists led by one of Ethiopia’s leading dancers Melaku Belay. Belay, who is one of the most active artists and arts advocates on the Addis Ababa scene today, is an innovative and virtuoso interpreter of Eskista. Belay performed at the Lincoln outdoors concert in 2008 with legendary saxophonist Gétatchèw Mèkurya and The Ex band.
Below is our recent interview with Debo’s band leader Danny Mekonnen, standing front-right in the above photograph.
Tadias: The last time your band was in town, we danced all night. The lead singer makes it very easy.
Danny Mekonnen: Bruck is charismatic and humble, but he’s also a very serious musician! I definitely think having him as a front man makes it easy for audiences to get into our music, even if they don’t understand what he’s singing about. One of the things that inspires me is knowing that what we do is unique — there’s not a group anywhere in the world quite like us. Playing a diverse musical set is important to us because we love music from across the country and throughout Ethiopia’s musical history. To only play music from the 1970s would miss out on great contemporary artists like Gossaye and Tsehaye Yohaness; we’ve played and studied several arrangements by Abegaz Shiota, as well. And to play only Amharic music with a chic-chic-ca beat, would miss out get Tigrigna and Oromo music, too. Ethiopia has a reach musical landscape and we try hard to honor that.
Tadias: How was Fendika received by U.S. audiences?
DM: U.S. audiences went crazy for the traditional dancing of Melaku Belay and his partner Zinash Tsegaye. I think seeing the dance of a culture immediately creates a greater appreciation and understanding of the music. And Melaku and Zinash are the best at what they do! We started working with Fendika (Melaku’s group) in May 2009 on our first tour in Ethiopia. It helped that Debo Band’s members hung out at Melaku’s azmari bet – also called Fendika – every night that we weren’t playing! So the friendship and bond grew in a very organic way.
Tadias: How excited are you about your upcoming appearance in New York this summer?
DM: I can’t tell you how I excited I am to present Debo Band with special guests Fendika at Lincoln Center Out of Doors! I was at the historic concert in 2008 with Getachew Mekuria, Mahmoud Ahmed, and Alemayehu Eshete. I loved the collaborations with saxophonist and The Ex and vocalists and The Either/Orchestra. I think that audiences will remember Melaku as the dancer with Getachew and the Ex. I’m honored that my band is the next group to present Ethiopian music to Lincoln Center audiences. Also, I’m thrilled to have Melaku as the project’s co-leader. He is a visionary Ethiopian artist and his work with Fendika is second to none.
Tadias: Any plans to come out with a CD?
DM: I hope to do more touring with Debo — this summer we are going to California for the first time. And hopefully we’ll do our first European tour in 2012. Yes, we are planning to release a CD next year. I’m really excited about all that we have going on right now.
Tadias: On a personal note, we also hear that you recently became a father. Congratulations!
DM: Thanks so much. My daughter is a year and a half now. I’m not sure I have quite learned to balance work and family! It’s always a struggle, but it helps to have a wife who’s supportive of my band. It also helps that she’s an artist and business owner herself!
Tadias: What kind of music do you listen to at home?
DM: I listen to all kinds of music. Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Fleet Foxes, a great indie-folk band. But I go through phases where I listen to nothing but hip hop or experimental or Ethiopian music. My inspiration comes from all over including from my friends who are great musicians.
Tadias: Is there anything that you would like to add?
DM: I just want to add that this summer’s tour with Fendika wouldn’t be possible without the support of Lincoln Center. New York is lucky to be home to one of the largest and most artist-friendly performing artists institutions in the world. Our heartfelt thanks go out to Bill Bragin, Director of Public Programming at Lincoln Center, who is a big fan and supporter of both Debo and Melaku.
Tadias: Thank you Danny and good luck.
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If You Go: All events are free and take place on Lincoln Center’s Plaza between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenues, from West 62nd Street to West 65th Street (except where noted). Debo will perform on August 11th. Take No.1 IRT to 66th Street/Lincoln Center Station) OR the A, B, C, D and No. 1 trains to 59th St/Columbus Circle. Visit LCOutofDoors.org for complete schedule or call 212-875-5766 to request a brochure.
Photos courtesy of Debo band.
Video: Addis Ababa Bete – Debo Band with Fendika Dancers at Joe’s Pub, NYC, September 2010
New York (Tadias) – The full version of Tadias TV’s exclusive interview with fashion Designer Amsale Aberra will be posted later this week. In the mean time, here is our tour of her bridal boutique on New York’s Madison Avenue.
Amsale’s reality TV show Amsale Girls, a six-hour episode series on the women’s network WE TV, goes behind-the-scenes of this luxury bridal salon.
Her gowns range in price from $4,000 to $75,000, revealing Amsale’s sales consultants as some of the best in the business.
Watch:
Video: Preview of Tadias Magazine’s Interview With Bridal Gown Guru Amsale Aberra
New York (Tadias) – At a fundraiser on Monday, June 27, a sold-out crowd donated $30,000 to a campaign aiming to raise funds to help renovate a recently purchased building in West Orange, New Jersey to house Amanuel Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the state’s first Ethiopian owned church property, organizers said.
The event held at Mesob Restaurant in nearby Montclair was an intimate dinner, which brought together a diverse group of people that gave at least $100 per person.
“The kick-off fundraising event is one of many efforts to raise funds to convert the building we are buying into a church,” Tezeta Roro, a member of the Church’s Fundraising Committee and the event’s Master of Ceremonies, said via email. “As you may know, renovating funds are not usually granted for non-residential properties along with a mortgage so we are tasked with raising enough funds for the renovation for which this event is one of many to come.”
The Debre Genet Amanuel Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church was founded in West Orange, New Jersey, in 2006. “Before that a few of us used to go to Church in New York…I went to Church in New York for about 18 years,” said Mr. Tekeste Ghebremicael, Vice Chairman of the Church’s Board of Directors. “Yes, this is the first Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in the state of New Jersey. We are making history. We hope to open several other Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Churches in New Jersey in the future.”
Mr. Tekeste adds: “During the [previous] 18 years the Ethiopian and Eritrean community in New Jersey grew big enough that it is now able to establish and sustain its own local church.”
Regarding the Kicking off dinner, Tezeta stated: “Our goal was to raise $30,000 at the event. Tickets were sold out. The event went very well. The fundraising committee worked diligently by holding late night conference calls and working with our networks to make the final product fruitful. We are more than satisfied with the turnout. It shows how Ethiopians, non-Ethiopians…can come together to make a difference.”
The building is located at 15-19 Meeker Street in West Orange, New Jersey.
Video: Slideshow of Photographs – The kick-off Fundraising Dinner at Mesob on June 27, 2011
Speaking about the property, Mr. Tekeste said the following in an emailed statement:
“The new Church will be located at 15-19 Meeker Street West Orange, New Jersey. It is only about 8 houses from where we are now worshiping. The new Church will have 3 different buildings. In the front there is a building that has two three bedroom apartments on the second floor and an office with a warehouse on the first floor. This building is fully rented. In the back there is this huge two floor building that stores 14 to 17 antique cars in the first floor and the second floor is rented for now, however it will be converted to a church and an assembly hall with a full kitchen and male and female bathrooms. On the side there are 5 bays and one small office that are rented to different contractors. There is space to park about 45 to 50 cars. We have completed negotiations to purchase the building with the sellers. However, we are awaiting approval from the West Orange Township Zoning Department for Zoning Variance approval. We have hired Zoning expert Lawyers, Architects, Traffic experts, and Structural Engineers to help us process this application. It will take about 3 months from now for the whole process to be completed. Our experts do not expect any complications during the approval process. It is just a formality that is required to legally change the use of the building from a warehouse to an assembly hall (Church). The remaining part of the building will generate an income of $7,000.00 per month excluding the 2nd floor we are going to use as a church and assembly hall. We are buying these 3 buildings for $725,000.00 and we are borrowing $500,000.00. We do have a written Mortgage Commitment and our monthly mortgage payment including Insurance and Property Taxes will be less than $7,000.00. This means once we conclude the purchase of these buildings they will generate enough income to support the monthly mortgage payment while we are using the Church and Assembly Hall for free.”
— Publisher’s Note: This story was updated on Sunday, July 3, 2011 with additional comments from Mr. Tekeste Ghebremicael, Vice Chairman of the Church’s Board of Directors.
You can learn more about the renovation project of the newly purchased building and/or donate online at www.aeotc.org.
New York (Tadias) – In a recent interview with Tadias, Ethiopian American couture bridal-gown designer and entrepreneur Amsale Aberra discussed her new reality TV show Amsale Girls, her success in the fashion industry, her memories of Ethiopia, her musican daughter Rachel Brown and more.
Amsale, 58, who came to the United States from Ethiopia in 1973, is one of the most sought after bridal and evening-wear designers in the United States. Her sophisticated and elegant dresses are favorites among celebrities and she has dressed Hollywood’s A-list, including Julia Roberts, Halle Berry, Salma Hayek, Kim Bassinger, Uma Thurman, Anna Paquin, Heidi Klum, Selma Blair, Lucy Liu and Katherine Heigl, among others. Kate Hudson filmed the big screen adaptation of Something Borrowed at Amsale’s Madison Avenue boutique.
Model Maya Haile wore an Amsale gown during her wedding to renowned chef Marcus Samuelsson at their reception in Addis Ababa.
Amsale Aberra’s new reality show, Amsale Girls, is currently airing on the women’s network WE TV. The six-hour episode series goes behind-the-scenes of this luxury bridal salon that caters to high-maintenance clientele, with gowns donning price tags of $4,000 to $75,000, revealing Amsale’s sales consultants as the best in the business.
Below is the preview of our interview with Amsale. It was taped in her office in New York City on Tuesday, June 28, 2011. The full video will be posted next week.
Above: Ted Alemayhu of USDFA says Africa could gain much
from organizations such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: Saturday, June 25, 2011
New York (Tadias) – Inspired by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, a national organization whose mission is “to enable all young people to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens,” social entrepreneur Ted Alemayhu, Founder and Chairman of US Doctors for Africa, announced plans to launch a similar pilot program in Ethiopia.
Mr. Alemayhu made the announcement at a meeting with a small group of philanthropists in Los Angeles, California this week as part of his plans for 2012.
“The true driving force behind this idea is the encouraging effort being made by several private and public organizations to help bring about well defined and managed social activities for young people in Ethiopia, including preventive healthcare,” Mr. Alemayhu, said via email. “I have always been inspired by the work of The Boys & Girls Club of America whereby millions of young Americans are participating in healthier activities and receiving proper care that continues to play an effective role in shaping their future to becoming better Americans.”
Asked if the club will be a formal chapter of the U.S. organization, Mr. Alemayhu, who is also a father of a young boy, said there is no affiliation.
“We’re certainly inspired by it, but our version will not have any formal connection with The Boys & Girls Clubs of America,” he said. “The idea is to partner with existing agencies and schools in Ethiopia to implement our program. If the test is successful there, then we intend to make it a continent-wide organization. ”
Mr. Alemayhu adds: “An official website will be dedicated to the project where people can read more about it and get involved in helping to materialize the program.”
—- To learn more or get involved, send an email to: info@usdfa.org. More information about US Doctors for Africa can be found at www.usdfa.org
Cover image: Press conference by US Doctors For Africa to announce a historic health summit with 15 First Ladies from Africa, April 16, 2009 – Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/PR Photos)
Sliver Spring (TADIAS) – Celebrate all things Ethiopian from fashion shows to cultural performances and food at the annual Ethiopian festival in downtown Silver Spring today.
The event, scheduled from 3 to 9 pm, is billed as a festival of Ethiopian lifestyle and culture, featuring a variety of lively programs at 908 Ellsworth Drive.
Highlights include live musicians, fashion shows, and traditional arts and crafts exhibit.
Entertainers include Tseday Ethiopian Band, Kebebew Geda, Nesanet & Taya, Berhanu Tezera, Tadele Roba, Tadele Gemechu, and Desalegn Melku.
Wub Abyssinia Fashion Models will showcase designs by Mulu Birhane who makes her first U.S. appearance, as well as works by U.S. based designers, including Betelhem Fashion, Arada Wear, Markos Design, and Hewan Design.
If you Go:
Ethiopian Festival, Sliver Spring
Saturday June 25 from 3-9 PM
908 Ellsworth Drive
Downtown Sliver Spring
Call: 202-390-5182
Minew Shewa Entertainment
Tebabu & Associates
New York (Tadias) – The Ethiopian-born supermodel, actress and maternal health advocate, Liya Kebede, has been named the “new face” of L’Oréal – joining Beyonce, Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Lopez, Julianna Margulies and Freida Pinto- in her new role as the global beauty brand’s spokeswoman.
“It is important for me that I represent a brand that reflects my personality,” the 33-year-old said in a statement. “I’m pleased to play a part in sharing the uniqueness, the charisma, and the incredible stories of women of all origins and from all regions of the world.”
Liya Kebede, who is a mother of two children, was first spotted by a modeling agent while attending high-school at Lycee Gebre Mariam in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She has since become one of the best-known and successful models in the world. She was the first black face of Estée Lauder.
In 2005 she was appointed as the World Health Organization’s Goodwill Ambassador, and in recent years, she has been focused on that role advocating on behalf of maternal, newborn and child health issues. The same year she established the The Liya Kebede Foundation, an organization designed to provide women access to life-saving care in partnership with governments, non-governmental organizations, corporations and affected communities.
In 2007, she launched her green clothing line Lemlem (Amharic for “flourish” or “to bloom”), which features handcrafted collection of women’s and children’s clothing that is made by traditional Ethiopian weavers from her homeland. Lemlem is carried by Barney’s, J.Crew, Net-a-Porter.com and numerous boutique shops.
Liya has also made a successful transition to the big screen starring in the film-adaption of the autobiography Desert Flower, the true story of fellow model Waris Dirie, who escaped a childhood nightmare in Somalia and became a global supermodel, as well as acting in movies such as The Good Shepherd and Lord of War.
She was named one of Times Magazine’s 100 influential people in 2010.
New York (Tadias) – ArifSoft, the Bay Area based developer of Ethiopian mobile apps, has announced the launching of ArifLife – a free application for the iPhone and iPod that helps users easily access business directories, news, and Ethiopian American events all over the United States and beyond.
The new app is developed by the same group that created ArifZefen, an app that enables Ethiopian artists to share their music. The organization is also behind ArifQuas and EriSoccer, both aptly named to provide soccer enthusiasts with real-time scores and festival information. ArifQuas was released during the 2010 Ethiopian Soccer Tournament, while EriSoccer makes its debut at the annual Eritrean sports gathering this year.
Bef Ayenew, a software engineer and one of the two former MIT classmates who conceived the idea for ArifSoft, says their latest offering is an information bank that can be tapped by everyone with an iPhone, iPod, iTouch or iPad . “ArifLife is a one-stop reference app for events, places and news in the Ethiopian and Eritrean communities,” Bef said in a recent interview with Tadias Magazine. “Not only does it help you stay informed about all the activities in your community, the app will even map your events for you, and give you the directions to each location.”
“Suppose you need directions to the closest church or the phone number and operating hours of a local restaurant. Or maybe you need to know what time the hottest party in town is starting and how to dress up and get in for free. These are the kind of things that will be at your fingertips with ArifLife. It’s an international app that is designed to work everywhere including in Europe and Africa,” adds Bef.
The application, which is integrated with popular social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, offers a number of activity categories including dining, nightlife, film screenings, art shows, cultural gatherings and religious services.
“ArifLife app has three major components: events, businesses and news,” says co-founder Ephraim Tekle. “The events section includes concerts, parties, movies and several other events within the community and the business section serves as mobile yellow pages with a variety of business listings ranging from restaurants and coffee shops to barbers and travel agencies.” He points out that the application relies on a largely self service model– allowing the end user such as a business owner or promoter to manually add and update information in the database.
Ephraim notes: “iPhone remains the platform of choice for developers worldwide. Now that Verizon also offers the iPhone, the user base of iPhone users has and will continue to grow significantly. This offers a great opportunity for app developers to tap into an ever expanding customer base.”
And why is the application free and how does ArifSoft plan to make money? “We are currently focused on getting the word out, introducing the technology and platform to businesses, and incorporating more and more regions in our goal to go global over the next few months,” says Bef Ayenew. “We believe in the long term profitability of the app as more and more users on both ends of the spectrum, businesses and end users alike, realize the value it adds, but ultimately our revenue will come primarily from advertisement and listing fees.”
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New York (Tadias) – Buzunesh Deba of New York City ran the 11th-fastest marathon in the world this year in scorching the course on Sunday at the Dodge Rock n’ Roll San Diego Marathon.
Deba, an Ethiopian, won the event by nearly two minutes after completing the first-half of the course alongside fellow countrywoman Misikir Mekkonin. She finished the race in 2:23:31, while Mekkonin, who lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was runner-up in a personal best time of 2:25:21.
Deba’s performance on Sunday was described by elite runners coordinator Matthew Turnbull as “one that will make people stand up and take notice.”
It also raises the question: are Ethiopian runners in the United States closing the competitive gap with their compatriots from home?
During the course of the running season in the United States and Canada, major events often come down to a contest between Ethiopians who reside in America and Ethiopians who live in Ethiopia — with many of the runners who travel direct from Addis Ababa being members of the Ethiopian National Athletics Team.
Add in highly competitive Kenyan runners, both those who train in North America and others who travel direct from Kenya, and North America-based Ethiopian runners face a daunting challenge at every competition.
In an attempt to level the field, U.S. based Ethiopian runners are abandoning New York City and Washington, D.C., and seeking high-altitude training grounds of their own
Alemtsehay Misganaw, one of the most consistent athletes on the North America running circuit the past five years, escapes winters by going home to Ethiopia and training at high-altitude from early December to late March — essentially experiencing a second summer each year.
In this seasonal migration she is not alone among runners in the United States. There is a cadre of Ethiopians and Ethiopian-Americans who have found athletic success in America. Serkalem Abra, Genna Tufa and Atalalech Ketema – all seasoned veterans on the North American circuit, also spent last winter at various training sites in and around Addis Ababa, returning to the United States just in time for the spring start of the running season.
With a foot in both countries, either as permanent U.S. residents or traveling with multi-year athletic visa, the runners’ winter mission is to gain enough benefit from Ethiopian altitude-training to be competitive from April to November in races in North America.
Deba, Mekkonin, and other runners who do not spend winter in Ethiopia are training at mountainous locales in this country so they, too, can travel direct from altitude to competitions.
Alemtsehay Misganaw, center, and Mikael Tesfaye, to her left, with
Ethiopian National Athletics Team member Abraham Yilma, right, at
the Jan Meda training course in Addis Ababa. (Photo by Jason Jett).
Belainish Gebre, who won the 2010 Honolulu Marathon, has trained the past three years in Flagstaff, Arizona. Aziza Aliyu, winner of the 2011 ING Miami Marathon, trained last winter in Albuquerque.
Successes speak well for Diaspora athletes, but can they actually catch up to runners who both live and train in Ethiopia?
Misganaw, who won the Virginia Beach Yeungling Shamrock 8K in March and April’s Kentucky Derby Festival Mini-Marathon, said she still has a good base from winter altitude-training and only wishes she could import her coach from Ethiopia.
Mikael Tesfaye has coached Misganaw the past two winters in the absence of her coach-brother Sofonias Ajanew, who in 2009 relocated from Addis Ababa to Luanda to train the Angolan Olympic Team’s track squad.
Tesfaye, a protégé of Ajanew, is an elite runner in his own right, having finished 10th in the 2007 Lebanon Marathon and served as a pacemaker in finishing the 2009 Poznan (Poland) Marathon. Misganaw said her chief benefit from Tesfaye’s coaching comes when pacing through rugged training sessions at sea level in New York City’s Central Park.
Misganaw trained six weeks in the summer of 2009 with Gebre in Flagstaff, and after returning to New York City decided expert coaching and a quality pacemaker can help offset a lack of year-round altitude training.
Retta Feyissa, the coach and manager of Aliyu, said training in Arizona or New Mexico is an option but there is nothing comparable to the rigorous workouts to be had in Ethiopia.
He said, “Many of the Ethiopian runners living in the USA cannot afford to go back and forth to Ethiopia to train for specific races. Training in New Mexico is advantageous, but it is not like training in Ethiopia where you can eat organically and readily find training partners.”
Bill Staab, president of West Side Runners’ Club, which sponsors and advises a large number of international runners based in New York and Washington, said “ideally an Ethiopian runner in the U.S. might live in, say, New York City, go to Albuquerque in the winter and then once a year travel to Ethiopia for two months of intense training for a specific event such as the ING New York City Marathon.”
However, Deriba Merga and Dire Tune, both dominant Ethiopian distance runners, do not see the gap between runners based here and there being closed in World Major races such as the Boston Marathon or the ING New York City Marathon.
“In Ethiopia the conditions are better, the altitude is greater,” Merga, winner of the 2009 Boston Marathon, said after winning the Ottawa 10K last week. Tune, speaking in Amharic, agreed.
“Also, the coaching is better,” added Merga. “Here, one runner has this coach and another has that coach. Runners have their own coach.”
“In Ethiopia we all have the same coach, we are a team,” he said, pointing around a lunch table to 2008 Boston Marathon winner Tune and 2004 Olympian Ejegayehu Dibaba.
“And the culture is different in Ethiopia,” Merga added. “There is more discipline, and a focus on training.”
Asked if such discipline and focus means day-after-day cycles of only running, eating and sleeping, Merga said there is free time in the runners’ schedules.
“I have a car, and I take my girlfriend out to the movies or to a restaurant,” he said. “We like to have a good time.”
Dibaba smiled, and then put her hand over her mouth and the discussion came to an end. Speaking in Amharic, Dibaba said she has free time but “that part of my life is private.”
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Video: Post-race interview with Buzunesh Deba at the 2011 Dodge San Diego Marathon
About the Author: Jason Jett is a New York based freelance journalist.
Cover Image: The photograph shows the first two women to come through Petco Park during the 2011 San Diego Rock-n-Roll marathon. The location is past near the 5 mile marker. The runner in front is Buzunesh Deba, the eventual winner of the marathon. She finished the race in 2:23:31, the fastest time ever run by a woman in California. (Photo by Justin Brown).
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New York (Tadias) – During her recent trip to Ethiopia, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, focused on regional issues, visiting the African Union (AU) headquarters and meeting with AU Chairperson Jean Ping, in addition to bilateral meetings with Ethiopian officials, including Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
In a speech delivered at the African Union in Addis Ababa on Monday – prior to her hurried departure from the country due to a volcanic eruption in neighboring Eritrea – Clinton issued a warning to the continent’s leaders, reminding them to take note of fast-moving developments in North Africa and the Middle East.
Below is the video and full-text of Secretary Clinton’s Addis Ababa speech. Click here to view photos of her travel to Ethiopia.
Watch:
Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
June 13, 2011
SECRETARY CLINTON: Good afternoon. It is a great honor to join you here in Addis Ababa and to address the African Union. I want to thank Chairperson Ping, members of the African Union Commission, ambassadors to the AU, representatives of United Nations agencies, and, most of all, representatives of the nations and people of Africa. Thank you for the opportunity to be here with you. It is good to be back in Africa, and it is a singular honor to address this body.
During the past few days, I have traveled to Zambia, Tanzania, and now Ethiopia, meeting with leaders and citizens who are rising to meet challenges of all kinds with creativity, courage, and skill. And I am pleased to come to the African Union today as the first United States Secretary of State to address you, because I believe that in the 21st century, solving our greatest challenges cannot be the work only of individuals or individual nations. These challenges require communities of nations and peoples working together in alliances, partnerships, and institutions like the African Union.
Consider what it takes to solve global challenges, like climate change or terrorism, or regional ones, like the African Union’s work in Sudan and Somalia. Your efforts to end the brutal campaign of the Lord’s Resistance Army, your push to create a green revolution for Africa that drives down hunger and poverty, the challenge of helping refugees displaced by conflict, the fight against transnational crimes like piracy and trafficking: These are diplomatic and development challenges of enormous complexity. But institutions like this make it easier for us to address them, by helping nations turn common interests into common actions, by encouraging coalition building and effective compromising, by integrating emerging nations into a global community with clear obligations and expectations.
That is why, as Secretary of State, I have emphasized the work of regional institutions throughout the world, in Latin America, in Asia, in Europe, and in Africa. Now, regional institutions, of course, may differ, but increasingly they are called upon to be problem solvers and to deliver concrete results that produce positive change in people’s lives.
To solve the problems confronting Africa and the world, we need the African Union. We also need Africa’s sub-regional institutions, all of whom must help lead the way. Because the results you will achieve will shape the future, first and foremost, of course, for the people of Africa, but also for the people of my country, and indeed for people everywhere because what happens in Africa has global impact. Economic growth here spurs economic growth elsewhere. Breakthroughs in health research here can save and improve lives in other lands. And peace established here makes the world more secure.
So the United States seeks new and dynamic partnerships with African peoples, nations, and institutions. We want to help you accelerate the advances that are underway in many places and collaborate with you to reverse the dangerous trends and encourage political, economic, and social progress.
Today, I’d like briefly to discuss three areas, which are areas of emphasis for you and for us and where I think we can make particular progress through regional institutions like the AU. They are democracy, economic growth, and peace and security. These are, of course, the core areas of focus for the African Union, and that’s for a reason. All three are critical for a thriving region. All three must be the work both of individual nations and communities of nations. And all three present challenges, opportunities, and responsibilities we must address together.
First, democracy. Let me begin by saying this is an exciting time for African democracy. More than half the countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have embraced democratic, constitutional, multi-party rule. Now, some, like Botswana, Ghana, and Tanzania, have spent decades building strong institutions and a tradition of peaceful, democratic transitions. (Interruption to audio.) When things like this happen, you just keep going. (Laughter.) (Applause.) Now, those countries that I mentioned are models, not only for their neighbors, but increasingly for countries everywhere.
Other African nations have been also making important advances. In Nigeria, President Jonathan was inaugurated 15 days ago after what many have called the fairest election in Nigeria’s recent history. Benin and Malawi both held successful elections this spring, building on previous successful multiparty contests. Kenya’s democracy got a boost from last year’s referendum on its new constitution. The vote took place without violence, and the constitution, which includes a bill of rights and limits on executive power, passed by a large margin. Niger and Guinea, both of which endured recent military coups, held successful elections in the past year. And in Cote d’Ivoire, the crisis that followed the 2010 elections was finally resolved two months ago with the help of the AU, and the elected winner is now serving as president.
These are just a few examples of Africa’s recent democratic gains. A complete list would fill all the time we have today. In several nations, the institutions of democracy are becoming stronger. There are freer medias, justice systems that administer justice equally, and impartially, honest legislatures, vibrant civil societies.
Now, much of the credit for these hard-won achievements rightly belongs to the people and leaders of these countries who have passionately and persistently, sometimes at great risk to themselves, demanded that their leaders protect the rule of law, honor election results, uphold rights and freedoms. But credit is also due to the African Union, which has prohibited new leaders who have come to power through military rule and coups from being seated in the organization. The AU and Africa’s other regional institutions have also played a pivotal role in ending crises and creating the conditions for successful, democratic transitions, with the AU’s work to monitor elections being an especially important contribution.
But, even as we celebrate this progress, we do know that too many people in Africa still live under longstanding rulers, men who care too much about the longevity of their reign, and too little about the legacy that should be built for their country’s future. Some even claim to believe in democracy – democracy defined as one election, one time. (Laughter.) (Applause.)
Now, this approach to governing is being rejected by countries on this continent and beyond. Consider the changes that have recently swept through North Africa and the Middle East. After years of living under dictatorships, people have demanded new leadership; in places where their voices have long been silenced, they are exercising their right to speak, often at the top of their lungs. In places where jobs are scarce and a tiny elite prospers while most of the population struggles, people – especially young people – are channeling their frustration into social, economic, and political change.
Their message is clear to us all: The status quo is broken; the old ways of governing are no longer acceptable; it is time for leaders to lead with accountability, treat their people with dignity, respect their rights, and deliver economic opportunity. And if they will not, then it is time for them to go.
Every country in the world stands to learn from these democracy movements, but this wave of activism, which came to be known as the Arab Spring, has particular significance for leaders in Africa and elsewhere who hold on to power at all costs, who suppress dissent, who enrich themselves and their supporters at the expense of their own people. To those leaders our message must be clear: Rise to this historic occasion; show leadership by embracing a true path that honors your people’s aspirations; create a future that your young people will believe in, defend, and help build. Because, if you do not – if you believe that the freedoms and opportunities that we speak about as universal should not be shared by your own people, men and women equally, or if you do not desire to help your own people work and live with dignity, you are on the wrong side of history, and time will prove that.
The United States pledges its support for those African nations that are committed to doing the difficult but rewarding work of building a free, peaceful, and prosperous future. And we look to institutions like the African Union, that are dedicated to democracy and good governance, to continue to encourage countries to walk that path or risk isolating themselves further.
Now, of course, creating the conditions that allow people and communities to flourish in a democracy cannot simply be a matter of holding elections; they are a necessary but not sufficient condition. Good governance requires free, fair, and transparent elections, a free media, independent judiciaries, and the protection of minorities. And democracy must also deliver results for people by providing economic opportunity, jobs, and a rising standard of living.
Now, here, again, the map of Africa is lit up with success stories. Six of the world’s 10 fastest growing economies in the last decade are in Sub-Saharan Africa, and that percentage is expected to grow in the next five years. At a time when investors everywhere are hunting for promising new markets and worthy new ventures, Africa is attracting attention from all corners.
But a prosperous future is not guaranteed. Several of Africa’s highest performing economies are dependent on a single industry or a single export, often a commodity, which we know can have both good and bad consequences. It can discourage the rise of new industries and the jobs that come with them, and it can concentrate a nation’s wealth among a privileged few. Meanwhile, even while growth rates skyrocket in some countries, in others they are rising too slowly and it can take too long for growth on paper to translate into jobs that are spread across a country. But it is this desire that is especially urgent among the youth of Africa that cannot be ignored.
When we saw the uprisings first in Tunisia and then in Egypt, they were about both political change and economic change. Too many young people said they had studied, they had worked hard. The tragic story of the young vegetable vendor who finally, in great frustration – because no matter how hard he tried, a corrupt regime would not give him the chance to have the sweat of his brow translated into economic benefits for himself and his family. More than 40 percent of the people living in Africa are under the age of 15. It rises to nearly two thirds if we look at under the age of 30. These young people are all coming of age at once and they are all connected. There are no more secrets because of social media, because that incredible technology can inform a young person in a rural area, where there are no roads, but there are cell phones, what is going on in his capital or in neighboring countries.
Creating jobs and opportunity for these young people is an enormous challenge, and one that I know the African Union is committed to addressing. Your summit later this month is focused on youth empowerment for sustainable development. You are right that young people must be brought into this work themselves, otherwise your hardest working, your best and your brightest, will either be frustrated and act out against the leaders of their country or they will leave to find opportunities in other lands. After all, the people who are speaking out most passionately across Africa are doing so with an eloquence and an advocacy that should, as the older generations, make us proud. These are young people who want to make something of themselves. All they need is the chance to do so.
Countries such as Zambia, Mali, Ghana, and Rwanda have had strong successes with their approaches to development. They have diversified their economies and created jobs across many sectors, which has helped to decrease poverty. They have continuously reinvested in the foundations of their economies, building roads and power plants and expanding access to financial services so more people can start or grow businesses. Based on lessons we’ve learned from our work around the world, the United States wants to deepen our partnerships with countries that take a broad-based, inclusive, sustainable approach to growth.
Now, I will be the first to admit that too much of our development work in the past provided only temporary aid and not the foundation for lasting change that helps people permanently improve their lives and communities. But the Obama Administration is taking a different approach. Our goal is to help countries’ economies grow over time so they can meet their own needs. Ultimately, we believe that the most effective development programs are the ones that put themselves out of business because they spark economic activity, they help create strong institutions, they nourish a private sector that, unleashed, will create more jobs.
And at the same time, we are asking our partners to do their part. How? Increased transparency, strengthen tax systems, fight corruption. Every bribe paid to a customs official or a government employee represents a hidden tax on the cost of doing business and a drag on economic growth. We are making this a priority in our diplomatic engagement, and we look to our partners to take concrete actions to stop corruption. One of the possible benefits of technology is doing what’s called electronic government, e-government, putting government services online so you don’t have to go through so many hands to get that permit to start a business. And we are encouraging and will work with countries interested in pursuing that kind of opportunity.
We’re also putting a new emphasis on trade. I spoke about this a few days ago at the AGOA Forum in Lusaka. During the past decade, Africa’s non-oil exports to the United States quadrupled, and we’ve only begun to tap the potential. We can and we will trade much more with each other. In fact, we are establishing, with a $120 million commitment over the next four years, trade hubs to help businesses write business plans; to learn how to market their products; to get the kind of technical advice that would not be affordable for a small or medium-sized business.
Trade should not only, however, increase across the ocean or the sea to Europe and the United States. Trade has to increase across this continent. There is less trade among the countries within Sub-Saharan Africa than within any other region in the world, and yet there are consumers and there are producers, but there are barriers – tariff barriers, non-tariff barriers, longstanding suspicions that have to be overcome in order to take advantage of the economic engine that Sub-Saharan Africa can be.
I commend those countries and institutions working to accelerate economic integration, such as the East African Community. And last year, the United States became the first country to nominate an ambassador to the EAC, and we are pursuing a partnership to help build a customs union and a common market. And we applaud the efforts that began with the meeting in South Africa, last week, to discuss a tripartite free trade agreement that will lower trade barriers across dozens of countries.
And the vision of an African common market is worth pursuing. This approach is reflected in our Millennium Challenge Compacts, which form partnerships with developing countries devoted to good governance, economic freedom, and investing in one’s citizens. You can see it in our Partnerships for Growth Program: We picked four countries in the world that we thought could put all the pieces together, and two of them are in Africa, Tanzania and Ghana. These nations have made strong commitments to democracy, to their own development progress, and we’re stepping up our economic relations with these top performers.
Another example of our new approach is our Feed the Future food security initiative. We’re investing $3.5 billion in 20 focus countries, including 12 in Africa, to revitalize agricultural sectors so you can increase food production and availability, raise your farmers’ incomes, decrease hunger and under-nutrition. And through the Feed the Future, we are supporting the AU’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program, which, we think, has laid the foundation for more effective agricultural policies across the continent. By investing in agriculture and strengthening nations’ food security, we will see economies grow and stability increase.
There’s another important element of sustainable economic development, and that is improvements in health. Right now, several African countries are making great strides in bringing life-saving health interventions to more of their people. Zambia has significantly reduced mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Nigeria has made great progress in fighting polio through renewed vaccination efforts. And Ethiopia has mobilized an army of 30,000 health workers to bring a basic package of care to remote regions. We are backing these kinds of improvements through our Global Health Initiative, which supports country-led programs and helps countries unite separate health programs into one sustainable health system.
So we are combining our efforts through PEPFAR, through AID, through CDC, and other U.S. Government approaches, because we think health is a critical element of a nation’s security. When epidemics are prevented from occurring or ended or controlled quickly, when people can get life-saving care when they need it and return to their jobs and their lives, families are stronger, communities are stronger, and nations are stronger.
And finally, when it comes to economic opportunity and development, we must empower the continent’s women. The women of Africa are the hardest working women in the world. And so often – (applause) – so often what they do is not included in the formal economy, it is not measured in the GDP. And yet, if all the women in Africa, from Cairo to Cape Town, decided they would stop working for a week, the economies of Africa would collapse. (Applause.)
So let’s include half the population. Let’s treat them with dignity. Let’s give them the right and responsibility to make a contribution to the 21st century of African growth and progress. And the United States will be your partner, because we have seen what a difference it makes when women are educated, when they have access to health care, when they can start businesses, when they can get credit, when they can help support their families. So let us make sure that that remains front and center in the work we do together.
And finally, let me address peace and security. In recent years, a quiet storyline has emerged out of the security challenges that have developed on the continent. More and more, the African Union and Africa’s sub-regional organizations and African states, working alone or in concert, are taking the lead in solving Africa’s crises. In Somalia, AMISOM, the African Union’s peacekeeping mission, thanks to heroic efforts by Ugandan and Burundian soldiers, has helped the Transitional Federal Government make remarkable security gains in Mogadishu over the past couple of months. Al-Shabaab, an affiliate of al-Qaida, is finally on the defensive, and we see that because they are increasingly resorting to suicide bombers and the targeting of civilians, a sign of desperation.
Now, we expect Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government to create political and economic progress to match AMISOM’s security progress. It cannot continue operating the way it has in the past. We look to the TFG to resolve their internal divisions and improve the lives of the millions of Somalis who continue to suffer, and we know that the AU will be their partner in doing so.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we remain concerned about the continued violence against women and girls and the activities of armed groups in the eastern region of the country. Every effort by the AU and UN will be necessary to help the DRC respond to these continuing security crises.
And then there is the situation in Sudan: South Sudan is less than one month away from becoming the world’s newest state. And the governments of Sudan and South Sudan have made laudable progress in implementing certain provisions of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. But recent developments along the border, particularly in the Abyei region, are deeply troubling. The parties must resolve the remaining CPA issues peacefully through negotiations, not violence. And again, the African Union has played a critical role in facilitating negotiations in Sudan. And I also want to thank the prime minister of Ethiopia, our host country, for everything he has done and is doing as we speak today.
I will have the opportunity later this evening to meet with representatives from both the North and South to add my voice and that of President Obama and my government to the chorus of voices saying the same thing: Resolve your differences, settle the problem in Darfur. And we got some good news out of Doha today that we hope will translate into real progress. But come together and make it possible for both of these countries to have peaceful, prosperous futures.
And there is, of course, another country whose security matters to all of us, and that is Libya. Libya has been the subject of many of our discussions during the past few months. And I believe there is much on which we can agree. There is little question that the kind of activities that, unfortunately, have affected the Libyan people for more than 40 years run against the tide of history. And there is little question that despite having the highest nominal GDP in Africa, thanks to oil, Libya’s wealth was too concentrated within Qadhafi’s circle.
But of course, all the countries here are not in agreement about the steps that the international community, under the United Nations Security Council, have taken in Libya up to this point. Having looked at the information available, the Security Council, including the three African members, supported a UN mandate to protect civilians, prevent slaughter, and create conditions for a transition to a better future for the Libyan people themselves.
Now, I know there are some who still believe that the actions of the UN and NATO were not called for. And I know it’s true that over many years Mr. Qadhafi played a major role in providing financial support for many African nations and institutions, including the African Union. But it has become clearer by the day that he has lost his legitimacy to rule, and we are long past time when he can or should remain in power.
So I hope and believe that while we may disagree about some of what has brought us to this place, we can reach agreement about what must happen now. For as long as Mr. Qadhafi remains in Libya, the people of Libya will be in danger, refugee flows by the thousands will continue out of Libya, regional instability will likely increase, and Libya’s neighbors will bear more and more of the consequences. None of this is acceptable, and Qadhafi must leave power.
I urge all African states to call for a genuine ceasefire and to call for Qadhafi to step aside. I also urge you to suspend the operations of Qadhafi’s embassies in your countries, to expel pro-Qadhafi diplomats, and to increase contact and support for the Transitional National Council. Your words and your actions could make the difference in bringing this situation to finally close and allowing the people of Libya, on an inclusive basis, in a unified Libya, to get to work writing a constitution and rebuilding their country. The world needs the African Union to lead. The African Union can help guide Libya through the transition you described in your organization’s own statements, a transition to a new government based on democracy, economic opportunity, and security.
As we look to the future, we want to work with the African Union not only to react to conflicts and crises but to get ahead of them, to work together on a positive agenda that will stop crises before they start. And I think we can find many areas for collaboration.
On youth engagement, which is a priority for both the AU and President Obama, we seek to pursue a specific work plan with you. On democracy and good governance we already work together to monitor elections across Africa. Now we need to do more to help countries strengthen democratic institutions. On economic growth and trade the AU plays a major role in building Africa’s sub-regional architecture, and we stand ready to support you.
So I want to commend Africa’s institutions for what you have already accomplished, and in some cases, just a few years after your creation. And I will pledge my country’s support as you continue this work. Whether you seek to deepen the integration among your members, improve coordination, or reform your operations, we will be with you.
A good example that the chairman mentioned is what we can offer in the work we are doing to help reform the UN’s support for the African Union here in Addis Ababa. The UN and the African Union asked the United States to identify ways their work together could become more effective and strategic. We said yes, and now there are people at the State Department focused on this issue working closely with many of you in this room.
And as has already been announced, we are rejoining the UN Economic Commission for Africa, another sign of our commitment to engaging with Africa’s regional institutions. (Applause.)
On this trip to Africa, I am reminded every hour that for every challenge now facing Africa, a solution can be found somewhere in Africa. (Applause.) You do not have to look far afield to see political, economic, and social success.
Earlier I mentioned the Arab Spring, a name that suggests the blossoming of something new. And what is now blooming across the Arab states has already taken root in many African nations, commitment to democracy, recognition of human rights, investment in economic health and education programs, and an emphasis on meeting the needs of our young people.
Across this continent the work is underway, but there is a long season ahead. So I urge you not to be impatient; do not grow weary while doing good. Keep showing leadership. Keep building a path to a future worthy of the talents and aspirations of the young men and women of Africa. The United States believes deeply in these values. We believe passionately in the promise and potential of pluralistic democracies, of free markets. We welcome to our shores immigrants from every country represented here, and we can see the success stories that so many of them have built in the United States. But I have never met an immigrant from Africa who has not said he or she wished they could have done the very same in their own country, among their own people, close to their family, eating the food, smelling the flowers, seeing the sights that are in their blood. I want to see that for Africa, where people are coming home to Africa because this is where opportunity for the future resides.
New York (Tadias) – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday kicked off a three-nation diplomatic tour of Africa, which includes stops in Zambia, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
Clinton began her trip on June 10 in Lusaka, Zambia, where she delivered closing remarks at the African Growth and Opportunity Act Forum – which has been a centerpiece of U.S. trade, aid, and investment policy in Sub-Saharan Africa for the past decade. Also known as AGOA, the act was signed into law in 2000 by former President Bill Clinton, to provide eligible countries in Sub-Saharan Africa duty and quota free access to U.S. markets for certain African-made goods, particularly textiles and apparels.
“While in Zambia, she also met with Zambian President Rupiah Banda as well as participated in events to highlight U.S. Government initiatives,” the State Department said in a statement.
“From there, Secretary Clinton travels to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to meet with Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. In Tanzania, she will highlight our successful bilateral engagement including a host of programs including Feed the Future (FTF). In Ethiopia, Secretary Clinton will focus on regional issues, visiting the African Union (AU) headquarters and meeting with AU Chairperson Jean Ping, in addition to bilateral meetings. She will also meet with civil society to draw attention to their innovative and enterprising work.”
— Photo: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Zambia during an interview with Africa 360, a weekly TV current affairs program.
Video: Closing Remarks at 2011 African Growth and Opportunity Forum
—- Clinton’s Africa Trip to Include Ethiopia Visit
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Updated: Wednesday, June 1, 2011
New York (Tadias) – The State Department has announced that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be visiting Ethiopia at the end of next week as part of her upcoming Middle East and Africa diplomatic tour.
“In Ethiopia, Secretary Clinton will focus on regional issues, visiting the African Union (AU) headquarters and meeting with AU Chairperson Jean Ping, in addition to bilateral meetings,” Clinton’s Deputy Spokesperson Mark C. Toner said in a statement. “She will also meet with civil society to draw attention to their innovative and enterprising work.”
According to Mr. Toner, Clinton’s trip will begin on June 9th in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) where she will attend the meeting of the Libya Contact Group, which was formed back in March at an international ministerial conference in London and includes the nations of France, Britain, United States, Italy, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan, as well representatives of the Arab League, the African Union and the United Nations.
Ms. Clinton will then head to Lusaka, Zambia, on June 10th for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Ministerial Forum. “She will showcase this centerpiece of our trade policy with Africa and engage with government, private sector, and civil society representatives from 37 different countries,” Toner said. “While in Zambia, she will also meet with Zambian President Rupiah Banda and will be participating in events to highlight U.S. government initiatives.”
Per the Deputy Spokesperson: “From there, Secretary Clinton will travel to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to meet with Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. In Tanzania, she will highlight our successful bilateral engagement including a host of programs [such as] Feed the Future (FTF).”
The press statement did not specify Clinton’s date of arrival in Ethiopia.
Above:Ethiopian women accomplished a 1-2-3 sweep in the
Ottawa Marathon Sunday. (Post-race photo: Tune & Keneni)
Tadias Magazine
By Jason Jett
Updated: Monday, May 30, 2011
Ottawa (Tadias) — Ethiopian runners narrowly missed a sweep of prize-money races at the 37th edition of the Ottawa Race Weekend, the largest running event in Canada.
Deriba Merga easily beat other male competitors in the feature Ottawa 10K on Saturday, but lost to Dire Tune in a gender competition in which elite women were given a three-minute, 44-second (3:44) head start. Both received $6,000 for winning their respective divisions, with Tune claiming the $4,000 bonus of the gender challenge.
Merga, the 2009 Boston Marathon winner, was on world-record pace through four kilometers but moderated somewhat in the latter stages to finish in 28:30. Tune, the 2008 marathon winner in Boston, fended-off his approach by running 31:43.
Ethiopian women accomplished a 1-2-3 sweep in the Ottawa Marathon on Sunday, while Ethiopian Dereje Abera Ali finished less than a second behind winner Laban Moiben of Kenya in the men’s field.
Ali later said he could have overtaken Moiben had he not paused at a chip-timing mat extended across the roadway some 50 yards from the finish line.
“I thought that was the finish line,” he said of the mat, shaking his head in disappointment after viewing a video replay of the marathon finish. Moiben’s winning time was 2:10:17.9. Ali finished in 2:10:18:8. Dino Sefir Kemal of Ethiopia was third in 2:10:57.5.
Kebebush Haile Lema won the women’s division of the marathon in 2:32:14, followed by Biruktawit Eshetu Degefa in 2:33:14 and Radiya Adilo Roba in 2:36:58. Lema received a $20,000 payout, with Degefa garnering $12,000 as the runner-up and Roba taking $10,000 for finishing third.
Most of the event’s drama occurred Saturday evening, when the stars came out amid threatening skies and humid conditions that neutralized a new course intended to produce fast times.
Merga had run 27:24 in 2009 to win and set a record over the old course. Last year he finished third in 28:41 to his designated pacemaker, Lelisa Desisa, and Moroccan Mohamed El Hachimi.
This year Merga was the lone Ethiopian elite male in the 10K field, and he had little competition in mostly running alone and beginning to overtake elite women just beyond five kilometers.
Tune ran an evenly paced race and gradually separated from the women’s elite field that included 2004 Olympian Ejegayehu Dibaba, who finished third in 32:57. Second was Samira Raif of Morocco in 32:47.
Ethiopia claimed four of the top six women’s 10K spots, with Aziza Aliyu finishing fifth in 33:50 and Alemtsehay Misganaw running 33:57 for sixth-place.
Tune was the lone star at the post-race news conference, as Merga demurred.
“I am very happy I beat the guys,” said Tune. “I really thought they would catch up to me. Somehow, I beat them.”
It was the second time in as many years Tune finished ahead of the top-male.
Dire Tune, flanked by her manager and an interpreter, gives post-race interviews.
Meanwhile, a dejected Merga declined interviews. For nearly 30 minutes after the race he sat with his head in his hands on a concrete slab in the designated elite runners’ area just off the finish line.
When asked what went wrong, Merga said he “expected to catch her” but the humidity made the race tough. The winner of the 10k, but loser of a race-within-the-race, Merga added he may have started too fast.
The next morning at brunch in the hotel that housed elite runners, Merga noted that he has been carrying a lot on his mind the past two weeks.
“Since Wanjiru died, I have been very saddened,” he said, speaking of the late Samuel Wanjiru of Kenya, a runner with whom Merga shared a 2008 Olympic Marathon stage that thrust both into the international spotlight. “He was my best friend, and I miss him. My sympathies go to his wife, mother and children.”
Wanjiru died May 15 in an apparent fall from the balcony of his home in Nayahururu, Kenya following a domestic dispute. Police are continuing an investigation into his death.
The Kenyan prevailed in a captivating, two-man battle with Merga through the streets of Beijing and in front of a worldwide TV audience during the event that cemented the bond between them. Wanjiru won Kenya’s first Olympic marathon gold medal that day, while Merga paid for his intense surges with and against his new friend and faded to a fourth-place finish that kept him off the podium at the medals presentation.
The morning after beginning the Ottawa 10K at world-record pace, Merga only smiled when asked if he had been thinking of his late friend.
“We have the same style,” he said of starting races fast, and doing periodic surges in an effort to break other runners. “He was a good, disciplined athlete. He was very tough.”
“After he died, for two days I cried,” said Merga, reflecting a deep respect between the two runners despite the fierce rivalry of their nations in athletics. “I did not eat. I did not train. I still cry.”
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More event photos: 37th annual Ottawa Race Weekend (All images courtesy of Jason Jett)
Merga acknowledges support from Radiya Adilo Roba, left with head covering, who finished third in
the marathon Sunday, as local fans take photos with the silent winner and other runners look on.
Dire Tune and Ejegayehu Dibaba Keneni.
Dire Tune approaches the finish line.
Dire Tune, Alemtsehay Misganaw, Deriba Merga and Ejegayehu Dibaba, the morning after doing battle
in the ottawa 10K.
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About the Author: Jason Jett is a New York based freelance journalist.
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Above:Debo Band will stage a show at 92y Tribeca in NYC on
May 28, 2011. (Photograph courtesy of Amael Tesfaye, 2011)
Tadias Magazine
By Tigist Selam
Updated: Saturday, May 28, 2011
New York (Tadias) – The Ethio-jazz group Debo Band will return to NYC to perform at a special concert featuring Ethiopian, Sudanese, and North African music. The event is set to take place at the 92Y Tribeca tonight.
Led by Ethiopian-American saxophonist Danny Mekonnen and fronted by charismatic vocalist Bruck Tesfaye, Debo’s performances bring together the best of the last forty years of Ethiopian music, with a reverence for the vintage sounds of the 1970s and a commitment to discovering contemporary gems, as well as developing new compositions.
At today’s show in New York, Debo will be joined by Nettle — a band that was founded by DJ/Rupture when he lived in Barcelona. Nettle will release their second album in Fall 2011 entitled El Resplandor: The Shining In Dubai, a soundtrack to an imagined remake of The Shining, set in an abandoned luxury hotel in Dubai.
The other musical ensemble set to share the stage with Debo is Alsarah & The Nubatones. The band came together out of a collective love for Nubian music and a genuine belief that Soul transcends all cultural and linguistic barriers. Inspired by the pentatonic scale they blend a selection of Nubian ‘songs of return’ from the 1970s with original material and traditional music of central Sudan. Their set is a musical journey through the diaspora viewed through an urban lens.
“We’ve never done a show quite like this,” says Debo bandleader Danny Mekonnen, speaking about his team’s NYC gig. “We’re really interested in seeing how these different bands will compliment each other.”
Debo is also scheduled to make an appearance at The Lincoln Center Out of Doors this Summer, which is the same concert that featured Mahmoud Ahmed, Alemayehu Eshete, and Getachew Mekuria in 2008.
“Very exciting time for us,” says Danny.
If You Go:
Saturday, May 28
8pm Doors, 9pm Show
$16 cover. All ages.
92YTribeca
200 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10013
212.601.1000 www.92y.org/92ytribeca/
Video: Debo Band – “Lantchi Biye” Live: SXSW 2011 Showcasing Artist
New York (TADIAS) – Woven LLC is hosting a fundraiser in June 2011 for a feature length film entitled Woven, which is based on a fictional story that weaves together the lives of Ethiopian and American families. The independent film is written and produced by Ryan Spahn, Salome Mulugeta and Kristin Hanggi. Charles Shyer is the Executive Producer. Woven features multicultural characters who explore themes of forgiveness following a tragic accident that unravels family secrets, lies and deception. The film opens with a scene of a ferocious early morning thunderstorm and a deadly car crash involving one of the Ethiopian-American characters. The detective investigating the tragic accident soon discovers that this was no ordinary traffic incident.
The film’s co-writer and co-producer Salome Mulugeta says Woven is more than a mystery movie. “This is also a story about love, loss and forgiveness, it follows the Ethiopian family and their culture as an emigrant family living in America,” she says. “The accident brings two families that are from different parts of the world together to understand that they maybe different externally but the same internally.”
“We have an unequivocal belief in Woven — both its content, and its potential to appeal to a far-reaching audience,” the producers said via their website regarding the fund-raising effort. “We are acquiring all monies for the production of this film through private equity, and on selling the finished film to the highest bidding distributor.”
The event is scheduled for June 28, 2011 at Studio Twenty-One in Manhattan. It includes dinner catered by Spur Tree Restaurant as well as raffles and auctions.
— If You Go:
A Fund Raising Event for the Film Production of “Woven”
Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 7:00 PM
Studio Twenty-One
59 West 21st Street
New York, NY 10010
Entrance: $150 per person
Learn more at: www.wovenfilm.com
Above:Debo Band will stage a show at 92y Tribeca in NYC on
May 28, 2011. (Photograph courtesy of Amael Tesfaye, 2011)
Tadias Magazine
By Tigist Selam
Published: Wednesday, May 11, 2011
New York (Tadias) – The Ethio-jazz group Debo Band will return to NYC later this month to perform at a special concert featuring Ethiopian, Sudanese, and North African music. The event is set to take place at the 92Y Tribeca on May 28th, 2011.
Led by Ethiopian-American saxophonist Danny Mekonnen and fronted by charismatic vocalist Bruck Tesfaye, Debo’s performances bring together the best of the last forty years of Ethiopian music, with a reverence for the vintage sounds of the 1970s and a commitment to discovering contemporary gems, as well as developing new compositions.
At the upcoming show in New York, Debo will be joined by Nettle — a band that was founded by DJ/Rupture when he lived in Barcelona. Nettle will release their second album in Fall 2011 entitled El Resplandor: The Shining In Dubai, a soundtrack to an imagined remake of The Shining, set in an abandoned luxury hotel in Dubai.
The other musical ensemble set to share the stage with Debo is Alsarah & The Nubatones. The band came together out of a collective love for Nubian music and a genuine belief that Soul transcends all cultural and linguistic barriers. Inspired by the pentatonic scale they blend a selection of Nubian ‘songs of return’ from the 1970s with original material and traditional music of central Sudan. Their set is a musical journey through the diaspora viewed through an urban lens.
“We’ve never done a show quite like this,” says Debo bandleader Danny Mekonnen, speaking about his team’s NYC gig. “We’re really interested in seeing how these different bands will compliment each other.”
Debo is also scheduled to make an appearance at The Lincoln Center Out of Doors this Summer, which is the same concert that featured Mahmoud Ahmed, Alemayehu Eshete, and Getachew Mekuria in 2008.
“Very exciting time for us,” says Danny.
If You Go:
Saturday, May 28
8pm Doors, 9pm Show
$16 cover. All ages.
92YTribeca
200 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10013
212.601.1000 www.92y.org/92ytribeca/
Video: Debo Band – “Lantchi Biye” Live: SXSW 2011 Showcasing Artist
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.”
—-
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.
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.
New York (Tadias) – Jamaican-born entrepreneur Sean John is the owner of Spur Tree Lounge, located in Lower East Side Manhattan. The hip and popular eatery, which was recently selected by MACY’s Culinary Council as one of NYC’s hottest restaurants, is frequented by tourists and New Yorkers alike, including Ethiopians whose country inspired the establishment’s logo. The menu combines Jamaican and Asian cuisine. But, the moment you walk into the restaurant, there is no mistaking Spur Tree’s subtle connection to Ethiopia.
In the following video Sean John discusses the success of his business, the story behind his logo, his affinity for Ethiopia and his extensive travels throughout the African nation.
New York (Tadias) – Near New York City’s Washington Square Park, at NYU’s Windows at Kimmel Center, pedestrians and drivers alike are being treated to 13 exquisite photographs from Ethiopia. The images were captured by New York Times Photographer Chester Higgins, Jr. during his 2007-2010 trip to Ethiopia. The outdoor exhibit, entitled “Stars of Ethiopia,” is organized by the Institute of African American Affairs at NYU and features photos measuring 70″ x 80″ that are visible from the sidewalk. With each portrait, Higgins seeks to create a dialogue with the viewer, revealing his subjects’ diverse homeland through their eyes.
In the following video, Mr. Higgins gives Tadias a tour of his exhibition.
NewYork (Tadias) – Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, Founder and Managing Director of the eco-fashion footwear company SoleRebels, has been honored as one of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders in 2011. The honor bestowed each year by the Forum recognizes and acknowledges outstanding young leaders from around the world for their professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world.
Bethlehem joins the ranks of a distinguished list of previous winners including Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Newsweek columnist Fareed Zakaria, as well as Ethiopian-American supermodel Liya Kebede and journalist Abebe Gellaw.
“On a personal level it is humbling. It’s beyond anything I ever expected,” Bethlehem said in an interview with Tadias. “I am excited because the award represents a recognition of the power of our core aim at soleRebels — to show that development and trade go hand in hand, and that delivering a world class brand to the global marketplace is perhaps the most potent key to creating real and sustained prosperity in Ethiopia.”
Beethlehem, who was born and raised in the Zenabwok (Total) area of Addis Ababa, one of the city’s most impoverished neighborhoods, established soleRebels in 2005 in order to help increase community-based jobs. Since then the venture has created over 75 full time and over 120 part-time jobs while becoming an internationally recognized brand. SoleRebels is now available in major global retail outlets such as Urban Outfitters as well as online including at Endless.com and Amazon.com.
Bethlehem’s company was also winner of the 2010 Eco-Bold Green Award — a recognition of soleRebel’s environmentally friendly, vegan footwear that is produced using indigenous materials such as hand-spun organic cotton and artisan hand-loomed fabric. Tires are also recycled and used for soles.
XoDus iration (Photograph courtesy of SoleRebels).
As featured on African Entrepreneur Ads – PureLOVE homegrown LUX. (Courtesy photo)
EasyRidin sunrise (Photograph courtesy of SoleRebels).
Asked about her secret to success, Bethlehem says, “My ‘secret to success’ is to be committed 100% to my goals and to the people I have entrusted to help me achieve those goals. Here we are like a big family so an achievement like this is an achievement for each and every person at soleRebels.”
Drawn from a pool of more than 5,000 high level global candidates, the 2011 honorees will become part of the broader Forum of Young Global Leaders community that currently comprises of 660 outstanding individuals. “The World Economic Forum is a true multi-stakeholder community of global decision-makers in which the Young Global Leaders represent the voice for the future and the hopes of the next generation. The diversity of the YGL community and its commitment to shaping a better future through action-oriented initiatives of public interest is even more important at a time when the world is in need of new energy to solve intractable challenges,” said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.
The Young Global Leaders participate in an annual summit – this year it will be taking place in Dalian, China from September 12th through 16th – as well as in additional World Economic Forum events throughout the year. As Young Global Leaders these promising individuals will have the opportunity to engage in initiatives that help build stronger and more diverse communities, and to engender a better understanding of global and regional agendas.
And what’s Bethlehem’s advice to young people worldwide who aspire to become entrepreneurs and business leaders? “I would say have a clear vision of what you want to achieve and the path to get there. Then work hard, and then work extra hard. Seek advice and counsel from diverse places – don’t just stick to one “voice” or source for input. And never ever be deterred no matter the obstacle or the setback. Setbacks and obstacles are a natural part of life. It is how you overcome those obstacles and setbacks that will make you a great person no matter what endeavor you choose to devote yourself to. ”
We congratulate Bethlehem on her accomplishments and wish her continued success.
—
Update: Photos: Bethlehem addresses the 50th anniversary of the World Wildlife Fund (May 1, 2011)
Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, Founder and Managing Director of SoleRebels, speaks at the Opening Conference Symposium panel discussion facilitated by Veronica Pedrosa of Al-Jazeera, Malaysia. Speakers left to right are Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, Founder and Managing Director of SoleRebels, Orazio Bellittini Cedeno, co-founder & Director of Grupo Faro, and Wang Shi, chairman of China Vanke, at the WWF Annual Conference in St. Gallen, Switzerland on May 1, 2011.
Speakers left to right: Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, Founder and Managing Director of SoleRebels, and Orazio Bell.
Speakers left to right: Paul Polman, Tim Brown, Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, Orazio Bellittini Cedeno and Wang Shi at the WWF Annual Conference in St. Gallen, Switzerland on May 1, 2011.
Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu Founder and Managing Director of SoleRebels speaks at the Opening Conference Symposium panel discussion at the WWF Annual Conference in St. Gallen, Switzerland on May 1, 2011.
Panel discussion facilitated by Veronica Pedrosa of Al-Jazeera, Malaysia. Speakers left to right: Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, Bethlehem Tilahun, Alemu Founder and Managing Director of SoleRebels, Orazio Bell.
Left to right Paul Polman, Tim Brown, Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, Orazio Bellittini Cedeno, and Wang Shi at the WWF Annual Conference, St Gallen, Switzerland on May 1, 2011.
Yolanda Kakabadse presents Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, Founder and Managing Director of SoleRebels with a gift after the Opening Conference Symposium panel discussion facilitated at the WWF Annual Conference in St. Gallen, Switzerland on May 1, 2011.
—
Photo credit: All images are courtesy of Solerebels.
Above:Members of the Armenian Diaspora of Ethiopia (1929)
included the conductor K. Nalbandian – whose nephew Nerses
Nalbandian later became music director at the main Theater.
Tadias Magazine
Events News
Published: Thursday, March 3, 2011
New York (Tadias) – The Either/Orchestra, which in 2004 became the first U.S. big band to appear in Ethiopia since Duke Ellington’s Orchestra in 1973, has launched a Kickstarter.com campaign to raise funds for a return trip to the country. This time, the group hopes to participate in a musical tribute celebrating the work of Nerses Nalbandian, an Armenian musician who found a home as Ethiopia’s maestro from the 1930s to the 1970s.
Seven decades prior to the E/O’s arrival in Ethiopia, Mr. Nalbandian, who had cultivated hundreds of musicians and arranged numerous Ethiopian compositions, had left an imprint on modern Ethiopian music. Nerses Nalbandian, was the nephew of Kevork Nalbandian, the bandleader of Ethiopia’s first official orchestra. The elder Nalbandian moved to Addis from Jerusalem in 1924 as a music instructor for Arba Lijoch, a group of 40 Armenian orphans who had survived the Armenian Genocide in Turkey, and were later adopted by Haile Selassie then Crown Prince Ras Tafari. Wiki notes: “He had met them while visiting the Armenian monastery in Jerusalem. They impressed him so much that he obtained permission from the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem to adopt and bring them to Ethiopia, where he then arranged for them to receive musical instruction.”
Kevork Nalbandian would eventually compose the sound for Marsh Teferi, the Imperial Anthem (words by Yoftehé Negusé), which served as the national hymn from 1930 to 1974. His nephew, Nerses Nalbandian, who was appointed the first music director of Ethiopia’s National Theater in 1956, is also credited for his contribution to modern Ethiopian music through his mentorship of some of the country’s talented musicians.
Photo courtesy of ArmeniansWorld.com
The Either/Orchestra recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, and in a recent press release stated that the band was invited by Alliance Ethio-Francaise to return to Addis Ababa. The upcoming tour will be the second collaboration between the Addis Ababa branch of the French cultural organization and the Either/Orchestra. During their previous trip to Ethiopia the band was introduced to Mr. Nalbandian’s children who suggested that the group, under the leadership of its founder Russ Gershon, help to revive the works of their late father. Per the E/O: “Daughter Mary and her siblings invited the band to their home for a sumptuous Ethio-Armenian feast during the visit, and after dinner began pulling out boxes of their father’s old scores. By the end of the festivities, Mr. Gershon had been convinced that the E/O should play one of Maestro Nalbandian’s arrangements at their concert. A few days later, they performed a song called Eyeye in the ballroom of the Hilton Hotel, the first time this arrangement had been played in a half century. ”
The band hopes to repeat the same experience in May of 2011. The Kickstarter.com campaign aimes to raise $10,000 in 30 days to partially fund the tour. The band is also preparing for two more concerts this month featuring Mahmoud Ahmed. The E/O and Mahmoud have been collaborating for five years, but this is the first time they will perform together in the band’s home state of Massachusetts.
Opinion/History
Adwa Rhymes with Pan-Africanism and Addistu Ethiopia
By Ayele Bekerie, PhD
Published: Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Mekelle, Ethiopia – As much as ancient Ethiopia inspired the development of Pan-Africanist movements and organizations throughout the African world, contemporary Ethiopia’s history has also its symbolic significance with respect to the establishment of the African Union. Pan-Africanism refers to intellectual movements dedicated to a complete liberation of the people of Africa and the African Diaspora from all forms of colonialism. They have been movements of self-definition, political and cultural emancipations. I am arguing that the movements, in part, were inspired by the historic and permanent victory at the Battle of Adwa one hundred and fifteen years ago.
Ethiopia was brought to the African world’s attention in 1896 when Ethiopia, an African country, defeated Italy, a European country, at the battle of Adwa. According to Donald Levine, “the Battle of Adwa qualifies as a historic event which represented the first time since the beginning of European imperial expansion that a non-white nation had defeated a European power.”
It was a victory of an African army in the true sense of the word. The Battle was planned and executed by African generals and spies led by Emperor Menelik II, who was born, brought up, and educated in Ethiopia. It was a brilliant and indigenous strategy that put a check to the colonial aims and objectives, which were originally conceived and agreed upon at the Berlin Conference of 1885. European strategy to carve Africa into external and exclusive spheres of influence was halted by Emperor Menelik II and Empress Taitu Betul at the Battle of Adwa. The Europeans had no choice but to recognize this African (not European) power.
The African World celebrated and embraced this historic victory. In the preface to the book An Introduction to African Civilizations With Main Currents in Ethiopian History, Huggins and Jackson write: “In Ethiopia, the military genius of Menelik II was in the best tradition of Piankhi, the great ruler of ancient Egypt and Nubia or ancient Ethiopia, who drove out the Italians in 1896 and maintained the liberties of that ancient free empire of Black men.” Huggins and Jackson analyzed the victory not only in terms of its significance to the postcolonial African world, but also in terms of its linkage to the tradition of ancient African glories and victories.
Emperor Menelik II used his “magic wand” to draw all, the diverse and voluntary patriots from virtually the entire parts of the country, into a battlefield called Adwa. And in less than six hours, the enemy is decisively defeated. The overconfident and never to be defeated European army fell under the great military strategy of an African army. The strategy was what the Ethiopians call afena, an Ethiopian version of blitzkrieg that encircles the enemy and cuts its head. Italians failed to match the British and the French in establishing a colonial empire in Africa. In fact, by their humiliating defeat, the Italians made the British and the French colonizers jittery. The colonial subjects became reenergized to resist the colonial empire builders.
Adwa irreversibly broadened the true boundaries of Ethiopia and Ethiopians. People of the south and the north and the east and the west fought and defeated the Italian army. In the process, a new Ethiopia is born.
Adwa shows what can be achieved when united forces work for a common goal. Adwa brought the best out of so many forces that were accustomed to waging battles against each other. Forces of destruction and division ceased their endless squabbles and redirect their united campaign against the common enemy. They chose to redefine themselves as one and unequivocally expressed their rejection of colonialism. They came together in search of freedom or the preservation and expansion of the freedom at hand.
Emperor Menelik II could have kept the momentum by reforming his government and by allowing the many forces to continue participating in the making of a modern and good for all state. Emperor Menelik II, however, chose to return back to the status quo, a status of exploitative relationship between the few who controlled the land and the vast majority of the agrarian farmers. It took another almost eighty years to dismantle the yoke of feudalism from the backs of the vast majority of the Ethiopian farmers.
As long as Emperor Menelik’s challenge to and reversal of colonialism in Ethiopia is concerned, his accomplishment was historic and an indisputable fact. It is precisely this brilliant and decisive victory against the European colonial army that has inspired the colonized and the oppressed through out the world to forge ahead and fight against their colonial masters.
Menelik’s rapprochement, on the other hand, with the three colonial powers in the region may have saved his monarchial power, but the policy ended up hurting the whole region. The seeds of division sown by the colonizers, in part, continue to wreck the region apart.
Realizing the need to completely remove all the colonizers as an effective and lasting way to bring peace and prosperity in the region, the grandson of the Emperor, Lij Iyassu attempted to carve anti-colonial policy. He began to send arms to freedom fighters in Eritrea, Djibouti, and Somalia. He entered into a treaty of peace and cooperation with the Austrians, the Germans and the Turks against the British, Italians and the French. Unfortunately, the rule of Lij Iyassu was short-lived. The tri-partite powers colluded with the then Tafari Makonnen to successfully remove him from power.
Adwa symbolizes the aspirations and hopes of all oppressed people. Adwa catapulted Pan-Africanism into the realm of the possible by reigniting the imaginations of Africans in their quest for freedom throughout the world. Adwa foreshadowed the outcome of the anti-colonial struggle in Africa and elsewhere. Adwa is about cultural resistance; it is about reaffirmation of African ways. Adwa was possible not simply because of brilliant and courageous leadership, but also because of the people’s willingness to defend their motherland, regardless of ethnic, linguistic and religious differences.
Adwa was a story of common purpose and common destiny. The principles established on the battlefield of Adwa must be understood and embraced for Africa to remain centered in its own histories, cultures and socioeconomic development. We should always remember that Adwa was won for Africans. Adwa indeed is an African model of victory and resistance.
—
Publisher’s Note: 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. He was an Assistant Professor at the Africana Studies and Research Center at Cornell University. Bekerie is a contributing author in the highly acclaimed book, “One House: The Battle of Adwa 1896 -100 Years.” He is also the author of the award-winning book “Ethiopic, An African Writing System: Its History and Principles” — among many other published works.
Above:The benefit will support Truth AIDS’ efforts in raising
awareness about HIV/AIDS and domestic violence in Ethiopia.
Tadias Magazine
Events News
Published: Wednesday, Februray 23, 2011
New York (Tadias) – The 2011 TruthAIDS Benefit will be held on February 24th at The Box in New York. According to the organizers, proceeds from the benefit will be used to support TruthAIDS’ efforts in raising awareness about HIV and domestic violence in Ethiopia. All donations are 100% tax-deductible.
The non-profit organization — founded by Dr. Mehret Mandefro, a Primary Care Physician and HIV prevention researcher — raises awareness about HIV transmission in the hardest hit communities in urban America and sub-Saharan Africa and trains peer educators to help get people HIV tested in their communities.
TruthAIDS’ web site promotes the view that HIV prevention must go hand in hand with violence prevention in order to be effective. “Widespread sexual and domestic violence robs many women of control over their bodies and is widely prevalent. For these women, negotiating condom use risks the threat of violence.”
Did you know, for example, that “globally, more than four-fifths of new HIV infections in women result from sex with a husband or primary partner?”
According to research data compiled by the organization from various sources: “In Sub-Saharan Africa, 57% of adults with HIV are women, and young women aged 15 to 24 are more than three times as likely to be infected as young men.” The story of gender gap in the United States is not much diffrent either: “Most women with AIDS were diagnosed between the ages of 25 and 44 (71%), indicating that many were likely infected at a relatively young age.” And “Women of color are disproportionately affected by the epidemic: African American and Hispanic women together represented about 24% of all US women, yet they account for 80% of HIV/AIDS diagnoses reported in 2005, with African American women making up 66% of the total alone.”
TruthAIDS aims to reverse these numbers by empowering disadvantaged communities through educational projects, such as the documentary Oblivion – a film based on a true story about a girl who refused to get married. The narrative takes place in Ethiopia and will be in production this year. And as part of the group’s communication strategy Dr. Mehret Mandefro filmed a Truth Circle on the connections between violence against women and HIV/AIDS at the 2008 United States Conference on AIDS. (See video below).
If you Go:
Doors open at 8:00PM. Program includes an auction and box show. To buy tickets and learn more about TruthAIDS go to www.truthaids.org.
THURSDAY || FEBRUARY 24 || 2011 || 8:00-11:00PM
@ THE BOX 189 CHRYSTIE STREET
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
8:00PM Cocktails and Hors D’Oeurves
9:00PM Auction
9:30PM Entertainment
$200/Person
Above:Shusta, a shoes and accessories boutique in central
Berlin. The store is owned by Tedros Tewelde and Fidel Tesfa.
Tadias Magazine
By Tigist Selam
Published: Sunday, February 20, 2011
New York (Tadias) – Every year I return to Germany to spend the holidays with my family. Having lived there for ten years before coming to America, I still consider it one of my many homes. During my most recent trip, I also enjoyed getting ready for Berlin fashion week, Berlinale International Film Festival, and getting back in touch with a few Abeshas in the city.
Tedros Tewelde & Fidel Tesfai
I was introduced to co-owners of Shusta, a shoes and accessories store located in central Berlin. After quitting his corporate job, Tedros Tewelde in partnership with his friend Fidel Tesfai opened up his dream store. And I’m so glad they did. I could have bought every single item in that store — it is such a chic boutique! The sales associates were also super friendly. Shusta has enjoyed several years of great business and is now expanding into design and this year it will be offering custom-made shoes for exclusive clients. Another intriguing Shusta collaboration is its ‘design-recycling’ work with Waste Barcelona, the Spanish company known for its durable and high quality products produced with social and environmental consciousness. Shusta designed 30 bags built entirely out of recycled materials such as discarded automotive upholstery and leather.
If you’re ever in Berlin stop by their store, and in the meantime check out Shusta’s online presence and shoe selections at: www.shusta.de
Sam Goitom owns Kitty Cheng
I also spent time with the multi-talented Sam Goitom, a gregarious Berliner who walks through life with a smile, no matter what might come; and no one can resist his charm. I met Sam at his Public Relations company, People People, established several years ago. After catching up over coffee, we drove to Kitty Cheng, his new business adventure. The bar/club/lounge is conveniently located in Berlin Mitte, only a few minutes away from Shusta. Kitty Cheng is known for its detailed décor as well as the extravagant parties. Sam told me about the extensive remodeling procedure that they went through to add character to the place. Although the music is heavily influenced by Berlin’s electronic music scene, each night features an eclactic and diverse sound and dancing. If you ever happened to be in Berlin, don’t miss out on his parties! You can learn more at: www.peoplepeople.de and www.kittycheng.de
A Musisican Named Fetsum
And headquartered in Berlin, not far from Shusta and Kitty Cheng, is the recording studio for an artist named Fetsum. I met Fetsum a few years ago in Cologne where he invited my brother and I for a private concert. Since then, I have been hooked on his music and the hope that it brings. I spent time with him this year in Berlin where he is recording his new album in between touring with internationally recognized artists such as Patrice and Estelle. His song ‘Meet You in Paradise’ remains my favorite song. Fetsum composed the lyrics reminiscing of the close relationship that he had with his late father. The images in the music video were shot in Brazil. (Watch Fetsum’s “Meet you in paradise” below). You can also check out more information about upcoming tour dates to the US here: www.fetsum.com.
I am extremely proud of Fetsum, Tedros & Fidel, and Sam for following their dreams in Berlin. I can’t wait to see what this year might bring, and catching up with them again sometime soon.
Video: Fetsum “Meet you in paradise” (Fetsum TV)
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Photo Credit: Cover image and store photos, courtesy of Shusta.
Tigist’s photograph by Ingrid Hertfelder.
Fetsum’s photo via Facebook.
New York (TADIAS) – 19-year-old Samuel Gebru has ambitious plans. The Founder of the Ethiopian American Youth Initiative (EAYI), now called the Ethiopian Global Initiative (EGI), wants to transform Ethiopia one project at a time, using strategies and programs to reverse the brain drain or retain skilled professionals at home. The undergraduate student at Concordia College, a private liberal arts school in Moorhead, Minnesota, says he was drawn to action by two events that deeply affected him when he was just 13-years old. He tells us that in 2004, he traveled to Ethiopia and was exposed to the odd juxtaposition of poverty and wealth. But the real catalyst for his organization did not come until later that year when he watched Oprah Winfrey’s highlight of the problems associated with obstetric fistula in Ethiopia. Oprah’s guest was Dr. Catherine Hamlin, the Australian gynecologist who in 1959 moved to Ethiopia and eventually founded the Addis Ababa Fitsula Hospital. “As a young 13-year-old, I was shocked to hear about obstetric fistula’s existence and I was further embarrassed that an Australian, and not an Ethiopian, committed over 50 years of her life to help the women of Ethiopia,” says Samuel. “It was shocking obviously because the last fistula case in the United States, for instance, was in the 1800s with the closing of the New York City Fistula Hospital…It was also embarrassing because when most Ethiopian professionals left Ethiopia, she stayed and did our job. Regardless, I was inspired and decided it would be best to organize an effort in the Boston area to raise funds for their work. We called ourselves the Ethiopian Team (E Team).”
Samuel says the E Team evolved into the Ethiopian American Youth Initiative (EAYI). “I reached out to the Ethiopian Community Mutual Assistance Association of Massachusetts, and they helped me organize a group of 13 people, the youngest in 6th grade and the oldest in 12th. I was in 8th grade,” he recalls. “We mobilized the community and sponsored 11 women for fistula repair surgery just from April to December 2005! This was a collective effort that I will forever remain grateful to the youth that I worked with and the community that supported us, financially and morally. From there, the Ethiopian American Youth Initiative (EAYI) was established in October 2006.” Since then the group has changed its name to the Ethiopian Global Initiative (EGI).
We recently asked Samuel Gebru a few more questions:
Samuel Gebru at President’s Day Lecture and Panel Discussion (CAMBRIDGE, MA, February 16, 2009, PHOTO BY JODI HILTON)
Why did you change your name from the Ethiopian American Youth Initiative to the Ethiopian Global Initiative?
Samuel Gebru: That was a tough decision. It took us from January to June 2010 to decide on a new name. I received dozens of name submissions that we had to sift out. We took “Youth” out of the title because there were many adults and professionals that wanted to support our work and they did not define themselves as being youth, hence they disqualified themselves from being a part of our efforts. Global refers to the global mindset of the organization’s members and the ability to act collectively, think critically, and be open-minded in a globalized world. Initiative refers to the capacity and responsibility to undertake worthwhile endeavors.
How do you define “Youth?”
SG: Personally, I will be youth forever, until I die. The United Nations defines youth as anyone from 15-24. Particular states have their own definitions of what constitutes a youth. Culturally, we even refer to Barack Obama and John F. Kennedy as “youthful presidents.” Youth, to me, does not have a particular number, it is more of a mindset. I was recently watching YouTube videos of Aster Aweke, Mahmoud Ahmed and Alemayehu Eshete. Now, my mother vividly remembers them when she was a child, which would make them old, but their stage presence makes them youthful! [laughter]
What is the objective of your organization?
SG: EAYI was a way for E Team’s vision to continue as a long-lasting organization and not simply an ad-hoc group for one purpose. In 2009, people began contacting me from Europe, Canada, Africa and Asia urging EAYI to become an international organization so they could participate. At the time we had folks in Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania, the West Coast and the D.C. Metropolitan Area. I agreed and told them to wait for the first EAYI Conference in 2010 at Howard University in Washington, D.C., when we changed our name to the Ethiopian Global Initiative (EGI).
What ultimately does EGI wants to accomplish?
SG: Some of the major goals we plan to accomplish by 2015 include serving as an incubator for future projects pertaining to Ethiopia’s social and economic development. We aim to repair the damage done [as a result] of lost skilled workforce.
How do you plan to do that? What projects are you working on now?
SG: One of the current projects we are working on include the EGI Midwives Scholarship Fund. It is our way of continuing our five-year relationship with the Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia. Instead of supporting the hospital’s fistula-repair efforts, we are making a long-term commitment to completely fund the education of eight women to earn their Bachelor of Science in Midwifery at the new Hamlin College of Midwives. The scholarships we provide to these students will be part of our wider partnership with the hospital, which is to enhance the number of maternal health professionals in Ethiopia by prompting a homegrown effort thereby eliminating the root causes of fistula, which continue to be lack of preventative efforts and the scarcity of maternal health professionals.
We also have another project we developed last year called U.S. College Students for Ethiopia (USCSE). The program provides college students from the United States the opportunity to intern or volunteer in Ethiopia with Ethiopian-led organizations. The students are diverse, both Ethiopian and non-Ethiopian. We give them the opportunity to work and learn in a new cultural environment while allowing them to share their pre-existing skills with the local organizations they are working with. Lastly, they will be returning to the United States with the ability to share their new appreciation for Ethiopia.
Please tell us a bit about yourself. Where were you born? Where did you grow-up? School?
SG: Sure. Well, I am currently 19-years-old. I was born in Khartoum, Sudan in 1991. My parents are both Ethiopians who were working in the Sudanese capital. My father worked in the shoes industry where he repaired and sold shoes while my mother worked managing the housekeeping of the homes of Chinese and American businessmen. In 1995 I arrived in the United States and settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts after briefly living in Boston. Since then, I have been living in my adopted hometown, Cambridge. I’m fortunate to say that my childhood, both in Khartoum and in Cambridge was great. I grew up in a nice working neighborhood of Khartoum and similarly in Cambridge I’ve been lucky to have the things I’ve always needed. I grew up with a strong emphasis on family and moral values, keeping in tune with my Ethiopian heritage. I learned Arabic, my first language, and Tigrinya in Sudan. While in the U.S. I quickly picked up English. Because of the many trips I have taken to Ethiopia, I have been able to sharpen my Tigrinya and pick up Amharic. While I am still working to master Amharic, my listening skills are very good. A few years ago I picked up an obsession to learn Ge’ez, and that’s been an interesting battle. It hasn’t been as hard as I thought, but certainly not easy. Moving forward, my goal is to continue learning Mandarin Chinese and re-mastering Arabic, since it has been over a decade since I last used it. I completed primary school at the Cambridgeport Elementary School and high school at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. Currently, I am studying to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Business at Concordia College, a private liberal arts school in Moorhead, Minnesota.
How do you balance school and your ambitious extracurricular projects?
SG: Balancing has always been very hard. I have a calendar that I try to follow to the best of my ability. My family and friends often complain that they don’t hear from me as much as they would like. I jokingly said to some friends that they should have a spinoff of the television game show “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego” for me! [laughter] . Ultimately, because EGI is not a one-man operation, there are many people who work together to get the job done. Although I founded EGI, the entire Executive Committee shoulders the responsibility of implementing our vision. The EGI family also consists of dozens of fantastic members who work worldwide to achieve our goals. I am only one part of this ambitious operation.
How often do you travel to Ethiopia?
SG: My mother has always reminded me of how fortunate I am to have traveled to Ethiopia more times than most of my Ethiopian friends and relatives in Boston. Since 1998 I have traveled five times. As EGI operations increase in Ethiopia, I might have to travel at more frequent times, perhaps once or twice a year.
What do you plan to do after you graduate from college?
SG: Once I finish with my undergraduate plans, I plan to earn graduate degree and use those skills and knowledge for the betterment of Ethiopia. Ultimately, my plan is to permanently return to Ethiopia.
What are the requirements to be a member of EGI?
SG: EGI members are students and professionals who deeply share the goals and vision of the organization. Location doesn’t matter, but skills do. We aim to be a treasure chest of students and professionals who can pool in their skills, knowledge and experiences for the transformation of Ethiopia. Of course, while this goal is lofty, it is happening today in EGI. We have people from various sectors, interests and backgrounds working hand-in-hand to launch and implement projects in Ethiopia and in the Ethiopian diaspora. There is a membership application that each prospective member must complete, and that is then reviewed by our Member Committee, which makes final determinations. Beyond membership, the EGI community has grown into our friends, donors, sponsors, partners and volunteers. By extension, anyone who cares for Ethiopia is a stakeholder in the EGI community.
Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
SG: The EGI community includes you. Participate in our activities, help make Ethiopia a better place. In late February we will announce the 2011 EGI Global Summit. I welcome everyone to attend this, in what will be a paramount exchange of ideas, experiences and solutions.
— You can learn more about the Ethiopian Global Initiative at www.ethgi.org.
New York (TADIAS) – In remembrance of President Ronald Reagan’s 100th birthday (Sunday, Febraury 6), TIME Magazine lists 25 other political icons from around the world that match Regan’s charisma or share similar historical status for having left enduring impressions on global affairs.
The list is an eclectic collection of inspirational leaders, freedom fighters, reformers as well as dictators and monarchs. Among those highlighted include The Egyptian Queen Cleopatra, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, Mohandas Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher, Abraham Lincoln, Charles de Gaulle, Ernesto “Che” Guevara, Simón Bolívar, Kim Il-Sung, Vladimir Lenin, Benito Mussolini, Mao Zedong, Franklin Roosevelt, and last but not least Haile Selassie.
Regarding the Ethiopian Emperor, TIME stated: “That he was ultimately deposed by a military discontented with his regime should not eclipse his contribution to African solidarity. Selassie gave Ethiopia its first constitution and convened the earliest meeting of the Organization of African Unity.” Historians also agree that while celebrated abroad as the father of modern Africa, the Emperor’s aloofness towards the impoverished majority in his own country, coupled with his prolonged neglect of reform voices, would eventually bring about the abrupt, unceremonious end to his rule.
Like President Reagan, Haile Selassie exhibited a commanding presence on the world stage. TIME magazine noted that “he is perhaps most widely remembered for the speech he gave before the League of Nations in 1933 as the legions of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini stormed his ill-equipped nation. The League did little to prevent Ethiopia’s defeat, but Selassie’s appeal, uttered movingly in his native Amharic, would serve as a pillar in the struggles against colonialism and fascism. With a firm internationalist bent, the last Ethiopian monarch eventually saw his country become a charter member of the United Nations. A TIME “Man of the Year” who claimed descendance from the biblical King Solomon, he ushered the continent he had unified into a distinctly African modernity.”
New York (Tadias) – Chester Higgins Jr., Staff Photographer for the New York Times since 1975, will be exhibiting a series of 13 Ethiopian portraits at NYU’s Kimmel Center. The selection of photographs for the outdoor exhibit were taken by Higgins between 2007 and 2010 in Ethiopia, and will be on 24-hour display at Windows at Kimmel Center from March 1st through May 1st, 2011.
The exhibit entitled “Stars of Ethiopia: Photographs by Chester Higgins Jr.” features images measuring 70″ x 80″ on the public sidewalk for pedestrians and vehicular traffic to see. At night the images will be backlit, and Higgins says “so for 24 hours a day during these two months the Washington Square public will be treated to a little of Ethiopia in Greenwich Village.”
The official press release notes that Ethiopia “is a land of contrast and heterogeneity. The northeastern African nation is composed of more than 80 ethnic groups speaking over 80 languages, with cultural practices and traditions dating more than 3,000 years. With each portrait, Higgins seeks to create a dialogue with the viewer, revealing his subjects’ diverse homeland through their eyes.”
Higgins’ work has been printed in several publications including The New York Times, Life, Newsweek, Fortune, Essence, The Village Voice, and The New Yorker magazine. His photography is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. For Higgins, taking pictures has grown “into a life-long mission to show the decency, dignity, and virtuous character of people of African descent.” He has also published books on themes such as the nobility of aging, the experience of Black American women in the seventies, trans-Atlantic communities in the African Diaspora, and an autobiographical journey entitled “Echo of the Spirit,” which recounts his life as a photographer and an artist. Higgins cites Romare Bearden, Cornell Capa, Gordon Parks, P.H. Polk, and Arthur Rothstein as individuals whom he considers to be his mentors.
Higgins’ photographs invoke the power of the collective voice, and he recounts his three decades of traveling across South America, the Caribbean, and the African continent to document the culture, history and daily life of Africans in the Diaspora. “I made more trips in search of the missing pieces to fill in the harmony and add rhythm to make my symphony,” he says. “It came together as my fourth book: Feeling the Spirit: Searching the World for the People of Africa.”
Photographer Chester Higgins Jr. Courtesy Photo.
Solo exhibitions of Higgins’ award-winning work have been displayed at the The Smithsonian Institution, the International Center of Photography, Musée Dapper Paris, The Museum of African Art, The Museum of Photographic Arts, The New-York Historical Society, and The Schomburg Center in Harlem. Emphasizing the presence of a visual language Higgins states that “a camera can’t compose a picture. Only your eye can. Seeing and recording with a camera is a special process that has its own language — a visual language…It takes practice to learn a language. A visual language takes just as much time and commitment. When you become fluent in it, you will be ready to handle the split second decisions necessary to make exceptional photographs.”
An opening reception for the Stars of Ethiopia exhibit will be held on Friday, March 11th at the 2nd floor lounge of Kimmel Center from 6:30 to 8:30pm.
The exhibition is curated by Lydie Diakhaté, Adjunct Curator at Grey Art Gallery, and coordinated in collaboration with the Institute of African American Affairs at NYU.
If You Go:
March 1st through May 1st NYU Kimmel Center
60 Washington Square S
New York, 10012
New York (Tadias) – After graduating from Harvard University, Alfa Demmellash launched Rising Tide Capital, a non-profit based in Jersey City that develops and implements entrepreneurship programs focusing on women, minorities, immigrants and other socio-economically underserved communities. Since its inception in 2004, Rising Tide Capital has successfully helped approximately 400 entrepreneurs in New Jersey to build small businesses. Nearly 70% of Rising Tide Capital clients are women and over 90% are minorities. In 2009 Alfa Demmellash was featured as a CNN hero. President Obama also cited Rising Tide Capital’s influential work and stated: “If we empower organizations like these, think about the number of young people whose lives we can change, the number of families whose livelihoods we can boost, the number of struggling communities, we can bring back to life.”
“Did you know? The phrase “a rising tide lifts all boats” is often used to describe a top down approach to economic revitalization” states the non-profit’s web site. “But we believe it is important to help entrepreneurs see the tide and build strong boats that could rise with it – hence our name Rising Tide Capital.”
Below is our interview with Founder and Chief Executive Officer Alfa Demmellash as she discusses her work to build and support small business owners through entrepreneurship training.
CBA Winter 2009 Graduation (Courtesy Photo)
Tadias: Please tell us about where you grew up, where you went to school.
What was your catalyst to get into non-profit ventures? Your role models?
AD: I grew up in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I attended Cathedral Nativity School for girls in Addis. In the US, I attended high school at Boston Latin School and completed my studies at Harvard University. The catalyst for starting Rising Tide Capital, a non-profit venture, was the influence of my entrepreneurial mother and my experiences and family. I knew I wanted to be involved in alleviating the suffering of others by recognizing the best in them and helping them overcome challenges that trap their creativity and stifle their ability to realize their full potential. I was also greatly influenced by my studies and experiences in Rwanda as I learned about the 1994 genocide and its aftermath. My role models are too many to name, especially amongst my family and clients, but Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, Oprah, and Barack and Michelle Obama are a few of the most well-known ones.
Tadias: You’ve described the vision of Rising Tide Capital, your non-profit organization, as an effort “to harness the entrepreneurial community that already exists in underserved communities, to strengthen lives, to transform communities, and to create vibrant, thriving communities from within.” Can you tell us more about your work with business owners in the State of New Jersey?
AD: We have worked with about 400 entrepreneurs and small business owners in New Jersey. Nearly 70% are women and over 90% are minorities. We are building a model for assisting individuals who are looking to start a business but don’t know where to begin or to take those who have already started a small business to the next level. For many of the entrepreneurs we work with, they are looking to start or grow their business as a way to generate more income to supplement their low-wages from another job or out of necessity because they are unable to secure a job. New Jersey, one of the most expensive states to live in, has a big problem when it comes to the gap between those who are wealthy and those who are barely trying to survive. Many, especially in the distressed urban areas, are minorities and immigrants that make up a large segment of the “working poor.” Rising Tide Capital works with those that are already entrepreneurial to help them find ways of breaking the cycle of economic marginalization.
Tadias: In your speech at the United Nations Global Summit for Women in 2008 you described Rising Tide clients as follows: “The average entrepreneur at Rising Tide Capital is a 39-year-old woman, a single mom of three children, earning less than 27,000 dollars a year.” Why did you choose to primarily focus on women entrepreneurs?
AD: Actually, it is the other way around. More women chose to work with us and take advantage of our programs. This is the case across the globe where women who are often the primary providers for poorer households are seeking ways to improve their economic standing so they can feed, shelter and educate their children. However, I believe it is important to educate and empower both women and men. At the end of the day, if the men in a community are disenfranchised and undereducated, they are likely to cause a lot of problems that produce tremendous distress and barriers to the success of women and children. Men have to be a huge part of the solution. We are really happy to see that in those households where the men support and encourage the entrepreneurial spirit of their wives, partners, and siblings the likelihood of business success is very high. I have witnessed this in my own mother’s case who was fortunate enough to have found a partner, her husband and my adopted father, who was supportive of her goals and her business. He was always there to encourage her and to affirm her efforts as contributing to a shared vision of success. I hope more men take that to heart and invite the grace and joy that can come into their lives as a result or at the very least, commit to do no harm.
Spring 07 graduation (Courtesy Photo)
Spring 07 graduation (Courtesy Photo)
Portraits and PPG lunch 2-26-08 (Courtesy Photo)
Courtesy Photo
Tadias: You also said most of your clients remind you of your mother. Can you say more?
AD: Many of the clients who come to us remind me of my mother because they are pursuing their business dreams primarily as a vehicle to achieve a bigger dream –that of giving their children more opportunities than they had been afforded. They are often single mothers, almost always struggling with extreme economic hardship and face barriers that seem impossible to overcome. In my mother’s case, she arrived in America without any money, separated from her baby and not sure how she will support herself let alone reunite with her child. But, like many of our clients, she made a decision that regardless of how long it took her – she would work all the hours she could, educate herself and start a business to generate more money that she could save for her larger goal. When she got off her job as a waitress – where she stood all day starting at 4am, she would go home to cook, clean and spend the evening sewing gowns, fitting customers and planning fashion shows until well past midnight. She did this for over 10 years before she saved enough to bring me to America and provide me with a stable home and a solid education. When I got to the airport finally, she showered me with her tears and showed me the baby picture of me she carried in her wallet every day to remind her of her big dream starting from her days as a refugee.
Tadias: What are some of the challenges you faced when starting and running Rising Tide Capital? What are some of most memorable and rewarding experiences?
AD: The first big challenge to starting anything – a business or a non-profit – is that you are the “center of energy” for the whole project. You have to show why something is valuable and start effecting change and adding value even before you ask people to join you or to give you money. For the first two years of the project, my co-founder (Alex Forrester) and I did all the work never being sure of what the next moment would bring. We were forced to be creative and entrepreneurial. We would run our seminars out of community centers and meet with people at their businesses or we would conduct house visits where we would sit with mom-entrepreneurs working on their plans over the kitchen table as the kids were running around. They loved it because we were not a social agency or a big government program – so they didn’t feel like they were getting a handout. We were just two young people who really believed in them and their dreams and were willing to apply our education and work extremely hard on their behalf to get them on a stronger path for success. Most importantly, we were always careful to uphold their dignity and never make them feel like they didn’t know enough or a dream was too big for them. But of course, our passion alone was not enough to pay all the bills. I remember one time when we had no money left and knew we would have to go back to sleeping on our parents sofa again. So we decided to take all the money we had and bought tickets to Ethiopia. I had promised Alex that regardless of what happens, I would show him the beauty of my country and the resilience of its people. So, we got to Addis, quickly dropped off our luggage at the very affordable and centrally located Wutuma hotel in Addis and hit the road to see Ethiopia. It was much cheaper than trying to survive in America! The love, the kindness, the generosity and faith of the people of Ethiopia was on display everywhere from the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela and Gondor to the lush breadbasket of my grandfather’s farm in Becho. When we left, we were inspired and reminded to be more faithful, to work harder and to have even more grit and determination. Shortly after our return, we learned that Goldman Sachs has seen our work in our community and would like to support the project. From that moment on, we never looked back and just worked harder and stayed true to our mission. Five years later, a fellow Ethiopian living nearby (Berhan Tsehai – who now runs www.TsehaiNY.com) nominated us to be CNN Heroes and we were selected out of many thousands from all over the world to be featured. That was a huge honor and definitely one of the most memorable moments of running Rising Tide Capital. Thousands of people sent us messages of support from all over the world in different languages and many more sent requests for our programs and services than we could have ever imagined. While we were sad not to be able to accommodate all the requests for services, we were affirmed that we were on the right track and that the world is full of entrepreneurial people busily changing their local economies and communities the world over.
Tadias: In June 2009, you were featured on CNN Heroes, and also invited to the White House. President Obama commended your work and noted: “70% of their clients are single moms. All of them rely on their businesses to support their families. So far Rising Tide has helped 250 business owners in the State of New Jersey. So imagine if they could help 500 or a 1000.” How do you seek to expand your organization’s reach in the next five years?
AD: We are currently seeking support from individuals, corporations and foundations to grow our programs and impact more individuals and communities. People from all over who believe in our mission send us as little as $5 to help support the project and we are humbled and grateful. In 2011, our programs will be offered in more distressed communities surrounding our city. We are also working with other organizations around the nation to explore opportunities to benefit more people living in financial distress who may not live near us but need our services. Our goal within the next 3-5 years is to double the number of people we work with annually while we offer even deeper assistance to those who have started their businesses and need further support to grow and create jobs for others beyond themselves. This is a grassroots movement that will someday be a very loud voice for economic hope and possibility coming out of places we least expect and from people who are, for the moment, invisible.
Tadias: Where do you see yourself ten years from now?
AD: Ten years from now, I hope to continue my advocacy and work for entrepreneurship education and empowerment amongst the least privileged in countries struggling to rebuild a more equitable, peaceful and just society. There are many lessons from the process of starting and building Rising Tide Capital that can be applied anywhere in the world where there are individuals seeking to turn ideas into reality. I am particularly excited to look towards Africa and my homeland of Ethiopia to see in what ways we can invest in the entrepreneurially driven in both the social and business sector. And of course, I also hope to become a mom (my grandpa is asking when he will see his grandchildren) and hopefully do my part in inspiring the next generation of change makers who will build on the progress and sacrifices of the generation before them.
Tadias: Is there anything else that you’d like to share with our readers?
AD: I would like thank your readers and Tadias magazine for taking the time to learn about my journey and Rising Tide Capital. I would also like to challenge your readers to think about philanthropy, to seek out organizations that do work on the ground at a grassroots level and support them. They should abolish cynicism from their hearts and minds — it only eats away at the precious time they have left to do something positive and make a difference. Finally, they should take action in pursuit of their dreams even when don’t know how it will all work, never give up and keep working hard towards what they know to be right. As Dr. Martin Luther King said, “faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
Tadias: Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us, and best wishes in your endeavors.
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New York (Tadias) – Saxophonist and Composer Russ Gershon is the founder and bandleader of Either/Orchestra (E/O), the large American jazz ensemble also known for its Ethiopian song selections and notable collaborations with musicians such as Mulatu Astatke, Mahmoud Ahmed, Alemayehu Eshete, Teshome Mitiku, Getatchew Mekurya, Tsedenia Markos, Bahta Hewet, Michael Belayneh, and Hana Shenkute.
As Gershon tells it, his first introduction to Ethiopian music came in 1988 when he heard Mahmoud’s Ere Mela Mela. But he did not fall in love with Ethio-jazz until his encounter in 1993 with a compilation album entitled Ethiopian Groove: the Golden 70’s – produced by Francis Falceto as part of the Ethiopiques CD series on the French label Buda Musique.
Later, as a graduate student at Tufts University, Gershon named his masters thesis The Oldest Place, a string quartet inspired by the music and instruments of Ethiopia. His team eventually traveled to the country at Francis Falceto’s invitation to perform at the 2004 Ethiopian Music Festival in Addis Ababa. Either/Orchestra became the first U.S. big band to appear in Ethiopia since Duke Ellington’s Orchestra in 1973. The 2004 concert resulted in a remarkable double-disc set called Ethiopiques 20: The Either/Orchestra Live in Addis, which was described by critics at the time as “the best live album of the year—in any genre—and one of the E/O’s finest albums.”
Ethiopian music is just one of the many international sounds that E/O is known for. The band members are an eclectic bunch hailing from several countries, including the U.S., the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Mexico. The ensemble experiments with various grooves, often mixed with Afro-Caribbean and African influences.
Gershon, who was born in New York in 1959 and grew up in Westport, Connecticut, credits his global taste in his youth to the time that he spent summers working for his grandfather in New York’s Garment District, not far from the record stores and concert venues of Manhattan.
Either/Orchestra celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and will mark the event with a reunion show at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City on February 11th, 2011.
We recently interviewed Russ Gershon.
Above: Mahmoud Ahmed, Francis Falceto and Russ Gershon, Paris 2006.
Tadias: Please tell us a bit about how Either/Orchestra was first formed and
what kind of music you wanted to create/play.
Russ Gershon: I started the E/O in 1985 as a rehearsal band, never expecting to tour and make records, to have the fantastic adventure we’ve had. I was coming off of a year at Berklee College of Music, following several years of playing in fairly successful original pop bands, and I was just getting a handle on writing arrangements and understanding the techniques of jazz. I was a big admirer of Sun Ra’s Arkestra, Gil Evans, and other unconventional large jazz groups, and wanted to do something like that. I should also add that I had been a radio DJ for many years, and was used to having all the recorded music in the world at my fingertips, trying to put together interesting combinations of music from all over the map.
So I invited a motley mob of musicians to come to my house and play music I was writing. Everybody had a good time, liked the music, and within a couple of months we had our first gig, in the children’s room of the Cambridge MA public library. We were immediately semi-popular and just went from there, making albums and touring. I think my experience in pop and dance bands made me more aware than most jazz musicians of connecting with audiences.
Tadias: Your music infuses Caribbean, Latin American and East African beats, tunes, and rhythms with the free-flow of jazz. Would you consider yourself an international jazz band?
RG: The E/O is indeed an international jazz band in several ways: we have members from the US, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico; we play music with many Afro-Caribbean and African influences, and of course we’ve gotten thoroughly involved with Ethiopian music. All American music has such a huge African component, through [African-Americans], so that the music of three continents flows naturally and easily together. I’ve also been a big fan of African music, starting with Fela Kuti, South African jazz and field recordings of traditional music.
Tadias: Over the years, you have worked with some of the best-known Ethiopian musicians. Who/what was the catalyst? How did you discover Ethiopian music?
RG: In 1988 I heard Mahmoud’s “Ere Mela Mela” LP and it made an impression, and I heard Aster Aweke live in about 1990, but I really fell in love with Ethiopian music in 1993 when a friend brought back the compilation “Ethiopian Groove: the Golden 70’s” from France, where Francis Falceto had assembled it from some of the best tracks recorded in Addis at the end of the imperial period. I loved the horns, the passionate singing, the modes, the way it took American influences and spiced them with musical berbere, making something familiar and new at the same time.
After a couple of years I started arranging Ethiopian songs as instrumentals for the E/O, and both the band and the audiences loved it immediately. Teshome Mitiku heard our recording of his song Yezamed Yebada, and called me up, we became friends. Soon after that, Francis contacted me and began telling me about the history of music in Ethiopia and playing rare recordings for me — material that he has been releasing on the Ethiopiques series. In 2003, he and Heruy Arefe-Aiene invited us to play in the 2004 Ethiopian Music Festival, and we got deeper into the music to prepare for the trip. While we were in Addis in January 2004, we met Mulatu, Alemayehu, Getachew, Tsedenia Markos, Bahta Hewet, Michael Belayneh and others and invited them to play on our concert, which was eventually turned into Ethiopiques #20. This led to collaborations with Mulatu in the States, Mahmoud in Paris in 2006, Hana Shenkute, Setegn Atanaw and Minale Dagnew, and on and on. Most recently we finally started working with Teshome, debuting at the Chicago Jazz Festival. He’ll be featured in our upcoming 25th Anniversary Concert in New York on February 11, and we’ll be playing with Mahmoud in Cambridge, MA on March 24 and Amherst, MA on March 25.
Mulatu Astatke and Vicente Lebron of Either/Orchestra, Addis Ababa, 2004
Teshome Mitiku and Either/Orchestra at the Chicago Jazz Festival, September 2010
Setegn Atanaw, Minale Dagnew, Hana Shenkute, Joel Yennior, Colin Fisher, MA 2006
Tadias: You are also credited for helping to popularizing Ethio–Jazz in the U.S., especially through the Ethiopiques CD release as well as subsequent tours and performances. What would you says is your most memorable concert featuring Ethiopian artists?
RG: There have been so many amazing concerts with our Ethiopian friends that I can hardly pick one. The concert in London with Mahmoud, Alemayehu, Getachew and Mulatu was pretty great, one in Milan with Mulatu and Mahmoud was off the charts, Chicago with Teshome….
Tadias: What’s your favorite Ethiopian tune?
RG: More than a favorite Ethiopian tune, I’ll say that anchi hoye is my favorite mode. We jazzers love dissonant harmonies, and we can find them in anchi hoye. I even wrote string quartet – violins, viola, cello – based on it, thinking about masinko and with a section called Azmari. I also arrange Altchalkum (bati minor) for the Boston Pops Orchestra, and they played it beautifully.
Tadias: Regarding your trip to Ethiopia, what was that experience like?
RG: The visit to Ethiopia in 2004 was a wonderful, life-changing experience for me and the band. We were concerned that people wouldn’t approve of how we were playing Ethiopian songs, but instead they were very interested and enthusiastic. Also, hearing Ethiopian music at the source – and seeing the dancing – really helped us to understand the rhythms and melody. And finally, it is an important experience for Americans, with our wasteful, materialistic culture, to have a chance to see an African city, where so many people have so few things and get by on little. It reminds us that the most important things in our lives are our relationships with friends, family, everybody – and that music is a beautiful way to develop and expand these relationships, across borders, languages, generations. In the U.S. it’s easy for people to hide in their own space, to play with their toys, to NOT relate to other people. Of course it’s great to have the comfort, safety, conveniences that we have here – but it’s not nearly enough.
Tadias: In a recent article Boston Globe noted that your “wide-open sensibility” is rooted in your exposure to the New York Music scene in 1970s. Can you describe your time in New York and how it influenced you?
RG: NY in the 70’s was an exciting place to hear jazz. The spirit of Coltrane was still very much alive, Miles and his former sidemen and others were bringing electric instruments and grooves into jazz, the Midwestern avant-garde was arriving in town. There were concerts at Carnegie Hall, traditional clubs, and artists were taking advantage of the decline in the city’s economy to find cheap space and open performance lofts. Every generation of jazz, from Count Basie and Benny Carter to Lester Bowie and Woody Shaw, was alive and playing. I was an avid concert and club goer from about 1975 on, and I feel fortunate to have heard just about every living legend and the rising generations.
The Either/Orchestra at the Yared School of Music in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 2004
E/O trombonist Joel Yennior with the Yared School Trombonists, Addis Ababa, 2004
Tadias: Please tell us about your upcoming 25th Anniversary concert in New York.
What should your fans expect?
RG: The 25th Anniversary Concert will be an amazing collection of players who have all contributed to the E/O over the years. We’ll have the ten current members of the band plus 16 former members, plus Teshome. Four drummers, seven saxophones, five trombones, and so many more. The alums include jazz stars like John Medeski, Matt Wilson and Josh Roseman, and great hard working sidemen. We’ll touch on all the eras and styles of our music, and sometimes have 25 musicians on stage. It will be spectacular, Teshome is representing our Ethiopian connection, and we’ll play Yezamed Yebada and a new Ambassel that we wrote together last summer. We may even play an instrumental version of Muluquen Mellesse’s Keset Eswa Bicha.
Tadias: Is there anything else, you would like to share with our readers?
RG:Le Poisson Rouge is not a really big place, so I recommend buying tickets in advance and showing up on time. The show is 7 to 10 pm, very early, then we’re done. We can all go out for injera!
Tadias: Thank you Russ and see you on February 11th.
—
New York (Tadias) – Internationally acclaimed Ethiopian singer Aster Aweke will perform at The Sounds of Brazil (SOB’s) in New York City on Friday, February 4th, 2011.
Per Masinko Entertainment, the event’s organizers, the upcoming concert marks the artist’s first appearance in the city in more than six years. The comeback coincides with the release of her latest album entitled Checheho.
The Singer/Songwriter has often been dubbed “‘Africa’s Aretha Franklin’ for her compelling combination of driving grooves and soulful vocals, singing of love, loss and life.”
Aster Aweke was born in 1961 in Gonder, Ethiopia and launched her professional singing career at Hager Fikir Theater. In the late 1970s, she began performing at Addis Ababa night clubs, cultivating her songwriting and singing technique and emulating Aretha Franklin, Donna Summer and other Western vocalists whose records were popular in the local discos. She performed at various clubs and hotels, including Hotel D’Afrique, Wabi Shebelle and Ras Hotel, accompanied by the Continental Band, Shebele Band, and Ibex Band (before they became known as the Roha Band).
Aster began her recording career in Ethiopia with two 45 vinyl record releases, followed by nine cassette releases. Her last cassette, Munayë, was released in 1981, coinciding with her departure from Addis Ababa to the United States. This recording cemented her status as an enduring musical tastemaker among music lovers in Ethiopia.
Upon arriving in the United States, Aster first settled in northern California, later relocating to the Washington D.C. area – home to the largest Ethiopian community in the United States. There, she began singing in various Ethiopian restaurants. In the late 1980s, Aster was discovered by the London-based independent label, Triple Earth, an event that marked her entrance into the World Music scene. Shortly thereafter, she secured a recording contract with Sony Music Entertainment and released two major albums, Aster and Kabu, on their Columbia label.
Following her widespread popularity in the United States and Europe, Aster appeared on several radio and TV shows, including the acclaimed Night Music on the NBC television network, where she appeared as a special guest of the host, David Sanborn. She has also appeared on CNN, BBC radio and television, PBS radio and television, CBC, and London’s Channel 4 Big World Café. Print appearances include Time, Newsweek, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times.
Aster’s songs have become anthems to her fans in Ethiopia, as well as to Ethiopians living abroad. Her latest release, and 23rd album, is named after a city in Gondar that is nearby the singer’s birthplace. According to Kabu Records, Checheho was produced in collaboration with her longtime arranger, Abegasu Kibrework Shiota, and also features the work of several new producers, including Elias Melka, Abiy Arka, and Dawit Tilahun. “This electrifying album is sure to delight long-time and new fans alike.”
Aster is currently working on another album featuring compilations of her hit songs.
New York (TADIAS) – The scientific quest to find alternative sources of fuel is an expensive endeavor. And when Dr. Sossina Haile, Professor of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering at California Institute of Technology, prodded fuel cell makers in the late ’90s to come up with a cheaper prototype, they hesitated. She decided to work on a solution and created the world’s first solid-acid fuel cell at her laboratory. By 2008, two of her former students had taken the lab idea and created a start-up to develop a commercial prototype. Dr. Sossina Haile’s work has been praised for helping to push the green energy revolution, and last October she was invited to give an ‘Outstanding Women in Science’ lecture at Indiana University.
We asked Dr. Sossina Haile a few questions:
Tadias: When did you first discover your love of science? What was the catalyst?
SH: I have enjoyed science as far back as I can remember. I have always loved the fact that it makes sense and as I child I discovered I was good at it. We have a tendency to gravitate towards things in which we excel.
Tadias: Can you tell us a bit about where you grew up? The influential individuals and role models in your life?
SH: I was born in Addis Abeba, and we moved permanently to the US when I was almost ten. In all honesty, there was not a particular individual who served as a role model for me in the pursuit of a scientific career. I was extremely fortunate in that my parents supported my choices. This was particularly important since many of my classmates were, shall I say, uncomfortable, with a girl in the industrial arts class rather than home economics.
Tadias: As a Professor and Researcher at Caltech you created a new type of fuel cell. Can you tell us more about the new material discovery and the implications of its real world application?
SH: The new material allows fuel cells to operate at temperatures that are hot enough so that the fuel cell is efficient, but not so hot that the fuel cell is too expensive. Fuel cells convert chemical energy, like hydrogen or natural gas, into electricity. There are many, many reasons why a consumer can’t go out and buy a fuel cell from the hardware store today. Our fuel cells take an entirely fresh approach at trying to solve those problems.
Tadias: Last October you were invited to give the Outstanding Women in Science lecture at Indiana University on the topic of “Creating a Sustainable Energy Future.” You note that “the challenge modern society faces is not one of identifying a sustainable energy source, but rather one of capitalizing on the vast, yet intermittent, solar resource base.” Can you tell us some of the additional ways that you envision capitalizing on clean energy sources?
SH: If we are to use the sun as our primary energy source, then we definitely need to develop ways to store its energy for use on demand. In my lab we have started to do this by converting the sunlight to heat, and then using the heat to drive reactions that create fuels like hydrogen and methane from water and carbon dioxide.
Tadias: In 2008 you served as Advisor for Superprotonic, a start-up founded by a few of your former Caltech students who wanted to develop commercial prototypes of the world’s first solid-acid fuel cells created in your lab. Can you elaborate on this venture? What are the future prospects for the commercialization of your work?
SH: Superprotonic, Inc. has as its mission the commercialization of fuel cells based on the materials, the solid-acids, developed in my laboratory. Due to the economic upheavals the work has transferred to a new company, SAFCell, but the mission and the key participants are unchanged. We remain hopeful that the company will be able to manufacture fuel cells that are ultimately more efficient and less costly than others being developed today.
Tadias: What aspects of teaching and research do you enjoy the most?
SH: I delight in the discovery. When results make sense and we are able to explain something, I am thrilled. When that discovery has potential to solve critical societal problems, I am ecstatic.
Tadias: What words would you share with other young, aspiring scientists?
SH: I am asked this frequently and I find myself repeating the advice “follow your passions.” I think the corollary is that you should not be constrained by what others think of you. The beauty of pursuing scientific endeavors is that really the only thing that matters is what your brain can deliver, not all of the superficial things that can so easily distract us.
Tadias: What is your favorite way (or activity) to unwind and relax from a busy, challenging schedule?
SH: The wonderful thing about what I do is that generally I have no desire to ‘get away from it.’ But I confess that occasionally I will indulge in a good book to keep me company on the long flight back from a meeting or conference. I recently finished Chains of Heaven by Philip Marsden. It was fantastic.
Tadias: Thank you for taking the time to share your outstanding work with our readers, and best wishes in your research endeavors.
—
New York (TADIAS) – I am a resident of the beautiful city of Montreal, Canada, but I consider myself a citizen of the world. My first travel journal, My Humanitarian Journey to Africa, appeared in Tadias in 2003 and my last entry was about couchsurfing posted in August of 2008.
When receiving emails these days the subject lines usually read: “Where are you now?” And lately it’s been “Are you done?” or even “Were you able to find yourself?” For which I humorously reply: “I left a piece of me everywhere, which I need to go back to collect!”
I have been on the road for as long as I can remember. I started traveling through books, stories and simply staring at world maps and daydreaming before I could understand what traveling is all about.
As a child my dream for traveling was bigger than life itself. I wanted nothing but to discover the mystery of this beautiful world that we live in. I started out as a young and fearless traveler, openly bargaining my life with the universe, willingly surrendering my life. I wanted my heart and mind to open to new learning, to be tolerant and respectful, to explore and to appreciate the world as it is. Somehow deep inside I knew that I was going to embark on a journey that would forever change my life. A quest of a lifetime served by the beautiful world which I called my Open University!
Once I was on the road I found myself in different countries, towns, villages, churches, temples, mosques and synagogues. I ate rice noodles for breakfast, crocodile for dinner, snacked on Kudu Biltong on safari in Africa. I attended weddings, funerals, Candomble (religious ritual), birthdays and holidays with complete strangers that opened up their heart and homes to me. I shared my deepest thoughts, fears, and dreams with fellow travelers on long bus rides, airport waiting rooms, endless couchsurfing nights, countless coffee meetings and sightseeing around the world.
Mostly, people are curious to know why and how I am traveling, but the one question that made me actually write this article today was this: “What am I getting out of it?” I didn’t start traveling looking for something nor did I know what to look for. I simply showed up in most places armed with guidebooks, the desire to learn and to experience life.
The truth is that it is not really hard to stay on the road when you have passion for nature, culture and above all people. I happen to have them all, but the one thing that kept me going was the countless generous people that crossed my path who humbly opened their hearts and homes. They inspired me to see that there is more to life.
You can view more photos & journal of my recent trip to South America at www. maskarm.tumblr.com.
Below are few sample stories from my travels that are etched in my memory forever:
Starting with Africa, where I was born and to where I keep going back for more, the Ethiopian Ambassador to Ghana ran into me on the streets of Accra while I was searching for a hotel and took me to his wife and kids without hesitation just because I was Ethiopian.
In Gisenyi, Rwanda a tour operator overheard my conversation in the hostel about crossing the border to Goma, DRC the next day. Tired of trying to convince me that it wasn’t the safest place to go on my own, he decided to escort me to the border himself, where after making sure that I was safe, he returned to Rwanda.
In Khartoum, Sudan a man, whom my fellow travelers and I met at the bus station, welcomed us as if we were his old lost friends. He offered us a place to stay and truly showed us Sudanese hospitality. Of course I never forget the Sudanese camel merchant who was so concerned about my status in society and who offered to marry me to spare me from the humiliation of being not married as he put it!
In Israel a man in Haifa, who felt responsible for my life, stopped driving his car to lecture me on the dangers of hitchhiking, and ended up driving me to a bus station, paid my bus fare and made sure I boarded the bus to Jerusalem.
In Beirut, Lebanon a university professor offered his couch for a week (a camping bed he set up in his living room) and embraced my way of traveling by becoming an active local couchsurfer.
In Australia a simple ride request that I posted on the internet led me to traveling with a complete stranger from Melbourne, Victoria to Fraser Island in Queensland for three insanely beautiful weeks of camping, wine tasting and visiting national parks.
In India after attending a Hindu festival in Southern Tamil Nadu, I happily followed a family to the small village where I spent the best time of my life. The humble family had nothing except a table which they insisted to convert into a make-shift bed with a thin mattress. Although they didn’t speak English and I didn’t speak their language, their hospitality touched my core. They fed me some amazing vegetarian food. And YES I did sleep on the table!!
In La Paz, Bolivia a Somali-Dutch individual that I met at a market, introduced me to a whole new world of Afro-Bolivian culture where I was welcomed for three days of conference, fun, cultural shows and visiting the coffee and coca farms owned by Afro-Bolivians. I even met their king!
It is these endless stories that keep me on the road, maintain my sanity and make me appreciate my life, even when I found myself under a door frame in Mendoza, Argentina during an earthquake. At the time I felt as if I was having my last conversation with God. All I had to say was “Thank you for all the blessings I have received.”
Met with the oldest woman in the mostly Afro-Bolivian community of Tocaña, Bolivia.
—
Above:The Ethiopian Students Association International will
hold its 11th annual summit in Pennsylvania. (Photo by ESAI)
Tadias Magazine
Events News
Updated: Wednesday, January 5, 2011
New York (Tadias) – Ethiopian Students Association International (ESAI) will hold its 11th annual summit at the University of Pennsylvania, from March 18th to March 19th, 2011.
According to the organizers, the two-day event will feature various seminars, workshops and keynote speakers, including a talk by young entrepreneur Eskat Asfaw, founder of College Shuttle, and Lull Mengesha, author of The Only Black Student.
The upcoming summit will be hosted by the Philadelphia Ethiopian Students Association. ESAI was founded at Marymount University in Virginia in 1999 as an inter-campus network among Ethiopian students. Each year local student groups compete for a chance to host the annual gathering in their city. Last year’s conference was held outside the United States for the first time in Toronto, Canada.
Entertainment programs at the Philadelphia summit will include the annual cultural show mixed with fun highlights of eskista and a history contest.
If You Go:
11th Annual ESAI Summit
University of Pennsylvania
Houston Hall
March 18-19, 2011
9:00 a.m-3:30pm
3417 Spruce Street Philadelphia, PA, 19104
(At the Bodek Lounge Room 100)
Learn more at: www.esai.org
Cover image: At the 10th Annual ESAI Summit in Toronto, Canada. (Photo ESAI via Flickr)
Above:‘Today Show’ correspondent Jenna Bush Hager travels to
Ethiopia to shine light on maternal health. (Photo: Screen shot)
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: Wednesday, December 29, 2010
New York (Tadias) – “It is the oldest medical cause in the world. There is currency dug out of pyramids containing images of fistula, yet in the 21st century it is the most neglected cause,” Dr. Catherine Hamlin, Founder of the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, said in an interview with Tadias Magazine a few years ago. She was speaking about a childbirth injury that affects one out of every 12 women in Africa and approximately three million women worldwide. In developing nations, such as Ethiopia, where access to hospitals in remote areas are difficult to find, young women suffer from obstructive labor and other childbirth related health issues, which can otherwise be successfully alleviated with adequate medical support. Unassisted labor in such conditions may lead to bladder, vaginal, and rectum injuries that incapacitate and stigmatize these women.
In the following MSNBC ‘Today Show’ video, contributing correspondent Jenna Bush Hager (the daughter of former President George W. Bush), travels to Ethiopia to shine light on maternal health. She focuses on the efforts underway by the non-profit organization CARE, in collaboration with local authorities, helping women to survive childbirth injuries. The segment makes the case for continued humanitarian U.S. assistance to reduce one of the world’s highest rates of maternal and infant mortalities. According to USAID, more than 500,000 women and girls in Ethiopia suffer from disabilities resulting from complications during pregnancy and childbirth each year, and over 25,000 women and girls die annually due to pregnancy–related complications.
Above:Aster Aweke is scheduled to perform live this weekend
in Washington, D.C. at an event ushering in the new year.(CP)
Tadias Magazine
Events News
Updated: Wednesday, December 29, 2010
New York (Tadias) – Aster Aweke, one of Ethiopia’s best known contemporary musicians, will perform live at a New Year’s Day concert in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, January 1st, 2011.
According to the organizers, the Singer/Songwriter — who will soon mark the beginning of her fourth decade as an artist in the U.S. — will treat her fans to samples of her popular classics as well as new songs from her recently released album entitled Checheho.
Aster has often been dubbed “‘Africa’s Aretha Franklin’ for her compelling combination of driving grooves and soulful vocals, singing of love, loss and life.”
“For more than 30 years, Aster Aweke has been entertaining audiences across the globe,” says her label, Kabu Records, in its introduction of her new CD. “Her songs have become anthems to her fans in Ethiopia, as well as to Ethiopians living abroad, and she continues to win the hearts and minds of world music lovers.”
Her latest release, and 23rd album, is named after a city in Gondar that is nearby the singer’s birthplace. According to Kabu Records, Checheho was produced in collaboration with her longtime arranger, Abegasu Kibrework Shiota, and also features the work of several new producers, including Elias Melka, Abiy Arka, and Dawit Tilahun. “This electrifying album is sure to delight long-time and new fans alike.”
Aster is currently working on another album featuring compilations of her hit songs.
If You Go:
EthioStar Entertainment Presents:
Aster Aweke Live on New Year’s day
Saturday, January 01, 2011 at 10:00 PM
At DC Star (2135 Queens Chapel Rd)
Washington, Dc 20018
For VIP & more info: 240.478.5513 or 301.957.1116
Also, you may visit: EthioStarEnt.Com
Buy Tickets at: Asterawekeindc.eventbrite.com/
Video: Aster Aweke’s New Release – Checheho (Posted by WorldAfricaMusic )
New York (TADIAS) – As we wrap up the year and review the contributions in the area of literature, fine arts, film, music and enterprunership, I can’t help but notice that it has been a year of rejuvenation for arts and popular culture among the Ethiopian Diaspora — from the publication of Dinaw Mengestu’s How To Read The Air, to Julie Mehretu’s Grey Area, and from Kenna’s Summit on the Summit to Dawit Kebede’s Press Freedom Award, this year was packed with big achievements and new beginnings. As you may notice, there are many other great stories that are not noted here. It was a tough list to choose from. As always, I welcome your comments and feedback.
The award-winning Ethiopian American novelist and writer Dinaw Mengestu, whose work has become a voice for his generation, has given us a new gem by way of his book entitled How To Read The Air. As The New York Times notes, the young writer – who was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – populates his novels “by exiles, refugees, émigrés and children of the African diaspora…” This book, of course, goes far beyond the Ethiopian American experience, even though Dinaw does extremely well in this regard as well. As he put it succinctly during a recent interview, “It’s less about trying to figure out how you occupy these two cultural or racial boundaries and more about what it’s like when you are not particularly attached to either of these two communities.” The new book follows the author’s highly successful début novel The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears, described by Bethonie Butler in the Washingtonian magazine as “a poignant novel set in DC about immigration, gentrification, and assimilating to the new amid memories of the past.” The reason why I love this New York Times bestseller is because the substance of the book mirrors my own feelings and reflection about my own generation.
2. Julie Mehretu’s ‘Grey Area’
Artist Julie Mehretu
I couldn’t help but lose and find myself in each of Julie’s Mehretu’s paintings at the Guggenheim Museum earlier this year. She is not only one of the most admired American female artists, but also the most high-priced Ethiopian born artists of all time. Her work ‘Untitled 1’ sold for $US1,0022,500 at Sotheby’s in 2010. Her collection of semiabstract works displayed at the Guggenheim was inspired by “a multitude of sources, including historical photographs, urban planning grids, modern art, and graffiti, and explores the intersections of power, history, dystopia, and the built environment, along with their impact on the formation of personal and communal identities.”
3. Davey and Rasselas’ Atletu (The Athlete)
Abebe Bikila (SBCC Film Reviews)
I have my fingers crossed this will be the first Ethiopian film that will win the Oscars. But either way, the story of Abebe Bekila – the barefooted Ethiopian man who stunned the world by winning Olympic gold in Marathon at the 1960 games in Rome – is one to be told and in this regard the movie is doing a superb job. I really hope it will get the recognition it deserves in the coming year.
(Meklit, Tsehai Poetry Jam – L.A.’s Little Ethiopia)
This sweet and amazingly talented singer/song-writer takes me on a musical journey to the heart of the Bay Area and Brooklyn, as well as to the countryside of Ethiopia. I have never heard such a sincere, poetic and soulful blend of American and Ethiopian music. Reviewers have compared Meklit’s voice to that of the legendary singer Nina Simone. “Once you hear her smooth and silky voice it will be hard to forget it,” NPR’s Allison Keyes reported. Meklit obtained a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Yale University before moving to San Francisco to pursue her true love – music. NPR’s guest host described Hadero’s sound as “a unique blend of jazz, Ethiopia, the San Francisco art scene and visceral poetry…It paints pictures in your head as you listen,” she said. I can’t agree more.
5. Haile Gerima’s Film ‘Teza’
Mypheduh Films
Haile Gerima’s award winning film ‘Teza’ continues to draw crowds at special screenings around the country. The most notable in 2010 was the film’s premiere in Los Angeles on Monday, September 13th, honoring the late Teshome H. Gabriel, a long serving Professor at UCLA and a leading international figure on third world and post-colonial cinema. The director himself is a professor of film studies in the East Coast. Per NYT: “Among the courses Haile Gerima teaches at Howard University is one called ‘Film and Social Change.’ But for Mr. Gerima, an Ethiopian director and screenwriter who has lived here since the 1970s in what he calls self-exile, that subject is not just an academic concern: it is also what motivates him to make films with African and African-American themes.” Personally for me though, there has never been such an accurate, honest, insightful and simply well-made film about the Ethiopian experience abroad and in the homeland. This film continues to influence my professional, but more importantly, personal life.
6. Marcus Samuelsson’s ‘Red Rooster’
Marcus Samuelsson at the Red Rooster Harlem
I hope Marcus’ long awaited restaurant brings together artists, musicians, writers, and alike from the Ethiopian Diaspora and beyond right into the heart of Harlem. From the menu to the décor, I am certain that I won’t have to drag my downtown friends to hangout uptown. But for Marcus, it is clear that the aim is much bigger than fine dining. In a way, it is a contribution to the revitalization of this historic neighbourhood and we salute him for that.
7. Mulatu Astatke Still on The Move
Mulatu Astatke (Source:Telegraph)
The father of Ethiopian Jazz doesn’t seem to stop. As Peter Culshaw wrote of him on the UK paper Telegraph earlier this year, “At the age of 66, Mulatu Astatke is having the time of his life. The jazz composer and performer from Ethiopia is in the midst of a full-blown Indian summer in his career. He received a huge boost when influential film-maker Jim Jarmusch used his music for his 2005 film Broken Flowers, and was also a key figure in the 2007 The Very Best of Ethiopiques compilation, one of the most unlikely best-sellers of the last decade. Once heard, Astatke’s music is not easily forgotten. His signature vibraphone playing style uses the distinctive five-note Ethiopian scale and is like jazz from a parallel universe, by turns haunting, romantic and a touch sleazy, as though the soundtrack to some seductive espionage B-movie.” Enjoy the following video.
8. First Addis Foto Fest
Curated by the exceptionally talented and award-winning photographer Aida Muluneh, this festival showcased works by notable visual artists from around the world at venues throughout Addis Ababa for the very first time. My hope is that, with events such as Addis Foto Fest, local artists continue to network with international artists from all disciplines. Here is an interview with Aida Muluneh about photography.
9. Dawit Kebede’s ‘Press Freedom Award
Dawit Kebede at CPJ Awards 2010, NYC
As the editor of Awramba Times, an independent and local Ethiopian newspaper, he spent almost two years in prison after reporting on the Ethiopian election in 2005. Five years later he receives an international award, encouraging others to write without fear. He is an inspiration to many around the world, particularly to those in our profession.
Inspired by his father’s water-borne disease, Ethiopian born Academy Award-nominated Hip Hop artist Kenna climbed the Kilimanjaro to raise awareness about the global water crisis. He was followed by an MTV crew. I salute Kenna on his artistry, as well as dedication to educate the youth on global issues affecting all of us. Watch Kenna talk about the project.
— About the Author: Tigist Selam is host of TADIAS TV. She is a writer and actress based in New York and Germany. (Tigist’s photograph by Ingrid Hertfelder).
Above:The tragic death of a young man that sparked outrage
in the Ethiopian community has been ruled a homicide. (File)
Tadias Magazine
News Update
Updated: Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Washington, D.C. (Tadias) – The death of 27-year old Ethiopian immigrant Ali Ahmed Mohammed, who died in October after a physical confrontation with five men associated with DC9 nightclub, has been ruled a homicide by the city’s medical examiner’s office.
“The family wishes to commend those at the Medical Examiner’s office for their hard work and dedication in helping to uncover that Ali’s death was a homicide,” family attorney Billy Martin said in the statement. “The family is confident that law enforcement will continue its investigation into Ali’s tragic death and that the Medical Examiner’s report is a step toward justice for Ali. The Medical Examiner’s findings, however, also reminds us that Ali suffered a cruel and senseless death. Ali did not deserve to die for allegedly breaking a window. The family remains heartbroken and cannot have peace until those responsible for Ali’s death are brought to justice.”
The victim died of “excited delirium associated with arrhythmogenic cardiac anomalies, alcohol intoxication and physical exertion with restraint manner,” the medical examiner’s office said – citing the manner of death as “homicide.” Per WaPo: “Although criminal charges in the case were dismissed because of the initial lack of autopsy findings, authorities said they would not be legally barred from refiling charges if new information warranted such a move. The autopsy finding of homicide appears to make a new criminal case likely.”
However, the U.S. attorney’s office issued the following press release saying the case is still under investigation: “The Medical Examiner has now completed an autopsy related to the unfortunate death of Ali Ahmed Mohammed. The Medical Examiner’s forensics examination has concluded that a variety of factors led to the death of Mr. Mohammed, and we intend to carefully study these conclusions as part of our legal analysis of this tragic incident. Our deliberate and comprehensive factual inquiry continues, and we again express our sincere appreciation to the family of Mr. Mohammed for their patience and understanding as we work to reach a just conclusion to our investigation.”
Ali, who was a resident of Silver Spring, Maryland, came to the United States from Ethiopia in 1997. He graduated from Coolidge Senior High School in Washington, D.C. He died on the morning of Friday, October 15, 2010 after the five DC9 employees allegedly chased, then tackled and beat him. The incident happened after he was denied entrance to the bar around 2:30 a.m., and after he allegedly returned to throw a brick through the window. “In my opinion, you talk about a beating like this as a result of property damage, someone has lost his life in a savage beating in what appears to be vigilante justice, it’s ridiculous,” Washington, D.C’s police chief Cathy Lanier had said at the time.
District prosecutors had initially charged the men with second-degree murder – which were later reduced to charges of aggravated assault – but eventually dropped all charges noting insufficient evidence to support the case. “Dropping the charges enabled authorities to continue their investigation and preserved their option to refile charges,” according to The Washington Post. “The death and investigation has prompted intense responses both from supporters of the DC9 employees and from family and friends of Mohammed.”
The employees have said they are innocent.
Watch: Ali Ahmed’s Family Says Death Ruled Homicide
Above:Beejhy Barhany, founder and director of BINA, and Bizu
Riki Mullu, founder of Chassida-Shmella. (Bizu photo via UJF.org)
Tadias Magazine
By Dana Rapoport
Published: Monday, December 20, 2010
New York (Tadias) – “My journey is nothing special,” said Beejhy Barhany at the Hue-Man Bookstore, on 125th street in Harlem. “It’s the every-Israeli, ordinary path.”
In many ways she was right. The curly-haired young Ethiopian woman with a pearl knitted sweater and a ton of charisma, Barhany, 34, pursued a common route for a young Israeli: graduation, military service, backpacking in South America, and finally – New York.
Barhany, founder and director of BINA, Beta Israel of North America, an Ethiopian-Jewish organization in New York, is driven by the same curiosity and entrepreneurial instinct that brought some 25,000 Israelis as immigrants to the city. But going three decades back, Barhany and approximately 500 Ethiopian Jews living in New York, share a saga of traveling that is everything but ordinary.
“We left everything behind — land, property, cattle — when my relatives in Israel wrote to us in a letter: “Now is the time to come,” she recalled of that middle-of-the night in 1980, when the three-year journey began from the northern province of Tigray, Ethiopia. Barhany was four-years–old.
The term for Ethiopian Jews in Amharic is Falasha, a term of derision as outsiders or foreigners. They call themselves Beta Israel, ”The House of Israel.”
For over 2,500 years the Beta Israel community observed Orthodox Judaism, but for hundreds of years, the Ethiopian Jewry was unknown or disregarded by the rest of the Jewish world.
The regime of Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam, and persecution by different tribes in Ethiopia, prompted the Israeli government, with no diplomatic relations with Ethiopia, to facilitate the rescue of thousands of Beta Israel.
Barhany and the group of people from her village walked for two months, until they arrived in Sudan. Three years later, they were given the green light to leave, by car, from Khartoum to Kenya, from Kenya to Uganda, then to Italy and finally – to Israel.
With a huge support and millions of Jewish American dollars, in 1991 a secret negotiation with the Ethiopian government was made, and within 36 hours, with 34 jumbo jets, “Operation Solomon” brought a total of 15,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel.
One of those young children who landed in Israel that year is Angosh Goshu (Dorit). After six years in Brooklyn, her memory of the emotional arrival in Israel seemed even more contrasted. “We saw toilets, bathrooms and things like that, things we never saw before,” she said during an interview in a busy, fluorescent-lit Dunkin’ Donuts shop.
For the thirty thousand agriculturally trained, Amharic speaking Ethiopian immigrants, Israel, in the midst of the high-tech boom, was a very different landscape.
After she completed her Army service, like Barhany, Gogshu too, found herself emigrating for the second time in her life. This time, to New York.
She lives with her brother Neo, on Church Avenue and is studying to be a nurse. Between her job and her studies she helps Bizu Riki Mullu, founder of Chassida Shmella, to foster a community and promote Ethiopian culture and tradition.
There’s another advantage to life in New York. “In Israel we are different, we stand out more than we do here,“ Barhany said. “It might be easier for a non-Ethiopian to find a job there, than it is for Ethiopians… here it can be easier, no one will categorize you.”
A recent Israeli study found that, roughly 20 years after they came to Israel, unemployment in the Ethiopian community is more than double than in the whole Jewish population in Israel. Forty percent of Ethiopians are jobless or are not looking for one. It also found that only sixteen percent of Ethiopian Israelis are high-school graduates.
Like many of their peers in their early twenties, they decided to come to New York. Unlike most, however, they founded, or helped to start two non-profits: BINA and Chassida Shmella.
Chassida Shmella is the word stork in Hebrew and Amharic. It echoes an old tradition, of asking the storks as they migrate from Europe, (over Israel) to Africa: “Stork, stork, how is our beloved Jerusalem?”
These two organizations help Ethiopians network in the big city as well as help them to preserve their tradition.
Above:The renowned Ethiopian-Israeli BETA Dance Troupe was one of the highlights at the 2010 Sigd
festival in New York hosted by Chassida Shmella, The Ethiopian Jewish Community of North America,
and the 92nd Street Y Resource Center for Jewish Diversity.
The community has grown in the last five years but these organizations still struggle for support. Their community is too small to receive funding from larger organizations, and they are having trouble growing, because they lack support for education, for Jews and non-Jews about Ethiopia’s Jewish heritage.
Shabbat Dinners with Ethiopian food, Annual Ethiopian Film Festival and other cultural programs by BINA and Chassida Shmella are much needed. It’s crucial not only to strengthen the sense of community, but also to overcome ignorance from American Jews and even Israeli New Yorkers.
“Ninety Nine percent of people did not believe that I was Jewish,” said Goshu, 28, wearing a silver Star-of-David pendant. “And then, there were the Israelis, who asked ‘What, are you Ethiopian? What are you doing here? Were you unhappy in Israel?’” She replied with the same question. “Why are you here? Were you unhappy there?”
American Jewish foundations, which were key players in the Ethiopian Jews’ exodus, replied to Barhany’s request: “Isn’t it enough we brought them to Israel?”
During the Sigd holiday festival in the Upper East Side 92Y in September, Mullu, dressed in a traditionally-embroidered white dress, said they still need a lot of help.
“We are reaching out for everybody, every organization, every individual to be involved, to help us grow this organization, to help a younger generation be a part of the Jewish nation.”
Reaching out to everyone has worked. Barhany said that more than thirty percent of the Ethiopian-American community supports and participates in the community’s events. With fewer resources but a lot of enthusiasm, their help is crucial for these organizations’ growth.
After ten years in New York, Barhany is no longer a stranger, but she’s not ready to announce the end of her journey just yet.
“I call myself the wandering Jew,” she said.
Like the storks, she will keep traveling. Israel, and Ethiopia are her next stops, but not the last.
— About the Author: Dana Rapoport is a journalist based in New York. She worked as a foreign news editor for Israel’s largest broadcast news channel, Channel2, before attending the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. Rapoport also holds a BA in History and Theatre from Tel Aviv University. She hopes to keep covering the Ethiopian community here, and in Israel.
Above:Images from the most popular stories of 2010 posted
on Tadias.com b/n January 1, 2010 and December 15, 2010.
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: Thursday, December 16, 2010
New York (Tadias) – Some of the top stories featured on Tadias.com this year include, among others, the tragic crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409, a violent arrest inside an Ethiopian church in Texas (caught on tape), the appointment of Captain Amsale Gualu as the first female captain at Ethiopian Airlines, as well as our exclusive interviews with rising music star Meklit Hadero, international model Maya Gate Haile and Ethiopian legend Teshome Mitiku.
The stories are displayed in the order in which they were ranked by Google Analytics. We have included links to each article as well as videos when available.
Here’s a look at the 10 most-read stories of the year.
1. Names of Passengers Aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 Above: Ethiopian women mourn the death of a relative killed aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409, which crashed into the Mediterranean sea minutes after taking off from Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport in the early hours of Monday, January 25, 2010. The 90 passengers and crew that perished hail from nine countries: Ethiopia, Lebanon, Britain, Canada, Russia, France, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. (Photo: Getty Images).
2. Tadias TV Interview with Meklit Hadero Above: We caught up with rising music star Meklit Hadero during her summer concert at Le Poisson Rouge in New York on June 1st. The Manhattan appearance was a homecoming of sorts for Hadero, who spent part of her childhood in Brooklyn. She graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in Political Science before settling in San Francisco where she launched her music career in 2004. Her debut album, On A Day Like This, has garnered national attention with repeated highlights on NPR. Reviewers have compared her sound to that of Music legends Nina Simone and Joni Mitchell. Watch the video below.
3. Exclusive Interview With Model Maya Haile Above: Earlier this year we also highlighted international model Maya Gate Haile. The Ethiopian-born model grew up in Holland before relocating to New York where her fashion modeling career has flourished. She is represented by the world’s top modeling agencies including IMG, Elite and Ford. Maya also works closely with UNICEF’s New Generation program. Her husband, Chef Entrepreneur and Author Marcus Samuelsson, introduced her to UNICEF and currently serves as Ambassador for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. Here is Tigist Selam’s conversation with Model Maya Haile at home in Harlem.
4. Violent Arrest Inside Ethiopian Church Caught on Tape Above: The incident happened at the Dallas Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Garland, Texas, on Sunday, May 2nd when a female congregate, Yeshi Zerihun, interrupted morning announcements to ask questions about church business, including about the presence of the unusually large number of police officers outside the church that day. She was told her questions were out of order, but other worshipers began shouting for answers. An amateur video shows the cops entering the church following a man in a suit and hysteria breaking out. Watch here the local news report.
5. Ethiopia Election Marred by Charges of Voter Intimidation Above: Ethiopia's 2010 national election was marred by charges of fraud and voter Intimidation. The country's two largest opposition parties were crushed in parliamentary elections held on May 23, 2010. The nation's 31.9 million registered voters went to the polls to select 547 members of parliament and representatives to regional councils. The results showed the ruling party sweeping 99 percent of announced seats. Opposition leaders contested the results through the court system which they eventually lost. The election process was roundly criticized by international observers. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi dismissed outside criticism as foreign interference – violating the sovereignty of Ethiopia. (Photo credit: AP)
6. Ethiopian Airlines Appoints First Female Captain Above: She may not be the first Ethiopian woman pilot, but Captain Amsale Gualu Endegnanew (right) is just as pioneering. She is the first female to become captain in the history of Ethiopian Airlines. “Captain Amsale proudly took off her first flight from the left hand seat of the flight deck of a Q-400 aircraft from Addis Ababa to Gondar then to Axum and finally returned back to Addis Ababa after a total of 3.6 flight hours,” the airline said following her historic flight on October 14, 2010. We don't have a video of Captain Amsale, but take a look below for a tour inside Ethiopian Airlines' latest Boeing jet. (Photo: Ethiopian Airlines via Nazret.com.)
7. Ethiopian Community Mourns 5 Dead in Seattle Fire Above: Nisreen Shamam (left), Yaseen Shamam (C) and Joseph Gebregiorgis (R). They were among those killed in an apartment fire in Seattle on Saturday, June 12, 2010. Thousands attended a public memorial service held on Saturday, June 19 at Seattle Center’s KeyArena. The service included an emotional visual tribute: One by one, the lives lost were celebrated on screen, a series of snapshots taken in happier times. The boy who dreamed of playing point guard for the Boston Celtics. The siblings who adored their older brother. The girl who liked to jump rope. And the young woman who could win any argument she set her mind to. Killed in the swift-moving fire at Helen Gebregiorgis’ apartment were three of her children — Joseph Gebregiorgis, 13, Nisreen Shamam, 6, and Yaseen Shamam, 5; her sister, Eyerusalem Gebregiorgis, 22; and a niece, 7-year-old Nyella Smith, daughter of a third sister, Yordanos Gebregiorgis. (Seattle Times)
8. Simon Bahta Arrested in New York City Above: New York City police arrested Simon Bahta Asfeha, the man wanted for the Virginia killings of his girlfriend – 27-year old Seble Tessema – and their 3-year-old daughter. Investigators in Alexandria had initially thought that Asfeha “may have sought refuge in the large Washington, D.C., area Ethiopian community or in a homeless shelter, ” according to America’s Most Wanted TV show. But he apparently had run away to New York City, where a witness alerted authorities on his location. He was captured without incident on Thursday, April 29 2010 in a coordinated effort between NYPD, the U.S. marshals, and Alexandria police. Watch below local media report of the crime.
9. The Nun Pianist: Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru Above: Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru after performing for the first time in 35 years in Washington, D.C. on July 12, 2008 (File photo by Makeda Amha). The 85-year-old classical pianist and composer, whose music has been popularized in recent years by the Ethiopiques CD series, is attracting younger audiences. “Every time I have put this on at least three new conversions occur, where the listeners go on to permanently install this woman’s music on their stereo,” Meara O’Reilly notes in a recent highlight on Boing Boing. “My neighbor even stalked me once just so she could listen to it more, until I just gave her my extra copy.” Listen to the music here.
10. Exclusive Interview With Ethiopian Legend Teshome Mitiku Above: Teshome Mitiku (second from right) has not returned to Ethiopia since his abrupt departure in 1970. In a recent exclusive interview with Tadias Magazine, the legendary artist who made a historic appearance accompanying the Either/Orchestra at the prestigious Chicago Jazz Festival in September, talked about his extensive music career, his memories of Ethiopia and his famous daughter, the Swedish pop star Emilia. Teshome burst into Ethiopia’s music scene during a period in the 1960′s known as the “Golden Era.” He was the leader of Soul Ekos Band, the first independent musical ensemble to be recorded in the country. The group is credited for popularizing Amharic classics such as Gara Sir New Betesh, Yezemed Yebada, Mot Adeladlogn and Hasabe – all of which were written by the artist. Prior to settling in the United States in the early 1990′s, Teshome spent over 20 years in Sweden, where he continued to hone his music skills, earn a graduate degree in Sociology, and witness his daughter grow up to become a Swedish ballad and pop music singer. We spoke with Teshome Mitiku over coffee on U street in Washington, D.C. The following sound features one of the artist's favorite songs, Gara Sir New Betesh.
Swedish pop singer Emilia (Teshome Mitiku’s daughter)
Washington, D.C. (Tadias) – When Eskat Asfaw joined the Entrepreneurship Club in Frostburg State University’s business department as a student, he had no idea a great business venture would soon be born. When his professors pointed out that there was an unfulfilled need for transporation for college students, Asfaw had a moment of enlightenment and immediately set to work to address that gap.
“I have always wondered how students without cars moved around,” said Asfaw, who immediately brought his exciting idea to his colleagues and advisors: to provide transportation to students who reside a good two and half hours away from major public transportation stops. Asfaw then presented his idea alongside his two major investors — his parents who agreed to help him finance the purchase of his first van.
From there College Shuttle was born — “an innovative business addressing a need that is largely not met,” says his sister Alegnta Asfaw.
Today, after two years in operation College Shuttle has become a company with 7 colleges and university clients and serving close to 100 students in any given week. Asfaw runs three more vans and provides access to a dozen more.
To meet the growing demand, this young entrepreneur runs his business literally all day and night. “If I am not responding to a phone call I am checking the website (Collegeshuttles.com), or driving occasionally when the demand is high. I will take a break when my company grows to its potential.”
The self-professed music lover admits that before he bumped into this great venture he had always wanted to own a nightclub. In the past, he had supplemented his living through parties that he organized in the Metro Washington region and at Frostburg State University, where he earned his business degree.
Asfaw’s business is not only a pioneering idea but also a great job opportunity that pays well for students who are looking for weekend jobs to supplement their income. He has more than a dozen students working for him as web developers, marketers, and van drivers.
College Shuttle transports student to and from public transportation stops throughout the Baltimore and DC metro regions. “It was an instant success” said Eskat (short for Eskatnaf). “All I had to do was put some flyers up with my number and email address.” Although starting up any business includes some level of risk, his family says “he is always careful and makes sure ….he is responding to a need.”
Dr. Marty Mattare, one of his professors who was instrumental in the success of his company and still lends a hand when needed, says “Eskat has shown great persistence in his pursuit of College Shuttle. He worked very hard to make it a success and sought feedback and advice from a number of people. College Shuttle has also provided great opportunities for students to work in an entrepreneurial environment and contribute to a successful small business startup. I have no doubt that Eskat will go far with this enterprise!”
College Shuttle has received the Trident Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Asfaw is recognized in the Frostburg/Alleghany area for creating jobs and stimulating economic growth. According to his professor, he has inspired other students to become entrepreneurs and has himself mentored more than 15 students in Frostburg and continues to do so. His sister Alegnta says, “I believe this is the kind of leadership and innovative thinking that we want to showcase among young Ethiopians in America.”
The 26 year-old businessman left Ethiopia as a young boy in the early 90s has never been back. However, someday he wants to return with “some philanthropic project in Ethiopia—particularly in the education area.”
Eskat Asfaw of College Shuttle won the 2010 Young Entrepreneur of the Year award. He “was very enterprising; he had a vision of a company and worked diligently to make it successful,” says Dr. Marty Mattare, his former professor. (Courtesy Photograph
MT: How do you feel about the award and your professor’s comment?
EA: It is very humbling and nice to get everyone’s support.
MT: Tell us a bit about yourself. Where were you born? Where did you grow up?
EA: Well I was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, we lived in Bole area; and then migrated to Kenya when I was about 7, then moved to America in 1996.
MT: What was it like growing up in Kenya?
EA: Kenya was nice, I went to elementary school there. I liked Kenya. I have more memories of Kenya than Ethiopia — I only remember our dog and house {in Ethiopia}.
MT: You went to college in Frostburg, Maryland. Tell me about Frostburg.
EA: Frostburg is in Western Maryland. That is where I went to school. I was a business major. I went to Montgomery college first and then transferred to Frostburg State University, and I graduated from there in 2009.
MT: I read in one of your college newspapers that your idea for College Shuttle was appluaded by the business department at Frostburg State University. Can you tell us more?
EA: I joined the Entrepreneurship Club as soon as I heard about it. I used to go to all the business conferences religiously, and when I heard about this club I had to go — who better to join than me [laughs]. The club advisor was a really nice man. He was telling us about different things that the school needs….since he was there for 27 years. One of the needs was transportation. I was wondering about transportation myself so I kind of took it to heart and kept thinking about it, writing down numbers and stuff in class. My advisors were very impressed with my idea.
MT: Transportation for whom?
EA: For the students in Frostburg. It is about 2 and 1/2 hours away…and there is no way to get there except by train or car.
MT: Where are the students from?
EA: Most of the students are from Baltimore and DC metro area.
MT: So, you were still in school when you got started.
EA: Yes, it started there and then. I didn’t know anyone. I used to go to class and then back to my apartment. I met with one guy and I asked him if he can help me to get to know people. That summer I put together some flyers with my personal information. I did the flyers a week before school started …….and the calls started coming. The majority of our customers are freshmen or sophomores and don’t own cars yet.
MT: How do you handle the logistics of running such a business?
EA: We now have an 877 toll free number as well as a web site. Most of our customers go online and register and pay online. Once they do that we send them a pickup time.
MT: Your shuttle service is limited to weekends. Why?
EA: The whole point is to get the students home for the weekend. They have different reasons for going home every weekend, leaving on Friday and returning on Sunday.
MT: Do you drop off the students at their homes?
EA: We drop off our customers at public areas close to their home such as metro stations, malls etc. It is a lot easier for their parents to pick them up when they are at a closer location. The majority of the time it is parents who make the arrangement for their kids. They would rather do that than driving two and half hours to come get their kids.
MT: How large is your customer base?
EA: We serve seven colleges now: Frostburg, West Virginia, Allegany College, Petomac State College, and three more colleges in Eastern Maryland. Our focus is just students. Our motto is students need their own transportation services. As students they have already a lot to deal with. We are just trying to fulfill the transportation part of it. Our time slots and services are flexible to students to meet their need. Students are very rash themselves. We work with their ever changing last minute decisions.
MT: What makes your business different than other shuttle services? Do you have any competition?
EA: Yes, there is a competition such as the bus line and train stations….but what we do is quite different. The way we treat our customers and the simple fact that our business is solely dedicated to students makes us preferable and it makes a world of difference to our success.
MT: How many employees do you have?
EA: I am the sole owner but I have many drivers. I also drive when necessary. I love driving. I have a lot of students that work for me, about a dozen. They work on graphic design, web designing, marketing; a lot of the work is done by the students themselves. So it is kind of a great side job for them. I set high standard for them and if they meet that standard they get paid more and they stay with me longer.
MT: How many vans do you have?
EA: We have three of our own but we do have access to many more on a need basis. Our vans are 15 passenger buses.
MT: Where do you say your entrepreneurial spirit comes from?
EA: Well, I always enjoyed business. Even when I was in high school in Silver Spring I had a lawn mowing business. My sisters used to work for me and we worked in a couple of areas in the neighborhood. I just enjoy business. When I got to college I started promoting parties. That is how I made most of my money. Then this came along and I just knew I wanted to make it a success and I truly believed in it.
MT: Do you have role model?
EA: Nick Friedman from College Hunks Hauling Junk. We have a lot of similarities and the way he transformed a simple idea to a nationwide success impresses me. I met him for a coffee once and he gave me few feedbacks and it helped shaped my business. I still communicate with him when I need to. He is my strong role model in business. On a personal level, I also look up to my father and older brother; they are great individuals that see the future clearly. And one thing I figured out as I matured is that my father is always right. Sometimes I wish I listened to him more. Another thing is my father supported all my decisions in life. He cares about my business as much as I do.
MT: Tell me about your family. How have they influenced you?
EA: Family means a lot to me. We are very close family. Everyone knows everything about everyone…my mom calls about ten times a day to checkup on me. My mom and dad were my main investors when I started the business. Without them I wouldn’t have been a business owner. They helped me buy the first van. To this day I turn to them for advice. In Ethiopia my grandparents were business owners. My mom was also into coffee business. In this country, my parents own a popular store in Chevy Chase. So from early on I understood that business played a huge role in American lifestyle. I would say, the culture in whch I grew up has a big influnce in me. Even if I grew up in America, I feel like how I was brought up makes it easier to respect my customers and easier to talk to them without feeling of entitlement. And I get a lot of positive feedback from customers saying, you are very down to earth and I think it is an Ethiopian thing.
MT: What’s the long-term plan for College Shuttle?
EA: I want to go national and hire a lot of college students. My goal, in about 6 years or so, to be in as many universities and colleges as possible. I am doing the research on the need. I see it happening already. A lot of rural universities and colleges have transportation gaps. Most of the colleges we service right now, we were asked to be there. I feel like we are doing a community service as well. Parents can have safe transportation for their kids to and from colleges. We service everyone and our customers are from all walks of life. I think it is also a great idea to explore what you can do as an individual and contribute to the work force. You will end up creating a job not only for yourself but for others too.
MT: Thank you and we wish you great success.
EA: Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share my story.
—
Above:The Addis Foto Fest is taking place at various venues
throughout Addis Ababa — from Dec. 7th to Dec. 11th, 2010.
Tadias Magazine
Events News
Updated: Wednesday, December 8, 2010
New York (Tadias) – The inaugural Addis Ababa international photography festival, Addis Foto Fest, is underway in Ethiopia this week, and showcases a diverse array of work from local and international photographers and artists using various mediums. The week-long calendar of events includes several exhibitions, film screenings, academic discourses and other workshops.
Directed & curated by Aida Muluneh – winner of the 2010 CRAF’s International Award of Photography – the installations include exhibitions highlighting images by established and emerging international photographers, while bringing to the foreront contemporary talents from the African continent. Participants include Chester Higgins Jr, Antonio Fiorente, Zacharias Abubeker, Rosa Verhoeve, Jean-Baptiste Eczet, Ralf Baecker, Endalkatchew Tesfa Gebreselassie and Petterick Wiggers.
In their press release organizers stated: “The first edition of Addis Foto Fest brings together photographers from Africa and the Diaspora, in order to foster a dialogue through various exhibitions, concerts, panel discussions, residency programs, portfolio reviews, film screenings, slideshow presentations & much more.” According to the group’s web site: “A special tribute will be given to legendary photographer Shemelis Desta, who will come from London for the opening of the show with the support of the British Council.” The former court photographer is credited for his historical treasure-trove capturing official state activity in Ethiopia between 1963 and 1982. Other highlights include screenings of “Mo and Me”, a documentary directed by Salim Amin, “Arrested Development”, a 3 minute video made in 2003 by British artist Grace Ndiritu, “Invisible Borders”, a collective project presented by Emeka Okereke, as well as slideshows entitled “On the Roof” and “The Brooklyn Photo Salon” presented by OTR Project and Regine Romain respectively.
The events take place at various venues throughout Addis Ababa from December 7th to December 11th. The festival is sponsored, among others, by the African Union & the Delegation of the European Union to the African Union, Prince Claus Fund, AECID, Goethe-Institut, British Council, Alliance éthio-française, CulturesFrance, Heinrich Böll Foundation, the Embassy of Canada and the Addis Ababa University.
Above:New work by Tesfaye Tessema. (Symphony in Colors
I, 2010, acrylic on canvas, 42×30 inches) – Skoto Gallery, NY.
Tadias Magazine
Events News
Source: Skoto Gallery
Updated: Thursday, December 9, 2010
New York – Skoto Gallery is pleased to present Symphony in Colors, an exhibition of recent paintings by the Ethiopian-born artist Tesfaye Tessema. This will be his third solo show at the gallery. Reception is on Thursday, December 9th, 6-8pm, the artist will be present.
Tesfaye Tessema’s recent paintings exploits strategies that combine the physicality of paint, whether thin or thick, with an awareness of the role abstraction play as a means of expressing universal human emotions. He employs expressive gestures, deep sensitivity to texture and a mastery of tonality and color that gives his pictures a kind of interior glow where sight, memory and emotion fuse into a texture of vibrations and pulsations that allows the viewer a freedom of imagination, interpretation and emotional response. The question of where the inside and outside worlds meet, the ambiguity of space and surface tension are formally resolved in his pictures by an emphasis on concept and process over end-product while maintaining rigorous affirmative critical propositions about discrete cultural and historical realities.
In Tesfaye Tessema’s pictures, the filter of personal experience of doing, of painting and making art, away from his Ethiopian homeland for over three decades is not just essential to the substance of his creative process, but also bears witness to his ability to embrace a continuum of cultural precedents and influences, creativity with an open-ended improvisational sensibility and an awareness of the crucial links between culture, politics and social agency. The selection in this exhibition evokes the expansive possibilities of life and art in a world of changing realities and ceaseless change, and for an artist who has found a way to look forward, to engage the future and to challenge the present Tesfaye Tessema’s work is a testament to the ability of art to express big ideas about humanity.
Symphony in Colors I, 2010, acrylic on canvas, 42x30 inches
Tesfaye Tessema was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where he studied at the School of Fine Arts before leaving for the United States in the early 1970s. He obtained an MFA in Fine Art at Howard University, Washington DC, where he was exposed to the richness and diversity of the art of Africa, especially the classical art of West Africa where myth, metaphors and legend abound. His extensive travels in the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Mexico over the years have further broadened his perspectives on the commonality in socio-religious forms among various cultures. He has been included in numerous international survey including “Project Rolywholyobei – Circus from the Museum by John Cage”, 1994, Guggeinheim Museum, New York and Radford University Art Museum, Radford, Va, 2008. His work is in several public and private collections.
If You Go:
Symphony in Colors
Tesfaye Tessema, Recent Paintings
December 9th, 2010 – January 22nd, 2011
SKOTO GALLERY 529 West 20th Street, 5FL.
New York, NY 10011 212-352 8058
info@skotogallery.com www.skotogallery.com
New York (Tadias) – With the holiday season upon us and in this season of giving, we’d like to highlight the work of Artists for Charity (AFC) – a network of artists, volunteers and donors who operate a home for HIV positive orphans in Addis Ababa. The non-profit organization will hold its 4th Annual Holiday Benefit Art Auction, featuring the work of emerging and established artists, on Saturday, December 4th at the WVSA Gallery in Washington, D.C.
The AFC Children’s Home got its start seven years ago after its founder Abezash Tamerat, a young soul-searching artist traveled to Ethiopia and learned firsthand about the impact of HIV/AIDS on children.
In her bio that she sent to Tadias, Tamerat states: “In 2003, I traveled to Ethiopia and saw first-hand the devastating effects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa. Having lost their parents to the deadly virus, many children were left unable to fend for themselves as orphans. Relatives took in these children only to find the bonds of family too weak to overcome the stigma of AIDS in Ethiopia; they were neglected and abused by the very people they looked to for help. Having grown up in the foster care system in the United States I knew that these children deserved better. They deserved the same opportunities that I received. Compelled to act, I started a children’s home for HIV-positive double orphans who had been turned away by other childcare organizations because of their age, poor health, or disability. I was ridiculed at first. People asked me why I would start a home for dying children. At that time, there were no guarantees that these children would live to see their next birthday. But for as long as they are given hope, the spirit in children is strong. Surrounded by a loving environment, placed on a nutritious diet, and provided life-saving antiretroviral medication, these children have not only survived – they have thrived.”
Artists for Charity Founder Abezash Tamerat. (Photo Courtesy of Artistforcharity.org)
Fast forward to 2010 and the home still provides all the basic necessitates for these children, such as food, shelter, medical attention, school fees and supplies. The group also has other projects, including an Artist-in-Residency program which allows qualified volunteers to spend up to a year in Ethiopia while sharing their creative talent with AFC children.
“Seven years later, Artists for Charity is going strong,” Abezash says. “We have grown into an international network of artists, volunteers, and donors; each is dedicated to our mission — proving that many people working together can accomplish much for those who need hope the most. If you feel compelled, I hope you choose to join us and become an Artist for charity.”
The annual art auction, which helps to raise funds for the organization, is scheduled for Saturday, December 4th in Washington, D.C.
If You Go:
AFC’s 4th Annual Holiday Benefit & Art Auction
WVSA Gallery (1100 16th Street, NW)
Advance tickets: $20
Ticktes at the door: $25
Doors open at 7:00 p.m.
Learn more at Artistforcharity.org
New York (Tadias) – Washington, D.C.’s Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration has voted to reinstate the liquor license for DC9, the nightclub that was shut down following an October incident in which five club employees – including former co-owner William Spieler – were accused of beating a man who died outside the bar. The city’s Police Chief Cathy Lanier had acted to suspend the liquor license after noting the circumstances of Ali Mohammed’s death on the morning of Friday, October 15, 2010. The men had allegedly chased Ali then tackled and beat him after he was denied entrance to the bar around 2:30 a.m., and after he allegedly returned to throw a brick through the window. The employees have said they are innocent and prosecutors have dropped all charges, citing insufficient evidence to support the case.
Ali, who was a resident of Silver Spring, Maryland, came to the United States from Ethiopia in 1997. He graduated from Coolidge Senior High School in Washington, D.C.
According to Cynthia Simms, spokeswoman for the liquor licensing board, the reopening of DC9 on Dec. 15 is attached to certain conditions. Simms said the decision will be reviewed at another hearing scheduled for January 19, 2011.
Per the The Washington Post: “Among other conditions of DC9’s reopening, the club will not be allowed to employ Spieler of any of the four other men involved in the Oct. 15 incident, Simms said. She said the board’s ruling could be reversed or altered Jan. 19 if more information about Mohammed’s death becomes available. Police and the medical examiner’s office are continuing to investigate the encounter on the street that night and Mohammed’s medical condition and injuries at the time, authorities said. They said they would not be legally barred from refiling criminal charges in the case if new information warranted such a move.”
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Photographs from Wednesday Dec. 1st, 2010 (Outside the ABRA office) Friends brave rainy day to gather outside 1250 U street. (Photo: Samson Balekier)
Taken on December 1, 2010 at 1250 U street in D.C. Photo by Samson Balekier.
Related: Tadias TV: Reactions to the beating death of Ali A. Mohammed
Liquor board rejects DC9 reopening
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
The owners of District club DC9 lost a bid Wednesday to reopen after members of the District’s Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration unanimously voted to keep it shuttered in the wake of an October incident in which five club employees were accused of beating a man who died outside the popular nightspot.
District prosecutors dropped charges against the five employees on Nov. 5, saying evidence available at that point did not support the case.
The employees have said they are innocent.
DC9 is on Ninth Street near U Street in Northwest.
Another hearing on the club’s reopening is set for Dec. 1, said alcohol board spokeswoman Cynthia Simms. Read the story at The Washington Post.
Today’s photo: Friends and family stage a rally (Wednesday, November 17, 2010) Friends and family staged another rally on Wednesday morning, Nov 17 outside the hearing.
Photos by Samson Balekier.
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DC9 Poised to Regain Liquor License, Ali’s Friends Prepare to Protest Tadias Magazine
Video and Editorial
Published: Sunday, November 14, 2010
New York (Tadias) – The beating death of 27-year old Ethiopian immigrant Ali Ahmed Mohammed continues to spark outrage and dismay in the Ethiopian American community. The murder charges filed against DC9 nightclub co-owner and four of its employees, which were later reduced to charges of aggravated assault, have since been dismissed entirely citing the medical examiner’s determination that the victim’s injuries were not consistent with a brutal beating.
While the liquor license for DC9 was revoked following the incident, the bar has been granted a new hearing before the city’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, scheduled for Wednesday, November 17 at 9:30 a.m. “That hearing has been set because representatives for DC9 filed a request to the board that it reconsider its Nov. 1 decision to continue the bar’s suspension for at least 30 more days,” TBD reports. “This new hearing doesn’t necessarily supplant the already scheduled Dec. 1 status hearing, but if the Board decides to go ahead and take action on the case on Wednesday, it theoretically could.”
The city’s Police Chief Cathy Lanier had acted to suspend the liquor license last month after noting the circumstances of Ali’s death on the morning of Friday, October 15, 2010. According to initial police reports, the young man who worked as a security guard at a local deli, was denied entry to the DC9 nightclub around 2:30 a.m., but he returned to throw a brick through the window. What followed next was described by Lanier as extralegal punishment against the victim. Five men chased Ali— including the club’s owner Bill Spieler and employees Darryl Carter, Reginald Phillips, Evan Preller, and Arthur Zaloga – then tackled and beat him, police said. When officers arrived, all five men were still on the scene and Ali was in critical condition, Lanier said. He was pronounced dead a short time later. “In my opinion, you talk about a beating like this as a result of property damage, someone has lost his life in a savage beating in what appears to be vigilante justice, it’s ridiculous,” the police chief had said.
Attorneys for the defendants have been aggressive in their attack of the police version of events, accusing the cops of rushing to judgement. According to the Washington City Paper, during an ABRA hearing earlier this month, “The defense played a radio call placed by the EMTs who picked up Mohammed the night he died. In a call to Howard University hospital, the emergency workers describe Mohammed as being a victim of cardiac arrest, not bludgeoning. They explain that Mohammed has had a “cardiac arrest after a fight.” They also recount that he went unconscious in the presence of police, contradicting the police version of events—which claims Mohammed was dead or very close to it when the first officer arrived on the scene. Throwing the wrench into the credibility of the EMTs, though, is the fact that they refer to the young Mohammed as a ’45-year-old.'”
Meanwhile, Ali’s parents are still awaiting proper explanation of what exactly happened to their son. Friends and family say they plan to stage another rally on Wednesday morning. At a gathering held last week outside the U.S. attorney’s office, the mother, Sashie Bule, who carried a sign bearing her son’s photo is reported by The Washington Post to have stated: “I need answers…I want to know what happened to my son. He didn’t deserve this.” Nunu Waco, Ali’s cousin, told The Washington Post, her family was shocked by the prosecutors’ decision to drop all charges. “Our family deserves better,” she said. “American citizens deserve better.”
U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. insists the investigation is continuing. “Our work is not done,” Machen said in a statement after all charges were dismissed by his office. “The tragic death of Ali Ahmed Mohammed demands that we undertake a careful and comprehensive investigation to determine precisely how he died. . . . The search for justice cannot be rushed, and we will continue to pursue an active and vigorous inquiry.”
Organizers say Wednesday’s gathering is scheduled near 12th and U street.
In the following video, Tadias TV documents the reactions of Ali’s friends and individuals in the community to the prosecutors’ decision to drop all charges.
Tadias TV: Reactions to the beating death of Ali A. Mohammed
Related News Videos:
Related: Man Died After Beating Outside DC9 Nightclub (WUSA 9)
New York (TADIAS) – Early last month we attended a fundraiser for the Girls Gotta Run Foundation (GGRF) in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Organizers had hoped long-distance legend Haile Gebrselassie would be the featured guest speaker. Haile, who had injured himself a day earler at the New York City Marathon, had flown directly home from NYC following the race and could not attend the gathering. The event, co-sponsored and hosted by the Chevy Chase Running Company, took place on Monday, November 8th, 2010 at the Chevy Chase Running Company store.
According to GGRF, portions of the proceeds from the event will help to “subsidize scholarships for girls to attend training at the Yaya Africa Athletics Village, an athletic center in Sululta, Ethiopia, which is presently under construction and in which Mr.Gebrselassie is a partner.” GGRF was established in 2006 to provide funds for athletic shoes, clothes, meals, coach subsidies, and other training-related expenses for disadvantaged Ethiopian girls who are training to be professional runners. One of its sponsored athletes, Dinknesh Mekash Tefer of Running Across Borders, recently broke the women’s course record for the Baxters Loch Ness Marathon in Scotland, winning her first international race.
The following video features Tigist Selam’s conversation with Dr. Patricia E. Ortman, Executive Director of the foundation, as well as footage of additional speakers at the event.
Above:Tigist Selam and Damon Dash at the New York public
screening of the film Left Unsaid. (Photo by Stephen Knight)
Tadias Magazine
Events News
Published: Friday, November 26, 2010
New York (Tadias) – The first public screening of the film Left Unsaid — whose characters utilize Facebook as the networking tool to explore hot-button social issues — took place at the Dash Gallery in Tribeca last week.
Written and directed by Nelson George, Executive Producer of “Good Hair,” Left Unsaid starts with a woman who uses Facebook to invite a group of online friends from her new neighborhood in Brooklyn to her apartment for Sunday brunch. The conversation that unfolds among this multi-cultural group highlights issues of online relationships, parenting, professional ambitions, marriage, sex, race, gentrification and comical relief by way of urban legends. The Huffington Post notes: “As for the roster of talented actresses who grease his web series script, they came into the project after George quaintly bumped into many of them in the neighborhood.”
The film features, among others, writer and actress Tigist Selam, host of Tadias TV, who plays an Ethiopian-German character named “Bethlehem” – a role that reflects the actress’ own cultural background as half-Ethiopian and half-German. “I met Nelson George at his book signing for his new book ‘City Kid’ last year, I had just moved from Los Angeles back to New York,” Tigist says. “It turned out we lived across the street from each other.” According to the actress, this chance encounter led to her role in the movie. “We started talking about our passion for film and travel, and he told me about the idea of Left Unsaid. I immediately was interested in participating and he started to write for my character ‘Bethlehem,’ which is vaguely based on my Ethiopian and German experience. Initially it was a really small project that somehow organically grew into something much bigger. We just went with the flow and saw it beautifully unfold during the summer. I have learned so much and look forward to many more years of collaboration with Nelson.”
The event at Dash Studios on November 15th was hosted by the venue’s owner, hip-hop and media mogul Damon Dash. The evening attracted an eclectic group of guests. “Some of the attendees were my friends for many, many years and it was so beautiful to have shared that experience with them,” Tigist said. “We hope to have a screening of Left Unsaid in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles next year.’
The online series, which garnered good review at the American Black Film Festival in Miami this past summer, is now live on the web at http://www.Leftunsaidseries.com. Tigist Selam is featured in chapters 3, 4, 8, 14 & 18.
Above:Dawit Kebede, Editor of Awramba Times newspaper in
Ethiopia, was honored with CPJ’s 2010 press freedom award.
Tadias TV
Events News
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
New York (Tadias) – Ethiopian journalist Dawit Kebede, Founder and Managing Editor of Awramba Times, was one of four journalists who were honored at the Committee to Protect Journalists’ 20th Annual International Press Freedom Awards benefit dinner on the evening of Tuesday, November 23rd at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria. Dawit Kebede was one of the first journalists to be jailed for reporting on the violence following Ethiopia’s 2005 national elections. He was released two years later by presidential pardon. He continues to live and work in Addis Ababa where he publishes the last independent political Amharic newspaper in the country.
The CPJ event, which attracted nearly 1000 guests, also paid tribute to award winners Nadira Isayeva of Russia, Laureano Márquez of Venezuela and Mohammad Davari of Iran (Davari did not attend the ceremony because he remains imprisoned in Iran).
The awards dinner raised a record of nearly $1.5 million for CPJ. It was chaired by Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman and President of Sony Corporation, and hosted by former “NBC Nightly News” Anchor Tom Brokaw. The award presenters included Christiane Amanpour, Host of ABC News’ “This Week,” Victor Navasky, Chairman of the Columbia Journalism Review, and Robert Thomson, Editor-in-Chief of Dow Jones & Managing Editor of The Wall Street Journal.
Above:Dawit Kebede, Editor of Awramba Times newspaper in
Ethiopia, was honored with CPJ’s 2010 press freedom award.
Tadias Magazine
Events News
Updated: Wednesday, November 24, 2010
New York (Tadias) – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a New York-based advocacy group that monitors the well-being of media professionals around the world, held its 20th Annual Awards Dinner on Tuesday, November 23rd in New York City. The event recognized four journalists: Dawit Kebede of Ethiopia, Nadira Isayeva of Russia, Laureano Márquez of Venezuela, and Mohammad Davari of Iran, who are recipients of the 2010 International Press Freedom Award.
The awards dinner, which raised a record of nearly $1.5 million for CPJ’s work, was chaired by Sir Howard Stringer, chairman and president of Sony Corporation, and hosted by former “NBC Nightly News” anchor Tom Brokaw, replacing current NBC anchor Brian Williams, who was originally scheduled to host the evening.
According to CPJ, Dawit Kebede, who is the Founder and Managing Editor of Awramba Times, was one of the first journalists to be jailed following Ethiopia’s 2005 disputed national elections, which also resulted in the unfortunate crackdown on press freedom. “Kebede, 30, was among the last to be released under a presidential pardon nearly two years later,” CPJ notes on its web site. “Unlike many of his colleagues who went into exile, Kebede chose to stay in Ethiopia after he walked free from Addis Ababa’s Kality Prison.”
“Here are three things people should know about me,” Kebede says. “First, it is impossible for me to live without the life I have as a journalist. Second, unless it becomes a question of life and death, I will never be leaving Ethiopia. Third, I am not an opposition. As a journalist, whatsoever would be a governing regime in Ethiopia, I will never hesitate from writing issues criticizing it for the betterment of the nation.””
The organization also presented a 2009 International Press Freedom Award to J.S. Tissainayagam of Sri Lanka, who was jailed and could not accept the honor in person last year.
Here are biographies of the awardees courtsey of CPJ:
Mohammad Davari, Iran
RAHANADavari, 36, editor-in-chief of the news website Saham News, exposed horrific abuse at the Kahrizak Detention Center, videotaping statements from detainees who said they had been raped, abused, and tortured. The center was closed in July 2009 amid public uproar, but by September of that year the coverage had landed Davari in Evin Prison. Read more.
Nadira Isayeva, Russia
Isayeva, 31, editor-in-chief of the independent weekly Chernovik (Rough Draft) in the southern republic of Dagestan, has incurred the wrath of security services in Russia’s volatile North Caucasus for her relentless reporting on their handling of violence and militant Islam in the region. In 2008, authorities brought a criminal case against her under anti-extremist legislation after she published an interview with a former guerrilla leader, who accused local authorities of corruption and of being in thrall to the Kremlin. Read more.
Dawit Kebede, Ethiopia
Kebede, 30, was one of the first journalists to be jailed for independent reporting on Ethiopia’s 2005 election violence. The government rebuffed Kebede’s attempts to get a publishing license after his release but relented in the face of public pressure. Kebede launched the Awramba Times in 2008, and today it is the country’s only Amharic-language newspaper that dares question authorities. Read more.
Laureano Márquez, Venezuela
If there were an Algonquin Round Table in Caracas, Laureano Márquez would have a seat. Journalist, author, actor, and humorist, Márquez has found rich fodder in Venezuela’s idiosyncratic political landscape. He is the scourge of left-wing President Hugo Chávez and other politicians for his biting columns in the Caracas-based daily Tal Cual and other national publications. Read more.
Oakland, California, – Ethiopian author, Ato Getty Ambau, was chosen third among many candidtes who participated in an annual literary contest held by the Moonbeam Awards for this year, for his first novel entitled, Desta and King Solomon’s Coin of Magic and Fortune. He was awarded with a medal of achievement for it. The medal cermony and book-signing took place this weekend in Traverse City, Michigan at the City Opera House…
According to the orgnizers, last year they had 1500 participants in all the categories. This year, they said, because they had a lot more good competitors in YA (Young Adult literary fiction) category, they had to chose the top 4 with one of the ranking (of the three) to be a tie, which turned out to be the bronze medal or the third ranking for Getty Ambau.
The participants come from some 45 states, 5 Canadian provinces and 7 other English-speaking countries.
Mr. Getty Ambau’s book-signing was scheduled from 10:00 AM to 3:00PM and reading from his novel from 3-4PM along with others. The award cermonies will take place from 5-7 PM.
Getty Ambau is a graduate of Yale University. Even though he was educated in the natural and social sciences, his inner calling for literature prompted him to explore his hidden talent resulting in his first magical novel. His achievement is a good news for us Ethiopians as this will portray a positive image of Ethiopia and Ethiopian writers.
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The owners of District club DC9 lost a bid Wednesday to reopen after members of the District’s Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration unanimously voted to keep it shuttered in the wake of an October incident in which five club employees were accused of beating a man who died outside the popular nightspot.
District prosecutors dropped charges against the five employees on Nov. 5, saying evidence available at that point did not support the case.
The employees have said they are innocent.
DC9 is on Ninth Street near U Street in Northwest.
Another hearing on the club’s reopening is set for Dec. 1, said alcohol board spokeswoman Cynthia Simms. Read the story at The Washington Post.
Today’s photo: Friends and family stage a rally (Wednesday, November 17, 2010) Friends and family staged another rally on Wednesday morning, Nov 17 outside the hearing.
Photos by Samson Balekier.
—————-
DC9 Poised to Regain Liquor License, Ali’s Friends Prepare to Protest Tadias Magazine
Video and Editorial
Published: Sunday, November 14, 2010
New York (Tadias) – The beating death of 27-year old Ethiopian immigrant Ali Ahmed Mohammed continues to spark outrage and dismay in the Ethiopian American community. The murder charges filed against DC9 nightclub co-owner and four of its employees, which were later reduced to charges of aggravated assault, have since been dismissed entirely citing the medical examiner’s determination that the victim’s injuries were not consistent with a brutal beating.
While the liquor license for DC9 was revoked following the incident, the bar has been granted a new hearing before the city’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, scheduled for Wednesday, November 17 at 9:30 a.m. “That hearing has been set because representatives for DC9 filed a request to the board that it reconsider its Nov. 1 decision to continue the bar’s suspension for at least 30 more days,” TBD reports. “This new hearing doesn’t necessarily supplant the already scheduled Dec. 1 status hearing, but if the Board decides to go ahead and take action on the case on Wednesday, it theoretically could.”
The city’s Police Chief Cathy Lanier had acted to suspend the liquor license last month after noting the circumstances of Ali’s death on the morning of Friday, October 15, 2010. According to initial police reports, the young man who worked as a security guard at a local deli, was denied entry to the DC9 nightclub around 2:30 a.m., but he returned to throw a brick through the window. What followed next was described by Lanier as extralegal punishment against the victim. Five men chased Ali— including the club’s owner Bill Spieler and employees Darryl Carter, Reginald Phillips, Evan Preller, and Arthur Zaloga – then tackled and beat him, police said. When officers arrived, all five men were still on the scene and Ali was in critical condition, Lanier said. He was pronounced dead a short time later. “In my opinion, you talk about a beating like this as a result of property damage, someone has lost his life in a savage beating in what appears to be vigilante justice, it’s ridiculous,” the police chief had said.
Attorneys for the defendants have been aggressive in their attack of the police version of events, accusing the cops of rushing to judgement. According to the Washington City Paper, during an ABRA hearing earlier this month, “The defense played a radio call placed by the EMTs who picked up Mohammed the night he died. In a call to Howard University hospital, the emergency workers describe Mohammed as being a victim of cardiac arrest, not bludgeoning. They explain that Mohammed has had a “cardiac arrest after a fight.” They also recount that he went unconscious in the presence of police, contradicting the police version of events—which claims Mohammed was dead or very close to it when the first officer arrived on the scene. Throwing the wrench into the credibility of the EMTs, though, is the fact that they refer to the young Mohammed as a ’45-year-old.'”
Meanwhile, Ali’s parents are still awaiting proper explanation of what exactly happened to their son. Friends and family say they plan to stage another rally on Wednesday morning. At a gathering held last week outside the U.S. attorney’s office, the mother, Sashie Bule, who carried a sign bearing her son’s photo is reported by The Washington Post to have stated: “I need answers…I want to know what happened to my son. He didn’t deserve this.” Nunu Waco, Ali’s cousin, told The Washington Post, her family was shocked by the prosecutors’ decision to drop all charges. “Our family deserves better,” she said. “American citizens deserve better.”
U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. insists the investigation is continuing. “Our work is not done,” Machen said in a statement after all charges were dismissed by his office. “The tragic death of Ali Ahmed Mohammed demands that we undertake a careful and comprehensive investigation to determine precisely how he died. . . . The search for justice cannot be rushed, and we will continue to pursue an active and vigorous inquiry.”
Organizers say Wednesday’s gathering is scheduled near 12th and U street.
In the following video, Tadias TV documents the reactions of Ali’s friends and individuals in the community to the prosecutors’ decision to drop all charges.
Tadias TV: Reactions to the beating death of Ali A. Mohammed
Related News Videos:
Related: Man Died After Beating Outside DC9 Nightclub (WUSA 9)
New York (Tadias) – We recently took a quick trip to Washington’s U Street neighborhood nicknamed ‘Little Ethiopia.’ Andrew Laurence, a long time resident of D.C. – whom CNN recently called the “unofficial historian” of the block – shared with us some interesting insights.
Here is Tadias TV’s brief tour led by Andrew Laurence.
Video: Tadias TV Explores Washington’s Ethiopian Neighborhood
Above:Ethiopia’s Gebre Gebremariam poses for Tadias.com
at Queen of Sheba restaurant on Monday, November 8, 2010.
Tadias Magazine
Events News
Photos by Marie Claire Andrea
Published: Friday, November 12, 2010
New York (Tadias) – Gebre Gebremariam, last Sunday’s surprise winner of the New York City Marathon, was treated to a victory dinner on Monday night at Queen of Sheba – the popular Ethiopian restaurant located in Midtown Manhattan.
Gebremariam gave Ethiopians something to cheer about after the highly anticipated appearance by Haile Gebrselassie ended in mid-course due to injury, forcing the legendary runner to prematurely announce his retirement. He has since changed his mind about the retirement decision. Haile was also a no-show on Monday evening in Chevy Chase, Maryland, where he was the scheduled speaker at Girls Got To Run Foundation’s fundraiser. (Click here for Tadias TV’s coverage of this event)
Below are exclusive images from Gebre Gebremariam’s victory dinner at Queen of Sheba restaurant on Monday, November 8, 2010.
Gebre Gebremariam at Queen of Sheba restaurant, Nov 8.
Victory dinner for Gebre Gebremariam at Queen of Sheba in Manhattan.
Philipos Mengistu, owner of Queen of Sheba, opens the Champagne.
Cheers for Gebre Gebremariam – Winner of the 2010 New York City Marathon
Gebre Gebremariam poses with Queen of Sheba staff. (November 8, 2010)
Above:Haile Gebrselassie (L) and Derartu Tulu will represent
Ethiopia at New York City Marathon on Sunday November 7th.
Tadias Magazine
Events News
Updated: Saturday, November 6, 2010
Special Note:
Ethiopian fans plan to gather at Columbus Circle, which has bleachers set up for spectators and a special stage sponsored by Continental Airlines to provide inspiration for the final .2 miles.
You can take the 1, D, or A train to 59th (8th avenue).
Haile and Derartu Expected to Take Charge at NYC Marathon
Published: Tuesday, November 2, 2010
New York (Tadias) – Long-distance running legends Haile Gebrselassie and Derartu Tulu are widely expected to lead the charge in their respective categories at Sunday’s New York City Marathon.
Gebrselassie, who has more than 130 major-race victories under his belt and is the current world record-holder, will run the New York City Marathon for the first time. Although questions have been raised about the possibility that the double Olympic 10,000-meter gold medalist may not be able to conquer the difficult New York City Marathon route in world record time, his agent says he remains motivated and optimistic. “We have to be realistic; we know there are not that many opportunities left,” Jos Hermens of the Netherlands told The New York Times. “But in his mind, he is so competitive, he feels he can run half a minute or a minute faster in ideal conditions and in good health.” Gebrselassie will be joined by fellow Ethiopian Gebre Gebremariam and the professional men’s defending champion Meb Keflezighi of the United States, among others.
In the pro women’s field, two-time Olympic 10,000m champion Derartu Tulu, the first Ethiopian woman to win the New York City Marathon, will defend her title while leading a pack of other women from her country. Other participating Ethiopian female athletes include the 2010 Boston Marathon champion Teyba Erkesso, Werknesh Kidane, and Bronx resident Buzunesh Deba. Derartu also faces tough competition from American Shalane Flanagan, the 2008 Beijing Olympic bronze medalist, and Mary Keitany of Kenya, the 2009 World Half Marathon champion – both making their marathon debut – as well as from experienced marathoners like Ludmila Petrova and Inga Abitova of Russia.
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2010 Abebe Bikila Award Goes To Paul Tergat of Kenya
Meanwhile, one of Haile Gebrselassie’s professional rivals, Paul Tergat of Kenya – considered to be one of the most accomplished long-distance runners of all time – will receive the 2010 Abebe Bikila award for his contributions to distance running. Tergat, who retired in 2009, will be honored at a ceremony preceding the Continental Airlines International Friendship Run on Saturday, November 6, also here in New York City.
The New York Times highlights the long and friendly competition between the Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes: “Their rivalry has been one of the richest in running history and symbolizes the development of distance running by Ethiopia (Gebrselassie) and Kenya (Tergat). Over the course of a decade, Gebrselassie, 37, and Tergat, 41, ruled the distance running world,” NYT notes. “From 1996 to 2000 Gebrselassie won titles in the 10,000 meters at the world championship and Olympic Games. Tergat finished second each time. Gebrselassie set the 10,000 world record (26 minutes 43.53 seconds) in 1995 until Tergat broke the record (26:27.85) in 1997. Gebrselassie reclaimed the record (26:22.75) in 1998, now held by Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele (26:17.53).”
The annual prize , named after Ethiopian legend and double Olympic marathon winner Abebe Bikila, has been awarded to athletes since 1978, and it honors individuals who have made a significant contribution to the sport of long-distance running. Per Wiki: “Past winners of the award include: Olympic gold medallists Frank Shorter, Rosa Mota and Lasse Virén; world record breakers Paula Radcliffe, Khalid Khannouchi and Paul Tergat; and multiple major marathon winners Grete Waitz, Alberto Salazar and Joan Samuelson. While the award has typically been associated with elite level runners, particularly marathon runners, it has also been given to non-athletes. Fred Lebow – creator of the New York Marathon – became the first person to win the award who was not a professional athlete in 1995. The 2001 award was given to Mayor of New York Rudy Guiliani on the basis of his dedication to the city in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. The 2009 winner, long-time road running organizer and event director Allan Steinfeld, was the third non-professional athlete to receive the award.”
If You Go:
New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 7 Daylight savings time ends at 2:00 a.m. on Sun.,
Don’t forget to set your clocks.
Ethiopian fans plan to gather at Columbus Circle, which has bleachers set up for spectators and a special stage sponsored by Continental Airlines to provide inspiration for the final .2 miles.
You can take the 1, D, or A train to 59th (8th avenue).
Above:Marcus Samuelsson near his new Red Rooster in
Harlem. (Photo: Christian Hansen for The New York Times)
Tadias Magazine
Events News
Published: Sunday, October 31, 2010
New York (Tadias) – Red Rooster, Marcus Samuelsson’s highly anticipated new restaurant in Harlem, will open later this month.
Located at 310 Lenox Avenue, between West 125th and West 126th streets, Red Rooster pays tribute to a legendary speakeasy of the same name from the Harlem Renaissance.
For Samuelsson the goal is bigger than fine dining . “I always wanted to live in Harlem. Harlem was the community that I knew about when I was in Sweden. It was what I knew about America and African-American culture. I’ve always thought about Harlem. Harlem is not going to change because we talk about it. It’s going to change because we do something,” he had said during an interview with Tadias Magazine following the White House dinner he prepared for the Obamas’ first State Dinner last year. Samuelsson has chosen Harlem as his home and states: “I put my money in the economy. For me it’s not a PR stint. For me it’s a lifestyle. I sold my place and moved to Harlem to experience it.”
BlackAtlas.com, the premier travel website for African Americans, has produced the following video of Samuelsson giving a tour of Harlem, starting from the location of his new restaurant and passing by several popular spots including the Abesha-owned cafe Settepani, a popular hangout for Harlem’s young elite.
BlackAtlas will also hold a pre-opening celebration of Red Rooster in mid-November and invite you to participate. You may have a chance to win two tickets to NYC for the event.
For more details email Editor@blackatlas.com or click here to register.
Video: BlackAtlas.com with Chef Marcus Samuelsson
Video: Be the First to Dine at Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster Harlem
New York (Tadias) – She may not be the first Ethiopian woman pilot, but Captain Amsale Gualu Endegnanew is just as pioneering. She is the first female to become captain in the history of Ethiopian Airlines.
According to the company, the pilot was at controls of a next generation Bombardier airplane for her historic flight, which she performed over domestic routes on October 14, 2010. “Captain Amsale proudly took off her first flight from the left hand seat of the flight deck of a Q-400 aircraft from Addis Ababa to Gondar then to Axum and finally returned back to Addis Ababa after a total of 3.6 flight hours,” the airline announced in a press release.
“Captain Amsale joined Ethiopian Airlines Pilot Training School on July 10, 2000 and started her career as first officer on November 26, 2002. Since then, she has trained and worked on Fokker-50, 757 and 767 aircraft as first officer. Captain Amsale has been able to complete successfully all the necessary training requirements and passed through rigorous checks to gain her four stripes. She has a total of 4475 flight hours under her belt when she becomes the commander-in-chief of her flight.”
In a brief statement following her groundbreaking flight, Captain Amsale said this moment has been a long time coming. “It is a great privilege to become the first female captain of the national carrier,” she said. “I have been trained and passed through various ladders at Ethiopian Airlines.”
“The company has been very supportive of my efforts to realize my vision of becoming a captain,” she added.
Congratulating her on the occasion, Weyzero Elizabeth Getachew, a Senior Vice President for Human Resource Management and the highest ranking female executive in the airline said, “Captain Amsale’s success is a great achievement on her part and it is also an achievement for the airline. It is my hope that other females will be inspired by her success and Ethiopian will see more female candidates in the near future.” The country’s flag-career currently has four female pilots working as first officers.
Who is Ethiopia’s first female pilot?
Some say Weyzero Asegedech Asefa, who became a pilot post World War II, is the first Ethiopian female pilot. While others argue that Weyzero Mulumebet Emeru, whose flight training was interrupted when the Italians envaded Ethiopia in 1936, holds the title of first Ethiopian female pilot.
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More photos courtesy of Ethiopian Airlines via Nazret.com
