A US$19.5 million loan and a US$19.5 million grant from IFAD to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia will support the delivery of basic social services to some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the country – pastoralists and their families.

After the success of its first phase, the Pastoral Community Development Project will extend its reach to three times as many households.

Read more … (IFAD)

Wie der Zufall es so will, hab ich die Süddeutsche Zeitung mit in Flieger gen Ähtiopien genommen und da bin ich auf einen Artikel über Afrika gestoßen, der mir einen ganz guten Einblick gegeben hat wieso die Leute so geringe Mittel haben. Es gibt so viele Entwicklungsprogramme etc. aber anscheinend hat sich durch das Geld nichts geändert. Wen es interessiert ich hab den Artikel mal als PDF hier platziert. Für mich war er sehr aufschlussreich.

SZ_Artikel

Vielen Vielen Dank für die Kommentare. Überwältigend wie viel wahnsinniges Feedback ich von euch bekomm! DANKE!

Gruß

Mounten

What do Ethiopia, Israel and Christianity have in common? The answer is: the three are permanently ridiculed and bashed by the self-hating world liberal media,

What do negative media images, conveyed by mainstream Western Media about Ethiopia communicate? What darkness prevails in the mind of the producer(s)? What gains for whom derive from journalistic bombast and unmitigated stereotype of the whole Ethiopian nation?

Nouns and adjectives like famine, drought, hunger, disease, AIDS, tribe, tribalism, underdeveloped, third world, dictatorship, corruption, over population, war, civil war, etc., are yet pervasive when Ethiopia is the story.

Ethiopia’s image in the Western Media is not a self-portrait. It is not a what you see is what you get. Because media conditioning shapes, molds, and monopolizes those images, references to Ethiopia are received sometimes with disdain and contempt. Even some Ethiopian descendants, who have virtually no cultural and moral competence, actually contribute to how Ethiopia is projected globally. Ashamed of their recent “heritage and socioeconomic development” some popular Ethiopian news-makers and blogs side with media characterizations projected through stories, datelines, specials, documentaries and nightline episodes. This attitude, while supremely disturbing, also abets the media-as if they need assistance-in defaming Ethiopia.

Of course, I don’t dare to blame for Ethiopia’s woes solely on the Western medias. They have been sufficiently aided and abetted by inept, corrupt and short-sighted political leadership and intellectuals who in my opinion must take most of the blame. Political figures and leading personalities who sold their souls to the Devil are the first who are exposing their people to all sorts of ignorance and exploitation

Yet, this permanent portrayals of Ethiopia in a bad light can only spread and prolong ignorance in a world much closer in proximity than ever before a media industry that thrives on the negative.

Ethiopia’s negative and contrived image, promoted in the Mainstream Media, pervades the psyche, pre-empts behaviors, infers worthlessness, and devalues the mind, while it attenuates human spirituality and connectivity: key ingredients in equitable planetary wealth sharing.

I wonder why the likes of the BBC have devoted a great deal of their resources and energy toward painting Ethiopia in a negative light for such a long time.

Those so affected by this practice must not only instigate its demise, but also they must independently try to research, investigate and study why these media-outlets are meanwhile famous to report in a meanspirited manner about our country.

Ethiopians attack BBC’s doom-laden coverage

I was expecting to see Ethiopian blogs post this particular news. None of them did, what a shame!

Ethiopian tour operators, in London for this month’s World Travel Market, have addressed a furious open letter to the BBC’s Director General, concerning the Corporation’s recent coverage of the drought in Ethiopia. The letter, signed by some 25 companies, accuses the BBC of casually dramatizing its broadcasts with footage from the infamous 1984 famine.

“Ethiopia,” they wrote, “has changed beyond all recognition since 1984, yet the BBC insists on showing images from that time. They are very intrusive and are deeply upsetting to many millions of Ethiopians.”

But beyond the matter of stung pride, the tour operators insist that the “doom-laden scenario” implied by the BBC’s use of old newsreel damages the national image, deterring foreign investment and scaring off tourists. “Investment, trade and tourism are key to Ethiopia’s development,” they claim “more so than aid.”

Which is true. The tourism industry currently accounts for approximately five per cent of Ethiopia’s GDP and tourism is a “featured component” of the government’s Poverty Reduction Strategy. With about 400,000 tourists a year, the country is still not exactly a hotspot, but adroit marketing of events like the 2007 ‘millennium’ and the annual Addis ‘Marathon’ (10km) have seen visitor numbers increase steadily over the last five years (visitors, incidentally, who invariably comment on green the country is).

Continue reading…

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The natural beauty of Ethiopia amazes the first-time visitor. Ethiopia is a land of rugged mountains ( some 25 are over 4000 meters high) broad savannah, lakes and rivers. The unique Rift Valley is a remarkable region of volcanic lakes, with their famous collections of birdlife, great escarpments and stunning vistas. Tisisat, the blue Nile falls, must rank as one of the greatest natural spectacles in Africa today. With 14 major wildlife reserves, Ethiopia provides a microcosm of the entire subsaharan ecosystem. Birdlife abounds, and indigenous animals from the rare Walia ibex to the shy wild ass, roam free just as nature intended. Ethiopia, after the rains, is a land decked with flowers and with many more native plants than most countries in Africa. Among the many natural tourist attractions only the principal ones are briefly given below.

THE BLUE NILE FALLS

The river Nile, over 800km in length within Ethiopia and the longest river in Africa, holds part of its heart in Ethiopia. From lake Tana  the Blue Nile, known locally as Abbay, flows for 800 km within Ethiopia to meet the white Nile in Khartoum to form the great river that gives life to Egypt and the Sudan. It has been said that the Blue Nile contributes up to 80% of the Nile’s flow. The Blue Nile Falls are about an hour by tour bus from Bahar Dar. Known locally as Tis Isat, the falls are over 400m (1312ft) wide and 45m (148ft) deep. Because of a series of dams near Bahar Dar, they aren’t as impressive as they used to be. Nowhere, is it more spectacular than where it thunders over the Tisisat Falls literally ” Smoking Water” – near Bahar Dar. Here millions of gallons of water cascade over the cliff face and into a gorge, creating spectacular rainbows, in one of the most awe-inspiring displays in Africa.

The Blue Nile falls can easily be reached from Bahir Dar and the Scenic beauty of the Blue Nile Gorge, 225km from Addis Ababa, can be enjoyed as part of an excursion from the capital.

THE SOFOMAR CAVE

Sof Omar, a tiny Muslim village in Bale, is the site of an amazing complex of natural caves, cut  by the Wab River as it found its way from the nearby mountains. The settlement, which is a religious site, is named after a local Sheikh.

Armed with torches and official map, visitors to Sof Omar make their way underground, far into the  bowels of the earth, beside a subterranean stream, and there can see an  extraordinary number of arched portals, high eroded ceilings and deep echoing chambers.

THE RIFT VALLEY

The Ethiopian Rift Valley, which is part of the famous East African Rift Valley, comprises numerous hot springs, beautiful lakes and a variety of wildlife. The valley is the result of two parallel faults in the earth’s surface between which, in distant geological time, the crust was weakened, and the land subsided. Ethiopia is often referred to as the ” water tower” of Eastern Africa because of the many rivers that pour off the high tableland. The Great Rift Valley’s passage through Ethiopia is marked by a chain of seven lakes.

Each of the seven lakes has its own special life and character and provids ideal habitats for the exuberant variety of flora and fauna that make the region a beautiful and exotic destination for tourists.

Most of the lakes are suitable and safe for swimming other water sports. Besides, lakes Abiata and Shalla are ideal places for bird watchers. Most of the Rift Valley lakes are not fully exploited for touristic purposes except lake Langano where tourist class hotels are built. The Rift Valley is also a site of numerous natural hot springs & the chemical contents of the hot springs are highly valued for their therapeutic purposes though at present they are not fully utilized. In short, the Rift Valley is endowed with many beautiful lakes , numerous hot springs, warm and pleasant climate and a variety of wildlife. It is considered as one of the most ideal areas for the development of international tourism in Ethiopia.

LUCY

Lucy, 3.5 million years old, and the recent discovery Ramides, 4.4 million years old hominid fossil, are discovered in Haddar, along the Awash River, east of the country. They completed the missing link between Apes and men.

Melka Konture is also an important archeological site where 1.5 million years old stone tools were found. Several cave paintings and stone monuments are found in different parts of the country like Dilla, southern Ethiopia and Dire Dawa, eastern Ethiopia.

HOMINIDS

Fragments of a frontal bone and of a femur were recovered in the Pliocene Formations of Maka. In the Middle Pliocene Formation of Bodo d’Ar, dated to 300,000 – 150,000 years, a frontal and other remains of a human skull were discovered in 1976. This fossil probably belongs to an archaic Homo Sapiens.

HOMO SAPIENS SAPIENS

The fossil skulls known as Omo I and II come from the kibish formation (200,000/100,000 years ago) in the Omo Valley. Not withstanding the presence of some archaic features, such as the thickness of the cranial walls, the appearance of modern anatomical features, the elevated frontal and the presence on the mandible of Omo I of a real bony chin, allow them to be considered, without doubt, close to Homo Sapiens Sapiens.
Up on request, Grand Holidays Ethiopia can arrange a tour program to discover these archeological sites if necessary with a combination of other attractions.

Lots of good news is on the way, but isn’t it best to get the bad stuff out of the way first? Yeah, I thought so too.

• When I went to make arrangements to have my furniture made (I realize that falls into the “good news” category, but wait a second and you’ll understand), I accidentally told the guy that I would pay him 1000 birr (about $90) more than I was saying in my head. I went out, thinking that it was all good until Kebede told me that I did “one bad thing.” Bummer. Hopefully we’ll get it straightened out tomorrow…
• I had to fire Dawit (my little 11-year old boy that helped Zenabu in the garden) today. This is the 4th time I’ve had to talk to him about sitting around while I’m paying him to work. I felt kinda like I was killing the kid, but he handled it better than I did.
• I leave on Sunday for a week in Dilla, where I will be attending a CHE training. I chose to put this in the “bad news” category, because I’m not at all excited about it yet. I’m traveling with someone that I can’t talk to, and have absolutely no idea when/where/how anything is happening for the whole week (aka, no control. I’ve never really thought of myself as a control freak, but maybe I am!)
• My wireless internet is on the fritz and I have no idea how to fix it, and only 1 ½ days before I leave for Dilla. A whole week without internet would be hard….

And onto the good news!

• I survived my first major holiday away from home, and it was great! I had clinic all day(that needs a post of its own), then Mary dropped me off at the hospital where I had a fantastic meal with that crew. And I wasn’t even homesick! I’m not sure I’ll be singing the same tune at Christmas.
• However, I might actually be happy at Christmas, because my friend is one step closer to being able to come! He just has to figure out how to get some frequent flyer miles from the account of one of his family members (with her permission, of course) into his. If he comes, he’ll fly in on Christmas Eve night. That means I’ll be in Addis (yuck) for Christmas, but I’ll be with a friend from home!
• I ordered furniture for my living room.
• Arrangements are currently being made to paint my living room in the next few weeks.
• My mom is sending me cute curtains for Christmas.
• My uncle is feeling good after his second chemo treatment. 
• Baby Sophie is super cute and so fun.
• Kebede and I went to the driving school today, and procured the driving manual (in Amharic, which Kebede will translate for me) AND my learner’s permit! Which means I can drive myself around! Of course I had a freak-out moment and made Kebede drive for the rest of the day, but that’s apparently just how I work. I’m sure that as I get more used to the idea, I’ll be ok.
• Depending on her health, Mary is thinking about going to clinic twice a week after Christmas.
• The weather here this time of year is perfect—70’s and sunny.
• God is good.
• I’m where I’m supposed to be.
• I am redeemed, restored, and forgiven!

When the power goes off in the office it feels like we’re in a submarine. (I haven’t actually ever been in one, but I have watched Das Boot).

There are no external windows in my office, just one small sky light that lets in an orange gloom and intermittent electrical bleeps to remind us that there is no electricity.

Yesterday afternoon the power disappeared so I went in search of sunlight in the HR assistants office.

She keeps asking me if she can buy my hair. I wanted to know what the going rate was and whether it would cover an airfare home.

We settled on 5000 Birr (about £250), and she thought it would last five years. But then she began to question whether it would be strong enough, or if it would get too frizzy, which I think was possibly a clever psychological ploy to actually get me to go through with it; because I was tempted, just for a moment, to prove that my hair would make a good quality wig.

Done on Abid at home. Tried to follow Zane’s instructions but the resultant bloom and slurry don’t seem right when I do it. Despite this the cup is nice. But I will have to troublehoot on Saturday, if I can get to TIBS…  Tomorrow I am stuck in cath lab all day.

The Ethiopian flag contains the universally recognised tri-colours (green, yellow, and red). Different regimes have always embellished it with emblems that define their political ideology. The founding fathers of the nation chose those tri-colours for political and religious reasons. The flag gave legitimacy to their monarchical rule and authenticity to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which practices a unique brand of Christianity, the official religion of the monarchy until 1974 – the military junta (1974–91) ended the church’s monopoly as a state religion.

Some foreigners, who love reggae music and admire Rastafarianism, have no clue that the tri-colours, which Bob Marley popularised, actually represent Ethiopia. I have met many people, young and old, who thought the tri-colours were Marley’s patented colours; little did they know that both Marley and the Rastafarians drew their inspiration from Ethiopia, which also inspired Marcus Garvey, the early ‘back to Africa’ campaigner whose teachings influenced generations of African-Americans and other black people.

THE FLAG AS A SYMBOL OF NATIONAL PRIDE

Classic poems have been written revering the flag. Many writers and patriots throughout the world still squeeze their last drops of inks to coin mighty words of praise for their flags.

The flag is synonymous with the nation. It defines the nation; the nation is the flag. Otherwise, angry protesters across the world would not bother burning it in order to release their anger, to express their frustration and to send a strong message to the particular nation they strongly oppose or detest. The flag epitomises nationalism and patriotism. It reflects almost everything that the nation consists of: the constitution, the government, the mainstream culture, the politics, the militarism, and the diversity or singularity of the people. It is not without reason that the flag is displayed almost everywhere in a given nation: from one’s bedroom (not to mention one’s underwear, necklaces, bracelets or wrist bands) to major public spaces.

Sports events and other activities that stir the national consciousness are always decorated with national flags. For example, it is common to see Ethiopia’s world class athletes shed joyful tears during the green-yellow-red flag-hanging ceremonies after their major international wins. Those droplets of joyful tears have the power to agitate even the least patriotic person. Another great example is the United Nations. What makes the UN most special is the display of flags of the many nations.

The flag (along with maps, anthems, the constitution, historical relics and other national symbols) gives legitimacy to the sovereignty of the state. People throughout the world have paid a bloody price for their flags. At every national struggle, either peaceful or violent, flags are always present, symbolising the strength of the struggle.

For the ideologist or politician, the flag is a potent weapon with which to mobilise people and to rejuvenate a group consciousness. The flag embeds within itself the spirit of togetherness among different groups despite conflicting interests. It is a connecting thread. It transcends barriers. It serves as a guiding star of the nation, whether oppressive or democratic.

The flag motivates the individual to persevere, and to either win or lose as part of the group that he or she belongs to. For instance, Abdissa Aga, the famous Second World War Ethiopian hero, was captured by fascist Italy during occupation and taken to a notorious prison in Sicily, but later escaped and became the leader of international dissidents, former prisoners like him. He and his colleagues fought against the fascist forces in both Italy and Germany, collaborating with the Allied forces. He surprised the British and the Americans, who gave him the rank of major. His group finally liberated Rome from the hands of the fascists and he drove around the city waving the Ethiopian flag. This same brave man, who deeply loved the flag, his country and his people, was later to be oppressed and stripped of his title upon his return by the then aristocrats, who considered his international stature a threat to their position and who perhaps thought of him as a second-class citizen because of his ethnic background: he was an Oromo from Wellega, Western Ethiopia.[1]

Unfortunately, there has always been outrageous discrimination based on ethnicity in Ethiopia. Even the supposedly socialist regime did not escape from suppressing those who advocated for regional autonomy because of its fear that regionalism could overshadow Ethiopian nationalism, though in its final days it tried to negotiate with regionalists, but it was too late. Also today the status quo remains the same, despite having a regime that apparently recognises ethnic self-determination and acknowledges the historical marginalisation of the oppressed. The Zenawi regime ironically continues to repeat the same old mentality that politics is a zero-sum game and one group is destined to dominate others undemocratically. The constitution, which the regime fails to fully implement, acknowledges and states in its preamble:

‘Fully cognizant that our common destiny can best be served by rectifying historically unjust relationships and by further promoting our shared interests; convinced that to live as one economic community is necessary in order to create sustainable and mutually supportive conditions for ensuring respect for our rights and freedoms and for the collective promotion of our interests … have therefore adopted this constitution.’[2]

Nevertheless, the rule of law and free and fair elections, which are the basic requirements of any democracy, are yet to be realised in Ethiopia.

THE FLAG AS A SYMBOL OF NATIONAL DISCONTENT

As much as the flag is a symbol of liberty and a source of national pride, it also carries the ills of the nation; it reminds of oppression, and awakens old wounds. For example, in the United States, while ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ stands for freedom, the Confederate flag represents a legacy of racism and slavery. Particularly for black people, the latter revives old memories, scars of racial and economic marginalisation.

No doubt that the Ethiopian flag is the most politicised national symbol. The whole burden of Ethiopian nationalism rests heavily on it. It is not an exaggeration to say that the flag is at the centre of the Ethiopian political crisis.

For Ethiopian conservatives, the national flag means the blood their ancestors spilled to build the empire and to free it from the jaws of external forces. It is the most idolised, perhaps next to God. Such idolisation has the potential to justify historical injustices and to only glorify the past, regardless of its contradictions.

Right-wing nationalists still hold a grudge against Zenawi, who once bashed the flag as ‘a piece of rag’. This statement and the ’self-determination up to secession’ phrase in the constitution are perhaps the two most debated issues, other than the 2005 election, that have earned the former rebel the title, ‘anti-Ethiopia’.

A blogger for nazret.com once wrote:

‘If things were to be judged by their prices, one of Zenawi’s winter-time jackets would have been more valuable than a nylon flag. But that is not the case. When hard-line Somalians got angry at Meles led military intervention in their country, they did not look for one of his most expensive suits; they simply burned our Green-Yellow-Red because it stands for Ethiopianism.’[3]

A supporter of Zenawi fired back:

‘The reality is that during a televised debate about the state of the union of Ethiopia’s Nations, Nationalities and Peoples, the Prime Minister, in good faith, remarked that the moot point was not the fabric but what it carried with it. While his government had no qualms as far as the tri-color was concerned, today’s Ethiopians were unwilling to come under the oppressive rule of an outlandish Lion embossed on the flag.’[4]

One of the few successes of the military junta, or the Dergue, was its validation of the flag as the ultimate manifestation of Ethiopian nationalism. The popular motto ‘One Ethiopia or death!’ was to defend the flag but not the constitution, which did not even exist until the regime’s last days. The junta exploited the inflated nationalism to effectively mobilise the largest army in Africa during the Cold War era. Some sympathisers of the Dergue justify its crimes, arguing that it was okay for the regime to kill, bomb or destroy its own people because it fought against rural and urban guerrillas that threatened ‘Ethiopia’s unity and the flag’. It seems they are unaware that it is the rule of law that keeps people together and protects the flag, but not the other way around; the bloodthirsty dictator only brought his own demise in the end. If one has to agree with Mengistu’s sympathisers, then one will have no choice but to accept Zenawi’s justification of locking up or destroying his opponents; after all, he also does it in the name of Ethiopia.

For the proponents of ethnic self-determination, the national flag is the ultimate symbol of the contradictory nature of the Ethiopian state. The sociologist Asafa Jalata, an Oromo nationalist, argues, ‘Although the historical meaning of Ethiopia is applicable to all Black peoples, its contemporary meaning applies mainly to Amharas and Tigrayans, who have successively dominated Ethiopian state power.’[5] This statement also implies that the national flag and other symbols that represent the state belong to the two mentioned groups.

Although the two ethnic groups dominated state power, it is actually difficult to talk about contemporary Ethiopia without mentioning the numerous contributions of Oromos and other ethnicities that willingly or unwillingly participated in the making of the Ethiopian state. One of the notorious generals of Menelik II, Gobena Dache, for example, was an Oromo who succeeded in defeating forces that resisted surrendering to the king, though some Oromo nationalists consider him a sell-out who betrayed his own people.[6] It is believed that even Haile Sellasie had an Amhara, Gurage and Oromo heritage, though he dedicated his entire life to building an Amharic-speaking, Orthodox Christian nation like his predecessors; he was an ambitious empire builder who strongly believed in a unitary state.

There were many notable Oromos and non-Oromos, including Eritreans, who sacrificed their lives while serving Ethiopia during and after the Italian invasion. When Haile Sellasie fled the country to save his life and to appeal to the League of Nations in 1936, what gave the Italians a heart attack was the resistance of rebels, comprised of various ethnic groups, such as the forgotten patriot Jagama Kello, whom the BBC profiled recently. These rebels fiercely engaged and obliterated the fascist forces from day one. But, unfortunately, Haile Sellasie, upon his return from exile, mistreated most of them because they advocated for a fair and democratic system, which the monarch saw it as a threat to his supremacy; some, such as Belay Zeleke, were even noosed because they dared to challenge his unjust rule and shameless favouritism.

The student movement that led to the overthrow of the Haile Sellasie regime was also the product of the majority of ethnicities inside Ethiopia.

It is true that despite all the sacrifices made in the name of Ethiopia, there has been an unequal distribution of power and wealth in the country. Even if that is the case, the solution is not to utterly abandon the idea that today’s Ethiopia belongs to both the oppressed and the oppressor. The acknowledgement of historical injustices and a formal reconciliation must be considered, which will not only resolve the national crisis but will also reaffirm the historical meaning of Ethiopia, a land that belongs to all black people. Today’s Ethiopia belongs to all of us and we all must fight for it. Those of us in the diaspora (left or right) must help those inside the country (either political parties or NGOs) financially, morally and through the transfer of knowledge. Those that fight for freedom inside the country are the ones who will ultimately bring the change we all desire. Preaching dangerous politics while enjoying our comfortable life in the West will only make matters worse domestically. It won’t help our poor people who have been behind bars despite regime changes.

BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL

The official flag of the monarchy, which had the Lion of Judah emblem, signified the link between the church, the state and the people. The flag’s symbolism further validated the legend that the monarch descended directly from the kingdom of Solomon and that his God-given power was unquestionable.

After Menelik II, the rise of Haile Sellasie to power and his effective foreign diplomacy and domestic centralisation further popularised the flag. The tri-colours on the flag had green for land and hope, yellow for church, peace, natural wealth and love, and red for power and faith. Additionally, the colours also had a religious connotation, symbolising the Trinity.[7]

Once the military junta deposed the monarchy, it removed the Lion of Judah emblem from the flag, and eventually replaced it with its version of a socialist emblem. The military interpreted the tri-colours as green for the fertility of the land, yellow for freedom, and red for the blood sacrificed to keep the nation together.[8]

Today, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church remains the definitive custodian of the feudal tradition; it is common to find the Lion of Judah flag displayed in some churches. In addition, Rastafarians and admirers of Haile Sellasie also revere this old flag; nevertheless, as mentioned earlier, those against the old system unequivocally reject it and they have their reasons.

The former rebels that now control state affairs have also modified the flag, replacing the socialist emblem with their version while keeping the tri-colours.

According to the current constitution (Article 3), ‘The Ethiopian flag shall reflect the hope of the Nations, Nationalities, Peoples, and religious communities of Ethiopia to live together in equality and unity.’[9]

Undeniably, there has been a significant change in the country, though most of it is still on paper. However, despite the progressive constitution that we currently have, which is subject to amendments, the country has not yet declared the superiority of the law above the individual who rules. The individual, either the local policeperson or the prime minister of the country, is still above the law practically. The democratisation process has not gone past its baby steps.

The rule of law, free and fair elections, accountability and transparency seem dreams that may not come true anytime soon, even if the current regime is replaced. In a country where the adult literacy rate is 36 per cent (according to UNICEF’s 2000–07 report), where the citizens are not fully aware of their rights and responsibilities engraved in the constitution, and where the constitution’s superiority has not been genuinely declared, we will have a long walk to freedom. Ethiopia not only needs a non-violent political change, but also a non-violent cultural revolution. We have to renew our mentality. Sometimes, just like in any other Third World country, being in Ethiopia is like being one or two centuries behind the rest of the world. I would not be surprised if my hairs turn grey, like my father, without witnessing a fully democratised Ethiopia, where non-partisan politicians reign and where the police understand the meaning of human rights.

Pessimism aside, I do believe that Ethiopian politicians (left and right) have a better chance today to move the country towards democracy. If they sincerely dedicate themselves to democratic ideals, they have the power to make the Ethiopian dream come true, and that, in my hope, is establishing a truly democratic state. An opportunistic mindset and ego aside, if they work together, then miracles can happen in that country.

Some, who oppose the current regime, advocate that Ethiopia must copy Ghana’s centralist system. I am sure there is a lot Ethiopia can learn from Ghana, especially in the fields of building democratic institutions and respecting the rule of law, two of the many qualities that have made Ghana a shining star in the continent. However, it can be dangerous to wholeheartedly imitate Ghana’s centralist policies. Ethiopia has already welcomed a federal system that favours decentralisation in theory, though this has not been yet fully realised practically. In addition, everything that works in Ghana may not work in Ethiopia; the two countries have evident cultural and historical differences. I would argue that Ethiopia, as the second most populous country in Africa, could draw better lessons from other democratic yet federalist countries such as Canada, India, South Africa or the USA, whose diversity/geography-based political systems resemble ours comparatively. Nevertheless, the solution to end Ethiopia’s political crisis is not to simply imitate other countries but to look at our own values and traditions and to combine these native ideas with what we have learned or have borrowed from outsiders. We have been imitating others throughout our history; it is now time to think and act locally, while keeping our eyes open on the global.

One of the successes of ethnic federalism, despite its obvious failures, is that it has revived an ethnic consciousness and has ingrained the idea of self-rule in the minds of Ethiopia’s diverse ethnic groups: two issues that are a ‘dream come true’ for the historically marginalised but a ‘nightmare’ for the historically dominant ethnic elites. Today, neither bringing back the Lion of Judah nor playing the pseudo-socialist or pseudo-democratic trick will have the significance to make the country a better place. However, in order to positively exploit the growing ethnic nationalism in Ethiopia, we have to come up with a better and all-encompassing democratic system, which can fully address present and future challenges. We must come into contact with reality and accept the fact that we cannot return back to square one. We must compromise, see the long-term benefits and advocate for the supremacy of the rule of law, which will have the power to decide whether we should redesign the national flag or should keep it the way it looks now.

Politics aside, we all know that the Rastafarians use the tri-colours in the spirit of love and peace. After what Ethiopia has gone through, every Ethiopian, I am sure, is tired of old politics. It is time for change, time for a renewed Ethiopia. I believe the Ethiopian union is worth keeping, but should we want the union to prevail, we shall have to advocate for a real change to come, a change that leaves no room for dictatorship and corruption. Let the spirit of love guide us. As Erich Fromm once said, ‘love is a union with somebody, or something, outside oneself, under the condition of retaining the separateness and integrity of one’s own self.’

Let’s say goodbye to the age-old Ethiopian mentality: character assassination, suspicion, vengeance, finger-pointing, holier-than-thou trickery, cynicism, stubbornness, empty pride, infighting, hate mongering and self-denial. Let’s instead listen to each other, respect one another, compromise, genuinely acknowledge past and present failures, reconcile, trust one another, forgive, celebrate our differences, agree to disagree, encourage a culture of debate or dialogue, walk the talk and advocate for the supremacy of the rule of law more than anything else!

Original Post at PAMBAZUKA NEWS

NOTES
[1] Abdissa Aga an Ethiopian Hero, Fikre Tolossa, http://www.fettan.com/Documents/Abdissa_Aga_an_Ethiopian_Hero.doc
[2] The Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, http://www.law.ugent.be/pub/nwr/elw/MainConstitutionpage.htm
[3] http://www.nazret.tk/
[4] http://addisfortune.tk/
[5] Being in and out of Africa: the Impact of Duality of Ethiopianism, Asafa Jalata, Journal of Black Studies, (Nov 2009)
[6] A critical review of the political and stereotypical portrayals of the Oromo in the Ethiopian Historiography, Jeylan Welyie Hussein, Nordic Journal of African Studies 15(3): 256-276 (2006), http://www.njas.helsinki.fi/pdf-files/vol15num3/wolyie.pdf
[7] http://www.crwflags.com/FOTW/flags/et.html
[8] See [7]
[9] See [2]

The holidays are around the corner and advertisements are now seen and heard everywhere – on radios, TV and online. Therefore, I decided to discuss about advertisements and marketing in North America. Yes, in North America, I noticed that the advertisements are not the same as what I grew up with. The ads here are intended to scare people into action. So, here is my rant about advertisements from my point of view.

Ethiopian Ads
Growing up in Ethiopia, I really enjoyed watching advertisements on TV. For instance, I remember a Pepsi commercial featuring Pele, the greatest soccer player of all time. We would watch the slow motion kick of Pele and how he enjoyed drinking Pepsi after the game. I and all my friends consumed so many bottles of Pepsi during our teens, just to imitate Pele. Yes, the ad worked for Pepsi. It was innocent – kids and grown ups fell for it.

Radio Talk Shows
The scary thing is, it seems that many people are unable or unwilling to draw the distinction between entertainment and information, and for them talk radio shows become less about entertainment and more about providing them insight. The type of insight which is based upon rumor, falsehoods, distortions and flat out lies. The type of insight which makes me question the true intelligence of the common man. The type of insight, which reaffirms my belief that the ignorant and the uneducated are easily influenced by those who are adept at preying upon fear.

I admit that if I’m near a radio, I will sometimes tune to talk radio to be entertained … but that is where it stops. I admit and recognize that talk radio exists for one true purpose, and that purpose is to entertain rather than inform. If you want to be informed you can listen to the news, if you want to be entertained (and you aren’t particularly interested in sports), you have talk radio.

On talk radio shows, you can hear how they believe one political party is the source of all that is evil and how if you don’t vote for the other party your children and grandchildren will be those that suffer. Time after time, after time, if you toss aside all of the fluff and excess, when you objectively look at any given subject you will find the basis is nothing other than fear. The pundits know if they can scare the listener, that listener will keep coming back for more.

Fear, Fear and Fear
Because when you really boil it all down, that is what it is all about … fear. You can listen to the programs themselves and hear about how a certain disease (say H1N1) or a specific government program are going to ruin our way of life.

Nowhere is this concept more obvious than the one time you would expect the theme of fear to be absent. I’m talking about the commercial breaks in between segments, and if you take some time to actually listen, you will soon discover that the advertisers have found a niche market, and that niche involves the concept of fear.

Millions upon millions of dollars in advertising are spent every year, and it is very obvious that those marketing firms know the true demographic listening to talk radio at any given point is one built upon fear – thus they cater to, and profit from, that demographic.

Don’t believe me? Take a look at the list below of some of the advertisements presented during the commercial breaks of talk radio shows and TV programs.

• Alarm Force – appealing to the fear of burglary or home invasion.

• Tax Planning – appeals to the fear of Revenue Canada “stealing” money or leaving a person destitute.

• Various Gold Investing Firms – preying upon the loss of net worth in the stock market and retirement plans. Also suggests the apocalyptic scenario where paper money holds no value.

• Law Firms specializing in Personal Injury Lawsuits – Appeals to the fear that surviving family members might not be taken care of in the case of severe disability or *gasp* death. Also appeals the desire to hold someone or something else accountable for anything bad which might happen in one’s life.

• Life Insurance – again this appeals to the fear that loved ones won’t be financially secure if the primary bread winner is no longer around to provide.

• Carbonite Online Backup Software – appeals to the fear that a computer will crash resulting in the loss of financial data, vital documents, or irreplaceable files, photos etc.; encouraging people to sign up for their services.

• Medications – appeals to the fear that health problems (namely cancer) will end a life prematurely.

• Debt Management and Debt Collections services – appeals to the fear that ‘evil’ corporations will take all of a persons earnings leaving them with nothing.

• Legal Will – appeals to the fear that a person will die without a proper will or living trust being established. Also appeals to the fear the government will seize assets leaving surviving family members with nothing.

• Performance Enhancers for Men – making older men fear that they won`t be able to do it when the time is ready for action

• Financial Institutions – scaring people by saying … “in this economy” … in every sentence

So, as you can see, between disaster coverage, legal services, and various forms of self protection services, all of these products have one thing in common. They all appeal to some level of fear.

Now, if this were only a small percentage of the ads or if I cherry picked these ads over a period of two or three months, it might not be all that indicative of a larger issue, but the fact is every single one of these advertisements were heard within 90 minutes of talk radio. Not 90 days, not 90 hours – but 90 minutes. On other days, you might be able to hear the same ads or slight variations of them time and time again, and there were very few other ads that weren’t based in some way upon fear.

On the radio, I never heard a commercial about cleaning products, toothpaste, tea, coffee, gasoline or shampoo.

Conclusion
Time and time again, day after day, the vast majority of ads I ever hear pertain to fear, and the only logical conclusion that can be reached is that advertisers know the target core demographic that tunes into talk radio on a daily basis is scared. They might be scared about their finances or scared about their health or scared about the government, about home security, or maybe just scared about common sense or logic – but in some way these people are scared.

So, if the advertisers know it, doesn’t it make sense that the talk radio hosts know it as well? Don’t kid yourself – they know it, they count on it, and they prey upon it… that much is certain. So, maybe the next time you hear someone quote something direct from the mouth of a talk radio host, you should ask yourself … what are they afraid of?

Yes, I now think that you agree with me that fear sells!

My next blog entry will be on Thursday December 03, 2009.

Mullkam Samint!

Wie oft liest oder hört man von den ärmlichen Verhältnissen in Afrika, Asien usw. und in diesem Zusammenhang auch das Wort „Unvorstellbar“. Die Bedeutung von diesem Wort erhält hier noch mal ein ganz ganz anderes Gewicht, vor allem wenn man hautnah dabei ist und sich die unvorstellbaren Verhältnisse mit eigenen Augen ansieht.

Die letzten Tage haben wir die ersten Familien im Mercato besucht, deren Kind durch BCV unterstütz wird um ein kurzes Interview über die aktuelle Situation zu führen und ich portraitiere das ganze ein bisschen mit der Kamera. Einige Kinder haben einen Paten in Deutschland und diese erhalten durch das Interview und die Fotos einen kleinen Einblick in die Familie ihres Patenkindes.

Schlafplatz für zwei Leute

Normalität, wenn vier Leute in einem Bett schlafen oder auf einem, mit ein bisschen Stroh gefüllten, großen Getreidesack als Matratze dienend dem Boden liegen. Die einzige Einnahmequelle ist im Mercato das die Familien Betten vermieten, dh es gibt in ihrer Hütte vlt zwei Betten und eines davon wird vermietet für 2 Birr (12 Cent), dafür schläft die Familie dann auf dem Boden. Diese 2 Birr sind die kompletten Einnahmen für einen Tag. Ein Zimmer, 3m x 4m, darin zwei Betten für die Eltern und zwei Kinder…..genau und eines davon wird vermietet. Das sind Gegebenheiten die „UNVORSTELLBAR“ sind und für mich auch wenn ich es gesehen habe nicht greifbar und das ist ein Grund weshalb die Bedeutung für mich ein anderes Gewicht bekommt. Mercato ist in Addis schon ein heißes Pflaster, auch aufgrund der ganz geringen Einnahmen der Leute. Yesi, eine Köchin im Projekt, ist einfach nur der WAHNSINN, super Interessiert und versucht immer mit mir Englisch zu reden, „Martin….sit down, Mini Bus …NO…bag…NO…..thief….sit down…Martin….NO…Handy…“ und deutet mit Händen und Füßen, so warnt Sie mich jeden Tag, nicht müde werdend, vor dem gefährlichen Mercato. Yesi ist auch ein super Beispiel wie freundlich und sympathisch die Äthiopier sind. Oft wirst du gefragt wie dir das Land und Addis gefällt, wenn du positiv antwortest, dann sind Sie unheimlich Stolz. Man muss wissen das die Äthiopier ein wahnsinnig stolzes Volk sind und nichts darüber kommen lassen, somit wachsen Sie natürlich noch mal um ein paar Zentimeter wenn der Färänschi(Ausländer) von IHREM land begeistert ist, und ich bin wirklich fasziniert.

Yesi...der Kitchen-Wahnsinn

Diese Faszination will ich natürlich auch versuchen Bildlich festzuhalten um euch auch einen visuellen Eindruck senden zu können.

Da muss ich kurz einen Einwurf bringen, ich möchte mich bedanken beim Amerikanischen Verteidigungsministerium, die haben die ersten Schritte des Internets ausgetragen, Wikipedia für diese Information, Skype für den Kontakt zu meiner Homebase……..Spaß bei Seite. Es ist wirklich schon ein Segen, das Internet, wenn man bedenkt ich bin so weit weg und doch so nah dran an der Heimat.

Ich habe jetzt mal eine kleine Gallery mit Bildern hochgeladen, es beschränkt sich noch Großteils auf Portraits was ich auch wahnsinnig gern mache aber das Straßenleben muss ich selber erst noch ordnen bevor ich es festhalte. Der sympathische Herr am Schluss war einfach nur der Wahnsinn, er wusste die Namen und das Alter seiner Kinder nicht und musste immer seine Frau rufen, den Namen wusste er glücklicherweise…urfair oder einfach nur UNVORSTELLBAR.

Photo Gallery One

Merci für die Kommentare….Amaseghenalu(wird vlt au anderst geschrieben)

die besten Grüße in alle Richtungen

Mounten (Martin)

In one of the first comments I ever received on this blog I was asked to describe how coming to Ethiopia changed the preconceived images of the country I had in my mind. Unfortunately I was unable to do so because I was born in Ethiopia. Fortunately I have some nice friends who were willing to take the time to describe their personal experiences.

The following post has been written by Steve Strauss, a very good friend who lived and worked in Ethiopia for over 15 years.

When I first came to Ethiopia in 1982, I had a lot of preconceived images of the country. Some of those images turned out to be accurate, but many of them needed significant correction.

Because I had been to other African countries, I knew that there would be a mix of wealth and poverty and educated and less-educated. I also knew that I would have much to learn from Ethiopian believers and Ethiopian culture. But what I didn’t realize was how much living in Ethiopia would transform my worldview in fundamental ways. I came to teach, but realizing there was much to learn so that I could teach more effectively. I didn’t realize that I had much to learn—and not just to make me a more effective teacher. I needed to change in very basic ways, and Ethiopia was my teacher.

For example, in Ethiopia I saw true, genuine sacrificial giving in a way I had never known before. I saw people willing to give and share what they had, even if it was very little. I saw a hospitality that went so far beyond what I had previously experienced that the word took on almost a whole new meaning for me.

In another example, I experienced an awareness of God’s intervention in life and a dependence on God to care for us an intervene in our behalf in far deeper ways that I had every imagined. I saw examples of prayer that demonstrated what true faith and trust in God really looked like. I even came to understand Scripture in a more profound way because I felt I was seeing it through the eyes of people who were much more like the original readers, people who had nothing else but God to depend on. Ethiopia, especially the Ethiopian church, taught me about prayer and dependence on God.

A final example: In Ethiopia I learned more about true worship of God, worship with one’s whole being, worship that embraced the whole body—with all its senses—and emotions as well as the mind. Both Marcia and I testify that our experience of coming to know God in Spirit-filled worship would be greatly impoverished if not for our years in Ethiopia.

The change in my stereotype: I came to Ethiopia primarily seeing people as students; Ethiopia, instead, became my life-long teacher.

Steve Strauss

Launching the ‘Millions Fed’ book in Addis Ababa yesterday, Ethiopian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development H.E Ato Tefera Derebew congratulated IFPRI and the authors: “It is good that we have best practices identified and that we have menus that help us choose what suits our situation.”

He also noted that Ethiopia has many best and good practices, but that more effort is needed to scale them up. “We have many ‘tourist sites’ as far as agricultural development is concerned” he said, the question is how to disseminate the lessons from these to the farmers so the successes are shared.

The Millions Fed project of IFPRI precisely aimed to identify past successes, assess the evidence for them, and to draw out some lessons that could guide future investments in agricultural development.

At the Addis Ababa launch, IFPRI’s David Spielman and Rajul Pandya-Lorch introduced the project and the book.

Spielman opened the presentation, giving a flavor of the proven successes documented in the book (twenty were selected and published from a wide and rigorous search). He illustrated three in particular:

• The long-term global research effort to contain wheat rusts in which scientists around the world joined forces to develop new varieties (download chapter 2 of the book).
• Farmer-led innovation in West Africa where communities rediscovered traditional agroforestry and land management practices to ‘re-green’ the Sahel. The key according to Spielman, was the way that local communities “regenerating some of their traditional knowledge to make this happen” (download chapter 7 of the book).
• The global effort by scientists and veterinary services to eradicate rinderpest in cattle. Spielman emphasized that this effort is only the “second disease in human history to be eradicated” (download chapter 16 of the book).

Pandya-Lorch shared some answers to the question ‘why were they successful?’ She highlighted 5 major reasons for success:

1. Sustained commitments to science and technology
2. Complementary investments in agricultural development: infrastructure, irrigation, inputs, markets, education, rural growth networks and the like. Science and technology is “important but is not enough.”
3. Policies and private incentives to encourage farmers and entrepreneurs to invest in agriculture.
4. Cooperation, collaboration and partnerships among all kinds of actors, scientists, farmers, companies, and governments for example.
5. Leadership and dedication at many levels, which includes the need to provide spaces for leaders to take risks and innovate and be recognized. She emphasized that leaders don’t have to have PhD training – they exist all over and at all levels.

A key point from the study is that these successes were usually accompanied by trade-offs: The cases studied had losers as well as winners and they sometimes had less positive outcomes, on the environment for example. Pandya-Lorch argued that such imperfections are normal and that policy and program designers need to avoid ‘paralyzing’ themselves looking for the perfect policy or intervention.

Responding to a question from the audience, she emphasized that, at the end of the day, successes need to be owned; they emerge from evolutionary processes in which smaller projects start, try different approaches, get adapted and move to scale. It is essential during the evolutionary processes that space is provided for this innovation and experimentation to happen.

What advice and lessons might Ethiopia take from this study?

Answering this question, Spielman argued that Ethiopia already has some of the building blocks in place: It has sector strategies in place, it has taken some risks (setting up a commodity exchange for instance), it invests its own resources in science and research, and there are serious investments in complementary activities.

Complementing remarks by Food Laureate Gebisa Ejeta earlier this month, he suggested that Ethiopia could perhaps give more emphasis and space for experimentation and risk-taking. He called for more investments in collecting the evidence for agricultural successes, in doing the necessary impact assessment.

Download the book …

Report by Peter Ballantyne, ILRI

‘Turning the impossible into the possible’ – watch the video:

I’d like to pitch a TV programme, an Ethiopian version of the Office. I know that most bosses have an element of David Brent to them, I don’t think they can really help it, but ours seems to take it to new extremes.

He quotes bad movies in meetings, ‘are you holding a gun to my head?’, makes racist jokes and tries unsuccessfully to flirt with younger members of staff, claiming to have seen them in town but not actually saying hello (which reminds me of a benign stalker who used to text me whenever he saw me in the supermarket, but would never come and speak to me, it really didn’t seem to be the best technique to establish a relationship).

In a recent meeting with him, he made me hold his hand to demonstrate how closely we would need to work together, I would have to be his right arm, not his left arm, because that would be awkward and lead to weakness (left handedness is seen as a bad thing here, left handed children are still forced to write with their right hand).

I do wonder what metaphor or saying he was trying to re-enact. The oddest thing about it is that it seemed relatively normal at the time. It is just in retrospect that you begin to wonder where on the scale of Ethiopian normality he lies, and whether or not I really want to be one of his limbs.