በባሏ ጥቃት ዓይኖቿ የተጎዱት ነፍሰ ጡር የሕክምና ውጤት እየጠበቀች ነው

ነፍሰ ጡሯ በባለቤቷ በደረሰባት ድብደባ በዓይኖቿ፣ በአፍንጫዋና በመላ ሰውነቷ ላይ ከፍተኛ ጉዳት ደርሶባት በከፍተኛ ስቃይ ላይ እንደምትገኝ ቤተሰቦቿ አስታወቁ፡፡

በሁለት ዓይኖቿ ላይ የተፈጸመው ጥቃት የጉዳት መጠኑ ምን ያህል እንደሆነ የሕክምና ውጤት እየተጠባበቁ መሆኑን አስታውቀዋል፡፡ 

ወ/ሮ ፀዳለች አስረስ ጥር 29 ቀን 2004 ዓ.ም. ከምትሠራበት ዳሸን ባንክ ውላ ወደ ቤቷ ስትገባ፣ “እኔ የምልሽን የማትፈጽሚው ሆን ብለሽ ነው” በማለት ሠራተኛቸውንና የሁለት ዓመት ሕፃን ልጃቸውን ወደ ሱቅ በመላክ በፈጸመባት ጥቃት ጉዳት እንዳደረሰባት የሚናገሩት ቤተሰቦቿ፣ በሁለቱም ዓይኖቿ ላይ ከፍተኛ ጉዳት መድረሱንና ዓይኖቿ ማየት አለማየታቸውን ለማረጋገጥ ከዳግማዊ ምኒልክ ሆስፒታል ውጤት እተየጠባበቁ መሆናቸውን ተናግረዋል፡፡

አፍንጫዋ መሰበሩንና ሕክምና ብታገኝም ከፍተኛ ደም እየፈሰሳት መሆኑን የምትናገረው የተጐጂዋ እህት፣ የሁለት ወር ነፍሰ ጡር መሆኗንም ገልጻላች፡፡

ድርጊቱ ከተፈጸመባት ዕለት ጀምሮ ለንፋስ ስልክ ላፍቶ ክፍለ ከተማ ፖሊስ መረጃው እንደደረሰ፣ ነገር ግን ጥቃቱን አድርሷል የተባለው ተጠርጣሪው ባለቤቷ መሰለ ግርማ እስካሁን በቁጥጥር ሥር አለመዋሉን የተጐጂዋ እህት ገልጻለች፡፡ በቤተሰቦቹና በጓደኞቹ አማካይነት እርቅ እንዲፈጸም በተለያየ መንገድ ጥያቄ እያቀረበ መሆኑን የተጎጂዋ እህት አስረድታ፣ ፖሊስ ግለሰቡን እንዴት በቁጥጥር ሥር ማዋል እንዳልቻለ ግራ እንደገባት አስረድታለች፡፡ ፖሊሶች በተደጋጋሚ ሲጠየቁ የመያዥያ ትዕዛዝ ከፍርድ ቤት አውጥተው እየተከታተሉት መሆኑን እንደገለጹላቸው ተናግራለች፡፡

ባልና ሚስቶቹ ትዳር መሥርተው ልጅ ከወለዱ ሁለት ዓመታት እንዳለፋቸው የገለጸችው የተጐጂዋ እህት፣ ግንኙነታቸው ግን ከልጅነታቸው ከስድስተኛ ክፍል ጀምሮ ሁለቱም ከተወለዱበት ደቡብ ክልል ጀምጀም አውራጃ ቦሬ ከተማ ውስጥ መሆኑን ትናገራለች፡፡ ሁለቱም ውጤት አግኝተው ዩኒቨርስቲ ሲገቡ እሷ አምቦ እሱ ደግሞ ጅማ ቢደርሳቸውም፣ እሷ ወደ ጅማ ዩኒቨርሲቲ በፈቃዷ ተቀይራ ሁለቱም ከጅማ ዩኒቨርሲቲ መመረቃቸውንና በተለያዩ የዳሸን ባንክ ቅርንጫፎች እንደሚሠሩ አስታውቃለች፡፡

ትዳር መሥረተው አብረው መኖር ከጀመሩ ጊዜ አንስቶ ስምምነት እንደሌላቸው የገለጸችው የተጐጂዋ እህት፣ ተጐጂዋ እንደነገረቻት ባለቤቷ አደጋውን ያደረሰባት ምክንያት፣ እሷ ቀድሞ ከምትሠራበት የደንበኞች አገልግሎት የሥራ መደብ ተቀይራ ቢሮ ውስጥ ገብታ እንድትሠራ አለቃዋ እንደነገራት ትነግረዋለች፡፡ “አይ አይሆንም፤ ሂጅና መሥራት የምፈልገው ፊት ለፊት በሚሠራው የደንበኞች አገልግሎት ክፍል ነው በይውና በቀድሞ ቦታሽ እንድትሠሪ ጠይቂ፤” ይላታል፡፡ አለቃዋ ከእንግዶች ጋር ስለነበር ማናገር ባለመቻሏ የሥራ ሰዓት አብቅቶ ወደ ቤታቸው እንደሄደችና አለቃዋን እንዳላናገረች ትነግረዋለች፡፡ በዚህ ጊዜ “ይኼንን ያደረግሺው አውቀሽ ነው፤ ከዚያ ቦታ ለመቀየር ፍላጐት ስለሌለሽ ነው፤” በማለት ሕፃኑንና ሠራተኛቸውን ወደ ሱቅ በመላክ ጉዳቱን እንዳደረሰባት እንደነገረቻት እህትየው ገልጻለች፡፡

ድርጊቱን በማድረስ ወንጀል የተጠረጠረው የተጐጂዋ ባለቤት ለምን ሊያዝ እንዳልቻለ፣ ክትትሉስ በምን ሁኔታ ላይ እንዳለ የንፋስ ስልክ ላፍቶ ክፍለ ከተማ ፖሊስ መምርያን ለማነጋገር ቢሞከርም፣ ጉዳዩ በምርመራ ላይ መሆኑን ከመግለጽ ያለፈ ተጨማሪ መረጃ ማግኘት አልተቻለም፡፡  

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በኮንቴይነር ታሽገው ወደ ዓረብ አገሮች ሲጓጓዙ ከነበሩት 11 ኢትዮጵያውያን ሞተው ተገኙ

በሕገወጥ መንገድ ከ70 በላይ ዜጐችን በኮንቴይነር አሽጐ ጉዞውን ወደ ዓረብ አገሮች መሸጋገሪያ ድንበር ያደረገ ተሽከርካሪ አፋር ውስጥ በፖሊስ ክትትል ሲያዝ፣ 11 ዜጐች ሞተው መገኘታቸውን የሪፖርተር ምንጮች ገለጹ፡፡ ሕገወጥ ተግባር እየፈጸመ በመሆኑ ፖሊሶች ክትትል እያደረጉበት እንደሆነ ሳይሰማ እንዳልቀረ የገመተው ሾፌር፣ ተሽከርካሪውን በአፋር ክልል ውስጥ ለጊዜው ትክክለኛ የቦታው ስም ባልታወቀ አካባቢ አቁሞ መሰወሩን ምንጮች ተናግረዋል፡፡

ፖሊስ ሕገወጥ የሰዎች ዝውውርን ለማስቀረት ጥብቅ ክትትል እያደረገ ቢገኝም፣ ባሳለፍነው ሳምንት ውስጥ በብዛት ከአማራ፣ ከኦሮሚያ፣ ከትግራይና ከደቡብ ክልሎች የተመለመሉ ከ70 በላይ ዜጐችን በሕገወጥ መንገድ በኮንቴይነር አሽጐ ሲጓዝ የነበረው ተሽከርካሪ፣ ለ10 ወንዶችና (አንዱ የአምስት ልጆች አባት ነው) ለአንዲት ሴት ሕይወት መጥፋት ምክንያት ሆኗል፡፡

የአሥራ አንዱም ሟቾች አስከሬን ዳግማዊ ምኒልክ ሆስፒታል ከገባና ከተመረመረ በኋላ ቤተሰቦቻቸው እየወሰዱ እንደሚገኙ ምንጮቹ ተናግረዋል፡፡ ፖሊስ ባደረገው ፈጣን ክትትል ደርሶ የታሸገውን ኮንቴይነር ባይከፍተው ኖሮ፣ ኮንቴይነሩ ውስጥ የነበሩት በሙሉ ከሟቾቹ በተወሰነ ልዩነት ሕይወታቸው ሊያልፍ ይችል እንደነበር የተናገሩት ምንጮቹ፣ አሁንም ቢሆን ከሞት የተረፉት ቀሪዎቹ ዜጐች በሕክምና ላይ መሆናቸውን ተናግረዋል፡፡

ጂቡቲ ለመግባት ጥቂት ኪሎ ሜትሮች ሲቀሩትና ነፋሻማ በሆነ ቦታ ባይቆም፣ ፖሊስ በፍጥነት ባይደርስና አካባብው በረሃው ቢሆን ኖሮ ሁሉም ያልቁ እንደነበር የተረፉትን የሚያክሙ ዶክተሮች መናገራቸውን ምንጮቹ ጠቁመዋል፡፡

በሕገወጥ መንገድ ዜጐችን በመመልመል ወደ ተለያዩ የዓረብ አገሮች ከሚልኩባቸው አካባቢዎች መካከል ከወሎ ከሚሴ በባቲ ወደ አፋር፣ ከዚያም በኦቦክ ወደብ አድርገው ወደ የመን ይጓጓዛሉ፡፡ ከመተማ ወደ ሱዳን፣ ከጅጅጋ ካራማራን በእግር አቋርጠው ወደ ሶማሊያ ሳሶ ወደብ በመሄድ ወደ የመን፣ ባህሬን፣ ሳዑዲ ዓረቢያና ወደ ሌሎችም የዓረብ አገሮች የሚጓዙባቸው ዋና ዋና ቦታዎች መሆናቸው ይታወቃል፡፡

በኮንቴይነር ታፍነው የሞቱትን 11 ዜጐችን በማስመልከት የኢትዮጵያ የውጭ አገር ሥራና አሠሪዎች አገናኝ ኤጀንሲዎች ማኅበር በሰጠው አስተያየት፣ የዜጐቹ ሕይወት ማለፍ አሳዛኝና ለቀጣዩም አሳሳቢ መሆኑን ገልጾ፣ ሕገወጥ የሰዎች ዝውውርን መንግሥት ከሚመለከታቸው ሚኒስቴር መሥርያ ቤቶች፣ ከማኅበሩና ከሁሉም ዜጐች ጋር ሆኖ ማስቀረት እንዳለበት አሳስቧል፡፡

http://www.ethiopianreporter.com/

ድንኳን ሰበራ በኮተቤ

ኮተቤ አካባቢ ለሙሽሮች በተዘጋጀ የመልስ ድግስ ላይ በኃይልና በጉልበት “ድንኳን ሰብረው” በገቡ ጎረምሶች በርካታ ተሽከርካሪዎች መሰባበራቸውንና በተጋባዥ እንግዶችም ላይ ጉዳት መድረሱን የሙሽሮቹ የቅርብ ዘመዶች ለሪፖርተር ገለጹ፡፡ ፖሊስ ጥቃቱ መድረሱን አረጋግጦ፣ ጉዳዩን እየመረመርኩት ነው ብሏል፡፡

በድግሱ ታዳሚዎች ላይ የድንጋይ ውርጅብኝ ያዘነቡት በአካባቢው አስቸጋሪ የሆኑ ጎረምሶች በየካ ክፍለ ከተማ ኮተቤ ኪዳነ ምሕረት ቤተ ክርስቲያን አካባቢ የካቲት 4 ቀን 2004 ዓ.ም. መሆኑን፣ ሙሽሮቹም ትዕግስት ተካና አየናቸው መንግሥቱ እንደሚባሉ ቤተሰቦቻቸው አስታውቀዋል፡፡ ሙሽሮቹ ጋብቻቸውን ጥር 24 ቀን 2004 ዓ.ም. ነበር የፈጸሙት፡፡ 

ሙሽሪትና ሙሽራው ጋብቻቸውን ከፈጸሙ በኋላ በባህሉ መሠረት “መልስ” ጥሪ መሠረት በሙሽራው እህት ቤት መልስ ተጠርተው ተገኝተዋል፡፡ ከዚያ በፊት ግን ሙሽሪት ትዕግስት ተካና ሙሽራው አየናቸው መንግሥቱ ትልቅ የሠርግ ድግስ ለማድረግ ዕቅድ አልነበራቸውም ተብሏል፡፡ 

የሙሽራው እህት ወ/ሮ ፍቅርተ መንግሥቱ በነበረው ወግ መሠረት የሙሽሪትንና የሙሽራውን ቤተሰብ ለማቀላቀል ከሠርግ መለስ ያለ ድግስ ያደርጋሉ፡፡ ጥሪው የተደረገውም ባለፈው እሑድ የካቲት 4 ቀን 2004 ዓ.ም. ኮተቤ ኪዳነምህረት ቤተክርስቲያን አካባቢ ከሚገኘው ቤታቸው ነበር፡፡ የተጠራው ግብዣ ግን ባልተጠበቀ የኃይል ጥቃት መደናቀፉን የሙሽራው ወንድም አቶ ኃይለ ማርያም መንግሥቱ ይገልጻሉ፡፡

ሙሽሮች ወደ ግብዣው ቤት ደርሰው በተዘጋጀላቸው ስፍራ ሲደርሱ ከተለያዩ አካባቢዎች የመጡ እንግዶች፣ የአዲስ አበባ ዘመዶችና ጎረቤቶች በድንኳን ሆነው ይጫወታሉ፡፡ ቤቱም በሠርግ ዘፈን ደምቋል፡፡

የተዘጋጀው ማዕድ ተባርኮ የምግብ ማንሳቱ ሥነ ሥርዓት በሙሽሮቹ ይጀመራል፡፡ ሆኖም ታዳሚዎቹ ከማዕዱ ተቋድሰው ሳያበቁ ለድግሱ ያልተጠሩ ግለሰቦች ከውጭ በመግባት ምግብ ማንሳት እንደሚፈልጉ ይገልጻሉ፡፡ በጉልበት ለመግባት የሞከሩም ነበሩ፡፡ የተወሰኑትም ገብተዋል፡፡ የሠርግ ደጋሾች ግጭት እንዳይፈጠር በማለት ከውጭ ሆነው ካልገባን የሚሉትና የገቡትንም ጨምረው ከማዕዱ እንዲያነሱ ማድረጋቸውን ይገልጻሉ፡፡

አቶ ኃይለ ማርያም እንደሚሉት ድንኳን ሰባሪዎቹ ምግብ ከበሉ በኋላ “ጠጅ ካልሰጣችሁን” በሚል ፀብ ይጀምራሉ፡፡ በዚህን ጊዜ ከግቢ እንዲወጡ ይደረጋል፡፡

ከግቢ ቢወጡም ነገር ግን ግቢው ውስጥ እያሉ በውጡ አንወጣም የተጀመረው አለመግባባት ሥር ሰዶ ድንጋይ ውርወራ ይጀመራል፡፡ “የድንጋይ እሩምታ ወረደብን፣ ውጪ የነበሩ ተሽከርካሪዎችም ተሰባበሩ፤” የሚሉት አቶ ኃይለ ማርያም፣ የቤተሰቡ አባላት ራሳቸውን ለመከላከል ጥረት ቢያደርጉም አልተሳካም፡፡ ይልቁንም የድንኳን ሰባሪዎቹ ጉልበት አየለ፡፡ ቁጥራቸውም በዛ፡፡ በዚህም የተነሳ በሰላም የተዘጋጀውና በደስታ ይደመደማል የተባለው ድግስ በሐዘንና በለቅሶ እንዳልሆነ ሆኖ ቀርቷል ሲሉ አቶ ኃይለ ማርያም ሁኔታውን አስረድተዋል፡፡

በመልሱ ድግስ ላይ ደረሰ የተባለውን ያልተጠበቀ ድርጊት በሚመለከት ያነጋገርናቸው የላምበረትና አካባቢ ፖሊስ ጣቢያ የወንጀል መከላከል ኃላፊ ዋና ኢንስፔክተር ሲሳይ ጣሰው፣ “አምባጓሮው ተፈጥሯል፤ በተፈጸመው ድርጊት ላይም ምርመራ እየተካሄደ ነው፤” በማለት በሕግ በተያዘ ጉዳይ ላይ ተጨማሪ ማብራሪያ መስጠት እንደሚያስቸግራቸው ተናግረዋል፡፡

http://www.ethiopianreporter.com/

Jazzed Up: Interview With Elias Negash

Elias Negash at a recording session in Berkeley, CA.

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.”

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.”

Elias Negash, second from left, is the leader of Retroz Band - a jazz ensemble based in the Bay Area. Members of the group, left to right, are: Anthony Lincoln, Lead vocals & Tenor Sax, Elias Negash, Piano, Keyboards & Vocals, Louie Moon Robinson, L & R. Guitar & Vocals, Mark Williams, Up.& E. Bass, Bob Marshall, Drums.

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.”
http://www.tadias.com

Cultures & immigration beat: Changing cultural attitudes on abuse

For years, Tsehai Wodajo kept silent about the hitting and forced sex she endured at the hands of her husband.

Now she is publicly sharing her story of survival in the hopes of changing cultural attitudes about violence in the home and rallying women to support one another.

"It's like my 'coming out,'" Wodajo said of her decision to talk about her own life.

A social worker, she is speaking at an upcoming photography exhibit and cultural presentation at Augsburg College about the resilience and beauty of the Oromo women of Ethiopia.

Wodajo, a member of the Oromo community, moved to the United States about 20 years ago from Ethiopia.

The Oromos are the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia and also live in Kenya and some parts of Somalia.

In Minnesota, they make up the second-largest ethnic group from East Africa, Wodajo says.

"I went to the shelter a couple times. I was involved with the police," she said. "At some point, the rumor got out ... and I was ostracized."

Other presenters will talk about the role Oromo women have had historically on shaping the culture.

The photos in the exhibit were taken by Peri Klemm, an associate professor of art history at California State University, Northridge, who documented the lives of Oromo women living in Ethiopia.

Samples of the images that will be on display show girls and women adorned in colorful, cultural dress.

http://www.startribune.com

Facebook scandal erupts after Israeli photographer uploads photo of naked Ethiopian woman

Photojournalist Ziv Koren claims to receive threats over photo of a Falashmura woman bathing at a mikveh upon immigration to Israel, before removing the image from the Internet.

By Revital Blumenfeld

A picture of a nude Ethiopian woman caused a storm after it was posted to Facebook by an Israeli photojournalist and documentarian.

Disgusted viewers posted remarks slamming the photographer, Ziv Koren, accusing him of taking advantage of the woman - a new immigrant - who pictured bathing in a mikve at a Jewish agency camp. Internet surfers questioned whether the photographer asked the woman for permission to take and publish the photo, and said the authenticity of any consent would be questionable, given her vulnerable status at the time it was taken.
"That woman probably doesn't know Hebrew, and whoever translated surely didn't explain that it was artistic photography and that she should feel free to refuse," wrote one Internet surfer, adding that "it must be understood what's going on with the Falashmura [immigrants], they are passed on the message in simplistic words or hints, that if they refuse to participate in the religious ceremonies they won't be accepted to make aliyah to Israel."

The photo was taken in 2006 as part of a documentary project on Falashmura immigrants. Some of the photos from Koren's collection appeared in an exhibition put on by the Jewish Agency.

In response to the uproar on Facebook, Koren – who claimed to receive threats and demands to remove the photo – took the picture off the Internet on Tuesday morning. He said he took the photo down not as a result of pressure, but out of concern for the safety of the photographed woman.

"All the furious reactions and threats don't frighten me," Koren told Haaretz. "I took the photo down after I understood that it could harm the woman. Let's put everything into proportion, we live in a democratic country, where you can morally assess these things more than once. This whole thing kind of went out of control. I'm a documentarian whose whole life revolves around things that are on the edge."

Koren added that he is willing to do everything for his journalistic integrity, and that since his subject matter is risqué and can appear provocative to some but not to others, he is not willing to apologize for it.

The Jewish Agency harshly condemned the "invasion of privacy" that resulted from the photo being taken and posted online. "Respect for human beings is more important than any piece of art or documentation," said the agency, explaining that Koren went to Ethiopia in 2006 to document the immigration of a family to Israel. While he holds the exclusive rights to his pictures, some were donated to the Jewish Agency for an exhibition of some 40 photos that assisted in fundraising for the absorption of Ethiopian immigrants to Israel, the organization added.

"Needless to say, none of the pictures from the mikveh were developed nor displayed at the exhibition," said the Jewish Agency, adding that it is important to note the organization only became responsible for the management of the camp, including the mikveh, in 2011. "At the time the photos were taken, the Jewish Agency was not responsible for the operations of the complex," it said.

Rabbi Waldman, who is responsible for the field of Judaism at the complex, said he would not have allowed a photographer into the mikveh whilst there is a man or woman inside.
http://www.haaretz.com

Archaeologists strike gold in quest to find Queen of Sheba's wealth in Ethiopia

A British excavation has struck archaeological gold with a discovery that may solve the mystery of where the Queen of Sheba derived her fabled treasures. 

Archaeologist Louise Schofield stands in front of the mine, believed to have belonged to the Queen of Sheba, in northern Ethiopia. Photograph: The Tigray Trust

A British excavation has struck archaeological gold with a discovery that may solve the mystery of where the Queen of Sheba of biblical legend derived her fabled treasures.

Almost 3,000 years ago, the ruler of Sheba, which spanned modern-day Ethiopia and Yemen, arrived in Jerusalem with vast quantities of gold to give to King Solomon. Now an enormous ancient goldmine, together with the ruins of a temple and the site of a battlefield, have been discovered in her former territory.

Louise Schofield, an archaeologist and former British Museum curator, who headed the excavation on the high Gheralta plateau in northern Ethiopia, said: "One of the things I've always loved about archaeology is the way it can tie up with legends and myths. The fact that we might have the Queen of Sheba's mines is extraordinary."

An initial clue lay in a 20ft stone stele (or slab) carved with a sun and crescent moon, the "calling card of the land of Sheba", Schofield said. "I crawled beneath the stone – wary of a 9ft cobra I was warned lives here – and came face to face with an inscription in Sabaean, the language that the Queen of Sheba would have spoken."

On a mound nearby she found parts of columns and finely carved stone channels from a buried temple that appears to be dedicated to the moon god, the main deity of Sheba, an 8th century BC civilisation that lasted 1,000 years. It revealed a victory in a battle nearby, where Schofield excavated ancient bones.

Although local people still pan for gold in the river, they were unaware of the ancient mine. Its shaft is buried some 4ft down, in a hill above which vultures swoop. An ancient human skull is embedded in the entrance shaft, which bears Sabaean chiselling.

Sheba was a powerful incense-trading kingdom that prospered through trade with Jerusalem and the Roman empire. The queen is immortalised in Qur'an and the Bible, which describes her visit to Solomon "with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices, and very much gold and precious stones ... Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, and a very great quantity of spices."

Although little is known about her, the queen's image inspired medieval Christian mystical works in which she embodied divine wisdom, as well as Turkish and Persian paintings, Handel's oratorio Solomon, and Hollywood films. Her story is still told across Africa and Arabia, and the Ethiopian tales are immortalised in the holy book the Kebra Nagast.

Hers is said to be one of the world's oldest love stories. The Bible says she visited Solomon to test his wisdom by asking him several riddles. Legend has it that he wooed her, and that descendants of their child, Menelik – son of the wise – became the kings of Abyssinia.

Schofield will begin a full excavation Schofield said that as she stood on the ancient site, in a rocky landscape of cacti and acacia trees, it was easy to imagine the queen arriving on a camel, overseeing slaves and elephants dragging rocks from the mine.

once she has the funds and hopes to establish the precise size of the mine, whose entrance is blocked by boulders.

Tests by a gold prospector who alerted her to the mine show that it is extensive, with a proper shaft and tunnel big enough to walk along.

Schofield was instrumental in setting up the multinational rescue excavations at the Roman city of Zeugma on the Euphrates before it was flooded for the Birecik dam. Her latest discovery was made during her environmental development work in Ethiopia, an irrigation, farming and eco-tourism project on behalf of the Tigray Trust, a charity she founded to develop a sustainable lifestyle for 10,000 inhabitants around Maikado, where people eke out a living from subsistence farming.

Sean Kingsley, archaeologist and author of God's Gold, said: "Where Sheba dug her golden riches is one of the great stories of the Old Testament. Timna in the Negev desert is falsely known as 'King Solomon's Mines', but anything shinier has eluded us.

"The idea that the ruins of Sheba's empire will once more bring life to the villages around Maikado is truly poetic and appropriate. Making the past relevant to the present is exactly what archaeologists should be doing. "
http://www.guardian.co.uk

Ethiopian church preserves its African culture, faith

Visiting the early Sunday morning service of Fresno's only Ethiopian Orthodox congregation is like stepping into a land far away.

Just like in Ethiopia, men and women wear gabri, white linen garments that symbolize the biblical account in John 20:12 of "two angels in white garments, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain."

Standing in the service for long periods, many lean on 6-foot-long prayer s
ticks for support. The sticks bear the colors of the Ethiopian flag: green, yellow and red.

A deacon, wearing a red robe and headpiece, chants and prays in front of the holy sanctorum in ge'ez, an ancient language used in divine liturgy of the Ethiopian Tewahedo Church.

Many go to the aisles to receive Communion -- korban, a bread made by priests without leaven, and a liquid made of soaked raisins.

Ethiopia, in the Horn of Africa, is part of the cradle of Christianity and holds a special place in the hearts of congregants at Debre Selam Medhane Alem Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Fresno. Medhane Alem means "Savior of the World."

One of the local faith community's best-kept secrets, the small congregation of nearly 150 is preserving the ancient religious traditions of Ethiopia, a country scarred by upheavals, war and famine. The church's headquarters are in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

The local congregation was founded in 1985 with about 40 people, mainly refugees. It is one of Fresno's seven Orthodox Christian congregations, along with St. Paul Armenian Church, Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church, St. George Greek Orthodox Church, St. Peter the Apostle Serbian Orthodox Church, Archangels Michael and Gabriel Christian Coptic Orthodox Church and St. Peter the Aleut Orthodox Mission Rectory.

St. Paul Armenian Church has reached out, allowing the Ethiopian congregation to hold services there from 5:30- 8 a.m. Sundays before St. Paul readies for its services.

"We consider St. Paul Armenian Church to be our big sister because they've been so helpful to us," says Walter Brooks, chairman of the Ethiopian congregation and retired instructor and counselor at Fresno City College.

But the congregation hopes to build a place of its own.

"We're looking for help and support in building a traditional church," Brooks said. "We're hoping our Christian brothers help us."

He says it is important for local Ethiopians and others to preserve traditions of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

"The church is intertwined in their world culturally -- every aspect of life in Ethiopia," he says. "In Ethiopia, people come to the church for help. In every village, the church gives. It takes care of people's needs. It's truly a Christian community."

A recent service wrapped up with a small choir singing to the beat of a drum, children dancing in the aisles and the deacon, Yohannes Gebretsadik, who arrived from Ethiopia just a month ago, giving a short sermon in Amharic, Ethiopia's national language. The talk focused on Jonah 3, when Jonah preached repentance in Ninevah.

Buznh Addam, left, urges her granddaughter Nuhamin Lyu Hailemarian, 4, forward to receive communion at Debre Selam Medhane Alem Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church on Sunday, February 5, 2012 in Fresno

Gebretsadik, a graduate of Theological College of Holy Trinity in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, says he is devoted to human rights.

"Human rights is a necessity," he says. "The Ten Commandments keep the right of the believer. The Gospel is a big necessity."

After the service ended, congregants gathered near the parking lot for fellowship over injera, broken pieces of bread with lamb, and teff, a food grain.

Rahel Babich says she has grown in her faith since attending services at the Ethiopian church. She arrived in Fresno in 1985, needing the financial support of Valley Christian Center. Now, she is a member of the family that owns the Ethiopian restaurant Fasika.

"In Ethiopia, we're shy, scared people," she says. "You grow up that way. I like everything about this church in Fresno. There is nowhere else to get this kind of traditional service."
http://www.fresnobee.com

Saudis pressed to release Ethiopian Christians

WASHINGTON (BP) -- America's congressionally approved watchdog for global religious liberty has called on Saudi Arabia to release 35 Ethiopian Christians arrested during a prayer meeting and imprisoned for nearly two months.

Saudi police raided a private home in Jeddah Dec. 15 and arrested the 29 women and six men gathered to pray, according to International Christian Concern reported.

Saudi Arabia

There have been reports that the Christians -- some who have lived in Saudi Arabia for as many as 16 years -- will be deported to Ethiopia. In a Feb. 7 phone interview, some of the prisoners told ICC they had not been informed they would be released, according to the organization, which aids persecuted Christians overseas.

The bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom urged the Ethiopians' release. "Unless and until the Saudi government demonstrates some valid legal basis for imprisoning these individuals, they should immediately be set free and Saudi authorities should investigate allegations of physical abuse and degrading treatment by prison officials," USCIRF Chairman Leonard Leo said in a Feb. 2 written statement.

Saudi authorities have charged the Ethiopians with "mixing with the opposite sex," Christian leaders told International Christian Concern. Saudi Arabian law prohibits males and females who are not members of the same family from being in the same room, ICC reported.

"The Saudi officials are accusing the Christians of committing the crime of mixing of sexes because if they charge them with meeting for practicing Christianity, they will come under pressure from the international human rights organizations as well as Western countries," a Saudi Christian leader told ICC. "In fact, when an employer of one of the detainees asked for the reason for their employee's arrest, the Saudi official told him that it was for practicing Christianity."

Saudi officials strip-searched the women, including searches of their body cavities, and physically abused the men, some of the Ethiopians told ICC in a phone conversation from prison.

A Muslim preacher came Feb. 7 to the prison at authorities' behest to seek to convert the Christians to Islam, according to ICC.

"The Muslim preacher vilified Christianity, denigrated the Bible and told us that Islam is the only true religion," a female prisoner told ICC by phone. "The preacher told us to convert to Islam. When the preacher asked us, we didn't deny about our Christian faith. I was so offended with her false teachings that I left the meeting."

The U.S. State Department has designated Saudi Arabia as a "country of particular concern" since 2004. That designation is reserved for the world's worst violators of religious liberty.

Saudi Arabia bars all public expressions of religious belief other than an interpretation of Islam referred to as Wahhabism. It also prohibits all non-Muslim houses of worship.

Since 2006, the Saudi government has said it permits worship held privately in house churches, but it is "amply clear" that is untrue, two religious freedom advocates said Feb. 8.

USCIRF Commissioner Nina Shea, director of Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom, and Jonathan Racho, an ICC regional manager, cited a 2008 report by the State Department and some specific examples to demonstrate people involved in non-public worship services are threatened.

Writing for National Review Online, they pointed to:

-- the detention of 150 Roman Catholics in 2010 for participating in an underground mass.

-- the arrest and six-month imprisonment in 2011 of two Indian Christians taking part in a prayer meeting in a private home.

In Saudi Arabia, according to Shea and Racho, 1 million or more Christians are among 6 or 7 million foreign workers in the Mideast country.

Suzan Johnson Cook, U.S. ambassador at large for international religious freedom, should intercede for the Ethiopian Christians, Shea and Racho said, noting, "The Saudi practices of arresting, detaining and abusing Christians for practicing their faith and pressing them in jail to renounce Christianity must be brought into the open."
http://www.bpnews.net

Thomas Hagos lack sufficient evidence against Kobe Bryant's Assault

No charges will be filed against Lakers star Kobe Bryant over an alleged incident in August at a church in San Diego, the city attorney's office announced Tuesday.

A young man had alleged that Bryant assaulted him while both were attending Sunday services at St. Therese of Carmel Church in the upscale Carmel Valley neighborhood. The alleged victim said Bryant aggressively pulled on his arm because he felt the man had taken the star's picture.

Thomas Hagos, 20, later went to the hospital with a minor wrist sprain, police said.

"As prosecutors we cannot ethically file a criminal case when we lack sufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt," said a spokeswoman for City Atty. Jan Goldsmith. "Based upon our extensive investigation and interview of independent witnesses, we've concluded that charges cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt."

After the incident, Bryant denied that he hurt the young man.

"Mr. Bryant is aware of the baseless allegations asserted against him," said a statement issued by attorney Mark Campbell, "and is prepared to defend against them fully."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com

Young Ethiopian Amanuael Rocks the Stage at Australian Talent Show

IT'S a long way from Ethiopia to Byron Bay, but that's the journey singing sensation Amanuael Visser has made in his short, but eventful life.

"When I was eight months old I was adopted," explained Amanuael, 10.

"When they [my parents] picked me up from Ethiopia they said I started singing in the foyer of the hotel and I didn't stop."

The Year Four Byron Bay Public School student has just auditioned for one of Australia's most-loved shows, the revamped series of Young Talent Time.

Hundreds of children attended the show's auditions in Brisbane, but Amanuael was one of just a few chosen for the final tryouts in Sydney.

Amanuael performed the Adele hit Rolling in the Deep in Sydney, but he was knocked out before reaching the final eight singers chosen for the Young Talent Time team.

Mr Visser said his son would now be a contestant on the show.

"The way the industry is going they're focused on dancing as well as singing, so it's a lot of work for a little guy and he found the choreography a bit tough. But he still blew them away with his singing and he may follow dancing when he gets older," Mr Visser said.

Mr Visser suffers from a hereditary heart disease, so he and his partner Michele decided to adopt Amanuael from Ethiopia, where he was also born.

"We felt that Ethiopia was a home for us so it was a natural decision," he said.

From the moment he held Amanuael, Mr Visser knew his son had a gift.

"He just sang the house down and he still wakes up every morning and sings. He loves acting and getting dressed up and he even takes notes when he watches films," he said.

For a little boy who's yet to finish primary school, Amanuael is certainly one to watch.

"My goal is to help people when I get older and to be a great singer and to have that as my main job," Amanuael said.

Amanuael sings Adele's "Rolling In The Deep" on Young Talent Time 2012 - an Australian television variety program, wowing the audience the judges. "I just want to rock the stage and I want everybody to remember the name Amanuael," says the young talent.
http://www.northernstar.com.au

From a mud hut in Ethiopia to a home in Oak Park, life has been a journey for one OPRF student-athlete

This is not an ordinary story, simply because Sintayehu "Ty" Fleming is not an ordinary teenager.

OPRF student-athlete Sintayehu "Ty" Fleming says participating in sports such as wrestling, football, baseball and hockey has helped him adjust to life from his days as an orphan in Ethiopia.

To start from the beginning would be too conventional, and there's been nothing too conventional about the first 18 years of this kid's life. We begin here and now with Ty in his senior year at Oak Park and River Forest High School. He has just finished placing second in his weight class (138 pounds) at the junior varsity conference wrestling meet.

"It's satisfying," he says, "but not too satisfying. I could have done better. Overall, I'd say it was a successful season."

Before long, he'll go home and help get his three younger siblings fed and put to bed. He'll clear the table, wash the dishes, take the trash out, walk the dog. He'll prepare the medicine his brother and sister must take every day because they're HIV positive. He'll plug his mind into a book on philosophy (John Locke) or a medical journal. He'll then go to bed and be up again at 5 a.m. to walk to school, work out, and receive extra help from teachers. If it's the weekend, he'll take his siblings to the park. Ty Fleming is not your average teen.

While others listened to their iPods or chatted up the latest pop culture craze on the bus trips to wrestling meets throughout the season, Ty would usually be busy studying.

"He would have his face planted in a book between matches if he could," says OPRF head wrestling coach Mike Powell. "He's got grit. He's a true survivor. And the best thing about it is he knows where he's going."

Ty is going to college and then, hopefully, medical school and then, hopefully, back to Ethiopia, where he was born and spent the first six years of his life — a difficult six years. Back then he didn't have any idea where he was going.

It is custom in Ethiopia for a young son to wash his father's hands before a meal. Ty remembers doing this in the hut made of mud and straw where he lived in the village of Bahir Dar. That's about it as far as any memory of his father, who died in the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea in the 1990s when Ty was 4. His mother remarried but died a year later while giving birth in the hut made of mud and straw. Ty remembers this too.

He had just four years with his biological parents. He spent a year living with his stepfather and his stepfather's girlfriend, but it was a rough go.

"I was afraid living there and it was very lonesome," he recalls. "I had one friend and he had a club foot. We would go about stealing wood, but he would always get caught because he couldn't run well."

Ty was placed in an orphanage at the age of 6. He played soccer on a small enclosed driveway to pass the time.

"In the orphanage there was little schooling," he recalls. "We had a 10x10 room we sat in, but we didn't do much in there."

After a year, a woman named Margaret Fleming and her adopted son, Nathan, showed up. A former social worker and founder of Adoption-Link in Oak Park, Fleming had seen a photo of Ty in a newsletter. "It was kind of mystical," she says. "Something just said I need to do what I can for this child."

But her age, 65, was a problem. She was thought to be too old to adopt Ty. "I refused to give up," she says. "I wrote letters and sent packages, and then one day we received a call to come get him."

It was a cold, dark night, she recalls, and the little boy was shivering under a big coat.

"He knew no English whatsoever," she recalls. "He was withdrawn, wouldn't hold my hand, scared and confused. He was so beat up. He had been scalded by his [stepfather's girlfriend] with burning oil, bitten by dogs and had tics embedded in his fingernails. He was seriously malnourished."

On the way home, they stopped in Germany, where Ty celebrated his seventh birthday. "That night he got to pick out a present and he chose a little Volkswagen match-box car," Fleming remembers.

But as soon as they pulled up to her home on the 900 block of North Taylor Avenue in Oak Park, things got bad. Ty felt as if he had been kidnapped.

"He panicked, kicking and screaming. He was grief stricken," says Fleming. "He missed his friends at the orphanage. It was a hard adjustment, it took more than seven months and it nearly tore the family apart. He was hitting, kicking, screaming and spitting. He was intolerable."

Ty's behavior got him kicked out of Hatch Elementary School, and Fleming came to the brink of rescinding the adoption. "Luckily," she says, "we persevered."

And then Ty found sports — a release, a distraction, something that helped him realize he was in a better place with a better opportunity.

He began with baseball. "I walked up to the batter's box for the first time, got ready to hit and I had the bat upside down," he remembers. "But I loved playing baseball. I was on a traveling team for a while and we went everywhere."

Similar to understanding and speaking English, which began by reading Itsy Bitsy Spider, sports had to be learned, and Ty, as mentioned earlier, is a voracious learner.

He stayed with baseball all the way up to his sophomore year of high school. Hockey he played until his freshman year, soccer from third grade to fifth grade, football from fifth grade to junior year. He's been wrestling for the last three years.

Ty's an ardent Red Wings fan — "I get a lot of criticism for that," he says — and a devoted Cubs fan. "It's gonna happen," he believes.

His goal right now is to get into a good college where he can study hard and realize his dream of becoming a neurosurgeon. He's applied to 10 schools and has been accepted at three thus far: Ursinus College (Pa.), Bradley and Indiana. He's leaning toward Ursinus and also Cornell, which has yet to reply.

Fleming, now 75, has this to say about Ty leaving for college: "I am tearful when I think about it. He is the heart of this family, but we love him enough to know we must let him go."

Ty on leaving his mother and his siblings: "My mom is one of the most important people in my life. I tell her every Mother's Day that she saved my life. It will be difficult to leave her and my brothers and sisters, but it will work out in the end."

As for a return to Ethiopia, Ty says he had the opportunity to go back for a visit last year but wasn't ready.

"There will come a time when I will go back to help people," he says.

And you believe him.
http://www.oakpark.com

Ethiopians steal the thunder again

Losing a marathon by one second last year taught Dejere Abera of Ethiopia a lesson that he put to good use on Sunday, when he won the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon – an IAAF Bronze Label event - by less than a second.

Indeed so tight and exciting was the men’s finish that Eliud Cheptei in second place shared Dejere’s winning time of 2.11.27, while two more Kenyans, Cosmas Kyeva and Julius Maisei were just one second each further back.

Dejere improved the long standing course record by one minute and 42sec, but his colleague, Misiker Demissie took pride of place in that department when her runaway victory in the women’s race, in 2.30.12, took all of three and a half minutes from last year’s course record.

Given the tough course here, and the inevitable humidity, around 90 percent at one stage, albeit with reasonable temperatures of 16-19C, the times were never going to be of the order of last week’s Dubai record breaking spree.

But, like Dubai this was another Ethiopian double header to relish, and remind the Kenyans that they’re not going to get all their own way in Olympic year. (Globerunner)

Current African Leaders: Ungrateful for H.I.M. Haile Selassie & the People of Ethiopia! By Zenebe G. Tamirat

Right at the top of the wall in my office is hanged a plaque in reminiscence of the founding fathers of African Unity who met in Addis Ababa in May 25, 1963.

The plaque contains passport size pictures of the 30 African Head of States who assembled at Africa Hall, in Addis Ababa to establish the OAU. Their names and the countries they led are shown under each picture. In the middle is His Imperial majesty, Haile Selasie’s picture with the declaration of the establishment of the OAU. I hanged the plaque just opposite to my desk in such a way that my eyes easily rest on it every time I look up on the wall so that I do not forget the historic day of May 25, 1963.

The plaque boosts my Pan-African feeling. Besides as an Ethiopian it reminds me my country’s survival posturing as the sole independent African State during the colonial era, enshrining liberty and fostering a significant example of independence and self-rule in Africa. It also keeps deep into my heart the contribution my country made to the liberation of the rest of African nations, nearly 25 in number at that time. In particular the support to, Somalia and Kenya that were not lucky enough to attend the summit during that time because they were still under colonial rules was significant. Also the contributions my country made to the independence of African nations, now in the summit was also immense among which the highest regard was to the Libyan independence.

The plaque also refreshes my sympathy to South Africa that was under a cruel apartheid white supremacy rule. Moreover because I am an Ethiopian well aware of what liberty means for humanity and proud of the contribution my leader, Emperor Haile Selassie committed to make the May 1963 summit possible and to solidify its outcome thereafter, the contents of the plaque have special message to me.

“In the august assembly under the chairmanship of Emperor Haile Selassie I, 30 African Head of States and Governments performed the impossible” run the words in the second paragraph of the plaque. And further in the 7th paragraph the plaque states, “To Ethiopia the nation honored by such a historical gathering, the glory of playing host to many of her illustrious sister African nations remains vivid. She will cherish it forever and will guard it selfishly as a priceless treasure destined to occupy pages in her national and international annals.”

An Ethiopian housemaid gave birth just two days after she arrived in Abu Dhabi

Neither sponsor nor agency knew of her state

Dubai: An Ethiopian housemaid gave birth just two days after she arrived in Abu Dhabi to work for an Emirati family.

The employer was told by the housemaid that she was suffering from abdominal colic.

But a visit to a hospital confirmed that the housemaid was nine months pregnant and her abdominal colic was in fact labour pain.

According to a source in the General Directorate of Residence and Foreigners Affairs-Abu Dhabi, the employer had hired the housemaid through a recruitment agency which applied for the employment visa on her behalf.

The source added that the employer had taken the housemaid from the recruitment agency last week and just two days after she joined work, she had complained of pain. So the sponsor took her to Al Rahba hospital where the sponsor discovered that the housemaid was pregnant.

The source said neither the sponsor nor the recruitment agency suspected that the housemaid from Ethiopia would be pregnant.

Release from hospital

A source in the hospital said the housemaid would not be released until she paid the cost of her delivery.

According to the source in the government department, the sponsor bears no liability for this housemaid. He added that even the recruitment agency had no liability in this issue.

The official said the housemaid's visa would be cancelled and a life ban issued against her.

http://gulfnews.com

Ethiopian Christians face hardships in Yemen

SANA’A: With a population predominantly Muslim, 43 percent of Yemen being Sunni and 45 percent being Zaidi Shia, Christians have expressed some difficulty in blending in, often accusing the government of enticing antipathy towards their religious denomination.

Over the past few years millions of Ethiopians, mainly Christians came to seek refuge in Yemen, running from difficult social, cultural and economic conditions in their homeland.

Even Yemen’s popular uprising could not hinder the fast pace of arrivals, with tens of thousands of newcomers arriving on a monthly basis, braving deadly travel conditions in the hope to find at last a safe haven, away from violence and famine.

Today, thousands of Ethiopians have opened up on the difficulties they are facing in regards to their faith.

“Most Yemenis look at us with disgust as we are not like them. Many Ethiopians are unable to find work or even rent a house for we are discriminated against. I know a lot of us who chose to convert to Islam for a chance of a better life…and even then our skin color differentiates us from them [the Yemeni],” Moulook Dawit told Bikyamasr.com.

Others speak of social stigma and often abuse when they choose to openly embrace their Christianity, with men being beaten up and women harassed by Islamist groups.

“Yemenis call us names, refusing to ever socialize with us as if we were diseased. Our daughters are shunned away from school and our wives suffer daily verbal abuse. Going to the Police is useless as we will get automatically blame,” said one guard.

Even in death, Ethiopians are treated differently, with the government refusing to allow them to be buried in the capital, Sana’a, as it argues that its cemeteries are strictly Muslim.

Several Yemeni rights activists have said that they will work at mending the ties between Yemeni Muslims and Ethiopian Christians as they say they wanted Yemen to become a civil state where citizens’ rights, no matter their faith would be respected.

http://bikyamasr.com

Illegal PDF of Mengistu Haile Mariam’s Memoir by Professor Donald N. Levine

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.

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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.
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