Sunday, December 30, 2012

ሞት ማለት እና መክሸፍ ፦ ፕሮፌሰር መስፍን ወልደማርያም


ሞት ማለት፦
ሞት ማለት
ተንጋሎ መተኛት፤አለመንቀሳቀስ
ፍፁም የእንቅልፍ አለም፤ፍፁም የህይወት ቀውስ፤
አለመደሰት ነው፤ተከፍቶ አለማልቀስ፤
የሬሳ እኩልነት፤ርኩስ የለቅዱስ፤
በኅብረት መበስበስ፤በየቀኑ መፍረስ
ሞት አለመስማት፤ነው ጆሮ ዳባልበስ፤
ክርስቶስ ሲሰቀል፤ሲፈታ ባርናባስ፡፡
ሞት ማለት፦
አለመናገር ነው ጭው ያለ ዝምታ፤
የመቃብር ሰላም የሬሳ ፀጥታ፤
ደሀ በሰሌኑ ሳጥን ገብቶ ጌታ፤
የውሸት ልዩነት ተጋድሞ በተርታ፤
አይመሽ ወይ አይነጋ፤ጠዋት የለ ማታ፡፡
ሐዘን የለ ለቅሶ፤ደስታ፤ፈገግታ፤
ዘፈኑና ለቅሶው የምስጥ ሹክሹክታ፡፡
ሞት ማለት፦
አይረገዝበት፤አይወለድበት፤
የመቃብር አለም፤ጭንጋፍ፤የጭንጋፍ ቤት፤
የሰው ልጅ እንደበት ትል የሚሆንበት፤
ክርክር የለበት፤ውድድር የለበት፤
ውሸትና እውነት በማይበርድ ፍትወት የተሳሰሩበት
የድብቅብቅ አለም ምስጢር የበዛበት፤
ሁሉም በየጉድጓዱ የተሸሸገበት፡፡
ሞት ማለት፦
አለመነቃነቅ፤አለመነቃነቅ፤
እንደድንጋይ መድረቅ፤ደርቆ መወላለቅ፤
ክብርና ውርደትን ለይቶ አለማወቅ፤
አዘቅት ውስጥ ተኝቶ በክፋት ነጥለቅለቅ፤
በተዋኅዶ መልክ ጠላትና ወዳጅ አብሮ ሲደባለቅ
ድፍርሱ ከጠራው ባህርዩ ሲደበቅ
የሩቁ ሲጠጋ የቅርቡ ሲራራቅ፤
ሞት አምሮት ሲጠፋ በልጦ ለመመረቅ፡፡
ሞት ማለት፦
ሞት አለመስጋት ነው የግዴለሽ አለም፤
ድንጋይ ተሸክሞ በውሃ ላይ መቆም፤
ጤንነት የለበት፤አያጠቃው ሕመም፤
ትዝታ የለበት፤አይታይበት ሕልም፤
ቡቃያው አያሸት፤ ፍሬው አይለመልም፡፡
ዝናብ አይዘንብበት ድርቀት ነው ዘላለም፡፡
ሞት ማለት፦ የሞት ሞት
አዕምሮ ፈራርሶ፤
ኅሊና በስብሶ፤
ሰውነት ረክሶ፤
እንደግም፤እንደጥንብ፤
የጭልፊቶች ምግብ፤
የሞት ሞት ይኸ ነው፤
ትንሳኤ የሌለው፡፡
መስፍን ወልደማርያም
እንጉርጉሮ
1967 ዓ.ም.
..............................................................................................................
መክሸፍ መከሻሸፍ በርትቶ ስራ መስራት፤ዘለቄታ ያለው ስራ መስራትና ለሕዝቡ እውቀትንና ብልፅግናን፤ለአገሪቱ ኃይል ማስገኘት አልተቻለም፡፡ለምን? የአክሱምን ሃውልት የላሊበላን ከድንጋይ የተፈለፈሉ ቤተክርስቲያኖች፤የጎንደር ቤተ መንግስቶች የሰራ ሕዝብ ከደሳሳ ጎጆ ጋር ተቆራኝቶ ለብዙ ምዕተ-ዓመታት የቆየበት ምክንያት ምንድን ነው? ይህ ጥያቄ የታሪክ ሊቃውንቱንና ተመራማሪዎቹን እንዴት ሳይኮረኩራቸው ቀረ? ይህንና ሌሎች ብዙ የመክሸፍ እንቆቅልሾች እንዴት ሳያዩ ቀሩ?ወይስ እንዴት ችላ ብለው አለፏቸው?
ፕሮፌሰር መስፍን ወልደማርያም መክሸፍ እንደ ኢትዮጵያ ታሪክ 

ስደተኛዋን ሉሲ ለማስመለስ እንቅስቃሴ ተጀመረ


-    በአምስት ወራት ከ244 ሚሊዮን ዶላር በላይ ገቢ አገኘ
በሔኖክ ያሬድ
በኢትዮጵያ ሦስተኛው ሺሕ ዓመት (ሚሌኒየም) ዋዜማ አሜሪካ ያቀናችው ሉሲና ሌሎች ቅርሶች ወደ አገራቸው የሚመለሱበት እንቅስቃሴ መጀመሩን ባህልና ቱሪዝም ሚኒስቴር አስታወቀ፡፡ በአምስት ወራት ውስጥም ከቱሪስቶች ከ244 ሚሊዮን ዶላር በላይ መገኘቱን ገልጿል፡፡ ባህልና ቱሪዝም ሚኒስቴር ሰሞኑን የአምስት ወራት የዕቅድ አፈጻጸም ሪፖርቱን ለሕዝብ ተወካዮች ምክር ቤት ባቀረበበት ወቅት ሚኒስትሩ አቶ አሚን አብዱል ቃድር ለእንደራሴዎቹ እንደተናገሩት ባለፉት አራት ዓመታት በሂውስተን፣ ሲያትል እንዲሁም በተለያዩ ሙዚየሞች ለዕይታ የቀረቡት ሉሲና ሌሎች ቅርሶች ስለሚመለሱበት ሁኔታ አስፈላጊ እንቅስቃሴዎች እየተደረጉ ይገኛል፡፡
እንደሚኒስትሩ አገላለጽ፣ የአገሪቱን በጎ ገጽታ ለመገንባትና የኢትዮ አሜሪካን የሕዝብ ለሕዝብ ግንኙነት ለማጠናከር በ2000 ዓ.ም. የሉሲ ቅሪተ አካልን ጨምሮ 149 ቅርሶች ‹‹Lucy Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia›› ፕሮጀክት ከአሜሪካ የሂዩስተን የተፈጥሮ ሳይንስ ሙዚየም ጋር በተፈረሙት የአምስት ዓመታት የዓውደ ርዕይ ስምምነት ቅርሶቹ እንደሔዱ ይታወሳል፡፡ 

ፓርላማው የአቶ ጁነዲን ሳዶን ያለመከሰስ መብት ሊያነሳ ነው

አቶ ጁነዲን ሳዶ

በዮሐንስ አንበርብር

የሕዝብ ተወካዮች ምክር ቤት (ፓርላማ) በቅርቡ ከሲቪል ሰርቪስ ሚኒስትርነታቸው የተነሱትን የአቶ ጁነዲን ሳዶ ያለመከሰስ መብት ሊያነሳ መሆኑን ቅርበት ያላቸው ምንጮች ገለጹ፡፡

የምክር ቤቱ አባል የሆኑ ምንጮች ለሪፖርተር እንደገለጹት፣ አቶ ጁነዲን በፓርላማ የሥነ ሥርዓት ደንብ መሠረት ሊጠየቁበት የሚችል የሕግ ጉዳይ ሊኖር ስለሚችል፣ በምክር ቤት አባልነታቸው ያገኙትን ያለመከሰስ መብት ምክር ቤቱ እንዲያነሳ የሚጠይቅ ደብዳቤ በመንግሥት ቀርቧል፡፡ ጥያቄው በአዲስ አበባ ከተማ አስተዳደር ከንቲባ አቶ ኩማ ደመቅሳ ወይም በፍትሕ ሚኒስትሩ አቶ ብርሃን ኃይሉ በኩል መቅረብ ያለበት መሆኑን የምክር ቤቱ ደንብ ያዛል የሚሉት እነዚሁ ምንጮች፣ ጥያቄው በየትኛው አካል መቅረቡን ለመረዳት እንዳልቻሉ አስረድተዋል፡፡

ባለፈው ሐሙስ የዓመቱን ዘጠነኛ ስብሰባውን ያካሄደው የሕዝብ ተወካዮች ምክር ቤት በአምስት አጀንዳዎች ላይ ለመወያየት ፕሮግራም ይዞ የነበረ ቢሆንም፣ በአራቱ ላይ ብቻ ተወያይቶ የቀረውን ላልተወሰነ ጊዜ አስተላልፎታል፡፡

የስምንተኛ መደበኛ ስብሰባውን ቃለ ጉባዔ፣ በወንጀል ድርጊት የተገኘ ገንዘብ ወይም ንብረትን ሕጋዊ አስመስሎ ማቅረብንና ሽብርተኝነትን በገንዘብ መርዳትን ለመቆጣጠር የቀረበ ረቂቅ አዋጅ፣ እንዲሁም ሁለት የተለያዩ ዓለም አቀፍ የብድርና የትብብር ስምምነቶችን ማፅደቅ በዕለቱ የተወያየባቸውና ውሳኔ ያሳለፈባቸው አጀንዳዎች ናቸው፡፡ በአምስተኛ አጀንዳነት ተይዞ የነበረው “የአንድ የምክር ቤት አባልን የሕግ ከለላ ስለማንሳት የቀረበ የውሳኔ ሐሳብን መርምሮ ማፅደቅ” የሚል ቢሆንም፣ የምክር ቤቱ አፈ ጉባዔ አቶ አባዱላ ገመዳ ይህንን አጀንዳ በቀጣይ ስብሰባ ለመመልከት ላልተወሰነ ጊዜ አስተላልፈውታል፡፡

The Return of Netsanet Melesse-Mushrit Ethiopia

Netsanet Melesse

Friday, December 28, 2012

ባቲ ‎– Best of Bahiru Kegne


          

Sleep quality and its psychological correlates among university students in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study


Sleep is an important physiological process for humans. University students in most resource limited countries often report poor sleep quality due to changing social opportunities and increasing academic demands.

However, sleep quality among university students has not been studied in Ethiopia. Thus, this study assessed sleep quality and its demographic and psychological correlates among university students.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in two universities in Ethiopia.

Multistage sampling procedures were used to enroll 2,817 students into the study. A self-administered structured questionnaire including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and selected modules of the World Health Organization STEPS instrument was used for the study.

This research included 2,551 students. Frequency, median, mean with standard deviation and 95% confidence interval were used to characterize sleep quality and other variables.

Analysis of variance and binary logistic regression procedures were also used.Result: The prevalence of poor sleep quality (total PSQI score >5) was 55.8% (1,424). Female students (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.23; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.57), second year (AOR 2.91; 95% CI: 2.1, 4.02) and third year students (AOR 2.25; 95% CI 1.62, 3.12) had statistically significant higher odds of poor sleep quality.

Perceived stress level and symptoms of depression and anxiety were strongly associated with sleep quality.

Conclusion: A substantial proportion of university students are affected by poor sleep quality. If our results are confirmed in prospective studies, health promotion and educational programs for students should emphasize the importance of sleep and mental health.

Author: Seblewngel LemmaBizu GelayeYemane BerhaneAlemayehu WorkuMichelle A Williams
Credits/Source: BMC Psychiatry 2012, 12:237
The complete article is available as a provisional PDF.
http://7thspace.com

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Interview with Ethiopian Journalist Bofta Yimam who is Nominated for Three Regional Emmy Awards

TADIAS interview with - Bofta Yimam of Fox 13 News (WHBX) Memphis Tennessee is nominated for 3 Regional Emmy Awards by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Nashville/Mid-South Chapter). Winners to be announced on January 26, 2013 at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville.
             

የልጆቹን እናት በጥይት ደብድቦ ገድሏል የተባለው ተጠርጣሪ ክስ ተመሠረተበት


“ድርጊቱን አልፈጸምኩም ጥፋተኛም አይደለሁም” ተጠርጣሪ የወንድወሰን ይልማ

በታምሩ ጽጌ

ጥቅምት 10 ቀን 2005 ዓ.ም. ከጠዋቱ 2፡00 ሰዓት አካባቢ በቂርቆስ ክፍለ ከተማ ቀበሌ 20/20 ልዩ ሥፍራው ካርቱም ሬስቶራንት ኦሎምፒያ አካባቢ የልጆቹን እናት ከ10 በላይ ጥይቶች ተኩሶ ግፍ በተሞላበትና በአሰቃቂ ሁኔታ ገድሏል የተባለው ተጠርጣሪ የወንድወሰን ይልማ፣ በከባድ የሰው መግደል ወንጀልና የሰው መግደል ሙከራ ወንጀል ክስ ተመሠረተበት፡፡

የፌዴራል ዓቃቤ ሕግ ኅዳር 25 ቀን የተጻፈ የክስ ማመልከቻ ለፌዴራል ከፍተኛ ፍርድ ቤት ልደታ ምድብ ሦስተኛ ወንጀል ችሎት ያቀረበ ቢሆንም፣ ፍርድ ቤቱ ክሱን የተመለከተው ታኅሣሥ 10 ቀን 2005 ዓ.ም. ነው፡፡

ተጠርጣሪው ጥቅምት 10 ቀን 2005 ዓ.ም. የሰሌዳ ቁጥሩ 2-75991 የሆነ መኪና እያሽከረከረ ባምቢስ አካባቢ ሲደርስ፣ ሟችና የሁለት ልጆቹ እናትን ወይዘሮ ፍሬሕይወት ታደሰን የሰሌዳ ቁጥሩ 2-76225 እያሽከረከረች ይመለከታታል፡፡
በመከታተል ኦሎምፒያ ካርቱም ሬስቶራንት አካባቢ ሲደርስባት፣ ይዞት በነበረው የውግ ቁጥሩ 0740722 ክላሽንኮቭ ጠመንጃ ከአሥር በላይ ጥይቶች ተኩሷል፡፡ በተኮሳቸው ጥይቶች ሟችን ደረቷን፣ ጭንቅላቷን፣ ግንባሯን፣ ሆዷን፣ ጀርባዋን፣ ሁለቱንም ታፋዎቿን፣ እጆቿንና የተለያዩ የሰውነት ክፍሎቿን በመምታት ጨካኝና ነውረኛነቱን በሚያሳይ ሁኔታ እንደገደላት የዓቃቤ ሕግ ክስ ያብራራል፡፡

ተጠርጣሪው በወቅቱ ጉዳት ያደረሰው በሟች ፍሬሕይወት ላይ ብቻ ሳይሆን፣ አብረዋት በነበሩትና ወይዘሮ ተናኘ ኃይለማርያም የተባሉ ግለሰብ፣ ከመኪና ወርደው ሲሸሹ ደጋግሞ ቢተኩስባቸውም እንደሳታቸው ክሱ ይገልጻል፡፡ ተጠርጣሪው በሥፍራው የነበረ የግል ተበዳይ ሙሉጌታ ልንገረው የተባለን ግለሰብ በአምስት ጥይት የቀኝ ክንዱን፣ የቀኝ ታፋውን ሁለት ቦታ ላይና የቀኝ እጁን መምታቱን፣ ገብረተንሳይ ወልደማርያም የተባለን ግለሰብ ደግሞ በአንድ ጥይት የግራ እግሩን በመምታት ማቁሰሉንም የዓቃቤ ሕግ ክስ ያስረዳል፡፡ ታረቀኝ አበራ የተባለውን ግለሰብ ደግሞ ጀርባውን በመምታት በአራቱም ግለሰቦች ላይ የመግደል ሙከራ ወንጀል መፈጸሙን አስረድቷል፡፡

ተጠርጣሪው ይዞት በነበረው መሣርያ ሟች ታሽከረክረው የነበረው የሰሌዳ ቁጥር  2-76225 መኪና በመምታት የ33,600 ብር የንብረት ጉዳት በማድረሱም ተከሷል፡፡

ተጠርጣሪው ፍርድ ቤት ቀርቦ “ድርጊቱን አልፈጸምኩም፣ ወንጀለኛም አይደለሁም፤” ብሎ ክዶ በመከራከሩ፣ ዓቃቤ ሕግ ምስክሮቹን ጥር 15 ቀን 2005 ዓ.ም. አቅርቦ እንዲያስመሰክር ቀጠሮ ተሰጥቷል፡፡
http://ethiopianreporter.com

Monday, December 24, 2012

Oromia to repossess plot assigned to Sendafa Athletics Village


By Wudineh Zenebe

The Oromia Regional State has decided to take back the five hectare plot of land alloted for the construction of Sendafa Athletics Village, which is lagging way behind schedule. The plot was assigned for the construction of a fully-equipped athletics village in the Oromia special Zone, sendafa town, some 39 km north of the capital. However, the construction did not start ten years after the land was given to the athletics federation for this purpose.

Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu Among 7 Leading African Women Innovators 2012


VENTURES AFRICA – What a year it has been! Since its launch in March, Ventures Woman has shared stories of inspiring women making headway in Africa’s dynamic economic environment. Despite significant economic and political upheavals in many African countries, these women, and many more unnamed, have strived, pushed and broken down barriers to succeed in many industries, particularly male-dominated industries. These pioneers have gained national and international recognition for their work and found ways to give back to their local communities, inspiring younger African women to follow in their footsteps. Looking back over the year, Ventures Africa presents  seven of Africa’s most innovative business women for the year 2012.

Divine Ndhlukuka

Founder and Managing Director of Zimbabwe’s first ISO certified Security Company SECURICO Divine Ndhlukula is a pioneer in the securities industry. Securico currently leads the industry in providing customised security services and electronic solutions. Divine has taken the company from a small cottage business to a $13 million business with over 3,400 employees, 900 of whom are women. She received the prestigious Legatum Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship in recognition of her outstanding work.

Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu

Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu is the founder and Managing Director of soleRebels (Bostex PLC) here in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The company began as a means of creating hope for impoverished Ethiopian communities. By harnessing local artisan skills and products to produce high-quality shoes that can be exported to a global market, soleRebels has created jobs and a ready market for Ethiopia’s natural resources. The young entrepreneur is gradually turning soleRebels into a globally recognised brand.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

55 Ethiopians and Somalians Drowned in a Boat,Women and Child among Dead


(CNN) -- At least 55 people have drowned or are missing after a boat capsized off the Somali coast on Tuesday evening, the United Nations Refugee Agency said Thursday in a statement.
Ethiopians and Somalis were on the boat. Twenty-three of the 55 victims have been recovered, the agency said. The dead include more than a dozen women and a boy believed to be about 4.
The incident marks the largest loss of life in the Gulf of Aden since February 2011, when 57 Somali refugees and migrants from the Horn of Africa drowned while attempting to reach Yemen.
Five survivors told refugee agency representatives that the boat was overcrowded and started having trouble soon after leaving the port of Bosasso in northern Somalia on Tuesday.
It's capsized 15 minutes into its journey.
At least 100,000 people have crossed the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden this year, despite warnings from U.N. and aid agencies about the risks of those kind of trips.
Before Tuesday's incident, 95 people had drowned or gone missing this year in the waters between Somalia and Yemen.
http://edition.cnn.com/

Stars Orange Afcon 2013 : Saladin Said, the most celebrated symbol in Ethiopian football

Saladin Said

Ethiopians are returning to the local football stadia after years of apathy that saw them switch to European and English Football League for consolation. Apart from  the world beating Ethiopian Athletes led by  Gabre Haille Sellasie, the name Saladin Said is regarded as the most celebrated symbol in Ethiopian football.

The Wadi Degla FC  forward has emerged as an instant household name and poster boy after his decisive goals in the two World Cup qualifiers. Said, 24, is Ethiopia’s top scorer this year with three goals from six qualifiers, including a 1-1 draw against South Africa in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match.

Said is however happy with football progress in Ethiopia.He say’s many football players in Ethiopia are currently enjoying improved financial status as compared to their predecessors in the 1090’s. Despite Ethiopia falling narrowly  to feature in subsequent Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, Said say’s he does not regret any single day spend in the National team as he has so far achieved things he probably  would have not outside the National team

He believes football structures have greatly improved in his country and players are on a  positive path which is to raise the standard of the game.

Saladin Said @ Wadi Degla FC
The Egyptian based player with Wadi Degla FC was the leading scorer in the Ethiopian premier League season from 2007–08,where he  scored 21 goals in 17 games, and was awarded top scorer of the league.

In the season 2008-09, he also received the title for scoring 24 goals. He also received the title “Best Player of the League”.

In 2010 he was on trial with  Serbian side Partizan but the transfer did not go through.

In 2011 he scored in the 2011 Kagame Inter-club Cup game against AS Port from Djibouti with  five  goals in one game.

On 9 October 2011 he got transferred to Egyptian side Wadi Degla FC who paid 2,040,000 Ethiopian birr($240,000 US), the highest sum ever had been paid for an Ethiopian footballer.

Saladin Said Facebook fans created this logo 
Indeed, he will be remembered for saving Ethiopia from imminent defeats.During the Africa zone qualifying match for the World Cup 2014 between South Africa and Ethiopia at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg. South Africa , he scored for Ethiopia the consolation goal in the match that ended in a  1-1 stalemate.

In 2011, Saint George FC accepted an Ethiopian record-shattering 2 million and 40 thousand Birr ($240,000 US) transfer fee from Egyptian club Wadi Degla for Salhadin Seid. Saladin was the top scorer for his club for two seasons, with 24 goals and he was the player of the season in 2009

Fear however gripped  Ethiopia after Said  suffered a  thigh injury during  their recent  2-0 2014 World Cup qualifying win over the Central African Republic (CAR). But the player was declared fit by team doctors in Addis Ababa to play against Benin in next weekend’s 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier second leg.

The Egypt-based striker, 23, scored both goals for Ethiopia, who have not played in the Nations Cup since 1982.

His two goals against CAR sparked wild celebrations around the country as Ethiopia, who have never qualified for the World Cup at senior level, moved to the top of Group A with four points.

CAR are in second position with three points, followed by South Africa with two and Botswana with one point in bottom place.

His prowess has sparked fear with Zambia’s Chipolopolo coach Herve Renard  describing Said  as a dangerous man to watch.He warned his players  to be wary of the threat posed by the Ethiopian striker, Saladin Said when the two sides clash in the opening Orange Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2013 Group C match.

 
Copyright : Starafrica.com

Tablets as teachers: Poor Ethiopian kids learn ABCs

A boy looks for his tablet computer as others play with theirs which were given by the One Laptop Per Child project in the village of Wenchi, Ethiopia. (Jason Straziuso, AP)

Wenchi - The kids in this village wear filthy, ragged clothes. They sleep beside cows and sheep in huts made of sticks and mud. They have no school. Yet they all can chant the English alphabet, and some can make words.

The key to their success: 20 tablet computers dropped off in their Ethiopian village in February by a US group called One Laptop Per Child.

The goal is to find out whether kids using today's new technology can teach themselves to read in places where no schools or teachers exist. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers analysing the project data say they're already startled.

Ethiopian Professor Dr. Benyam Dawit Mezmur Elected to the UN Committee On Child Rights

Dr. Benyam Dawit Mezmur

Dr. Benyam Dawit Mezmur, an Ethiopian Professor of Law was elected a member of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child at a meeting of the State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on December 18th.

Dr. Benyam was one of eight members elected to the committee, and the only successful candidate from Africa. Five others failed to win a place on the Committee. Dr. Benyam, 32, is currently an Assistant Professor at the Addis Ababa University, Faculty of Law.

Ethiopia: 4 Journalists Win Free Speech Prize


(New York) - Four Ethiopian journalists have received the prestigious Hellman/Hammett award for 2012 in recognition of their efforts to promote free expression in Ethiopia, one of the world’s most restricted media environments.

Eskinder Nega Fenta, an independent journalist and blogger; Reeyot Alemu Gobebo of the disbanded weekly
newspaper Feteh; Woubshet Taye Abebe of the now-closed weekly newspaper Awramba Times; and Mesfin Negash of Addis Neger Online were among a diverse group of 41 writers and journalists from 19 countries to receive the award in 2012. Eskinder, Reeyot, and Woubshet are imprisoned in Ethiopia; Mesfin fled in 2009. All four journalists were convicted in 2012 under Ethiopia’s draconian anti-terrorism law.

“The four jailed and exiled journalists exemplify the courage and dire situation of independent journalism in Ethiopia today,” said Leslie Lefkow, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “Their ordeals illustrate the price of speaking freely in a country where free speech is no longer tolerated.”

Mesfin Negash works for Addis Neger Onlinewebsite
The Hellman/Hammett grants, administered by Human Rights Watch, are awarded annually to writers and journalists around the world who have been targets of political persecution and human rights abuses. The prize is named after two American writers who were harassed during the 1950s anti-communism investigations. Lillian Hellman suffered professionally and had trouble finding work while Dashiell Hammett spent time in prison. A distinguished selection committee awards the grants to honor and support journalists whose work, activities, and lives are suppressed by repressive government action.

The journalistic work and liberty of the four Ethiopian award-winners has been suppressed by the Ethiopian government in its efforts to restrict free speech and peaceful dissent, clamp down on independent media, and limit access to and use of the internet. They represent a much larger group of journalists in Ethiopia forced to self-censor, face prosecution, or flee the country, Human Rights Watch said.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

ስዊስ ባንክ በታምራት ላይኔ ስም የተቀመጠ ስምንት ሚሊዮን ዶላር መለሰ


አቶ ታምራት ላይኔ
አቶ ታምራት ላይኔ የፀረ ሙስና ኮሚሽን ከመቋቋሙ በፊት ሥልጣንን አለአግባብ በመጠቀም ሦስት ክሶች ተመሥርቶባቸው ነበር፡፡ ከእነዚህ ክሶች በተጨማሪም መንግሥትን ወክለው ከሼክ መሐመድ ሁሴን ዓሊ አል አሙዲ 16 ሚሊዮን ዶላር ለቡና ግዥ ተበድረዋል መባሉ ይታወሳል፡፡ ይህ ገንዘብ ስዊስ ባንክ ውስጥ ይገኛል የሚል መረጃ የደረሰው መንግሥት በፍትሕ ሚኒስቴር በኩል ገንዘቡን ለማስመለስ ጥረት አድርጓል፡፡

ከ16 ሚሊዮን ዶላር ውስጥ ስምንት ሚሊዮን ዶላር በስዊስ ባንክ እንደሚገኝ በመረጋገጡ፣ መንግሥት ገንዘቡ እንዲመለስለት ለስዊስ ፍርድ ቤት ጥያቄውን አቅርቧል፡፡ ጉዳዩን ሲከታተል የቆየው የስዊስ ፍርድ ቤት ገንዘቡ የኢትዮጵያ መንግሥት አይደለም በሚል ለሌላ ግለሰብ እንዲመለስ ወስኗል፡፡

Garrison Hawk (featuring Teddy Afro and Gigi) Survive


Tuesday, December 18, 2012

MISS UNIVERSE 2012 - Ethiopia-Helen Getachew

Miss Ethiopia 2012, Helen Getachew. Photo: Matt Brown, Miss Universe Organization / Miss Universe Organization

       

‹‹በ1953 ዓ.ም. የተካሄደውን መፈንቅለ መንግሥት ሙከራ አሜሪካኖች ደግፈውት ነበር››

ደጃዝማች ወልደሰማዕት ገብረወልድ፣ የቀድሞ የጠቅላይ ግዛት እንደራሴና ረዳት ሚኒስትር



ደጃዝማች ወልደሰማዕት ገብረወልድ በቀዳማዊ ኃይለ ሥላሴ ዘመን በረዳት ሚኒስትርነት፣ በዋና ዳይሬክተርነት፣ በጠቅላይ ግዛት እንደራሴነትና በአውራጃ ገዥነት አገራቸውንና ወገኖቻቸውን ለ23 ዓመታት ያህል አገልግለዋል፡፡

በሥራ ላይ በቆዩበት ዘመን ያካበቱትንም ልምድና ዕውቀት አስመልክቶ ለአሁኑ ትውልድ ገለጻ አድርገዋል፡፡ ይህንንም ያደረጉት ኢንተር አፍሪካ ግሩፕ በኢንተርኮንትኔንታል አዲስ ሆቴል አዳራሽ ባካሄደው ዝግጅት ላይ ነው፡፡ ደጃዝማች ወልደሰማዕት በሕዝብ አገልግሎት ሥራ ላይ ሆነው ከፈጸሟቸውና ለወጣቱ በገለጻ ካስረዱት የአስተዳደርና የልማት ሥራዎች መካከል በጥቂቶቹ ላይ ከታደሰ ገብረማርያም ጋር ተወያይተዋል፡፡

ሪፖርተር፡- በአፄ ኃይለ ሥላሴ ሥርዓት ጭሰኞችን ባለርስት ለማድረግ የሚያስችል እንቅስቃሴ ተካሒዶ ነበር ይባላል፡፡ ስለዚህ ጉዳይ ቢያብራሩልን፡፡

Monday, December 17, 2012

Samson Mengesha of Minnesota, Wanted For Strong Arm Rape, Arrested At Dulles Airport


STERLING, Va. (WUSA) - A man wanted for rape in Minnesota was arrested at Washington Dulles International Airport on Wednesday, according to Customs and Border Protection officials.

According to CBP, 23-year-old Samson Mengesha of St. Paul,
Minn. arrived on a flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Officers found out he was wanted for strong arm rape by Dakota County, Minn. Police.

CBP officers arrested Mengesha and turned him over to Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police for extradition.http://www.wusa9.com

Judge rules against Vancouver landlord that demanded salon not cut white men’s hair

Salon owners awarded $67,000 for renovation costs incurred before they pulled out of rental deal
Barber Abraham Behre cuts the hair of Manuel Gaspar at the Afro Hair Studio in Vancouver, Dec. 14, 2012. Behre was awarded $67,706.50 in a civil claim after suing his landlord who told him he could not cut white men’s hair at another salon he was planning to open.

METRO VANCOUVER -- Abraham Berhe and Emebet Belay dreamed of opening a large hair and beauty salon on East Hastings Street in the Vancouver-Burnaby Heights area.

The couple already had a small shop, Afro Hair Studio on Commercial Drive, which specializes in cornrows, braids, dreadlocks and other Afro hairstyles. But they wanted to expand, offering manicures, pedicures and tanning services in addition to haircuts and styling.

They nearly reached that dream last February, spending $70,000 renovating a new 2,400-sq.-ft space at Hastings and Nanaimo. Then their new landlord, Coblenz Holdings Ltd., issued an edict.

“The landlord say we have restrictions, no white men’s haircuts or advertising in the window,” said Abraham, who had emigrated with his wife to Canada from Ethiopia 23 years ago.

Raped Ethiopian maid commits suicide in Ethiopian consulate


An Ethiopian housemaid has hung herself in the Ethiopian Consulate in Dubai.
Police were informed on Friday that a 26-year-old housemaid had been found dead inside the consulate, before rushing to the site where a number of women with various problems are being kept until they are able to travel back home.

It is understood the woman, who had only been in the country for six months, had earlier been raped by a Pakistani driver, and had left the family where she was working, leaving her without money to return home. She arrived at the consulate last Tuesday.

The woman was apparently scared that her sponsor would come to the consulate and find her and was said to be in a poor psychological state.

The police said they examined the scene and carried out an investigation, with the primary results showing the victim had committed suicide.

A CID official referred the dead woman to the General Department of Forensic Medicine for an autopsy.

The day after the woman arrived at the consulate, on Wednesday, a concerned official apparently tried to solve her problems and offer her help. The next day the woman complained of being sick, but she did not get medical attention, and the day after she was found dead. The woman apparently awoke some time after midnight on Friday morning, walked to a construction area inside the consulate, took a cable, wrapped it around her kneck and hung herself from the ceiling.

The body will be handed over by the Dubai police after completion of legal and administrative procedures. A friend of the maid’s, who did not want to be named, told Khaleej Times it was still unclear whether the victim’s family in Ethiopia were aware of her death or not, or whether she would be buried in her birth country or the UAE.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a member of the Ethiopian community said that after the completion of the police procedures it would be decided whether the body would be repatriated, in coordination with the Ethiopian Consulate and her sponsor.

When contacted, the Ethiopian Consulate said they had no information.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com

Around the World in 80 Songs: Ethiopia


Ethiopia, in the Horn of Africa, is a country that boasts the second largest population on the African Continent.

More than 84 million live there and it's one of the oldest sites of human existence known to scientists.

It's been through famines and civil wars and Tony Hickey has seen a lot of it living in Ethiopia for about 40 years on-and-off.  

An Aussie ex-pat describes him as a "gregarious Irishman" and he feeds them every friday night at his restaurant in the capital, Addis Ababa.

Tom Forbes asked Tony how his life started in Ethiopia?

http://blogs.abc.net.au

Friday, December 14, 2012

ከኢትዮጵያ ቀዳሚ የቀዶ ጥገና ሃኪሞች አንዱ የነበሩት ዶ/ር ታዬ መኩሪያ ከዚህ አለም በሞት ተለዩ

 ዶ/ር ታዬ መኩሪያ 

ዶ/ር ታዬ መኩሪያ ከእናታቸው ከወይዘሮ ጥሩነሽ ድጋፉ እና ከአባታቸው ከባሻ መኩሪያ በታምነው ሚያዚያ5 ቀን1924 ዓ.ም.በሐረር ከተማ ተወለዱ። ዶክተር ታዬ የአንደኛ ደረጃ ትምህርታቸውን በሐረር ከተማ፤ የሁለተኛ ደረጃ ትምህርታቸውን ደግሞ በኮተቤ ሁለተኛ ደረጃ ት/ቤት ካጣናቀቁ በኋላ ለከፍተኛ ትምህርት ወደ ውጭ ሀገር ተልከው በሊባኖስ ዋና ከተማ ቤይሩት የአሜሪካ ዪኒቨርሲቲ ህክምና ትምህርት ተቋም በ1952 የህክምና ዲግሪ ካገኙ በኋላ ትምህርታቸውን በመቀጠል በቀዶ ጥገና ሃኪምነት በ1956 ዓ.ም. ተመርቀው ወደሃገራቸው ተመልሱ። በወቅቱ በሀገር ውስጥ ከነበሩት ጥቂት ኢትዮጵያውያን ሀኪሞች አንዱ ነበሩ፡፡ በጊዜዉ ከነበሩት ሁለት የቀዶ ጥገና ሃኪሞችም አንዱ ነበሩ።ሙያቸውን በቅዱስ ጳውሎስ ሆስፒታል ጀምረው ለረጅም አመታት አገልግሎት በሰጡበት ወቅት የቀዶ ጥገና ህክምና ክፍል ሃላፊ በመሆን አገልግለዋል።

ዶ/ር ታዬ ወደ ሃገራቸው ከተመለሱ በኋላ ው/ሮ ሠናይት ጥግነህን በህግ አግብተው ሶስት ሴት ልጆች እና አንድ ወንድ ልጅ አፍርተው አምስት የልጅ ልጅ ለማየት በቅተዋል።

Eleni Gabre-Madhin:How Africa's first commodity exchange revolutionised Ethiopia's economy

on how a market has empowered Ethiopian farmers by focusing on distribution as well as production
Cereal fields in Ethiopia's Arusi-Bale plains, where the commodity exchange has facilitated trade between buyers and sellers. Photograph: Joe Blossom/Alamy

While government leaders, NGOs and corporations devise strategies to churn out more food for future generations, Eleni Gabre-Madhin is taking a different approach. Concerned by a 2002 famine in her home country of Ethiopia that followed bumper crops in 2000 and 2001, the Stanford-educated economist decided it was time to go beyond food production and take a hard look at distribution.

The result? Africa's first commodity exchange. As the founder and outgoing CEO of the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX), Gabre-Madhin established a reliable interface for buyers and sellers to meet – an idea that has inspired other African countries to follow suit. Gabre-Madhin won the Yara award at the African Green Revolution Forum in Arusha, Tanzania, for her role in transforming Ethiopia's commodity market.

What prompted your decision to found Africa's first commodity exchange in Ethiopia? I had been doing research on grain markets and other agriculture markets in Africa for many years and, as it happened, I did my PhD on grain markets in Ethiopia. One of the things I kept seeing over and over, which I'd seen in other parts of Africa, was just how difficult it was for buyers to find sellers and sellers to find buyers, and how difficult it was to enforce the contract.

Eleni Gabre-Madhin
You'd see that a seller, such as a farmer, for example, who sold grain to a trader wouldn't get paid for weeks, sometimes months. There were cases in the coffee market in Ethiopia where people had committed suicide because they had outstanding loans and their buyers hadn't paid them. So there were all sorts of cases of contract default.

Then from the buyers' perspective you'd hear that they'd have to inspect the grain or coffee visually to check if it was really the quality they'd been told it was. They would have to reweigh it and rebag it to see if it was the actual quantity and quality that they were contracting.

So these are all the problems in the supply chain that make us poor and make us food insecure. If people can't get grain where it's produced really efficiently to where it's needed, then you have markets that are segmented. You have pockets of surplus where prices collapse and places in other parts of the county where prices shoot up because there's a deficit and there's no grain coming in.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

በሁለት ቀናት ልዩነት ሦስት ጊዜ ቀብሯ የተፈጸመው ወላድ ጉዳይ እያነጋገረ ነው


-    አስከሬኗ ከመቃብር ወጥቶ ተገኝቷል

በታምሩ ጽጌ

የመጀመርያ ልጇን በቀዶ ሕክምና ከተገላገለች በኋላ ደም ፈሷት ሕይወቷ ያለፈው የ27 ዓመት ወጣት የቀብር ሥርዓቷ ባለፈው ቅዳሜ፣ እሑድና ከትናንት በስቲያ ሰኞ የመፈጸሙ ጉዳይ እያነጋገረ ነው፡፡ ሟች ቤተልሔም ሰለሞን ልጅ ወልዳ ለመሳም ዘጠኝ ወራትን ስትጠብቅና የእርግዝናዋንም ሁኔታ ስትከታተል ቆይታ የመውለጃዋ ዕለት በመድረሱ፣ ጎፋ ማዞሪያ ወደሚገኘው ሮያል የጽንስና የማኅፀን ሕክምና ከፍተኛ ክሊኒክ የሄደችው ኅዳር 27 ቀን 2005 ዓ.ም. ነበር፡፡

ክትትል ስታደርግበት የነበረው ክሊኒክ ተቀብሎአት ወደ ማዋለጃ ክፍል ካስገባት በኋላ የምጥ መርፌ ቢወጋትም፣ በዕለቱ ልትወልድ አለመቻሏንና ወደ ቤቷ መመለሷን ወላጅ እናቷ ወይዘሮ በለጡ አበበና ባለቤቷ አቶ ፍስሐ እሸቴ ገልጸዋል፡፡

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Ethiopian Teen Killed By Hit-And-Run Accident In Schaumburg

Mikias T. Tibebu, 18, was killed in a hit-and-run. (CBS)

SCHAUMBURG (STMW) — A Schaumburg High School student whose lifeless body was found lying in a roadway in the northwest suburb early Saturday was being remembered as a beloved friend and athlete by school officials and classmates.

Mikias T. Tibebu, 18, was pronounced dead about 1 a.m. after police and paramedics’ resuscitative efforts failed to revive him, authorities said.

While the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office ruled Tibebu’s death the result of an apparent hit-and-run collision, investigators say they have not yet determined an exact cause.

Police in Schaumburg were out late last night and early this morning – hoping to find someone who has information about the hit-and-run accident that killed an 18-year-old high school senior early Saturday morning.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Ethiopian women claim Israel forced them to use birth control before letting them immigrate


Ethiopian immigrants arrive in Israel with Operation Dove's Wings in October 2012 (photo courtesy of the Jewish Agency for Israel)
Immigration Ministry and Joint Distribution Committee reject allegations as ‘nonsense’

Ethiopian women who moved to Israel eight years ago claimed Israeli officials coerced them to receive injections of Depo-Provera, a long-acting birth control drug, as a prerequisite to immigration.

Speaking to reporters on an episode of Israel Educational Television’s investigative show “Vacuum” that aired on Saturday, several immigrants described the intense pressure placed on them to keep their families small. The women claimed Israeli representatives from the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and the Health Ministry told them that raising large families is especially difficult, that it is for hard people with many children to find work and support their families, and that many landlords would not be willing to rent apartments to large families.

TEDx Video: Gabriel Teodros Does Hip Hop & Science Fiction


Seattle-based hip-hop musician Gabriel Teodros, right, with fellow Ethiopian-American artists Meklit Hadero, left, and Elias Fullmore, center, pictured in a promo image for their group CopperWire's space fiction album called "Earthbound," released in 2012. (Photo: CopperWire)
New York (TADIAS) – Last month musician Gabriel Teodros was highlighted at ‘TEDx Talks’ in Seattle. The artist was part of the Ethiopian American sci-fi trio CopperWire that earlier this year produced the futuristic album Earthbound. The hip-hop space opera takes place in the year 2089 featuring three renegades from another world who hijack a spacecraft and ride it to Earth, and eventually land in Ethiopia.

In the spirit of creative “ideas worth spreading,” TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share their experiences. “To know that another world is possible, and to bring it to life through music; this has always been the mission of Gabriel Teodros,” the program announcement stated. “He made a mark with groups CopperWire, Abyssinian Creole and Air 2 A Bird, and reached an international audience with his critically-acclaimed solo debut Lovework.”

The following is a video from the event that took place at TEDxRainier in Seattle on November 10, 2012. Gabriel performed and told his personal story as an artist, culturally mixed heritage and his relationship with his parents — a mother who is an immigrant from Ethiopia and a father who is a Vietnam veteran from Duvall, Washington.
            
       
           
http://www.tadias.com

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Ethiopian Maids at war: One killed, other found alive with steel bar in her neck


Injured maid removes steel bar from the neck herself at the Rashid Hospital
By Eman Al Baik
Published Monday, December 10, 2012
Two Ethiopian maids fought each other at the sponsor’s house, one was killed while the other was found alive in a pool of blood with steel bar pierced through her neck.

FYO, 28-year-old Ethiopian maid, has been accused of premeditated murder of her co-worker and compatriot by stabbing her several times in different part of her body, the Dubai Criminal Court heard on Sunday.

The prosecution accused that FYO grabbed the victim, HSS, and stabbed in her face, neck and belly a number of times in the employer’s wardrobe room.

Mississippi to Ethiopia: Understanding ‘Brown Condor’


Unraveling mystery of Coast war hero 'Brown Condor'

By KAT BERGERON — Special to the Sun Herald

One more thread to unravel the mystery of the "Brown Condor" is now on national bookshelves.
>
This forgotten Mississippi Coast hero, a daring aviator who survived a dog fight with the son of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, encouraged other blacks to fly when it was taboo in Jim Crow America.

He helped change a ragtag Ethiopian military into a force against fascism, itself a form of the racism the Brown Condor faced in his own country.

Before the latest biography, enough was known of Col. John C. Robinson, born in Gulfport's Big Quarter in 1905, to pique the interest of Mississippi writers and researchers who produced a book and newspaper articles and conducted an academic symposium.

Embrace of entrepreneurship redefines gender roles in Ethiopia


A local entrepreneur has become the first woman to own and drive a horse-drawn cart in her town. Her family is redefining gender roles here, as her husband handles the domestic duties so she can help support the family with her income.

DEBRE ZEIT, Ethiopia (GPI)--Hanna Wedaje, 24, is the only woman here who owns and drives a horse-drawn cart for a living.

The horse-drawn cart, or “gari,” is the main form of transportation in Debre Zeit. Throughout Ethiopia, local men dominate the ownership and operation of gari transport.

Bermuda's Ethiopian Orthodox Church Paintings


              

Talk to Al Jazeera - Can Ethiopia and Eritrea finally find peace?


    

Ethiopians, Tibetans thrive in thin air using different genes


Ethiopians, Tibetans thrive in thin air using different genes

Scientists say they have pinpointed genetic changes that allow some Ethiopians to live and work more than a mile and a half above sea level without getting altitude sickness.

The specific genes differ from those reported pr
eviously for high-altitude Tibetans, even though both groups cope with low-oxygen in similar physiological ways, the researchers report. If confirmed, the results may help scientists understand why some people are more vulnerable to low blood oxygen levels caused by factors other than altitude — such as asthma, sleep apnea, heart problems or anemia — and point to new ways to treat them, the researchers say.

Living with less

Lower air pressure at high altitude means fewer oxygen molecules for every breath. “At 4000 meters, every lungful of air only has 60% of the oxygen molecules that people at sea level have,” said co-author Cynthia Beall of Case Western Reserve University.

To mop up scarce oxygen from thin air, travelers to high altitude compensate by making more hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying component of human blood. But high hemoglobin comes with a cost. Over the long term, excessive hemoglobin can increase the risk of blood clots, stroke, and chronic mountain sickness, a disease characterized by thick and viscous blood.

ሚድሮክ ተሰጥቶት የነበረውን 6,400 ካሬ ሜትር መሬት ነጠቀ


በውድነህ ዘነበ

የአዲስ አበባ ከተማ አስተዳደር በሚድሮክ ቴክኖሎጂ ግሩፕ ሥር ለሚገኘው ሁዳ ሪል ስቴት ሰጥቶት የነበረውን ሰፊ የግንባታ መሬት ነጠቀ፡፡ ቦታው የሚገኘው ሜክሲኮ አደባባይ ከዋቢ ሸበሌ ሆቴል አጠገብ ነው፡፡ የአዲስ አበባ አስተዳደር በ1997 ዓ.ም. ለሁዳ ሪል ስቴት ኩባንያ ከፍታቸው ከ20 ፎቅ በላይ የሆኑ መንትያ ሕንፃዎች እንዲገነባ 6,400 ካሬ ሜትር ቦታ ሰጥቶት ነበር፡፡ ነገር ግን ሁዳ ሪል ስቴት ባለፉት ስምንት ዓመታት ግንባታውን ባለመጀመሩና የአስተዳደሩ መሬት ልማትና ማኔጅመንት ቢሮ ኩባንያው ግንባታውን እንዲጀምር ተደጋጋሚ ማስጠንቀቂያ ቢሰጥም ግንባታው ሊጀመር ባለመቻሉ፣ ባለፈው ማክሰኞ ኅዳር 25 ቀን 2005 ዓ.ም. መሬቱን ነጥቆታል፡፡

Thursday, December 6, 2012

ፕሬዚዳንት ግርማ ወልደጊዮርጊስ ለአቡነ መርቆርዮስ ደብዳቤ ፅፈው ሠረዙት-ቪኦኤ



4ኛው የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋህዶ ቤተ-ክርስቲያን ፓትርያርክ ብፁዕ ወቅዱስ አቡነ መርቆሬዎስ፣ “ከነ ሙሉ ክብራቸውና ማዕርጋቸው ወደ አገራቸው እንዲገቡና መንበራቸው ላይ እንዲሆኑ” የሚጋብዝ፣ ከኢትዮጵያው ፕሬዚደንት ግርማ ወልደጊዮርጊስ የተፃፈ ደብዳቤ በማግኘታችን እውነት ስለመሆኑ ወደፕሬዚደንቱ ስንደውል፣ ፕሬዚደንት ግርማ «እውነት ነው፣ እኔ ነኝ የፃፍኩት» ብለው አረጋገጡልን።

አቡነ መርቆርዮስ
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የስልኩ ጥሪ ብዙም ጥራት ስላልነበረው እንደገና ስንደውል ደግሞ ቀደም ሲል ደብዳቤውን የፃፉት ሰዎች አሣስተዋቸው መሆኑን ጠቁመው የሻሩት መሆናቸውን ገለፁልን፡፡

ሁለቱም ውይይት ላይ ድምፃቸው አለ፤ የአዲሱ አበበን ዘገባ ያዳምጡ።
                        
http://amharic.voanews.com

Ethiopia: Public Sector Investment among African Economy Booms


Africa’s rapid growth is not affecting the continent equally. Here’s a look at five African countries that represent some of the brightest spots.
In  May 2000, The Economist magazine declared that Africa was “the hopeless continent.” Eleven years later, in 2011, it referred to Africa as “the hopeful continent.” And on October 20, 2012, the magazine stated: “In recent years investors have been piling into Lagos and Nairobi as if they were Frankfurt and Tokyo of old.”
Clearly, gloomy skepticism has given way to glowing optimism about Africa, and for good reason—over the past 10 years, many of the economies within Africa are outpacing economies anywhere else in the world. In fact, according to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) World Economic Outlook released in October 2012, 11 of the world’s 20 fastest-growing economies are in Africa, and this booming economic growth has helped create the fastest-growing middle class in the world.
Of course, the major trends driving this growth—changing policy environments, a growing middle class that expects equitable social and economic policies, high commodity prices, robust domestic demand, and rapid mass urbanization—have not affected all countries on the continent equally. Here’s a quick look at five economies that have especially benefited from recent developments, and those that pose some of the best potential for the future.