Model, Student, Philanthropist: Ethiopia's Mearge Tareke

Mearge Tareke on Front and Back page cover of VIGOR'E MAGAZINE, Nov 2012

Best-Selling Travel Writer Patricia Schultz To Host 'Imperial Ethiopia' Adventure

The land of Ethiopia, rich in natural, cultural and religious treasures and centered on the crossroads between North Africa, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa is consistently hailed as a must-see destination. Its 2,
500 years of documented history (and 1500 years of Christian observance) has been ruled by a dramatic progression of warlords, emperors, and kings. Ethiopia’s 80 distinct ethnic groups each contributes to the rich cultural stew of life today which abounds with colorful ceremonies, traditional and sacred music, dance and th
eater.

The best way to see it? In the company of Patricia Schultz, author of NYTimes #1 Bestseller 1,000 Places to See Before You Die.
ET African Journeys is offering one 10-day trip – April 25 – May 4, 2013 – with an itinerary featuring three UNESCO World Heritage Sites which includes seven churches and six castles built in the mid-1600s in the fortress-city of Gondar.  Plus: the art treasury of the Debre Birhan Selassie Church and the Falasha (Ethiopian Jewish) Village and Synagogue. It is in Gondar that castles built in the 7^th century overlook Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile.

“It is surprising to me that with its mix of rich history, gorgeous scenery and beautiful people Ethiopia isn’t positively overrun by tourists,” Schultz has stated. “Africa’s best kept secret is hiding in plain sight! Stunning UNESCO sites in the north, and the remote and inaccessible Omo Valley to the south, a whole other world of ancient tribes and fragile cultures visited by very few.”
The trip will also take participants to see 1,700-year old stelae (obelisks), St. Mary Zion Church and the Sanctuary Chapel, the reputed resting place of the biblical Ark of the Covenant in Axum near the Eritrean border. In Lalibela, built as a “New Jerusalem” by Emperor Lalibela in response to the Muslim capture of Jerusalem in 1187, the trip will visit some of the twelve UNESCO-designated subterranean churches cut from red volcanic rock – still places of active worship and pilgrimage destination.
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Indian investors are forcing Ethiopians off their land

 

Farm workers remove weeds from young plants at the palm oil plantation owned by Karuturi Global, near the town of Bako, in Ethiopia. Photograph: Jose Cendon/Getty Images

Thousands of Ethiopians are being relocated or have already fled as their land is sold off to foreign investors without their consent

Ethiopia's leasing of 600,000 hectares (1.5 acres) of prime farmland to Indian companies has led to intimidation, repression, detentions,
rapes, beatings, environmental destruction, and the imprisonment of journalists and political objectors, according to a new report.
Research by the US-based Oakland Institute suggests many thousands of Ethiopians are in the process of being relocated or have fled to neighbouring countries after their traditional land has been handed to foreign investors without their consent. The situation is likely to deteriorate further as companies start to gear up their operations and the government persues plans to lease as much as 15% of the land in some regions, says Oakland.
In a flurry of new reports about global "landgrabbing" this week, Oxfam said on Thursday that investors were deliberately targeting the weakest-governed countries to buy cheap land. The 23 least-developed countries of the world account for more than half the thousands of recorded deals completed between 2000 and 2011, it said. Deals involving approximately 200m ha of land are believed to have been negotiated, mostly to the advantage of speculators and often to the detriment of communities, in the last few years.
In what is thought to be one of the first "south-south" demonstrations of concern over land deals, this week Ethiopian activists came to Delhi to urge Indian investors and corporations to stop buying land and to actively prevent human rights abuses being committed by the Ethiopian authorities.

IBM in Ethiopia: it’s all about data

The link between one of the world’s most powerful corporate leaders and a small bank in Ethiopia might not be immediately obvious. In this case, it’s an IBM server, which powers Awash International Bank. But soon it could be a lot more if Ginni Rometty (pictured) has anything to do with it.

Rometty, IBM’s chief executive, is spending a week in Africa with her top 15 executives. It’s the first time so many of them have been in one place outside New York. It’s also the first time IBM has convened its chief executives from all over the continent.

Main Line Student of the Week Samson Tesfamariam's fascinating life story

(Editor's Note: This is the autobiographical essay, titled "My Dream" and written by Main Line Student of the Week Samson Tesfamariam when he was a student at South Philadelphia High School, after coming to America from Ethiopia. He is now a senior at Lower Merion High School and has been named  Main Line student of the week)

My name is Samson Tesfamariam. I was born in Badme, Ethiopia. I am not sure of the exact date when I was born. Many years ago, Ethiopia and Eritrea were one country called Abyssinia. The Eritrean leader wanted Eritrea to be an independent country. In 1998, both countries fought a war against each other.

Many innocent people died. Kahsu, my father was Eritrean. He was tall with black color skin. He was the wealthiest man who lived in Badme. He traded goods from Eritrea to Ethiopia and had a big supermarket.

Sudan president in Eritrea after Asmara mutiny: reports

(AFP) KHARTOUM — Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir held talks with his Eritrean counterpart Issaias Afeworki on Saturday, official media reported, on a visit to Asmara just days after a protest by mutinous soldiers there.
Troops demanding political reform briefly seized the information ministry in the Eritrean capital on January 21 in a rare challenge to the one-party authoritarian regime that borders Sudan.
Official television in Khartoum showed pictures of Bashir sitting and talking with Issaias in Eritrea during the visit which lasted less than a day.
"The leaders of the two states confirmed that they will continue their consultations to improve peace and stability and relations between them," the television report said.

Local Ethiopian Community Center Reaches the Masses

San Diego serves as home to one of the largest African refugee populations in the country, and is composed of a rich mixture of Africans who bring knowledge and culture from a vast continent. The Ethiopian Community Service Center, located on Adams Avenue in the North Park neighborhood of San Diego, is one of t
he many cultural and educational contributors to the city.

The ECS was built on a foundation of Ethiopians who have migrated to the United States for various reasons, but come together under a common goal. ECS places strong emphasis on the passing of a relative or friend, and was drawn together in these times of need. “We’ve had communities in the past, but we decided to get together and have these discussions amongst people in the community who are really passionate about this issue,” said founding member and Advisory board, Ben Seifu.

ECS is an offi cial nonprofi t 501c3 comprised of a board of elected offi cials as well as members at large. “They’ve done an amazing job thus far,” he added.