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Ethiopia, the land of Sheba

By Linus Wamanya

Dec 22, 2013: Ethiopia never ceases to amaze and enchant guests. While there I was enmeshed in its wealth of history. I was never braced for the contrasts and surprises in the remote and wild places. These sandy brown hosts are such a friendly people who are descendants from some of the world’s oldest civilizations.

You have perhaps heard of the fabled Queen of Sheba, the Biblical home of the Ark of the Covenant, the birthplace of coffee. As if that was not enough, “Lucy” the world’s oldest known almost-complete hominid skeleton, more than three million years old, was discovered in this part of the Horn Of Africa had its roots there.

Covernant Church

To any visitor, the Ethiopia menu of attractions is lengthy and diverse. There is the Historic Route which includes the ancient town of Axum. Then there is the amazing piece of art obelisks. This is crowned by Christian festivals and relics, including the Ark of the Covenant; Gondar. I am yet to find out how ancient Ethiopians built these magnificient castles and palaces. There is Lalibela, with its remarkable rock-hewn Churches. This is contrasted with, Negash, one of the earliest holy Muslim centers dating to the Prophet Muhammad Era. To lend it legitimacy, in Islam, is the Negash Amedin Mesgid, the walled Muslim city of Harar and Lega Oda, near Dire Dawa where you can see vibrant cave paintings considered to be thousands of years old.

“This place was declared free from Jihad by prophet Mohamed,” Methenik, a guide told me. “Here a day has twelve hours. A day begins with the sun coming out and ends with it going down.”

I gasped for breath on seeing Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile. It is the largest lake there boasting with 37 islands. The Monasteries like Kibran Gebriel and Kidanemhiret boasting settlements dating far back to 14th century are also of interest

Legend has it that Emperor Menelik I, the son of the Queen of Sheba and king Solomon, brought the Ark of the Covenant from Jerusalem to Axum, where he settled and established one of the world’s longest known, uninterrupted monarchical dynasties.

This is only one example of Ethiopia’s magnificent history, which encompasses legend and tradition, mystery and fact, from a powerful and religious ancient civilization. The well -trodden path through Ethiopia’s famous and fascinating historic places takes you through a scenically magnificent world of fairy -tale names, such as Lalibela, Gondar and Bahar Dar.

2. The rock-hewn churches of Lalibela (North Wollo Zone) this is called the african petro with credible rock carved churches made in the 13th century by king Lalibela

Lalibela, a 45 minutes flight with Ethiopian airlines from Addis Ababa, is internationally-renowned for its rock-hewn churches which are sometimes called the “Eighth Wonder of the World”. Physically prised from the rock in which they stand, these monolithic churches were originally thought to have been built in the 12th century during the reign of King Lalibela. It took me maximum of four hours to tour all the eleven churches assembled in three groupings

For sure Lalibela stands out to be the a must visit destination while in Ethiopia

Njera and wot; Ethiopia’s traditional dish

Lake Tana is the source of the Blue Nile and the biggest lake in Ethiopia having 30 islands.  There are monasteries constructed on 27 of them in the 13th – 17th century AC containing unique old paintings which depict the churches and biblical history.

The churches were used as treasure houses by the emperors of that period. There are still some collections of this antique treasure to be admired.

Gonder: the Camelot of Africa

Gondar was the capital of Ethiopia in the 17th century with its notable medieval castles and churches.

The city’s unique imperial compound contains a number of castles built between 1632 – 1855 by different emperors who reigned during that period. These amazing castles, unlike the others in Africa, display richness in architecture which reveals the Axumite architecture and the influence of the Portuguese, the Arabian and the Indian.

Like Uganda, Ethiopia is home to a wealth of birds and animals. There are also the high, rugged, Simien Mountains in the north and the Bale Mountains in the southeast. They are endowed with unique wildlife, rich flora and ideal for nature walks.

This part of Africa has eleven national parks and four sanctuaries, where 277 species of wildlife and more than 850 species of birds fly. The Simien Mountains National Park is registered by UNESCO as a world heritage site and is home to three of the endemic mammals, Walia Ibex, Gelada Baboon and Abyssinian Wolf. Ras Dashen, the fourth highest peak in Africa with an altitude of 4,620 meters, is also located within the National Park.

Other National Parks include Bale Mountains and Abijatta-Shalla in Oromia, Nech Sar, Mago and Omo National Parks in the south and Yangudi Rasa in Afar, Gambella National park in Gambella, as well as Awash in both Oromia and Afar Regions.

Comparably, Addis Ababa is a friendly and safe capital city. There are first-class hotels and restaurants, museums and palaces, and good shopping malls Mercato – Africa’s largest open-air market. Ethiopia is a mosaic of people with more than 80 languages, different lifestyles, costumes and cultural dances.

Ethiopia has been called ‘the land of a thousand smiles’. By the way if you are destined to Ethiopia go ready to eat Njera and wot and to drink strong coffee brews.

Ethiopian fests

New Year’s Day September 11

To the religious calendar it is also the Feast of St John the Baptist. Here it is called Enkutatash, meaning the ‘gift of jewels’. When the famous Queen of sheba returned from her visit to King Solomon in Jerusalem, her chiefs welcomed her back by replenishing her treasury with jewels. The festival is marked by dancing and singing. The night before, people light fires outside their houses, and run around with flaming torches to welcome the New Year. Traditionally young girls would pick a special kind of grass, called engicha or enqwutatash, and would go round signing goodwill messages for the new-year. They present the grass to whomever they meet and would be given a modest gift in return.

MESKAL 27 September.

Celebrated in the country for over 1,600 years, this important feast commemorates the discovery of the cross upon which Jesus was crucified, by the Empress Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great.

The day before tall branches are tied together and yellow daisies, popularly called Meskal flowers, are placed at the top. During the night these branch are set ablaze to symbolise Empress Helena lighting incense and praying for help to find the Holy Sepulchre was after nobody would show her. Following the direction of the smoke, she dug and found three crosses, including the True cross. A part of the True Cross is said to be in the mountain monastery of Gishen Mariame located in the South Wollo administrative zone. The priests of Gishen safeguard a gold box containing a fragment of this cross.

During this time of year flowers bloom on mountains and plains and the meadows are yellow with the Meskal daisy. Dancing, feasting, merrymaking, bonfires and in the past even gun salutes mark the occasion.

The writer: Linus Wamanya

GENNA (ETHIOPIAN CHRISTMAS) 7th January

The Ethiopian Christmas, also called Lidet, is celebrated by all-night church services, with people moving from one church to another. Traditionally, young men played a game that is similar to hokey, called genna, on this day, giving the feast day the name. This celebration is unique to Lalibela and attracts many visitors.

Timket, Feast of Epiphany, is the greatest festival of the year. It is a three-day fest, beginning on the eve of Timket with colourful processions. The following morning, the great day itself, marks Christ’s baptism in the Feast of St Michael, the archangel, one of Ethiopia’s most popular saints. There are religious rites performed by the priests from the eve of the day.

The ordinary people prepare special beers, Tej and tella, bake special bread and slaughter sheep that have been fattened for the occasion. Children receive gifts and everyone turns out in new clothes. Visitors can observe the ceremonies in most parts of the country.

Source:http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/650767-ethiopia-the-land-of-sheba.html

US$250 million Addis Ababa Bole International Airport expansion project

Addis Ababa, 24 December 2013 (WIC) – The Ethiopian Airports Enterprise is planning an expansion project of the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport passengers’ terminal at a cost of US$250 million, according to The Reporter.

Tewodros Dawit, CEO of the Ethiopian Airports Enterprise, told The Reporter that the expansion project is part of the Airlines’ Vision 2025 development strategy.

According to Tewodros, the expansion project includes the construction of a new passenger terminal as an extensions of the existing Terminal 1 (domestic and regional terminal) and terminal 2 (international terminal) and the construction of a new VIP passengers’ terminal.

A US$250-million loan for the project has been obtained from the government of China, and the agreement is signed by the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and the Chinese government, The Reporter reported citing Tewodros. The Chinese construction company, China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), will be the contractor for the expansion project.

The design work of the expansion project is being undertaken by a Singapore company, CPG.

The project is expected to launch next March and the project is scheduled to be completed within three years, according to The Reporter.

US$ 85 million IFAD loan to scale up pastoral community development in Ethiopia

Rome, 16 December 2013 – The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will provide a loan of US$85 million to the Federal Democratic of Ethiopia to finance a third phase of the Pastoral Community Development Project. The Government of Ethiopia and the World Bank, will co-finance the $218.2 million project.

Gessese Mulugeta Alemseged, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to IFAD and Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of IFAD, signed the loan agreement today.

Pastoralism relates both to an economic livelihood system that is based primarily on extensive livestock production and to the unique characteristics of communities that live in the arid and semi-arid lowlands of Ethiopia.

The first phase of the Pastoral Community Development Project provided the basis for scaling up into a second phase, which is being further scaled up into the third phase of this project. This underscores the importance the Government of Ethiopia attaches to pastoral development as a way of reducing poverty among the most neglected and vulnerable rural households in the country. The increased demand for livestock, both domestically in Ethiopian markets and in neighbouring countries, such as Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia and the Sudan, has been driving changes in pastoralist livelihood systems. Many pastoral households have been able to improve their livestock-based livelihoods, an increasing number have been unable to maintain their traditional livelihoods. As a result, a growing segment of the traditionally pastoralist population is dropping out of pastoralism.

The project aims to improve access to community driven social and economic services for Ethiopia’s pastoralists and agropastoralists. It is expected to improve their livelihoods by increasing andimproving their nu stabilizing their incomes,improving their nutrition, health and education status, and empowering them to be involved in decision-making on local development initiatives.

Implemented over a 15 year period by the Ministry of Federal Affairs, the project will cover more than 90% of pastoral and agropastoral woredas (districts) in the country. Improved access to public services will enhance the quality of life and support the livelihoods of about 4.7 million pastoralists and agropastoralists. In addition, the project will introduce community driven models of service delivery that will benefit pastoral and agropastoral communities throughout the country.

With this new project, IFAD will have financed 16 programmes and projects in Ethiopia since 1980 and brings the total of IFAD portfolio investment in Ethiopia to $ 387.9 million.

Press release no: IFAD/64/2013

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) works with poor rural people to enable them to grow and sell more food, increase their incomes and determine the direction of their own lives. Since 1978, IFAD has invested over US$15 billion in grants and low-interest loans to developing countries through projects empowering more than 410 million people to break out of poverty, thereby helping to create vibrant rural communities. IFAD is an international financial institution and a specialized UN agency based in Rome – the United Nations’ food and agriculture hub. It is a unique partnership of 172 members from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), other developing countries and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Source:http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2013/64.htm

Fossils of 4.4-Million-Year-Old Horse Found

 

A juvenile  jaw bone and teeth from the ancient horse species Eurygnathohippus woldegabrieli.

Scientists say they found signs that the teeth were worn down by a life of grazing.

By  Megan Gannon, News Editor

December 15, 2013 11:14 AM

Scientists poking around Ethiopia’s fossil-rich lowlands say they have discovered the first pieces of an extinct species of horse that was about the size of a small zebra and lived about 4.4 million years ago.

The specimens were found in what is now an arid desert. But at the time this grass-eating horse roamed the planet, the region would have been covered in grasslands and shrubby woods — rich grounds for grazing.

Fossilized traces of the horse, which was named Eurygnathohippus woldegabrieli, were uncovered in the archaeologically rich sites of Aramis and Gona in Ethiopia’s Middle Awash valley. The region is famed for bearing the world’s longest and most continuous record of human evolution. The extinct horse in this study would have actually been alive at the same time the 4.4-million-year-old human ancestor Ardipithecus ramidus, or “Ardi,” walked the region.

“Among the many fossils we found are the two ends of the foreleg bone — the canon — brilliant white and well preserved in the red-tinted earth,” study researcher Scott Simpson, of Case Western Reserve’s School of Medicine, said of the horse discovery.

The leg bone bits indicate this horse had longer legs than its ancestors. The shape and size of the leg suggest the beast was a fast runner, a skill that may have helped it flee predators like lions, sabre-tooth cats, Simpson and colleagues say.

The horse’s teeth show signs of another departure from more ancient species: With crowns worn flatter than the teeth found on its ancestors, it seems this creature became adapted to a life of grazing. An analysis of the enamel on the fossilized teeth provided further evidence that it subsisted on grass like today’s zebras, wildebeests and white rhinoceroses, the scientists say.

“Grasses are like sandpaper,” Simpson explained in a statement. “They wear the teeth down and leave a characteristic signature of pits and scratches on the teeth so we can reliably reconstruct their ancient diets.”

The animal belonged to a group of ancient horses called Hipparionines, which had three-toed hooves and arose in North America about 16 million years ago before spreading into Eurasia, presumably over a land bridge that once existed between Alaska and Siberia. The researchers say this discovery helps fill in a blank spot in the evolution of horses, before the animals became even better suited for a life in the grasslands, growing taller and developing longer snouts, for example.

“This horse is one piece of a very complex puzzle that has many, many pieces,” Simpson said in a statement.

The research was detailed online in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Source: http://www.livescience.com/41949-fossils-extinct-horse-species.html?

Ethiopia to Improve Trade Facilitation

        

Today the Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority (ERCA) and the Investment Climate Facility for Africa (ICF) have signed an Agreement worth US$ 7.3 million to establish an electronic Single Window (eSW) system for international trade.

The main objective of this project is to set up a Single Window System that will facilitate international trade by reducing export, import and transit procedures and reducing the time and costs of   clearance document preparation. The system will help to make the country’s businesses more competitive, attractive to investment opportunities and stimulate the country’s economic development.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ato Beker Shale, Director General of the Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority said:

“I am confident that, this project will definitely have a prominent impact on the overall trading activity of the country. The impact of the project will be substantial and far reaching along several aspects and measures. We believe that the system will readily be welcomed by the trading community and all stakeholders and be optimally utilized.”

The Director General also reaffirms the Government’s and ERCA’s for the project and appreciated and gave thanks for the support provided by ICF.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, William Asiko, ICF CEO, said:

“ICF is pleased to be in the forefront of helping Ethiopia improve its business environment. The support we are providing to improve trade facilitation will help to make the country competitive and more attractive to investors.”

This is the second time that ICF and ERCA are working together on such selected projects with the aim of improving Ethiopia’s investment climate. The first project was completed in 2012 and focused on modernizing the tax administration system and it created an online filing system for large tax payers and also established a call centre in ERCA’s headquarters.

Notes to the Editor:

The Investment Climate Facility for Africa (ICF) is a donor funded, private sector focused development institution whose purpose is to enhance the economic prospects of African society by working with businesses and governments to improve the investment climate in respective African countries. ICF works with African governments to create a conducive legal, regulatory and administrative environment for businesses, both big and small, to invest, grow and create jobs.

Apart from trade facilitation, ICF also provides support in the areas of property rights and contract enforcement, business registration and licensing, commercial justice, tax and customs, financial markets, infrastructure facilitation, labour markets, competition, and corruption and crime. ICF is supported by development partners and the private sector. Additional information on ICF is available at www.icfafrica.org

The Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority (ERCA) is an institution that was newly established in 2007 by merging three institutions that were operational in the area. The Authority now employs about 9,000 staff and is found in a wave of reforms and transformation. It has been a leading organization in Ethiopia in the introduction of Business Process Reengineering (BPR) and Balanced Scorecard (BSC) systems. It is also one of the public organization in introducing and widely using IT systems and resources.

The assistance singed at this time to introduce eSW is believed to further modernize and enhance ERCA’s service delivery with significant and wider impacts on investment facilitation and the economy. The Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority already runs two major automated systems, i.e. Standard Integrated Government Tax Administration System (SIGTAS) for domestic tax administration, and Automated Systems for Customs Administration (ASYCUDA++) for Customs procedures facilitation.

Source:http://allafrica.com/stories/201312161835.html?aa_source=slideout

Ethiopia: Royal Visit Highlights Need for Financial Inclusion

Máxima Wiesbaden 2013.jpg

BY NEAMIN ASHENAFI, 14 DECEMBER 2013

Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA), led by Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands, visited Ethiopia last Monday.

Her Majesty was accompanied by Ertharin Cousin, UN World Food Programme (WFP) executive director; Maria Helena Semedo, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) deputy director general; and Adolfo Brizzi, director of the Policy and Technical Advisory Division of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

The visit was aimed at highlighting Ethiopia’s efforts to make financial services more accessible to the rural poor while also emphasizing the role that expanding financial inclusion plays in strengthening food security.

Queen Máxima stressed the importance of the Ethiopian government’s moves to strengthen the financial sector and make financial services more inclusive.

The delegation met Prime Minister Hailemarim Desalegn and officials from the bank and microfinance sector to discuss their role in helping to improve food security in rural areas of Ethiopia.

After the high-level talks, the delegation travelled to Hawassa, the capital city of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR), to see the overall activities of the three UN food security agencies.

The UNSGSA and the three food agencies work with the government and the private sector to extend financial services to marginalized groups, especially women, who often face legal and policy barriers, as well as irregular obstacles to services, training and information.

Greater financial inclusion can also help increase the success of small producers who are not served by microfinance but are often perceived as ‘too risky’ by commercial banks.

The development of microfinance institutions in Ethiopia is a recent phenomenon, coming to prominence after the proclamation in July 1996 that offered help for their establishment. Since then various institutions have legally registered and started delivering microfinance services.

In this regard, over the recent years 31 microfinance institutions have been established, 7,160 Rural Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations, and 77 Unions, reaching nearly three million rural clients, set up.

Financial inclusion is the universal access to a wide range of reasonably priced financial services provided by a variety of institutions. It enables and accelerates progress toward numerous development goals and national priorities, such as job creation, equitable growth, poverty alleviation, health, education and food security.

Source:http://allafrica.com/stories/201312160333.html

Ethiopia spearheads green energy in Africa

Addis Ababa, December 5 (WIC) – Ashegoda – From the sky, the 84 glimmering white turbines at Ashegoda wind farm shoot up from the ground like massive spokes, standing out high amid vast expanses of yellow wheat.
Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, mostly populated by cattle farmers who grow the country’s staple grains, is an unlikely site for a modern French-run wind farm, let alone sub-Saharan Africa’s largest.
With its multi-billion dollar projects in wind, hydropower, solar and geothermal energy, Ethiopia’s pioneering green energy efforts aim to supply power to its 91 million people and boost its economy by exporting power to neighbouring countries.
“Ethiopia stands alone in Africa as using green energy for transformative growth,” said Ahmed Soliman, from Britain’s Chatham House think tank.
Current energy production capacity stands at 2 177MW, with ambitions to reach 10 000MW by 2015.
Ashegoda’s turbines, which tower above young boys in tattered clothes watching over their livestock, have a total capacity of 120MW, making it the biggest on the sub-continent.
Growing interest
The project was built by France’s Vergnet Group, and is the first of several planned wind farms in the country, including a 204MW Chinese-built site under construction in the southeast.
Ashegoda, 780km from Addis Ababa, is part of ambitious plans to transform Ethiopia into a middle-income, carbon-neutral country by 2025.
The $313m wind farm, funded by the French government and several private French banks, is an indication of growing interest from European companies in Ethiopia, where Chinese, Indian and Turkish investments are also growing.
Both France and Ethiopia’s government are “very enthusiastic to reinforce even more links”, said Romano Coutrot, site manager at the wind farm, adding Ashegoda is one of Vergnet’s “most important” projects globally.
The project took four years to complete and became fully operational in October, but faced several hurdles along the way.
Soaring up to 80m high, the turbines had to be driven to landlocked Ethiopia on semi-paved roads from Djibouti, which posed a major challenge.
Completion was further delayed to relocate the site 5km north after the aviation authority said it was interfering with its airspace.
Coutrot admitted that doing business in Ethiopia can be challenging, with infrastructure shortfalls and crippling bureaucracy.
“The taxation system, customs, the relationship with authorities, it’s sometimes a bit difficult,” he said, speaking from his office on site amid the imposing turbines.
“Government services like customs, land issues, other government services are improving,” said Minister for Water and Energy Alemayehu Tegenu, insisting the government was committed to improving conditions for investors.
Aggressive investments
The government says its investment in green energy is a central pillar of its development plan, crucial in a country where the majority of people live on less than $2 a day.

“Health, education, communication, water supply, industry, these all need sustainable and reliable power supply,” Alemayehu said.
Only 53% of the country currently has access to electricity, with large swathes of Ethiopia’s rural regions in the dark and relying on firewood for basic household needs.
“Unless you have this kind of ambitious plan, the pace of population pressure will take over and you won’t see any change,” said Belay Simane, professor of environment at Addis Ababa University.
The country is already exporting power to Djibouti and Sudan, with a line to transport energy to Kenya under construction.
Soliman said it will solidify Ethiopia’s role as a leader in green energy in the region.
“Ethiopia will have a competitive regional advantage, not having to rely on economically and technically less-feasible sources of energy such as gas or oil to meet growing demands, which many East African countries are doing,” Soliman said.
The hard currency earned from these power exports will go toward increasing the number of renewable energy projects in Ethiopia, according to the government.
Heavy investment in the green energy sector extends beyond economics: the country is keen to avoid the mistakes of countries such as China or India, that experienced rapid economic growth but with grave environmental costs.
“If we invest in these resources, we can develop in a green way without affecting the environment like they did in Europe,” said Fisseha Gebremichael, Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation’s Ashegoda project manager.
Alemeyahu said he hopes Ethiopia’s aggressive investments in wind and other renewable energy resources will persuade other African countries to follow suit.
“We don’t want to keep African populations in the dark for a long time, we have to run very fast to access light for industry and for social and economic development,” he said. (AFP)

Source:http://www.waltainfo.com/index.php/explore/11518-ethiopia-spearheads-green-energy-in-africa

 

8th Nationalities’ Day colorfully celebrated in Jigjiga

 

Addis Ababa, 8 December 2013 (WIC) –  The 8th Ethiopian Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Day was colorfully celebrated on Sunday in Jigjiga town of the Somali regional state.

It was celebrated in the presence of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh and government delegates of from Kenya and Rwanda.

Senior Ethiopian government officials, representatives of Ethiopian nations, nationalities and peoples as well as residents of the host town, Jigjiga were also in attendance of the event.Guest of honor at the event, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said the constitution replaced an imposed unity of the past regimes with a democratic one based on consent.Day.The constitution is also a word of oath which salvaged the Ethiopian nation from disintegration and kept it together, the Premier said.We should therefore defend the constitution which is the basis of this togetherness.Owing to the constitution the Somali people who were marginalized by the past regimes have now become an active part of ongoing national development endeavors.

Speaker of the House of Federation, Kassa Tekleberhan said this was a day on which the national constitution that brought all Ethiopians to power was endorsed.He said Ethiopian Somalis were an active part of the struggle Ethiopian nations and nationalities made for both national and democratic unity.Kassa recalled that the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi had a special respect and love for Ethiopian Somalis.The late great leader has addressed the intricate problems in the region which lasted for generations, he said. The federal system he left behind is been thriving.

Chief of the Somali regional state, Abdi Mohammed Umer said this was a day of rebirth for the people of the Somali regional state.He said in the past the Somali people had suffered a lot from both domestic oppression and foreign aggression.Thanks to the incumbent government, they are now enjoying the fruits of peace, development and good governance.The region had only one secondary school 22 years ago, the Chief recalled. Now it has 97 secondary schools, over 1,000 primary schools, one university, as well as six government and four private colleges.The region which had only one hospital 2 decades back now owns eight zonal hospitals, three referral hospitals and more than a 100 health centers.
He emphasized the role of the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi for the remarkable development achievements registered in the state.

Benshangul Gumuz regional state is selected to organize the 9th Ethiopian Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Day next year.

Source:http://www.waltainfo.com/index.php/editors-pick/11551-8th-nationalities-day-colorfully-celebrated-in-jigjiga-

Nelson Mandela In Ethiopia: A Peacemaker’s Beginnings As Guerrilla Fighter

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Flags are flying at half-staff outside the African Union headquarters on Friday in honor of Nelson Mandela, whose death Thursday has the entire continent, and the world, in mourning. The activist, politician, scholar, husband, father and Nobel Peace Prize laureate fought against apartheid, a system of formalized segregation that saw black South Africans treated as third-class citizens, and helped to heal a fractured nation in the aftermath of minority rule.

“Nelson Mandela will be remembered as a symbol for wisdom, for the ability to change and the power of reconciliation,” AU Deputy Chairman Erasmus Mwencha told reporters here in Ethiopia’s capital city on Friday morning. “His life and legacy is the biggest lesson, motivation, inspiration and commitment any African can give to Africa.”

But Madiba, as Mandela was affectionately known, was not always a man of peace. Before he capped his career as South Africa’s first black president in 1994, before he spent 27 years imprisoned for his anti-apartheid activism, Mandela came to believe that violence was sometimes necessary in the fight for freedom. And it was in Ethiopia that the young Mandela received his first formal training in the art of guerrilla warfare.

At that time, Ethiopia was ruled by Emperor Haile Selassie, who had gained a reputation as a defender of African sovereignty. Mandela was a member of the African National Congress, a then-illegal organization that opposed apartheid in South Africa and is now the country’s ruling political party. He had founded the group Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), which would operate as the military wing of the ANC, in 1961. Mandela first traveled to Addis Ababa in 1962 to attend a  pan-African summit as a representative of the ANC.

“Ethiopia has always held a special place in my own imagination, and the prospect of visiting Ethiopia attracted me more strongly than a trip to France, England, and America combined,” Mandela later wrote in his 1994 autobiography “Long Walk to Freedom.” “I felt I would be visiting my own genesis, unearthing the roots of what made me an African. Meeting His Highness, Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, would be like shaking hands with history.” On his Ethiopian Airlines flight to Addis Ababa, Mandela was surprised to find a black pilot in the cockpit, the first he had ever seen.

Mandela went on to visit a host of African countries and meet with leading officials, but at the end of his international tour he returned to Ethiopia for military training. It didn’t last long; the young revolutionary was soon called back to South Africa, and in August 1962 he was arrested and thrown into a Johannesburg prison. He would spend the next 27 years behind bars at several different facilities until his final release in 1990.

Mandela’s visit to Ethiopia was a pivotal moment for many Ethiopians and  was hosted by  Gen. Tadesse Beru, who was at that time the commander of the Ethiopian special forces.Even during the time of the emperor, people were supporting the cause of South Africans. South Africa was a part of the larger African anti-colonialist struggle.

Mandela spent only a couple of months training with Tadesse, but he didn’t leave empty-handed. There is one artifact that still connects South Africa to Ethiopia, a relic of history whose mysterious disappearance has baffled historians for years. During his time in Ethiopia, the young freedom fighter received a gift from the general to symbolize his struggle: a semi-automatic Soviet-made Makarov pistol. He brought it back with him to the headquarters of Umkhonto we Sizwe in South Africa, a place called Liliesleaf Farm outside Johannesburg, and buried it for safekeeping lest authorities raid the premises.

That was right before his arrest, and five decades later, the gun has yet to be found, despite Mandela’s later assertions that it was buried just 20 paces away from where the Liliesleaf kitchen used to be. (The property has been rebuilt and divided up, though the Liliesleaf Trust, as it is now called in it new role as a historical site, remains at its former location.)

Like that elusive weapon, much of Mandela’s military history remains underground; his legacy is built on peace, not war. But in Ethiopia and all across Africa, there are some who still think of Mandela not just as an ambassador of peace, but as a man who knew when something was worth fighting for.

Source:http://www.ibtimes.com/nelson-mandela-ethiopia-peacemakers-beginnings-guerrilla-fighter-1498812

 

FDRE Statement on the Death of Former South African President Nelson Mandela

Addis Ababa (Dec 06, 2013) The People and Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia received with profound sorrow the news of the passing away of former South African President Nelson Mandela – a visionary leader, who dedicated his life for the achievement of freedom and justice for his people. His legacy will live on for generations to come.

President Mandela did not only lead his country’s struggle against Apartheid but has also been the torch bearer in the quest for Africa’s freedom. He inspired generations of world leaders to stand for justice, human dignity and freedom across the globe.

H.E. Mr. Hailemariam Dessalegn, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Chairperson of the African Union expressed most profound sympathies and sincere condolences to the family of President Mandela as well as to the People and the Government of the Republic of South Africa. In his message, Prime Minister Hailemariam stressed the special place President Mandela has in the hearts of all Ethiopians. He recalled the brief period that the former freedom fighter spent in Ethiopia during his exile in the 1960s and expressed Ethiopia’s commitment to uphold his messages of selflessness, humility and dedication to the struggle for freedom and human dignity that this towering African icon taught humanity.

Indeed, President Mandela leaves behind a great vision from which all of us Africans should draw inspiration. The Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia will continue to value the principles of democracy, freedom, justice, tolerance and reconciliation for which President Mandela dedicated his life.