The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Ethiopia has won the ‘Best Destination-Archaeology and Ancient History’ award.

The Ministry received the award from the Pacific Travel Writers Association Awards (PATWA) at the International Tourism Bourse (ITB) in Berlin, Germany.

Moreover, Ethiopia’s Minister of Culture, Dr Hirut Kassaw, has won the ‘Best Tourism Minister’ award.

The PATWA International Travel Awards are handed out once a year in March at ITB Berlin, the world’s biggest travel and trade fair.

The awards recognise individuals and organisations that are involved in the promotion of tourism and other service providers related to the industry.

H.E. Ambassador Grum Abay delivered a public lecture entitled “Ethiopia’s Socio-Economic Development and Peace: A Mutually Reinforcing Process?’’   at the KU Leuven, today the 5^th of March 2020.

In his lecture, Ambassador Grum extensively discussed the socio-political and economic paths through which Ethiopia has passed in its long history of statehood as well as the current political, social as well as economic reforms that the country has been going through in the past two years.

The lecture was opened with an introductory remark by Professor Peter Lievens, Vice Rector of International Policy at the University of KU-Leuven. Professor Lievens praised the existing academic cooperation between the University of KU-Leuven and various higher educational institutes in Ethiopia and expressed the University’s interest to further strengthen the cooperation.

Furthermore, Professor Karen Vancanpen Hout, who has been engaged in various research and partnership programs in Ethiopia for over a decade, presented the research that she has been working on in Northern Ethiopia regarding soil degradation and conservation.

The public lecture was attended by Academic heads of the University, Professors as well as students of the University.

Scientists have discovered nearly completed hominin cranium and a partial cranium in Ethiopia that date back 1.5 million and 1.26 million years, respectively.

The crania were discovered from the Gona study area, in Afar region, by Dr. Sileshi Semaw, Senior Research Scientist from CCENNIEH (Burgos, Spain), Prof M. Rogers from SCSU (Connecticut, USA) and their research team.

Both crania, assigned to Homo erectus, were associated with both simple Oldowan-type and more complex, Acheulian stone tool assemblages.

Gona is located in the Afar triangle of Ethiopia, adjacent to the well-known Middle Awash and Hadar study areas where the famous skeleton ‘Ardi’ and ‘Lucy’ were discovered, respectively.

According to a statement Authority of Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage sent to FBC, the research team has been investigating the Gona deposit since 1999.

President Sahle-Work Zewde said the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is a model for our unity.

The dam is more than a development project, she said at the launch of the 3rd round SMS fundraising program to raise fund for GERD.

She added the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam “is our weapon to beat poverty and hope for future development.”

The President called on all Ethiopians to repeat the victory of Adwa in completing the construction of the dam ahead of the schedule.

The SMS program launched today in an event held at the National Palace allows people to raise fund for the construction of the dam by sending text message “A” to service number 8100.

The dam, which will be the largest hydropower project in Africa once completed, is now more than 71% complete.

Filling of the dam will start in July. GERD is scheduled to be fully completed in 2023.

አዲስ አበባ፣ የካቲት 24፣ 2012 (ኤፍ.ቢ.ሲ) ኢትዮጵያ የህዳሴ ግድብን የምትገነባው ግድብ የመገንባት ሙሉ መብት ስላላት መሆኑን አቶ ገዱ አንዳርጋቸው ገለፁ።

የኢፌዴሪ የውጭ ጉዳይ ሚኒስትር አቶ ገዱ አንዳርጋቸው እና የውሃ፣ መስኖና ኢነርጂ ሚኒስትር ዶክተር ኢንጂነር ስለሺ በቀለ በጋራ መግለጫ ሰጥተዋል።

Ethiopians on Monday magnificently celebrated the 124th anniversary of the victory of Adwa with calls to revamp and strengthen national unity in diversity.

The 124^thanniversary of the victory of Adwa today celebrated in the historic northern city of Adwa where President Sahlework Zewdie, Speaker of the House of Federation, Keria Ibrahim and Deputy Chief Administrator of Tigrai Regional State, Debretsion Gebremicheal and Minister of Culture and Tourism, Hirut Kassaw presided over.

Addressing the anniversary, President Sahlework said Adwa is the showcase that Ethiopians could be succeeded when they stand together for one goal.

“The victory also showed regardless of our differences, there is no way to negotiate on our sovereignty. It is well deserved to be proud of Adwa victory,” the president said.

However, she underlined that there are still issues which are challenging the peoples’ coexistence and unity at the moment.

“Now is the time to renew the spirit of Adwa, which should be the continued daring of Ethiopians unity in diversity to safeguard sovereignty,” she said.

According to the president, the unity of Ethiopia has been always victorious over any challenges. Difference is natural. But it is normal and acceptable since which could not cause Ethiopian unity and its sovereignty.

“Ethiopia means a ship which our people are traveling on. All our existence is based on the security of the ship. So, we have to fight against any challenge that could cause the ship into any trouble,” Sahlework underscored.

On March 2, 1896, Italian colonial invaders suffered a blowing defeat at the battle of Adwa, in northern Ethiopia.

The political meaning of the decisive military victory over the Italian colonial aggressors was that Ethiopia not only managed to maintain its independence but also inspired other African countries to continue the struggle against colonialism.

The Victory of Adwa occurred at a time when it was unlikely to battle off white colonial forces and was a brainwave for people under colonial rule in Africa, the Caribbean and the rest of the world.