This month Atlanta will become Ethiopian Airlines' latest passenger destination in the United States, joining the ranks of Chicago, Newark, New York, and Washington. (Photo: @flyethiopian)
Tadias Magazine
Updated: May 2nd, 2023
New York (TADIAS) — Ethiopian Airlines is all set to commence its new service connecting Atlanta with Addis Ababa this month.
The airline, which is the biggest in Africa and already operates over 130 international passenger and cargo destinations, has announced that it will provide four flights per week on the new U.S. route starting May 16th.
According to Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mesfin Tasew, the new service will boost tourism, investment, and socio-economic ties between the two regions. Atlanta will become the airline’s latest passenger destination in the United States, joining the ranks of Chicago, Newark, New York, and Washington.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens welcomed the move, calling the new connection a “win for our City” and expressing optimism about a successful partnership with Ethiopian Airlines.
The General Manager of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Balram “B” Bheodari added: “We are thrilled to welcome Ethiopian Airlines to ATL.” (Photo: @flyethiopian)
Ethiopian Airlines is the fastest growing Airline in Africa. (Photo: @flyethiopian)
“We are truly delighted to open our sixth gateway in North America with the new flight to Atlanta,” said Ethiopian CEO Mesfin Tasew, “We have been connecting the U.S. and Africa for 25 years now, and the new service will help boost investment, tourism, diplomatic, and socioeconomic bonds between the two regions. As a pan-African carrier, we are committed to further expanding our global network and connecting Africa with the rest of the world. We are also keen to better serve the U.S. by increasing our destinations and flight frequencies.”
New York based Artist Tariku Shiferaw, represented by Addis Fine Art gallery, is set to showcase his recent works in the online exhibition of Frieze New York 2020 that's scheduled to open this month. (Courtesy photos)
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Updated: May 6th, 2020
New York (TADIAS) — Under normal circumstances, New Yorkers and art lovers from around the world would have gathered at this time at Randall’s Island for NYC’s annual Frieze Art Fair, which is one of the biggest art market events in the city. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic keeping city life on pause, the 2020 exhibition has been transformed into a virtual Frieze Viewing Room, which organizers have described as “an ambitious new digital initiative” to be held from May 8-15th and consisting of “more than 200 galleries from across the globe presenting major works by established and emerging artists in a virtual gallery space.”
Addis Fine Art from Ethiopia is among the participating galleries at this year’s Frieze exhibition to showcase new works by Ethiopian American artist Tariku Shiferaw.
Co-Founder of Addis Fine Art, Rakeb Sile, tells the Financial Times that “there is no substitute to seeing art on the walls,” noting that for Tariku as an emerging artist “this was meant to be his big break in his home town.” She emphasizes that “the shift to online has forced a healthy rethink of how best to give a context to Shiferaw’s work — videos on Instagram are among the planned accompanying features.”
According to Addis Fine Art gallery Tariku Shiferaw’s (b.1983) “ongoing series One of These Black Boys, explores painting and societal structures through mark-making. Taking the names of songs from Hip-Hop, R&B, Jazz, Blues, and Reggae music, Shiferaw makes paintings that embody the experiences and struggles expressed through music by Black artists and composers. He often explores a spectrum of topics ranging from the notion of Black bodies in a white social construct to the popular idioms of romance, sex, and daily life – existence.”
Below is Tariku Shiferaw’ biography courtesy of Addis Fine Art:
Shiferaw studied for his Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) at the University of Southern California (USC) in 2007 and later attained his MFA at Parsons The New School for Design in 2015. Shiferaw’s current exhibitions include “Men of Change” – a three-year nationally traveling exhibition with the Smithsonian Institution, as well as “Unbound”, a group exhibition at the Zuckerman Museum of Art. Shiferaw has exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, and The Drawing Center. In 2017, he had his first international solo show titled, “Erase Me”, at Addis Fine Art, London. In 2018, he presented his largest installation work to date in a solo exhibition titled, “This Ain’t Safe” at Cathouse Proper, in Brooklyn. Shiferaw participated in the Independent Study Program at the Whitney Museum of American Art (studio), in Open Sessions at the Drawing Center, and he was artist-in-residence at the LES Studio Program in New York City. In 2020, he will partake in an artist residency at the World Trade Center through Silver Art Projects.
Former New York Times photographer Chester Higgins who is a close friend of the Ethiopian community is behind some of the most spectacular photos of Ethiopia captured by an international photographer in the last five decades. (Courtesy photo/Facebook)
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: May 2nd, 2019
New York (TADIAS) – Photographer Chester Higgins was honored by the Ethiopian School Readiness Initiative in New York city on Monday night.
The former New York Times photographer who is a close friend of the Ethiopian community is behind some of the most spectacular photos of Ethiopia captured by an international photographer in the last five decades, which include his timeless images of Lalibela, beautiful portraits of people in the Omo region, as well as enduring profiles of Emperor Haile Selassie and the late Poet Laureate of Ethiopia Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin.
In an article a few years ago, The New York Times lens blog noted that Chester “first went to Ethiopia in 1973, prompted by news that African heads of state were gathering for an Organization of African Unity meeting in Addis Ababa. On that trip, he met and photographed the emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie, and other heads of state. Taken by the calm sense of self he found among the Ethiopian people, he returned the following year to see other parts of the country.”
Chester never stopped going back.
Below are photos from the event celebrating his work on Monday night:
(Courtesy photo/Facebook)
The Ethiopian School Readiness Initiative honores Chester Higgins on Monday, April 29th, 2019 in New York.(Courtesy photo/Facebook)
Chester Higgins honored by Ethiopian School Readiness Initiative on Monday, April 29th, 2019 in New York.(Courtesy photo/Facebook)
— Related: Pictures: Chester Higgins’ Stunning Photos of Ethiopia:
Mel Tewahade and Gabe Christian, Emissaries of Prince Ermias S. Haile Selassie, presented a check in the sum of $700,000 to Haile Selassie High School in Jamaica, April 27th, 2017. (Courtesy photograph)
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: May 2nd, 2017
New York (TADIAS) -- Family of the late Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie has made a donation of $700,000 to a high school in Kingston, Jamaica. The school was established by Haile Selassie as a gift to the people of Jamaica during his historic trip to the island nation more than fifty years ago. The financial contribution to Haile Selassie High School last week fulfilled a commitment announced last year by the former Emperor's grandson, Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie, during his official visit to the country that included a stop at the institution.
The $700K donation was presented on April 27th to the school's administration through representatives of Prince Ermias led by Gabe Christian and Mel Tewahade.
Prince Ermias described his visit to Haile Selassie High School a year ago as the highlight of his trip and personally moving. "It was emotional and overwhelming to visit the school that was donated by my grandfather," Prince Ermias told Tadias in an interview following his travel to Jamaica. "The school has been in existence since the late sixties," he said. "Many have graduated and many have gone on to become doctors, lawyers, teachers, government leaders, pastors. Some have migrated abroad and are serving their adopted home well." Ermias added: "My grandfather believed in education. Education enlightens and enriches one’s life and for society there is no better security than to educate its citizens."
Haile Selassie High School in Kingston, Jamaica. (Courtesy photo)
"Price Of Love" (Amharic/English 2015) is directed by Hermon Hailay and features cast members Eskindir Tameru, Fereweni Gebregergs, Kassahun Getatchew, Solomon Teka and Dawit Gulilat. (Courtesy photo)
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: Monday, May 2nd, 2016
New York (TADIAS) — At least seven Ethiopian films are set to screen in NYC in May 2016 as part of the New York African Film Festival and the 13th Annual Sheba Film Festival.
Hermon Hailay’s Price of Love will be featured at Lincoln Center this week at the NY African Film Festival as well as Director Yared Zeleke’s award-winning drama LAMB; Red Leaves by Bazi Gete starring Debebe Eshetu; Afripedia X New York by Ethiopian and Eritrean filmmakers Teddy Goitom and Senay Berhe of Sweden; and The Dance of King David by Axel Baumann exploring the Ark of the Covenant. In addition, If Only I Were That Warrior, directed by Valerio Ciriaci about “the Italian occupation of Ethiopia and its unresolved legacy today,” will screen on May 24th at Tsion Cafe in Harlem as part of the 2016 Sheba Film Festival.
Below are the schedules, venues and brief descriptions of the films as shared by festival organizers.
PRICE OF LOVE – CENTERPIECE NIGHT FILM (N.Y. PREMIERE)
May 6th and May 10th
Hermon Hailay, Ethiopia, 2015, 99min.
In Amharic with English subtitles
Teddy (Eskindir Tameru), the son of a prostitute who grew up on the streets after his mother’s death, desperately tries to avoid the temptation of his old ways of chewing khat and drinking. His only support system is his priest, who bought him a taxi license on the condition that he live a decent life away from his past. But after Teddy intervenes in a fight between a prostitute, Fere (Fereweni Gebregergs), and her ex-boyfriend, who sells women to “work” in the Middle East, his taxi is stolen by the latter as leverage. As a result, Teddy finds himself caught up in a relationship with Fere, and during the search for the car, they discover the price of love..
THE DANCE OF KING DAVID
May 9th
Axel Baumann, USA, 2011, 32min.
In English and Amharic with English subtitles
Over 2900 years ago, King David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. When he did, King David, “danced before the Lord with all his might” (2 Samuel 6:14). The Dance of King David is a documentary film about the history and the contemporary worship of the Ark. This film examines the disappearance of the Ark from Israel and its reemergence in Ethiopia. We witness the “Dance of King David,”—an ancient rite still performed today by Jews and Ethiopians alike and we learn firsthand what it means to believe in the supernatural powers of this sacred object. (Screening with Black Jews: The Roots of the Olive Tree)
AFRIPEDIA X NEW YORK
May 10th
Teddy Goitom, Benjamin Taft, Senay Berhe, Sweden/USA, 2016, 12min.
In English
In the first in a series of short films set in the African diaspora, we meet Ethiopian/Eritrean Missla Libsekal, the founder of online publication Another Africa, as she embraces collaboration to counter the assumed perspectives of Africa and Africans. Senegalese/French photographer Delphine Diallo shares her passion and challenges in mindfully shifting her lens between Dakar and New York, while Somalian/Australian world champion Hula Hoop master Marawa continues to perfect her passion in the face of conventional expectations. Welcome toAfripedia, welcome to creativity.
LAMB
May 26th
Yared Zeleke, Ethiopia/France/Germany/Norway/Qatar, 2015, 94min.
In Amharic with English subtitles
Yared Zeleke’s remarkable debut feature tells the story of Ephraim, a young Ethiopian boy who is sent by his father to live with distant relatives in the countryside after his mother’s death. Ephraim uses his cooking skills to carve out a place among his cousins, but when his uncle decides that his beloved sheep must be sacrificed for the next religious feast, he will do anything to save the animal and return home.
RED LEAVES
May 27th
Bazi Gete, Israel, 2014, 80min.
In Amharic and Hebrew with English subtitles
Seventy-four-year-old Meseganio Tadela (Debebe Eshetu) immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia nearly 30 years ago, but has zealously chosen to retain his culture, speaking very little Hebrew. When his wife passes away, he sets out on a journey to visit his fully assimilated children, eventually coming to realize that he belongs to a rapidly disappearing class. Ethiopian-Israeli director Bazi Gete’s debut feature is a beautifully acted, movingly rendered portrait of a man struggling with his place in the world. (Screening with Cholo)
SHEBA FILM FESTIVAL BY BINA CULTURAL FOUNDATION AT TSION CAFE
763 St Nicholas Ave, New York, New York 10031
MEKONEN: THE JOURNEY OF AN AFRICAN JEW
May 10th
Directed by Rebecca Shore , Israel/Ethiopia , 2015, 45 mins
Synopsis:
The film follows the backstory and personal journey of Mekonen Abebe, a young African-Israeli Jew, once a young shepherd in Africa and now a commander in the Israeli Defense Forces. Mekonen is one of many brave young men and women drafted into compulsory service in the IDF, to defend their homeland and the liberal values of democracy, freedom and equality. Born and raised in an Ethiopian village, Mekonen was a 12-year-old shepherd when his father died suddenly, less than a day before his family was to move to Israel. The film accompanies Mekonen back to Africa on an emotional journey. He explores his roots, makes peace with his past and embraces his future in Israel. After a difficult adjustment period in Israel, Mekonen was fortunate to attend the Hodayot High School, which educates children from troubled backgrounds and helps integrate them into Israeli society. Mekonen became a decorated officer in the IDF, while staying true to his Ethiopian roots and culture. Mekonen is an uplifting and inspiring film that will move audiences and show viewers that anything is possible with the right attitude, tools and support.
IF ONLY I WERE THAT WARRIOR
May 24th
Directed Valerio Ciriaci, USA/Italy, 2015, 72 mins
Synopsis:
“If Only I Were That Warrior” is a film about the Italian occupation of Ethiopia in 1935 and its unresolved legacy today. Driving this investigation is the story of a recently constructed monument to Rodolfo Graziani, a Fascist general remembered for war crimes committed during the invasion and occupation of Ethiopia, which sparked international protests and brought this chapter of history back to the forefront of public discourse. The film’s primary aim is to offer an unprecedented glance at the controversial memory of the Fascist invasion in Ethiopia. Italy’s uncomfortable relationship with its colonial past has been a matter of discussion in academia, but the general public never engaged in a critical discourse on the real events that took place during Mussolini’s campaigns in Africa. No court ever reviewed the crimes committed. Graziani, a main player during the Ethiopian campaign and later the viceroy of the new colony, was never put on trial for his crimes. To this day many remember him as a hero in his hometown of Affile, the small town not far from Rome where the monument was erected in 2012.
President Barack Obama waves at his last White House Correspondents' Association dinner on April 30, 2016, at the Washington Hilton hotel in Washington, DC. To his left is first lady Michelle Obama (Getty Images)
Hands down, President Obama nailed his final White House correspondent’s dinner. POTUS was in tip-top comedic form last night, and his eighth and final ‘nerd prom’ was filled with pointed sarcasm, witty barbs, surprise video vignettes and wistful nostalgia.
As expected, the first lady, Michelle Obama, who never disappoints when its time to step out, continued to impress. She slaaaaaaayed in Givenchy Couture, with a well-fitted body-hugging dress and a sparkling crystal-embellished sheath layered on top. (The president: “Michelle has not aged a day.”)
As per usual, politicians and journalists bore the brunt of most jokes, but this time, the press got a lecture from the president about their duty (“… In such a climate it’s not enough just to give people a megaphone. And that’s why your power and your responsibility to dig and to question and to counter distortions and untruths is more important than even ever.”) The media was also skewered by host Larry Wilmore, who was unsparing in his attacks on a sometimes tone-deaf and still-in-2016 not-diverse-enough fourth estate.
Maryland State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby announces charges against Baltimore police officers in connection with the death of Freddie Gray, in Baltimore, May 1, 2015. (Photo: V. Macchi / VOA)
The decision to bring charges against six Baltimore police officers in the death of Freddie Gray set off jubilant reactions across the city Friday, in stark contrast to Monday’s violence.
Maryland state prosecutor Marilyn J. Mosby announced that the officers would face charges ranging from second-degree murder to assault and manslaughter in Gray’s death.
A large crowd in a festive mood marched through downtown early in the evening, passing lines of police officers at intersections and other officers on horseback. Armored National Guardsmen and police in riot gear waited some distance away.
The line of mostly young, racially diverse marchers stretched for several blocks, making the demonstration one of Baltimore’s largest since Gray’s death. It moved quickly, punctuated by shouted chants and the honking horns of passing motorists’ vehicles.
The procession began at Baltimore’s harbor and at one point passed the intersection of Pennsylvania and North avenues, where Monday’s violent protest largely took place. By dusk, the crowd had grown to more than 1,000 people. One marcher called the mood “joyous.”
WATCH: Celebration Erupts in Baltimore After Police Officers Charged in Freddie Gray’s Death
Marchers eventually gathered at City Hall. As a 10 p.m. curfew approached, the mood was still jubilant.
However, Baltimore police arrested a group of protesters who remained in a plaza near City Hall after the curfew took effect. Scuffles occurred, but the situation remained largely peaceful.
The protesters who defied the curfew complained there was no longer a need for the curfew following the charges against the police officers were announced.
Some observers said the police took a more aggressive posture Friday night with demonstrators than they had earlier in the week before the charges were announced.
Elsewhere, hundreds of people rallied in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday afternoon in support of the Baltimore protesters, as well as in defense of protesters who were charged in a demonstration by the organization Black Lives Matter in December.
In Chicago, parents took children to a demonstration to teach them how to them to react to police officers.
In other cities, traditional May Day demonstrations were expected to be rededicated to support Black Lives Matter. May Day has traditionally been a day when the labor movement demonstrated for workers’ rights.
More protests were expected Friday night.
‘Ecstatic’ about the charges
Residents of the Sandtown neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland react to the State’s Attorney’s announcement ruling Freddie Gray’s death a homicide, May 1, 2015. (Photo: C. Simkins / VOA)
Earlier in the day in Baltimore, at the location of Monday’s worst rioting, there were also horns honking and people in the streets cheering.
Among those cheering was Keona, one of the citizens who videotaped Gray’s arrest. She said she was very pleased with the decision to charge the police officers.
WATCH: Keona talks to VOA’s Victoria Macchi:
“I am shocked that they were charged, but I am happy they were charged,” James Crump, 46, a medical technician, told the Associated Press. “People are happy and celebrating, and it’s not even New Year’s Eve.”
Ciara Ford of Baltimore told AP she was surprised by the decision to prosecute the police suspects.
“I’m ecstatic,” she said. “I hope this can restore some peace.”
Ted Sutton, a community activist, was surprised by how quickly the decision to prosecute was made.
“She took the time to critique the evidence,” he told AP, referring to the prosecutor. “To have each person charged with what they actually did, to have it come out this quick … this is something else.”
However, not all Baltimore residents were satisfied with the charges.
Renee Mikins, a Baltimore resident, told VOA that the charges should have been more severe. She said the charges were a “whitewashing” and that the officers should have been charged with first- and second-degree murder.
VOA’s Chris Simkins and Victoria Macchi contributed to this report from Baltimore. Some information for this report came from the Associated Press.
Photo: Addis Ababa University Students Urge John Kerry to condemn the police violence against fellow students in Ambo -- a town located in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. (Picture: Twitter.com May 1, 2014 )
VOA News
May 01, 2014
Witnesses say Ethiopian police have killed at least 17 protesters during demonstrations in Ethiopia’s Oromia region against plans to annex territory to expand the capital, Addis Ababa.
Authorities put the protest-related death toll at 11 and have not said how the demonstrators were killed. The main opposition party says 17 people were killed while witnesses and residents say the death toll is much higher.
Residents say that an elite government security force opened fire on protesters at three university campuses.
The demonstrations erupted last week against plans by the Ethiopian government to incorporate part of Oromia into the capital. Oromia is Ethiopia’s largest region and Oromos are the country’s largest ethnic group.
Oromos say the government wants to weaken their political power. They say expanding the capital threatens the local language, which is not taught in Addis Ababa schools.
Ethiopian officials say the master plan for expansion was publicized long ago and would bring city services to remote areas.
They accuse those they call “anti-peace forces” of trying to destroy Ethiopia’s ethnic harmony.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (2nd L) participates in a meeting with Ministers of Foreign Affairs from Ethiopia (2nd R), Kenya (3rd R) and Uganda (R) in Addis Ababa on May 1st, 2014. (Photograph: Reuters)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, Thursday in the first leg of his three-nation trip to Africa “to encourage democratic development.” He came to a country rocked by mounting student protests against the government and vicious military crackdowns that left scores dead and wounded, as well as the troubling imprisonment of dissident journalists and bloggers.
To his credit, Kerry raised concerns about the tightening of press freedom in Ethiopia. “I made clear to Ethiopian officials that they need to create greater opportunities for citizens to be able to engage with their fellow citizens and with their government by opening up more space for civil society,” Kerry told reporters in Addis Ababa.
However, his discussions with Ethiopia’s leaders were overshadowed by South Sudan’s implosion — with continuing fragility in next-door Somalia, and souring Egypt-Ethiopia relations stirred by Ethiopia’s construction of the Great Renaissance Dam over the Nile, in the background.
This focus was unfortunate but hardly surprising. For over two decades, despite fleeting statements expressing “concern,” Washington has shied away from seriously engaging Ethiopian authorities on the need for genuine democratization. Without the latter, the country’s extended prosperity is in danger. “To support economic growth for the long term, the free marketplace of ideas matters just as much as free markets,” Kerry noted in his remarks. But he failed to underscore how rising instability could erode Ethiopia’s standing as a linchpin to the otherwise volatile Horn of Africa region’s stability and damage its newly minted image as an emerging economic powerhouse.
Today marks World Press Freedom Day and the UN held a commemoration event on May 1st, 2014 at its Headquarters in NYC. (Photograph: A man reads a newspaper as he walks in Addis Ababa/ Reuters/VOA)
VOA News
By Marthe van der Wolf
May 02, 2014
ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopian journalists have little to celebrate during World Press Freedom day Friday, with the arrest last week of nine bloggers and journalists, the continuous harassment of those working in the media and 11 journalists in jail.
The East African country is frequently criticized by international organizations for harassing and arresting journalists, and using a 2009 anti-terrorism proclamation to imprison journalists.
Human Rights Watch has condemned the recent arrests. Ethiopia researcher for the human rights organization Felix Horne said the media environment in the country is one of the worst in Africa.
“The recent arrests of the journalists and the Zone9 bloggers underscore that the media environment is actually getting worse ahead of the 2015 elections instead of getting better. What we see is that independent journalists continue to flee Ethiopia, publications continue to close down, journalists continuously practice self-censorship afraid of the reprisals that may result if they are critical of government policy or perspectives. And we see that independent media sites are frequently blocked,” said Horne.
Human Rights Watch believes the international community should do more to push Ethiopia to open up its media space.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visited Ethiopia this week and was asked by local journalists if his concern about press freedom was real or “just lip service,” as the matter is frequently raised without any real change.
Kerry said he met one of the bloggers last year and called for the release of the arrested bloggers and journalists when speaking to Ethiopian officials such as Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalgen.
“I make clear to Ethiopian officials that they need to create greater opportunities for citizens. To be able to engage with their fellow citizens and with their government by opening up more space for civil society. And we shouldn’t use the anti-terrorism proclamations as mechanisms to be able to curb the free exchange of ideas,” said Kerry.
With 11 journalists imprisoned, Ethiopia ranks 143 out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom index for 2014. Last year, UNESCO’s World Press Freedom prize was awarded to imprisoned Ethiopian journalists Reeyot Alemu.
Government officials have repeatedly said that whenever journalists are involved in criminal activities, they will go through the same process as any other criminal.
Tamrat Gebregiorgis, the managing editor of the English weekly newspaper Fortune, said that the truth is somewhere in the middle when it comes to the perception that the Ethiopian government is brutal to the media.
“There are too many elements – society, culture, history. Those are all factors that affect to the extend journalists are operating. This is not an ideal environment where you can publish anything you want and get away with. It’s not as doomy and gloomy as many critics of the government tried to portray. That there is no room to criticize the government and report stories that deem negative to the authority or power that be. It is possible, at the same time it is difficult, it is somewhere in the gray area,” said Gebregiorgis.
Ethiopia’s human rights situation will be assessed next week by the United Nations, known as the Universal Periodic Review. Despite Ethiopia’s poor human rights record, it is part of the U.N. Human Rights Council.
Photos from past community forum events in Washington, D.C. (Image credit: Filmstock Inc)
Tadias Magazine
By Tsedey Aragie
Published: Thursday, May 2nd, 2013
Washington, DC (TADIAS) – This is Mental Health Awareness Month and I will be moderating another public session on the topic on Monday, May 6th at the Shaw Library in D.C. The conference is the latest in a series of events on the subject designed to spur outreach and awareness efforts in our community. We especially encourage people with skills in health care to participate in the forum. During our last meeting it was highlighted that there is an under-utilized wealth of Ethiopian & Eritrean medical professionals among the East African populations in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Often behavioral health experts are at the forefront of this fight and your input is essential in our ongoing conversation.
“It is up to all of us to know the signs of mental health issues and lend a hand to those who are struggling,” President Obama said in the proclamation making May Mental Health Awareness Month. “Shame and stigma too often leave people feeling like there is no place to turn. We need to make sure they know that asking for help is not a sign of weakness — it is a sign of strength.”
The organization My Love in Action, which is currently conducting a needs assessment survey in our community, is hosting the upcoming town hall. As you know, particularly among Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrants, the stigma associated with mental illness has led to many unnecessary tragedies and it is important for us to uproot this problem as a shared responsibility. We encourage everyone to take part in the dialogue. We have some great programs, workshops and speakers lined up. And as always, your feedback is going to be very valuable.
Eskinder Nega's wife Serkalem Fasil (pictured center) arrived in New York from Ethiopia just hours prior to the event on Tuesday May 1st, 2012, to accept the 26th "PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award" on her husband's behalf. (Photo by Tadias Magazine)
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Updated: Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012
New York (TADIAS) – Ethiopian journalist Eskinder Nega was honored Tuesday evening with PEN America’s prestigious “Freedom to Write” award at the literary organization’s annual gala dinner held at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Eskinder’s wife Serkalem Fasil, who flew in from Ethiopia just hours prior to the event, accepted the award on her husband’s behalf.
“I accept this award on behalf of Eskinder Nega at a time when freedom of expression and press freedom are at the lowest in Ethiopia,” Serkalem said. Herself a journalist, Serkalem gave birth to their son behind bars while serving a 17-month sentence that began in 2005. “If Eskinder were standing here, he’d accept this award not just as a personal honor, but on behalf of all Ethiopian journalists who toil under withering conditions today: those who went into exile over the years…those in prison with whom he now resides.”
The emotional ceremony was preceded with a short video about Eskinder Nega and his ongoing trial on terrorism charges in Ethiopia. PEN/America recognized Eskinder with the 26th PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award – a highly regarded accolade granted to international writers who have been persecuted or imprisoned for exercising the right to freedom of expression. Forty-six women and men have received the award since 1987; 33 of the 37 honorees who were in prison at the time they were honored were subsequently released.
“The award started twenty-six years ago because we were losing people, they would disappear, they would be tortured and we would never know where they were,” Barbara Goldsmith, the benefactress of the award, told Tadias Magazine. “I and several other people decided that if we can turn a media spot light on people who are being arrested, maybe we can shame these nations into letting them out of jail.” She added: “We have been wildly successful. We have given 37 awards and of those awards 33 have gotten out.”
Ms. Goldsmith referred to Eskinder Nega and stated: “And in this case, that which is primary in our mind is to make sure that the international media pays attention; that’s why we made the movie and we hope it will work this time the way it has always worked.”
Serkalem told the audience that her husband is an advocate for press freedom. “Prison has been Eskinder’s home away from home for the past two decades,” she said. “He is persistent in demanding accountability and transparency in government. He is unflinching in demanding an end to corruption, but most of all he is a dedicated journalist.”
This month Atlanta will become Ethiopian Airlines' latest passenger destination in the United States, joining the ranks of Chicago, Newark, New York, and Washington. (Photo: @flyethiopian)
