Archive for October 15th, 2018

Nate Araya’s Film ‘Growing Up In America’

Published by Tadias Magazine October 15th, 2018 in Featured. Closed
The director of 'Sincerely, Ethiopia,' Nate Araya, is back with another movie series, this time exploring the state of mental health in the U.S. in his new film entitled 'Growing Up In America.' (Photo: Nate Araya)

Konbini

In 2011, budding filmmaker and Ethiopian-American, Nate Araya made waves when he tackled the public’s negative perceptions of his homeland, Ethiopia, by making a documentary — Sincerely, Ethiopia — that displayed a more positive portrayal of Ethiopian life and culture.

The documentary was released in 2013, and since then Nate has gone on to make many impactful documentaries, championing the realities of Africans in the diaspora.

His latest work, Growing Up In America is a travel-based documentary series exploring different parts of American cities, cultures and conversations surrounding the underrepresented communities in America.

Nate describes the series as a “purpose project”, saying:

“This project is an extension of my life work to become a solution to the problems I see within my culture and community today.

We can either complain about the problems or contribute towards a solution. This is small contribution. A purpose project.

[I hope] that it can become a voice for the silent issues we face and a light for the many solutions ahead.”

The first episode of the series focuses on mental health in minority communities. Nate visits a local barbershop in Austin, Texas to better understand the views of mental health from the minds of young game changers, artists and professionals.

The episode includes a featured interview from National Institute of Mental Health Psychiatric Nurse, Ledet Muleta, who discusses the state of mental health within the black, immigrant and first-generation community. The series is set to be released on Nate’s website and his YouTube page.

Watch the trailer for the first episode below:

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She Met Her Prince (for Real!) at a D.C. Nightclub

Published by Tadias Magazine October 15th, 2017 in Featured and Profiles. Closed
Ariana Austin and Joel Makonnen were married on Sept. 9 in a lavish ceremony in Temple Hills, Md. Mr. Makonnen is the great-grandson of Haile Selassie, the last emperor of Ethiopia. (Photo: The New York Times)

The New York Times

Few love stories resemble a fairy tale as much as the courtship and marriage of Ariana Austin and Joel Makonnen. Of course, it helped that the groom is an actual prince and the bride has a prominent lineage of her own.

Mr. Makonnen, known as Prince Yoel, is the 35-year-old great-grandson of Haile Selassie, the last emperor of Ethiopia. And Ms. Austin, 33, is of African-American and Guyanese descent; her maternal grandfather was a lord mayor of Georgetown, the capital of Guyana.

As the couple noted on their wedding website, their union happened when “Old World aristocracy met New World charm.” The old and new combined on Sept. 9, in a marathon day of events that lasted from 11 a.m. until late in the evening, and took place within two states.


Guests watched as at least 13 priests and clergymen helped officiate the Ethiopian Orthodox ceremony. (Photo: The New York Times)

The festivities began with a ceremony at the Debre Genet Medhane Alem Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Temple Hills, Md. In an incense-filled sanctuary, guests in stockinged feet watched as at least 13 priests and clergymen helped officiate the Ethiopian Orthodox ceremony between Mr. Makonnen and Ms. Austin, who just days before had converted to the religion. Hours after the ceremony, the pair celebrated with a formal reception at Foxchase Manor in Manassas, Va., with 307 guests, amid gold sequins, platters of Ethiopian food and preboxed slices of Guyanese black cake for people to take home.

Their marriage had been more than a decade in the making. In the nearly 12 years since they first met on a dance floor at the Washington nightclub Pearl, in December 2005, Mr. Makonnen and Ms. Austin have pursued degrees, jobs and, at times, each other. Eventually, planning a wedding just became the next item on this ambitious couple’s to-do list.

Read more »

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US Embassy Warns of al-Shabab Attack in Ethiopia

Published by Tadias Magazine October 15th, 2014 in Podcast. Closed
Ethiopia map. (Credit: VOA)

VOA News

October 15, 2014

The U.S. embassy in Ethiopia is warning of a possible terrorist attack in a part of the capital, Addis Ababa.

The embassy says it has received reports that Somali militant group al-Shabab intends to target Bole, a southeastern district of the city.

An embassy statement says the location of the alleged possible attack is not known but says “restaurants, hotels, places of worship, supermarkets and shopping malls in the Bole area should be avoided until further notice because they are possible targets for a potential imminent terrorist attack.”

It also advises U.S. citizens to avoid large crowds and places where both Ethiopians and Westerners often go.

Ethiopia is one of several African countries that have troops in Somalia fighting al-Shabab.

The militant group has suffered reversals, including the recent death of its leader in a U.S. drone strike, but continues to launch deadly attacks.

Last year, an al-Shabab attack on a mall in Nairobi left at least 67 people dead.

Twice this year, the group has attacked the Somali presidential palace in Mogadishu.
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Still No Sign of Missing Ethiopian Mom Almaz Gebremedhin in Wylie, Texas

Published by Tadias Magazine October 15th, 2014 in Featured. Closed
Almaz Gebremedhin, a mother of two, hasn't been seen since October 2nd, 2014. (Family photograph)

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Published: Wednesday, October 15th, 2014

New York (TADIAS) – Nearly two weeks after the disappearance of Almaz Gebremedhin in Wylie, Texas police say there is still no break in the case. Almaz, a 42-year-old mother of two who’s employed at a nearby nursing home, was last seen leaving her house headed for work at five a.m. on Thursday October 2nd.

The spokesperson for Wylie Police Department, Detective Nuria Arroyo, told Tadias Magazine the authorities are still investigating all clues that may lead to Almaz and her car — a silver 2004 Chevrolet Ventura van with the license plate CVZ-8041 — which also has not been located since the day Almaz went missing.

“Detectives continue to search for her, her vehicle, and are following up on any possible leads they may receive,” Detective Arroyo said.

Meanwhile the local Ethiopian American community is offering reward money of over $15,000 for information on the whereabouts of Almaz Gebremedhin who is originally from Ethiopia and is married to Sisay Zelelew, her husband of 16 years. They have two children, ages 8 and 10.

Wylie Police asks that anyone with information should contact the department at 972-442-8171.


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Related:
Reward Increased to $15,000 for Tips on Missing Ethiopian Woman in Texas
Local Ethiopian Community Offers Reward for Clues on Missing Texas Woman
Texas Police Searching for Missing Mother of Two Almaz Gebremedhin

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Authorities in Ethiopia Convict Journalist Temesghen Desalegn

Published by Tadias Magazine October 15th, 2014 in Podcast. Closed
Temesghen Desalegn has been convicted in connection with a 2012 defamation case. (CPJ)

CPJ

October 15, 2014

Nairobi — An Ethiopian court on Monday convicted journalist and magazine owner Temesghen Desalegn in connection with a 2012 defamation case, according to news reports and local journalists.

The Federal High Court in the capital, Addis Ababa, found Temesghen guilty of incitement, defamation, and false publication in connection with a series of opinion pieces published in Feteh (“Justice”), the journalist’s now-defunct weekly newsmagazine, according to local journalists’ translation of the charge sheet that was reviewed by CPJ. Authorities took Temesghen into custody Monday afternoon.

If convicted, the journalist could face up to 10 years in prison, according to his lawyer, Ameha Mekonnen. His sentencing is scheduled for October 27, according to news reports.

Information Minister Redwan Hussein said the case stemmed from articles published in Feteh about two years ago, according to news reports. Two of the articles discussed the peaceful struggles of Ethiopian youth movements for political change and two columns criticized alleged government efforts to violently suppress student protesters and ethnic minorities, according to the charge sheet.

Temesghen was briefly arrested in August 2012 on the same charges, but authorities dropped the charges and released him five days later without explanation, he told CPJ at the time. A judge in the Federal High Court revived the charges in February 2013 after a state prosecutor announced in court in December 2012 that the charges would be refiled against him.

The court on Monday also convicted in absentia Mastewal Birhanu, the former publisher of Feteh, with inciting the public to violence by printing the magazine, according to the charge sheet.

“In case the recent crackdown on current publications in Ethiopia did not illustrate authorities’ fear of independent voices, they have now resorted to convicting a journalist on two-year-old criminal defamation charges,” said CPJ East Africa Representative Tom Rhodes. “We urge Ethiopian authorities to drop this case–as they did once before–and free Temesghen Desalegn immediately.”

Authorities have routinely targeted Temesghen’s writing. In May 2012, he was given a four-month suspended prison sentence and fine after Feteh published a statement made by imprisoned journalist Eskinder Nega during his trial. Temesghen paid the fine.

The government ordered printers to block the distribution of Feteh in July 2012 in connection with a series of articles about the health of the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, local journalists said. Authorities blocked three other subsequent publications started by Temesghen, including Addis Times, Le’ilena (“Magnanimity”), and the latest, Fact, according to local journalists.

The last edition of Fact was published in September 2014 after authorities ordered printers to cease publishing the magazine, local journalists told CPJ. In August, the Justice Ministry accused Fact and five other independent weekly publications of inciting violence, publishing false news, and undermining public confidence in the government. All publications have since ceased publication.

Last week, an Ethiopian court sentenced in absentia to three-year jail terms the general managers of three of the publications, including Fact, Addis Guday, and Lomi. The general managers are accused of inciting the public by spreading false information and subverting the constitutional order, according to news reports.

A state crackdown on independent publications and bloggers has taken place in Ethiopia this year, prompting several Ethiopian journalists to flee into exile in 2014, according to CPJ research. With at least 17 journalists in jail, Ethiopia is the second leading jailer of journalists in Africa, second only to its neighbor Eritrea, CPJ research shows.
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Related:
Ethiopian Editor Convicted for Inciting Public With Articles (Bloomberg)

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Census: Foreign-born Africans Most Educated Immigrants in the U.S.

Published by Tadias Magazine October 15th, 2014 in Featured and News. Closed
(Graph: U.S. Census Bureau, 2008-2012 American Community Survey, 5-years estimates)

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Updated: Thursday, October 16th, 2014

New York (TADIAS) – According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest American Community Survey 41% of the African-born population in the United States obtained bachelor’s degrees or higher between 2008 and 2012 compared with 28% of the overall foreign-born U.S. population.

The study, which was released this month, indicates a rapid population growth among the foreign-born African community in the United States. In the past two decades, the document says, a large number of Africans came to America through the Green Card lottery system, which partially explains African immigrants’ higher educational level. “A relatively high proportion of immigrants from Africa entered the United States on diversity visas (24 percent as compared with 5 percent of the overall foreign born), which require a high school diploma or equivalent work experience,” the report states.

The survey gives a conservative estimate of the total number of African immigrants currently residing in U.S at less than 2 million. Nonetheless the census report, authored by Christine P. Gambino, Edward N. Trevelyan, and John Thomas Fitzwater, provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date data on the community. The document notes that between 2008-–2012 there were “39.8 million foreign-born people that resided in the United States, including 1.6 million from Africa.” Since the 1970s, “during the following four decades, the number of foreign born from Africa grew rapidly, roughly doubling each decade.”

The report states that a vast majority of the foreign-born population from Africa migrated to the United States after 1990. “The timing of this movement was driven in part by historical changes. Outmigration from Africa increased rapidly after World War II, as migrants responded to the pull of educational opportunities and jobs abroad. While the first waves of postwar migrants went to other African countries and former colonial powers of Europe, migration to the United States increased in the 1970s as economies faltered and new restrictions were placed upon immigration in Western Europe. More immigrants from Africa were admitted to the United States after the U.S. Immigration Act of 1965, which replaced the national origin quota system favoring immigration from Europe with a new law prioritizing skilled labor, family unification, and humanitarianism. In addition, nearly a quarter of all immigrants from Africa to the United States in 2010 entered as refugees or received asylum as a result of ethnic conflict or civil war, particularly in countries such as Somalia, Liberia, and Sudan. The rate of African-born immigrants arriving and staying in the United States accelerated further as immigrant networks grew and pathways were established.”

In terms of geographic distribution, New York, California, Texas, and Maryland are listed as the top four states that are home to more than 100,000 residents from the African continent. “The largest African-origin countries for Washington DC were Ethiopia and Nigeria. The largest African-born populations in Minneapolis-St. Paul were from Somalia and Ethiopia. In Los Angeles and San Francisco, leading African countries of birth included Egypt, Nigeria, and Ethiopia. The largest African-origin countries in the New York metropolitan area were Egypt and Ghana, each composing just under 20 percent of the total African born.”

In the Washington, DC, metro area the foreign-born population was more than three times the national percentage (13 percent). In addition, several other U.S. cities are spotlighted as having pockets of African-born populations (between 20,000 and 35,000) such as Columbus, Ohio and Baltimore, Maryland. While Midwestern states like Minnesota are mentioned as magnets that attract East African immigrants including Ethiopians and Somalians, the West Coast numbers are below the national average: Los Angeles (1.5 percent), San Francisco (1.8 percent), and San Diego (2.2 percent).

“Of the 1.6 million foreign born from Africa in the United States the largest African-born populations were from Nigeria and Ghana in Western Africa; Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia in Eastern Africa; Egypt in Northern Africa; and South Africa in Southern Africa,” the report continued. “Of these seven, the four largest were Nigeria (221,000 or 14 percent of the African-born population), Ethiopia (164,000 or 10 percent), Egypt (143,000 or 9 percent), and Ghana (121,000 or 8 percent), together constituting 41 percent of the African-born total.”
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You can read the full report at www.census.gov.

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Lelisa Desisa Delivers an Ethiopian Victory Amidst Sporting Disappointments

Published by Tadias Magazine October 15th, 2013 in Featured. Closed
Lelisa Desisa won the BAA Half Marathon in Boston on Sunday in a record time. (Photo: Boston Herald)

Tadias Magazine
By Sabrina Yohannes

Published: Tuesday, October 15th, 2013

New York (TADIAS) – On a day that began with optimism and ended with crushing defeats for fans of Ethiopian sports in the United States, the athletics world marathon silver medalist Lelisa Desisa delivered victory for the nation at the BAA Half Marathon in Boston, where he had triumphed over twice the distance six months earlier.

The 2013 Boston marathon champion Lelisa set a course record of 1 hour and 34 seconds (1:00:34) in winning the BAA race on Sunday October 13, ahead of Kenya’s Daniel Salel and Stephen Sambu, who were both given a time of 1:00:41. Lelisa pulled ahead in the 11th mile of the 13.1 mile race.

“I wasn’t feeling well as a result of a cold I caught, but I ran as well as I could,” said Lelisa, who has a 2011 personal best of 59:30 for the distance, and ran 2:04:45 in winning the 2013 Dubai marathon at the head of an Ethiopian sweep of the men’s and women’s race there. Lelisa also overcame illness to medal in his third marathon of the year at the Moscow world championships in August, where he was sick after eating his breakfast on the day of the race.

“After this, my only plan as far as marathons are concerned is to return to Boston, but there will be other races like half marathons,” said Lelisa, who is not planning to defend his Dubai title in January.

On Sunday, his race began at 8am local time, and 30 minutes later, the gun went off at the Chicago marathon, where Ethiopia’s former world cross country junior champion and Dubai marathon champion Ayele Abshero was a contender and Atsede Baysa was the defending women’s champion. At 9am Eastern United States time, Ethiopia’s soccer team kicked off its 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Nigeria in Addis Ababa, with U.S. coverage beginning at 8:50am.

“I thought Ethiopia would win, I would win, and in Chicago, I thought Ayele would be a strong contender,” said Lelisa.

By morning’s end, however, no Ethiopians had made the podium in Chicago, where Ayele placed sixth and Atsede fifth; and after Ethiopia held off the African champion Nigerian team, remaining tied at 1-1 until the 89th minute of the regulation 90-minute game, Nigeria scored a penalty goal to hand Ethiopia a crushing defeat at home.

“I was watching the game closely,” said Lelisa, who is himself a continental champion, having won the 2011 All Africa Games half marathon. “I was watching on the internet, on the Oromia channel. It was going so well until the penalty kick.”

Like his countrymen all over the U.S., Lelisa was consumed by the game. “Ethiopians here had it on,” he said. “As soon as I finished the race, we were watching on a mobile phone, right there, at the race location, near the medal ceremony. In the beginning, when we scored a goal, I was so happy, and while we were hoping for them to add another goal, the other side scored, and then came the penalty goal.”

Ethiopia scored the first goal in the second half of the game with Nigeria tying the score shortly thereafter. “I expected that our team would somehow win, but as luck would have it, the opposition prevailed,” said Lelisa, who downplayed any offsetting effect his own victory may have against the day’s other losses in much bigger and more widely-watched contests. “The half marathon is my specialty, I’ve run it for many years, I know what kind of shape I’m running in – even if I did happen to catch a cold in the preceding week – I know what kind of shape I was in,” he said.

“But Ethiopia, and football!” he added, his emphasis conveying the passions that surround the game in the nation, despite it being a land of legendary runners. “I was sure that because of the home advantage and the climate, and because we had had a draw against them before, and our team has since gotten much stronger, our team could win.”

Ethiopia has never made it to the World Cup and its last victory in the African Cup of Nations came in 1962, making its 2013 position historic. Nigeria, meanwhile, is the reigning continental champion, had four World Cup appearances since 1994, and took Olympic football gold in 1996 and silver in 2008.

But Ethiopian optimism was boosted by the national Walia Antelopes team’s run of late and its record in home games. Prior to Sunday, the nation had won all four of its matches in Addis Ababa in the quest for a 2014 World Cup berth, including its game against South Africa. And although Nigeria has the upper hand in head-to-heads between the two countries regardless of the venue, Ethiopia also recorded two notable prior results in home matches against the West African nation, winning 1-0 in 1993 and drawing a 2-2 tie in 2011 during African Cup of Nations qualifying matches.

“It was a good performance,” said Lelisa of the Walias’ game Sunday. “I mean, they’ve been improving from the past. It’s just that the opposing team came and defeated us at home, but really, it was a good performance.” There were notable Ethiopian athletic performances elsewhere in the world on Sunday. In the Netherlands, Yemane Tsegaye led an Ethiopian sweep at the Eindhoven marathon, and Yenew Alamirew won over 4 miles with former marathon world record holder Haile Gebrselassie dipping down in distance to take third. And Ethiopia will have another chance to play against Nigeria to determine which country goes to next summer’s soccer World Cup in Brazil; but the Nigerian powerhouse which is already ahead will enjoy the home team advantage in that November 16 qualification match, making Ethiopia’s loss on Sunday a critical blow.

Lelisa’s first Boston win, in the April 15 marathon, came on a day that was devastating in a literal sense, when bombs exploded on the race course, hours after the elite runners’ race ended. When he returned two months later for the June 23 BAA 10K, Lelisa expressed his sympathy by giving his marathon medal to the city of Boston, where his gesture was appreciated.

His world championship medal run on August 17 in Moscow, however, was followed by his teammate Tadesse Tola’s marathon bronze medal and his compatriots Meseret Defar’s gold and Almaz Ayana’s bronze in the women’s 5000 meters on the same day, after which the team was given a hero’s welcome in Addis Ababa on August 21. “It was a wonderful reception,” said Lelisa. “They didn’t even want us dispersing to our homes and put us up in a hotel, and in the morning, a bus took us around the streets where people stood and cheered.”

On Sunday, Lelisa also received cheers from Bostonians, and he’ll be looking to be the first to receive the same cheers at the end of another major marathon there on April 21, 2014.
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Related:
World Cup 2014: Ethiopia 1-2 Nigeria (Video Highlights)
Lelisa Desisa at home in record win (Boston Herald)

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Women’s Champion Firehiwot Dado of Ethiopia Withdraws from NYC Marathon

Published by Tadias Magazine October 15th, 2012 in News. Closed
Firehiwot Dado of Ethiopia (left), winner of last year's New York City Marathon, pictured with second place finisher Buzunesh Deba of NYC, has withdrawn from the 2012 competition due to injury. (Photo: Getty Images/file)

By Associated Press

Updated: Monday, October 15, 2012

NEW YORK — Women’s champion Firehiwot Dado of Ethiopia has withdrawn from this year’s New York City Marathon.

Race organizers said Monday she had been unable to train because of an infected blister.

Read more.
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Related From Tadias Archives:
Ethiopian Women Dominate 2011 NYC Marathon

Watch: Firehiwot Dado & Buzunesh Deba take the top-two spots at 2011 NYC Marathon

Watch: Homecoming Reception For New York Marathon Winners at Queen of Sheba Restaurant

‘Ethiopia: Inspiring Journey’ A Coffee Table Book by Esubalew Meaza

Published by Tadias Magazine October 15th, 2012 in Featured and Reviews. Closed
Image courtesy of infoAddis Publishing.

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Published: Monday, October 15th, 2012

New York (TADIAS) – If you live in the East Coast, you may have noticed a new book for sale at various Ethiopian stores and restaurants called Ethiopia: Inspiring Journey by Esubalew Meaza – a 180-page collection of photographs and descriptions of historical places, people, rare animals, cultural and religious ceremonies from different parts of the country.

Esubalew, the book’s author and photographer, is based in Alexandria, Virginia, and says he was motivated because of the shortage of similar books written from an Ethiopian perspective.

“I did the book because of my desire to promote Ethiopia’s tourist attractions, but during my research I found that most such books are produced by outsiders who lack the subtle understanding of Ethiopian culture and language,” Esubalew (also known as Esu) said in an interview. “I will give you an example, I was once reading a post by a blogger who had visited Ethiopia, specifically Nech Sar National Park near Arba Minch. I was amused by his description of a “Crocodile Market.” He was correct in a sense that he was literally translating Azo gebeya, which for Ethiopians means where the crocodiles gather. But for the readers of the blog-post, however, it sounded like a place where people buy crocodile meat, which was completely wrong.” He added, laughing, “I have never seen an Ethiopian eat Azo. So I thought it was my duty to correct this kind of misunderstanding.”

Esu, who is currently an IT project manager for the U.S. Department of Defense and a father of two, said he took the photos between 2005 and 2011. “I traveled back to Ethiopia in 2002 for the first time in 17 years but did not start the project until 2005,” Esu said. “I was a high school student when I moved to the United States so it was an incredible feeling for me to reconnect with the country, and I still keep going back.”

The publication is endorsed, among others, by Mr. Habte Selassie Tafesse, one of the pioneers of the Ethiopian tourism industry, who wrote: “the book is a perceptive, lively and a faithful photographic rendering of Ethiopia’s cultural, historical and physical features.”

Esu noted that some of his favorite sections of the book highlight Ethiopia’s hidden wildlife treasures including red jackal or Simien fox and the mountain nyala, as well as the Addis Ababa lions, which DNA tests recently confirmed to be genetically unique.


Esubalew Meaza at Sof Omar Cave in Bale. (Courtesy photo)
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You can learn more and back order the book on Amazon. You may reach the author at Ethiopia@infoaddis.com.

A Novelist’s Voice, Both Exotic and Midwestern

Published by Tadias Magazine October 15th, 2010 in Featured and Reviews. Closed

Above: Dinaw Mengestu is a journalist as well as a novelist.
He is pictured here with copies of his “How to Read the Air.”

Books
The New York Times
By LARRY ROHTER

Published: October 15, 2010

Early in Dinaw Mengestu’s new novel, “How to Read the Air,” the main character, a troubled young Ethiopian-American named Jonas Woldemariam, goes to a job interview, only to be asked, “Where’s that accent of yours from?” by a prospective boss baffled by his seemingly alien provenance. “Peoria,” Jonas replies, puzzling his interviewer even further.

Life has sometimes been like that for Mr. Mengestu, too. His name, “so clearly foreign and other,” he admits, and pedigree can make it difficult for some of the people he encounters to see past an ostensibly exotic exterior to the very American core underneath.

But as a novelist, Mr. Mengestu, 32, has made such doubts and confusion about identity and belonging his stock in trade. His work is populated by exiles, refugees, émigrés and children of the African diaspora, all struggling both to find a place in the American landscape and to make sense of their attenuated relationship to the world they left behind.

“It’s less about trying to figure out how you occupy these two cultural or racial boundaries and more about what it’s like when you are not particularly attached to either of these two communities,” he said recently in an interview in Manhattan at the offices of his publisher, Riverhead Books.

Read more at The New York Times.

Listen to NPR’s interview with Dinaw Mengestu:
‘Heaven Bears’ Author Finds Beauty In ‘The Air’

Related:
‘Dinaw Mengestu’s novel of the Ethiopian conflict’s legacy (The Seattle Times)
Immigrant tales and a fateful road trip (The Miami Herald)
Excerpt: ‘How to Read the Air’ (penguingroup.com)
Book Review: ‘How to Read the Air’ by Dinaw Mengestu (The New York Times)
Book Review: ‘The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears’ by Dinaw Mengestu (NYT)
The Daily Beast speaks to Dinaw Mengestu

Cover Image: Ethiopian American author Dinaw Mengestu (Photo: Ed Ou/The New York Times)

Ethiopian Airlines Appoints First Female Captain

Published by Tadias Magazine October 15th, 2010 in Featured and History. 57 Comments
Above: Captain Amsale Gualu Endegnanew (right) who made history by becoming the first female captain at Ethiopian Airlines. (ET)

Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff

Published: Friday, October 15, 2010

New York (Tadias) – She may not be the first Ethiopian woman pilot, but Captain Amsale Gualu Endegnanew is just as pioneering. She is the first female to become captain in the history of Ethiopian Airlines.

According to the company, the pilot was at controls of a next generation Bombardier airplane for her historic flight, which she performed over domestic routes on October 14, 2010. “Captain Amsale proudly took off her first flight from the left hand seat of the flight deck of a Q-400 aircraft from Addis Ababa to Gondar then to Axum and finally returned back to Addis Ababa after a total of 3.6 flight hours,” the airline announced in a press release.

“Captain Amsale joined Ethiopian Airlines Pilot Training School on July 10, 2000 and started her career as first officer on November 26, 2002. Since then, she has trained and worked on Fokker-50, 757 and 767 aircraft as first officer. Captain Amsale has been able to complete successfully all the necessary training requirements and passed through rigorous checks to gain her four stripes. She has a total of 4475 flight hours under her belt when she becomes the commander-in-chief of her flight.”

In a brief statement following her groundbreaking flight, Captain Amsale said this moment has been a long time coming. “It is a great privilege to become the first female captain of the national carrier,” she said. “I have been trained and passed through various ladders at Ethiopian Airlines.”

“The company has been very supportive of my efforts to realize my vision of becoming a captain,” she added.

Congratulating her on the occasion, Weyzero Elizabeth Getachew, a Senior Vice President for Human Resource Management and the highest ranking female executive in the airline said, “Captain Amsale’s success is a great achievement on her part and it is also an achievement for the airline. It is my hope that other females will be inspired by her success and Ethiopian will see more female candidates in the near future.” The country’s flag-career currently has four female pilots working as first officers.

Who is Ethiopia’s first female pilot?

Some say Weyzero Asegedech Asefa, who became a pilot post World War II, is the first Ethiopian female pilot. While others argue that Weyzero Mulumebet Emeru, whose flight training was interrupted when the Italians envaded Ethiopia in 1936, holds the title of first Ethiopian female pilot.
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More photos courtesy of Ethiopian Airlines via Nazret.com

Learn more about Ethiopian airlines at ethiopianairlines.com.

Related:
Interview with Girma Wake: Former CEO of Ethiopian Airlines (Capital Ethiopia)
Video: Ethiopian TV on the First Female Captain at Ethiopian Airlines

Jailed Singer Teddy Afro Starts Defense

Published by Tadias Magazine October 15th, 2008 in Featured. 2 Comments

Above: Teddy Afro performing at the Rosewater Hall in San
Jose, California on January 20th, 2007. (Photos by D.J. Fitsum)
Click here to see hot shots.

Capital Ethiopia

By Muluken Yewondwossen

Tewodros Kassahun, a.k.a Teddy Afro has started his defense in the Federal High Court 8th Criminal Bench against a hit and run charge on Thursday, October 9, 2008.

His lawyer Million Assefa presented 14 witnesses and 10 documents in evidence to explain Teddy’s innocence of the charge.

On Thursday’s session 8 witnesses appeared with seven giving testimony. The 14th witness, who came from Minilik II Hospital, did not testify after the objection of the prosecutor over the translator’s accuracy, as the witness is Cuban. The Court ruled to bring aother translator for the next trial. The 14th witness was also presented as the prosecutor’s witness.

Three witnesses, his friends, explained that Teddy was with them at the time he was accused of killing a young man near the National Palace at around 1 AM in November 2006. Read more at Capital Ethiopia.

Marcus launches cookware line

Published by admin October 15th, 2007 in Featured and Profiles. 2 Comments

By Tadias Staff Writer

New York – Ethiopian-born celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson is introducing an exclusive line of professionally styled cookware, manufactured by Regal Ware Worldwide.

The new stainless steel cookware line named Marcus, which will be available at major retailers this fall, is aimed at the home chef who wants to prepare food like a professional.

“After cooking for so many years I wanted to make a switch in my cookware. There are far better stoves with higher heat appearing in home kitchens and I wanted to create a product to match,” says Samuelsson.

“MARCUS Cookware embodies my vision for every home chef to have the best products for their culinary experiences. More and more, real working pots and pans are being displayed in kitchens. Home chefs should be proud of their tools – that’s why I created such a sleek and contemporary line of cookware.”

Marcus Cookware is manufactured and distributed by Regal Ware Worldwide, the leading manufacturer of high quality stainless steel cookware in the United States. “We are pleased to partner with a chef of Marcus Samuelsson’s caliber in bringing this product to the retail market,” said Jeff Reigle, President and CEO of the Wisconsin based company. “MARCUS cookware reflects our tradition of offering the world’s finest cookware to promote the health and wellness of families today.”

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Photo courtesy of Regal Ware Worldwide

According to a press release by Regal Ware Worldwide, a portion of all proceeds from the sale Marcus cookware will be donated to charities close to Marcus Samuelsson, which help to improve children’s lives.

The Marcus Cookware line consists of two Covered Stock Pots (8 quart and 5.4 quart); three Covered Sauce Pans (3.5 quart, 2 quart and 1 quart); two Covered Sauté Pans with Helper Handle (11.75 inch and 10 inch); three Fry Pans (11.5 inch, 10 inch, 8 inch); and a Pasta Set. Every item can be used on gas, electric, ceramic glass and induction stoves.

Born in Ethiopia, Marcus was adopted at age 3 and raised in Sweden. By the time he was 6, Marcus was spending countless hours in his grandmother’s kitchen, watching and learning from her. At 14, Marcus enrolled in cooking school, going on to apprentice in France, Austria and Switzerland. At the young age of 23, he became Executive Chef of Aquavit restaurant in New York City. Today, Marcus Samuelsson is recognized as one of the premier chefs throughout the world. From the James Beard Foundation to the culinary Institute of America, Marcus has received more accolades than most chefs receive in a lifetime.

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Photo courtesy of Regal Ware Worldwide

Learn more about Marcus cookware at: marcuscookware.com

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