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The awe and amazement that I experience with respect to the reservoir of intellectual capital that resides in the Ethiopian community never ceases. Maybe to some it is not such a phenomenon, but for me, a person disconnected from our community for the better part of my life, reentry into the Ethiopian community has been an eye opening moment to say the least. I believe that Ethiopia can be the Japan of Africa, not because we are smarter or better than anyone in Africa, but I have an abiding belief that Ethiopia will lead the transformation of Africa much the same way that Japan was the first country in Asia to transform the region into an economic, social, and intellectual powerhouse.

So what is it that I encountered today that has dawned yet another feeling of awe in me? Let me start by going back to 2008. Two years ago I met a young lady named Tsega Tadesse when we were organizing with Ethiopians for Obama. She came out to an event to volunteer for a rally that we were putting together in Alexandria, Virginia. I was immediately struck by Tsega’s intellect and her ability to “think outside of the box”. Now, if there is any expression that I have come to dislike, it is the phrase “think outside of the box”, it is used way too much and in some sense has become trite. But if there is a person that this mantra belongs to, it is Tsega Tadesse.

At an age where I thought she would be concerned about partying and the having a good time, I was immediately impressed by Tsega’s seriousness of purpose and her drive to accomplish big dreams. If I had the same drive and passion at her age instead of partying myself, who know where I would be right now. Our conversation did not last long and we delved into the turbulent waters of the campaign season. But since that time, I have continued to stay in touch with Tsega and my initial impressions of her have not only been verified, they have been fortified.

The list of Tsega’s talent would take a book to synthesize. For the purpose of this article, I will share with you a website that Tsega is a part of with a team of talented Ethiopians that is literally a repository of brilliant and original articles that challenges readers to think beyond platitudes and to embrace deep thoughts. The website is Senduq.com and features some of the most amazing pieces by some truly amazing authors. Why take my word for it, let me give you a taste:

“grown
confusion and complexity,
blurring against clarity
all was either peachy or rotten
till these glasses started aging
the tints were fading
gloss now crusty and textured
set in white and gray, black and gray
plain eyes find shades in arrays”

They say at times that fewer words are reserved for those things you experience in life that are worth a million words. So I will spare you my words as I can go on for another 10 pages about senduq.com and ask that you visit the website to experience the same sense of awe that I felt today. You will find out why I was impressed by Tsega, why I have bookmarked Senduq.com, and why I love reading this website. And you will find out why I believe in my heart that Ethiopia will be the Japan of Africa.

click to go to webpage

Eskista Musika

735 days

by admin in Uncategorized

Where in the world can you listen to Mahmoud followed by Michael Jackson? Where on the internet can you listen to Tilahun followed by T.I.? Where on the radio can you listen to Muluken followed by Mary J. Blige? Teddy Afro followed by Common, Kuku Sebsebe followed by Alicia Keys?

The answer: BC Radio. Brown Condor Radio is a 24 x 7 online radio station that plays the greatest collection of Ethiopian and Eritrean songs and fuses our unique music with the very best of Hip Hop, Reggae, R&B, Neo Soul and much more. The aim of the radio station, besides playing the best music available anywhere, is to introduce the Ethiopian culture to a wider audience. Our culture–our music, our food, our dance, our clothing, our traditions–is one of grace and enduring beauty. The aim of BC Radio is to introduce our beautiful culture to a wider audience throughout America and the world.

To listen to BC Radio, go to www.browncondor.com or click on the radio below. Once you get to the website, you will see a Ustream screen on the top right or the bottom of the website. Click play and you will here an amazing fusion of Ethiopian and Eritrean music with a dash of American music. BC Radio, where eskista music meets the music of the world.

P.A.A.L.F.

740 days

by admin in Uncategorized

Monday, May 10th, 2010

by Teddy Fikre

Throughout Africa, the one thing that is abundant above all is political factions with acronyms and “liberation fronts” that espouse to “liberate” people. Acronyms and liberation fronts are as African these days as the Nile River itself. I could list hundreds of political factions and liberation fronts that fight for one cause or another, seeking to oust an entrenched power only to impose the same tyranny that they fought against to begin with.

Travel to Africa, whether you find yourself in Ethiopia, Nigeria, Eritrea, Kenya, Liberia or any other country you can throw a dart at on a map of Africa, and you will find wars and conflicts being fought on behalf of a people or a cause. The list is too long for me to name the various political factions and liberation fronts that seek equality, human rights, and democracy by waging a fierce battle for political supremacy. There are countless cases of political factions breaking off from an existing political faction, a liberation front break away from a liberation front, to wage their own quest for conquest.

In the past, I thought this was a noble deed, people who fight for what they believe and sacrifice their lives for principles that they cherish. In due time, I am seeing this for the folly that it is. For the most part, I come to the sad realization that these four letter political faction acronyms and liberation fronts are exactly what is wrong with Africa. Instead of seeking cooperation, most seek domination disguised in the name of a people they are supposed to be fighting for. I have also come to the realization that the people who suffer the most are not the leaders of these political factions and liberation fronts; rather, those that suffer are those that follow the leaders’ dictates, the young soldiers who die in the battle fields across Africa for a senseless cause and the parents of these soldiers who mourn the death of their children.

What we are witnessing is the balkanization of Africa, in Ethiopia alone, there are countless liberation fronts whose main goal is to seek their own country, whose leaders want to be a head of state of a future nation. This is folly at its utmost, while the rest of the world is uniting and finding ways to cooperate, most countries in Africa continue to find ways to break apart based on narrow interests and myopic visions. We are witnessing a counterproductive, ego driven agenda where the goal too often is to get the last word instead of finding ways to speak together. The further we fragment as a society, the more we regress ; while liberation fronts in Africa continue import AK47s to fight for their “principles”, people in the countryside continue to starve, images of the huddle masses begging for rice from hovering helicopters dominating our television screens daily.

I am by no means an expert in African politics; in fact, I have chosen for the most part to stay away from African politics days. I recently saw a movie called the Lord of War. The protagonist in that movie, Nicolas Cage, is a weapons dealer who would sell weapons to a “Liberation Front” until they gained power, only to turn around and sell weapons to the group that just got ousted. This movie is profound beyond most movies I have seen, for it captures the true essence of these liberation fronts in Africa. Western companies continue to benefit from the perpetual wars that are fought by narcissistic leaders in Africa.

It is my hope that I will see the end of liberation fronts and the continual offspring of political factions based on acronyms and see a movement that seeks cooperation instead of conflict. I pray for the day where Oromos, Amarahs, Tigrays, Gambellas will find ways to work tougher instead of working against one another. I hold out for a day where everyone’s voice is heard instead of one group speaking the loudest while they seek hegemony. Until then, I am going to start my own political faction called People Against Acronyms and Liberation Fronts—P.A.A.L.F. How ironic that I too turned to an acronym based political faction, alas I am more African than I thought. Reminds me of another famous acronym—T.I.A., This is Africa.