Bethlehem Alemu founded SoleRebels in 2005, a company that makes shoes from old tires.

by Bianca Britton   @CNNMoney

Bethlehem Alemu’s shoes have been sold worldwide by Amazon(AMZN, Tech30), Urban Outfitters (URBN) and Whole Foods (WFM). When she started her business the Ethiopian accountant had much more modest ambitions.

“I wanted to do something that would give me job opportunities myself and the people around me,” Alemu said. “I immediately thought ‘I have to start a small business!'”

Alemu felt she had to do something about unemployment and poverty in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

So she quit her day job in 2005 and founded SoleRebels, which turns scraps of rubber from old tires and other recycled material into stylish footwear.

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The company, which sold 125,000 pairs of shoes in 2016, has already delivered its promise of work. Since opening, SoleRebels has created 1,200 jobs and plans to have more than 3,000 full-time Ethiopian employees by the end of 2018 when a new production facility is complete.

The jobs pay well too — three times the average wage, according to Alemu.

“I was born here in Ethiopia and I grew up here so I saw the state of people — the way they lived and the way they worked, and I felt if I had a company (it) should pay a certain amount of money so the employees can take care of themselves and their families,” she said.

Ethiopia’s economy has been enjoying a period of strong growth, in stark contrast to decades past when the country was blighted by war and famine.

Alemu is hoping to do more for Ethiopia’s recovery with a new business she’s about to launch: Garden of Coffee.

Guests who visit the Addis Ababa cafe will be able to watch local coffee beans being roasted and ground.

While SoleRebels and Garden of Coffee may seem worlds apart, Alemu believes they both show how resourceful Ethiopia can be.

“I began Garden of Coffee so that people everywhere can experience the magic of hand-roasted Ethiopian coffees, roasted at their source by Ethiopia’s finest coffee artisans,” she said.

Alemu is hoping to open three cafes in Abbis Abada, before expanding to the U.S. and Europe.

By Abiy Hailu

Amidst its successive achievements in economic growth, Ethiopia last devalued its currency in 2010 by 17%. Meanwhile, the value of the Birr against the dollar and other international currencies has also been depreciating from time to time, as per a floating exchange rate.

The World Bank in 2014 had also said the Birr was overvalued and urged Ethiopia to devalue its currency, stressing the fact that reducing the currency’s value by 10 % in real terms may lead to a 5 % increase in stalled export earnings and a 2 % increase in growth.

Recently, the World Bank, in its 5th Ethiopian Economic Update insisted that yet another currency devaluation would help the Ethiopian economy become more competitive in the international market and urged the National Bank of Ethiopia to do so.

More often than not, countries devalue their currency to boost exports, shrink trade deficit, and to reduce sovereign debt burdens, on one hand.

Economists, including governor of the National Bank of Ethiopia Yohannes Ayalew, have been arguing that devaluation of the Birr would have negative consequences, mentioning inflation as a major case in point, on the other. Yet, others also stress that announced devaluation measures would just add more fuel to price hike expectations and the already existing inflation rates, apart from making imports expensive.

African Capacity Building Foundation Executive Secretary (ACBF) Emmanuel Nnadozie says the weakness of a currency does not necessarily mean that the economy is in trouble. “It could also actually be a benefit in terms of export. Because if your currency is weaker, vis a vis the others, then you would be able to sell things outside (with lower price), and people from the outside can buy your commodities cheaper than if your currency was stronger. Thus Ethiopia can really use this as an advantage to expand exports significantly.”

Nnadozie, who is also a professor of economics and development expert, argues the importance of looking into other factors as well ‘because a high level of foreign debt causes a lot of problems.’

For him, when currency is weaker, the country’s international competitiveness increases paving the way for increased foreign earning. And this in turn helps to pay debts. “That is why I say one has to look into various dimensions before determining which exchange rate will serve best,” he says adding: “I think the Ethiopian government is capable of doing that. It should make decisions based on what is best for the country.

Dr. Tekie Alemu, an economist for his part says when the value of money is devalued or revalued at a time; it would result in exaggerated change in the price of various commodities and products.

This simultaneously protects the interest of and enriches one party (economic actor), while harming the interests of other actors. This would have its own negative impact on the prevalence of fair and just commercial practice, according to him.

He also says ever since the 2010 devaluation, the value of Birr has been depreciating by 0.1% a day. “This helped to prevent exaggerated / large scale inflation from occurring.”

Hence, it is better if the value of Birr depreciates over time. But if the value of the currency is devalued immediately, it would cause inflation, he advises.

Many economists agree that the economic mathematical calculation that endorses devaluation to boost export is one sided assumption, they do not see how import expenditure will play out, it usually become expensive, i.e. it leads to allocate whole lots of resources to import and satisfy needs.

Above all, most of Ethiopia’s imports are none-replaceable at least in short term. For instance they argue, if devaluation is done immediately, all the inputs needed to build hydro-dams [which Ethiopia is hugely engaged in] will become more expensive. This means construction cost of dams would be so expensive. This explains the fact that the profit margin expected when dams see completion will be compromised.

• Lava lake inside Ethiopia’s Etra Ale volcano reaches searing temperatures exceeding 1,100 degrees Celsius
• New fissures opened up about 7 kilometers (4 miles) from the summit caldera, spilling large amounts of lava
• At least one of the lava lakes has experienced large changes in the level of its lava  

By Annabel Fenwick Elliott and Mark Prigg For Dailymail.com

It is known as the ‘smoking mountain’ and the ‘gateway to hell’.

Erta Ale, a shield volcano near the Ethiopian and Eritrean border, is famous for its long-lived lava lake that has gurgled and spattered in its caldera for decades.

Now, NASA images have revealed new cracks in the are, spilling large amounts of lava, while researchers have also found at least one of the lava lakes has experienced large changes in the level of its lava that have led to overflows and intense spattering.

Scroll down for video 

The incredible geological phenomenon is caused by three tectonic plates tearing themselves apart in spectacular fashion in Africa’s Danakil (or Afar) Depression.

As the plates separate, several active volcanoes have emerged along the seams.

One of the most active is Erta Ale, a shield volcano near the Ethiopian and Eritrean border.

It is known as the ‘smoking mountain’ and the ‘gateway to hell’ in the Afar language.

Erta Ale has a long-lived lava lake that has gurgled and spattered in its caldera for decades, but the most recent bout of activity involves the southeast flank of the gently sloping mountain.

The last major eruption occurred In September 2005, which killed a 250-strong heard of livestock and forced people in the surrounding area to flee.

There were further evacuations in August 2007 caused by lava flow, after which two people went missing.

The most recent eruption came in November 2008.

According to reports posted by Volcano Discovery, new fissures opened up on January 21, 2017, about 7 kilometers (4 miles) from the summit caldera, spilling large amounts of lava.

Meanwhile, at least one of the lava lakes has experienced large changes in the level of its lava that have led to overflows and intense spattering.

This image was captured by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) sensor on Landsat 8 on January 26, 2017.

It is a composite of natural color (OLI bands 4-3-2) and shortwave infrared (OLI band 7).

Shortwave infrared light (SWIR) is invisible to the naked eye, but strong SWIR signals indicate increased temperatures.

Infrared hot spots representing two distinct lava flows are visible.

Plumes of volcanic gases and steam drift from the lava lakes.

Earlier this year dramatic images offered a rare glimpse inside the ‘Gateway To Hell’, one of the world’s oldest continuously active lava lakes.

Portuguese travel photographer Joel Santos, 38, piloted a drone over the bubbling lake – which reaches temperatures exceeding 1,100 degrees Celsius – while he stood just a metre from the edge.

The lake, situated in Afar, Ethiopia, has had a continuous flow since 1906 and lies inside the 2,011-foot-high Erta Ale volcano, otherwise known as the Smoking Mountain.  

Mr Santos is well-aware of the hazards posed by filming such a potentially devastating natural phenomenon at such close quarters.

He tells MailOnline Travel: ‘This was one of the most dangerous projects I’ve done, since I was just 20 metres away from the lava, one metre from the edge.

‘The real problem in Erta Ale is that the crater rim is always changing as the lava lake moves up and down, and especially when it overflows, changing any previous knowledge you might have had about the terrain.

‘You might think that the ground you’re standing is solid, but equally it might be soft and make you plunge into the lava. You must be very careful.’

Mr Santos used a drone to film his footage from above the lake, alongside four 4K resolution cameras that could handle the scorching conditions around the lake’s rim.

He said: ‘I needed to be so close to monitor the drone, since the heat waves are so, so strong, they could cause it to melt or crash. I had to be very patient.’

Mr Santos added: ‘Every two or three minutes you can hear a small hiss of pressure beneath the volcano and all of a sudden – you can’t predict when – a crack just opens wide.

‘Then it’s like fireworks – the whole volcano starts bursting with lava into the air.’

The Danakil Desert, where the volcano lies, is officially the hottest inhabited place on earth, meaning Mr Santos could only film in the early morning or late at night.

Despite the challenges of filming in such intense heat, Mr Santos is proud to have visited such an epic location on two separate occasions.

He said: ‘It’s a basaltic shield volcano and there’s only six in the world.

‘This is one of those that you can actually approach. It’s an unbelievable experience.

‘It still amazes me how nature works and I think it will continue to amaze me.’

Little is known about Erta Ale, as the surrounding terrain is some of the most inhospitable on Earth, and the natives are said to be hostile towards visitors.

In 2012 a number of tourists were kidnapped, injured and some killed in the area.

Mr Santos explains: ‘The volcano is quite close to the border with Eritrea, with whom Ethiopia has a very difficult relationship, as it is known.

‘Since then, an Ethiopian military camp site was established nearby and you must now always have a military escort with you while you climb up to the volcano.

‘But, at least to me, they were extremely friendly and helpful with finding the most secure places to set up the tripods. They have an excellent knowledge about the terrain.’

In 2009, BBC TV show The Hottest Place On Earth went there to record a world first 3D laser image of the volcano. Durham University earth scientist Dr Dougal Jerram and a team from the BBC explored the surrounding desert.

He later wrote for BBC News: ‘Like a true journey to the centre of the Earth, volcanoes provide a unique window into our planet’s interior.

‘Standing at the lip of the lava lake you can see why the locals see this as ‘The Gateway to Hell’, as the incandescent bubbling lava lake hisses like some badly burned porridge cauldron, overturning and occasionally belching molten lava.’

Esat Radio Wed 01 Feb 2017

FILE — Demonstrators chant slogans and flash the Oromo protest gesture during Irreecha, the thanksgiving festival of the Oromo people, in Bishoftu town, Oromia region, Ethiopia.

Beneath the surface, away from the “economic boom,” “peace” and “stability,” there is serious trouble brewing in Ethiopia. The ever-increasing state institutional violence against citizens is bringing people together to challenge the authority and legitimacy of a rejected regime.  The 25-year old political system that is rooted in sowing hatred and suspicion between communities is no longer a ‘working’ formula for the regime. From north to south, east to west people are joining hands to end quarter century old authoritarian rule. The ethnic barriers and suspicion that were intentionally planted in the society by the regime are having the reverse effect by uniting citizens across four corners of the country.

This unity and joining of forces is rapidly changing in form and structure becoming a powerful and dynamic force capable of bringing about long awaited political change. The ongoing popular discontent against the repressive regime is gaining momentum and maturing in consciousness, form, tactics and strategies. Shaken by these prevailing realities as a threat to its grip on power, the regime has introduced two self-preserving measures over the last few months. The first one is the declaration of the “state of emergency” intended to pacify the popular uprising and secondly call for “negotation” with opposition parties. Both these measures, however, are having the reverse impact. The declared “state of emergency” is transforming the non-violent rebellion into a clandestine armed resisitance while the call fror “negotiation” is having zero impact in resolving the long standing politicl crisis.

In the north of the country, there is a fast-developing dynamic that could have a significant impact over the political and security future of the country. At the same time in the west, east and southwest of the country, new and powerful forces of resistance are emerging. In response to the brutality of forces loyal to the regime, many are changing approaches and preferring more a clandestine resistance. The regime’s strategy of “ethicizing politics in this country no longer works in favour of the regime,” said a political science educator who spoke under the condition of anonymity. Another civil servant described the political situation in Ethiopia as “an explosive situation that could sweep the country with an unpredictable outcome.”

The “constitution” as a tool to intimidate and terrorize citizens

In a democracy, the promulgation of a constitution is a function of the citizens. Simply because the people exercise sovereignty, they decide what rules and principles they want government to follow. Furthermore, a portion of any constitution in a democracy is delegated by citizens to the legislature, hence allowing it to participate in the process of amending the constitution. Under the current authoritarian regime in Ethiopia, the construction of constitution is based on the will and design of a small minority group. Thus, it is used to intimidate and terrorize citizens instead of being a living document that safeguards citizens’ rights. The regime’s usage of the “constitution” as an instrument of oppressing and brutalizing citizens devalues the very value of a constitution. The defence of a constitution that protects and safeguards citizens’ rights is the duty of the people. On the other hand, a constitution whose purpose is to serve as tool of operation will ultimately be replaced with a new constitution that is crafted with full participation of the people.

Smoke and mirrors or genuine political negotiation

There is a new propaganda and public relations buzz word in Addis Ababa these days and the word is “dialogue.” In its organic and authentic form, political dialogue is a very valuable and irreplaceable approach to establishing genuine political discourse and sustainable peace.  Unfortunately, the record of the regime shows manipulation of dialogue and using it as a propaganda forum to create a smoke screen for consumption of donor nations and a gullible few. On January 16, 2017, the Head of the Office of the regime declared his government’s “readiness for dialogue and consultation with political parties.” Genuine political dialogue cannot be conducted from a hegemonic position where a group is dictating the general terms and process of the dialogue. Most importantly, any political dialogue and negotiation must first identify the political, social and economic challenges facing the country.

In the current environment, the regime’s web of political and economic corruption has reached a point where the regime doesn’t have the moral authority to govern the country let alone to sit at a table and negotiate the future direction of the country. The inherent source of the problem in Ethiopia is the regime itself and to think otherwise is a failure of imagination and deficiency of insight to observe, understand and see what is in front of us.

The regime in Addis Ababa has manipulated certain groups as political pawns to advance it is own objectives. Sadly, there are some opportunistic groups who are readily available to be used for such a gimmick. Negotiation with manufactured political pawns can only further deepen the country’s political crisis.  Genuine negotiation takes place with those who have critically opposing views, not with the “Yes” men. Genuine negotiation is to discuss and explore common ground for coming to an agreement. Negotiation in its true sense voices a conciliatory tone so that a compromise may be reached and each negotiating party may obtain a certain degree of satisfaction. In true negotiation, the parties do not feel ridiculed, coerced or manipulated. They express their respective needs freely to build understanding, and they feel respected. On the other hand, to manipulate is to seek to control the other by using fear or by making them feel guilty to convince them of something and surrender their vision and integrity.

Genuine political dialogue could only take place if the regime gets out of its obsessive-compulsive power impulses, stop framing and defining other political groups and look inwards for the problems the country is facing instead of outwards. One cannot be a genuine negotiator while imposing its views. The true meaning of negotiation is to listen, validate and accept the views and positions of others even if it means surrendering the helm of power. The regime’s primary objective of negotiation is to consolidate its grip on power. Prior to starting any political dialogue or negotiation in Ethiopia, the regime must release all political prisoners, journalists, and human rights activists. Secondly, the regime must share the public media with all opposition political parties, lift the state of emergency and dissolve the so called “command post” which put the country under military rule.

As the saying goes “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” The regime must stop playing tricks with manufactured political pawns and quit being an impediment to the country’s political, economic and social progress. Building a free, inclusive and democratic Ethiopia will requires not politically calculated negotiation with political pawns, but a genuine and whole hearted willingness to sit and conduct genuine transition of power with all political groups.

The writer can be reached at Alem6711@gmail.com

Veteran keeper El Hadary the shootout hero as Egypt reach Afcon final

Read more at: theguardian

Residents of Bishoftu crossed their wrists above their heads as a symbol for the Oromo anti-government protesting movement during the Oromo new year holiday Irreechaa in Bishoftu on October 2, 2016.
Several people were killed in a stampede near the Ethiopian capital on October 2 after police fired tear gas at protesters during a religious festival, according to an AFP photographer at the scene. Several thousand people had gathered at a sacred lake to take part in the Irreecha ceremony, in which the Oromo community marks the end of the rainy season, where participants crossed their wrists above their heads, a gesture that has become a symbol of Oromo anti-government protests. The event quickly degenerated, with protesters throwing stones and bottles and security forces responding with baton charges and then tear gas grenades. / AFP / Zacharias ABUBEKER (Photo credit should read ZACHARIAS ABUBEKER/AFP/Getty Images)

Addis Ababa vows to eliminate economic threats as violent protests rattle investors

The authorities of Ethiopia has vowed to crush all threats to its financial mannequin and insists it’s succeeding in restoring order because it grapples with essentially the most critical risk to its 26-year maintain on power.

Negeri Lencho, the communications minister, advised the Financial Times state of emergency imposed in October had succeeded in quashing a wave of nationwide anti-government protests that left a whole bunch of folks useless. He insisted that Addis Ababa wouldn’t “give alternative to any occasion to dam the fast-growing financial system and the try or efforts of the Ethiopian authorities to alter the lives of the folks”.

But in an obvious acknowledgment of the failings of the federal government’s state-driven growth mannequin, he admitted that anger over excessive unemployment was an element behind the unrest.

“The authorities educated the youth and there was not sufficient employment,” Mr Lencho stated. “So the extremists used this fertile floor to incite violence.”

More than 500 folks have been killed and tens of hundreds detained over the previous 18 months as anti-government protests unfold throughout the nation. The violence, which additionally focused foreign-owned enterprise, and the autocratic authorities’s response, has rattled traders.

The unrest has additionally referred to as into query the sustainability of Addis Ababa’s financial mannequin, which has helped drive some of the world’s quickest progress charges and lured billions of of overseas funding to the Horn of Africa nation.

The ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, a Marxist-Leninist coalition that has dominated with an iron grip since taking power in 1991, has targeting state-led infrastructure and industrialisation initiatives somewhat than opening up the non-public sector because it has sought to develop the impoverished nation.

The mannequin has been broadly lauded in growth circles, however the authorities has been accused of taking repressive measures and committing human rights abuses.

Mr Lencho stated authorities had detained greater than 20,000 folks for “coaching” on the structure for the reason that protests erupted — initially over land disputes — in 2015.

The minister refused to take a position on how lengthy the state of emergency, imposed for six months, would final.

He stated “armed teams” and “terrorist organisations” bent on regime change, most of which had been abroad, and which he didn’t determine, had been not in a position to incite violence as a result of of the restrictions on demonstrating and entry to, and use of, social media. But he gave few specifics, aside from the creation of a “discussion board” of political organisations, about how the federal government was addressing folks’s underlying frustrations to make sure the protests didn’t re-erupt.

The grievances, which he accepted had been largely justified, had been a scarcity of “good governance, justice, equity [and] fairness in benefiting from growth”.

Pro-democracy activists and overseas diplomats have dismissed the discussion board as being a sham as a result of it includes few credible opposition figures. They say it’s indicative of the federal government’s refusal to countenance significant reform. Ethiopia’s political opposition has been severely weakened, and the EPRDF and its allies management all of the seats in parliament.

“They’re frightened that if they provide an inch they gained’t be capable of management the fallout,” a diplomat stated.

Activists say Ethiopians flocked to the demonstrations as a result of the federal government had steadily curtailed democratic freedoms since post-election protests in 2005 had been ruthlessly crushed.

Protests flared periodically thereafter, however started in earnest in November 2015 when the federal government sought to increase the capital Addis Ababa into Oromia. This plan was finally shelved however as a result of of the authorities’ repressive response the demonstrations unfold and have become more and more violent.

Hailemariam Desalegn, the prime minister, has admitted that about 500 folks may need died whereas human rights teams and activists consider the toll is far larger.

Mass arrests adopted, which Mr Lencho stated fell into two classes: protesters who wanted “coaching” for just a few months and folks thought of extra hardened criminals.

Initially about 11,000 folks underwent “coaching”, of whom greater than eight,000 have been launched. An additional 12,500 have been incarcerated for coaching in a second wave of detentions, he added.

No figures have been given for the entire quantity of arrests however activists consider it’s greater than 50,000.

Interview with Prof Haile Larebo with ECADF moderator Muyaye Mesker

Ethiopian National Movement (ENM) Public Meeting, Atlanta, February 5th, Sunday.

Interview with Herui Tedla Bairu – Pt 2 – SBS Amharic

ESAT Radio Feberuary 2 2017

By Matina Stevis

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn spoke to The Wall Street Journal at his palace in the capital Addis Ababa on Feb. 1. Photo: PETTERIK WIGGERS/PANOS PICTURES, FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia—The prime minister said in a rare interview that President Donald Trump’s “America first” message is following the lead of key Ethiopian ally China in looking to stimulate domestic job growth.

“China has become a model not only for Ethiopia but now even for the new administration of the United States,” Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn told The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, in an interview in which he urged President Trump to maintain a key trade deal and bolster cooperation against terrorism. “They are focused on bringing back jobs and manufacturing to the U.S., which obviously means the Chinese drive to have manufacturing at home has become a model even to the U.S.”

Ethiopia’s size, rapid economic growth and strong military have in the past two decades elevated Africa’s second-most-populous nation, which once depended on international aid for its famine-stricken populace. Thousands of its troops play a leading role in managing regional conflicts, while close ties to China, the Gulf states and the U.S. make it a power broker in a region marred by turmoil and poverty.

Still, its ascent has come with a strict control of the economy and, critics say, even-stricter control over dissent and human rights.

The 51-year-old leader, who took power after the death of Meles Zenawi in 2012, said his government wanted to bolster cooperation with Washington against jihadist groups and instability in the Horn of Africa, where it has deployed thousands of troops in war-torn nations including Somalia and South Sudan.

But he also cautioned the new president against abandoning the African Growth and Opportunity Act, or AGOA, a 17-year-old deal renewed by President Barack Obama in 2015 to boost U.S. trade with 40 African nations and offset China’s growing economic dominance there.

“I hope AGOA provisions will continue for the coming 10 years,” Mr. Desalegn said, adding that Mr. Trump’s “America first” message followed Beijing’s model.

Mr. Desalegn—who heads the country’s ruling Ethiopian Peoples Revolution Democratic front and its 36-member committee that makes key policy decisions—said he hoped to work with Mr. Trump to deepen collaboration against jihadist terror.

But the prime minister, who imposed a state of emergency in November to quell violent antigovernment protests, also rejected Western calls to open strategic sectors of Ethiopia’s economy and criticism of his government’s human-rights record.

“We have never been colonized because of our attitude.…We have the confidence, the moral authority and our people are also enough to tell us what they want to tell us,” Mr. Desalegn said.

A decade of rapid economic growth has underpinned the confidence of this nation of 100 million. The International Monetary Fund says Ethiopia’s economy posted double-digit expansion for the three years to 2016, when it slowed to 6.5%, following the region’s worst drought in 50 years and swelling domestic dissent. The IMF warned in October that Ethiopia’s debt load was becoming dangerous.

Mr. Desalegn deployed security forces to quell protests from marginalized tribes, sparking clashes that left hundreds dead and thousands incarcerated. A strict ban on social media remains in effect.

The crisis drew international attention when marathon runner Feyisa Lilesa used his second-place finish at the Rio Olympics to protest the crackdown on his Oromo tribe, and then defected to the U.S.

New York-based Human Rights Watch says the state of emergency is an extension of Ethiopia’s “brutal repression of freedoms,” but Mr. Desalegn said it is a “procedural matter” that would soon be lifted. “The state of emergency doesn’t hinder anything or anyone to invest, to work, to come as a tourist.”

To be sure, state control of the economy and domestic dissent hasn’t quelled investor appetite for Ethiopian assets. More than 200 state-owned businesses have been privatized since the late 1990s, with international heavyweights like KKR & Co. investing in horticulture, and Turkish, Chinese and U.S. companies creating thousands of jobs in textiles and shoe manufacturing. In 2011, all three state breweries were sold to Diageo PLC and Heineken International BV fetching in total nearly half a billion dollars, while last year Japan Tobacco Inc. paid $510 million for 40% of the state tobacco monopoly.

Mr. Daselegn said the government would continue to bar foreign investors from financial services, telecommunications and retail, sectors international players like South African and Middle Eastern banks and retailers have been eager to tap.

The prime minister said the government uses profit from these industries to cross-subsidize railways and other infrastructure, and insisted the 20 commercial Ethiopian banks would be swallowed if the market opened to foreign banks. “Until they flex their muscle, we shouldn’t open up.”

Keeping these industries closed for too long could backfire, said Ahmed Salim of Teneo Intelligence, a London-based research firm. “The biggest social and economic risk facing Ethiopia remains the simple fact that it is a country of nearly 100 million, and the public sector cannot absorb and employ everyone.”

But Mr. Daselegn said state-backed infrastructure development would continue to be at the center of Ethiopia’s growth strategy.

Addis Ababa’s Chinese-built light railway—opened last year—is the first in Africa. The $4.2 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a Nile project that will generate 6,000 megawatts of power, is due to be operational next year “depending on rainfall,” he said.

Write to Matina Stevis at matina.stevis@wsj.com

Corrections & Amplifications
The Financial Times interviewed Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in 2013. An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that The Wall Street Journal was the first Western publication to interview Mr. Desalegn since he took office in 2012. (2/2/17)

ESAT News Analysis February 2 2017

Meet the artist behind Beyonce’s pregnancy photo

By Lola Mosanya

BBC Entertainment

Beyonce’s pregnancy announcement portrait is now the most liked Instagram post of all time. But who is the artist behind the image?

The photo of Beyonce wearing a veil and cradling her stomach has now been liked over eight million times.

This might not be a big deal for the 35-year-old singer. But it’s a huge accomplishment for Awol Erizku, the artist who took the famous photo – and the entire series of pregnancy photos that Beyonce has since uploaded to her website.

Here are five things you should know about him.

9m likes
423.5k comments
We would like to share our love and happiness. We have been blessed two times over. We are incredibly grateful that our family will be growing by two, and we thank you for your well wishes. – The Carters

Who is he?

Born in Ethiopia, 28-year-old Awol grew up in the South Bronx area of New York.

In 2014, he graduated from Yale University with a masters in fine art and his work often fuses photography, video installations and sculpture.

And while he’s now responsible for the most liked picture on Instagram, Awol has a humble following on his own social media accounts.

View image on Twitter

He has a strange way of using social media to share his work

If you’ve tried to find more of his work on Instagram after seeing his portrait of Beyonce, you probably know already that his page is closed for business.

The 28-year-old treats his Instagram account like an art gallery, where he hosts Instagram-only art shows.

For example, his account has detail about “gallery” opening hours: timings for when his feed is opened up for public viewing.

He combines his art with music

With each of his exhibitions, Awol has released what he calls a conceptual mixtape.

Think of this as a kind of soundtrack to the artist’s latest creations.

One of Awol’s most played mixes was released alongside a film and photo project called Serendipity, which was a response to the Black Lives Matter movement in America.

This isn’t the first encounter he’s had with Beyonce

Before he helped Beyonce break the internet with her pregnancy announcement, Awol created a less extravagant photo of the Carters during their 2014 trip to Paris.

In the original photo uploaded to the singer’s Instagram, Beyonce and Jay Z stand posing in front of the Mona Lisa.

But after Awol photo shopped the image replacing Mona Lisa with one of his portraits, Vogue US shared the picture on their Instagram.

He’s inspired by the lack of representation of people of colour in the art world

In an interview with Vulture, he got real about the lack of representation for people of colour in art history and museums.

“There are not that many coloured people in the galleries that I went to [growing up] or the museums that I went to. I was just like, ‘when I become an artist I have to put my two cents in this world’,” he said.

His work uses primarily black and Asian subjects and In 2013 he travelled to the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa to explore his parents’ birthplace.

There, with the help of translators and pimps, he created a series of nude sex workers posing on the beds of hotels around the city.

He’s also explored the Afropunk revolution in his work, collaborating with Vogue to create a photo series about black hair.

View image on Twitter

And for those who don’t fancy waiting for his Instagram gallery to open up, Awol’s work is also available on Artsy.

Find us on Instagram at BBCNewsbeat and follow us on Snapchat, search for bbc_newsbeat

Ethiopian deportees arriving back home. Photo credit: Awramba Times

BY FREDRICK NGUGI, at 08:12 am, February 03, 2017, POLITICS

Hundreds of deportees from the United States are reportedly stuck at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, after they were deported from various U.S. airports, following the recent travel ban issued by U.S. President Donald Trump.

It is still not clear why the returnees — mainly from Somalia, Sudan and Yemen — were deported to Ethiopia, according to Awramba Times.

The Ethiopian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Workineh Gebyehu has, however, denied the presence of deportees in Ethiopia, saying he has no information on the matter.

Yet, the story was reported by Ethio-News Flash, an Ethiopian news website supposedly funded by the country’s ministry of foreign affairs. It reportedly disclosed that the deportees are planning to sue Trump’s administration for the inconveniences, according to Awramba Times.

Backing up numerous reports, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, a lawyer representing two Yemeni migrants, told Slate that his clients were denied entry in to the United States and are currently trapped at an airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The two young men, who allegedly hold legal U.S. green cards, were identified as Tareq Aqel Mohammed Azziz and Ammar Aqel Mohammed Azziz.

“I am informed that there are a ton of returnees from airports all over the U.S. at Addis Ababa Intl and the Ethiopian government is telling them they have only one more day to stay before it kicks them all out back to the countries they originally came from,” Moshenberg said.

Tough Immigration Laws for Muslims, Refugees

Last Friday, the newly elected Trump signed an executive order, banning citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States for the next 90 days and indefinitely suspending further admission of Syrian refugees.

The seven countries affected include Syria, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, and Yemen.

“I hereby proclaim that the entry of nationals of Syria as refugees is detrimental to the interests of the United States and thus suspend any such entry,” the order reads in part.

Travelers from the seven countries seeking to enter the United States were immediately detained at different airports across the United States and questioned before being deported back to their countries of origin.

The ban triggered outrage across the United States, with thousands of protesters marching in more than 11 cities and chanting, “Let them in!”

Many leaders, including the former U.S. President Barack Obama, have criticized the ban, saying it goes against fundamental human rights and is counterproductive.

“Citizens exercising their Constitutional rights to assemble, organize, and have their voices heard by their elected officials is exactly what we expect to see when American values are at stake,” Mr. Obama said in a statement.

However, President Trump has denied claims that the order is a ban on Muslims, insisting that the order is a temporary ban on travelers from the seven countries.

face2faceafrica.com

ESAT News (February 2, 2017)

A DC Circuit Court for the U.S. Court of Appeals today heard arguments on a wiretapping case brought against the Ethiopian regime by an Ethiopian American in Maryland.

Few years ago, the Ethiopian regime had infected the computer of Mr. Kidane with secret spyware, wiretapping his private Skype calls, and monitoring his entire family’s every use of the computer for a period of months.

With the help of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Citizen Lab, Mr. Kidane found that the Ethiopian regime used a notorious surveillance malware known as FinSpy, illegally wiretapped and invaded the privacy of Mr. Kidane, a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil, according to a statement by EFF.

The malware took over Mr. Kidane’s computer and secretly sent copies of his activities, including Skype calls, web searches and indications of websites visited and other activity, to the Ethiopian spy agency.

Mr. Kidane, is a pseudonym that he preferred to use for his privacy and that of his family. Mr. Kidane, a critic of a tyrannical regime back in his home country, brought suit against the regime in 2014, but the federal court held that no foreign government could be held accountable for wiretapping an American citizen in his own home, so Kidane appealed to the U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

According to Nate Cardozo, Staff Attorney for the EFF, who followed the court hearing, the lawyer representing the Ethiopian government argued that foreign governments are “free to commit illegal acts in the U.S. so long as they do them by remote control.”

“The Ethiopian government argued today that if they had sent a mail bomb to Mr. Kidane from Ethiopia, that would have been perfectly legal. They argued that if Mr. Kidane had a self driving car and they hacked into it and made it drive off the bridge, that would have been perfectly legal,” Cardozo said.

Cardozo thinks the argument by the lawyer representing the Ethiopian regime is “absurd.”

Richard Martinez, representing Mr. Kidane argued on the other hand that “remote control doesn’t matter.” According to Cardozo, Martinez argued today at the Court of Appeals that “the Ethiopian government acted in the U.S. using software instead of using a human being and that distinction has no relevance in the law.”

Lawyers representing Mr. Kidane also invoke the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, signed into law by President Gerald Ford on October 21, 1976, that provides the exclusive basis and means to bring a lawsuit against a foreign sovereign in the United States.

The United States Department of State and rights groups have been documenting mounting evidences that the Ethiopian regime use electronic surveillance against opponents and critical media both at home and abroad. The Ethiopian Satellite Radio and Television has been one of its targets.

The decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals could take anywhere from one month to six months, it was learnt.

ESAT Radio Fri 03 Feb 2017

Dear Dr. John Silvanus Wilson Jr.:

We, the undersigned, have recently become aware of a vicious attack on the integrity and reputation of Professor Haile Larebo, a core faculty at School of Oriental and African Studies of Morehouse College. As people who have watched and listened to his recent interview on The Ethiopian Satellite Television and known him for several years as an advocate for global understanding and tolerance, we are outraged and stunned by the baseless accusations and the hate campaign orchestrated by radical tribal groups who wish to defame Professor Haile Larebo’s reputation by branding him as racist for his teachings on history and interethnic understanding in Ethiopia.

Professor Haile Larebo is a distinguished scholar and an advocate for cultural understanding and peaceful coexistence among people across the globe including the over 80 ethnic groups who live in Ethiopia for over 3000 years.

Morehouse College, the alma mater of many African American leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., should continue supporting Professor Larebo in the face of the hate campaign and alleged false claim that his remark about the Oromo ethnic group in Ethiopia is “racist”.

We have absolutely no doubt that the false accusations made against him by radical groups that promote hate are completely false and contradict with his commendable reputations as well as his teachings at Morehouse College. Therefore, we respectfully request the Morehouse College administration to take appropriate steps toward protecting Professor Haile Larebo’s integrity and well earned reputation and to honor him for his continuing effort on advancement peaceful coexistence across ethnic groups in Ethiopia and across the globe.

Kind Regards,

To listen and watch the interview, please click the links below:
ESAT SPECIAL- WHO ARE ETHIOPIANS’? Interview with Prof Haile Larebo, January 10, 2017

ESAT SPECIAL- WHO ARE ETHIOPIANS’? Interview with Prof Haile Larebo, January 22, 2017

We urge all peace loving people who cares about hate campaign to sign the petition!

Petition sponsored by www.march4freedom.org

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

Mahatma Gandhi

https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/petition-supporting-professor-haile-larebo

By Matebu Benti, Ph.D.

The political crisis in Ethiopia is getting various dimensions.  The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) has divided the country along ethnic lines.  With its infamous Article 39 of the constitution, TPLF has made secession of ethnic groups a constitutional right.  In its 25 years of brutal rule, TPLF-led EPRDF has been inculcating toxic propaganda and hate into young Ethiopians to pit one ethnic group against the other.  The cruel ruling of TPLF being with its divisive and hate-filled strategy has brought the country to the current state of political crisis.  TPLF has been setting Ethiopia for destruction.  The current most pressing problem in Ethiopia is the systemic and multidimensional human right abuse by the TPLF-led regime.

Such threat to the people of Ethiopia and the unity of the country can be averted when Ethiopians stand united, find a common ground and fight tyranny, brutality, and get rid of the TPLF dictatorial regime and the system it established.  On the contrary, some self-proclaimed Oromo political leaders, who present themselves as academics, are repeating the very thing they claim to oppose and worsening the suffering of Ethiopians.  They are echoing the TPLF strategies that are being used to divide and rule Ethiopia.

These individuals are harboring under their academic rank and engaging in fighting Ethiopia and Ethiopian unity through their noxious and hate-mongering propaganda that they disseminate on the Oromo Media Network (OMN).  These individuals’ political platform is just hate to Ethiopia and Ethiopian unity.  Among these bad actors are Dr. Tsegaye Ararsa, University of Melbourne; Dr. Abbas Haji Ganamo, Ryerson University; and Jawar Mohammed, OMN; and  Etana Habte.  These individuals are using OMN and targeting the young Ethiopians from Oromia region who are suffering under the oppressive and brutal power of TPLF.

While it is clear that thousands of Ethiopians are being heinously killed, tortured and imprisoned by the TPLF-led EPRDF, these OMN groups, are exploiting the current dire situations in Ethiopia, manipulating the psychology of the victims, waging a propaganda war on what they call Amhara, Ethiopia and Ethiopian unity.  It would be a big mistake to let these individuals and OMN unabated and to let them continue their hate movement that could lead to ethnic strife in Ethiopia and destroy the country and the future of the young generation.

Should we give a free pass to these individuals who poison the whole political discourse in Ethiopia and who ethicize every grievance?  Blind acceptance of this toxic propaganda or being aloof of this negative campaign is tantamount to contributing to their destructive agenda.  It is akin to letting our house being destroyed by fire.  We should not let the divisive fabrication thrive and our country lead into ethnic conflict.  Ethiopians from different corners of the country should speak out when such individuals impose their evil views on the already suffering Ethiopians.

OMN and these individuals apply the following strategies to disseminate hate and mobilize people in Oromia areas towards their sinister goal, which is separation of the Oromigna-speaking Ethiopians from the rest of Ethiopia.  It is not clear who is behind this hate movement, however, from their practice, we can see this hate group, and OMN uses the following strategies:

1. Creating a political movement on the basis of Islam and ethnic lines. Jawar Mohammed, the current Executive Director of OMN appealed to Muslims and tried to mobilize Oromos on the basis of Islam.  In his words, this what he said:   “እኔ ባለሁበት 99 በመቶ ሙስሊም ነው። ደፍሮ ቀና የሚል የለም አንገታቸውን ነው በሜንጫ የምንለው።  …. ኦሮሞ በተነካ ቁጥር እስልምና ይነካል። እስልምና በተነካ ቁጥር ኦሮሞ ይነካል። የኦሮሞ ህዝብ መጠናከር የእስልምና መጠናከር ነው።   አክሱም ላይ መስጊድ የምትሰሩት ኦሮሞ ሲጠናከር ነው።” This translated as, “Where I live[d] 99% is Muslim.  No one can have the courage to stay upright.  If they [referring to Christians or Amharas] have the courage to do so, we will hit their neck with sword.  Whenever Oromo is affected, Islam is affected.  The strength of the Oromo people is the strength of Islam.  You can build mosque at Axum when Oromo get stronger.”  This is an obvious campaign to create a political Islam, which is extremely dangerous move.  Political movement around radical Islam is destroying a number of countries.  Radicalizing the Muslim Oromos in Ethiopia will be catastrophe not only for Ethiopia where Christians and Muslims have peacefully lived together for centuries, but also for the entire geographic region.
2. Fighting Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity. This is a recent one being pushed by Dr. Tsegaye Ararsa.  This is what Tsegaye Ararsa put on his Facebook: “ If Alithad or its third generation offspring (Alshabab) was a political Islam in Somalia, Ethiopian orthodox church would be the exact opposite of that, i.e., a political ..but even older than the former by thousands of years. Why should the world fight only political Islamists while sparing their dumpiest counter part in the horn of Africa or elsewhere??”  By attacking Ethiopian Orthodox Church, this group attempts to attack the long-standing history and the unity of the country
3. Attacking Ethiopian unity, Ethiopian history, and everything that symbolizes Ethiopia. Tsegaye Ararsa, who was a teacher at the TPLF cadres’ college (Civil Service University) and who is the Dr. Joseph Goebbels of this movement, repeatedly stated, “Ethiopians do not have national identity.”  He further tried to elaborate his point saying that Ethiopian identity is for Amhara and Tigre only.  Dr. Tsegay Ararsa also wrote, “Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia did deny his being black.  This is to smear the name of one of the greatest black African leader.  Emperor Menelik II led the Battle of Adwa, defeated the fascist Italian invaders, and inspired black Africans in their struggle for independence.  Emperor Menelik II symbolizes Ethiopia and Ethiopian unity.  By discrediting his immense contribution that the world witnessed, the hate groups are attacking Ethiopia.  Attacking Emperor Menelik II has become the day-to-day activity of OMN.  This is done by design to fabricate hate-ridden story and to disintegrate Ethiopia.
4. Using pseudo-academic discourse and misinforming and misleading the regular people- One of the deliberate deception constantly broadcast by OMN, Aljazeera, Asafa Jalata and Dr. Abbas Haji Ganamo, is that  “between 1868 and 1900, half of all Oromo were killed, around 5 million people.”  A rational person first asks whether there were 10 million Oromos during that period. This is a white lie by the so-called Professor Abbas Haji Ganamo and Asafa Jalata.  An academic should always be skeptic and should question its sources and verify its accuracy.  One needs not to be a genius to refute their claim.  In 1950, the population of Ethiopia was 18 million.  In the last sixty-five years, the Ethiopian population has grown on average by about 2.7% every year.  Given this population trend, in 1887, the total Ethiopian population was estimated to be between three to four million.  Abbas Haji Ganamo and Asafa Jaleta have been deliberately echoing this poisonous lie to create havoc in Ethiopia.  This is a shameful and unethical act in the academic world.

Recently, Dr. Abbas Haji Ganamo, Etana Habte and had Dr. Ezekiel Gabissa apeared on OMN. This discussion clearly shows the severity of hate campaign that this group is propagating.  The discussion was very irresponsible, very graphic, and violence inciting in its presentation.  May almighty God save Ethiopia.  These individuals are setting stage for ethnic war in Ethiopia.  These are some of the things what Professor Abbas Haji Ganamo said:   “Someone in Bale told me that his father had told him that he had seen when the Minelik’s army had brought a piece of cloth immersed with disease and killed all the members of some of the tribes except one person.“ Professor Ganamo also said that, “the blood of the Oromos killed flew like a flood and joined a river.”  Why does a university professor irresponsibly say this on the media without even trying to check the reliability of the information?  Was Emperor Menelik’s army of the 1880s so sophisticated to create and handle biological weapons?  How could a professor teaching in civilized world believe this and speak on a media?  How could a person, with his bare eyes, see and identify a disease-carrying cloth?  How many people should be killed at one place for the blood to flow like a flood and join a river?  Ethiopians should not let such dangerous white lie unchallenged.  The discussion on OMN is reminiscent of the hate propaganda that led to the Arbagugu and Bedeno genocide of the Amharas, whoever was the perpetrator.

5. Opposing any movement that leads to unity among Ethiopians of various backgrounds: Using seemingly academic discourse, the OMN group ethicizes everything.  Any organization that is not organized on the basis of ethnicity or religion is opposed by these hate mongering individuals.  They even call those Ethiopians who are not organized on ethnic lines as “homeless politicians”.  For this hate group, Ethiopian identity is a hoax.  They even went even further and encouraged others to be organized based on ethnicity to destroy the values that glued Ethiopians together irrespective of ethnic differences.  This is one of their approaches to dismantle Ethiopian unity.

The most important question here is, why attacking Ethiopia and Ethiopian unity and broadcasting of hate become the top priority of this OMN group while Ethiopians are suffering under the ruthless TPLF.  Since November 2015, about 1000 Ethiopians were killed by TPLF-EPRDF.  Thousands are imprisoned and being tortured.  Thousands are fleeing the country and dying in ocean.  The political leaders like Bekele Gerba, Dr. Merara Gudina, Andualem Arage; and journalists like Eskinder Nega and Temesgen Desalign are languishing in the TPLF dungeon.  Defenseless Ethiopians are crying for help.  Those who committed the crime are walking freely and making the victims laughingstock.  Those who killed the young man and forced his mother to sit on her son’s dead body did not face justice.  Instead of emancipating Ethiopians who are under the yoke of the brutal TPLF, the OMN group is giving a propaganda opportunity to TPLF and pushing Ethiopia into a civil war.  This is a period for the current generation; and this is the foundation for the coming generation.  We cannot stay trapped in our past mishaps.  We all have a moral obligation to do soul-searching and work together to bring positive changes Ethiopia.  By disseminating hate, no one will benefit.  When we have differences, we should disagree constructively not to destroy one another.  Hate can never ever be a solution.

By Tesfa-Alem Tekle

February 3, 2017 (ADDIS ABABA) – Chairman of the South Sudanese Nuer community in Ethiopia has defected to join President Salva Kiir’s government in Juba.

President Salva Kiir addresses the nation from the State House on September 15, 2015, in Juba (Photo AFP/Charles Atiki Lomodong)

President Salva Kiir addresses the nation from the State House on September 15, 2015, in Juba (Photo AFP/Charles Atiki Lomodong)

The defection of the community chairman, John Jekow, comes after a private meeting with President Salva Kiir in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

Kiir was in the Ethiopian capital earlier this week to participate in the 28th Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU), which was wrapped up on Tuesday.

Puoch Jal, acting chairperson of the Nuer community on Friday told Sudan Tribune that Jekow flew to Juba on Wednesday along with President Kiir abandoning his post.

The opposition allied Nuer community and Unity state students union in Ethiopia have condemned the defector for meeting Kiir and joining Juba government .

“We can not accept the blood of our people to be betrayed for personal interest,” said Peter Thudan, chairman of Unity state students union.

“The government in Juba should instead address the root causes of the conflict and listen to the voices of reason that call for the revival of the peace agreement through a political process instead of resorting to bribing community members which will not help end the conflict” he added.

The Union reaffirmed that the they will firmly continue to stand behind the SPLM In Opposition faction led by former vice President, Riek Machar, until the “objectives of the struggle are met”.

“We will not accept those who want to feed on the blood of the innocent people who have suffered and perish in the hands of the regime in Juba” the union said.

NUER YOUTH CONDUCT ELECTION

Meanwhile the Nuer youth Union in Ethiopia on Friday said that it has conducted a successful election and declared Wany Lam as the new chairman the exiled union.

The electoral board of the Union told Sudan Tribune that the election conducted here in Addis Ababa was held in accordance to the election procedures and was fair and free.

“This is the kind of democracy we need. We should not entertain violence as a tool of our social activities,” said Lam.

He pledged to serve equally and further vow to unite all Nuer youths of common interest.

“It was in my manifesto that I will unite all youths and I will never allow any politicians to divide us and the organization as political tools” said Lam.

The newly elect is due to shortly make visit to South Sudanese refugee camps in Ethiopia’s Gambella region where he will establish a youth coordinator office and further elect a representative who will communicate to make sure the refugees voices are heard.

Lam called on Nuer Youth groups in Diaspora to support the Union in Ethiopia so that it could manage to assist the refugees in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia currently hosts around 300,000 South Sudanese refugees, mainly Nuer who fled home to escape civil war which erupted in December 2013.

(ST)