Year: 2020
- Africa
Settling Back Home: Middle East Returnees Face Social Alienation and Institutionalized Discrimination
By Bileh Jelan @BilehJelan Addis Abeba, October 06/2020 – “I lived my entire life identifying as an Ethiopian”, says Othman Hamid. “My parents migrated during the civil war first to a neighboring country that graciously gave them a passport to travel with to the Middle East. Once the Derg regime was defeated my dad reclaimed his nationality and at the…
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Feature Analysis: President opens Parliament, HoF joint session amidst increasing calls for inclusive national dialogue. What’s at stake?
President Sahle -Work Zewde delivering her speech at today’s joint session of both Houses. screesnhot By Medihane Ekubamichael @Medihane &Bileh Jelan @BilehJelan Addis Abeba, October 05/2020– Despite the growing calls for an all inclusive national dialogue and an establishment for a transitional government from various opposition parties, President Sahle-Work Zewde has announced the new start of the incumbent’s mandate to govern, after…
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Analysis: Afrobarometer: Supporting or Influencing Public Policy Decisions? Part II
Infograph credit: Afrobarometet Ethiopia By Getu Teressa @GetuTeressa Addis Abeba, October 02/2020 – This is part II of a two-part article. Part I assessed specific contending narratives surrounding Ethiopia’s federalism in order to provide a contextual framework for analyzing the Afrobarometer (AB) 2019/2020 Ethiopian study. Part II is focused on the A.B. survey itself. It explores a wide range of…
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News: HoF speaker says establishing transitional gov’t, dispatching fed. security forces in Tigray among constitutional options
Speaker of the HoF, Adem Farah. Picture HoF Medihane Ekubamichael @Medihane Addis Abeba, October 02/2020 – Adem Farah, Speaker of the House of Federation (HoF) says there are enough constitutional means to take measures against those endangering the constitution. According to the ruling party’s affiliated FanaBC, Adem Farah said that the Ethiopian Parliament had followed a constitutional means to extend Ethiopia’s…
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Analysis: Afrobarometer’s attempt to influence policy, public opinion on multinational federalism in Ethiopia: Part I
Data Illustration credit: Afrobarometer Ethiopia By Getu Teressa @GetuTeressa Addis Abeba October 01/2020 – Following the fall of the communist regime in 1991, Ethiopia embarked on a radical transformation of the hitherto centralized state structure. After the 1991–1994 transitional period, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) was established, and the Constitution granted “nations, nationalities, and peoples” the right to…
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Ethiopia: OFC calls for “genuine national dialogue”
Addis Abeba, September 30/2020 – “Ethiopia has entered a new year with all its heavy political burdens – with both hope and despair. And without a shadow of doubt, the hoped-for democratic transition is disturbingly failing,” said the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) in a statement. The statement, released on September 28, called the political “road map unilaterally drawn by…
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Commentary: The pitfalls of Ethiopian elites’ war of narratives
Caption: “The elites with the loudest voices use low-trust and high-reach communication mediums like Facebook, Twitter and other social media to peddle their own facts and pursue their own agenda.” Graphic design: Addis Standard Shimelis Mulugeta Kene, PhD & Solen Feyissa, PhD Although seldom framed and understood as such, the current political conflict in Ethiopia has its roots in disagreement…
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News: Tigray region says it will defy federal laws enacted as of Oct. 05; EDP calls for transitional gov’t, inclusive dialogue & reconciliation
Asmelash Wolde Sellassie during the interview with Tigray Mass Media Agency Siyanne Mekonnen @Siyaanne & Medihane Ekubamichael @Medihane Addis Abeba, September 29/2020 – In an interview aired on Tigray Mass Media Agency, Asmelash Wolde Sellassie, executive member of Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the governing party of Tigray regional state, said the region will not comply with laws, directives, and regulations,…
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Vahe Tilbian : The mix and the true calling
This article was originally published on June 22/2013. Zela Gayle “In our own mix we find our true calling”, becomes much more than a description of ‘Mixology’, the masterful debut Album from the young artist Vahe Tilbian in which he reconnects his roots as an Ethiopian, born into one of the country’s oldest immigrant communities – Armenian. Vahe’s heritage…
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News: New documentary sheds light on Ethiopia’s Elephant crisis
Picture: Screenshot from “Ethiopia’s Elephant Crisis” Trailer. Ethiopia has already lost its black rhino, now it is losing its elephants Addis Abeba, September 29/2020 – The new documentary film “Ethiopia’s Elephant Crisis,” by award-winning American journalist and filmmaker Antoine Lindley, brings to the forefront the challenges that Ethiopia faces in wildlife conservation, especially its efforts to save its endangered elephants.…
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