6th Issue January 2015
www.theeminencemagazine.com
1
The Eminence
2
www.theeminencemagazine.com
6th Issue January 2015
www.theeminencemagazine.com
3
The Eminence
4
www.theeminencemagazine.com
6th Issue January 2015
Editor’s Note Tourism Development seems to be the cause of recent times for the Ethiopian government, and rightly so. It has rolled up its sleeves to attack the problems that have made Ethiopia shine dimly as a tourist destination, despite its great potential. It currently contributes 4.5pc of the country’s GDP, about ETB 37.3 billion, directly. The total contribution of tourism travel and tourism to the GDP – including wider effects from investment, the supply chain and induced income impacts is ETB 92.5 billion, 10.1Pct of the economic production. More importantly it increases the national foreign reserve cushion by nearly USD 300 million, according to IMF. It could do much better. Globally, tourism is the second highest source of foreign currency in international transactions, next to oil. Yet Ethiopia, despite having much more cultural heritages registered by the UNESCO, and arguably more natural sites, is beaten by countries like Egypt and Kenya in attracting tourist inflow. Hoping to change this, the government took the first step three years ago with a 35.9 million dollar financing from the World Bank. Legislation brought about a flurry of institutions, including the Tourism Transformation Council, chaired by none other than Premier Hailemariam Desalegn, and the Ethiopian Tourism Organization (ETO), which is to overtake the branding and marketing of the country’s tourism. After all this, the task du jour has been to formulate a sustainable tourism Master Plan that can make Ethiopia among the top five tourist destinations in Africa. It is currently a dull 17 in the rankings trailing far behind it’s east African neighbors, Kenya and Uganda who have made it to the top ten. The plan is a local effort to bring a regional master plan that the Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) prepared for its member states to the ground. After taking a year and a half to prepare by the partnership of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MOCT) and UNECA it was presented for consultation in October 2014. More recently in mid December a technical committee of nine from the ETO and MOCT convened in Adama to further beef up the document. The draft version, like the rest of the government’s plans in other sectors, is extensively ambitious, vowing to transform nine key priority areas including: Human Resource and Product Development, Marketing and Promotion, and the Policy framework layout. These are much needed according to industry experts. Lack of integrated policy has led to absence of jurisdiction when it comes to tourism destinations. Everybody from the warden of a historical site, to regional tourism bureaus to the Ministry itself stake their own claims of ownership on a particular tourism site, creating confusion for tour operators and lack of accountability. Merely paying lip service to the need for an integrated policy will not do, but a detailed framework that highlights the rights and responsibilities of each stakeholder. The same goes for the master-plan’s bid to have an educated and hospitable workforce. A more glaring gap in the document however is the lack of a clear promotion plan in international markets. It goes into detail setting up the right framework inside the country, but lacks clear targets internationally. After all while cleaning up house should be a priority, it would be futile if no guests are coming. This should be the first priority area on its own before any of the nine others. An arm of the tourism institutions recently formed in the country should set up shop in embassies or it’s own institution around the world, where Ethiopia hopes to attract tourists. The government should follow the footsteps of tour operators, who attend every cultural show and exhibition around the world to recruit travelers. It could enlist the help of the private sector in this regard. Advertisements and promotion need to be targeted to the world market, not just Ethiopia. Use of international media for advertisements, akin to ones done by Asian and European countries like Malaysia (truly Asia), Singapore, and Turkey, can be one example. Finally a strategy to implement the master plan, with clear targets and measurements of performance would come in handy. It wouldn’t do if this master plan was also stuck in the annals of documents that started off ambitious but achieved little.
The Eminence Magazine is published by Eminence plc. It is registered by the Ethiopian Broadcasting Authority Registration No 207/2004. Eminence plc. is registered by the Ministry of trade Business license No MT/AA/2/0001892/2004. 1st year January 2015 issue No 6
Editor-in-chief Mikias Merhatsidk mikias.m@theeminencemagazine.com N/Lafto s.c Woreda 06 H. No 843 Deputy Editor-in-Chief Elleni Araya Elleni.a@theeminencemagazine.com Senior Editors Bezawit Bekele Bezawit.b@theeminencemagazine.com Frehiwot Gebrewold Frehiwot.g@theeminencemagazine.com Kaleab Hailu Kaleab.h@theeminencemagazine.com Mandarin Editor Jiaqi Xie Copy Editor Nahusenay Aferwork Contributors Yibeltal Alemu Tigist Abera Simon Heliso Graphics and Layout Design Fikru Mengesha Photographer Sentayehu Bekele Sales and Marketing Manager Zemenu Tadesse Sales Executive Rahel Alemu Finance and Administration Zinash Habte Distribution Tariku Tessema Editorial Address Tel. +251- 118-637-089 +251-114-165-567 Fax. +251-114-165-557 P.O.BOX 794 code 1110 Web: www.theeminencemagazine.com Bole s.c Woreda 03 H.No 085 Cape Verde Street, off Africa Avenue in front of Sidama Lodge. This edition is printed at Central PP Kirkos Subcity, Woreda 03 H.No 414 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. www.theeminencemagazine.com
5
The Eminence
NEWS & CURRENT EVENTS
News Calender 2014 January Bahir Dar became the first town outside Addis Ababa to host a Pan-African assembly. The ordinary session of the Executive Council of the African Union was held from January 22-24 focusing on security issues of South Sudan, Somalia, DRC, Central African Republic, Sudan and Mali. February
Ethiopia has earned 1.38 billion US dollars in the first half of the Ethiopian budget year the Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced. The revenue was earned from 370,754 foreign tourists who visited the nation, a 36pct increase from the same period the previous year. March
June The National Tourism and Hospitality Week of Ethiopia was celebrated from the 8th to the 10th of June. Former President of the country Girma Woldegiorgis stated on the occasion that there is need to promote the country’s tourism more and called on the involvement of professionals and stakeholders. July
The Ethiopian Tourism Organization (ETO) officially launched operations to handle marketing and tourism of the Country. August
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism emphasized the vital role of the country’s emissaries to promote tourism in its meetings with the Ambassadors and consuls on August 19, 2014.
September Sep
The establishment of the Tourism Transformation Council and the Ethiopian Tourism Organization was made official by Prime Minister Haile Mariam Desalegn at a gala held on March 14, 2014 inside the African Union. April
The Ethiopian Tourism Seminar was held in Beijing on April 10 with participants from Ethiopian tour operators, representatives from 33 Chinese tour operators, members of the Chinese media and the Ethiopian community in Beijing. May
Ethiopian Airlines forged an alliance with the Ethiopian Tourism Organization in order to promote Ethiopia as major tourist destination and with this aim in mind Ethiopian had announced a 40pct discount on domestic fares.
6
www.theeminencemagazine.com
Ethiopia’s first expressway from Addis Abeba to Adama was officially opened for traffic on September 14, 2014. The six-lane expressway, which covers 84.7 Km, was built at a total cost of 11 billion birr and is the first toll road in the country. October Six international hotel companies made deals to establish their brands in Ethiopia between 2015 to 2017, bringing the number of such hotels to ten. The deals include ones signed by Wyndham Hotels and ADM Business Plc; Intercontinental Hotels Group and Simex ;Accor Hotels and Enyi General Business; Best Western International with Great Abyssinia Plc and Noah Real Estate; Aschalew Belay Hotel Projects and Louvre Hotel Groups. November Nov Ethiopian Airlines announced it will start a thrice weekly service from Addis Ababa to Los Angeles via a two hours stopover in Dublin by July 2015. A deal was signed by Ahmed Shide, State Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Getachew Mengiste, State Minister of Transport and Sean Sherlock, Irish Minister for Overseas Development and Trade promotion.
6th Issue January 2015
Dec
Awash River Bridge opens to Traffic [December 5, 2014] A new bridge 6.5 meters wide and 145 meters long constructed at the cost of 240 million Br over the Awash River, was open for traffic on December 5th. Along with a 930 meters road that links to the Ethio-Djibouti road, the bridge was financed by Japanese government.
Across the Board Increase in Visa Fee for entrance to Ethiopia [December 10, 2014] Entrance visa to Ethiopia increased across the board as of December 10, 2014. Tourists now have to pay 50 dollars for a one month stay if they get their visa on arrival at Bole International Airport. Previously they only had to pay 20 dollars. If they process their visa via their consulates however they only have to pay 40 dollars for a one month stay. Investors have to pay 30, 40, 60, 120 dollars for a one, three, six, and twelve month stays respectively.
African Hotel Consultant Firm, partners with Ethiopian company [December 18, 2014] Hotel Partners Africa (HPA), a renowned Hotel consultant on the continent has partnered with CVT International Consultancy, for the latter to represent it’s business interests in Ethiopia and Djbouti. CVT will be involved in developing businesses for HPA the two countries.
Ethiopia sends 85 Health Professionals to Embattled Liberia [December 18, 2014] To fight the Ebola epidemic, which Liberia has hopes of eradicating by December 25, 2014, Ethiopia has sent 87 doctors and nurses to the West African country on December 16, 2014. The Ethiopian team will be joining the African Union Mission fighting the epidemic. In Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, 6,800 people have died of the disease so far.
WTO Joins as a Consultant in Standardization of 400 Ethiopian Hotels [December 19, 2014]. The World Trade Organization signed a deal with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to consult in the standardization of 400 hotels post January 2015. The task overseen under the Ethiopian Sustainable Tourism Project under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, costs over 12 million Br. It is being financed by the World Bank.
Technical Committee in Adama to beef up draft 10 years Tourism Master plan [December 20, 2014] After a draft 10 year Sustainable Tourism Master plan for the country was unveiled for consultation in October, participants agreed that the document needed to be developed further. Accordingly a technical committee of nine led by officials from Ethiopian Tourism Organization (ETO), headed to Adama for the week of December 12, to incorporate the suggestions provided by industry stakeholders and experts. www.theeminencemagazine.com
7
The Eminence
Society
The Special Ones
Challenges in Inclusive Education
On paper, providing Special Needs Education to persons with disabilities is guaranteed. The reality on the ground however indicates that there is a long and arduous road ahead before Inclusive Education achieves its goals. Commitment from stakeholders and governments is imperative, if Education for All is to include one of the most marginalized groups in the country. The Eminence encountered a cheerful bunch of students at Yekatit 23 for the hearing impaired and intellectually disabled.
By Elleni Araya Staff Writer
Shining the Light Teaching is a feeble word to describe Aregash Mamo’s chosen profession for the past 32 years. Twenty seven of them were spent providing education for students with intellectual disabilities. Motherhood is perhaps the closer term, since she teaches ‘life skills’ to those under her care, like how to tie shoes; use the bathroom; dress properly; and keep one’s hygene. At the rear of the seemingly endless compound that houses Kokebe Tsibah Primary and Secondary Schools, a suite on the ground floor of one of the buildings is dedicated to <special unit> classes for those with intellectual disability. The program was started by a British national on November 9, 1987, when Aregash was a young teacher at the school. She was transferred to the program and has stayed on ever since. Currently, there are 79 children enrolled in these special classes. They are attended to by Aregash and seven of her colleagues. Another 28 have been mainstreamed, i.e., transferred
8
www.theeminencemagazine.com
to regular classes to integrate with the other students. When The Eminence visited the school on December 23, 2014, Aregash was in the classroom dubbed <A class>, where students just enrolled attend. Parents and guardians have to bring medical proof of their children’s need for special education from Yekatit 12 or Tikur Anbessa Hospital before attending. “This is where we teach them basic life skills and assess their capabilities,” she explains Those that show academic ability qualify for <B class>, where they get Math, Amharic, English, and Science lessons in 30-minute periods. The Special Units offer only half-day classes. Students with potential to attend regular classes then transfer to <Classroom C>, after which they are mainstreamed. Many however do not progress academically. For these students, the teachers provide vocational training in needlework; mat-making and other skills. The 12 students in <class A> are a distinct
group. Children, teenagers and even one or two youngsters above 18 sit together in the same class. Aregash said that they started accepting adults in the class this year, otherwise they would have nowhere to go. Nor do they have the same type of intellectual limitations, and their abilities differ from each other. Each one needs tailored attention, and it would be good to handle them individually, according to teachers at Kokebe. Some are severly disabled that they need a guardian or family member to sit by their sides to attend classes. But due to the shortage in schools that provide education to students with intellectual limitations, they do the best they can with what they have. There are many others who do not have information and lock their children at home, so they have to accept those that come. Kokebe is only one of 24 schools that accommodate people with disabilities in Addis Ababa, according to the Addis Ababa Education Bureau (AAEB) .
6th Issue January 2015
Students at Yekatit 23 special school getting lessons from thier teacher using sign language.
Inclusion For all its problems, Ethiopia’s education system is touted as a success story when it comes to increasing free access to primary education. In a series of five year plans known as Education Sector Development Program (ESDP), it has laid out different targets to increase enrollment and inclusion over the past 20 years. But one group, those that have Special Educational Needs (SEN) have not been part of the success story. These learners are ones that need additional support in their education for various reasons, including physical and mental disability. Such needs are addressed either by teaching such students in special schools; special classes/ units or via inclusive education where they are integrated with regular students in a class while their special needs are accommodated. A hearing impaired person in a regular class for instance may have an assistant who can sign the teacher’s lectures. In Ethiopia the current SEN strategy is one of moderate inclusion. For students with mild or moderate disability (estimated to be 95pc of all disabled), inclusive education is preferred. But for those that have severe disability, special schooling is needed.
In line with this inclusive strategy some special schools have started admitting regular students. Yekatit 23 school in Addis Ketema district, which has been providing education for the hearing impaired and intellectually disbaled since 1981 EC, started admitting regular students in 1992 EC. However, the
ratio of regular students to learners with special needs is still very minimal, making it hard to classify it as inclusive. Policy wise, right to education for people with disabilities is guaranteed in various documents, including the Constitution, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Education and Training Policy of the government of Ethiopia. Putting it to action however has still been difficult. Unaccounted For To begin with, concrete data does not exist on the number of citizens living with disabilities in Ethiopia. The 2007 census puts forward a subdued number at 864,218, only 1pct of the population. Of these 4.8pct are mentally disabled. This data is summarily rejected by the National Association for Persons with Disabilites. Instead a WHO estimate that 10pct of any population is in need of special needs education is applied. Another study by ILO which estimates that 15, million children, adults and the elderly live with disability in Ethiopia (17.6pc of the population) is also used. Best Laid Plans The current Education Sector Development Program which lasts until (2010-2015) should have come as good news to stakeholders in Special Needs Education. Highly inclusive, it is the most ambitious yet of the four such programs laid out so far, two of which didn’t even have provisions for SNE. The third ESDP did not achieve much despite including such provisions, with only 3pct of people with special Educational Needs enrolled.
All primary school age children with special educational needs will have access ESDP IV says. Its target is to increase Primary school enrollment of SEN learners from 47,461 in 2010/11 to 1.7 million by the 2014/15 academic year. For secondary school its ambitions are more restrained, with plans to increase enrollment from 3,910 in 2010/11 to 8,586 in five years. College enrollment All teacher educations will be provided with SNE courses in 2014/15 and proportion of teachers who specialize in SNE will increase to 25pct, the document also reads. Schools with appropriate facilities for SNE inclusive education were also slated to increase by the same amount. What more could one ask for? Walking the Talk As always with ambitious plans, implementation is another story. For all the great provisions under ESDP IV, SEN only got 0.2 pc of the 140.6 million Br allocated to implement the entire program. This is much lesser than the budget allocated for enrollment of other marginalized groups such as gender and HIV, which got 2pct each. The lack of budgeting is apparent in the number of government officials working on the issue. At the Ministry of Education, there are only three specialists to implement the entire program. Except for Mekelle, regional educational bureaus only have one expert working on special needs. Lower in the hierarchy, experts in woreda and district education bureaus take on SEN as an additional task, since most of them do not have an assigned person to handle the job. www.theeminencemagazine.com 9
The Eminence
special schooling is needed. It includes everything from allocating budget, social mobilization, developing guidelines, encouraging research and soliciting funds from donors. Comparing this to neighboring Kenya which has its own Special Needs Education headquarters to ensure inclusion, it is clear that Ethiopia has a long way to go. The results as expected are dismal. By 2012/13, three years into the program, only 68,404 children with special needs were enrolled in primary schools nationwide. This is only 3.9pct of the planned target. For secondary schools the numbers are even more dismal. Only 6,651 students are enrolled. Ensuring 25pct of all schools provide facilities for SNE is not going well either. There is no data at the ministry of education about how many schools provide SEN. In Addis Ababa, though the plan is to provide SEN in all schools, only 24 of the 25,571 government schools provide such education.
surface for the physically impaired. Getting to train 25pct of teachers in SNE has been difficult for the Ministry of Education. Due to the difficult nature of the job, not many are interested. Those who are, like Aregash, get very little incentive even though they go far beyond the call of duty. Their only incentive is an additional 30ETB payment that comes from a law instituted in 1965 EC. “We are currently designing a program to increase and incentivize,” Aschalew Adraro, the only SNE expert at AAEB tells The Eminence. With such challenges, people with disabilities remain marginalized. Education to Where? More than enrollment challenges, students attending SNE education are also at risk of not reaching the finish line. This is especially true for students with intellectual disabilities. At Kokebe’s <A class>, there is a student in her mid-thirties who has been attending school for more than 13 years. She has not become self-sufficient yet to earn a livelihood, blurring
She relates the story of one mother who left her professional job to remain with her son and learn crafts and needlework. Today she and her son sell their handmade mats and tablecloths internationally, even going as far as Germany to sell the products. Most of the students however do not have parents with the financial resources needed and mental strength required to achieve such a feat, according to Aregash.
Habtamu Tesfaye,(above) a student at Kokebe Tsibah Special Needs classes quickly volunteered to demonstrate his reading skills, which his teachers say are advanced when The Eminence visited the school.
Aregash Mamo (left) a 27 year veteran in special needs education, was attending to her students in <A class> on Tuesday morning December 9, 2014
The educational Bureau experts decry the lack of political commitment and awareness. “Even our offices are not built to accommodate those with special needs much less our schools” one expert complains. Space that accommodate the special needs of students is indeed a problem at public schools. Yekatit 23 for instance , exemplary as it is in increasing student enrollment and providing a staff of dedicated teachers, has uncomfortable space for hearing impaired students, and does not have ramps and smooth
10
www.theeminencemagazine.com
Afework Gebregziabhere teaches academic subjects in <B class> at Kokebe Tsibah, helping those with potential to be mainstreamed.
her future ahead, Aregash explains. “Most do not find success academically due to their intellectual disability, so the best thing is vocational training” Aregash tells The Eminence. However getting the appropriate equipment for such training is difficult. At Kokebe, it is the Ethiopian National Association on Persons with Intellectual Disabilities that provided equipments for students to learn needlework and mat-making. With limited resources, it is ultimately up to parents, to see to the future of their children, Aregash tells The Eminence.
At the very least, the students need equipments in their houses to practice, and in the future produce handicrafts which they can sell and live on. “Most do not even have parents. They are enrolled in school [run] by orphanages,” Aregash adds.. “We need financial support and mobilization to help the students achieve their goals.” The National Week for People with Disabilities is celebrated yearly in December. Stakeholders gather in conference halls and hotels drawing up strategies and discussing what needs to be done. But strategies and plans alone won’t do the job. What is dearly needed however is commitment at the grassroots level, according to Mihiret Negussie, who heads the Ethiopian National Association on Persons with Intellectual Disabilities. It is something to consider for 2015, when the next ESDP is being drawn up
6th Issue January 2015
Facilities & Accommodations Review
Asham Africa: Continental Gem in Bishoftu
A resort town 50km southeast of Addis, Bishoftu, is not new to high end hotels. And yet, new investments still pour in. A new addition to the town’s resorts the past year is Asham Africa, which brings in a taste of the continent into the nearby lake town’s residential area. With Scenic lakes and African themed rooms, Asham hopes to bring something new to hospitality in Bishoftu. By Bezawit Bekele Staff writer
In the typically residential area in Bishoftu known as ‘Kebele 07’, with cobblestone-lined roads and no sign posts for directions, it is almost a surprise to find the pink and white buildings that house Asham- Africa Hotel and Resorts. Built on a side of an escarpment on natural volcanic rocks surrounding the deepest of the 7 lakes in Bishoftu, Asham (which means ‘welcome’ in many southern Ethiopian languages) is a resort and hotel renowned for its African vibe. As soon as you enter through the gate, your eyes fall on the breathtaking view of Lake Bishoftu and you are forced to take a moment. You are greeted at the reception with the words Murakazaneza, Karibu, Boyei Malambo, and Akwaara, meaning welcome in Rwanda(Kinyarwanda), Kenya (Swahili), Malawi (Chichewa) and Ghana respectively, but the main African feel of Asham are its 32 rooms named after 32 African countries. The rooms are distinguished for art from the country lending its name to each one. In each room there are two or three paintings representing the country, though for the untrained eye they may not represent a particular African country without the guidance of the name engraved by the door. The choice of countries, which the rooms are dedicated for, is not random. Rather these are the countries which the owners Sahlu Haile and his Rwandan wife Gloria Mukuralinda have had the opportunity to
visit in their 30 years professional career around Africa before deciding to settle down in Ethiopia. Fifteen years ago, the hassle of Addis became too much to bear and they decided to move to Bishoftu. When they contemplated having a business venture, what they had in mind was to build a social gathering place for the youth that they can use to read, have coffee and surf the Internet. The idea expanded into a hotel though. Sahlu explained, “We wanted our interest on the continent of Africa to be reflected in the hotel”. Sahlu doesn’t want the hotel to be considered as a caricature of the continent however. “We didn’t want it to be all ‘tukuls’ and mud walls. Africa is in the 21st century as well and the buildings here are modern, but with art representing the countries” he explained. African guests, who do not find rooms named after the country they hail from, always complain according to Ato Sahlu; but unfortunately there are no current plans to add more countries to the list. The rooms classified into standard, suites, family, and presidential suites cost 90, 95, 130 and 110 dollars respectively with buffet breakfast, sauna, steam and gym facilities included for the period of occupancy. The hotel and resort, which was built in different phases with 35 to 40 million ETB capital, was officially opened in May 2014, but has actually been operating for the past three and half years. There are currently around 60-70 employees and from
these 70pct are locals in order to give back to the community which is also the goal behind planned agreements with locals to supply vegetables and Injera. The combination of the owners’ interest in Africa and their love for art is also displayed in ‘Berhane Gallery’ named after Ato Sahlu’s deceased brother. It has a unique assortment of paintings, sculptures and handicrafts which are collected over the 30 years they travelled through the continent. The range of the collection is amazing with some modern pieces showing urban life in African cities while others were a representation of traditional Africa. It would have been more informative for visitors however, if descriptions about the artwork as to their origins and representations had been displayed. The Asham Africa restaurant provides both traditional and modern dishes served by waitresses dressed in African garments sewn in a modern fashion. At lunch time on a Saturday, The Eminence found a young couple from Addis, Yonas Solomon and Eyerusalem Moges, who were about to finish their meal. They decided to visit Asham at the insistence of Eyerusalem who watched the Meskel celebrations at Asham on television and wanted to see the place for herself. She told The Eminence that she found the experience fulfilling. ‘I love the view and architecture,’ she said fixing her gaze on the lake. They also found the food to be good, especially the Asham special www.theeminencemagazine.com 11
The Eminence
Host Ethiopia also has a suite of its own at Asham Africa, depicting locally sourced art and hand woven clothing on the bed.
vegetable which Eyerusalem had ordered. Another customer, Selam Teshome from Ziway, was sipping coke on the balcony which serves as a pizza court. It was the second day of her visit to Bishoftu with her uncle. She also loved the view and the architecture, but she explained that she enjoyed the resort they visited the previous day as there were more activities to do, like swimming and water kayaking. Asham has plans of developing a beach on the lake, according to Ato Sahlu. To reach the lake’s edge as it stands now, one has to go 300 stairs downhill and then further down an escarpment while brushing up against over grown grasses and bushes. The level ground underneath is the planned site for the beach. On the Saturday morning of the visit, Getachew Abuye, a fisherman in his fifties, was going about his business clearing algae from the lake. He did not have any luck in the morning, fishing with his makeshift paddle boat built from a tire’s tube. He told The Eminence that he earns his living by supplying fish for restaurants including Asham Africa. Getachew, demonstrated how deep the lake really is, disappearing from view two to three meters from the edge. This lake has been a source of attraction for the town long before Asham came into the scene. With it as an attraction, the town pulled in a tourist flow of around 250,000 Ethiopians and 10,000 foreigners for the 2013/14 fiscal year, according to the town’s Tourism Bureau. Currently there are 7 resorts built on the lakes, in addition to two including Asham Africa, which are registered under Hotel
12
www.theeminencemagazine.com
and Resort. A resort, as distinguished from a hotel, has to represent the local culture, which for Bishoftu is water based tourism, according to Ato Bekalu Fufa, Hotel Training Expert at the city’s tourism bureau. As there is no separate criteria to grade them, Ato Bekalu explained the resorts are considered as large-scale hotels. As a hotel, one of the services Asham provides is a large hall capable of hosting 350 people that it rents for weddings and conferences. This hall named ‘Mukenze’ after the small village in Rwanda where Mrs. Gloria was born, hosts the mosaic art collection on its walls. With partnerships with AU, World Bank and Agriculture Transformation Agency, most of the business comes from these organizations. Individual guests who use the rooms are also revenue sources. In fact business has not picked up yet. Seble Berhanu who works at the reception said that on average there are about 5 guests per week unless there is a conference where 10-15 guests stay. The restaurant had also a few guests on the Saturday we visited. At Asham Africa the environment is a genuine concern, according to Ato Sahlu and Daniel, the banquet and guide who has worked there since its inception. Water from the rooms is treated and used for plants, the garbage from the kitchen is changed into bio-gas and reused, with solar panels on the roof used for heating water. There are also four rooms whose walls are built from used plastic water bottles. It seems Bishoftu’s Kebele 07 may have lost its youth center, but if Asham manages to attract enough guests, having a hotel and resort in its midst may not be a bad trade off
Asham Africa is rarely on the ground as it sits perched on the very edge of a steep cliff that leads downhill to Lake Bishoftu.
6th Issue January 2015
Life Style & Health
YOGA Caught Between Two Perspectives
Yoga is an ancient religious discipline with a modern secular practice. Its double-edged nature will remain a talking point in the years to come. Its current popularity though has made many to focus only on its physical aspect, at least in the non-east part of the world. With gains on this realm, the practice is attracting new practitioners by the day.
By Elleni Araya Staff writer
Deborah Lundstrom, demonstrating a yoga pose at her studio behind Aryvyudic Yoga and Massage Studio behind Ras Amba hotel
“What’s in a name?” one may ask. Well, according to the very few yoga instructors here in Addis, apparently everything - be it perception or money. When yoga therapist Aida Abdu made the impromptu decision to return to Ethiopia form the US, her home for over a decade, and start yoga training, she only started with one student. As her business developed, she had a tough time drawing Ethiopians to exercise this ancient practice, as most equate it with a pagan religion, or unknown spirituality. Except for elderly men, she admits. “They would wait for me at the studio at six in the morning because they understood its benefits.” She had such a hard time getting Ethiopi-
ans to register, that in the end she started providing free classes to help change perception. But what worked in the end was when she started yoga exercises as a weight loss class. Aida said that her class had suddenly become full of middle and upper-class Ethiopian women who wanted to stay physically fit. That was when she learnt it was all about perception and marketing. Nowadays, more and more Ethiopians are coming to her studio. The very upscale Tilla Fitness and Spa Center is located in the first two floors of the affluent apartment complex next to the Ministry of Justice around Bambis Supermarket on Jomo Kenyatta Street.
This fitness center, which also provides kickboxing and Pilates classes, is where Aida provides one and a half hour Yoga classes for 150-200 birr per class depending on the type, she says that she has many Ethiopians practicing. Indeed yoga as a form of physical exercise is slowly taking hold in Ethiopia, though not with the same pace or strength as with other countries. It is reported that 15 million people in the US practiced yoga, spending 27 billion USD in 2012. Though yoga instructors are very few in Ethiopia, they report seeing an upward movement in the number of Ethiopians attending the class than before. “It’s because they are starting to see the www.theeminencemagazine.com 13
The Eminence
benefits,” says Eskindir Kassa, who in addition to being a long term practitioner is arguably one of the first Ethiopian teachers to give classes in Addis Abeba in 2001. “The healing effect is immediate for most of the major diseases including diabetes.” In one sense, skeptics are not far off when they say that the practice, which is said to have originated before 2000 BC, has a religious background. The practice is rooted in Hindu traditions and is mentioned in the religion’s sacred texts. The term “yoga” itself means “yoke” and signifies union with god, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. This union is achieved through an eight-step practice, of which the first two are ethical involving restraint from harm and observance of cleanliness, austerity, study and devotion to god. The next two are physical involving Asana (poses) which are a series of exercises in physical posture that condition the body to be flexible and healthy; and Pramayama (breath control) a series of exercises intended to stabilize the rhythm of breathing and cause relaxation, according to Britannica.
hold in the US under a branch of Yoga called Hatha Yoga. With celebrities and rockstars practicing it and showing many benefits including physical fitness and internal health, it quickly caught on drawing many practitioners, moving away from its religious roots and becoming a universal practice for lifestyle and fitness, according to reports. Though, no longer teaching in a studio, Eskinder is eager to tell its many benefits to those who shy away from Yoga because they associate it with something else-volunteering to demonstrate poses and describe how the process is when The Eminence met him in a Café. “I was lanky, used to get sick a lot and was uncoordinated,” Eskinder who is quite tall and fit told The Eminence. “Now I hardly get sick and am much synchronized in my movements.” Undeniably many researches coming out of universities globally including Harvard, University of Washington, and Rajastran University attribute many healing powers to yoga.
Yoga therapist Aida Abdu demonstrates ‘Vrkasana’ twisting pose” which she says helps alleviate ailments like constipation, in her upscale studio at Tilla Fitness and Spa center next to the Ministry of Justice on Jomo Kenyatta street.
The remaining steps focus more on withdrawal and bringing the focus inward nd away from material things to achieve union with God. It is the physical part of Asanas and Pramayama that became popular and took
14
www.theeminencemagazine.com
Just practicing for a few months will help get a good posture and flexibility in addition to alleviating health problems like migraines, stress, blood pressure, insomnia, while boosting immunity and weight loss. What works for it is the emphasis on union
between mind, body and spirit, these researches say. Nineteen years old Samra Woldemichael, a freshman in a Netherlands college is spending her summer practicing Yoga twice a week at Deborah Lundstorm’s Arevyudic Yoga and Massage Studio behind Ras Amba Hotel, in Yeka sub city. She said that yoga was prescribed by a doctor for migraines. After a practice of a month and a half she could immediately see the effect, according to her. Yoga is not a new concept for her and her family as they have been travelling around the world for work since she was eight. “My mother used to exercise it through a DVD,” she says. Samra herself started a year ago in Cameroon before she went off to college. At Deborah’s Studio she does the exercises along with her aunt who wants to relieve stress from her high-pressure job. To Samra, Deborah’s Studio is up to par with what she has seen in other parts of the world. “In fact it is enjoyable because she mixes the routines up; so it never gets boring.” Though Samra’s friends here sometimes tease her saying, “Ai ye ferenj neger” [something to the effect of yoga being a foreigner thing] the majority of people attending beginner classes at Deborah’s, along with Samra, are Ethiopians. They are a minority however in the advanced class, which has 16 students of which only 6 are Ethiopians. A one hour Yoga class at Deborah costs a 100 birr per session, but regular practitioners get a discount at 650 birr for eight sessions. When asked by The Eminence what is bringing about the change and getting more and more Ethiopians to practice, Deborah requested that the best way to see what it offers was to experience a class firsthand and only agreed to speak to this reporter after that. “When Ethiopians are skeptical thinking that this is connected to a specific religion, the best way to change their minds is to let them practice and see its physical aspect,” Deborah says. “A person coming from any type of religious background can practice it.” She developed the interest in yoga when she was little but saw its benefits after years of practice. She went to a teachers training course in India, not to be a teacher, but to get a deeper understanding of the thing that has interested her so much. Back then she had a career in public
6th Issue January 2015
The difficult Mathsayasana pose demonstrated by Deborah Lundstrom
The ‘tree pose’ to help a practitioner stay grounded is demonstrated by Aida Abdu.
relations with the international candy and gum producer Wriggly’s, in the US. Her colleagues were the first to suggest that she would become an instructor. They requested her to teach them some of the moves and practice with them. She opened this studio two years ago. The one storey building where Deborah gives classes and provides a massage, is perched on a hilly landscape with balconies and walls covered in green vine plants providing an aura of peace and quiet. Yoga’s eastern roots are reflected in the furniture, which is made of bamboo, wood and the decoration, with spherical paper lamps people associate with Chinese restaurants. A student must first take off their shoes before entering the class. Aside from the slow quiet tones of Deborah giving out instructions for stretching, there is no noise or disturbance, which is strictly prohibited. Despite the décor and the quiet way the class is conducted giving it a spiritual feel, the stretches and exercises are highly physical, as the writer discovered from attending a beginner’s class. Tough and requiring high concentration and attention, it does indeed have a highly physical component as well as a relaxing effect on the brain resulting from the breathing techniques. Aida stumbled upon a book about yoga at a time when life was challenging for her. “I had gone to the US for higher education straight from highschool and the cultural shock was too great,” she says.
Though the difficult poses seemed impossible to her at the beginning, she was able to achieve flexibility, control and internal calmness after years of practice. The mind body and soul connection that yoga practitioners advocate is also supported by people in the medical profession. Selam Aklilu, who is a practicing chiropractic professional, recommends yoga to her patients depending on their education level and awareness. “If they have a more modern lifestyle, then I recommend that they supplement my treatment with yoga because its effects are incredible,” she says. “People heal faster when they stay positive. The connection is essential,” she adds. Selam had seen fast progress with her patients, especially the ones with back problems-from the practice of Yoga. In Deborah’s class beginners are mostly Ethiopians, but it is foreigners that stick to it and consistently attend her advanced class. Aida also says the same thing. In her advanced class of 20 there are only three Ethiopians. Yoga practitioners claim that its benefits can only be long standing with constant practice. Aida says that she can immediately see the difference if she is too busy to practice for a few days. “There is a huge difference in my energy level.” Despite being optimistic that yoga is taking off in Ethiopia, all three agree that the practice is becoming not just physical, but a lifestyle too www.theeminencemagazine.com
15
The Eminence
Art && Literature Literature Art
Africa Pixelized: Addis Foto Fest 2014
The third chapter of Addis Foto Fest 2014 launched on the first of December exhibited an even bigger and more inclusive experience. Scenes from Africa and the rest were very much rooted in present realities, covering a wide range of subjects from the continent’s construction boom, spirituality and the Ebola epidemic.
By Elleni Araya Staff writer
On her facebook page, Aida Muluneh likened organizing the photography festival ‘Addis Foto Fest (AFF) 2014’ to giving birth. ‘Sleepless nights and long days, but no pain, no gain’ her post read a day before the launch of the event. The gain is a week of celebrating African photography under the theme “bringing the world to Africa and taking Africa to the world through images.” The third installment of the bi-annual weeklong event was launched at Sheraton Addis Hotel on December 1, 2014. Picturesque in its own right, the outdoors singing fountain was the chosen space to display the works of 57 African artists from 17 countries, among which 14 are from Ethiopia. In lieu of heavy frames and hooks reminiscent of the previous two festivals, pictures from the African continent were printed on waterproof stand up banners, arranged like leaflets in a semi-circle behind the fountain. It was a scenic display for a star-studded guest list that included speakers like Foreign Affairs Minister Tedros Adhanom (M.D), State Minister of Culture and Tourism Mulugeta Seid, a quarter of the city’s diplomatic community, and artists like Hamelmal Abate. The inaugural exhibition ‘Visions of Africa’ would lead to four others from North and South America, the Middle East, Asia and IndiAfrica throughout the week at venues like the National Museum, Alle School of Fine Arts, Guramayle Art Center and Gelani Coffee House. Side events included portfolio review of selected works by
16
www.theeminencemagazine.com
experienced artist, film screenings and projections as well as a conference. In total throughout the week the works of 76 photographers from 36 countries were displayed. This is the most ambitions and large-scale yet of Aida’s exhibitions, which she says serves the objective of why she started. A diaspora who spent half her life in the United States, Aida had the inspiration to host a photography festival after she came back to Ethiopia in 2007. According to her statements, she realized the need for Africans to reclaim the images of their continent and network with the global industry, after she had worked three years teaching photography. To achieve this and organize an international photography festival, she founded a company Desta for Africa. The first AFF launched in 2010 started off more modestly with 36 artists. Though it was at first difficult to knock on doors and logistically tough to pull off, her persistence paid off. Today AFF has 31 deep pocketed partners who provide sponsorship in kind, including Ethiopian Airlines, which offered ticket discount to participants; Sheraton Addis that offered its space for free and embassies that hosted photographers from their native countries and provided networks. Her perseverance was admired by Dr. Tedros who acknowledged the challenges she faced in trying to get support from government offices, making sure to note that his own office also shared the blame. “There is limited intra-Afri-
ca cultural exchange, which is a problem,” the Minister stated. In evidence of this he highlighted the lack of a common African language(Africophonie). Events like AFF are seminal in bridging this gap, according to Dr. Tedros. After the exhibition was declared open, the Honorary Minister and invited guests were treated to a tour by Aida. Though the scope for photographers was to show past, present and future images of Africa, those displayed were mostly focused on the present reality of Africa. This was especially true when it comes to the photojournalists. In a city where a pedestrian can rarely finish strolling on a single walkway without encountering mounds of cement, sand, stone, wood or a mix of these, the story worth telling for participating local photographers is that of a city never satisfied with itself and therefore stuck in a permanent cycle of tearing down and building up. This year the construction of the Light Railway Train(LRT), and the laborers working on it won attention from a number of photographers, as did the high rises that pop-up frequently. Samuel Habteab was one such photographer who showed the progress of the LRT from beginning to the semi-finished state it is in now. “I believe this is the changing face of Addis Abeba and should be chronicled,” he told The Eminence. Addis Ababa looks a favorite subject in the eponymous festival. During the second Addis Foto Fest back in 2010, the theme was celebrating the city’s 125-year anniversary.
6th Issue January 2015
Scenes from the construction of the Addis Abeba LRT by Samuel Habteab
The picture of a standalone thurbile by Netsanet Kebede was the centerpiece for the exhibition
Another contemporary subject, The Nile, was also a theme at the exhibition. The same river and the life around it was photographed in Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt to make up part of the “River Tales Collection.” The Ethiopian side of the river was shot by Brook Mengistu, with that of Sudan by Ealsadig Mohammed and that of Egypt by Mohamud Yakut. Having to accommodate two of his country’s photographers who were participating in the festival, Egyptian ambassador Mohamed Fathy Edrees was present at the exhibition. The photos by the two Egyptians are “reflective of how the young generations view life and the political evolution in their country,” he told The Eminence. Like the foreign minister, he appreciated the festival’s potential as a medium of cultural exchange. Most of the pictures displayed by Ethiopians at the inaugural exhibition were black and white while West African photographers showed their appreciation for the continent’s vibrant colours. Headlining the inaugural exhibition was 26-year-old pharmacist Netsanet Kebede’s striking pictures of spiritual objects used by the clergy in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. It was a pick for many, including the State Minister Mulugeta who said that as the cultural aspect of Ethiopia was well reflected. To a lay viewer her black and white photographs of a laid down thurible with incense smoke rising, and a cross being raised out of water are exceptionally moving. “Usually we see them in the hands of priests, but I wanted to capture these objects themselves, with their sacredness,” Netsanet told The Eminence. Though photography is not her day job, it is something she is passionate about. For her it is the right tool to promote the positive images of her country. After the dignitaries visited and left the exhibition, and organizers left to install photos for the next series, regular visitors started dropping by to view the photos. Zerihun Gashaw,
34, who works at the Federal High Court was one of them. Though an admirer of photography, his experience with taking pictures is limited to snapshots with his mobile phone when he steps out of the city. He was impressed by how the pictures record the current state of Ethiopian and African society.
Aida Muluneh(left) walked through the pictures with dignitaries like Tedros Adhanom (M.D), Minister of Foreign Affairs (left)
shows dead people on the floors and beds of a crowded hospital room. Another image is of a deceased person lying on the street with money scattered on the floor next to the body, and people staring from far away and passing by. “It was a story worth telling,” Michelle told The Eminence.
Eman Halal chronicled the chaotic uprisings that signaled the end for the short lived Morsi regime.
“They look like they were taken spontaneously and are based on reality,” he noted. The events for the rest of the week, though taken by photographers from the rest of the world, maintained their connection to Africa. Notable among these were heartbreaking images journaling the emotional state of Ebola victims in Liberia, featured by Pulitzer award winning Washington Post journalist Michelle duCille. The beginning is benign. It shows people in Monrovia, Liberia rejoicing at being told they are Ebola free. Tears of happiness cover the faces of these people who are wearing a blue hospital cap. All recovered patients sport this cap, when leaving the hospital Michelle explains. Another image shows the unhappy tears of a small girl, who was informed of the death of her parents due to Ebola, following her own release from the hospital free of the virus. By the end of the pictures however it is a sad scene. One
Michelle who was Aida’s boss, during her young days working for Washington Post had come a month earlier to help with the preparation and layout of images as well as to inform conference attendees at the AU of what he witnessed in Liberia. With artists of this caliber participating, the festival finished off with a bang. However Aida’s facebook posts took on a sadder note, as what started off with a birth ended in death. After the photography festival Michelle returned to Liberia to finish his photo-reportage on Ebola. Two weeks later, on his way to a remote village he died of a heart-attack, Washington Post reported. “He was more than a friend. He was my mentor and someone who has known me for 15 years,” Aida told The Eminence via text. “This is not a loss only for me but for the global photography community. I am deeply saddened as I head to DC to give my respects to a legend who has shown me the way, and now I will continue his journey.” www.theeminencemagazine.com 17
The Eminence
Architecture & Interior Design
The city hall biulding constructed between 1961&64, designed by Arturo Mezzedimi.
18
www.theeminencemagazine.com
6th Issue January 2015
The King’s Favorite
By Mikias Merhatsidk Staff writer
Haileselasie I bestowed on him three decorations: Knight Officer of the order of the Star of Ethiopia, Knight and Knight Officer of the Cross of Menelik II, for his extraordinary service to the country. The Ethiopian Postal administration has also dedicated five stamps to his major works, the United Nations did likewise with the issue of three commemorative stamps. He was one of the main figures of the construction heyday of the sixties Addis: Arturo Mezzedimi, the ‘king’s favorite architect’ is the creative mind behind Addis’s iconic building such as The Africa Hall, now the seat of UNECA and the city hall, the massive edifice that hosts the city administration. For Addis Ababa, the sixties and early seventies were the years when the grand dreams its Emperor had were taking shape. In its drive to make the royal seat the political capital of the continent, the imperial government was busy undertaking relatively huge and numerous construction projects to curve a city out of the extended village that was Addis. The main administrative buildings and apartment blocks which now reflect early days of modern architectural character of the city were commissioned at this time. Efforts were made to attract international architects to design these buildings. 1965 was a partic-
ularly productive year with some of the city’s landmark buildings opening that year, such as the City Hall, the National Bank (Commercial Bank), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Hilton Hotel. A number of international architects, to name but a few, came to work in Addis such as Henri Chomette who designed the French Lycee Guebre-Mariam and the permanent seat of the African Union. The Israeli architect Zalmann Enav was commissioned to design, among others, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This wave started in 1959 with the commissioning to and designing of the Africa Hall by the Italian architect Mezzedimi, who had studied with Italian futurist architect Alberto Sartoris in Lausanne. Born in Siena, Italy in 1922, Mezzedimi left home and immigrated to Eritrea in search of opportunities. In 1944, at the tender age of 22 he managed to undertake his first architectural project: an indoor swimming pool in Asmara, where he got the chance to be noticed. During his stay in Eritrea he designed many important buildings: The Marine Academy, Red Sea Hotel, a mosque and hospital in Massawa; a mosque in Aqordat and hospital, schools and churches in Asmara. In 1959 Mezzedimi received a formal invitation from Emperor Hialeselassie to come to Addis Ababa to prepare a design for the Africa Hall. His first meeting to discuss this project with the emperor is chronicled in the testimony that he wrote about the king that he revered and had high regards towards. “During our first meeting to discuss the project, Hailé Selassié roughly told me, ‘It is necessary to show people that it is possible to construct grand buildings here too, by erecting a couple of high-profile structures. It is not their complexity or size that matter, but the maximum possible use of home-produced materials, in order to shake our wealthy middle class (which keeps its money under the mattress) from the inactivity that also binds it in the field of construction, and stimulate it to invest its assets in building to make this ‘great
village’ a city and a true great capital’. It was in this spirit that the two monumental complexes were designed and built between 1959 and 1964.” Here the architect was referring to the city and Africa halls. After the successful implementation of this project he was entrusted by the royal government to handle very important projects. He was commissioned to design and consult on numerous projects in the country, including palaces, educational facilities, churches, and mosques. He in the process got the chance to work closely with the emperor and win his confidence. His encounter with the king in the 23 years that he frequented the royal court is recorded in a captivating manner in his 1992 memoir. The emperor’s special focus on school projects was highlighted by Mezzedimi in one paragraph, “Each time that a development plan for the school system was drawn up, I witnessed the direct and deep interest of the Emperor, even in the details of design, organization and construction of the buildings themselves.” For a foreigner, the Italian enjoyed an unusually close relationship with Haileselassie. The projects of Mezzedemi in Addis Ababa were not limited to public undertakings. Some private and international initiatives like the Finfine Building, the Banco di Roma, the Ras Shell building, the Armenian Community School and his last project in Addis Ababa, the Italian School and Cultural Institute in 1974, are the most notable ones. He was also named head of the department of architecture of the University of Asmara in the same year. After 1975 he continued and further consolidated his work in North Yemen and Djibouti. Throughout the course of his illustrious four decades career he managed to realize more than 1,500 projects. Mezzedemi never came back to Ethiopia after the emperor, for whom he had developed a special affection, was deposed in 1974. He passed away in 2010
A mosque in Aqordat Eritrea constructed between 1956&58, designed by Arturo Mezzedimi. www.theeminencemagazine.com
19
The Eminence
Culture
The Gift of Life
L e a p i n V o l u n ta r y B l o o d D o n a t i o n By Frehiwot Gebrewold Staff writer
Alebachew Dagne, 40, was at the National Blood Bank at Ghandi Memorial Hospital on the afternoon of December 12, 2014 to perform the deed he says has become an addiction. As one of the constant blood donors in Addis Ababa, he has done it for about 41 times. He likens his habit of donating blood every three months to routines like having a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, saying if he doesn’t do it, he feels weird. “I have not encountered any side effect due to my blood donation. Some people are afraid of the needle and some may have their own reasons,” he told The Eminence. “Besides, it only takes 20–30 minutes of your time. If it helps others to live and doesn’t hurt, then I suggest that we all should involve in this voluntarily.” The National Blood Bank next to Ghandi is one of the twenty-five in the country. The first blood bank in Ethiopia was established in 1969 by the Ethiopian Red Cross Society. Internationally as well blood banks are a rather recent phenomenon, the first being the one in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) opened in 1932. Although the first recorded successful blood transfusion was accomplished in 1818, there were many failed attempts as the transfusions did not take into account the differences in people’s red blood cells. The understanding of the RH system, the discovery of plastic bag for blood collections and the identification of the four blood types (A, B, AB and O) by Austrian Pathologist Carl Landsteiner were major scientific milestones in the history of blood donation. “A healthy human being can have 4 – 6 liters of blood in his body. The main purpose of blood in our body is to provide energy, minerals, substances, hormones, glucose, electrolytes, and to carry the indispensable oxygen. 55pct of our blood, ,which is plasma is fluid. Red blood cell, white blood cell and platelets and other cells covering the rest 45pct Blood is life and without it one can’t
20
www.theeminencemagazine.com
live,” said Dr. Daniel G/Michael, a director in the National Blood Bank Service under the FDRE Ministry of Health. Each second a person around the world is in need of blood. When we come to Ethiopia 100,000–150,000 units of blood is needed per year. According to the information from the National Blood Bank, 100–120 units of blood is withdrawn from the bank everyday for hospitals in Addis Ababa only. To maintain the reserve as many as 60,000 volunteer blood donors should donate three times a year. The supply, however, was unable to meet this demand. In 2014, the blood collected was about 87, 685 units, much lower than what was needed. 9pct of the total was discarded, leaving only 72,000 units of blood for the country. One person may need 3 or 4 units of blood and in this case the collected blood was not enough to be distributed in every hospital. There is an increase, however, from previous years. In 2010/11 there was only 52,482 units of blood collected. In addition to an increase in the amount of collected blood, there is also a major shift on the source of the collection. In 2010/11, 90pct of the blood came as a replacement by relatives of patients who needed blood, with the balance coming from voluntary donations. This meant that patients who didn’t have a relative to give blood had to suffer. The sale of blood was common before it was banned by Proclamation No.11/2014 which was written into law in January 2014. Article 58 of this proclamation makes any financial gain from blood donation illegal. The law seems to have made a huge impact, since in 2014, 70pct of the collected blood was from volunteers and 16 of the 25 blood banks in the country are taking blood only from volunteers. In addition, the bank has also been using various media outlets, targeting schools and different societal events to create awareness on
blood donation. The major destination for the donated blood is the transfusion services unit in Black- Lion Hospital which has issued a total of 3, 732 units of blood in 2013/14 according to an abstract published by Dr. Biruk L. Wamisho. Of the issued blood from the unit, only 2349 (63pct) was transfused to patients and the remaining 37pct was not used and was returned to the bank. About half of the patients were females (53.5pct). Blood group “O” was the commonest group (39.3pct) followed by “A” (33.5pct), and “B” (22.8pct). Group “AB” was the rarest, (4.4pct). The G. surgical and orthopedic are the two main departments that have maximally used blood for transfusion, 664 (17.7pct) and 655 (17.5pct) respectively. These two departments also operated on large number of patients. OBGY was the third, 593 (15.9pct). Medical and pediatric departments, each were issued 14.1pct of the total units. Radiotherapy department has recently started transfusing its needy patients (224). “The life span of red blood cell is 120 days whether we donate blood or not.
6th Issue January 2015
Replacement vs voluntary blood donation data from the FDRE Ministry of Health, Natinal Blood Transfusion Service.
White blood cells die and replace themselves every 1-3 days and platelets only stay in our body a minimum of 10-13 days. Donating blood helps our body to replace these blood cells regularly. The main requirement needed to donate blood from a donor is willingness,” according to Dr. Daniel. On November 2, 2014, nurses from the Blood Bank went to Beza International Ministry Blood Donation Program, upon invitation from the Ministry’s medical gate. Doctors who are part of this Ministry have long been working to create awareness and urging members to donate blood. It was a unique occasion with a huge turnout from one specific place. “We went to the tabernacle and amazingly about 150 people voluntarily donated. We didn’t often collect that much amount from such first time donations. It was a big success for us to get so much blood from one place,” said Dagmawit Fantahun, one of the nurses from the National Blood Bank. “Usually, a donor goes to the blood bank for donation but in this particular instance they came to where we were, and this motivated a lot of people. Some people thought that they would collapse and lose a lot of blood after donation, but that is not the case,” explained Eyob a volunteer from the ministry who himself donated blood and engaged in facilitating the program. Misgina W/Gerima, another volunteer who was motivating people for the program, said “I had a wrong impression about blood donation. I thought I would lose all my blood if I donate. After some time, I got information on how it is done, when it should
be done and how useful it is for others who otherwise would die from lacking it. So taking all this into consideration, I de cided to involve in the Beza International Ministries Blood Donation Program.”
non-alcoholic drinks are required. After the donation, the donor has to drink an extra 8 glasses of liquids and avoid alcohol and heavy lifting or vigorous exercises for 24 hours. According to studies published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, blood donation reduces the risks for a heart attack on top of saving other peoples’ lives. The researches indicate that blood donors are 88pct less likely to suffer a heart attack and 33pct less likely to suffer any type of cardiovascular incident. “It doesn’t hurt to donate your blood once in three months knowing that it will make another person survive. And giving is a blessing by itself. It was my first time to donate blood and it was not as I expected it to be. It was easy and enjoyable. In general I believe there is something that needs to be adjusted on our mind setup. Some people think that they don’t have enough blood to donate. Many of them have their own excuses not to do it. At the end of the day when you ask someone to donate, you can’t force them to do it.
Alebachew Dagne donating blood for an astounding 42nd time at the National Blood Bank near Ghandi Hospital
Lack of knowledge and awareness is one of the factors which hinder people from donating blood. In fact the requirements are simple. Anybody above 18 and weighing above 45 kilograms with good general health condition and feeling well can donate blood every three months. The height for male and female blood donors should at least be 5’5” (165cm) and 5’1” (155cm) respectively. Besides, only 20 minutes of a person’s time is needed during donation. As to the things one has to do before donation, maintaining a healthy level of iron in the diet, a good night’s sleep the day before and an extra 0.4 liter of water or
They should do it willingly and you should inspire them to do it. There is a lack of awareness as it is a new experience.” These are the words of Musse Fiseha, another coordinator of the event at Beza International Ministries. According to experts in the field, creating awareness at a younger age, especially in high schools and universities, is very important to hit the demands of blood. In addition, the government should increase the number of blood banks while the role of religious leaders should also be emphasized as they can teach their congregations understand that there is high virtue in blood donation, noted Dr. Daniel www.theeminencemagazine.com
21
The Eminence
The Thinking Man
22
www.theeminencemagazine.com
Inter view
Visualising Abstract Thoughts
Academicians agree that the best education is one that teaches students, not what to think but how to think. A student that learns this tool, would find it easy to analyze information, making content learning easier. David Hyrlie (Ed.D), is a pioneer in developing such skills with his Thinking Maps : visual tools that help users identify different thinking processes. Today, his tools are applied in schools around the United States, as well as the world through a program he cofounded called thinking schools International. The Eminence got a chance to sit down with David and discuss his work and his hopes for expanding Thinking Schools in Ethiopia, during his visit to the country, to talk with government officals and stakeholders in the education system.
6th Issue January 2015
Eminence: - So first tell me a little bit about where and how you grew up and about your education? David Hyrlie:- I was born in Berkeley, California which is now a very famous university town. I grew up at a time when there was so much change happening. People were really starting to think about different forms of education, and I was in classrooms as a high school student that were quite dynamic, active and engaged me. Then I went to the University of California, Berkeley and that’s where I got exposed to different approaches to the development of human beings. Their cognitive, social and emotional development- had a great influence on me. And you studied education? Yes. My first real interest was [being] a writer. I did a lot of writing. I loved journalism and I enjoyed creative writing. I became very interested in teaching writing and through that I became interested in how we think. [That is] because when you are writing and having to express yourself, you’re having to really draw on some of your best thinking. So, that led straight into wanting to become a teacher, which I thought was the greatest thing in the world. . So I ended up teaching at the primary and secondary levels. [after] I got credentials. Through that, I even got more involved in the idea of how we actually develop student thinking abilities. Because I was teaching in a school that was piloting a program called “think!”, That’s where I got the idea that you can deeply teach content in mathematics as well as language development and at the same time you can really teach thinking in a developmental way. I started looking at this whole area and it led me to discover and really develop a language, a visual language, called Thinking Maps. This is based on cognitive skills that focus on the development of thinking, using all the content that a teacher is trying to teach in a classroom. [Those were] very exciting times. I got very interested in it to a point where I wanted to study deeper; so I entered a doctoral program and I was able to do research in the field of cognitive development, critical thinking, and creative thinking both at UC Berkeley and Harvard School of Education in Boston where I spent two years. You’re known for creating the Thinking Maps you mentioned just now. What was the genesis and development of the Thinking Maps like? Were there any gaps within the education system you wanted to address with the
new way of thinking? The development of the Thinking Maps model came out of so much of what we have already known about students’ cognitive development. We have from early childhood, even at birth, these thinking processes that are developing over time. But what happens in education is that we focus on the content. We are teaching all this content information and cognitive development is happening alongside, but it’s really underground. So what the Thinking Maps do is they offer teachers and students a visual language for connecting the content that [they] are trying to teach with the underlying thinking processes. So it makes it visual and it makes the content in all of its complexity more accessible. Students can begin to generate ideas from the content. But Thinking Maps also comes out of the field of process writing. There was a man named Tony Buzan that at one point did a lot of work with brainstorming, just generating ideas. Thinking Maps is really a second generation step away from just being able to generate ideas and being creative. It’s about being creative, but also looking at the patterns and information. So, I developed the model and really started working around in schools in the United States in 1990. So now across all the United States the Thinking Maps are used in many schools. So, that was really the starting point: process writing; visual representations; and then the neuroscience research that shows that most of us are strong visual learners; and that comes to the question of this gap. Most of the teachers around the world, are talking to students. They’re in front of the classroom and they are presenting information. Even if they are very engaging as teachers, most of the information is auditory. So when you provide visual tools you do the balance. What resources did you use when creating Thinking Maps? Well I started my first step into creating the Thinking Maps approach using brainstorming webs that have been around for many years. And then I started looking at different kinds of graphic organizers. Different people were using graphics to show content. Then I came across a model where multiple kinds of these graphic organizers were used together. At that time I came to realize that we have these fundamental cognitive skills such as sequencing, making comparisons as well as cause and effect reasoning. If we connected them to visual representations, we would
have these thinking processes being mapped out by students. . Thinking Maps later developed into Thinking Schools. How did that development happen? Well, it’s been very exciting over the last seven or eight years because a group of us in the US and UK were doing different workshops on Thinking Maps, on Habits of Mind or dispositions and the Characteristics of Thinking [editor’s note: the latter two are also problem solving models developed by educators]. We were doing work in questioning and inquiry in the classroom, all around focusing on students becoming more active learners. And we realized that it wasn’t just the Thinking Maps approach or Habits of Mind or the Dispositions of a Good Thinker; and it wasn’t just problem solving and inquiry. Those processes, those pathways had to be brought together. And we understood at that moment that we couldn’t just offer teachers a workshop here and a workshop there. It would never come together for the most important people in the school and that was the students. So we designed a model that we first started working on in 2005 and 2006, where we would say we would offer to a whole school faculty a process whereby with each year they could add one of these models to the school. And so over time, all students could become fluent with what we call student centered models. . And that really not only changed how teachers increased the quality of their teaching, it also improved student performance. It also changed the whole ethos of the school. www.theeminencemagazine.com
23
The Eminence
In fact what it’s about is that the schools begin learning that it’s not about just content but that is just part of an overall approach. They are active; they are motivated; they are the center of their own learning and the teacher becomes a facilitator that focuses on content learning but applying those student centered models directly to the content. Since 2006 we’ve refined the model. We’ve learned a lot about the model from schools; we’ve worked with over a 100 schools who are accredited as Thinking Schools. That means that they’ve done a self –assessment of the growth. From that we have brought together a coherent approach that any school can take on. It takes some professional development, but it is about the school saying we want to make this change. So if any school wants to use your approach, the Thinking School approach, how would you summarize what you’re going to do or what Thinking School is? How would you tell or sell the idea to them?
go into. Usually most schools in the UK, the US, Malaysia, Norway, and Ethiopia start with visual tools or Thinking Maps. What we then do is train the whole school faculty in this model and they immediately start working with the students. The second step is taking one of those models and helping all students become fluent with it. The next year they take on another one of the models, be it Habits of Mind or Dispositions and then in the third year you go into problem solving and questioning for inquiry pathway. So it’s a developmental process for a school starting with an overview and then moving into very concrete practical tools that teachers [and] students can use right away. So what is different about the Thinking Schools approach related to other educational quality models? And what makes it stay relevant? I believe that many very good educational quality models are out there. If I were to distinguish between Thinking Schools and many of the other models I would say that most models of change and the development of quality are about teachers becoming better teachers [by] facilitating students, helping them to work in cooperative groups and becoming more aware of their content area so that they can teach more deeply. We do many of those things, but then we focus on student centered models. We’re teaching the teachers to go directly to the students and have the students become fluent in thinking maps or habits of mind or problem solving model.
A lot of the models that work on quality improvement don’t get to that stage. Most of the quality stays with the teacher. So a teacher might become a better questioner, a better facilitator, a better organizer of the classroom. But the student still oftentimes are saying where are my tools? How am I going to improve as a thinker? And that I think is a differentiation of a significant kind because we are offering these models that are truly centered on the students becoming fluent and explicitly more aware of their own processes. When did the Thinking Schools International Project start? Thinking Schools International was formed in 2006. We grew it from the UK. Then we started working in Northern Ireland. We had a major pilot in Norway and then we got a lot of interest from the Malaysian government and we’ve been working with them for several years to the point where now they have taken this on and they call their approach ‘I think.’ And it’s the kernel or the essence of the thinking schools approach. But to sustain it, they’ve called it ‘I Think’. So now, the Prime Minister of Malaysia made a public announcement two years ago that the ‘I think’ approach was going to go across the whole country. So we’ve worked with them in adapting some of our materials and now they have 500 trainers in Malaysia. There’s training and a training of trainers and now there’s a blended approach so now they have an on line ‘I think’ approach for training teachers as well. So right now 9000 schools have access to that on line program and that’s just going to grow over time. We also have pilot schools here in Ethiopia. What do you think is the appeal of Thinking Schools to governments and government funded schools around the world?
Well in every country that we work in, whether it’s in Malaysia or here in Ethiopia , we have high quality trainers who are from the country . Here in Ethiopia there are Ethiopians that have collaborated with us and are bringing the work forward. The first step is bringing the whole faculty together and engaging in a conversation about ‘What is thinking? What are the different ways of approaching it? What are the different models? so that the whole faculty realizes that this isn’t just a program, but instead a long term process. Then the school decides which direction they want to
24
www.theeminencemagazine.com
I think the issues around the world right now are equity and access. Centuries back education was for a certain segment of the population. And there’s an understanding now [by]- political leaders and educational leaders that if you don’t give access to all the public schools then you’re not going to have equity and access for all. That is dovetailed by us now here in 2014-2015 where the educational community has all the research and business communities tell[ing] them, that we need citizens that can think through problems. So there’s this very interesting crossroads between what we know about how the brain works; what we know about the development
6th Issue January 2015
of human beings; and the need for every country to raise up their whole citizens to be good thinkers. The politicians and educational leaders in Malaysia said that to us. Business leaders will tell us this in every single country. That’s what they need out of workers. [Countries] can no longer get by with just a cookie cutter approach,- something that’s on a conveyer belt and moves forward. Our education can’t be like that because our students are entering a world that’s mechanized. It’s got IT, things are interconnected. People are interconnected around the world. So we need in every country global citizens who are good problem solvers and who can collaborate.
els. What we’ve come to find is that not only is students’ content performance improved but their lifelong thinking abilities [as well.] When you talk to students that are using the maps they [say that] they are effective; that they make them better thinkers; and that they can see different patterns of thinking that they couldn’t see before in the content.
is the best way. And I think it’s going to flourish. There are those slow times of growth, and I think my feeling is that there’s a takeoff point now that it’s going to accelerate not just here in Addis but in the North and Southern nations as well. I’m just very positive about it.
So this really comes across the field of education. It isn’t just the thinking schools; it’s the particular models that have been shown to be effective as well.
And do you have any documented stories, documented cases of its success?
Was it to see how Thinking Schools started?
You know this time around, it’s been enjoyable because I’ve been able to meet with so many people from different parts of Ethiopia, be it here in Addis, or from Tigray. [I came to meet with] students and professors at Addis Ababa University; to go to a couple of schools, to see how the Thinking Schools approach is working there; to really engage with people who are taking the lead on the front end of this work; and to work with Eminence Social Entrepreneurs to help create even greater expertise and collaborations. So for me the purpose is to really reach out to leaders in the field and to engage them.
One of the things that we were most interested in doing was assessing whether the Thinking Schools approach worked. One of the first efforts at doing this was in the UK. We had a collaborative relationship, and still do with Exeter University. And the late Bob Burgen was really the driver of the work there. He created the first accreditation process for Thinking Schools. What that meant is that schools would create portfolios for what they had done. And this included student performance on exams; government officials who would go around and observe the reports and it would look at the students’ abilities to think better and their growth. It looked at a whole array of features including improvement of teacher quality. From that report it was really conclusive that the Thinking Schools approach really supported teachers and the entire faculty, -the whole school. And it’s interesting that of the sixty schools in that report, all of the schools improved student performance, except one and it was flat. Now you can’t say that it was directly because of Thinking Schools. But what it meant was that you can improve student’s thinking as you improve their ability to learn content. And you have to respect the content deep knowledge that is there. So more reports are coming out, more evidence of success. Independent Research? Independent research, exactly. And schools reporting on evidence of student growth. It isn’t just the broad Thinking Schools approach and evidence; it’s also the Thinking Maps in and of themselves, which have been shown to have significant impact on student performance -habits of mind and problem solving mod-
When was your first visit to Ethiopia? It was about three years ago. Well back then it was just a meeting with people to see how it could start.
So what’s the purpose of your visit to Ethiopia this time?
Having met with decision makers in Ethiopia? Have they made any pledges to continue the Thinking Schools program?
How is the progress from there until now? what does it look like? We are at this point where [Eminence Social Entrepreneurs] is working with ten pilot schools. And what’s important about that is that eight of the teachers and administrators from each of those ten schools came together and went to a two-day seminar by one of our global trainers and Eminence trainers here in Ethiopia. All of those teams came out saying this is the direction we want to move ahead. That is a significant shift. Three years ago that didn’t exist. It’s interesting when you see educational change or a shift or a movement. What I felt on this visit, [is that] the grassroots that started here around 4 years ago, is meeting up with decision makers, with leaders in schools saying this is the direction we need to go in. I feel I always want things somewhat impatiently to move faster, but in fact you can over water a plant and it will die. I think nurturing the growth and the way that Ethiopians have done it, bringing it forward slowly but surely
I’ve had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Tadele from Tigray; Ato Dilamo from the Addis Ababa Education Bureau; with the Dean of Education at Addis Ababa University, and I was also able to meet with Dr. Awol over at UNESCO. Each of those people plays different roles and they seem very supportive outwardly of this direction. I believe that it isn’t going to take just one decision maker; it’s going to be a collaborative effort where the business community, the educational community and the political community as well as grassroots community organizations are going to come together and say, “We want to shift the quality of education.” So how do you want to see the development go now? How would you like to nurture it? I think every culture is diverse. Some will take it on more quickly than others. But I believe that our collaboration will support Ethiopians because we’re going to help the schools here connect with other schools around the world that are doing similar things. I think . So I see the development not only internally within Ethiopia but Ethiopia sharing their experiences [with] the world. What are you finding? What are the successes that you’re having? What are some of the things that aren’t working that you have better solutions to? And never settling for one definition of thinking or what it means to be human www.theeminencemagazine.com
25
The Eminence
26
www.theeminencemagazine.com
6th Issue January 2015
www.theeminencemagazine.com
27
The Eminence
Art & Literature
Seventh Time Still The Charm for
Art of Ethiopia With a shift in scheduling from September to December, Art of Ethiopia, still managed to prove that it is a fixture in the cultural calendar of the city, featuring 50 artists and 500 pieces. Pictures as always drew in large sums from buyers, with one piece selling for 300,000 ETB.
New Day By Yohannes Bayou By Elleni Araya Staff writer
In the local art scene, Sheraton Addis’ annual ‘Art of Ethiopia Exhibition’ no longer needs introduction. Over the past seven years, it has built a reputation for displaying the works of the country’s premier artists side by side with younger, contemporary ones. Moreover, as art exhibitions go in Ethiopia, this is arguably the biggest platform in terms of commercial success. There is no fear of turning away clients with price tags north of 100,000 ETB for works by distinguished artists, and five digit figures emerging ones. People buy them anyway. “It’s a positive development,” renowned artist and curator for Art of Ethiopia Luseged Retta comments. “People’s value for art is increasing over time, and they are not afraid to pay for a piece of work that pulls at their heartstring.” With a platform provided to network with
28
www.theeminencemagazine.com
Ethiopia’s premier artists and the chance to get paid handsomely for it, it is no surprise that young artists queue to nab a coveted spot and show their works at the exhibition. Nearly 400 artists submit a CV of their works yearly for Art of Ethiopia, of which half are chosen to enter pieces for assessment by a technical committee under Sheraton Addis. This year 50 artists made the cut, of which 15 are fresh faces that managed to nab the coveted spots. Sheraton, which has its own clientele to buy art, lets artists participate for free at the exhibition, but does take a 10pc cut of any pictures sold. Yohannes Bayou was one of the lucky ones. A 24-year-old graduate from Addis Ababa University’s Alle School of Fine Arts in 2013, Yohannes got to display ten of his portrait works at the exhibition which this year took
place from December 12-15, a change from the usual schedule in September. The subject in nearly all of his pictures is a small girl with braids and hauntingly beautiful eyes. Nearly all aspects of this girl are drawn in pencil, except for the shawl,scarf or dress she is wrapped up in, which is colored in vibrant burgundy or lemon green in various frames. Most visitors invariably “oooh” and “aah” when they encounter portraits of this girl intermittently amidst the 500 pictures displayed inside Lalibela ballroom, which serves as a makeshift gallery for the annual event. “Isn’t she edible?” a lady dressed in African garb was heard commenting to her male companion on Friday December 12, as she passed by one picture of this girl popping
6th Issue January 2015
Leoulseged Retta, organizer of Art of Ethiopia (far left) ‘Bibliomaniac’ by Osman Hassen(centre) Waiting By Yohannes Bayou (left).
out behind a curtain. To Yohannes, the girl represents the innocence of youth. “I believe growing up somehow means discovering darkness,” Yohannes who often looks back longingly at his childhood years explained to The Eminence. “But the life of a child is much simpler, characterizing goodness and endless days of waiting with hope.” The girl’s portraits have titles like “waiting” and “New Day”. A neighborhood girl he knows served as a muse for the portrait, while he drew the varying postures by asking people to pose for him. The positive response to Yohannes’ pictures has translated into sales as well. When The Eminence talked to him on opening night of the exhibition, five of his works were already tagged in the small circle stickers that indicate they have found buyers. Success of course brings anticipation for the next year. But there were many who participated previously, that did not get a repeat chance for Art of Ethiopia 2014. “Subject matter counts,” an artist who participated last year, but did not get a repeat chance explained to The Eminence. “Use of bright colours, portraits of women, and photographic style painting are popular with buyers.” The artist’s use of darker colours and an abstract style of painting unfortunately did not attract him buyers. He is okay with this, but the need for commercial viability is limiting the diversity he feels. This phenomena is positive or negative depending on who one talks too. “It’s okay to supply demand as long as the buyer can identify with the piece of art,” some that The Eminence talked to opine. Others like a recent graduate of Entoto’s TVET Fine Arts School however think that variety, originality and technical ability are compromised. . Other artists also tend to present works
very similar to what they presented the previous year. For a regular at the Exhibition, it is easy to recognize these signature style and themes. Rediet Sisay’s work “Women in Room 3” still featured the outline of a plump woman sitting by herself, covered with a collage of newspaper. Samuel Hailu who is participating for the third time at the Exhibition also reprised his highly popular style of symbolizing music through the pictures of women meditating on their thoughts with music notes swirling on top of their hair. His piece “Noise of Silence” attracted a lot of people who drop by the sales desk to ask the price. It is tagged staggeringly at 93,000 Birr. For Leulseged, there is nothing wrong with choosing captivating themes. He does draw the line however at copying other artists’ work. He would also like to encourage artists to present different works instead of recycling yesteryear themes. “We have received a lot of constructive advice from friends of the exhibition and buyers,” he told The Eminence. “Next year we will be more rigorous about copied works, as well as recycled themes.” Despite raising such debates by stakeholders from the artworld, Art of Ethiopia still pulls in many visitors. The night the exhibition was open to the public, The Eminence found twenty nine year old Bayehu Embiale,29, browsing through the selections. He has a taste for art as he himself is a graduate of Alle School of Fine Arts. An employee at Ethiopian Airlines Bayehu told The Eminence “Since it’s Art of Ethiopia, pieces that highlight Ethiopian history and identity should be depicted. If you look at Russian Art, or Ethiopian artists of the 1970’s their works captured the essence of the philosophy of the times in their respective countries.” Mesfin Ayalew’s “Gash Militia”, depicting soldiers during the Dergue era, and Wondemagegn Gashaw’s very realistic picture
titled “Somewhere in Addis” are cases in point. On Sunday December 14, a day before the exhibition was set to close The Eminence checked at the ever busy sales desk at the back entrance of Lalibela ballroom, where three ushers are ready to assist anybody who wants to enquire price and make a purchase. A rough count by hand at the desk revealed that around a 100 of the pictures have been sold the past three days. Most on the list have prices in the 20,000-30,000 ETB range. Leulseged Retta’s paintings as always quickly attracted buyers. His realistic abstract piece was sold for 125,000 ETB Sometimes many buyers show interest in a painting, which then goes to the highest bidder. A horse-themed picture by Yared Olivelli, drew in a whopping 300,000 ETB, The Eminence learnt. Most of the buyers are Ethiopian, according to Leulseged. “There are a lot of investors and businesspeople who are interested in art. They use it for their personal collection as well as to gift this to a friend” The Eminence witnessed one visitor putting a down payment for 4,000 Birr for an artwork valued at 25,000 ETB. It is a gift for his newlywed brother who is leaving for his honeymoon abroad soon. He was told he had until Thursday December 15 to complete payments and pick up his purchase. Success in sales however is secondary to Art of Ethiopia’s main objective, according to Leulseged. “The main point is to provide a platform where Ethiopian artists from different walks of life can come together. Whether it’s big or small, and whether they like each other or not, it’s good to gather under one platform,“ he noted summarizing the event he has helped make a success for the past seven years. For him the greatest thing is the inward satisfaction one gets, of working with one’s profession in one’s own country, he says www.theeminencemagazine.com 29
Thousand Words
Credit Michelle duCille/Washington Post
The Eminence
30
www.theeminencemagazine.com
Michelle DuCille : Washington Post
In Memoriam What is a Liberian handshake? It is bumping elbows together to avoid shaking hands in the world of Ebola. A sort of elbow high five. Two time Pulitzer prize winner and Washington Post photojournalist Michelle duCille explained this to The Eminence staff during an encounter at the National Museum on December 3, where as part of a series of events for the week long Addis Foto [sic] Fest 2014, his striking pictures of this terrifying disease in Monrovia Liberia are displayed. The girl in the photo (right), is Berlinda Clark. She cannot play outside because she is under a 21 day observation for signs of the Ebola virus that killed her mother. Taking pity, an NGO worker brought her to this vibrantly colored house in Monrovia, Liberia for observance. But to the dressed up Berlinda, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the playful promise of the outside that is more appealing. It is striking that the outside world has to be protected from somebody as small and pretty as her. Even Michelle has to stand two meters away when taking this photo as is recommended. (in the other pictures showing Ebola deaths he even had to wear a mask to avoid infection) Michelle kindly and patiently explained all these details of the picture and many others depicting the human devastation of Ebola on December 3, 2014. His kindness is reflected in the small introductory question he poses next to his pictures. â&#x20AC;&#x153;How does one give dignity to the image of a woman who died and is lying on the ground, unattended, uncovered and alone as people walk by and gaze from a distance?â&#x20AC;? The ending is sad but not in the way one expects. Berlinda can join the outside world, as she is Ebola free. Michelle however left this world after he had a heart attack on his way to a remote village in Liberia, where he went back to continue telling his story, The Eminence learnt from a news story on Washington Post The Eminence Staff that met him the night of Addis Foto Fest is grateful for the way he let two young local journalists trespass on his time and attention, despite being such a distinguished person www.theeminencemagazine.com 31
The Eminence
Histor y & Diplomacy
The Ethiopian ‘Decembrists’ Tales of an Almost Coup D’etat
Be it in Russia 1825 or in Ethiopia 135 years later, it seems December had been an unlucky month both for monarchs and revolutionaries. While kings felt betrayed by those they most trusted; revolutionaries who hoped to be harbingers of change instead ended up as martyrs. And yet in both countries, these ‘Decembrists’ were an omen, heralding the larger chaos and subsequent change that was to come. By Bezawit Bekele Staff writer
A special occasion was planned for the afternoon of December 13, 1960. The event was to honor Abebe Bikila for his victory at the Rome Olympics. In light of what unfolded later that evening, this ceremony goes unmarked in history. The dignitary, who was bestowing the honors on Abebe Bikila, however would forever be remembered. Only a few hours after this ceremony where Abebe became a Major, this person would lead the most serious threat to Emperor Haile Selassie I’s throne before the final revolution that overthrew the monarchy. Together with his younger brother Germame Neway and one of Haile Selassie’s most trusted officers Colonel Workeneh Gebeyehu, General Mengistu Neway became a hero for some and a traitor for others as one of the main perpetrators of the December 1960 failed coup d’état. This coup is one of the most fascinating chapters in Ethiopian history resembling a well written movie script; charismatic characters, an intricately entwined plot, heart racing action and a dramatic ending. Although it lasted for only a few days culminating in the Emperor coming on top, things will never be the same again and the precedent set by this coup would be both an inspiration and a lesson for the 1974 Revolution. The political landscape the country found itself in was one of brewing resentment at the Emperor’s desertion of the country during the Italian invasion and his subsequent restoration further exacerbated by his conferring honors and privileges to the exiles and the ‘banda’ while the patriots were sidelined as Professor Bahru Zewede explains in his book ‘A history of Modern Ethiopia’. Externally, the year 1960 is a landmark in African history as the year around 17 countries gained independence from colonialism. The intellectuals made comparisons with these newly independent states highlighting the backwardness of their country, which served as an inspiration for Pan-African struggles.
The Characters
The handsome, chain smoker Germame Neway represented the growing intellectual
32
www.theeminencemagazine.com
force after the country’s liberation from Italy. With a BA and an MA in Economics and Governance from the University of Wisconsin and Columbia University, respectively he was an idealist who wanted reform and wanted it ‘now!’ Although he cultivated radical ideals during his stay at Columbia, until he saw first-hand the woes and anguish of the people, he believed that it was possible to bring development to the country with adjustments to the Monarchy. While serving at the Ministry of Interior, his efforts to mobilize the young intellectuals, first at Ras Emiru’s house under the guise of the ‘Kechene Club’ and later as President of the Alumni of Haile Selassie I Secondary School, rang alarm bells with the conservatives and led to his posting as governor to Wolayita and later Jigjiga. This was an opportunity to put his reformist ideas to the test which he tried to achieve by distributing un-utilized land to the poor peasants in Wolayita. This in the eyes of the feudal lords, who complained to the Emperor, was distributing government land unauthorized. He also tried to expand education and in both posts did his utmost to fight corruption and embezzlement. In Jigjiga, he devised a plan to improve the living conditions of the people and requested for budget to implement it but to no response from the center. The Khaki wearing Germame amid growing frustration at a system that was backward, reached the conclusion that only a radical political transformation can achieve results. Brigadier General Mengistu, eight years older than his brother at 44 was another breed, a formidable figure with a moustache and a stout military stature . He was a cadet in the Genet Leul Military Academy before the Italian invasion and during the war he participated in the Black Lion Liberation Movement and was later exiled to Djibouti and Sudan. He returned fighting with the Emperor and became commander of the Imperial Guards in 1954. Mengistu’s loyalty to Haile Selassie was so
strong that during trips he accompanied the King; he never slept in his room but in a cot outside the royal suites. The Emperor looked upon Mengistu like a father would a son and allowed him to court one of his grand-daughters although it did not come to fruition. Starting from 1954, Mengistu accompanied the Emperor on his visits throughout Ethiopia which was an opportunity to see close hand the miserable living standards of the people and their dissatisfaction with the government. He recalls his visit to Hararghe a few months prior to the coup where peasants decried the fact that their only interaction with the government was payment of taxes. While addressing the court in his trial, Mengistu mentioned this as the turning point he realized a change of government was necessary and decided he would be the one to bring it.
Another trusted confidant of Haile Sellasie, Haileselassie came out on top, d Colonel Workeneh ators Mengistu Neway (left); his Gebeyehu (right) had o Gebeyehu, was head Workeneh the crown. of the security services in charge of the Emperor’s security. Workeneh got an opportunity to serve as part of the Ethiopian battalion in Korea and show his exemplified talents. Workneh was like an adopted son of General Mengistu but also came in close contact with Germme when Haile Selassie appointed him to watch over the young reformist. A fourth figure in the coup whose exact participation is vague is General Tsige Dibou, the first Ethiopian Commander of the Police Forces. Tsige, an environmentalist known for his works of forestation in Hararghe was the first person detained and disarmed at the onset of the coup but later actions indicated he was actually one of the culprits.
Ironically, before he departed for an official visit to West Africa and Brazil on December 1, 1960, Haile Selassie had summoned General Mengistu and Colonel Workneh and told them ‘I am leaving the country in your hands’, not realizing the presage his words entailed. The Plot The first order of business for the mutineers on the evening of December 13 was the summoning of important figures in the government to the palace under the pretext that Empress Manan was dying. Once they arrived, they were taken to Imperial Guard headquarters and kept under watch in special rooms and even corridors. The Mutineers, however, failed to secure two important figures contributing to their failure. General Mer’ed Mengesha, the Army Chief of Staff who would lead to counter-offensive against the coup and Ras Asrata Kassa who alerted the Emperor from his refuge at the British Embassy. The next step was controlling key institutions such as banks, the government treasury, and the radio station at Abune despite the advantage conspirPetros as well as telebrother Germame(middle) and of being insiders and loyalists to communication centers in the city, a task attained before dawn. General Mengistu took the lead in these activities with Germame and his Carbine in tow. Upon the insistence of Workneh, attempts were made to seize General Mer’ed later that night but it was too late as the General was already deep at work on how to curb the coup at the army’s 1st Battalion headquarters. The next morning, General Mengistu and his comrades were concerned with reinforcing security in the city while in one room at the Imperial Guard’s Headquarters Ketema Yifru was busy drafting the proclamation to establishing the new government, which was transmitted on the radio at noon. The voice on the radio, accompanied by the sounds of a marching band was none other than the Crown Prince Asfawoassen. The message
6th Issue January 2015
promised the formation of a newa popular government with respect for democratic rights, freedom, justice and equality. The expansion of education and health and general economic development of the country were also part of the assurances. After heated debate at 4am, conspirators had decided to make Asfawoassen the salaried monarch and Ras Emeru as Prime Minister with a ‘junta’ composed of the mutineers taking charge of the legislative and executive organs for a year. On the other side, the army led by General Mer’ed was gaining confidence with the joining of the Air Force on its side. It controlled the area around La Gare while the General called in more reinforcements from Nazareth, Harar, Jimma, Gondar, Debre Birhan and Nagalle-Borana. The force from Debre Birhan arrived at the gates of Addis at dawn on Thursday but was held up at Kotebe by the Imperial Guard. The forces loyal to the Emperor took the upper hand in understanding the psyche of the Ethiopian people, urging the Patriarch Abune Basliyos to condemn the coup and ex-communicate the conspirators which he did through flyers dispersed in the city. Thursday was also marked by the demonstrations of Addis Ababa University students supporting the coup. Both parties continued their preparations for the final show down which started at 3pm that afternoon and culminated the next day with the army closing in on Genete Leul Palace leading to the dispersing of the Imperial Guard towards Entoto. When the conspirators of the coup found that the odds were against them, they tried to negotiate but General Mer’ed, certain of victory refused. Exasperated General Mengistu and his brother took the most extreme measure. They assassinated 15 out of the 20 hostages in their care. Among the dead were prominent personalities like Ras Seyoum Mengesha, Governor of Tigray, The Minister of Defense Ras Abebe Aragay, Former Governor of the Imperial Guard General Mulugeta Buli, Mekonnen Habte Wolde the Trade and Industry Minister who through his spy network had discovered the brewing coup and tried to warn the Emperor and Abba Hanna
Jimma, Father Confessor and Treasurer of Haile Selassie. The King arrived in Asmara on December 16. His flight was turbulent just like the situation in his capital. In Chad, the DC6-B he was traveling on experienced engine trouble and was forced to fly with only three engines operating on the order of the Emperor. The Emperor heard about the coup on Wednesday while in Sao Paulo and he immediately informed his entourage his decision to return. Upon receiving the list of mutineers he is reported to have said to Princess Aida in disbelief ‘It says our Workneh is in on it’. Waiting for his arrival, beside the triumphant General Mer’ed was the king’s son Asfawassen and as per the Ethiopian tradition for forgiveness, he carried a large stone on his shoulder. The End and Aftermath The leaders of the coup were on the run with a large bounty on their head and the army, police and even the populous hunting them. Colonel Workneh was discovered by soldiers in his hideout on the outskirts of town around Entoto. After putting up a resistance up to the last bullet, he shot himself. The Neway brothers were caught on the slopes of Mount Zequala and after a brief resistance Germame shot his brother and then himself. He died on the spot while General Mengistu survived with an injury to one eye. He was brought to trial and subsequently sentenced to death. Mengistu refused to ask for mercy at his trial and in a bid which reminds one of another famous historical figure sentenced to death, Socrates, made a moving final speech. “What I did was in the best interest of my country”, He further prophesized that the end of the monarchy will come when the people of the country unite to bring change. The bodies of the mutineers were displayed outside St. George Cathedral. His prophesies were realized in the 1974 revolution which learnt important lessons such as the importance of securing the Emperor as well as uniting all the divisions of the army in one with the backing of the populous. The Derg, of course, repeated the same mistake ordering the assassination of 54 former officials of the Imperial government on November 24, 1974 www.theeminencemagazine.com 33
The Eminence
Inter view
The Millennial Hotelier
How to stay locally International in a Globalized Industry The Eminence: I have read about your plans to have 1,000 bedrooms in the next few years. 10pct of the market share. Isn’t that a little bit ambitious? Benyam: Wow, okay. Where did you read it? [laughs] We as a group are very optimistic about the hospitality sector and very bullish about Ethiopia and Africa as a whole. And we will continue to build strategically, however our main goal at this point is not just market share, its building a great organic African product that provides exceptional Ethiopian hospitable service at affordable price range. Then again when you say 10pct, 10pct of what? I think 10pct of star rated rooms in Addis Ababa? By 2020 we‘ll have about 15,000 rooms in the city. 10pct of that is 1,500. Our plan is not only here in Addis. We’re actually planning to go outside of Ethiopia. So when we say 10pc it could be factoring that as well. But not here in Addis alone. Initially we wanted to build four and five star hotels in the city. That has changed as well.
34
www.theeminencemagazine.com
We’re into value hotels at this point. When I say value, it’s three star and different. See we’re trying to exit from our current business model. We’re going after the millennials: the new generation. The new generation doesn’t care about the space of the room or style of the hotel. So we were saying, what is it that matters the most to these people? It’s technology first of all. So what we’re building from this point on is technologically way advanced hotels in a sense that people want to come in and be able to get technologically advanced service. They [the millennials] are mobile now. So that whole interview four five years ago has changed drastically. So we’re not interested in that mode of business of four stars and five stars anymore. We want to build something of a high quality product but geared towards the millennial. Something that doesn’t cost USD 150 a night. There’s that market. That’s fantastic for the people that want it. But we’re only after 80-100 dollars market. That’s the value hotel. Basically it provides the efficiency, the quality and the technology. But 10pc, well essentially we can charge less because we’re building high inventory in terms of the
As Jupiter International Hotel ramps up its presence in Ethiopia, CEO & co-founder of Jupiter Hospitality group, Benyam Bisrat speaks exclusively with Mikias Merhatsidk, Editor-in-Chief of The Eminence, about the group’s business, strategic opportunities and prospects of the industry. Benyam, 38, who serves on the board of the Addis Ababa Hotel Owners association as a chairman, is one of the young business leaders that are increasingly steering the growing hospitality sector. Studying business management at York University in Canada, he returned to Ethiopia to become Chief executive of the hospitality group in 2006. Currently the group manages two hotels and is developing five more throughout the country and the continent. number of rooms; so we can offset the cost of running a hotel. Through scale of production? Exactly, but not so much 10pct though. Look at how this city is growing. When you’re growing at 1,500 number of rooms a year, that’s a lot. I guess we didn’t do our assignments in terms of supply. Now we know the city is growing at a much higher rate than we anticipated. I gave you the breakdown. We’re expecting about 100 hotels in the next 6 years, about 7,500 rooms. In the past I think the average number of hotel rooms was about 50. What we’re seeing in the coming 5-6 years is about 75. So yes, we’re still building, but I can’t tell you how many number of rooms we’ll reach. If it’s 10pct, let it be. We’ll see when we get there. We’re still very optimistic about the market though. How many rooms do you have at the moment? We currently have 142 rooms between the two hotels that we operate. We have a third property coming up with a little over 200 rooms and it is slated to open during the third quarter of 2017. We strongly believe that the need is still there,
6th Issue January 2015
probably stronger than ever and that is why we are very confident about the growth opportunities of our brand in the country. Is the demand growing? Yes, but we will also be engaged in demand creation as well. We’re not just going to wait for one African Union summit to bring us, you know, a city-wide event. As an association one of the tasks that we’ll be engaged in is demand creation. We’re going to go after the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) and participate as a hosted buyer. You know the segment in all the MICE events that happen. You see, when you look at the leisure market, the tour operators are doing a fantastic job going after the ITB, going after the world travel markets in London, so on and so forth. We as an association are going to Frankfurt and Vegas to bring in conventions and exhibitions. So demand creation is something that we’re going to be working on as well. Supply is naturally growing because of the tax provision that was put forward by the government. Well a lot of people are taking advantage of it and coming into the sector. So demand creation is something we are working on.
this point, we cannot just depend on just one African Union Summit or one United Nations meeting. We need to have such an event on a monthly basis. At least an event that will stay for a week. But on demand creation, we’re going to go out ourselves on the road, participate in this hosted buyer programs, whether the IMEX in Frankfurt, whether the IMEX in Vegas and so on, like the tour operators who are doing a great job. But as a destination, Addis Ababa is not getting much out of the leisure market. This city is not a leisure market. We might get one night out of them [the leisure tourists], but mostly they are interested in going to the south in Konso, Jinka, Arba Minch, Dilla or it’s the north. One of the destination places, not Addis. So we get just a night out of them and that’s not good enough. We need more than a night.
“we cannot just depend on just one African Union Summit or one United Nations meeting. ” Absolutely! the city and a few local private investors are working on a great value proposition, sort of a consortium to build a convention center. We as an association are endorsing this project and encouraging all our members to partake in any way they can. The completion of this project will definitely give our city a competitive edge in the sophisticated MICE segment. To this extent, we plead with the general public to invest in this venture as well.
In 2015, there are a couple of big events. There’s one big event that’s happening in March, COMESA. This is not our effort, by the way. There’s another meeting in July as well.
Listen; in the past we’ve lost [a lot]. We weren’t able to host any of these type of events because of the number of rooms we’ve had. At this point Addis [can be taken] as a destination in terms of the number of rooms or even the quality of hotels. The quality of product has improved in a big way. Going forward from
One component of this is convention center. Currently our convention centers are not of Dubai quality, you know. But we’re not just going to sit here and wait for a convention center to come along. I mean there’s one in the pipeline. I’m sure you’ve really heard of that convention center.
Does your association have any plans to work with this project?
Are there specific projects in the pipeline regarding demand creation? Is there a convention that you have managed to bring here or something?
But still you haven’t got out of the common genre of conventions and summits in Ethiopia. You have mentioned the COMESA event; of course Ethiopia is one of the influential members of COMESA; so it’s not a surprise if some kind of summit comes to Ethiopia in this regard. What I’m asking is if you were able to score some big event that is not as such particularly attached to Ethiopia, but just because there are good amenities, like the hotels that you have and the efficiency to run them and because of your association’s effort.
tion centers, restaurants, nightclubs, and any other tourism related inventory. The average night stay of a guest in Addis Ababa is about 3.5 [which is] very low by any standard. Average ticket or spent money is considerably low as well. Having a standardized complete ecosystem will help us gauge their stay and can greatly boost our earnings from the sector.
It sounds like it’s time to build more hotels. So what we need to do is go after the market, which is a MICE segment basically. The African Union center is there; the Millennium Hall is there; and the exhibition center. That does the job for now. But if we want that sophisticated type of MICE, then we need a convention center at some point. Again, in order to attract such kind of events we need to strenuously work on all the other ancillary services. What do you mean by ancillary service? Well, such as building world class conven-
Absolutely, as part of our growth strategy, we see opportunities not only in hotels, but also in the entire value chain, such as hotel conference centers and so forth. We are also exploring third party management contract possibilities with others as well. However these opportunities are not only here and we are seriously considering the region to expand our brand and to take our world renowned hospitality throughout the continent. Addis is growing. The past six years saw one hotel opening up per month on average in this city. We added about 5000 number of rooms. www.theeminencemagazine.com 35
The Eminence
We are looking at another 100 hotels in the next 5 to 6 years with an average of 75 rooms per property. We are set to reach 15,000 numbers of rooms in our medina by 2020. Out of the 100 hotels that are in the pipeline about 15 to 20Pct are branded chain hotels in a form of third party contract. So as you can clearly see, supply is at ultimate high. Getting back to your business again, are you engaged with international partners or foreign business or do you have plans to engage at some point? The Jupiter? Yes as a hotel? I’m asking you in light of the recent development in the sector. Around six or seven international brands signed agreements with their local partners, so do you have any plan to join this wave? Kudos to them! But we’re the local international hotel. We could do it ourselves. We’re going to create our own brand and we’re going to market our own brand and that’s the case now. We’re not at this point interested in working with third party management. We’re just developing our own brand. Actually we want to take this specific brand to the rest of Africa. Organically an African brand from Ethiopia. Why not?
“I mean we have been ok while not having them [international brands] in the city and I will tell you this: we’ll do ok having them in the city as well.” How long has it been since you joined this industry. And how do you analyze the change through this time? We’ve done it for the past seven years. We opened up in 2008. Come January it will be about seven years. Looking at the growth for our brand, demand is still there. That’s why we’re very optimistic about building additional properties. In terms of growth, it has been coming from three different [sources], one is locally existing operators building more hotels in the form of expansion. These are local operators. Number two is local investors entering the sector and building hotels, people that were in other sectors. Number three is
36
www.theeminencemagazine.com
brand hotels. That’s the new paradigm that we will be seeing in the next five years. We’re seeing quite a lot of brand new hotels coming here. Again, they are coming here in collaboration with local investors and local operators. So local operators are still investing and coming into the sector, but they’re not coming with their own brand or anything. They would build the brick and mortar, but they will bring a third party management to operate it for them. There are, I think, about 20 such hotels that are in the pipeline. Out of the 100 hotels that are in the pipeline 15-20pct are international chains.
market, their different niche. As long as the locals can upgrade their game and keep up with building good products, keep working on their human resource, have a good standard of service and are positioned in a very good location, I don’t see it as a problem. I mean we have been ok while not having them [international brands] in the city and I will tell you this: we’ll do ok having them in the city as well. I don’t see any difference whether they are here or not. But we welcome them; we will compete as any sector.
“It’s a great time to be alive here in Ethiopia and in Africa at large.” What will this entail for the sector and for local operators like you? Well, it took about 46 years for the three brand hotels to come into the city. 46 years for the Hilton, about 16 years for the Sheraton, about 3 for Radisson. In the next 5 to 6 years we are looking at 15-20. You tell me what is happening in the city. I guess we are open to business. I think Addis Ababa and Ethiopia at large is more open to business. Investors are getting attracted, starting to believe in us. From that point of view when you see it sends a very positive message to the rest of the world. Knowledge transfer is also another aspect of it. This might sound elementary and very basic. However, local hotels need to elevate their offerings and service standard in order to deliver what is expected of us. Being service-oriented has to be a foundation of every single proprietary and I encourage all the local hotels to invest in all their employees and empower them at the same time. Remember we are in the business of selling service and a great service only comes from a well-trained staff. Again, this is also a deciding factor in determining who will be the survivors in this business. What about competition, aren’t you afraid that they’ll be aggressive and they may crowd out local operators like you? Well at the end of the day we are only looking at 15,000 rooms. As long as we can create the demand, I don’t [think] there should be a problem. We need to work on the demand aspect of it as well, but they have their own
Your Association, the Addis Ababa Hotel Owners’ Association seems going strong with a clear mission, which is protecting its members’ interest. What are you fighting for now, at this time, I mean policy wise? What are you lobbying for at this time? We as an Association have a seat on the Tourism Transformation Council chaired by the Prime Minister and there will be an upcoming second council meeting sometime soon. And we are working on two value propositions. One is for the government to change the current incentive scheme which treats all developers here in the city, and the tourist destinations similarly. And we really believe that both the federal and regional governments need to give incentives to those folks that are willing to invest in these remote areas immensely. If we are going to transform our tourism, we have to have exceptional accommodations in these destinations and the current boom is only here in Addis.
6th Issue January 2015
This has to change and local developers need to be lured and afforded with a new incentive scheme that is worthwhile of their investment. The second agenda we are pushing for is the formation of a public-private partnership with the local government to build a full-fledged hospitality academy. Not having a well-trained human capital has been hindering the sector transformation and has to be addressed immediately. So what should the role of the Ethiopian Tourism Organization, Ethiopian Tourism Board and the Tourism Transformation Council be? I mean with the coming of the international brands, will they afford to micro manage the sector like they are trying to do now? Even getting into discussions on prices like it did with your association, do you think they will manage to do that? I think the role of ETO and the Ethiopian Tourism Board is to coordinate the different activities of the stakeholders. As you know it is a very fragmented sector. As we move forward, in order to promote and develop the sector these activities need to be harmonized.
What do you think is the biggest challenge in the hotel and tourism sector as a whole? If I have to narrow it down to one today in Addis Ababa, it has to be human capital. Whether there are three international hotels or twenty, you still have to be able to sell at the right rate for the right people and so on. The challenge is finding the right human capital, the right expertise. Are we talking about top level managers? Bottom to top and we are in the business of selling service, an intangible product and we are trying to make it tangible, which is by selling experience: an experience that people take with them. 50pct of hospitality is innate and for Ethiopians it is there with us whether as welcoming people [with] smiles on our faces. We are very generous people; we are giving; we are welcoming. It is the 50pc that we lack, which is the professional skill, product knowledge and the like. We need to complement what we have with this. I tell you teaching that is a lot easier than teaching how to smile, which is innate in us.
Let’s say someone was able to come up with 300 million birr. Which one is more appealing or profitable: engaging in the manufacturing sector or opening a four star hotel?
And this is one of ETO’s main objectives. Product development, product marketing and destination managements are other areas that ETO will be engaged in to help gauge the transformation of the sector. Furthermore, since the development of the travel and tourism industry is a priority for us as a country, our vision simply calls for branding of Ethiopia at this point as well.
Look I am going to be biased because I am in the hospitality sector; so I say hospitality, but as someone who works in the manufacturing sector they may say there are very good opportunities in the manufacturing sector, [like] opening up a factory. Open up a hospitality academy, you will be very profitable.
“ The challenge is finding the right human capital, the right expertise.” Speaking of branding the nation, I think ETO is in the process of doing that I mean strategically engaging an international company; I think it is a South African firm, so as a member do you have any say in this? Absolutely, we as an association have a seat on the Ethiopian Tourism Board and ETB is the current governing body of ETO. Ethiopian Tourism Board is a public-private partnership and we come from the private side representing the private sector on the board.
produce ten thousand professionals a year, the success rate of those graduates getting jobs will be 100pc. In Ethiopia the hospitality sector pays very well in comparison to the other sectors. On top of that we can export knowledge to the region. We can do ten thousand at ease on a yearly basis and these folks will go there to work professionally. These are not housemaids. These are going to work at international hotels, either at the front desk, housekeeping, food and beverage or at the back of the house or in the departments of accounting, marketing, finance or human resource. We can export these; and the remittance from this is huge. It may probably be a monthly salary of 100 dollar for a maid, but 1000 dollar for one of these graduates, because they are professionals. Can you imagine if we can start exporting 10,000 of these a year and in the next 10 years about 100,000. That is a billion dollar, if not more of remittance a year. In about five years they are millionaires back home investing. It is something we need to think about and it’s something we are lobbying for.
For God’s sake, all we have got to do is complement it with the skill and as people we are willing to learn; the new generation is willing to learn. For this we need the right hospitality academy. It is something we are lobbying for as well. We have thirty something universities now and I think there are 10 or 15 in the pipeline. If we can change one of these into a full-fledged hospitality academy that can
The policy would have changed if the government thought there were enough hotels in Addis today. All the tax provisions and duty free are still there. They are still encouraging people to build more; so I think there is still opportunity in that as well. Whatever you see now is the facts of that policy: 75 hotels in the past 6 years in the city and many in the pipeline. I don’t think three big factories are being operational every two months, as is the case in the hotel business. And this is for a reason. Again I am not in that sector, so I can’t really speak on that as much. [But] this is the new Addis. This city is going through drastic change. I tell folks in my office, foreigners: “Pardon our dust, just bear with us as we rebuild and rediscover the new Addis.” It’s a great time to be alive here in Ethiopia and in Africa at large www.theeminencemagazine.com 37
The Eminence
Sport Social
A Diamond in the Rough
Sorce: http://www.mariobalotelli.it/mario-show/foto-gallery/
Sorchttp://www.zimbio.com/photos/Mario+Balotelli/Mario+Balotelli+Fiance+Enjoy+Beach+Miami/_Zbp2xNtwZ2
Mario Balotelli
Well known for his antics on the field, Balotelli it seems leads his personal life with a bang as well. On the picture above (left) he is seen enjoying a stroll on Miami beach with fiancée Fanny Neguesha. His hidden philanthropic side, is on display during his visit to a rehabilitation center for children – ‘Casa Del Sol Onus’ (right) By Bezawit Bekele Staff writer
The world of sports has seen its share of colorful characters. The media is full of the crazy antics these celebrities get up to, their mischiefs and strange behavior whether it is Dennis Rodman’s friendship with the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un or his dressing up in a wedding gown to the ceremony in which he was marrying himself or Mike Tyson blowing through his $400 million fortune or Eric Cantona hitting a spectator in a Kung-Fu kick. In recent years, one man dominated the spotlight: Mario Balotelli. The list of his tomfooleries is endless, both on and off the field. His behavior is a source of entertainment for fans but a headache for coaches such as Jose Mourinho who called him ‘unmanageable’ and Roberto Mancini who had a training ground bust-up with the player. This December, his comment on instagram about the game character Mario, from which Balotelli got his nick name ‘Super Mario’ was a topic of controversy. He re-tweeted [about the character] ‘He jumps like a black man and collects coins like a Jew’. Many lashed at the comment for being racist but the star who battled racial abuse throughout his career meant it as an anti-racist advocacy. The English Football Association was not convinced banning him for one match, a fine of £ 25,000 and ordered him to attend an education course. This is but one piece of the enigmatic puzzle that is Balotelli. It is true that he has squabbles with his own teammates for a free kick and shows off a ‘Why Always Me’ shirt after scoring. While in Manchester City he used the club’s young players for dart target
38
www.theeminencemagazine.com
practice and burned his own bathroom using fireworks. In Italy, he drove into a women’s prison just to ‘have a look around’ and was photographed with two members of the Italian Mafia. An old girlfriend revealed in an interview that he googles himself obsessively to see how popular he is. These eccentricities overshadow both his football career and his softer philanthropist side, which is not given emphasis as it does not fit in with the ‘bad boy’ persona the media portrays of him. Mario had a far from ideal start in life as a son of Ghanaian immigrants in Palermo, Italy in August 1990. Even before he was 2, he developed intestinal complications, undergoing multiple operations. Thomas and Rose Barwah were unable to care for their child and as a result he was given for Italian foster parents and grew up in Brescia Province. His foster parents Frasceco Balotelli, a retired warehouse supervisor and his former nurse wife Silvia took great care of the young Mario together with their three grown children. He was the only black face in the youth team he played with, a fact which has not changed when he wore the Italian national team’s jersey. Mario was not formally adopted because of the refusal of his birth parents and only got an Italian citizenship when he turned 18. At the young age of 24, Balotelli has played for big European clubs Inter Milan, their arch rivals AC Milan, Manchester City and Liverpool. He has helped Manchester City win their first ever English Premier League title 2011/12 and has scored a total of 90 professional goals in 236 appearances. He has represented his adopted country Italy in major competitions including the UEFA Euro 2012
6th Issue January 2015
interested in the cause of building a Secondary school in this war torn village after meeting Jon Kon Kelei in Milan in 2010. The story of Kelei which was documented in a film ‘The Silent Army’ was touching. Kelei was kidnapped when he was just 4 years old by the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Army. He became a child soldier and fought in the civil war carrying ‘weapons heavier than himself’ in his own words. He managed to escape and as a refugee in Holland and studied law. He returned to his country after South Sudan gained independence. Balotelli when he heard about Kelei’s plans to build a school in his home town provided the funds for the construction by donating his fees from a commercial for Gazetta Dello Sport. Balotelli’s altruism is not reserved for humans only. He loves dogs. Upon his arrival in Manchester City, he was separated from his Labrador ‘Lucky’ who was quarantined. He spent his spare time by volunteering to walk all the dogs in a Manchester dog’s home and when the home was destroyed by a fire made a very generous donation. Mario Balotelli is famous for his mohawk, his ‘Hulk’ impersonation as a celebration and his unpredictable conducts on the pitch and in the town but that is only a part of the picture. He is estranged from his birth parents who he feels abandoned him and are only after his money; his love life is full of mayhem and he puts up with monkey boos and racial rants. Despite it all his heart seems to be in the right place and for his critics he has the following to say ‘I am not evil! My experiences in life have made me who I am, to someone who behaves differently than most people’, an accurate summation
http://imgkid.com/mario-balotelli-why-always-me.shtml
http://boe.publiatis.com
in Poland and Ukraine and the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. It was during the Confederation Cup, a competition considered a prelude to the World Cup held a year before the most prestigious football event in Brazil that the world got to see another softer side of Mario Balotelli, the benevolent side. The Confederation games were held amidst popular revolts for free public transportation. The game between the host Brazil and Italy was scheduled to play in Salvadore, where the protests were violent leading to the Italian team being confined to their hotel rooms. Balotelli was the only player who ventured out of the hotel and it was not as Italy’s coach Prandelli indicated because ‘he looks different from the other players’. The real reason was, however, because Balotelli was no stranger to Salvadore. He has been supporting the charity ‘One bridge for the Future’ or ‘Un Ponte per il Futuro’, an organization which works towards the education of children in one of the most notorious Favellas in Salvador, the Mata Escura Favela. Balotelli before he achieved world class stardom spent two Christmases in 2007 and 2008 with the children and his guests Sister Claudia and Sister Raffalla. In addition to his general support, Balotelli has ‘remote’ adopted five children from the Favella. Close to home, in Italy he is involved with the ‘Casa del sol Onus’ a rehabilitation center for children. He visited the center in Monova in 2011 and participated in the exercises the children undertake including the theatrics on the horse which was bought with donations by Balotelli. He is also a keen patron of Medicine Sans Frontier. In the South Sudan town of Cuey Machar, a Secondary School has named a building the ‘Mario Balotelli wing’. Balotelli became
Balotelli’s mercurial reputation is not without grounds. He has missed a third of the Premier League season due to suspensions while playing for Manchester City (left) but coaches tolerate his antics due to his ferocious skills with the ball. (right). www.theeminencemagazine.com
39
The Eminence
Legal Corner
International Human Rights Conventions under the FDRE Constitution The Constitution of the FDRE devoted the third chapter to fundamental human rights and freedoms. Article 13 of the Constitution entails that all organs of government are duty bound to protect, respect and enforce fundamental rights and freedoms enshrined under Chapter three . In addition, Article 13/2/ stipulates that human rights provisions under the Constitution should be interpreted in line with International Human Rights Instruments such as Universal Declaration of Human Rights Ethiopian Lawyers As- (UDHR), International Covenant on Civil and Political sociation (ELA) has Rights (ICCPR) and the like. assigned Tigist Abera (L.L.B), a legal researcher at ELA and a graduate of Addis Abeba University, to write this piece. Tigist can be reached at 2014barassociation@gmail.com
The Constitution is the supreme law of the land with regards to hierarchy of laws. Pursuant to the supremacy clause Article 9, if legislation is in conflict with constitutional provision, the latter supersedes the former. The status in the Ethiopian Constitution of international instruments in general and human rights instruments in particular is not definite and is subject to substantial scholarly debate. There are two popular arguments towards this issue. Some argue that International Human Rights Treaties ratified by Ethiopia are above the FDRE Constitution. These documents are international to the extent that they bind states’ parties, they reason. According to the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, states cannot invoke their national laws as a defense for not obeying international law. This implies that the international governs the national. Hence, as the constitution is national law, it cannot be above international documents. In addition to this, Article 13/2/ of the FDRE Constitution itself stated that fundamental human rights provisions under the Constitution should be interpreted in line with international human rights documents like UDHR and ICCPR. Apparently, international documents are above the Constitution and the Constitutional provisions cannot contradict with International Conventions. Others on the other hand argue that International Human Rights documents are beneath the Constitution. It is self evidently attested that the Constitution is the supreme law of the land as per Article 9/1/. And any law, customary practice or decision of an organ of state or a public official that contravenes the constitution shall be of no effect. As international human rights documents ratified by Ethiopia become part of Ethiopian law as per Article 9/4/, they cannot contradict with the constitution. Even more, Article 13 of the Constitution should be inter-
40
www.theeminencemagazine.com
preted in light of the intention of the drafters of the Constitution. Accordingly, the stipulation under Article 13/2/ of the Constitution, i.e. “The fundamental rights and freedoms specified in this chapter shall be interpreted in a manner confirming to the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenants on Human Rights and International Instruments adopted by Ethiopia” is included in the Constitution in order to correctly interpret Chapter three. It is not for making a hierarchy of laws. According to the rule of interpretation of laws, a law should be interpreted based on the intention of its drafters; we have to interpret laws through the lens of the lawmakers. To get the real intention of the drafters we have to see preparatory notes as well as the original documents during the making of the law. By the same token, Chapter three of the Constitution is basically taken from international human rights documents. The first hand documents in this particular case are International Human Rights Instruments such as UDHR, ICCPR and others. Hence, what Article 13/2/ of the Constitution exactly means is that since the original documents of Chapter three of the Constitution are international human rights documents, one should refer to these documents when interpreting this Chapter and should not consider it to mean that international human rights documents are above the FDRE Constitution. In conclusion, the writer believes that the first view holds water. It therefore reflects her view. As a sovereign state, there is no doubt that the Constitution of the FDRE is the supreme law of the land, meaning no law can contradict with the Constitution. On the other hand however, once a country becomes state party to international agreements and ratifies a treaty, it cannot raise its national law as a defense for failure to respect international agreements. This implies that International Human Rights Agreements ratified by Ethiopia have superior status than any national law including the Constitution. Furthermore, the Constitution itself recognizes these documents as superior as far as interpretation of Chapter three of the Constitution is concerned. Hence, based on internationally accepted principles and the intention of the drafters of FDRE Constitution, International Human Rights Treaties ratified by Ethiopia are above the Constitution Disclaimer The arguments in this article only reflect the views of ELA staff writer Tigist Abera, not of the Association.
6th Issue January 2015
Commentar y
It’s the little Pieces That Make the Big Picture!
Yibeltal Alemu is the Human Resources Development Manager of Addissinia Hotel and Ex- G/Manager of the Addis Ababa Hotel Owners Association, Yibeltal has been engaged in the hospitality sector for the last decade. He can be reached at ya_yibe@yahoo.com
As a dweller of Addis, where do you prefer to go to get a bite to eat and drink? Or where do you recommend other people to visit to make use of food and beverage services? While, there are numerous options to go to, the services provided are however poor and disproportional to the price asked. Quantity, as so often is the case, is unfortunately a mismatch to quality in the hospitality sector. How bad can services be? Well, does this sound familiar? Five to ten minutes have passed since you have arrived at the outlet, and nobody would care to come and take your order, let alone greet and welcome you with a deservedly happy note. When you finally clap and clamor, “hey waiter/waitress,”, an overworked, tired and non-smiling face appears to take your order. Inquiring about a specific meal on the menu is futile, since no proper explanation would be given by table attendants, as they lack proper product knowledge. You then have to sit for over half an hour to have your order on the table. Finally the food comes and it takes you only a few seconds to realize the order brought is not what you asked for. Not only that, but plates, cups, glasses, and other items at use for guests are of poor quality. Making things even worse is that a complaint to the waiter/ waitress would only get you a litany of justifications rather than an apology and effort to make things right. Debating with yourself, you want to pay your bill and it takes forever for the waiting staff before finishing up a chat with another colleague and get to your table. Sadly service like this is the norm rather than the exception in many establishments. Most customers are so used to this that they hardly boycott the place where they encounter poor services. Though in theory ‘the customer is king’ most are too willing to abdicate their throne. The main reason behind inadequate service is the lack of a sense of belonging and ownership. The staff do not consider the vision or success of the company as their own. Moreover there is no negative reinforcement for staff who treat customers badly. With new restaurants, hotels and guesthouses mushrooming in the city, lack of motivation is also a factor. This also has surged the demand for hotel staff to an all time high. A person fired for poor service, need only step outside and stroll a few yards before finding a new job. Lack of product awareness is also a stumbling block. Most hotel staff cannot provide full information on menu items. Most are not aware if an item on the menu cannot be served that day. They take the order, and come back a while later to an expectant customer only to inform him that the kitchen has run out of the order. The management may also be to blame here by grafting the staff into work without providing briefing and orientation. Employees’ lack of motivation to inform themselves does also exacerbate the challenge faced. However, ignoring the challenge passively is not the way to go
about, no matter how deeply ingrained it is. Concious effort is needed to raise the standard of the food and beverage services in Ethiopia Each establishment should strive to uphold an international standard level of service to its clientele. That includes curbing average waiting time between an order and serving the main dish, which should not surpass fifteen minutes. This is easy to do as the major inputs needed to prepare food at restaurants are mostly ready before the actual order is placed. The following recommendations will surely help better service in the industry. 1) Self Check Appearing neat and keeping the house dresscode is important. But it is not just the physical. Psychologically, staff must maintain a positive attitude to handle customers from all walks of life. 2) Environmental Check Before mealtimes, the staff have to make sure that the tables are set up correctly. They should also check with the kitchen to see if any items from the menu are skipped for that day and whether any beverage is out of stock. Bottle opener, notepad and pen should also be ready at all times. There is no way that a guest will be offered the same room that was used by another guest before actually changing the bed sheet and making the room spotless for the next user. Similarly, a table that was used by another customer needs to be taken care of right away before actually letting any other guest make use of it. For a qualified staff working at a food & beverage service provider, the following are checklists to live or die by: professionalism, personal and environmental hygiene, polite, friendly and personalized service, quickness and accuracy, as well as knowledgeability. The establishment on the other hand should ensure the quality and taste of food; provide appropriate portions; ask for a reasonable price and encourage teamwork among staff members. It should also provide incentives for employees who strive to be better and inspire a sense of ownership in each of its service staff. Teamwork is critical to service success! The secret of a food & beverage service operation’s success is that everyone works together as a team to give guests great service. You are part of a service delivery system. You must give guests and coworkers great service for the system to work. After all, while an F&B person in a hotel is simply defined as someone who takes and serves guests’ orders, that is not the heart of the job. What is it you may ask? It is doing everything possible, within reason and limit, to make each guest’s dining experience exactly what they want it to be and even exceed their expectations whenever possible www.theeminencemagazine.com
41
The Eminence
Commentar y
Developing Simon Heliso is Country Representative for Ethiopia at Johns Hopkins University Centre for Communication Programs and author of the book “Yemeri Yaleh” (In Search of a Leader). He also served in leadership positions with World Vision International in Ethiopia, South Sudan & Burundi, occasionally lecturing leadership courses at the International Leadership Institute (ILI). He can be reached at simhelkuk@yahoo.com
A key challenge for African businesses is grooming leaders that understand the present day global business environment; transform the opportunities and obstacles of global competition to the benefit of their companies; and develop a brand and service that withstands the onslaught of both external pressure and domestic inadequacies. In fact, developing leaders is a perennial problem not just in the business world but in every field. The reason lies partly behind our culture of idolizing existing leaders whether or not they have achieved concrete results. We respect, and nearly worship, them and build a cult around them greater than their grandest achievement. Respect without bounds, appears to bind us all. The problem also lies in a culture that fears emergent leaders. The leadership field faces a drought of ‘others’ filtering into it, mainly because those already there are possessively diligent. We can be bold about this point. Simply, the young are shunned; female leaders face an unprecedented glass ceiling; diversity is scorned and feared; and rather sadly intellectuals are sidelined. Consequently, we are tossed to the opposite end of blaming all failure on the leadership. Our respect turns into resentment and inner rebellion and the vicious circle of failing to thrive on changing environments continues. Most businesses and organizations do not even ask the question, “How would you grow leaders around you?” First, what not to do It is high time to stop thinking that we have enough leaders or that they have attained it all. It is incongruent with the reality. If there was sufficient competent business leadership, we
42
www.theeminencemagazine.com
would not be struggling with corrupt practices, poor quality goods and compromised services. There is more to the problem: failure to capture the global market; inadequate transformation of our businesses to modern companies; stunted growth in many fields and largely inward looking strategies that are gasping for breath. But even those aware that leadership will determine the future of their businesses, tend to focus solely on training leaders to build the leadership stock. Training alone cannot grow leaders. In fact, as Mike Myatt in a recent issue of Forbes Magazine decries, training of leaders has become a stumbling block rather than the boon of leadership development. He cites a report from the American Society of Training and Development, which says U.S. businesses spend more than $170 billion on leadership-based curriculum, with the majority of those dollars being spent on “Leadership Training,” with very little translated into effect. Now, that tells a lot. Our blind trust in schools, seminars, workshops and training programs to deliver our next leaders is obsolete. Too many training systems are based on indoctrination of current realities. We preach how right and Godsent the current ways of doing things are, even admitting it cannot be bettered. In so doing, we forget that the human develops best when given freedom to exercise the thinking faculty. If I think for the leader, the best I could arrive at is to replicate myself, but will not allow another powerful self to grow. Training is great but when combined with the glut of ‘best practices, examples, success stories’ delivered in age old, one-dimensional, authoritarian and lecture oriented fashion, simply confounds the best of budding leaders and turns them to paupers.
6th Issue Jan 2015
leaders Second, what to do History is awash with leaders who have been nurtured under the caring and developing eyes of their predecessors. Today, we need a bit of that age old wisdom within the organizational management in every field of society – be it business, social or political organization. Let’s turn to developing leaders, not just training them. This primarily requires recognizing the hunger in each person to express themselves. By addressing the quest for freedom, we do away with the feeling of vacuum and hopelessness that comes with overloading of past experiences and unlock the potential of emerging leaders. Trained leaders can survive today; leaders that are given freedom and developed to craft our future will help us cross tomorrow, in triumph. Future oriented leaders are the result of painstakingly spent time and resources to grow them as disciples – that is nurturing, coaching, mentoring and spending the very life of people who currently hold leadership positions on the emergence of the next generation of leaders. In fact, this is the prime task of any incumbent leader in any field, not just business companies. Truly, forward thinking leadership development recognizes that the task is a collaborative one- a joint undertaking, involving both the leader and the disciple. More than anything it has to be genuine, action-oriented and expectant. It is rather nuanced, fluid, and avoids one-size-fit-all tactics. It is about thinking beyond the normal and focusing on the individual, even best done with one or just a few team members at a time and with the determination that more can be added when capacity and resources permit. Development requires challenging the person to heights that have not been explored or attempted. A
lofty vision that values a person and trusts in the ability to draw from the best of our collective will enable us to see a better future while also checking our uncanny capacity to do the exact opposite. Of course, vision alone cannot provide solace. Future leaders should have the capacity to understand what is needed today; and what is needed for tomorrow. This requires nurturing innovation, even allowing them to fail as they develop. Our tendency to weed out all those failed might have made us ‘throw the baby with the bathwater.’ A sure fire way of declining a business is lumping innovative and risk taking leaders in the same category as lame ducks. Developing leaders requires sticks that do not break the back bones of emerging leaders. There should instead be a pat of comfort and encouragement when followers attempt to move out of their comfort zones; almost encouraging them to fail. The monolithic and authoritarian thinking of always doing your homework belongs in your school days. In reality, failure is perhaps one of the better schooling methods. Well, let’s tone it down a bit. Failure is not the quest, but learning from failure is. This requires current mentors to design follow-up methods commensurate with both the exploration of the unknown and the accountability of our quest to move forward and enrich cultures. The seriousness of emphasizing performance and demanding effectiveness will determine the level to which leaders grow. Leaders that learn from mistakes, embrace positive criticism, and uphold their vulnerability of being accountable to all stakeholders, including followers, are more likely to capitalize from their failures and lead our businesses, organizations and society to the unknown but determinedly tough world of tomorrow www.theeminencemagazine.com
43
中国人在埃塞的创业经历
“Experience of the Chinese in Ethiopia” By Kaleab Hailu Staff writer
随着时代的变迁越来越多的外国人涌向非洲这边大陆，亚的斯亚贝巴这座大城市迎接着来自世界各地 的游客和商人。在这些源源不断到来的人群里，大部分人都对非洲这片大陆存在着误解，他们认为这 里的人民承受着贫穷，疾苦，甚至有些人认为这里的社会扭曲以致一片混沌。但真实的非洲并不像想 象中的那样，当你来到非洲，你会感受到人们的热情，环境气候的优美，很多游客来到这里会惊讶的 发现这一片土地蕴含着如此不同的文化和能量。在我的身边有两位中国商人便爱上了这里，他们在这 片热情的土地上开拓了一番天地，并把总部设在了埃塞的首都亚的斯亚贝巴。
凯文 刘是一个来自中国的商 人，两年前只身来到亚的斯进 行考察并在这里创立了一家公 司，给其取名阿福克斯绿洲水 资源与水利水电工程建设有限 公司。当他第一次走出亚的斯 亚贝巴的机场，踏入这片不可 思议的土地的时候，他就深深 地爱上了这座城市，在他看来 这座城市的迷人之处不仅仅在 于美丽的山峰和热情的人，同 样作为商人的他看到了机遇。 他曾对我说：“这绝对是一座 美丽的城市，来到这里的人都 会承认这一点，现在我不仅抓 住了机遇在这里闯出一番天 地，我更有责任为这个热情如 火的国家发展做一份贡献。” 当然每个访客都会对这片未知 的土地感到惊讶。当刘在这里 生活了一段时间后，他惊叹的 对我说：“我发现埃塞俄比亚 的人都非常喜爱跳舞，唱歌， 他们的传统歌曲非常欢快， 他们都如此的热爱自己的文 44
化！” 对于热爱运动的刘来说，最快 乐的时光之一便是在亚的斯亚 贝巴享受打篮球，乒乓球和台 球的休闲时光了。沙拉公园 是他第一个发现的篮球场，从 这以后他经常来这里打球。不 仅如此，对于他来说徒步行走 游览这个城市也是他的爱好之 一，他告诉我他享受行走的乐 趣，在这段行走之旅的途中， 他会看到不同的建筑，不同的 民族文化，并享受人们的热 情，这带给他更多的快乐。 对于每一个游客来说，品尝当 地传统的美食是绝对不可错过 的旅行体验之一。亚洲和埃塞 俄比亚的美食有着一个共同 的特点：都会用到繁多的调料 让味道变得更加鲜美。无论是 中国的火锅还是埃塞俄比亚 的DORO WOT，都会在食物中 添加各种香料从而给食物带来 独特的风味。在刘创业的两年 里，他品尝了很多地方的不同
美食，他最爱的当地美食叫做 Shiro，是一种由当地的面粉 和调料炖在一起作为菜，并用 当地的主食Injera裹在里面食 用的一种食物，他非常喜爱这 一道菜，并介绍给他的同伴来 品尝。 “我在朋友的婚礼上吃过Doro Wot，这道美味的菜肴似乎 在婚礼上被赐予了神圣的意 义。”刘这样和我说：“并且 我很喜欢这道菜，非常的美 味，但是我更喜欢Shiro。” 他笑着对我说。当地美食给刘 带来的惊喜不止这些，他在这 里发现了美食的新大陆，他惊 讶于埃塞的生牛肉“第一次看 到一盘生牛肉摆到我面前时 我真是难以想象！”他笑着 说：“我发现似乎很多当地人 喜欢这样吃，当然我也不能错 过尝鲜的机会，当我尝试细细 品尝一番，我发现肉很鲜嫩， 并且并不是不能接受。”当他 谈到这里的时候似乎很回味。
“我在朋友的婚礼上吃过Doro Wot，这道美味的菜肴似乎 在婚礼上被赐予了神圣的意 义。”刘这样和我说：“并且 我很喜欢这道菜，非常的美 味，但是我更喜欢Shiro。” 他笑着对我说。当地美食给刘 带来的惊喜不止这些，他在这 里发现了美食的新大陆，他惊 讶于埃塞的生牛肉“第一次 看到一盘生牛肉摆到我面前 时我真是难以想象！”他笑着 说：“我发现似乎很多当地人 喜欢这样吃，当然我也不能错 过尝鲜的机会，当我尝试细细 品尝一番，我发现肉很鲜嫩， 并且并不是不能接受。”当他 谈到这里的时候似乎很回味。 “我在朋友的婚礼上吃过Doro Wot，这道美味的菜肴似乎 在婚礼上被赐予了神圣的意 义。”刘这样和我说：“并且 我很喜欢这道菜，非常的美
味，但是我更喜欢Shiro。” 他笑着对我说。当地美食给刘 带来的惊喜不止这些，他在这 里发现了美食的新大陆，他惊 讶于埃塞的生牛肉“第一次看 到一盘生牛肉摆到我面前时 我真是难以想象！”他笑着 说：“我发现似乎很多当地人 喜欢这样吃，当然我也不能错 过尝鲜的机会，当我尝试细细 品尝一番，我发现肉很鲜嫩， 并且并不是不能接受。”当他 谈到这里的时候似乎很回味。 刘在亚的斯亚贝巴的经历被很 多中国人共享着。当他们来到 这片土地他们发现埃塞俄比亚 和想象中的完全不同。苏好， 一个和刘共同拼搏在同一家公 司的年轻人，在他第一次踏入 这篇热土的时候他改变了他的 想法。刘曾经诚实的告诉我， 每个外国人都会认为埃塞俄比 亚是一个发展中国家，它像其
他非洲国家一样并不具有很高 的科技，也不拥有快速增长的 经济，是一个典型发展中的国 家。但苏的看法让我觉得为埃 塞扳回一成。 “从埃塞俄比亚的机场设施 到当地餐厅的服务都超出了我 的预想。”苏说：“而且，从 这里的人们的生活态度中我发 现，与其他地方不同的是，不 管是穷人或者富人，人们的眼 中都对生活和未来充满着希 望。” 苏对亚的斯亚贝巴的各种菜 肴有着自己的独特偏好，像 Tibs，烤肉，Beyaynet，素 食自助餐，和肉沫鸡蛋等等 都是他喜爱的食物。他最喜欢 的也是最引起他兴趣的食物叫 Kikil，这是一种类似小锅炖 肉的菜肴，是由切碎的肉末和 洋葱，青椒等蔬菜和辣椒粉一 起制作而成的美味菜肴。他对 此似乎情有独钟。 当被问及埃塞有什么地方需 要改善的时候，他们都会绅 士而又礼貌的回答，一切 都好。我知道这是礼貌性 的回答，所以我转变话题问 道：“你确定你满意当地的 电话服务？你能适应当地的 即使方式么？” 起初，刘还是笑着回答：“ 是的，一切都好。” 后来，他非常恭敬的提出了 意见说道：“我发现大多 数在路上跑的汽车都太旧 了，车辆的尾气会污染这 座美丽的城市。”他真诚的 告诉我。是的我们需要改 善，只有被人们关注并提及 的错误才会更快的被改正。 www.theeminencemagazine.com
45
The Eminence
Entertainment
Tourist Corner
The Environmentalist
my first time in the country.
The Eminence stood a long time looking for expats and tourists at the finish line of the Great Ethiopian Run, before finally laying eyes on the tall figure of Justin Saeian who was talking to his colleagues. He answered our questions with serious consideration and deadpan humor which unfortunately didn’t translate into the page. The Eminence however was highly entertained.
I am in Ethiopia because I teach at One Planet International School. I decided to participate in the Ethiopian Great Run because my fellow teachers at One Planet were running. I liked the experience. It was fun: the singing and splashing of water. An Amharic concept I failed to understand is the burning of garbage on Hidar 12 (November 21). [When asked why this is he answers with a ‘duh’ expression] “it may cause cancer”. [Hence The Eminence nicknaming him The Environmentalist]
The Diplomatic Spouse Regula was just finishing the Great Run and talking to her Ethiopian friend when The Eminence approached her. She went out of her way to oblige our reporters even changing her direction, so that she can give this short interview, reminding us that ‘Yelugnta’ [going out of one’s way to accommodate others] is not just an Ethiopian value. The Eminence was grateful for this gesture.
[on the date Justin mentioned there’s a tradition where each household burns their garbage, and the city is filled with smoke, according to the historical grapevine] The thing that has been hard to find here that I would normally find easily in my home country is Cheese. The thing that has been easy to find here that is hard to find in my home country is Mangoes.
Name: Justin Saeian Age: 21 I am from Chicago, USA. I’ve been in Ethiopia for the past seven months and I plan to stay for a year. It is
46
www.theeminencemagazine.com
My favorite thing about Ethiopia is the people. They are nice and friendly.
Name: Regula Flury
My least favorite thing about Ethiopia is the transportation. I use the minibus and do not enjoy the pushing and shoving.
I am from Switzerland.
My favorite Ethiopian cuisine is Shiro, very simple. I am not a vegetarian but I don’t like eating meat that much. My most memorable lost in translation moment is when I tell my students ‘Zem Belu’ in Amharic thinking it a polite ‘be silent’ but I guess it is not a nice thing to say.
Age: 55 I’ve been in Ethiopia for three and half years. I have been here 30 years ago as well. How I came to Ethiopia is because my husband is a diplomat at the Swiss Embassy. I am a diplomatic spouse. An Ethiopian concept/way of thinking/ I fail to understand is people peeing on the road. [The Eminence cowered with shame upon
6th Issue January 2015
Magic Eye
hearing this.] I am participating in the Ethiopian Great Run for the second time. I also run two years ago (I did not run last year because of the rumors of a security threat). Actually I walk, not run. I finished the race in two hours and got the yellow medal. I was so happy because I was able to buy a Coke on the road, I really needed a Coke. The thing that has been hard to find here that I would normally find easily in my home country is Swiss cheese. The thing that has been easy to find here that is hard to find in my home country is *Injera, * beautiful scarves * nice coffee. My most favorite thing about Ethiopia is the people. They are nice, kind, friendly, helpful and smiling. It is not usual to see smiling people on the street in Switzerland. [when pressed by the Eminence, Regula made an exception for Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer who smiles regularly.]
Discover the 3D image within Unlike the way you normally see images by directly looking at the surface, aim your lines of sight in the middle, right before the image or aim your lines of sight in parallel direction beyond the picture. See answer on page 45.
SUDOKU Place the digits 1-9 exactly once in each horizontal row, each vertical column and each sub grid region. See answer on page 53.
My least favorite thing about Ethiopia is the traffic and the dust in the air. My most favorite Ethiopian cuisine is Beyayenetu.[literary meaning ‘all kinds’, the dish consists of many different vegetarian sauces served in one.] Most memorable lost in translation moment was one day I invited in my driver for coffee and he kept saying ‘no problem’. Assuming that means yes, I went inside, waited for him but he didn’t come. ‘No problem’ I guess meant the opposite. [Usually when Ethiopians say ‘no problem’ it means ‘don’t inconvenience yourself’ It’s declining politely so that people don’t go out of their way to accommodate the other person]. www.theeminencemagazine.com
47
N
The Eminence
48
www.theeminencemagazine.com
6th Issue January 2015
Classifieds Police Stations Police Information Federal Police Commission AA Police Commission Fire Brigade 1st Station Menilik II square 2nd station Addisu Kera 3rd station Mekanisa 4th station Nifas Silk 5th station Akaki 6th station Megenagna 7th station Bole Phone Service Toll Free Information Service Federal Police Commission National Operator Fault Report Dial Up Internet Pre Paid Mobile Service/Bill Inquiry/Lost Mobile Registration/ Number Change Information Broad Band Customer Service PSTN Service Voice Mail Hotels Sheraton Hotel Hilton Hotel Radisson Blu Hotel Marriott Hotel Intercontinental Hotel Courier Service DHL EMS(Ethiopia) Federal Express TNT Skypok UPS Trans Express Ethiopia Tour and Travel Eminence Social Entrepreneurs Koreb Tour Operators Kibran Tours Plc Rainbow car rental and tour services Art Gallery Asni Gallery Ersas Art Studio Goshu Art Gallery Gigi’s Afro Asian Design& Fine Interiors Makush Gallery Guest House Molla Guest House Sheba Guest House Meskel Flower Hotel Weygos Guest House T.D.S Guest House Saron Guest House Addis Sun Rise Guest House Bar, Caf & Restaurant Yosam Bar & Restaurant Zenny Bar & Restaurant Yosam Bar & Restaurant Turaco Bar & Restaurant The Mask Bar & Restaurant Zola Caf & Restaurant Zhonghua Restaurant Zemenawi Restaurant Yars Caf & Restaurant Museum Institute of Ethiopian Studies (IES) The Modern Art Museum/Gebre Kirstos Desta Centre
UN United Nations Development Program United Nations Children Education Fund United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
991 916 011 157 21 21 011 156 70 40 011 466 34 20 011 276 91 46 011 442 55 63 011 434 00 96 011 663 03 73 011 664 85 80 997 916 998 994 900 994 980 980 908 011 517 17 17 011 517 00 00 011 515 76 00 011 663 05 00 011 518 04 44 011 662 16 00 011 515 20 72 011 618 63 83 011 551 41 54 011 662 13 09 011 551 41 54 011 823 71 82 011 662 3179 011 662 62 14 011 371 79 40 011 123 32 44 0913 66 02 30 011 661 03 97 0912 20 43 37 011 552 68 48 011 663 35 82 011 618 85 56 011 467 01 26 011 515 49 66 011 662 35 95 011 618 90 66 0911 20 94 88 011 338 01 23 011 416 89 06 011 338 01 23 011 111 19 11 011 663 11 02 011 663 25 20 011 618 32 06 011 440 20 90 011 123 73 24 011 123 10 68 011 122 14 69
011 663 35 82 011 518 40 00 011 551 72 00
Answer for The Magic Eye
Airlines British Midland (BMI) Egypt Air Ethiopian Airlines Emirates Kenya Airways K.L.M Royal Dutch Lufthansa Saudi Airline Yemen Airways Hospitals Private Addis Cardiac Hospital Addis Hiwot Hospital Bete Zata Hospital Landmark Hospital Hayat Hospital Kadisco Hospital Public Black Lion (Tikur Anbessa) Hospital Cultural Centre Alliance Ethio Francaise British Council Goethe Institut Italian Cultural Institute Russian Center for Science & Culture Ethio-France Friendship and Research Centre Library Academy of Ethiopian Languages Alliance Ethio-Française British Council Economic Commission for Africa(ECA) library German Cultural Institut Italian Cultural Institute J.F Kennedy (A.A.U) A.A Municipality Library National Libraries & Archives Online Classifieds What’s Happening in Addis Ababa? BUY AND SELL (Ethiopia) Kaymu 2 Merkato Latest Ethiopian Tenders and Bids Gulit online market Mekina online car market Lodges Kuriftu Resort And Spa Omotic General Trading Plc Green Land PLC Safari Lodge Semien Park Lodges PLC Pharmacy Abader Pharmacy Bata Pharmacy Ethio German Pharmacy Banks Abay Bank Addis International Bank Awash International Bank Bank of Abyssina Berhan International Bank Buna International Bank Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) Construction and Business Bank Cooperative Bank of Oromia Dashen Bank Debub Global Bank Development Bank of Ethiopia Enat Bank Lion International Bank Nib International Bank Oromia International Bank United Bank Wegagen Bank Zemen Bank Cinema Edna Mall Matti Multiplex
Sudoku Solution www.theeminencemagazine.com
011 665 04 94 011 156 44 93 011 665 66 66 011 518 18 18 011 551 42 58 011 552 55 41 011 551 56 66 011 663 81 37 011 551 50 76 011 663 47 20 011 618 04 49 011 551 41 41 011 552 62 29 011 662 44 88 011 629 89 04 011 551 12 11 011 155 02 13 011 155 00 22 011 124 23 45 011 111 36 55 011 155 34 27 011 551 62 47 011 551 59 26 011 155 02 13 011 155 00 22 011 551 72 00 011 155 28 88 011 111 34 27 011 111 04 33 011 155 01 11 011 551 62 47 www.facebook.com www.facebook.com www.facebook.com www.2merkato.com/ tenders www.gulit.com www.mekina.net
011 662 36 05 011 850 09 01 011 433 27 14 022 112 20 11 011 552 47 58 011 662 43 97 011 655 21 34 0911 20 94 88 011 552 88 51 011 557 0502 011 557 00 00 011 551 41 30 011 618 57 32 011 158 08 67 011 122 87 55 011 551 23 00 011 552 27 59 011 467 18 03 011 467 40 87 011 551 11 88 011 550 49 48 011 662 60 00 011 550 32 88 011 557 21 13 011 465 52 22 011 552 38 00 011 550 11 11 011 661 68 69
49
The Eminence
50
www.theeminencemagazine.com
6th Issue January 2015
www.theeminencemagazine.com
51
The Eminence
52
www.theeminencemagazine.com