IDEA ANNUAL FUNDRAISING DRIVE

    Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia’s Speech Engagement Schedule

HUMAN RIGHTS CRISIS: HOW THE EUPHORIA OF INDEPENDENCE TURNED INTO A NIGHTMARE FOR THE ERITREAN PEOPLE                

Bahlbi Yemane  November 6, 2011

 A prominent Greek speech writer, Demosthenes once wrote “every dictator is an enemy of freedom and an opponent of law.” This has been proven exactly right when it comes to modern Eritrean political reality. Some of us are lucky enough to have lived in democratic societies where leaders are elected to serve the people; where people have all the fundamental rights to shove them out of office when they failed to live up to their promise.

Africa Nears Agreement on Continental Infrastructure Plan With Accord in Morocco 
10/31/2011
African states came closer to finalizing a continental programme for the development of vital infrastructure as talks ended in Morocco at the weekend. North African countries agreed on priority projects at the last round of regional consultations by the promoters of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) in Rabat, Morocco. PIDA is an initiative of the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Union Commission and the

WOLLO: Microcosm Ethiopia and Exemplar of Ethiopian Unity
Ghelawdewos Araia, Ph.D.
October 22, 2011
Literally and figuratively speaking, Wollo is the central locus and the heart of Ethiopia. By virtue of its geographical location, Wollo, both in the distant past and the annals of contemporary Ethiopia, served as the rendezvous point for major Ethiopian nationalities, and by way of reflecting on this reality, on November 2, 2005, in a brief Amharic article entitled ‘The Question of Nationalities and Ethiopian Unity’ or in Amharic የብሔር ጥያቄና የIትዮጵያ Aንድነት I wrote the following:

WORLD ASSOCIATION OF PARISHIONERS OF E.O.T. CHURCH
4002 Blacksmith Drive, Garland, TX 75044 www.eotcipc.org

United States Foreign Policy Towards Africa

FROM THE AFRICAN EXECUTIVE
Africa: Surviving the Global Jungle

New challenges and opportunities
The use of the images of ‘village’ or ‘jungle’ has decisive implications for Africa’s choice and strategy for action. In what follows, For clarity I summarise some of the features that distinguish a jungle from a village: A village is a low risk space; a jungle high risk. A village is compassionate and caring; a jungle hostile and ferocious. A village is inclusive; a jungle is restrictive. A village is regulated by rules; a jungle by power. A village is co-operative; a jungle competitive. A village is sharing; a jungle selfish.

Black Student College Graduation Rates Inch Higher But a Large Racial Gap Persists
Source: The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
Nationwide, the black student college graduation rate remains at a dismally low 43 percent. But the college completion rate has improved by four percentage points over the past three years. As ever, the black-white gap in college graduation rates remains very large and little or no progress has been achieved in bridging the divide. Most important, in view of the huge penalty race discrimination has imposed on African Americans in the United States, is the fact that blacks who complete a four-year college education have a median income that is now near parity with similarly educated whites. 

Africa’s Friend China Finances $9.3 Billion of Hydropower
By Randall Hackley and Lauren van der Westhuizen 
When completed in 2013, Gibe III on Ethiopia’s Omo River will be Africa’s tallest dam, a $2.2 billion project that conservationists say will deprive birds and hippos of vital habitat. Some 600 miles (965 kilometers) to the north, Sudan is preparing to build the $705 million Kajbar dam on the Nile, which would inundate historic towns and tombs of the Nubian people, descendants of the pharaohs of ancient Egypt. The $729 million Bui project on the Black Volta River, to be finished in 2013, will boost Ghana’s hydropower capacity by a third -- and flood a quarter of Bui National Park while displacing 2,600 people. 

Martin Luther King would be elated, but not completely satisfied
Ghelawdewos Araia
September 7, 2011

Professor West blames President Obama for falling “tragically short of fulfilling King’s prophetic legacy.” I don’t think this is a fair statement, but I suspect that Cornel West has subconsciously but falsely assumed that a Black president could have dramatically and/or miraculously solve the African-American problem. In point of fact, he seems to forget that Obama is an American president who happens to be black and he does not exclusively represent African-Americans (and he should not) nor does he serve as a spokesman for black people. If he does, he should be the head of the NAACP or the Urban League and not the president of the United States. The only problem I see with Obama is his claim of “I am the dream,” a parenthetically misleading claim that needs to be scrutinized and criticized. Just because we have a black president does not logically follow that we are witnessing a post-racial American society. 

Justice for Shweyga: Appeal to World Conscience!
IDEA Viewpoint September 3, 2011

The world has now testified the gruesome and horrendous criminality of the Gaddafi family. The poor Ethiopian lady, Shweyga Mullah, found herself in Dante’s Inferno in 

Tripoli. Her crime: for refusing to beat a crying child! And for this, she paid the ultimate price of being burned by hot water, poured on her entire body – head to toe – by a sadistic and cruel monster by the name Aline Skaf, the wife of Hannibal, Gaddafi’s son. The barbaric act committed by Aline against Shweyga is crime against humanity, and other crimes of similar nature, including burning maids and nannies with hot water and executing political prisoners, was the shocking revelation that humanity encountered this week in Libya.

How an Ethiopian slave became a South African teacherSandra Rowoldt Shell
University of Cape Town
When Neville Alexander used to visit his maternal grandmother Bisho Jarsa as a boy, he never suspected 

the extraordinary story of how she had come from Ethiopia to the South African city of Port Elizabeth. 
Bisho was one of a group of Ethiopian slaves freed by a British warship in 1888 off the coast of Yemen, then taken round the African coast and placed in the care of missionaries in South Africa. "We were overawed in her presence and by the way she would mumble to herself in this language none of us understood," recalls Mr Alexander, now 74. This was Ethiopia's Oromo language, Bisho's mother tongue, which she reverted to as she grew older. Mr Alexander, who was a political prisoner in the 1960s, sharing Robben Island with Nelson Mandela, is today one of South Africa's most eminent educationists.

World’s Top 10 Coffee-Producing Countries in 2010-2011
By Justin Doom - Aug 19, 2011 
The following is a table of the world’s 10 largest coffee-producing nations, measured in thousands of bags, for the 2010-2011 crop year. One bag weighs 60 kilograms (132 pounds). 
Data are from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 
1) Brazil 54,500
2) Vietnam 18,725
3) Colombia 9,500
4) Indonesia 9,325
5) India 5,100
6) Ethiopia 4,400
ARABICA BEANS: 
1) Brazil 41,800
2) Colombia 9,500
3) Ethiopia 4,400

The Wise Mouse and The Lion that Ate Corrupt Bureaucrats!
Ghelawdewos Araia
August 16, 2011 

But I have this bad habit of being tempted to say something. Although I promised not to indulge in interpreting the story of the lion and inject my bias, I like to make this passing and concluding remark: The power of metaphor is that it can authenticate reality by dramatizing stories represented by fictional characters, like the cat, mice, lion, and bureaucrats. And remember, since time immemorial, the symbol of Ethiopia was the lion! For that matter, the lion is also the symbol of all Africa, but in the Serengeti, the lions eat antelopes, gazelles, and zebras and only when they are desperate do they try human flesh.

What went wrong in Eritrea?
Eritrea's hard-won independence promised much for the future, but instead it brought repression, war, secrecy and international pariah status One can only surmise what is really happening in this small country of 4.5 million, whose young people are fleeing to neighbouring countries, where rationing is widespread, independent media do not exist, and all accurate data is government property. I suspect there is a drought in Eritrea, although its effect may not be as severe as in Somalia or other neighbouring countries. But Eritreans are used to going hungry.
• Dawit Mesfin, an Eritrean, is principal director of Justice Africa, UK

GREEK MYTHOLOGY, as Part of My Summer Reading 
By Aphilas Araia
August 7, 2011

The narration below is based on Rick Rierdian’s book Percy Jackson and The Olympians of the Titan Curse. The book is about Greek mythology; it is about Greek heroes who try to defend their Olympian parents from being overthrown by half bloods (half god, half human) who betrayed the Olympians because they were mad at them. There are good half bloods and bad half bloods; the heroes are good half bloods. 

RANDOM RYMES!
By Aphilas Araia
August 7, 2011

Ghana: We Smell 'Dutch Disease' in Oil Sector

The Civil Society Platform on Oil and Gas is raising the concern that Ghana has already started showing signs of the Dutch Disease, few months into the production of oil and gas in the country. The Platform's Coordinator, Mohammed Amin Adam, addressing the opening of the Summer School of the Africa Regional Extractive Industries Hub at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), noted though it is early days, analyses of the first quarter of the economy shows that the country is on the path of developing the unpopular phenomenon often associated with oil producing countries.

The Institute of Development and Education for Africa (IDEA), Inc. Hails the 31st Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking 
July 25, 2011

IDEA congratulates the organizers of the 31st Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking that will be held near University of California at Berkeley from July 25 to July 28, 2011. 

Axumite Hertiage

One of the Ethiopian Development Council's (ECDC) missions is to conduct humanitarian and development programs in the Horn of Africa. To this end, ECDC has shipped 867,212 books estimated at $44.5 million since 1992 for distribution to Ethiopian schools and libraries, including the Afar, Amhara, Benishangul-Gumz, Oromia, South Nations, Nationalities and Peoples, and Tigray regions. In Addis Ababa, ECDC has responded to requests from Addis Ababa University Library, its Law, Medical and Pharmacy Schools. 

Africa's Future Education Conference

The Benefits of Tolerance and A Vision of New Ethiopiawinet

By Metshet Wubneh

July 11, 2011

The fundamental rule of politics is tolerance. Without tolerance there is no politics. Politics is a special kind of friendship and friendship itself is ground on respect. Friends respect each other by listening to one another and by caring to each other. Similarly, a large number of people who wish to attain a goal seek to cultivate a kind of friendship that is suitable for political life, where total strangers come to the political arena to articulate a way of life by listening to one another and respecting each other’s views, however divergent and irreconcilable those views are.

Saluting The Wonderful Ethiopian Intellectuals

Ghelawdewos Araia

June 27, 2011

Given the current intellectual crisis among the Ethiopian Diaspora I have become increasingly nostalgic to the rich scholarly legacy of my former professors at Addis Ababa University (AAU) and the brilliant University Students Union of Addis Ababa (USUAA) militants who were prolific writers and gifted public speakers. Some of my mentors are still around but a significant number of them have vanished in due course of the Ethiopian Revolution. One of the objectives of this essay is to acknowledge the scholarly and intellectual contributions of these wonderful Ethiopians, without whom, I sincerely believe, I could not have made the achievements of education that I have attained and the professorial career that I have today. And it is for this apparent reason that I have quoted Isaac Newton in my debut book, Ethiopia: The Political Economy of Transition, and attributed his celebrated maxim (‘If I have been able to see farther than others it was because I stood on the shoulders of giants’) to my exemplar par excellence Ethiopian intellectuals.

KAHSAY G/EGZIABIHER IS ASKING FOR SPONSORSHIP OF HIS FUTURE BOOK

 CHARACTER COUNTS

By Aphilas Araia

Buena Vista School

Walnut Creek, CA

June 2011 So far this year, I have learned that it is bad to have or use drugs, also instead of dealing with conflict physically we should deal with it mentally. Character Counts has given me a great experience throughout the year, and I have been inspired to practice all of these great ideas.The kind of character a person is an indication of whether they can make good choices with things that may affect their life. For example, showing responsibility is necessary to resist drug use because this person would have some self control and think before they act. I feel knowing the consequences of drug use, causing disease like cancer, that I can make the right choices. So I hope when I grow older I am able to choose to never start using drugs because I know those consequences and I can show responsibility.

Character Counts gave me more of an experience on how to deal with conflict. Last year I just learned what to do about it besides just walking away. This gave me more information and ideas of how to deal with conflict, like getting an adult or calling the police. I think the character trait of fairness is important and can show how to resolve conflict. If you don’t do anything bad to others they won’t do anything bad to you. I also think citizenship would show how you would be liked if you cooperate with others and be a good neighbor.

These particular traits will be important for me to try to do in the future. I will keep practicing them so I won’t become addicted to drugs and so that I will be better resolving conflicts. Note: This year Aphilas Araia’s instructor was Ms. Kari Stewart. Aphilas can be reached via aphilasaraia@yahoo.com

A book Review of Cultures that We must Preserve and Reject by Ghelawdewos Araia (Institute of Development and Education for Africa, Inc, 2008 
By Teodros Kiros

In no small measure has Ethiopia’ s foremost educational theorist, trained at the prestigious Columbia University, a pioneer of his generation, successfully written a compact but powerful book, that has in its own way given us, Ethiopians, a critical theory of society that is simultaneously transcendence and appropriation. This work is a product of an exilic mind, forced to leave his homeland and seeking to examine the inner architectonic of its rich culture and political tradition with an enviable judiciousness and a measured criticality. Indeed, this work will be appropriated by the future generation as a foundational critical theory of an Ethiopian society, in the grand tradition of the Frankfurt school of critical theory of society.

National Ideologies, National Blinders

Ken Ohashi, World Bank’s Country Director for Ethiopia. 
Many nations have a “national ideology” of one kind or another, though it may not be always very explicit. It helps achieve a collective focus on some national goals; it gives individual efforts a shared purpose. So, what is the “national ideology” of Ethiopia? 

I am not entirely sure. Perhaps it has to do with protection of its independence and unique identity; no easy task in a historically fluid and unstable region. More recently, there emerged a narrative around building an economically prosperous and stable nation. However the Ethiopians may describe their own national ideology, it seems to have stressed, as means to achieve its ends, discipline and control. 

The Unconquered Nation, Crippled By Bureaucrats
Jon Evans May 30, 2011
Seems like it’s Sub-Saharan Month around here: first Sarah Lacy went to Nigeria, and now here I am in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital and Africa’s fourth-largest city. It feels like a boomtown. There are cranes and construction sites everywhere, throwing up gleaming new glass-and-steel buildings full of shops selling computers and mobile phones. Alas, Ethiopia’s government seems fond of monopolies, protectionism, and bureaucracy. I believe mobile Internet access is a transformational force that could turn African nations into economic lions to rival Asia’s tigers—but only if it’s fast, cheap, and ubiquitous. And that will never happen here while every bit of Ethiopia’s Internet is controlled by a dinosaur monopoly with no competitive incentive to improve.

Public Agenda (Accra) 
Ghana: We Demand Unqualified Apology From Ethiopia
30 May 2011
Only last Wednesday, May 25, the entire African continent celebrated the 48th birthday of the African Union (AU) with poignant and inspirational messages on the need for African countries to harness their resources and work towards the ultimate goal of building a strong union parallel to that of European Union (EU). In many African countries the day has been declared a public holiday and rightly so, considering the significance of the day in the political history of the continent. Such diplomatic faux pas is counterproductive to the vision of the founding fathers like Dr. Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and Haile Selassie of Ethiopia as well as the spirit and letter of the AU Charter, as they drive us miles apart. The two leaders, we guess will be turning in their graves over the shameful act of the Ethiopians.

Africa's Future Education Conference
When: 4 September - 6 September 2011
Where: Emperors Palace - Gauteng
The Business Zone is very passionate about the Future of Education in Africa. Skills Development and Education in Africa, as we stand today, is poor and far behind the rest of the world. We need to get the education, training and skills development effort working for the good of those involved - the beneficiaries. Bringing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to education is vital for the future of Education. We wish to offer a platform to the corporate industry of Africa, as well, donors, education researchers and service providers to discuss trends in education development in Africa.

Venue Rome 
Description GUIDE Association –Global Universities in Distance Education – is pleased to invite you to the 5th International Conference focusing on current conditions and future trends in the e-learning sector. The Conference will deal with a wide range of issues related to the development of new organization structures and pedagogical models to support complex institutional and university systems, combining education, technology and research. All participants will have the opportunity to take part in the debate concerning the creation of a common quality framework for e-learning system and its different phases: organization, planning, services delivered, monitoring and evaluation, research and development. 
The Conference will approach the following topics:

United States Department of State (Washington, DC) 
Senegal: Solar Technology Powers Learning
Sonya F. Weakley 18 April 2011
Washington — In four middle schools in the Fatick region of Senegal, nylon fabric bound to interlocking pieces of plastic piping is stirring a small revolution in educational philosophy. The materials may seem simple, but that's the point. Combined with a solar-powered battery running a "netbook" computer connected to a small projector and infrared camera, these items are enabling teachers and students to use uncomplicated technology as a tool for 21st-century learning.

Ethiopia’s Challenge is our Challenge

Ghelawdewos Araia, Ph.D.

May 7, 2011

Great things are achieved by guessing the direction of one’s century¹

Giuseppe Mazzini

While I appreciate Aklog and Getachew’s macroeconomic analysis of Ethiopia and why it “is not conducive” to invest in Ethiopia today (the exact opposite of the Government’s claim of  ‘10 reasons to invest in Ethiopia’), I am of the opinion that the complex Ethiopian scenario requires a more comprehensive political economy analysis.

My Visit to the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute of African and African American Research at Harvard University

Ghelawdewos Araia, Ph.D.

April 21 2011

On April 18, 2011 the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research of Harvard 

University honored the quintessential activist and artist Elizabeth Catlett and I went there along with my good friend professor Teodros Kiros to join the spirited and enthused audience that virtually packed the small auditorium in the second floor of the Institute.The event was opened by a brief remark of the charismatic Vira Grant, the Executive Director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute and then the Professor and Director of the Institute, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (popularly known as Skip Gates) arrived and gave a speech on his long-awaited ‘Blacks in Latin America’ PBS series and the biography of Elizabeth Catlett. According to the brochure distributed for the event, “throughout her career, Catlett has been committed to art as a vehicle for social change.

Local consultants aided Khadafy Cambridge firm tried to polish his image
March 04, 2011|Farah Stockman, Globe Staff
CAMBRIDGE — It reads like Libyan government propaganda, extolling the importance of Moammar Khadafy, his theories on democracy, and his “core ideas on individual freedom.’’ But the 22-page proposal for a book on Khadafy was written by Monitor Group, a Cambridge-based consultant firm founded by Harvard professors. The management consulting firm received $250,000 a month from the Libyan government from 2006 to 2008 for a wide range of services, including writing the book proposal, bringing prominent academics to Libya to meet Khadafy “to enhance international appreciation of Libya’’ and trying to generate positive news coverage of the country.

Reform School
In the early days of Ivory Coast's election crisis, U.S. policymakers tried to offer Laurent Gbagbo a post at Boston University. Could academia really entice the world's most entrenched strongmen to step down? 
BY ELIZABETH DICKINSON | APRIL 12, 2011 

Top Khadafy aide helped craft deal with local firm
Company aimed to help Libya image
WASHINGTON — He is Moammar Khadafy’s brother-in-law and his most trusted aide, convicted in absentia for the 1989 bombing of a French airliner and implicated in the 1996 massacre of 1,200 Libyan political prisoners.

IVORY COAST: State of Denial and Denial of Justice

IDEA Viewpoint

Ghelawdewos Araia

April 1, 2011

Ultimately, thus the solution must come from the people of Ivory Coast themselves. Both Quattara and Gbagbo are learned men; the former, by virtue of his banking experience was an International Monetary Fund official, and the latter was a university professor, and they must be able to sit down and talk for the sake of their country and their people. They can share power and form a coalition government, or Gbagbo must be persuaded to exit peacefully and Quattara must show some fortitude to accommodate his erstwhile foe. This is done by sophisticated people who understand the complexity of politics and who also prioritize the security and stability of their country, and above all the welfare of their people. Otherwise, the state of denial in one and the unwillingness of compromise on the other may subsequently deny justice to the people of Ivory Cost for a long period of time. 

Ethiopia crackdown on opposition to prevent protests

afrol News 
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is accused of another crackdown on the opposition
afrol News, 19 March - The Ethiopian opposition reports that over 250 of its central members have been arrested during the week. The arrests are seen in connection with a planned mass protest. According to Ethiopia's main opposition coalition Medrek - composed of eight mostly regionally-based parties - several of its member parties have experienced a wave of arrest this week. At least 250 opposition members remain in detention, they claim.

International Intervention & Support to the Libyan Opposition is A Moral Imperative
IDEA Viewpoint March 11, 2011
Ghelawdewos Araia

It is indeed a major dilemma when it comes to the conceptualization and practical application of intervention, but a reasonable assessment of a prevailing political situation could enable us determine whether intervention is worth it vis-à-vis egregious human rights violations. The case of Libya, for instance, demands that intervention is necessary in order rid of a murderous regime, help democratic forces install a government that could respect human rights and serve their interests, and also facilitate peace building and stability in the region.

Africa: Agroecology & the Right to Food
AfricaFocus Bulletin

According to the latest Global Food Price Monitor, from the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, world food prices hit a record high in February, the highest since the index was first created in 1990. The debate on food security, and what to do about, is rising higher and higher on global agendas. There are elements of consensus, such as the need for greater attention to agriculture in development planning, and investment in particular in smallholder agriculture. But there are also significant disagreements on what kind of investment is needed.  In broad terms, one approach is to foster a new "green revolution" giving highest priority to technologies developed in collaboration with large agrifood corporations and assuming compatibility of their interests with those of farmers. The contrasting approach stresses the importance of sustainable agroecology, local knowledge, and participation by smallholder farmers, while noting that large agrifood enterprises and technology they control is more likely to be part of the problem than part of the solution.

Djibouti masses protest U.S./French-backed regime 
By Abayomi Azikiwe 
Editor, Pan-African News Wire 
Published Feb 27, 2011

The former French colony, which still maintains close ties to Paris, has a population of less than 850,000, but serves as a strategic outpost in Western imperialism’s so-called “war on terrorism.” Djibouti houses the only known U.S. military base on the African continent and is therefore highly significant to the Pentagon’s strategy aimed at dominating the Horn of Africa, the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Peninsula. The Financial Times reported that Washington’s camp is an outpost for the U.S. Africa Command, Africom. (Feb. 20) 

The USA should cease the moment

By Teodros Kiros

The United States, as one of the founding members of the UN, is no stranger to the concept and practice of collective security. Therefore, the popular uprisings in North Africa should not be viewed as a challenge to the United States; on the contrary, they should be perceived as a golden opportunity for America in finding new democratic friends in Africa and elsewhere. If the United States is serious in reformulating its foreign policy spectrum in such away to accommodate democratic regimes and no longer appease dictators, it should uphold what political scientists call ‘global level of analysis,’ in which state and non-state global actors find common ground and work together. 

The Historic North African People’s Uprising and Its Implication for American Foreign Policy

Ghelawdewos Araia, Ph.D.

February 16, 201

Because the United States employed realism as the basic tenet in its foreign policy for so long, the social reality of other societies that aspire for democracy was largely mystified to the extent that democratic forces in developing nations were either considered not dependable or not trustworthy. America indeed made some modification in its realist policy by embracing the ‘hegemonic stability theory’ paradigm, an admixture of realist and neo-liberal policy, but the latter in fact should have been considered as an important factor in shaping its foreign policy.

Foot Bone Puts Giant Leap for Mankind at 3.2 Million Years Ago
February 10, 2011, 2:04 PM EST
From Businessweek
MannKind Plans to Cut 41% of Workforce on Drug Delays Ethiopia Won’t Need to Fully Liberalize Economy to Join WTO  Sebelius May Not Have Power to Approve Arizona Medicaid Cuts Obama Health-Care Ruling to Get Speedy Appeals Court Review  Pfizer Told to Pay $10 Million Over Prempro Verdict 

The Role of the Diaspora in the Quest for Democratization in Ethiopia

Ghelawdewos Araia, Ph.D.

Paper presented at the SOCEPP Canada Conference, January 15, 2011

The Ethiopian Diaspora nor the home front opposition was successful in its endeavor for the establishment of democracy in Ethiopia, while the EPRDF managed to manipulate and maintain the grips of power to this day. What seems to be the problem? In order to answer this simple question, the Ethiopian Diaspora must openly and candidly discuss the root of the problem, including problems surrounding democratic culture in its own circles. 

THE ECONOMIST - LONDON 
A more hopeful continent 
The lion kings?
Africa is now one of the world’s fastest-growing regions 
January 6th, 2011

Over the past decade sub-Saharan Africa’s real GDP growth rate jumped to an annual average of 5.7%, up from only 2.4% over the previous two decades. That beat Latin America’s 3.3%, but not emerging Asia’s 7.9%. Asia’s stunning performance largely reflects the vast weight of China and India; most economies saw much slower growth, such as 4% in South Korea and Taiwan.

PUBLIC DISCUSSION ON ETHIOPIA

SOCEPP Canada cordially invites you and your family to a public discussion exploring major issues affecting current day Ethiopia and their implications for democratization and Human Rights. We are fortunate to bring you a team of distinguished and remarkable scholars from the US and Canada , to inform you and engage you on a number of important topics.

Date & Time: Saturday, January 15, 2011, at 4:00PM

Place:      Bronson Centre, 211 Bronson Ave, Ottawa, ON

MENGISTU HAILE MARIAM (EX-PRES.) GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER!(1)
ARE THE UN AND THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT (ICC) ALIVE?
By Kidane Alemayehu

Horn of Africa Peace Engagement
HOPE
Referendum on Self-Determination of Southern Sudan
January 7, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Of Devine Warning: Reading Disaster in The Modern Age
Jane Anna Gordon and Lewis R. Gordon
Paradigm Publishers, Boulder & London 2009
Reviewed by Ghelawdewos Araia, Ph.D.
January 4, 2011

Of Devine Warning, a small book in terms of length of pages is in fact an encyclopedia of well-synchronized knowledge. The book lays out theoretical frameworks to central questions surrounding monsters, disasters, ruin, and dominant ideologies vs. the oppressed. The strength of the book, however, is not so much in offering conceptual frameworks but in illustrating theoretical and definitional issues by examples. Moreover, apart from the wide-ranging empirical contexts pigeonholed in the various chapters, the book can maximize the potential of generally agreed upon postulates.

Ghana: Oil and The Economy Took Centre Stage
Accra — Someone said the other day that Social Democracy is a political concept that allows discredited communists the opportunity to act as if they have abandoned the principle of communism in favour of a less totalitarian model of government. It is difficult to argue with this definition, given the occurrences in the communist states of Eastern and Central Europe after the cold war. From Russia to Romania, the former communist dictators found solace in Social Democracy when communism collapsed with the end of the colds war.

Ethiopia's Million Dollar Energy Boost
The African Development Bank has provided a loan and grant amounting U.S.$200 Million to support the development of electricity projects, according to state media.
Addis Ababa — The African Development Bank (AfDB) has provided Ethiopia a loan and grant amounting $200 million USD to support the horn nation's projects to develop electricity projects, according to the official Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency (ERTA). The supplementary financing agreement was signed on Monday between Finance and Economic Development Minister, Sufian Ahmed and AfDB resident Representative of Ethiopian Office, Lamin Barrow.

The Horn of Africa Peace Conference
Ghelawdewos Araia, Ph.D   December 14, 2010
The objective was to generate ideas as much as possible and not necessarily to agree on all issues and this was one of the major accomplishments of the conference. The conference indeed was forum-cum-dialogue par excellence! One shortcoming of the conference perhaps was that the conferees were unable to thoroughly examine the consequences of the formation of a new South Sudan although some were talking about their concerns in informal gatherings. Both the South and North Sudan delegations seemed to have taken it for granted that a South Sudan “Republic” would indeed be formed after January 9, 2010. For all intents and purposes, the Juba new government is a fait accompli given the attitude of the Sudanese delegation and the preparation on the ground in South Sudan. Whatever happens after January 9 in the Sudan, I hope that Sudan will not be embroiled in political skirmishes and conflicts, and I wish the Horn of Africa Peace Conference in Atlanta and beyond would make an input to make peace possible! 

Book Review and Miscellaneous Comments

- Teodros Kiros, Philosophical Essays, Trenton , NJ: The Red Sea Press, 2011, pages 101. $19.95.

- Teodros Kiros, Ethiopian Discourse, Trenton , NJ: The Red Sea Press, 2011, pages 236. $24.95.

     By Tecola Worq Hagos

Professor Teodros Kiros [hereafter “Teodros”] is a well established personality in our Ethiopian Diaspora community (political life) due to his exemplary hard work and commitment to our political and social struggles. In several of his outstanding books, numerous essays and articles, we are privileged to learn about ourselves, about our struggle, and about our hopes and aspirations. Teodros is no charlatan trying his hand in this or that, but a well educated, brilliant, and socially conscious individual. He received his B.A. at University of Wisconsin and his Ph.D. in Political Philosophy at Kent State University . The following two books (under review) are his most recent contribution to our Ethiopian discourse: Teodros Kiros, Philosophical Essays, Trenton , NJ : The Red Sea Press, 2011. [Teodros-1]; Teodros Kiros, Ethiopian Discourse, Trenton , NJ : The Red Sea Press, 2011. [Teodros-2]

Book Review 
Jane Anna Gordon and Lewis R. Gordon, Of Divine Warning; Reading Disaster in the Modern Age (Paradigm Publishers, 2010) Book Review by Teodros Kiros
Jane Gordon and Lewis Gordon have produced a masterpiece on reading disasters in the modern age. The book is at once analytic, historically sensitive and imaginative, feature that we have come to expect from these two committed writers, each time they collaborate and produce books of enduring quality.

The Beautiful Phylicia Rashad 

IDEA Viewpoint

Ghelawdewos Araia, Ph.D   December 2, 2010

 Phylicia Rashad was with Tavis Smiley on November 2, 2010, and she still looks beautiful as when she was acting during the Cosby Show (1984-1992). Like millions of Americans, I used to enjoy the acclaimed show in prime time NBC, a fun-cum-educational TV entertainment in which the gifted grand actor Cosby (Dr. Huxtable) and the many other terrific actors captivated a huge audience. But I was exceptionally attracted to the beauty, elegance, and voluptuous charisma of Phylicia as Ms. Huxtable, a character of a successful attorney and a mom, in the show. However, I must confess that I just explored the brilliance of Phylicia when she appeared on the Tavis Smiley Show. Indeed, I explored a beautiful mind behind a beautiful forehead.

Book Review
Africa: Unity, Sovereignty, and Sorrow. By Pierre Englebert. Boulder,
CO: Lynne Rienner, 2009. 310 pp. $65.00 cloth=$26.50 paper.  This is something of a jubilee year for Africa, marking half a century from that annus mirabilis of 1960 when no fewer than eighteen colonial territories across the continent were given their independence. It might seem churlish, but—aside from literally a handful of truly exceptional cases— one might legitimately ask what there is about these anniversaries that is to be celebrated. By almost any measure of progress or index of well-being, the vast majority of the states of sub-Saharan Africa have failed their citizens.

Ethiopian needs a Spiritual Warrior as a leader

By Teodros Kiros  November 23, 2010 

The spiritual warrior as a leader knows the interiors of pain, the corrosive effects of prejudice and leads by helping the citizens to confront the drone inside and seek spiritual healing Reconciliation, for example, is an attempt at self-purification; it is a very difficult but necessary step at moving forward from frozenness in hate, suspicion and mistrust towards the sunlight of loving the other, who is your other part, the part that non-spiritual warriors have fostered into un enemy. 

Extremism Begets Extremism
By Daniel Gizaw November 19, 2010 

Political commentary, when it is temperate and deliberate, makes sense. However, when it is exorbitant and intemperate, it drives people away. I see the latter as a huge problem. The extremist position is always one-sided. It is also typical with other extremist Diaspora position that had miserably failed. Take a look at the Cuban Diaspora, the Iranian Diaspora, the former Soviet Union Diaspora, or even the Mexican Diaspora of the 1970s. History shows us that all of them share same political passion, same extremist view, with each violently anathematic toward the regimes they opposed in their respective countries. In almost each instances, however, because of their extremist position, they all had missed the opportunity to achieve victory and reclaim “their country.” In this case, Castro is still in Cuba, the Mullahs in Iran have a firm grip on the country’s fate; and, hear this: the demise of the Soviet Union had nothing to do with the dissidents’ movement abroad.

The Fate of Ethiopia Must be Decided by Ethiopians

A commentary on Gregory Stanton’s Speech 

Ghelawdewos Araia, Ph.D.

November 15, 2010  IDEA Viewpoint

This commentary is aimed at the recent speech of Dr. Gregory Stanton to an Ethiopian audience and also at Ethiopians who dearly love their country and who want to make a difference in the future of a better Ethiopia. It is also aimed at Ethiopians who are either unable to fathom the reality of their own society and the complexity of global inputs, or are easily hoodwinked, uncritically accepted divisive ideas, and have applauded to potentially harmful diatribes. 

RECONCILIATION IS THE LANGUAGE OF COMMUNICATIVE RATIIOAALITY 

By Teodros Kiros Ph.D

The decisive advise of Dr. Ghelawdewos must encourage us all to enter into the deep recesses of our rational hearts and invite the prevailing regime to come to the roundtable of dialogue and aim at establishing a concentric circle of themes that we must address to save our nation. I appeal to us Ethiopian to establish forums of national reconciliation globally and invite and encourage Ethiopians to discuss the future of our nation. All views including the viability of armed resistance can and must be freely discussed in the agora of the free market of ideas.

Editoral Observer

Call for pogrom-the verifiable attack of Tigreans by Dr. Gregory Stanton, President of Genocide Watch,

Tigreans could pay the price for Meles crimes – Gregory Stanton

November 12, 2010 

It defies any rationale to justify why Tigreans have to pay the price for the type of government existing in Ethiopia . EPRDF is a coalition composed of many nationalities federated by common interest. It is simply an Ethiopian government recognized by all the world bodies and not as he contemptibly described as a “Tigrean regime”. We don’t understand why Tigreans have to be targeted for such assault campaign and propaganda by this heinous man. This is an archetype and irresponsible person who would like to see and enjoy the killing fields of yet another failed state in the sub region of the Horn of Africa. His scorn and anti-Ethiopian stand cannot lead him anywhere and his call for pogrom of Tigreans is unfortunately not going to be heeded by all our Ethiopian compatriots.

Professor Ghelawdewos’ brilliantly crafted National Reconciliation and National Development in Ethiopia is a pragmatic outline of how to bring the existing regime and the opposition to the palaver of a democratic dialogue guided by communicative rationality. This article wisely proposes a model of political behavior worth emulating.

I am not trying to stifle criticism and freedom of expression but, rather aimed at writing critically appraise the activities of few individuals who try to make a political career by insulting and name calling. I believe personally in the free flow of ideas that individuals can write articles or essays in defense of their own fundamental rights and their own aspirations at any rate, out of respect I hope my suggestions or criticism will be constructive, and dignified.  Two weeks ago Ghelawdewos Araia, PhD posted an article in various websites titled National Reconciliation and National Development in Ethiopia. The author’s intention was to open a dialog between the Ethiopian government and the opposition to usher a new beginning and forge a cohesive approach. The author’s message was lost in the sea of ignorant political discourse. The level of discussion on web is degenerating too low some step must be taken to avoid; it’s becoming another gossip forum. 

National Reconciliation and National Development in Ethiopia

Ghelawdewos Araia, PhD.

October 22, 2010

The government must preside over a national reconciliation forum not simply with the intention of permitting democratic rights, or sharing power, but also in enabling the opposition to participate in national development at all levels. Politics and development are gregarious, and that is the bottom line that I am implying to when I call upon the opposition and the government to make a historic national reconciliation. Without the participation of the Ethiopian people, development would become ideal chimera of economic salvation, and without reconciling differences of all groups, the Ethiopian nation could not move forward. 

Green Revolution for Africa’s Sustainable Development: Renewed Interest or Paradigm Shift?
Ghelawdewos Araia

October 4, 2010
The concept of green revolution is not nascent to Africa, but African leaders were not able to successfully implement its objectives, nor consistently follow the parameters of the Revolution. When Africans gathered in Ghana on September 4, 2010 to once again talk about the priority of agriculture for development, it is indeed a promising endeavor and initiative by the respective African ministers and the plethora of experts in the field of agriculture.

Ethiopian Muslims Burn Down Christian Homes, Farms
Thursday, September 30, 2010 (2:52 am)
by George Whitten
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Worthy News)-- Twenty-five Muslims burned down ten Christian homes, leaving eighty Christians homeless in Ethiopia, a Washington-based rights' group said Thursday, September 30.
International Christian Concern (ICC) said on July 15 at 8 PM local time, attackers who were led by a local government militia, destroyed the homes in the Goda district of Jimma, Ethiopia. They also set fire to their barns, killing their animals and destroying their harvest. "The assailants asked the Christians to leave their homes and told them, 'We will show you what we are going to do to your homes, and if you inform this to anyone we will burn you the way we burn your homes.' Then they set the Christian homes on fire and began celebrating by singing near the burned homes," ICC quoted a Christian leader, who apparently spoke anonymously due to security concerns.

Westminster Abbey has been accused of sacrilege over its refusal to return a "looted" sacred object to the Ethiopian Orthodox church.
The object is a tabot, a small tablet that symbolises the Ark of the Covenant. Tabots are regarded by 35 million Ethiopian Christians as so sacrosanct that only priests are allowed to look at them. Such is their significance that they must never be displayed or photographed. The abbey has a stone tabot inlaid at the back of an 1870s altar in the Henry VII Lady Chapel, where it is visible to anyone peering around its left side.

Ethiopia: Addis demolishings begin despite lack of compensation funds
Tuesday 21 September 2010 / by Desalegn Sisay
Over 4,500 houses located in different parts of the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa have been earmarked to be demolished this year [2010-2011 fiscal year] under a development plan. The plan will not only affect illegally built houses. For the time being, the city is struggling with compensation payments to owners of legally built structures which will be affected by the plan. Most of the houses set to be dismantled are in shanty areas built on plots which are to undergo re-development. Most are scattered on lands meant for the city’s main roads, according to the administration charged with the development plan.

A Young Ethiopian Reconnecting with Her Roots in the Motherland

September 4, 2010

Ghelawdewos Araia, Ph.D.

Samrawit is one of the many Ethiopians who traveled from North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia to the motherland; and this Diaspora young Ethiopians, as a matter of course, encounter cross-cultural and comparative perception of two cultures, namely the Ethiopian and the Diasporan. For Samrawit, more specifically, it was an exposure to the cultural uniqueness and ethos of Ashenda, but it was also an opportunity for her to reconnect herself with her roots and begin to appreciate her cultural heritage. All culture is learned and there is no such thing as genetic imprint of culture. The oft-expression of ‘our culture is in our blood’ is egregiously unscientific. Samrawit, like all other girls, thus, was initiated in the Ashenda festival and learned some aspect of her cultural heritage.

Energy and Security Issues in the Red Sea Transforming as the Age of Gas Begins in Earnest
Written by Gregory R. Copley 
Thursday, 26 August 2010 13:56 
Major new energy issues are about to transform still further the strategic balance of the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, with foreseeable consequences for the global energy market over the coming decade. Soon-to-be-evident new wealth in the Red Sea/Horn of Africa region will transform the intensity of conflict there, which in turn will affect not only the region, but the world’s most important trading route: the Red Sea/Suez sea line of communication (SLOC).

Ethiopians in the Diaspora who have entertained ideas opposing the Gilgel Gibe project too must rethink there stands and carefully delineate the distinction between a seating regime and the long-term development of Ethiopia. In the meantime, the government must bolster its initiative in an effort to expedite the construction of the dam and must seek alternative avenues, including capital and technical assistance from any government that would support the Gilgel Gibe III project.

It is a matter of time before the technocrats there perfect the mechanisms to manage their shady deals without detection; there is a credible risk that the commission may turn out to be a perfect breeding place for corruption. Given society’s negative perception of corruption, these interventions by the administration, if well managed, could cut the incentives for corruption significantly. However, to the extent that such interventions are delayed, and as corruption becomes common, Ethiopian society may lose its distaste for it. Once corruption is deep-rooted in society, it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to reverse participation in it. 

There is no doubt that the idea of constructing a mosque near Ground Zero, which by most Americans is considered a hallow ground, has stirred controversy among the public. The opinions debated on the mosque idea by proponents and opponents are understandable, but unfortunately people on either side tend to dichotomize the issues pertaining to the mosque vis-à-vis Ground Zero. They don’t see a middle ground in the extremities of the continuum and we are all lost in the blazing arguments and counter-arguments. Therefore, this IDEA viewpoint offers an alternative idea, indeed a novel solution, of constructing shrines of all faiths at Ground Zero.

Tool-making and meat-eating began 3.5 million years agoBy Jason Palmer
Science and technology reporter, BBC News

Researchers have found evidence that hominins - early human ancestors - used stone tools to cleave meat from animal bones more than 3.2 million years ago. That pushes back the earliest known tool use and meat-eating in such hominins by more than 800,000 years. Bones found in Ethiopia show cuts from stone and indications that the bones were forcibly broken to remove marrow. The research, in the journal Nature, challenges several notions about our ancestors' behaviour.

Ethiopian Opposition Alliance Takes Step Toward Becoming a Single Party 

A coalition of Ethiopian opposition parties will take steps toward becoming a single party by forming a front, said Negasso Gidada, co-deputy chairman of the so-called Medrek alliance.

African Union
(Addis Ababa)

The African Capacity Building Foundation and the African Union Sign Memorandum of Understanding in the Margins of the AU Summit in Kampala

Uganda — Strategic partnership between the African Capacity Building Foundation and the African Union to harness joint resources for a better Africa
The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) and the African Union (AU) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to cement their strategic partnership. H.E. Mr. Jean Ping, Chairperson of the African Union Commission signed on behalf of the AU and Dr. Frannie Léautier Executive Secretary on behalf of ACBF.

IDEA Hails The East African Common Market

IDEA Editorial

July 10, 2010

July 1, 2010 marks the official establishment of the East African Common Market Protocol, whose members are Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi. It is a historic achievement for the Eastern African Bloc in particular and Africa in general, for this regional cooperation means a higher level of civil, economic, cultural, and political agenda that will altogether benefit 125 million people with a GDP of at least $70 billion.

Unearthed, the ancient texts that tell story of Christianity 
A British bookbinder has restored ancient copies of the gospels dating back to the fourth century, writes Jerome Taylor
A still colourful page from the book despite the 1600 age of the worlds oldest christian book found in a remote monastry in Ethiopia. The text was thought to be medieval but carbon dating has taken it back to the 5th century AD. 
Originally thought to be from around the 11th century, new carbon dating techniques place the Garima Gospels between 330 and 650 AD. 
New dating techniques have put the creation of the two books to somewhere between 330 and 650, making them a close contender to being the most ancient complete Christian texts. The only major collection of scripture that is known to be older is the Codex Sinaiticus, a copy of the Bible hand-written in Greek which dates back to the third century. Unlike the Garima Gospels, the Codex includes large chunks of the Old Testament, but the entire work is divided between museums and monasteries in Egypt, Britain, Russia and the USA. 

Towards Poverty Alleviation and Greater Inclusiveness in Africa’s Middle Income Countries?

Poverty reduction strategies in Africa can be improved by understanding the sources of 

economic growth and how such growth translates into poverty reduction. Using different household survey data at 5 to 10-year intervals, the AfDB’s Research Department conducted a pro-poor growth analysis in four of Africa’s middle-income countries (MICs): Mauritius, Morocco, South Africa and Tunisia. While all four countries are shown to have moved from agro-based primary sector economies, with manufacturing, services, exports and tourism becoming increasingly important, significant differences emerge in terms of the poverty-reducing effects of the observed growth.

Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia on African Television Network: Perspectives on The Ethiopian Election 2010' on the above link:

Looking Back and Looking Forward: Beyond the Politics of Ethiopian Election 2010
Ghelawdewos Araia      June 3, 2010

Ethiopians have no choice but to look back and look forward. The opposition, in particular, must reevaluate its political program in light of the objective conditions of Ethiopia and reassess its tactics and strategies. The opposition also must win the hearts and minds of the US and the EU despite the latter’s cynical role in global politics. The Ethiopian opposition must understand that the US and the EU have now hegemonic control and it must recalibrate its performance in relation to the foreign powers’ international status and the dialectical engagement with world histories and global processes.

The saga of the Starbucks-Ethiopia affair
By Wondwossen Mezlekia
May 31, 2010
The coffee trademark dispute between Starbucks and Ethiopia officially ended exactly three years ago. In June 2007, the giant coffee chain and the government of Ethiopia declared their agreement "to work together to license, distribute and market Ethiopia’s specialty coffees." Starbucks further promised, as part of the dispute resolution, to buy its aprons from textile factories in Ethiopia, open a Farmer Support Center in Addis Ababa, and promote the coffee brands in its stores.

Medrek Support Group North America (MSGNA)

The Shamefaced Ruling Party & the Phony 2010 Ethiopian Election

May 26, 2010

The 2010 election is yet another sign of a direct confrontation of the EPRDF with the Ethiopian people and the ruling party have to answer to the people for all the violence it unleashed when the people, on the contrary, sought peaceful political change through free and fair elections. But the arrogant Meles regime would not listen. Sooner or later, the Ethiopian people will rise and bring the criminal gang of the EPRDF before the court of justice, a newly established institution out of the blood and tears of the Ethiopian people.

EU chief observer says Ethiopian poll was not fair 
By ANITA POWELL Associated Press Write
Ask AP: Immigration bills, sucking up spilled oil 
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) -- Tens of thousands of ruling party supporters rallied Tuesday in Ethiopia's capital to celebrate victory in the national election, while the chief EU observer said the poll had been marred by an uneven playing field. A top opposition leader denounced the provisional results released by the Ethiopian elections board, but did not indicate what action his party would take. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi arrived midmorning at the main square in Addis Ababa and addressed the crowd as hundreds of blue-uniformed federal police stood guard.

The Next struggle for Hegemony: Political calmness in the middle of a storm.
By Teodros Kiros

“If the EPRDF acts in the same manner as it did during the 2005 election and grabs power by force, it should not be a shocking revelation, for it has become standard practice in EPRDF’s operations to stifle any democratic process that is perceived as threat to the status quo. The Ethiopian people knew too well about this kind of scenario and it is no longer a mystique obscurity. But they could be scared of government forces including the intimidating cadres, the police, the secret service, and the military forces.”

Why Ethiopians Must Support Medrek and Aspire for A Democratic and Peaceful Transition

Ghelawdewos Araia May 17, 2010

Is this what we get from the EPRDF in the last two decades? Does the EPRDF at all have a positive façade? Let me begin with the latter and galvanize the central theme of this paper. I have always argued that objectivity and integrity are two faces of the same coin. If I claim I have integrity, I would be remiss if I fail to mention EPRDF’s achievements. All hitherto governments of Ethiopia had merit and demerit and even the murderous Derg government had initiated some major development projects like the Melka Wekena Hydroelectric, the Shiwushu-Gumaro tea plantation, the Bahir Dar and Komblecha textile industries, the Beles agricultural project, the Muger cement factory, and Gilgel-Ghibe Hydroelectric. The latter is now being expanded under the EPRDF.

Medrek Support Group North America (MSGNA)

May 13, 2010

It is for the first time in the last two decades that a cohesive and well-organized coalition of eight parties led by visionary and dedicated leaders that has really challenged and confronted the EPRDF. In the 2005 election, the Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ) or Kinijit was a relatively viable opposition but its non-democratic operations coupled by very loose organizational network and inside job saboteurs, made it an easy target to the more formidable EPRDF. The latter had already knew about the weaknesses of UDJ and despite the overwhelming success of Kinijit on the polls, especially in the urban areas, the ruling party, by claiming that it had won the rural areas, snatched the ballots by sheer force. Then UDJ supporters protested by staging demonstrations and they were dealt with government bullets and bayonets.

Dark Horses in Ethiopian Politics

IDEA Viewpot

April 30, 2010

Ghelawdewos Araia

While the ruling EPRDF party is attempting to reverse the role of history in Ethiopia, Mesfin as a dark horse is collaborating with his incarcerators against his former Andinet comrades. Whether his actions are witting or not, his role (along with the plethora other dark horses) would certainly contribute to the Government’s success in promoting propaganda against the opposition. The dark horses’ flagrantly counter productive actions also would result in the disempowering function of diluting the upcoming election. More so, the dark horses would bring unforeseen bonus to the government in power by serving as distraction from the more pressing problems confronting Ethiopia.

African nations which expand their political freedoms also reduce poverty, according to a major new study published today. In a survey of selected countries across the continent, the study also finds that between 2000 and 2008, poverty decreased in Cape Verde, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zambia but grew in Benin, Botswana, Madagascar, Nigeria, Senegal and Zimbabwe.

Africa: Forty-Six Years on, Continent Can Be Optimistic About the Future
Stephen Asiimwe 24 May 2009

Kampala — Today, May 25, is the African Liberation Day. I congratulate all Africans on the continent and in the diaspora for celebrating this historical moment.
The day honours the 1963 signing of the charter establishing the Organisation of the African Unity (OAU), now African Union (AU). It pledges solidarity for the liberation of Africa. The OAU was criticised for not living up to the mandate of uniting Africa and responding to its various challenges. Many of the criticisms were understandable though not all of them were deserved.

INTERVIEW-Ethiopia opposition says anti-govt plot invented

By Barry Malone- ADDIS ABABA, May 5 (Reuters) - An Ethiopian opposition leader said on Tuesday an anti-government plot had been invented as an excuse to arrest potential candidates ahead of national elections next year. "Without third party verification I can't believe there was a plot," Bulcha Demeksa, leader of one of the largest opposition parties, the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement, told Reuters. "This government is just looking for an excuse to imprison potential politicians." Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's government said last month a group led by an Ethiopian-American professor had planned to use assassinations and bombings to provoke street protests and topple the government

Ethiopia: 'To Be? Or Not to Be?', Meles Undecided Over Next PM Post

Yonas Abiye 14 April 2009

Addis Abeba — The question of whether Prime Minister Meles Zenawi would continue to assume his position as Prime Minister of Africa's second most populated country may be what every one wants to know as the country approaches next general elections.  But that has remained to be a conundrum, prompting more curiosity among his followers, and opponents alike. In a number of interviews with local and foreign media, Meles has spoken about the matter -only in a rather obscure way, giving way to more suspicions and speculation. His reticence about the matter has put people in darkness as far his fate as Prime Minister and EPRDF, as ruling party, is concerned.

Africa Must Be Left Alone Without Donor Aid

IDEA Editorial

April 3, 2009

The negative impact of donor aid in Africa is engendered by external (Northern) governments, institutions, and NGOs as well as internal African problems triggered by bad governance. For the most part, northern prescriptions for Africa’s problems were wrong and ignominious failures. Adding insult to injury, the majority of African leaders were corrupt and miserably incapacitated, and far from implementing sound economic projects and sustainable development programs, they have played counterproductive roles in their respective nations.

Ethiopian Unity Diaspora Forum Conference

February 28, 2009 Columbus , Ohio

“Unity, Hope and Vision: Ethiopia Yesterday and Today and Tomorrow

PRESS RELEASE:

The Ethiopian Unity Diaspora Forum held its first organizational Conference in Columbus , Ohio on February 28, 2009. Despite their diverse backgrounds, the Participants displayed one common passion—the shared love of the Motherland. The preservation and maintenance of the Sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ethiopia was without question the unifying factor that beckoned the Participants to meet at the first organizational conference of the EUDF. Some of the participants drove hundreds of miles, and all Participants financed their own travel and lodging to participate in this historic Conference.

Professor Richard Pankhurst    February 22, 2009
Few foreigners, if any, can proudly talk about their impact on Ethiopia, her freedom and her international presence, as the Pankhurst family did. Madam Sylvia Pankhurst, Professor Richard Pankhurst’s mother, born in 1882 in Manchester to Dr. Richard Pankhurst and Emmeline Pankhurst, founded a newspaper (New Times and Ethiopia News) in England in 1936, which became the only mouthpiece for the war-torn Ethiopia against her bitter battle with the Italian fascists. At the time, when it was actually uncustomary to oppose the juggernaut fascists, the young Sylvia Pankhurst, conscious of the suffering of millions of Ethiopians, refused to back down even when seasoned politicians (who felt alliance with Mussolini was worth than any association with Emperor Haile Selassie) in England pleaded with her to discontinue her protest. 

Africa: Experts - African Economies to Grow Despite Global Crisis
Simon Kolawole
30 January 2009

Davos, Switzerland — Although the continent is not insulated from the global financial crisis, African countries will perform "relatively better" than other regions of the world this year.
This was the consensus among discussants at the session on Africa at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting holding in Davos, Switzerland. Also, the Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of THISDAY Newspapers, Mr. Nduka Obaigbena, has made a strong case for more investments in Africa. The tempered optimism on Africa's growth in 2009 is fuelled by the fact that its capital markets are not integrated globally, except for South Africa, thereby limiting the effects of the crisis on Africa.
However, it was projected that some 3.5 percentage points may be shaved off the continent's GDP growth this year, with serious problems already obvious as seen in the closure of numerous mines in Zambia.

Barack Obama, A Man of the People

IDEA Editorial January 22, 2009

What makes Obama the real man of the people, long before he climbed the mountaintop, that he was a community organizer first. In fact, when he danced in the Neighborhood Mall on January 20^th, he symbolically represented the community-organizer turned senator turned president that is a commoner, a citizen, and a man of the people.

It’s a triumph for Africa
Posted Wednesday, January 7 2009 at 19:12

Ghana’s new President, Mr John Evans Atta Mills, was sworn in on Wednesday in a ceremony that gave Africa a reason for celebration. He won a razor-thin mandate, squeezing just slightly over 50 per cent of the vote to beat his sole challenger in the run-off poll, Mr Nana Akufo-Addo of the former ruling New Patriotic Party.The thin margin would have given justification for protracted post-election strife, but the people and leadership of Ghana thought differently and gave a peaceful transition a chance.

United States Foreign Policy and Why Africa Matters Now 
Ghelawdewos Araia-   December 18, 2008

While Liberals view human nature as essentially good, Realists cynically consider human beings as inherently selfish, depraved, and flawed. While liberals heavily depend on the paradigm of reason and universal ethics in international relations, Realists emphasize national survival and hence national interest predicated on a relatively hostile and chaotic global order. Based on these rival theoretical doctrines (perceptions rather), thus, American foreign policy was reconfigured and reformed many times, but was unable to absorb or adopt the European legacy of social democracy or the Kantian concept of universal brotherhood.

Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi) 
Somalia: Rare Achievement As 20 Young Doctors Graduate

Twenty young men and women have accomplished something that nobody in Somalia has done in nearly two decades of state failure: They graduated from medical school.
The graduation ceremony for 12 men and eight women was held on Thursday inside the barricaded walls of the Shamo Hotel in Mogadishu, the bullet-scarred capital of a country that has not had an effective central government since 1991. "The graduation of these students shows something that nobody outside Somalia can believe ­ that students can still learn despite violence and anarchy," said Mohamed Malim Muse, president of Mogadishu's Benadir University, according to the Associated Press.

Ethiopia: India Private Investment Reaches $4 billion

The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa)

19 November 2008

Fikremariam Tesfaye  Addis Abeba

India today is becoming the single largest foreign investor in Ethiopia with nearly $4 billion in private sector investment, said the Ambassador on Monday. Gurjit Singh, Ambassador of India, on his presentation under the title of "India's role in Ethiopia economy with emphasis on infrastructure sector" said, floriculture and agriculture, mining, manufacturing and services are the main areas of his country's investment here

AfDB Approves 10th Drinking Water Supply Project in Morocco

Tunis

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved US$ 97.2 million (33.84 million Euros and 53.34 million dollars) loan to finance Morocco's 10th Drinking Water Supply Project, bringing the Bank Group's overall commitment in the country to US$ 5.64 billion in 93 operations since the Bank started operations in the country in 1970. The project, approved by the Board of Directors on Wednesday in Tunis, builds on the success of Bank-financed projects and their significant contribution to the achievement of Morocco's drinking water supply and sanitation objectives

Senegalese Prime Minister Says Global Financial Crisis is Threat to Survival

Senegalese Prime Minister, Cheikh Hadjibou Soumaré, has said it is not an exaggeration to say that the world is fighting for its survival regarding the global financial crisis. Mr. Soumaré said this while opening deliberations of the 8th session of the Presidential Investment Council in Dakar, Senegal, on November 17, 2008.

He pointed out that the situation was a huge threat to African economies, adding, however, that it also offered many opportunities. He advised that the exigencies of the global context must serve as a guide and "should help us focus on priority actions and measures which could serve as a catalyst for the creation of a healthy and promising environment that is conducive to the creation of wealth and opportunities for prosperity.

The Struggle and Achievement of a Courageous Ethiopian Woman
STOLEN JUSTICE: One Woman’s Struggle over Race-Bias, Corporate Greed and Legal Malpractice  
By Tseghe M. FooteStolen Justice, L. L. C.
Reviewed by Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia

Tseghe, of course, is a resilient woman and in spite of the early negative encounters in Denver, true to her childhood dream, she founded the Africa House, an African art boutique. Initially, however, housing African House was not easy and the owner could hardly find a lease contract and then she “never expected the ‘land of opportunity’ to have so many closed doors” (p. 32). Nevertheless, her mirage still lingered and thus her “faith of humanity felt renewed” when she found a space at Cherry Creek and she kept hope alive not knowing that her struggles against the Tivoli landlords would continue in a different form against the Tabor Center, a new site for Africa House. In fact, she soon got eviction notice from the Tabor Center and she had no choice but to hire a lawyer(s) and continue to fight. The newly hired lawyer reassured Tseghe that he will “file an injunction in federal court to block the eviction first in the morning.” (p. 73)

America!

Haileselassie Girmay  

The Testimony of History: First Black President of the United States

What President-Elect Barack Obama Must Do Now-  November 5, 2008

IDEA Editorial:           

In infrastructure, America is the envy of the world. No nation has built superhighways, perennial roads, and magnificent bridges as the United States did. However, these infrastructures need immediate attention for repair, maintenance, and renovations. After all, American infrastructure is the tributary and lifeline of the economy. Renovating and restructuring the infrastructure is tantamount to revitalizing, cushioning, and boosting the national economy.

Prophesy or Political Expediency, Barack Obama May Become the First Black President of the United States

Civil Society Leaders Call for Mass Protests Against Mugabe
SW Radio Africa (London) 13 October 2008
By Lance GumaThe Secretary General of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) Raymond Majongwe, and Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) leader Jenni Williams, have both called for street protests against Mugabe's move to grab the key ministries. The state owned Herald on Saturday published a list of ministries allocated to ZANU PF and the MDC, by Mugabe using a government gazette. The ZANU PF leader grabbed Home Affairs, Defence, Justice, Information, Local Government and Foreign Affairs Ministries while giving the MDC minor ministries.

President Paul Kagame has said that enabling all primary school children to own computers was the government's ultimate goal. This was during the official launch of the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) initiative at Jali Club yesterday. "Our goal is to continue finding means and ways to provide all primary school children in Rwanda with this important learning tool," Kagame said, adding that various schemes, including encouraging parents to participate in buying computers for their children, would be used.

Don't Rush Proposed Curriculum Reform   1 October 2008
New Vision (Kampala)-IT was good news yesterday that the education ministry suspended the implementation of a curriculum reform that would have drastically scaled down the number of subjects taught in secondary schools. 
The proposal in its current form has several negative consequences. For instance, thousands of teachers would be made redundant if the proposal is implemented the way it is. This would send a wrong signal and make it difficult to attract students to the teaching profession. 

When Criminals Control the Ministry of Education  September 10, 2008

George D. Gollin-The connection between education and personal economic advantage drives a global market for higher education. But much of the world cannot create additional university capacity at a rate to match this demand. Diploma mills, businesses that sell bogus degrees to customers in search of easy credentials, comprise the dark response to these market forces. The recent demise of a sophisticated American diploma mill provides some insight into these abominations.

Ethiopia celebrates restoration of giant obelisk

September 4, 2008

Beijing 2008 Olympics: Symbol of the Emergence of China as a Global Power
Ghelawdewos Araia August 10, 2008
On August 8, 2008 when I watched the opening ceremony of Beijing 2008 Olympics, I was mesmerized and totally captivated by the 2008 drummers, not only by the sheer elegance and symmetry of their polymetric body movements, but also by their astounding dramatic reenactment of the glorious past of China. The talent of these seemingly robotic drummers altogether blends the bounties of nature and humanity and their gratifying posture, in a word, was protean, displaying great diversity in contradistinction to the uniformity of their roles. The incredible military-like pageantry of these drummers may not get a satisfying intellectual explanation if superficially observed but on close scrutiny the 4016 hands operated like two giant hands to signify unity, and most importantly the 4016 glowing drum sticks used by the drummers symbolize light of hope and bright future.

Unesco-Nigeria Project Reviews 57 Curricula

This Day (Lagos) NEWS
15 July 2008 Lagos
A total of 57 programmes in technical colleges and polytechnics have been reviewed under the first phase of the UNESCO-Nigeria project for the revitalization of Technical and Vocational Education (TVE), National Coordinator of the Project, Dr Nuru A. Yakubu has said. Yakubu who is also the Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), one of the unique features of the revised the curricula, which have been made available to stakeholders in hard and soft copies, was the incorporation of ICT and Entrepreneurship Education.

The degree of dependence, however, varies from country to country and across the board in Africa. A significant number of Africans in the early 1960s were vociferously and avowedly independent, and fiercely independent regimes like Sekou Toure of Guinea were penalized by economic embargo and diplomatic ostracism. At the other extreme of the continuum, there were some leaders who either wanted to postpone independence or simply continue the patronization of their ‘mother country’ France. 

That Ethiopian belly once again starving

My people once again dying

The Ethiopian nation altogether crying

That Ethiopian mother for her children mourning

Out of Africa  Sunday May 18, 2008
Source: Observer, UK

For the moment, though, it is the music of the past that is attracting the attention of the West. Éthiopiques gathers an array of talents, among them singer Mahmoud Ahmed, who lifted a BBC World award last year, Alemayehu Eshete, saxophonist Getatchew Mekurya, and 'Ethio-jazz' bandleader Mulatu Astatke. It's these four who are heading for Europe, backed by the US jazz troupe Ether Orchestra.

Ethiopian Airlines says profits may hit record high
May 17, 2008,  REUTERS
ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopian Airlines net profits for the first nine months of 2007/08 reached 484 million birr ($55.67 million), the airline said in a statement. The state-owned carrier posted net profits of 129 million birr in 2006/07. The statement predicted that, based on the first nine months of 2007/08, the airline would achieve a record net profits and revenues. Expenses for the same period rose by 21 percent, the brunt of which Chief Executive Girma Wake said was spent on fuel. "Fuel price remains of concern to the industry as a whole and Ethiopian believes that costs will continue to escalate into the next quarter given the present trend in price of fuel," Wake said. Revenues for the period rose 29 percent to 6.6 million birr, he said. 
The airline transported 1.9 million passengers, a 19 percent increase on last year. Wake said the improvements in revenue and traffic were due to increased frequency of flights, the introduction of new routes and an increase in cargo revenue 

ZIMBABWE : From Party-Mobilizing to Monopolistic-Hegemonial Regime

Ghelawdewos Araia  May 6, 2008

We shall see what will happen in the run-off elections! It seems to me, however, that Mugabe could prevail only if he deploys all his secret, army, and police forces all over Zimbabwe. This last political ditch may not work for Mugabe this time for three reasons: 

1) Mugabe and his cronies are not as young and energetic as they were in the early 1980s; the wear and tear has taken a toll; 

2) the bulk of the Zimbabweans, who got the brunt of the crisis, are sick and tired of the monopolistic regime; 

3) Zimbabwe has now virtually became a desolate and isolated country in an increasingly globalized and interacting world, and the only hope for Zimbabwe’s resurrection is the MDC and other progressive Zimbabweans.

Ghelawdewos Araia

April 7, 2008 IDEA, Inc.

This essay will make a brief historical synopsis and analysis of the crimes perpetrated by the Italian fascists against the Ethiopian people in the 1930s. At this particular juncture, it may sound ironic to revisit the crimes against humanity committed in Ethiopia by Fascist henchmen like Marshall Pietro Badoglio and Marshal Rodolfo Graziani, but sometimes the past contends with the present especially if justice has not been served and no official apologies extended by state and/or religious leaders of the perpetrator nation.This essay is also aimed at reinforcing the Global Alliance for Ethiopia, a group of Ethiopians’ initiative in an effort to convince the Vatican and Pope Benedict XVI to apologize to Ethiopians as he has done to the Jews in Germany with respect to the Holocaust committed by the Nazis. As a matter of fact, one of the members of the Global Alliance for Ethiopia, Ato Kidane Alemayehu has written a letter to the Holiness Pope Benedict XVI (Vatican_Apology_to_Ethiopia.doc) but to this day no answer was given.

Ghelawdewos Araia-Unless otherwise the Kenyan constitution is completely revised and re-written, the people of Kenya cannot simply accept a sudden departure from the politics that they are familiar with. According to the present Kenyan constitution, the President [Kibaki] is head of state and government and is elected directly by the people for a five-year term limited to two terms. The president selects members of the cabinet from the National Assembly and he also appoints the governors of the respective districts (69 autonomous provincial districts) and members of the judiciary including the Chief Justice and High Court judges.

If Barack Obama Becomes the Next President of the United States! A Comparative and International Politics Perspective.  March 2, 2008

Ghelawdewos Araia- If Barack Obama becomes the next president, can America adapt to the global changing circumstances? Given America’s political history of ‘constancy and change,’ and the ability of the nation to reinvent itself, the United States will definitely attempt to accommodate the new order rather than clash with it. The new world order that I have alluded to above is not just a multi-polar world tainted with balance of powers but it is also going to herald peaceful coexistence and cooperation among the peoples of our planet earth. In order to foster such a grandiose plan of international cooperation and cultural exchange, an Obama type of leader is the necessary prerequisite, because he has already united the American people and will bridge U. S. interests with other global interests and he is of dual heritage, American and African who can smoothly connect not just Kenya but also the entire continent of Africa with America. America needs a Barack Obama leadership in the first decade to quarter of the 21^st century, but we will have to wait and see for its fruition.

THE ETHIOPIAN VICTORY AT ADWA: MEANINGS FOR AFRICANS AND PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT IN THE DIASPORA 

Dr. GHELAWDEWOS ARAIA- March 2, 2008 - More than any moment in their history, Ethiopians must jealously guard a united and strong Ethiopia in an effort to continue the legacy of their patriotic forefathers and guarantee the national interest and security of their nation. They should never succumb to ethnic-specific issues despite the current ethnocentric politics hovering over Ethiopian communities at home and elsewhere. Unity and brotherhood among various Ethiopian nationality groups is extremely crucial, and Adwa is a constant reminder of a unified force that can virtually circumvent a negative political monster that is aimed at dismantling the organic and cohesive fabric of a given historic entity. Ethiopians have witnessed peaceful coexistence amongst themselves for millennia and they have no wish other than harmony and fraternity toward one another and toward others. It is in light of the above reality, therefore, that we must now celebrate the 110th anniversary of the victory of Adwa, and so that our subscribers appreciate in some depth and get the flavor of what Adwa was all about, we have hereby post two articles on the victory of Adwa written and presented by Dr.Ghelawdewos Araia; one in English, presented at Howard University (Washington, DC) and the Dusable Museum (Chicago) for the centennial celebration in 1996; the second, in Amharic, presented before an Ethiopian audience in Seattle for the 107th anniversary of Adwa in 2003.

IDEA Editorial

March 2, 2008

111^{th Anniversary of the Victory of Adwa}

Is the 111th anniversary of the victory of Adwa. This IDEA editorial, however, is not intended to present an elaborate version of the history of Adwa victory. It is rather a critique of the misguided perceptions and misconceptions with respect to Adwa. Some Ethiopians think that the victory of Adwa was the victory of the people of Adwa. This category of people is either misled by some mysterious and unfathomable dictates or is simply ignorant of the historical circumstances that led to the battle of Adwa.

Uganda: Makerere University Ranking Up
MAKERERE University has significantly moved up the rankings of the top 100 universities in Africa.

According to the latest rankings of world universities updated in January 2008, the 86-year old university is now placed at number 47th, seven steps up from where it was last year. Makerere is also the only Ugandan university that features on the list. The Uganda Christian University that was 97th in 2007 is off the current ratings. The highest ranked University in East Africa is Strathmore University Nairobi at number 21. Others are University of Dar es Salaam (22), University of Nairobi (25), Egerton University (33) and National University of Rwanda (44).

Literacy Plan to Provide 300 000 Adult Classes

BuaNews (Tshwane)

A mass literacy campaign, the Kha Ri Gude project, is to provide basic literacy classes to 300 000 adults and youth. This emerged from President Thabo Mbeki's State of the Nation Address Friday, which focuses on a Business Unusual approach, delivered at the opening of Parliament in Cape Town on Friday.

As part of the Adult Basic Education and Training programme (ABET), the President said: "We shall this month launch the Kha Ri Gude mass literacy campaign. "This will include the training of master trainers who will provide basic literacy classes to 300 000 adults and youth in 2008."

Seeye Abraha:  The Transformative Personality in Ethiopian Politics     January 23, 2008

By Bereket Kiros-Seeye Abraha captured in his energetic articulation of the inner reality of the diverse political views (lives) of the many feuding Ethiopians and their organizations. Chinua Achebe in his novel “A Man of the People” narrates about two contrasting groups of people in West Africa. In that novel, he describes two characters representing the old and the new generations of politicians. The conflict between the old and the new political systems is portrayed through the two characters as they disagree and quarrel over political views. Seeye likewise captured in his articulation the essence of the present conflict between Ethiopian politicians, the new against the old, the leftist against the rightist, the Derg against the democratic et cetera that paralleled the main theme of Achebe's novel. 

A New Paradigm in Ethiopian Politics: A discussion on what Ethiopians can do at this historical juncture to bring about change in Ethiopia
Ghelawdewos Araia    January 14 2008-How can this paradigm of epistemology be attained though? The advanced segment of Ethiopian learned men and women (intellectuals and professionals) could make enormous contribution if they are willing to do so and if conditions in Ethiopia are favorable and permissive. These educators must be open and receptive as well as focused and hard driven, and they can’t afford to exhibit non-committal silence in the middle of their endeavor.

Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia to speak on 'African Commonality with particular focus on the Ethiopian-Eritrean relations'

IDEA Editorial

January 4, 2008

The Obama Factor and American Electoral Politics

Obama, therefore, may continue to be a charismatic persona representing hope and change, but in the end it is the Electoral College, and not the popular vote, that would decide the selection of the would president of the United States of America. To begin with, the Democratic Party, Obama’s own party, out of fear losing to the Republican Party, may not chose Obama as its candidate in its forthcoming convention.

Universities Create Partnership to Improve Disaster Risk Management

The Reporter (Addis Ababa) By Yelibenwork Ayele

The three-year 200,000 USD grant will help Bahir Dar University create a regional institute of excellence on disaster risk management and sustainable development with support from the University of Arizona (UA). The new project is being implemented in partnership with the Higher Education for Development.

Halfway to 2015 Education Goals, Progress Not Fast Enough 
UN Integrated Regional Information Networks
Posted to the web 17 December 2007 Dakar 

Critics say donors at a recent high-level meeting failed to make firm funding commitments for improving education, particularly in impoverished, fragile and war-torn countries, making it highly unlikely the world will meet ambitious education goals by the 2015 deadline. "I cannot be very optimistic," Koïchiro Matsuura, director-general of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said at a press conference on 13 December in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, at the close of the three-day meeting of the High-Level Group on Education for All, which brought together education ministers, donors and development partners.

Towards Confederation in the Horn of Africa Focus on Ethiopia and Eritrea

This is a new addition to the volumes of works on the Horn of Africa. From the back page of the Book: In this book Professor Tesfatsion Medhanie explores the possibility of confederal relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Such an arrangement could become the nucleus of a Horn of Africa confederation. The author discusses the obstacles at present and the necessary conditions for success in this regard.

SOVEREIGNTY: An Absolute and Perpetual Power A Discussion on U. S. – Ethiopia Relations

Ghelawdewos Araia  October 26, 2007

Uganda: Makerere University Diverts Internet Money October 22, 2007

MAKERERE University has directed the sh600m meant to pay for Internet services to fixing its roads. The university secretary, Sam Akorimo, attributed the shift to the Government's failure to include the university in its budget for road repairs ahead of the Commonwealth meeting (CHOGM) next month.

Nigeria: Country to Participate in Olympead Math Competition

Nigeria is to participate in the next international mathematics and science Olympiad competition, the director general, National Mathematical Centre Abuja, has said. The center at the weekend held preparatory exams in all the states of the federation and FCT which will be followed by the geo-political and the national one in order to chose those that will represent the country at the international event.October 22, 2007

Eritrea's Economic Survival

Conference Report
Sally Healy, September 2007

Points of Clarification for the Sake of Educational Discourse   October 3, 2007

Ghelawdewos Araia-Instead of burying oneself in the sand – the ostrich syndrome – the best critique of my article would have been a thoughtful analysis that is credible, plausible, and enumerates in plain but coherent English what Ethiopians can do for their country. Moreover, a critic’s responsibility is to critically examine concepts, themes, and controversies that are part of the corpus of a given essay without resorting to polemics and sarcastically appealing to the powers that be for attention and personal gains. However, as I have stated in the introduction of this essay, we must tolerate a broader continuum of perspectives including the sublime and the absurd. Our destiny has been to traverse a complex path tainted with positive and negative attributes, in order to achieve a relatively sane and democratic society.

Seeking Peace in the Horn of Africa Solutions for Somalia

Duke University Talent Identification Program's International Affairs Institute. September 26, 2007

Beyond the Millennium, Beyond Illusion and Cynicism, and the Challenges of Development . Ghelawdewos Araia    September 20, 2007
“In the last fifteen years, I have argued all along that the EPRDF government needs to attract Ethiopian intellectuals and professionals and utilize their expertise and talent. So far, I have not witnessed the use of Ethiopian professionals en masse for nation building, notwithstanding the few and far in between favored officials that hold ministerial positions and other portfolios. If the Meles regime is indeed in favor of ‘educated and healthy workforce, world-class managers and professionals,’ it should openly extend its hands to all Ethiopians, especially those who are scattered all over the Diaspora. Irrespective of our differences and political inclinations, I personally like the government of Ethiopia to reach out fellow Ethiopians who are willing to contribute to the transformation of their country and the welfare of their people.

Ethiopian Art: Identification and Dating of Crosses and Alleged Brancale on Works. All Africa.com

The unique character of Ethiopian art is the legacy of its situation high in the mountains on the Horn of Africa. Though remote and often isolated it evolved a tradition, going back to the fourth century AD, in response to contacts with Byzantine, European and Islamic cultures. Beginning in the twelfth century, elaborate crosses were cast and engraved in iron and bronze. Painted and carved icons were produced in a tradition that reached its peak at the end of the seventeenth century. Above all it is richly illustrated manuscripts that have provided the most defining expression of Ethiopian Christianity.

Darfur Should Exemplify the End of all Violence in Africa

IDEA Editorial    

August 6, 2007

Now, we have high hope that the 26,000 UN troops will effectively monitor the activities of the Janjaweed and the mood and unpredictable behavior of the Beshir regime. First thing is first: the UN peacekeeping forces must end all violence in Darfur by fully involving the spokesmen and representatives of the people of Darfur in their own affair. Whatever actions and resolutions are taken without the involvement of the people of Darfur would become meaningless and ineffective. Beyond the people of Darfur, the involvement of other Africans via the African Union (AU) is also crucially important.

IDEA Editorial  

July 22, 2007

Good News From Ethiopia in Anticipation of the Millennium Celebration

What is important, now, however, is the pardoning and freedom of the 38 CUD leaders. It is a delight to witness their reunion with their respective families, as Siye Abraha did with his family and his ailing mother. We also wish the Kinijit leaders a happy and prosperous life as well as  reintegration in Ethiopian politics, and if they pursue the latter they must seriously consider the subtle nuances of Third World politics; they must transcend cultural and linguistic (ethnic politics) affinities; they should not be limited to and motivated by political considerations (the power nexus) but should also consider the exigencies of economic development or transformative politics;

Dear Ghelawdewos (Dr.),
As a supporter of President Clinton's work, you understand we all have the unprecedented ability to help others.  We hope you'll put this power to action and join the Clinton Foundation on our journey as we strive to make a difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS, poverty and climate change in Africa.

Uganda: More Oil, Gas Found

Edris Kisambira- Resource-rich African countries and those with big economies like Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Angola, DRC, Egypt, Libya, should really be judged by the MDGs because they and should do much better than that. Even the poorer countries like Ethiopia can do better if they set their priority right. If Ethiopia has resources to occupy another country it can certainly do better at home.

 Southern Africa:SADC to Set Up Gas, Petroleum Body
Wilfred Edwin- The secretariat said the consultant will be tasked to identify petroleum and gas issues that need harmonization and draft appropriate specifications, rules, and standards. The consultant will identify functions, tasks and structure of the regional petroleum and gas sector association and advise on the feasibility of having a composite regional energy regulator encompassing electricity, petroleum and gas. The East African region is said to have a high oil and gas potential. This has seen players in the industry call for joint petroleum exploration ventures. The secretariat of the East African Community hosted the third East African Petroleum Conference in Arusha, this March at which sector development in the sub-region was discussed.

Continent Leaders, Rich Nations Hold Key to Africa's Success   July 12,  2007

By Dr. Tajudeen Kampala- There are countries that are doing quite well on a number of the goals even if they may not meet all of them. Across the continent in education, most of the countries have seen huge rises in enrolment in primary schools as a result of debt relief and new prioritization of the education of our children by many governments. Uganda, for instance, has raised the gear from universal primary education to the secondary level; Kenya is considering the same. Malawi has proven that where there is a will there is a way and even Africa's sleeping giant, Nigeria has reintroduced compulsory universal basic education.

Africa must unite with a big-bang even if the heavens fall: A Call to the Summit in ACCRA!! June 30, 2007 By NES Commentary

On the eve of this historic African Heads of States meeting with a possible impending decision expected on  how  and when to implement the one and only one item on the agenda: the African Union Government: towards the United states of Africa, NES joins all the inspiring pan-Africanists such as Kwame Nkrumah, George Padmore and others to urge Africans to make a big- bang burst into world history by doing Pan-Africanism in practice and making it work by deploying knowledge rather than to use as usual hundred good  or not so good reasons why Africans should continue to talk unity while keeping  separate and apart from each other.

IDEA Editorial  June 25, 2007

Granting Freedom to Political Prisoners is a Step in the Right Direction  6/23/2007
We at IDEA do not pretend to act as strategic peace brokers between the Ethiopian Government and the opposition, but we wish peace and development (two faces of the same coin) to prosper in Ethiopia. The Government and the Opposition, therefore,  must find ways and means to negotiate their interests and differences via dialogue and civil discourse without resorting to antagonism and coercion. Both groups must understand that in any political process the interests of political groups are accompanied, almost always, by internally generated impulses that could either be contained or go out of hand. In any event, both the opposition and the Government are responsible for developing creative individual niches to systematically control impulses

Selective Amnesia & The German Radio Amharic Broadcast

IDEA Editorial June 8, 2007-Most importantly, history cannot be written by people who harbor phobia to some ethnic group within Ethiopia and by people who suffer selective amnesia. The latter is a debilitating disease that creates discord among people who, in one form or another, pursue a relatively harmonious relationship. The guarantee for Ethiopian unity is, first and foremost respect of the various cultures and linguistic groups that make up Ethiopia. Just advocating Ethiopian unity without due recognition of Ethiopian nationalities (another version of selective amnesia) is empty rhetoric and jingoistic.

State Minister Calls On Universities to Attach Due Attention to Quality Research 
Ethiopian Herald (Addis Ababa
June 4, 2007 
Universities should attach due attention to quality research as they are instrumental in ensuring speedy and sustainable growth, the Ministry of Education said. State Minister of Education Dr. Adhana Haile underscored at a research and study symposium here Thursday that higher learning institutions need to give due attention to quality research works as they have significant contribution towards boosting production and productivity. 

Government Promotes Reading Culture Among Children 
New Vision (Kampala) June 4, 2007 
By Francis Emorut and Penlope Nankunda
THE Government is to partner with Uganda Children's Writers and Illustrators Association (UCWIA) to promote a reading culture among African children, the minister of Labour Gender and Social Development, Syda Bbumba, has said. In a speech presented by William Otim, a commissioner in the gender ministry, Bbumba said: "I'm very satisfied with the activities which UCWIA carries out. The Government of Uganda is ready to be a willing partner in the pursuit of your goals."

In Memory of Dr. Paulos Daffa

By Ethiopian community and friends in Muenster, Germany

May 31, 2007

Dr. Paulos Daffa passed away on Friday, May 11, 2007 at the University Clinic in Muenster. His funeral service was held on May 18, 2007 in Muenster.

Paulos Daffa was born on August 19, 1946 in Aira, Wallaga, Ethiopia as second son of Rev. Daffa Djammo and Woizero Kanntu Karorssa. He attended elementary school at the German Mission School in Aira and junior secondary school at the Entoto Swedish Mission School in Addis Ababa. Later he attended General Wingate Secondary School in Addis Ababa. He was an outstanding student, a fine athletic person and a development activist already during his teenage years. He received several awards in athletics including first prizes in 800 and 1500 m race from the hands of the late Emperor Haile Selassie.

Connecting Africa and Asia by Bridge

By IDEA Scholar Research Staff

May 25, 2007

The huge but compact landmass of Africa can be abridged at two points, namely the Straight of Gibraltar and the Straight of Bab al Mendab, with Europe and Asia respectively. The distance between Morocco and Spain is only 9 miles and that of Yemen and Djibouti is about 12 miles. Although Africa is already connected with the Arabian Peninsula via the Sinai, there is no modern infrastructure that really joins the two continents. Now an ambitious plan to connect Yemen and Djibouti by the longest suspension bridge in the world will be undertaken by the Noor City Development Corporation of Napa, California. The American company was authorized by a Dubai-based developer, and once the bridge is completed it will have a tremendous impact on the development of Djibouti and Ethiopia as well as the rest of the Horn of Africa. For further information please see Tom Sawyer’s report by linking to the following

URL: http://enr.construction.com/news/intl/archives/070501.asp  

Giving Peace A Chance in the Ethiopian Millennium Celebration

Ghelawdewos Araia   May 10, 2007

The objective of this article, as its title implies, is to advocate a lasting peace through mediation and dialogue in an effort to quell the seeming permanence of conflict within Ethiopia and its neighbors. The article will engage and appeal to the political regime, the opposition, and the various institutions of learning to implement peaceful conflict resolution mechanisms. As we shall see below, a whole gamut of strategies and array of concepts and methodologies are suggested in the resolution of conflicts, and the responsible institutions, it seems to me, must effectively play their positive catalytic role in order to have a relatively safe, peaceful, and tranquil society.

The Impact of HIV/ AIDS on Poverty and Education in Africa   May 6, 2007

Ravinder Rena-The HIV/AIDS is having a devastating effect on many developing countries of Africa, largely by undermining human capital particularly in the countries like South Africa , Ethiopia , Botswana , Swaziland , and Uganda etc. The disease affects primarily the adult population in its most productive years thereby thwarting population incentives to save and invest. The epidemic disease of AIDS destroys the social fabric of whole communities and undermines the capacity of government to provide basic social services and essentially curtails the potential for sustained economic development and social transformation.

Ghana: Ghana @ 50: Aid Effectiveness in Education Delivery

Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra) April 20, 2007

The premise that education is a central pillar of human resource development is widely accepted in Ghana. Education produces knowledge, skills, values and attitudes. Education is critical for economic growth and poverty reduction. Through education there is a development of critical thinking skills to create human capital to affect workers productivity and distribution of new wealth. Ghana @ 50 therefore demands frank assessment of the various interventions in education delivery in the country to guide our actions, from the current rallying cry of a fall in standard of education to a reality of achieving excellence

South Africa: Educating the Poor is Vital to SA's Future Prosperity

Business Day (Johannesburg) OPINION  Neva Makgetla April 20, 2007

EVERY year when matric comes around, we hear about plucky schools in dirt-poor communities that achieve a decent pass rate. But the reality is that education remains heavily inequitable, with worse resourcing and outcomes for poor, black and female children. In 2003, only 12% of Africans who took matric got a university exemption, compared with 51% of white learners.

Is Christianity an Offshoot of the Egyptian Mystery System?

Ghelawdewos Araia     April 7, 2007

The ancient Egyptians virtually gave us all major attributes of civilization: agriculture (irrigation), architecture (pyramids, obelisks, temples etc), mathematics (numerical and standard measures), medicine (Imhotep’s legacy –he is the first physician, not Hippocrates-, herbal pharmacology, anatomy, mummification etc), art of government (Egypt is the first nation), and collection of wealth.

Zimbabwe: The End of "Quiet Diplomacy"?  

AfricaFocus Bulletin Mar 26, 2007

The Southern African Development Community (SADC), which has pushed for an approach of 'quiet diplomacy' to the Zimbabwean crisis, has increasingly come under fire for failing to wield any influence." - IRIN, March 23, 2007 Attacks on protesters and opposition leaders in Zimbabwe have provoked a new level of criticism, particularly in the Southern Africa region. But it is still unclear what Zimbabwe's neighbors and the international community more generally can do to help check the country's crisis.

TIGRESS IN THE CROSSFIRE: A Memoir

By Saba Mistlal Desta Webb

“In naming this book I liken myself to a tigress, a strong animal always ready to fight for her rights. Being in the crossfire represents the trials and heartaches I went through in order to help the nation achieve the status it has today. The illustration of the rays of the morning sun shinning down on the tigress depicts the ongoing journey into a new tomorrow for Ethiopia and its people.” From the back cover of the book.

Oprah Winfrey: The Indomitable Spirit & A Gift for Africa

Ghelawdewos Araia-March 12, 2007

Oprah Winfrey is the embodiment of goodness and a blessed woman destined to donate her love and her money to African children. If Oprah had lived several centuries in the African past and happen to be part of the Southern Africa mythology, she would have been named Hakata (sacred dice). Among the Bantu of Southern Africa, especially among the people of Zimbabwe , legend has it that the Hakata was sought and consulted whenever drought, famine, and pestilence struck.

IDEA Editorial

March 2, 2007

111^{th Anniversary of the Victory of Adwa}

March 2, 2007 is the 111th anniversary of the victory of Adwa. This IDEA editorial, however, is not intended to present an elaborate version of the history of Adwa victory. It is rather a critique of the misguided perceptions and misconceptions with respect to Adwa. Some Ethiopians think that the victory of Adwa was the victory of the people of Adwa. This category of people is either misled by some mysterious and unfathomable dictates or is simply ignorant of the historical circumstances that led to the battle of Adwa.

Ethiopians Will Soon Celebrate The Millennium

Come September the world could have celebrated it at the same time had it not been for a historical accident. We all recall that seven years ago most of the world celebrated the Millennium according to the Gregorian calendar. Did you know that the Gregorian calendar came into being only 425 years ago? The Christian world was using the Julian calendar up until 1582 A.D. This was more or less the same calendar that we use in Ethiopian to this very day.

Liberia: Debt Cancellation Overdue  AfricaFocus Bulletin Feb 9, 2007 (070209)

Editor's Note  Demonstrators delivered over 10,000 Valentine cards to the U.S. Treasury this week asking the U.S. Treasury Secretary to "have a heart" and cancel Liberia's debt. With the Liberia Partners' Forum in Washington scheduled for next week, even the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has stated that the debt is unsustainable. But more than a year after President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf took office, Liberia is still being asked to repay arrears on accumulated debt. This AfricaFocus Bulletin contains a press advisory on the demonstration and the campaign to collect Valentine cards, supported by the named groups as well as by others such as Africa Action; excerpts from a background paper on Liberia's debt from the Jubilee USA Network, and from a "Report Card" issued by non- governmental organizations on the international response to Liberia over the last year.

The Historical and Ideological Foundations of Pan-Africanism                    

Ghelawdewos Araia, PhD  January 28, 2007

Pan-Africanism literally connotes to all-Africa (n) movement that embraces the ideology of liberation for continental and Diaspora Africans in the political, economic and cultural spheres. Pan-Africanism has a rich but complex tapestry that dates back to the 18^th century. To be sure, however, the ideological roots of Pan-Africanism are not in Africa but in the Caribbean and the United States . In point of fact the early harbingers of Pan-Africanism are Prince Hall, who demanded the repatriation of Blacks to Africa by directly confronting the State Assembly in Massachusetts in 1787, and Paul Cuffee, another Bostonian, * Quaker, and a shipbuilder, who actually ventured in resettling 40 African Americans in Sierra Leone from the United States in 1815.

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL ETHIOPIANS & TO ALL WHO PROFESS THE EASTERN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN FAITH

Sudan: Why Doesn't Bush Act on Darfur?

AfricaFocus Bulletin
Dec 29, 2006 (061229)

The crisis in Sudan's Darfur region is intensifying without a meaningful response from the White House [despite President Bush's promise not to allow genocide 'on his watch']. Perhaps Harvard professor Samantha Power's tongue-in-cheek theory is correct: The memo was inadvertently placed on top of the president's wristwatch,and he didn't want it to happen again. But if Bush's expressions of
concern for the victims in Darfur are genuine, then why isn't his administration taking real action?" - John Prendergast

Understanding the Ethiopian-Somalia Relations & seeking Permanent Solutions to the Conflict in the Horn of Africa   Dec 10, 2006

Ghelawdewos Araia-It is of paramount importance that we must first understand the complexity of the Ethiopia-Somalia relations by delving into and dissecting the history and cultures of these peoples and reasonably deciphering the root causes of the conflicts. It is for this apparent reason that I wrote several articles pertinent to the Horn crisis including the following: The Horn of Africa: Conflict and Conflict Resolution (1997)¹ and The Enigma of the Ethiopia-Somalia Relations and the Islamic Factor (2002)² The latter was picked up by ‘Camel Milk Threads’ or www.somaliaonline.com, a Somali cyber group, and some found my article “an interesting piece regarding history of the Somali Ethiopian animosity;” others regarded ‘the Amhara and Tigray colonial ambitions’ as the cause of the conflict...

The World's Oldest Student? An 86-year-old Kenyan Enrolled in Grade School, Thanks to a Program That Guarantees Free Education to All 

Dec 6, 2006 — - Kimani Nganga Maruge is cooking a sweet potato in a battered tin pot over a pile of smoldering corn cobs. He sits on a rickety wooden chair on a patch of mud outside his one-room, mud-walled home. His son, James, is with him on a Sunday afternoon, reading to him from the bible. As Maruge leans over to stir the pot, he flashes his trademark toothy grin. Watch the full report tonight on "World News With Charles Gibson," at 6:30pm, EST. He is proud, he says, that he's learning to read the Bible and speak a little English. Maruge is 86 years old. And he is in third grade. When he first tried to enroll in the local elementary school in this poor village outside El Doret, in western Kenya, the principal brushed him off

Africa: Water, Health, and Development November 28, 2006
AfricaFocus Bulletin  Nov. 24, 2006 (061124)

Big part of what we do in the report is sorting out what the problem is. We commissioned a study, which we did with the World Health Organization, trying to understand the real public health outcomes from the water crisis in Africa. The headline number that comes out is: globally there are roughly two million child deaths as a result of not having access to clean water. And Africa is hugely over represented in that number. It accounts for something like a third or more, roughly 40% of total child deaths from water-related problems. That is a health outcome.

What Africa Can Learn from American Democracy and Election 2006*

Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia -  November 18, 2006  If there are no foundations and necessary ingredients that contribute to a vibrant democratic culture, how is it possible then that I urge Africans to learn from the American experiment? Understandably, in the absence of democratic principles and practice, one could not expect much for an overnight triumph of free and fair elections. Notwithstanding the cliché ‘more time is needed to foster democracy in Africa,’ it is crucially important for Africans to begin to admit their weaknesses, appreciate other democratic cultures and learn from them. Even if we agree that comparison between the US and Africa is a futile exercise in history, there is no doubt that we can gain immensely and make great stride not so much in implementing democratic principles but in borrowing ideas that could help us inculcate the democratic culture. Thus, Africans should begin at the beginning and take ‘lessons in democracy’.

China pledges billions to Africa

Sat Nov 4, 2006 BEIJING - China launched a sweeping effort Saturday to expand its access to Africa's oil and markets, pledging billions of dollars in aid and loans as dozens of leaders from the world's poorest continent opened a conference aimed at building economic ties. pledged to double China's aid to Africa from its 2006 level by 2009. Speaking at the conference's opening ceremony, he promised $3 billion in loans, $2 billion in export credits and a $5 billion fund to encourage Chinese investment in Africa.

UNESCO Celebrates 30 Years in Rwanda
October 18, 2006 Last week, at Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) celebrated 60 years of its existence. The celebrations, which coincided with thirty years of the organisation's existence in Rwanda, drew students from nine schools, teachers and the general public.

Angola: UNDP Signs Cooperation Agreement With Angolan Universities

October 18, 2006 The United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) and the public university Agostinho Neto, as well as the private higher education institutions of the Catholic church "UCAN", Jean Piaget and Lusíadas will sign this Wednesday, at the UN head-office in Luanda, memorandums of understanding to stimulate the scientific interchange among these educational entities.

H.E. Belaten Geta Heroy

(Advice to the Son & in Memory to the Father) Translated into English by Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia

By: Daniel Gizaw (Book Review)

Ethiopia has been lucky to have extremely intelligent politicians leading her foreign affairs ever since the time of Emperor Menelik II. At the beginning of the twentieth century, once the Emperor realized that the country’s connection with foreign nations was vital to his ambitious development plans for his nation, he knew finding the right person to place at the helm of this crucial post was equally vital.

Zeresenay Alemseged is the first Ethiopian to lead a research team that has made such an important discovery. He is a bright young scientist who has studied in the US and Europe and is currently attached to the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.

Ghana: Teachers Advised to Do More in the Training of Children
Mr Anthony Amoah, Western Regional Minister has said that teachers have the duty to mould children under their care into future leaders that society can be proud of. He noted with concern that some teachers do not work hard enough to unearth the talents of their pupils.

Sep 20, 2006 — ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopian scientists unveiled on Wednesday a 3.3 million-year-old fossil of a girl, which they believe is the most complete skeleton ever found.

"We are excited that we have found a way to return to Ethiopia, a program that has had a long standing history of warmly accepting volunteers into local communities," said Dr. Olsen. "Our hope is that the Ethiopia program becomes a model for the accomplishments that Peace Corps volunteers demonstrate in the health field around the world."

The Institute of Development and Education for Africa (IDEA) presents the partial images of Mekelle, the capital of the State of Tigray that has witnessed in recent years swift transformation in infrastructure, commerce, and capacity building. However, as you can see in these pictures, some scenes are intact and objectify reminiscence of the old Mekelle. IDEA challenges its subscribers to recognize places in Mekelle, figure out what they are, and answer the questions below by writing to webmaster@africanidea.org

By IDEA Research Scholar Report, September 8, 2006-IDEA representative, Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia, also met several faculty members, diligent and studios Africana scholar students at CAS, and the wonderful Ms. Janet Woodruff who meticulously and lucidly explained the mission and objectives of CAS and ALAADS. In due course of her conversation with Dr. Araia, Janet underscored the necessity and significance of recapturing the experience of the African Diaspora in Connecticut and the United States.

Tilahun GMedhin-In the absence of any government intervention, a report on “The Macroeconomics of HIV/AIDS” cautions that an otherwise growing economy severely affected by HIV/AIDS could contract to about one-third its size in three generations. Devarajan, a co-author of the new research findings, says, “AIDS does much more than destroying the existing ability and capabilities – the human capital – embodied in its victims; it also weakens the mechanisms through which human capital is formed in the next generation and beyond” (qtd. in Jackson, Theis, and McMahon screen 1). Indeed, HIV/AIDS is distorting the very fabric of everyday life in the region, with profound implications for both social and economic development for succeeding generations (CHG 4).

Reflections on ‘African Development: Dead Ends and New Beginnings’ August 23, 2006- 

Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia - The objective of this article is to critically examine the overall thesis of Meles Zenawi’s paradigm shift with respect to African development. It is, in effect, an overview of the theme under discussion and the tenets and points of view incorporated in the preliminary draft presented by Meles Zenawi (henceforth MZ), the Prime Minister of Ethiopia.

Book Announcement: ‘Advice to The Son & In Memory to the Father’ by H. E. Belaten Geta Heroy Woldeslassie; translated into English by Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia July 7, 2006

How to Place an Order for Cultures that We Must
Preserve and Reject (Tigrigna)

Members of Parliament (MPs) meeting in Malawi's capital, Lilongwe, to discuss the 2006/07 budget have called for the education system to be overhauled, with the abolition of community day secondary schools (CDSSs) as one of the options July 21, 2006

PanAfrica: Eastern Cape Education Department Streamline ICT Usage

The Eastern Cape Department of Education (ECDOE) has embarked on a programme to promote the integration of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in all its operations in order to enhance education service delivery in the province. July 21, 2006

After Emperor Tewodros, Emperor Yohannes IV is another great visionary whose person is characterized by unparalleled altruism, incomparable sense of justice and humanist principle at its core. By his utmost commitment to his people and his country and his indefatigable patriotism, Yohannes makes every Ethiopian a dwarf-thinking animal.                               

The Great Unifier: Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia

Dr. Ghelawdewos Araia

E-learning Africa Conference 2006
The Institute of Development and Education for Africa (IDEA) had posted an article entitled 'E-Learning For Economic Development of Ethiopia' by Nega Worku Debela, Ph.D, on September 27 2005. The article discusses 'the benefits and challenges of E-learning and further explores how web-based E-courses will impact the economic development of Ethiopia . For further reading please click on the following link:
www.africanidea.org/e-learning.html

I am contacting you with regard to the 1st International Conference on ICT for Development, Education and Training which will take place from May 24 - 26, 2006 in Addis Ababa , Ethiopia (www.elearning-africa.com). eLearning Africa 2006 is a new conference organized by ICWE GmbH and Hoffmann & Reif that focuses on ICT for development, education and training in Africa . The event will establish and link a network of decision makers from governments and administrations with universities, schools, governmental and private training providers, industry, and important partners in development cooperation. eLA 2006 is supported by the United Nations Commission for Africa and the European Commission's DG Information Society. The Ethiopian Ministry of Capacity Building has taken the patronage over the conference. The event will be accompanied by an exhibition. Please, see also our web page: www.elearning-africa.com. Press releases are available under: http://www.elearning-africa.com/press_release.php.
Journalists who wish to report on the event can be accredited:
http://www.elearning-africa.com/press_accreditation.php.

Accreditation Criteria:
Press Badges are limited to members of the written or electronic press currently employed by a news organisation. Journalists must present valid 2006 press cards or press credentials. Freelance writers must present an original letter of assignment and one sample of a by lined article published in the last year. Electronic Media and camera or sound crews are required to present a business card. Online publications are required to present a business card reflecting an editorial title, plus a copy of a by lined article.
Press Registration:
Please contact us at press-service@icwe.net if you wish to attend the Opening Event of eLearning Africa 2006 or register onsite at the registration desk of eLearning Africa 2006.
Please do not hesitate to contact me for more information.
With kindest regards

Now Publishers Turn to Audio Books to Enhance Oral Skills
April 30, 2006   The Nation (Nairobi)  
By Joseph Ngunjiri
Self-Reliance the Only Way Out, Experts Say
May 1, 2006 The Nation (Nairobi)
By Nation Reporter

FG to Furnish Engineering Laboratories in Polytechnics
The Federal Government has secured funds from the Petroleum Technology Development Funds (PTDF) to furnish the engineering laboratories of one Federal Polytechnic in each of the six geographical zones of the country.

Zambia: Govt Introduces Distance-Learning Education Programmes. THE government has introduced distance-learning education programmes from grades eight to twelve in its effort to attain Education for All goals.Launching the 'Alternative Upper Basic and High School Programmes' at Kabulonga High School yesterday, education deputy minister Gunston Chola said the ministry recognised the right for every Zambian to have good quality education and focused on key factors of educational provision such as access, equity and quality maintenance at all level.

Memorandum on the current situation in Ethiopia  April 6, 200
Tilahun K.

We are at a time when political turmoil in Ethiopia has taken much of our time, thoughts and discussions. Multitudes of criticisms and recommendations have been forwarded by many concerned citizens. Many have also been exerting relentless efforts to stretch the domestic political tension beyond control. Historically shameful and strategically awful alliances have been reestablished between a neighboring dictator and remnants of the brutal Dergue associated with CUD. All criminals of the past declared amnesty among each other and joined hands to topple EPRDF.

African American Education: A Historical Overview April 4, 2006
William Seraile, Ph.D  

In light of current concerns about the plight of black males: their astronomical rate of incarceration, their high drop out rates from public high schools, and their scarcity in the nation’s colleges and universities, it is important to place the education of African Americans in a historical context. 

Memorandum on the current situation in Ethiopia.To some people who did not know the leadership of the TPLF properly, the end of the military regime seemed to be the end of terror and they hoped that peace would prevail and the recurrence of famine would be prevented by economic development. Those who felt relieved took the rhetoric on democracy by the new power holders at its face value and they expected changes for a better future. Those who received the TPLF with skepticism had also lack of information on the TPLF and gave the new regime the benefit of doubt.

Eritrean Humor

The Metamorphosis of Eritrean Names, from Birth to their Death

Unnamed person sent the following humor to IDEA, INC., and if the writer of the humor is still around and likes to be acknowledged by our Institute, he or she may contact us off-line. We have preserved the content of the humor as in its original, but we have added explanatory notes at the end so that subscribers (Tigrigna and non-Tigrigna readers alike) can grasp the essence of the leitmotif and root words.

Ancient skull found in Ethiopia Monday, 27 March 2006
Fossil hunters in Ethiopia have unearthed an ancient skull which they say could be a "missing link" between Homo erectus and modern people.

Ethiopia Makes Significant Progress in Preparing to Compete in Global Economy: State Minister.   3/23/2006

State Minister of Trade and Industry said Ethiopia has made significant progress in preparing itself to compete in the global economy. Ahmed Tusa said the measures taken by the government in the WTO accession process include simplification of tariffs, customs modernization, undertaking privatization programme, encouraging investment and upgrading infrastructure.

Gonder university to construct ophthalmic hospital, training center

Gonder, 3/14/2006 The Gondar University has begun preparations to construct a national ophthalmic hospital and training center at a cost of 12.5 million Birr, the presidents office said. In a statement sent to Ethiopian News Agency, the office said on Monday seven million Birr of the stated sum would be used for the construction of a building for an ophthalmic hospital while the balance goes to the refurbishment of the hospital and construction of the training center.

On October 2004 the Institute of Development and Education for Africa (IDEA) had posted excerpts from Bilatin Geta Heruy's book entitled 'Advice to the Son and in Memory of his Father (Amharic). IDEA posts the following link so that our subscribers can explore the early diplomatic acumen of Ethiopians under Emperor Haile Selassie.
http://users.ju.edu/jclarke/heruy.htm
Ethiopia's NON-WESTERN MODEL FOR WESTERNIZATION:

To the exaggerated horror of many western powers, in the 1920s, a series of Japanese visitors sought to expand trade between Japan and Ethiopia.  Japanese representatives attended Hayle Sellase’s Coronation in 1930, and soon afterward signed a Treaty of Friendship and Commerce with Ethiopia.  The next year, the Ethiopians promulgated a constitution closely modeled on Japan’s Meiji Constitution of 1889.  Capping this rapprochement, Foreign Minister Heruy Welde Sellase, one of Ethiopia’s most influential “Japanizers,” visited Japan in late 1931.  Heruy sought commercial and political ties as well as military aid.  Widely fêted, Heruy and his party examined many of Japan’s most important industrial and military facilities.  Many of Japan’s most influential nationalist leaders eagerly greeted him hoping to find in Ethiopia an important ally in the struggle of “colored peoples” against white colonialism and imperialism.

The Institute of Development and Education for Africa (IDEA) Inc. likes to encourage the Ethiopian government to further explore the expediency of dialogue an ad national reconciliation in an effort to resolve the contradictions between itself and the plethora of opposition parties in Ethiopia. It is a step forward for the ruling party of Ethiopia to come to terms with the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces and the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement. But the initiative, as significant as it is, could not become a milestone in Ethiopian politics in so far the main opposition leaders of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD/Kinijit) are behind bars. Now is the time for the Government to deal with Kinijit and other opposition groups in a peaceful and civil way. Let bygones be bygones and let Ethiopia embark upon a threshold of historical opportunity to resolve political contradictions peacefully. Ethiopia, in fact, can redeem itself via genuine dialogue and home grown initiatives and the creation of a permanent platform (commission and/or body)that can oversee future problems and political cul-de-sac and come up with a panacea collectively prescribed by the Ethiopian people.

IDEA, Inc.

Dr. GHELAWDEWOS ARAIA- February 12, 2006- More than any moment in their history, Ethiopians must jealously guard a united and strong Ethiopia in an effort to continue the legacy of their patriotic forefathers and guarantee the national interest and security of their nation. They should never succumb to ethnic-specific issues despite the current ethnocentric politics hovering over Ethiopian communities at home and elsewhere. Unity and brotherhood among various Ethiopian nationality groups is extremely crucial, and Adwa is a constant reminder of a unified force that can virtually circumvent a negative political monster that is aimed at dismantling the organic and cohesive fabric of a given historic entity. Ethiopians have witnessed peaceful coexistence amongst themselves for millennia and they have no wish other than harmony and fraternity toward one another and toward others. It is in light of the above reality, therefore, that we must now celebrate the 110th anniversary of the victory of Adwa, and so that our subscribers appreciate in some depth and get the flavor of what Adwa was all about, we have hereby post two articles on the victory of Adwa written and presented by Dr.Ghelawdewos Araia; one in English, presented at Howard University (Washington, DC) and the Dusable Museum (Chicago) for the centennial celebration in 1996; the second, in Amharic, presented before an Ethiopian audience in Seattle for the 107th anniversary of Adwa in 2003.

The visibility of Dr. King's leadership attracted fierce opposition from the supporters of institutionalized racism. In 1956, white supremacists bombed the King family home in Montgomery. Mrs. King and the couple's first child narrowly escaped injury. The Kings had four children in all: Yolanda Denise; Martin Luther, III; Dexter Scott; and Bernice Albertine. Although the demands of raising a family had caused Mrs. King to retire from singing, she found another way to put her musical background to the service of the cause. She conceived and performed a series of critically acclaimed Freedom Concerts, combining poetry, narration and music to tell the story of the Civil Rights movement. Over the next few years, Mrs. King staged Freedom Concerts in some of America's most distinguished concert venues, as fundraisers for the organization her husband had founded, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. 

The fake and/or real commander-in-chief in the United States does not have to worry about allocating resources and infrastructure. America, after all, is the richest country on the planet and the world envies it in infrastructure. Drawing comparison between the USA and Liberia is like comparing the head of a pin with that of an ox, but as per the title of this article, we can make a reverse comparison in which Liberia became the first nation ever in Africa to have the first woman president while America has only a fake one. In this respect, the analogy of the pinhead and the ox-head is reversed; the pin symbolizes the USA and the Ox represents Liberia. 

Ghelawdewos Araia- January 14 , 2006   There are many heroes and heroines that have captured our imagination and become the centerpiece of historical anecdotes. But they are very few born leaders that have been fascinations of societies for centuries and will remain so for generations to come. Alula Abba Nega is one such a leader and charismatic magnanimous persona at that.  

History is indeed made up of significant events which shape our future and outstanding leaders who influence our destiny. Martin Luther King's contributions to our history place him in this inimitable position. In his short life, Martin Luther King was instrumental in helping us realize and rectify those unspeakable flaws which were tarnishing the name of America. The events which took place in and around his life were earth shattering, for they represented an America which was hostile and quite different from America as we see it today

Sunday, January 15, 2006 Posted at 5:43 PM EST Associated Press Lagos, Nigeria — Nigerian troops battled militia fighters in swamps around a Royal Dutch Shell PLC oil platform that militants attacked at dawn Sunday, the third assault on Shell oil facilities in less than a week in the troubled region.

The African economy has seen some positive signs and a few good examples to look up to in the recent years. During the period between 1995 and 2003, the economy in the sub-Saharan African region grew by an average of 3.5 percent every year. The year 2004 was 4.5 percent. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund both predicted it to top five percent this year. Quite a few countries, such as Uganda, South Africa and the oil producing West African lot, have performed especially well along the way. But the United Nations has already given a verdict on African poverty, saying its population living in extreme poverty has increased during the past decade, and will continue to increase in the near future, expected to be around 340 million in 2015, drawing a bizarre picture where poverty increases while the economy marches on.

Ghelawdewos Araia-December 20, 2005Those individuals with ignominious intentions could careless of our commonality, let alone the oneness of humanity, and they have a special drive and appetite (not to mention their hidden agenda) for discord among people, who in one form or another, are tied by complex and historical and cultural connections. This, in short, is my understanding of the relationship between the peoples of Ethiopia and Eritrea and other people in the Horn of Africa.

Ghelawdewos Araia-December 13, 2005   The cause for human suffering, in almost all cases is the psychological makeup of people (individuals and groups) manifested in the form of ideological fanaticisms, jingoistic nationalism, religious bigotry, anti-Semitism, racism, and ethnocentrism. These manifestations are, by and large, reflections of what we call prejudice. The phenomenon of prejudice occurs as a result of ignorance and/or misunderstanding, but it is not simply a psychic dimension that is enveloped within the minds of individuals or groups; it is rather a developmental social process that breeds hate directed against a certain group of people, and once it is ingrained in the ontological fabric of society, it could become dangerous. At this stage, prejudice could be obsession [nal] and could foment paranoid politics at state level.    

The Institute of Development and Education for Africa (IDEA) has been diligently researching on quality education for Africans in the Continent but in due course, it stumbled on a very serious crime in scholarship and the academia, the non-existing universities (mostly European) that provide forged diplomas and degrees. The fake universities are online vendors only and don't have staff (except for one or two cyber criminals), faculty, campus, buildings, libraries, gyms and other facilities that all conventional universities provide. But the most worrisome and frightening thing is the fact that these fraudulent universities award professional degrees such as family counseling, psychiatry,epidemiology,oncology that could be detrimental to the unsuspecting patients who would be treated by hypocritical and ignoramus professionals that don't have any degree or expertise in the disciplines mentioned above.

Ghelawdewos Araia-November  22, 2005   This article will further discuss the central themes of Coalition Government and Comparative Politics: Meanings for Ethiopia and Humanizing the Ethiopian Political Culture, most recent essays that I presented to the reader. The focus, this time, is on the current Ethiopian crisis, and as the title amply demonstrates we shall decidedly analyze political culture and the problem of power sharing. A macro analysis of political culture will be followed through in order to render a meaningful and critical examination of the big picture that, in turn, incorporates attitudes, psychological make-up (including the psychology of power), and power sharing

The Alemaya University has finalized preparations to launch distance education in nine towns this academic year, the University External and Public Relations Bureau said.

Bureau Head Jeylan Woliy told WIC that the education would be given at the centers established in Harar, Dire Dawa, Jijiga, Asbe-Teferi, Adama, Asella, Bale-robee, Goba and Shashemene towns.

The degree level education would be offered in the fileds of Agriculture Popularization, Plant Science, Agricultural Economics, Agriculture, Mathematics, Geography, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, English and Oromiffa languages.

Tears of Joy: The Wedding of "Titi" Reda
October 26, 2005- IDEA Congratulates Tsegab "Titi" Reda and Iyob Asgede for their wedding and wish them a happy prosperous, wealthy, and constructive life.   Pictures   More Pictures Click, pictures

Homage paid to U.S. civil rights icon Rosa Parks

DETROIT (Reuters) - Tributes poured in on Tuesday honoring Rosa Parks, the black woman whose refusal to give a white man her seat on an Alabama bus 50 years ago sparked a protest that helped break racial segregation in America.

Humanizing the Ethiopian Political Culture
Ghelawdewos Araia 
October 14, 2005- Cynical manipulation and other negative energies with our political system could be overcome, however gradual, overtime if we employ the suggestion I have made in Modernism, Post-Modernism and Afrocentrism: Meanings for Ethiopia. On top of the Zara Yacob thesis, however, the Ethiopian political landscape must observe the rule of law that in turn guarantees justice and democracy. To help us further understand what the rule of law entails, we may want to cite what Pat Duffy Hutcheon discussed a decade ago in his article entitled Beyond Right and Left: A Humanist Approach to Politics: 

September27, 2005-To summarize, in our fast changing world, web based distance learning or E-learning is becoming progressively more popular with institutes of higher education. Online distance education is one of the technology enhanced ways to teach and train people who choose not to breach their professional, familial and personal responsibilities through attendance of traditional, face-to-face classes.  

September17, 2005- In countries where there is no democratic governance or where there is a semblance of democracy and/or fragile political structure, the executive dominates politics and operates above the law; the legislature becomes a rubber stamp entity and in effect does not legislate. In such political systems, it is unlikely that peaceful coexistence and coalition governments can take place. As stated above, however, we are trying to provide a foundation for developing paradigms and conceptual tools whereby future leaders of Ethiopia can draw a lesson from other political cultures.

September 6, 2005- Of course, all Africa’s ills and drawbacks cannot be attributed to its former colonizers and detractors. The continent’s brutal and corrupt leaders are responsible for Africa’s backwardness.  Therefore, African scholars have a special historical task to carefully diagnose the world economy, understand the intricacy and complexity of globalization, research on and regenerate IKS and other Africa’s conceptual systems, and formulate educational and development policies accordingly. Then and only then can we implement sustainable development programs and guarantee the independence and integration of Africa into the global economy.

To be competitive in the knowledge era, producing and maintaining high-level expertise became too crucial. As the World Bank major policy paper put it “constructing knowledge societies” has surfaced as a critical national priority. More importantly, the Bank has also shifted its former position in favor of higher education, in recognition of its significance to national development. This is a major development for higher education in the continent. 

By SHARON LaFRANIERE  August 11, 2005

Women's rights activists say that the prevalence of abuse is emblematic of the low status of women in sub-Saharan Africa. Typically less educated, they work longer hours and transport three times as much weight as men, hauling firewood, water and sacks of corn on their heads.

Press Release No. 8

By the Network of Ethiopian Scholars (NES) - Scandinavian Chapter

Ethiopia’s future in the next five years: Seize the moment and seize the time

July 19, 2005

History does not open critical political moments easily and frequently. Such historical moments are rare especially in countries like Ethiopia where political change has been for a long time under the grip of a particularly virulent and violent authoritarian selection. Like earlier critical turning points that did not come as mere accidents, the current opportunities for democratic transition or dangers for continuing authoritarian rule often arrive as crystallized consequences of processes amongst the multiplicities of possible outcomes

A new book in the market (Tigringa) by Ghelawdewos Araia, Ph.D. 7/18/2005

All Rock, No Action (Live8, G8 and Africa)  7/15/2005

Neither debt relief nor huge amounts of food aid nor an invasion of experts will change anything. Those will merely prop up the continent's dictators. It's up to each nation to liberate itself and to help itself. When there is a problem in the United States, in Britain, in France, the citizens vote to change their leaders. And those times when it wasn't possible to freely vote to change those leaders, the people revolted. In Africa, our leaders have led us into misery, and we need to rid ourselves of these cancers.

The education of Bob Geldof
By IAN SMILLIE 

Disgusted by the apathy and global inattention to the famine in Ethiopia, he criticized what he regarded as an overfed, sluggish, bureaucratic aid establishment. He rallied his friends and colleagues and they made music. Mr. Geldof raised millions of dollars, promising that he would get the money directly to those who needed it most.

We Have Historical Obligation in Strategizing for the Future of Ethiopian Politics Pdf Amharic

Ghelawdewos Araia, Ph.D.
July 2, 2005

Idea Editorial, June 11, 2005

Bullets should Not Destroy Ethiopian Ballots

The opposition should not make a mistake in underestimating the EPRDF. The ruling party has reached a vanishing point, but it would not disappear like a phantasmagoria. The Ethiopian opposition forces including the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF) and CUD should exhibit awareness of domestic, regional, and global politics and  must be ready to shoulder a huge historical task in mobilizing and organizing the Ethiopian people.” The message we conveyed then, however, did not seem to penetrate into the minds of the opposition.

Political Leadership and Legitimate Power in Ethiopia   May 23, 2005  
Ghelawdewos Araia, Ph.D.

There is no doubt that Ethiopia will be better off under a new regime that has the backing and full support of the people, but the new political regime, as a matter of course, should demonstrate legitimate power and feature most of the latter’s component parts. Moreover it should be proactive and involve the people in the political process and make sure the decision-making process is not the monopoly of few elites or the executive branch of government.

IDEA Editorial
Mirage Politics and the Ethiopian Elections  May 13, 2005  

The time for regime change and transformation is on the horizon, but the opposition should not make a mistake in underestimating the EPRDF. The ruling party has reached a vanishing point, but it would not disappear like a phantasmagoria. The Ethiopian opposition forces including the United Ethiopian Democratic Party (UEDP) and CUD should exhibit great awareness of domestic, regional, and global politics and must be ready to shoulder a huge historical task in mobilizing and organizing the Ethiopian people. Once the opposition is united along pan-Ethiopian agenda and manages to undertake its historical mission, it will win the hearts and minds of the Ethiopian people, and will win political power legally and peacefully. That will be the end of mirage politics, the relegation of Trojan history into the dustbin of history, and the beginning of democratic governance in Ethiopia. 

Is the Millennium Project Achievable? 
Ghelawdewos Araia, Ph.D. May 1, 2005  
Sachs quite correctly argues, “History has shown that democracy is not a prerequisite for economic development. On the other hand, a regime that is despotic, arbitrary, and lawless will easily destroy the economy.” Between Rwanda 1994 and Darfur 2004, Africa unfortunately was torn apart by despotic regimes at best and lawlessness at worst. For this apparent reason, one cannot blame the North for all the failures of the South, but if the South enjoys good governance and the North is genuinely willing to support the initiative and endeavor of the poor nations, the rest is going to be history.

The Magnificence of Aksum: Revisiting Ethiopian Civilization April 25, 2005  
Ghelawdewos Araia
While we extend gratitude to the Italian Government, despite its initial reluctance and subsequent lethargy, it is the Ethiopian people’s perseverance and love for their history and culture that must be commended very highly. It is not without reason that David W. Phillipson, author of Ancient Ethiopia, reasoned in such a way to depict the Ethiopian ethos accurately: “profound historical consciousness and respect for the past is characteristic of very many Ethiopians. Their culture preserves strong memories of the past and there is a long standing tradition of committing these memories to writing in a form suitable to prevailing circumstances.”

 IDEA, Inc. has great appreciation for the just and courageous steps undertaken by the Italian Government to return the Aksum stela to Ethiopia. This diplomatic move and courtesy in International Relations is a unique exemplary role played
 by Italy in modern history, and it will signal to other peace-loving nations of the world that conflicts could be resolved peacefully; that dialogue is the best civil discourse that can strengthen relations among nations and among peoples. Italy's historic measure in returning the Aksum stela will further cement the friendship of the Ethiopian and Italian Peoples. April 22, 2005  

Fundraise
Modernism, Post-Modernism and Afrocentrism: Meanings for Ethiopia
By Ghelawdewos Araia April  12, 2005  
The recent articles entitled Gebrehiwot Biakedagn and Eurocentrism by Dr. Messay Kebede and From Eurocentrism to Ethiocentrism by Dr. Maimire Mennasemay are very interesting, provocative and educational to say the least. It is these kind of thoughtful articles that I had in mind when I wrote Designing Continuum to Enrich Ethiopian Educational Discourse and Debate Culture in September 2004 (www.africanidea.org/designing.html). It is in the latter spirit, and to encourage other Ethiopian intellectuals to join the club and “cash in” in the discussion/debate forum, that I am writing this article.

IDEA Congratulates Kofi Annan for his Larger Freedom Report March 24, 2005  
We at IDEA hope the developed industrialized nations of the North will seriously consider Anna's Report and wholeheartedly cooperate in the meaningful translation of the Millennium Development Goals into a viable program of action. In this regard, the North has a special responsibility to help the poorest nations of the world realize a modicum of development programs within the framework of the MDG.

HOW ABOUT AFRICA? March 4, 2005  

Since the colonization of the Continent in the mid-19th century, Africa has always been marginalized. 
The World Bank/IMF bailout for Asian countries was in excess of trillions of US dollars while
that of Africa was tiny and negligible. While the global response to Tsunami was tremendous, the thousands upon thousands of HIV/AIDS victims in Africa did not get the necessary attention. This New York Times editorial carefully and critically examines Africa's ordeal and challenges the developed 
and prosperous nations to fulfill their obligations in Africa as well.
IDEA, Inc

Peace Corps Returnees from Africa Celebrated Black History Month in San Francisco February 24, 2005    
By IDEA, Inc. Staff Reporter

The Institute of Development and Education for Africa (IDEA), Inc. likes to extend its heartfelt gratitude to all RPCV who served in Africa, to the panelists, and to the organizers of the panel and the exhibition (February 1- April 7, 2005). IDEA also acknowledges and appreciates the positive contribution of the PCV as envisioned by John F. Kennedy in 1961. Indeed as Robert F. Kennedy once said (and this is posted on the wall of the lower level of the San Francisco Main Library) “each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.”

The 'Africa Unite' Rastafarian fever that captivated world-wide audience and that epitomized
African cultural unity at Meskel Square during the 60th birthday anniversary of Bob Marley is now presented to us in pictures by the Bob Marley Foundation. The Institute of Development
and Education for Africa (IDEA), Inc. encourages its subscribers to view and enjoy the landmark musical festival of February 6, 2005, which has now left an indelible mark on the 
history of Africans and the Diaspora.
 IDEA, Inc.

IDEA Editorial 
The Tragedy of African Textile Industries February 13, 2005     

In anticipation of the decline of textile industries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), IDEA presented in many of its editorials and articles Africa’s place in the global economy (see for instance www.africanidea.org/critical.html). In this editorial, the Institute of Development and Education for Africa (IDEA), Inc. likes to delve into the ever-crumbling African garment and apparel industries.

Special Edition for Black History Month 2005

Bob Marley Instinctively Knows that He is Ethiopian January 24, 2005 Ghelawdewos Araia, Ph.D.
   What the Jamaicans where unable to fathom, however, is by a strange historical irony Bob Marley will in fact bridge the Diaspora with the home of their ancestors, Africa in general and Ethiopia in particular. After all, the African Diaspora is ought to repatriate physically or psychologically, or form some kind of bond with the Continent to reaffirm its Negritude or African heritage and pride.           

IMAGES OF BEAUTIFUL ETHIOPIA.  January 15, 2005
The Institute of Development and Education for Africa (IDEA), Inc. invites its subscribers to view the picture gallery of a French photographer and encourages viewers to give credit to
the wonderful beautiful Ethiopia. You can either click on the button images o where it says http://ethiopie.50megs.com/ click here' in French or write to amach_one@hotmail.com
Enjoy your tour!
IDEA, Inc.

There are Some Historical Destinies that We Could not Avoid January 4, 2005

One tragic historical destiny that we encountered in the last three decades is the unfortunate decimation of Ethiopian progressive forces by successive regimes. The Derg unleashed the Red Terror without ever detecting that heinous criminals that have effectively hijacked the revolutionary momentum and deliberately destroyed the future leaders of Ethiopia infiltrated it. Adding insult to injury, the EPRDF, the illegitimate orphan of the Yekatit Abiot, have also succumbed into an anti-Ethiopian frenzy although it attempted to masquerade with some revolutionary slogans including some sedate plagiarism such as Abyiotawi Democracy, a forgery from EPRP’s official papers, namely Abyot and Democracy.

It is Not in the Nature of EPRDF to See the Problem of Educational Policy

This is a direct translation from the Amharic publication of Hizbawi. IDEA, Inc. is not responsible for the content of the editorial. December 25, 2004

Ultimately, it is not in the nature of EPRDF to initiate reform based on constructive ideas pertaining to policies. In order to accommodate change based on citizens’ consultation, the EPRDF first needs to be free from donors, and if 50% of the educational budget comes from donors and lenders, the government could not make independent decisions. The main problem with EPRDF is its inability to exhibit independence in the educational sector.   

IDEA press release
Ethiopian Territorial Integrity Should Be Guaranteed at all Times  November 25, 2004

The Institute of Development and Education for Africa (IDEA) Inc. wishes the prevalence of peace between the Ethiopian and Eritrean peoples and strongly supports any peace initiative that can satisfy the interests of both peoples. The Ethiopian and Eritrean people are indistinguishable in their physiognomy, languages, religions, culture, history, and they have a common inescapable destiny. The peace initiative, therefore, should not be aimed at satisfying one party’s short-term interest, but go further to unite both peoples.  The peace initiative also must transcend the narrow tunnel vision of ‘surrendering land for peace.’ The latter initiative would not bring about peace. On the contrary, it will exacerbate the conflict and may lead to permanent quarrel and bloodshed.

Critical Appraisal of Africa’s Place in the Global Economy  November 20, 2004
Ghelawdewos Araia 

One major problem Africa encountered in the last four decades is the inability of its leaders to translate the many blue prints and development agendas into action. Admittedly, the countless OAU (now AU) and ECA meetings were more of talk shows than workshops. This problem is partly is caused by lack of committed and visionary leadership (corruption being its main manifestation) and partly by the unwillingness of the North (particularly the G8) to support Africa’s initiative, however meager, and to overhaul the respective economies of African nations.

Spend $150 Billion per Year to Cure World Poverty  November 07, 2004  

Ethiopia and sub-Saharan Africa have slid deeper into poverty in the last 20 years, and whereas many
economists stress the failures of local leadership, Sachs is telling a different story. In his version, Africa,
through no fault of its own, is trapped. Held back by geographical impediments like climate, disease and
isolation, it cannot lift itself out of poverty. What Africa needs, then, is not more scolding from the West. It needs a ''big push'' -- a flood of foreign aid -- to boost its prospects and carry it into the developed world.

FIKRE-KIDUS, A Magnificent Literary Novel on Ethiopia  November 02, 2004     

The Institute of Development and Education for Africa (IDEA), Inc. likes to congratulate Ato Daniel Gizaw for his magnum opus, Fikre-Kidus, a novel based on Ethiopia’s modern historiography and with focus on the Italo-Ethiopian war of 1936-1941. The book, written in Amharic, is a powerful literary work ever produced by an Ethiopian that authenticates the trials and tribulations of the Ethiopian people during their patriotic struggle against Fascist Italian occupation.

Rediscovering Ethiopian History and African Wisdom October 15, 2004

The map of Tigray, as shown below, is entirely different from the current diminished size of the State. This map is taken from a 17th century book entitled Tractatus Tres Historico-Geographici (1634) or A Seventeenth Century Historical and Geographical Account of Tigray, Ethiopia, authored by Manoel Barradas, a Portuguese missionary who was stationed in Tigray in 1624. The book was translated from Portuguese into English by Elizabeth Filleul and edited by Richard Pankhurst and republished in 1996 after 362 years of its original publication.

  Bilatin Geta Hiruy Woldeslassie October 15, 2004

Bilatin Geta Hiruy Woldeslassie, one of the very enlightened and visionary Ethiopian statesmen, was advisor to Emperor Haile Selassie and editor of Berhan’na Selam (Peace and Light) newspaper. This African wisdom, written in Amharic, is extracted from his book entitled Advice to the Son and in Memory to the Father, published eighty-seven years ago.

The Magnificence of African Written Culture & Why We Must Adopt Geez Fidel for Ethiopian Languages. Ghelawdewos Araia October 5, 2004

The Eurocentric perspective pertaining to African languages that they are merely spoken and that Africans don’t have scripts to document their history and culture is a preliminary judgment without historical precedent. Unfortunately, many African scholars who were unable to appreciate the unrivaled genius of African invention of alphabets internalize this Eurocentric stereotype.

Call for Papers: Globalization, Development and African Governance 

September 15,2004

The biggest question for Africa is whether the development effort currently under way on the continent is sustainable. Sustainability broadly defined relates to the continent’s capacity to absorb global changes in their various manifestations, while instituting development programs that are determined by local needs and which respond to critical questions of long-term development strategy, which is people-centered as opposed to simply catering to interests of global capital. Further is the question of preserving Africa’s natural resources and putting them in the service of African development.

Designing Continuum to Enrich Ethiopian Educational Discourse and Debate Culture. Ghelawdewos Araia  September 7,2004

The wise and responsible intellectuals will aim beyond the present and grapple with the possible (and hopefully positive) transformation that will take place in order to improve the welfare of the Ethiopian people. These are the visionaries who will not be distracted by trivial issues and ego trips that demand constant massaging. They have transcended the circle of their beginning and wish to translate a major agenda of development that will ultimately benefit their people

STATEMENT OF EAST AFRICAN FEDERATION: September 3,2004

The Global Pan African Movement Secretariat most warmly welcomes the decision of the leaders of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania to accelerate progress towards the East African Federation. Warmest congratulations to their Excellencies

       IDEA ANNUAL FUNDRAISING DRIVE

Africa’s Vulnerability In International Trade   August 18,2004

Despite plethora of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and World Trade Organization (WTO) resolutions and rounds, and Africa’s attempts to get a fair trade, unforgiving reality dictates that the North, and more so the G8,  are not ready to accommodate Africa’s interests.

Reflections on the Development of Higher Education in Ethiopia. Ghelawdewos Araia  July 15, 2004

Nations are successful when they exhibit an appreciable degree of educational development, and schools are successful when students are able to develop skills and knowledge (with critical inquiry) that, in turn, enable them to be successful learners in multivariate, multidisciplinary, and diverse content areas of education. In this regard, Ethiopia is lagging behind other African nations although, in the last half a decade, a significant measure had been undertaken in the development of higher education.

IDEA ETHIOPIAN DIASPORA EDUCATION SURVEY    July 1, 2004

Addis Ababa Street Children Beg for Education June 22, 2004  

The Ethiopian culture, with its attendant parables and folklore, is replete with emphasis on the significance of education. The Ethiopian psyche indeed is tainted with prestige attributed to an educated individual or groups. Reinforcing the latter modality and depicting its metaphor, there is nothing parallel to the Tigrigna proverb which goes on as follows: ‘an uneducated person cannot salvage & unpolished mill cannot grind’

EAAU: A New University for Ethiopia   June 15, 2004  

The Ethiopian African American University (EAAU) is one major historical event and a bright spotlight for the future of Ethiopia and Africa as a whole. The university will play a major role in the development of higher education in Ethiopia once it formally began its operations on the ground and ushers its unlimited potential to meet the cognitive and affective domains in education and in all development related areas.

IDEA Advocacy for African Debt Cancellation June 7, 2004

The advocacy for African debt cancellation initiated and led by Africans and non-Africans is to be commended. In the final analysis, however, visionary and patriotic African head of states, within the framework of the African Union (AU), should come up with a collective measure to undo African debt once and for all. The AU should formulate a new blue print of African collective security that really addresses development issues by first uniting against the pressing debt crisis. The new African collective security should challenge the debt policies of the donor/lender nations in unison and demand reparation for Africa’s service to the North, both in terms of human capital and raw material. Europeans had free lunch in Africa for decades following the Berlin conference of 1884/85 that partitioned the continent among various colonial powers.

Vision 2010 (Nigeria) and Vision 2020 (Ethiopia   May 25, 2004

We at IDEA have always believed that a visionary and patriotic leadership can make a marked difference in nation building and the welfare of the popular masses especially if the visions are translated into action. There is no doubt that respective African nations and citizens will be better off if they enjoy the fortune of visionary, patriotic, committed and abler leadership. The latter four ingredients are the necessary components and preconditions for a meaningful economic and political, as well as social transformations of African societies. 

DOING NOTHING FOR ETHIOPIA   May 19, 2004
On April 2003, following the WTO-sponsored Doha Round deadlock, World Bank president

Mr. Wolfensohn, expressed concern on the disparity between the rich and poor nations,
and calls Doha, "dialogue of the deaf." Almost a year after, that is, on February 2004,
Bob Geldof and the Jubilee Research at the new economic foundation (nef) have come up with their own
analysis of Ethiopia's debt - "Doing Nothing for Ethiopia" -.
IDEA, Inc. believes that visionary leaders like Wolfensohn and the Bob Geldof phenomenon must have
contributed to the recent IMF/World Bank as well as the Paris Club initiative to cancel Ethiopia' debt.
For further information on the Jubilee Research at nef, please visit
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC14668

Conference of African Ministers
Finance, Planning & Economic Development
18-22 May 2004, Kampala, Uganda
IDEA editorial note: CAN AFRICA BE INTEGRATED INTO THE GLOBAL ECONOMY?
The Institute of Development and Education for Africa (IDEA), Inc. encourages readers
to critically examine the Ministerial conference on Trade Policy and National Development Strategies in
light of Africa's marginalization and overall disadvantaged position in the global economy. For
further information on the Conference please use the following link:

The World Bank Should Study Deteriorating School Systems in Africa    May 12, 2004

The World Bank should seriously rethink its SAP projects, especially in educational development, in Africa and  must support the African (Economic Commission for Africa) initiative known as African Alternative Framework to Structural Adjustment Programs for Socio-economic Recovery and Transformation (AAF-SAP).

Profile of African Universities May 5, 2004

The Institute of Development and Education for Africa (IDEA), Inc. will present Profile of African Universities in an effort to creating network among prominent African higher institutions of learning and setting the tone for exchange of ideas and experiences, as well as forging educational discourse and dialogue among the universities. The Profile will be presented in alphabetical order and will feature the establishment, mission and objectives, administration, faculty and programs of the respective universities.

** Africa wants bigger say at IMF **
African finance ministers are not happy at the continent's apparent lack of
a strong voice at the IMF and World Bank.

Schools Without Desks and Clinics Without Nurses  April 20, 2004  

Hlengiso is the epitome of deteriorating schooling in Africa as a whole, and as the author aptly puts it, “the danger signals are all around – in the crowded townships and the jobless rural areas, in schools without desks and clinics without nurses.” 

*GRATITUDE  *IMPENDING GENOCIDE IN DARFUR, SUDAN *IDEA’S EDUCATIONAL PROJECTS FOR AFRICA
April 17, 2004     

On this Issue: 1.Update on African Development; 2. Update on African Education; 3. The Significance of African Women in Political Leadership; 4. Update on African HIV/AIDS; 5. Globalizing Africa; 6. What is Up With the Indian Ocean Newsletter?

According to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), there are some success stories, exhibited by some African countries, in small-scale industries. Although these are not major manufacturing industries, the achievements scored by African countries is commendable when examined against the backdrop of the lost decades of the 1980s and beyond, and more specifically the achievements underscore the empowerment of women, the training of skilled manpower, the creation of jobs, and the incorporation of appropriate technologies. All “success stories” are measured in terms of goal, issue, strategy, and results. Here are some of the updates:

Funding: US $1,195,000

Sources of funding: Austria

Duration: 1992 (ongoing)

For full text, please use the following link: : http://www.unido.org/doc/3632

Funding: US $177,000

Source of funding: Industrial Development Decade for Africa (IDDA)

Duration: 1996-1998

For full text: http://www.unido.org/doc/3621

Funding: US $335,000

Source of funding: IDDA

Duration: 1994-1996

For full text: http://www.unido.org/doc/3624

Boosting Traditional Textile Production, Kenya

Funding: US $ 915,000

Source of funding: Germany

Duration: 1995-1997

For full text: http://www.unido.org/doc/3628

Funding: US $ 900,000

Source of funding: IDDA

Duration: 1993 (ongoing)

*African Development Forum (ADF)

The fourth ADF meeting has been rescheduled from 7-11 March to October 2004. According to the Forum, “the ADF is an initiative led by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) to set up an Africa-driven development agenda. It is designed a process of initiating dialogue, building consensus, and mobilizing partnerships on emerging issues among Africa’s stakeholders.”

This is a USAID initiative for capacity building and training in southern Sudan. As per the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), “the overwhelming need,” in the Sudan “is to address the long-term development needs in the South, rather than continuing only humanitarian assistance.” The goal of the Initiative is to achieve self-reliance and self-sufficiency and “the two most significant needs identified were education and agriculture” – the USAID Southern Sudan Agricultural Revitalization Project & the USAID Basic Education Program.

USAID had a similar project for northern and southern Ethiopia known as Basic Education System Overhaul (BESO) in 1994: “an underlying premise of the BESO program is that reform and progress throughout the sector will occur, in part, through an improved and decentralized education delivery system that effectively and in a sustainable way provides quality primary education to a significant proportion of Ethiopia’s school-aged population.”

*Education for All Week 2004 (19-25 April)

UNESCO in conjunction with the Global Campaign for Education will lobby for 104 million children who have no access to education. Activities will include the visit of children to national parliaments on 20 April and the creation of a ‘missing out’ map – a regular map of a neighborhood – showing the houses that have children not in school. Activities will also include ‘walk to schools’ from villages to symbolize distance between schools and the needy (potential students).

We at the Institute of Development and Education for Africa (IDEA), Inc. wholeheartedly supports the UNESCO initiative and will solemnly observe the Education for All Week (EFA), but we will also curiously follow-up the challenge to the respective African nations endeavor in this regard.

The Pan-African Parliament has elected Ms. Gertrude Ibengwe Mongella, a Tanzanian national, Member of Parliament and a former teacher, as president. Ms. Mongella also chaired the 1995 UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China.

In his Globalizing Africa and the Commonwealth (in GLOBALIZING AFRICA), Ali A. Mazrui had anticipated ‘a bridge between genders’ by making the following proposal:

1. There should be gender-reserved seats for which both candidates and voters would be women. While this would reduce electoral choice, it would increase gender representativeness.

2. When there is confidence that female parliamentary candidates would be able to compete without protection or reserved of seats, all parliamentary seats would therefore revert to a common electoral universal roll, free to all.

 

But according to the International Institute for Capacity Building Africa (IICBA), the “Women’s Leadership Programme in Education,” in Africa was not satisfactory: “despite a decade of rhetoric regarding the key role of women in all the areas and level of development in Africa, statistical evidence demonstrates that the number of women senior decision-making positions in Africa has not improved significantly.” The IICBA provides important statistical data to reinforce it’s finding: “In the area of education, girls and women are much more seriously disadvantaged than boys and men. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 52.0% of women are literate as compared to 68.9% men in 1997 and this literacy gap will only diminish slightly by 2005 according to UNESCO estimates. At primary school level only 88.4% of girls as compared to 96.2% of boys are enrolled. At secondary school level, only 22.4% of girls as compared to 26.4% of boys are at school. Tertiary education enrolments show a similar disparity with 2.8% of women as compared to 5.1% of men in the relevant age group…”

Update on African HIV/AIDS

IDEA, Inc. has high regard for the noble initiative taken by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the International Institute for Capacity Building Africa (IICBA) to combat HIV/AIDS in Africa through education. More specifically, the program will use the power of information technology including distance learning and telemedicine. For some time now, the IICBA has been using the Information and Communication Technologies (ICIs) Programme. Under this program, the Institute had employed the Edukiosk Pilot Project (Worldspace Direct Media Services) to enhance and monitor some of its programs in Ethiopia including the Debrebirhan Teacher Training College, Bahirdar University, Dilla College of Teacher Training & Health Sciences, and Adama Teacher Training College.

UNDP administrator Mark Malloch Brown met with African political, business, and civic leaders on the first week of March, 2004 in Botswana, Malawi, and Zambia to present the Southern African Capacity Initiative (SACI). The blessed-heart CEO of Microsoft, Mr. Bill Gates, is also partner in the Initiative.

IDEA, Inc. also hails the upcoming Second CHGA Commissioners’ Meeting in Maputo, Mozambique on 23-25 March 2004. CHGA stands for Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa.

GLOBALIZING AFRICA

Globalizing Africa is a new book edited by Malinda Smith and put out by Africa World Press. This voluminous book that runs into 594 pages was published in December 2003 and became available for readers as of first week of March. The book is a magnum opus ever compiled by African scholars who critically examine and analyze in depth important and timely issues such as democracy, human rights, gender issues, global economy, environment, infrastructure, agriculture, literature, conflict, and peace.

Preface

Malinda Smith

Part I: Democracy, Human Rights and Peace

1. Representations of Postcolonial Africa, Malinda S. Smith

2. Globalizing Africa and the Commonwealth, Ali A. Mazrui

3. Africa and the Invention of Democracy, Daniel M. Mengara and Vicrtoria Tietze Larson

4. Legacies of Slavery, Promises of Democracy: Mauritania in the Twenty-first Century, E. Ann McDougall, Meskerem Brhane and Urs Peter Ruf

5. Gender Politics in South Africa: Rights, Needs, and Democratic Consolidation, Shireen Hassim

6. The Crisis of the Nigerian State: Paradoxes of the Local and Global, Olufemi Vaughan

7. Sierra Leone: Between the Prison-Houses of Nationalism and Transnationalism, Sandra Rein

8. Humanitarian Intervention in Africa: Rwanda and Liberia, Francis Kofi Abiew

9. The Problem of Sharing Power: Inclusive Peace Agreements in Africa, Ian Spears

---

Part II: Africa in the Global Economy

10. Globalization, Socialism, and Political Science Fiction, John S. Saul

11. Africa in the Global Economy: Aid, Debt, and Development, Ghelawdewos Araia

12. Agency, Space, and Power: The Geometrics of Postconflict Development, Lisa Bornstein and William Munro

13. Zimbabwe: Twists on the Tale of Primitive Accumulation, David Moore

14. South Africa and Regionalization of Southern Africa, Olusoji Akomolafe

15. Adjustment and Enterprise in Africa: An Historical Perspective, Adella Abdou

16. Structural Adjustment and Stabilization in Sub-Saharan Africa, Ifeanyi C. Ezeonu

17. Structural Adjustment and Democratization in Zambia, Julius O. Ihonvbere

18. Political Economy of Dictatorship and Democracy in Nigeria, Pita O. Agbese

19. Gender and the Social Dimensions of IMF Policies in Senegal, Yassine Fall

20. Globalization of Agriculture: Lessons from Ghana, Korbala Peter Puplampu

21. Africa’s Environmental Challenges into the Twenty-first Century, Emmanuel Mapfumo

---

Part III: Education and Culture

22. Indigenous Knowledge, the African Renaissance, and the Integration of

Knowledge Systems, Catherine A. Odara Hoppers

23. African Scholarship and Academic Infrastructure: Engendering New Approaches, Philomena E. Okeke

24. Globalization, Entrepreneurship Education, and African Youth, Eunice Kanyi

25. The Knowledge-Based Economy and Higher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa, Mambo Tabu Masinda

26. Universities in Times of National Crisis: The Cases of Rwanda and Burundi, Bruce Janz

27. Narrative, Politics, and Postcolonial Film Practices in Sub-Saharan Africa, Jerry White

28. The Globalization of African Literature: Continuity, Change, and Adaptability

29. African Literatures in the Year 2050, George Lang

30. Remembering, Forgetting, and the Road to Reconciliation, Kenneth Christie

 

Readers can obtain the book from Africa World Press by calling (609) 695-3200 or awprsp@africanworld.com

---

 

What is Up With the Indian Ocean Newsletter?

 

Supporters of IDEA, Inc. have alerted us on the Indian Ocean Newsletter (ION) of March 6, 2004 that carried a piece on the Institute of Development and Education for Africa. To our surprise, the ION news item is a deliberate cynical distortion bent with stupidity. Here is how the ION puts it:

 

“A Tigrayan NGO on the Internet”

The Institute of Development and Education for Africa (idea), an NGO based in the United States, has just begun an Internet site created by Ghelawdewos Araia, an adjunct professor at the African Studies Department of New York University.”

 

We have no knowledge of the ION editorial and management group. It is, after all, a covert intelligence network. However, there are minimum standards in journalism that are conventionally employed by reputed as well as modest news organizations. It seems to us that the ION does not follow any ethical standards. Like some journalistic vultures, it has attempted to paint a negative image to IDEA. The name of our Institute is self-explanatory and it does not require a genius to figure out the mission and objectives of IDEA. There is no way IDEA could become a Tigrayan NGO, unless the disgruntled Executive Outcomes minus guns think that one’s nationality automatically converts an organization into an ethnic-based association. It is tantamount to saying that the UN has turned into an African NGO following Kofi Anan’s appointment as Secretary General.

© IDEA, Inc.