Woyanne/Saudi businessman Mohammed Al Amoudi, who is looting and plundering Ethiopia, has submitted a testimony for his lawsuit against Ethiopian Review editor. His testimony is full of real funny stuff such as he doesn’t fund terrorists and that he keeps his personal life private. Read the full text of his 8-page testimony here.
Al Amoudi’s primary witness against Ethiopian Review is Yalew Kebede, an official of the Woyanne-occupied Ethiopian Embassy in London. Read his testimony here.
By Abebe Gellaw
The Voice of America (VOA) has reversed its decision to suspend its Horn of Africa chief, David Arnold. After Addis Voice published a disturbing story on censorship and questionable actions taken against Mr. Arnold for comments he made recently in a June 23rd VOA report, VOA bosses held a series of crisis meetings and decided to reinstate him, informed sources disclosed.
Addis Voice briefly talked to Mr. Arnold who confirmed that he got his job back. But Mr. Arnold declined to make comments on the issue. He directed any inquiries on this matter to VOA’s public relations office to which we have posed a few more serious questions.
Meanwhile, VOA Acting Director and Executive Editor, Mr. Steve Redisch, has written to Addis Voice saying that the June 23rd VOA report on three Board of Broadcasting Governors visit to Ethiopia was “inaccurate”.
“There have been inaccurate reports about the tone and substance of an official meeting on June 22 between members of the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors and Ethiopian Communication Affairs Minister Bereket Simon,” he said.
According to Mr. Redisch, the controversial report “aired June 23 on VOA Horn of Africa programs and appeared on its website inaccurately characterized the nature of Ethiopian government complaints about VOA’s programs.
“Contrary to the VOA report, at no time did Ethiopian government officials ask the Board members to prohibit any individuals from appearing on VOA programs. Consistent with VOA’s standards of accuracy and not for reasons of self-censorship, the report was taken off the website,” Redisch said in a brief statement he sent to Addis Voice. However, our sources have contradicted Mr. Redisch’s statement.
“Bereket Simon has indeed made the outrageous demands. Sooner or later copies of the controversial document will be made public,” he said.
Stay tuned for more details on VOA censorship saga.
PRESS RELEASE
The Ethiopian Heritage Society of North America (EHSNA) held its First Annual Ethiopian Heritage Festival “Celebrate and Discover Ethiopia.” at Georgetown University starting the evening of Friday July 1, 2011 at the Lucille M. Spagnuolo Gallery. The first day was attended by hundreds of Ethiopians representing the young and elderly, including this year’s Guest of Honor, Judge Birtukan Midekssa.
Two young emerging artists, Mekibib Gebertsadik and Meseret Desta displayed their vibrant and colorful art work on the opening day. There was an exhibition of old coins, a stamp collection, and a pictorial presentation of Arbegnias put together by the youngest Board Member of EHSNA, Leul Dawit. In addition, various poets presented their works, the highly charismatic former secretary of the International Olympic Committee Secretariat, Ato Fikru Kidane, the author of Piazza Lij talked about his book and urban life in Addis Ababa in the early 50 and 60‘s. Throughout the evening young and old poets were awakening the spirit of Ethiopia and Ethiopiawinet.
The following two days the Festival moved to the Multi Purpose Sport Center in Georgetown University. The stadium was shimmering with the green, yellow, and red flag. Ethiopian Heritage Society banners were all around. There were soccer games throughout the day, both male and female track & field runs, adult and children tug of war competitions, and young children’s sack races going on the field all day long.
Music and dancing were also part of the celebration with a major cultural troupe of 15 artists entertaining the crowd with traditional and cultural diverse Ethiopian songs. The young Abyssinian Band also preformed their mix of acrobatic rock and roll and Ethiopian traditional dances.
Sunday was the crescendo of the whole weekend – The morning started with a Women’s Breakfast get together at the Key Bridge Marriott with Judge Birtukan which was attended by various active women from the DC area and around the country. In the early afternoon, the Final Soccer game was won by the Abyssinia Atlanta Soccer team. Judge Birtukan Midekssa, Chris Flaherty, Kebadu Belachew, and Taffese Habtewold were honored and recognized by EHSNA. Moving and inspiring speeches were given by Chris Flaherty and by the 12 year old son of Ato Kebadu. As Judge Birtukan accepted her award and began to speak, strong winds and rain came pouring down, it seemed like the heavens were opened and the event was interrupted. After the heavy rain, the crowd would not budge as newer folks kept coming to the stadium; the universal feeling by the organizers and the people was the show must go on. Judge Birtukan came back to the event from her hotel and gave an arousing, touching, inspiring, and heartfelt speech, thanking all for standing with her in her time of tribulation. The Judge went on to remind all that we should celebrate our past and unite to be the change that we all want to see at the present time. She spoke of hope and a dream to see a great Ethiopia where peace and justice exists for all. The evening culminated with more music by musicians such as Berhanu Tezera (La Fonten), Abeba and Abegaz entertaining the crowd.
All in all, EHSNA’s Festival was a great weekend where Ethiopians from all over the USA and Canada came together to celebrate and honor Ethiopia. Friends and acquaintances mingled, the young and old shared the spirit of Ethiopia and Ethiopiawinet. Young children playing together in the Children Amba, making flags and necklaces, and sharing and helping one another was wonderful to see. Furthermore, the high participation of Ethiopian adopted children and their American parents, gave all hope that we are all in this together.
The Ethiopian Heritage Society would like to express its sincere gratitude to all who participated and supported the effort to make the Festival a very successful event. The organizing committee hopes the Festival was enjoyed by the thousands of Ethiopians who attended. As an organization, we would like to use this opportunity to thank all who volunteered, sponsored, media outlets, and all individuals and entities that helped to make the first annual Festival a complete triumph. EHSNA is confident that its upcoming events and festival will be even bigger, more successful, and more enjoyable for everyone. The support from the public and the success of the Festival has motivated, inspired, and encouraged the Board members of EHSNA to strive in preserving and promoting Ethiopian heritage in North America and beyond.
For more information please visit our website www.ethiopianheritagesociety.org or contact us at [email protected]
Tel# 202-466-1677
Ethiopian Heritage Festival Organizing Committee
Ethiopian Heritage Society (EHSNA)
Woyanne money-man Al Amoudi has sent his chief servant Abinet Gebremeskel to Atlanta this week to reassert control over the Ethiopian Sports Federation in North America, and so far it seems that he is succeeding by bullying the timid board members. At one point on Thursday, a fight broke out between the vice-president of ESFNA and one of Abinet’s thugs. On Friday, Arawit and the other members of the Abinet gang, who are not even board members, were taking charge of the event.
Abinet arrived in Atlanta with a chartered plane (at the cost of close to $30,000), several bodyguards, a gang of thugs, and a ton of cash that his boss stole from the people of Ethiopia. Every night this week, whiskey and wine have been flowing like water at lavish private parties thrown by Abinet. On Friday night, Desta Restaurant was the place to be for ganja-smoking Al Amoudi ass-kissers where the Abinet posse arrived with two stretched SUV limousines. The {www:obscene} drinking, smoking, and eating went on until dawn.
The whole scene is beyond disgusting, especially knowing the fact that at this very moment over 10 million people in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya have nothing to eat. The money that Abinet is throwing around in Atlanta is not his money. It was stolen by his boss Al Amoudi and the Woyanne mafia from the people of Ethiopia. Any Ethiopian who dines and wines with these blood suckers must be well aware that he/she is feasting on the blood and bone of starving children back home.
Over 40 teachers and employees of Adama University, 100 kms south of Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, have been arrested during the past few days, according to Ethiopian Review’s correspondent in Addis Ababa.
The reason for rounding up and throwing in jail these number of teachers is not clear, but a teacher who escaped arrest told Ethiopian Review that the Woyanne regime police is accusing the teachers of poisoning students with spoiled food.
