Zeritu Kebede’s songs are different. I became her fan after few minutes of listening tp her songs. Young Ethiopian artist Zeritu Kebede, nicknamed ‘Baby’, first burst into public attention when she impressed every one with her fresh style of singing in ‘Esti Mela Belu’ – Lets find a way out from HIV, a group song performed by selected artists, veteran and emerging artists. The group included artists like Alemayehu Eshete, Menelik Wessenachew, Tamrat Molla, Tsegaye Eshetu, Tighist Makonnen and Tsedenia G/Markos. Zeritu performed her part brilliantly, distinguishing herself both with her powerful voice, youthful face and a fresh inspiring style.
She told Selome Kifle in an extensive interview for Capitol, and Addis based magazine, that she wants public to expect good and different songs from her. She and Elisa Melks worked hard on her first album, named “Zeritu”. It is a great album and it has won her wide audience. The album is “different” because she herself is “new”. She sings what she herself likes to hear when listening to the music. She wrote lyrics for ten songs in the album, one song was written by Abinet Agonafir, a popular Ethiopian singer, and another one jointly with Elias. She worked a year and a half on her first album, in which she raised different issues with varying song writings and composition.
Music has been a part of her since the age of nine or ten. A hideaway from books, she recalls. They would sing spiritual songs at elementary school. Her talent developed after fifth grade when her Math teacher discovered her talent. They formed a group. The Spice Girls came, she remembers, they wanted to be like them. They too believed in ‘girls power’.They begun to write songs and practice at her home. But she knew she wanted to sing and be a singer long before she heard the Spice Girls.
Zeritu creates music in terms as “rich. She says, she just sings her songs and does what she herself likes to see and listen. She fells that the present rebirth of Ethiopian music, an explosion in artistic or musical creativity and talents, is a visible improvement and one can notice that there are many positive changes. She does not think, this is the peak. She feels they can do even better.
She is not just creating new music, she is seeking to preserve her country’s musical identity. This evolving culture of dynamism is the rich resource that flows from heart and mind. She notes that there is a deep-rooted music culture in Ethiopia. This diversity comes in handy and serves as a background from which to develop. Ethiopia owes a lot of its rich musical heritage to its location and history. Zeritu believes that the potential of this heritage is poised for a big leap. New performers arrive on the scene and new ideas are being created all the time. The artist must hold on to all that is original within.
ABOUT ETHIOPIA
Few nations can boast the historic splendor of Ethiopia, evidence of whose extraordinary past is everywhere. Ethiopia is a nation of surprises, full of diversity and contrast. The oldest independent nation in Africa, is a land of stunning natural beauty. A rich diversity of culture and geography that will captivate the visitor. The welcome that comes from the mosaic of people with over 80 different languages and as many cultures is warm and spontaneous. The climate is dependent on the physical terrain and its position close to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, but for much of the year it is warm and pleasant in low-lying areas and cool and bracing in the highlands. There are two principal seasons, rainy from June to September, and dry for the rest of the year.
Ethiopia is a land of rugged mountains (some 25 are over 4,000 meters high), broad savannah, lakes and rivers. The unique Rift Valley is a remarkable region of volcanic lakes, with their famous collections of bird life, great escarpments and stunning vistas. Tissisat, the Blue Nile Falls, must rank as one of the greatest natural spectacles in Africa today. With 14 major wildlife reserves, Ethiopia provides a microcosm of the entire sub-Saharan ecosystem. Bird life abounds, and indigenous animals from the rare Walia ibex to the shy wild ass, roam free just as nature intended. Ethiopia, after the rains, is a land decked with flowers.
With a population of more than two million people, Addis Ababa is not only the political capital but also the economic and social nerve-centre of Ethiopia. Founded by Emperor Menilek in 1887, this big, sprawling, hospitable city still bears the stamp of his exuberant personality. More than 21,000 hectares in area, Adis Ababa is situated in the foothills of the 3,000 meters Entoto mountains and rambles pleasantly across many wooded hillsides and gullies cut through with fast-flowing streams.
March 10 Frezer has been released today after languishing in jail for 41 days!
March 8
A judge ordered yesterday that Ethiopian Review correspondent in Addis Ababa Firezer Negash should be released as there is no evidence to keep her in jail, but the lawless regime, as expected, refused to let her go home.
Feb 23
Frezer continues to languish in jail without charges. When she appeared in court last Monday she appeared to be in good spirit. She is accused of terrorism, even though she is 4-month pregnant and has been sick for a few weeks prior to her arrest. We have learned that she was interrogated by Federal Police Commissioner Gebeyehu Workneh last week.
Feb 20
Frezer appeared in court today and sent back to jail without any charge filed against her. The judged asked her to come back next week.
Feb 9
A pregnant reporter has been jailed in Ethiopia for more than two weeks, and Ethiopia’s Information Ministry said on Thursday she had not been legally accredited … Reuters, Feb 9
The propaganda minister is not telling the truth. Frezer is an accredited reporter of Ethiopian Review since May 2005. Even if she is not, does that justify beating and detaining a 3-month pregnant woman in a disease infested jail? As an American -based company licensed to operate in the State of Virginia, Ethiopian Review is consulting with lawyers to file lawsuit in Virginia against Meles Zenawi, Federal Police Commissioner Workneh Gebeyehu and others for violating the civil rights of its employee, Frezer Negash. Frezer has been illegally detained for the past 14 days.
Feb 7
The International Women’s Media Foundation has expressed alarm regarding the detainment without charge of an Ethiopian journalist Frezer Negash … IWMF Feb 7
Frezer went to court today, but was told to return to her prison cell after the police told the judge that they don’t have enough evidence to charge her yet.
Feb 2
Frezer had to be hospitalized after being beaten up by the Federal Police when she was arrested last Friday. She is in good spirit today, but bitter about the way she is being treated.
Jan 31
Ethiopian reporter Frezer Negash had become the latest journalist in that country to be arrested… AP/CNN Jan 31
Jan 30
The Committee to Protect Journaliss writes on behalf of Frezer
… CPJ Jan 30
Jan 30
Firezer Negash appeared in court today and was told to come back in 14 days so that the investigators gather more information. Federal Police investigators ransacked her home, searching every where including under beds. They confiscated a computer, camera, recorder, all documents, and photos. A lawyer who tried to see her in prison was denied access today.
Jan 29
Ethiopian Review reporter in Addis Ababa Frezer (also spelled Firezer) Negash is being detained in Maikelawi police station. She is detained in inhumane condition as tens of thousands of other journalists, students, and opposition partymembers. Frezer is three-month pregnant and have been sick for the past few weeks. We are deeply worried for her safety knowing the brutal treatment she may be facing in the hands of the Federal Police.
The Congressional Human Rights Caucus recently took steps to address a growing problem in the Great Lakes Region of Africa. The bi-partisan lobby had a two- day series of briefings on concerns regarding the situation in Northern Uganda. This crisis is a situation that has seen very little scrutiny but continues to fester as it has for almost 20 years.
The repercussions have been staggering. Several thousand have died as a result either from the violence or from disease and starvation. Over 1 million reside in camps for those that are Internally Displaced. And Children leave their homes to go sleep in schools to keep from being kidnapped. This is not how a generation should survive let alone try and prosper.
Recently there were elections held in Uganda. The President had won a third term after his political supporters rammed through Parliament a law that allowed him to run for a third term as President. The Ugandan Constitution only allows for a President to serve two consecutive terms. this document entered into force some time after Mr. Museveni had seized power from a rival.
The Caucus heard testimony regarding the crisis in the North of Uganda but there is a developing situation in another part of Africa. It also involves another US ally and the US risks alienating more people in its quest to defeat terror by supporting stable but increasingly autocratic governments. This case I am talking about Ethiopia.
Last year there were Parliamentary Elections in Ethiopia. What followed after the votes were counted is chilling at best. On two separate occasions there were violent street protests to show displeasure with the counts. Members of the Opposition that had won seats were detained by the authorities when they refused to take their seats. There has been a crackdown on the Media as well. And what has the Administration done?
The silence so far has been deafening. The State Department has asked for those detained to be released and have fair trials. But it also has stated that it has no means to place pressure on the Ethiopian Government. Congress has two bills in front of it to deal with the problem. One will propose an arms embargo on Ethiopia to keep US arms from being used to abuse Human Rights.
Before it takes up these bills the Congressional Human Rights Caucus needs to hold a briefing on what is happening in Addis Ababa. Our elected officials need to hear about how this “ally†is trying to rule through intimidation. People need to know why the State Department is basically silent in this crisis. After that maybe they can decide what will be done to help Zimbabwe and the DRC recover. The US is proposing to spend Millions of Dollars in Africa. Lets spend the money on the right problems and fix them
At the moment, the exemplary work for the respect of the peoples vote in Ethiopia is being carried out by the European Union representatives, while US foreign policy is being driven by a single issue, “war on terrorismâ€Â, in the African context
By Kebede D Gashaw
Long before the May elections in Ethiopia, the European Union (EU) has been at the forefront in giving financial support as well as training and preparing candidates for the election. In some cases, the EU had allocated funds in the past to train and educate parliamentarians by granting them visits to Brussels and to member countries legislatures and educating them in the roles that parliamentarians play in democratic societies, the role of government and the governing process.
The EU also pledged to send the largest contingent of observers during the campaign and the election process. The observers more than any other group, (there were two other groups including the Carter Center and the observers from the African Union (AU), were able to diligently execute their duties in a very professional and efficient manner. After the election, they have been the only consistent group that had maintained a fair and balanced effort to address the issues of irregularities, fairness and called for dialog between the opposition and the ruling party. Now, after all the atrocities committed by the Meles Zenawi government over the last eight months, the EU has carried out its moral, political, and economic obligations by not funding the direct aid it has been providing to the Meles Zenawi government, and by this action, the EU has effectively declared that the ruling party is undemocratic, inconsistent, unfair and has committed atrocities on its own people. The EU has been proactive prior to the elections and had given glowing reports about the process prior to the elections and how the process was conducted and the open, un-encumbered political debates held between the parties during the campaign process. After the elections, the EU has been equally critical of the actions of the government and has been calling for a negotiated process to resolve all issues between the opposition and the ruling party.
On the other hand, the other major player in the world seen and in particular in the case of Ethiopia has been the United Kingdom. Prime minister Blair had given an unqualified support to the prime minister Meles Zenawi. Even in the face of criticism from the EU, Britain and Mr. Blair together with the United States continued to give aid, support and comfort to Mr. Zenawi . In an interview with a BBC reporter, he openly declared that his development partners were still with him, even after the massacre of thirty-six innocent students and civilians last June. The demonstrators went out to voice their displeasure of the election aftermath and the rigging of votes and election irregularities. In late November, the British government declared that it will no longer fund direct aid through the government of Ethiopia and was going to with hold over 30 million Euros
Early in November, Mr. Zenawi rounded up opposition leaders from one of the main political parties, the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) and thrown them in jail. He also rounded up members of the fledgling free press, journalists and reporters of independent newspapers, all in all, more than one hundred and twenty individuals ranging in age from 14 to 75 were jailed and are being accused of treason which is punishable by death.
Mr. Zenawi, once again in November as he did in June, unleashed his special forces against demonstrators that were demanding the release of opposition leaders and the journalists that have been rounded up and thrown in jail, and shot down over eighty people in Addis Abeba, the capital and in other cities around the country. All in all, Mr. Zenawi’s government rounded up and jailed over forty thousand students, civilians, opposition party members and supporters. The intimidation, arrests and killings continue to this day. The government owned radio and TV stations only broadcast government propaganda. What little press freedom that existed prior to the election is no longer in existence.
Ethiopians for the first time in the history of the country felt that what was being preached both in Washington and in Addis Abeba was true and they showed their thirst for democracy by lining up to vote on May 8th, the day of the election. Some were out forming a cue at four-o’clock in the morning standing and waiting in line to vote. Vote they did, an unprecedented turnout of over 90 percent of the eligible voters braved the elements of early morning and the piercing sun of the afternoon and rain in some locations. Vote they did, in spite of all the adversities. They voted out the ruling party in the capital, not even one seat was won by the ruling party. The purge continued in other major cities of the country as well. Once the results of the capital was known, the next day after election day, the prime minister went on the air and declared victory. He sated the obvious, that the capital city has been won by CUD but he declared that his party the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) had won the majority of the rest of the country. This, before his own hand picked National Election Board (NEB) had even had a chance to gather the election results from remote locations and above all, after all political parties had agreed to abide by the rule of not declaring them selves a winner until the NEB gathers all the results and declares and certifies a winner. Against the wishes of his own hand picked national election board. To add insult to injury, prime minister Meles Zenawi declared a state of emergency and banned all political gatherings or demonstrations for one month and put the police, the army and security apparatus under his direct command and control.
As an Ethiopian American, I have been appalled and dismayed by the actions and inactions of the Bush administration. The administration provides lip service to democracy and democratic movements in Africa and in particular in Ethiopia. It seems that foreign policy when it comes to Africa and especially the Horn of Africa is being carried out by the Department of Defense (DOD) rather than the State Department. It has become obvious that US foreign policy is being driven by a single issue, “war on terrorismâ€Â, in the African context. Democratic movements and the aspirations of the masses in Africa and in particular in Ethiopia are secondary. The killings of innocent Ethiopians, that were only exercising their constitutional rights to voice their objections to atrocities, vote ragging and irregularities of the election process, is meaningless, immaterial and inconsequential. As long as the election process appears to be fair by African standards. Then the results however the ruling party extracts them are acceptable. These assertions by both Washington and London are not acceptable to the Ethiopian people. They do not see themselves as second class citizens of the world. What is good for Ukraine and Georgia is also good for Ethiopia. Anything less than that is un-acceptable. That is why we see young people defying the killing machines of the ruling party and sacrificing themselves for the betterment of their people and their nation.
The situation in Ethiopia continues to be volatile. If the frustrations of the young and the concerns of the old are not addressed by the ruling party and/or the international community, there is great concern and of an imminent danger. The danger that the peaceful struggle that has been the hallmark of the major opposition parties, will be forced to resort to violence and that will in turn lead to the destabilization of the country. The EU is has been carrying the mantel of a negotiated settlement between the ruling party and the opposition CUD leaders that are still in prison. Here lies the absurdities, the US government fully understands the trumped-up charges that has been filled against these gallant democrats. The US government also is fully aware of the atrocities and the undemocratic actions that continue to be committed by the ruling party. It appears that the US government has sided with the ruling party and the handful individuals that are holding economic power in the country. Much to the dismay of and to the detriment of the promising democratic movement and the aspirations of the 77 million Ethiopians.
Unfortunately, the US is making an effort to expedite the trial of the opposition leaders, while at the same time it is calling for the release of what it calls individuals that have not committed any crime or offense. The US through its ambassador is pressuring opposition party members that have not taken their seats in the parliament to do so even before the release of their leaders that are languishing in the ruling party’s jails. At the moment, the exemplary work for the respect of the peoples vote is being carried out by the EU representatives and without any strings attached in the effort to get a negotiated settlement for the crisis. For that effort, the EU holds the moral high ground.
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Kebede Gashaw resides in California
It is now apparent that the State Department is very cautious in its dealings with the Ethiopian Government. Sadly it appears that being timid and cautious are more important than addressing abuses and maintaining peace.
After the border conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea, the US Government found itself in the position of being the main arbiter. For several years both sides have fought a verbal battle over which enclaves will be turned over to whom. Now the enclave around Badme is the main sticking point right now.
Another area of concern is the increasing rate of the decline of respect for Human Rights. After the controversial elections last year there have been two separate outbreaks of violent protests. Dozens lost their lives countless others were detained. Opposition members of Parliament refused to take their duly elected seats. Journalists have been detained also. There appears to be no end in sight to this crisis.
Ethiopia is a crucial ally to the United States in the War against terror. One of the next fronts in that struggle may be the Horn of Africa. Especially as the battles in Somalia against the Islamic Fundamentalists intensifies. The region itself has a serious problem it is rife with poverty. That means that there is a chance for terrorists to use the region as a safe haven.
The question now becomes what can the US do? Ambassador Bolton has stated that the Government is violating international agreements regarding the border and has intensified efforts to find a compromise. US Undersecretary of State for Africa Frazier has called upon Addis Ababa to open up the jails and let those opposition supporters out or have them face trial in a free and fair manner.
These actions are being undertaken to show that Washington is paying attention. But it doesn’t want to alienate a crucial ally in a region that at the very least is a bomb waiting for someone to ignite the fuse. This is not a good position for anyone involved.
The author comments on US Policy in Africa and the struggle for Human Rights there. He can be contacted via the following address [email protected]
On February 15, 2005 C. Bryson Hull of Reuters wrote a curious piece under the heading, “Ethiopia’s Meles can weather political storms.†The “analysis†is very likely a well-timed plant.
Hull may not have done it deliberately, but it is a clever piece of disinformation being pushed by regime propagandists. The disinformers have dual objectives: to demoralize the opposition and to shore up the regime’s base.
Why an article about regime survival now? Someone obviously thought it was important. The story comes at a time when the hardheadedness of Zenawi has created a siege mentality and a sense of international isolation.
Reports from Addis Ababa indicate a sense of desperation and frustration even among the intelligence services of Meles Zenawi, leading them to wonder about regime survival.
Beyond public relations maneuvering, there are substantial domestic and international reasons that indicate that the regime of the Tigrai Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) may not survive for long.
Internal Factors
Domestically, support for the ruling group is at an all time low. The harsh crackdown against opposition forces has further exacerbated an already tense situation. It has also effectively closed the route to any negotiations.
The TPLF has little legitimacy outside of its narrow base. All indications are that even if the Prime Minister’s Tigrian ethnic base, which numbers less than 10 percent, is not solidly behind him. Party cadres whose survival and livelihood depend on the government and a few direct beneficiaries of the patronage system make up the regime’s base of support.
Economic activity in Addis Ababa, the preeminent per capital, has been at a standstill for almost year owing to election-related uncertainties. The service sector has been performing poorly. There is very little long term investment.
The price of everyday commodities has increased dramatically, making life difficult even for the middle class. The price of teff, the staple grain, cooking oil, sugar, etc. have skyrocketed.
Oil prices too have gone up as well. A liter of petrol now costs birr 5.50. The government just decided to increase the local price to birr 6.88 per liter. The country now spends close to $1 billion, a 250 percent increase over two years ago, soaking up almost 40 percent of all imports.
Foreign exchange reserves are at an all time low. There is a booming underground market in foreign currency. One US dollar ($1) now fetches almost 10 birr on the black market, instead of the official birr 8.63.
Add to these political and economic woes 2.6 million Ethiopians that the World Food Program says need emergency food assistance.
External Factors
Mr. Zenawi has carefully and methodically cultivated in the last 15 years the image of a progressive African leader. This carefully orchestrated picture came to unravel back in June once the security forces began spraying unarmed civilians with machine gun bullets.
The Prime Minister’s fabled charm appears to have gone out the window as well. Donors don’t look kindly on regimes that have an aversion to using tear gas or water cannons.
Mr. Zenaw’s government has been rewarded with very generous foreign assistance since coming to power almost 15 years ago. It received $1.5 billion a year, $500 of which was in direct budgetary support with little accounting.
Awash with foreign largesse meant for Ethiopia’s poor, the regime continues to spend lavishly on an elaborate spy network to suppress dissent and to buy off people both at home and abroad.
Money meant for the poor is being spent on lobbyists and public relations firms. McGuire Woods is one of the firms siphoning money from Ethiopia’s poor. Another expensive lobbyist and public relations firm is Scribe Strategies and Advisors.
Add to this the hiring of Annette Scheckler, former head of the Voice of America Horn of Africa service as a special advisor to Prime Minister Zenawi.
The propaganda and disinformation machine is in full throttle.
Fortunately, no amount of public relations prettying can hide the ugly deeds of a nasty regime. Foreign donors too appear to be waking up to the true nature of this violent, kleptocratic group. Witness the cold shoulder Tony Blair gave to his old pal Zenawi at the recent “progressives†summit in South Africa.
Zenawi understands the language of money well. Thus when the European Union threatened to withhold some $500 million in annual budgetary support, he arranged for a secret emergency trip to Brussels to plead with EU authorities.
The bottom line: the pressure by the Diaspora and the financial squeeze is working.
We may never know the details of how Bryson Hull’s story was assembled. But there are interesting facts both about the writer and the so-called experts.
C. Bryson Hull is an American journalist who has in-depth expertise on issues related to Texas, including the Enron Scandal. His expertise in Africa consists of reporting from Nairobi for less than a year. He had an expertise of exactly two weeks in Ethiopia when he filed his analysis of why Meles will survive the political storm.
Another expert who predicts “little brushfire rebellions†and not a national uprising is Matt Bryden of the International Crisis Group. What, you may wonder, is Mr. Bryden’s expertise on Ethiopia? Mr. Bryden had a two-year stint (1994-1996) as a UN field officer in what appears to be the distribution of emergency food. It does not take much to read tealeaves in Africa.
Seasoned experts such as Christopher Clapham of Cambridge University with decades of experience were not consulted. Clapham wrote back in November, 2005:
“It now seems to me beyond any plausible likelihood that the EPRDF government can re-establish its position as an acceptable public authority …It has now reached the point, reached by the imperial and Derg regimes before it, at which its authority has withered away, and cannot be recovered. It has lost ‘the mandate of heaven.â€Â. He concludes:
“The transition in Ethiopia is already under way, and the concern both of Ethiopians and of the international community should be to do whatever they can to make it as quick and as peaceful as possible.â€Â
Turmoil at home and the tightening of screws by donors abroad clearly do not bode well for Zenawi and company. The genie of democracy is clearly out of the bottle. The TPLF Houdini who pulled so many tricks in his long, violent career won’t be able to put this one back in the bottle.
Zeritu Kebede’s songs are different. I became her fan after few minutes of listening tp her songs. Young Ethiopian artist Zeritu Kebede, nicknamed ‘Baby’, first burst into public attention when she impressed every one with her fresh style of singing in ‘Esti Mela Belu’ – Lets find a way out from HIV, a group song performed by selected artists, veteran and emerging artists. The group included artists like Alemayehu Eshete, Menelik Wessenachew, Tamrat Molla, Tsegaye Eshetu, Tighist Makonnen and Tsedenia G/Markos. Zeritu performed her part brilliantly, distinguishing herself both with her powerful voice, youthful face and a fresh inspiring style.