ADDIS ABABA (ethiopolitics.com) — Beyoncé Knowles, the 28-year old world famous R&B singer and Hollywood actress, will not be coming to perform in Addis Abeba, reliable sources disclosed.

The sensational performer, honored as Billboard Woman of the Year on August 25, 2009, had agreed to come to Addis Ababa for her second performance scheduled for October 31, 2009. It was meant to be part of her third world tour, including to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), where she was scheduled to come from.

The deal to bring her to Addis was negotiated between the singer’s management company, run by her father, Matthew Knowles and New Way Inc., a Virginia based company owned by Dereje Yesuwork (Jambi) and his partner Endalkachew Tekeste.

Dereje is one of the closest associates of Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Ali Al-Amoudi who would have paid one million dollars for her performance in Addis Abeba, and an additional 150,000 dollars to charter an aircraft for close to 90 members of her team, reliable sources disclosed.

The concert was planned to be held inside the Millennium Hall on African Avenue (Bole Road), and organized locally by Addis Parks Management Plc, a subsidiary of MIDROC Ethiopia. Addis Park promotes such events and sells tickets to the public.

However, negotiations have fallen apart following a disagreement over live broadcasting rights of the concert, said these sources. Beyonce’s manager has agreed to let live broadcastings of only five songs from two-hour performance, according to sources. Compared to the one song broadcasted live during her dazzling first performance in Addis in October 2007, where she was paid 1.75 million dollars, this may sound an improvement.

The Sheikh was not happy, nevertheless.

“Mohammed has agreed to bring her back to Addis only if the entire concert is transmitted live by ETV to the Ethiopian public,” Dereje confirmed to Fortune.

It is a statement reinforced by Jean-Pierre Manigoff, general manager of Sheraton Addis, the hotel owned by Sheikh Al-Amoudi, and subcontracted by Addis Park to provide hospitality services.

“Sheikh Mohammed loves and respects the Ethiopian people,” Manigoff said. “He would want the show to be accessible for all through broadcasting.”

Live transmissions of concerts by internationally acclaimed bands such as Black Eyed Peas, and Kool and the Gang, as well as performers like Wyclef Jean and Papa Wemba were made after organizers enter into a separate deal with the performers, disclosed these sources. However, Sony Music Entertainment has reserved copy rights over broadcastings of Beyoncé’s shows.

Addis Ababa (AllAfrica) — The last nine months of its existence has been challenging for Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX). It saw decline in coffee production and felt impact of global financial depression, among others, ECX disclosed.

Transformation from traditional to modern transaction system, shortage of laboratories, low storage capacity of warehouses, the existence of 256 to 781 coffee variety grades were also among the challenges faced by the ECX, said Dr. Eleni Zawde, CEO, at the annual ECX members’ forum held at Addis Ababa Hilton on Monday.

Even then, ECX has been striving to overcome the challenges and achieve its targets since its establishments nine months back, it was indicated. Before ECX was established, the agricultural markets in Ethiopia had been characterized by high costs and high risks of transaction; only one third of the output reached the market; and commodity buyers and sellers tended to trade only with those they knew so as to avoid the risk of being cheated or default, she said.

In addition to that, trade was carried out on the basis of visual inspection because there was no assurance of product quality and quantity. This drove costs up, leading to high consumer prices.

Small-scale farmers on their part, who produce 95 percent of the country’s output, came to the market with little information and were consequently at the mercy of merchants nearby, the only market they knew. Hence, they were unable to negotiate better prices or reduce their market risk, Dr. Eleni underlined.

ECX is working for reconciliation between warehouses and the central depository, to install an automated system and for regular close monitoring of security issues and manipulation at warehouses.

In the just ending year, coffee worth 2.8 billion birr was made available for transaction in the domestic and export market by ECX.

The suitable altitude, ample rainfall, favorable temperatures and fertile soil makes Ethiopia a favourable region with a huge potential for coffee production. A genetic pool of the country’s coffee shows it contains more than 6000 varieties, giving the country a big specialty coffee capacity.

Coffee plants cover a total area of 700,000 hectares in Ethiopia, producing roughly 250,000 tons per annum. Around 20 million people make a living out of the commodity. Forest coffee accounts for about 10 percent of the total.

The Ethiopia Commodity Exchange is a recent initiative in Ethiopia. ECX has a vision to revolutionize Ethiopia’s tradition bound agriculture through creating a new market system that serves all market actors, ranging from farmers to traders, from processors to exporters and consumers.

ADDIS ABABA (Addis Journal) — A new prize named after the acclaimed Ethiopian playwright and poet Tsegaye Gebre-Medhin was launched in Addis at the National Theater on Monday, September 7.

Established by the playwright’s family members and friends, the Institute of the Language Studies of Addis Ababa University Poet Laureate Tsegaye Gebre-Medhin Memorial Prize is intended to encourage literature and theater arts students to study hard, pursue senior honors and contribute to the art world.

The prize intended to be an annual event would be given to the best contribution by a student member. Berhanu Asfaw from the Department of Ethiopian Languages and Literature and Tegegnto Sinshaw from the Theaters Arts Department were winners of the first prize. Certificates were handed to the winners by Institute of Language Studies Dean, Dr. Gessese Tadesse and chair of the Theater Arts Department, Belayneh Abune, who both talked about the contribution and legacy of Tsegaye to each of their respective departments. Belayneh talked about Tsegaye’s contribution to the theater arts department
Dr. Gessese talked about the plan to broaden up the Memorial Prize through administrating trust funds that, among others, would provide scholarships to students.

As way of remembering one of the country’s greatest poets and playwrights, a group of volunteers led by Dr. Heran Serke-Berhan had begun a permanent annual Tsegaye Gebre-Medhin Theater Festival. Involving Abate Mekuria who previously produced and directed ten of Tsegaye’s productions in Ethiopia and abroad, excerpts of the playwright’s works, Ha Hu Besedest Wer (ABC in Six Months), Inat Alem Tenu, “Othello” and “Theodros” were presented on the occasion as part of the festival celebrations.

Abate who in his younger years studied at London’s Opera House has produced numerous stage plays, including “Kitet Wede Adwa Zemecha” which required the participation of 4,000 people.

Audiences were thrilled with his re-productions of Tsegaye’s plays for which he spent no less than three months. His studio, Mekuaria Studio designed the settings and provided the costumes. It was highly successful. Tadesse Mesfin’s illustration for one of the plays was found and used for the occasion.
On the occasion it was also announced that four of Tsegaye’s plays, Theodros, Petros Yachin Seat, Zeray Be Rome Adeababy and Minilik (a historical play about King Menelik that was never staged) would be published by the Addis Ababa University Press shortly. The announcement was greeted warmly.

Tsegaye was born in Boda, a village near Ambo, on 1934.He wrote his first play at Ambo Elementary School where one of his audiences were Emperor HaileSelassie. After doing high school at Wingate and college at the Addis Ababa Commercial College, he has studied theater at the Royal Court Theater in London and Comédie Française in Paris for two years. Exploring elements of power, justice, love, and death in his tragedies, Tsegaye achieved widespread and lasting recognition for his work.

By Mamo Gebrehiwot | GoodNewsEthiopia

ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia’s superstar athlete Haile Gebrselassie has presented a check to the National Eye Bank of Ethiopia to cover the cost of 10 cornea transplant operations at the Menelik II Hospital here yesterday. Haile also announced that he will donate his own cornea to the national Ethiopian Eye Bank.

During the check handling ceremony at the Menelik II Hospital, Haile pointed out that the donation, which will help the ten Ethiopians, was merely a gesture on his part to fulfill his national duty as a citizen.

Haile also took the time to officially announce that he will donate his own cornea to the Ethiopian Eye Bank, and urged others to do likewise as they will be able to help fellow Ethiopians, who badly need them.

According to a report by the Eye Bank of Ethiopia, 6,000 Ethiopians, including the country’s current President Girma Wolde-Giorgis, have so far pledged to donate their corneas.

About the National Eye Bank of Ethiopia

The National Eye Bank of Ethiopia, the first eye bank in the country’s history, opened on June 28, 2003, in partnership with the International Federation of Eye and Tissue Banks (IFETB), the Federal Ministry of Health, the Addis Ababa City Administration Health Bureau, the Menelik II Hospital, and the Department of Ophthalmology of the Medical Faculty of Addis Ababa University.

The eye bank was developed by ORBIS, a non-profit humanitarian organization dedicated to saving sight and avoiding blindness worldwide. Menelik II Hospital is home to the National Eye Bank.

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA (WAM) — His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, has lauded priority given by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan to the worship premises to spread values of tolerance and solidarity.

He also hailed in a speech delivered on his behalf today here by Salem Obaid Al Dhahiri, director general of the foundation, on the inauguration of the Sheikh Zayed Islamic Cultural Centre in Addis Ababa, the support of His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to the foundation, whose charity projects have taken international form.

The Sheikh Zayed Centre, with capacity of 3, 000, was set up at downtown in Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, at total cost of Dh8million.

Source: Emirates News Agency