When Yuvi Tashome was a little girl in Ethiopia, Jerusalem was a mystical place known to her only through the Torah and the tales children tell one another.
“I grew up with stories about how, in Jerusalem, everybody takes care of one another and keeps the Shabbat,” Tashome, 32, says in a phone interview from Gedera, Israel. She will be telling her story next week in Toronto as part of Passover,
“I thought there is no death in Jerusalem. It was like heaven. There was candy on the trees.”
That it could be real, and that she could go there, seemed impossible.
The story of how she and more than 120,000 other Ethiopian Jews eventually made it to Jerusalem will be told by Tashome Monday evening at Beth Tzedec Synagogue at the New Israel Fund’s Liberation Seder for Passover, which begins today and celebrates the escape of Jewish slaves from ancient Egypt.
“The parallels (in Tashome’s story) to the Exodus story are just amazing,” says Rabbi Lawrence Englander of Mississauga’s Solel Synagogue.
Englander will give the Seder address Monday, calling all worshippers to consider themselves to have escaped Egypt and found freedom.
“The idea is to connect with people like Tashome still going through that journey,” he says.
As civil war ravaged her homeland in the mid-1980s, Tashome’s widowed mother decided the family (which included Yuvi’s little brother and grandmother) had to leave for Jerusalem, part of a massive migration of Ethiopia’s Jewish minority to Israel in what came to be known as Operation Moses.
Just like Moses, Tashome and her family wandered the desert in search of refuge, which they found after about two months in a refugee camp in Sudan.
“I don’t remember a lot about Sudan, just the deaths and that everybody was hungry,” Tashome says. “I was hungry all the time.”
At age 5, she had also been separated from her mother and brother, and travelled with her grandmother instead. They were eventually airlifted out of the camps. Tashome’s most vivid memory was the flight crew.
“We were up in the sky, and they were all wearing white. I thought they were angels,” she says, the sight seeming to prove that Jerusalem was heaven. “When we arrived, I remember the grown-ups all getting down on the floor and praying.”
Cut off from European Judaism for almost 2,000 years, the Jews of Ethiopia shared little with others of their faith in terms of tradition or ceremony. Tashome’s mystical ideas about Jerusalem are a reflection of that disconnect.
But the idyllic image of Jerusalem – which, for Ethiopian Jews in the 1980s, meant all of Israel – soon started to tarnish as unemployment, limited acceptance by Israeli society and the accompanying crime among the Ethiopian community began to take its toll.
Growing up, Tashome tried to be a “good Israeli girl,” in her words, going to a kibbutz for high school and serving in the army. But when it came time to get a civilian job, she found prospects dried up.
“All they could see was an Ethiopian girl,” she says.
Tashome turned her attention, instead, to working with troubled Ethiopian youth. Four years ago, she founded Friends by Nature, a grass-roots organization that helps young people stay in school and out of trouble. Her group is partly funded by the New Israel Fund, which supports such community-based organizations in hopes of building a civic society within Israel, says Jay Brodbar, executive director of the New Israel Fund of Canada.
Such efforts, Tashome says, help Ethiopian youths stay in school and even go to university. And along the way, she says, they are building the next generation of Ethiopian Jewish leaders.
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA (The Daily Monitor) — The recently made growth forecast for the year’s economic growth of the country by the International Money Fund (IMF) was more realistic than the forecast made by the Ethiopian government, the World Bank said on Tuesday.
“The World Bank team here believes that the IMF’s is more realistic than the government’s forecast for the reason that investment in the country seems to be slowing” the Bank’s Country Director for Ethiopia Kenichi Ohashi told journalists at a round table discussion attended by visiting World Bank Director for International Affairs, Grace Ssempala.
He said it would be difficult for the country to sustain the economy growth it has been recording through the years because of the challenges in government spending. The Ethiopian government claims that over the past five years the country has registered an average economic growth of 11.8 percent. Just last week, it said it will be 11.2 percent this fiscal year, despite the challenges in inflation and crunches in balance of payment.
Nevertheless, forecasts by the IMF for the year indicated that the growth may decline by almost a half, to 6.5 percent as the world slowdown is likely to hit the country’s coffee export, tourism and transportation.
Ethiopia’s dictator Meles Zenawi recently said that the world economic downturn was not to be considered significant compared to the economic achievements the country is registering, “in the face of global financial crisis.” “It is projected that the global crisis will continue to prevail for the next two or three years, on our side there is a hope that our economy will continue to grow at the same pace,” he said.
But the IMF has said that the country is one of the vulnerable countries to the unfolding crisis.
U.S. employers have yet to ask for as many H-1B work visas as authorized for the federal fiscal year beginning in October.
For the first time in several years, applications for the employer-sponsored temporary work visas for foreign workers did not reach the cap within a few days after the filing period opened.
Applications for the 65,000 visas authorized by Congress opened April 1. As of Wednesday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services had received only about half that number, said Marilu Cabrera, regional spokesman for the federal agency.
Immigration watchers said the unusual decline probably reflected U.S. job losses from the recession and a political climate that would make it unpopular for companies to import workers when Americans have been laid off.
The visa program for fiscal 2010 also authorizes 20,000 H-1B work visas for foreign-born workers who have earned U.S. master’s degrees or higher. Those graduates are exempted from the 65,000 cap.
Cabrera said those applications still were short of the total allowed.
Last year, the limit for both kinds of visas was reached within five days, and a computerized draw determined which employers received the visa permits.
Gizie Bekele, an immigration law specialist at Lathrop & Gage, noted this week at a Kansas City legal seminar that companies receiving federal bailout funding have an additional roadblock this year in applying for H-1B visas. They must show proof that H-1B workers would not displace American workers and that American workers are not available to do the job.
In late 2007 and early 2008 as I was writing “God in a Cup,” the Ethiopian coffee industry experienced what amounted to a market collapse. Vast amounts of coffee that had been purchased by buyers in the US, Europe and Asia were never shipped out of Ethiopia or were shipped many months late after the beans had lost much of their lovely fragrance, taste and freshness. These events are dramatically described in my book.
In 2008 sellers and buyers scrambled to put the broken market back together.
Now the Ethiopian government is in effect re-nationalizing its coffee industry–coffee is Ethiopia’s most important export. The re-nationalization appears to be slamming the door on specialty buyers who in recent years have roamed Ethiopia in search of small lots of super high quality coffee from small Ethiopian farms and cooperatives for which they have paid $3 a pound and up.
Under the new system private sellers are banned. These “privates” have had their licenses to operate taken from them. They are no longer legally allowed to buy, process and market small lots of super expensive coffee.
Instead, the government has created a controlled commodities market on which virtually all Ethiopian coffee will be sold. (Some large, government-friendly cooperatives will apparently continue to have some autonomy.) Under the new rules, coffees from 24 different geographic areas will be aggregated, cupped and graded together. All coffees from, say, Yirgacheffe Area A, Yirgacheffe Area B, Harar and so forth will be slotted into one of nine different quality grades and sold together. Which means that the farmers working in particular cooperatives will no longer be able to increase their earnings by adopting improved agricultural practices and growing better coffee.
This notion–that farmers who work harder and produce better coffee ought to be paid more is the core notion of the specialty coffee industry. Everything else that specialty buyers and roasters are attempting to accomplish flows from this basic premise.
Instead of super high prices for a small number of coffee farmers, the Ethiopian government has decided to focus on gaining higher prices for all its coffee. A similar strategy was adopted some years ago by the Colombians: coffee buyers tell me this strategy resulted in the lowering of standards at the very top of Colombian coffee quality pyramid, but it has significantly raised the price of the mass of Colombian coffee. Since Ethiopia has something like one million coffee farmers, this strategy makes a certain sense. But it it fails to address the most fundamental issue besetting Ethiopian coffee farmers: low productivity. When coffee is aggregated and sold in mass lots, it is hard to identify factors that will motivate farmers and cooperatives to improve agricultural practices –thereby increasing productivity. Perhaps this will come.
Rebels fighting for independence in Ethiopia’s Ogaden region say they are stronger than ever, a day after the government said the insurgency is in tatters.
A statement e-mailed to news organizations Wednesday says the operational capacity of the rebel Ogaden National Liberation Front is higher than at any point since its anti-Ethiopia insurgency began.
The e-mail, apparently sent from ONLF offices in Europe, says rebels in the arid stretch of eastern Ethiopia along the Somalia border have defeated every major Ethiopian military campaign in the past two years.
The statement was in response to comments from Ethiopia’s Communications Minister Bereket Simon, who told reporters that government troops are on the verge of crushing the rebels.
“The situation in Ogaden has developed in such a way that when the ONLF has lost too much ground. And at this point we can say the ONLF is very weakened and in a state of crisis,” he said.
Bereket said government political and counterinsurgency operations have undermined the ONLF’s popular support.
“The situation in Ogaden is improving by the day,” he said. “People are interested in developmental activities and taking matters into their own hands. The government assessment is that the ONLF will find itself in a very difficult situation.”
The ONLF statement described Bereket’s comments as “wishful thinking,” aimed at instilling a false sense of confidence in oil exploration companies the government is trying to lure back to the Ogaden region.
Ethiopia stepped up counterinsurgency operations in the Ogaden nearly two years ago, after the rebels attacked a Chinese-run oil exploration facility, killing 65 Ethiopians and several Chinese nationals.
Industry analysts say no oil has been discovered in the Ogaden.
The government restricts journalists access to the region, and there is little verifiable information about the strength of the rebels or the level of fighting.
The U.S. group Human Rights Watch last year issued a report accusing government troops of staging public executions and burning villages in their counterinsurgency campaign. The report was based on eyewitness accounts.
Ethiopia responded with its own report charging the Human Rights group with using flawed methods that resulted in unsubstantiated and inflammatory allegations. The government rebuttal noted that Human Rights Watch investigators had not visited the Ogaden, and that some of the people listed as dead in the report had later been found alive.
Independent verification of the ONLF’s strength on the ground is impossible, but the group is known to have strong backing among Ogadenis living overseas, many of whom are refugees. Hundreds of sign-carrying ONLF supporters staged noisy demonstrations outside the G20 summit site in London last week to protest the presence of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
Rivaling Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Franco, Tabu Ley Rochereau, and a handful of others, Mulatu Astatke ranks among the most influential African musicians of all-time.
The father of Ethio-Jazz, the Berklee-trained Mulatu was the first of his countryman to fuse American jazz and funk, with native folk and Coptic Chuch melodies. The leading light of the “Swingin’ Addis-“era, Astatke is often acknowledged as the star of the epic Ethiopiques Series,At least, according to filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, who included songs from the Mulatu-arranged and composed, Vol. 4,in his ode to midlife melancholia, Broken Flowers.
His latest album, Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics–Inspiration Information 3, finds him collaborating with the titular UK-based jazz-funk eight-piece. Born out of a serendipitous turn that led to the band backing Mulatu’s first UK gig in 15 years, Mulatu and the Stones Throw-signed outfit decided to record a new album composed of originals and re-worked older compositions. Released yesterday on Strut, the finished product ranks among the year’s finest, and adds another succesful chapter to Mulatu’s unimpeachable legacy.
How did you and Heliocentrics decide to collaborate the first place?
I was in Boston, lecturing for the music academy [from 2007-08, Astatke had the Radcliffe Institute Fellowship at Harvard University, where he worked on modernizations of traditional Ethiopian instruments and unveiled an opera, “The Yared Opera.”] Karen P invited me to play a show on London, so I did There wasn’t much time to meet with Heliocentrics. We only had one day of rehearsal, but after the show was over, we felt we should collaborate. The album was very hard work. It was recorded in just 10 days, in the Heliocentrics studio in London.
How would you compare the chemistry you had with the Heliocentrics, with Either/Or Orchestra?
It’s not clear. They’re a different band, one who I’d been with for a long time. It’s a different groove, different passion. I like both, and that’s why I felt connected, and it came off authentic. The music reflects the connection.
During the 1970s, Ethiopia was ruled by a fairly repressive government. How did the political situation affect your music?
It didn’t. I’ve always said, ‘leave the politics to the politicians.’ It takes all kinds of professional people to build a country–my role is to develop the culture and introduce the whole world to Ethio-jazz.
You’ve spoken in the past about meeting Duke Ellington in the early 1970s. What was the experience like? Did you play together? Talk about music? Exchange tips?
I was assigned by the Embassy to be Ellington’s escort while he was in Addis. We both stayed at the Hilton in Addis and, whatever he needs or wants to know about Ethiopia, I was his guide. I had always admired him as an arranger, composer and bandleader. During my music studies, I had analyzed his work in detail. During his visit, I showed him some of the cultural musical instruments, which he found really interesting. Some of our cultural musical players jammed with Ellington’s guys – we went to the U.S. Information Centre in Addis and played together. I then took him to the King’s palace and he was given a medal by Emperor Heile Selassie. It was a big ceremony.
We were due to play an evening concert so I discussed with him if he would consider playing one of my arrangements. I wrote an arrangement of ‘Dewel’ for his band, a different version which included some beautiful voicings on the horns. He found the structures so interesting and I remember him saying, ‘This is good. I never expected this from an African’. He made my day. His visit to Ethiopia remains one of the greatest moments in my life.
What was the inspiration to create Ethio-jazz. In addition to your American counterparts’ jazz fusion styles, what native influences and past Ethiopian composers helped inspire the new sound?
During the mid-’60s, no one was really fusing Ethiopian music with jazz. There was Heile Selassie’s First National Theatre Orchestra and the police and the army had orchestras. Then there were bands like the Echoes and the Ras Band. The musicians at the time were playing melodies around the four Ethiopian modes using techniques like ‘cannon’ forms, with melody lines echoing each other. With Ethio jazz, I consciously wanted to expand and explore the modes. My music brought in quite different harmonic structures and a different kind of soloing.
You’ve amassed an incredibly rich discography, but do any records or songs stand out as personal favorites?
‘Dewel’ would definitely be one. ‘Mulatu’s Hideaway’ and ‘Yekermo Sew’ of course. I’m always really happy that these older compositions stand the test of time. At my recent European gigs with the Heliocentrics and in L.A. at the recent ‘Timeless’ concert, the reaction is still so great when I play these.
Does it feel rewarding that American culture has finally discovered the music from Ethopia in recent years. If so, why do you think it took so long?
It’s been so nice, yes. America is a country of privileges for people. To have access to that privilege and have the opportunity to record Ethio-jazz all those years ago is something I always appreciate. I’m not sure why it took so long. I personally was never discouraged, I always just kept on playing. It needed people to find the original music and make it available in the right way. The ‘Ethiopiques’ series and film director Jim Jarmusch (‘Broken Flowers’) gave it a great chance to be heard and Karen P, Strut Records and the Heliocentrics are carrying the flame forward. The live shows I do now have shown me how this music is now accepted all over the world. It gives me great encouragement and I love to do this for Ethiopia and for Ethiopian culture. Ethiopia itself is slowly waking up to the music too. Africa is emerging and Ethio-jazz is in the best position to fly the flag for the future of Africa. I really believe that.
Are there any young and notable Ethiopian musicians that you’ve worked with, whom you think may not have yet crossed over but should?
I play with a number of different musicians at my club in Addis, the African Jazz Village. There’s one kid who plays there on Saturdays called Bebesha, a guitarist. He has a good future and he is a great fan of Ethio-jazz.
You recently completed a Radcliffe Fellowship at Harvard. Can you talk about what led you to pursue that, and your work on the project?
This has been great for Ethio jazz. The idea was to write a book of what Ethiopia has contributed to development of music and arts. During my time there, I made a lot of talks to 30 fellows of Harvard, with three other composers, some from Japan. We had great researchers and professors. As a team we gave presentations and discussed at length the development of classical music and jazz and the music, customs and instrumentations happening in Ethiopia that pre-date all of this by many centuries. I had written an opera based on music from the Ethiopian Coptic church, which was analyzed. My time there finished with a great evening of Ethio-jazz and a performance of the opera with Either/Orchestra.
After Harvard, I later won an Abrowsie Grant to go to M.I.T. We did a lot of experimental work there. Most Ethio musicians tend to pick up the guitar as a starting point and, at M.I.T., I was looking to upgrade the krar (Ethiopian stringed instrument) to be able to play Western 12-tone music. For me, this is an essential step in encouraging Ethiopian musicians to stick to our culture.
Are you working on any new music currently? If so, what sorts of things?
Yes, I have recorded a group of tracks for a new album, which I have called ‘Mulatu Steps Ahead’. It’s more reflective and jazz-based than the album with Heliocentrics but I’m really pleased with it. It takes Ethio-jazz into another new direction.
How has the creative process evolved for you as you’ve gotten older?
I suppose I have learned to place Ethio-jazz into different situations. From essentially experimenting with the first recordings during the ’60s, I have since adapted the music to write operas and soundtracks for a lot of Ethiopian plays, including a major piece for the National Black Arts Festival in Nigeria. I have tried to keep an open mind with my music and have been lucky enough to play with a lot of wonderful artists in many different situations. It has all helped to keep the music fresh, I hope.
What achievements are you most proud of?
The Ellington visit to Ethiopia and accompanying concert will always be a highlight. For my own music, just to see the interest today and the way it still excites people all over the world is very special.
You’ve worked tirelessly to teach younger generations between your work at the African Jazz Village and Harvard. What do you think it is that draws you to teaching?
I do try and be a kind of ambassador for Ethiopian music and culture and to dispel the myths that have become accepted as fact in the West. In my research around Ethiopian music, I have found people like the Darasha tribespeople who have used a diminishing scale in their music for centuries. In Western music history, this is a technique attributed to Be Bop, to the music of Charlie Parker. It has made me determined to tell the facts as they are to the wider world. We have to find out who came first, how things really happened.
Are there any goals that you feel you have left to accomplish? What do you hope for in the future?
I have a goal to ‘upgrade’ all Ethiopian musical instruments. All of them are based on the 5-tone scale and, over time, I want to re-model them to be able to play the 12-tone scale so we can use them to play Ethio-jazz. I also want to write more music for films and TV and to contribute to documentary programs so more people can view Ethio-jazz and learn about my country’s music heritage.
In late 2007 and early 2008 as I was writing “God in a Cup,” the Ethiopian coffee industry experienced what amounted to a market collapse. Vast amounts of coffee that had been purchased by buyers in the US, Europe and Asia were never shipped out of Ethiopia or were shipped many months late after the beans had lost much of their lovely fragrance, taste and freshness. These events are dramatically described in my book.
Rebels fighting for independence in Ethiopia’s Ogaden region say they are stronger than ever, a day after the government said the insurgency is in tatters.
Rivaling Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Franco, Tabu Ley Rochereau, and a