With over 10 million inhabitants residing in LA, cultural diversities coexist in a dynamic relationship that is unparalleled in most parts of the world. If you happen to drive ten miles in any one direction you can pass through Thai town, Little Ethiopia, Koreatown the list goes on and on. It’s as if we have the entire globe crammed into this vibrant sprawl. This is what I like best about my city. I effortlessly encounter life that is colored with varied cuisine and the chance to indulge in music created from all across the globe. So it was all part and parcel when Mochilla and ArtDontSleep hosted Timeless, a weekly series of epic multi-culti proportions.
On Sunday, February 1st they brought together an impressive line up in this four part series paying homage to the composers whose oeuvre in the past has inspired the beatmakers of the future. And the opening night was no exception as it featured the legendary creator of ethio-jazz, Mulatu Astatke. The man graced Los Angelenos with a live performance at Cal State LA’s Luckman auditorium. As the first African student to enroll at the prestigious Berklee College of music, Astatke had been creating music with his signature sound, fusing the east backbone with a unique style of jazz and Latin rhythms. A legacy that spanned over forty years and continues today.
The night opened up with Cut Chemist, Quantic and Egon, three DJs from the LA scene who had been inspired and awed by Astatke’s musical prowess. Cut Chemist rocked the auditorium spinning rare Ethiopian 45’s among other obscure cultural gems. I witnessed some of the best musical abstractions: tweaking and scratching, creating loops, speeding up, slowing down, and warping them through a thrilling effects rig. To top off this performance, a video camera was propped up, overlooking Cut’s tables so the audience could visually experience the musical mayhem. The screen was split, with one half focused on Cut’s upper torso and turntables, and the lower portion on his feet working the effects pedals. It was impressive to see his lightening skills, watching adroit fingers scratching and dialing in all the knobs on the fly. At one point during a segue in his set he caught his breath and yelled out, “hang on for a sec, it’s like tuning an instrument for each song.” It was quite possibly one of the best live DJ sessions I’ve witnessed.
When Mulatu Astatke took to the stage he got a standing ovation that reverberated throughout the auditorium. The whistles and applause were so loud it momentarily deafened my ears. I noticed to my left groups of Ethiopian-Americans came out to represent their national pride and rally support for their country’s hero. I surveyed the sold out crowd; and it seemed like every artist, musician and DJ I knew from the LA scene was at this very special show.
Dressed in stately white Astatke, accented with a colorful Ethiopian scarf round his neck; he greeted the hushed audience with a beaming grin. He played the vibes, Congas and Timbalis. Backing him up was a twelve-piece orchestra, which was an egalitarian mix of young and old players local to the Los Angeles music scene. Now in his late 60’s Astatke has clearly established his sound but relies more on his orchestra to fill in for the live show. A subdued performance in comparison to his younger days. He came in on the vibraphone for a solo, punctuating the orchestral swell with his sweet floating melodies. Then he’d chill out on the Congas and allowed the talented players to trade off and floss a bit. The mellifluous strains of Miguel Atwood-Ferguson’s viola and the saxophones of Azar Lawrence played nicely off the African percussion provided by Alan Lightner and Munyungo Jackson. Local musicians Dan Ubick updated the ethiopian jazz numbers with his distorted electric guitar, while Todd Simon provided passionate horn lines to the music.
There was an undeniable raw funkiness that the original Ethiopian military band brought to the recordings, that no session player from Los Angeles could ever truly replicate. With that said, however, the orchestra had a sumptuous L.A. atmosphere that was a welcoming derivative to the Ethiopiques’ recordings (on the label, Buda Musique) I’ve been listening to for so many years.
Bahrain’s Alemu Bekele, originally from Ethiopia, wins the junior men’s race at the 10th Asian Cross Country Championships
Bahrain’s Alemu Bekele Gebre has been tipped as the next Kenenisa Bekele. Alemu is said to have a similar running style as multi-titled world record holder Kenenisa, apart from sharing the name Bekele and originating from the same Ethiopian hometown of Bekoji.
He yesterday won the junior men’s race at the 10th Asian Cross Country Championships, which was his first participation in a major competition at the international level.
Alemu, aged only 18, is being guided by veteran Bahrain national coach Tolosa Kotu, who is a highly respected distance running tactician. Among Kotu’s past athletes was another multi-titled runner, Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie.
“He is talented and a very good athlete,” Kotu told the GDN. “He has been training with me for one year, and he is one of my best. He can be the next Kenenisa Bekele.”
Bekele is a three-time Olympic champion and three-time world champion, and presently holds world records in the men’s 5,000m and 10,000m.
Alemu will be competing primarily in 1,500m in the early part of his international career, said Kotu, with a move to the 3,000m to follow. Before the 2009 track season, however, Alemu will represent Bahrain at the 37th World Cross Country Championships in Amman next month.
“He looks like Bekele and he runs the same way,” said Bahrain Athletics Association technical manager Lounes Madene.
Added Kotu: “Right now, he still has to show what he can do against other top distance runners in world events, but sure his talent is there. If he is the next Bekele, we can only wait and see.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Ethiopian and Somalis who drowned and died were trying to escape the hell on earth created in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa by the U.S.-financed Tigrean People Liberation Front (Woyanne). According to the U.N., so far 32,000 Ethiopians made it safely to Yemen, but thousands have perished trying to cross the deadly Gulf of Aden.
YEMEN (Yemen Post) – In the second accident in a week, at least 45 African migrants, mostly Somalis and Ethiopians, died as their boat capsized off the Gulf of Aden. The Yemeni Interior Ministry said the boat which was carrying about 46 displaced people overturned 95 kilometers southeast of the Mukala seaport. The ministry Media Center reported that an Ethiopian and three human smugglers made it to land.
The Yemeni authorities became aware about the accident through one of the survivors, a Somali sailor aged 35. Later Authorities in coordination with the Yemeni Fishermen Association seized the boat owners and investigated them. The arrestees confessed their boat capsized off the Mukala port while they were trying to make a shortcut to smuggle 46 displaced African people into Yemen.
They said all who were onboard drowned except an Ethiopian who could swim until he reached Yemeni coast. On February 24, six Somali refugees died and 11 others were missing when human smugglers forced them to jump overboard in deep water.
The boat was one of seven boats that carried African displaced people to Yemen of which six had already arrived in Yemeni coasts. While the seven refused to sail closer to shore with its crew forcing its passengers to swim in deep waters.
In January, the UNHRC reported that 168 boats carried 9449 African refugees to Yemen of whom 47 Somali refugees died on way. In January, two ferries carrying more than 300 Somali and Ethiopian migrants capsized off the Bab El-Mandab strait. Hundreds were rescued and dozens were missing presumed dead. Somali refugees continue to arrive in Yemen almost in daily numbers, with the number of those, according to last figures, who have already arrived in Yemen exceeding 800.000 people.
The award-winning film Live and Become (Va, vis et deviens) by Romanian-French director Radu Mihaileanu uses the story of an Ethiopian Christian boy airlifted to Israel in 1985 as part of Operation Moses to examine questions of national and racial identity in modern Israel.
Young Schlomo (the name he adopts in Israel; we never learn his Ethiopian name) passes as the son of a Jewish woman whose own son died immediately before the airlift. Told by both his mothers that he must never reveal his true identity (Israeli officials immediately deport refugees they believe are not Jews), Schlomo has more than the usual amount of culture shock to deal with. The strain of his deception also weighs heavily on him, and he retreats into a shell punctuated by outbursts of violence.
Things start to look up when Schlomo is adopted by a secular French-Israeli couple (Yael Abecassis and Roschdy Zem), and gradually he begins to adjust to life in his new country. He bonds with his adoptive grandfather (Rami Danon) and enlists the Ethiopian rabbi Qes Amhra (Yitzhak Edgar) to write letters in Amharic to his mother in Ethiopia.
It’s not all milk and honey in the land of Israel, however. Despite Israel’s initial enthusiasm at welcoming the Falashas, many individual Israelis are prejudiced against non-Europeans. Parents at Schlomo’s school think he’s going to infect their children with strange African diseases and Shlomo is summoned to undergo symbolic re-circumcision (as were all Falashas) to establish his Jewishness. It’s not surprising that he prays to wake up white and speaking Yiddish so he’ll be a real Jew.
Things get worse when Schlomo becomes a teenager. He falls in love with a pretty classmate (Roni Hadar) and enters a Scripture competition in order to impress her father, who sees him only as a Black African not good enough for his daughter. The contradictions of Schlomo’s existence pile up, eventually bringing him into conflict with his adoptive family.
Live and Become tells the story of Schlomo at three stages of life: child, adolescent and young adult. The actors playing Schlomo (Moshe Agazai, Mosche Abebe and Sirak M. Sabahat) are excellent but have too much ground to cover; this story has enough material for a three-part television miniseries. The strongest section is Schlomo’s childhood; his struggles to adapt to life in Israel are entirely absorbing, in part because the filmmaker allows them to unfold at a leisurely pace. But the second and third sections are rushed and disorienting, as if the filmmaker needed to tick off a series of events before bringing the film to a rather forced conclusion.
The DVD of Live and Become is available for pre-order from Menemsha Films; it will be released on April 7, 2009. The visual and audio transfer are excellent, but it’s a barebones package; the only extra on the disc is the film’s trailer.
There are three reasons why we commonly refer to some happening as a historic event: either it occurs for the first time; it has significant consequences; or it is symbolically important. As a first time event, Emperor Menelik’s cession of the Bogos highlands to Italy in 1889 has been described as historic, as the first time that an Ethiopian ruler ever voluntarily ceded territory to a foreign power. In the same vein, Abebe Bikila’s victory in the marathon race in the 1960 Olympics at Rome was historic, as the first time that an Ethiopian won a gold medal. We also designate events as historic when their consequences significantly alter the shape of subsequent history. The conversion of King Ezanas to Christianity in the middle of the fourth century was historic in this sense because it redirected Ethiopia’s entire cultural development. Similarly, the protection given to disciples of the Prophet Mohammed by the Ethiopian king in the seventh century was a historic event. It led Mohammed to advise his followers to spare Ethiopia from the jihad of Islamic expansion that took place soon after. Likewise, the killing of Emperor Yohannes IV by Sudanese Mahdists in 1889 was historic because it opened the way to the ascendancy of an emperor from Shoa. Even when events have no significant direct consequences, we tend to call them historic when they symbolize important national or universal human ideals. The suicide of Emperor Tewodros II had little political consequencehis rule was over, whether or not he was captured alive by the Britishbut it came to symbolize a sentiment of preferring death over demeaning captivity. The speech of Emperor Haile Selassie to the League of Nations in 1937 is often called a historic address, even though it did nothing to change the course of history, because it came to symbolize the moral weakness of Western democracies in the face of fascist expansionism and the need for a stronger world organization empowered to provide collective security. The Battle of Adwa in 1896 qualifies as an historic event in all three senses of the term. As a historic “first,” it represented the first time since the beginning of European imperial expansion that a non-white nation had defeated a European power.
The Battle of Adwa in 1896 also had two fateful consequencesthe preservation of Ethiopia’s independence from Italian colonization, and the confirmation of Italy’s control over the part of the country Italy had named Eritrea in 1890. Both consequences had repercussions throughout the twentieth century. Italy experienced her defeat at Adwa as intensely humiliating, and that humiliation became a national trauma which demagogic leaders strove to avenge. It also played no little part in motivating Italy’s revanchist adventure in 1935. On the other hand, Italy’s continued occupation of Eritrea gave her a convenient springboard from which to launch that invasion. A generation later, tensions stemming from the protracted division of historic Ethiopia into two partsone under European governance, one under the Ethiopian Crownculminated in a long civil war, and the eventual secession of Eritrea as an independent state in 1993. In addition to these actual historic consequences, the Battle of Adwa was historic because it acquired symbolic significance of many kinds. In some instances this symbolism itself came to exert a certain influence on the course of events.
Adwa’s Symbolism in Other Countries
In Europe, the short-term symbolic significance of the Ethiopian defeat of Italy in 1896 was that it served to initiate a process of rethinking the Europeans’ image of Africa and Africans. During the nineteenth century Africa had come to be viewed in increasingly pejorative terms, as a continent of people so primitive they were fit only for European rule. Ethiopia did not escape such swipes. British officers called Ethiopia a nation of savages and Italian officials described it as “a nation of primitive tribesmen led by a barbarian.” The British Foreign Office supported the provocative move of ceding Zula to Italy, expecting that Yohannes would protest by attacking them and then easily be punished for imagining that Ethiopians were equal to white men. Kaiser Wilhelm responded to Emperor Menelik’s announcement of his accession to the throne with insulting language. The stunning victory at Adwa required Europeans to take Ethiopia and Africa more seriously. It not only initiated a decade of negotiations with European powers in which nine border treaties were signed, it made Europeans begin to reconsider their prejudices against Africans. It came to symbolize a rising awareness among Europeans of African political resources and yearnings and an increasing recognition of indigenous African cultural accomplishments.
In Japan, Ethiopia became appreciated as the first non-Caucasian power to defeat Europeans, an achievement the Japanese were to duplicate in warfare against Russia in 1904. This appreciation led to a sense of affinity that bore fruit for decades thereafter. Ethiopian intellectuals looked to Japan as a model for modernizing their ancient monarchy; the Meiji Constitution served as a model for the Ethiopian Constitution of 1931. When Italy invaded Ethiopia again in the mid-thirties, many Japanese citizens (if not the regime formally) expressed solidarity with Ethiopians, sending shipments of many thousands of swords to help Ethiopians in their plight. In Africa, the Battle of Adwa inspired other kinds of symbolism. For a number of colonized Africans, the Ethiopian victory at Adwa symbolized the possibility of future emancipation. Black South Africans of the Ethiopian Church came to identify with the Christian kingdom in the Horn, a connection that led South African leader James Dwane to write Menelik for help in caring for the Christian communities of Egypt and Sudan. The victory at Adwa made Ethiopia visible as a beacon of African independence, a position that inspired figures like Nnamdi Azikiwe in Nigeria, Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana, and Jomo Kenyatta in Kenya in the early years of the African independence movement, as well as leaders in the West Indies like George Padmore and Marcus Garvey from Jamaica.
Adwa as a Symbol of Ethiopia’s Tradition of Independence
Within Ethiopia itself, Adwa symbolized many things, some of which had positive consequences for her development while others did not. Internally, as abroad, it symbolized Ethiopia’s proud commitment to freedom from foreign domination. Of the many emblems of Ethiopia’s historic independence, Adwa is perhaps the most visible and the most dramatic. The spirit of Ethiopians’ defiant protection of their land from outsiders manifests itself in many forms. There is the apocryphal story of Emperor Tewodros, who is said to have ordered the boots of some visitors washed before they embarked on a ship back to Europe, saying: “Far more precious than jewels is a single drop of Ethiopian soil.” There was the refrain I used to hear young braves chant at festive times, jabbing dula (stick) up and down as they danced and sang:
Min alle, Teqel min alle? Ageren le sew, ageren le sew, alsetim alle!
(What did Teqel [Haile Selassie’s horse name] say? I won’t give my country to foreigners, he said.)
With respect to Menelik’s reputation, it partly overcame the resentments he had stirred up by ceding Bogos to Italy in exchange for help against his competitors in Tigray. As a historic assertion of Ethiopia’s independence, Adwa also reverberated with memories of Ethiopia’s experience as a long-lived independent polity. Its symbolism thereby encompassed a layer of meaning that alluded to the historic depth of the Ethiopian nation. It revived memories of earlier achievements and yearnings. At the same time, Adwa may have served to give Ethiopians a false sense of confidence about their position in the modern world. In showing themselves and the world that they could defeat a European invader with their own resources, the 1896 campaign may have led them to think that their traditional resources could be adequate in an era in which war would be waged with tanks and airplanes. It gave encouragement to isolationist and conservative strains that were deeply rooted in Ethiopian culture, strengthening the hand of those who would strive to keep Ethiopia from adopting techniques imported from the modern Westresistances with which both Menelik and Ras Teferi/Haile Selassie would have to contend.
Adwa as a Symbol of Multi-ethnic Cooperation
The symbolism of multi-ethnic collaboration evoked by the Battle of Adwa has been less visible than its role in symbolizing Ethiopia’s tradition of independence. Yet in some ways the former was the most remarkable and meaningful aspect of the entire episode.
Although members of different ethnic, religious, and regional groups had been interacting regularly in Ethiopia for more than 2,000 years through trading, intermarriage, common ritual observances, pilgrimages, and political competition from the perspective of Ethiopian history, Adwa offers the most dramatic instance of multi-ethnic collaboration before the 20th century. This is because it gave expression to a great outpouring of national patriotism, foreshadowing the great patriotic struggles of 1935-41.
Even from the perspective of modern world history, Adwa represented a relatively rare struggle for national independence waged by a coalition of diverse ethnic groups. Twenty-five years earlier, Adwa had been the scene of a protracted battle between Dejazmatch Kasa, who would become Emperor Yohannes IV, and the reigning emperor, Tekle Giorgis II, formerly Wag Shum Gobeze. What the 1871 Battle of Adwa symbolized was the age-old struggle among different regional and ethnic groups for dominance. Yohannes, like Tewodros II before him, came to the throne determined to reunify the empire, which had been fragmented following the invasion of Ahmed Gragn and subsequent divisive developments. Although Yohannes did not live to see it, the 1896 Battle of Adwa was a tribute to his vision and to the thoughtfulness and determination with which he sought to unify Ethiopia while respecting the local jurisdiction of regional kings and lords so long as they remained faithful to the national crown. Those who would deny Ethiopia’s long existence as a multi-ethnic society must be embarrassed by the facts of the Adwa experience. If the empire consisted of nothing but a congeries of separate tribal and regional groups, how then account for the courageous collaboration of 100,000 troops from dozens of ethnic groups from all parts of the country? How then explain the spirited national patriotism of such diverse leaders as Ras Alula, Ras Mengesha, and Ras Sibhat of Tigray, Dejazmatch Bahta of Akale Guzae, Wag Shum Guangul of Lasta, Ras Mikael of Wollo, Negus Tekle-Haymanot of Gojjam, Ras Gobena and Dejazmatch Balcha of the Mecha Oromo, Ras Wole of the Yejju Oromo, Fitawrari Tekle of Wollega, Ras Mekonnen of Harer, as well as Ras Gebeyehu (who died fighting at Adwa) and Ras Abate of Shoa? Of course, deeply rooted antagonisms and persistent rivalries among different factions beset Ethiopia throughout the 19th century. And yet, as historian Sven Rubenson has written, “at the crucial moment, Menelik commanded the loyalty of every important chief in the country.” The Battle of Adwa became and remains the most outstanding symbols of what, a half-century later, a British colonel would describe as the “mysterious magnetism” that holds Ethiopia together.
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Donald N. Levine, Ph.D., is The Peter B. Ritzman Professor of Sociology at the University of Chicago. This article is also published in ONE HOUSE: THE BATTLE OF ADWA, Nyala Publishing. (Originally published on March 1, 1996)
Adwa was a turning point in the history of non-Europeans everywhere. Adwa’s significance extends beyond our national borders. Our ancestor’s victory over the Italians made the smug Europeans rethink their relationship with those they considered ‘savage’ and needed enlightenment from the superior race. Ethiopians stood tall. After Adwa, fierce, compassionate and merciful is what they said about us.
The 1800’s were not kind to Africans and people of color everywhere. This was the time that became known as the ‘scramble’ for Africa. Every two bit European power possessing a few ships sent expeditions to plant their flag, and to claim lands as far as the eye could see as their own. No one was safe. The British, the French, the Portuguese and the Dutch were the main culprits. As time went on, every one of them got into the act. To be left behind in this mad scramble for resources and national honor was considered a national embarrassment.
Thus, the Italians sent their ships and scouts too. They claimed Somalia, Zula, and Massawa. As time went on, they ventured further inland and built military forts and staging areas for further encroachment. Ethiopian kings were going through consolidations of their own. Emperor Tewodros had been busy conquering Shewa, forcing Tigrai to submit, and controlling Gojjam. Who said it was easy building an empire? He needed arms, he needed expertise, and he needed foreign recognition to reach his goal of a greater Ethiopia. His entanglement with the British was his undoing. Yohanes IV of Tigrai followed him. Same story here. One minute the Shewans are your allies and the next thing you know they are conspiring with Gojjam to get rid of you. The British were knocking from the West, the Italians were coming from the East, and Islam was a constant threat. He died fighting the Mahdists at the battle of Mettema in 1889.
Menelik of Shewa seized his chance. He was crowned King of Kings and then sent out messengers throughout the Empire, to Beghemidir, to Gojjam, Wollo and to Tigrai and the north, to Harrar, to Wellega, to Keffa and Sidamo, to Gemu Goffa, to Arsi, to Bale and Illubabur calling for oaths of loyalty to “Menelik II, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Elect of God, King of Kings of Ethiopia.” While Yohanes was King he had allowed Menelik to negotiate a treaty with Italians, which was signed at Wuchale, Wollo. It was this arrangement that became a point of contention between the two powers. Article 17 was a time bomb. The Italians interpreted it to say that the King of Italy will represent Ethiopia in all dealings with other powers, whereas, the Ethiopian version said Menelik would avail himself the office of the King of Italy if he so choose. The difference became irreconcilable.
The mighty Italians decided to teach the African savages a lesson. They believed in the superiority of their weapons, the quality of their refined culture, their modern military techniques and the supremacy of their Christian god over these heathen Africans. Their arrogance blinded their judgment. Surrounded by their mountains cut off by the rift valleys, the Ethiopians were oblivious to this European mindset. Empress Taitu Bitul ‘light of Ethiopia’ told the Italian emissary to bring it on and said ‘” If it is your wish, start the war next week. Nobody is afraid. We will see when you turn into action. Don’t ever think that we are not willing to sacrifice our comfort and die for our country.’ I love Taitu Bitul!
Now we come to the most interesting point of this epic conflict. Both sides have their job cut out for them. Surely a European power with many ships, unlimited weapons capable of mighty destruction, a professional military force with modern supply and the support of their rich cousins, is no match to a rag tag army gathered at the last minute using weapons bought from different suppliers and living of the land. Lloyds of London will not underwrite this risk. Las Vegas odd makers will sit out this bet.
So our Italian friends devised a two-pronged attack. First part was their well-trained army and the local Askari force. Second was their belief that they will buy off the different Kings and subvert the local chiefs to help them against Menelik. Little did they know that these Ethiopians were very tricky people. They proved them wrong on both counts.
Menelik was able to assemble a force of 100,000 motivated solders. Country or death was the battle cry. They came from all four corners of the country. Those further South who could not make it contributed money and resources in millions of silver Maria Theresas, gold and ivory. Ras Mengesha Yohannis of Tigrai, Ras Sebhat Aregawi of the house of Sabagadis and ruler of Agame, Ras Sebehat Shume of Agame, Ras Welle Bitul of Wello, Ras WoldeGiorgis, Ras Tesema Nadew, Azajh Wolde Tsadik, King Tekle Haimanot of Gojjam, Ras Wolde Michael Solomon of Hamasien, and Ras Mekonen all stood together.
What the Italians saw was Amharas, Tigreans, Oromos, Gurages, Welaitas and Sidamas prepared to do battle to defend the motherland. The Italians underhanded trick to divide them by promising power and riches to the different Rases and chiefs was rejected. With the consent and knowledge of Menelik they all pretended to conspire with the enemy and lulled him into complacency. The parts knew there was no Ethiopia without the whole as one.
Emperor Menelik took up his position on Amba Abba Gerima with his Imperial Guards, King Tekle Haimanot and the 12,000 man army of Gojjam marched off and formed the right wing of the Ethiopian forces. Ras Mengesha Yohannis and Ras Alula with the 13,000 man army of Tigrai took up positions at Kidane Mihret and the left wing. Ras Makonnen and his Harrar troops, Ras Michael and his Wello Oromo troops, and Ras Welle with his Yejju and Simien troops made up the center. Empress Taitu also took up a position close to Amba Abba Gerima where her 5000 man army and her canons prepared for the Italian onslaught. The rest is history.
That was March 1st. 1896. It has been one hundred and thirteen years when our forefathers stood up and told the whole world do not thread on us. They shouted loud and clear to be heard around the world ‘Ethiopia has no need of no one; she stretches out her hand to God.’ Where do we stand today? Are we standing on the shoulders of these historical giants or are we at their feet slithering like snakes? Did we mange to build on their accomplishments or are we an embarrassment to them and their memory?
It is sad but the true story of where we are today will not only embarrass us Ethiopians but all those who thought it was the beginning of a new dawn of pride and purpose of unity. Today we have Kilils, Nations, Nationalities, and the infamous Article 39, a time bomb built into our constitution. Article 39, is the new article 17 that brought about Adwa. The new usurpers are playing the old game of sabotaging our unity by promising phantom power and riches to a few Askaris. The children of those who marched north together to face the common enemy are told that they are enemies to be separated into Bantustans and view each other with suspision and contempt. Those who lived together for millennia, intermarried and shared common religion are told it is not all true, it did not exist, and history is rewritten in front of our own eyes. It has become a fashion to declare ones’ allegiance to ones’ tribe instead of ones’ nation. We are told not speak each others languages, not teach our children in a common language, and not to think as one. Some of us have believed it. Some of us have taken it to heart. Some of us have traveled thousands of miles away from home and learned to live with strangers, but refuse to relate to our kin and friends from the same mother.
Oh! How soon we forgot that if it were not for our unity at Adwa there would have been no real Ethiopia of our forefathers. It is not farfetched to say if it was not for our gallant ancestors that there will be no Injera to eat, no Shema to wear and no books in Amharic, Tigregna or Oromegna but only Spaghetti and Lasagna to eat, Armani to wear, and bleached faces and straightened hair to exhibit.
So it is with sadness that we hear that the Ethiopian government wants to raise funds to construct the word ‘Adwa’ both in Amharic and English at this holy site of all black people. It is a copy of that tourist attraction of nothingness near Los Angles, the Hollywood sign. A clear example of form over essence if you ask me. So it seems that, we have fallen down again. It is all right, it happens to nations and it happens to people. The trick is to try to get up. We should try again to be energized by the memory of Adwa and those that fell down, so the rest of us can get up and continue the job. They did their part and it is our turn now. Success is built based on unity, respect, and shared values. May the God of our ancestors watch over us.
With over 10 million inhabitants residing in LA, cultural diversities coexist in a dynamic relationship that is unparalleled in most parts of the world. If you happen to drive ten miles in any one direction you can pass through Thai town, Little Ethiopia, Koreatown the list goes on and on. It’s as if we have the entire globe crammed into this vibrant sprawl. This is what I like best about my city. I effortlessly encounter life that is colored with varied cuisine and the chance to indulge in music created from all across the globe. So it was all part and parcel when Mochilla and ArtDontSleep hosted Timeless, a weekly series of epic multi-culti proportions.