Reviewed by Todd Kliman , Cynthia Hacinli , Ann Limpert , Dave McIntyre
Cuisine: Ethiopian cooking, homey and assured—prepared and sometimes ladled out tableside by Tiwaltengus Shenegelgn, the gentle-souled etete (“mama” in Amharic) of the restaurant’s name.
Mood: The dark, incense-filled Ethiopian restaurants of a generation ago have given way here to an almost slick space—polished wood floors, dangling lights—that could pass for a wine bar.
Best for: Diners who can appreciate the sensual experience of an Ethiopian repast—you eat with your hands—and who like to linger. Westerners may find the service slow, but a leisurely style is not the prerogative of the French alone.
Best dishes: Sambusas, crispy, three-cornered pockets stuffed with lentils; lega tibs (lamb) and doro wat (chicken and egg), swimming in a complex red sauce that derives its heat from the Ethiopian compound spice berbere; the cool, mustard-spiked green-lentil dish called azifa, a necessary cooling agent; dark-roasted coffee.
Insider tips: Ordering a fasting platter—an assortment of vegetarian dishes—is a smart way to counteract the heaviness of the meat-based stews and to experience the full range of the cooking. In your choice of seven, include the gomen, or buttery collards, and the creamy yekik alicha, or yellow lentils.
VIRGINIA — An Alexandria man is among 11 folk artists set to receive one of the nation’s most prestigious national heritage awards.
The National Endowment for the Arts announced yesterday that Moges Seyoum, an expert in Ethiopian Christian liturgical singing, chanting and sacred dance, would be a recipient of a 2008 National Heritage Fellowship, which includes a one-time award of $20,000.
Other honorees include a saddlemaker from Idaho and a maker of Peruvian altar boxes from Utah. Seyoum, who emigrated from Ethiopia in 1982, leads the performance of the musical liturgy on Sundays at Selam Kidist Mariam Church in the District.
Crossing remote areas, far away from civilization and from the comfort of the modern dwelling lies one of the most well-kept traditions we might expect to see on the African continent. In Southern Ethopia, in the depths of Rift Valley or in the Omo Region, there is a cultural fest – over 45 languages are spoken, several tribes combine their traditions in an amazing display of color and culture that reminds one of ancient times.
Forget the comfort of your car if you want to reach the sacred place. The roads can be terrible but the rewards one receives when reaching the other side is worth the trouble. People in this corner of Africa have remained virtually untouched by a world that moves ever faster, their lifestyles suffering no major changes for the last two hundred years. Even though it can get overwhelming considering the arid desert, most of the people that visited the place were impressed by the country’s beauty – the tall mountains, the vast fields with grains waiting to be harvested, the cooling waterfalls or the lush forest filled with vegetation.
The Ethiopian people somehow seem unaffected by the region’s economical issues – they laugh, sign in greet each day with optimisms, wishing every stranger curious about their lands a warm welcome. Women wear colorful jewels, handcrafted from various plants. A woman would put on daily, besides the clothes, beaded necklaces and metal bracelets, leather skirts or loincloths but also some complex hairstyles you wouldn’t normally expect.
Many fascinating objectives can be found around the Simien Mountains, including Gondar, Ethiopia’s medieval capital or the Royal Enclosure, a series of castles with a unique design in Africa built by the ruling family. Ethiopia’s ancient capital that could rival Egypt’s pyramids, Axum is not the center point for the country’s Christians, with several sacred buildings and one of the largest churches in the world.
On the other hand, the is less frequented but more inviting, due to the variety of flora and fauna. The parks are home to hundreds of species of birds, the country being referred to as one of the best countries for ornithology in the world. Lake Nakuru National Park also offers the chance to explore rhinos, buffalos and flamingos. All in all, Ethiopia can be a fascinating place, to find a lost culture, enjoy remote locations and escape the modernism of it all.
Comptroller’s report shows government failed in its handling of Ethiopian immigrants; community suffers from prevalent drug abuse, domestic violence
Over 100,000 Ethiopian immigrants are currently living in Israel, with 65% requiring some kind of welfare assistance. According to the state comptroller’s report, the Ministry of Social Affairs did not initiate a special program to teach social workers handling Ethiopian immigrants about the community’s culture and needs until 2006.
The harsh report pointed to a study conducted by the Israel Anti Drug Abuse Foundation that showed one quarter of Ethiopan-Israeli youths have used drugs, and two thirds reported consuming alcoholic beverages.
Despite the disturbing results, the comptroller’s report found that the Foundation did not develop a plan for dealing with the drug and alcohol problems of Ethiopian youths until 2007.
The comptroller charged that almost every government authority has failed in some way – on both the municipal and national level – in dealing with the social needs of Ethiopian immigrants.
“The upsetting results about this community’s distress have been recognized for years, but government authorities did not fully understand their special need for treatment. Also, no systematic organization for the treatment of this community was put forth, and as a result not enough was done socially in order to sufficiently incorporate them into society,” the report charged.
Treatment took over two years
In Netanya, 60% of the city’s Ethiopian residents, who account for 6.2% of the city’s population, seek the help of social welfare services. However, the state comptroller found that only two Ethiopian social workers were employed at the municipality’s center for domestic violence. Because of the manpower shortage, some cases took up to a year to be handled
One example included in the report was the story of a blind woman who immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia and settled in Netanya,. The woman reported that her husband of 40 years was physically and verbally abusive towards her and her daughter. In April 2005, social workers recommended that the couple be dealt with at the center, but the case had to wait for more than two years to be handled.
The comptroller also slammed the Ministry of Social Affairs for neglecting to process the information received about disputes that were reported by community members. The comptroller emphasized the importance of treating the Ethiopian community’s social issues, as Israel Police records show a relatively high rate of domestic violence among Ethiopian immigrants.
The Prime Minister’s Office said in response that the government had allotted over NIS 800 million (more than $200 million) to the improvement of the Ethiopian immigrants’ absorption. The Netanya Municipality said it understood the need for “discussing the subject,” and that it had reinforced the human resources channels dealing with Ethiopian senior citizens.
By Beth D. MSc AEES (Advanced Enviornmental & Energy Studies)
Coffee, animal production, cotton, cut flowers, etc are water thirsty crops. A 1 kilo jar of coffee uses 20,000 ltrs or 20 tonnes of water to produce it. Coffee is a major Ethiopian export, yet Ethiopia cannot access water from the Blue Nile for irrigation as Egypt has agreements put in place during the British involvement in that area allowing it use of all of the Blue Nile extractions.
When we eat Jaffa oranges from Israel, we are taking water out of an extremely water stressed region and most likely out of the river Jordan. The country Jordan cannot access this water anymore due to Israel’s use of the entire river flow.
Some countries have to import food as their water sources are insufficient to grow food for their populations. However, many other countries do not need to import, yet they still rely on poorer water-stressed regions to provide food for them.
America exports a great deal of water in the form of grain and beef. It is thought that enough water to float a battleship is needed to grow a 1000 lb steer. It takes 1000 tons of water to produce 1 ton of wheat. The water-stressed states should be looking further than domestic and industrial use if real progress is to be made on water conservation.
Flood irrigation needs to be stopped and trickle-drip or spot irrigation procedures need to be adopted. Furthermore, the idea of “making the desert bloom” by installing dams and irrigation channels needs to be put on the shelf. When we divert water away from its natural routes, we deprive one healthy eco-system in order to create two stressed eco-systems. Neither one has adequate supplies to sustain a bio-diverse enviornment.
And then there is rainwater harvesting, stopping deforestation, wetland conservancy… all these things create healthier rivers, groundwater systems and feed into lakes.
(Blacktown Sun) ASSEFA Bekele is an extraordinary man. The 59-year-old grandfather-of-two came to Australia 20 years ago with his wife and two daughters, then 6 and 16, with no English but big dreams of a better life.
Assefa Bekele
“It was very, very difficult,” he said. “I cried on the plane because I had these three lives in my hands. I thought, `Where am I taking my family? Have I made the right decision?”’
Mr Bekele left Ethiopia after receiving a scholarship to study metalogical engineering at the Technical University of Athens.
He described his family’s arrival in Australia as “dark times”.
“When I first arrived I immediately looked for Ethiopian-speaking services to help us but I was told none existed,” he said.
“Lucky for us, I could speak Greek also, so I asked for Greek services and was pointed in the direction of many helpful facilities.”
After finding temporary accommodation, Mr Bekele looked for employment in the engineering profession but was unsuccessful.
He set up home in St Clair in Sydney’s west and took up work as a security guard.
He combined that with volunteer work as a first aid officer with St John’s Ambulance service and NSW police in 1996. But it was his work as a volunteer language specialist, security and customer service officer at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 that he considers “one of my best life experiences”.
“It was absolutely amazing to see all people come together regardless of colour, religion or country,” he said.
With his two daughters now grown up, one married with two children and the other studying a Masters degree in health science, Mr Bekele feels it is vital to tell his story to help others achieve success.
“You need to be very determined but it’s important for migrants to know there are many people who have succeeded,” he said.
As part of the Sydney Writers’ Festival, Mr Bekele will be taking part in a writing workshop on May 24 at Blacktown Arts Centre, titled Voices from the Australia-African Communities of Western Sydney.
His monologue, “Please explain?,” tells the story of his life.
On Saturday, May 24, at 3.30pm, Blacktown Arts Centre will also hold a workshop by critically acclaimed theatre writer Pascal Daantos Berry titled New Philippine Australian Writing.
