Qale Ethiopian Discussion Forum in Paltalk will host an interview this coming Sunday at 2:00 PM Washington DC time (7:00 PM London time) with Ato Luel Qeskis, former Kinijit member of parliament and currently EPPF Central Committee member, and Ato Demis Belete, EPPF Central Committee member and head of press.
EPPF is undergoing a major transformation following the addition of 17 individuals from the Diaspora to its Central Committee at the General Assembly that was convened last February. With a major overhauling of its leadership, EPPF has the potential to lead the armed resistance movement against Woyanne.
Ato Luel and Ato Demis will explain the latest development in the organization at Sunday’s interview. It’s a must listen.
Those who know the history of Ethiopia and the Ethiopian people know it well. International scholars, philanthropists, community and international organizations like the United Nations speak volumes about the history of a nation that safe guarded its independence from colonialism, the cradle of civilization, the ancient home of Christianity, peace loving and hospitable people located in the heart of Africa.
Among those who speak about Ethiopia’s history include President Nelson Mandela, Professors Richard Pankrust, Professor David Levine, Professor Chojnacki and others. These individuals have written extensively about Ethiopia, and advocated for Ethiopia’s right place in history.
On July 8, 2010, the Ethiopian community in Ottawa heard the passing away of the man who chronicled Ethiopia’s history, Prof. Chojnacki. Our community is deeply saddened by the news.
Today Ethiopia lost one of its great advocates and international ambassadors. The professor spent over 25 years in Ethiopia and endorsed partnership and advocacy for Ethiopia for over 45 years. He was recognized as an active member of Ethiopian communities across Canada.
In 2007 he visited the Ethiopian Ottawa community and was a guest of honour during the official opening of the St. Tekle Haimanot Ethiopian Orthodox Church Library and Education Center. He made a fantastic presentation on the history of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the places he visited in Ethiopia and his memoirs. Those who attended his presentation were amazed to hear their story from an aging internationalist who spoke with utmost clarity and authenticity. More importantly, the professor surprised his audiences by mentioning the names of people and monks he met in monasteries including the people who lived and worked with him in the sixties, often with amazing clarity and absolute certainty.
Today we Ethiopians have missed one of our own. We lost a distinguished scholar who spoke about us and advocated for us and our beloved nation Ethiopia. But his legacies, works and memoirs will live with us for ever. We will carry his torch to teach our children and the international community about Ethiopia’s history. As he talked and advocated about us for over half a century, we will remember him for ever. May God rest his soul in heavenly peace. May God, also, give the strength and spirit to his grieving family at this time of their hardship and sorrow.
We will continue to love him and miss him for ever. In remembrance of this great internationalist, our community will sing the Ethiopian Orthodox Lyric that HE used to like most ‘Aman be Aman’ , which literally means peace by peace, on Sunday July 11, 2010. SO Long our father, brother and mentor!
Ethiopian Community Association in Ottawa
211 Bronson Ave, Ottawa ON, K1R 6H5
Email: [email protected]
A Greek war correspondent travels across the globe to cover the first armed clash of the Cold War. But instead of trailing the battlefield feats of his countrymen in the Korean War (1950-53), he ends up writing a book on Ethiopian warriors ― yes, warriors, like the stuff of ancient Greek myths.
It’s not hard to see why the soldiers of Ethiopia, one of the 21 U.N. member nations to send troops into the inter-Korean conflict, struck the fancy of the journalist: The Kagnew Battalion, bound by the motto “one for all and all for one” to “fight until we win or die,” won all 235 of its battles against North Korean forces.
And true to their motto, there were 124 deaths and 536 injuries but not a single one of the 6,037 warriors went missing or became a prisoner of war. They literally either died or survived to a victorious end, Kimon Skordiles observes in his book.
“Kagnew: The Story of Ethiopian Fighters in Korea,” published in 1954 shortly after the armistice was signed, is now finally available in Korean (Today’s Books: 319 pp., 15,000 won) on the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War.
It sheds light upon an overlooked past but moreover, like most invaluable history lessons, serves as a window to the future. Most South Koreans today however are oblivious of such a sacrifice and the fact that the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the governmental aid relief organization, is making waves in Ethiopia ― lending help to the country that once was giving aid.
Though the book chronicles extraordinary battles, a most touching instance of heroism and friendship shines through in a rather minor incident. One fateful morning, the enemy opened fire at South Korean civilians who were employed to lay wires. Melese Berihun of the 1st company heard the cries of a man who did not have time to escape and jumped to the rescue ― “The Ethiopian soldier did not understand what the wounded Korean was saying; but the painful cries were directed not only to the ears, but to the heart.”
[David In-yeup Song, who translated into Korean a Greek war correspondent’s 1954 account of Ethiopian soldiers’ contributions during the Korean War (1950-53), speaks to The Korea Times during a recent interview in Seoul. Song wishes the younger generation to be inspired by the great courage and integrity of the Kagnew Battalion. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul]
A shell fell nearby and the two men died in each other’s arms. They were buried in a common grave in Busan ― which serves as “a symbol of their common sacrifice, in a common struggle, for a common goal,” writes Skordiles. “The mixed blood is the foundation of friendship and a symbol of unity between Ethiopian and Korean. It is the fire of comradeship that came alive in the dark days of the Korean War, the friendship that will remain in perpetuation in the history through the joining of the hands of the two countries.”
David In-yeup Song, who served as chief representative of KOICA in Ethiopia for two years, took the initiative to translate the account. “I came across the book a couple months after I arrived in Ethiopia. I knew Ethiopia had sent troops but I was surprised to learn about their amazing achievements,” he said in a recent Korea Times interview in Seoul. He was in town for a few days before assuming a new post in earthquake-struck Haiti.
“I spent sleepless nights reading the book. I decided to translate it because it passes on an important lesson to the younger generation. They enjoy a materially rich life thanks to the sacrifice of such warriors like the Ethiopians, but many don’t even know when the Korean War broke out. Moreover, they can learn about integrity, teamwork and courage from the Kagnew Batallion,” he said.
The book introduces how Ethiopia became involved in the Korean War, and invites readers to explore the colorful history and character of the country.
For then-Emperor Haile Selassie the Korean War was a “holy” mission for world peace and collective security, to stop the further spread of ideological conflict. He thus dispatched members of the elite royal guard, the most physically adept and intelligent soldiers. Their perfect battle score did not go unnoticed, as then-U.S. Secretary of State J. F. Dulles paid the battalion a visit during a trip to Korea in 1953.
The Korean version of “Kagnew” however is more than a simple translation. Song places Skordiles’ work in a more contemporary context by tracing the legacy of the Ethiopian warriors, through interviews with some of the 400 veterans who are alive today. Various facts, figures and anecdotes are provided in both Korean and English.
Among them, Haile Giorgis, who served as 2nd lieutenant during the war, became promoted as military protocol chief to the emperor in 1972. Quite ironically, however, the emperor was overthrown in a communist coup, and during a spell of red terror through the 1980s, the Korean War veterans, once honored heroes, were forced to conceal the fact that they had fought against communist forces. Giorgis lived a reclusive life until the early 1990s.
Last month, some 40 members of the Korean War Veterans Association of Ethiopia recently visited Seoul to witness what had become of the impoverished country they fought in as young men.
“Ethiopians take note of Korea’s rapid economic development as a model for their country’s own growth, and the local press widely covers KOICA’s efforts. Korea on the other hand must not forget Ethiopia’s help in the past. There is much room for friendship to bloom anew,” he said.
Today KOICA is helping build schools, drinking water facilities and welfare centers for women and children. Song urged Koreans to take more interest in Ethiopia’s gourmet coffee and take note of the country’s rich history and the fact that it is home to the capital of the African Union.
This is Song’s second translation project after introducing Koreans to Jean Sasson’s “Love in a Torn Land,” which chronicles a true story set in war-torn Iraq.
Prof. Chojnacki was a teacher and friend to a generation of Ethiopians
Stanislaw Chojnacki was a librarian, professor, historian and horiculturalist, but his friends will remember him as the kindest and gentlest person they have known.
“He never tolerated anything, he always celebrated what nature gave and that’s the lesson that I learned and that I will take with me to my grave,” said close friend Meron Yeshoa.
Chojnacki passed away peacefully on the weekend at Sudbury Regional Hospital at the age of 95. St. Casimir’s Church will hold a Funeral Mass on Saturday at 10 a.m. He will be buried in Poland. Many friends and family members survive him, including wife Grace and sister Zofia Pratkowska.
The former professor and library director at the University of Sudbury accomplished much in his 95 years and his efforts have not gone unnoticed. After spending more than 25 years in Ethiopia, he was recognized as an active member of the Polish and Ethiopian communities in Sudbury.
Born in Riga, Latvia Oct. on 21, 1915, he obtained a law degree at Warsaw University before serving in the Polish Army in 1937 and 1938. According to Chojnacki’s book, 25 years of service at the university college and the Institute of Ethiopian Studies in Addis Ababa from 1950 to 1975, the series of events that led him to Ethiopia began during the Second World War.
On Sept. 1, 1939, Germany attacked Poland. “My nine days of warfare was followed by close to five years as a prisoner of war in Germany,” wrote Chojnacki.
Once released, he worked four years in Rome before relocating to Canada in January 1950. In September 1950, Dr. Lucien Matte offered Chojnacki the position of Librarian at the University College of Addis Ababa, which Dr. Matte had recently founded. Chojnacki humorously recalled asking where in Canada Addis Ababa was located.
Not long afterward he discovered that the school was in Ethiopia and soon enough he moved overseas once again.
The University College was Ethiopia’s first attempt to establish a university in the country. It was inaugurated by the emperor in 1951.
Chojnacki fell in love with his work and the people of Ethiopia and founded the University College Museum of Addis Ababa in 1963. The librarian was a close friend of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie.
After 25 years in Ethiopia, Chojnacki decided to leave. He had lost many friends after the overthrow of the Ethiopian Dynasty in 1974, including the Emperor. He returned to Canada in 1976.
However, Chojnacki never forgot the people of Ethiopia.
Yeshoa recalled a touching memory of him. “I remember the first time I asked him if he had any children, he ran to his bedroom and he said, ‘Yes, of course. I have pictures to show you.’ He brought me an album and in [it] he was showing me pictures of very young and very very poor children in the poorest parts of Ethiopia.”
Chojnacki knew all the children by first and last name and would say, “This is my son so and so, this is my daughter,” said Yeshoa.
His love for plants, animals, insects and all people, regardless of colour, race or wealth made Chojnacki an inspiring person, said Yeshoa.
“What really touched me about him is the fact that he didn’t want to put [the children] out of their life. He went into their life. Almost every year he went back and he actually gave them love and support,” she added.
Yeshoa, who is from Ethiopia, met Chojnacki when a roommate, also from Ethiopia, was in search of a cultural community here. The roommate’s parents found one Ethiopian family, but they were leaving, so they put her in touch with Mr. Chojnacki. “He [was] just like an Ethiopian person,” said Yeshoa.
The professor was her roommate’s connection to Ethiopian roots and soon became an important part of Yeshoa and later her husband’s life.
“He was like a father to me,” said her husband, Gouled Hassan. Chojnacki’s kind heart and inspiring work touched Hassan deeply.
Another close friend, Andrzej H. Mrozewski, also had warm thoughts to share. Mrozewski was Chief Librarian at Laurentian University when Chojnacki became Library Director at the University of Sudbury.
The two shared an interest in fine arts and Chojnacki often worked in the garden with Mrozewski’s wife, Janina.
Mrozewski will remember him as a world-renowned specialist in Ethiopian art and doer of charitable work, for which he was named Knight of the Order of Malta.
Chojnacki’s academic works include Ethiopian Crosses: A Cultural History and Chronology, Ethiopian Icon: Catalogue of the Collection of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies Studies Addis Ababa University and Major Themes in Ethiopian Painting: Indigenous Developments, the Influence of Foreign Models and Their Adaptation.
Ethiomedia.com editor Abraha Belai and EthiopianReview.om editor Elias Kifle will be guests in Paltalk’s Qale Room to debate current Ethiopian political issues: Saturday, July 10, starting at 2 PM New York Time.
A Greek war correspondent travels across the globe to cover the first armed clash of the Cold War. But instead of trailing the battlefield feats of his countrymen in the Korean War (1950-53), he ends up writing a book on Ethiopian warriors ― yes, warriors, like the stuff of ancient Greek myths.
[David In-yeup Song, who translated into Korean a Greek war correspondent’s 1954 account of Ethiopian soldiers’ contributions during the Korean War (1950-53), speaks to The Korea Times during a recent interview in Seoul. Song wishes the younger generation to be inspired by the great courage and integrity of the Kagnew Battalion. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul]
Among them, Haile Giorgis, who served as 2nd lieutenant during the war, became promoted as military protocol chief to the emperor in 1972. Quite ironically, however, the emperor was overthrown in a communist coup, and during a spell of red terror through the 1980s, the Korean War veterans, once honored heroes, were forced to conceal the fact that they had fought against communist forces. Giorgis lived a reclusive life until the early 1990s.