By Irena Knehtl, Buzzle.com

Zeritu Kebede’s songs are different. I became her fan after few minutes of listening tp her songs. Young Ethiopian artist Zeritu Kebede, nicknamed ‘Baby’, first burst into public attention when she impressed every one with her fresh style of singing in ‘Esti Mela Belu’ – Lets find a way out from HIV, a group song performed by selected artists, veteran and emerging artists. The group included artists like Alemayehu Eshete, Menelik Wessenachew, Tamrat Molla, Tsegaye Eshetu, Tighist Makonnen and Tsedenia G/Markos. Zeritu performed her part brilliantly, distinguishing herself both with her powerful voice, youthful face and a fresh inspiring style.

She told Selome Kifle in an extensive interview for Capitol, and Addis based magazine, that she wants public to expect good and different songs from her. She and Elisa Melks worked hard on her first album, named “Zeritu”. It is a great album and it has won her wide audience. The album is “different” because she herself is “new”. She sings what she herself likes to hear when listening to the music. She wrote lyrics for ten songs in the album, one song was written by Abinet Agonafir, a popular Ethiopian singer, and another one jointly with Elias. She worked a year and a half on her first album, in which she raised different issues with varying song writings and composition.

Music has been a part of her since the age of nine or ten. A hideaway from books, she recalls. They would sing spiritual songs at elementary school. Her talent developed after fifth grade when her Math teacher discovered her talent. They formed a group. The Spice Girls came, she remembers, they wanted to be like them. They too believed in ‘girls power’.They begun to write songs and practice at her home. But she knew she wanted to sing and be a singer long before she heard the Spice Girls.

Zeritu creates music in terms as “rich. She says, she just sings her songs and does what she herself likes to see and listen. She fells that the present rebirth of Ethiopian music, an explosion in artistic or musical creativity and talents, is a visible improvement and one can notice that there are many positive changes. She does not think, this is the peak. She feels they can do even better.

She is not just creating new music, she is seeking to preserve her country’s musical identity. This evolving culture of dynamism is the rich resource that flows from heart and mind. She notes that there is a deep-rooted music culture in Ethiopia. This diversity comes in handy and serves as a background from which to develop. Ethiopia owes a lot of its rich musical heritage to its location and history. Zeritu believes that the potential of this heritage is poised for a big leap. New performers arrive on the scene and new ideas are being created all the time. The artist must hold on to all that is original within.

ABOUT ETHIOPIA
Few nations can boast the historic splendor of Ethiopia, evidence of whose extraordinary past is everywhere. Ethiopia is a nation of surprises, full of diversity and contrast. The oldest independent nation in Africa, is a land of stunning natural beauty. A rich diversity of culture and geography that will captivate the visitor. The welcome that comes from the mosaic of people with over 80 different languages and as many cultures is warm and spontaneous. The climate is dependent on the physical terrain and its position close to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, but for much of the year it is warm and pleasant in low-lying areas and cool and bracing in the highlands. There are two principal seasons, rainy from June to September, and dry for the rest of the year.

Ethiopia is a land of rugged mountains (some 25 are over 4,000 meters high), broad savannah, lakes and rivers. The unique Rift Valley is a remarkable region of volcanic lakes, with their famous collections of bird life, great escarpments and stunning vistas. Tissisat, the Blue Nile Falls, must rank as one of the greatest natural spectacles in Africa today. With 14 major wildlife reserves, Ethiopia provides a microcosm of the entire sub-Saharan ecosystem. Bird life abounds, and indigenous animals from the rare Walia ibex to the shy wild ass, roam free just as nature intended. Ethiopia, after the rains, is a land decked with flowers.

With a population of more than two million people, Addis Ababa is not only the political capital but also the economic and social nerve-centre of Ethiopia. Founded by Emperor Menilek in 1887, this big, sprawling, hospitable city still bears the stamp of his exuberant personality. More than 21,000 hectares in area, Adis Ababa is situated in the foothills of the 3,000 meters Entoto mountains and rambles pleasantly across many wooded hillsides and gullies cut through with fast-flowing streams.

By Scott A. Morgan

The Congressional Human Rights Caucus recently took steps to address a growing problem in the Great Lakes Region of Africa. The bi-partisan lobby had a two- day series of briefings on concerns regarding the situation in Northern Uganda. This crisis is a situation that has seen very little scrutiny but continues to fester as it has for almost 20 years.

The repercussions have been staggering. Several thousand have died as a result either from the violence or from disease and starvation. Over 1 million reside in camps for those that are Internally Displaced. And Children leave their homes to go sleep in schools to keep from being kidnapped. This is not how a generation should survive let alone try and prosper.

Recently there were elections held in Uganda. The President had won a third term after his political supporters rammed through Parliament a law that allowed him to run for a third term as President. The Ugandan Constitution only allows for a President to serve two consecutive terms. this document entered into force some time after Mr. Museveni had seized power from a rival.

The Caucus heard testimony regarding the crisis in the North of Uganda but there is a developing situation in another part of Africa. It also involves another US ally and the US risks alienating more people in its quest to defeat terror by supporting stable but increasingly autocratic governments. This case I am talking about Ethiopia.

Last year there were Parliamentary Elections in Ethiopia. What followed after the votes were counted is chilling at best. On two separate occasions there were violent street protests to show displeasure with the counts. Members of the Opposition that had won seats were detained by the authorities when they refused to take their seats. There has been a crackdown on the Media as well. And what has the Administration done?

The silence so far has been deafening. The State Department has asked for those detained to be released and have fair trials. But it also has stated that it has no means to place pressure on the Ethiopian Government. Congress has two bills in front of it to deal with the problem. One will propose an arms embargo on Ethiopia to keep US arms from being used to abuse Human Rights.

Before it takes up these bills the Congressional Human Rights Caucus needs to hold a briefing on what is happening in Addis Ababa. Our elected officials need to hear about how this “ally” is trying to rule through intimidation. People need to know why the State Department is basically silent in this crisis. After that maybe they can decide what will be done to help Zimbabwe and the DRC recover. The US is proposing to spend Millions of Dollars in Africa. Lets spend the money on the right problems and fix them