Archive for April, 2012
Ethiopia mourns death of Maitre Artiste world laureate – Afewerk Tekle
Afewerk Tekle, 80, died from severe stomach ulcer complications after receiving treatment at a private hospital in Addis Ababa.
The artist’s death has received wide media coverage in the Horn of Africa country, with a national committee being set up to arrange funeral arrangements.
Tekle was born on October 22, 1932 in the historic city of Ankober in Shoa Province.
Sent to England in 1947 to become a mining engineer, Afewerk’s artistic talent was soon discovered and he was accepted at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London and later went to the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of London, the famous “Slade”.
While studying in England he made several artistic pilgrimages to continental Europe.
On the completion of his studies he returned to Addis Ababa where he held a one-man exhibition at the Municipality Hall in 1954. It was the first significant art exhibition of post-war Ethiopia.
Soon after his exhibition he left Ethiopia for a study tour in Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and Greece. In addition to these countries, he carried out various studies in England.
Also read: Ethiopia’s conundrum – A statue for Nkrumah or Selassie?
He also made a special study of the Ethiopian illustrated manuscripts in the British Library, the Bibliothẻque Nationale in Paris and the Vatican Library, thereby gaining a deeper knowledge of his own artistic heritage.
After two years of this extensive study, Afewerk, by now a well–equipped artist, returned with full confidence to his native land, to tackle the task ahead.
On his arrival in Ethiopia, Afewerk opened his studio in the National Library of Ethiopia.
Soon afterwards he was given his first challenging commission by the Ethiopian government: The decoration of St. George’s Cathedral, one of the capital’s two most important religious edifices, where he worked on murals and mosaics for three and a half years.
He also designed his own house, studio and gallery, known as “Villa Alpha”. He was architecturally inspired by his own cultural heritage, especially by ancient Aksum, the mediaeval castles of Gondar and the old walled city of Harrar.
His paintings included titles such as “Backbones of African Civilisation”, “African Movement”, “African Atmosphere” and “African Unity”, and for Expo 67 in Montreal, Canada, “Africa’s Heritage” which are now in the permanent collection of the National Museum of Ethiopia.
After many studies he produced over 10 designs for an African Unity emblem and flag.
Source: The Africa Report
Ex Ethiopian leader’s future uncertain in Zimbabwe, Bring the Butcher of Addis to justice- A call for human rights
Mengitsu Haile Mariam, also known as The Butcher of Addis
By Janet Shoko
Former Ethiopian dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam, who oversaw the murder of several thousands of his countrymen during the “Red Terror” campaign could be living on the edge in Zimbabwe as his future after the demise of his friend President Mugabe is uncertain.
Mengitsu also known as “Butcher of Addis” has lived in the Southern Africa country for the past two decades as a special guest of his close friend -Mugabe. He fled his country in 1991 to settle in Harare as the Tigre People’s Liberation Front and the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front surrounded Addis Ababa.
At the time, the United States asked Mugabe to accept Mengistu to end the bloodshed.
A few years ago Mengistu was relocated from his Harare villa to a prime farm seized by Zanu (PF) in the rich Mazowe Valley. His public appearances have been next to nil.
In 2006, the then opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) angered Zanu PF when it hinted that it would withdraw the protection afforded by Mugabe’s government and extradite him to Ethiopia. Nelson Chamisa, who was MDC’s chief spokesman said the ex leader’s extradition to Ethiopia would be “high on the agenda” of the new administration.
Mengistu, 74, has had his fair share of troubles in Zimbabwe. It is claimed that he once advised Mugabe on security matters and according to reports, he proposed the idea of clearing slums, which was implemented as Operation Murambatsvina or Operation Get rid of the filth in 2005, and chaired meetings at which the operation was planned.
Mengitsu is said to have warned Mugabe that the swelling slum and backyard population in Zimbabwe was creating a fertile ground for a mass uprising. The United Nations later estimated that more than 700 000 people had been left homeless in the move.
And while Mugabe’s then administration had made light attempts to squash the reports giving credence that Megistu played a key role, diplomatic relations between the man who toppled Mengistu- Meles Zenawi and the coalition administration is not clear.
Now Mugabe is in poor health and speculation is that if he dies Mengistu could be in trouble.
However, Zimbabwe media has over the years widely reported on arrest and torture of Ethiopian refugees passing through the country on their way to South Africa.
An official and the Foreign Affairs ministry told The Africa Report that Mengistu and his government played a pivotal role during and after the liberation struggle and extraditing him “would be a betrayal”.
But civic society has a firm view on Mengistu, they want him out of Zimbabwe dead or alive. “The nature of his departure, whether dead or alive is not critical. He should just leave Zimbabwe” Albertina Moyo said. He added that apart from liberation history, little is known of the two countries in terms of bilateral trade.
Darlington Musanu said “If it was a collective decision, he may continue to be in Zimbabwe but if it was an individual one by Mugabe which is very likely he may go as soon as the man dies”.
He added another dimension: If a Zanu PF member takes over as president chances of him (Mengistu) being deported are slim.
Zanu PF people tend to follow set procedures. But if a new leader is from MDC-T certainly they will send him straight to The Hague.
Source: The Africa Report
UN Urges Lebanon to investigate Ethiopian Maid’s Death-A Call for human rights
Lebanon human right abuse
The UN special rapporteur on slavery has urged the Lebanese government to carry out a full investigation into the death of an Ethiopian domestic worker.
Alem Dechasa, 33, killed herself on 14 March, a few days after she was filmed being beaten by men and dragged into a car in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
Gulnara Shahinian said the “cruel” images reminded her of the many migrant workers she met in Lebanon last year.
She urged the country to uncover the truth about such rights violations.
Last month, eight civil society groups called on the Lebanese authorities to reform restrictive visa regulations and adopt a labour law on domestic work to address high levels of abuse and deaths among migrant workers.
‘End impunity’
On 8 March, the Lebanese television network LBCI released a video filmed on 24 February by an anonymous bystander in which a man physically abuses Ms Alem outside the Ethiopian consulate in Beirut.
As she tries to resist, he and another man drag her into a car.
LBCI later identified the man beating her as the brother of the head of the recruiting agency that brought her to Lebanon.
He alleged that his brother’s agency had been trying to return her to Ethiopia because she had mental health problems.
Police later found Ms Alem and took her to a detention centre.
Following a request by the Caritas Lebanon Migrant Center, they transferred her to the Deir al-Saleeb psychiatric hospital two days later, but did not arrest those alleged to have carried out the beatings.
Ms Dechasa killed herself at the hospital on the morning of 14 March.
After the beating video was circulated, the labour and justice ministries began investigations, but their outcomes have not been made public.
On Tuesday, Ms Shahinian issued a statement strongly urging the Lebanese authorities to investigate the circumstances leading to Ms Alem’s death and make public their findings.
“There are a number of reports circulating about the human rights violations Alem Dechasa experienced as a migrant domestic worker in Lebanon and the facts surrounding her death,” she said.
“States are under an obligation to ensure the realisation of the right to truth about violations in order to end impunity and promote and protect human rights and provide redress to victims and their families.”
Ethiopia sells off seven state firms
By Aaron Maasho
ADDIS ABABA, March 29 (Reuters) – Ethiopia has accepted bids worth 2.1 billion birr ($121 million) for seven state-owned firms, part of a plan to privatise dozens of corporations in the next three years, it said on Thursday.
The Horn of Africa nation, whose state-dominated economy ranks among the fastest growing in the world, aims to sell around 40 enterprises, including several large farms, a winery and a big hotel.
The Privatisation and Public Enterprise Supervising Agency accepted an 860 million birr bid from MIDROC Ethiopia for one of the country’s biggest farms, Upper Awash Agro-Industry Enterprise, said agency spokesman Wondafrash Asefa.
MIDROC Ethiopia is owned by Saudi-Ethiopian billionaire Mohammed Al Amoudi, who is one of the world’s richest men according to Forbes magazine.
Al Amoudi’s other companies Horizon Plantation PLC, National Mining Corporation and Saudi Star Agricultural Development won bids for four other firms for a combined 463 million birr ($26.7 million), Wondafrash said.
“The enterprises engage in different sectors, including agriculture, beverage, construction, printing, textile and transport. At this time though agriculture enterprises are found to be more attractive than others,” Wondafrash said.
Last year, the government sold its last remaining breweries Bedele, Harar and Meta Abo to Heineken and Diageo for a combined $388.3 million.
BIG FIVE
Ethiopia expects its gross domestic product to grow by more than 11 percent each year until 2014, while the International Monetary Fund forecasts a growth rate of 7.5 percent this year and 5.5 percent next year.
Like other African nations, Ethiopia has embarked on ambitious infrastructure investment projects to improve its economic competitiveness, including a multi-billion dollar plan to scale up energy generation.
Economic experts say the government could fund the development plans by privatising its five biggest firms. They include Ethiopian Airlines, Ethiopian Shipping Lines, Ethio Telecom, the Ethiopian Insurance Corporation, and the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia.
“Only with a large-scale privatisation program can Ethiopia achieve many of the objectives,” Ethiopia-based research group Access Capital SC said in an economic outlook report.
A sale of the five firms could generate $7.7 billion, the group said, while the privatisation of some 81 other state corporations could rake in another $9.6 billion.
Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has repeatedly ruled out privatisation of the banking and telecommunications sectors, despite pressure from Western donors to do so.
“Several strategic enterprises in different sections will remain in government hands, such as Ethiopian Shipping Lines and another 11 enterprises. They could be privatised once their strategic importance diminishes” Wondafrash said. (Editing by Duncan Miriri and Mark Potter)
