The story behind the vintage photo Recently at a photography studio in Haya Hulet area of Addis Ababa, my attention was captured by a faded black and white photograph that was lying on the counter, evidently to be retouched. In…
There’s been a lot of talk about harmful water hyacinth, locally called Emboch, that invaded most of the Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes water and what it means for the surrounding populations that share the lake. One of the lakes infested…
The fate of the Ethiopian ruling party, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) has been a subject of discussion. Established by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front in the late ’80s, the party, comprising of four ethnicity-based affiliates, has controlled…
One of the strengths of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), the party that has held the rein of power in Ethiopia for the past twenty-seven years and a coalition of four ethnicity-based parties, is its culture of secrecy,…
Author: Yordanos Almaz Seifu Mengedegna (The Traveller) Addis Ababa Pages 359 price 100 birr The series of xenophobic attacks targeting Ethiopians and other African national immigrants in South Africa has been in the news recently. Incidents of shootings, vehicle torching,…
Author: Worku Gebeyehu Lakew Empire and Revolution in Ethiopia, a new perspective: 2018 Addis Ababa 344 pages, Price 142 Birr Forty-five years after its outbreak, the Ethiopian Revolution has continued to fascinate historians and writers to this day. A handful…
Already grappling with political instability, foreign exchange shortages, Ethiopia now has to worry about the rising price of food “Any sugar?” says the young woman, leaning into a shop in the town of Merawi, 34kms away from Bahir Dar. The…
A group of self-proclaimed “apostles,” and “prophets” are commanding some of the country’s largest spiritual audiences through pulpits and television cameras. They, among others, promise direct access to God through miracles and healing and give assurance of prosperity and abundance.…
Global conglomerates of farm inputs, seeds, fertilizer, GMO crops providers, are coming to Ethiopia. Are they bringing a miraculous solution to the country’s food security problem, as they claim or delayed toxicity, as detractors argue? Twenty-five large French companies and…
The recent assassinations in Addis Ababa and Amhara and the ‘attempted coup’ have sparked debate. Ethiopians are engaged in discussions on the tragic event, the political impasse in the country, and what this means for the current and future of…