Zethiopia - Out and About

ESFNA announces 2009 events

2009-02-22T18:48:00.001-08:00

Ethiopia Reads Event, October 11 at Touchstone Gallery

2008-09-23T19:18:00.001-07:00

Bernos.org, in collaboration with Ethiopia Reads and Tsehai Publishers, is proud to host 'Cocktails for Reading' – an event that is in between a cocktail party and networking event among authors, publishers, readers and organizations involved with reading in Ethiopia and the Ethiopian diaspora community.

Our keynote speakers will be Yohannes Gebregeorgis, co-founder of Ethiopia Reads and recent CNN Hero, and Elias Wondimu, founder of Tsehai Publishers and Ambassador for Peace.

The Event will be held on:

October 11, 2008 beginning at 5:30 PM

Touchstone Gallery

406 7th Street NW – 2nd Floor

Washington, DC 20004

For more information, please contact Tsilat Petros with Ethiopia Reads at tsilat@ethiopiareads.org.

Hope for Children US Event at the Embassy of Ethiopia

2008-09-23T19:11:00.001-07:00

Additional information regarding the event that
will be held at the Embassy of Ethiopia this Friday.

First, the event is FREE.

Sidamo Coffee and Tea will be there, and they will be doing a coffee
ceremony. (www.sidamocoffeeandtea.com)

There will be Ethiopian food as well as Ferengi/Continental/American
food.

The event is kid-friendly, there will be a table for children to
color or play during the evening.

There will be a silent auction and there are A LOT of Ethiopian items
in the auction -- great, fun things including some wonderful art work
from an emerging Ethiopian artist.

If you are looking for ways to help and become involved in the
Ethiopian/Ethiopian-American community a number of other non-profits
will have representatives in attendance.

Please Join Us For

"A Night in Ethiopia"

To Support Hope for Children's

Youth Learning Center

Friday, September 26, 7 PM

The Ethiopian Embassy, 3506 International Drive, NW, Washington, DC

Hosted by Carol Rhees, Bonnie Harkness, Freda and Gary Temple,

Ruthann Bates, Catie Dupont

Please bring your friends and family!

RSVP carhees@... / 301.229.9591

For more information, go to www.hopeforchildrenus.org

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

We hope that you can join us on September 26 for a fun-filled and
informative evening. If you are unable to attend but wish to make a
tax-deductible contribution, checks should be made payable to Hope
for Children US and should be mailed to 5801 Searl Terrace, Bethesda,
MD 20816. You can also donate on-line at our website,
www.hopeforchildrenus.org.

Parking: Parking in the evening is available in any of the reserved
Embassy spots along International Drive. There is also a parking
garage on Van Ness where you turn onto International Drive.

We hope to see you on the 26th!

Hope for Children Event - September 26

2008-09-14T04:05:00.001-07:00

Please Join Us For
"A Night in Ethiopia"
To Support Hope for Children's
Youth Learning Center

Friday, September 26, 7 PM
The Ethiopian Embassy, 3506 International Drive, NW, Washington, DC

Hosted by Carol Rhees, Bonnie Harkness, Freda and Gary Temple,
Ruthann Bates, Catie Dupont

Please bring your friends and family!

RSVP carhees@aol.com / 301.229.9591
For more information, go to www.hopeforchildrenus.org

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

We hope that you can join us on September 26 for a fun-filled and informative evening. If you are unable to attend but wish to make a tax-deductible contribution, checks should be made payable to Hope for Children US and should be mailed to 5801 Searl Terrace, Bethesda, MD 20816. You can also donate on-line at our website, www.hopeforchildrenus.org.

Parking: Parking in the evening is available in any of the reserved Embassy spots along International Drive. There is also a parking garage on Van Ness where you turn onto International Drive.

We hope to see you on the 26th!

2008 Mesgana Dancer Tour

2008-09-14T04:02:00.000-07:00

September 7, Ethiopian New Yearʼs Festival @ Lake Merritt Park, Oakland, CA
September 13 @ Rose Wagner Theatre, Salt Lake City, UT
September 20 @ GW Lisner Auditorium, Washington, DC
September 27 @ South Orange Performing Arts Center, South Orange, NJ

For more information visit www.coeef.org

Art Exhibit in Takoma Park

2008-03-06T06:01:00.000-08:00

Zethiopia Distribution Services

2008-02-26T11:14:00.001-08:00

Zethiopia Distribution Services

Does your organization have flyers or brochures that need to be distributed?

For more information or a copy of the distribution contract, please contact Dereje at dereje@zethiopia.com.

Ze Ethiopia Corporation
Zethiopia Newspaper & Radio
P.O. Box 2049
Fairfax, Virginia
22031

Subscribe to Zethiopia - Club, Newspaper and Radio

2008-02-23T18:57:00.000-08:00

Do you want to subscribe to Zethiopia? Click HERE to be taken to an on-line checkout system that you can use to place your subscription order.

Art Show to benefit Ethiopian Non-profit Girls Gotta Run!

2008-02-21T20:35:00.000-08:00

February 26 - April 5, 2008
Invitational Gallery
The Mansion at Strathmore
10701 Rockville Pike
North Bethesda, MD 20852
Opening Reception:
Thursday, February 28, 2008, 7 - 9 p.m.

Profits from the sale of this artwork go to buy running shoes for girls in Ethiopia. By training as athletes, these girls can delay traditional arranged marriages which can occur as early as 12 years of age.

To purchase any of the works on display
Contact Pat Ortman
(202) 244-6354 or pat@girlsgottarun.org

For more information and to see some
of the art that will be on exhibit, visit
www.girlsgottarun.org

Jane Kurtz to speak at Busboys and Poets in support of Ethiopia Reads!

2008-02-21T20:33:00.000-08:00

Meet children’s author Jane Kurtz!
Support Ethiopia Reads!

Come hear Jane tell her story of growing up in Ethiopia, how it influenced her writing and the development of the NGO Ethiopia Reads.

Monday, March 3, 2008 ~~ 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
~~ Busboys and Poets ~~ 4251 South Campbell Ave ~~ Arlington

Come hear Jane tell her story of growing up in Ethiopia, how it influenced her writing and how Ethiopia Reads has developed and she will share the
dreams for Ethiopia Reads’ future.
There will be a slide show presentation.
Light refreshments will be served.
Busboys and Poets have a supply of Jane’s books available for your convenience.

For additional information, please contact Catie@EthiopiaReads.org

Sidamo Cafe to Host Author Jane Kurtz in support of Ethiopia Reads!

2008-02-21T20:29:00.000-08:00

Meet children’s author Jane Kurtz
and support Ethiopia Reads

Come hear Jane tell her story of growing up in Ethiopia, how it influenced her writing and the development of the NGO Ethiopia Reads. Jane’s books -- Only A Pigeon, the Lion’s Tail (Amharic/English version) and Saba will be available for purchase. Dual language Amharic/English books -- The Beekeeper of Lalibela, Fafi’s Sheep and Silly Mammo will also be available.

Saturday, March 1, 2008 ~~ 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Sidamo Coffee and Tea
417 H Street NE
Washington, DC 20002

The kitchen at Sidamo will be open for your convenience.

Highland Origin Cafe to Host Jane Kurtz on Sunday, March 2, 2008

2008-02-21T20:27:00.000-08:00

Meet children’s author Jane Kurtz!
Support Ethiopia Reads!

Come hear Jane tell her story of growing up in Ethiopia, how it influenced her writing and the development of the NGO Ethiopia Reads. Jane’s books -- Only A Pigeon, the Lion’s Tail (Amharic/English version) and Saba will be available for purchase. Dual language Amharic/English books -- The Beekeeper of Lalibela, Fafi’s Sheep and Silly Mammo will also be available.

Sunday, March 2, 2008 ~~ 1:30 – 4:00 pm
Highland Origin Cafe
8200 Fenton Street
Silver Spring, Maryland
For additional information, please contact Catie@EthiopiaReads.org

The kitchen at Highland Origin Café will be open for your convenience.

Ethiopia Reads Events - come meet Jane Kurtz!

2008-02-15T09:24:00.000-08:00

Come meet Author Jane Kurtz!
Come learn about Ethiopia Reads!

Saturday, March 1, 2008 ~~ 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
~~ Sidamo Coffee and Tea ~~ 417 H Street NE ~~Washington, DC 20002~~

Come hear Jane tell her story of growing up in Ethiopia, how it influenced her writing and the development of the NGO Ethiopia Reads.
There will be a slide show presentation.
Jane’s books Only A Pigeon, the Lion’s Tail (Amharic/English version) and Saba will be available for purchase.
Dual language Amharic/English books ~ The Beekeeper of Lalibela, Fafi’s Sheep and Silly Mammo will be available.
The kitchen at Sidamo will be open for your convenience.

Sunday, March 2, 2008 ~~ 1:30 – 4:00 p.m.
~~Highland Origin Café ~~ 8200 Fenton Street ~~Silver Spring, Maryland ~~
There will be a slide show and informative session regarding Jane Kurtz and Ethiopia Reads. Additionally, Tsilat Petros will be joining us and sharing her enthusiasm and dreams for Ethiopia and the Ethiopia Reads project. Come hear her story!
The kitchen at Highland Origin Café will be open for your convenience.

Sunday afternoon tune in as Jane Kurtz is interviewed on AM 1390 Zethiopia Radio from 5:00-6:00 p.m.
Jane will be sharing with Dereje Desta the latest news from Ethiopia Reads and will introduce the audience and Ethiopia Reads’ supporters to Tsilat Petros – who will be traveling to Ethiopia to work for Ethiopia Reads!

Monday, March 3, 2008 ~~ 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
~~ Busboys and Poets ~~ 4251 South Campbell Ave ~~ Arlington, VA 22206 ~~

Come hear Jane tell her story of growing up in Ethiopia, how it influenced her writing and how Ethiopia Reads has developed and she will share the
hope and dreams for Ethiopia Reads’ future.
There will be a slide show presentation.
Light refreshments will be served.
Busboys and Poets have a supply of Jane’s books available for your convenience.

For further information, please contact Catie Dupont.
Catie@EthiopiaReads.org or call 571-243-1411.
An RSVP to any of these events is not necessary, but would be appreciated.
For specific information regarding Ethiopia Reads, please visit www.ethiopiareads.org.

Authors Jane Kurtz and Christopher Kurtz to speak at the Naval Academy Primary School

2007-11-08T09:09:00.001-08:00

You are cordially invited to spend the evening with children’s authors
Jane Kurtz and Christopher Kurtz.

Date- Saturday, 17 November 2007
4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Naval Academy Primary School,
74 Greenbury Point Road, Annapolis, MD 21402

Light refreshments will be served.

Jane Kurtz, renowned children’s book author and Board president of Ethiopia Reads, a non-profit organization that was established for the purpose of promoting children's book publishing, reading, literacy and the development of education in Ethiopia will present a slide show and speak about Ethiopia, literacy, and her life experiences. Her presentation will be complemented by her brother, Chris Kurtz, also an author, board member of Ethiopia Reads, and accomplished speaker telling his story and doing a reading. Jane and Chris grew up in Ethiopia, children of missionaries, and have fascinating stories to share.

For more information about Ethiopia Reads, please visit their website at www.ethiopiareads.org. The organization was featured in the October issue of Good Housekeeping magazine: you can download the very informative article, written by Melissa Fay Greene, about their projects from their website.

For more information about Jane Kurtz, please visit www.JaneKurtz.com.

Books will be available for purchase – all proceeds will benefit EthiopiaReads.org and its projects.

An RSVP is not required, but would be appreciated to EthiopiaReads@aol.com – or leave a voice mail for Catie Dupont at 571-243-1411.

Let's Read About Africa - Museum of African Art

2007-11-01T07:20:00.000-07:00

Let's Read about Africa
at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C.
Ages: 5--10
Introduces young audiences to current and classical children's literature about Africa. Each reading is followed by an art activity. Suitable for ages 5 to 10.

The Best Beekeeper in Lalibela
Sat., Nov. 3, 10:30 a.m.
By Cristine Kessler, illus. by Leonard Jenkins, 2006

The Best Beekeeper in Lalibela tells the story of a determined young girl who defies tradition and becomes the first girl beekeeper. Read by Yohannes Gebregeorgis, an Ethiopian children's author and Director of Ethiopian operations of the non-profit EthiopiaReads.org.

(You can purchase copies of The BeeKeeper of Lalibela by visiting www.silverchicks.com or contact Catie Dupont at catie@ethiopiareads.org. For more information about titles published by Ethiopia Reads in Amharic and English, please visit www.ethiopiareads.org.)

Zethiopia 5th year Anniversary Gala Dinner

2007-10-22T15:40:00.001-07:00

Zethiopia 5th year Anniversary Gala Dinner

Saturday, November 10, 2007

From 5:00 PM to Midnight

at the Holiday Inn Eisenhower Metro
2460 Eisenhower Avenue
Alexandria, Virginia 22314

for more information call - Zethiopia
202 518 0245

or e-mail dereje@zethiopia.com

Link to Music from Ethiopia

2007-10-11T08:41:00.000-07:00

Music from Ethiopia available on PBS.org - take a look. Informative article about the Ethiopian Highlands.

Ethiopian Millennium Celebration in Washington DC

2007-10-01T13:47:00.000-07:00

07 September,2007
Ethiopian Millennium Celebration Kicked off with Information Technology Symposium
The much awaited Ethiopian Millennium Celebration in Washington DC kicked off in earnest with information technology symposium. On early Friday, Sept. 7, 2007, the “who and who” of information technology within the Ethiopian Community around the USA flocked into the World Bank Headquarters in Washington DC. With 50 or so in attendance in Washington, D.C.; approximately 30 joined in the symposium in Addis Ababa via video simulcast.
The purpose of the information technology symposium was to assess the current state of technology transfer in Ethiopia and to explore how to expedite the transfer of technology as a means of reducing poverty and increasing prosperity for Ethiopians in the next millennium. The symposium was also organized to connect Ethiopian information technologists within the United States as well as in Ethiopia.
Comments from attendees were favorable and constructive. Fikrete of Alexandria, VA felt that the symposium was an excellent venue for connecting with fellow information technology professionals. Her only misgiving about the symposium was the speaker-centric feature of the symposium. Fikrete would have appreciated more dialogue between the presenters and the attendees. Alem of London, England was inspired to see highly talented Ethiopian technology professionals inside and outside Ethiopia. One of the remarks that resonated with Alem was the realization that advances in information technology are more than building the physical infrastructure of technology in Ethiopia. Alem expressed that the Ethiopian Government’s restrictions on Ethiopian web sites is one of the barriers of advances in information technology in Ethiopia.
The half day symposium featured topics such as the role of technology in advancing the quality of life of Ethiopians, outsourcing, project management discipline, information security and the role of the Diaspora in the advancement of technology in Ethiopia. One of the keynote speakers at the symposium was Noah Samara, Chairman and CEO of Worldspace and a pioneer of digital satellite radio. Worldspace provides digital satellite audio, data and multimedia services primarily to the emerging markets of Africa and Asia.

September 8 & 9th 2007
Ethiopian Millennium Served Up Knowledge Buffet
They came from Frankfurt. They came from Seattle. They came from Vancouver, Canada. They came from Baltimore. They came from Atlanta. They came from San Francisco. Ethiopians came from all corners of the world to be served up knowledge buffet ushered in by some of the best and the brightest Ethiopian scholars and practitioners. While the Howard University medical students were busy learning and treating their patients; about 500 Ethiopians packed into the western wing of the Howard University Medical School Auditorium to hear scholarly presentations addressing issues facing current Ethiopians and actions needed in the next millennium.
The symposium, held on September 8-9, 2007, was a dream come true for Neamin Zeleke, Chair of the Symposium Committee of the Washington DC Millennium Celebration Organizing Council. Neamin, who tends to smile first and then speaks, led a team that worked tirelessly to assemble presenters from diverse disciplines. The night before the symposium kick-off, Neamin was burning the mid-night oil making final stops at the Kinko’s, the Office Depots and the Staples around the metro DC area printing symposium packages. Neamin appears to be an excellent judge of talents. He meticulously hand picked talented and dedicated presenters at the symposium line up. How did Neamin manage to receive a commitment for complimentary presentations from high paid speakers? Neamin’s secrets to obtaining commitments from potential speakers include: (1) expressed sincere appreciation for scholarly work (2) flexibility to accommodate unique requests from each speaker (3) expressed gratitude for the offer (4) demonstrated personal interest in the well-being of each volunteer speaker (5) ability to articulate the importance of each topic to the greater purpose of strengthening the intellectual capital of Ethiopia. The real secret to Neamin’s success as a coordinator of the symposium was by generously expressing the value of each contributor.
The symposium covered the A to Z of issues of interest to building a democratic Ethiopia. Topics included: building democratic institution, ethno politics, human rights, foreign affairs, history, language, civic society, youth development, women’s issues, conflict resolutions, literature, economic development, finance, mass media, sustainable development, global warming, community development, congressional advocacy, good governance, health, education, business, and decertification.
The presenters included: university professors, authors, researchers, government officials, business owners, media personalities, social service providers, congressional staffers, scientists, engineers, health professionals, human rights advocates, lawyers and educators.
Among the featured presenters included: Professor Al Mariam, California State University, Dr. Brook Lakew, NASA, Selam Mulugetta, Special Assistant to U.S. Congressman Mike Honda, Ambassador Ayalew Mandefro, Former Ambassador and Minister of Defense, Dr. Negede Gobeze, Author & Political Activist, Belgium, Nebiat Solomon, Director of African Affairs of the Mayor of Washington, D.C., Ephraim Madebo, System Engineer, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Fikre Tolossa, Writer, Poet & Author, California.Dr. Aberra Molla, Ethiopic Computer & Software, Inc. Colorado.

September 8 2007
Ethiopian Millennium Concert goers learn Work Ethic
What do “concert” and “work” have in common? A lot. The legendry Ethiopian musician Mohammoud Ahmed put on a demonstration of an exemplary work ethic at the Sept 8th Millennium Celebration concert that was held at the DC Armory near the Redskins Stadium. Talking of the Redskins, if their quarterbacks can put in the kind of work ethic that Mohammoud displayed, the skins would have been back to back superbowl champs. The non-stop performance by Mohammoud picked our curiosity and we started asking around concert goers for their estimate of how long Mohammoud was on the stage. Most answered 2 hours. Some gave a 3 hour estimate and others gave a 4 hour estimate. Mohammoud served up plenty of songs that span generations of Ethiopians that induced nostalgia among the nearly 5, 000 attendees that packed the arena.
Also on display was the rising star Abebe Belew, an eskista artist turned a radio journalist. Abebe showcased an eye popping eskista, an Ethiopian highland dance routine, along with his former peers and did a duty as a stage facilitator and as a comedian. Actually, his jokes were pretty funny. It is beyond the talents of this writer to effectively repeat any of Abebe’s comic routines.
In this Saturday night concert that started at 9PM and ended Sunday morning around 4AM, the crowd was cheerful doing eskista routines wherever they happen to hangout. The millennium organizers did a superb job of effectively feeding every human sensory organ throughout the event. There was literally no idle moment. When live performances were not staged, there were some crowd pleasing recorded music while the video commercials were scrolling on large flat screens. This should keep the event sponsors pretty happy. The crowd seemed to have used every excuse to be entertained and remain festive.
We asked John, a CSC Security Associate, what he thought of the crowd. He did not quite catch the intent of our question first. We clarified our question by asking “compared to other concert attendees of similar events, how does the Ethiopian crowd fare in terms of discipline.” John gave us two answers: The crowd is pretty disciplined and the women are pretty. We were more interested in the first response and John was more interested in his second unsolicited response.
The entertainment extravaganza also featured Ethiopian cultural music, which included performances depicting various Ethiopian cultural groups. Couple of surprises that kept the crowd guessing included the Neway Debebe no-show and the surprise appearance by Ethiopia’s favorite Alemayehu Esthete. Indicative of the type of music that the next generation will consume, the versatile Tebebu Workiye performed an eclectic combo of hip hop, reggae, Ethiopian Bati, rap, with Amharic lyrics. The pace of Tibebu’s music was traveling way beyond the speed limit of the contemporary Ethiopian music. For the ipod generation, the pace should be within the range of normal.

September 10 2007
Artistic Expressions on Display at the Ethiopian Millennium Celebration
The Howard University Blackburn Art Gallery was a perfect venue for artistic expressions at the Ethiopian Millennium Celebration in Washington, DC. While mother nature was pouring down some much needed rain, millennium celebrants were rubbing shoulders with Ethiopian artistsEthiopians in the metropolitan DC area were fighting through the Monday night rush hour to get to the Art Exhibit that started at 6pm on Monday, Sept 10th. The Ethiopians, who camped out from out-of-state, had something else to worry about: “Where is Howard University?” “Where is Blackburn Art Gallery” “Where do I park?” “I love visiting DC but no way I want to live in this town where parking is more expensive than Berbere in Addis”. Once these revelers where in the exhibition room, no one can tell who is from where.
The 300 or so attendees were ushered to about 50 eclectic wall displays of artwork ranging from photography to oil on canvas to digital art on paper to mixed media on canvas. There was something for people with various tastes. Talents on display included live singers and dancers representing traditional Ethiopian as well as African-American cultures. A moving remark by Professor Atcha Debela of Durham, North Carolina challenged Ethiopians and Ethiopian Americans to learn more and pay attention to the work of art that Ethiopian artists produce.
The evening that was dedicated to a collection of artistic work was not only about works of art. The setting was also perfect for mixing and mingling. Friends and acquaintances that lost touch had a chance to reconnect. Networking of all kinds was made possible at the gallery. Generally, Ethiopians tend to stay close to people they know and tend to be reluctant to strike a conversation with a complete stranger. However, this venue and the art work that was on display facilitated conversations with artists to learn more about what inspired them to create their work.

September 12, 2007
Democracy in Action at the Ethiopian Millennium Celebration
Is the official beginning of the Ethiopian Millennium a new beginning or business as usual?
September 12, 2007 in Washington, DC was a special day. It was a beautiful day. Sunny with no rain in sight! Breezy! Blue sky! Elected leaders of Ethiopia are in town. At the capital city of the free world, there is no fear of being arrested for the events ahead. Such an event is unthinkable in Addis Ababa today. What more can a freedom loving Ethiopian ask?
The west lawn of the US Capitol was the staging ground for March for Democracy. Capitol police officers were on hand to enforce the code of use of the premises as well as to protect the public. As march participants trickled in around noon, the millennium coordinating committee was pretty busy setting up all the gadgets needed for the march.
While the estimated 1000 marchers were pretty excited to be at the capitol to express their dreams for democracy for their homeland, Teddy Kassa’s mind was on much finer details of the event. Teddy is the architect of the march for democracy on behalf of the Washington DC Millennium Coordinating Council. Teddy put his entire energy and all his waking hours of the last several months to see to it that this march is executed flawlessly. The high charging but always smiling Teddy commands respect from his peers because he is a hands-on leader. It is hard to stand and watch a leader who works first and asks for help. Teddy and his team cued up the march ready to go for a 2PM kick-off.
The freedom loving marchers were in really good mood. They were chanting pro-democracy slogans. The marchers were warmly cheering the march speakers. Even the young Ethiopian boys and girls, who may have little idea as to what the march is all about, were joining in to create a true family outing atmosphere. The crowd was not quite tame when the Kinjit delegation arrived to participate in the march. There was a sudden eruption of joy, screaming and chanting to welcome the truly elected leaders of Ethiopia, who were in jail for 21 months in Ethiopia on trumped up charges. The crowed rushed to the elected leaders to show them love and adulation. One marcher fell on the feet of the delegates to express the ultimate form of respect and love for the beloved leaders.
US Representative Mike Honda, Chair of the Ethiopian Caucus in the US Congress greeted the crowd in Amharic and wished them a happy new year and a happy millennium. Congressman Honda expressed his unwavering commitment for the passage of the Ethiopia Human Rights and Democracy bill dubbed HR 2003, which is under consideration in Congress. The sub-title of the Congressman’s remarks was dedicated to the need for tolerance among Ethiopians of all political views.
Professor Al Mariam was among one of the speakers. The professor made a case for supporting HR 2003. He challenged the marchers to reach out to their US Congressional Representatives to support the passage of the bill. Al Mariam’s body language clearly demonstrates that he is not going settle for anything less than a win for the Ethiopian people. The two Kinjit delegates who were in attendance of the march were Dr. Hailu Araya and Ato Gizachew Shiferaw. These cherished leaders thanked the Ethiopian Diaspora for their relentless support during their imprisonment, and expressed their dedication to democratic institution-building in Ethiopia. These gallant leaders communicated with the crowd not only with their words but also with their body language. They showed sincerity, determination, dedication and love for all Ethiopians. They generously made themselves available to meet and greet their admirers. They even took time out to visit with the youngest of the marchers, American style.
After the democracy march, attendees were encouraged to join the celebration finale at the Washington Monument. The event organizers urged the crowd to call and text message their friends to join in the evening celebration, which featured a free concert of traditional Ethiopian music, contemporary Ethiopia music, African American music as well as reggae.
By 9PM the monument park was packed with more than 10, 000 Ethiopians and friends of Ethiopia to enjoy the free concert. The crowd was truly into all kinds of music. Gone are the days when Ethiopians only listened to and enjoyed only Ethiopian music. They sang along and danced to African American as well as to reggae. The evening was capped with performances of Ethiopian cultural music and dance. The entire park turned into an instant eskista dance floor. A few brave souls, mostly young boys and girls, joined the performers on the stage to showcase their talents.
As the celebration approached a culmination point, members of the DC Millennium Coordinating Council appeared a whole lot like a super bawl team that is leading its opponent by 54 to 3 with 2 minutes before game time. The council members were high fiving one another. The leaders of the Council, who were the MVPs of the event were Alem Tsehay Wodajo, Neamin Zelleke, Zecharias Getachew, and Teddy Kassa. Alem Tsehay Wodajo, who is a performing artist by background and a real estate agent by profession, presided over the Millennium Council. She put in countless hours to lead a team of volunteers to put on this historic event. Alem put to use all her talents and some to pull off this extremely successful event. She used diplomacy, lots of smiles, flexibility, gratitude, speaking her mind, tears, sincerity and effective listening skills to lead a male dominated volunteers. Alem can probably write a best seller book entitled “How I pulled off an event that can only be repeated in a thousand years”.
Gabe Hamda, ICAT Consulting, Inc.

About Zethiopia

2007-09-25T12:09:00.001-07:00

Zethiopia is a diversified news and information Independent newspaper that represents America's local and national Ethiopian community.

Zethiopia is published bi-monthly by the Ze Ethiopia Corporation. The newspaper's motto is, "Not just both sides, all sides!" The newspaper is free and bilingual with production based in Washington, D.C.

Zethiopia just celebrated it's third year anniversary and at this time is distributed in major metropolitan areas. 10,000 copies are circulated per printing and each week our subscription and advertising base continues to grow.

A large well educated and rapidly growing base of Ethiopian-American citizens and residents are indicative of the importance and necessity of a media source to channel information throughout the community.

The Ethiopian population is estimated at approximately 1 million people, concentrated in major geographic regions to include Washington D.C, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Houston and Atlanta. The goal of Zethiopia is to create a sense of community and respect of Ethiopian culture through our publication - linking each of these geographic areas through news and an exchange of ideas, thoughts, and interest.

For more information about Zethiopia, please visit our website: http://www.zethiopia.com/.

Announcing Zethiopia Radio

2007-09-25T11:58:00.000-07:00

Zethiopia is proud to announce its first foray into the broadcast media with the launch of Zethiopia Radio. Zethiopia Radio is an independent news outlet that will provide news and be a forum for diverse views targeting Ethiopians living in the Washington Metropolitan area. Zethiopia Radio is an extension of Zethiopia, a bilingual Amharic-English newspaper that started publication in July, 2002.

Zethiopia Radio will start out as a one hour news program, to be broadcast every Sunday from 5-6 PM on WZHF 1390 AM. The one hour program will consist of news, reports, current affairs, interviews and entertainment.

By launching Zethiopia Radio, we hope to better serve the Ethiopian community in the Greater Washington Metropolitan area and to build upon the solid reputation we have achieved with Zethiopia newspaper. It is our goal and desire to bring forth the same level of commitment and professionalism that has distinguished us in the print media.

Look to Zethiopia Radio to inform the public and be a positive factor in creating well informed discussions on topics related to both Ethiopia and the day-to-day concerns of its community.

For more information and access to archives of previously broadcast shows please visit:
http://www.zethiopia.com/radio/

Dereje Desta
Zethiopia
202 518 0245dereje@zethiopia.com