Tedla Asfaw
I followed the interview Meles Zenawi gave to an Ethiopian audience this past week. For the question of making Ethiopia an exporter of power while domestic power shortage including the capital Addis Ababa, the answer he gave and caught my ear was the completed Tekeze Dam a year ago which is still not operational.
The completed Tekeze Dam reservoir is too low to generate power accodring to Meles. If we build the dam based on hydrological study of the area dry seasons will force a lower capacity. The other reason might also be a grander structure for political reason and if that is the case we will never have enough discharge to fill the dam to its capacity. The truth will be known on the coming year or years.
Unaccountable regime like Meles Zenawi do not take responsibility for the cost of such huge projects. If this huge dam never to be operational because of lack of water the cost will be for poor Ethiopians since it was built with foreign loan. If the catchment area of the dam is deforested as many believe it is not only we will have shortage of water but we will have unavoidable silt problem.
We have silt problems affecting dams in Ethiopia and the Awash Dam which was built more than fifty years ago is at the end of its life mainly because of silt problem but Tekeze is the first dam in Ethiopia not to be operational for lower reservoir capacity on its first anniversary.
Sunday, 15 February 2009
Saturday, 14 February 2009
Is prejudice based on skin color unique to Ethiopia ?
Tedla Asfaw
I read a piece by Obang , Aiga Vs. Obang, eleven pages posted on many websites and I want to bring my own observation to help the discussion. Few years ago there was an archaeological/paleontological study in middle east which concluded that Jesus is a short dark skinned man. When survey was made to see the reaction of people to this study in Europe and South America,more than 90 percent of the people most of them white/light skinned and some brown rejected the study and concluded that Jesus can not be black.
In neighboring Somalia many dark skinned Somalis were killed and chased as slaves because of their dark skin. We have many of them settled here in USA. In Iraq half million Iraqis are treated as second class citizens because of their dark skin and are expecting change because of the Black President Obama.
What Obang mentioned in his piece about Ethiopia is true but it should have been put in context. The Ogaden movement or OLF movement is not led by people of "dark skin" and their struggle is not to be free from the "light skinned" Ethiopians. I do not know any movement for that matter in Ethiopia who wants to be free from Ethiopia because of skin color.
During Siad Bare's Somalia the propaganda coming from Mogadishu was insulting "Kucherawe Mengistu/ Mengistu the slave" and his father "Menelik Barreywe/slave" and I have not heard such insult against King Haile Selasse. Many African leaders and for that matter many Africans supported Mengstu for being dark and condemned those who opposed him for being racist or light skinned.
We know Mengistu killed all who challenged his power and I do not know anyone who was saved because of his skin color. If we draw a skin color map, light skinned,brown and dark the struggle in Ethiopia will be very complicated because there is no one major ethnic group in Ethiopia who do not compromise substantial percentage of dark skinned people like myself.
It is good to talk about skin color in open,however, I do not believe it will help us solve our political problem. Prejudice against skin color is a world wide phenomenon and it is not unique to Ethiopia.
Is prejudice based on skill color unique to Ethiopia ?
Tedla Asfaw
I read a piece by Obang , Aiga Vs. Obang, eleven pages posted on many websites and I want to bring my own observation to help the discussion. Few years ago there was an archaeological/paleontological study in middle east which concluded that Jesus is a short dark skinned man. When survey was made to see the reaction of people to this study in Europe and South America,more than 90 percent of the people most of them white/light skinned and some brown rejected the study and concluded that Jesus can not be black.
In neighboring Somalia many dark skinned Somalis were killed and chased as slaves because of their dark skin. We have many of them settled here in USA. In Iraq half million Iraqis are treated as second class citizens because of their dark skin and are expecting change because of the Black President Obama.
What Obang mentioned in his piece about Ethiopia is true but it should have been put in context. The Ogaden movement or OLF movement is not led by people of "dark skin" and their struggle is not to be free from the "light skinned" Ethiopians. I do not know any movement for that matter in Ethiopia who wants to be free from Ethiopia because of skin color.
During Siad Bare's Somalia the propaganda coming from Mogadishu was insulting "Kucherawe Mengistu/ Mengistu the slave" and his father "Menelik Barreywe/slave" and I have not heard such insult against King Haile Selasse. Many African leaders and for that matter many Africans supported Mengstu for being dark and condemned those who opposed him for being racist or light skinned.
We know Mengistu killed all who challenged his power and I do not know anyone who was saved because of his skin color. If we draw a skin color map, light skinned,brown and dark the struggle in Ethiopia will be very complicated because there is no one major ethnic group in Ethiopia who do not compromise substantial percentage of dark skinned people like myself.
It is good to talk about skin color in open,however, I do not believe it will help us solve our political problem. Prejudice against skin color is a world wide phenomenon and it is not unique to Ethiopia.
I read a piece by Obang , Aiga Vs. Obang, eleven pages posted on many websites and I want to bring my own observation to help the discussion. Few years ago there was an archaeological/paleontological study in middle east which concluded that Jesus is a short dark skinned man. When survey was made to see the reaction of people to this study in Europe and South America,more than 90 percent of the people most of them white/light skinned and some brown rejected the study and concluded that Jesus can not be black.
In neighboring Somalia many dark skinned Somalis were killed and chased as slaves because of their dark skin. We have many of them settled here in USA. In Iraq half million Iraqis are treated as second class citizens because of their dark skin and are expecting change because of the Black President Obama.
What Obang mentioned in his piece about Ethiopia is true but it should have been put in context. The Ogaden movement or OLF movement is not led by people of "dark skin" and their struggle is not to be free from the "light skinned" Ethiopians. I do not know any movement for that matter in Ethiopia who wants to be free from Ethiopia because of skin color.
During Siad Bare's Somalia the propaganda coming from Mogadishu was insulting "Kucherawe Mengistu/ Mengistu the slave" and his father "Menelik Barreywe/slave" and I have not heard such insult against King Haile Selasse. Many African leaders and for that matter many Africans supported Mengstu for being dark and condemned those who opposed him for being racist or light skinned.
We know Mengistu killed all who challenged his power and I do not know anyone who was saved because of his skin color. If we draw a skin color map, light skinned,brown and dark the struggle in Ethiopia will be very complicated because there is no one major ethnic group in Ethiopia who do not compromise substantial percentage of dark skinned people like myself.
It is good to talk about skin color in open,however, I do not believe it will help us solve our political problem. Prejudice against skin color is a world wide phenomenon and it is not unique to Ethiopia.
Friday, 13 February 2009
Thank You
Wondem Tesfaye, I just finished your new book, "Ye Gazetaw Mastewashe" in my New York Apartment. The news about this book was posted on www.ethiofourm few weeks ago and many of us started debating before we even read the book. To find the book I contacted the distributor and I was informed that this week it has been on sale in North America.
Before I received the news of the sale, however, a friend send me the pdf on email which I started reading yesterday for six hours and today four hours and completed the book(416)pages. I am not happy reading it on Internet seems too that part were taken out according to Ethiopian Review . I will get the book to keep it for myself and would like to read it again and you deserve also financial reward.
My comment on the EMF website few weeks ago was still valid. Let us read the book before we accuse the author of anything. I wrote to the gentleman who wrote a review on your work why he failed to mention the very "controversial book" on some circles including myself without reading it, "Ye Burka Zimita".
My statement I made on "Ye Burka Zimita" yesterday on comment on www.abugida.com as a "hate book" is totally wrong after I read some of the scripts on your new book and I would like to apologize. As I said I would be happy to read "Ye Burka Zimta" and will appreciate if you send me the signed copy of both books and I am ready to pay for it.
I want to commend you for doing your part, tell the story as it is. I know now who Tesfaye Gebrab is after reading one of your books and you have bright future brother, keep on writing.
Yours,
Tedla Asfaw
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