obituary

Without Regrets, "Patriot" Fikreselassie Wogderes Passes

December 19 , 2020

Fikreselassie Wogderess was 46 years old when he was thrown into jail after a coalition of rebel forces fought their way into Addis Abeba in 1991. The next two decades of his...

James Wolfensohn, Debt Restructuring WB Chief, Departs

December 5 , 2020

The first time James Wolfensohn started working in Africa, a continent that would virtually become his mission as one of the more famous presidents of the World Bank, it was n...

Fighter with the Soul of an Artist, Yemane Kidane Passes

November 29 , 2020

It did not take much more than to greet Yemane Kidane, aka "Jamaica," to have an idea of his disposition. Perennially upbeat, a glass half full kind of guy, he consistently re...

Goatskin Aficionado, Lemma Guya, Lays Down the Brush

October 31 , 2020

One of Lemma Guya's paintings, "Quanta," features dried beef, four cats, spilt milk and a rat. Stripped of its context, it seems bizarre, almost meaningless; a day in the life of a chaotic group of ho...

One of Lemma Guya's paintings, "Quanta," features dried beef, four cat...

Polio Warrior, 'Father' of Many, Mohammad Idris, Passes, 85

October 17 , 2020

Mohammed Idris came to feel like a father figure to many that met him. Most striking was his effect on the younger generation. Part of this was that he had come to be known to many young people throug...

Mohammed Idris came to feel like a father figure to many that met him...

Influential 'Ethiopianist,' the Professor Passes, 91

October 11 , 2020

Mesfin Woldemariam (Prof.) took poetic license. An 18-year-old who had read one of his poems found this out by accident. A freshman pre-med student at Addis Abeba University in 1982, he was classmates...

Mesfin Woldemariam (Prof.) took poetic license. An 18-year-old who had...

Politically Active Spiritual Leader, Hanfare Alimirah, Passes

October 3 , 2020

Sultan Hanfare Alimirah was not one to stand back when political issues arose. Just as in 1991, he was attentive and aware of the changes that were to lead to the new administration that brought Prime...

Sultan Hanfare Alimirah was not one to stand back when political issue...

Calm Under Fire, Teferi Asfaw Passes, 68

August 8 , 2020

The former Relief & Rehabilitation Commission was an island of sanity in the sea of pandemonium that was Communist-era Ethiopia. Exemplifying this contrast was Teferi Asfaw, who found himself work...

The former Relief & Rehabilitation Commission was an island of san...

July 13 , 2020

The outing of the Dergue, a left-leaning military junta, in...

July 10 , 2020

Early on Tuesday morning, youth from the surrounding parts o...

May 23 , 2020

Ezekiel Gebissa (PhD), a political activist and professor of...

April 25 , 2020

Ethiopia’s parliamentary sessions have never been accused...

Columns

Editorial

How to Counter Rising, Unbridled Nationalism

January 16 , 2021

It was a sunny day on September 12, 1974. A machine gun mounted on top of a tank was...

Not to Undo Abiy Ahmed's Pledge for Credible National Elections

January 9 , 2021

There is something curious about elections that have been conducted in Ethiopia since...

To Millions Suffering, IGAD Continues to be a Disappointment

January 2 , 2021

One by one, Workneh Gebeyehu (PhD), executive secretary of the Intergovernmental Auth...

Economic Planning Needs to Learn the Cost of Indiscipline

December 26 , 2020

It is refreshing to see a publicised high-level government meeting become somewhat co...

Sunday With Eden

From the US to Ethiopia, the Need for Accountability

We witnessed hitherto unthinkable violence erupting in Washington, DC at Capitol Hill...

January 16 , 2021 . By Eden Sahle

What It Takes to Not Repeat 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic, having seen over 126,000 cases reported across Ethiopia and leading to the deaths of around 2,000 people, had a silve...

January 9 , 2021 . By Eden Sahle

Life Matters

Country of Negative Nellys

I was a month postnatal when I discovered a familiar way of communicating in Ethiopia. Many visitors came to see me, as they often do after...

January 16 , 2021 . By Kidist Yidnekachew

The Dangers of Nocturnal Taxi Service

Recently, a friend left his job, bought a car and registered to work for a taxi-hailing service provider...

January 9 , 2021 . By Kidist Yidnekachew

Agenda

Cement: Construction Industry's Catch-22

January 16 , 2021 . By MAYA MISIKIR

His phone is tightly wrapped up in a plastic bag and tied around his neck. The bag is...

A Not So Merry Market

January 9 , 2021 . By MAYA MISIKIR

A myriad of loud sounds are competing to be heard over one another in Mercato, the largest open-air market on the continent. Multiple speak...

2020: A Series of Unfortunate Events

January 2 , 2021 . By MAYA MISIKIR

Every year, during the harvest season, a care package of barley grain makes its way from Adwa to Addis Ab...

Leather Industry Desperate to Save own Skin

December 26 , 2020 . By MAYA MISIKIR

Black and white markings on their legs and large semi-circular rimmed horns that stretch over a metre lon...

Gallery

2020 in Posterity

January 5 , 2021

With an election initially expected to be held in 2020, the past year was supposed to be eventful. It did not disappoint. In fact, it outpaced expectations. Much of 2020 was talked about, analysed and debated. And thanks to technology, it was caught...