Museums Should House Relics, Not Become Them

Gold Glitters, Miners Sweat, Bleed

Gold Glitters, Miners Sweat, Bleed

June 5 , 2021 . By TADESSE TSEGAYE

It was a life-changing experience when I headed to a large scale gold mine in the Oromia Regional state, Gujji Woreda. Amongst the people that went with me, only the driver of the old land cruiser had been to the area before. All went well, traversing through the t...

Artisans Were the Past. They Also Make Up Part of the Future

Artisans Were the Past. They Also Make Up Part of the Future

May 29 , 2021 . By TADESSE TSEGAYE

There was a wood workshop in the vicinity of my house, initially cramped in a building whose construction was stalled. Owned and run by a young man, his employees have always been handy in helping me out. Unfortunately,...

From Local Concoctions, There's Much to Learn

From Local Concoctions, There's Much to Learn

May 23 , 2021 . By TADESSE TSEGAYE

Just a week ago, a grand-motherly figure in her eighties knocked on my door. As I opened, she closed her mouth with her netela, a handmade cloth, as a substitute for a face mask, and asked me if I had any yemich medhanit...

Swinging Era Swings Less: Dusk of Éthiopiques

Swinging Era Swings Less: Dusk of Éthiopiques

May 15 , 2021 . By TADESSE TSEGAYE

George Jones, a British actor from the 19th century, portrayed the legendary fictional figure Hamlet, the Danish prince in William Shakespear’s play of the same name, in theatre. He was completely i...

George Jones, a British actor from the 19th century, portrayed the leg...

Grammar Shall Set Students Free

Grammar Shall Set Students Free

May 8 , 2021 . By TADESSE TSEGAYE

It was a week or so ago. I was reading the quirky 17th-century British poet John Taylor’s rollicking poems. The poet, with little understanding of English grammar as it translates to the 21st centur...

It was a week or so ago. I was reading the quirky 17th-century British...

The Viruses that Come Back to Haunt Society

The Viruses that Come Back to Haunt Society

April 30 , 2021 . By TADESSE TSEGAYE

The waste collection spot in our neighbourhood, which is on my usual route, is looking different these days. The frequency with which the waste is picked has improved over the years. The owner of the...

The waste collection spot in our neighbourhood, which is on my usual r...

Technology Deserves Museums Too

Technology Deserves Museums Too

April 24 , 2021 . By TADESSE TSEGAYE

Nothing feels the same as it is does for the first time. It was as I was contemplating going to an exhibition and workshop on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Addis Abeba, which opened on April 15, 20...

Nothing feels the same as it is does for the first time. It was as I w...

The Unsung Heroes of Ethiopia's Literature, the Editors

The Unsung Heroes of Ethiopia's Literature, the Editors

April 17 , 2021 . By TADESSE TSEGAYE

Edgar Allan Poe was quoted in 1845 saying that the enormous multiplication of books in every branch of knowledge is one of the greatest evils of this age. It was because he believed this would present...

Edgar Allan Poe was quoted in 1845 saying that the enormous multiplica...