Machaho Tellem Chaho

RIP : The touched-by-genius, talented and no doubt slightly tyrannical Stefanos Lazaridis has passed away. This bold opera stage designer was born in Dire Dawa in Ethiopia, and educated in Addis Abbeba. Lazaridis is yet another talent that sprung from Ethiopia, it's in reading his obituary that I learnt his place of birth and study. Ethiopia is springing up in the most unlikely places, at least I would not have expected to find a link there. I do not mean to be facitious - well not overly - with the following but as elections in Ethiopia are tomorrow, of sorts, I'd like to respectfully dedicate the above song ('As some day it may happen' also called the list song), from the Mikado opera for which Lazaridis famously designed, to a current African version of KoKo (the Lord High Executioner). I would like to ask : is it really what you wanted to turn into? Here are the original lyrics (some words may be offensive but bare in mind it was written in 1844/1845). KO-KO As ...

I am reading 'Leaf of Allah : Khat and agricultural transformation in Harerge Ethiopia 1875-1991' a book by Ezekiel Gebissa, 2004. I really wanted to spread open here, by way of a summary, the wisdom contained in this book - as I see it given - as well as pointing out historical info. No study of the Horn of Africa, be it historical, cultural, social and especially religious, can be complete without looking into Khat, so part one here you go: * * * * * The mirqaana : the desired state of heightened energy, reached in all and each of the following three phases. 1. The Igabana : The Eye Opener. ‘A typical farmer in the rural areas of Harerge starts the day by going into his oyiru, the family garden’ . He inspects the farm and by 9am he goes to his khat orchard and settles down with other men for the morning chew. Igabana means the eye opener). A small quantity only of khat is chewed to quickly achieve a mirqaana so that ensues a burst of energy for labour intensive daily acti...

"Our wombs cry for our sons, [...] Where are the flowers of our lives, Kaleb? Why have you pinned down our love To rust in a scavenging day? Where are our men, Kaleb? Why have you hung our womb to dry Beyond the darkness of time? Our breasts hurt, demanding What visitation ravaged our essence. The sleepless spirits Accuse our thoughts, Kaleb. The season of mothers Question our dreamless nights. Our wombs cry for our sons, Our feet fret for their sight. Where are the flowers of our lives, Kaleb?" This is the 'Mothers' Chorus' in the play 'Collision of Altars' written by Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin and published in 1977. Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin wrote this historical play set in the Axumite empire at the time of Kaleb, the famous emperor of Axum - he is known as Ella-Asbeha (transposed by inebriated Greeks as ' Hellestheaeus '.... talk about slurping...) Kaleb is reported to have gone into Yemen several times to try to recover his lost territory there. Every at...

Some time ago I found on youtube, or picked up from a retweet on Twitter I can't remember, a video called 'Typical Habesha' parents. Watching it made me travel back to at least 20 years ago when my dad used to call as if he were stuck in a crashed car about to burst in flames: 'where is my coffee spoon' .... a dancing and ritual interlude to ' bring me my coffee spoon '. That darn spoon was always staring at him from a safe 5 centimeters' distance, waiting for me. If my eyes would so much as begin to roll he'd start a dramatic speech addressed to phantom witnesses about the disgrace of old age and the disgrace of fiendishly uncaring 10 year-old children. It was a tug-of-love between us and I remember this fondly. He's not habesha, nor am I, it's just that this video echoed well creased memories of many a spoon thrown at time and space! I've been hearing (very funny for me but perhaps not so much for those under peer pressure) storie...

I found this superb photo essay Wonder Women of Eritrea from photographer Cheryl Hatch who is otherwise known for her war photography generally and her many visits to Eritrea in 1999 during the war. See the full text to photographs here . I like these photos particularly because they show women's smiles and laughter, it maybe a bit (or very much) naive of me but it shows hope in a subtle way... perhaps. There is a lot going on amongst the Eritrean diaspora recently with the Peace Conference on its way (with who is attending a question still hanging). Eri blogs and forums are bursting with letters, blogs, articles, rants, sighs, hope, irritation, trembling bunn talk, well a sure sign of fuming keyboards :-) anyways, interesting development in store I'd say, historical possibly. It made me search for the never yet implemented (and somewhat or very much-what illegal) Eritrean Constitution finally drafted in July 1996. I like the preamble come what may and especially: Noting ...

Does anyone know lore on the origins of the Oromo? The only bit of information I've found in folklore (history books on this are the pits) is that Oromo origins go back to a mother, Roobee, and her two sons, Booran and Bartuuma, who are the founder of the Oromo nation. They did not know their father, and the stories say that indeed, their father was unknown (see the link thus here). So could it be that a long long time ago, before time remembers and before men conjugated time, the Oromo nation was born out of a matriarchy ? I suppose all civilisations did. By the way, big thanks to Gumii.org , I really enjoyed reading this, thanks to those who put it together: Qaaluu Institution . Anyways, Duraa Duberti (Oromifa for 'ladies first' I am told) The Siqqe: When women married in Oromo society, they were given a Siqqe, a long staff style curved cane, to keep for protection. This is one of its uses apparently, I really want one of those: when and if her husband abused her, ...