The Eminence ll July 2016

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Issue 21- July 2016

CONTENTS

Eminence Spotlight

8. The First East African MICE Forum & Expo bearing Postive Fruits 12. Associating with Association Meetings 16. Ethiopia Seeing Addiction Treatment Centers Hard to Find

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Hospitality 3600

12 36 32

18. Senkelle Swayne’s Hartebeest Sanctuary Recovering from Fire 20. Industry Players Need to Raise thier Game to tap into MICE 22. Synergy Needed to Infuse Side Tours with

Conference Tourism

Cultural Panorama 28. Dire Dawa: The Queen of the Desert 30. Star Power: for Community Service

Made in Ethiopia

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32. Restaurants in Addis: Busy for Iftar Feast 34. Ethiopian Designs Inspired with a Dash of African Motifs 36. House of Topsy Turvy 38. Ashenda: The Celebration of Virgin Mary’s

Ascension

Reflections 40. How to Applay for a Residence Permit in Ethiopia 41. The Ethiopia I love

Entertaiment 42. The Eminence Pick of the Month 43. Recipe and Tourist Corner 44. Classifieds http://www.theeminencemagazine.com/

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Asnake Amanuel ( Founder ) aamanuel@eminence-se.com

EDITOR’S NOTE Heritages are categorized as tangible and intangible. Ethiopia is well known for its tangible heritages such as the Axum obelisks, the rock hewn churches of Lalibela, Fasilede’s Castle in Gondar, the Semien Mountains National Park, Lower Valley of Awash and Omo, Tiya, historical town of Harar and the Konso cultural landscape.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) defines intangible heritages as the practices, representations, and expressions, as well as the knowledge and skills (including instruments, objects, artifacts, cultural spaces), that communities, groups and in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage. It is transmitted from generation to generation and is constantly recreated by communities and groups, in response to their environment, their interaction with nature and their history.

Ethiopia is a country that has more than 80 ethnic groups each with their own distinct languages, cultures, traditions and beliefs. They also celebrate different religious, cultural and traditional festivals every year: a testament to its many intangible heritages. Among the many unique cultural festivals, so far the country has only registered two intangible world heritages

by UNESCO. Meskel, the commemoration of the finding of the true cross, is one of the festivals registered

by UNESCO. This festival is held in September.

The main celebration takes place in Addis Ababa at a place called Meskel Square. A huge bonfire is lit at night. Church choirs from different churches celebrate this festival at the Square. The people from the South especially the Gurage ethnic group celebrate this festival together with their families and friends by preparing a special meals named Qocho and Kitfo.

The other unique festival which Ethiopia has registered under the intangible world cultural heritages is the celebration of Sidama’s New Year, Fihchee Chembelala. It is celebrated following the socio-cultural heritage customs handed down to descendants through the generations. The festival has been celebrated for more than 2,000 years.

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Eminence-se Entrepreneurs

Dawit Kebede ( CEO ) Dkebede@eminence-se.com Managing Editor Tsewaye Muluneh tmuluneh@eminence-se.com

According to the Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage (ARCCH) the next campaign to include within the world cultural intangible heritages festival will be the Gada System. The file about this unique system has been sent to UNESCO and the presentation will be made in November 2016.

The Gada System is an indigenous, democratic socio-political system of the Oromo people in Ethiopia. In fact, the Gada System is the first democratic political system in the world according to some studies.

In recent years, festivals are being used to promote and boost Ethiopia’s economy. Cultural festivals are time-limited; they encourage tourists to visit the place and interact with the local community and learn about their way of living, customs and local culture. Hence, such festivals and events can greatly affect the quality of life of the local residents.

Such cultural events contribute significantly to the cultural and economical development of a country, and they also have a major impact on the development of cultural tourism in the host communities. By holding these cultural festivals in a cultural setting, such festivals and events have the potential to increase the number of tourists.

Host communities play a prominent role when organizing such festivals. Starting from welcoming tourists and attendees making sure that the event is organized in a secure way, is the responsibility of the host community. The government is supporting and promoting events as strategies for economic development, nation building and cultural tourism. Creating awareness on how to handle tourists who visit those areas for festivals and events is being done widely.

Most importantly more promotion should be conducted by the government and stakeholders to engrave the intangible heritages in people’s heart and minds just like the tangible ones.

There is much more Ethiopia can provide to the world in terms of intangible world cultural heritages, and a concerted effort by all stakeholders needs to be implemented for the nation to really reflect its diverse and intangible heritage to the world.

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Editor-in- Chief Frehiwot Gebrewold fgebrewold@eminence-se.com Lideta s.c Woreda 04 H. No 175 Deputy Editor-in- Chief Fasika Tadesse ftadesse@eminence-se.com Nifas Silk Laphto s.c Woreda 12 H. No 747 Senior Editor Helina Abraham habraham@eminence-se.com Reporters Henok Solomon hsolomon@eminence-se.com Lucy Kassa lucykassa6@gmail.com Kaleab Hailu khailu@gmail.com Contributors Anne Galleti Kelemua Mekonnen Maedot Kassahun Editor Samson Haileyesus samsonfikre@gmail.com Copy Editor Carolyn Curti cutyrmc@yahoo.com Graphics and Layout Design Dawit Tolossa gogallry@gmail.com Ismael Mohammed Website Administrator Samson Tegegn Photographer Sentayehu Bekele Sbekele@eminence-se.com Front page picture source Www.wordpress.com Finance and Administration Tizita Paulos Distribution Tariku Tessema Editorial Address:

Tel. +251-118-678-187 Mob. +251-939-858-724 P.O Box 794 code 1110 contact@eminence-se.com/ social@eminence-se.com Web:www.theeminencemagazine.com www.eminencemagazine.com Bole s.c Namibia Street, Behind Edna Mall, Adika Bldg 5th Floor This edition is printed at Central PP Kirkos Subcity, Woreda 03 H.No 414 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

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Eminence Spotlight: Ethio- Topical

The First East African MICE Forum & Expo Bearing Positive Fruits By the middle of June 2016, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia was busy hosting the first ever East African Meeting, Incentive Travel, Conference and Exhibition (MICE) Forum and Expo organized by Ozzie Hospitality and Business Group. The three day expo drew 60 exhibitors, 1,700 visitors and 65 hosted buyers. As it was the first expo of its kind for the country and the industry as well, it has garnered positive feedbacks both from the government and the private sector. The Eminence’s FASIKA TADESSE attended the forum to report on the expo.

Jeffers Miruka, Executive Director of African Association of Agricultural Economists and President of African Society of Association Executives, was one of the hosted buyers who attended the 2016 MICE East Africa Forum and Expo. He was among the 65 hosted buyers, who are qualified senior-level meeting professionals and business and incentive travel buyers with decision-making and buying authority, who attended the expo.

The Kenyan hosted buyer came to Ethiopia after visiting in 2007. At that time he was a tourist in Ethiopia, but this stay was for business. He was here to explore Ethiopia’s meeting potential. After attending the Forum he noticed that Ethiopia has made a lot of progress since he first visited. He attended the Forum with the main aim of networking with Ethiopian industry operators, to exchange knowledge, and to search for areas of cooperation to work with them.

“During my last visit I stayed at Axum Hotel, which was the best at that time. Now there are ample high quality local and international chain hotels which show the country’s readiness for the meeting industry,” Miruka explains.

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MICE East Africa 2016 which brought Miruka, was the first event that was attended by hosted buyers from different countries including Miruka’s. The event was launched on June 9, and closed on June 11, 2016 at Millennium Hall, Addis Ababa.

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By 2017/18

the nation will generate 7 million USD from meeting industry.

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According to the organizer, 60 local companies displayed their products and services at the event. The participants include hotels and resorts, tour and travel companies, event organizers and logistics companies. During the three-day event a total of 1,700 people visited the displays that highlighted their services and products of the MICE industry operators.

The expo was the first ever for the city as well as the country, as a MICE business is a new concept for Ethiopia. The organizer announced that it had launched the expo in order to create awareness about the MICE business and to let the country and stakeholders benefit from the meeting industry.

During the event 10 forums were held accompanied by presentations from major MICE industry players such as Rick Taylor, CEO of The Business Tourism Company, Esmare Steinhofel Africa director of International Congress and

Convention Association and Tes Proos, Society of Incentive Travelers Experience (SITE) African Director and CEO of Crystal Events and Incentives are among others.

The panelists discussed different issues with Ethiopian industry players. Discussions included the African Nation MICE Capacity Development Strategy, Destination Management Companies and Alliance Strategy in East African Market, East African New Era towards MICE Industry, and Destination Branding and Marketing Strategies Applicable in East African Context were among other topics.

The organizer said that the expo was successful in terms of businesses deals that were signed, awareness it created towards industry operators, and a source of revenue and foreign currency for the country.

“In terms of revenue we are expecting 70-80 million birr from the deals which were signed and those that are under negotiation,” Kumneger Teketel, founder and general manager of Ozzie, told The Eminence.

According to Ozzie so far at least two deals have been signed.

The first was signed between the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and United Nations to host a conference which will have 900 delegates. The total earning from this conference could be upwards of 30 million birr, according to Kumneger. The other deal was signed with Golden Tulip Hotel for hotel rooms for 450 nights which will have estimated revenue of 3 million birr.

In addition to the two large deals, some tour and travel companies will sign agreements with hosted buyers to sell packages for tourists to come to Ethiopia before the end of this year, according to Kumneger.

Not only were the organizers but the exhibitors were also satisfied with the expo. One of them was Ronald Garoute, general manager of Ramada Addis Hotel, a hotel which is operating

under the internationally Wyndham Hotel Group chain.

Ramada Addis is expected to open its door for business this month.

“Currently the push marketing strategy for hotels is outdated and has been replaced by pull marketing, so the event was a very good platform to display products and services to attract businesses,” said Garoute.

According to the Ramada manager, they had a good experience and many chances to meet different international travel agents, tour operators, and hosted buyers. In addition, it created awareness among local people to understand how strong the meeting industry is.

“Many of the hosted buyers promised us that we will be their first choice if they bring meetings to Ethiopia in the future,” Garoute told The Eminence.

But that does not mean all exhibitors were satisfied with the expo’ a few were dissatisfied with being part of the expo. A marketing manager of a certain hotel claims that only local companies visited them while they were expecting to be visited by hosted buyers and international guests.

“I was expecting a B2B or another platform which would have given us a chance to meet with the hosted buyers and give them information about our products and services,” the manager said.

On the other hand the expo received good reviews from the government. Aisha Mohammed (Eng.) minister of Culture and Tourism, said during her opening keynote speech, the Forum was the best Issue 21 - July 2016 - The Eminence |

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Photo by: Sentayehu Bekele

Eminence Spotlight: Ethio- Topical

The three days expo drew 1,700 vistors and 10 side conferences which raised and discussed on different issues about the meeting industry. tool to share experiences and network with important people who can play a great role in the conference tourism industry.

Kumneger testifies that his company is getting good feedback from the government. “They are happy about it, and we have started discussing next year’s expo,” said Kumneger.

According to Kumneger they had conducted feedback analysis from the participants and found out the nation could generate 7 million USD from meeting industry by 2017/18.

“So now we started working on next year’s event as we have already registered 400 companies who are interested in exhibiting their products and services for the second MICE expo. We have to filter the potential companies as our capacity is only 140 to 160 exhibitors,” he added.

Jeffers Miruka was also successful in closing deals to bring the general assembly of African Association of Agricultural Economists to Addis Ababa. The Association meeting is going to be held September 23 - 26, 2016 at UNECA. He is working with Flawless Events as an event organizer. He will also book rooms at 13 Ethiopian hotels for the meeting delegates.

According to Miruka he has already finalized negotiations with Ethiopian Airlines to get a 20 percent discount for tickets for meeting attendees, and he has an agreement

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with Dashen Bank S.C. to be his sponsor of the event by hosting a gala dinner. In return, the Bank will be the designated bank for meeting delegates to use for cash transactions.

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What the country really needs is not updating roadmaps, rather implimenting them.

”

“The expo helped me to know the potential that the country has to offer as well. The best thing which make Ethiopia preferable than any other African country as a conference destination is the less traffic congestion,” said Miruka.

“So afterwards it was easy for me to choose Addis Ababa as a conference destination as I learned that the city has enough conference venues, hotels, and facilities that are essential for business meetings,” Miruka added.

But for Garoute of Ramada, the expo is not the only platform that can boost Ethiopia’s meeting industry. Rather, he suggests the government implement what it has learned from other countries as a good experience. He mentions there are many gaps in the tourism industry including well-trained human resources, lack of expertise in the tourism sector, good airport facility, sluggish visa processing and problems with consistent quality, standards and acceptable services at hotels.

“The government always designs roadmaps to solve the industry problems, but what the country actually needs is not updating roadmaps, rather the government must bring the designed roadmaps on the ground and move forward to solve the problems which the industry is currently facing,” Garoute recommended

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Eminence Spotlight: Interview

The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) was established in 1963. It is based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. ICCA is an association with member companies that specialize in organizing, transporting, and accommodating international meetings and events. It has 1,060 members from 90 countries. It annually releases ranking of countries and cities based on the number of international association meetings that they hosted. The Eminence’s FASIKA TADESSE sat down with Esmare Stienhofel, director of ICCA Africa, to learn about ICCA and Ethiopia’s status in hosting international association conferences and the overall meeting industry performance of the country.

What is Ethiopia’s and Addis Ababa’s ranking of ICCA by 2015?

Last year Ethiopia was ranked on 8th with 12 meetings while South Africa sat on the top by hosting 108 meetings. When we compare Ethiopia’s performance from the previous year there is a great improvement. In 2014 Ethiopia and Addis Ababa was ranked at 12th with only five meetings but last year the country showed improvements in both ranking and the number of association meetings it had hosted.

What is an association meeting?

Every specialty has an association and association meetings that are held annually, biannually or every two or three years. It must be a repetitive conference, not just meeting for only one time. Association meeting destinations rotate, and you need to have a local counterpart to organize the event in the destination country. For instance to organize International Diabetic Association meeting, the Ethiopian Diabetic Association must participate in the bid process to organize that association’s meeting in Ethiopia.

What are the major advantages of hosting international association meetings for a specific country?

The major advantage is the economic impact. If 500 people come to the country for the African Development Bank (AfDB) meeting for 3 to 4 days, they spend money for hotels, event organizers, restaurants, airports transfers, and many other service providers in the sector.

Do you believe that Meeting, Incentive Travel, Conference and Exhibition (MICE) is well promoted and marketed in Ethiopia?

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The business is happening, but Addis Ababa or Ethiopia is not on the top of everybody’s list yet, as a MICE destination. I specifically refer the ICCA’s annual ranking of cities and countries. We do have Ethiopia and Addis Ababa on the ranking at the moment as a country and as a city, but so far the country is not on the top list. There is room for improvement. Because of the venues the country has, like the UNECA [which is a member of ICCA] the country is ready for improvement. I believe there is always room for improvement so the ranking may increase if the country works on that.

Can you tell me why the country could not be placed on the top list?

If you look at association conferences host global cities or countries, they have a formal convention bureau.

At the moment the Addis Ababa Culture and Tourism Bureau is a member of ICCA but it is not a formal convention bureau.

For example Rwanda did not have a formal convention bureau but they have had one for the past two years.

As an example they just hosted the World Economic Forum after the bureau was established. It does not mean that if you do not have a convention bureau that you cannot host association conferences. But if a convention bureau exits it can assist the country during the formal bidding process. In addition, the convention bureau can also organize membership of the Society of Incentive Travellers Excellence (SITE), an association which has over 2,000 members engaged in incentive travel.

Bureaus can put everything under the MICE umbrella.

The bureau would attend international exhibitions

In 2015 Ethiopia was ranked on 8th from Africa by hosting 12 Association meetings. like IMEX which is held in Frankfurt, Germany and could result in getting more suppliers.

Can we say that Ethiopia is ready to accommodate MICE business with its current status and existing facilities?

MICE is the alignment of airlines, government, hotels, conference organisers, sound system and meeting equipment suppliers, companies that works on interpretation, and logistics companies.

The country can supply venues such as the Millennium Hall and UNECA which can accommodate over 500 attendees.

They can host large-sized conferences plus local and international chain hotels can serve as venues. The county has an international airline that is already flying globally to every continent; that is definitely a plus. Ethiopia already has many suppliers that can assist with the whole supply chain of host incentives for an association conference and for corporate events.

But MICE is a package, there are a lot to be fulfilled to accommodate the business beyond what I mentioned earlier. To pull the various suppliers together having a convention bureau is essential. In addition becoming a member of SITE, ICCA, International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO), International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) are really helpful.

What are the standards that Ethiopian Companies should fulfill in order to be member of ICCA? And what are the major and special merits of being an ICCA member?

Photo by: Sintayehu Bekele

To be a member, the board of the ICCA must approve the membership of the candidate. In order to get the approval, the country or the city must be able to show that it has worked and also currently working on association conferences. To get an ICCA membership, the sectors we accept include destination marketers like Addis Ababa Culture and Tourism Bureau, meetings management companies like Flawless Events, meeting support like ABC Studio which works on interpretation, logistic companies such as Ethiopian Airlines, and venues like UNECA and Millennium Hall are our biggest sectors.

After that companies are required to pay 2,000 Euros as a registration fee and 3,000 Euros as an annual membership fee. I know it is not a cheap membership so we need to see members specifically focusing on association events.

The biggest thing is to work on the database because that is the main reason to be a member. It will give a member an access with username and password to all events that the country could possibly bid, whether for an African or for international associations.

The main advantage is access to the database which includes all the information and data about where the association’s meetings are to be held. The other advantage is the access to our 1,060 members.

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Eminence Spotlight: Interview

What if a member does not have funding to participate in all the meetings and congresses held by the association?

Out of our total members, 20 percent of them have budget constraints to attend all of the meetings of the association. But the most important offering for them is the association database which enables them to have access to other members which they can work with. Somebody spoke to me earlier on how a community project can benefit from ICCA membership.

As an example, Township Patterns is a community project in Cape Town. It is a member of ICCA and engages in making delegate bags by women. After they became members of ICCA a few years ago they got a chance to make over 10,000 delegate bags for the delegates of the European Union.

They used the ICCA membership base to

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expand their business and to grow.

What makes Ethiopia unique among African countries as a better MICE destination and what does it lack?

With a lot of new destinations, airlines are big plus for the country. You must be able tell associations out there what you offer, and I think in many ways people know that Millennium Hall and UNECA are here.

But I don’t if the country has a place off site for a gala dinner as an example. Many host buyers coming to the country do not see all the products available here in Ethiopia so they don’t know the attractions that the city or the country have to offer.

People who come to the country for conferences do not have pre- and posttours. So the country should offer preand post-tours for conference tourists

to provide awareness about the country for hosted buyers who can actually bring association, corporate and government meetings.

In order to put Ethiopia on the top list of MICE destination what must the government do in terms of policy changes or adjustments?

I think the big thing will be to have either a city or national convention bureau because the city tourism bureau only focuses on the leisure tourism side of things and people who come for a holiday visit. A convention bureau will focus on promoting the city or the country as a conference destination for international delegates or groups that are coming to the country for incentive travels.

We have seen that case in Kigali, Rwanda that they have a proper convention bureau in place and the ICCA ranking says that Rwanda has improved its rank

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Photo by: Dawit Tolossa

Eminence Spotlight: Society

For several reasons youth are more vulnerable to peer influences which can affect them either positively or negatively. From the negative influences craving for different addictions is the major one. Once they start substance abuse, they may face a problem to stop using them.

Parents or families often send family members facing substance abuse to rehabilitation centers to stay away from addictions, but this is not often practiced in Ethiopia. The Eminence’s HELINA ABRHAM, presents what addicted Ethiopian youth are suffering from and what solution could be offered. She talked with addicts, experts and a representative from the FMHACA.

Twenty-two-year-old university student, Nardos Haile (name changed for privacy reason) was born in Hawassa, the capital of southern region of Ethiopia. Nardos started using addictive substances when she started attending university. Nardos first started chewing ‘Khat’ (known by a wide range of names, which designate either the shrub or part of a plant) for studying as she believed it will enhance her focus.

She claims Khat helped her to understand the subject quicker and keep her more alert. But it has made her crave other addictive substances like cigarettes and alcohol. At the end, Nardos said the addiction made her a social outcast. She doesn’t spend time with anyone except her addiction circle. And she spends a greater part of her family’s money on her addiction. As a result, she is failing to ensure her basic needs including food and clothes.

The Khat Nardos began taking to enhance her ability to study, ironically now is greatly affecting her academic life. She claims that she can’t properly follow her studies. Like Nardos, there are quite a number of university students who are affected by substance abuse. According to data from the Food, Medicine and Health Care Administration and Control Authority (FMHACA), the majority of substance users in Ethiopia are university students, high school students and street children. The addictives these age groups use include alcohol, Khat, tobacco and cannabis.

When their addiction level starts affecting their lives, many addicts wish to get away from it. Unfortunately they may face several challenges because it is not easy for them to stop abusing the drugs.

This happens, according to health experts, because addiction is persistent, compulsive and excessive behavior that a person is unable or unwilling to stop, despite its harmful consequences.

Addiction has a wide range of effects on social, economic, health, and psychology of the addicted person. For example, smoking cigarettes affects the lungs, reduces IQ levels and leads to depression.

Moreover addicts could be affected by schizophrenia, cancer, diabets and other diseases.

So to get away from these addictions, addicts need to get to a place where they can stay away from the drugs and get back to their normal life. They need to go to a rehabilitation center, a place where addicts

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For the existing centers, in order to enhance their capacity, the FMHACA said it is providing training. The training is in an effort to increase the capacity of drug dependence treatment and rehabilitation. So far, training has been provided at 19 hospitals for 100 health professionals.

“We have provided capacity building trainings to professionals from Emmanuel Psychiatric Hospital and St. Paul’s Hospital. We also sent some of the health professionals including physiatrists and social workers abroad for an advance training. In addition, we also have given financial and material support,” Yonas Mekle, Psychologist at FMHACA told The Eminence.

According to Yonas, FMHACA also supports Ayeder Hospital of Mekelle by providing housing that will be used as a rehab center. They also give capacity building training for health professionals.

The rehab centers in Ethiopia mentioned above follow the first recovery step by giving addicts medication to stop the symptoms which occur during withdrawal from the drugs.

Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, restlessness, dysphonic and depression. After that the next step is individual counselling since the physical and psychological reaction varies from person to person. Every addict needs to be examined individually. The last step is group therapy which is used to provide peer support.

can get a professional therapy and different treatments which will help them to recover from their addiction.

Most victims are not joining the centers for treatments because they are not aware of the centers and because of the lack of enough centers in the country. One solution some are trying is turning to spiritual support.

Geta Walelign, a Motivational Trainer and Counsellor at Ubuntu Counselling Center, explained that in Ethiopia being an addict is considered a sin and no one sees it as a sickness.

Addicts can face serious social isolations since they are not seen as reliable. Addicts, therefore, tend to lean on other addicts rather than the rest of the community because they develop fear and distrust towards them.

The number of rehablitation centers is limited in Ethiopia. Hence, if victims or their family decided that the addict should go to the centers, they will face challnges. Even FMHACA does not have data which clearly shows how many public and private rehab centers exist in Ethiopia.

Since 2005 the active rehab departments in the capital are Emmanuel Psychiatric Hospital and St. Paul’s Specialized Hospital. But the centers in the two hospitals do not work independently. For example the rehab center at Emmanuel Hospital is mixed with the department for mentally ill people.

St. Paul’s Hospital also handles addicts but the rehab center is not running independently. St. Paul provides treatment at a minimal cost or even for free for those who cannot afford the payments. But others, who cannot get into St. Paul or Emmanuel Hospitals, have to visit privately-owned counselling centers where treatment is very expensive.

In addition to the centers in Addis Ababa, there are few centers in the regional states. Mekelle Ayeder Hospital, Jima University Specialized Teaching Hospital and Gondar University Specialized Teaching Hospital are actively working on rehabilitation centers for addicts.

A 25-year old recovering drug and cigarette addict is one example of a person who used a religious process to give up using drugs and cigarettes. Even with peer pressure and the strong social circle it was hard for him to break the addiction. After several breathtaking attempts he managed to break his addiction through religious experience and support from his family and friends because he could not get help at a rehab center.

The process was very hard for him, but if he could have joined a rehab center, the troubles he faced could have been easier. This is a problem that many Ethiopian youth who suffers from drug addiction and its effects are facing.

Even though the government is making positive efforts by implementing drug dependence treatment and rehabilitation centers, more effort is needed. Experts suggest that Ethiopia needs to see addiction as a disease not just as a problem. If people start to see it as sickness the addict could look for a cure.

According to Geta, a first step the country needs to take is to work on opening more counselling centers. At this time when people have problems in their lives, they do not know where to go. Most people prefer to hide in a bottle, cigarettes and drugs. But if there are counselling centers available, addicts might go to that center to resolve their life challenges. The second solution Geta recommends is more independent rehab centers. It is well-known that trying to recover without professional help is a long and hard journey.

And, there is high probability of going back into remission.

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Photo by: www.panoramio.com

Hospitality 3600: Hospi- Tourism

Ethiopia is home for different endemic and indigenous wildlife, flora and fauna living in its national parks and sanctuaries.

But it has been observed that some of these places are being threatened by manmade or natural disasters. Senkelle Swayne’s Hartebeest Sanctuary is one of them. This sanctuary recently experienced a bush fire which caused extensive damage. The Eminence’s HELINA ABRHAM, reports on the damage sustained by the Park and what the government is doing to resuscitate the sanctuary and what plans the government has to prevent such challenges.

To get a glimpse of a Swayne’s Hartebeest, an endangered antelope native to Ethiopia, one is encouraged to travel to Senkelle Swayne’s Hartebeest Sanctuary. Senkelle is located within the Oromia Region, a little over 300 kilometers south of Addis Ababa on the Arba Minch Road. The Sanctuary is situated 48 Km west of Hawassa, lying on a 54 Km 2 plot of land. The reserve is located some 10 kilometers south of the Shashemene- Arba Minch road near the town of Aje. Senkelle was established in 1974 primarily to guard endemic and endangered antelope species including the Swayne’s Hartebeest.

Although, it was established to protect Swayne’s Hartebeest, the sanctuary is now home for 36 mammal and 91 bird species; including three endemic species under supervision of the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority (EWCA).

The sanctuary has savanna grassland and

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bush land vegetation. It receives 1,116 mm of rainfall annually. The major wildlife species in the sanctuary includes the Swayne’s Hartebeest; Bohor Reedbuck, Oribi and Greater Kudu.

The Sanctuary attracts about 22,000 visitors annually generating an annual income of 200,480 ETB. The open acacia woodland of the reserve is quite scenic, and some of the animals are easily spotted, especially the Swayne’s Hartebeest. The sanctuary also harbors other wild animals including the Bohor, reedbucks, greater kudus, orbis antelopes, spotted hyenas, civet cats, caracals, warthogs, and common jackals as well as 91 species of birds.

This Wildlife Sanctuary is covered with grass and many splendid types of flora including acacia, croton macrostachs and phoenix reclinata, which gives the place a marvelous landscape.

According to EWCA the sanctuary is situated at an altitude of 1,973 meters above sea level. It is surrounded by two hills named Meti Lalima Hills and Mount Borena. The highest peak mount Lalima is at 2,216 meters above sea level, and is situated at the southeastern tip underneath the Gudehare and Tatisa moorlands. The Northwest of the animal sanctuary is surrounded by the Arsi Oromo ethnic group.

The main attraction of the Sanctuary is the Swayne’s Hartebeest, an endemic animal which was discovered in 1891 by a British Officer named Brigadier-General Swayne in Southern part of Somaliland, about 200 kilometers from the Gulf of Aden. Later the Swayne’s Hartebeest migrated to Senkelle

current problem, according to officials.

Under their plan, they will bring the criminals to justice, recovering the stolen equipment and lastly, rebuild the five camps which were serving as employees’ quarters.

Photo by: www.pbase.com

According to Zerihun, they did not assess the damage in terms of finances since that is being studied by professionals.

Reconstruction will begin after identifying the financial damages and securing funds to restore the lost property. The EWCA is expecting to get funding from the insurance policy and the government’s account. They will also be searching for support from international donors.

Currently the total population of Swayne’s Hartebeest is estimated to be 900, according to Zerihun Zewdie, Public Relation and Information Directorate Director at EWCA. The sanctuary attracts about 22,000 visitors annually, generating an annual income of 200,480 ETB, according to Desta Bedaso, Head of Senkelle Swayne’s Hartebeest Sanctuary.

However a fire in March of this year caused extensive damage to the sanctuary.

According to the EWCA they have not identified who or what was responsible for burning down the sanctuary. They are currently conducting investigations, but locals have speculated that it may have been an attack made by angry protesters who were provoked by a Draft Integrated Development Master Plan for Addis Ababa and surrounding zones of Oromia.

According to Zerihun, because of the attack one Swayne’s Hartebeest and one Orbis Antelope were killed and one Swayne’s Hartebeest was injured. In all 40 percent of the grass area was burnt, trees were cut down, and due to the disturbance, the animals are now unsettled.

The most damage to the park was the burning of the five camps that served as a residence for 53 sanctuary employees. This has taken a toll in the management of the sanctuary. In addition a visitor’s center was burnt down, some of the sanctuary equipment were stolen and two trucks were completely burnt, according to Desta.

As a result of the damages from the fire only four security guards stay in the sanctuary while the rest of the staff including head of the sanctuary have been forced to spend nights in the surrounding areas and return to work in the mornings.

www.zenaye-ethiopia-tours.com

Swayne’s Hartebeest Sanctuary and Maze National Park which is located in the southern part of the country. Currently, these areas are home to the two the largest Swayne’s Hartebeest populations in the world.

Both the EWCA and the management of the sanctuary are working to address the

Senkelle is just one example that demonstrates the threatening incidents towards the National Parks. Currently National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries are also endangered because of natural as well as manmade disasters.

It has been observed that recreational areas and habitats in indigenous forest have been destroyed. Serious declines of major fauna species are also being witnessed. In addition, the lands inside the recreational areas are being damaged due to agriculture encroachment and livestock grazing. This has caused erosion that has led to losses of land and its plants and harming its natural resources and biodiversity.

“Our recreational areas and animal sanctuaries are vulnerable to both manmade and natural catastrophes; climate change is highly affecting our ecosystem resulting the death of wild animals,” admitted Zerihun.

“Therefore, actions have to be taken before more Ethiopian national parks and animal sanctuaries are destroyed and it becomes too late to recover from the damages,” he added.

To prevent such damages to the national park and sanctuaries, EWCA is also playing a role by developing a crisis management strategy, according to Zerihun. He noted that the strategy will guide Ethiopian national parks and animal sanctuaries on ways to prevent crises and to show a path to mitigate such damage. The strategy is expected to be implemented by the beginning September, 2016 Issue 21 - July 2016 - The Eminence |

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Hospitality 3600: Facilities and Accommodation

As the reasons tourists come to Ethiopia diversifies, the service providers in the tourism industry of the country will be beneficiaries. One of the beneficiaries is the hotel industry as it provides services for those coming to the country for a variety of reasons. Hotels provide accommodations, food and beverages and meeting facility rentals. But at this time Ethiopian hotels are not fully benefiting from the meeting industry because they have some gaps in their services. The Eminence’s HENOK SOLOMON interviewed event organizers, hoteliers and experts to explore what hoteliers can do to improve their services and get benefited from the emerging meeting industry.

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ith all the efforts from the Ministry of Culture & Tourism (MoCT) and stakeholders, the Ethiopian hospitality and tourism industry is showing good progress and growing from year to year. The number of tourists flocking to the country is growing rapidly; at the same time, service providers are mushrooming to benefit from this emerging industry.

Concentrations of international organizations, large number of diplomatic missions and the headquarters of the African Union (AU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) are some leading factors for the growth of the hotel business in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia and Africa as well.

The hotel business in Addis Ababa is growing.

Many private investors look to opening a new hotel as a lucrative business venture. According to Addis Ababa Hotel Owners Association (AHA), every year 18 star rated hotels are joining the tourism industry by bringing in an additional 1,500 rooms for the hotel business.

This is happening in Ethiopia where the number of tourists coming to the country is

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increasing for a variety of reasons to visit. Some years back tourists mainly came to Ethiopia to visit its cultural sites and heritage or to conduct research. These days many foreigners come to Ethiopia for holidays or for business and conferences in addition to tourism and research.

Even though the number of hotels that are joining the business in the city is increasing, the standards and quality to meet the new dimension of tourism i.e meeting industry interms of faclities still needs a lot of work.

Hermela Hagos, owner and general manager of Smart Events, an event organizing company in Ethiopia, said that when she tries to bring international meetings to Ethiopia she is challenged by the hotel options She explains that international clients are keen on getting the “value for their money” concept as they compare it with other conference destinations in the world.

“Many foreigners believe that holding conferences in Ethiopia could be quite expensive due to accommodation rates, unavailability of good quality hotels and conference facilities, less experienced local partners and rates of logistics services in Addis Ababa,” explained Hermela, who has worked in the hospitality

business with a management position at Golden Tulip and Radisson Blu hotels.

Regarding meeting venues, from more than 450 hotels in Addis Ababa, fewer than ten hotels can fulfill the requirements to host international meetings. This demonstrates that existing hotels could not fully meet the demand of the growing market in terms of quality facilities, venues, accommodations and other hotel services.

Even though Addis Ababa has been hosting large international events like Financing for Development, the regular AU summits, and other large conferences, there are many gaps that the industry needs to fill, according to Getabicha Dejene, general manager of Friendship International Hotel and board member of Addis Ababa Hotel Owners Association.

“Most of the service providers mainly focus on advancing physical assets but ignore intangible assets such as human resources, service quality and qualified management,” Getabicha told The Eminence.

According to experts’ advice to improve the missing links and gaps in the hotel business,

industry operators can nurture the sector further by improving promotions and adopting global trends. Providing excellent service from logistics to the hotel checkout experience and refining standards of conference facilities would assist international meeting organizers to bring more meetings to the country.

For his part Walter Rizzi an Ethio-Italian businessman who owns a hotel and a lounge in the United States and owner of Villa Verde in Addis Ababa suggested that, “The biggest element the industry players need to do is to create modern ways to expose our sector in the world platform because marketing and exposing what we have in an international standard would easily grab tourists and companies attention.”

Availability of qualified educational opportunities for the industry would mitigate the challenge by enhancing the service standards of local partners and would offer opportunities for event organizers to bring in more international conferences. As a result it would promote Addis Ababa as a conference destination and make the city ready to host international conferences that require high standard of demands.

“Only 30 or 40 years ago, Dubai was just a desert, but all changed after working on their

facilities and tourist attraction sites. Currently Dubai is well known globally for its modern, creative and unique hospitality services and facilities. Now the city is the vacation and business hub of the world, so we need to learn from such experience,” noted Walter.

“I say, we have what it takes to compete in the business. But the way we promote what we have in the tourism industry is a bit archaic and not to the level of the market, so we need to work on that. Of course the beginning is great, but along with building complexes and convention centers, the marketing aspect is another gap we need to fulfill professionally,” Walter added.

Currently efforts have started to attract international meeting organizers to see Addis Ababa as a potential destination for large meetings, conferences, exhibitions and incentive travels. The recent Meeting, Incentive Travels, Conference and Exhibitions (MICE) East Africa Forum and Expo is the major effort.

Ozzie Business and Hospitality Group organized the event with the main aim of bringing more international meetings to the city.

According to Gezahegne Abate, director of international and public relation director of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the government realizes the gap in the quality of

hotel services, so it is doing its part to make Ethiopian hotels better-equipped and ready to accommodate the meeting industry business needs.

“The beginning of the hotel grading process is one way to help hotels improve their quality standards,” Gezahegne told The Eminence.

As a result of the grading process, five hotels managed to get a 5-star grading and 13 managed to secure a 4-star rating. These 4-star hotels will be working hard to earn a 5-star rating in the coming year because the grading system brought a healthy business competition among the hotels, according to Gezahegne.

Not only that, according to Gezahegne, the government is contributing funding to improve services in the hospitality sector, and it is also implementing various incentives for investors to encourage them investing in the hospitality sector.

Now that efforts are underway, hotel owners and managers must focus on enhancing and pushing their services to the maximum level so hotels can live up to the standards that international hotel service providers offer. In addition local investors can consider this as an area of business investment to be a beneficiary of the untapped business of meeting industry

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Hospitality 3600: E-Depth

According to researches, 40 percent of conference tourists travel back to a certain country if they had a very good experience there. This is a global trend in many countries and it supports their tourism sector. To convince tourists to come back to a certain destination they must have the opportunity to see all the attractions sites and heritages of the country. But it seems this trend is lagging in Ethiopia. According to The Eminence’s LUCY KASSA, industry stakeholders need to collaborate to expand side tours for conference delegates.

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smare Steinhofel, Director for International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Africa, arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to attend the first East African MICE Forum & Expo on June 8, 2016, one day before the forum opening. She left the country on June 12, the day after the expo ended. Even though she stayed in Addis Ababa for four days, she did not get the chance to visit the city or any other parts of the country.

She only went to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) for ICCA site inspection, which it conducts on its members; otherwise, she was busy at the forum. Even after she finished the forum for which she came, she immediately left Ethiopia without exploring its cultural sites and heritages and the potential locations to host meetings.

“It is nice to let conference tourists and hosted buyers [people with potential of bringing meetings to a certain country] see all the products in Ethiopia, as many of us do not know the city and the country’s attractions,” says Steinhofel.

“As a trend when many conference tourists travel to other conference destinations they make a pre- or post-tour, but in Ethiopia there are rare

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offerings for such tours,” claimed Steinhofel.

Though Ethiopia has several cultural sites and heritages, there is no way that delegates could see all of the rich historical and cultural heritages. What is currently most practiced is, after the conferences ends, delegates go back to their home countries. While many countries organize side tours to let the delegates visit the main cultural sites and heritage of the conference hosting country.

According to researches, as many as 40 percent of business and conference delegates return to those destinations as a leisure tourist bringing their families with them, if they had a good experience in the host country. The main reason to bring hosted buyers to a certain country is to convince them that the country is ready to host business meetings by letting them see all the facilities.

That is why pre- and post-tours are essential for conference travelers.

Even if the event organizers recognise the importance of side tours to boost earnings from tourism industry, they mention some challenges in arranging side tours. They claim that the conference schedules and the costs for side tours are major challenges they face in organizing side

D

elegates who attended the 4th International Coffee Conference in March 2016 visited coffee growing areas and met coffee growers in the country.

tours.

“The delegates come through sponsors and they have a limited time and receive lower per diems so, they do not extend their stay outside the set schedule,” Arsema Yigrem, operation manager of Brand Event Organizing explained.

Yoadan Tilahun, general manager of Flawless Events, supports Arsema’s claim. She said organizing side tours for conference delegates is hard, not just because there are insufficient facilities for organizing such tours, but also the tight schedule of the delegates.

Tight tourist schedules restrict them from organizing side tours, and also less interest for side tours by the deligates is another challenge. “We may propose and push the conference management owners to consider side tours at the end of the main conferences, but tourists are concerned about safety and security. On top of that, most of them do not know about our heritages,” Yoadan explained.

When arranging side tours for tourists, planners must consider the reason that delegates came to Ethiopia. For instance delegates who attended the 4th International Coffee Conference in March 2016 visited coffee growing areas and met coffee growers in the country.

A poor infrastructure facility is another reason for a lack of side tours for conference tourists, according to some tour and travel agents. This is mainly because Ethiopia’s historical and cultural sites are too far from the capital and it takes a day or more to visit. Added in is, lack of quality of hotel facilities and services at the sites. Even if there are direct flights to the major cultural sites, tourists must use additional means of transportation to reach the sites.

Conference delegates are not also offered city tours in addition to the cultural sites. The main gap, according to Birhanu Abebe, general manager of Homeland Ethiopia Tours, is that there is no connection between event organizers and tour and travel companies.

“We need to work closely with event organizers and government officials,” Birhanu told The Eminence stressing that tour and travel companies have adequate of facilities to arrange side tours.

Birhanu’s claim is just a blame-shifting excuse according to Gezahegn Abate,

International and Public Relations Director at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

For Gezahegn the government does not engage with such “broker” activities.

“It is the tour operators that should search and come up with a marketing strategy to take advantages and benefits from conference tourism. As a government we have only the duty of bringing international conferences and promote towards the good image of the country,” he said defending the government’s actions.

In addition to the lack of coordination between tour operators and event organizers, there is also a gap in coordination among tour organizers. Tour and travel companies promote the heritages of the country and sell packages individually which is not very effective, according to Sosena Mulugeta, general manager of the Ethiopian Tour Operators Association.

But side tours are happening in many other countries without facing the challenges that are mentioned by Ethiopian industry operators, including budget constraints and very tight schedules. According to Tes Proos, African Director of Society of Incentive Travelers Experience (SITE) and CEO of Crystal Events and Incentives, Ethiopian key players need to promote Ethiopia’s heritages through documentaries and short films in order to reach the level that others countries have reached.

The other thing Proos suggested is a combined force of local stakeholders to work together in enhancing their marketing strategy. According to Proos it is a waste to push the international event management owners to include a side tour schedule within the conference schedules after delegates have already booked their flight.

“It is hard for them to change their schedule on the last day. Every lobby and promotion should be finished before the delegates booked their flights. That way, they can make the event organizers rethink and change the conferences schedule,” Proos pointed out.

For Martina Warter, general manager and publisher of MICE Media Marketing, the arrangement of side tours all depends on how the local destination management companies are connected with the international organizers and also the type of event.

“Company meetings are often mixing side tours and incentives. But in case

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Winter Gear: When the Rainy Season

Approaches, the Streets of Addis are always flooded by Corn.

Photo By: Sentayehu Bekele

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Cultural Panorama : Traveling Ethiopia

Dire Dawa is a town that is known by many as a place where tolerance and respect exist to the fullest despite town’s diverse religions and ethnicities. Dire Dawa came into existence by the beginning of the 20th century when the French were building the Ethio- Djibouti railway line linking Addis Ababa to the port of Djibouti. Emperor Menelik II, who commissioned the line in the 1890’s wanted the train to go through the old trading city of Harar, but it was technically too complicated because of its position in high altitude. So, Dire Dawa was born earning it the moniker the “New Harar.” The town’s location made it to be an industrial and commercial center especially for the eastern part of Ethiopia. The Eminence’s FREHIWOT GEBREWOLD traveled to Dire Dawa to find out more about this historical town and its people’s lifestyle.

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bout 515 kms east of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, is where Dire Dawa lies. The town has a very warm and dry climate for most of the year which is characterized by its topography that lies between 950 – 1,250 meters above sea level.

The train station is still a popular place which most tourists would like to visit because of its history and its connection with the establishment of the town. Besides, it is a symbol for the town’s hundred years of existence. Inside the station, there are antique trains and a maintenance workshop for the locomotives.

If it wasn’t for its aged trees, it would have been very difficult to handle the heat of the town. The sideways of the roads in Dire Dawa are covered by shades of wide-trunked trees on the colorful storefronts making the pedestrian ways more eye-catchy and comfortable for walking.

According to the 2007 census Islam and Christianity are the dominant religions of this town. However, the love and the friendship is really amazing that makes one to think that there only exists one religion in the townwhich is love. One of the historical mosques is located in a neighborhood called Laga Hare [a derivation of LaGare which means train station in French]. It was built by the Italians during their occupation. The first Orthodox Church in the town is called St. Michael which was founded in 1935. The Church is found next to Dire Dawa Palace. Apart from these the Greek Orthodox Church, Catholic Churches and Armenian Orthodox Church are also found in Dire Dawa.

During the Italian occupation soldiers from British, Armenia and African countries helped Ethiopia in its liberation and 76 soldiers have died for the cause. Their graveyard is found in Dire Dawa at a neighborhood called “Number-One” next to the old court of the town. The cemetery was built around 1940 after World War II. The well-constructed Apart from the trees, food vendors by the cemetery is a place that is also being visited by sides of the roads gives this vibrant town many tourists.

The town was also favored by Emperor Hailcolorful theme. One can find meals like salad eselassie during his regime. The Dire Dawa (tomato, tuna and potato), Ethiopian dishes Having a diverse people from every region Palace was the place where the Emperor used (firfir and beyaynet) and European dishes like of the country made Dire Dawa home to all pasta and scrambled egg from these vendors Nations and Nationalities of Ethiopia. Am- to spend the rainy season. The palace was at very reasonable prices. The unique thing haric is the working language of the region. constructed in 1928 by Mersha Nahusenay, a is some of the vendors work during the day Oromiffa and Somali are the two other local governor of the town by that time. A floor was while others provide their services at night. languages that are spoken widely. Most people later added and the place was redecorated in Hence, it’s possible to get something to eat in also speak English, French and Arabic among 1955. this town 24 hours.

the foreign languages.

The pedestrian ways are constructed with beautiful cobblestones. Cobblestone has been in the town since 1935. Most of the cobblestone designs were done by the French.

Besides, many of the ancient houses in the town are designed and constructed by French and British citizens as they were the first foreigners to settle in the town after the railway became operational.

The presentation of all these people with their colorful and cultural dressings is showcased in the town and especially at its biggest market called ‘Kaffira’. Apart from being colorful, the unique thing about this market is that anything from used utensils and materials to fruits, vegetables, different spices, grains, pulses and cereals can be found in this market. Because it is open, it can accommodate so many people at a time.

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Though it is not allowed to enter into the palace, the advanced architectural feature of the building can clearly be seen from the outside.

The garden of the palace provide a marvelous look to the compound of the palace as well as the surrounding area.

The town is also the birthplace to modern human beings. The existence of the three middle Stone Age sites proves this. Poric Epic Cave which is located about 3 kms south of Dire Dawa is a middle Stone Age site that was discovered in 1929.

Photo by: Frehiwot Gebrewold

Kefira, the largest open market of Dire, where literally noting would not exist

In 1933 a French Priest named François Azais discovered a cave called Lega Ada Cave which is located around 38 kms South West of Dire Dawa.

Grave Yards made for foreigners who died in Ethiopia helping Ethiopian soliders to evacuate Italian troop.

Photo by: Frehiwot Gebrewold

Dire Dawa is reachable by air as well as land transportations. Apart from Ethiopian airlines’ two daily flights from Addis Ababa, Air Djibouti and some few smaller airlines of Middle Eastern countries and Republic of Somaliland also has an airline that flies to Dire-Dawa. Selam, Sky and Ethio Busses have a daily trip to Dire Dawa from Addis Ababa. It takes 50 minutes by air and about 9 hours by bus to reach to the town from Addis Ababa.

Besides, these there are also mini-buses from Addis Ababa, Adama (Nazreth), Mojjo and other towns of the country to Dire Dawa.

With in the town there are Bajajs [threewheeled scooters] that provide transportation service 24 hours for the inhabitants as well as visitors.

In terms of accommodation there are government owned and private hotels in the town with affordable prices. Triangle, Selam, Samrat, Ras and Africa Village Hotels are the well-known ones which are preferred by many tourists Issue 21 - July 2016 - The Eminence |

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Cultural Panorama : Art and Literature

In the western world artists are more accustomed in establishing foundations to support a cause of their choice, which improves the life of many. They believe it is a noble purpose when one gives back to the community after reaching a certain level of success in one’s career and life. This trend also exists in Ethiopia, but as Ethiopia is a developing country, artists are expected to be more involved in charity works. The Eminence’s KALEAB HAILU explores what Ethiopian artists are contributing in charity works and what more is needed from them.

One Love Africa Schools are primary educational institutions that have been established all across Ethiopia in the different regional states. These schools were established by platinum recording reggae artist Zeleke Gessesse who is known for his solo albums and collaboration works with Ziggy Marley, the son of the legendary musician Bob Marley, and other prominent musicians. Zeleke came up with the idea of opening these schools when he came back to visit Ethiopia in the mid-90’s from the United States where he had been residing for seventeen years.

found the Ann and Robert Lurie Foundation.

This Foundation approved the funding for his first eight schools in 1998. After two years, he opened his first four schools in the Murti and Madeno Woreda in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Regional State. Four additional schools were opened with the same funding in central Ethiopia. And finally he managed to open the remaining 14 schools at different parts of the country.

Zeleke opened 30 One Love Africa Schools in regions where educateion was exiguous

He came to Ethiopia for the 100th anniversary of the victory of Adwa, after being in exile in the United States. At that time, he travelled all over the country, visiting many different places.

“During that time I saw many children on the streets. Most of them did not go to school. I did some research and took the findings to Ziggy Marley and my brother Addis Gessesse (former manager of Jano Band, a vibrant rock band established by young Ethiopian musicians) and proposed the idea of opening the schools which they accepted,” explained Zeleke.

“After securing the funds, our next move was looking for organizations that we could work with in management. And we found Save the Children, an organization which focuses on rural education,” Zeleke said.

This was the starting point for Zeleke to establish 30 One Love Africa Schools around the country.

He travelled around the world trying to get donations from various organizations incurring the transportation expenses by himself until he

Zeleke is a good example that shows the greater contributions of artists in philanthropic activities. The two musicians Chachi Tadesse and Sileshi Demissie a.k.a. Gash Abera Molla are also other examples for Ethiopian artists’

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Currently Save the Children is responsible for managing the funds for all thirty schools, according to Zeleke.

valuable contribution in volunteer activities to change the lives of many.

As pioneers in volunteer works the two considered caring for street kids, protection of the environment and cleanliness.

Munit Mesfin, a musician, MC and event organizer, is also engaged in working on protection of the environment with her various collaborators. According to Munit, her passion towards the environment, is influenced by her father Professor Mesfin Abebe who is the first soil science professor in Ethiopia.

“We work on creating awareness of the fact that our natural resources will not last forever.

So we are working in activist projects to stop environmental degradation, which may cause conflicts, death and destruction,” Munit told The Eminence.

Munit is working on protecting the environment through her organization Care Events and Communications. She organizes events related to environmental issues that appeal to the general public. The first event she organized was dubbed Tibeb Letefetero at the National Theatre which was a poetry night accompanied by the tunes of Police Marching Band.

Munit said she is trying to teach the public through music, art, visual arts, dance and drama saying it is the best strategy to reach the

Photo by: inhabitat.com Photo by: Frehiwot Gebrewold

public.

www.Chicagotribune.com

Many artists like Zeleke and others are contributing a lot to the communities in the rural part of the country. Many are getting access to clean water, education and infrastructure.

One of the communities that is getting access to clean water is in Bonia, Western Shewa Zone

where One Love Africa Schools is operating. In the area many young girls were going to school late because of shortage of water. “We took this problem to the donors, and we managed to get funds for the construction of six water wells in the six school areas that needed it the most,� Zeleke told The Eminence.

Gelgelu Wondo is a fifth grade student in One Love Africa School in Bonia. She used to be late to school because she had to fetch water daily in the morning. Now the entire story has changed.

Currently, Gelgelu is attending her classes regularly. She aspires to become a teacher when she finishes her education so that she can teach the young children in her locality.

These schools are the proving grounds for developing the next generation of educated and visionary Ethiopian. Zeleke is accomplishing this by empowering a generation of educated youth like Gelgelu.

In addition to the environmental issues, Munit is calling Ethiopians who are educated professionals but scattered in other countries of the world back to Ethiopia.

Even if she has a problem of resources and funding, Munit is actively participating in accomp-

lishing her objective through the Alliance for Brain Gain Innovative Development Ethiopia (ABIDE). The initiative works closely with Addis Ababa University, Jimma University, Gondar University and St. Mary University College.

The idea of the program is to invite educated professionals who live abroad to take a sabbatical leave to Ethiopia and give courses at these universities.

These are a few examples that show artists who are engaged in voluntary works to assist various members of society who are in need. On the other side, some artists have been honored as good will ambassadors to certain organizations, but they have not accomplished a single objective in their area of entitlement yet.

This is happening in Ethiopia, a country that has a proud tradition of helping each other in desperate times. These traditions must not be riddled with self-promotion and attentiongrabbing schemes as was seen in some cases in the recent past. Other Ethiopian artists are encouraged to follow the footsteps of those who are contributing significantly for their community

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MADE IN ETHIOPIA : LIFE STYLE

Two friends, Abdulfetah Nasser and Kemal Dasseu, were at Hilwa Arab Restaurant which is located at Meskel Flower area on the evening of June 14, 2016. The two private company employees were at the restaurant to attend Iftar ritual. They prayed before having the meal which broke the full day of fasting as it is the month of Ramadan.

They used to have meals after a long day of fasting (called Iftar in Arabic Language) at their homes. But because of their busy lifestyles they were breaking their fast at Hilwa. According to Abdulfetah, having Iftar at home is the best way because it allows the Muslim community to invite neighbors and as many people in need as they can, but such gatherings are hard to do at restaurants.

“But it is hard for a single person like me to prepare Iftar dishes at home,” says Abdulfetah.

“It is women who can make such dishes. I have neither skills nor the time,” he added while he was having Iftar meal at Hilwa’s Meskel Flower branch. The restaurant has two more branches at Merkato and Adama. During the Ramadan season they allow 40 needy people to have free Iftar meals.

The costs of having Iftar at restaurants may not be affordable for Abdulfetah and his friend Kemal, but the rules of breaking fast in the

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Muslim faith forced them to be part of ritual of Iftar at a nearby restaurant. Breaking fast in the Muslim religion has a specific time limitation when people must start eating after adhan or azan, a call to prayer from mosques after 6:00 p.m.

“The moment you hear azan, you should break your fast. Otherwise it will be considered as you did not fast. After a day spent at office, there are some days where I cannot reach my home because of the traffic jams and other inconveniences,” Abdulfetah told The Eminence.

This is the major reason for the younger community to make the life style change. It was a predominant activity by most of the Muslim community to have Iftar at their home. These days part of the community prefers to go to restaurants that specialize in making Iftar meals, to break their fast. Lack of enough time is the main reason that some people do not prepare the meals at their homes.

Some Muslim restaurants which make Iftar meals see Iftar as a business opportunity. They are enjoying the business by marketing the ritual. A traditional Iftar menu in most of the restaurants in Addis Ababa comprises; Tamar/ dates, fruits, sambusa (similar with spring roll) made for meat or lentils, juices, milk, water and vegetable are the majors.

Sana’a Restaurant, named after the capital of Yemen, located at Olympia area is one of the restaurants specialized in serving Yemeni and Arabic meals and Iftar meals during the Ramadan season. During Ramadan the restaurant serves famous dishes such as Shefu, Doken, Feter, Mendi, soups, sweet foods like Baklava and other dishes.

According to Lezem Nuru, co-coordinator of services at the restaurant, the cuisines of Iftar could cost somewhere between 500 ETB to 1,212 ETB per meal based on the variety of dishes their customers order.

Sana’a serves Iftar food for individuals and groups and casual or walk-in customers. The orders are given 10 to 15 minutes in advance before the Iftar time is reached. Normally one group consists of five to six people. At Sana’a customers have the option to practice Iftar either at a dining table or in an Arabic Majlis (Arabic Sofa on mattresses).

“Most of our customers come in groups, first to save money and secondly to enjoy the spirit of being together,” said Lezem.

The good thing about going to restaurants to have the Iftar meal is getting a variety of Arabic foods at one time without any hassle of cooking them. At home the variety of cuisine may not

Photo by: Eyoel Mamo

Photo by: Ismael Mohammed

Iftar feast

According to the census data 33.9 percent of the total Ethiopian population are reported to be Muslims. Currently these people are honoring Ramadan, by fasting and praying. As a custom the Ethiopian Muslim community celebrates Iftar (breaking fast after a full day long fasting) at their homes by preparing meals eaten for Iftar. These days the young community prefers to visit restaurants for Iftar. The Eminence’s LUCY KASSA reports this lifestyle change after interviewing people who visit restaurants for Iftar and restaurant owners.

Photo by: Ismael Mohammed Dinning table at Fusion Bistro waiting custumers for Iftar ritual.

be cooked at onetime and during long hours fasting, one may not have either the strength or energy to cook variety of dishes.

“Even if one may have the skills of preparing Middle Eastern cuisines, it is difficult to get the ingredients at every mart,” Lezem of Sana’a explains.

Fusion Bistro Restaurant which is located on the road from Bole Medhanialem to Alem Cinema is another restaurant which offers Iftar meals for Muslim community. Since the starting day of the Ramadan fasting, the restaurant hung a banner outside its door inviting customers in for an Iftar buffet.

“Sana’a offers Iftar meals for up to 1,212 ETB per meal, while Fusion Bistro charges 425 ETB & Helwa sells Iftar meals from 205 ETB to 600 ETB” Unlike other restaurants, Fusion Bistro offers a buffet with six types of main dishes that are common in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia and North African countries.

In addition to the dishes, the restaurant also has an exclusive place for prayer like almost all Muslim restaurants do.

The restaurant was opened five year ago, and it started serving Iftar meals over the past three years following the growing demand from customers, according to Eman Seid, owner of the restaurant.

“Normally in the first weeks of the fasting period only foreigners were visiting us but afterwards the local people, mainly adults, started to visit us,” Eman told The Eminence.

Due to the high demand during the time of

Iftar which starts at 6:00p.m.until 8:00p.m., the restaurant closes other service except for the Iftar ritual. To meet its custumers’ demand the restaurant increased its work force during the Ramadan season.

Local people are adapting to the culture of having Iftar at restaurants. It is a result of lifestyle changes on them caused by lack of time.

According to Eman, Iftar meals take up to eight hours to prepare. The meals are also different from the regular ones and ingredients and spices for most of them are unavailable at local markets.

Even if lack of time forced the community to visit restaurants for Iftar, the price which these restaurants charge seems a bit expensive. For instance Sana’a offers Iftar meals for up to 1,212 ETB per meal, 425 ETB at Fusion Bistro and 205 ETB to 600 ETB at Helwa.

But the business operators mention various reasons about the prices. Eman claims their price is reasonable because of the time it takes and the ingredients needed for the dishes.

On the other hand, Naema Suleman, Meskel Flower’s branch manager of Hilwa explained that their food is not expensive, saying “The foods are not easily cooked at home as they take energy, so the prices of the meals we serve are not expensive.”

Surprisingly the number of people flowing to these restaurants will drastically increase when the end of the fasting season approaches, leading the business to flourish even more, according to Naema.

“Normally when 15 days are left to the end of the fasting season, more local people start to flow into our restaurant as families get tired of preparing Iftar meals in their homes,” concluded Naema by sharing her observation

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Photo by: Zion Gate Design

MADE IN ETHIOPIA : FASHION

Ethiopia is known for its unique history, culture, costumes, food and many more features that make the country throve for culture. To further promote these cultures of the country, young designers are becoming creative in their works. Mahlet Ewnetu owner of Zion Gate Designs is one of them who is blending Ethiopian traditional garments with a dash of African culture to make Ethiopian apparel globally popular. The Eminence’s HELINA ABRAHAM took time with her, her customers and industry players to report on this.

R

ecently, Ethiopian traditional designers and their designs such as shoes, cloths and bags are becoming more appealing to the rest of Africa, American as well as European markets. This can be supported by the recent recognition that Ethiopian designers are getting worldwide. They are also getting markets internationally and media coverage from well-known international media outlets.

Many young Ethiopian designers are changing the local traditional styles towards cosmopolitan brands by fusing Ethiopian fabrics with different countries fashion styles.

The 25 years old Designer, Mahlet Ewnetu is one of them. She has been producing distinctive handmade materials by blending Ethiopian traditional materials with African traditions for the past five years.

Mahlet is from a conservative family that

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solely believes in education. She was raised as a single child with almost no interaction with the rest of the community. So when she knew designing and art was her true calling during her childhood, her family could not provide her any support.

Accordingly, in order to make her family happy and proud of her, she joined Addis Ababa University School of Commence and studied Business. At the same time to satisfy her soul and responding a calling from art she studied art at Tafari Makonnen School with all her effort by paying her school fee from the money she gets from selling her handmade products, which finally became her source of sustainable income by establishing Zion Gate Design.

Mahlet’s crafts are handmade traditional jewelleries (earring, bracelets and necklace), shoes, dress, leather bag and wallet. She export

these products to Tanzania, Ghana and South Africa in addition to the local market.

To produce her products she uses different materials such as coconut, recycled pieces of leather, Ethiopian woven traditional multicolored garment (Shamma and Tibeb) and African print garment (Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and South Africa). She designs clothes for children and adults as well for both genders with different size and quality.

She uses different clothes from African countries to combine them with Ethiopian Tibeb named Saba. The clothes she uses from different African countries named Kente cloth, Kintege, Kanga, Wax and Taida.

According to her the main reason she prefers to mix Ethiopian apparel with African clothes is that the later have colourful prints in their garment and their art works on the cloth are

Photo by: Sentayehu Bekele Mahlet at on duty at her workshop located at Saris

Hailegiorgis, a fashion designer for 20 years and President of Ethiopian Fashion Designers Association, believes fusing Ethiopian designs with the rest of Africa is very advantageous.

“Ethiopian woven garments [Shamma and Tibeb] are not as such strong. Thus, it is hard for us to make casual clothes that guarentee durability. Therefore, if we can blend the rest of Africa garment such as Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania with our traditional designs, the clothes will have longer wardrobe life,” she asserts.

Photo by: Sentayehu Bekele

Mahlet Ewnetu, owner of Zion Gate Design who make clothes, shoes and jewelleries by blending Ethiopian materials with African ones.

Mahlet’s jewelleries are priced from 50 to 250 ETB, leather sandal shoes from 350 to 400 ETB, leather bags from 300 to 500 ETB, and dresses are sold from 400 ETB to 1,500 ETB depending on quality and the material they are made of, and she sells leather wallets between 100 to150 ETB. Mahlet makes these products at her workshop which is located at Saris area, inside Kadisco Condominium.

She sells most of her products while she travels from one place to another. To display and sell the items as well as to learn about other countries’ unique designs, Mahlet has travelled to Kenya, Tanzania and Ghana.

According to her, these travels have helped her to be more innovative by making unique and sophisticated products as she adopted different designs from those countries.

In addition to that she sells her products at her workshops, bazaars and exhibitions.

“The culture of the Surma and the Hamer fascinates me as it is closer to the rest of African traditional culture,” Mahlet told The Eminence.

Mahlet stated that her major customers are foreigners since they are more drawn into African traditional vibe products. Mark Anthony Samuel a.k.a Ras Seyoum a 42 Jewelleries made from Kente cloth with Ethiopian year old Jamaican singer is one of her loyal alphabets customers for the past five years. He came to Ethiopia nine years ago. He portrays more connected to nature. Her products are Ethiopian traditional products as very handmade so that they are durable and exclusive, antique, unique, bright and sparkly. according to Mahlet.

Ras Seyoum likes all of her products but Supporting Mahlet’s creativity Ejigayehu the sandals she makes are his favorite.

“She brought African vibe to the Ethiopian traditional design and that is why I love her products,” he told The Eminence.

As a process she mentions some challenges she faces in her daily routine. “People see me as a crazy person when I try to find an art from unseen places,” she said. She recalls once people considered her as a crazy person when she was picking piece of perfect circled glasses from car accidents to use them for her designs.

“I did that because an artist has an eye that sees beauty in unexpected places,” she told The Eminence.

Lack of awareness regarding her designs is another challenge she mentions. But she believes this aspect pushes her to prove herself even more. The other challenge Mahlet encounters is that handmade materials are more expensive than machine made materials: because handmade materials take time and the materials used are genuine and expensive.

“I see her as role model for women because she convinces her customers by giving authentic and unique Ethiopian design,” said Musse Haliemichael owner of Abysssinia Gojo, a Khaki suit designer. He added, “She is improving the designs as to quality, and color to appeal consumers outside of Ethiopia.”

According to Mussie Ethiopian designers are fortunate as the country has its own culture which is rich with different traditions such us design, alphabet, food and numbers.

And these opportunities have helped them to bring Ethiopian traditional design to a refurbishing stage which unveils Ethiopia’s ground-breaking fashion collection that strikes the international market.

The exclusive Ethiopian weaving and design is becoming more famous and it is generating better revenues for the designers. Most importantly, the original designs of Ethiopia clothes, shoes, accessories and others are receiving more spotlights. This popularity in the international market is encouraging designers in using more indigenous materials of the country like Mahlet does

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Photo by: Frehiwot Gebrewold

MADE IN ETHIOPIA : ARCHITECTURE AND INT. DESIGN

House of Topsy Turvy Sami Yusuf, an Ethiopian businessman, has built a completely upside down house in Dire Dawa. In addition to that, he has established a park in the city to moderate the humid climate of the city. The Eminence’s KALEAB HAILU, traveled to Dire Dawa and presents the detail features of the upside down house and the park.

D

ire Dawa is found at a low altitude of 960 to 2,500 meters above sea level surrounded by hills rising to 100 to 250 meters.

The average temperature of the city is registered to be above 300C which makes it one of the warmest places in the country.

In a city with this kind of temperature, there has to be a well-kept and preserved green life to moderate the humid temperature of the area.

The administration has been undertaking seedling planting initiatives to maintain the warm air swarming around the city.

One can see tall trees in Kezira, Greek camp and other neighborhoods with their bushy branches shading the city’s dwellers putting out somewhat of a cooler breeze.

The residents of Dire Dawa have also been contributing to this essential cause by participating in these planting campaigns around the city, in their residential

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compounds and business places.

The effort of making the City green was not only the full mandate of the city administration, but also the responsibility of dwellers of the city. Sami Yusuf, the 47 years old business man and owner of Sami Park and Recreational Center is one of them. His recreational center is located in the neighborhood locally known as Mariam Sefer.

The Park boasts a variety of trees, flowers, bushes and shrubs making it one of the venues to enjoy a relatively cool temperature in the city.

Sami opened up the park after witnessing the demand for a green area when he was working as a photographer. “I used to take pictures for wedding ceremonies, there were no parks or green areas in Dire Dawa to capture special moments or to just sit down and enjoy yourself. That is when I came up with the idea of opening up a park and recreational center,” Sami explained.

The Park was established ten years ago with a capital of 4 million ETB on 3,000 square meters plot of land. A visitor can see the green scenery stretching as far as one’s eyes can gaze while entering the park.

There are gardens that hold palm date trees growing to full maturity with smaller shrubs surrounding them in a semi-circular shape.

The pavements that zig zag through the rooms of the park are enclaved with medium height Cyprus trees making it look like a maze until the next twisted turn.

However, this Park doesn’t just stand out from any other ordinary parks filled with just grown trees having a unique creative design.

A flower basket having a size of a mini swimming pool filled with colorful flower beautifully graces the center of the park.

A super large cup of coffee is transformed into a garden seat where someone can comfortably sip a cup of coffee sitting in one.

Poetic, one might say. A gigantic guitar lies in one corner of the park waiting for one to

Photo by: Frehiwot Gebrewold Amazing and beautiful faclities at Sami Park and Recreational Center, which all are designed by Sami Yesuf.

stroke its brass strings playfully trying to play a tune while standing next to it.

took us two months to complete the entire construction of the house”, Sami added.

“Art has always been my passion and I have also had a thing for unique architectural and interior designs. All of the designs you see in the park are mine that I sketched. I like to incorporate various materials in my design to make it more interesting and attractive,” Sami explained.

“I was thinking it would be really hard to build it. But my staff and I worked hard to realize my dream. We had a very short deadline, and we had to work up to midnight to finalize the house before the celebration,” Sami told The Eminence.

The Park not only serves as a recreation center but also helps to moderate the climate with its variety of trees and other plants.

This innovative park is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Sami’s creative endeavors. He also built the first and lone house that is constructed upside down in Ethiopia. The house is located just a few minutes’ drive away from his park. The house is constructed with its floor base looking up at the sky and the tip of its triangle shaped roof touching the ground.

He came up with the idea of building this house while he was living in Toronto, Canada.

“I was driving when I saw a house that was upside down on the street. I really liked the idea of that house. Unfortunately, since I was driving I could not stop and look at the inside of the house but it fascinated me very much,” Sami recalled. “Upon my return, Dire Dawa was selected to host the national cities day last year. So, I thought to myself, I should build that house that I saw in Toronto for that special occasion. It

down. The couch in the living room, the kitchen cabinets, shower sink and cooking utensils can all be seen hanging from the ceiling.

Sami said, “We used metal lines with drilled holes and screws to firmly attach all the objects of the house.” He continues walking into the master bedroom with its bed on the ceiling, “This is a regular meter and 20 centemeters bed that we managed to fix up on the ceiling. Standing here, it seems a bit small, but this is a full size bed,” He explains.

In constructing this kind of house, safety measures are always in question. However, the house still stands tall with its triangle shaped ceiling holding the full weight of the upside down house.

Sami looking at the upside down placed bed inside his topsy turvy house

The pink walls of the house can be seen from a far with its bizarre topsy-turvy look that will definitely twist the heads of first time passerby. The door handles, locks and hinges at the end of a small flight of stairs leading up to the house are also turned upside down.

The house has a living room, master bedroom, children bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and sitting area all turned upside

“We were very cautious while building this house and did all the necessary preparations. We used magnesium boards to build the walls because it is easier to hold up. The design could not have worked if we used concrete and reinforcement bars like ordinary constructed houses,” Sami explained.

This upside down house has made Ethiopia join the elite ensemble of countries such as Dubai, that have made impossible designs come to life with the likes of Burj Khalifa.

But that does not mean Ethiopia has reached the level Dubai already has. There is a long way Ethiopia has to follow through, in order to reach to that level, but Sami’s topsy-turvy house is a very good start in the right direction

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Photo by:ARCCH

MADE IN ETHIOPIA : UNIQUE ETHIOPIA

By Kelemua Mekonnen/ARCCH

Ashenda comes from the name of a tall grass that the girls fashion into a skirt and wrap around their waists as decoration. The day is the annual festival of the ascension of Virgin Mary. On this day the Ortodox Christian followers believe, like her son Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary ascended into heaven accompanied by angels with Psalter and praise.

According to religious researchers the girls’ song in Ashenda represents the praise of the angels during the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

Reminiscent of the ascension of the Virgin Mary accompanied by angels and saints, girls wear traditional white costumes which resemble the angels and are called Tilfe Qemis. The tall grass that they wear on their waists is called Ashendeye.

The grass represents the ending of the rainy season in Ethiopia. The bible dove with the olive branch is reminiscent of the time of the great flood when Noah signaled the end of the big rains.

The reason why the celebration is only for girls, follows the teaching of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which says God closed

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the door of heaven due to the sins of Eve and reopened the gates of heaven due to the Virgin Mary. For girls who follow the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the Virgin Mary is the means of reconciliation between God and Eve. That is why girls celebrate the day more than boys.

The festival is celebrated by young girls between 12-20 years of age. In Tigray young women and girls dress in their best traditional dresses called Tilf, which is a cotton dress decorated with amazing embroidery from the neck to toe in front of the dress. The girls also adorn themselves with an array of beautiful jewelry and costumes.

The clothing of Raya and Waghemera ladies differs from the Tigray clothing. Raya women wear traditional costumes made from cotton that has a blackish colour so they put the cloth in butter. For jewelry they wear a necklace named Hinqo or Hurufa which has a cross on it.

Ashenda has a traditional and historical as well as religious background. The region’s culture and tourism bureau is working to make the festival more popular and become

a tourist heritage attraction. It is celebrated between August 23 and 25 as a road show in Mekelle, Temben, and Adigrat, and on September 1 in Axum.

The ladies celebrate the festival in groups that consist of between 5 and 40 members. The celebration has three stages: pre-celebration, celebration, and post-celebration.

The pre-celebration process starts two to four weeks ahead of the celebration day. During the pre-stage the ladies get prepared by gathering their jewelry and costumes, electing their leader and a lady who plays drum. Before the event they have several meetings to decide what they are going to wear during the festival and the songs they are going to sing. They also prepare and gather the Ashenda grass.

On the eve of the holiday they gather at a small river and wash their hands, legs and faces while singing their traditional songs.

They do that as a sign of cleaning one’s spirit and body to show their readiness for the festival with a clean body and spirit.

On the celebration day the ladies wear three necklaces made with crosses. The necklaces are put on the ladies’ necks and

Photo by:ARCCH Ladies from Tigray, Wagehemera and Lalibela who celebrate Ashenda/Shadey/Ashendeye clad with thier own different costumes and hair styles.

make a pattern. They also wear the Tiftif Meqenet (traditional women’s belt made from cotton).

The Meqenet has four colours including green, purple, red, and yellow. On their shoulder they put on Diri, a ribbon made of cotton. They also wear earrings and shoes made from plastic.

They style their hair with different styles called Assa, Tigray, Areb, and Gama.

Not only are the ladies dressed well but their mothers are also dressed with traditional clothes as well as jewellery including earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and Meqenet. The mothers style their hair with different styles called Gilbeche Quna, Alwasew, Sargeta, Segem, Game and Tselya.

The boys who accompany the ladies as spectators wear shorts named Tibiqo and

Teramaje and style their hair in Alibabo, Gola Kiros, and wear traditional shoes called Saen Enderta. The boys also carry a bag named Beteri, Dula or Damsa.

After that the ladies start the celebration by singing and dancing their traditional songs of the festival using their drum on the way to the nearest church.

The boys dance behind the ladies. They sing and dance by going round the church three times. After that they leave the church and start the main festival.

They gather in the village or city center and divide into small groups and go from house to house singing and playing their drums. They stop at every house and sing and dance for the people in the homes. It is customary for people to give them money, food and drinks and other items for their efforts. They continue the whole day, going from house to house, and occasionally stopping in a village or city center and singing and dancing for a while before they continue their tour.

On the next day the ladies gather in one group and do not step into people’s doorway, rather they sing and dance on

the roads and ask people walking by to give them rewards for complimenting them with different lyrics and songs. After that the ladies gather in groups and dance in a circular fashion. While dancing they carry a little girl on their shoulders.

On the third day the ladies again separate into small groups and go from door to door. A week or so after the celebration started, the event comes to an end with all the girls from the village or the town coming together in the center of the town singing and dancing until sundown.

With the end of the celebration on August 29, the ladies go to church and share the money they collected with the local church.

After that they share the remaining money amongst themselves and they return to their villages by singing a song wishing to meet again next year.

In some areas such as Alamata, Mehoni, Maichew, Korem and Tenben Abiadi the celebration extends until the Meskel Holiday (finding of the truth cross) which is celebrated on September 27. In these areas the festival is celebrated during the night time only

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REFLECTION: LEGAL CORNER

By Meadot Kassahun/MoFA

The Investment Law of Ethiopia is the major reason why many foreigners invest and reside in the country. So to get these permits and licenses like any other country, Ethiopia has its own procedures of catering to foreigners.

A c c o r d i n g l y, there are certain necessary legal documents that foreigners need to obtain to enter, work and reside in Ethiopia.

One of the necessary legal documents which foreigners need to have is visa.

Foreigners who wish to enter into Ethiopia need to acquire a visa unless it is provided by the law or agreements that Ethiopia is a party to. The visa types could be different depending on their purpose of entries i.e. immigrant, business, tourist or student visa.

Most types of visas need to be processed through different consular offices and embassies in the host nations before travelers come into Ethiopia. Therefore, foreigners, except for nationals of Kenya and Djibouti, who wish to enter into Ethiopia have to get a visa from the nearest Ethiopian Embassy or consular office in the applicants’ departure country.

The only exception is tourist visas which are available upon arrival at Bole International Airport for specific nationals and residents of certain countries. But it should be noted that visa waiver agreements do not mean foreigners that will not need to apply for a residence permit. Any foreigner, despite the existence of any agreement or treaty, has to apply for a residence permit if he/she wishes to stay and work in the country.

A residence permit is an official document that allows foreigners to live in Ethiopia for a longer period of time. The Immigration

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Proclamation No. 354/2003 is the law that regulates foreigners who wish to reside in Ethiopia. The proclamation is also supported by the Immigration Council of M i n i s t e r s Regulation No. 114/2004, which sets out rules and regulations for foreigners to register and earn a residence permit within the country.

According to the Ethiopian Immigration Proclamation, all foreigners who are residing in Ethiopia and/or who enter Ethiopia with an immigrant, business or student visa and intend to stay for more than ninety days (three months) must register and apply for a residence permit within thirty days (a month) of arrival. Hence any foreigner, who has been registered, upon payment of the fee charged, shall be issued either it is a permanent or a temporary residence permit.

A permanent residence permit is given to a foreigner if he/she enters the country by an immigrant visa, establishes his domicile in Ethiopia and stays in Ethiopia for at least three years preceding the submission of his application. The foreigner should also show a sufficient and lawful source of income to manage for himself and his family. A foreigner who is married to an Ethiopian national for at least one year can also apply for a permanent residence permit.

A foreigner fulfilling at least one of the preconditions set above can earn a permit upon paying 500 ETB to the immigration authority. After obtaining a permanent residence permit, a foreigner will be issued a work or an investment permit in accordance with the appropriate laws.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs

(MoLSA) and Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC) are the authorized government bodies that issue work permits.

A temporary residence permit will be issued to any foreigner who has been lawfully registered and who is not entitled to a permanent residence permit. This permit shall only be valid for a period not exceeding one year from the date of issuance and shall be replaced by a new one if it becomes necessary to stay longer. The amount paid to earn a temporary permit is 400 ETB for non-students and 200 ETB for students.

Any foreigner who is a holder of a residence permit has the obligation to return his/her permit to the authority if he/she is leaving Ethiopia for good.

There are also some possibilities where a residence permit may be revoked.

Revocation may take place when the permit is found to have been obtained by presenting false evidence, when the holder of the permit left Ethiopia and stayed abroad for a consecutive period for over a year or when the permit is found to have been obtained on the basis of a marriage of convenience.

If a foreigner’s visa/residence permit is cancelled by the Authority, a deportation order may be issued. This order also includes the deportation of family members of the deportee except those who are Ethiopian nationalities. The order of deportation should specify the reason for deportation of the foreigner, the date of departure from Ethiopia, and the port of exit. The expatriate may be deported to the country of origin or to any other country willing to receive him.

The foreigner is expected to cover his/her traveling expenses.

Without prejudice to the provisions of the above proclamation, any foreigner who lives in Ethiopia without having a valid residence permit or any person who assists a foreigner to stay or live in Ethiopia knowing that the foreigner is required to have a residence permit, will be punished with imprisonment not exceeding three years or a fine not exceeding ten thousand birr or both

REFLECTION: DEAR ETHIOPIA BIO Anne Galleti, is an Australian charity worker who stayed in Ethiopia in February 2016 doing charity works. She came to Ethiopia five years after her initial visit in 2011 when she visited Ethiopia with her family and her two Ethiopian grandchildren.

Dear Ethiopia: The Ethiopia I love When I first come to Ethiopia in 2011, I wanted to know about the country, but it reinforced my feelings to come back this time as I fell in love with the country.

I arrived in Ethiopia on February 2016. I had longed to get back there again as it had been five years since my last visit. I planned to stay for two weeks then going onto my small group tour of Egypt and Turkey.

Part of my time in Ethiopia was to deliver 100 Days For Girls (DFG) kits in Asella, Arsi Oromia Regional state. DFGs are made by a worldwide charity that sews washable sanitary pads to improve women’s health and more importantly to help girls not miss 5 days of school each month.

I had booked into Kefetew Guesthouse, not knowing how important that would be. I was greeted by Genet Kefetew, who was warm and welcoming. My room was just perfect.

I had arranged for a driver who was a family friend from my last trip.

He came with his family to see me. Sadly it was to tell me that he was ill and could not be my driver. He had brought his good friend Gete. He said he would see me during the week. Two days after his visit, while we were out driving we got word that he had died. We were devastated.

A few days later after picking up the DFG kits and other donated goods we headed for Asella. I met the wonderful Eyob who runs a Charity called Asella Love for Children.

It is a no frills charity with 48 sponsored children at the school there and many

other poor families. I sponsor a little girl.

We handed out the donated goods and the DFGs kits. I spent many happy hours the next few days teaching embroidery to the craft group which we all enjoyed. When my departure from the area reached I felt sad to say goodbye, but I promised them that I would come back.

I love sitting up in the front of Gete’s minibus, enjoying all the sights, asking lots of questions. After I returned back to Kefetew Guesthouse, I knew that I had a problem. I was short of breath, but we were blaming that on the altitude. But that was not to blame for my leg swelling up.

Genet took me to American Clinic but I was sent straight to St. Yared Hospital.

Unfortunately they did not serve food there.

The ICU was not like home, quite a shock for me but I thought it was only for an overnight and that I would be fine. The next day after a CT scan, I knew that I was there for longer because I had clots in the calf and lungs. I stayed there for nine days, but I must say my doctor and nurses were very nice and kind.

This is where Genet took over cooking meals for me twice a day. Coming with a smile, flowers, books and fruit, in fact, whatever I needed. Gete would arrive each day and together they kept me happy and became beautiful, lifelong friends.

Eventually I was allowed back to Kefetew for “home therapy”. Genet was fantastic; spending more time with me enjoying her company. She cooked food that was “good for me”. Two of my girls from Asella spent a

week with me learning more sewing.

As I improved I went out to see the city with Genet, Gete and Mimi, Genet’s dog with Gete’s minibus. Addis has grown since I was here five years ago. The buildings going up is mind-blowing, the taxis and minibuses that stop and let people on and off, the train, the roads and the restaurants are amazing, not the crazy traffic. I still don’t know how it works but a beep and you move over, no rules as far as I see.

I loved those days in Addis, with the three of us having lunch each day. It was fasting time; although Genet and I did not, Gete always fasted. I was so well looked after. I visited the wonderful Fistula Hospital and Mekedonia, the place I am in awe of. Binyam is a living saint and the wonderful volunteers there amaze me.

I will miss the beautiful people who visited me while I was in hospital and back at Kefetew. Some I knew and others didn’t.

Kidest, my beautiful nurse who called in and checked on me, did so much volunteering.

Helen from our Embassy in Addis was also nice. I will never forget the chanting of the mosque at 5:30a.m. and the prayers from the Orthodox Church during Lent.

Genet was always as caring as an angel. Gete was a beautiful friend. So many memories I have in Ethiopia. Lucky for me, the illness made for an extended stay which gave me time to enjoy the culture of Ethiopia and the joy of spending time in Addis with my amazing friends. My friends are my Ethiopian family

I miss all of the people who were around me. And I miss Ethiopia!

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ENTERTAINMENT:

THE EMINENCE

Pick of the Month Book The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears

https://upload.wikimedia.org

The book is the story of Sepha Stephanos, an Ethiopian immigrant who’s been living in Washington, DC, for 17 years and Sepha owns a small, little grocery store in a rapidly gentrifying neighbourhood of Washington, DC. There he has two friends, Joseph from the Congo and Kenneth from Kenya.

And the three of them together form a little surrogate family of expatriates, refugees, immigrants who gather together in the store weekly to tell stories about home, the countries that they lost, the families that they miss.

Movie Bullied as a teen for being overweight, Bob Stone (Dwayne Johnson) shows up to his high school reunion looking fit and muscular. While there, he finds Calvin Joyner (Kevin Hart), a fast-talking accountant who misses his glory days as a popular athlete. Stone is now a lethal CIA agent who needs Calvin’s number skills to help him save the compromised U.S. spy satellite system. Together, the former classmates encounter shootouts, espionage and double-crosses while trying to prevent worldwide chaos.

https://i.ytimg.com

Central Intelligence

Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber Actors: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Danielle Nicolet

http://www.addisinsight.com/

Music

42 | The Eminence - Issue 21 -July 2016

Sami Dan ‘Keras Gar Nigigir’ Singer and songwriter, Samuel Berhanu a.k.a Sami-dan is a reggae genre artist who dropped his first studio album recently by the title of “Keras gar nigigir.” The album contains 13 tracks with a content of love, success, life and peace. Since the album is out it have a buzz trough out the town because of Sami’s unique taste of music and strong content of his lyrics.

Food Recipe

Chechebsa

http://ot-foodspotting-production.s3.amazonaws.com/

http://cate5.com/

Needed ingredients •a cup of all purpose flour •3 or 4 table spoon of clarified butter (or olive oil) •2 tea spoon of berbere [red pepper] (this portion depends on how sensitive you are to hot stuff. If you are not a fan of spicy hot, then bring down the portion to 1 tea spoon or less) • salt •water Direction 1.Mix the flour and the salt in a bowl 2.Add water to the dry ingredient and mix it well to form a batter. The batter should not be watery as the thickness of the kita (flatten bread) depends on it.

You can add flour if it’s too watery or water if the batter is too thick. You should beat the batter well to avoid any lumps.

3.Put a little oil on a frying pan and heat it to a medium hot.

4.Add the batter to the hot pan. Make sure you pour a thin layer of the batter as it tastes better. Move the pan side to side for even distribution of the batter.

5.When the kita is turning into light brown filp it over so that the other side can be fried too. Then take it out off the pan and put it aside to cool.

6.In the mean time, put the berbere and the batter on a medium heat frying pan.

Let the butter melt slowly with the berbere.

7.Tear the kita into smaller pieces with your hands.

8.Add the pieces of the kita into the berbere mixture and stir it well until it soaks the butter and the berbere.

9.Place the chechebsa in a bowl or on a plate and serve.

Enjoy!

Sudoku

Tourist Corner

Name: Kevin Smith Age: 45

I am From: United State, California I am in Ethiopia: as a tourist to visit the churches like Lalibela and the Museums An Ethiopian concept or way of thinking that you do not understand: The money exchange, some taxi drivers try to increase the transportation tariff on tourists Something that has been hard to find here but easy to find in California; The internet connection is not stronger Something that has been easy to find here but harder to find in California; The people in here are super friendly and their cultural cuisines are good.

Your Favorite thing about Ethiopia: The history and culture of Ethiopia especially the church of Lalibela and the second hottest place in the planet, Dalol.

Your least favorite thing about Ethiopia; In fact there are beggars in other countries, but in Ethiopia they exist every places where tourist are staying places and I cannot donate them money for all.

Your favorite Ethiopian cuisines; traditional bread (defo dabo) and Berbere (red pepper)

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ENTERTAINMENT: CLASSIFIED Best Halls in Addis Ababa Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Available Rooms: 12 Accommodates: From 30 - 500 People African Union (AU) Available Rooms: 40 Accommodates: From 35 -2, 500 People Sheraton Addis Hotel Available Rooms: 9 Accommodates: From 40 -450 People Hilton Addis Ababa Available Rooms: 8 Accommodates: From 20 -650 People Radission Blu Addis Ababa Available Rooms: 2 Accommodates: From 12 -120 People

Places for Retreat Kurifitu Resort & Spa Location: Bishoftu (Debrezeit) Things to do: Restaurant & Bar, Swimming, Kayaking, Spa, Rooms Kurifitu Resort & Spa Location: Bahir Dar Things to do: Restaurants, Rooms with Lake Tana View, Fireplace, Swimming, Spa Adulala Resort Location: Bishoftu (Debrezeit) Things to do: Restaurants & bar, Spa & Gym, Bungalows, Horse riding, fishing at Babo Gaya Lake & much more African Vacation Club Location: Langanoo Things to do: Restaurant & bar, Swimming, Kayaking, Spa, Rooms, Horse ridding, Game Zone and Different Beach Games Yaya Village Location: Sululeta Things to do: Restaurant & bar, Horse Riding, Rooms & High Attitude training Liesake Resort and Spa Avanti Blue Nile Hotel Location: Bahir Dar Things to do: Bar and Restaurant, Rooms with overall city view, massage

Immerse yourself in Ethiopian Music and Dance Fendika Location: Kazanchis Time: from 7:00 PM- Mid night 2000 Habesha Location: Bole Time: from 7:00 PM- Mid night

Holy Trinity Cathedral Location: Arat Kilo

Beautiful Scenic and Wildlife in Ethiopia

National Museum Location: Amist Kilo

Park (Anebesa Gebi) Location: Sidist Kilo

Panoramic view of Addis from Entoto Location: Entoto

Hangout Spots Edna Mall/ Bob and Bongos Things to do: Watch box office movies, Skating, basket ball, cafés, 7D movies Lafto Mall Things to do: Read your favorite books & enjoy hot drinks Balageru Coffee Things to do: Read your favorite books & enjoy hot drinks Bilos Café Things to do: Some of the best pastries in town

Night Life in Addis Gaslight Night Club Location: Sheraton Addis Club Illusion Location: Next to Ambassador Theater Black Rose Location: On Boston Building Champion Bar Location: On Boston Building Liquid Lounge Location: Next to Intercontinental Addis Hotel Club H2O Location: On Yolly Building, “Chichiniya” Suba Lounge Location: Wollo Sefer on Ethio-China road Gravity Lounge Location: Next to Bole Medihanialem Church Fendika Club Location: Kasanchis

What to see in Addis Ababa?

Ethiopian Korean War Veterans Association Location: Afincho Ber The largest open market in Africa Location: Merkato The gold jewelry market Location: Piassa

44 | The Eminence - Issue 21 -July 2016

Al Mendi Location: Meskel Flower Specialty: Arabian Restaurants

Four Seasons Location: Bisrat Gabriel Specialty: Japanese, Thai and Indian

Ethnological Museum Location: Sidist Kilo

Ethiopian traditional clothes and jewelry market Location: Shiro Meda

International Cuisines in Addis

Caribo Resturants Location: Mekinisa Specialty: Caribbean and African cuisine Simien Mountains National Park Location: Semien Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region Some of the animals that can be found: Gelada baboon, Simien fox & Walia Ibex Nechisar National Park Location: SNNPR Some of the animals that can be found: Burchell’s Zebra, Grant’s gazelle, Guenther’s Dik-dik, Anubis Baboon & Grey Duiker.

Awash National Park Location: Southern part of Afar Region and northeastern of Oromia Region Some of the animals that can be found: Beisa oryx, Hamadryas Swaync’s Hartebeet Omo National Park Location: SNNPR Some of the animals that can be found: Burchell’s Zebra, Gerenuk & Kudu

Castelli Location: Piassa Specialty: Italian Restaurant Chez Fasil Restaurant and Bar Location: Meskel Flower Specialty: Specialized in Nouvelle & Fusion Cuisine German Restaurant Location: Near Japan Embassy Specialty: German food and beer Kuriftu Diplomat Restaurant Location: On Boston Building Specialty: “The ultimate global cuisine” Hahn Khuh Restaurant Location: Atlas Specialty: Korean

Mago National Park Location: SNNPR Some of the animals that can be found: buffalo, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, hartebeest, leopard, lion and zebra

Aladdin Location: Near Japan Embassy Specialty: Middle Eastern

Bale Mountains National Park Location: Oromia Region Some of the animals that can be found: Topi, Lelwel Hartebeest, Bustards, Hornbills, Weavers & Starlings

Tomoca Coffee Abissiynia Coffee Alem Bunna

Some of the best Coffee house

Gambella National Park Location: Gambella Region Some of the animals that can be found: Nile Lechwe,White-Eared Kob, Roan Antelope, and Whaleheaded Stork Abijatta-Shalla Lakes National Park Location: Oromia Region Some of the animals that can be found: Great White Pelicans and Flamingo Yangudi Rassa National Park Location: Afar Region Some of the animals that can be found: Beisa Oryx, Dorcas gazelle, gerenuk and Gravy’s zebra

Your Home Away from Home for Your Extended Stay Beer Garden Inn (Guest House) Total Rooms: 21 Location: Bole Medhanialem Road near Edna mall GT Guest House (Guest House) Total Rooms: 13 Location: Kirkos kifle ketema, 200m in from Dashen Bank on Sierra Leone Street Yeka Guest House (Guest House) Total Rooms: 14 Location: British Embassy across the street from the Bio-Diversity Institute Addis Guest House (Guest House) Total Rooms: 12 Location: Bole road 5 minutes from Bole International Airport

“Please let it be noted neither the editorial team nor the company is liable for any errors or mistakes on the sources of information. The list is in no specific order”.

PHONE SERVICE Toll Free Information Service Federal Police Commission National Operator Fault Report Dial Up Internet Pre Paid Mobile Service/Bill Inquiry/Lost Mobile Registration/ Number Change Information Broad Band Customer Service PSTN Service Voice Mail

PRIVATE HOSPITALS 997 916 998 994 900 994 980 980 908

COURRIER SERVICE DHL EMS(Ethiopia) Federal Express TNT Skypok UPS Trans Express Ethiopia

011 662 16 00 011 515 20 72 011 618 63 83 011 551 41 54 011 662 13 09 011 551 41 54

UN United Nations Development Program United Nations Children Education Fund United Nations Economic Commission for Africa

011 663 35 82 011 518 40 00 011 551 72 00

BANK Abay Bank Addis International Bank Awash International Bank Bank of Abyssina Berhan International Bank Buna International Bank Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) Construction and Business Bank Cooperative Bank of Oromia Dashen Bank Debub Global Bank Development Bank of Ethiopia Enat Bank Lion International Bank Nib International Bank Oromia International Bank United Bank Wegagen Bank Zemen Bank

011 552 88 51 011 557 0502 011 557 00 00 011 551 41 30 011 618 57 32 011 158 08 67 011 122 87 55 011 551 23 00 011 552 27 59 011 467 18 03 011 467 40 87 011 551 11 88 011 550 49 48 011 662 60 00 011 550 32 88 011 557 21 13 011 465 52 22 011 552 38 00 011 550 11 11

AIRLINES British Midland (BMI) Egypt Air Ethiopian Airlines Emirates Kenya Airways K.L.M Royal Dutch Lufthansa Saudi Airline Yemen Airways

011 665 04 94 011 156 44 93 011 665 66 66 011 518 18 18 011 551 42 58 011 552 55 41 011 551 56 66 011 663 81 37 011 551 50 76

FIRE BRIGADE Station Menilik II square Station Addisu Kera Station Mekanisa Station Nifas Silk Station Akaki Station Megenagna Station Bole

011 156 70 40 011 466 34 20 011 276 91 46 011 442 55 63 011 434 00 96 011 663 03 73 011 664 85 80

POLICE STATION Police Information Federal Police Commission AA Police Commission

Addis Cardiac Hospital Addis Hiwot Hospital Bete Zata Hospital Landmark Hospital Hayat Hospital Kadisco Hospital Broad Band Customer Service PSTN Service Voice Mail

011 663 47 20 011 618 04 49 011 551 41 41 011 552 62 29 011 662 44 88 011 629 89 04 980 980 908

COURRIER SERVICE DHL EMS(Ethiopia) Federal Express TNT Skypok UPS Trans Express Ethiopia

011 662 16 00 011 515 20 72 011 618 63 83 011 551 41 54 011 662 13 09 011 551 41 54

PUBLIC HOSPITALS Black Lion (Tikur Anbessa) Hospital Menilik II Hospital Ras Desta Hospital

011 551 12 11 011 123 42 72 011 155 33 99

LIBRARY Academy of Ethiopian Languages Addis Ababa Municipality Library Alliance Ethio-Française British Council Economic Commission for Africa library German Cultural Institute Italian Cultural Institute J.F Kennedy (A.A.U) National Libraries & Archives

011 551 59 26 011 155 01 11 011 155 02 13 011 155 00 22 011 551 72 00 011 155 28 88 011 111 34 27 011 111 04 33 011 551 62 47

ART GALLERY Asni Gallery Ersas Art Studio Goshu Art Gallery Gigi’s Afro Asian Design& Fine Interiors Makush Gallery

011 123 32 44 0913 66 02 30 011 661 03 97 0912 20 43 37 011 552 68 48

Sudoku Answer

TOUR AND TRAVEL Eminence Social Entrepreneurs Koreb Tour Operators Kibran Tours Plc Rainbow Car Rental and Tour Services

011 823 71 82 011 662 3179 011 662 62 14 011 371 79 40

PHARMACY Abader Pharmacy Bata Pharmacy Ethio German Pharmacy

011 662 43 97 011 655 21 34 0911 20 94 88

ONLINE CLASSIFIED 2 Merkato Latest Ethiopian Tenders and Bids Buy and Sell ( Ethiopia) Gulit Online Market Mekina Online Car Market Kaymu Whats Out Addis?

www.2merkatos/ tenders buysellethio.com wwww.gulit.com www.mekina.ney et.kaymu.com Whatsoutaddis.com

991 916 011 157 21 21

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