Africa Unite
The Republic of Somaliland is bordered on the west by Ethiopia, Djibouti to its north and Somalia (Puntland) on the south with the Indian Ocean on the east. It has an area of 176,210 sq kms. It first became independent on June 26, 1960 after British rule and later united with central and southern Somalia which were under UN Trust Territory status after Italy gave up its colonies in Africa.
The Republic of Somaliland re-declared independence on May 18, 1991 after the collapse of Siad Barre’s Somalia and has remained separated yet unrecognized by any other state. However, Somaliland has been a relative success in the recent sad history of the Somali people. It is a stable and even democratic state to be which has a viable economy and budding public institutions.
The first president of Somaliland was Abdirahman Ahmed Ali Tuur. Upon his death, he was succeeded 1993 by Muhammed Haji Ibrahim Egal in President Egal was reelected in 1997 and served until his passing on May 3, 2002.
As Somaliland began a, delicate journey in democracy, president Egal’s deputy, Dahir Rayall Kahin entered office in what was considered a free, fair and democratic election. The governance of the Republic of Somaliland is a blend of traditional Somali practices and of western principles. It is called a “gabil” (clan or community) and consists of an executive presidency based on interclan consultation. A council of ministers, a two house legislature and an independent judiciary complete the political structure.
Although the republic is not officially recognized, it does maintain ties to many nations, states and international organizations by virtue of its proven stability and economic performance. Besides Ethiopia, Somaliland enjoys political relations with Djibouti, Ghana, Sweden, S. Africa, the U.K. and other Middle Eastern states.
Somaliland to its credit, has been a force for good in the volatile Horn of Africa. Since independence in 1991,the state has held together, and has carried high the torch or Somali pride in that it is a beacon to the world, signaling that all is not lost. The secret to Somaliland’s success must surely ignite the interest of all Somalis.What has worked in Hargheisa can surely be repeated in Mogadishou. Somaliland, although dogged by real issues of legitimacy, is fully entitled to its right to self – determination. Be that as it may, Somaliland can also be the linchpin on which a united Somalia within pre-1991 inter National borders can be reconstituted.
The international community must give credit where it is due. Somaliland deserves to be heard and be included into the family of nations. To ignore this is tantamount to hypocrisy.
Seaport
By Kirubel Tadesse
It is a secret among eight people. It all started with one visionary geophysicist that conducted research following the Afar land natural crack sees amazing opportunity that would benefit Ethiopia. He discovers that the land crack that happened accidentally can be exploited through artificial means, instantly making the crack a dry port is possible. His research had to be shared with few as it needs budget and security to be operational. Eritrean Intelligence unit was closely watching the developments and even tried to take the professor’s life in the U.S. Their aim is to kill the project and ‘continue to enslave the Ethiopian economy at Aseb port.’ The professor’s entire family and the rest of the group’s life become very vulnerable as they come to Addis Ababa to complete the project. It is all one step away from a vision that would liberalize the Ethiopian economy and consequently the nation.
Will the project succeed and Ethiopia get a seaport? Or will the Eritrean Intelligence keep the status quo?, is for you to answer after watching Seaport at Alem Cinema as it was reported no other theatres are featuring it anymore.
This new hit somehow follows a path of Serawit Fikire’s Semayawi Ferese (Blue Horse), once popular science fiction and takes the risk in going with such films to an Ethiopian audience. Tilahun, the director (who also acts as the main character) has managed to tie historical and real scientific facts with the theme of the film smartly, exciting readers with notions like ‘most Ethiopians and Eritreans wish to unite’ again and alike. But this notion, particularly seems to directly stand against the professor’s vision, since he is striving to liberate Ethiopia’s economy from the Eritrean port, isn’t he favoring one by taking sides and working for it ?, if not breaking real and existing economical ties and importantly is this a work of someone who is dreaming unity.
The movie seems to be enjoyed by the audience, who seem to be driven by the news that its advertisements were banned. As they say there is no such thing called negative publicity, when the film’s advertisement was banned from ETV, the film seemed to gain momentum as the press continuously reported the issue and printed advertisements.
From Around the Globe, a Mustering of the Tribes
All art fairs are messy, but the New York International Tribal & Textile Arts Show is messier than most. It assembles a ridiculously broad range of tribal art from Africa, Oceania, Asia and North and South America. It is a forceful, entrancing ensemble nonetheless.
This year’s fair has relocated to smaller quarters in the 69th Regiment Armory on Lexington Avenue, at 26th Street, far south of its former home in the Park Avenue Armory. There is a tighter floor plan downtown — where the fair actually began 14 years ago, under a different name — but it looks and feels pretty good, with 76 participating galleries from 10 countries.
More important, the fair has kept its stalwarts, including high-end European dealers like Esther Fitzgerald Rare Textiles, Joss Graham, Galerie Flak and Tribal Gathering, along with a core group of American specialist galleries. All welcome news, for it secures the usual bounty of lavish textiles; sculpture and statuary in clay, stone and wood; rugs of all stripes; and a tasty selection of jewelry.
“Tribal art” is considered a pejorative and outmoded term by dealers and scholars. It implies primitive. Here, though, it serves merely to corral a loose confederation of objects from indigenous and precolonial cultures. It is about identifying cultural authenticity.
Anyone who loves traditional textiles should not miss this show. The variety and beauty of forms are dizzying, and the craftsmanship exemplary. A handful of examples: an 800-year-old Peruvian, feather-patterned woolen mantle as fetching as any modern designer shawl, at Gail Martin Gallery; a Balinese silk ikat-weave woman’s shoulder or breast cloth, from the late 19th or early 20th century, at Apsara Arts of Asia; and a 19th-century hand-stitched woman’s tunic, from Bhutan, at Thomas Mond Carpets and Textiles.
Maybe rugs are your thing. Carpets of all descriptions line the walls and floors of the booths. At Joss Graham there is an eye-catching Iranian wool and cotton kilim from the early 20th century, with an intersecting diamond design at the center, surrounded by blocks of pure color. Another spectacular kilim, from around 1900, is from Eastern Anatolia.
Prices for tribal art are significantly lower than for fine arts and antiques. Few objects in the show cost more than $25,000, with the bulk in the range of $5,000 to $15,000. Among the most expensive pieces is a male figure from Congo, at Joel Cooner Gallery, from around 1900. It is $165,000.
As always, there is an abundance of African material, but it takes patience to sort through the booths to find really unusual stuff. Tribal Gathering’s includes a collection of elegantly carved, forked sticks — possibly fertility symbols — used as wedding gifts by the Afar tribe in Somalia and Ethiopia. (The New York Times)
Opening golden pages of Ethiopian music,Ethiopian music festival,salutes with sax summit
By Abiy Demilew
Kicking the annual boost of Ethiopian music flavours, opening golden pages of the golden Ethiopian music and retrieving the jewel icons of the golden era, Ethiopian Music Festival (emf), an initiative and gesture of the Alliance Ethio-Francaise, has saluted with Sax Summit, which featured the legendary and contemporary saxophone players of Ethiopian music.
Shined and flavoured with Dawit Frew Hailu, Henok Temesgen, Feleke Hailu, Olaf Boelsen; the Alliance Ethio-Francaise’s Sax Summit gathered some of the great saxophonists of the 60s and 70s.
Alliance Ethio- Francaise said, “Sax Summit is a unique performance which is coloured by these musicians of the golden age, not having played in Ethiopia since decades.”
Tilaye Gebre, one of the students of Nerses Nalbandian, the Armenian music master and the introducer of orchestral music in Ethiopia, belongs to the last generation of independent musicians from the period of Haile Selassie. He was trained by and performed with the Venus Band, Wallias Band and Dahlak Band.
Teodros Mitiku, a.k.a “Teddy Mitty” to his fans, is one of the most talented and versatile Ethiopian musicians working today, who has been enthralling audiences with his unique playing style and mastery of the saxophone for the last 36 years.
Teddy, who also is known for his masterpiece album “Ambassel”, began his professional career with “The Soul Echoes,” later called “The Ibex Band” in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Before immigrating to the United States in 1983, Teddy spent three years playing in clubs in Sudan and Egypt. Since then, Teddy has been touring the world with renowned Ethiopian performers.
The other icon, Moges Habte, belongs to the first generation of independent musicians (that is, those not emerging from institutional orchestras such as the Imperial Guard Band or the Police Orchestra) that emerged in the late 1960s. He ranks as one of the most important Ethiopian saxophonists, and was a founder of Wallias Band in the early 1970s.
Alliance Ethio-Francaise, playing a significant role in the promotion and publicity of Ethiopian music and musicians, have been instrumental in gathering, reintroducing and promoting Ethiopian musicians in Africa and Europe.
“The Days all start at Midnight: Swinging Addis and its Music”
The 50 minute documentary, The Days All Start At Midnight: Swinging Addis And Its Music, is the other highlight of the Ethiopian Music Festival, circling on (work in progress) on the evolution of the city of Addis itself and its popular music through the 1960’s and 1970’s.
The documentary begins with Addis’s establishment as the seat of the Organization of African Unity, the OAU, and with the big state military bands and the Haile Selassie Theater Orchestra, and ends around 1980, covering the former communist and military dictatorship, its traumatic ‘Red Terror’ period, its curfews and censors; and the stories of individual musicians’ survival and, often, escape to the United States.
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