FEATURES

Meeting Mengistu
by Guenet Ayele

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI * I started by calling on the phone. A man picked up. "Hello?" For a moment I thought it might be him, but while I was wondering whether to answer in English or Amharic, the man said gruffly, in English, "Who's speaking?" It wasn't him. Hesitantly, carefully, I asked, "May I speak to Colonel Mengistu please?"

DEPARTMENTS

LA's Little Ethiopia
by Yemane I. Demissie
Thousands of Ethiopians live in the U.S. but they haven't had much official presence. Until now. On August 7, 2002, part of a neighborhood in LA was named Little Ethiopia.

Ethiopia falls to AIDS
by Yohannes
Edemariam
With a
photography collection
by Eric Gottesman

The Ethiopian candidate
Sintayehu Tsehay is the first black man to run for municipal office in Vienna. Two years ago, he helped the Socialist Party to victory over a conservative coalition which included the Freedom party, to which infamous ultra-nationalist Jörg Haider belongs. On November 24th, 2002, Sintayehu will be contending for a seat in the national parliament of Austria, again representing the Socialist Party.

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As recently as 1988, Ethiopia was considered to have a relatively low incidence of HIV/AIDS. Yet Ethiopia, which accounts for only one percent of the world's population, now has 10% of the world's HIV/AIDS patients. 3.5 million Ethiopians are infected and 1.3 million children have been orphaned. How did this disastrous state of affairs comeabout so quickly? And why does it continue to get worse?

Not just a pretty face by Indrias Getachew
The beauty queen's throne has real power

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Northern reflections by Jo Harris
A walking tour in the Ethiopian highlands proves educational for everyone concerned

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Ethiopia in Singapore
by Aida Edemariam
The Great Rift Valley has a double. Specifically, the bit of the Great Rift Valley that is to be found in Ethiopia has a double.

The stele saga
by Elisabetta Povoledo

In 1937 the Italians transported a 40-ton obelisk from Axum to Rome and erected it in front of the Ministry of the Colonies. It has been in Rome ever since – and for almost as long, Ethiopia has been asking for it back. Then, in May, it was hit by lightning

 

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The Ethiopian national football team has a new coach and he's got a big job on his hands
by Dawit Tilahun & Hayal Alemayehu

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How ancient Ethiopians provided the genes for all human beings
by Giuseppe Passarino

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Who was Abreha the Abyssinian?
by Stuart Munro-Hay
In 1990, just before the Gulf War, looked for historical backup for his bravado: "More than 1,400 years ago, enticed by the devil and intoxicated by his power to expand and dominate, Abreha the Abyssinian had sought to occupy the Kaaba - whose land is now occupied by U.S. forces and by those who have been tempted to do evil. Angered by this attempt, God pounced on him, and so Abraha returned with a bowed head and lowered banners. He did not dare ever to attack the Kaaba again ... Whatever pretexts and excuses are advanced by transgressors, God shall not forgive them ... God shall bring victory to those who rally to his cause, and the unjust shall be defeated." Now, as the U.S. contemplates another war against Iraq, we ask ...

A brush with equality
by Indrias Getachew
Addis Ababa is experiencing a sudden burst of interest in contemporary art. Women are well represented

Virtual war
Making a
game of death

 

 

 

by Yonatan
Jembere

Julie's World
by Alexander Dumbadze
She combines the architectural plans of airports, population flow charts, explosions. And somehow it all makes sense

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Original branna
by Kathleen Bickford Berzock
Precious 17th-century illuminated manuscripts tell of saints and miracles

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Ready for its close-up
by Jeet Heer
Suddenly, Ethiopia is getting noticed by Hollywood

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A brave new world
by Heruy Arefe-Aine
The current explosion of interest in non-Western music is great news for Ethiopia. The challenge will be how to embrace exciting possibilities while staying true to Ethiopian roots

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Ethiopia: The Long March of Poverty
How Relevant is Amartya Sen's Work?
By Dessalegn Rahmato

Every autumn since the early 1980s, government officials in Ethiopia have performed a grim ritual: they summon all donor agencies in the capital and in a voice they believe to be appropriate for the occasion (solemn, convincing) announce how many people will be facing starvation in the coming year and how much food aid is urgently needed to avert a catastrophe.

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Survival of the oldest
Why Ethiopia has failed to modernise Samuel Wolde-Yohannes on Messay Kebebe

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Beautiful dreams
fiction by Teodros Kiros

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Manalé takes Manhattan
By Lauren Mechling
Eight years since she - and her credit cards - took the plunge, Manalé is one of New York's most sought-after designers of couture bridal wear

Building hope by Aida Edemariam
The Gondar hospital trains healthcare professionals and sends them all over Ethiopia. It also serves 4.2 million people. But the place is a mess. Ordinary Ethiopians are trying to help

An Ethiopian calendar
upcoming events and key points in history
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