Eritrean Artistis

The Delegation of the European Union in Eritrea is organising for the second time on a row the Art Competition “I Dream Therefore I Am”.

The competition calls on the youth and adults to express artistically their personal dreams, dreams for their family and dreams for their country or to interpret the theme “A world where no one is left behind”.

Participants are invited to create a work of art expressing their dreams in their preferred form of the artistic expression.

The competition is open for three different categories – Youth 11-18 years of age, Adult Non-Professional Artists and Adult Professional Artists. Participants from categories 1 and 2 must be resident in Eritrea, whereas category 3 is open to any participant from other countries in the region. The deadline of the competition is the 01 September 2010.

The European Union marks 2010 as the “European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion”. Therefore, the theme of this year’s competition is “A world where no one is left behind” The title of the competition goes back to the 19^th century Swedish Author Johan August Strindberg and expresses the feeling that every great idea starts with a dream.

During last year’s competition ten Eritrean artists received a prize for the best art works by the Head of the Delegation of the European Commission to Eritrea, Ms Paola Amadei, at the official awards ceremony.

This year’s prizes awards range from 800 Nakfa and an art kit in category Youth and 3000 Nakfa in category Non-Professional Artists to 10.000 Nakfa in category Professional Artists.

In 1988 the top songs from the US single charts came from artists like Guns N’ Roses, Tracy Chapman, George Michael and Neneh Cherry – “Bufallo Stance”. This was three years before the Eritrean war of independence ended and Eritrea was freed from Ethiopian occupation.

At that time, I was a 13-year-old boy living with my family a typical Eritrean Diaspora life between two cultures.

As a teen, Sundays were usually extremely tiring and again on this particular Sunday, apart from a boring day, there was nothing special going on, except the usual Eritrean coffee ceremonies where parents light a fire in the living room together with friends.

Trying to ignore the group of grownups discussing about life and their beloved country with emotional gestures, I sat on the floor moving closer to the TV screen. This was my way of demonstrating against the intruders, their noise and the aggressively smelling aroma of Eritrean food and coffee.

All of a sudden this 15-year-old French girl singing “Joe le taxi” and swinging to cha, cha, cha drums appeared on screen.

Her voice blew me away and nothing was able to distract me from staring at the TV, there was no noise just gestures, no smell just fresh air.

There had been nothing, absolutely nothing with girls in my mind until that day and I would not tell anyone that this had changed. As a young boy you do not want to loose your overall coolness by admitting you like girls.

Nine years later, I would arrive in Eritrea for the first time and take a taxi ride from the airport to the heart of Asmara in a yellow Opel with Kidane behind the steering wheel not Joe.

This time, I would fall in love with a whole country and I would not be ashamed to tell and spread the news about this wonderful place.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has backed calls for Africa to be “blanketed” with bed nets as part of the battle to eradicate malaria.

Dr Rowan Williams said in spite of being preventable and treatable, the blood disease – caused by a parasite transmitted by the mosquito – was still killing nearly a million people every year.

In a message recorded to mark World Malaria Day on Sunday, Dr Williams called on the world to put its “energy and imagination” behind efforts to achieve the goal of getting rid of malaria deaths by 2015.

“One of the things that I was taught when I was growing up was that among the greatest achievements of modern science was the identification of where malaria came from, the great steps that have been made to eradicate malaria from the world,” he said.

“That was many years ago and in the intervening years, tragically the challenge of malaria has grown worse not better.

“Half the world’s population is at risk from malaria, about a million people die because of it every year and not surprisingly the cost is highest among those most vulnerable and the youngest.”

The message was recorded by Dr Williams to support the global coalition United Against Malaria.

Campaigners are working towards a United Nations target of providing bed nets to everyone at risk by the end of this year with the aim of eradicating malaria deaths by 2015.

Ethiopia, Rwanda and Eritrea have been highlighted for their success in reducing malaria deaths by more than a half in just a few years through the use of bed nets, medicines and spraying.

Malaria sufferers experience flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache and vomiting. Without treatment, the disease can result in permanent brain damage and death. Source: (The Press Association)

The influx of new rap talent over the last couple of years might have you thinking every new rapper is a tight jeans-wearing hipster. Luckily for those of you that just want some gangsta shit, there’s Ermias “Nipsey Hussle” Asghedom, who, as anyone that’s peeped the video for “Hussle In The House” knows, is a Rollin 60s Crip.

However, even while embracing the uglier aspects of growing up in Los Angeles, Nipsey continued to put time and money into building his music career. But simply being a thug on the microphone won’t inspire much of a following. It’s his intricate flows and stellar Bullets Ain’t Got No Name mixtape series that have earned him heavy co-signs from Snoop Dogg and Game, as well as a spot on XXL’s prestigious “2010 Freshmen Class” cover for best new rap artists.

While in New York working on his highly anticipated debut, South Central State Of Mind, which features production from DJ Khalil, The Runners, Scott Storch, Play-N-Skillz, Mr. Lee, and J.R. Rotem. Nipsey spoke to Complex about visiting Eritrea, why radio wouldn’t play “Hussle In The House,” and how he feels about rappers reppin’ gangs.

Complex: What was it like of being put on the XXL “2010 Freshman” cover?

Nipsey Hussle: That was big. That was my first major cover. Really my first cover. But especially for a publication that got so much exposure and reach, I just feel like another milestone, another goal accomplished, and we just gon’ keep rollin’ and pressin’. I wasn’t mad or bitter [about not getting the cover last time], but I just felt like we were making a lotta noise last year, especially as a L.A. artist. If you just pay attention to the region, there wasn’t too many artists making as much noise and who were as visible as us, but it’s cool, they got their mind right in ’10.

Complex: You’re half Eritrean, right?

Nipsey Hussle: Yeah, it’s a country in East Africa. My mom is American, so I was raised in her household in my formative years. But as I got older, my pops tried to keep me involved with the culture by telling me the stories of the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea, how he came to America, and about our family back home, because all that side of my family, my aunties, grandparents, is in Africa. When I went back home in 2004, I went for three months. That was my first time in Africa at all. My first time meeting my Granny, aunties, and cousins. It was me, my brother, and my pops.

Complex: What was that experience like?

Nipsey Hussle: It was A1. At first, I experienced culture shock. The shit that we rely on day-to-day out here, your cell phone, Internet, e-mail, and your females, [laughs] and your daily movement, it’s all cut off once you get out there. It’s more about the interaction with people.

Complex: What was it like being somewhere where gang culture wasn’t such an integral part of everyday life?

Nipsey Hussle: It wasn’t as dominant. That wasn’t the culture. You had your fake little pop-up gangs, but that wasn’t the culture of that place. It was an actual conflict over land, over the border. A generational, decades old conflict. That was more or less the culture of the young people. It was like, “I’mma go to war, fight, and go to the frontlines for my country.” But it was a good experience. It put me in touch with my roots. If you don’t know your full-throttle history, the whole story of how you came to where you are, it’s kind of hard to put things together. That filled in a blank spot for me, as far as understanding myself.

Complex: Was it weird to be in a place where you actually weren’t a minority?

Nipsey Hussle: For sure. You saw that in key positions; president, government, police, everybody’s the same [color]. It’s a country run by its people. No racial class, everybody feels a part of it.

Complex: Did you attend college for a bit?

Nipsey Hussle: When I first stopped going to high school, I was about 15, 16. It had to be like 2000, 2001. I got put out and went to boot camp for a little bit. They tried to say that I was involved in a robbery at the school. There was a computer lab that was broken into, and all the computers got stolen. I didn’t do it. [Laughs.] I went to this little program through the Lennox Sheriff department. It was a juvenile [program], so if you fucking up in school, you get put out. My mom went to my court date and expressed her frustration, and they were like, “We got a place for him, don’t trip.” [Laughs.] It wasn’t no penitentiary. From there, I didn’t wanna be looked at as no idiot, and I didn’t wanna feel like I was uneducated, because I really stopped going to school at 15. I was never ignorant, as far as being experienced in classrooms and learning about different subjects and actually soaking it up, so I checked into college for a little bit. I took classes at a community college in West L.A. I took psychology, English, and philosophy.

Complex: Oh, ok. Why’d you stop going?

Nipsey Hussle: I was trying to get money, and get back into the music. Once I passed the classes with As and Bs, even my English teacher got at me and was like, “Are you plagiarizing this shit? You’re 15 and quoting Plato in your essays, what’s going on?” and I was like, “Nah, I’m just into it.” I was taking an English class and a philosophy class. We were learning about all the different philosophers in the world.

Complex: Do you still read philosophy at all?

Nipsey Hussle: Well, right now it’s kind of hard to, because I’m focusing on the music, but I still got a cold library of books that I’ve either read or I plan on getting to. I done read damn near on every topic, from history, the black experience in America, the old Greek philosophy, the conflict in Egypt, and all that.

Complex: What’s the last good book you’ve read?

Nipsey Hussle: It’s a book called Three Magic Words, about the power of the minds. It’s about projection of your thoughts into reality. That’s one of the books I read most recently. I done read a gang of shit, man. 48 Laws of Power, Blood In My Eye, which was the George Jonathan Jackson story, and Soul On Ice by Eldridge Cleaver.

Complex: You were in a movie with Ving Rhames called The Wrath of Cain. How did you start working with him?

Nipsey Hussle: Ving is a street nigga from New York. He’s big now, and obviously a successful actor, but he heard my mixtape on the fluke. He grabbed his stepdaughter’s iPod and hopped on a flight to South Africa, and all she had was Lil Wayne and my shit. [Laughs.] He listened to my tape top to bottom, and said he felt my struggle and story. So he wrote a whole concept for a film when he was in South Africa, and when he got back he reached out to my management and we got together. He pitched the concept, and I was like, “Hell yeah, let’s do it.” Even aside from the movie, I connected with Ving cause he’s a sincere, A1 nigga, and the whole concept of the movie is just based on what he heard on my project.

Complex: Another person you collaborated with is Drake. How did that come about?

Nipsey Hussle: That was like, we were both bubbling at the time right after the BET Awards. Right when So Far Gone was taking off. It was a little bit after that shit dropped. Cuz just went on Twitter and said “Nipsey Hussle is the hardest out!” and people just started hitting me, bitches and shit, like, “You see what Drake said about you on Twitter!?” [Laughs.] So I checked on it, and hit Cuz back like “I’m a fan of your shit, my nigga, keep doing your thing.” Then Cuz reached out to the label, and they hit me like “Drake’s tryna holler at you, we gonna put you on the line with him.” So we just chopped it up and had mutual respect for each other’s movements. And then he was like “I got a record that’s crazy, I’ma shoot it to you.” And it didn’t have no hook, just a verse. The shit was hot. I locked my verse in, shot it back, and he was like, “Do the hook.” And I was like, “Nah, you do the hook my nigga! This what you do! Do the auto-tune shit, make the shit hot, knock it out, cuz!” A week later he sent it back, and I was like, “Yeah, that’s on fire.”

Complex: Your manager, Big U, has a well-known street rep in L.A. How did you link with him?

Nipsey Hussle: We from the neighborhood, and Big U been locked up since I was a little kid. They gave him 25, and he did 13. So he’s been gone since the early ‘90s. Right when he was about to get out is when my movement was heavy. I was about 16, 17, dropping mixtapes in the ‘hood, putting my money into posters, and started saturating the streets. The whole ‘hood already knew what was going on with me, and everything trickled up to the jailhouses and the penitentiaries. All the homies on the yard was hearing, “Oh yeah there’s a young homie Nipsey doin this thing,” and Big U was always plugged in the industry. He used to manage Kurupt, he fucked with Snoop, and had a lot of other relationships. His little brother was killed as a bodyguard for Kurupt in an altercation in early 1999.

Complex: What happened?

Nipsey Hussle: Kurupt, Dogg Pound, and a couple other guys got into an altercation. The niggas they had got into it with had left and then came back shooting. When they started shooting, everybody ran inside and closed the door, and left Draws outside. He was they security. It was on some “close the door” shit. They looked up, asked “Where’s Draws at?” Come outside, and he’s leaking, shot dead. U was in the pen when his brother got killed, and his brother was heavy in the game on the security tip as well as helping manage artists and get a foot in. So based on Draws’ prior experience in the industry and also him being a figure in the hood, when he got home he was like, “Yeah, let’s sit down and chop it.” Niggas already heard stories about Cuz and how treacherous he was in the streets, but I was like “Yeah, we can sit down and chop it, my nigga.” I had never met him or none of that, I had just heard stories.

Complex: When did this happen?

Nipsey Hussle: It had to be like 2004. We just chopped it up, and we started moving as partners. He set up meetings with every major label, they all turned us down at first. A lot of the music on Bullets Ain’t Got No Name, Vol. 1 and 2, we went to the meetings with, and they were always excited about the music. They saw the vision, but they’d get a call when we leave, like “Yeah, them is the 60s. That’s Big U. That’s another Suge. Don’t do it.” That was the word. The first time I came to New York, took a meeting with Epic, and we got the deal. All the labels in LA turned us down though. They were all like “Yeah,” but then we never got the calls from the lawyers. We were supposed to meet with Jimmy Iovine, and they sent [his nephew] DeeJay down, I was like, “Hold on, we already met the A&Rs and played the music, we already had this meeting already.” [Laughs.] For whatever reason, we ended up not doing nothing with any of the labels in LA. We met with Jon [Shapiro], and Jon had the situation at Epic. We met with the people at Epic, they believed in it.

Complex: You have had a bit of trouble getting traction with a buzz single for the album. I heard L.A. radio stations wouldn’t play “Hussle in the House” because they felt it promoted gangbangin’.

Nipsey Hussle: I mean, that was the actual mothers calling the station saying, “Do you know what this record is saying? He’s from the 60s. Playing this record is promoting the [gang] stuff going on in L.A.” In my eyes, it’s like, Nah I’m not promoting it. I’m just speaking on it. The radio people had to heed to that pressure and cut it off a little bit. My homegirl Devi Dev, she works for KDAY [LA radio station, 93.5.], she told me they were getting calls every day over that record. Either they were loving it, or they were like, “How can you play this song on the radio?” But it was a success for me. Any time I do a show, the whole crowd knows the song. Every city I go to, that’s what they know me for. So I wouldn’t trade it. A lot of artists come into the game with a radio record, but they don’t establish the fans as fans of their style of music. It’s just that they’re a fan of that song, and after that song plays out, it’s real hard for ‘em.

Complex: How hard is it coming up in the gang culture to switch to the perspective of being an artist?

Nipsey Hussle: I feel like I’m an ambassador. Not just to pump myself or none of that, but nobody ain’t, other than Snoop, and Snoop’s my homeboy, and he comes from a different era, but as far as my generation and where we came from, I don’t know nobody in the streets and was active with this gangbang shit like I was and my homie was. And I ain’t the hardest nigga, that ain’t what I’m saying. We were just out here with the shit for real. That was our day-to-day. It’s hard at the same time, but I know that what I’m doing is a first, so I accept that feeling of being in unfamiliar territory right now. I feel like I’d be spitting on my blessing to go back in, backtracking, and doing some shit that’ll risk my freedom. I got a daughter now, so it’s a different state of mind.

Complex: Does it bother you at all when certain rappers like Lil Wayne or Jim Jones rep Bloods?

Nipsey Hussle: If you 35, 28, or 30 years old, and you decide you’re gonna pick up a rag and start bangin’, and you can look yourself in the mirror and you still feel like you’re a man? That’s cool, do your thing. My concern is the niggas that are really in the shit. I’m more focused on giving solutions and inspiration more than anything. But to answer your question, I feel like it’s fraudulent. Straight up. If you ain’t put on to this shit, you wasn’t courted on, you ain’t going to the back of the buildings to fight, your homies didn’t get put on, you not from a gang. Not only are you not from a gang, if you ain’t press a line and put in work, not necessarily kill nobody but you know, put yours on the line. It ain’t just you a Blood when it’s convenient, cause you got a camera and it looks cool. When you around 100 Crips, you still a Blood. When 40-Glocc and them run up on you, you still a Blood. And I ain’t talking about Wayne. I got respect for they movement and I like the dude as an artist. But I’m just saying on some gangbang shit, when you go to the county jail and you walk in the court tank and it’s 50 of your enemies, you still gonna say the 60s (Rollin 60 Neighborhood Crips). Or you not a gangbanger. Your homies gonna hear about it, beat you up, kick you in your ass, and you was for nothin’. I know in the real world in this shit, a lot of niggas wouldn’t make it. So like I said, it’s an overstanding I got about it. I look at it like these niggas is totally out of character.

Complex: Being a new artist from the West Coast, how important has it been to have established artists such as Game And Snoop Dogg embrace you?

Nipsey Hussle: As far as Snoop, that’s the biggest thing to me, as far as like the way he did it. Snoop didn’t ask me to sign to him, ask for no percentage, ask for no cut, and he more or less just took his visibility and his celebrity and co-signed and spoke real highly of me as opposed to being like “Oh, fuck this young nigga. They always talkin’ about he reminds them of me.’” He didn’t take that as a negative. He embraced it, included me in his project, tried to step back, set the stage for me, and put me on the show venues. Every time I see Snoop, he keeps it 100. So I respect Snoop even aside from the music, just as a man, and especially the way he still represents who he is, after being a pop star and an icon. He’s done it successfully and has still been able to balance it. I got the utmost respect. And Game, too, him being a Blood from Compton, and right now the biggest nigga from the west since Snoop, he didn’t have to fuck with me neither. He embraced what I was doing with open arms. Soon as I got out the county [jail], he brought me in on his studio session when he was working on L.A.X., did a record with me, which became “They Roll,” which went on Power 106, spoke highly in city, and kind of just set it off. It’s always a question of “Well, you’re killin’ the streets, but how do these niggas feel about you?” Like if you kill it in New York, they’re gonna wanna know how Jay-Z feels about you. It’s the same in L.A. They’re gonna wanna know how Snoop and Game feel about you, and they were real vocal, like “He the next one.”

Complex: Although Snoop has obviously been very supportive of you, Bishop Lamont had spoke last year of doing a mixtape called No Country For Old Men because he felt like older artists like Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube weren’t supporting the new movement. Do you feel like that was fair?

Nipsey Hussle: The way I was raised, I was a man, even when I was 13, homie. Don’t do me no favors. Let me run mine, you feel me? I don’t need no help. You signed to Dr. Dre, how can somebody prevent you from doing what you gotta do? You got a record deal, you got a label behind you, money behind you. You have access to a studio. All you have to do is make hot shit. So how can a motherfucker prevent you? At the end of the day, I was doing it by myself in the studio. A lot of niggas did that, created their brand, went out into the world and did what they did without a co-sign. Dre did it by his own. My thing is that I don’t give no person that much power over my path that I’m walking. Not one person can make or break what I’m doing, except me or God. Not the label, Dr. Dre, Snoop, Game, and much respect to all them niggas, but as a man, that’s not how I was raised. Source (Complex)

A high-level meeting in London of political and business leaders will consider this week ways of raising 100 billion dollars to fight climate change. And yet another one in Washington will search for ways of finding, and funding, more three-dollar stoves around the world.

The second one is more ambitious than it sounds; it aims to get more than half a billion clean stoves around the world. But working with the little and the tangible, it might just be more effective than the London meet. And, it brings simultaneous health benefits.

The Britain-based Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy is pushing strongly for cleaner stoves around the world. “Fighting climate change and improving the health of the world’s poorest people are often seen as competing priorities,” says a report from the Ashden Awards. “Yet some technologies address both tasks at the same time.” For example, the cooking stove.

“Almost half the world’s households, some three billion, eat food cooked on fires and stoves burning wood, dung, coal, straw, husks and charcoal,” says the report released in London Sunday evening. “Pollution levels from smoke and gases such as carbon monoxide are typically hundreds of times those that would be tolerated in the streets or a factory.

“An estimated 1.6 million people die annually as a result, including around a million children under five, mostly victims of childhood pneumonia.”

Getting half a billion stoves to these households will begin to address the problem substantially. But that’s a lot of stoves, and it’s not clear how these households will get them.

“That’s the big question which the United Nations Foundation/Shell Foundation meeting in Washington DC will be looking at next week, so we may have some detailed strategies after that,” Dr Anne Wheldon, technical director of the Ashden Awards, tells IPS in an interview.

The clean stoves certainly exist, and at that price. “For instance, in Cambodia traditional stove-makers have been trained to produce an improved version which sells for only three dollars,” says Wheldon.

“We are also starting to see the factory-scale production that can make cheap stoves available more readily on a global basis. A very basic stove produced by the Shengzhou Stove Manufacturer has an ex-factory price of 3.50 dollars, with other models at eight to 12 dollars. Envirofit has also started mass manufacture, with some higher price range models with more features to them.”

Success on scale has been achieved in China. An estimated 180 million improved stoves were introduced from 1983 to 1995, and cook for most of the population, the Ashden report says. China has recently renewed efforts to provide a new generation of yet more efficient stoves.

But scaling up is now feasible elsewhere too, says Wheldon. “Provided that a stove is developed that people really like to use, it is quite feasible to get to the 100,000s scale, and there are a range of ways of doing this that work well in different circumstances – for instance, a government-led programme in Eritrea, an NGO-led programme in Bangladesh, upgrading of existing commercial production in Cambodia. Such programmes could probably grow to the 1-10 million scale.”

The Ashden calculations suggest that a global programme to manufacture the half-billion improved stoves needed to convert the world’s poor to safer cooking could save hundreds of thousands of young lives a year – and at the same time cut global greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of up to one billion tonnes of CO2 a year.

“Such investments ought to attract large sums through the carbon market,” the report says. “We calculate that improved cooking stoves can keep a tonne of CO2 out of the atmosphere for as little as one to three dollars – an exceedingly good deal in a market where offsets can be sold for 20-30 dollars a tonne.”

The carbon market could fund cleaner stoves in a number of ways, says Wheldon, such as “directly subsidising a government or NGO programme that provides stoves at low cost or sometimes zero cost as with the Eritrea stove programme, directly subsidising commercial sales, or supporting an umbrella organisation that coordinates independent producers, and takes responsibility for quality control and monitoring, as with the Cambodia stove programme coordination.”

Since 2001, 18 stove projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America have won Ashden awards, most of which have gone on to expand and develop, the Ashden report says. Time now, it says, for a scaling up of these successes. Source: (IPS)

There are few things that inspire me more than hearing the stories of others and how their personal journeys birth amazing ideas that they couragelously bring forth to the world. Because of this I always thought I would have more interviews in this space featuring creative goddesses, but for whatever reason it hasn’t happened until now.

I met Viva in 2006 when we worked together in a highly creative, yet very corporate environment. You know how when you meet certain people you just get a feeling that they are destined for greatness? Well, I felt that way about Viva.

I remember when we worked together that I would always keep a notebook with me because she would say these things that were so funny and quote-worthy that I would have to write them down. When she started telling me about her ideas for Inheritrea, I could feel the passion radiating from her and have been so inspired watching her turn a beautiful dream into a reality. I was so honored when she agreed to let me interview her here in my tiny space. I hope you can all see the beauty in her as well.… and no joke, these are the softest t-shirts i have ever felt.

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Hi Viva, I am so happy to be able to talk to you today about Inheritrea and introduce you to those who come to this space. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me and answer some questions.

Hi Stace!  Thank YOU for taking an interest in what Inheritrea is all about.

Tell us about Inheritrea. What does the name mean and what is the mission of your business?

The name merges the word, “inherit” and, “Eritrea” to capture the idea of truly cherishing what has been left to us by generations past.  My family is from Eritrea, a small country on the east coast of Africa that has a long and triumphant history.  So, for Eritreans like myself, it may mean our language, culture, traditions; but it’s such a universal theme!  For others, it may mean their maiden name, inheriting the Earth, even family recipes.  In essence, I wanted Inheritrea to be a source of pride for Eritreans, but also serve as a way to educate the rest of the world about Eritrea and be a reminder of how we all share many more similarities than differences.  So, that’s the philosophical translation.  How am I planning to achieve such a lofty goal?  That’s easy: t-shirts!  Our mission statement reads as follows:

Our mission is clear.
Inheritrea aims to give Eritreans, and friends of Eritrea, the opportunity to SOW SEEDS OF PROGRESS. We seek to accomplish this by marketing high–quality apparel inspired by the richness of our culture and the fortitude of those that came before us. Net proceeds of Inheritrea are channeled to non–profit organizations and charities that support the further development of the State of Eritrea.

When did you first conceive the idea of Inheritrea and how long did it take you to launch from conception to reality?

This is always such a challenging question to answer because I think that on some level I always knew I would pursue a project like this.  My mother and siblings emigrated to the states right before I was born so I had never been to Eritrea until the summer of 2008.  That trip came at a time when I was really asking myself what I wanted my future to look like and, through an arduous and emotional journey, I found my answer.  Visiting Eritrea prompted me to find a way to give back to Eritrea, a country that has been so overlooked by mainstream media.  It was several months before I got the actual idea for Inheritrea.  I attended a concert of the hip-hop artist K’naan and was truly moved by one of the songs he performed – “Waving Flag.”  The next morning the idea for Inheritrea was born.  That was February 2009 so it took close to a year to launch the webstore.

I know you are a non-profit organization so how are you funding your business?

I would love to say that I have dozens of contributors, but the truth is that so far it’s been a one-woman show!  From funding to designing to photographing shirts to shipping them out, it’s just been me.  I know you can relate to this!

I must say that I’ve had loads of support from unexpected places, which has been the most encouraging.  It reminds of the line from The Alchemist: “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.”  So dope.

How are you marketing yourself to get your name out into the world.

So far, I’ve been trying to get some exposure on different blogs and sites related to non-profit causes but it’s been a slow-moving process.  I recently set up shop at a charity event and got some great feedback so part of me thinks this will be the more fruitful route in the future.  The spring and summer is actually full of many Eritrean events and celebrations that I’ll be excited to attend, as well.  I really feel that the shirts need to be seen and felt in person to truly appreciate.  Lately, I’ve also been toying with the idea of starting a blog to share more about who I am, how this idea came to be, etc.  I’ll have to take a poll and see how many people would actually read it!

I would definitely read it and am sure many others would as well.

What has been the most rewarding aspect for you so far of starting your own business? What about the most challenging?

As I mentioned earlier, I think the most heart-warming and rewarding part of this has been the unexpected support.  Former bosses, past co-workers, friends from high school – all people that bought an Inheritrea tee or even just took a few moments to write an encouraging email.  When you’re working on something in your own little bubble it’s hard to know how it’s going to be received so a few words really do go a long way!  I hope to make our first contribution to the National Union of Eritrean Women at the end of summer, so I expect that will be rank pretty high up on my “proudest moments” scale.  On the flip side, self-promotion has never really been my strongest skill so I’ve had to remind myself that this is a cause that I believe very deeply in and use that as my motivation to say, “Hey, guess what I’m working on…”

I know your background is in fashion, how much of your prior knowledge in the industry help you while you were designing your line? Did you learn some new things with this endeavor.

Yes, my first “grown-up” job after college was for a manufacturer in downtown Los Angeles that also did in-house screen-printing.  I learned so much there.  Like don’t wear a Napoleon Dynamite t-shirt on a day when you’ve got meetings with partners.  Not that that happened to me or anything.  Seriously though, my position was in customer service and working with sales representatives across the country.  I did get knowledge on fabrics, screen-printing, and merchandising techniques that has really helped with creating Inheritrea.  But since my background was much more based in the business aspect of the industry, I’ve essentially been really working on developing a more creative eye, particularly on the graphics side of things.  To give you an idea of where I was at when I started – I had NEVER worked on Illustrator before and have been teaching it to myself!  I’m really enjoying viewing the world differently.  I’ve gotten inspiration for future graphics from things that used to be mundane – even being stuck in traffic!

I absolutely adore my Inheritrea logo t-shirt, it’s incredibly soft and the fit is one of the most flattering I have ever worn. Can you tell us a bit about what went into the actual design process for your shirts from graphics to the yummy fit, they really are the perfect t-shirt in many ways.

You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that!  Quality is VERY important to me.  I knew that if this project was going to be successful, fit and fabric had to be just right.  So, I started my hunt for the perfect tee.  I ordered several different styles before I found the Holy Grail of t-shirts – Alternative Apparel.  I fell deeply in love with the fit of their Organic Scoop Neck Tee.  I adore the open neck line since I am usually the girl you see stomping around in the shirt with the neck cut out of it!  It’s the softest organic cotton I’ve ever felt.  And, on a selfish note, I needed the shirt to be nice and long.  I’m close to 5’10” so didn’t want a tee that I was going to have to keep tugging at!  Since I’ve had friends of all shapes comment on how flattering the silhouette is, I know I made the right choice.

When I received my t-shirt it came with a beautiful postcard filled with all sorts of inspiring quotes and sayings. Where did these come from?

Honestly, Stacy – sometimes at home alone, I’ll catch myself gazing at that card when I need a boost of hope and inspiration.  And the lovely thing about it is that many of those quotes were collected when I asked dozens of friends to answer the question, “what is your inheritance?”  They’re true and honest answers from real people in my life.

I incorporated some Eritrean references and words in Tigrinya, our native language.  It’s so powerful to see it all in print.  And that’s exactly the type of feeling that I want to continue to capture with Inheritrea.

Do you have any advice or tips for others who are wishing to start their own businesses?

As corny as it sounds, (cue the violins) I think the most important thing is to follow your heart!  I would have wanted to give up a million times if this wasn’t something that I felt the world needed.  Next, I’d say organization is key.  I always thought I was an organized person until I started this project.  The earlier you start with that, the better – trust me!  And you actually recommended The Seed Handbook, which has been an invaluable tool.  If you’re interested specifically in starting a non-profit endeavor, check out Starting and Building a Non-Profit:  A Practical Guide.  It’s really direct and easy to follow.  And lastly, I’m learning to cut myself some slack.  Mistakes are going to happen and, when they do, do your best not to get bogged down in “coulda, woulda, shoulda.”  Just pick up, be joyous, and do good work.

Thank you so much Viva for taking the time to share a bit about your wonderful, heart-filled company. I adore your passion and vibrancy and wish you wild success.

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If you are interested in your wearing your own Inheritrea organic cotton yummy softeness t-shirt that promotes awareness of the country of Eritrea visit http://www.inheritrea.bigcartel.com/

Aight people back to the fabulafricana interview part of the blog, this time meet Eritrean model and journalist student, Elsabel Yemane.

I wanted to interview her because I wanted to know about the experience of an Eritrean fabulafricana . I wanted to know who she was at the heart, why she became a model, why she was inspired to be a journalist student at the same time while she could have just gone and focus on her modelling career. She’s signed to Elite/South Africa and Profile Models.

Let’s gooooo!!

1- How do define yourself?

I would define myself as an all around fun loving, social, caring person. I can be shy sometimes, over confident other times. I try to adapt to people and my surroundings.

2- How long have you been modelling and how hard is it for you to pursue both your studying and your modelling?

I’ve only recently took on studying and modelling at the same time. My new agency, Profile Models, are great. They’ve been putting me forward for a lot of jobs and I’m lucky to only be studying 3 evenings a week, therefore the two don’t often collide.

3-Why did you pick journalism? how challeging is it, what year are u?what is your ultimate professional goal?

I love writing, its so easy and almost therapeutic to write and just flow everything to paper.

I definitely want to pursue a career further in the fashion industry and a Fashion Journalism course perfectly suited me. Freelance journalism for top fashion publications and online/TV documenting would be fun to work on but i actually do want to go more into the business and management sides of fashion. I’m a passionate maniac when it comes to planning and organising projects and events. Succeeding in Fashion Management & Journalism would be my ultimate goal Alongside Modelling!

4-How do define yourself as an eritrean woman and is there a huge eritrean community in england where you reside?

I’ve been living here in london since i was about 6 so I’ve very much moulded into the British culture. However, I’m lucky to go back home to an Eritrean household everyday. I live with my sisters, we speak our Eritrean language with my mum, who occasionally cooks the most delicious Eritrean food! I think there are strong morals and values set for females in our culture, as they is for any other culture. But its refreshing to see the ladies of Asmara have a healthy balance of happiness and love of fun that compliments there manners, self respect, and respect for others.

5- For someone who’s never been to your country if they were to visit where would you take them and why?

Ive only been back home to Asmara once. I’m hoping to go back again very soon. I would say it’s one of those places where you can just trust where the wind takes you eventually stumble across all the different sides and characteristics, the country has to offer. After all, its not a big country!

6-In your blog i feel like you are really try to empower other through postive thinking, how did u get to be so positive?

Naturally, as I’m growing up I’m learning to be more aware of my emotions and my attributes as a young woman. I cant really say i exercice positivity well, or through, but i try to. I’m aso learning my ways with others. I’d like to think I naturally have good intuition with people, feelings and emotions. Reading books like “The Power of Now” and basically learning from my ongoing experiences in life, have taught me to be more conscious of many things.

7-Which eritrean people that you admire you wish the rest of the world knew about?

I love a special song called “Emotions”, by a European Eritrean artist, Winta ( also my sisters name). She has that lovely Aaliyah feel to her music. I hope she becomes more popoluar over here.

8-Do you feel connected to the rest of africa, for example have u visted other african countries, do you have good friends from other african countries?

I’ve been to Lagos ,Nigeria for new year. I spent 3months in Cape Town modelling and also saw part of Johannesburg. I kind of felt bad being in these African countries, because i felt i should of spent that time in my own country, visiting my family especially my grand- parents.

I didn’t really feel connected to these countries though. They had there own culture but it was special to experience other African ways of life.

9- Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

Graduated, in business and marketing, a well experienced model venturing into new paths and succeeding. Hopefully engaged and soon having a baby!

10-Who are some of your fav’ african writers, musicians, photographers, painters ?(if any)

Wow, I’m a bit unfamiliar with the works of African artists. I visited wonderful antique stores just outside of Cape Town. I loved all the south African crafts and sculptures, but i don’t really follow any one in particular.

11- What’s the biggest misconception about eritrean people in your opinion?

That the country doesn’t even exist! Most people haven’t even heard of Eritrea. It’s probably one of the newest countries. We only recently gained Independence from Ethiopia, through Italian colonisation. I think people just instantly see us as Ethiopians.

12- How do u get your hair to be so healthy and beautiful?

I’ve actually just been online searching for a fabulous new lace wig. My agency have had me keep my my natural curly afro hair to shoot in for a while. I’m so used to straightening my hair or having a nice weave. I’m so fed up with the funky, natural look. Aussie hair conditioning treatment is the best for softening hair. I comb it through and leave it on when i go to the steam room. Smooth hair with serum after while still wet, hair creams are a bit light and grease is too thick and clumpy!

13-What’s one african political event that took place that you will never forget (besides obama’s election)

I think this is where my blond hair dye really wants to come out.  I don’t follow politics either. I really should as a journalism student right?!

14-What would people be surprised to know about you?

I can be really shy sometimes. I’m a geek for TV documentaries and the discovery channel. I love organising dinner parties and i can cook!

15- How important is financial stability for you, are there some good books on the matter that help you?

Well, its as important as all your responsibilities- money probably handles all your responsibilities. Having a good job is obviously important for a secure, regular income but be happy with what you do. Start up some savings accounts. One you cant touch at all, a not so secure one for dipping into now and again and maybe another for when your saving for something particular.

16- How important is spirituality for you and what faith do you practice?

My mum is a born again Christan. I don’t really go to church, I’ve had my moments of going for a couple months here and there. But I believe in God and i confide in him in my prayers.

17-What do u wish men knew about women?

We are emotionally more advanced. They should understand us more. And i guess we should understand them more too, as they’re logically more advanced. Being a bit too fair here, sorry ladies.

18-Are you involved in helping your eritrean community how or do u plan to and how?

I hope to start a charity one day where I will personally donate money to the disadvantaged people back home and even all around the world. I would personally work on organising projects to better lives.

19-Whats the nicest compliment u’ve ever received?

I just got a nice one, from my friend on facebook chat.”You’re like my little sister, I tell everyone that”.

20-What do u know for sure in life?

Everyone is different, with different opinions and knowledge from life experiences. Try your best to be happy and make others happy in the process.

Here’s her blog:

http://elsabelonline.blogspot.com

You can follow her on twitter:

twitter.com/y_elsabel

You can find her profile at these 2 model agencies:

www.profile-models.com

http://www.elitemodel-world.com

Thank you for this very honest interview Elsabel, we wish you the very best in all aspects of your life…Thanks for reppin’ for us on the runaway, on editorial pages, and on paper as a future establised journalist

Djaa my Eritrean sistas sont trop dedans:)

Eyeee Wayee:)

Meriem Omer

The BBC’s Ian Brimacombe reports on a woman who fought in the Eritrean struggle for independence from Ethiopia. She was just 13 when she became a soldier. She spent the next 16 years fighting in a brutal guerrilla war.

Meriem Omer began her life as a girl soldier in 1976.

“I joined the cause voluntarily. I felt like I had to do something,” she told the BBC’s World Update programme. “It was a hot political situation. I saw villages burning. I was surrounded by war. The regime was imprisoning many people. One of them was my father.”

She was in sixth grade when she saw him dragged from the family home and thrown into the back of a van. He was taken to a high-security prison where he was tortured, and she never saw him again. ”I felt so sad that my dad was in prison,” she says, “he was my role model and I couldn’t bear it.”

“The feeling that creates in a human being – whether man or woman – it’s a feeling of revenge.”

Equality

Meriem Omer’s story is remarkable, but not unique.

It is thought that about a quarter of the soldiers in the Eritrean rebel “Popular Front for the Liberation of Eritrea” or EPLF were women, and in many instances, girls. They left the traditional world they knew to join Marxist-inspired guerrillas who espoused equality between the sexes.

Meriem Omer spent nine months doing her military training. ”That mentally and physically prepared me to carry a gun,” she says. Today she still recalls vividly what it was like to fight.

“In the battlefield you could be as aggressive as a man and as merciless as a man,” she says. ”Physically we were not the same as the men, but we would double the men’s efforts to be seen to equally participate in the battle.”

Tank commanders

She also remembers how gender was never much of an issue. ”We were assigned equally, like men, to the front-lines,” she says. “Women were very important to the revolution.”

She says the aim of the organisation was to bring about social change and, therefore, it wouldn’t have been able to do without women – from feeding the army, to providing information and support.

“That’s why they included the rights of women in the military code. The role of women actually changed the attitude of men,” she says.

Thousands of young women participated in the struggle. Some of them even became commanders of tank units. Ms Omer says she felt a sense on empowerment but, as a woman at war, she says she knew she also faced additional risks.

“We were more vulnerable than men,” she says. “Boys would be tortured, but women would always be raped and tortured and ultimately killed. I never liked that idea, so I would have killed myself before I would be captured.”

Combat roles

The revolution was a long drawn-out affair. Eritrea only emerged from its war of independence in 1993. After feeling the euphoria of seeing the fight for freedom won, Ms Omer fell out with the new Eritrean authorities and was eventually exiled.

She moved to the UK where, until last year, she was involved with an Eritrean organisation that supports a network of Eritrean diaspora communities across the world.

Now she helps run a family business in Sweden. She remains a staunch opponent of the Eritrean government. Meanwhile, the tradition of women in the Eritrean military continues to this day. The country remains one of the few places in the world where women are drafted to fight alongside men in combat roles.

But Meriem Omer says the picture is depressing for women conscripts.

“They are kept against their will,” she says. ”There is no battle to fight. It’s just military service servicing the officers’ needs. They are really not happy.”

It may be because of the Swedish way of life, but she says she has also seen the bigger picture. ”The experience of that conflict made me learn and grow up and believe in negotiation and peace,” she says. “It’s not always a solution to carry a gun and fight.”

About two-dozen people turned out for the first of three public meetings devoted to finding Seattle’s next police chief. It took place at the Northgate Community Center on Feb. 10. Not unexpectedly, crime was on the minds of some who spoke.

Tunny Vann, a UW student, cited an event that happened the day before, during which a SWAT team showed up a few blocks north of campus. Vann, chair of a campus committee on student safety, said he learned of it after the fact by friends who questioned why they didn’t receive an alert from the campus police department.

“I called UWPD, [they] transferred me to SPD – SPD transferred me to UWPD,” Vann said. Eventually he spoke with a dispatcher, who told him things were under control. “I feel like there’s a lot of miscommunication going on,” he said.

Jens Gundlach, a professor of physics at the University of Washington, said that his house was burglarized about a month ago and many items were stolen. “We called the police of course and they were very responsive,” Gundlach said, adding that the officers were very friendly, “but that’s where it ended.” Despite leaving repeated phone messages, he has been unable to follow up with police.

“All the telephone machines are answering trees – getting you from one machine to the other,” he said, noting that there is no e-mail access to the police. Frustrated that he had to do his own investigating, Gundlach stressed the need for greater accessibility.

Concerns about racial and ethnic diversity were also brought up.

Tsegaye Tewolde, chairman of an Eritrean church in the Pinehurst neighborhood, asked the committee to consider selecting candidates who would employ a more diverse array of officers. He referred to diversity in race, gender and age.

Isela Gutierrez spoke on behalf of the Racial Disparity Project of the Defenders Association. This organization has been providing public defense in Seattle since 1969, and the Racial Disparity Project is an effort to raise public awareness and end racial disparity in law enforcement.

“We hope that you will look for a candidate who will be open to innovations such as pre-booking diversion for low-level drug offenders and other offenders who might be considered eligible – folks who are engaged in non-violent offenses like prostitution,” Gutierrez said.

She added that she felt such innovations are “more likely to have a positive impact on our neighborhoods than the traditional approaches we’ve been using, and are likely to be more cost effective.”

A student who asked name not be printed because he is a minor, gave a perspective as a young black American. He described two events he had witnessed. In the first, a man tried to rob a Wendy’s and seven or eight cops “beat him down.” The second involved “some guys at Nathan Hale High School who tried to kill somebody,” he said. The police were called and soon arrived, but got “shot at,” he said. The police called in a SWAT team, which arrived an hour later and reportedly stopped the crime.

However, the next day, students were talking about the incident and were worried about being victims of violence, he said. In summary, the student believes that “some cops should focus on small things, and some cops should focus on bigger things.”

The city’s Police Chief Search Committee is co-chaired by Charles Rolland, board member and president of the group Community and Parents for Public Schools of Seattle (CPPS), and Kate Joncas, president of the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA). Source: (My Ballard).

SAO PAULO, Brazil, February 8 (UNHCR) – It’s a long way from home for African refugees and asylum-seekers in Brazil, and life can get pretty lonely. But the more resourceful ones, with UNHCR’s encouragement, have been using the internet to reach or stay in touch with family and to ease their integration.

Take Euphrem D’Fagbenou, who felt really cut off after arriving in Brazil a year ago from his native Benin in West Africa. But his life changed after he started using an internet café in Sao Paolo run by Refugees United, a Denmark-based organization that helps reunite refugees through its web site.

“I talk online with my relatives in Africa at least once a week. But I also come here to meet friends that I have made in Brazil, look for jobs and read news about Sao Paulo,” said the 23-year-old, who fled Benin after suffering persecution for his membership of a trade union.

Yonas Samuel fled Eritrea in 1998 to escape persecution for his political activism and he also found it difficult to adapt after arriving in Brazil from South Africa in 2009. Above all, the 53-year-old was worried about his wife and daughter, whom he last saw two years ago in Zimbabwe, before heading to South Africa.

Samuel also found out about the Refugees United centre in downtown Sao Paolo, which provides free internet use to refugees and asylum-seekers on Mondays and Saturday. Once on a computer, he logged onto the Refugees United site and registered.

In his profile, Samuel noted that his nickname was “espresso.” His wife, who had also signed on with Refugees United from her new home in the United Kingdom, read his profile and realized that this man was her husband. Espresso was his favourite drink and the family always teased Samuel about this.

He and his wife were soon chatting online. “It was very exciting,” recalled Naomi Maruyama, a Refugees United volunteer who was with Samuel when he made contact with his wife online. “He said we gave him back a reason to live.” The couple hope to be reunited in the UK, where Samuel’s wife has refugee status.

These two examples show how access to computer technology can help refugees and asylum-seekers in urban centres around the world. More and more outlets offer access to refugees. Samuel for instance, also uses the computers at a downtown centre run by SESC Carmo, a private sector-funded social services organization that works with UNHCR in Brazil.

SESC Carmo’s internet café has 16 computer terminals, which are maintained by volunteers and available to refugees as well as the general public. “About 120 refugees use our computers every week. Each person can be connected for up to 30 minutes a day, but we still have queues,” revealed Denise Collus, a social worker with SESC Carmo.

She said more and more refugees and asylum-seekers were using the service, explaining that “the internet helps to break the solitude that many of them feel.” For some, it is the only way to keep in touch with relatives overseas, while others find it invaluable for their integration. “The online search for employment has become quite common,” Collus said, adding that many refugees use their e-mail address for all correspondence.

Collus said that most of those using the internet were aged between 20 and 35 years old, while noting that “the refugees who come to Brazil are usually well educated.” A lot of them read newspapers from their countries and listen to regional music online.

And they can rely on a lot of sympathy from the volunteers at the internet cafes, such as journalist Karin Fusaro, whose Jewish ancestors survived the Nazi occupation of Poland and emigrated to Brazil in the mid-1950s. “I always had an unfulfilled desire to work with refugees because of this past,” she said.

Meanwhile, Euphrem D’Fagbenou is happy for the first time in years. “I have made many friend here, including other refugees and the Brazilians who work here as volunteers [for Refugees United],” he said. “Here I feel at home.”

There was a tribe of the Hawya in Serae Eritrea, ruled by Dejach De’bul, a strong and feared ruler of Mereb Mellash, about 600 years ago. They were of the Great Belew tribe. He was told that he would have a daughter whose son will crush his rule. When the girl was born, his only child, he had her secluded from the public.

The lonely girl grew up and used to watch people from her window. One day she saw this tall and handsome soldier Ambessajir, and fell for him. He was from far away tribe Selewa from the south, and lived with his mother. She was so obsessed that although he could not come to her home, she had herself rolled with hay and taken to him. The romance did not continue for long when he was discovered and caught.

When he found out who the father was, one of his soldiers, Ambessajir, he had him killed, by burying him shoulder deep and horses running over his head, crushing his skull. This was the highest punishment those days.

At those days, the aristocrats were too feared and had full power over the common man. This daughter of Dejach De’bul, named Mariam Hanna, or Wehadet or We’alet, became pregnant and hid from her father. The son grew up with his mother’s tribe.

One day, the chief was sitting outside and saw boys play with a ball game called the Karsa. Dejach De’bul noticed that one boy played very well that the other boys could not wretch the ball from his hold.

He admired this boy and said, to his aide “If this boy could be one’s grandson?” The aide found this opportunity to tell his master of the story, and answered, “My Lord, promise us not to be harsh and be understanding. Can you promise me one thing- kidan? (In the old times, when one gets kidan, he is allowed to say his word and not be punished) Dejach allowed him to speak and the aide replied? This boy is indeed your daughter’s son”.

The chief was so shocked of his not knowing and his daughter had a bastard, and that he knew nothing of it all these years.

But the whole tribe were dissatisfied that their chief had harshly punished their favourite soldier. Dejach De’bul regretted having killed Ambessajir that he forgave his daughter and had the grandson named as his heir.

The son grew up. His mother used to tell him how her father had his father Ambassajir was killed for loving her. Eritrea has still paternal laws. Other kids scolded him of having no father. As a young man, he wanted to vindicate his father.

He felt very sad of his father’s being punished this way and thought of revenging his death, and decided to wait for the right moment against his powerful grandfather.

He became a man and married and became strong. His grandfather had come to forgive, liking and thrusting and relied on him. One day, Dejach De’bul, his grandfather was going for a trip, which would take a year.

He appointed this grandson to be his viceroy, and had him swear the oath of loyalty, three times, as was customary. But after a month of his travelling, the powerful grandfather was taken sick and died of cholera, in a far away country. The grandson inherited the whole country.

This became ripe time to revenge his father’s death. So he prepared a big feast to all male members of mother’s clan, the Hawya. He had a big tent built right by a cliff, known now as Mi-kit-kat Deku.

He had all fine food served. But inside the beer, he had poison, that is, elephant’s bile, added to it. All the guests ate and after drinking of the poison felt dizzy, and he had them thrown off the cliff, so that newcomers would not notice. The hill he built the tent is still called Das Hawya.

But, one member of his mother’s clan, Gebre Hiwet the blind, had perhaps been suspicious of this grandson. When he came near the tent, he asked his daughter who was leading him, if she could see anyone coming out of the tent. She is to have said the famous words “Das Hawya, zi-atew imber zi-wet-sih aye-re-aynan!” The tent of Hawya, entering only, not leaving do we see. Meaning that see could see them entering the tent of Hawya, but saw no one coming out of the tent.

Gebre Hiwet the blind then cried “This cursed son! He has killed all of my brothers! Quickly, lead me out of here before he kills us too!” And they quickly went away, to flee. The grandson had almost all members killed and then remembered the shrewd Gebre Hiwet the blind. He asked if he had been inside.

When told that he never entered, the grandson realized Gebre Hiwet had been suspicious and had fled. Gebre Hiwet the blind was the only male member of the Hawya tribe to be alive, and he should be killed. In the meantime, having vindicated his father’s harsh death, this new ruler proclaimed that his name was Jir Gedela. He may be the father of the Adkeme Melega’ tribe.

Soldiers were sent in pursuit of Gebre Hiwet the blind. He had gone some time earlier and being wise, he told his daughter to watch out for horses. When the horse hooves were heard, they hid under a tree. He, being blind, counted the horses’ hooves, piling a stone for every horse. After they had passed, the daughter wanted to travel on.

But cautious as he was, he told her to wait until the horses passed, returning. And return they did, having had trouble riding through swampy ground. Then, Gebre Hiwet the blind piled the stones one by one for every horse returning, and all were counted for.

This resting place still bears this incident’s name, i.e. a town called Tera Imni, pile of stone, to this day, in Serae. When they decided to rest from their journey, they did so in what place he named Hadire, meaning, I slept the night. When he was surely far away from danger, they temporarily settled in Ma’reba, sunset, which is still called so, in Akele Guzai.

But he missed his home Serae and wandered to a hilly place and continuously asking if Serae could be seen. In this mountain, in now Segeneiti town, at night his daughter could see lights of Serae. He decided that they would settle there, calling the hill Adi Serae, now known as Aserwe Mountain. There were other tribes already there, the Degera people. They intermingled with them. But they slept in this wild uninhabited mountain.

One evening, a lion that had eaten many goats of the people, roared near them. The frightened daughter cried that they were doomed. The brave blind father told his daughter to heat stones. When the lion came close to them and opened his mouth to eat them, the father had his daughter give the hot stones inside the lion’s mouth that when he fell, the father killed him with his spear. He then told his daughter to cut out the lion’ eyebrows (Fare) and kept it safe.

The next day, Degera man was shouting words of their bravery, and dancing warriors? Dance, that they had killed a lion. A killer scalps the lion’s head and wears the fur around, to show around. All the people assembled and were praising them.

Then Gebre Hiwet the blind asked audience to the chief and was granted so. He said that if the braves had indeed killed the lion, where the lion’s eyebrows were. Surprised, the people noticed the lion’s eyebrows were missing. He then pulled out the eyebrows and claimed he himself had killed the lion. He was much hailed.

They said that if this blind man were brave with his handicap, what strong sons he would rear. For this bravery, he was given land to farm, presently known as the Hawya land, south of Segeneiti town, and a girl, from the Injen (look below) house of Degera village, for marriage. But the girl refused to marry a blind man.

Time went by. They were the only survivors of the Hawya tribe. Without him, there will be no more descendants. He had to bear more children. The only female with him was his own daughter.

He proposed that as they were to perish without descendants, she, his daughter should bear him sons. The daughter was very shocked. He explained. But still, what would the villagers say of this scandal! The father said that people would talk for a short while and forget. To prove so, he told her to go to the market naked, but wearing a hyena’s hide.

When she went to the marked as he said, all people gathered around her sneering and laughing at her. Returning home, she told her father of what had happened. The next week, he told her to repeat with the hyena skin again. She did so. Some cried that the crazy one had come, saying “Is not she from last week?” and were less curious to see her. The third week in the market, nobody bothered her saying is that same crazy one.

Her father now made her understand that people tend to not care after a while, and they lived as husband and wife. She bore him three sons. It is also said that a Degera woman with beady eyes was given to him and she bore him three sons but died.

With his sons from the Degera woman, and these 3 present ones, he settled in the land the Degera people had given to him. They had given him land so they would not quarrel with him over land ownership later. And the land was called Ad Hawya after his tribe’s name. The Degera man who gave him the land was called Zena Gabriel. One son went to Agame.

One to Hazemo, three settled in Segeneiti, and two went further to their land of origin, in Serae. Gebre Hiwet divided his land equally to all his sons, like they were all from one mother. Two of his sons went to his ancestral country to see.

When the two sons arrived in their father’s village, water was scarce with no rainfall for a long time. One of the sons struck his stick on the ground and water gushed out that their horses drunk enough. The villagers who were watching them curiously, happily drew plenty water to their homes. The village elders were astonished of this water. When told of these two strangers, they knew they must be Gebre Hiwet’s sons.

They followed them to Segeneiti and begged them to return to Serae. The villagers asked for forgiveness and begged them to settle there, and they agreed to return after the seven years the community re-divided lands of Segeneiti.

Their former lands and wealth were returned to them. But fearing another ambush, those who returned did not settle in one village, but spread around. They are found in Ad Gawel, Adi Hayo, and Ad Hawya of Serae villages. Now the clan have spread to other areas too, like Ad Zewabo, Wekerti and Enda Emmanuel villages.

About 40 years ago, the Hawya, with the initiation of Aboi Berhane Gurumu (of Hawya tribe in Segeneiti, he told me of this meeting) met in Segeneiti and had a feast in Asmera. Hawyas from Wekerti and Inda Emmanuel were with them. But they did not continue after that. (Other tribes also ceased to meet when the Derg time came and it was too dangerous to move around). Enda Emmanuel village is mostly from the Hawya. In Segeneiti town there are several dozen farmers of Hawya now. Source: (Eritrios Net)

By Stefano Valentino

“Si, se puede,” “Pabst, please” and now, “African Unity” is the latest political mantra echoing in the Mission.

The African Advocacy Network will hold its inaugural meeting early this year at its headquarters at 522 Valencia Street to explore ways to promote stronger cooperation within the African community and with other ethnic groups in the Bay Area.

To this end, the network has extended an invitation to the leaders of other communities, including the Latino, Asian and Arab communities, as well as to the Oakland-based Black Alliance for a Just Immigration.

“We think we can learn a lot from the experiences of well-established communities and we might better achieve our goals by cooperating with them,” says Adoubou Traore, who was born in the Ivory Coast and is currently a language teacher at Cañada College in Redwood City as well as project director of the African Advocacy Network.

An Afro-ethnic Mosaic

“Coordinating workshops and events can be really challenging because African immigrants are dispersed all over the Bay and are not as tightly connected as Latinos or Asians are,” says Joe Sciarrillo, a paralegal at the network, which was created last June. An estimated 38,000 African immigrants live in the Bay Area, with approximately 4,700 in San Francisco. The largest number of immigrants come from Ethiopia, but there are also substantial numbers from Kenya, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa.

Still, creating services that cater to all of them has proven to be difficult, at least partly because local governments frequently fail to identify them adequately.

“The first challenge that African immigrants face is being under-counted, since most local government forms do not list Africa as an option for country of origin, so African immigrants are often counted as ‘African-American,’” explains Tomás Lee, director of the San Francisco Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs.

This social fragmentation also reflects Africa’s cultural and linguistic heterogeneity and the geographical distances within the continent itself.

“Very often it’s only when we come to the US that we meet other African immigrants for the first time outside of our countries of origin,” Traore said.

“It takes time to overcome the anxiety resulting from the contact with individuals who are different from us, learn about each other and focus on what we have in common – being African and away from our homeland.”

Starting Small, Growing Quickly

The organization has a growing number of clients who accept free social services, case management, housing assistance, resources for employment, job searches and legal assistance. A third are from Ethiopia and Eritrea, a third from French-speaking countries in Western Africa, such as Ivory Coast, Togo and Senegal and a quarter are from English-speaking countries, mostly Nigeria and Ghana. Newcomers from North Africa, in particular Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, add to the mosaic of ethnicities that the network is seeking to stitch together.

The majority reside in San Francisco, including a great many in the Mission.

The upcoming meeting will focus on how to support unique ethnic identities while simultaneously forming a greater African movement, helping people resolve immigration issues, organizing joint cultural events, providing educational services and fundraising.

Another key focus will be on promoting business awareness within the community and encouraging people to patronize each other’s services.

“Many Africans we see don’t even realize that some compatriots live in their same neighborhood, thus missing the chance for accessing mutual support,” Sciarrillo says. “For example, few Africans living in the Mission know that one of their community members has a thriving computer repair business (Bay Computers) and that another one runs a taxi service.”

Promoting Dialogue Between Communities

The African Advocacy Network receives funding from the Mayor’s Office of Community Investment, through the San Francisco Immigrant Legal & Education Network, as well as from the California Endowment through Dolores Street Community Services. Both the legal network and Dolores Street are based on Valencia Street.

The way the network operates is a unique example of inter-community collaboration.

“AAN is a project of Dolores Street, which traditionally serves Latinos, and as such it represents the first official form of cooperation between the two communities,” Sciarrillo says. “Up until now, these two communities have collaborated but there has never been a formal organizational integration.”

Many clients who need specialized legal assistance from immigration attorneys are served by the Asian Law Caucus.

The Arab community, through the Arab Resource and Organizing Center, also assists the African network by providing office space at below-market rates.

Another important issue on the agenda is how to work together with the African-American community.

“Our current level of intercultural understanding is not as great as we would like it to be,” Traore says.

“We are different from each other: many African-Americans no longer know much about Africa. Many African immigrants only know of the mass media’s narrative when it comes to African-Americans. It’s going to take a great deal to educate both sides. African-Americans can serve as powerful source of support for newly arrived African immigrants. And we can help them to recover their historic roots.” Source: (Missionlocal)