SHOA ETHIOPIA

Empress Zewditu The kind Ethiopian Queen

Empress Zewditu was the daughter of Emperor Menelik II, by Woizero Abechi, a woman of mid-level nobility, born shortly after Menelik returned to Shewa following his captivity at Magdalla. Woizero Abechi died while Zewditu was still a very young child, so Zewditu was raised by her father, in the care of nannies, and was closer to him than any other person save his wife Empress Taitu. Zewditu also had a half sister, Woizero Shewaregga Menelik, the mother of Lij Eyasu, and a half brother, Prince Asfaw Wossen Menelik, who died in 1888 while still a child. She was often refered to by her close relatives by the nickname of "Mamite" which translates to "Baby". Unlike most of the rest of the Shewan aristocracy, Zewditu had very good relations with Empress Taitu. Although Taitu was brusque, and a stern mistress of Menelik's household, Zewditu had deep affection for her step-mother. Taitu returned Zewditu's affection, although often dispairing of her behavior. She believed that Zewditu was overly familiar with the palace serving maids saying "It's imposible to separate Mamite from the servants". She often scolded her for not maintaining the dignity of a daughter of the House of Solomon. Zewditu had earned a reputation of kindness and completely lacked the haughty and imperious attitude of her step-mother and other female relatives. Zewditu treated everyone with the same sweet friendliness whether they were royalty or simple servants. Underlying these traits was a truely innocent naivete that endeared her to many, but would perhaps be a drawback to her eventually. Zewditu was married in 1882 at the age of 9 to Ras Araya Selassie Yohannis, son and heir of Emperor Yohannis IV, in order to cement the agreement between her father and the emperor when Menelik (then king of Shewa) submitted to Yohannis. However, Ras Araya Selassie died in 1888, and Zewditu, who had not produced any children returned to Shewa. Ras Araya had fathered a son, Gugsa, by another woman. Zewditu maintaied very warm relations with her father-in-law who was very fond of Zewditu. Yohannis IV was very angered when Zewditu's father rebled against him shortly after the death of Ras Araya Selassie. Zewditu, upon recieving news that her father had rebled agains the emperor, is said to have wept bitterly, saying "My father and the Emperor would never have quarelled if only my husband had lived." When the Emperor's informants told Yohannis IV of Zewditu's comments, he was much moved, and had her summoned, and the two of them wept over the cruel fate of Ras Araya together. The Emperor then returned Zewditu to Shewa, eventhough her father was still defying him, along with a huge gift of cattle and property in 1889. Emperor Yohannis IV continued to hold Zewditu in deep affection until his death. Zewditu did not stay a widow for long. In 1891, Zewditu married Dejazmatch Gwangul Zegeye. The marriage was short lived, not more than a few months, but Zewditu did have a daughter by him, who died in 1895 at the age of 4. Zewditu then married Wube Atnaf Seged, an unhappy marriage that ended in divorce after two and a half years. In 1900, at the suggestion of her step-mother, Zewditu married Ras Gugsa Welle, son of Ras Welle Bitul and nephew of Taitu. Ras Welle was ruler of Simien and Yejju and younger brother of Empress Taitu Bitul. This marriage bound the princess even more closely to her stepmother, and the marriage proved to be a generaly happy one. Zewditu had no children who survived to adulthood.

Should Sileshe Shine start his own brand of silver wear

I feel really sorry for Sileshi Shine it cant be easy when your best friend the 'chosen one' Kenenisa springs up from behind and beats you every damn race. I wonder how many silver medals he has collected along the years hes always second Kenenisa is always first then followed by a Kenyan. Seleshi Shine should start manufacturing his own brand of silver wear called the 'sileshi shiny silver collection' I think hes very talented and he may even beat Kenenisa 'sigh one day in his dreams' he needs his confidence and buld himself up, Kenenisa has the whole world plus Ethiopia telling him he will win gold hes the lion the anbessa and even has a song after him I root the under dog its about time Sileshe gets some support. Seleshi also doesnt have to put up with his best mate winning all the gold medals but his wife the legend Tirunesh Dibaba is also a medal collector with her double whamy of gold medals from races around the world plus the olympics. She even has a hospital named after her the 'Beijing Dibaba Hospital' Poor Sileshi is overpowered , I really hope one day he wins Gold.

Birhanu and ToKicho - Yambule (Ethiopian Music)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Aaflyz02Wg&feature=related


This music is Wolytinya southern Ethiopia the beat is excellant and thought I should share this video with you

Kenenisa Bekele The Road Runner of Athletics

Kenenisa is the new Haile Gebre Selassie of the tracks. I remember being bored watching long distance running but now I get hooked on the race from start to finish. The Ethiopian runners are so exciting to watch. What amazes me is his pace and stamina the last lap how he sprints like a road runner does he have some reserved energy up his sleeve? How does he psych himself to suddenly do a fast lap at the end of the race or is it the bell that wakes him up. The man is such a legend and will be up there with the great Ethiopian runners such as Haile Gebre Selassie and and Abebe Bekila. I even like his little gesture he does at the end of the race the Ethiopian 'cross bow and arrow' Denise Lewis made a very rude comment about his arms may not be as big as Bolt's but if it is an Ethiopian way of celebrating then let it be. What she meant to say was his arms may not be as beefy as hers but hes cool regardless. I hope he wins this Sunday and I will be cheering him on I wonder when he will sprint away from the crowd this tie BEEP BEEP

Is the Black family unit being broken down in the UK?

I don't know about the US but here in the UK I am seeing less and less black couples or black couples getting married. I see lots of black guys with white girls and every race in the planet but black women on the street but its rare to see two black couples in the street. Which is why me and my other halve get plenty of stares when we go out. I remember back in the day when it was rare to see a black man with a white woman but you would see plenty of black guys with their black girlfriends now its the other way round. Most black guys are choosing not to date black girls and are blatantly open about it and even insult black girls how they are not as attractive. I would like to address this question because there a lot of black girls who not only feel insecure because the media ignores them blatantly, I mean they are never featured on lads magazines or on posters or TV and their own brothers even discriminate from dating them. Just look at those footballers have you seen a black footballer with black girl I mean today's generation? they re-cycle celebrity socialites fro Danielle Lloydd to Gemma from Holly Oaks. This devastating trend is having an affect on most black families as you find the girls who are eager to either just get pregnant and accept that no one will marry them or stay single and hope someone will come along considering their are more black females out there looking for a match things can get ugly and a lots of girls have expressed them worrying some woman will steal their man or flirting via facebook. Black women in the UK need to wake and realise 'Houston we have a problem' either the black girls are giving wrong vibes or they need to be smarter and get the most out of the relationship not by entrapment and jealousy. I think this topic needs to be raised as black girls can offer a lot in a relationship and need to find a way to reclaim their en why should they be left on the shelves fighting over the no good for nothing scrubs get the good ones who are on the same level as them just because they have moved up in the world does not mean hey are out of bounds 'erhem footballers'

Identity Issue

Here we are most of us are second Generation East Africans living in the UK. However as we become more submersed in British culture and Britishness. All we have to identify ourselves with is the reminisce of our East African identity. Where are you from? They ask. ‘Let me guess I know could you be from Somalia? No Djibouti or Eritrea? Close I say oh ok you’re Ethiopian. The person then usually replies Oh I once had an Ethiopian friend. I m like great considering there are more Ethiopians abroad than Ethiopia.

As I have grown older I have come to question what it actually means to be an East African in the UK. I find the Asian community fascinating because they relate to each other even though they have different religions and cultures. Then there are the African community and when I mean African I mean predominately West Africans, they have no
Problem gelling and have more things in common ranging from gelof rice to the sounds
of their music.
Then there are the people of the horn such as myself who only have contact with one another during warfare back home, how do these people live together in the UK?

Most Ethiopians stick to one another and so do Eritrean and the Somalians. However what is interesting is that they live side to side with one another but do not combine and mix with each other due to mistrust, although the younger generations are more sociable.
The communities in London live near each other and there is a trend that the young east Africans due to being educated and reared in London, have started to form clubs and
hang out places. This is a long cry from the war mongering 1970’s era, when the horn was a place to fight and camouflage was the colour to be seen?
In London there are various gangs around as most young people form, to feel part of a social network, but what is interesting is those countries around the horn have toned down there political agendas and formed what is an East African identity.

This does however leave me this significant question without war and poverty and hunger were does that leave the horn? Could peace and stability be the new horn of Africa? How will the west react, how can they show fat east African babies? That doesn’t fit with our image of being a starving nation? So how do glamorous super models like Liya Kebede and Iman and stylish glossy magazines like Sheeko fit with East Africans?
I suppose this could be the new way forward for a peaceful and rich East Africa.