Teddy Afro’s controversial comment might leave a bad taste on Bedele beer drinkers

Tewodros Kassahun also known as Teddy Afro was caught spewing poisonous anti Ethiopian propaganda this week.  The incident sparked because in an interview Teddy Afro gave to a local Amharic magazine “Enqu”, the singer is quoted as saying the bloody campaign by King Menlik II to Southern Ethiopia was to unite Ethiopia. Enqu the Ethiopian Amharic magazine quoted Teddy Afro as saying “To me, the war Menlik II waged to unite Ethiopia was a holy war”.

Heineken Beer/Bedele signed an agreement with Teddy Afro last week to sponsor his yearlong national tour. The announcement on his official website reads “Teddy Afro in collaboration with Heineken Beer/Bedele will kick off his national concert tour.  The artist and the organization have agreed to work together making the ‘Wede Fikir Guzo’ national tour possible for all Teddy fans to see”.

Many Ethiopians inside and outside Ethiopia are so angry at the owners ofHeineken Beer/Bedele for associating their product with such a dividing and anti Ethiopian unity person. Especially Oromo Ethiopians are so furious about beadle sponsoring this very controversial singer to promote their product, many Ethiopians are calling to boycott Bedele Beer

According to Opride.com there is a social media campaign against Bedele which was bought by Heineken about two years ago. Opride reported “The viral campaign, which goes with a hashtag #BoycottBedele, is asking beer drinkers in Ethiopia to ditch Bedele products and also pressure regional officers to withdraw the sponsorship. It has reportedly been featured on the state-run Oromia radio, which broadcasts in Oromo language to millions of listeners in the populous state”.

This is not the first time Teddy Afro put his foot in his mouth. About eight years ago he released a very insulting song calledyasteseryal offending Ethiopian Tigraians. Most people from the Northern Ethiopian state of Tigrai despise him for insulting the TPLF fighters who paid the ultimate price to bring about the positive change we see in Ethiopia. Many who knew him very closely say he has deep-seated hate towards the people of Tigrai. He glorifies the Amhara rulers of Ethiopia and ridicules the rest of Ethiopians.

Tewodros Kassahun was convicted on December 5, 2008, sentenced to six years imprisonment and he was fined 18,000 Birr. He was convicted on two accounts; the first was for a hit and run incident in which an 18-year old homeless man was killed in November 2006. The second count was for fleeing from the scene of the crime, when he could have possibly helped the person he hit.

This time around he didn’t only hurt himself and his business, but the Bedele Beer Company might be shun by Ethiopian beer drinkers if not completely boycotted. It seems if the public uproar continues Bedele beer and Heineken would have to make a difficult decision and drop their sponsorship of Teddy Afro’s tour.

=>tigraionline

Egypt: Egypt Will Never Give Up One Drop of Its Nile Water Quota - Minister

Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Mohamed Abdel-Motleb disclosed that consultations are currently being underway with the Sudanese and Ethiopian counterparts to render successful the forthcoming ministerial meeting to be held Khartoum during the first week of January 2014.

The meeting will probe an appropriate mechanism for pursuing the technical studies required from the Ethiopian part as well as assigning an international consultative bureau to perform them, said the Minister.

Such studies will deal with the technical details of the Renaissance Dam's storage bases, storage phases and mechanism of operations all year round, he added.

The minister went on to say that Egyptian State is dealing seriously with the Renaissance Dam crisis in cooperation with the Nile basin states, noting that the meetings of the Supreme Committee for Nile Water have resulted in promoting ties with the Ethiopian side.

He added that Egypt will never give up one drop of its Nile water quota, highlighting that all parties concerned should work on reaching an agreement that serves the interest of all Nile riparian countries through a comprehensive development.

He affirmed that the River Congo project would not affect the Egyptian share of water that comes from the Blue Nile.

=>igd

Walga’iin Wayyaaneen Yuunivarsiitii Jimmaatti Eebbifamtotaaf qopheesse Diddaa Qerroon Fashalaa’e.

Muddee 27/2013 Ebbifamtootni Baratootni Yuunivarsiitii Jimmaa Walgaii eebbifamtootaf jedhuu mootummaan Wayyanee Mooraa Yuunivarsiitii Jimmaa Kolleejjii Qonnaa keessaatti qopheessuun wamee irratti ebbifamtootni argaman mootummaa Wayyaanee balaaleffachuun guutummaatti walgaii Wayyaanee dhiitani kaan. Mootummaan Wayyanee Walgaii guddaa eebbifamtoota baratoota Yuunivarsiitii Jimmaaf Walgaii eebbifamtoota miseensummaa Wayyanee fudhachiisuuf kaayyeeffatee qopheessuun eebbifamtoota maqaa hojiitti ramadamtuu jedhuun kayyoo dhoksaa rakkoo siyaasaa biyyaatti hudhee isa qabee jiruu fi warraaqsaa qeerroo bilisummaa Oromoo isa raasaa jiruun raafame eebbifamtotaa sossobachuuf yaalus baratootni Yuunivarsiitii Jimmaa kanneen miseensummaa OPDO fi wayyaanee qaban illee utuu hin hafiin yeroo Dabballoonni sirnicha ajendaa siyaasa wayyaanee gadi fuudhaan guutummaatti nuti olola sobaa fi shiraan guutame hin barbadnu biyyii keenyaa mootummaa hin qabdu jechuun walgaii dhiituun kaani.

Walgaii kana keessaatti adda durummaan Qeerroon dargaggotni Oromoo dabbalota wayyaanee dubbii dhorkuun walgaiin wayyaanee kun milkii malee akka hafuu gochuun,boodarra barattoota ilmaan sabaa fi sablamoota cunqurfamoo biyyaatti dabalachuun barataan tokkoo illee galma walgaii guddaa mooraa Yuunivarsiitii Jimmaa Koolleejjii qonnaa keessatti argamuu duwwaatti hambisuun walgaii wayyanee fashaleessan.

Mootummaan wayyaanee durumaan iyyuu of shakkii guddaa keessaa seenuun mooraa Yuunivarsiitii Jimmaa human poolisaa fi waraanaan eegaa kan jiru, baratootaa waltajjii wayyaanee cabsanii kaan poolisotaan dura goree sossobuuf yaalus baratootni diddaa isaanii jabeessuun gonkuma siyaasa wayyaaneen ofaa jirtuu hin fudhannu jechuun walgaii wayyaanee gutummatti fashaleessan. Walgaii kana irratti harkii guddaan baratootaa miseensuma mootummaa wayyaanee warraa turan tauun mirkanaaera.

Dabbaalloonni mootummaan Wayyaanee dirqama baratoota Oromoo fi ilmaan Cunqurfamoo biyyaatti miseensummaa wayyaanee fi jaladeemtota wayyaaneetti ijaaruuf ramadamaan walitti deebiuun qoraannoo fi walshakkii wal irraatti kaasuun wal dhabdee guddaan gidduu dhabbolee
siyaasaa wayyanee TPLF, OPDO, warraa Amahraa fi warraa kibbaa gidduutti waldhabdeen guddaan uumamuun wal nyaachaa jiru. Keessaattuu warraa OPDO irratti dhabboleen sadan TPLF, Amahraa fi warri kibbaa , Walgaii miseensota keenya fi warraa miseensummaf kaadhimamuu dandaan waamaa jennan ABO nutti waamtani jechuun irra deedeebiuun OPDO irratti yaada kaasan, ergamtuun wayyaanee OPDOn immoo walgaicha dhiitee kan kaee Oromoo qofaa miti baratoota waliigala eebbifamtoota jechuu ille sodatani argaman.

Gamtaan Qeerroo barattoota Oromoo Yuunivarsiitii Jimmaa jarraa 21ffaa keessaa utuu beekanii dhugaa qabataman sirni abbaa irree Wayyaanee EPRDF murna xiqqaan biyya bulchaa jiruu kun qabatee jiru utuu arginuu abbaa irruummaaf tolee jedhanii miseensa fi deeggaraa tauun doofummaa, walaalummaa, garbummaa sammuu qabachuu, qarooma addunyaa irra fagaachuu, gaaddidduu walalummaa keessaa jiraachuu fi boodatti hafummaa tauu barattoota Yuunivarsiitii Jimmaa fi barattoota waliigala biyyaatti hundaaf dhamsaa guddaa dabarsuu, hanga mootummaan abba irree wayyaaneen human afaan qawweetiin angoo biyyatti dhuunfatee jiru hundeen buqqautti sochiin warraqsaa biyyoleessaa qeerroon durfamu jabaatee bifa qindaaeen kan itti fufu tauu hubachiisan.

=>qeerroo

Freedom is never given voluntarily, it has always been earned

By Ibrahim Amae Elemo, M.D., M.P.H | December 27, 2013

Dear Friends and Colleagues, Obboleeyyan Oromoo akkam jirtu, nageennii isan badhaadhaa:

The bigotry against the Oromo people continues unabated to date. It is an established historical fact that the Oromo people, the Somali and other peoples of the South were conquered and incorporated into the Abyssinian Empire at the end of 19^th century through an earth scorching policy and savagery of Menelik’s army supported by western powers such as the Great Britain and France. Twenty years ago we were close to defeating the remnants of the genocidal regime of Menelik and Haile Selassie had it not been for the voice of moderation by some politicians in the Oromo Liberation camp. Back then some of the Oromo elites wanted to give peace a chance, wanted to negotiate with the colonial settlers. They chose the path of peace and reconciliation. We recall the famous saying of Leenco Lata, “I am not an Ethiopian. However, I would like to negotiate to be an Ethiopian”. The answer to that offer from these remnants twenty years later is the formation of the revivalist groups who are planning to tour Oromiya to dance on the graves of the millions of Oromo martyrs and other peoples of the South who were brutally massacred while defending their homeland. The aftermath of the conquest was what we now know as one of the worst slave trade empire built by Menelik. I can hardly imagine the extent of the brutality when hundreds of thousands of Oromo children were taken way from under the arms of their loving parents and sold into slavery; tragically, several of whom died en route owing to harsh conditions. These were a people, reduced in to slavery and tenancy, were once the master of their own destiny and produced to the world a civilization superior to the Abyssinian civilization in East Africa.  This is also an established historical fact.

Today, many Oromo scholars, including myself, are profoundly enraged by a decision of a beer company to sponsor a singer that diminished the memory of the victims by glorifying the legacy of one of the worst tyrants of the modern Ethiopian empire into the Abyssinian hall of fame. This may cause the buried emotions of the Oromo nationalists to re-emerge again. There are millions out there, including myself, are willing to lead the Oromo people to a full victory through a well-controlled and disciplined struggle. We don’t like to see bloodshed between the oppressor class and oppressed masses, like what we have witnessed in Rwanda. The unwise campaign of these ignorant, never learning and unrepentant sons of our colonial masters may lead to undesired consequences. This is our worst fear. We remember what Dr. Gamachu Magarsa recently said when he was asked about his take on the Oromo people being bullied by the northern “superior race” of Ethiopia from one generation to another. He said “what will happen may not be good for them and for us as well”. That is the voice of moderation we hear from some of our elites. Even these very elites who are working to prevent the worst case scenario from happening are despised and bullied non-stop by the Abyssinian chauvinists.

Freedom is never voluntarily given. It has always been earned! Which means we Oromos must be willing to pay the necessary sacrifice to earn what all people love, cherish and celebrate every year, Freedom! Talking about earning what you deserve, I always remember what I told one of the college professors on the occasion of my graduation from Gondar College of Medical Sciences after I was suspended and penalized for a year and half for leading students’ protest against the current regime in Ethiopia. She said, “Congratulations Dr. Ibrahim, we have given you your degree and now you are ready to leave us”. I then boldly told her “Dear Dr. Thank you for congratulating me.  You may have given others their degrees. But, as far as I am concerned, I earned it.”  Just to distinguish myself from others who bowed to the puppets and all bullies in order to graduate from college with a degree. I was willing to pay the utmost price, and I knew I was not alone. I knew there were millions who suffered and continued to suffer.  They needed me more than I needed my very much desired degree, they needed us. The purpose of this short piece is to show our ignorant brothers in the opposite camp that they must cease and desist from their provocative actions. That is precisely what most of us want in this counter-campaign.  Or else, they are responsible for all the consequences of their campaign to re-conquer Oromiya.

Last but not least, it is worth mentioning the fact that judging by their past rhetoric the forces currently ruling Ethiopia may not be on the side of these sycophants who are so blind as to see the irreversible change of the mind sets of the oppressed masses of Ethiopia. Finally, I would like to conclude by using the words I used to love hearing from the mouth of my late Somali friend, Abdida’ad Ibrahim Bulala, whom I proudly call my Oromo friend, , Egereen kan Ummata Oromooti!

Ibrahim Amae Elemo, M.D., M.P.H

=>ayyaantuu

My take on Tedy Afro's promotion of holy war in the name of Love an

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPTO71EGHgA&feature=share

Boycott Bedele campaign catches fire on social media

(OPride) – A hyperactive social media campaign to boycott Bedele Brewery’s exclusive sponsorship of controversial Ethiopian singer Tewodros Kassahun has garnered more than 13,000 supporters in less than 24 hours.

Bedele Brewery, a local subsidiary of the Dutch beer maker Heineken NV, announced its agreement with Kassahun for a year long national tour at a press conference in Addis Ababa last week.

Kassahun, better known by stage name Teddy Afro, is a polarizing pop star in Ethiopia. His fans admire his musical talent while critics despise his unapologetic hero-worship of past Ethiopian rulers. Teddy has songs idolizing both emperors Haile Selassie and  Menelik II.

The viral campaign, which goes with a hashtag #BoycottBedele, is asking beer drinkers in Ethiopia to ditch Bedele products and also pressure regional officers to withdraw the sponsorship. It has reportedly been featured on the state-run Oromia radio, which broadcasts in Oromo language to millions of listeners in the populous state.

Not everyone is happy with the campaign. Several Ethiopian activists have characterized the campaign as 'emotive' and questioned the motives behind the campaign. The backlash against Teddy is in part heightened by a comment the singer made in an interview with local magazine, in which he reportedly said, Menelik's war of conquest in southern Ethiopia amounted to 'a holy war.' Others cautioned that Teddy’s crusade gaffe was ‘unconfirmed’.  

However, the organizers insist that, while the comment might have given them a renewed impetus, Teddy's tour would have been boycotted even without the comment. "Teddy's glorification of the 19th century monarch, who committed ethnic cleansing against various nations and nationalities in southern Ethiopia, is not new," reads their press statement. Others worry that the campaign amplifies an already tense ethnic relations.

However, as with all discussions on Ethiopian politics, the lack of acknowledgement for past injustices and nuance is self-evident from responses to the campaign. Many Ethiopian activists denounced the campaign without acknowledging the idea that "one man's hero is another man's genocider."

Ethiopia has a contested history. But almost all historians agree that Menelik's ambitious greater Abyssinia campaign was brutal. “Wherever he faced fierce resistance, Menelik responded with the most barbaric and horrific forms of violence sometimes cutting off hands of male adults and breasts of women,” wrote the Boycott Bedele campaign. “Menelik’s soldiers settled on the land they conquered, continuing with their brutality as they expropriated land and turned the indigenous population into serfs.”

This remains one of the most contentious events in modern Ethiopian history. Menelik’s statue stands erect near Addis Ababa City Administration not far from where his army massacred Oromo peasants at the battle of Gulale. The Oromia Regional Government has recently erected statues in Anole and Calanqo – where such heinous crimes as mutilation and mass killing took place – in remembrance of those who perished under the barrel of Menelik’s guns. In essence, Ethiopia’s history is fraught with painful episodes many of which are rarely, if ever, acknowledged.

The campaign organizers say the next step is distributing brochures across Oromia, especially in Jimma, Dire Dawa and Adama towns where Teddy is expected to hold concerts. They are asking locals to stay home and more importantly use civil disobedience to obstruct the concert.

More information:

• Join our Facebook group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/265044716979775
• Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lagadhubedellee
• Tweet and update you Facebook status using hashtag #BoycottBedele #Ethiopia

=>opride

Simbirtuu: Oduu fi Minilik II Irratti Yaada Dr. Makuraa Bulchaa

Simbirtuu: Oduu fi Minilik II Irratti Yaada Dr. Makuraa Bulchaa

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