Program:

• Interview with Artist Alemtsehay Wedajo
• Interview with Neamin Zeleke
• Interview with Tewodros Kassa
• Details of the Ethiopian Millennium celebration in DC

LISTEN

An audio montage of media repots, music & news stories over the years about the achievements of Ethiopia’s world-famous athletes in the outgoing millennium.  

Montage researched & edited by: Befekir Kebede

Excellence in athletics is among the top few subject-matters Ethiopia is known for around the world.  The reputation started to build back in the days of Abebe Bikilla – who stunned the world by winning the marathon event setting a world record of 2:15:16.2 while running barefoot.  Yes running barefoot and it was the first ever marathon Gold Medal for Africa.  And he became the first athlete in the world to win back-to-back Olympic marathon titles when he entered the finish line in 2 hours, 12 minutes and 11.2 seconds at the subsequent Olympics in Tokyo in 1964.  Since then, Ethiopia has produced countless hoers and heroines such as Mamo Wolde, Miruts Yifter, Abebe Mekonen, Belayneh Densamo, Derartu Tulu, Haile Gebreselassie, Fatuma Roba, Gezahgne Abera and Kenenissa Bekele.  Haile Gebreselassie alone has set 17 indoor and outdoor world records, won two Olympic 10,000m Gold Medals and claimed another four World 10,000m titles by 2004. 

Wherever in the world Ethiopians set foot in this concluding millennium, they have been referred to as compatriots of Abebe Bikilla and Haile Gebreselassie.  And as we farewell the old millennium, we pay tribute to all of our great athletes - in this audio montage - who have ran, won and wrote history across the world.  They have been and will always be Ethiopia’s best ambassadors.

An audio montage of media repots, music & news stories over the years about his Imperial Majesty – the late Ethiopian Emperor – Haile Selassie I.

Montage researched & edited by: Befekir Kebede

Up until 1974, Ethiopia was ruled by uninterrupted dynasties of emperors and empresses for centuries. Emperor Haile Selasse was the last of Ethiopia’s emperors who was a direct descendant of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. His name was Tafari Mekonnen prior to becoming emperor and was a great-grandson of Sahle Selassie of Shewa and a son of Ras Makonnen - a chief adviser to Emperor Menilek II and he was married to Empress Menen - a great-granddaughter of Menilek II. Haile Selassie was progressive and modernist who sought to modernize his country and who steered Ethiopia into the mainstream of post-World War II African politics. He engineered Ethiopia's entry into the League of Nations in 1923, reasoning that collective security would protect Ethiopia from colonial aggression. Upon the end of World War II in 1945, Haile Selassie made Ethiopia one of the founding members of the United Nations. And most importantly, Emperor Haile Selassie initiated and presided over the establishment of the organization of African Unity and made Addis Ababa the headquarters of the union, which gave him the name 'The Father of Africa'.

In 1924 he visited Rome, Paris, and London, becoming the first Ethiopian ruler ever to go abroad. And in the 1960s, he visited, the Caribbean area including Jamaica, the United States, many countries in Europe, Australia and Indonesia. Rastafarians, mainly in Jamaica, consider Haile Selassie to have been a divine being - the Messiah - and the champion of the black race who will lead the peoples of Africa and the African diaspora to freedom. Haile Selassie was overthrown in 1974, which effectively ended Ethiopia's longstanding Solomonic Dynasty. 

This is a montage of historical audio clips that give a review of the personality of the emperor and his contributions to Ethiopia. In this presentation you hear the late Ethiopian emperor speak before the United Nations about global issues that have not yet been resolved; his welcoming ceremony in Jamaica, in the United States, Canada and England, and the comments of western journalists about him. It is a presentation that makes you wonder how Ethiopia has gone from the proud & dignified Haile Selassie to the so-called ‘leaders’ of today.

Artist Neway Debebe is on the committee organizing the events to mark the Ethiopian New Millennium in Washington DC.  This is an interview with the renowned artist about the preparations for the celebration and his contributions to it.  Also in this program, we provide an update on our journey so far towards September.

Hosts: Tigest Negatu & Zecharias Getachew

Montage researched & edited by: Befekir Kebede

An unfortunate event took place in Ethiopia in 1984. The event was a disastrous famine that took thousands of lives. Hunger-stricken Ethiopians were shown on television around the world and people in many countries made contributions to help stop the suffering. But when the famine was gone, the television images continued playing relentlessly. The famine was gone more than twenty years ago but the images are still on television tarnishing the image of Ethiopia.

Due to the continual adverse representation of Ethiopia in the western media based on sensationalized and out-of-date information, many are led to believe that Ethiopia is a barren land of drought and famine. Yet the fact is that Ethiopia is one of the most fertile countries in Africa. And another fact is that lack of good governance has mostly been the cause and exacerbating factor of many of the country’s problems including drought and famine. Like Mahatma Gandhi once said, ‘democracies don’t go hungry’. It is the hope of Ethiopians - however - that there will not be a repeat of the famine of 1984 in the new millennium. But as we anticipate a propitious time ahead, lets reflect back on how the world was told about the famine in Ethiopia and how the story kept making headlines almost to date.

Artist Alemtsehay Wedajo was among three Ethiopians interviewed recently on the Voice of America to explain the preparations of the Ethiopian millennium celebrations in Washington DC. The first part of the interview was aired on 11 March 2007 and the final part was on 12 March.

Program:

• About the Committee for the Celebration of the Ethiopian Millennium
• Objective
• Celebration Activities

LISTEN

Program:

• About the Committee for the Celebration of the Ethiopian Millennium
• Objective
• Celebration Activities

LISTEN