World Economic Forum has selected Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu as Young Global Leader 2011


 

The World Economic Forum has announced the new class of Young Global Leaders of 2011.  One of the selected young leaders is Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, founder and managing director of footwear brand soleRebels, a member of the World Fair Trade Organization.

The World Economic Forum selects young leaders from around the world.  They are chosen from various sectors representing the business, government, civil society, arts and culture, media and social entrepreneurs for their professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shape the future of the world.

“I was deeply honoured when notified about my selection by the Forum. This represents a recognition of the power of our core aim at soleRebels: to show that development and trade go hand in hand, and that delivering world class  products to the global marketplace is a potent key to creating real and sustained prosperity in the communities of developing  nations,” said Bethlehem.

With her selection Bethlehem joins a distinguished list of executives from companies and non profits from around the globe, including co-founders of Google Larry Page and Sergey Brin; Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Facebook; actor Leonardo DiCaprio; CNN television journalist Anderson Cooper; Evan Williams, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Twitter; YouTube founder Chad Hurley; Skype CEO Josh Silverman; Yahoo founder Jerry Yang;  Business News TV star Maria Bartiromo;  Wadah Khanfar, Director-General, Al Jazeera Satellite Network and  Newsweek  columnist Fareed Zakaria.

“The World Economic Forum is a true multi-stakeholder community of global decision-makers in which the Young Global Leaders represent the voice for the future and the hopes of the next generation. The diversity of the YGL community and its commitment to shaping a better future through action-oriented initiatives of public interest is even more important at a time when the world is in need of new energy to solve intractable challenges,” said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.

Drawn from a pool of more than 5,000 high level global candidates, the Young Global Leaders 2011 were chosen by an elite selection committee of global business and media leaders, chaired by H.M. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

As a 2011 honouree, Bethlehem will become part of the broader Forum of Young Global Leaders community that currently comprises 660 outstanding individuals. This year’s Young Global Leaders will convene at an annual summit in Dalian, People’s Republic of China from 12 to 16 September, as well as at World Economic Forum events and meetings throughout the year. These events enable YGLs to build a strong and diverse community, to engender a better understanding of the global and regional agendas and to engage in initiatives to address specific challenges of public interest.

Life on silver screens (Yonas Birhane)
10 films and still counting- The dynamic filmmaker Yonas Birhane

By Tibebeselassie Tigabu

Some people seem optimistic about the booming film industry in Ethiopia while others question the existence of the word ‘industry’ in connection with  filmmaking in Ethiopia.  Whether there is an industry or not, a few filmmakers are trying to leave their legacy in paving the way for others.

There are very few Ethiopians in contemporary filmmaking who have equipped them selves with the proper education.  Yonas Birhane Mewa is one such individual. He has produced 10 films namely Hermela, Yemoriam Medir, Silefikir, Etone, Baletaxiwu, Yetafene Fiker,Tisisir, Makbel, Gimash Sew, and the new romantic comedy Mistiru within just five years.

For most filmmakers, producing one feature might be a time consuming task. Yet, Yonas seems determined to use his time to the fullest and direct films as long as he can. With 10 films in five years, he sure does have persistency in the contemporary film scene. The five years’ road however had its share of challenges.

“It’s not easy to make a film but if you manage it well, you can do it,” says Yonas.
Though he says he does not do films for commercial purposes and rather for the sake of art, luck seems to cross his path and make his films a commercial success.
“When I try to make a film, the market side has never been my first target; that is rather the producers’ intention. If I get a hundred viewers, what I see is their reflection on the film. Most of the films I did portray what I want to say but some are not understood by the public. Audiences want all answers in the film; so I try to tell it simply so that the audience understand it,” Yonas Explains. 

Inspired by the legendary Hollywood film hero stories, as a child Yonas wanted to be a soldier. In later years, however, he understood that he could demonstrate his patriotism or make soldiers of any kind through his films.

When he finished high school, Yonas collaborated with Solomon Shibru to make a film entitled ‘Yegizeyachin Sewoch’  and he was able to write a film with a friend. At that moment he understood how much he didn’t know about films and the need for intensive training  to tell the stories he had in mind.

The young filmmaker travelled to the United States to pursue his dream, and joined San Francisco State University where he graduated in Cinema. His graduating project was on the ionic novel of the legendary Ethiopian writer Hadis Alemayehu entitled Fiker Eske Mekabir (Love unto the Crypt). He focused on the love scene of two characters, Bezabih and Seblewongel.

“Usually it is recommended to work on reviewing renowned filmmakers’ works, such as The Matrix. But I preferred mine to be an Ethiopian story. I wanted to do it in my own language and in my own culture,” says Yonas.

After a seven year sojourn abroad, Yonas came back to Ethiopia with new hopes, plans and stories he wanted to tell.

According to Yonas, the first thing he did was to train people, come to know the audience and find filmmaking equipment. But all these proved to be challenging at the time of his return.

“I wanted to tell a story and because I had stayed abroad for seven years, there was a gap. So I had to find out what the public wanted to hear and how I should express it.”

The young filmmaker did a research for a year on how to incorporate different signs and symbols into a film. However, the fact that he retained a Hollywood style and metaphor led to a misunderstanding with in his audience. He later understood that one style might not fit all and he had to improvise. So he was forced to cut some symbolization from his film Hermela (the story of a stalker inspired by a real story).

From his first film, Hermela, the filmmaker learned the public’s psychological makeup, the different mythologies, symbols, metaphors and how to change those in films even if he cannot completely detach himself from the Hollywood style of storytelling.

Hermela was a beacon for Yonas and his filmmaking career took off with many demands for his directing skill.

As he explains, all the films he has directed have their own distinctive features and he learns from each one of the experiences. Yet, from all his films the director says he felt the most freedom in applying his creativity while making ‘Hermela’ and ‘Mistiru’.

Yonas is one of the highly sought after film directors in the country. Scripts are lined up for him from different corners. At times he cannot even find the time to read and has to decline the offers that come his way.

For this filmmaker, in order to do a film, he first has to like the story. The financial aspect comes later.

In the past decade, though a large number of films have been produced, the quality  of most of the films is questionable.

“There are many problems ranging from knowledge and expertise of people in the field to technical problems which limit us only to do films for local consumption and financial problems which make filmmaking very difficult. Film is a big art which can change people but some are using films to boost their ego,” Yonas says in annocyance.

The filmmaker admits that there have been both positive and negative changes in the field over the past decade. The improvement in technical expertise and emerging professionalism in the field are some of the positive aspects that he says he has witnessed.

Even if some filmmakers seem to be optimist about the future, others tend to take the pessimist approach. Such professionals allege that Ethiopian films are nothing but a mere distortion of Hollywood films. 

Yonas, however, concedes he had been keen on tapping the Hollywood style of  filmmaking but says he was recently inspired to try out the Ethiopian style of storytelling. “In my films, I follow a Hollywood style of storytelling. We grew up hearing many stories in the form of folktale but the thing is most of us did not try to tell the stories in Ethiopian way. You can see that form of storytelling in Haile Gerima’s film Teza. Now I want to try it in my films. It might disappoint my audiences anticipation but I want to make the shift to Ethiopian storytelling.”

Ethiopian Airlines First Female Captain

Ethiopian Airlines today celebrated the maiden flight of its female Captain Amsale Gualu Endegnanew. Captain Amsale proudly took off her first flight from the left hand seat of the flight deck of a Q-400 aircraft from Addis Ababa to Gondar then to Axum and finally returned back to Addis Ababa after a total of 3.6 flight hours.

Captain Amsale joined Ethiopian Airlines Pilot Training School on July 10, 2000 and started her career as first officer on November 26, 2002. Since then, she has trained and worked on Fokker-50, 757 and 767 aircraft as first officer. Captain Amsale has been able to complete successfully all the necessary training requirements and passed through rigorous checks to gain her four stripes. She has a total of 4475 flight hours under her belt when she becomes the commander-in-chief of her flight.

Ato Tewolde G. Mariam, Designate Chief Executive Officer of the airline, families and friends of Captain Amsale warmly welcomed her at the Addis Ababa International Airport on her return flight from Axum. During the occasion, Ato Tewolde said, "We congratulate Captain Amsale on her outstanding achievement. Captain Amsale deserves the recognition as she has demonstrated tremendous dedication to reach the pinnacle."

In her brief statement to the audience of staff, friends and family members Captain Amsale said, "It is a great privilege to become the first female captain of the national carrier. I have been trained and passed through various ladders at Ethiopian Airlines. The company has been very supportive of my efforts to realize my vision of becoming a captain."

Congratulating Captain Amsale on the occasion, Wzo Elizabeth Getachew, A/Senior Vice President Human Resource Management and the highest ranking female executive in the airline said, "Captain Amsale’s success is a great achievement on her part and it is also an achievement for the airline. It is my hope that other females will be inspired by her success and Ethiopian will see more female candidates in the near future"

Ethiopian currently has four female pilots working as first officers.

Ethiopian World Food Prize winner: IT revolution won't be model for agriculture in Africa

By Sandi Doughton

It wasn't the answer Bill Gates wanted to hear.

The billionaire philanthropist was talking with Purdue University agronomist Gebisa Ejeta about the high-yielding, disease-resistant sorghum he developed.

If money was no object, Gates asked, what proportion of African farmers could be convinced to switch to the new variety?

Ejeta's answer: Maybe 20 percent.

"He was disappointed," Ejeta told an audience at the University of Washington last week. Given the rapid uptake of cellphones across Africa, the tech-minded Gates was frustrated that a new crop would catch on so much more slowly.

But it took 25 years for American farmers to widely embrace high-yielding hybrid corn, said Ejeta, winner of the 2009 World Food Prize. Not only is there natural resistance to new farming practices, it also takes time to develop the infrastructure and distribution networks to get new crops to farmers.
"The remarkable IT revolution should not create an illusion for agriculture and bioscience," he cautioned.

Nevertheless, he's optimistic.

By the time hybrid soybeans were introduced in the U.S., educational programs and distribution networks were already in place and farmers were eager. Within 5 years, virtually everyone was planting the new varieties.

"We need to build that mindset in Africa," Ejeta said. "We are not there yet."

Born in an impoverished Ethiopian village, Ejeta developed the first variety of sorghum resistant to a plant parasite that destroys up to 40 percent of African cereal crops. The new variety quadrupled yields.

This video from the World Food Prize site summarizes his life and work.

Ejeta was the first speaker in a series of UW lectures called "Food: Eating your Environment."

During a lively Q&A session, he sparred with a representative from Seattle-based AGRAWatch, which opposes the use of GMO crops and the Gates Foundation's close ties with GMO promoters and agribusinesses like Monsanto.

But agribusinesses possess the type of expertise that can help build Africa's agricultural sector, Ejeta said. Few of them currently operate on the continent, because profit margins are too slim.

"I would like to see them there," he said - but in a non-exploitative way.

Ejeta helped develop AGRA, the Gates-funded push for a Green Revolution in Africa. Among the goals are introducing more productive crop varieties through both conventional breeding and genetic modification, and improving distribution of fertilizers and pesticides.

It remains to be seen whether the program will be effective, said Ejeta, who criticized the preference for funneling money through NGOs rather than giving it directly to African governments.

"They don't blink an eye at putting resources in the hands of beltway bandits, consulting companies masquerading as NGOs."

Loud applause greeted a questioner who wondered why AGRA doesn't instead promote organic agriculture.

As with Gates, Ejeta didn't hesitate to disappoint his audience.

It could be argued that African agriculture is the most organic on the planet - and the result has been crushing poverty, erosion and soil depletion, he said.

"I come from there," he said. "I'm not going to wish that on anyone. I'm looking to find a way out."

What is Ethiopian policy on GMO click here to find out.


So , what does these all means? It raise a lot of questions, one, what is the relationship between Gates foundation and GMO promoters and agribusinesses like Monsanto.?

What is GMO? Where would a small farmer in a country like Ethiopia will get money to buy fertilizer and seeds every season. Why make your country dependant on agribusiness like Monsanto and others when you can develop a permanent  solution as Dr, Ejeta researched and found.

                    Gebisa Ejeta Wins 2009 World Food Prize

                The ironey of world hunger and it's solution by Ethiopian.

DES MOINES, Iowa, October 16, 2009  - The 2009 World Food Prize has been awarded to Dr. Gebisa Ejeta of Ethiopia, whose sorghum hybrids resistant to drought and the devastating Striga weed have increased the production and availability of sorghum, one of the world's five principal grains, and enhanced the food supply of hundreds of millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa.

                The ironey of world hunger and it's solution by Ethiopian.DES MOINES, Iowa, October 16, 2009  - The 2009 World Food Prize has been awarded to Dr. Gebisa Ejeta of Ethiopia, whose sorghum hybrids resistant to drought and the devastating Striga weed have increased the production and availability of sorghum, one of the world's five principal grains, and enhanced the food supply of hundreds of millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr. Ejeta received the $250,000 World Food Prize on Thursday at the Iowa State Capitol. The prize is the centerpiece of a symposium at which food experts and decision-makers from around the world are discussing how adequate access to food and nutrition can contribute to the security of all people.

As the planet gets warmer and more crowded, poor farmers will need access to genetically engineered seeds if they are to raise enough food, said keynote speaker Bill Gates, the Microsoft Corp. chairman who is using his fortune to ease global poverty.

Gates said food production must be boosted globally without harming the soil and water, and he challenged environmentalists to drop their resistance to high-yield, high-tech agriculture. "They act as if there is no emergency, even though in the poorest, hungriest places on Earth, population is growing faster than productivity, and the climate is changing," Gates said.   

Dr. Ejeta made his sorghum hybrid breakthroughs with traditional plant breeding techniques, resorting to genetic engineering only to combat the deadly Striga weed.

Sorghum is made into breads, porridges, syrup, and beverages. Dr. Ejeta developed the first hybrid sorghum varieties for Africa, which are drought tolerant and high yielding.

While working in Sudan as a sorghum researcher at the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, ICRISAT, Dr. Ejeta's Hageen Dura-1 sorghum hybrid was released in 1983 following field trials in which the hybrids out-yielded traditional sorghum varieties by 50 to 100 percent.

Its superior grain qualities contributed to its rapid spread and wide acceptance by farmers, who found that yields increased to more than 150 percent greater than local sorghum, far surpassing the percentage gain in the trials.

Born in 1950, Ejeta grew up in a one-room thatched hut with a mud floor, in a rural village in west-central Ethiopia. His mother's deep belief in education provided the young Ejeta with the means to rise out of poverty and hardship through high school and technical school.

Ejeta earned his bachelor's degree in plant science in 1973 at Alemaya College in eastern Ethiopia, which was established by Oklahoma State University and supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

His college mentor introduced Ejeta to renowned sorghum researcher Dr. John Axtell of Purdue University, who invited him to assist in collecting sorghum species from around the country and later to become his graduate student at Purdue University. This invitation came at a time when Ethiopia was about to enter a long period of political instability which would keep Ejeta from returning to his home country for nearly 25 years. 
 
Dr. Ejeta in his lab at Purdue University Ejeta entered Purdue in 1974, earning his Ph.D. in plant breeding and genetics. He later became a faculty member at Purdue, where today he holds a distinguished professorship.

To help poor farmers in Sudan feed themselves and their families and rise out of poverty, Dr. Ejeta urged the establishment of structures to monitor production, processing, certification, and marketing of hybrid seed and farmer education programs in the use of fertilizers, soil and water conservation.

By 1999, one million acres of his hybrid sorghum Hageen Dura-1 had been harvested by hundreds of thousands of Sudanese farmers, and millions of Sudanese had been fed with grain produced by Hageen Dura-1.

Another drought-tolerant sorghum hybrid, NAD-1, was developed for conditions in Niger by Dr. Ejeta and one of his graduate students at Purdue in 1992. This cultivar has had yields up to five times the national sorghum average.

Using some of the drought-tolerant germplasm from the hybrids in Niger and Sudan, Dr. Ejeta developed elite sorghum inbred lines for the U.S. sorghum hybrid industry. He has released over 70 parental lines for the U.S. seed industry's use in commercial sorghum hybrids.

Dr. Ejeta's next breakthrough came in the 1990s, the culmination of his research to conquer the greatest biological impediment to food production in Africa – the deadly parasitic weed Striga, known commonly as witchweed. This plant devastates crop yields of maize, rice, pearl millet, sugarcane, and sorghum, severely limiting food availability.

A 2009 UN Environmental Programme report estimates that Striga plagues 40 percent of arable savannah land, disrupting food supplies to over 100 million people in Africa.
 
Dr. Ejeta conducts research on varieties of sorghum. Crop management techniques and application of herbicides had failed to control Striga until Dr. Ejeta and his Purdue colleague Dr. Larry Butler formulated a novel research paradigm for genetic control of this scourge.

With financial support from the Rockefeller Foundation and USAID, they integrated genetics, agronomy, and biochemistry that focused on unraveling the intricate relationships between the parasitic Striga and the host sorghum plant. They identified genes for Striga resistance and transferred them into locally adapted sorghum varieties and improved sorghum cultivars. The new sorghum also can adapt better to different African ecological conditions and farming systems.

Distribution of the new sorghum varieties as initially facilitated in 1994 by Dr. Ejeta, working closely with World Vision International and Sasakawa2000. Those organizations coordinated a pilot program, with USAID funding, that distributed eight tons of seed to Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.

The yield increases from the improved Striga-resistant cultivars have been up to four times the yield of local varieties, even in the severe drought areas.

In 2002-2003, Dr. Ejeta introduced an integrated Striga management package, again funded by USAID, to deploy in Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Tanzania along with the Striga-resistant sorghum varieties he and colleagues had developed at Purdue. This package increased crop productivity through a combination of weed resistance in the host plant, soil-fertility enhancement, and water conservation.

By partnering with leaders and farmers across sub-Saharan Africa and educational institutions in the United States and abroad, Dr. Ejeta has trained and inspired a new generation of African agricultural scientists who are carrying on his work.

"By ridding Africa of the greatest biological impediment to food production, Dr. Ejeta has put himself in the company of some of the greatest researchers and scientists recognized by this award over the past 23 years," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in June when the award was first announced. "The Obama Administration is inspired by the tireless efforts of Dr. Ejeta has demonstrated in the battle to eliminate food insecurity and is committed to employing a comprehensive approach to tackle the scourge of world hunger."

The World Food Prize, established in 1986, recognizes contributions in any field involved in the world food supply. Previous laureates have come from Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Cuba, Denmark, India, Mexico, Sierra Leone, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United Nations and the United States. The World Food Prize is sponsored by U.S. businessman and philanthropist John Ruan.
(ENS)

ALEMAYEHU ESHETE,

Eshete was a soul singer in the classic tradition, who didn't so much sing to his audience as seduce it, working himself and his fans into a sweat-soaked frenzy. Features ferocious horns, groovy guitar licks and a definite Mideast influence. Anyone with a passion for funk or the sound of '70s Africa should pick up this set! Read More and listen to his sampler musics

Where is Ethiopia Habtemariam, Now?

Already a VP at Universal Music Publishing, the New York-based 27-year-old has signed such top artists as Ludacris, Ciara, Chris Brown and Chamillionaire, as well as hot up-and-coming  song writer/producers Polow, Candice Nelson and Keri Hilson. Trying her hand at A&R, she helmed Ciara's recent No. 1-debuting sophomore set, "The Evolution." Read More about her  We just missed her! She is a successful Ethiopian we just wanted to know what she is up to.


Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guébrou

Already a VP at Universal Music Publishing, the New York-based 27-year-old has signed such top artists as Ludacris, Ciara, Chris Brown and Chamillionaire, as well as hot up-and-coming  song writer/producers Polow, Candice Nelson and Keri Hilson. Trying her hand at A&R, she helmed Ciara's recent No. 1-debuting sophomore set, "The Evolution."   We just missed her! She is a successful Ethiopian we just wanted to know what she is up to.

An outstanding pianist and a remarkable composer, Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guébrou (now a Christian nun in a Jerusalem monastery) once recorded her own piano solo works, steeped in Ethiopian culture.The rich, personal poetry of these songs brings to mind Claude Debussy or Carlos d’Alessio’s “India Song” – a rare curiosity indeed, with beautiful melodies and a charming interpretation. Listen to her music below. If link doesn't work, click here and scroll down to listen to her sample musics.