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mind entropy of the ethiofrican

A Saturday at the Wharton Africa Business Forum

30 November, 2010 | No comments | Category: Africa, Current Affairs, i.mmigration

by Tse

Setting out on my very first trip to the illustrious city of Philly on a Saturday morning, I had very few ideas about what I will find at the Wharton Africa Business forum.  I imagined it to be a gathering of motivated young Africans and, as someone at the forum put it, Afri-philes gathered to talk about African business. Many great events held in the U.S. focusing on Africa are organized and frequented by people from all walks of life and this demonstrates a heightened level of interest by all in African affairs. But as an African, there is also a special feeling of validation I got from taking part in events like the African Social Enterprise Forum with a large younger African presence, so I was looking forward to WABF. For me personally, there was also the opportunity to hear more about the spreading perception that businesses (read: social enterprises) can work two targets into their bottom lines: profit and social good from an African perspective. As a young professional with a 9-5 job and thus a routine, I also realize the importance of pushing myself by exposing myself to material that challenges me personally, mentally and career-wise. So I was up at 5am and at ‘em driving as the horizon broke into dawn on my right, excited but mostly unaware of the content and great people I would encounter.

WABF did not disappoint on a lot of fronts. There were upwards of 400 professionally attired young graduate students, alumni and business reps filling the meeting rooms leaving little standing space & buzzing the hallway and lobby areas with energetic conversations in between sessions. The attendees, a majority of them African, were highly engaged with the forum and their fellow attendees. I’ll concede a good number of them were business-heads, ivy leaguers, male and Nigerian; Nigerians are everywhere, eh? (said in half-jest because I think I was the only Ethiopian and one of a few Africans from the Horn of Africa present) That said, in spite of any skewed attendance stats, I found most attendees to be open and happy to strike up a conversation and create a connection. Continuing with the lighthearted, the forum featured some great West African food and topped off in classic African fashion with some good African boogie music at a swanky gala and after party in the middle of downtown Philly.

On a more serious note, WABF was probably one of the most professional African events I have seen organized by young people. The conference mostly ran on time and aside from a couple of moderators being a tad loose about directing conversation and one unexciting keynote (I attended one of three keynotes by African business leaders) WABF was a very impressive event. There were almost too many choices for attendees of all business interests happening simultaneously.  The agenda touched on a well balanced number of topics: from private equity, real estate, banking, funding for small and medium enterprises to the growing telecom sector, social enterprise, agribusiness and a conversation about natural resources and even about diaspora moving back to Africa. I was especially impressed by two of the panels I attended: one on Social Enterprise and another on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Attendees had a focus and eagerness to engage with the people, the forum and the great panelists. The forum also delivered that special opportunity I had hoped for: to meet other Africans motivated to make an impact back home – it feels so good to be reminded how others hold these same aspirations. But even more so, it was inspiring to witness a kind of focus and ready-for-business attitude toward Africa amongst fellow young Africans. It made me feel hopeful about the potential of the continent.

After talking to a couple of people that did not attend the event, I realized that there are probably a good number of people that were not at WABF interested in hearing about some of the discussion at the forum. So I decided to share some content from the two sessions I have relatively better notes from. I was sad to miss the private equity panel so if anyone attended that and can share more information please get in touch with me!

A friendly forewarning: what follows below is an in depth and lengthy write-up of the discussion at the two panels. I hope it is of some use to you and thanks for reading. Until next time…Peaces!

(more…)

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When I’m Back

16 April, 2010 | 23 comments | Category: Africa, I.dentity, i.mmigration, nation & ethnicity, nostalgia.personal, Senduq - E!

by E!

It is now 12:07 AM. I just had a brief conversation with tsepeaces and another Berkye SenduQawit. I managed to get out of the conversation in time for me to wash the dishes my friend and I used. Poor fellow had to eat a vegan dinner because I am fasting. I know I am not supposed to brag about lent, especially not announce it on a BLOG that is getting hot by the minute. UMMM but opportunities like this arise very rarely in my side of town.  May be my deacon friend will actually make note of the fact that I am fasting and inform Abba (of course with out my consent) and may be, Abba will reduce my segdet from 75 to 45 for the coming Fasika and the next few Fasikas I will actually spend in this town.

I have a vague suspicion that I am a hot commodity in the virtual world, because everyone wants to hear my stories from home. After all, what is better than a friend who just arrived from Addis Ababa? Of course it’s a bonus, if the friend came with teff injera and she updates you about so and so’s wedding while you take a huge gorsha of teff ingera with WZO X’s ebed yale key wet? Errre I should not have such HODE-related ideas in the first week of tsome (My deacon friend decrees such thoughts at this time of the year).

It has also become Ye Addebabye Mistere that I have very weak resistance le addis ababa goremsoch…and hence (I assume that she assumed) my three weeks stay would be full of drama. Well, Not Really. Mr. S has done un-repairable damage to my dating appetite. And besides, STD rates are on the rise eytebale yeweral. Of course, the person who gave me this info is a major ye’addis ababa dureye and he even challenged me to disprove this hypothesis. He said,  “as an aspiring scientist you should do a practical hypothesis testing”. Imagine my surprise when I heard this from Elem yale dureye negAde ….what y’know about hypothesis testing and scientific research? The hypothesis still remains untested…anyways we should move on, after all this is a well-respected blog. There are still some who constantly mistake ME for chewa & anget defi so let me not ruin their presumption.

I wanted to go home desperately because I wanted to confirm that home still exists.  As much as I love and appreciate my life here, I feel as if something is missing (May be something or someone is actually missing but that by itself calls for another entry). I have this nagging feeling of emptiness. I constantly reminded my self that my life here is temporary, I should not get too comfortable here because this is not home. Ethiopia is home. Or is it not? I had three weeks to find out.

When I arrived at the Bole International airport my mom was the first person I saw, she was holding a gorgeous bouquet of flowers.  She did not see me until I was steps away from her. The expression on her face when she saw me was priceless. I realized how much I have missed my mom when I saw her with flowers in her hands, lost in deep thought. My mother looked so much darker than I remembered, it has been two years since I last saw her, but within those two years, my mother has aged rapidly. She still looks very young for her age, but she has changed considerably.

The three weeks went by so fast and we were once again at the Bole international airport, this time at the departure section. I managed to send my luggage and I went to the airport café where my parents and brother were waiting. We sat in the café for a while until my brother finally rose from his chair and announced that it was time. It was past mid night and both my parents looked very exhausted. I knew another Goodbye was imminent.  I gave each one of them a hug, and watched my father and brother escort my mom who was sobbing quietly.

I arrived at the airport in my city on a sunny Sunday afternoon. I quickly collected my luggage, and left the arrival section. There was no one waiting for me at the airport. There were no flowers, kisses or hugs, not even a handshake. My heart sunk a bit lower with this realization, but I was nonetheless happy to be “home”. My apartment looked much bigger, sunnier and cleaner than I remembered. I realized how much I have missed its coziness, quietness and spaciousness. I went out and bought a calling card to tell my parents that I have arrived safely. I called a few friends to let them know that I am in town. I unpacked, took a hot long bath and then went out on my balcony and drew in a lung full of crisp winter air….euffoy and oddly enough it felt good to be back.

I was not able to permanently address this “empty” feeling, that I always had since I set a foot in North America. But I was able to understand why I constantly have that feeling. This “empty” feeling is due to lack of genuine love, attention and laughter I took for granted in Ethiopia. Over the seven years I have been here, besides a few good friends I have been all-alone. It is a dangerous realization but with all honesty, very few people would notice if I went missing or dead. So, this “constant feeling of emptiness” is also known to many as “loneliness”.

I have been back from my trip for over a month. I have now made peace with “loneliness” and we have made unwritten convention that it will occupy a small corner in my life. It will NOT take over completely; make me move to another city or date un-dateable guys. I will NOT deny its existence. “Loneliness” and me shook hands and sealed the deal, with out shemagelas, eyewitnesses or lawyers. I looked at a framed picture of my parents for approval. They smiled, so I guessed they also approve.

My trip has given me an opportunity to re-connect with family and friends. I especially had a fabulous time with my cousin with whom I shared great childhood memories. He was drifting away from my life and it felt righteous to place him back in my life (and this time permanently). It was also nice to see how some of my friends have become so successful and dedicated to their careers. Since most people do not work for more than a few hours a day, it was refreshing to see such commitment and persistence. I had an opportunity to go to ANde Yemengist mesribete to get some paper work done and we had to go multiple times during office hours to get very simple and basic service. There are lots of incompetent and lazy people and they demand loads of patience.

I closed my eyes and thought about my mother deep in thought, holding the beautiful bouquet. Another thought came, my parents, brother and I at the airport café. Sandwiched between the two, I had unbelievably beautiful time. It was a fabulous vacation and it made me realize that I am lonely but also happy here. I can handle loneliness. Surely, I have developed a thick skin over the course of seven years – I have lived alone after all. I also love the life I have created for myself here; I am in a setting that challenges me intellectually and emotionally. I have chosen this life for me and I must live it unapologetically. But yes, Ethiopia also has a room for me and I can go back to it whenever I am ready. For now though, “loneliness” and I will coexist.

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The Uncomfortable Truth: Nneka

4 March, 2010 | 41 comments | Category: Africa, for.the.love.of.words!, musiqa, nation & ethnicity, peace & conflict

Simple Star!

photography and article by  Fabay

I’m so glad I came across Nneka in 2009.  I was instantly in love with her music when I heard the song “Africans”. I was so impressed to see a young intelligent woman who was born and raised in Africa urging fellow Africans to focus on constructive solutions through her art. Nneka dares to point out that it is no longer acceptable for us to exclusively blame colonial powers for the conflict, death, injustice, poverty, exploitation, and corruption that exists in Africa.  She urges Africans to take proactive roles  in designing and implementing reform.  She sings “you keep pushing the blame on our colonial fathers … it’s up to us (Africans) to gain some recognition.. If we stop blaming we could get a better condition.” Nneka’s genuine message of love, awareness, and her call for action is what attracted me.  She encourages the African Diaspora to become active stakeholders, take responsibility, and invest their time, resources, and expertise in Africa’s development.  She pleads “you got to wake up, please youuuuu got tooo“.

I applaud Nneka for using her talent to share a powerful message.  She is among  a group of new and rising African artists who give voice to Africa’s new generation. Her music is a medley of sounds, words, and beats morphing and blending with an alluring audacity.  Her songs are loaded with moral and biblical references as she reflects on her life in Nigeria and Germany. She touches on issues of capitalism, poverty, war, corruption, and individual and government accountability.

“There are many of us, Africans, black people that leave Africa for a while go abroad, study etc. and instead of going back home to do something they stay,  go overseas and make themselves comfortable. What I am really trying to stress here is that we all carry responsibility. There is so much we can do. If we come overseas to study and learn, it isn’t for no reason because God has given me that opportunity to do so. And I believe if I would have not stepped out of Nigera for a while I would not have been able to do what I am doing right now. And now that I have to chance to go back home and do something, why not do it?” ~ Nneka

Get a taste of her music: The Uncomfortable Truth

 

From her newly released American Album “Concrete Jungle”: Focus

 

When I found out Nneka was performing at Vinyl Atlanta on February 9th, 2010, I was ecstatic.  I wanted to experience her energy in person.  I wasn’t disappointed; her performance was filled with powerful messages and humor.  Below are some pictures from her show at the Vinyl in Atlanta.

I left the concert feeling a longing for my Ethiopia.  Her concert sparked a feeling of homesickness because every verse of her music was for my continent, my people, my leaders, and for me.  Even though I was not Nigerian, I felt I could relate, empathize with every word and feeling she was expressing on stage.  My love for the continent is beyond what words can express.  I didn’t know how much I loved it until I left it behind.  How do you feel when you see injustice and lack of resource killing your people?  What do you do when the current status of your country breaks your heart but you can’t stop loving it? What do you know of the ache of being away for over a decade and not being able to go home to visit your family?  What do you do when you feel powerless?  As I patiently wait to set foot on my native soil, go back to a land where my heart is bound, when the journey seems so far away, I will listen to songs by two of my favorite African musicians who speak for me: Nneka “God of Mercy” and Knaan’s “TIA: This is Africa”.

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Opposite Sides of the Border

2 November, 2009 | 4 comments | Category: Africa, for.the.love.of.words!, I.dentity, i.mmigration, nation & ethnicity, poetry

by guest writer: Liya

cracked earth

Separated by our connection
Divided by common ground
Enmity no longer needs to be understood
Now accepted the way love once was
From opposite sides of the border
We mirror each other’s DNA
Still found soaking the Earth on both sides
Almond eyes traced in black
Hiding beneath the shadow of
A cliff-like brow
Without words we do not know our enemy
Let us sit in silence
For peace to dare return
Let us make sound only to celebrate
Ilil belu be ye-and-andachu qwankwa (rejoice in each of your languages)
Isn’t it beautiful when joy transcends
Like praise from broken hearts to
Silenced lips
Like music to the Heavens

photo: dreamyourealive

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Kill Aid!

8 July, 2009 | 18 comments | Category: Africa, book snip, Current Affairs, peace & conflict, Senduq - Nani

 

Kill Aid! No more funny paper

(picture courtesy of agent_of.chaos)

by Nani

Finally! Phew! The debate has started… It’s a long time coming. Many Africans have often raised this issue among themselves; it’s a well-known secret.

Aid, as we know it today, is it hurting or helping Africa? Does it really reach the people it’s meant to? Does it even reach the continent at all, or is it true that it simply goes from one bank account to another, from the West’s to the Swiss belly of the African elite? … Well there are enough cases to purport that Aid has very rarely achieved its objective – i.e. to alleviate poverty, achieve long-term economic growth, and create jobs. Think of a country that owed exactly the amount of money its president had tucked away in the Swiss banks. No, Aid as it is implemented in Africa today has never, and will not ever achieve prosperity.

My first encounter with the now famous and rightfully acclaimed economist Dambisa Moyo was when I watched her interview on Charlie Rose of March 25th. I accidentally run into the interview online a day or two later while I was aimlessly wandering on the web. That same night I bought Dead Aid from Amazon.

This book is an absolute MUST read. Niall Ferguson who wrote the forward for the book gives us the perfect reason for why we should seek out and read the book, “The simple fact that Dead Aid is the work of an African black woman is the least of the reasons why you should read it. But it is a good reason nonetheless.”

Ferguson is quoted saying …“ It has long seemed to me problematic, and even a little embarrassing, that so much of the public debate about Africa’s economic problems should be conducted by non-African white men. From the economists (Paul Collier, William Easterly, Jeffrey Sachs) to the rock stars (Bono, Bob Geldof), the African discussion has been colonized as surely as the African continent was a century ago.” — The author herself thanks organizers of her recent debate at The Munk Debates in Toronto, Canada for ‘allowing (her) to say a few things about the state of (her) continent, even though (she)’s not a celebrity

;) Loved her feistiness there!

One particular country she likes to pick on is Ethiopia, -- and rightfully so. Some statistics show that about 90% of our annual budget is based on Aid, and our government does not seem to have any intention of changing that any time soon. Why should that be a problem? The simple fact that it (Aid) removes the basic incentive in a society is the simple answer. As Moyo put it – we all live in a world of incentives, individuals, governments, policy makers all are incentivized to do the right thing. Remove that and you lose the basic motive that binds all elements together. In an Aid system governments have no incentive to respond to their people. You vote, so what? The government does not rely on tax money for its existence so what its own people say has no bearing whatsoever on its agenda. Moyo points to the startling fact that NO country on earth has ever recorded meaningful economic growth or reduced poverty on an Aid based system. Yet, our government seems to support the notion that more Aid is the only way that the country can survive, (and I’m left thinking – when are we ever going to think beyond survival?) and is seen asking and insisting on getting more donor money year after year. Since the famine that preceded Haile Selassie I’s overthrow we have been known as the begging bowl of the world. But will that change anytime soon? Likely not.

What is also persuasive about Moyo’s argument is that she points to specific facts of how and when Aid has been effective, for Aid has its place. But like everything else, when it’s in check. She also offers specific alternatives countries should consider if they’re serious about developing, which is really what is lacking in most African governments. And despite all the rhetoric, the donors themselves are not really serious about being agents of development in Africa. They have chosen to ignore all signs and evidence that Aid does more ill than good, but they still choose the easy way out, offer and when given accept little band-aid solutions to shut quibbling rumors that the rest of the word does not give a whit. — And so they only give us funny papers, papers we’ve never seen, but are supposed to be thankful for, and are worth nothing! ‘Cause the harsh truth is ‘Africa is to development, what Mars is to NASA. No one really believes that Africa will ever develop, and no one really believes that we can live on Mars’

This post is to thank Ms Moyo for her outstanding work, for attracting attention to the subject and showing the true character of Aid – that it is really ‘the disease of which it pretends to be the cure’ (Karl Kraus).

 

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