Tedla Asfaw
The 40th New York City Marathon on this cloudy Sunday started and ended with grace. Derartu Tulu after escaping the entanglement of feet on the start of the run which victimized one woman and another Kenyan to withdraw before the completion of the run was a great escape for Derartu ending with victory.
The defending Champion and the three time winner of New York City Marathon, Paula Radcliffe, was the favorite and no wonder Derartu was running close to her sometimes looking for eye contact to see if she is OK ! Ethiopian politeness and respect which you can not teach it in school.
Derartu Tulu, the two times Olympic gold medalist in 10 thousand meters and the one time winner of London Marathon, run in the five boroughs of New York City with grace and beauty. It seems she has a job to finish and no sign of panic, a sign of true champion. As an eighteen years old cruising on the final lap of the 10,000m in Barcelona Olympic in 1992 beating the South African girl she became the first African woman to win a gold medal in Olympics.
In 1992 back home then when our national flag was considered as a rug by the ruling TPLF and those collaborating rebels and the pride of being Ethiopian was at low level Derartu Tulu wrapped herself with an Ethiopian flag and gave us hope and since then I have fallen in love with this beautiful girl and now the mother of two children.
On the 20th mile, Manhattan, Derartu Tulu waved to the huge Ethiopian flag and kept on her mission, to win the New York City Marathon and be the first Ethiopian woman. After Paula left behind it was the Russian woman who run with Derartu and the master of the 10K sprinted at the right moment to take over the Russian and French and be the Queen of New York City by finishing in 2:28:54.
Interviewed after the win she said she is not yet finished and she is coming back. We are all proud of Derartu Tulu for giving us hope at our difficult time and running with grace and beauty and you are the true Queen of New York City. I would like also to congratulate Meb Keflegzi for winning the men's marathon and be the first since the American won in 1980s.
The care Derartu Tulu showed to the defending champion at the end of the race shows who she is, a champion who loves, respects others. Her love for her flag is unmatchable. The wave at the 20th mile for the green, yellow and orange, Ethiopian flag is the wave for all Ethiopians all over the wold who watched her on television. Derartu indeed the beautiful Queen of New York City on the 40th Marathon has always been Ethiopian Queen for almost two decades.
We love you Derartu and your beautiful family, see you next year to set a new record for women like the Ethiopian T. Jiffar did for men's marathon in 2001.
Sunday, 1 November 2009
Friday, 30 October 2009
Sales men for China and Ethiopia on World Focus Radio !!!
Tedla Asfaw
World Focus Radio host Martin Savidge talked with Professor Philip LeBel and Ato Ermyas Amelga a"businessman" from Addis Ababa yesterday on his weekly radio program about "Entrepreneurship in Ethiopia" which was aired on blogtalkradio live (Oct. 29)
I had commented earlier on his blog and requested if I can participate on the program. Since the program was not listeners call I had not a chance to question his guests how can entrepreneurship develops where the unelected regime in power is controlling all the resources, land and all cash generating crops and minerals.
" We can't discuss about one cash crop, coffee, without seeing the big picture of farming in Ethiopia. Land is owned
by the unelected government, Ethiopian farmers are now
tenants of the ruling regime TPLF led by Meles Zenawi and
his company EFFORT established by stolen aid money twenty
five years ago.
Large tracts of land have been also leased for foreign
countries or are converted to crops that produce bio energy.
When it comes to the small farms of coffee the regime wants
to discourage farmers to abandon planting coffee to turn it
into large scale coffee farms and it is amazing to see that
USAID is part of this project at the expense of poor
farmers.
Some farmers switch to other crops like Kat a narcotic crop
to support their families. Large areas of Teff farms
surrounding Addis Ababa also turned by government to flower
farm for European markets by those connected with the
regime.
No wonder we are now where we were twenty five years ago
and famine is threatening millions of lives again.
In general Ethiopia is run by unaccountable regime who
cares less for its people and profit at their expenses. The
crisis we witnessed in coffee farms just a tiny fraction of
our overall land policy crisis in Ethiopia.
The least we Ethiopians in the diaspora do is to stop the
Starbucks and others exploit our people with collaboration
with unelected regime in Ethiopia. Those like your guest
from Ethiopia today are only interested in making money at
the poor farmers expense. We saw on Market Makers program
recently that Eleni Gebremedhin working hard on behalf of
the regime to collect each sack of coffee to the government
stores to be shipped to profit her company called GUNA.
The Bonga and Harar I see on your program has not changed a
bit since I saw it more than twenty years ago. Where does
the tax revenue go ? Surely used on the race of our rich
tyrants to catch up with the world rich and famous. Ethiopia
needs real change, democratic and accountable government,
until then we say no to Starbucks, no to flower farm and no
to misguided USAID ".
I appreciate the host for reading the first paragraph of my comment on the program for which the professor replied by accusing Dr. Birhanu for his "harsh" call for overthrowing the Ethiopian regime similar to my "harsh" comment.
The Professor also looks like the spokes person for Chinese companies and I am not surprised for ignoring the question of accountability and the rule of law in Ethiopia raised by the host. The Professor is promoting development at the expense of everything , set to establish a New China in Ethiopia.
countries or are converted to crops that produce bio energy.
When it comes to the small farms of coffee the regime wants
to discourage farmers to abandon planting coffee to turn it
into large scale coffee farms and it is amazing to see that
USAID is part of this project at the expense of poor
farmers.
Some farmers switch to other crops like Kat a narcotic crop
to support their families. Large areas of Teff farms
surrounding Addis Ababa also turned by government to flower
farm for European markets by those connected with the
regime.
No wonder we are now where we were twenty five years ago
and famine is threatening millions of lives again.
In general Ethiopia is run by unaccountable regime who
cares less for its people and profit at their expenses. The
crisis we witnessed in coffee farms just a tiny fraction of
our overall land policy crisis in Ethiopia.
The least we Ethiopians in the diaspora do is to stop the
Starbucks and others exploit our people with collaboration
with unelected regime in Ethiopia. Those like your guest
from Ethiopia today are only interested in making money at
the poor farmers expense. We saw on Market Makers program
recently that Eleni Gebremedhin working hard on behalf of
the regime to collect each sack of coffee to the government
stores to be shipped to profit her company called GUNA.
The Bonga and Harar I see on your program has not changed a
bit since I saw it more than twenty years ago. Where does
the tax revenue go ? Surely used on the race of our rich
tyrants to catch up with the world rich and famous. Ethiopia
needs real change, democratic and accountable government,
until then we say no to Starbucks, no to flower farm and no
to misguided USAID ".
I appreciate the host for reading the first paragraph of my comment on the program for which the professor replied by accusing Dr. Birhanu for his "harsh" call for overthrowing the Ethiopian regime similar to my "harsh" comment.
The Professor also looks like the spokes person for Chinese companies and I am not surprised for ignoring the question of accountability and the rule of law in Ethiopia raised by the host. The Professor is promoting development at the expense of everything , set to establish a New China in Ethiopia.
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Agree to disagree !!
Tedla Asfaw
We should agree to disagree and refrain from unwarranted attack like the one on Tekle, Editor of ECADF, by Dr. Getachew Reda on his Oct. 27 piece posted on his website. Why Tekle's "admiration" of Shabia is an issue when our people is suffering in all corners while TPLF and Shabia soldiers facing each other peacefully, maybe admiring each other ?
TPLF and Shabia can love and hate each other, why should it be a problem for Tekle ? Can we function and think free from these evil forces who brought us to the current mess we are in ? How can someone be an admirer of Shabia as Dr. Getachew Reda accused Tekle at this time when the whole world knows who Isaias' Shabia is ?
I have known closely Tekle for the last two yeas and I haven't seen anything which suggest that he is someone to be equated with Abraha Yaye who showed up in Asmara in the Badme war a decade ago and later on went to give support for TPLF after its defeat in 2005 election.
If Tekle supports Ginbot 7 that is his right and if we do not accept individuals freely associating themselves with organizations they choose , how is that going to help the creation of free and democratic Ethiopia ? I do not see Ginbot7 as an enemy and that in no way make me an admirer of Shabia.
Young Ethiopians like Tekle should be encouraged to do what they have been doing out of love for their country. I do not see what economic benefit such people are getting sacrificing their time and resources. Unfair attack is not helpful at all. The one who are benefiting from such attack are only the anti-Ethiopia forces led by Shabia and TPLF.
We should agree to disagree and refrain from unwarranted attack like the one on Tekle, Editor of ECADF, by Dr. Getachew Reda on his Oct. 27 piece posted on his website. Why Tekle's "admiration" of Shabia is an issue when our people is suffering in all corners while TPLF and Shabia soldiers facing each other peacefully, maybe admiring each other ?
TPLF and Shabia can love and hate each other, why should it be a problem for Tekle ? Can we function and think free from these evil forces who brought us to the current mess we are in ? How can someone be an admirer of Shabia as Dr. Getachew Reda accused Tekle at this time when the whole world knows who Isaias' Shabia is ?
I have known closely Tekle for the last two yeas and I haven't seen anything which suggest that he is someone to be equated with Abraha Yaye who showed up in Asmara in the Badme war a decade ago and later on went to give support for TPLF after its defeat in 2005 election.
If Tekle supports Ginbot 7 that is his right and if we do not accept individuals freely associating themselves with organizations they choose , how is that going to help the creation of free and democratic Ethiopia ? I do not see Ginbot7 as an enemy and that in no way make me an admirer of Shabia.
Young Ethiopians like Tekle should be encouraged to do what they have been doing out of love for their country. I do not see what economic benefit such people are getting sacrificing their time and resources. Unfair attack is not helpful at all. The one who are benefiting from such attack are only the anti-Ethiopia forces led by Shabia and TPLF.
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