May 17, 2009 | E.W.F, Speeches, Voice of Ethiopia (past)
Article from the original Voice of Ethiopia
Volume 1, Number 25
Saturday July 17, 1937
Some time ago I wrote in this column that the white race would be looking on to see the failure of the efforts being made by black people here, to assist Ethiopia. I said also that many members of our race had become distrustful of any organization formed by Black people because they had the habit of falling for one reason or another.
There are reasons why our efforts to advance often meet with failure – internal quarrels and external opposition. It is necessary therefore that in our attempt to take our proper place in the world, our organizations be intelligently set up and honestly and efficiently administered.
Endurance
The Black race is capable of keeping alive under the most adverse circumstances. The history of the slave period and after proves this. Here we go on living patiently enduring the shortage of the necessities of life, and continuous toil with no other prospect in view.
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May 17, 2009 | H.I.M, Speeches
If we are to survive, this Organization must survive. To survive, it must be strengthened. Its executive must be vested with greater authority.
The means for the enforcement of its decisions must be fortified and, if they do not exist, they must be devised. Procedures must be established to protect the small and the weak when threatened by the strong and the mighty.
All nations which fulfil the conditions of membership must be admitted and allowed to sit in this assemblage. Equality of representation must be assured in each of its organs.
The possibilities which exist in the United Nations to provide the means whereby the hungry may be fed, the naked clothed, the ignorant instructed, must be seized on and exploited, for the flower of peace is not sustained by poverty and want. To achieve that requires courage and confidence. The courage, I believe, we possess. The confidence must be created, and to create confidence we must act courageously.
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May 17, 2009 | E.W.F, Speeches, Voice of Ethiopia (past)
Article from the original Voice of Ethiopia
Volume 2, Number 35
Saturday September 24, 1938
We must choose between collective action and individual action. Human beings are drawn together living in communities for their mutual benefit. They are drawn by an instructive force to live together in groups for their mutual protection. But frequently they fail to avail themselves completely of the benefits of collective action.
Individual Action
There is no system which cannot be shown to possess some advantage over another system which has the same purpose. Individual action has certain advantages over collective action. When government is in the hands of one man or a small group decision can be made more quickly and executed with greater speed than when it depends on collective action.
But the possibilities of effort are far greater. A man’s knowledge and experience are limited, his emotions are at times unreliable. For these reasons error is more likely to occur than if he had the knowledge and experience of many persons to draw upon.
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May 17, 2009 | H.I.M, Speeches
Ever since We were entrusted with the responsibility of leading Ethiopia, one of the several wishes We cherished for Our people has been to witness the arrival of a time when Our people will be able to realize their problems as well as potentialities and through mutual discussions come out with solutions for improvement.
In order to bring about the fulfilment of Our idea, We established the Ministry of National Community Development eight years ago. Our first directive to the Ministry was in short to go down to village level and give instructions by which the people can improve living conditions and solve social problems.
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May 17, 2009 | H.I.M, History, Speeches
Emperor Haile Selassie I
“Life is full of trials and tribulations, and man in his struggle to survive and guide his own destiny has to be prepared to meet its many challenges, particularly in our modern world.
Education can harness man’s immense potential and enable him to be better equipped in his lifelong pursuit so that he can utilize his strength and intellect to the highest use. Mankind has bene fited from this through the ages. Much as man has progressed in the scientific and technological fields, he has not made a parallel endeavor to enrich himself spiritually. The materialism of today is overriding the spiritual values to the extent that today we observe a lot of unrest and social upheavals which have become common phenomena the world over.
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May 16, 2009 | Dates, Historical Culture, History
The Battle of Adwa took place on 1st and 2nd March 1896 at Adwa in northern Ethiopia. The Battle occurred at a time when European nations were engaged in the scramble for Africa.
Notably, at the Berlin Conference in 1884-85, Africa was divided up for the European nations to colonise and Ethiopia was awarded to the Italians, all Italy had to do was use its troops to take possession of Ethiopia. On the 2nd March 1896, united Ethiopian forces commanded by Emperor Menelik II defeated the Italian army at the Battle of Adwa. It was the first time an African nation had defeated a European power. The Ethiopian victory at Adwa prevented the Italians from colonising Ethiopia.
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May 16, 2009 | Culture, Food & Health
The Association Between Ill-health and Chemical Additives in Foods and Bodycare Products
There is increasing concern about the link between chemical additives found in foods and body-care products, not only in the West but also in non-Western countries. Chemical additives often allow manufacturers to produce cheaper products, some of which, would be unsuitable for sale in the West but which are increasingly finding their way to Africa, South America and the Caribbean.
In his book ‘The Chemical Maze’, Bill Statham said “What I discovered during my research amazed and often shocked me. I discovered that a significant number of chemicals added to foods and cosmetics could cause or exacerbate health problems such as asthma, dermatitis, hives, migraines, hay fever, gastric upsets, behaviour problems, hyperactivity, learning difficulties and many others”.
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May 16, 2009 | Culture, Food & Health
Is Genetically Modified Food Really the Answer to Food Security For All?
Recently we have heard a lot about food security particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia. Some western governments (especially USA) and institutions are encouraging African and Asian countries to produce genetically modified (GM) crops for the benefits of increasing crop yield, defeating malnutrition and increasing the income of farmers.
Others argue that poor farmers will be forced to buy expensive seeds that they cannot save for subsequent years. There is also the danger of releasing GM seeds into the wider environment, possibly contaminating non-GM crops, having a negative impact on biodiversity, insects and animals.
Unlike developing countries, many developing countries do not have regulations and biosafety infrastruture in place to protect human health.
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May 16, 2009 | Culture, Food & Health
It is unfortunately a fact that the incidence of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and stroke* amongst peoples of African descent is statistically significant as a factor affecting longevity in the elderly.
There is stark choice that must be made: whether to carry on oblivious to the reality and continue to watch our veterans/survivors in the struggle for equality, justice and universal humanity fall by the wayside out of basic neglect and ignorance for maintaining optimal lifestyle choices; alternatively we can pool the knowledge and information available to better inform and encourage those at risk of precisely what lifestyle choices constitute a high risk status.
Our parents and fore-parents as ‘transient residents’ in the Caribbean or associated European colonies worked hard as slaves or indentured labour. As such the daily workload (historically verified) was heavy to say the least. However this mitigated the starchy, carbohydrate calorie laden dietary choices that enabled the conversion of all those carbohydrate calories (whether simple or complex) into available energy to work under pressure.
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May 16, 2009 | Business, Current, Ethiopia
Ethiopia To Spend $270 Million on Roads
Ethiopia has set aside 8 billion Birr to construct new roads and upgrade dilapidated ones in 2009. Mr Samson Wondimu, public relations head of the Ethiopian Roads Authority said that Ethiopia has spent $3.6 billion over the past decade to build 101,359 km of asphalt and gravel roads.
Recognising the importance of road transport in supporting social and economic growth and in meeting poverty alleviation, the government has placed increased emphasis on improving the quality and size of road infrastructure. The development of Ethiopia’s road network was given top priority as a core component of its economic progress.
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