Ethiopia: I Always Remember in November and in…

  For Ethiopians, November is a month which shall live in infamy In November 2013, Ethiopians in Saudi Arabia are facing unspeakable horrors. For the past few years, there has been systematic persecution of Ethiopians living, working and seeking refuge in Saudi Arabia. Even Ethiopians practicing their faith in the complete privacy of their homes…

Justice for Sierra Leone! No Justice for Ethiopia?

Alemayehu G Mariam Warlord Charles Taylor Caged! After 420 days of trial (over nearly four years), 115 witness, over 50,000 pages of testimony, and 1,520 exhibits, Charles Taylor, warlord-turned-president of Liberia, was found guilty on 11 counts by the U.N. Special Court for Sierra Leone. Taylor was found guilty of war crimes and crimes against…

Ethiopia: Land of Blood or Land of Corruption?

Alemayehu G. Mariam Portrait of A Poor Country Lately, the portrait of Ethiopia painted in the reports of Transparency International (Corruption Index) and Global Financial Integrity shows a “Land of Corruption”. That contrasts with an equally revolting portrait of  Ethiopia painted in a recent broadcast of a fear-mongering three-part propaganda programentitled “Akeldama” (or Land of Blood) on state-owned…

Thugtatorship: The Highest Stage of African Dictatorship

Originally appeared in the Huffington Post on 02/28/2011 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alemayehu-g-mariam/thugtatorship-the-highest_b_828864.html Thugogracy in Africa If democracy is government of the people, by the people and for the people, a thugogracy is a government of thieves, for thieves, by thieves. Simply stated, a thugtatorship is rule by a gang of thieves and robbers (thugs) in designer suits. It…

Out of Touch in the Horn of Africa?

Originally appeared in the Huffington Post on  2/20/2011 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alemayehu-g-mariam/out-of-touch-in-the-horn_b_825795.html The Berlin Conference of 2009 In 1884, the Berlin Conference was convened by the European imperial powers to carve out colonial territories in Africa. It was called the “Scramble for Africa”. In 2009, another Berlin Conference was convened by a high level group of diplomats (referring…

Ethiopia: Remember the Slaughter of November (2005)!

Originally appeared in the Huffington Post on  11/07/2010 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alemayehu-g-mariam/ethiopia-remember-the-sla_b_779996.html Cruel November November is a cruel month. Bleak, woeful, and grim is the month of November in the melancholy verse of Thomas Hood: No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease, No comfortable feel in any member– No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees, No fruits,…