Sunday, 23 February 2014

‹‹ለመጥፋት የተዘጋጀ ሰው የአራት መቶ ሺሕ ብር መኪና ገዝቶ ገንዘቡን አያባክንም››

ዶ/ር እንዳላማው አበራ፣ የረዳት አብራሪ ኃይለመድኅን አበራ ታላቅ ወንድም

ሰሞኑን የኢትዮጵያ አየር መንገድ በረዳት አብራሪው መጠለፉ የሕዝቡ መነጋገሪያ ሆኖ ሰንብቷል፡፡ በአገር ውስጥና በውጭ አገር የሚገኙ ዜጎችና መገናኛ ብዙኃን በማኅበራዊ ድረ ገጾች ላይ የተለያዩ መላምቶችን አስቀምጠዋል፡፡ ከሥነ ልቡና ቀውስ እስከ ፖለቲካ አጀንዳ በምክንያትነት የቀረበበት ረዳት አብራሪ ኃይለመድኅን አበራ ነው፡፡ የኢትዮጵያ አየር መንገድ ንብረት በሆነው ቦይንግ 767 አውሮፕላን በረራ ቁጥር ‹‹ET 702›› ላይ ስለፈጸመው የጠለፋ ሙከራ ጥበበ ሥላሴ ጥጋቡ  ከረዳት አብራሪው ታላቅ ወንድም ዶ/ር እንዳላማው አበራ ጋር ቆይታ አድርጋለች፡፡ ‹‹ከኢሕአፓው ታጋይ ብርሃነ መስቀል ረዳ የአውሮፕላን ጠለፋ ጋር ተመሳሰለ›› ሲሉ አንዳንድ ወገኖች አስተያየት ከሰጡበት የረዳት አብራሪ ኃይለመድኅን ድርጊት በመነሳት ከባህርይው፣ ከአስተዳደጉና ከቤተሰባዊ ግንኙነት ጋር ተያያዥነት ባላቸው ጉዳዮች ላይ የተደረገው ቃለ ምልልስ እንዲህ ተጠናቅሯል፡፡

ሪፖርተር፡- ቤተሰቡ የሚገኝበትን ሁኔታ ገልጸውልን ወደ ውይይቱ ብንገባስ?

ዶ/ር እንዳላማው፡- እንግዲህ እንደተወራው በቅርቡ አጎታችን ሞቶ ሐዘን ላይ ነው የቆየነው፡፡ እናታችን ወንድሟን ቀብራ ተዝካር እያወጣች እያለ ነው፣ አሁን ደግሞ ልጇ አውሮፕላን ጠለፈ ተብሎ በፖሊስ ቁጥጥር ሥር መዋሉን የምትሰማው፡፡

ሪፖርተር፡- ከወንድምዎ ረዳት አብራሪ ኃይለመድኅን አበራ ጋር ለመጨረሻ ጊዜ የተገናኛችሁት መቼ ነው?

ዶ/ር እንዳላማው፡- የአጎታችን ቀብር ላይ ነበር የተገናኘነው፡፡ አጎታችን ዶ/ር እምሩ ሥዩም ይባላሉ፡፡ የአዲስ አበባ ዩኒቨርሲቲ መምህር ነበሩ፡፡ በድንገት በገጠማቸው ሕመም ሕይወታቸው አልፏል፡፡ ታህሣሥ 26 ቀን 2006 ዓ.ም. ይመስለኛል ለመጨረሻ ጊዜ የተገናኘነው፡፡ እኔ ሱዳን ነው የምሠራው፡፡ ዓርብና ቅዳሜ ዕረፍት በመሆኑ መጥቼ ነው የአጎቴን መሞት የተረዳሁት፡፡ 

ሪፖርተር፡- የአጎታችሁ አሟሟት ከብዙ ነገሮች ጋር እየተያያዘ ነው፡፡ መንስዔው ምን ነበር?

ዶ/ር እንዳላማው፡- ምክንያቱ ከልብ ሕመም ጋር የተገናኘ ነው፡፡ የሚኖረው ኅብር ሬስቶራንት ጀርባ ባለ የዩኒቨርሲቲ መምህራን መኖሪያ አፓርታማ ላይ ነበር፡፡ የእግር ጉዞ አድርጎ ታክሲ እንደተሳፈረ ነው ድንገት የሞተው፡፡ ባለታክሲው በጥርጣሬ ተይዞ ተመርምሮ ነው የተለቀቀው፡፡ እኛም ምንም የምንጠረጥረው ነገር ባለመኖሩ በሕመም ነው የሞተው ብለን አስከሬኑን ፈርመን ተቀብለናል፡፡ አሁን የምንሰማው ወሬ ሰው ገድሎት ነው፣ እንዲህ ነው እንዲያ ነው… የሚለው ትክክል አይደለም፡፡ እኔ ራሴ አስከሬኑን አይቼዋለሁ፡፡ ሕልፈቱ በሌላ ምክንያት ሳይሆን ከነበረበት የቆየ የደም ግፊትና የልብ ሕመም ጋር የተያያዘ ነው፡፡

ሪፖርተር፡- የአጎታችሁ ሞት ለረዳት አብራሪው አውሮፕላን መጥለፍ ውሳኔ ምክንያት እንደሆነ በስፋት ይነገራል፡፡ ይህ እንደተባለው ተፅዕኖ ፈጥሮ ይሆን?

ዶ/ር እንዳላማው፡- እኛ እንደ ቤተሰብ ያልወደድነው ነገር ይህንን ምክንያት ማድረግ ነው፡፡ በእርግጥ ኃይለመድኅን ከአጎቱ ጋር በጣም ቅርበት ነበረው፡፡ እሱ ብቻ ሳይሆን ሁላችንም ቅርበት ነበረን፡፡ እንደ ወንድማችን ነበር የምናየው፡፡ እሱም እንደዚያው ነበር፡፡ ያደገው እኛ ቤት ነው፡፡ በሌላ ምክንያት ሳይሆን አባታችን እሱን ማስተማር ስለፈለገ ነበር፡፡ እናም ከአጎታችን ጋር የነበረን ቅርበት በጣም የጠነከረ ነው፡፡ ሁላችንም የምናማክረው እሱን ነበር፡፡ ያደግነው ደልጊ የምትባል መንደር ውስጥ ነበር፡፡ ደልጊ ከሰባቱ የጣና ደሴቶች አንዷ ናት፡፡ ኑሯችን በጣና ዙሪያ ነበር፡፡ 

ሪፖርተር፡- እስቲ ስለቤተሰቦቻችሁ ሁኔታ በዝርዝር አጫውቱን?

ዶ/ር እንዳላማው፡- የመጀመርያ ልጅ እንዳላማው፣ በመቀጠል ሃይማኖት፣ መድኃኒት፣ ተክለመድኅን፣ መንበረመድኅን፣ ተወልደመድኅን፣ ብርሃነመድኅን… እነዚህ ደልጊ የተወለዱ ናቸው፡፡ ነዋየመድኅን (አሁን በፊዚክስ ፒኤችዲ እየሠራች ነው)፣ ሕይወት… አጠቃላይ አሥራ አንድ ነን፡፡ ኃይለመድኅን ዘጠነኛ ልጅ ነው፡፡ እንዳላማውና ሃይማኖት ሐኪሞች ስንሆን ሌሎቹ ፊዚክስ፣ አርክቴክቸር፣ ወዘተ ያጠኑ ናቸው፡፡ ቤተሰቦቻችን በትምህርት ላይ ጠንካራ ዕምነት ስላላቸውና እኛም በትምህርት ውጤታማ በመሆናችን የተነሳ፣ አንዳንድ ሰዎች ይህ ቤተሰብ ራሱ አበራ ዩኒቨርሲቲ ነው መባል ያለበት ይላሉ፡፡ በአጠቃላይ ስድስት ሴቶችና አምስት ወንዶች ነን፡፡ 

ሪፖርተር፡- ኃይለመድኅን በልጅነቱ እንዴት ያለ ልጅ ነበር? ከእርስዎ ጋርስ ቀረቤታችሁ ምን ያህል ነው?

ዶ/ር እንዳላማው፡- እሱ ሲወለድ ጊዜ እኔ ተማሪ ነበርኩኝና ብዙም የጋራ ጊዜ አልነበረንም፡፡ የበለጠ የተግባባነው እኔ እዚህ ሥራ ቀይሬ ስመጣና እሱም አርክቴክቸር ትምህርት ቤት ሲገባ ነበር፡፡ ወቅቱም በ1993 ዓ.ም. ነበር፡፡ ኃይለመድኅን፣ ሕይወትና ትንሣዔ በጣም ይቀራረባሉ፡፡ በልጅነቱ በጣም ብሩህ አዕምሮ  (Intelligence) እንደነበረውና ንቁ ልጅ እንደነበር አስታውሳለሁ፡፡ በአራት ዓመቱ መጽሐፍ ያነብ ነበር፡፡ አስታውሳለሁ ልጅ እያለ ፀጉሩን ይላጭና አንድ ጓደኛዬ ‹‹ዛሬ ደግሞ ጅል መስለሀል›› ሲለው፣ ‹‹ኧረ! እንደዚህ ከሆነማ ሁሉም ወታደር ጅል ነዋ!›› ብሎ አስቆናል፡፡ እዚህም እያለ በጣም ጥሩ የሚባል ማኅበራዊ ግንኙነት ነበረው፡፡ በተለይ አርክቴክቸር ትምህርት ቤት እያለ ከተማሪዎች ጋር ይግባባ ነበር፡፡ ነገር ግን በጣም  ብዙ ሰው በተሰበሰበበት መሳተፍ ደስ አይለውም ነበር፡፡ በባህሪው ግን በጣም ለሰው ተቆርቋሪ ነው፡፡ ሰው ከተቸገረ ከአቅሙ በላይ ነው የሚያስበው፡፡ ለምሳሌ አንድ ሰው በገንዘብ መረዳት አለበት ከተባለ ከሚችለው በላይ አስተዋጽኦ ማድረግ ይፈልጋል፡፡ 

ሪፖርተር፡- እንግዲህ ኃይለመድኅን የአውሮፕላን አብራሪ የሆነው የአርክቴክቸር ትምህርቱን አቋርጦ ነው፡፡ ምናልባት ለበረራ የነበረው ፍቅር እንዴት ይገለጻል? ውሳኔውንስ እንዴት ተቀበላችሁት?

ዶ/ር እንዳላማው፡- አሥራ አንደኛ ክፍል እያለ ምን መሆን ትፈልጋለህ ስለው ፓይለት መሆን ነው የምፈልገው ይል ነበር፡፡ በአርክቴክቸር በሚመረቅበት ዓመት ዕድሜው ወደ 25 ነበር፡፡ አንድ ሴሚስተር ሲቀረው ነው ያቋረጠው፡፡ ትምህርቱን ያልጨረሰው የዕድሜ ጉዳይ ስለነበር ነው፡፡ ልጨርስ ቢል ዕድሜው ከሃያ አምስት ያልፋል ለዚህ ነበር ያቋረጠው፡፡ የኢትዮጵያ አየር መንገድ ለአብራሪነት የዕድሜ ገደብ እንደሚያስቀምጥና ከሃያ አምስት ዓመት በላይ እንደማይቀበልም ያኔ ነበር የተገነዘብኩት፡፡ 

ሪፖርተር፡- የበረራ ትምህርቱን ከጀመረና የአየር መንገዱ ባልደረባ ከሆነ በኋላስ ስለነበረው ሁኔታ ምን የሚሉት አለ? አንዳች የማይመቸው ነገር ነበር እንዴ?

ዶ/ር እንዳላማው፡- እኔ በዚህ በኩል ብዙ የማውቀው ነገር የለም፡፡ ምናልባት ታናናሽ እህቶቻችን የበለጠ ያውቁ ይሆናል፡፡ በዚያ ላይ እኔ ላለፉት ስድስት ዓመታት ካርቱም ነው የምኖረው፡፡ አዲስ አበባ የምመጣው ቤተሰብ ለማየት ነው፡፡ ስለዚህ እሱ አየር መንገድ ሥራ ከጀመረ በኋላ ብዙም አልተገናኘንም፡፡ በአጋጣሚ ነው ልንገናኝ የምንችለው፡፡ 

ሪፖርተር፡- የአውሮፕላን ጠለፋውን እንዴት ነው የሰሙት?

ዶ/ር እንዳላማው፡- ባለፈው እሑድ የአጎታችን ተዝካር ነበር፡፡ ለተዝካሩ የተጠራው ሰው መጥቶ በጥሩ መስተንግዶ ተሸኘ፡፡ ከዚያም በአካባቢው ባህል መሠረት ቤተ ዘመድ ተሰብስቦ ሰኞ ጠዋት ተለቅሶ ነው የተለያየነው፡፡ ከዚያም ወደ ባህር ዳር ጉዞ ጀመርን፡፡ ጉዞ ጀምረን መንገድ ላይ ጎማ ተንፍሶ ቆመን ሳለ ነበር የአውሮፕላኑን መጠለፍ በሬዲዮ የሰማነው፡፡ ከዚያም ለአጐታችን ልጅ ለዓለሙ ስልክ ተደውሎ ጠላፊው ረዳት ፓይለቱ መሆኑን አሰማን፡፡ በቦታው እኔ፣ አባታችንና የአጎታችን ልጅ ዓለሙ አብረን ነበርን፡፡ እኛ በጊዜው የኃይለመድኅንን የበረራ ፕሮግራም በውል አናውቅም ነበርና እሱን አላሰብነውም፡፡ 

ሪፖርተር፡- ቤተሰብ እሱ መሆኑን ሲሰማ እንዴት ነበር ሁኔታው?

ዶ/ር እንዳላማው፡- በጣም ነበር የተደናገጥነው፡፡ በመጀመርያ ይህን ለማድረግ የሚያስችለው ምንም ፍንጭ ማግኘት አልተቻለም፡፡ በዚህ የተነሳ ነው፣ አይ በዚያ ምክንያት ነው ለማለት የሚያስችለን ነገር ያልነበረው፡፡ ለተወሰነ ጊዜም በድንጋጤ ተውጠን መነጋገር አልቻልንም ነበር፡፡ መጨረሻ ሁሉም የየራሱን መላምት ማምጣት ጀመረ፡፡ ቅጽበታዊ በሆነ አጋጣሚ ነው የሚል ነበር፡፡ ፓይለቱ ሲወጣ በሩን ቆልፎበት ነው የሚለው አነጋገር በጉርምስና ስሜት ከሰውዬው ጋር ተጋጭቶ ሊሆን ይችላል የሚለው ነገር አመዘነ ማለት ነው፡፡ ወሬው ግን ከቁጥጥር ውጪ ሆነ፡፡ እኛ ከእሱ መረጃ የምናገኝበት ምንም ዓይነት መንገድ የለም፡፡ ሁነኛ ምንጭ የሌላቸው ወሬዎችም መዛመት ጀመሩ፡፡ ያ ወሬ ደግሞ በቤተሰባችን ግንኙነት ላይ ችግር ፈጥሮ ነበር፡፡ አሁንም ያለው ሁኔታ ጥሩ አይደለም፡፡ ይኼን ያለው ማን ነው? ያን ያለው ማን ነው? መባባሉ ችግሩን አባባሰው፡፡ እናም ጥሩ የሚመስለኝ ከእሱ በቀጥታ ብንሰማ ነው፡፡ አሁን ባለን መረጃ የስዊዘርላንድ መንግሥት ጠበቃ ሳይመድብለት አይቀርም፡፡ እናም ጠበቃው ከእሱ የሰማውን እስኪነግረን ድረስ በትዕግሥት ብንጠብቅ ጥሩ ነው፡፡ በሌላ በኩል ይህንን ጠለፋ ለሌላ አጀንዳ መጠቀሚያ አድርጎ መሯሯጥ ቢገታ ጥሩ ነው፡፡ ምክንያቱም በቤተሰቡ ላይ ችግር ያመጣል፡፡ መለመን ካለብንም ሕዝቡን የምንለው ነገር እባካችሁ ከራሱ እስከምንሰማ ድረስ እንዲህ ነው፣ እንደዚያ ነው ማለቱን ብናቆም፡፡ 

ሪፖርተር፡- በመረጃ ደረጃ በስፋት የሚሰማው የታናሽ እህታችሁ ትንሣኤ አበራ መረጃ ነው፡፡ እሷስ ከምን ተነስታ ይሆን መረጃውን የሰጠችው?

ዶ/ር እንዳላማው፡- የጻፈችው በራሷ ነው፡፡ የጻፈቻቸው ነገሮችም እውነት ናቸው፡፡ ያው ከነበራቸው ቅርበት ነው፡፡ ሰው ይከታተለኛል፣ ምናምን ይኼ ከሥነ ልቦናው ጋር በተያያዘ የተባለው ነገር ነበር፡፡ ከእኔ ጋር የተገናኘነው ከወር በፊት ነበር፡፡ ከእህቶቹ ጋር ግን በቅርብ ተገናኝተዋል፡፡ የሚኖረው ገርጂ አካባቢ ነው፡፡ ሕይወትና ትንሣኤም እዚያው ናቸው፡፡ እናም ካልበረረ በአካል ወይም በስልክ ቀን በቀን ይገናኛሉ፡፡ እናም እሷ ያለችው እውነት ነው፡፡ ይኼ እውነት ነው ሲባል ግን በምክንያትነት መደምደሙ ግን ትክክል አይደለም፡፡ የአጎታችን ሞትም በምክንያትነት መቅረቡ ትክክል አይሆንም፡፡ በእርግጥ ሐዘኑ ከባድ ነው፡፡ ብዙ ነገር ነው ያጎደለብን ይኼ አይጠረጠርም፡፡ ይህም የሚያባብስ ምክንያት ሊሆን ይችላል፡፡ ይህንንም አንድ የሥነ ልቦና ባለሙያ ሊያብራራው ይገባል እንጂ፣ እንዲሁ በመላምት የአጎቱ ሞት ድብርቱን አባባሰው፣ ከዚያም ‹‹ፓራኖይድ›› ሆነ ምናምን ማለቱና መተንተኑ ከሙያ ክልል ውጪ ስለሆነ ለምንም ነገር አይበጅም፡፡ ቀጥታ ተያያዥነት ያለው ነገር የለም፡፡

ሪፖርተር፡- እሱ የሚከታተሉኝ ሰዎች አሉ የሚለውን እንዴት ትረዱታላችሁ?

ዶ/ር እንዳላማው፡- ማወቅ ይከብዳል ግን አንድ ነገር ነው፡፡ ለምሣሌ እኔ ወይ በጥቅም ወይ በሆነ ነገር ተነስቼ ብጋጭ ለቤተሰቦቼ እንዲህ እንዲህ ነው ብዬ ልናገር እችላለሁ፡፡ እንግዲህ ይህ የሁላችንም ማኅበራዊ ግንኙነት ውጤት ነው፡፡ ሰዎች ይከታተሉኛል የሚለው ነገር ግን ምናልባት ረቀቅ ያለ ወይም በተጨባጭ የሚታይ ላይሆን ይችላል፡፡ ለምሳሌ አንዳንድ ሰዎች ከፍርኃት በመነጨ ኤፍቢአይ፣ ሲአይኤ ይከታተለኛል ይላሉ፡፡ ኬጂቢ ወይም ያልታወቀ ኃይል… ወዘተ… በዚህ መንገድ በግምት እንሂድ ከተባለ በተጨባጭ የሚከታተሉት ሰዎች የነበሩ አይመስለኝም፡፡ 

ሪፖርተር፡- ምናልባት ግን ከዚህ ጋር በተያያዘ በውጪው ዓለም የምንሰማቸው ነገሮች አሉ፡፡ አንዳንድ ታዋቂ ሰዎች (ባለሙያዎች) መንግሥታዊ ወይም የፀጥታ ኃይል የመፍራት ነገር አለ፡፡ በእርግጥም የፀጥታ አካላት የሚከታተሏቸው ግለሰቦችም ይኖራሉ፡፡ ምናልባት የእሱ የፖለቲካ አቋም ይታወቅ ይሆን?

ዶ/ር እንዳላማው፡- እኔ እስከማውቀው ድረስ የየትኛውም የፖለቲካ ቡድን አባል አልነበረም፡፡ እንዲያውም ብዙ ጊዜ ቤት ውስጥ በምናደርገው ውይይት የመንግሥትን አቋም የመደገፍ አዝማሚያ ነው የሚያሳየው፡፡ በዚህ አጭር ጊዜ ውስጥ የተፈጠረ አዲስ ነገር ካለ በበኩሌ አላውቅም፡፡ ይኖራልም ብዬ አልገምትም፡፡ በዚህ ላይ እርግጠኛ ሆኜ መናገር አልችልም፡፡ በመሥሪያ ቤቱ ውስጥ ባለው ነገር (ኦፊስ ፖለቲክስ) ግን ምን እንዳለ የማውቀው የለም፡፡ በቢሮ ውስጥ መገለል፣ አድልኦና መሰል ችግሮች ገጥመውት ይሁን አይሁን አይታወቅም፡፡ ለእኔም ሆነ ለሌሎቹ የነገራቸው ነገር የለም፡፡ አድልኦና መገለሉ ተፈጽሞ እንኳን ቢሆን ያ ይከታተሉኛል ምናምን ከሚለው ነገር ጋር እንዴት ሊያያዝ እንደሚችልም የሚገባኝ ነገር የለም፡፡

ሪፖርተር፡- ከሥነ ልቦናው ጋር በተያያዘ ባለሙያ አይቶት ነበር እንዴ? ትንሣኤም የሥነ ልቦናው ሁኔታ በእሷም ላይ የሚታይ እንደነበር ፍንጭ ሰጥታለች፡፡

ዶ/ር እንዳላማው፡- መጨረሻ ያገኙት መድኃኒትና ሕይወት ናቸው፡፡ እናም ከመሄዱ በፊት መክረውታል፡፡ ባለሙያ እንዲያማክርም አሳስበውታል፡፡

ሪፖርተር፡- ከእርስዎ ጋር በተገናኛችሁ ጊዜ ግን የሆነ የተለየ ነገር አልታየበትም?

ዶ/ር እንዳላማው፡- ከእኔ ጋር የተገናኘነው ለአጎታችን ለቅሶ ነበር፡፡ እንዲያውም እኔና እሱ ቀብር አልደረስንም ነበር፡፡ በዚያን ቀን በተነሳነው ፎቶግራፍ እንደሚታየው እሱ የተለየ ነገር ውስጥ ስለመኖሩ ፊቱ ላይ የሚነበብ ነገር የለም፡፡ እንዲያውም ምን ዓይነት መልዕክት ደርሶት እንደነበር ባላውቅም፣ የሆነ የሚያስቅ ነገር እንደገጠመው ነው የምገምተው፡፡

ሪፖርተር፡- መጠጥና ሌሎች ተያያዥ ልማዶች ነበሩበት?

ዶ/ር እንዳላማው፡- መጠጥ አይጠጣም፡፡ አልፎ አልፎ ካለፉት ሦስት ዓመታት ወዲህ ቢራ መጠጣት የለመደ ይመስለኛል፡፡

ሪፖርተር፡- እስቲ ስለመጨረሻ ግንኙነታችሁ በደንብ ይንገሩን?

ዶ/ር እንዳላማው፡- ቅድም እንዳልኩት እኔና እሱ ዘግይተን ሐሙስ ቀን ነው በለቅሶው ላይ የተገኘነው፡፡ አስከሬኑ ማታውኑ በዩኒቨርሲቲ መኪና ተጭኖ መጣ፡፡ እኔ ትንሽ አሞኝ ነበር፡፡ እሱ ግን ደህና ነበር የሚመስለው፡፡ አሁን ትንሣኤ ያለችው ነገር ከዚያ በኋላ ነው፡፡

ሪፖርተር፡- እንድ እህታችሁ መንበረ ሳትሆን አትቀርም ትዊተር ላይ ባሰፈረችው ጽሑፍ፣ ‹‹ውጭ አገር መኖር አይፈልግም፣ እኔን እንኳን በአገሬ እንድኖር ነበር የሚመክረኝ፤›› ብላ ነበር፡፡ ታዲያ ለምን ይሆን በስዊዘርላንድ ጥገኝነት መጠየቁ የተሰማው?

ዶ/ር እንዳላማው፡- ውጭ አገር መኖር አይፈልግም፡፡ እዚህ አገር ውስጥ ከሚገጣጠሙት ውስጥ አዲስ መኪና  ከገዛ ሦስት ወራት አይሞሉትም፡፡ እንዲህ ዓይነት ንብረት የገዛ ሰው ደግሞ ውጭ አገር ሄዶ ለመኖር የሚያስብ አይመስለኝም፡፡ ከቤቱ ውስጥ አንድ ዕቃ አላነሳም፡፡ ላፕቶፑን እንኳን አልያዘም፡፡ የተለመደችውን የበረራ ሻንጣ ብቻ ነው የያዘው፡፡ ተዘጋጅቶ እንዳላደረገው የሚያሳዩ ሰላሳ ምክንያቶች አሉ፡፡ የተዘጋጀበት ቢሆን ኖሮ በጣም ለሚቀርቡት እህቶቹ ንብረቱን ይሰጣቸው ነበር፡፡ 400,000 ሺሕ ብር የሚያወጣ መኪና በመግዛትም ገንዘቡን አያባክንም፡፡

ሪፖርተር፡- የሴት ጓደኛ ነበረችው?

ዶ/ር እንዳላማው፡- ለእኔ ያስተዋወቀኝ ሰው የለም፡፡ ግን እገምታለሁ፡፡ እህቶቹ በተለይ ሕይወት ይህን በደንብ ታውቃለች፡፡ ይህን ተከትሎም ብዙ ነገር ይሰማል፡፡ አንዲት ኢንተርኔት ካፌ ካላት ሴት ጋር ግንኙነት አለው ተብሏል፡፡ እንግዲህ ከሆነ ጥሩ ነው፡፡

ሪፖርተር፡- ሕይወቱና ማንነቱ እንዲህ መነጋገሪያ በመሆኑ እናንተ ምን ይሰማችኋል?

ዶ/ር እንዳላማው፡- የእሱ ሕይወት ብቻ አይደለም፡፡  የቤተሰቡንም ሕይወት ነው የሚነካው፡፡ አባታችን አራጣ አበዳሪ እንደነበሩም ተገልጿል፡፡ ይህ ቅጥፈት ነው፡፡ እውነት እንኳን ሆኖ ቢሆን ከዚህ ጉዳይ ጋር የሚያገናኘው ምን እንደሆነ አይገባኝም፡፡ ሊያስረዱኝ የሚችሉ ሰዎች ካሉም ይገርመኛል፡፡ በዚህ በጣም አዝነናል፡፡ በሌላ በኩል ደግሞ የደረጃ ዕድገት ጠይቆ ተከልክሏል የሚል ነገርም ሰምቻለሁ፡፡ የዚህ ወሬ መሠረት ግን ከየት እንደሆነ አልተገለጸም፡፡ ከዚህ ጋርም የሚያያዝበት አመክንዮ አልተቀመጠም፡፡ በተለይ ጉዳዩን ከፖለቲካ ጋር የሚያገናኙትም በርክተዋል፡፡ ቤተሰቡ ባለፀጋ መሆኑና እኛም በትምህርት የላቅን መሆናችን በግነት ነው የሚወራው፡፡ ከትንሿ ሕይወት በስተቀር ሁላችንም በመንግሥት ትምህርት ቤት ባህር ዳር ጣና ሐይቅ ነው የጨረስነው፡፡ ውጤታችንም በጣም ጥሩ የሚባል ነው፡፡ 

Saturday, 22 February 2014

The Brother Speaks Out

22 FEBRUARY 2014 WRITTEN BY  
This week the hijacking of an Ethiopian Airlines plane, flight number ET-702, and the first officer behind the hijacking, Hailemedhin Abera, have dominated the news.

Endalamaw Abera the oldest brother of Hailemedhin
After it was revealed the mainstream and social media have been speculating as to why he did it. Reasons include doubts about his mental health up to resilience against injustice and oppression. Some compared him with the former Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party (EPRP) leader, Berhanemeskel Redda, who hijacked an airplane, while others said that he was a troubled individual. Family members have responded on social media, like Facebook and Twitter, that their brother is a good man and not a criminal. Regarding these speculations and other pertinent issues, Tibebeselassie Tigabu of The Reporter spoke with Endalamaw Abera (MD), the oldest brother of Hailemedhin. Excerpts:
 When did you last see Haillemedhin?
Dr. Endalamaw: I saw him at my uncle’s, Emiru Seyoum, funeral on January 4.  He passed away that day. We actually went together. I came from Sudan, Khartoum
There has been speculation about his death, and it has been said that it was directly related to the hijacking?
He died of a cardiac condition. He was being treated at the Addis Cardiac Hospital. The incident happened while he was in a taxi. His house is located around Bole in the apartments behind Heber Restaurant. On that day he walked to Dembel area and took a taxi after that. 
Around Gibi Gabriel church he passed away while he was in a taxi. All the passengers were taken to be investigated by the police. Looking at his body there was no strangling or that type of symptom, and there was no detection or physical sign that it was a homicide. So we actually signed and took his body. Now after the hijacking rumors have been going on in the town that his death was a mystery. They say it was unrevealed and some try to make it a conspiracy theory out of it. We believe it was a natural death. He suffered from high blood pressure and also had cardiac problems. 
Was he close to Hailemedhin? Some put it as a cause and effect relationship, was he affected that much?
That is the part we do not like. Were they very close? Yes, they were. Without the presence of our parents he was the acting parent. He gave us advice in anything. If we trace our achievements academically he is greatly involved in them. Even when I introduced him to people I did not say he was my uncle, I said he was my brother, and the same also went for him. He was my mother’s brother, and what many people do not know is that he grew up in our house. My parents raised him. My father wanted him to have a better education so he came to Delgi port; which takes five hours by boat from Tana. Our life was around Tana. We are 11 children; six women, five male. Seven of us were born in Delgi, and the others in Bahirdar. Hailemedhin is the ninth child and was born on July 31, 1983. With one exception we all attended high school, Bahirdar Tana hayik highschool. We had good grades. He finished high school at 17. He had good friends and a normal life.
 There are two medical doctors in our family (Endalamawu and Medhanit), two computer engineers (Tewoldemedhin and Birhanemedhin), an air craft maintenance engineer (Teklemedhin), an economy and nursing graduate (Menberemedhin), a physics PhD student (Newayemedhin), a computer science graduate (Hiwot) and the last one, Tnsae, dropped out from the literature department. Getting to the main point, we are deeply saddened and affected by it, but drawing conclusions of cause and effect is wrong.
What kind of child was Hailemedhin growing up? Was he close to you?
We were not that close. When he was born I was a second year medical student in Gondar. We actually became close when I came to Addis Ababa where he was an architecture student; 13 years ago. We reconnected and became close then. Hailemedhin also said that. But he was very close with his two sisters, Hiwot and Tnsae. As a child he was very active, very intelligent. I remember him as a child only four years old, his hair was shaved and we were teasing him, and he said, ‘In that case soldiers are fools’. His social life was OK but he was a bit shy, feeling uncomfortable at large gatherings. He was very generous, very caring and sometimes he did more than his capacity. Especially when it came to money, he helped people out. 
When he quit architecture and joined piloting, how did you take his decision? Did you support it?
When he was in grade 11 I asked him what he wanted to be, and he did not even hesitate, he answered by saying pilot. I thought it was not that serious. He joined architecture school and on his graduating year he was 25. There was a piloting exam, he took it and passed. He said he was going to quit and take piloting training. He was only left with one semester and I asked him why was he not going to finish it. Apparently he said there is an age limitation to take training, and you cannot qualify if you are over 25. He said if I finish I will be over 25, which means I cannot enroll in to the training. So we were OK with it.
Did he talk about his job environment? Were there any hostilities in his work place? 
I don’t clearly know. For the past six years I have been in Khartoum. After he started his job at Ethiopian Airlines I was on and off. I come here every three months, that’s when we meet. His younger sisters might know. 
How did you and the rest of the family hear about the hijacking?
Last week, on Sunday, it was the death commemoration of our uncle, Emiru Seyoum P.h.D. We went to Sahgura; his and also my mother’s birth place. After the ceremony on Monday all the relatives started our journey to Bahirdar. We stopped with tire problems and heard the news on Radio Fana that a plane had been hijacked. Someone called my cousin, Alemu, and told him it was the co-pilot. After a while we heard the news.
How did you feel about the situation?
We did not know what to feel. We could not suspect that he would do something like this, it was shocking. There was nothing that could make us speculate as to why he did it. For a couple of hours we could not talk. We sat down solemnly. We did not know how to react. So everyone started speculating. We agreed that it was probably a temporary conflict with the pilot. So we thought it was a reaction of the moment. After that we could not control the rumors. The sources are not known, some of it was fabricated. It also created a problem in our family’s communication. We started interrogating each other. Our condition is still not good. We are not in peace. What I think is that we have to hear directly from him. We also heard that the Swiss government is going to give him a lawyer. So if it is true we want to hear from the lawyer. He still has not communicated with us. Many tried to link the hijacking to a political agenda and this should stop. It is creating a serious problem for our family. It is not only worrying us but also messing up our relationships as a family. We are pleading with people to stop the speculation.
Part of the speculation came out from a statement by your sister, Tnsae. She wrote on Facebook describing his mental status. How do you regard this speculation? How did she come to this conclusion? Did he see a psychiatrist?
She wrote it without consulting us. After she wrote it we started to look back and it was all true. He was suspicious of his environment. He felt that people were following him. He also tried to capture the people who followed him using different technology. He was close to Tnsae and Hiwot, and they live close by. They meet every day. What she said was true but it does not mean it is cause and effect. People should not conclude it. It is like trying to relate the incident with our uncle’s death. In medicine and law there is a concept of aggravating factor. These reasons might be aggravating reasons. But a psychiatric has to say that. It is not me, a journalist, or someone else who can speculate and decide. They are out of their professional boundaries. It is not good for everyone, for the family, for the police and also for his case. 
What about if there were people who were following him?
It is very difficult to know. If you take our social life we might create enemies because of a conflict of interest. This might create tension. But on the other hand, in medical terms, people following is a common denominator. Sometimes it is not even people, they become abstract institutions. There are people who say the CIA, FBI, or an unknown power follows me. If we take it on this instance, I don’t think there was anyone following him.
Was he politically involved? 
As far as my knowledge is concerned he was not a member of any political party. When we discuss issues he is actually a supporter of the existing government in this country. I don’t know if there are special cases that happened in the past couple of weeks. I don’t think there is or will be something new. I can’t talk about it. Talking about office politics, I don’t know is the answer. He did not tell me if he was discriminated in the office. I also did not hear from any members of the family. 
Had he been to see a psychiatrist?
The last people who saw him were Hiwot and Medhanit. I think they advised him to go talk to a specialist. 
Was he acting different recently? Any new behavior?
This is the last picture, taken at our uncle’s funeral (in this picture Hailemedhin is laughing, holding his phone). I don’t think he was depressed. He does not drink that much. It is only occasionally that he drinks. In my opinion he did not show any signs of depression or something new. 
One of your sisters, Menberemedhin, also posted on Twitter, saying that he did not want to live outside of his country, and he even advised her to return. Is this ironic as he is now asking for asylum? How do you reconcile the two?
He does not want to live outside of his country. He actually bought a new car worth four hundred thousand birr three months ago. He paid half of the down payment. He did not take any of his stuff. He took only a small travelling bag; he did not even take his laptop. There are many reasons that show he was not prepared to leave. Why would a person buy a car if he was preparing to ask for asylum? Why would he waste his money? He could have taken it with him.
Does he have a girlfriend?
He did not introduce me to anyone. I assume so. I read he has been seeing someone who owns an internet café. If that is true it is good.
His life is being greatly scrutinized. How do you feel about that?
It is not only his life.  It is also the family’s life which is under scrutiny. Unnecessary details and also fictitious writings are there. There are rumors such as my father was a money lender. This is all false information, and we will get back to that once the dust settles. I don’t know how it is even related. This is not only factual error but also defamation. It is not even connected. They said he has a grievance because he was not promoted, but why did they not research? Some groups are using it for political purposes. To do that they are exaggerating our lives, how we are from rich family. Our achievements are exaggerated.  
What are the possible scenarios that await him? What should be done?
The Swiss officials should give priority to his health and we hope that they would do that. After his health the law has its own way of dealing with things. Until then people should stop speculating and drawing conclusions. People only see 11 of us, but our cousins are more than 700 from my father’s side. My grandfather’s descendants reach to the fifth generation. We have a reunion every five years, and also from my mother’s side there are 200 of them. Our relatives are dispersed all over the world. They are all affected by this. The media also should respect our family’s privacy. I wish him good things. We should not see him as a criminal. Let’s first see him as someone who needs help. I hope good things will come of it.

Friday, 21 February 2014

Pregnant woman who says she was gang-raped in Sudan now faces death penalty after being accused of adultery because she waited to report the crime

  • The Ethiopian teenager was three months pregnant when she was attacked
  •  She was raped by seven men in Omdurman, Sudan in August last yea
  • The rape was filmed and later spread on social media by the perpetrator
  • The married woman is now facing the death penalty for adultery


PUBLISHED: 10:18 GMT, 19 February 2014 | UPDATED: 12:24 GMT, 19 February 2014


A nine-months pregnant teenager who claims she was raped by seven men in Sudan is now facing the death penalty after being charged with adultery.

The married Ethiopian woman was just 18 years old, and three months pregnant, when she was subjected to the attack in August last year.

She says she was searching for a new home in Omdurman,  near the capital Khartoum, and one of the seven accused lured her into an empty property on the premises of renting it out to her and her husband.


Unbelievable brutality: The pregnant Ethiopian teenager was raped by seven men after being lured into an empty building near the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, on the premise of renting the property (stock image)

She was attacked and held down while a group of men, reportedly aged between 18 and 22, took turns in raping her, according to the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA) network.

Her ordeal was filmed by one of the perpetrators and was circulated on social media via WhatsApp several months after the attack.

When the video of the rape surfaced, the woman and the alleged rapists were arrested and accused of making and distributing indecent material and indecent behaviour.

After first being denied bail, and later charged with prostitution and adultery, the woman is now being prevented from making a formal complaint of rape.

Sudanese media reporting the case has tried to undermine the woman's story by claiming she has HIV and is a prostitute, SIHA said.


 The woman is being held by police and refused to report the rape by the Sudanese Attorney General as she is being investigated for adultery and incident behaviour (stock image)

'The intention to place culpability on the part of the victim is of great concern and seeks to deflect and reduce accountability of the perpetrators, but more disturbing is that the charge of adultery carries with it the potential sentence of death by stoning if found guilty,' SIHA said.

'There have even been cynical attempts to falsely claim that the men were accidently prescribed hallucinogenic drugs by a chemist beforehand.'

'Impunity and silence on crimes of sexual violence committed against IDPs [internally displaced persons], migrants and impoverished women in Sudan has been a pattern for years,' Hala Alkarib, regional director of the SIHA network, told the Guardian.

'Successful prosecution of rape is the exception as opposed to the norm and most certainly does not reflect the level of incidence.

'Instead victims face the risk that they will instead be prosecuted for adultery, being re-vicitmised by the judicial system, and threatened with the ultimate sentence of death by stoning.'

According to SIHA, the Attorney General has denied her the right to report the rape as she is currently under investigation for the other charges.

The Attorney General also argues that she should have reported the rape at the time of the attack.

However the woman has told her lawyer that the group of men who attacked her threatened to kill her if she told anyone, and as a result, she was too scared to report it.

She was further deterred by the fact that she told a police officer who found her shortly after the attack what had happened, who dismissed her story.

The police officer decided against pursuing an investigation as it was Eid Al Fitr, a public holiday in the Muslim country, SIHA said. He has been charged with negligence.

The teenager was arrested on the 17th of January and despite being close to giving birth, she has since been sleeping on a concrete floor in a cell at a local police station.

Two attempts to secure bail for her on health grounds have been refused.
A total of ten individuals, including another police officer who helped spread the video, are currently on trial related to this case.

Wednesday, 19 February 2014

Ethiopia: Land, Water Grabs Devastate Communities

Satellite Images Show Devastating Toll on 500,000 Pastoralists
FEBRUARY 19, 2014
(Nairobi) – New satellite imagery shows extensive clearance of land used by indigenous groups to make way for state-run sugar plantations inEthiopia’s Lower Omo Valley, Human Rights Watch and International Rivers said today. Virtually all of the traditional lands of the 7,000-member Bodi indigenous group have been cleared in the last 15 months, without adequate consultation or compensation. Human Rights Watch has also documented the forced resettlement of some indigenous people in the area.

The land clearing is part of a broader Ethiopian government development scheme in the Omo Valley, a United National Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site, including dam construction, sugar plantations, and commercial agriculture. The project will consume the vast majority of the water in the Omo River basin, potentially devastating the livelihoods of the 500,000 indigenous people in Ethiopia and neighboring Kenya who directly or indirectly rely on the Omo’s waters for their livelihoods.


“Ethiopia can develop its land and resources but it shouldn’t run roughshod over the rights of its indigenous communities,” said Leslie Lefkow, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “The people who rely on the land for their livelihoods have the right to compensation and the right to reject plans that will completely transform their lives.”



A prerequisite to the government’s development plans for the Lower Omo Valley is the relocation of 150,000 indigenous people who live in the vicinity of the sugar plantations into permanent sedentary villages under the government’s deeply unpopular “villagization” program. Under this program, people are to be moved into sedentary villages and provided with schools, clinics, and other infrastructure. As has been seen in other parts of Ethiopia, these movements are not all voluntary.
Satellite images analyzed by Human Rights Watch show devastating changes to the Lower Omo Valley between November 2010 and January 2013, with large areas originally used for grazing cleared of all vegetation and new roads and irrigation canals crisscrossing the valley. Lands critical for the livelihoods of the agro-pastoralist Bodi and Mursi peoples have been cleared for the sugar plantations. These changes are happening without their consent or compensation, local people told Human Rights Watch. Governments have a duty to consult and cooperate with indigenous people to obtain their free and informed consent prior to the approval of any project affecting their lands or territories and other resources.



The imagery also shows the impact of a rudimentary dam built in July 2012 that diverted the waters of the Omo River into the sugar plantations. Water rapidly built up behind the shoddily built mud structure before breaking it twice. The reservoir created behind the dam forced approximately 200 Bodi families to flee to high ground, leaving behind their crops and their homes.



In a 2012 report Human Rights Watchwarned of the risk to livelihoods and potential for increased conflict and food insecurity if the government continued to clear the land. The report also documented how government security forces used violence and intimidation to make communities in the Lower Omo Valley relocate from their traditional lands, threatening their entire way of life with no compensation or choice of alternative livelihoods.



The development in the Lower Omo Valley depends on the construction upstream of a much larger hydropower dam – the Gibe III, which will regulate river flows to support year-round commercial agriculture.



new film produced by International Rivers, “A Cascade of Development on the Omo River,” reveals how and why the Gibe III will cause hydrological havoc on both sides of the Kenya-Ethiopia border. Most significantly, the changes in river flow caused by the dam and associated irrigated plantations could cause a huge drop in the water levels of Lake Turkana, the world’s largest desert lake and another UNESCO World Heritage site.



Lake Turkana receives 90 percent of its water from the Omo River and is projected to drop by about two meters during the initial filling of the dam, which is estimated to begin around May 2014. If current plans to create new plantations continue to move forward, the lake could drop as much as 16 to 22 meters. The average depth of the lake is just 31 meters.



The river flow past the Gibe III will be almost completely blocked beginning in 2014. According to government documents, it will take up to three years to fill the reservoir, during which the Omo River’s annual flow could drop by as much as 70 percent. After this initial shock, regular dam operations will further devastate ecosystems and local livelihoods. Changes to the river’s flooding regime will harm agricultural yields, prevent the replenishment of important grazing areas, and reduce fish populations, all critical resources for livelihoods of certain indigenous groups.



The government of Ethiopia should halt development of the sugar plantations and the water offtakes until affected indigenous communities have been properly consulted and give their free, prior, and informed consent to the developments, Human Rights Watch and International Rivers said. The impact of all planned developments in the Omo/Turkana basin on indigenous people’s livelihoods should be assessed through a transparent, independent impact assessment process.



“If Ethiopia continues to bulldoze ahead with these developments, it will devastate the livelihoods of half a million people who depend on the Omo River,” said Lori Pottinger, head of International Rivers’ Ethiopia program. “It doesn’t have to be this way – Ethiopia has options for managing this river more sustainably, and pursuing developments that won’t harm the people who call this watershed home.”

Background 

Ethiopia’s Lower Omo Valley is one of the most isolated and underdeveloped areas in East Africa. At least eight different groups call the Omo River Valley home and the livelihood of each of these groups is intimately tied to the Omo River and the surrounding lands. Many of the indigenous people that inhabit the valley are agro-pastoralist, growing crops along the Omo River and grazing cattle.


In 2010, Ethiopia announced plans for the construction of Africa’s tallest dam, the 1,870 megawatt Gibe III dam on the Omo River. Controversy has dogged the Gibe III dam ever since. Of all the major funders who considered the dam, only China’s Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) provided financing (the World Bank, African Development Bank, and European Investment Bank all declined to fund it, though the World Bank and African Development Bank have financed related power lines).



The Ethiopian government announced even more ambitious plans for the region in 2011, including the development of at least 245,000 hectares of irrigated state-run sugar plantations. Downstream, the water-intensive sugar plantations, will depend on irrigation canals. Although there have been some independent assessments of the Gibe dam project and its impact on river flow and Lake Turkana, to date the Ethiopian government has not published any environmental or social impact assessments for the sugar plantations and other commercial agricultural developments in the Omo valley.



According to the regional government plan for villagization in Lower Omo, the World Bank-supported Pastoral Community Development Project (PCDP) is funding some of the infrastructure in the new villages. Despite concerns over human rights abuses associated with the villagization program that were communicated to Bank management, in December 2013 the World Bank Board approved funding of the third phase of the PCDP III. PCDP III ostensibly provides much-needed services to pastoral communities throughout Ethiopia, but according to government documents PCDP also pays for infrastructure being used in the sedentary villages that pastoralists are being moved to.



The United States Congress in January included language in the 2014 Appropriations Act that puts conditions on US development assistance in the Lower Omo Valley requiring that there should be consultation with local communities; that the assistance “supports initiatives of local communities to improve their livelihoods”; and that no activities should be supported that directly or indirectly involve forced evictions.



However other donors have not publicly raised concerns about Ethiopia’s Lower Omo development plans. Justine Greening, the British Secretary of State for International Development, in 2012 stated that her Department for International Development (DFID) was not able to “substantiate the human rights concerns” in the Lower Omo Valley despite DFID officials hearing these concerns directly from impacted communities in January 2012.

Friday, 7 February 2014

Halvparten av kvinnene fra Etiopia jobber. Fire av fem fra Somalia gjør det ikke.

Hvorfor så stor forskjell på yrkesaktivitet blant kvinner med bakgrunn fra de tre nabolandene Etiopia, Eritrea og Somalia?
Etiopiske kvinner er ambisiøse og vil klare seg selv, sier Wolela Haile som selv har jobbet så å si siden hun kom til Norge.
Halvparten av kvinnene med bakgrunn fra Etiopia er i arbeid. Kvinner fra Somalia ligger helt på bunn med drøyt 20 prosent, mens eritreiske kvinner ligger midt imellom.
Dessuten lykkes kvinner fra Eritrea best, og de somaliske kvinnene dårligst, blant dem som skal over i arbeid eller utdannelse etter det obligatoriske introduksjonsprogrammet for nyankomne flyktninger.
Det viser Fafo-rapporten «Kvinner i kvalifisering. Introduksjonsprogram for nyankomne flyktninger med liten utdanning og store omsorgsoppgaver» fra 2011.
Etiopiske: Ambisiøse
Kvinner fra de tre landene peker på sammensatte årsaker.
Wolela Haile (40) fra Etiopia blir overrasket over at det er såpass store forskjeller. Hun er informasjonsansvarlig i Selam Etiopisk Kvinneforening i Norge, og ansatt som rådgiver i Helsedirektoratet.
- Jeg kan ikke uttale meg om somaliske eller eritreiske kvinner, men etiopiske kvinner som kommer hit, er ofte utdannede. Etiopiske kvinner er ambisiøse og vil klare seg selv.
Etter at hun kom til Norge for flere år siden, jobbet hun som renholder og pleieassistent før hun tok en bachelor i folkehelse i Australia og en master i internasjonal helse ved Universitetet i Oslo (UiO). Men hun synes andelen fra hennes hjemland som står utenfor arbeidslivet, er for stor. Hun kjenner mange som sliter med å få seg jobb, til tross for utdannelse og kompetanse.
Eritrea: Selvstendig
Genet Rezene (43) fra Eritrea er medlem i Eritreisk kvinneunion, og er ansatt som konsulent ved et barnevernsenter i Oslo kommune. I likhet med de fleste kvinner fra Eritrea hadde hun grunnskole da hun kom til Norge. Hun mener det kan forklare noe, dessuten at mange har tatt høyere utdannelse etter at de kom til hit.
Rezene kom i 1987 og jobbet blant annet i barnehage før hun tok en bachelor i sosiologi ved UiO.
- Det er en viktig verdi i eritreisk kultur å brødfø seg selv. Hvis vi bor i Norge, må vi bidra til samfunnet. Det har vi lært fra vi var små. Vi har lært at kvinner kan gjøre hva som helst.
Hun påpeker dessuten at det har vært viktig at eritreere som kom tidlig, har vært døråpnere og støttespillere for dem som kom senere.
Somalia: Svakt utgangspunkt
Ubah A. Aden fra Somalia er bystyrerepresentant for Arbeiderpartiet i Oslo, og er ansatt som rådgiver i IMDi (Integrerings- og mangfoldsdirektoratet). Hun ramser opp flere mulige årsaker til at så få er i jobb:
Mange somaliske kvinner er aleneforsørgere for flere barn. Mange er analfabeter, fra et land som har vært i krig i over 20 år, og hvor skriftspråket ikke ble innført før i 1970. Deres yrkeserfaring teller ikke her.
- En dame som har jobbet på markedet hele livet, eller drevet klesbutikk, er plutselig null i Norge. Det er ikke noe i den somaliske kulturen som hindrer at kvinner kan jobbe, sier Aden.
Ikke religion
For noen muslimer er religion og arbeid med svin og alkohol et dilemma,men Haile og Rezene som er kristne, er enige med muslimske Aden i at religion ikke forklarer forskjellene.
- Jeg kjenner også eritreiske, muslimske kvinner som er i arbeid, sier Rezene.
Aden mener at dem som formidler jobber, må forklare folk bedre hvorfor de må jobbe, og på en måte som ikke er nedlatende, slik at brukerne ikke kommer i forsvarsposisjon.
- Jeg møter folk som er desperate etter å komme ut i arbeid, sier hun.
Lavere forventninger til somaliere
Forskjellene kan skyldes at arbeidsgivere har lavere forventninger til somaliere enn til eritreere og etiopiere, mener forskningssjef Cindy Horst ved PRIO (Institutt for fredsforskning).
Horst viser til en Fafo-rapport som avslørte at arbeidsgivere er skeptiske til somaliere. Horst har i flere år forsket på somaliere i Norge og utlandet, og var medforfatter i en omfattende rapport fra Open Society Foundations om somaliere i Oslo.
Islam
Hun påpeker også at det kan skyldes utdanningsnivået. Det er store forskjeller mellom utdanningssystemene i Etiopia og det krigsrammede Somalia.
- Fordommer mot islam kan være en annen forklaring. De fleste kvinner fra Etiopia og Eritrea er kristne, og møter dermed færre fordommer enn somaliske kvinner, sier Horst.
Ifølge rapporten sliter kvinner med muslimske hodeplagg ekstra hardt for å få jobb, også de høyt utdannede.
Hus og hjem
Somaliaekspert Stig Jarle Hansen, førsteamanuensis ved Norges miljø- og biovitenskapelige universitet, understreker at han ikke har forsket på forskjeller mellom de tre landene, og at han kjenner best til forholdene i Somalia.
- Men jeg har en følelse av at det kan skyldes botid, på kort tid er det kommet mange somaliere til Norge. I det somaliske samfunnet er det dessuten en segregeringstradisjon hvor kvinner er orientert mot hus og hjem.
Han sier at det går an å argumentere for at spesifikke religionsfortolkninger bidrar til de tradisjonelle kjønnsforskjellene.

- Kanskje brukes en bestemt fortolkning av religionen for å legitimere kultur, sier Hansen.

Sunday, 2 February 2014

Injera, Hollywood's new favourite food

Hollywood's new favourite food revealed: Victoria Beckham Gwyneth Palrow are fans of teff, an iron-rich Ethiopian grain that costs a whopping £7 a bag 

·  The cereal is said to contain lots of iron, protein and calcium
·  A-list fans include Victoria Beckham and Gwyneth Paltrow
·  Used to make injera, a traditional Ethiopian flatbread

From kale chips to wheatgrass shots, the list of celebrity food crazes is a long one. Now there's a new source of sustenance to add to the list - an Ethiopian cereal named teff.
Loved by Gwyneth Paltrow and Victoria Beckham, the grain, which is a staple food in its home country Ethiopia, is packed with protein, calcium and iron. It does, however, come with a Hollywood style price tag - retailing at an eye-watering £7 for a 400g bag of flour.
Superfood Teff, an Ethiopian staple, is set to be 2014's coolest cupboard essential according to foodies

Dubbed the 'new quinoa', teff, which was used to feed animals until recently, has also found favour with foodies who point to its nutty flavour and wide range of uses.

But although it has made inroads with the A-list, the rest of us don't appear quite so keen to follow suit with Planet Organic's Toby Watts saying people still aren't fully aware of the health benefits.
'It has been a slow start,' he admits. 'We are often the first to offer new products so there is always a strong need to educate customers and this takes time, much the same as when we first listed quinoa and people pronounced it qui-no-a, but our customers are quick to catch on.'
He added: 'The market for gluten-free has soared in the past couple of years, but many retailers have turned to white rice and corn as a wheat substitute.
'What our customers are seeking are gluten-free wholegrain alternatives which offer much higher nutritional benefits and teff, like quinoa, fits the criteria.'But it seems that British shoppers aren't the only ones who need a lesson in the nutritional benefits of Teff. Sophie Kebede owner of Tobia Teff, has been eating the super food her whole life but admits she had no idea it had so much to recommend it, telling the Guardian that she was 'flabbergasted' when she discovered its nutritional value.
'I didn't know it was so sought after,' she revealed. 'I am of Ethiopian origin; I've been eating injera [traditional Ethiopian bread made from Teff] all my life.'
Despite its nutritional advantage over contenders such as millet, spelt and quinoa, teff does have one downside - a higher calorie count. With 286 calories per cup, teff is positively fattening  compared bulgar wheat's meagre 152 calories and quinoa's 222.
That, however, is no reason to forgo tucking into teff, according to Kebede, who argues that its nutritional value more than makes up for the extra calories.
'I’m a big advocate of trying it in more traditional Western dishes so everyone can enjoy the associated health improvements,' she explains.
The teff cereals can be enjoyed on their own, or mixed into a regular muesli for a nutritious start to the day, for example; and our breads run from plain to onion seed, sunflower seed or raisin bread, so there are options for toast and sandwiches as well as afternoon tea.'


By Martha Cliff
Source: dailymail.co.uk