At Sheba Ethiopian Restaurant in Fairfax, slightly haunting instrumental music and spicy smells transport you to East Africa.
Owner, manager and cook Azeb Gide serves family recipes from Addis Ababa; she used to own a restaurant in her native Ethiopia. (THE WASHINGTON POST Read more)
Ethiopian rebels free two German tourists
(AFP) Ethiopian rebels said Tuesday they had released two Germans held hostage since January 18 after a gunbattle that killed five other adventure tourists in the remote Afar desert region.
The two were handed over to German embassy officials and local elders in the desolate northern Ethiopian region on Monday, the Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front (ARDUF) said in a statement.
They were seized in a bloody attack on the slopes of the famed Erta Ale volcano. Two other Germans, two Austrians and a Hungarian were killed in a gun battle between the rebels and government forces escorting the tourist group. (Read more)
Global Perspective: 9th and U
on WAMU 88.5 and 88.3 Ocean City
For much of the 20th Century, Washington D.C.’s U Street, or “Black Broadway,” was a vibrant intellectual, artistic, and commercial hub for African Americans — and one of the few places black people were able to live.
The neighborhood has since seen changes with gentrification and immigration. In recent years, Ethiopian immigrants have been chasing the American dream alongside their African-American neighbors. Washington D.C is home to the biggest Ethiopian community outside Ethiopia. But as the two communities brush up against each other, there have been controversies – such as a thwarted attempt to rename a section of the neighborhood “Little Ethiopia.”
But cultural and political connections between these groups stretch back more than a hundred years. Ethiopia’s resistance to colonialism was an inspiration to many black American pan-Africanists. African-Americans sent money and fighter pilots to Ethiopia to battle Italian invaders. Later, Ethiopians looked to African-American civil rights leaders and cultural icons as heroes.
Today, some Ethiopians and African-Americans in DC are forging new alliances between their communities – and in doing so, reconciling their own personal histories and identities.
“9th & U” is part of the Global Perspective documentary series. This year, international documentary makers explore the theme “Old School, New School.” Check back later this spring for more programs from Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the U.K.
“9th & U” was produced and presented by Andrea Wenzel for WAMU 88.5. Dereje Desta contributed to the story. Leda Hartman was the editor. Photos of Genna and Kwanzaa courtesy of Matt Andrea. (Read more)
