Tired of a stale diet of propaganda churned out by state radio, many Ethiopians rely on foreign broadcasters to follow events in their own country. Now the BBC has announced plans to broadcast in Ethiopian languages. This is welcome. But Ethiopians must continue the struggle to have their own independent and vibrant media.

Nelson Mandela was welcomed to Ethiopia with open arms during his time in exile. He was given a handgun, a gift that meant a great deal to him and which may have been the ANC military wing Umkhonto we Sizwe's first weapon. Now Ethiopians and other Africans are being murdered by the liberated South Africans.

There was little mention of Africa in the recent foreign policy debate between the US presidential candidates. That suggests whoever is elected will just recycle the same old policies on Africa.

It is a new year
Ethiopian New Year
I smell flower
Yellow flower
Ethio flavour

And there, I see her
My sweet, my lover
Red is her colour
She is far but near

She melts my heart
Like chocolate
Dark brown sweet

She is my summer
My red flower
And now am falling
My heart is warming
My soul is dancing
So don’t come winter
To change the colour
Of my red flower

It is a New Year
Ethiopian New Year
A new beginning
Let’s be forgiving
Let’s stop bittering
And start greening

Love is a winner
Basta grudger
The sky is clear
So nothing to fear

Life is so short
So why we fight
Let’s just enjoy it
As we can lose it
Before we know it

There is a New Year
And new flower
Around the corner
Yellow flower
Better than power
That makes us bitter
That feeds us anger
That kills our love
And our poor dove

It is a new year
Ethiopian New Year
Fresh flower
Breathe in the air
We shall have no fear
As we catch fire
As we desire
Deep in our heart
For love as we melt

A personal account of the complexity of identity and the challenges of living with the differing assumptions and perceptions of others.

Muslims have always enjoyed religious freedom like other believers – until recently. Now they are fighting to reclaim their rights.

Politics, ethnicity and religion have always been interwoven in Ethiopia, which is why Haile Selassie never wanted to reveal the full identity of his mother.

Sea of nostalgic generation
River of Facebook nation
In and out migration
Limited freedom of expression
No room for innovation,
But for incarceration,
Parroting, or imitation ...
Strong interest in destruction,
Not in building a lasting foundation
Almost impossible to tolerate difference
And to still be friends
Lack of political moderation
Torpedoes in silent ocean

Radicals left and right
Few with a practical mission statement,
Vision, and commitment
Almost all stuck in the past
Not too many visionaries
But plenty of revolutionary wannabes
And swarms of counterrevolutionaries,
Comrades, cadres, copycats, bullies,
Elitists, opportunists, ideologues,
Egotists, character assassins, and rogues
Relics of the bygone years

Most anachronistic
Few original or unique
Little or no political compromise
But bravado and false promise
Fake democrats
Allergic to alternative viewpoints

Almost everyone wants to lead, but few followers
Not too many look forward—thus, stagnant progress

Confused youth
Trapped in a maze …

Have we learned at all from the past:
From the red blood or feudal mindset?

An Ethiopian musician has just released an upbeat song and a tribute to Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia, the first African leader who defeated the Italian colonial forces at the battle of Adwa in 1896.

‘Mona’ is a work of fiction, based on the based on stories of Ethiopian women who have been to the Middle East as domestic workers.

It has been reported frequently that clandestine homosexual groups exist in Addis Abeba, many of whom lead double lives, since being openly gay or lesbian could cost them their lives.

The plight of domestic workers in Middle Eastern countries and the lack of laws to protect them inspired Elyas Mulu Kiros to write a poem.

Martha Mebrahtu died young, killed by the Ethiopian regime while she and others attempted to liberate their country from misrule. But, as Elyas Mulu Kiros shows, her dream has inspired Ethiopian revolutionaries for decades.

Capturing an online exchange between several young Ethiopians, Elyas Mulu Kiros wonders whether the country’s ruling EPRDF (Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front) party needs to be reformed or deformed.

Why should one take pride in one’s identity or country, asks Elyas Mulu Kiros, in an exploration of the tension between national and ethnic identities in Ethiopia.