Eskinder Nega is a political legend in Ethiopia. Arrested multiple times, once deemed a “prisoner of conscience” by Amnesty International, a man who’s fought for literal decades for freedom of the press and human rights. And now he’s one of the leaders of the fight against the Abiy government, a…

With a couple of clicks on Google, you can find the office address of the Associated Press in Nairobi, where their correspondent Cara Anna is based. I mention that in case anyone wants to drop by their entrance and peacefully protest — note I typed peacefully. If you read Anna’s…

My speech to the American Ethiopian Public Affairs Committee, June 11, 2023 I can speak only for myself. If people want to take my suggestions, great. I was invited to talk here today because a small circle of high-profile folks, what I’ll call the leaders of the Resistance in the…

The Apocalypse for Writers won’t happen, at least not the way you expect it I literally grew up with technology. My father was an electronics engineer and inventor for the Manitoba Telephone System. Long before Mac IIs or TRS 80s (the “Trash 80”) were common, I lived in a house in Winnipeg that had eight television sets and six computers. As a kid, I…

How to Cause “Good Trouble in Ethiopia,” Part 2 There used to be an old sitcom on Western television in the 1970s called M*A*S*H, about a medical unit during the Korean War, and when the show was good, it was hilarious, and when it was terrible, it was excruciatingly not hilarious and maudlin (yeah, I know, I’m old). Anyway…

An Open (and Less than Respectful) Letter to Alan Boswell, ICG’s Horn of Africa Director Alan, Baby! I can’t tell you how pumped I am to the point of cheerful vomiting that you’ve put out an advert for a new Senior Analyst for Ethiopia at Crisis Group. Exciting! Challenging! Mortifying…

A short story Content Warning: Graphic Horror and Disturbing Language I don’t sleep well anymore . My own fault. Trying to write certain projects, being a workaholic, night-owl — call it what you want. Last Friday night was different because as I was nodding off, I swear, an entire short story unrolled as…

The signs have been there for a long time. Massacres and persecution of Amhara. Shooting and teargassing people while they attend church. Attacking people while they celebrate Adwa Day… And when you have a mayor of a capital city who makes irresponsible remarks, who claimed that “a large migration” into…

I drafted this article at close to two in the morning today, after I went to the celebration of the 127th Anniversary of the Victory of Adwa in Toronto. And it’s not enough, not nearly enough, to mark this landmark event in history. It needs and should be regularly evaluated…