Ethiopian Man Says He Is Tired of

Seeing Off And Receiving Friends

At Bole Airport

By WT  (CHEWATA’s Reporter in Addis Ababa)
CHEWATA NEWS

A man named Ashagre Mulatu in Addis Ababa, also known by his nick name as “Gash Airport”, says that he is sick and tired of seeing off friends who travel abroad and receiving others who come to visit from various countries at Bole airport and says, for once, he wants to be on the other side of “Yeshegniwoch Mesmer” at the airport.

Ashagre, according to our reporter who interviewed several people that know him well, has tried to get a visa to travel to so many countries, but always comes up short.  A very close friend of his told CHEWATA, “Ashagre yetewoldedew beka guadegnochun lemeshegnet ena lemekebel bicha new !”

Mr. Ashagre says almost all of his close friends and most family members have traveled abroad on one type of visa or another and he, on the other hand, has tried to go abroad and see life as  an immigrant but all his attempts of getting a visa had been denied by the various foreign embassies in Addis.  ” I have tried to get a student visa, immigrant visa, non-immigrant visa, professional visa, poor people’s visa, invitation (meshewoja) visa…all denied.  Just recently I desperately tried to get  a male-maid visa to Dubai and to my surprise that was also denied, ” he bitterly told CHEWATA.   “Beka sew eyeshegnehu ena eyetekeblku arjeche lemot new?”

An immigration expert CHEWATA talked to at Addis Ababa’s Immigrant and Migrant Institute, Ato Mehari Chekol, said Ato Ashagre should try his visa luck first with nearby and smaller countries.  “He should try Djibouti first,” he said angrily.  “I have seen his record and he has been trying to get  a visa to the United States 35 times and to Australia 27 times just this year alone!  These economic power house countries are not just going to grant their visas to any old joe whose proven profession is Chat Eyekamu Bole Sew Meshegnet!”

A friend of Ashagre, who asked that his name be hidden for this report said, ” Yene Ashagre Serategnam bekedem wode Dubai visa agegneta letehedilet new. Esuwanem yaw bole hedo shegneto yemelesatal!”

Despite his many set backs, Ashagre says he will not give up trying to get a visa to any country abroad because, as he put it, “I am tired of being the last  sad face my friends see as they disappear with other passengers at bole airport and being the first eager face they see when they arrive at Bole Airport from abroad!”

Afghani Lawn Mower Hires an Ethiopian Lawyer;
Lawsuit Claims that Employer Demanded “Mowing of Facial Hair”

By WT, CHEWATA’s Reporter  in Washington DC
© Copyright Ethiopis.com and CHEWATA

“I ain’t mowing jack on my body! Show me the money” (Mr. Adhani Melaked)

According to the petitioner’s lawyer, “ever since these two Afghanis arrived in America and got this lawn mowing job, their employers have subjected them to countless abuses, including referring to Mr Melaked as ‘Bin Melaked’ and his wife, as the ‘invisible peep hole lady’ in numerous conversations.  Mr Melaked, reached by phone at his apartment in Fairfax, VA, told CHEWATA in a broken English and with a smile, “They have abused me. Abused my wife, and have asked me so many times to ‘mow my beard as soon as I got done with the yard!’ I will not shave jack for these people because I am an Afghani and Afghanistan is beard. In fact, they have made me so angry that I am going to grow more hair in more places of my body.  The armpit hair  is growing, the beard is growing, chest hair is coming along, my legs are virtually imprisoned by hair, and you know my **** is virtually in a thick forest!  I am going to have so much hair to piss these people off that when I walk in to that court house next month, I am going to look like a two legged male lion”.

The employer refused to discuss the upcoming lawsuit with CHEWATA but faxed a one line response to CHEWATA which said,

“We could no longer differntiate between the weeds on our lawn, our hairly little dog, and the thick beard on Mr. Melaked and our baby has had nightmares of Mr. Melaked dancing the Russian tango on her bed for several nights.  One night our little hairy dog Puppy was lost and we found her playing inside Mr. Malaked’s beard while he was napping on our sofa and she probably thought that with that much hair, Mr Malaked was her mother! This is America.  Either he shaves, and his wife show us her face, and stop scaring our child, or no lawn mowing job! Thank you.”

Mr. Melaked’s attorney Ato Damte responded, “Mr.Melaked was wrongly fired.  Just because you resemble Bin Laden or you are wearing the same type of long dress like him, doesn’t disqualify you from a job.  Last time I looked, this was America, the land of freedom. We are taking this to the district court and we look forward to winning this case.”  Mr Melaked’s wife refused to appear for this interview and said, she ” is 100% behind my husband!”

Ato Damte has found Mr Melaked a new job while the lawsuit is going and currently Mr. Melaked works as a sales man in the men’s beauty department at an undisclosed Washington D.C. store which specializes in men perfumes, colognes, shaving equipment, and other men’s beauty accessories.  Ato Damte admits that even at the new job, “selling shaving accessories is not the strongest suit Mr Malaked got going right now.”  Ato Damte said that he plans to collect a humanitarian fund for Mr. Melaked and his wife at the upcoming Ethiopian soccer tournament in Houston, Texas.  “The least we can do for these poor immigrants is to show them that there is indeed hope, ” he told CHEWATA.

Return to CHEWATA News Page

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Ethiopian Parliament Member Proposes

DV program for people coming to Ethiopia;

Proposal is “Yesekaram Hasab”,  Analyst Says

By WT, CHEWATA’s reporter in Addis Ababa Ethiopia

Copyright Ethiopis.com and CHEWATA

A member of Parliament in Ethiopia from Dessie has proposed legislation in the Ethiopian Parliament that will require Ethiopians who have changed their citizenship and want to come to enter their names in an Ethiopian DV (Diversity Visa)  lottery program at the Ethiopian Embassy located in the country they reside in order to be able to stay in Ethiopia beyond 6 months.

Ato Chane Kumelachew, speaking to CHEWATA, said people of Ethiopian origin holding passports of other countries are flocking to Ethiopia in greater numbers  than the country can handle and he was concerned that “Agerachin keWuchi ager meroachew bemetu Sewoch Chinik Nek endatel.”

“Look, because the economy is really terrible in America and Europe, these people are just bringing whatever saving they have there and buying up all businesses and houses here and Ethiopia is becoming crowded, ” he said. “Have you seen Addis Ababa lately?  It looks like the Amharic speaking sister of Calcutta, India.  Techenanekin eko!!”
Under his proposal, only a limited number of people will be allowed visas to enter Ethiopia for stays of 6 months or more by winning what he calls, “The Ethiopian DV program!”.  “Just because our country is Yewotalat Chista doesn’t mean you can just buy a one way and 6 month ticket and move in with another country’s passport,” he added. He said he was angry because property value was going through the roofs and only people from America or Europe could afford to buy land and houses.  “Bene YeParlama demoz yeferese Chika bet megzat salchil enesu eyemetu fokun hul wosdew cheresut eko, ” he angrily added.

The proposal is expected not to get a majority vote  in the Ethiopian Parliament and an angry member of Parliament from Harar, Ibrahim Asnake,  said, “Chane eko America DV embi belot new bekenat endih mihonew. His legislation is surely going down.”

Two US passport holders of Ethiopian origin that CHEWATA talked  to in the Piassa area of Addis were nervous about the proposal.
“I was laid off from many jobs in America and I thought I would come and just rest here for 6 months with no problem,” said Alemneh Kassa, a US passport holder visiting Addis. “I got my first DV to America in my 8th try,” he explained.  “I know with my luck, it will take me 20  years to hit the Ethiopian DV and see my country again if this plan becomes law.  I should have kept my Ethiopian passport!”.

A political analyst at Addis Ababa University, Professor Bekele Aregay, said crazy proposals come to the Parliament sometimes but all of them fail eventually.  “Ato Chane may mean well but you know this idea won’t get traction beyond his Yetej Bet Guadegnoch,” he explained to CHEWATA.

By Ethiopis.com Reporter WT in Addis Ababa, © Copyright www.ethiopis.com and CHEWATA

Reports from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia say that an old diary of what is believed to be King Menelik’s diary has been found in Menelik Palace and researchers at AAIH, the Addis Ababa Institute of History are reportedly looking at every piece of detail in this diary “almost 18 hours a day”, said a source. According to the report, the diary found in the palace is dated September 2, 1897 and was written in Amharic. One researcher who has taken a look at this diary said, “it seems to me that this diary was written by an Italian soldier who was a prisoner of the King and was forced to learn how to read and write in Amharic in the King’s Palace.

King Menelik of Ethiopia
“Arba Jiraf for Albertini!” says one line in the newly discovered diary of King Menelik.

It is evident that King Menelik used this Merkogna Ferenj as a personal secretary until his death a few years later.”A great grandson of the King who was reached by Ethiopis.com said that he wouldn’t be surprised if the King indeed had forced a captured Italian soldier to become his personal secretary at the time because, he said, “BeDula tedebdibo keMimot Amaraigna meTsaf yeshalewal!!”

Among the few lines that were taken from the diary which outlined the King’s daily activities and was made public were the following: “September 9, 1897: Accepting the Portugese Ambassador for lunch, and Arba Jiraf for Mata Doni, my favorite Italian prisoner!”

“September 13, 1897: Getting my feet washed by Albertini!”

“October 22, 1897: Eighty Jiraf for TewoldeMeskel, the Askaris I captured in Adwa last year and then lunch!”

“December 12, 1897: relaxing with Tayitu in the morning and another Arba Jiraf for Albertini, yehe Selato!!”

Many historians at the Addis Ababa University said that the diary showed how determined King Menelik was to make the captured Italians “not only read and write Amharic, but also to have one of their own write this diary while sitting at the King’s feet.”

“Arba jiraf for Albertini!!”, says one line in King Menelik’s diary.

Many experts who looked at the diary have concluded that the words in the diary were indeed King Menelik’s who orally conveyed his daily schedules to his Italian secretary.

Dr. Belayneh Shume, a research historian at Unity College in Addis Ababa said, “This diary tells us one key thing about that historic time which is Talianochu fes befes honew new KeEthiopia yeWotut.”