The Great Ethiopian Run 10km has been nominated as one of the top 20 best international road races in The Challenge Awards, a prize-giving process which is being talked about as ‘the Oscars of the endurance running industry’.
The awards are being given by Let’s Do This, one of the world’s biggest online entry platforms with over 18,000 race events currently listed on its site and over 1 million monthly website visits.
The international race category for which Great Ethiopian Run has been nominated is one of 13 award categories which also include cycling and multi-sport events.
Ex-Premiership soccer star and now TV pundit Rio Ferdinand is among the sporting celebrities who will attend the award ceremony in London on 18th October 2019 when the winners will be announced.
Other race events in the international race category include the famous New York City Marathon and the Boston Marathon, the Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town and the City2Surk 14km road race in Sydney.
Category winners will be decided by the number of votes received from members of the public who participate in the races.
Great Ethiopian Run is asking its participants to support of its bid to win the top prize. Voting remains open until 15 September 2019.
Great Ethiopian Run nominated for international race award
Difficult times await Seyoum Kebede at Fasil Town
Seyoum Kebede’s international debut match ended in a misery over the week end following the 3-1 return leg away defeat to Tanzanian counterpart Azam. The defeat appears a bad omen to Seyoum who shouldered a huge task of filling Wubetu Abate’s shoes.
First experience at international football, a forfeit dominated Knock-out Cup, hardly a break following an extended league season, the departure of popular Coach Wubetu Abate followed by the appointment of Seyoum just a week before the decisive return leg, everything was against the Gondor based side Fasil therefore the 3-2 away defeat to a former Tanzanian champion Azam FC is hardly a surprise.
Back from the international stage Seyoum faces a huge challenge that is building an entertaining football playing team. “A standard is already set and Seyoum must meet that otherwise he will be under pressure for supporters have no patience for lame excuses” an official from Fasil Town suggested.
“The club should have done everything to retain Wubetu for he had done a miracle in his first season with Fasil” suggested one supporter who believes that the football currently is a stage to prove the ethnic superiority of one over the other. Losing or winning a game means a win or a defeat over the concerned ethnicities and that brings a huge pressure on Coaches. I believe that is the only reason why Wubetu left Fasil despite having a remaining one season” the official remarked.
WOMEN AND ART HERE AND THERE
“The aliens are coming, and they’ll be landing on that bastion of Western civilization, New York’s -Metropolitan Museum of Art…” Eva McSweeney, W Magazine.
Writing from Mombassa’s white sand seaside in Kenya, I have women and art on my mind. I read an article on sister of the soil, Kenya’s own Wangechi Mutu, born in Nairobi 1972 said to be “taking over the Met” according to W Magazine. The fearless artists known for her visual commentary on feminism, gender, race and colonialism uses myriad media including collage, sculpture, video and performance art. While not the focus, she also addresses violence and misrepresentation experienced by Black women in today’s society. Wangechi is a friend of Julie Mehretu, acclaimed Ethiopian American artist whose solo show ran in Ethiopia at the Gebre Kristos Desta Museum (GKDM) in 2016. Mutu travelled to Addis Abeba for the show and participated in talks hosted at GKDM.
According to W Magazine’s Eva McSweeney, Mutu’s art “…could be a high-concept movie: The aliens are coming, and they’ll be landing on that bastion of Western civilization, New York’s -Metropolitan Museum of Art—on September 9, to be precise. Four six-and-a-half-to-seven-foot-tall bronze female figures—part African queens, part cyborgs—will take up position in the building’s exterior niches facing Fifth Avenue that have stood empty for more than 100 years. The sculptures … (carry) all manner of poignant historical, political, and redemptive narratives along with it. An institution founded on the appropriation of antiquities and a Eurocentric view of culture is being turned on its head.” Woah! Sounds like serious Afro-Futurism at play. The Met curator, Kelly Baum, said Mutu’s “expansive vision takes into account multiple strands of the history of art as it emerged out of Africa and Europe.” You can read the article at www.wmagazine.com/story/wangechi-mutu-metropolitan-museum-of-art-sculptures.
Next is a new book, Great Women Artist, published by Phaidon “premier global publisher of the creative arts with over 1,500 titles in print.” Naturally, I tried to find out if any African artists made the book that covers 500 years, 400 artists and 54 countries. To my chagrin none were mentioned in the reviews. The book goes on sale at Amazon so when I get my copy I can hopefully have good news to share, if our Sistars made the cut. Fingers crossed for Julie and/or Wangechi. However, as mentioned, I did find some links to Ethiopia in this new publication. In 2013 I co-curated an extensive international exhibition, entitled Bridges with friend and colleague, Prof. Isabel Boavida, thanks to the then Ambassador of Portugal to Ethiopia, H.E. Ambassador Antonio Cotrim. He generously lent a part of his vast collection to the people of Ethiopia for 10 days, displayed at the National Museum of Ethiopia, where over 5,000 visitors came in droves to see the show. Well, Great Women in Artist press mentions two of the female artists whose work was in our exhibition. Namely, Paula Rego born in 1935 in Portugal and Sonia Delaunay 1885 Ukrainian-born French artist. Frankly I was not familiar with their work until the art loving Ambassador opened the Portugal Residence, flowing over with fine art, to the arts community. Needless to say, their art moved me and debunked myths of women in the 19th and 20th century not thinking and working out of the box. The catalogue we created may be seen at the National Museum.
Finally, many in the diplomatic and arts community came to know Ambassador Mary Beth Leonard, USA Ambassador to the African Union and the UNECA, as a true lover and supporter of the arts. On many occasion she opened her residence up to an eclectic mix of diplomats, artists and entrepreneurs, much like H.E. Antonio did. Her home was also filled with art from her various posts including Mali, where she served as Ambassador from 2011 to 2014. She also hosted American artists in her home such as Janet Goldner, who collaborated with Tesfahun Kibru at ETREP’s Netsa Art Village in Dima. I showed Janet and Tesfahun’s work in a group show at the UNECA last December for the 70th Anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights. As Ambassador Mary Beth bids us farewell for Nigeria to take up post as Ambassador, we encourage the diplomatic core to continue sharing their collections with our artists and general community in an effort to bridge people to people relations through the arts. By the way, Amb Mary Beth entertained us here in Ethiopia quite often as she herself in an artist, a musician actually, with instrument of choice, the flute.
It has proven to be an excellent way to discover the varying cultures that dwell in our capital city and country for that matter and an appropriate platform to discuss and display social and even political issues from climate change to international relations. That said, I wish, Ambassador Mary Beth, who I have come to call a friend, all the best in her new position in West Africa and am confident she will find more great art to add to her collection while there.
Dr. Desta Meghoo is a Jamaican born
Creative Consultant, Curator and cultural promoter based in Ethiopia since 2005. She also serves as Liaison to the AU for the Ghana based, Diaspora African Forum.
Firm teams with Afri-Aviation to provide regular service
National Airways has hired Afri Aviation Consulting Company with the goal of expanding its aviation businesses in response to changes in government policy.
The company has been in the aviation business for 11 years providing chartered service. Abera Lemi (Capt), founder and head of the company said that it was very difficult for them to be successful in the private sector.
“We appreciate consulting companies that can help us navigate the changing political and economic environment,” he said.
Previously private companies were not allowed to compete with continental giant Ethiopian Airlines.
About a year ago the ruling party decided to partly or fully privatize state owned companies including Ethiopian Airlines, which will provide limited shares to private investors.
Afri Aviation Consulting was formed by Ethiopian aviation experts. They work with the leaders of large airlines in the Gulf and Africa. Currently they are helping them with their vision 2025.
“Aviation has strict standards regarding safety, profitability, growth. There is no chance to learn from your failure, so airlines need highly qualified experts to consult them,” Abera said. Aviation is a knowledge-based industry that can’t compromise safety while keeping their standard working culture. The major challenge in the past was aviation policy. However now that is changing.
“The change be good for us, the country’s aviation sector and the tourist flow. It will help the country to become a transportation hub,” the airway founder said.
Daniel Hailu, partner and one of the founders of Afri Aviation, said that the people who started the company have decades of experience. They have formed the consultancy firm to provide support. He said the company secured the license five years ago from the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority and has a lot of knowhow including consultancy work for The African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) on policy framework and implementation of the Single Africa Air Transport service signed by African leaders a year ago.
Daniel, who was a leader at Ethiopian Airlines for 14 years before moving to Abu Dhabi at Ethad where he was a manager for another 14 years, said that Afri Aviation has agreed with National Airways to increase the air transport company’s business. The plan to implement scheduled flights in addition to their current charter operation.
“It takes a long time to expand the flight operation in the country and in the region,” Daniel said. “Aviation needs adequate finance and skills so growing is a process,” he added. The disciple of the founders of Afri Aviation is comprised from strategic planning, legal, human resources, fleet planning, maintenance and other aviation expertise, according to one of the founders. “We will provide support on aircraft flight arrangements, schedule flight development, human resources arrangement, finance reports and aircraft financing,” he explained National Airways also has a sister company called National Aviation Academy that provides training in aviation and tourism up to a degree level.
Yesterday, 131 students graduated including 71 who trained in the hotel management degree program under the National Aviation Academy, which is working in collaboration with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) AND Institute of Commercial Management.
