Poetry reading nights have been quite popular these days especially when a prominent brand like spittoon makes its debut in Addis it is no wonder literary enthusiasts would be fascinated by it. Spittoon is an international art collective found by British poet Matthew Byrne four years ago in Beijing, China. It also publishes a literary magazine and a comic book. Spittoon has made its way from Beijing, China to Chengdu, Gothenburg, Sweden, and Addis and soon will be opened in Portugal.
Maya Fresenay from Quiz night presented Spittoon poetry night at Addis lounge, making Addis Ababa the third city to introduce Spittoon Poetry night. Last Saturday six poets had the chance to read their original work, and Maya herself read two poems of her own entitled “Lather Blather” and “Daddy Issues”. Spittoon will soon start fiction reading night; a prompt and word limit is given for writers.
The poetry night is a once in a month event to be held on different days of the week. Spittoon is open for anyone interested with no entrance fee. Individuals who write can sign up and present their piece. Spittoon is a creative and welcoming space for literary enthusiasts. It helps exercise one’s voice while the audience listens, giving confidence and inspiration to all ages. Capital had the chance to interview Maya and she revealed the story behind the name spittoon saying” Spittoon is a bucket used for spitting into. It is metaphor for poetry since you are spitting your thoughts into paper”
Spittoon Addis creates a platform where hundreds of people get together to read their poetry and fiction work. It also intends hold a poetry competition and collaborate on poetry and music. To sign up you can use the Facebook page Spittoon Addis Ababa or Telegram group Spittoon Addis Ababa.
New open mic event for poets/writers
Making babel out of the blue
How unlucky we are to get ensnared by another simple but deliberately orchestrated point of dispute! Yes, we have been entangled with several croaked individuals who are working from dawn to dusk hatching chaos in this poor country of ours. It seems they are working diligently searching for means that ignite agony to the nation.
This time these individuals have taken language as bone of contention. Their argument is based on the recently issued road map of education. The thing is that the Federal Ministry of Education has come up with an idea of promoting education across the nation in a better way than we are currently doing it. Part of the idea is that children will learn the official language, Amharic starting from grade one. To the best of my belief, this was planned to establish the base on firm stand so that the kids may not face social, political and economic problems during their future lives.
Language is a means of conveying or communicating ideas. Those who cannot convey their ideas through language, can undoubtedly face problems in their daily lives. For instance, they may lose the chance of getting new jobs. Without their capacity to communicate with the official language, it can hardly be possible for them to get involved in the competition for new jobs. Their chance of having every political and socio-economic interaction across the nation will be limited. Learning second language not only helps you “improve your brain health but it also increases your career prospects”. Being bilingual in today’s crowded job market can incredibly be beneficial. It gives you a competitive edge when searching for new opportunities or within your current career. “If you speak a second language over an equally qualified candidate, the hiring manager will probably choose you as you have the added bonus of speaking an additional language.”
The guys who are currently stirring the still water can speak the Amharic language fluently. But their sickness is that they are not comfortable to see others doing the politics using this same language. These individuals who are opposing the idea of teaching the Amharic language at early stage are using the language to express themselves well and to open debates with their political rivals. But they have big problems to see others using this same language. They assume themselves as the sole representatives of others. They don’t want others to enjoy the privilege they have been blessed with.
Written sources indicate that language allows us to communicate with new people. It helps us to see things from different perspectives or get a deeper understanding of another culture. When the entire nation uses a national language, there will be common understanding and national unity across the nation. If a nation is deprived of this opportunity, there will be created confusion or babel. Those, who do not want national unity in this country, try their best to create babel among the nations. That’s what they are doing now. They don’t want the people to communicate one another.
The problem with these individuals is neither the language nor the proposed idea that Amharic should be given to the children from their early grade level. What they are jealousy of is the fact that Amharic which is the basic means of communication of the Amhara nation should not be more popular. They observe with envy as Amharic flourished across the country. That’s ther sickness. So, this language of neftegna should die by hook or by crook! They are dreaming of killing it. Let’s take a look at some of the notices and advertisements being written here in the English language. This is done deliberately to abolish the national language, Amharic. For instance, one can see if there is any significance of putting down a phrase, “Public Service” on a big local public transport bus while there is a possibility of using the common and simple means of communication. Besides, how many people (particularly the young and old sections of the society) can read and understand the English language? Wouldn’t it be better to express such things in Amharic which is a common language of this land?
Basically Amharic has become the official language of the nation. It is stipulated in article five of the constitution that ‘Amharic shall be the working language of the Federal Government’. This means if anyone needs to do business across the nation, s/he will have to use the language. That’s the simplest and best way to process the business. Available sources indicate that Amharic is being taught at universities in various overseas countries. What Zenebe Wolla, an author, wrote in one of his books reminds me of a point. He quoted the renowned author, Sibhat Gebre-Egziabher as saying that “had Emperor Minilik not handed over us Ethiopia and if there had never been the Amharic language, how I from Adwa and you from Gamo would have been communicated?” Yes, thanks to our fore fathers who have made everything possible for us all. All languages across the world have been spread arbitrarily. The same is true with our Amharic. One cannot say that this was done on imposition. It is a matter of chance that Amharic has become lingua Franca of this nation.
It is our responsibility to remind all that learning second language has many advantages. It boosts brain power. When learning something new, our brains need to cope with the complexity as it absorbs and makes sense of new patterns, thus developing key communication skills (such as cognitive thinking and problem solving) that are needed to digest and remember fresh information. Learning second language also expands our chances of travelling. It encourages us to travel across the country. Apart from allowing us to experience new cultures, learning new language helps us to improve our first language. We get many other advantages if we acquire second language. Scholars also say that national language derives national unity in any country. But as some of our politicians do not need this to happen in this country, they are always there putting stumbling blocks ahead of the unity. They leave no stone unturned to make babel out of the blue.
The Ministry of Education further said that the English language should also be given to the children along with the local language, Amharic. There is no problem with learning other languages as they are used to make lives simpler. With a language you express your ideas… you can also express your feelings… If that language is a national one, you will have many advantages. You feel proud of it. You use it as an instrument to acquire knowledge, teach or impart wisdom, do businesses…. Unless you are with devil mind, you do not prevent others from learning new languages.
Suspending the Amharic language from schools will not do any harm to those who have already known the language. So long as such rigidity and cruelty are promoted by these backward politicians, compatriots residing in remote parts of the country will not get the advantages of knowing more local languages in general and Amharic in particular. We never forget the fact that many senior officials send their children to best schools where the English language is taught in a much better way than state-owned schools. While the poor kids are suffering from the poor quality of education given in government schools, the children who go to the best private schools enjoy getting better education. No need to expound how smart our officials are not to get hurt by the poor education system they establish for the down trodden… The same thing seems to be promoted this time. The croaked individuals teach their kids more than three foreign languages in overseas schools and colleges while they are here opposing the idea of teaching and learning Amharic as a second language at elementary level.
If a child in the remote part of the country learns Amharic, s/he will have better opportunity to move around the country and make her/his living much better. One can be part of the political and socio-economic interactions of the country by becoming multi lingual. But as the croaked individuals do not want this to happen, they are everywhere to come up with babel.
The writer can be contacted through gizaw.haile@yahoo.com
Privatization’s emergence
After the coming of PM Abiy Ahmed bold and new decisions were made to partially privatize the current government owned Telcom and Ethiopian Airlines. Some economists believe the private sector tends to run a business more efficiently because of the profit motive. However, critics argue private firms can exploit their power and ignore wider social costs. For Margarita Dimova, Associate Director at Africa practice, private participation generally tends to improve profitability, although there are of course multiple examples of not-so-favorable outcomes from privatization endeavors. Capital’s reporter talked with Margarita Dimova to get her opinion and advice about the Ethiopian government’s privatization move towards tele. Margarita Dimova obtained her PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, where she was a senior teaching fellow and a graduate teaching assistant between 2013 and 2015. Excerpts;
Capital: Why is privatization needed?
Margarita Dimova: One main obvious benefits of privatization is increased competition, which helps certain sectors develop, innovate and improve efficiency.
Capital: Currently the Ethiopian government is preparing itself to sell 49 percent of its telecom service, what do you think about this decision and what kind of work needs to be done before selling the shares?
Dimova: The partial privatization of Ethio Telecom and the broader liberalization of the sector will definitely improve the quality of services provided. I’m positive for the average Ethiopian this would mean more affordable and reliable mobile phone services, as well as data access. Improved connectivity and telecommunications development have multiple spillover effects on broader economic growth.
One of the main challenges to post-liberalization will be the elaboration of a fair, comprehensive regulatory framework. Since Ethio Telecom has so far operated as a monopoly, this is a field in which the government has limited experience.
Capital: What should be done to tackle money laundering in the process of privatization?
Dimova: Having a robust anti-financial crime regime is integral for preventing such activities. Money-laundering is a global issue, it is not specific to Ethiopia or to the context of economic liberalization. Government agencies can coordinate, collaborate and receive technical assistance from international partners in tackling this potential problem. Ethiopia is also a member of the Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group.
Capital: Like any other business tax evasion and tax fraud are the concerns in privatization business, how can we get the right tax from these firms?
Dimova: Again, this would require the creation of robust institutions and mechanisms to ensure accountability. It is important that the Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority is allocated adequate resource, in conjunction with the work of the Tax Policy Directorate at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development.
Tax evasion is a problem worldwide, but it is not inherent in the operations of the private sector. If the Ethiopian government strikes the right balance between an investor-friendly tax regime and sufficient revenue collection, in the long run avoidance and evasion can both be brought to a minimum.
Capital: Some economists said that private firms discuss about cash flow, govt. firms discuss about growth and development and due to these reasons the experts oppose the privatization plan of the government. What is your stake on this point?
Dimova: Serious players in the private sector are increasingly emphasizing the importance of sustainable growth. I think such a distinction between parastatals and private enterprise is perhaps a bit too binary. If a company is short-term in its strategy, its growth and scalability prospects are limited. There is definitely a recognition of this dynamic within commercial circles.
Capital: Opposition groups say that in privatization the government misses out on dividends, and big money going to wealthy shareholders. What is your opinion regarding this issue?
Dimova: As privatization spurs competition, which in turn spurs growth, the relinquishing of minority shareholding should not have grave consequences for the government. As a sector grows, and if the government retains shareholding in certain flagship enterprises, dividends might even increase. Private participation generally tends to improve profitability, although there are of course multiple examples of not-so-favorable outcomes from privatization endeavors.
Capital: In some countries we see that privatization creates private monopolies and prevents abuse of monopoly power. What is the best way to tackle this kind of problem?
Dimova: The solution is again an institutional one – having a contemporary and well-designed anti-trust regime. With the right legislative framework and adequate access to legal recourse, the repercussions of this could be minimized.
Capital: To please shareholders investors may seek to increase short term profits and avoid investing in long term projects. What kind of regulations will tackle these challenges?
Dimova: The resolution to this probably doesn’t lie in regulation but in shifting the priorities of businesses, as well as commercial cultural context. As I said, the significance of sustainable growth is increasingly coming to the fore. The growth of impact-oriented investment is another contributing factor to moving away from a singular focus on short-term profitability.
Capital: Research indicates that in countries that have privatized through asset sales, the process has frequently been non-transparent and plagued by insider dealing and corruption. What is your comment on this?
Dimova: Yes, this is a tangible risk, and possibly one of the biggest ones the Ethiopian government might face. Fortunately, we live in an era of free-flowing information where opacity is increasingly difficult to defend. Public interest in high-profile privatization deals would make them more visible and subject to scrutiny, thereby deterring potential wrongdoing. Additionally, the Ethiopian government has a relatively good track records when it comes to corruption, especially against the backdrop of other sub-Saharan African jurisdictions. Global corporate responsibility and governance standards have also improved markedly in recent years.
Capital: The study by Chong and Lopez-de-Silanes (2002) based on a survey of 308 privatized firms (covering 84 countries) over the period 1982 to 2000 showed that employment was reduced in 78% post-privatization, likely worsening income distribution. What can be done to reduce the job cut s?
Dimova: It is difficult and potentially misleading to transpose the findings of a 2002 study onto the Ethiopian context. As far as I understand, these two authors focus on privatization processes in Latin America, so again it is difficult to compare. Within the academic field, there is a broad consensus that privatization increases profitability and productivity.
Capital: Price increases are common following privatization in network or infrastructure industries and private owners may decrease their engagement in specific, low-return market segments, which may disproportionately affect the poor. Do you have any solution for this?
Dimova: This reflects a real concern regarding the aftermath of privatization. One set of mitigates could revolve around regulation. Additionally, reforms need to be designed with social impact assessment in mind, as well as a consultative process with various strata of the populace.
Gender and nutrition
Population groups vulnerable to malnutrition are central to strategies aiming to improving their nutrition status. Women and girls are more likely to live in poor households and bear a disproportionate share of the burden of under- and over-nutrition, at least among adults. When malnutrition occurs during pregnancy and breastfeeding, it has adverse consequences for not only the women but also for their children, perpetuating an inter-generational cycle of malnutrition.
In addition, gender inequality is a root cause of malnutrition for all, always important and sometimes overshadowing all other causes. In both South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, women’s status has a large and significant positive impact on children’s nutritional status. Gender roles and relationships determine the distribution of resources and responsibilities between men and women, and thus both reflect and determine power rela¬tions between them—this is true within households, communities, workplaces, and markets. Within each of these spheres, women may lack the decision-making power and access to resources to make optimal nutrition choices for themselves and their families. A recent trial in Burkina Faso has provided direct evidence that improving women’s empowerment (in the context of a nutrition-sensitive agriculture programme) can reduce rates of wasting in young children.
Chandini’s story. Chandini is a seventeen-year old girl who lives in a small village in Rajasthan, India. She has been married for two years and has a baby girl of eighteen months. She is now pregnant for the second time. Like many other women in Rajasthan, Chandini is thin and suffers from anaemia. Even though she is six months pregnant, she has been working in the fields helping to harvest the family’s small plot of wheat and has to prepare the meals for the whole family. She is always the last one to eat, after her husband, mother-in-law, and child. She is also avoiding eating fat (‘ghee’) and chickpea flour because her family believe that these are risky for pregnant women. She is hungry before she goes to bed but does not like to complain. Chandini’s young husband Abhijeet wants to do the right thing by his wife and young family but is unsure of the best way to contribute—last month he used a little extra cash to buy her a traditional adornment for her face. All the family unwittingly contribute to the perpetuation of malnutrition in Rajasthan.
Moreover, women are present at every stage of the food system, but differ from men in roles, resources, and rights. They often lack equal access to the inputs, services, and information needed to optimise their contribution. Markets tend to exacerbate existing power inequalities, rather than lessen them. Given the major role that women play in food production, processing, and sale, not to mention their almost complete dominance of food preparation, this underinvestment equates to considerable lost potential. Greater equity can thus help to increase the food system’s ability to efficiently deliver safe and nutritious food for all.
Cathy’s story. Cathy is a young entrepreneur from Tanzania. Ten years ago, she started selling a tasty snack made from dried vegetables in the Central Business District of Dar es Salaam. Her product was attractive to office workers in the area, who also appreciated her customer orientation and attention to hygiene. For the last three years, she has been trying to grow her business by packaging her product and transporting it to other outlets for sale. But she needs credit and technical assistance to expand her operations. When she visits banks to enquire about her eligibility to receive credit, she feels that she is not taken seriously by the male staff. While other business people in the area get invited to trainings and join associations, it seems to Cathy that she has been mostly ignored.
At the macro level, where women do not have equal access to resources or equal opportunities to take part in decision-making, there are direct economic as well as social costs. Gender equity is thus a means to economic growth, which is itself a powerful force to help end undernutrition. For all of these reasons, gender is a “centrality issue” for malnutrition, and to ensure impact, gender must be taken into account throughout all programming for nutrition.
From: GAIN’s Programmatic Gender Strategy, July 2019.
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