Ethiopian Journals Online (EJOL)
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Informal Micro-Enterprises and Solid Waste Collection: The Case Study of Addis Ababa
No full textRecently “embracing informality” is a notion advocated in urban centres of developing nations not only due to its unavoidable nature but also its contribution in providing service access to the marginalized, creating job opportunity to the urban poor and reducing cost to financially deprived municipalities. Involving informal sector as municipal service provider indeed requires the perception of stakeholders who are directly working with them. This research tried to have insight about the attitudes and perceptions that regulators, service users and providers have on the informality. Internal and external factors influencing service providers were also considered. The research used both Primary and secondary data sources. One hundred sixty micro-enterprise units were included in the survey. These account for about 35% of the total micro-enterprises available in the city. Stratified random sampling was employed based on the number and type of micro-enterprises available in each kebele (local government unit). Interview and focus group discussions were held with city officials at different levels and also community representatives. Secondary data sources used were research reports, government documents of relevant institutions as well as legal and policy documents. The findings suggest that there is an over all tendency to encourage solid waste collecting micro-enterprises on the part of the government. Flexibility and responsiveness were also opportunities secured by the users (households); the institutionalization process was not confined to the promotion of efficiency of the service and enhancement of business orientation
Politics of Territoriality in Ethiopia: the Case of the Pastoral Gabra of Southern Ethiopia
No full textThe paper examines the current explosion of identity politics in Ethiopia and its entanglement with territoriality. It explains how neighboring groups negotiate, contest, re/construct and deconstruct their politico-territorial positions. It focuses on the processes by which the rules of political participation produce and reinforce ethno-territoriality, and examines the interplay between ethnic identity politics, territoriality and pastoral livelihood. Taking the case of the pastoral Gabra and their relationship with their neighbors, the Borana in Southern Ethiopia, I argue that the rule of political participation, whether it is practical or mere elite aspiration, has created a new form of territoriality that has altered the long-standing local inter-group relationships and negatively affected the local livelihoods
Acculturation Experiences of the Ethiopian Diaspora in USA: The Case of Las Vegas, Nevada
No full textResearch findings indicate that migration from homeland is commonly associated with different kinds of acculturation problems. Other evidences indicate that migration is an opportunity for better life particularly when life at home is seriously negotiated. The third view holds that the outcome of migration is rather a function of the personal journey of the immigrant per se as well as the accommodative characteristics of the host country. Along these lines of arguments, the objective of this study was to assess the acculturation experiences of the Ethiopian Diaspora in Las Vegas. A total of 118 participants were drawn to constitute the sample from among the Ethiopian diaspora living in Las Vegas at the time of data collection. Both quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative (interview) tools were used to generate data. The questionnaire constituted the ‘Acculturation Strategy Scale’ (Berry,2006), ‘Self-Evaluated Language Proficiency Scale’ (Marin and Gamba, 1996),‘Acculturative Stress Scale’(Mena et al. cited in Tafoya, 2011) and ‘Coping Scale’(Carver, 1997). Interview guide was developed and held with some immigrants to explore their acculturation experiences. Descriptive statistics, one sample t-test, independent t-test, correlation analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were successively employed to analyse the quantitative data. Major findings indicated that Ethiopian immigrants in Las Vegas were well integrated into the American culture, had high level of language proficiency, weren’t vulnerable to acculturative stress and employed positive coping to dealing with stressful experiences and migration related difficulties. It was recommended that establishing and strengthening an Ethiopian Community in Las Vegas may even boost these acculturation experiences further. It was also recommended to take lessons from Las Vegas and scale up support strategies to Ethiopian diaspora in other parts of the Globe
The Energy-Gender Nexus: A Case Study among Urban and Peri-urban Female Headed Households in Arba-Minch Town, Southern Ethiopia
No full textThe study was conducted in Southern Ethiopia with the objective of investigating the linkages between energy and gender among urban female-headed households (FHHs) residing both in and surrounding parts of Arba-Minch Town. The research design is mainly based on the quantitative methods and complemented with the qualitative ones. 272 sample FHHs were selected based on random sampling technique and data were collected using questionnaires, focus group discussions and key informant interviews. To determine the relationship and identify factors explaining households’ cooking fuels consumption, correlation and linear regression models were used. Data on the consumption of energy sources were gathered in terms of expenditures which were later converted to energy heat values measured in terms of Mega Joule. Results of the study reveal that regardless of their economic status, the majority of FHHs depended on wood fuels as their primary source of cooking energy. In the study area, commercial cooking fuels have become increasingly scarce and expensive, and the costs of modern cooking appliances are beyond the purchasing ability of most of FHHs. It is becoming increasingly difficult for FHHs to obtain affordable energy technologies that convert energy to useful services. A significant portion of FHHs continue to suffer as their incomes have not kept pace with the rising prices. Increasing end-use efficiency should be given greater emphasis as an important prerequisite by employing proper end-use technologies to change FHHs’ cooking practices so that household energy-related problems be tackled and energy can lead to more gender- equitable sustainable livelihoods
Archaeobotanical Investigation of Charred and Desiccated Fruit Stones and Seeds from Late Holocene Contexts in Kassala and its Environs: Window to Past Ecology and Subsistence
No full textWith the aim of reconstructing the Late Holocene palaeoenvironment and vegetation history of Kassala and its environs, archaeobotanical investigation was conducted on charred and desiccated fruit stones and seeds. These botanical remains were recovered by dry screening from various contexts in three excavation squares. The excavations were conducted by the Italian Archaeological Expedition in East Sudan (IAEES) at the site of Mahal Teglinos, Kassala, northeast Sudan in the years 1991, 2013 and 2014. Identification and comparative study was conducted in the laboratories of Addis Ababa University and the Bio-archaeological Research Center of the National Museum of Oriental Art, Rome. A total of 1771 (n=1771) charred and desiccated fruit stones and seeds are identified belonging mainly to five species: Adansonia digitata, Ziziphus spina-christi, Celtis integrifolia, Vigna unguiculata and Grewia bicolor. The botanical remains are dated to the early second millennium BC when the area was populated by several Gash Groups (along the Mereb river). The identification of the macrobotanical remains indicated that the site of Kassala and the Ethio-Eritrean and Sudanese low-lying border region was characterized by semi-arid and sub-humid tropical environmental conditions by the Late Holocene
Cultural Translation of Technologies in Ethiopia
No full textThe principal objective of this article is to show how technologies would be reconstituted in the social and cultural milieu in which they function. Focusing on the period from the last decade of the 19th to the mid-20th century, the aim is to discuss the cultural appropriation of technologies in the context of modern history of Ethiopia through exemplary ventures such as the first piped water supply, installing telephone lines, and introducing the first airplanes to the country. Mainly my endeavor being a study in philosophy of technology, sources supporting the core of my argument include books, newspaper articles, and popular lyrics narrating the adoption of specific technological artifacts in the country. The paper argues that, during technology “transfer” (a transfer across regions or cultures), technological artifacts do not only impact cultures but are also actively appropriated by them
Does Federalism Reduce Ethnic Conflict? Evidence From the Ethiopian Experience
No full textThis paper discusses the issue of federalism and conflicts in Ethiopia by posing the question: to what extent does the current system of ethnic Federalism help to reduce ethnic tensions and conflicts? Although federalism is taken by many as a typical strategy for avoiding ethnic conflict and promoting democracy in multi-ethnic societies, the Ethiopian experience largely suggest that the system is not reducing ethnic tensions and conflicts. Ethnicity being the major organizing principle of the federal system in the country, promotes conflicts stressing the primordial notions of ethnicity and mobilization. It has encouraged differences and competition over the control of power and resources at a local level. Thus, conflicts are increasing, becoming more decentralized and protracted. These suggest that in the Ethiopian context, there is a need to move away from using ethnicity as a sole criterion and to organize the federation using geographical and economic considerations. This would further help to reduce the current ethnic strife by encouraging civic nationality and trust among people
Effects of Conservation-induced Displacement on the Bacha of Southwest Ethiopia
No full textThis paper examines the impact of conservation-induced displacement on the Bacha community resulting from the establishment of Chebera-Chuchura National Park in Konta Special Woreda, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR). It attempts to reconstruct the customary functions that the forestland had played for the livelihoods of the Bacha community and its role in cementing reciprocal relations among different social groups in pre-eviction contexts. The study employed a combination of both qualitative and quantitative research tools including in-depth interviews, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, field observations and household survey. Michael Cernea’s analytical framework to assess the risks associated with displacement – Impoverishment Risk and Reconstruction (IRR) – is employed to see the multifaceted aspects of conservation-induced displacement. The findings revealed that in spite of the fact that displaced Bacha people have enjoyed greater level of access to land they suffered loss of entitlements to forest-based assets such as honey and plants of enormous medicinal value. The community also faced loss of job opportunities due to restrictions imposed on access to forestland that supported beneficial biodiversity for the livelihood of the Bacha people. Also adversely affected are inter-community relations built on reciprocal exchange of goods and services between the Bacha and neighboring farming communities. Now, the Bacha have faced the difficult task of adapting to the land-based crop farming as a new source of livelihood since they lack the necessary farming skills to make a living out of crop farming
International Kinship Care Arrangement: Ethiopian Children Applying for Australian Orphan Relative Visa
No full textThe study is about international kinship care arrangements in Ethiopia, focusing on Ethiopian children who applied for an Australian Orphan Relative Visa. A qualitative case study research method was used. Study participants were nine children between the ages of 13-17 years and nine parents/guardians of those children. Other participants were five experts from the Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs, and Federal First Instance Court. In-depth interviews were conducted using semi-structured interview guides. Additional data were also derived from observations and document reviews. Thematic data analysis was used. Data from all sources were triangulated and categorized under the themes that emerged from the data. This study identified two categories of children: those who cannot get proper care either due to the loss of parents or due to incapacity of parents to take care of them, and those children who use international kinship arrangement as a mechanism to access a better life in Australia. Children expressed their expectations to get a better education, employment, material benefits, and living conditions after placement abroad. They also expressed concerns about how well relatives abroad will treat them. The findings further revealed that the Ministry of Women, Children, and Youth Affairs was not appropriately documenting pre-placement and post-placement information. Since international kinship care is different from international adoption in its nature, there was a lack of clarity on the legal protection that should be given to children, which puts them in a precarious socio-legal situation. This study can be used as a starting point to understand and consider international kinship care arrangements as one important alternative child care option. 
Beyond Exception and Supremacy: Adwa in the Black Radical Imaginary
No full textStories of Adwa have anchored multiple forms of exceptionalism that underpin some Ethiopians’ sense of superiority over others of African descent. This narrative mode goes hand-in-hand with certain toxic, solidarity destroying tendencies of some diasporic Ethiopians. Following the methodology of Tizita, innovated in Centime Elleni Zeleke’s Ethiopia in Theory, I analyse two such tendencies, social distancing and victim-blaming, in some depth. These forms of enacted exceptionalism weaken social movements like Black Lives Matter. This article offers a way out by thinking of Adwa as part of the black radical imaginary, a concept I develop drawing on the thinking of Cedric Robinson and Robin DG Kelley, and recent work by political theorists Paula Diehl and Craig Browne. The Battle of Adwa was one episode in a centuries-long process of resistance to racial capitalist patriarchy, a world system that still persists in many ways. Adwa must also be re-narrated if it is to be a viable source of solidarity among Ethiopians and within Ethiopia. Re-narrating Adwa with an eye toward non-Amhara and non-Tigre, and toward the anonymous, contributors to collective self-defense, is one way to tell a story geared toward an egalitarian politics focused on redressing historic wrongs. Gigi comes close to such a reading in her song Adwa