Ethiopia in the Press

A week ago, CNN and BBC were plastered with news of escalating conflict in the Horn of Africa, with Ethiopia’s troops still in Somalia and the United States’ attempts to catch terrorists with bombs. But what have you heard about the county I currently call my home this week? Nothing. Yet, this week, a story just as news worthy has stormed the city of Addis Ababa: the African Union Summit. All weekend, roads have been closed off and police line the streets to ensure safe arrival to the likes of Ban Ki Moon (the new UN Secretary General), African presidents such as Bashir or Mugabe, and, perhaps with slightly less security, the continent’s policy makers.

I crave a mainstream media source that will give the same type of coverage and attention to this meeting as they have to the World Economic Forum in Davos this past week. I know it’s been said before- Africa is sidelined and pigeon holed in the media, where only stories of conflict and disaster grab the global spotlight- but it wasn’t until I arrived here that I realized just how much action is happening on the ground. I feel that without media attention, the outcomes of this type of meeting will not be supported to successful action. Put the spotlight on Africa, not just for more aid and new initiatives run by Western donors, but for support of sophisticated indigenous action that is already taking place.

I Heart Blogs

A non-Ethiopia related post:

Am getting deeper and deeper in the world of blogging. And it's terrific. I joined Technorati the other day, for my CPAR blog, and within one day had four comments from strangers- certainly a first in my online presence. I've also been reading a lot about making money from blogging, and that's the next step. It's hard to imagine the utility of blogs when you have a small audience (mostly your mother and your boyfriend), but I'm determined to use this medium as a way to engage others in development issues. If anyone has any suggestions for me in my efforts to improve, scale up and publicize my two blogs (this one and http://www.cpar-ethiopia.blogspot.com) please let me know!

Kate

Bloggular absenses

Hello All,

If you were to look, you'd find me in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia. I'm having some trouble posting on my blog because of slow internet connection (it only works VERY early in the mornings), so if you want news and don't find it here, go to:

My Work Blog

And send me an email!

Kate

Holy Nervous, Batman

So, I have my ticket, I have my waterfilter, I have my antimalarials, I have my sleeping bag, and my safari outfit. But where is my courage? I keep telling myself that it's only a year of my life, and one that I have the wealth and mobility to escape from if I so choose. But at the same time, this impending trip to Africa is the most significant event of my life so far. My stomach is churning, but there are also butterflys of excitement. I know I won't believe it until I get there, no matter if my suitcases are nearly packed and I have the yellow fever vaccinations seering through my veins. 13 days to go. I hope you'll all stick with me on this trip, as I certainly hope I'll have some good stories to tell!

AIDS 2006

It's AIDS 2006, the International Aids Conference, in Toronto at the moment. Go! Go now! Imagine all of a sudden being surrounded by tens of thousands of people working for the same positive change you are!

I have been working at the CPAR exhibit in the Global Village section (booths, etc, lots of NGOS) and have had the chance to check out some of the sessions as well. I know that it's 'just a conference' but there's something about the fact that there are 24000 people (and that's only official delegates) together concentrating on two simple issues: LIFE and DIGNITY. I'm ashamed to admit it, but the intensity of the entire convention has made me cry on several occasions. To me, it feels like there are representatives from every inch of the AIDS landscape, from all points of the compass and all generations. The thing that is the most exciting is that there are also representatives from each APPROACH to alleviate the crisis- the grandmothers selling their crafts to afford to send their charges to school, the NGOs promoting treatment, counselling, and education, and those targeting the underlying POVERTY of AIDS, the Government and Corporate delegates working on policy and research...

This higgledy piggledy blog indicates just what an overwhelming experience this conference is for me- it leaves me utterly unable to convey the enthusiasm, hope and learning that the conference is providing me. All I can say is Hurrah!

seeking x, y, and z

Currently in the glorious midst of a quintessential Sunday. I'm surrounded by the not-so-newsy bits of the weekend Globe and Mail, reading the inflated and exaggerated social commentary so desired of one of my class and intelligence. The remains of nutella sandwiches and glasses of overly pulpy orange juice are strewn about, and so are the articles clipped because they either embody my unvocalized thoughts on the Middle East crisis, or amuse me with their trivial yet disgustingly contemporary "news" ("Bang Bus runs over cyclist"). These guilty pleasures of newsprint and chocolate are tempered with three loads of laundry done, folded and organized according to tee shirts I like, tee shirts for work, and tee shirts for when all others are dirty. And the recently-used sleeping bag is outside airing for good anti-guilt measure. Beehtoven provides the musical accompaniment for this lovely lazy day. Alas, it shall soon be interrupted by the ever beckoning Cafe Crepe!

I am forever imagining what my life will be when I grow up. It's often framed in a spatial way: when I have an apartment/condo/house that is more permanent than an 8 month lease, and more satisfactory than 300 square feet or less, I will start doing x, y and z. In this case, x could be having an assortment of beverages on hand, for surprise visitors and random desires (instead of the current water, water and water I have to offer). Y could be subscribing to a magazine or newspaper, without worrying about change of address before recieving the first issue! And z could be doing laundry once a week, rather than waiting for EVERYTHING to be filthy before doing a marathon wash, during which I have to wear neon hotpants and a Victoria Commonwealth Games 1994 tee shirt, as they're the only things left. Or z's could be spending weekends as weekends, rather than days indistinguishable from the rest of the week.

This adds another element of satisfaction to my already appealing day: it signifies solidity, grown-upness, and "real life" in the face of transience, limbo, and constantly unstructured days/weeks/months that comprise being a STUDENT OF DEVELOPMENT...or maybe just what it is to be Kate?

Old Man Dance Party

A great Thursday night just past. My fabulous friends Aaron and Dev had their launch party for their socially active clothing line, aujCollections. The clothing line is based around the notion of perpetuating the "old boys club" for young men, and the theme of the party was aptly named the Old Man Dance Party. Located at Social on Queen West, the party consisted of many beautiful people, plenty of free alcohol, and oodles of press types and cameras. Auj had created a scene at the front of the bar to look like a club, complete with persian carpets, brandy, overstuffed leather chairs, a gunrack, etc etc. They'd hired some old men and some models who inhabited the space, smoking pipes, playing golf into a rocks glass, and using the old typewriter. It was all very civilized.

The goal of the event was to welcome the collection to Toronto, and to create the final scene in the reality show featuring Aaron and Dev that will air on Star TV in who knows how many months. For me, it's all very exciting because I get to watch these two very young guys (20 and 22) get increasingly successful, and occasionally drag me along with them! As well, the fact that each item of clothing that they sell comes with a code, which can be used to get mentorship for becoming active in the community, makes me interested in these guys even more! I urge you to check out their site.

Please pardon my changes! They're still in progress.

oops adventure

I'm into how Toronto makes you feel like a perpetual tourist. Just when you think that you know the City like the back of your hand, you find yourself on a bike on a large street you didn't even know existed. And then fast decline and an incline, you're in a bit of urban wilderness that seems so foreign. For a second you realize that you're on a derelict city bike, in quasi- mountain bike conditions. You worry about your breaks. After a brief frisbee stop, you're ready for civilization as you know it again. On the way back into your "comfort zone" you pass markers- a bridge that makes you feel like you're in the city again (your heart quickens), a one-of-a-kind department store that signals your 'hood, and finally, as the rain starts, you're riding comfortably the wrong way down a one way street and into your driveway.

blog introspective

Just read Meryl Evans' article on Five Quick Tips to Building a Better Blog. According to Meryl, there are certain ways to pass the "in the blink of an eye" test, which is usually how long people give to a blog before deciding whether to stay or move on. It's safe to say that I don't pass. But, it's exciting to read about this BLOG WORLD that I occasionally dabble in. And here is the big news: I think I will be increasing my dabble in the next few months. I am working with Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR) who I will work for in Ethiopia to create a blog hosted on their Canadian website to be used to increase the dialogue on development, and try out a new angle for gathering and maintaining donors. So, I am busy at the moment doing blogging research in order to maximize the reach and quality of the blog.

In addition, I intend to upgrade this blog. Thanks to some mentorship from Dev at DreamNow, I have been giving a lot of thought to active creation of my future. The result requires some self marketing. Since my career goals don't fit into a tried-and-true job box, I am working on a website that will act as a business card extension, helping people I meet to really understand my professional intentions. I plan to link this blog, with a new face, and implement Meryl's five tips...and a few others.

Stay tuned!

Messing with Texas

trash, admin and vacations

Oh Dear. I'm afraid I might have had a bit of a trashy week. I am going through a bit of an icecream phase, and I saw the Devil Wears Prada twice (but that counts as career research, given my PA to the developmentally fabulous aspirations), and might have accidentally bought OK mag instead of The Walrus or The Economist (well, I did buy the latter but passed it quickly on to the boyf). I must admit also that there is a recently finished Candice Bushnell novel on my shelf. And then to top it all off, I rented the first season of Desperate Housewives.

But, in the midst of this extremely Western propaganda, I have been making exciting progress on my impending Southern excursion. The task at hand is securing a work permit for Ethiopia (an inch closer- still a very elusive item). I have been pricked with sharp but useful medical objects both to protect and determine my general health (though they are less effective against "wellness"...or rather towards wellness). My Centre for Intercultural Learning course is confirmed ("your request is important to us"- yet still it takes two weeks for them to email me back!) and Ella is giving it a test run for me as we speak. And I have an appointment with the lawyer for Tuesday.

I am about to leave, however, on my so-called Summer Vacation. Destination: Texas. More on that?

There you have it.

the CITY

The city is a great place to be at the moment. The temperature has risen to a nice baking heat, conducive to patios and beaches. Friends are returning from various ends of the world and keeping me busy with social engagements. Yesterday a friend and I stumbled upon a street festival in Little Italy in honour of the World Cup game against the US. Each terrace was packed, and all the 'free-stuffers' were out in full force. The old Italian choir was out, in their green vests and Canadian flag ties; all the women had big flowers in their dyed graying hair. I had to drag myself away in order to get to work, but I arrived there to the rehersals for the Much Music Video Awards taking place across the street. We heard a bunch of bands, including Fallout Boy, and some Canadian Idols. The 'allstars' won't come out until Sunday evening. I don't know if I'll see the show- the Stanley Cup will probably trump Much for my attention.

As this weekend comes to an end (beach volleyball this afternoon), the plans for next week shape up: Ella's birthday, doctor's appointment, Holland versus Argentina, and PRIDE. If summer has just started, I've certainly started as I mean to go on.

Bike to CAPAIDS

Speaking of CAPAIDS, they're having a Bike-A-Thon fundraiser on June 10.

Sign up for BIKE TO CAPAIDS

See you there!

So, it's settled (though I won't believe it until I'm on a plane on my way to Addis). I am going to Ethiopia with CPAR (canadian physicians for aid and relief) for my placement. There I will be working with two groups, CPAR and CAPAIDS.

With CPAR I will help with a variety of tasks, including communicating with the Canadian office, monitoring and reporting on their Moving Beyond Hunger program, and helping to increase in-country funding for the Ethiopia office. The Moving Beyond Hunger program includes projects focussing on water and sanitation development, food security (tree farming, for example), and safe livelihoods (vocational training, HIV/AIDS education).

With CAPAIDS I will hold the position of program officer, and will monitor and evaluate their Safe Livelihoods for Older AIDS Orphans project. This group of older orphans, often the head of their households after the death of their parents, frequently turn to the sex trade to provide for their siblings. This leads to problems for the individual, and to the spread of AIDS. So, CAPAIDS works with two local NGOs in Ethiopia (and two in Uganda) to provide the orphans with vocational training (like hairdressing, for example) so that they can have more secure livelihoods.

I'm excited as well that I'll be able to work with CPAR and CAPAIDS here in Canada before I leave, so that I'll have a familiarity with the projects and recent developments, rather than just being thrown into the mix upon arriving in Addis. And also that I've met the in-country Director already, so when I arrive, I'll see a familiar face.

Fun is Paramount

I always get an icky feeling when I go into mega movie theatres like the Paramount. For a while I thought it was the people, until I realized that I’m mostly fine with crowds in other situations. Then I thought maybe it was the glossy perfection of the surroundings, contrary to my current obsession with “urban derelict”. But today I read an article that helped me to better articulate my concerns in its discussion of media conglomerates. Current media market trends are encouraging the concentration of media. Take for example, AOL Time Warner. That used to be three companies (and more), and they’re now all led by one boss (and one mindset). This raises some concerns. For me, it’s primarily the streamlining of media content- the diversity decreases and the quality of journalism becomes questionable. This is increased by the location of media directors on the boards of other companies, such as pharmaceuticals and oil companies. The result is media censorship. For example, if Disney is involved in both manufacture in Bangladesh and owns ABC, the likelihood that you’re going to see a story on sweatshop labour on the ABC newsreport is unlikely. So, important issues are not getting covered in the mainstream media.

Further, and I think this is what prompts my negative emotional reaction to places like the Paramount, the incredible skills of media conglomerates to cross promote and cross sell (like the advertisements for the Pussycat Dolls at the movie theatre) can dilute influences from other places, such as families, schools, and other sources that are grounded in real-life experience.

It bothers me to think that a) we’re not getting all the information b) while some of us may be getting the information, not everyone is, and without everyone getting it, how is change going to happen and c) that my kids one day might actually think that “Fun is Paramount” and not know where else to get their knowledge and/or kicks from.

View the article here:
http://www.globalissues.org/HumanRights/Media/Corporations/Owners/asp

Finally, a placement update!

I've been hesitant about posting about my placement proceedings on my blog after what happened last september. I was so embarassed by my failure to get a placement, and even more so by the fact that for months afterwards people were sending me emails saying, "So where are you...aren't you supposed to be away this year?" That everyone (family, friends, friends of family, etc etc) was expecting me to leave made the situation worse, as I had to explain "well, no, I'm not going. Yes, yes, it was my fault." So, I have been reluctant to talk about, or post about, my potentials for placement this upcoming year. Until now. While nothing is for certain, and I could find myself in Toronto once again come September, there are three potential spots in the works. First, I have been recommended for a placement with CUSO in Ghana- this means that the Canadian office has chosen me, but the field office and local NGO get the last word, so I am waiting to hear from them. Second, CPAR (who I've been volunteering with for the past year) has expressed an interest in sending me to work in their Ethiopian office in Addis Ababa. I've spoken with the Canadian program director and the Ethiopian country director, and the placement is contingent on them finding cheap accommodation for me and the job meeting the IDS coop's standards. Hopefully I will get more information on this possibility later this week. Third, I have been interviewed with WUSC Sri Lanka (who chose not to send me last year) and apparently they have placements for all who were interviewed.

All three placements are very interesting (though I don't have details about the WUSC one) and would certainly be a rewarding experience. Each has it's own positive aspects, and if granted all three, it would be a difficult choice between them. That said, because of my previous work with CPAR, my familiarity with their organization, the fact that Addis holds many interesting features (such as being the centre of the African Union, for example), and the fairly flexible job description, a placement with CPAR Ethiopia is my first choice. However, it is also the least certain of the three.

So, there you have a brief outline of my current placement status. Regardless of my geographic and employment status as of September 2006, I feel that I have grown tremendously as a result of my initial placement rejection. I understand my weaknesses better, I have consciously become more involved in the Toronto development community, and have spent a wonderful year in Toronto. Stay tuned for more details.

Kate

Cucurrucucu Paloma

Have been spending some time today listening to music from the films of Almodovar (I stumbled upon Habla Con Ella four years ago and have been crazy about them ever since). There's something very intense about the music that I don't find in my Whitney and Assorted Trance Singles. And so I got to thinking, using my general music choice as indicative of the whole Kate psyche, and realize that I actively pursue the avoidance of responsibility. I like thinking about real things, but fear experiencing them. What is it that holds me back? The ever pressing fear of failure. Perhaps I feel it more than others, but likely I am in precisely the same human boat as the rest of us. And so, I grab hold of things that give me confidence when I can. So today, as I listened to AT Ariyaratne, who started the Sarvodaya movement in Sri Lanka (development according to Ghandian and Buddhist principles), I grabbed hold of these sentiments:

Be Constructive, Not Destructive. Don't waste time defending yourself and what you're doing- just go and do it.

Those of us who want to change the world don't get much rest, while others spend quite a bit of time sleeping.

[If you see something bad in the world] don't worry about it, just work harder.

This is action without fear- I've got the thinking about it down pat, I've just got to have confidence to take action. And if you're in the mood, download some songs from Almodovar.

Kate

oh, Chinatown!

My spacial proximity to Chinatown has many benefits and delights, including readily available cheap produce, an abundace of milk crates for creating fashionable furniture, and the presence of co-passengers on the streetcar, laden down with plastic bags with exotic scripts and strange smells. But today, the concept of a "city within a city" has been taken to a new level. All day there has been a tremendous comotion outside our house. While the comotion is usually due to either drunken students, or recently released patients from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health across the street, today it centres around a huge pile of dirt. Presumably, this dirt was placed there by municipal workers in preparation for the spring gardening they'll be doing at the park across the way starting Monday morning. I'm affraid, however, that they will have to start a new pile afresh, come Monday, as there has been a steady stream of Chinese ladies from the neighbourhood poaching the goods! They come with carts, waggons, buckets, spades, garbage bags, and (occasionally) husbands to supervise, and in little more than three hours, the pile is down to half what it was. Every once in a while I'll hear the screech of car tires and a house-wife type will be out there, in her kakhis and sweater-around-the-neck, filling the back of the SUV with precious, precious sod.

In a more serious note, I like how this event fits in to my post-colonial studies mind frame. WHat? It's just dirt. No, wait. In my political science course last semester, we talked about various ways in which citizens revolt against authoritarian post colonial states, from revolution to what is known as "quiet encroachment of the ordinary". In this form of revolt, individuals undermine the state through a variety of (primarily urban) actions, such as tapping the power grid. While it's simplist to understand today's dirt theft through a purely pragmatic lense- why buy dirt when you can get it from the sidewalk for free?- I like to think of it in more political terms. Despite our government's highly "developed" nature, we, as Canadian Citizens, still reject the notion of complete complicity to the State, and choose instead to express our non-compliance through simple acts of soil appropriation.

Une petite space

I have just aquired a new apartment. Hurrah! Enough waiting for rent from others, enough unmatching perspectives on "clean" and "tidy". As much as I love love love my roommates, and have had wonderful habitation experiences since leaving Victoria, I've been waiting for this moment of solohabitation for what feels like EVER.

So, the details. It is tiny. Ity bity. And it's across the street from where i live now, so move in time is expected to be a full fifteen to twenty minutes. Faster if I have the help of current roommates and current boyf. Then it will be three minutes or less. It is a square, and I can basically cook breakfast while still in bed, but it has two big windows and a fire escape. And there's a huge tree outside one of the windows that will be beautiful in the summer.

Hurrah for my new space! Only two or three weeks until you can find me in it.