A conference on Ethiopia in Auckland

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS CONFERENCE HAS BEEN POSTPONED. DATE HAS STILL TO BE ARRANGED. COMMUNITY EVENT WILL BE ON 4 NOVEMBER AR SAME LOCATION. IT WILL BE IN AMHARIC ONLY.

Ethiopia is much more than adventure tourism and tourist sights. The politics and economics of the country are fascinating too. For example, some Ethiopians who come to New Zealand as refugees are from the same tribe as the ruling party, (the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF)) and work as undercover spies, keeping tabs on Ethiopians in this country.

To keep abreast of these issues and as well as those regarding social media and telecommunications, which are prohibited in the country, a conference will be held in Auckland on October 27.

It is designed to create awareness among New Zealand officialdom of the issues affecting the Ethiopian community and allow it to share its concern with members of the local community.

The conference will be held between 9am and 11am at the University of Auckland, 74 Epsom Ave, Auckland, Room 6EA-201A.

The conference will bring Ethiopian New Zealanders’ together to learn about how to get information to friends back home, to learn about alternative social media, and to learn about what is happening in the country. This is important because there is no independent media in the country.

In attendence will be government ministers such as the Minister of Immigration and Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as a representative from the Human Rights Commission, local MPs, and other high profile officials.

 Mr Abebe Gellaw, an international journalist who is executive director of Ethiopian Satellite Television and Radio (ESAT TV) will also be attending. In 2013, Gellaw was a founding executive member of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Ethiopians’ (GARE) leadership.

Gellaw has worked at Stanford University where, in 2008-09, he was appointed as the John S. Knight Fellow for Professional Journalists and Yahoo International Fellow. He is a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution and visiting scholar at the Centre on Democracy Development and Rule of Law. He is working on a book project, Ethiopia under Meles: Why the transition from military rule to democracy failed.

He began his career in journalism in 1993 as a freelance writer focusing on human rights and political issues. He worked for various print and online publications including the Ethiopian Herald, the only English daily in the country. Gellaw is also a founding editor of Addisvoice.com, a bilingual online journal focusing on Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa. In 2007, he was honored by the UK branch of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy in Ethiopia for his commendable journalism and advocacy endeavors.

In 2007, he was honored by the UK branch of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy in Ethiopia for his commendable journalism and advocacy endeavors.