U of Toronto, Canada Has a Class on Ancient Ethiopic Language (Ge’ez) With a Donation From The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye)

💭የካናዳዋ ቶሮንቶ ዩኒቨርሲቲ ከድምጻዊው አቤል ተስፋዬ ስጦታ ጋር የጥንታዊውን ግዕዝ ቋንቋን በማስተማር ላይ ይገኛል።

💥 አምና ላይ የፋሺስቱ ኦሮሞ አገዛዝ በትግራይ ላይ የዘር ማጥፋት ጦርነቱን ከመጀመሩ ከአንድ ወር በፊት ይህን ዜና የጽዮናውያን ጠላት ከሆነው የኦሮሞ ሜዲያ፤ “አደባባይ ሜዲያ” ላይ በቁጭት መልክ ሲለፈለፍ ሰምቼው ነበር፤

💭 “በትግራይ የግእዝ ቋንቋ በመደበኛ ትምህርት መርሀግብር ሊሰጥ ነው“

👉 September 13, 2020

በትግራይ ክልል የግእዝ ቋንቋን በመደበኛ የትምህርት መርሀ ግብር ለመስጠት ዝግጅት መደረጉን የክልሉ ቋንቋዎች አካዳሚና ትምህርት ቢሮ አስታወቁ።

የትግራይ ቋንቋዎች አካዳሚ ዋና ዳይሬክተር ዶክተር ዳንኤል ተክሉ ለኢዜአ እንደገለፁት በሀገሪቱ በግእዝ ቋንቋ የታተሙ በሺህዎች የሚቆጠሩ ጥንታዊ የብራናና የመጽሀፍት ህትመቶች አሉ።

“አዲሱ ትውልድ ፅሁፎችን በማንበብ የሀገሩን ባህልና ቋንቋ እንዲሁም ታሪክና ማንነት ጠንቅቆ እንዲያውቅ ለማበረታታት የቋንቋውን ትምህርት መስጠት አስፈልጓል” ብለዋል።

በተያዘው 2013 አመት በክልሉ በሚገኙ ትምህርት ቤቶች ትምሀርቱን ለመስጠት ዝግጅት መደረጉን አመላክተዋል ።

ከትግርኛ፣ ኩናምኛና ሳሆኛ ቋንቋዎች ቀጥሎ ግዕዝ አራተኛ ቋንቋ ሆኖ በክልሉ በሚገኙ የአንደኛ ደረጃ ትምህርት ቤቶች እንዲሰጥ የክልሉ ትምህርት ቢሮ ኃላፊነት ወስዶ እየሰራ መሆኑን ገልጸዋል ።

ቢሮው የመማር ማስተማር ስራውን እንዲጀምር በክልሉ ምክር ቤት በአዋጅ መጽደቁንም አስታውቀዋል።

የትግራይ ክልል ትምህርት ቢሮ ምክትል ኃላፊ አቶ ባህታ ወልደሚካኤል በበኩላቸው የግዕዝ ቋንቋ ትምህርትን በክልሉ በሚገኙ ከ2 ሺህ በላይ የአንደኛ ደረጃ ትምህርት ቤቶች ለማስጀመር የመምህራንና የመማሪያ መፃፍት ዝግጅት እየተደረገ ነው።

ከስድስት ወራት በኋላ ትምሀርቱን ለመጀመር እቅድ መያዙን አመላክተዋል ።

በመቐሌ የሃወልት ክፍለ ከተማ ነዋሪና የሰላም አካዳሚ የትግርኛ ቋንቋ መምህር ሃዱሽ አታክልቲ የግዕዝ ቋንቋ በመደበኛ የትምህርት መርህ ግብር እንዲሰጥ መታቀዱ ተገቢ መሆኑን ተናግረዋል።

የትምህርቱ መሰጠት በየአብያተ ክርስትያናትና ገዳማት ውስጥ የሚገኙና በግዕዝ ቋንቋ ተጽፈው የታተሙ ጥንታዊና ታሪካዊ መፃህፍቶችን በቀላሉ አንብቦ ለመገንዘብ አስተዋጽኦ እንዳለው ገልጸዋል ።

ለኢትዮጵያ የቱሪዝም ልማት እድገትም ያለው አስተዋጽኦ የጎላ መሆኑን ጠቅሰዋል።

“አዲሱ ትውልድ በመጤ ቋንቋዎችና ባህሎች ከመበረዝ ይልቅ የሀገሩን ባህልና ቋንቋ በሚገባ እንዲያውቅና እንዲጠብቅ ያስችለዋል” ሲሉም መምህር ሃዱሽ አስታውቀዋል።“

💭 ፋሺስቱ የኦሮሞ አገዛዝ የዘር ማጥፋት ጦርነቱን በአቡነ ተክለ ሐይማኖት ዕለት ለመጀመር ከገፋፉት ምክኒያቶቹ አንዱ የትግራይ ሕፃናት የግዕዝ ቋንቋን እንዳይማሩ ለማድረግ ሲል ነው። “ሁሉም ኬኛዎች” በከንቱው የኩሽ ህልማቸው የግዕዝንም ቋንቋ ለመውረስ ይሻሉና።

💥 አይ የሰሜኑ ወገኔ፤ የእነዚህን ፍጥረታት እርጉምነት ገና በደንብ አልተረዳኸወም እኮ!

💭 The university is now one of the only places in the world where students can learn Ge’ez

Tens of thousands of ancient Ethiopic manuscripts – maybe more – have collected dust for over a century because they are written in what is now a rarely studied language, Ge’ez.

But a new course at the University of Toronto is teaching a new generation of students to understand the ancient Semitic language so that one day they can access this long-lost trove of knowledge.

This week, Professor Robert Holmstedt of the department of Near and Middle Eastern civilizations welcomed 25 students and members of Toronto’s Ethiopian community to the first day of an introductory course on Ge’ez, which like Latin, is only used in religious services, in this case for the Ethiopian Orthodox and Catholic churches.

Read more about the Ge’ez course at CBC News

With this course, U of T becomes one of the only places in the world where students can learn the fundamentals of Ge’ez. The program came about through several significant donations, including from The Weeknd, the Ethiopian community and the Faculty of Arts & Science.

Department chair Professor Tim Harrison has said that he hopes, with continued support, U of T will eventually add more courses and be positioned to launch the first Ethiopian studies program in North America.

Since the subject is so rarely taught, Holmstedt had to invent course materials and revise one of the only Ge’ez textbooks in English, the 40-year-old Introduction to Classical Ethiopic: Ge’ez by Thomas O. Lambdin. Ge’ez is a window into an ancient culture and offers insights into other Semitic languages, he said.

“I like giving students access to things that 99.5 per cent of the world doesn’t have access to,” he said. “It’s part of advancing our knowledge and the pursuit of truth. This is the very nature of the university. We can’t leave this behind.”

Hear CBC Metro Morning talk about the course on Ge’ez

Michael Gervers, a history professor at U of T Scarborough, helped launch the course with a $50,000 donation and a call to Toronto’s Ethiopian community to contribute.

The call was answered and the donation matched by none other than Toronto native and Grammy-award winning artist Abel Tesfaye, a.k.a. The Weeknd.

Read about The Weeknd’s donation

The campaign for the language course has a $200,000 goal and has received support from the Faculty of Arts & Science and the Bikila Awards organization, a local Ethiopian community group named after Olympic marathoner Adebe Bikila.

On Monday, just as he had promised, Gervers sat in on the class, hoping to be one of the first to learn the language at U of T.

Although he has been studying ancient Ethiopia for 40 years – he has swung from ropes to explore rock-cut monasteries in Ethiopia and created a database of tens of thousands of photographs of Ethiopian art and culture – Gervers does not know the language.

Amharic-speaking students helped him with his pronunciation when he was asked to recite a letter of the alphabet.

The course’s first students included members of the Ethiopian and Eritrean communities, students with an interest in Ethiopian culture, medievalists and students in comparative linguistics.

Before any of the students can uncover the secrets of ancient Ethiopic texts, they must learn the basics. In their first class, they were introduced to Ethiopic letters and to the present tense of verbs like “to sit.”

Hours of memorization come next. Holmstedt urged his students to carry a ringlet of flashcards so they can learn the alphabet on the go.

“Walk around campus memorizing words instead of looking at your phone,” Holmstedt said.

Gervers said he hoped the Ge’ez course would be the first of many classes that would form the basis of an Ethiopian studies program at U of T. He has proposed a graduate-level course in the history of Ethiopia.

“Ethiopia is usually left out of the curriculum because it’s so different,” he said. “There is no point of entry through European languages like English, French, Spanish or Italian.”

Read more about Professor Gervers’ research on Ethiopia

The campaign will need additional funding to add further courses in Ge’ez – and even more to kickstart Ethiopian studies.

For many students in the course, the subject isn’t only academic.

Sahlegebriel Belay Gebreselassie, a third-year undergrad in international relations and political science, has an “intimate personal connection” with the class.

“It’s a part of learning my history, my language,” he said.

Source

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The King Doom of Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia Appeared to Threaten Canada With A 9/11-Style Attack In A Feud Over Human Rights

Saudi Arabian state media tweeted an infographic appearing to show an Air Canada airliner heading towards the Toronto skyline in a way that recalled the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.

• Saudi Arabia expelled Canada’s ambassador after an official account called for the release of detained women’s rights activists in the Kingdom.
• 15 of 19 September 11 hijackers were Saudi citizens, and Osama Bin Laden, the attack’s mastermind, was a Saudi who has family there.
• The Saudi media account deleted the tweet and reposted another without the airliner.

Saudi Arabian state media tweeted an infographic appearing to show an Air Canda airliner heading towards the Toronto skyline in a way that recalled the September 11, 2001 terrorist hijackings of airliners that struck the Twin Towers and the Pentagon.

The infographic warned of “Sticking one’s nose where it doesn’t belong!” after Global Affairs Canada tweeted that it was “gravely concerned” about a new wave of arrests in the Kingdom targeting women’s rights activists and urged their “immediate release.”

“As the Arabic saying goes: ‘He who interferes with what doesn’t concern him finds what doesn’t please him,'” the infographic read.

Saudi Arabian citizens comprised 15 of the 19 hijackers that crashed planes on September 11. The attacks’ organizer, Osama Bin Laden, came from a prominent Saudi family and still has family there including a son who the Bin Ladens say is looking to avenge his father. 

Saudi Arabia has already expelled Canada’s ambassador and frozen all new trade and investment with Ottawa in response to the criticism. 

The tweet came from @Infographic_ksa, an account that had just hours before tweeted another infographic titled “Death to the dictator” featuring an image of the supreme leader of Iran, Saudi’s main regional rival. 

Saudi Arabia has long stood accused of funding radical Muslim Imams around the world and spreading a violent ideology called Wahabbism. Under the new leadership of young ruler Mohammad Bin Salman, Saudi Arabia has undertaken a number of sweeping reforms looking to reduce the funding for and spread of radical ideology as well as elevate human rights.

But a surge of arrests apparently targeting prominent women’s rights activists who previously campaigned to abolish the country’s driving ban against women has caused international alarm and prompted the tweet from Canada. 

Saudi Arabia deleted the tweet featuring the plane and later reuploaded one without the airliner pictured.

Source

— Saudi Arabia Orders 20,000 Saudi Students and Their Families to Leave Canada

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Ethiopian Anti-Babylon-Saudi Protesters Hold Global Rallies

Toronto

 

London

 

‘Mystery Babylon’ is Mecca not Vatican

When it comes to Mystery Babylon, the common theory among many Protestant theologians is to equate it with Rome since according to them Rome is the city of seven hills. Others even equate it with actual Iraq itself since Iraq was where the original Babylon resided. Years ago, several books were even written on Saddam Hussein who supposedly was rebuilding Babylon, and Christians gulped up the books without truly examining the evidence. Saddam was simply rebuilding a tourist attraction where Nineveh once stood. The project was later abandoned, and Saddam died on the gallows and all these prophecy books with him.

But when presenting a multitude of biblical evidence, people still angrily deny it because they etched in their minds a verse or two they say prove it’s still Rome while adhering to a centuries-old theory initiated by Martin Luther. That plus the fact today’s Catholics do not bite. In fact, a clue to the real Babylon was just presented in an article by WND’s Aaron Klein when he stated: “Forces in the Persian Gulf and Arab intelligence services have noted the establishment of Iranian missile launch sites aimed in the direction of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, according to Egyptian and Jordanian intelligence officials speaking to WND.”

Yet no one in the prophecy arena even raised a red flag about the significance of this report; Iran (biblical Elam) must destroy Arabia. In Isaiah 21:9, Isaiah levels a prophetic oracle against Babylon using the same announcement in Revelation 18:1-2 and Revelation 14:8: “Babylon is fallen, is fallen”:

• “The burden against Dumah” (Isaiah 21:11)

• “The burden against Arabia” (Isaiah 21:13)

• “All the glory of Kedar will fail” (Isaiah 21:16).

These are all in Arabia, which is destroyed by Iran “Elam” (Isaiah 21:2).

There has been an immense oversight by many in the field of biblical eschatology: When it comes to the destruction of end-days Babylon, Scripture makes no mention of any of the ancient Babylonian cities – Nineveh, Ur, Babel, Erech, Accad, Sumer, Assur, Calneh, Mari, Karana, Ellpi, Eridu, Kish, or Tikrit. Rather, all the literal references in Scripture are in Arabia.

The use “MOTHER OF HARLOTS,” while it is commonly attributed to the Vatican’s Mariology as the worship of Ishtar, history records that the worship of Ishtar “Kilili,” or “Queen of Harlots,” originated from Arabia, not Rome [Patricia Turner and Charles Russell Coulter, Dictionary of Ancient Deities, page 242, Ishtar, Oxford University Press US, 2001]. In fact, when Muslims roam roundabout the black stone, it is a throwback to the worship of Ishtar whom they called Athtar and Allat.

When it comes to the Harlot woman, the Ka’ba is a perfect match; the black tarp is considered by Muslims a woman’s dress (kiswa), as Edward Gibbons elaborated: “The kiswa of the magnificent Ka’ba is what is used for clothing of a [virtuous] covering, on top of it, it is written, the Kaaba’s dressing, meaning ‘we have dressed her her dress.” [“The Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire, Volume 6, Chap. 1] Everything that describes the harlot fits the Ka’ba: dress, pearls, jewels, gold, silver and even the blasphemies etched in silver threads with golden inlays across her attire. Just the doors of the Ka’ba alone has 280 kilograms of pure gold.

The reference to a prostitute in Revelation 17, the “Whore of Babylon,” is no coincidence: “And the woman (whore) was arrayed in purple and scarlet color” (v. 17) resembles the near copulating with the Ka’ba’s Black Stone, which historically was dedicated to Aphrodite, the prostitute goddess that was called “Aphrodite Porne” (Aphrodite the Prostitute). “The goddess adorned in purple” is similar to the depictions given in Revelation 17:4, while the Ka’ba has a scarlet inner garment.

John of Damascus notes, “After the Hajj was preformed by Muhammad, the ‘rubbing and kissing the [of the Black Stone] … was extremely passionate.’” Muslim tradition even perpetuates the blasphemy that, “Abraham had sexual intercourse with Hagar on it” (Sahas. Heresy, pages 88-89). Francis Burton (Vol. 3, page 295) writes regarding the Ka’ba, “The part of the cover (Kiswa), covering the door, is called [a Burka] just like the veil the Arabic women are wearing in front of their face … in fact, Arab mystics even compare the Ka’ba to a virgin, adorned with her finest wedding dress.” Even today during their Hajj pilgrimage, Muslims kiss, rub and caress the Black Rock.

Furthermore, it is impossible to even consider that Isaiah 21 was regarding a historic battle between Persia and ancient Babylon since the multiple references throughout are not connected to ancient Iraq but to Kedar, Tema, Dedan and Dumah, which is in Saudi Arabia near Yathrib (Medina) and today is known as “Dumat el-Jandal.” Dumah, one of the sons of Ishmael, is also associated with Edom and Seir in Isaiah 21:11. It is believed by many that Kedar, Ishmael’s sons, is the line from which Muhammad descended.

Even Muslims recognize this when they read Isaiah 21; they see Isaiah 21:14-15 as the story of Muhammad when the Muslims emigrated from Mecca to Medina (Tema) in which they were fed and rescued from the sword. No Westerner was able to interpret:

“The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled. For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.”

The Bible depicts that in this time, it will not be like the time when Muhammad fled; all Arabia, including the Glory of Kedar (Mecca), will be destroyed. How else can anyone interpret: “No Arab will pitch his tent there, no shepherd will rest his flocks there” (Isaiah 13:20)? Arabs pitch tents in Arabia, not Rome. The ultimate fulfillment of this verse is the destruction of the last-days Babylon. We know this because the passage speaks about “the day of the Lord” (v. 9) with the “heavens not giving light” (v. 10). This is not historical, but end-times related.

Then we have the Red Sea: “The earth is moved at the noise of their fall, at the cry the noise thereof was heard in the Red Sea” (Jeremiah 49:21). Red Sea is a geographic indicator as to where the last-days Babylon will be located. Look at Mecca on any map and you will see that it sits near the Red Sea. Some may object that Jeremiah 49 is speaking about Edom, which was primarily located in modern-day Jordan. Yet in Ezekiel 25 “Edom” stretches from Teman (Yemen) to Dedan (Saudi Arabia)” (v. 13). Greater Edom included all of the west coast of the Arabian Peninsula.

Notice the description of her destruction: “‘As Sodom and Gomorrah were overthrown, along with their neighboring towns,’ says the LORD, ‘so no one will live there; no man will dwell in it’” (Jeremiah 49:18).

It is no wonder why Iran is focused on Saudi Arabia, since the Bible predicted that the harlot is destroyed by the beast she rides, that is, the nations she deceived with her spiritual harlotry – Islam.

Source

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Toronto: The Ethiopian Woman Behind The Wheel

My note: A couple of weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised to spot a young lady rolling a twelve-seater minibus cab through one of the congested streets of Addis Abeba, for the very first time . I said, respect!

On Toronto streets, a taxi cab is never far out of sight. But try spotting a woman in the driver’s seat. ‘Torontoist’ spoke to two women who make their living behind the wheel.

In this city of taxicabs—4,849 are officially registered with the City of Toronto—only a handful of its cab drivers are women. No official statistics were available, but the number of women drivers is well under ten, according to word-of-mouth estimates. There are safety risks inherent in the profession, but more than that, it’s a culture that’s been carved out by male drivers. Some women cite fear of assault; others, alienation. Regardless of the complex and overlapping barriers, women have yet to move into the industry in large numbers. But some have. We spoke with two women cab drivers recently about their experience as the exceptions, and about where they think women fit within the industry.

Driver: Etsehiwot Ejigu

Age: 38

Years driving a taxi: Five

Torontoist: You’ve never had an altercation, or a close call?

Etsehiwot:

“No, nobody. Somebody hit me? No. Because I am smart. And they might try to, but they forget because I talk too much. And when you are a lady, everybody says, “Oh my gosh, you’re a lady!” They’re surprised to see me, you know? Some say, “Oh, you’re a driver? Is this your husband’s car?” No. I do not drive my husband’s car; this is my car. Always they’re surprised, not to attack you, they’re surprised.”

Continue reading…

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Easter Miracle: The Rebirth of an Ethiopian Girl

Y eabsra Hailmarim is making bead necklaces, just like any 6-year-old. She is playing with Play-Doh and pushing a doll carriage, concentrating the way kids do.

But this 6-year-old is transformed.

Nearly two weeks ago the Ethiopian girl underwent surgery to correct a severe facial cleft. The results seem like a miracle.

There’s an incision, covered in salve, hidden in her hairline. That’s where her face was delicately folded back, then perfectly replaced. It’s healing well, says Dr. Christopher Forrest, the chief of plastic surgery at the Hospital for Sick Children. Yeabsra has a new nose hidden beneath a splint and bandage, which keeps the swelling down. It’s still sensitive and she doesn’t want anyone touching it.

There’s no external evidence that her skull was cut in four places and put back together. Her eyes are now closer together, as they should be, though still slightly swollen.

Yeabsra, whose Ethiopian doctor first said was 5 years old, hasn’t seen her new, lovely face. She looked in the mirror once, a few days after the April 18 surgery, and was frightened by the bandages. She hasn’t looked since. At bath time, her mother, Aynalem Adugna, covers the mirrors so she can’t see.

She is more subdued now, rapt in her play. She doesn’t throw herself into adult laps the way she used to. If a little time goes by without seeing her mother, she calls for her.

Yeabsra’s nightmares have stopped and she is now sleeping peacefully through the night. Her daughter’s quiet disposition is a little worrisome for Adugna. “I hope that will change.”

Adugna has also been transformed. There is a lightness in her now, a calm where before there was deepest anxiety. She’s staying with Yeabsra in hospital, sleeping on a small bed near her daughter’s. Her red leather-bound prayer book is nearby. On the door some handwritten notes help nurses ask in the Amharic language: “Is she in pain? Is she thirsty?”

“The 12 hours was like 12 days for me,” she says, through a translator, of the operation. “I was worried if she would come out of the surgery alive. I asked myself why did I make this decision.”

Members of Toronto’s St. Mary Ethiopian Orthodox Cathedral stayed with her through the long day. That helped distract her.

Surgeons, meanwhile, faced grave issues during surgery.

They operated around Yeabsra’s brain, where they encountered a spike of bone with blood vessels around them. It was extremely delicate work.

“It was a thrill, the day she left the intensive care unit and looked up at me with eyes open,” Forrest says. “I could see she was tracking me, she knew who I was and she could count my fingers.” He held up one finger and, on cue, she said, “One.”

“That told me her vision was intact,” says Forrest and her responses were “neurologically appropriate.”

Forrest hopes to discharge Yeabsra on Sunday. She’s off antibiotics and her temperature has been normal. “But she’s not entirely out of the woods, there’s still an opportunity for infection.”

He’d like to wait six months before reconstructing the tip of Yeabsra’s nose. She was brought to Canada from Ethiopia with the help of the Toronto-based charity Transforming Faces Worldwide, which helps children with lip and cleft palate get surgery and follow-up treatment. The Herbie Fund at Sick Kids looked after her hospital costs, while doctors waived their fees.

But because the family lives in Addis Ababa, it may be too costly to bring her back for follow-up surgery. If that’s the case, Forrest will likely do the operation in the next three to four weeks.

Yeabsra and her mom will spend the rest of their time in Toronto staying with Jeanne Mott, a woman who volunteered to host them. Ethiopian families who had lined up to accommodate them fell through — flu swept through one family, others lived too far from the hospital.

Transforming Faces has received a few dozen new donors. One donor wrote: “Tell Yeabsra and her family Canadians do care what happens to children in other countries.” Another asked that her donation be used on “something fun,” a visit to the Toronto Zoo, or Build-A-Bear, a craft where children make their own stuffed animals.

The Barbie doll that went with Yeabsra into surgery went missing, but has been replaced by several others, who now sit at the foot her bed.

Yeabsra continues to play contentedly. Over her hospital pajamas, she’s wearing the purple jacket she wore when she arrived in Canada. The jacket has a word on it, one that seems to sum up the present situation: “smile.”

Yeabsra does just that.

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Source: Toronto Star