HORROR ON THE COURT: Another Star Athlete Suddenly Collapsed

💭 Members of the Old Dominion men’s basketball team watched in shock on Saturday, and many held back tears, as their teammate Imo Essien suddenly collapsed.

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Prominent Virologist Who Pushed For Covid Vax Emergency Use Died Suddenly

💭 ለኮቪድ ክትባት ድንገተኛ አጠቃቀም ጫና ስታደርግ የነበረችው ታዋቂዋ የ67አሜሪካዊት ቫይሮሎጂስት ኦቪታ ፉውለር በድንገት ሞተች። ፷፯/ 67 ዓመት የሞላት የወስላታው ዶ/ር አንቶኒ ፋውቺ አማካሪና የሚቸጋን ዩኒቨርሲቲ ተባባሪ ፕሮፌሰር ነበረች። የወይዘሮ ፉውለር በተለይ በደቡባዊው የአፍሪቃ ክፍል ኤች.አይ.ቪ ኤድስን በሚመለከት ከሃይማኖት መሪዎች ጋር በጋራ ትሠራ ነበር። ምን ዓይነት ሥራ? እግዚአብሔር ያውቀዋል! ከቪዲዮው እንደምንሰማው፤ ወይዘሮ ፉውለር አንጋፋውንና ወንጀለኛውን የመድኃኒት + ክትባት አምራች ተቋም፤ “ፋይዘርን” ስትቃወም፤ “ጆንሰን እና ጆንሰን” የተሰኘውን ተፎካካሪውን ተቋም ግን ድጋፍ ሰጥታው ነበር። ጆንሰን እና ጆንሰን ግን ባለፈው የካቲት ወር መግቢያ ላይ የኮቪድ ክትባትን ማመረቱን አቁሟል።

💭 Prominent Virologist Dr. A. Oveta Fuller, who advocated for emergency use authorization of three Covid vaccines, has suddenly died from a brief unknown illness.

✞ She died.67 years old.

A. Oveta Fuller, Ph.D. associate professor of microbiology and immunology at University of Michigan Medical School. She served as the director of the African Studies Center (ASC).

👉 Areas of Interest

HUMAN VIRUS ENTRY, PATHOGENESIS AND INFECTION PREVENTIONS

Our laboratory based research has sought to understand molecular mechanisms of how human pathogenic viruses enter into cells to mediate infection, membrane fusion and spread, and how these affect replication, pathogenesis and disease. The studies include exploring mechanisms of entry and early events for human herpesviruses- HSV-1 and HSV-2 . In conjunction with chemical engineering and human genetics researchers we have sought to develop microchip technologies for rapid and inexpensive detection of genetic variations in influenza virus. Experimental systems that examine viral entry, cellular receptors, pathogenesis, protein structure/function and fusion of biological membranes are used to determine possible approaches to control or prevent infection by viral pathogens. We seek to apply fundamental molecular information to development of new anti-virals, detection of genetic variation, and development of community based interventions for infectious disease prevention.

A recent focus in Preventive Medicine and Medical Education is use of a science-based HIV/AIDS intervention through religious leader networks to actively address infectious disease health disparities. Specifically, we seek to validate effectiveness of a prevention model designated the “Trusted Messenger Intervention” (TMI) that reframes HIV as a virus infection that can be controlled. TMI works with clergy and faith leaders within official established networks so they become more confident to use their substantial community access and influence to effectively address HIV/AIDS.

A major objective of this community-based research is to build capacity of clergy and religious leaders to take biomedical research advances into their community organizations. This is one way to link science and medical based understanding with group and individual actions. Outcomes of TMI are measured by surveys and focus groups for effects on HIV/AIDS stigma, increase in understanding of HIV/AIDS and increase in completion of HIV voluntary counseling and testing (VCT). VCT is a key step in stopping virus transmission and reducing the incidence and death from AIDS and other preventable diseases.

This collaborative and community based research focus is with public health faculty colleagues and community religious networks and community faith leaders in Zambia, Botswana and South Africa. Recent study sites in the USA have been identified in work with the Center for AIDS Research at Vanderbilt University and Meharry Medical College.

Source

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Family of Missing Princeton Student Misrach Ewunetie Speaks Out | ነፍስሽን ይማርልሽ እኅታለም

✞✞✞ R.I.P My Sister!✞✞✞

💭 በመላው ዓለም ምርጥ ተብለው ከሚታወቁት ዩኒቨርሲቲዎች መካከል ስድስተኛውን ድረጃ በያዘው የፕሪንስተን ዩኒቨርሲቲ ስትማር የነበረችዋ የሃያ አመቷ ታታሪ ወጣት እኅታችን የምስራች እውነቴ በቴኒስ ሜዳ ላይ ነው ሞታ የተገኘችው። አይይይ! ነፍስሺን ይማርልሽ፤ የእኔ እኅት! ገና ምስሏን ሳይ ነበር የምስራች ኢትዮጵያዊት መሆኗን ያወቅኩት። አይይይ!

በኢትዮጵያም ሆነ በመላው ዓለም፤ ይህ ቆሻሻ የጋላ-ኦሮሞ ሥርዓት ለኢትዮጵያ እና ኢትዮጵያውያን የሞትና ባርነትን መንፈስ ይዞ መጥቷል። ይህን ለማስወገድ እጃችንን ወደ እግዚአብሔር ልንዘረጋና ጽዮን እናታችንንም ልንከተላት ይገባናል።

❖ የጽዮን ቀለማት ፓርኩ ላይ ❖

💭 The body of Princeton University student Misrach Ewunetie was found on campus grounds after she had been missing for multiple days. The prosecutor says there are no obvious signs of injury and her death does not appear to be suspicious. NBC News’ Emilie Ikeda reports.

Ewunetie Family Raises Suspicions About Circumstances Of Death As County Prosecutor Says No ‘criminal Activity’

The belongings of Misrach Ewunetie ’24, including her phone, “were found with her body,” according to a new statement by Casey DeBlasio, a spokesperson for the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, shared with The Daily Princetonian on Monday.

The Office’s involvement in the investigation into Ewunetie’s death is “complete,” DeBlasio added in an email.

“As there is no evidence of any criminal activity associated with Ms. Ewunetie’s death, any further inquiries can be directed” to the University’s Department of Public Safety (DPS), she wrote to the ‘Prince.’

An autopsy was conducted on Friday by the Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office, according to DeBlasio. The cause and manner of death will not be reported until all test results, including toxicology results, are received.

“My understanding from the [Medical Examiner’s] Office is that it will be weeks,” DeBlasio added. She also noted that in her experience this timeline was “not unusual or longer than comparable cases.”

Ewunetie’s family still has questions surrounding the circumstances of her death, however. Her brother Universe told the U.S. Sun, “The area she was found makes us feel it was suspicious, some trees had to be cut when they were removing Misrach.”

“She was talking to me about a savings account she was going to open, her interview, buying clothes and shipping them to Cleveland, and volunteering at her student club organization,” he added, according to the Sun.

Ewunetie’s body was discovered by a University facilities worker behind tennis courts on south campus, according to the statement released by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday.

The ‘Prince’ reached out to Universe Ewunetie and did not hear back in time for publication. DPS also did not respond to requests for comment by press time.

A timeline of what is known of the situation, as well as a map of relevant locations, can be found below:

Thursday, Oct. 13

11:05 p.m.: Ewunetie volunteers to fill a vacant “Duty” spot at the Terrace Club, during a live music performance.

11:21 p.m.: Ewunetie arrives at Terrace, according to footage seen by the ‘Prince.’

Friday, Oct. 14

2:33 a.m.: Ewunetie leaves Terrace, according to footage seen by the ‘Prince.’

Around 3 a.m.: Ewunetie is last seen near Scully Hall by a suitemate, brushing her teeth before bed, according to her brother Universe in an interview with ABC News.

Around 4:30 a.m.: Ewunetie’s roommate returns to their dorm and Misrach is not there, according to her brother Universe in an interview with ABC News.

Saturday, Oct. 15

Ewunetie misses an appointment for her American citizenship application, and her family is informed that she was a no-show, according to the U.S. Sun.

Sunday, Oct. 16

Around 3:27 a.m: Ewunetie’s phone pings in the Penns Neck neighborhood, according to her brother Universe in the U.S. Sun and ABC News.

Evening: Ewunetie is reported missing by her family to DPS when her family asks for a wellness check.

Monday, Oct. 17

9:19 p.m.: A TigerAlert is sent to the campus community stating that Ewunetie has been reported missing and asking for information on her whereabouts.

Wednesday, Oct. 19

10:50 a.m: A message is sent to all undergraduates announcing an increased law enforcement presence on campus.

3:31 p.m.: An email from Vice President for Campus Life W. Rochelle Calhoun states that the search for Ewunetie is still ongoing.

5:13 p.m.: The ‘Prince’ notes increased police activity near the boathouse on Lake Carnegie.

Thursday, Oct. 20

Around 1 p.m.: Ewunetie’s body is found behind the tennis courts on the south end of campus by a facilities employee.

Around 3 p.m.: NBC News first reports that Ewunetie’s body has been found on campus.

3:11 p.m.: The ‘Prince’ notes police activity in the parking lot next to the tennis courts.

3:39 p.m.: The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office releases a statement announcing the discovery of Ewunetie’s body. There are “no obvious signs of injury and her death does not appear suspicious or criminal in nature.”

4 p.m.: An email from VP Calhoun is sent to all undergraduates sharing the news of Ewunetie’s death.

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Ethiopia: Oromo Police Brutality Amid Protest in Addis Ababa | በአዲስ አበባ ተቃውሞ በተነሳበት ወቅት የኦሮሞ ፖሊስ ጭካኔ የተሞላበት ድርጊት

💭 በአዲስ አበባ ተቃውሞ በተነሳበት ወቅት የኦሮሞ ፖሊስ ጭካኔ የተሞላበት ድርጊት

😇ገብርኤል 👉 ማርያም 👉 ኡራኤል 👉 ጊዮርጊስ 👉 ተክለ ሐይማኖት 👉 ዮሴፍ 👉መድኃኔ ዓለም

👉 ቀጣዮቹን ቀናት በጥሞና እንከታተላቸው…

💭 Violence reported amid protest at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, 25 June 2022.

Reports indicate police have violently dispersed protesters at Addis Ababa University, in Addis Ababa, June 25, resulting in an unconfirmed number of injuries. Protesters had gathered there to denounce a June 18 attack on non-Oromo civilians in Gimbi District, West Wellega Zone, Oromia Region, that left over 1500 civilians dead.

Heightened security measures are almost certain to remain in the vicinity of Addis Ababa University. Localized traffic and commercial disruptions are likely near the protest site in the coming hours. Despite these measures, further violence could occur. Furthermore, protests in response to the violence could occur in Addis Ababa.

🛑 እንግዲህ ካልዘገየ የአዲስ አበባ ነዋሪዎች ወጥረው ሊቀጥሉብት ይገባል፤ ይህ ግድ ነው! ይህን መሰሉን ተቃውሞ መጀመር የነበረባቸው ገና ድሮ ነበር።

😈 ፋሺስቱ የኦሮሞ አገዛዝ የመንፈስ ማንነትና ምንነት ያላቸውን ሰሜን ኢትዮጵያውያንን ከምድረ ገጽ አጥፍቶ ወይንም አዳክሞ “እስላማዊት ኦሮሚያ ካሊፋትን” በኤዶማውያኑ እና እስማኤላውያኑ እርዳታ ለመመስረት ሲል የሚከተሉትን ግፎችና በደሎች በትግራይ እና አማራ ጽዮናውያን ላይ ፈጽሟል፤

• ፩-አረመኔው ግራኝ አብዮት አህመድ አሊ ተቀባይነት ለማግኘት ሲል እራሱ ቦንብ አስጠምዶ ሰው አስጨርሷል(ቆሻሻ ትዕይንት)
• ፪-ኢንጅነር ስመኘውን በጠራራ ጸሀይ ገድሏል
• ፫-የቡራዩ ጀኖሳይድ
• ፬-ለገጣፎ መፈናቀል
• ፭-የጌድዮ ማፈናቀልና ጀኖሳይድ
• ፮-ወደ ቤተመንግስት የሔዱ ወታደሮች ላይ ግፍ
• ፯-አንድ ሚልየን ኦሮሞ ከሶማሊ በማፈናቀል ወደ አዲስ አበባ አካባቢ አስፍሯል
• ፰-የቤንሻንጉል ግፍ
• ፱-የወለጋ እልቂት (ዘረፋ)
• ፲-ግልጽ ጦርነት እስክንድር ላይ አውጇል
• ፲፩-የአዲስ አበባን ዴሞግራፊ ለመቀየር የሚደረግ ጥረት
• ፲፪-በኢትዮጵያ በጀት ፵ ዙር የኦሮሞ ጦር ሰልጥኗል
• ፲፫-ጄነራል አሳምነው ጽጌን;አንባቸው;ሰአረና ገዛኢ ተገድለዋል
• ፲፬-ተዋሕዷውያን እናቶ ሴቶች ታግተው ጡታቸው ተቆርጧል፣ እርጉዞችና አራሶች ተገድለዋል
• ፲፭-በአዋሳ ሲዳሞዎች ላይ ጠጭፍጨፋ ተካሒዷል
• ፲፮-ጎንደር ላይ ጭፍጨፋ አካሒዷል
• ፲፯- ሴት ተማሪዎች ከደምቢዶሎ ዩኒቨርሲቲ ታግተው ለሦስት ዓመታት ያህል ተሰውረዋል/ተረስተዋል
• ፲፰ – በከሚሴ እና አጣየ ተዋሕዷውያንን ገድሏል፣ ቤተክርስቲያናቸውን አቃጥሏል
• ፲፬ -አርሴማ/ገብርኤል ቤተ ክርስቲያን ውስጥ ገብተው ፪ ምዕመናንን አስገድሏል
• ፳ – በደብረዘይት(ሆራ) የአየር መንገዳችንን አውሮፕላንን አስከስክሶ የመቶ ሃምሳ ሰባት ሰዎችን ነፍስ ለዲያብሎስ አባቱ የሰውቷል
• ፳፩ – ተቃዋሚ የሚላቸውን ጋዜጠኞችን፣ ፖለቲከኞችን በብዛት አስሯል
• ፳፪ – በድጋሚ በወለጋ ፭፻/500 የሚሆኑ ተዋሕዷውያንን በትምህር ቤት ሕንፃ አጉሮ በአሰቃቂ ሁኔታ አስገድሏቸዋል፤ ሕፃናትን ወደ ጫካ በመጣል የጅብ ቀለብ አድርጓቸዋል
• ፳፫ – በትግራይ ኢትዮጵያውያን ላይ ጦርነት አውጆ አስከፊ ጀነሳይድ በማካሄድ ላይ ነው፤ አሁን በአማራ ክልል ቀጥሏል፤ በዚህ ሳምንት ብቻ እስከ ሃምሳ ሺህ የአማራ ሚሊሺያ ተዋጊዎች እንደረገፉ ነው እየተወራ ያለው
• ፳፬– ከማይክድራ እስከ አክሱም ጺዮን እስከ ከአምስት መቶ የሚሆኑ ትግራዋይ ተዋሕዶ ኢትዮጵያውያንን በአሰቃቂ ሁኔታ ተጨፍጭፈው የሰማዕተንትን አክሊል ተጎናጽፈዋል። የአክሱምን፣ ማይካድራን፣ ማህበረ ዴጎን፣ ደብረ አባይን፣ ማርያም ደንገላትን፣ ውቅሮ ጨርቆስን ወዘተ ጭፍጨፋዎች የፈጸሙት ሙስሊም ኦሮሞዎች + ሶማሌዎች + የኤርትራ ቤን አሚሮች ናቸው።
• ፳፭ – ከመቶ ሰላሳ ሺህ በላይ የሚሆኑ የትግራይ እናቶች፣ እኅቶችና ሕጻናት በኦሮሞ + ሶማሌ + ቤን አሚር መሀመዳውያን ተደፍረዋል
• ፳፮ – ከምዕራብ ትግራይከሚሊየን በላይ ጽዮናውያን ወደ አዲግራትና ሱዳን እንዲሰደዱ ተደርገዋል
• ፳፯ – በአዲስ አበባና ደቡብ ኢትዮጵያ የሚገኙ በመቶ ሺህ የሚቆጠሩ ጽዮናውያን በማጎሪያ ካምፖች ታጉረዋል፣ ተገድለዋል

🔥 ባጠቃላይ ኦሮሚያ በተባለው ሲዖል፣ በጅጅጋ፣ በአላባ፣ በአጣዬ የቤተክርስቲያን ጥቃት፤ የጅማ፣ የኢሉ አባቦር፣ የሰ/ሸዋ፣ የሰላሌ፣ የወለጋ፣ የአሶሳ ሪፖርቶች በጣም አስደንጋጮች ናቸው፤ የእግዚአብሔር ቤተመቅደስ የሆኑትን ክርስቲያኖችን በስለት አርዶና በጥይት ደብድቦ መግደል፣ ንብረታቸውን መዝረፍና ማቃጠል፣ በአንዳንድ ምእመናን ላይ ከኢትዮጵያዊ ባህል ውጭ በአስከሬናቸው ሳይቀር የተፈጸመው ግፍ፣ ማሣቀቅ፣ ማፈናቀል፣ የይዞታ መንጠቅ፣ ለተበደሉት ፍትሕ መንፈግ፣ በተለያዩ መደለያዎች እምነትን ማስለወጥ፣ የኢትዮጵያ ሰንደቅን የያዙትን ኢትዮጵያውያንን ማንገላታትና ማሰር የህዳሴውን ግድብ ሥራ ማስተጓጎልና ለጠላት ማጋለጥ፣ ሁኔታዎችን ለአረቦችና ለግብረ-ሰዶማውያን ማመቻቸት ወዘተ. ይህን ሁሉ አውሬዎቹ አሕዛብና መናፍቃን በሚመሯት የዛሬዋ ኢትዮጵያ የተዘወተሩ አሳፋሪ ክስተቶች እንዲሆኑ አድርጓል።

______________

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.

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