Field and river

20th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies (ICES20)
Mekelle University, Ethiopia

"Regional and Global Ethiopia - Interconnections and Identities"
1-5 October, 2018

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[PANEL] 0903 NEW MEDIA IN MODERN ETHIOPIA - DEVELOPMENTAL CHALLENGES

Organizers:

WOLDEGIORGIS Ghebrehiwot Teklay, Journalist, Media & Communications Expert, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Paper presenters:

WOLDEGIORGIS Ghebrehiwot Teklay; ASEMAHAGN Aseres; ALI Noor Mohamed; AWOL Hussien Aman

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ETHIOPIANS ON SOCIAL MEDIA: UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF PREJUDICE AND HATE COMMUNICATION TOWARDS THE “TEGARU” ETHNIC COMMUNITY [Abstract ID: 0903-03]

WOLDEGIORGIS Ghebrehiwot Teklay, Journalist, Media & Communications Expert, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

This paper explores the nature of prejudice and hates messages as manifested on social media (specifically on Facebook) towards the “Tegaru” ethnic community in Ethiopia as expressed by other Ethiopians, with “Tegaru” or “Tigreans” being among the 85 ethnic groups of Ethiopia speaking primarily the Tigrigna language and residing in the Northern part of Ethiopia bordering Eritrea.
The paper applies a qualitative content analysis to its data mined from Facebook users, which highlights the existence of prejudice and hate messages towards this ethnic group. Results of this research may help to inspire an exchange of ideas among Ethiopians, raising questions on the nature of the interaction of the Ethiopian social media community and highlights the use of such platforms to spread prejudice and hate.

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FILMMAKING IN ETHIOPIA: CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS [Abstract ID: 0903-02]

ASEMAHAGN Aseres, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia

Ethiopian film industry has been experiencing a revival and resurgence. However, filmmaking in Ethiopia is still in its infancy when it is compared with many other African countries like South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya for example. The new blood in Ethiopian filmmaking joined the industry with a lot of passion and interest, but with few skills and little formal training. Most of the film producers in Ethiopia don’t have formal education. The need to explore the challenges facing filmmakers and the prospects of the film industry interests this researcher. Delving deeper into the challenges that demand improvement will be a primary aim of this research. Assessing the prospects of the sector will contribute to an understanding of the current lack of development of filmmaking. Ultimately the researcher hopes to identify and describe the challenges faced by filmmakers in Ethiopia at present and develop workable suggestions for development of the film industry in Ethiopia. This paper will employ in-depth interviews and other possible sources with a selection of current and aspiring Ethiopian filmmakers, including producers, directors, script writers, cinematographers and editors. Other stakeholders like government officials involved in sectors related to film will also be interviewed.

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RADIO AND INTER-ETHNIC RELATIONS IN THE GREATER HORN OF AFRICA REGION [Abstract ID: 0903-08]

ALI Noor Mohamed, United Arab Emirates University

For the great majority of sub-Saharan African states, the thorniest post-independence issue has been the problem of their ethnic composition. State boundaries were drawn without regard for territorial boundaries separating ethnic groups many of whom had a history of hostilities and rivalries going back centuries. This problem has especially plagued the greater Horn of Africa region – theater to some of the longest civil wars in modern world history. Radio has been used to propagate belligerent inter-ethnic narratives both within and across national boundaries and has thus served to foment instability. This paper focuses on negative and belligerent Somali narratives aimed at the Amhara ethnic group of Ethiopia. The narratives can be traced to the 16th century religious wars between Somali nationalist Imam Ahmed Ibn Ibrahim Al Ghazi (popularly known as Ahmed Gurey) and Abbysinian emperor Lebna Dengel whose dominion over Muslim populations in eastern Ethiopia, including Somalis, irked the Sultanate of Awdal from which Imam Ahmed Gurey hailed. These narratives have been kept alive through the centuries by folk tales, traditional songs, pastoralist chants, and poetry. They reached fever pitch levels during the border wars between Somalia and Ethiopia in 1964 and again in 1977. The proliferation of community radio throughout Africa in the 1990s has countered this trend by delivering cross-border peace narratives. Following the disintegration of the Somali state, effective peace narratives in the breakaway region of Somaliland contrasted sharply with narratives in southern Somalia. We use qualitative content analysis of radio fare in the form of pop music lyrics, traditional songs and poetry to draw the contrast in Somali-language narratives that define the Amhara ethnic group of Ethiopia.

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THE EFFECT OF EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION AND MAINTENANCE SYSTEMS ON ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS OF OROMIA RADIO AND TV ORGANIZATION [Abstract ID: 0903-01]

AWOL Hussien Aman, Arsi University, Ethiopia

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of employee motivation and maintenance systems on the organizational effectiveness of Oromia Broadcasting Networks. The study used descriptive and explanatory research design which incorporated both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. The results are analyzed and interpreted using SPSS software version 20. The research indicated that Employee Motivation and Maintenance systems have an Effect on Organizational Effectiveness. All organizational effectiveness practices undertaken in Broadcasting were not able to motivate its employees to attain their organizational effectiveness. The results of Pearson correlation showed a significant positive relationship between employee motivation, employee maintenance and organizational effectiveness at (p-value