IncarNations presents an original blend of classical and contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora in a dynamic setting. The exhibition includes a room on the ongoing recovery project around the Dundo Regional Museum, where a recently rediscovered flyswatter was put on display. The mask will now also be given a place in this room from Tuesday 23 July until the end of the exhibition (6 October).

This is a ‘Chihongo’ mask, from the Chokwe people of Angola. Masks of this type are traditionally associated with the mukanda initiation ceremonies.

Recovery Mission

The Congolese collector, art patron and entrepreneur Sindika Dokolo launched an ambitious recovery mission in 2014. The aim of this project is to track down pieces of art from the collections of the Dundo Regional Museum which disappeared during the Angolan Civil War (1975-2002) and return them to their country of origin.

Through the collective efforts in partnership with collectors, art dealers, auction houses, international researchers and experts, 13 works have already been recovered and returned to the Angolan government since the start of the mission. In this way Dokolo supports the commitment of African institutions to take the management of their heritage into their own hands.

Important sources for the detective work

An image of this mask was first published in 1956 by José Redinha, then director of the Dundo Museum.

The mask is also included in a work of reference from 1961, published by Marie-Louise Bastin, Emeritus Professor at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. She did pioneering work in classifying and documenting around 300 important works in the Dundo Regional Museum.

Finally, the archives of the AfricaMuseum in Tervuren are another essential source in tracking down lost pieces, and research into the origins of the items is still done in close collaboration with the AfricaMuseum. The archives include an inventory of the ‘Bureau international de Documentation ethnographique’, with detailed cards giving accurate descriptions of 830 collection pieces from the Dundo Regional Museum.

Incarnations: Africa Art As Philosophy (28.06 – 06.10.2019)

South-African artist/curator Kendell Geers and Congolese art collector Sindika Dokolo selected together 150 works of art from Dokolo’s impressive collection. Their aim is to lead the visitor towards a change in the perspective on ancient and contemporary African art, by focusing on the spirituality that binds them.

IncarNations is at once a mix and exchange between classical and contemporary art from Africa and its diasporas. The masks, images and historic objects act as milestones, anchoring contemporary works in the ancient context of live creation.

The scenography, a vibrant compilation of image, sound and colour, evokes associations with the dynamic bustle of an African metropolis and underpins the vitality of the works on display.

The exhibition includes works by William Kentridge, Tracey Rose, Wangechi Mutu, Otobong Nkanga, Yinka Shonibare CBE, Pascale Marthine Tayou, Ana Mendieta, Kehinde Wiley, Andres Serrano, Aida Muluneh, Mwangi Hutter, Hank Willis Thomas, Adrian Piper, Lubaina Himid, Roger Ballen, Zanele Muholi, Phyllis Galembo.

Practical Information

BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts, Rue Ravensteinstraat 23, 1000 Brussels
Open: Tuesdays to Sundays, 10am > 6pm
Closed: Mondays

Tickets: € 10

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The new concept has turned out to be a real crowd-pleaser. Since the re-opening, no less than a quarter of a million interested people have found their way to the rich, unique and varied collections on the natural and social sciences, for which the AfricaMuseum enjoys worldwide recognition. This is an average of 9,000 visitors per week, or almost four times as many as before the renovation.

 

 

The museum building only has room for the collections now, meaning the total exhibition area has almost doubled, from 6,000m² before to 11,000m² now. All public facilities have now been housed in the new visitor pavilion: entrance, reception desk, museum shop, restaurant, cafeteria, picnic area for children, cloakrooms, etc.

At the Publica Awards, the prizes for the best public sector projects, this renovation project won first prize in the Heritage & Architecture category.

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Some would feel exalted at this sight. I feel confused, though curious enough to let myself challenged. Not for long. I try to look past it and focus on the nkisi sculptures from Congo in front of me. Hundreds of nails are hammered into the male figure, each one a prayer, a hope, a vow meant to defeat evil. The song playing in the background is comforting. I stop for a second to listen more carefully. My heartbeats in unison with the lively sounds.

Apart from the security guard who pops out unexpectedly next to me every ten minutes, I notice that I am alone at the exhibition. An aura of tranquility invades my world and in the same time heightens the presence of the other. It does help to see the world from another aesthetic view. To put on the other’s mask and explore your surroundings, engage in conversations, listen to the other.

Forget yourself for a while and remember the other.

Emmanuel Levinas, a French-Lithuanian philosopher, would say that when we encounter the other “face to face”, that is, when we experience the “living presence” of the other, we become responsible for the other, for the other’s existence. The Lumbu and Punu oval masks, decorated with white kaolin clay and almond-shaped eyes, invite us into an ‘Afrocentric’ world, expressive and reflective. Seemingly trivial objects in the Western world, such as a comb, take on a new significance to the Akye people in southeastern Côte d’Ivoire, who endow it with supernatural power. A world full of symbolism. The world of the other. Facing our own.

Sindika Dokolo, the Congolese collector, and the South African artist Kendell Geers have put together a fascinating exhibition that explores the beauty, essence and diversity of Africas’s art through themes like magic, power and desire.

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On June 28th, 2019, the third phase of development of the port, Tanger Med 2, was launched. Tanger Med 2 includes two new container terminals with a capacity of 6 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (TEU) containers, which is twice the capacity of Tanger Med 1. “In only seven years, from 2007 to 2014, we saw the 3 million TEU container capacity at Tanger Med 1 being used to its limit,” said Rachid Houari, Director of Tanger Med Port 1 and 2. “We’re the closest point to Europe here in Tanger Med and so that means the ships don’t have to deviate very much from their route. That’s an extremely competitive advantage for a port in Africa.”

According to Mr. Houari, the importance of Morocco for the European Union (EU) as a trade hub and gateway to Africa is likely to increase with the opening of the Tanger Med 2. This will not only magnify the exchanges between the two continents but also develop the local economy and foster job creation, which could be instrumental in curbing irregular migration to Europe in the long run.

Connected to 186 ports in 77 countries, Tanger Med is not only a gateway bridging Europe and Africa but also a global logistics hub. Containers shipped from Tanger Med can reach the Middle East in 9 days, North and South America in 10 days, and Asia in 20 days. Every year an estimate of 1 million new vehicles are exported, plus the transit of 7 million passengers and 700,000 trucks via the Passenger and Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro-Ro) Port in Tanger Med.

Up to now, most of the container traffic has been trans-shipment traffic. “Ships with up to 2,200 containers are unloaded here at Tanger Med 1 and Tanger Med 2,” said Rajae Elayachi, responsible for container activity at Tanger Med Port Authority. “Huge ships like these cannot call in at most ports in Africa. The containers have to be transferred to smaller ships.” Tanger Med 1 is operated by APM Terminals and Eurogate whereas the recently inaugurated Tanger Med 2 will be operated by APM Terminals and Marsa Morocco.

To remain attractive as a trans-shipment facility, a port must offer efficient unloading and loading of containers. Tanger Med has made significant investments both in cutting-edge technology and in developing the skill set of their employees. “The movements a crane can do, on average, is about 29 or 30 per hour, with some port operators in China being able to offer up to 40 crane movements per hour,” said Mr. Houari. “At Tanger Med 2 the current number of movements is 32. We want to bring it up to 40 as well.”

The successful development of Tanger Med port has contributed to position Morocco in the international maritime scene, allowing the North African country to rise from the 83rd to the 17th rank worldwide, according to the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The import-export activity conducted at Tanger Med represents an overall traffic valued at 317 billion dirhams (approximately 30 billion euros) in 2018.

Tanger Med Free Zone comprises an industrial hub for more than 900 companies representing a yearly export turnover of over 7,5 billion euros in sectors such as automotive, aeronautics, logistics, textile and trade. All this industrial activity has generated more than 75,000 jobs. “One of the reasons why we decided to open operations in Morocco was because we were able to develop and keep our skilled workers,” said Julianne M. Furman, General Manager Europe for EXCO Automotive Solutions. “We’ve seen many of them grow professionally with us. They want to stay here and evolve in their careers.” Via Tanger Med, EXCO ships products to 35 different customers in 115 destinations, most of which are located in Europe. More than 2,000 employees are currently working for EXCO at the Tanger industrial hub.

A company setting up operation in the Tanger Med Free Zone must export a minimum of 85% of its production. In exchange, they benefit from several customs advantages, such as having to do less paper work when receiving raw materials which would be used in the value-added processes before the final export of the product. “With over 900 companies in the industrial zone, you can imagine there is an important ecosystem therein,” said Mr. Houari. “In addition to that, there is no tax on profits for the first five years.”

In the years to come, Tanger Med will continue its dynamic evolution through a new investment program of 9 billion dirhams (850 million euros). The program aims to provide the logistics solutions needed to support the growth of Moroccan exports, particularly in the industrial and agricultural sectors, as well as the successful deployment of the industrial park Mohammed VI Tanger Tech City.

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Milk is an important source of income for these farmers, according to Vétérinaires sans frontières. According to the NGO, 60% of the population of West Africa lives off livestock and agriculture. Animals such as cows and goats provide milk, fertiliser, and income.

“Milk is one of the few sources of protein for disadvantaged families in rural Africa. A lack of milk leads to malnutrition. Milk therefore plays an essential role in the fight against famine and poverty. In dry and desert areas, livestock farming is often the only way to survive,” said Josti Gadeyne, the organisation’s spokesperson.

While a Belgian cow produces an average of 25 to 35 litres of milk per day, an African cow produces 2 to 3 litres at best. During the dry season, they even produce less than 1 litre due to a lack of water, grass and animal care.

“The little milk that West African farmers can sell earns them almost nothing. European milk surpluses are flooding and disrupting the local market. It is not even real milk, but skimmed milk powder, fortified with virtually everything except sustainable palm oil. This milk is three times cheaper than that of local farmers. If the European Union continues to get rid of its milk surpluses in West Africa, it will push local farmers even further into poverty,” said Ms Gadeyne.

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Teta Diana is, most definitely, a special artist – and a special person. Born in Kenya to Rwandan refugee parents, she only moved back to Rwanda when she was 5 years old. As a professional musician, she has travelled around the world, performing in Mexico, the USA, the Netherlands, Senegal, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and many other places besides. In addition to Rwanda and Kenya, she has lived in Belgium, and is currently a resident of Sweden. She speaks fluent French, English, and Kinyarwanda (her native language). All this, and yet she is still, amazingly, only in her 20s.

Teta’s new album, Iwanyu, beautifully reflects this diversity of cultural experience. It is an album that has been recognisably influenced by an array of different cultures, themes and musical traditions: some of the songs are in English, others are in Kinyarwanda, others are in both (some are also partially in French); some of the tracks are upbeat, others are melancholic, and a few are (somehow) able to blend both sentiments simultaneously; some of the songs have a distinctively African feel to them, others are more overtly Western and mainstream, and some are, again, a strange and beautiful fusion of the two.

But though it would be correct to say that Teta has been influenced by a variety of different traditions, histories, and cultures, it would, in my view, be incorrect to say that her music is merely reducible to them – rather, I think, through her music she creatively reimagines them. That is, there is something unique, something individual, something distinctively Teta-ish about her music. Any artist could, theoretically, be the subject of myriad musical influences; however, no one could have combined such diverse and distinct influences and experiences, and yet at the same time have created something so genuinely unique, original, and beautiful, quite like Teta.

Teta produced Iwanyu in Brussels, her goal being to work in a city which reflects the cultural diversity of the album itself. While she was finding musicians to help her work on it, she met Sander Villers – a Belgian sound producer and engineer with an interesting backstory of his own (he has lived in Greece and can speak five different languages). He, along with several other musicians, ended up recording the album with Teta.

I met up with Teta and Sander for a joint interview late last week. During our discussion, we touched on a wide variety of different subjects, including Teta’s own personal/musical life story, Sander’s and Teta’s own musical influences, and, lastly, the nature and meaning of music itself.

Thomas Moller-Nielsen (to Teta): When did you start singing? Have you always wanted to be a musician?

Teta: I’ve loved music and singing for as long as I can remember: when I was a child back in Rwanda, I used to sing in front of the bathroom mirror all the time. I never really seriously considered becoming a professional singer, though, until I was in my late teens. It just didn’t seem like a possible career for me. In Rwanda, as in a lot of other places, singing isn’t really considered to be a serious profession; it’s something that drops-outs do. But I was lucky: my father was artistically-oriented – he was an amateur poet – and he really encouraged me to pursue my dream.

TMN (to Teta): How did you end up in Brussels?

Teta: Well, in 2016 I had an experience in San Francisco on a project called the Music Action Lab. It was basically a gathering of selected musicians from all over the world, brought together to try to make socially relevant music. It was that experience of talking to and playing music with these people that persuaded me to finally create own album, one which married different musical styles. Brussels just seemed like the perfect place to get it done. Not only did I know the city well – I had been coming to Brussels on and off since 2015 – but Brussels is a multicultural city, with the largest Rwandan community outside of Africa. I could feel at home away from home.

TMN (to Sander): How did you two meet?

Sander: I remember the day very well. I had just finished a very long session at the recording studio where I was working at the time. It was Friday night, but I really felt like I just didn’t have the energy to go out: I was totally exhausted. So, I lay down on the couch and was just about to fall asleep when something inside my head told me: ‘It’s Friday night. Make yourself go out! Make yourself meet people! Make yourself socialise!’ So I did. I got up from the couch, put my jacket on, and walked straight out of my apartment toward the centre of town. I ended up at a bar I knew that had a good live music scene. Teta was sitting right next to me at the bar, and we started chatting. She told me she was planning on recording an album, and that she needed a sound engineer to help produce it. Naturally, things just went from there.

TMN (to Teta): How did you choose your band members for the album?

Teta: Well, given that I wanted to make a musically mixed album, I chose musicians from many different backgrounds: from Rwanda, from Belgium, from France, from Senegal. In general, I don’t pick a person to be in my band purely on the basis of their technical musical ability. Rather, I choose them by going with what I feel in my gut. If I feel a connection with them, I pick them; if not, I don’t.

TMN (to Teta and Sander): Who are your biggest musical influences?

Teta: Though I love listening to many different kinds of music, my biggest musical influences are probably those Rwandan singers who were singing just before and after the 1994 Rwandan genocide: one in particular was known as Kamaliza. I remember they encouraged the Rwandan people to remain unified, and they tried to get the refugees who had fled the country to come back to Rwanda. I think that’s probably the reason why unity is such an important theme in my songs.

Sander: I also love a lot of different kinds of music. When I was younger I used to listen to a lot of hard rock, but over the years I’ve also grown to love jazz, blues, hip-hop. Now I listen to virtually everything: Depeche Mode, Rammstein, Paul Simon – I love all sorts of music. And all the music I listen to has influenced me in various ways.

TMN (to Teta): How did you come to write this album?

Teta: Well, when I was starting out as a professional singer, I made a lot of mainstream pop music. I had some big hits; I was successful. But deep down, I also felt that I wasn’t really making the music that I was born to make. In a way, I felt like I was in a trap: my producers just wanted me to keep producing hit after hit after hit, to sell and to sell and to sell. But I wanted to really express myself, to make a different kind of music, an authentically mixed kind of music, one that married different musical styles, cultures, and traditions. One that really came from me. I felt that I had proved that I could make successful pop music. Now, I wanted to make an album for and from me, one that I could truly be proud of on a personal level.

TMN (to Teta): What does the title of your album, Iwanyu, mean?

Teta: In Kinyarwanda – my native Rwandan language – “iwanyu” means means “home”. I suppose it’s ironic that I’m producing an album called “home” while I’m abroad. Although my home is, in an obvious sense, in Rwanda, I also feel that I can, in a sense, be at home anywhere. For instance, I was in northern Sweden not long ago, and I ended up spending an evening with a group of Saami people [an indigenous Nordic tribe]. We got to talking, and they ended up playing me some of their own traditional music, “the joik”. What I heard really amazed me. It reminded me almost immediately of a kind of traditional Rwandan music called “amahamba”, which is sometimes also called “cow song music”: it’s a slow rhythm, consisting mostly of vocals and few instruments (claps and inanga/cithare). It was bizarre: here I was, an African girl in the middle of one of the coldest, remotest parts of the world, and yet, in a sense, I was back home in Africa. It was surreal.

TMN (to Teta): Can you say a bit more about the style of music on the album?

Teta: I like to mix and marry different musical cultures and styles, but my main influence is Rwandan traditional music. On the album, I wanted to incorporate Rwandan traditional music into most of the songs, and to talk about Rwandan traditions and culture in the lyrics. One of my goals in making this album is to introduce the West to traditional Rwandan music. However, I also want to encourage more Rwandans to listen to that kind of music, too – a lot of the mainstream music back in Rwanda has become very “poppy” and “hip-hoppy”. In a sense, I want to reintroduce traditional Rwandan music back into Rwanda.

At the same time, though, I want to demonstrate the fact that I have been influenced by Western music and traditions; I don’t want to reject that part of my musical upbringing and experience. I want to create original traditional Rwandan music – or music that, at the very least, has been influenced by traditional Rwandan music – that can be heard internationally.

TMN (to Teta): A lot of the songs I’ve listened to on the album are rather melancholic. Is it fair to say that this is the kind of music that you enjoy making the most?

Teta: It’s true that I like making melancholic songs. My background is probably a large part of the reason for that. Although I sing about different topics, I tend to think about my roots – about where I’m from – a lot. Both of my parents were refugees from the 1959 civil war in Rwanda that lasted over 30 years: that’s why I was born in Kenya, and only moved to Rwanda when I was 5 years old. And then, of course, I was alive (but very young) when the genocide happened in 1994. It affects you when you are born a refugee. Your country of origin – your “true home” – becomes very important to you. So there is an element of patriotism in my songs, of pride in my country.

TMN (to Sander): Was it a different experience compared to what you’re used to, recording African music?

Sander: No, not really. But recording with Teta was quite a different experience compared to anyone else. She was amazing to work with, but she was very protective of her music: she didn’t seem to want anyone interfering with the vision she had for her album. She seemed to be a bit suspicious that people’s advice was in actual fact intended to take away her autonomy in designing the album and the songs – and in a way, I suppose this is understandable, given her experience making pop music back in Rwanda. In the end, though, everything worked out great, and I love the album that we ended up making.

TMN (to Teta): Is it true that you were very protective?

Teta: Yes, I was very protective. I wanted to be fully independent, and to make the album without any fear of judgement. I really wanted the album to come from me. And I’m happy with the result: this album has really, I think, helped me connect with my own artistry, with myself as an artist.

TMN (to Teta and Sander): What does music mean to you?

Teta: To me, music means freedom. It lets me feel free, to be who I was born to be. It’s an incredible, unique way of expressing thoughts and feelings, and I feel very grateful and lucky to be a musician.

Sander: Music is a universal language of feeling, of emotion. It tends to have a similar effect on most people. Just look at music in the movies: when there’s a sad scene, they play music that everyone instinctively recognises as sad; and when there’s a happy scene, they play music that everybody recognises as happy. It’s amazing.

TMN: But there’s a sort of duality to music, isn’t there? It’s universal – it can induce a similar effect on everyone – but it’s also very particular, insofar as a given song can still mean particular things to particular people at particular times. No?

Sander: Yes. Music is both personal and public at the same time. That’s what is so incredible about it; that’s what makes it so magical.

Further details

For more information about Teta and her music, visit her website or her YouTube channel.

For more information about Sander and his mixing studio, Villemix, visit his Facebook page.

The post “I want traditional Rwandan music to be heard internationally” – An interview with Rwandan music star Teta Diana appeared first on Brussels Express.

Prime Minister Charles Michel opened the sixth edition of the Africa-Belgium Business Week or ABBW forum. The Central African Republic, with its Honorary President and Exeuctive Director of the World Diamond Council (CMD), Ms. Marie-Chantal Kaninda represented the country of honor in the 2019 edition. The country’s image was lifted at the highest level by its president, Faustin-Archange Touadera. The Central African Republic set a determined tone for this forum with a delegation of 80 people, the president of the Republic, 9 ministers, and about 50 entrepreneurs. Having said that, this symposium is an opportunity for African and European companies to exchange their expertise and to find opportunities for profitable and sustainable collaboration. Thus, through the numerous conferences, workshops and B to B meetings have enabled the forging of promising contacts at the economic level. The forum’s opening day co-organized by the province of Walloon Brabant celebrated its 6th edition and was entirely devoted to the Central African Republic. President Faustin Archange Touadera, accompanied by his ministers and economic operators gave a high-profile presentation on the promising economic situation of his country. In fact, after several years of conflict, political turmoil, community and security, the country has now embarked on a new phase marked by a viable structural and economic policy.

This is almost enough to convince the 500 participants from 20 African, European and American countries. Fruitful exchanges took place between companies, investment funds and government actors, both Belgian and Central African.

On the last day, the opening speech was read by the President of the Walloon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Philippe Suinen and Jacques Delaunoit, Co-Founder of Africa Rise and Forum Sponsor (DG Groupe Delaunoit SA). Then, the importance of tourism in Africa was highlighted in the presence of professionals of the sector, with a panel consisting of start-ups from Walloon Brabant and representatives of African countries. The various presentations were very attractive and showed an interest in the African continent, which has become a big market considering the size of its population and the stakes in its socio-economic evolution. « A new wind blows in Africa; it has opened possibilities to create win-win relationships with Europe. This forum is a success » said MP Isabelle Kibassa Maliba.

Belgium, through its Prime Minister Charles Michel, hailed the efforts of the President of the Central African Republic in his fight for peace and his desire to lead a sustainable economic recovery. After two fruitful days, the President of the Central African Republic, Faustin Archange Touadera chaired the closing ceremony of the forum presented by Mr. Henri Désiré N’Zouzi.

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This was Abiy Ahmed’s first official visit to Brussels and to the European Union institutions. He met with Jean Claude Juncker, Donald Tusk and Federica Mogherini. The full package. On this occasion, Ethiopia and the European Union signed a 130 million euros cooperation agreement divided in three pillars: job creation (50 million euros), sustainable energy (35 million euros), and the establishment of agro-industrial parks in Ethiopia (45 million euros).

It was in this overloaded week that I met the new Ambassador of Ethiopia to the Kingdom of Belgium and to the European Union: Ambassador Grum Abay. 

I was waiting, at the charming conference room of the Embassy, for the Ambassador, when suddenly, I heard a friendly voice saying “Buongiorno Antonio!” I did not want to disappoint him and immediately replied “Buongiorno Signor Ambasciatore!”. 

“You know” he continued “I’ve served as a diplomat and as an ambassador in Rome for several years! I love your country!”

“Well thank you” I replied, “but I only have Italian origins…in fact, I’m Portuguese”. 

“Even better! Now you really must visit Ethiopia because both Portugal and Italy are old countries in the relationship between Ethiopia and Europe”.

This is how my conversation with the Ambassador started. 

Can you tell me an anecdote about the luso-ethiopian relationship? 

Of course! There are many, but I’ll tell you this one. The Portuguese came in the 16th century to Ethiopia. Funny enough, they came and told us that they were there to Christianise us and we explained to them that we were already Christians before they became one. Ethiopia accepted Christianity in 330 AD. We were in fact the second country in the world to accept Christianity after Armenia.

Ambassador Abay, you were appointed Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium in 2018. You also are the representative of Ethiopia to the European Union, and also the other Benelux countries. It’s quite a challenging position.

I’ve been serving as a diplomat for 33 years now. Since the beginning of my career,  I’ve been mostly dealing with European affairs. In fact, my first foreign position was here in Brussels back in 1992. At the time, I was working as a Counsellor in this same Embassy, so I’m not new to Brussels. Between my first time in Brussels and this new chapter, I was the Ambassador of Ethiopia to Italy and most recently to Russia. I was transferred directly from Moscow to Brussels, where I presented my credentials last September 25th. Obviously, most of the job here concerns the European institutions. On a bilateral basis, it’s Belgium and Luxembourg that we are covering. We used to cover the Netherlands but since we opened an Embassy there last April 2018, we longer cover it. 

How do you describe the relationship between Belgium and Ethiopia?

We have a strong and old relationship with Belgium. In fact, our diplomatic relations started in 1906! You are the 5th country that opened an official diplomatic representation in our land. The order is Italy (1896), France (1898), United Kingdom (1899), 1900 (The United States) and 1906 (Belgium).  So, as you can see, we have long history…way before the European project. During the Italian invasion, Belgians were the ones who helped establish the Ethiopian body guard unit, which was responsible for the security of the Imperial Palace.

How do you describe diplomatically Belgium? 

Belgium respects the sovereignty of other countries. I think Belgium is a soft power country. It doesn’t engage on issues that are not critical to its own interest, and that’s why you don’t hear that much about Belgium on some of the global crisis situations. But Belgium’s voice is heard through the EU.

But in Africa you hear about Belgium. What about Congo?

The problem about colonialism in Africa, for us Ethiopians, it really doesn’t figure. Therefore, I don’t have the authority to comment. Luckily, we have not suffered under colonialism. 

I assume there were many attempts…

Yes, many. Starting with your fellow countrymen, the Portuguese, but none of them succeeded. That is why there is a very strong sense of patriotism in Ethiopia. We might argue or fight with each other time to time, but whenever there were attempts of external aggression, we always find a way to come together. When our African brothers and sisters tell us what they went through under colonialism, it is difficult to understand them because that was not our experience. I’m not saying that they didn’t suffer. I’m just saying that we haven’t gone through that experience. Nonetheless, we Ethiopians were at the forefront of the anti-colonial struggle in Africa. Coming back to the Belgian colonization, let’s not forget that Congo was the property of King Leopold and not really Belgium, as a State. I think other European States have more responsibility. What about the British, French and Portuguese? They had almost the entire continent. 

Do you think colonialism in Africa is over?

Yes, I feel that the story of colonialism in Africa is long over. Many in Africa still talk about colonialism as the cause of their lack of development. I categorically disagree with that because as far as I’m concerned, 70 years already passed. You cannot always go back to the past and blame colonialism for your own shortfalls. Frankly speaking: always blaming colonialism for the lack of good governance, for the lack of economic development, for the lack of political stability, for the lack of security is not intellectually honest. You have been independent for the last 70 years, that it is a long time to do things right.

You are sending the message that Ethiopia doesn’t behave like its continental neighbours. 

I would put like this: we are very proud of our history and that gives us a psychological predisposition in feeling that we are equal to anybody. We don’t have any inferiority complex. We don’t feel that the Europeans or Americans – because they are rich, white, blue or yellow – are superior to the Ethiopians. Our job consists in trying our best to develop our country without using any past, external or psychological excuses. 

I understand the European Union is your main developing partner. What’s your strategy?

We feel that the economic development of Ethiopia is much linked with Europe and whatever assistance we get from the European Institutions, Ethiopia is renowned for implementing projects partly or fully financed by the Europeans. You don’t find in Ethiopia any European budget being stolen or put to use for other purposes. 

Can you share an example of a successful project?

Well, for instance our national road development program. The amount allocated from the European institutions was exclusively used for this project. You know, everything is monitored. We have a very strict mechanism. The money is released on tranches so our partners can check the implementation of the project. 

How much has the European Union allocated so far to Ethiopia? 

About 745 million Euros from 2014 to 2020. Ending in fact this year in 2019. 

How do you describe your economy in 2019?

Multiple international experts are being testimony to the incredible growth of the Ethiopian economy. We have been growing by 10% on average for 12 years. We are among the top 5 countries with the most impressive economic growth in the world. In Africa, we are number 1. Our economy is based on agriculture. Our challenge is to modernise Ethiopia’s agriculture in order to be more efficient and productive. Lately, we have focused our attention on the manufacturing sector by building industrial parks where we can attract foreign investors to create job opportunities for our youth. This is an important concern for us: to create jobs for our future generation. Our government believes that job creation will flourish in the manufacturing sector with input from an efficient, productive and technically-advanced agriculture.

And what about coffee? What is the weight of this sector on your economy? 

Agriculture as a whole used to represent nearly half of our GDP and nowadays is around a third. Nevertheless, coffee still remains as the main export item from Ethiopia. Coffee exports are 40% of exported items, which represents about 10 % of our GDP.

40%?! Almost half of the economy?

Yes, 40%. Well, it used to more than 60%.

Most of coffee producers in Ethiopia are local farmers. How do they deal with the multinationals? 

The farmers do not sell directly to the multinationals. There are two ways of selling coffee from Ethiopia. The first one, the farmer will sell the product to Ethiopian national companies that are exporting coffee. We have several of them by the way. Those Ethiopian coffee exporting companies are registered into the Ethiopian commodities exchange and through that they have market links with multinational companies who buy coffee. The second one is the farmer sells the product to Ethiopian coffee distributors. 

Who are the main clients?

Starbucks for example. But the Starbuck coffee you drink in America is not really pure Ethiopian coffee. 

What do you mean?

They buy Ethiopian coffee – aroma and taste – but they mix it with the robusta they buy Nicaragua, Honduras or Brazil. So in the end it’s doesn’t give you the real Ethiopian coffee taste.  

But who are the big importers? 

The Japanese, Germans, Saudis, and the Americans. 

Could you share the coffee ranking worldwide?

First of all, I want to clarify that there are two types of coffee: robusta and arabica. Robusta type of coffee is cultivated widely in the world. Most of the countries who are coffee exporters produce robusta coffee. Namely, the Latin American countries and some countries in Africa. Arabica coffee is produced in very low amount, but it’s the best coffee. And that is the real Ethiopian coffee. You can also find it in Ivory Coast, or in Uganda. The rankings don’t reflect the difference in quality between robusta and arabica. But to reply to your question, Brazil is leading the ranking and we are number 7 worldwide.

I asked you this question because one can be surprised to see countries like Germany, Italy or Portugal as main coffee producers worldwide when they exclusively import coffee. As the Ambassador of Ethiopia to the European Union how do you analyse this situation?

That’s why when I told you we want to create jobs for our youth, it’s also about creating added value. We are actuality doing good in that process of adding value to Ethiopian goods that are being exported. We have been engaging with foreign companies, including Italian companies, to cooperate with Ethiopian exporters in value adding processes inside Ethiopia. The results are still very low, frankly speaking, because the companies in Italy, Portugal or Germany who buy the coffee, process it, package it, have their market networks already in place and get more money for Ethiopian coffee than any Ethiopian farmer. That is one of the reasons we are disappointed with European multinationals in this sector. We are demanding more money for our farmers. Starbucks buys a kilo of Ethiopian coffee for 6 dollars and they sell it for more than 17 dollars. This is unacceptable. 

I’m curious to know how did you defend Ethiopian coffee in Italy. For us, Italy is home of quality expresso.

Well, let me tell you a story. One time I was in Luigi’s café, just a few meters from the Ethiopian Embassy in Rome, and  I heard an Italian guy asking Luigi “fammi un bel caffè italiano!” – make me a good Italian coffee – and then I just laughed. This guy looked at me and asked me “why are your laughing”?  I replied saying that this was the first time I heard about Italian coffee. And he says “yes, we have good Italian coffee” and I replied, “you don’t even have one coffee tree here!” And once again, we come back to the main issue: to add value. We are trying to add value to our coffee production and we have started to move in that direction; value-addition to our primary products. We will soon start to sell the whole package from the farms to the shops. 

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