The Kemant Minority In Northern Ethiopia Politics Essay

The Kemant Minority In Northern Ethiopia Politics Essay Since the creation of modern state in Ethiopia, in the late 19th century, ethnic minorities have been facing major difficulties to their survival. While unknown number of minorities are believed to have already disappeared, some others considered to be the verge of disappearing  [1]  . Ensuring minority protection is a major political goal for the current ruling government (Kiden, 2008:7). The constitution provides for the creation of political space through recognition and respect for culture, identify and languages of ethnic groups. The state, at least in principle, treats minorities as equal members of the country and respects their rights to preserve their identity as well as their socio- political aspirations. In practice, however, these rights are far from being realized. The Kemant are ethnically, religiously and linguistically distinct people and because of their distinctiveness they have been victims of stigma, exclusion and marginalization. They experienced prejudice and stereotype for centuries (Zelalem, 2000:30). Their claim for recognition and self-governance has spent many years without ultimate response from both the federal and regional governments. At a time when their language, culture and religion, as a result sheer identity, are at the verge of extinction  [2]  , they are not given due attention. This is reflected by the fact that they are not officially recognized yet. Non recognition hinders not only rights enshrined in the constitution but also the enjoyment of internationally recognized rights  [3]  ; it leads to the violation of economic, social and cultural rights and to their ultimate marginalization in the society. The Kemant case proves the truth of the maxim that justice delayed is justice denied. It is paradoxical that the Kemant had been recognized as a distinct people until the 1994 National Census  [4]  . They were in existence when both the federal and the first Regional Constitutions were adopted in 1995. As the 1995 Federal Constitution did not recognized all ethnic groups that existed at the time of its adoption, nor did the 1995 Amhara Region Constitution and the 2001 Revised Constitution recognized nationalities that existed in the region at the time of their adoption. Among such ethnic groups are the Kemant. Certainly, they have been denied their de jure existence while they have ever de facto existed. Against this backdrop, the claims of the Kemant people can be examined from at least two perspectives:(1) assessing domestic laws for the protection/recognition of minorities and how they are adequate to address the multiple problems faced by ethnic minorities; and (2) exploring how the Kemant recognition and self-rule movement is working, the strategies and tactics used, to pursue their goals and why the movement is not yet effective to accomplish their claims. Unfortunately this essay does not cover all these aspects. That would be virtually impossible task involving hundreds of pages. Rather the essay investigates one main question: Why the Kemant minority are unjustly denied of official recognition to exercise their constitutional rights? Relevant legal documents, books, journals, articles and electronic materials are used and qualitatively analysed to address this specific question. The Kemant Minority: Historical- Socio- Legal Context The Kemant are residing in the northern Gondar of Amhara Region; they speak a dialect of Cushitic language and practice Pagan-Hebraic religion. They are considered as the original inhabitants of north central Ethiopia. Living in the area of the historical Kemantland, they have been progressively, then massively Christianised and Amharized in the last century (Gamst, 1969:1). Their language, Kemantney is stigmatized because of their traditional religion. A mechanism adopted by them to adjust the harsh social environment was self-denial (Worku, 2010:2). In 1994 their population was 172,327.19  [5]  . Despite the fact that there might have been discrepancies between the census and the exact population, they had ever been recognized as distinct people. However, the Transitional Government (1991-1995) had not included the Kemant among ethnic groups eligible to establish regional self-government. This law and practice was a prelude to the federal constitution in 1995. Furthermore, in 2007 population census they were not counted as a separate ethnic group. Ethnic groups as small as 298 (Qewama) and 320 (She) were recognized and counted (CSA, 2008: 86-87). Although there is lack of official census at present the population is estimated to be over 900,000. This makes them 12th in population size among Ethiopian ethnic groups (Belay, 2010: 10). Claims for Recognition and Self-rule Since 1991, there has been an effort by individuals belonging to the ethnic group for recognition and self-governance. The movement was primarily against marginalization by the dominant amhara ethnic group and to preserve their identity. However, the 2007 census accelerated the pace of their struggle. In May 2009, Provisional Committee of Kemant Identity and Self-Governance Claims Council was established. They seem to have started organizing themselves in unprecedented way to push ahead their claim based on the constitution and historical facts.  [6]   Their claim is not only a struggle for their right to express and protect their identity, but also for political autonomy of some kind to establish a Zone level administration. It is in line with the constitution which asserts that all ethnic groups have the right to speak and develop their own language, to express and promote their culture and history; they have the right to self-administration within a particular territory and the right to representation at the regional and federal levels of government (FDRE 1995 art 39). In such legal context accordingly, the Awi, Himra, Oromo and Argoba minorities in Amhara region have already enjoyed recognition and representation since 1991. They have established their own self-government within their respective territories. The Kemant, however, do not enjoy self-government, nor are they recognized as distinct people. They are not represented in the Regional Council as well as in the house of federation. They have little or no say at the political level as they are unrepresented or under represented at all levels of government. The above discussion shows some of the historical, social, political and legal contexts in which the claims of the Kemant ethnic minority are emerged. Their main issues are: (1) recognition of their identity; (2) claim to exercise their constitutional rights like other ethnic minorities; (3) representation in both regional and federal governments; and (4) self-administration  [7]  . These issues are interrelated with one another. The right of self-administration of a minority like the Kemnat emanates from its status as such. In the absence of recognition, the group cant claim a right to self-rule at any level. The same holds true representation at the regional and federal levels of government cant be achieved without de jure recognition. The main actors involved in the process of recognition/non-recognition are the Kemant people (local level), the Council for recognition and self-governance (at the regional-local level), Scholars (local -regional level), the Amhara Regional State (regional level), and the federal government (national level). Although I acknowledge the importance of analysing and critically reflecting on these stakeholders, this essay deals with the Amhara regional state in addressing the claims of the Kemant. The Artcle 39 (2) of the revised regional constitution provides that the people of the region has a right to enjoy an effective participation in the system of the federal government in a freer, non-discriminatory, appropriate, fair and equitable representation. At the regional level, nationalities and peoples residing in the region have a right of representation. Accordingly, the regional government is saying that it should prove whether the Kemants quest is in conformity with the requirements enshrined in article 39(7) the regional constitution. However, the people of Kemant are claiming that under this pretext the government is working to delay the quest. In fact, in early 2010 the government established a committee for Kemant case study to determine the population size and the peoples desire for self-rule. However, controversy was raised over the committees neutrality and transparency in the process. The Kemant council was not consulted and nothing was clear about the duty and res ponsibility of the committee. At this time discussions are going on between the government and the council over the procedures to conduct a case study. Why Kemant are denied Recognition? Although understanding the reasons for the denial of their claim for recognition requires a further investigation, taking the over context in to consideration I can argue that it is primarily due to lack of political commitment at all levels of government which delayed their quest for recognition and self-rule. As stated in Belay (2010: 52-54), starting from the time of the Transitional Government of Ethiopia, there has been strong opposition from the government to the claim that there exist distinct people called Kemant. Particularly, those officials in the lower hierarchies have exerted their effort to intimidate those groups who have tried to assert their identity and hindered the claim from being come to the attention of the higher hierarchies of the government. In other words, the political commitment in the region is to assimilate the Kemant into the Amhara ethnicity and culture contrary to the desires of the group. In fact, it is hardly possible to undermine some other interna l factors within the Kemant minority which affected their struggle. Historically, Kemant People, like other Agaw people throughout the region were whom the first to suffer from the identity conversion campaign of the false Solomonic Dynasty until 1974(Zelalm, 2000: 37). This historical fact left these people under strong identity crisis and slows down in a coming back process to their original identity. Even today there are Kemant individuals who labelled themselves as Amhara and struggle against Kemants quest for self-administration  [8]  . Though they may not strong influences up on freedom movement, but they can still create confusion to please their superior political masters. The other problem is the approach that Kemant leaders use to regain the constitutional rights, which proved its dysfunctionality. For the last fifteen years, Kemant Committee leadership has chosen a struggle approach that takes them nowhere. They have very feeble committee that represent the people to regain the denied constitutional rights. This committee is informal that does not have institutional capacity to resist the mischievous reaction of the regional government. Conclusion Therefore, the Kemant has a constitutional right to assert, develop and promote its own culture, religion, language and history as means of preserving its national identity. In other words, state acts, be it regional or federal, which take away this right is unconstitutional. The fact that the majority of the Kemant speak Amharic should not be taken as a ground for denying them recognition and self-governance. Rather, it should be considered as a positive factor tying both the Amhara and the Kemant together while maintaining their distinctions.

Letter to cousin requesting funding for new business

Dear Ms. Smith: I am sure you remember me although we have not seen each other for a long time. I am Jack Hanson, the son of your cousin Judith Hanson, born Smith. We last met at the Smith family reunion in Atlanta, Georgia – I was still an undergrad back then with big plans. Now I have arrived at a point in my life where I believe myself ready to make these big plans reality, and in the nearest future my friends and I plan to open a small local store that will specialize in special occasion gift baskets for individual and corporate clients. With my friends’ expertise and background and my enthusiasm I am positive that we will make our venture successful. A visit to the proposed location has convinced me that we have great opportunities ahead, and the uniqueness of our proposition will make it stand out from the competition. All we need to succeed is additional start-up capital to complement our resources. I have strong belief that if you agree to participate in the venture, we will be able to put your money to good use and bring you a nice return on your investment. As I stated above, we plan to launch a store that will sell gift baskets for individual and corporate clients. To make our offerings even more attractive, we want to add ethnic, natural beauty products and spa quality botanicals. This will add an original touch and make our gift assortment the best in the locality. We already have a plan to make the interior design of the store fascinating and comfortable to create for our customers an atmosphere of holiday which they step in buying gifts for their friends and colleagues. Our short-term goal is to build a reputation in the city of Bridgeport and neighboring towns; as soon as our business has the resources to expand, we will be willing to move beyond Bridgeport and possibly Connecticut. However, repayment of your investment will in any case take precedence. If you decide to invest, we can discuss several options. One is that you invest for seven years, and begin to receive interest on your investment starting with the 2nd year of the store’s operation and recoup the lump-sum after another five years. If you want to contribute for a longer time period, you will have an opportunity to share in the profit from the store for a longer time period, for instance, getting a percentage of the profit for 10 or more years. If I were you, I would choose the latter option, because, in my opinion, the store is ‘doomed’ to succeed.   First, the area is really rich in companies of different kinds, and all of them need to purchase gift baskets for their employees. Besides, I have driven around the streets for a few hours and found only two stores that could remotely be described as gift stores. Entering them, I discovered a meagre assortment of goods that will make it really difficult for them to compete with us. Basically, local people unwilling to travel large distances have to shop for gifts in department stores like Wal-Mart or Target, and these, as you know, are hardly the best place for gifts. Besides, to differentiate ourselves from the already present gift stores, we will offer customers a modern design and additional services, such as vintage packaging for their goods, at a modest price. I rely on the experience of my friend who for five years worked as assistant manager in a gift store, and he says that the place is ideal for the venture. Now I want to thank you for the time you invested in reading this letter. I assure you that I would not be offering you to take part in the project, did I not have deep trust that it will be a successful venture. I invite you to meet with me and my friends who want to participate and visit the place that we plan to rent for our store. We can also forward you a proposed catalog of our products at any time. We have already prepared a business plan in which we â€Å"back up our concepts with numbers† that I will be glad to forward to you as well (â€Å"75 StartUp Secrets†, 2006).   I hope that you will have a chance to evaluate all the pros and cons of this investment and decide to help us in this business. On my part, I can promise that the return will exceed any comparable return on other investment available. I will be glad to hear from you on this subject and meet in person, reviving old family ties and starting new business connections. Sincerely yours, Jack Hanson References 75 StartUp Secrets. (2006, March). Enterpreneur.com. Retrieved March 27, 2006, from http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/0,4621,326420,00.html Internal Revenue Service. Starting a Business. Retrieved March 27, 2006, from http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article

Boer War Diary Entry from Lord Kitchener

Lord Kitchener – The Boer offensive The Siege of Lady Smith 1899 Shame be brought on Paul Kruger. How dare he bring Boer offensives into British held Colony areas. This has caused trouble and now it has been declared that the British are fighting in war, another war in which we shall not lose! The Boer may have mobility but what they lack is the key to British troops fighting, order. My men, have mastered order and with the equiptment supplied we are sure to win this battle.The origins of this conflict would have had to begun with Paul Krugers Ultimatum, if no such order for British troops to leave Natal was placed, there would never have been an outbreak. Those flithy Boers do not have the right to attempt to claim Natal or Cape Colony, these are rightfully owned British lands! But since we are already in this mess, we must fight for what is rightfully ours.In June I dispatched a total of 15,000 troops to Natal in order to protect and defend the Colony until reinforcements co uld be mobilized and sent to South Africa. The Boers attempts at trying to Siege us have caused us greatly. Supplies are now growing scarce my English men are running low on supplies and many of the civilians are dying of hunger. It is a sign that the battle may not end well. The Boers, the disgusting fighters had cut the railway link to Durban.I have great faith in my Lieutenant General Sir George White and believe that he can pull through to come and succeed to win the battle. His tatics have definitely been proven to be highly ranked and considered one of the best. For now all I can do is sit and write. I pray for my men to break through the siege and come out on top, I fear that many of the troops moral have faded and are giving up, but I aspire to reign and concer the Boers. For now I must be patient, wait and keep the flag flying.

Mouse Trap car report. Description of how we built, materials, showed relation the Newtons Laws.

Mouse Trap car report. Description of how we built, materials, showed relation the Newtons Laws. Mouse Trap CarThe mouse trap car we designed for this project was pretty standard. We used metal rods with rubber wheels attached for the axles and wheels. We supported the axles to the frame using "U" nails. Our wheels featured some spinners as well. For the actual body of the car we glued the mouse trap on another piece of wood to lengthen the body. The mouse trap was hot glued on the top with a extended arm for more leverage. One end of a rope was glued on the extended mouse trap arm and the other end to the rear axle. As you wound the back wheels the rope would whined as well pulling the arm of the mouse trap back. When the trap arm was released the rope would begin to unwind spinning the rear wheels.As it comes to the performance of our car I think it preformed alright.English: Changes in the kinetic and potential ener...It could have done a lot better. I believe are car made it about five meters. Two strengths of are car where probably the spinners on the wheels, and also the w ay we have the back of the mouse trap carved out allowing more room for the rope to be wound. Two definite weaknesses of are car was that the back wheels were not big enough therefore the car would spin out most of the time. Another weakness is that the axles were not on there perfectly straight so the tires would rub against the body of the car causing friction.During the construction of the car a big problem we ran into was that the front end was running to close to the ground. The way we solved it was by making extender legs from the body of the car to the axle. One good...

Best Toe Kick Dimensions for Cabinet Design

Best Toe Kick Dimensions for Cabinet Design At the bottom of every base floor cabinet in your kitchen or bathroom, you will notice a notched profile below the front door of the cabinet. This notched profile, called a toe kick, is an ergonomic feature designed to make it safer and more comfortable to work at the cabinets countertop. This might seem like a small advantage, but long experience shows that this small amount makes it much easier for a user to stand for long periods without uncomfortable leaning and without struggling to maintain balance. As with many other standard features of home and furniture design, the toe kick follows a fairly common measurement standard.  So universal is this standard that factory-made stock cabinets always follow these standard dimensions for a toe kick,  and an experienced carpenter or woodworker who constructs  a base cabinet will include the toe kick with these standard dimensions. Standards such as these are neither  legal requirements nor mandated by building code. Rather, builders have established over time that such measurements make for greater comfort and safety, so it is wisest to follow these measurements unless specifically directed otherwise.    Standard Dimensions for Toe Kicks The optimal depth for a toe kick is 3 inches. This provides an adequate recess to stand comfortably and maintain balance while working at a countertop. Almost all factory-made stock cabinets will comply with this depth standard.   Toe-kick depths greater than 3 inches do not hurt the effectiveness of the toe kick, but depths less than 3 inches should usually be avoided, as they interfere with ergonomic effectiveness.   The optimal height for a toe kick is 3 1/2 inches, and heights up to 4 inches are common. Increasing the height over 3 1/2 inches does not hurt the effectiveness of the toe kick, but it may very slightly reduce the space in your base cabinet. Is There Any Reason to Change the Dimensions of Your Toe Kick? Its quite rare that a reason presents itself to vary from these standard dimensions for your base cabinet toe kicks. It is actually only possible at all in custom cabinets built to specifications or having a carpenter alter the installation of factory cabinets.   Family need for altered dimensions is generally the catalyst for requests for alteration of such specs. For example, a very tall person with large feet might find a larger toe kick more accommodating. The likelihood of a need to reduce the size of the toe kick is slim, although a very short person might consider this as a means of slightly lowering the countertop height to provide an added level of comfort to a workspace.

The Fashionistas Guide to Japanese Fashion Tribes Essay

The Fashionistas Guide to Japanese Fashion Tribes - Essay Example The essay "The Fashionistas Guide to Japanese Fashion Tribes" analyzes the Fashion Tribes in Japan. During 19th century Japan started to emulate Western fashion. The fashion market of Japan maintains its position as one f the largest across the globe and has always been changing its trends which has even given birth to street fashion by Japanese girls that indicates mixing every fashion style possible so as to give a customized look. The aspect of sales and promotion has been always a primary concern for the fashion industry of Japan. May that be through fashion parades, street fashion style, Fashionistas magazine or any other form of promotional technique Japanese teenagers have always been associated with the fashion statement of Japan. Japan in the present scenario comprises of wide array of styles of dresses that includes both the foreign as well as local labels. In certain regions that of Tokyo the hip hop style was very strongly imitated by the youth of Tokyo and they preferred to wear hip hop style dresses to the over sized clothes. One of the major styles that are still prevalent in the Japan fashion market is that of street fashion that can advertised by many young generation girls on magazines or even on fashion parades as it denotes to be more trendy and fashionable (Kaser, 2012). There are various fashion theories however the acceptance of a fashion by a market segment can be well depicted through a fashion cycle. There are various phases of the fashion cycle such as introduction.

Inquiry into Samsung Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Inquiry into Samsung - Essay Example Samsung group has grown through acquisitions and mergers like the move to buy DongHwa department store in 1963 and two years later the acquisition of Saena paper industry followed. Samsung electronics were established by Samsung group in the year 1969. However, it was in the 1970s when Samsung made a decision to enter into industries petrochemical, heavy and chemical industries. This was followed by the establishment of a new Samsung shipping company. The Samsung heavy industry was established in 1973. The Samsung group procured Daesung heavy industry to develop the Samsung shipbuilding company. Samsung precision, which was later renamed to Techwin, was established in the same year. Samsung was rising at an extremely high speed and expanding its influence to expanding its industrial influence and empire. This positioned the company to the present day growth culture. Samsung group is known to be one of the companies that are leading in innovation. The company has been introducing the latest Smartphone and has increased its market share by introducing superior products like Smartphone and tablets. The growth of this multinational has been gradual but steadfast. Samsung was founded in the year 1938 by Byung-Chull. The company used to export fruits, vegetables and dried fish produced in Korea. The exports were destined for Beijing and Manchuria in China. The company then started small-scale manufacturing by establishing confectionary machines and flour mills. The company was incorporated in the year 1951. Samsung Corporation started to substitute imported goods with locally manufactured products through the establishment of the industry called Ceil Sugar in the year 1953. This was later followed closely by the establishment of Cheil industries. Samsung group then went ahead to acquire Feb Ankuk Marine and fire insurance in the year 1958. The company was later renamed as Samsung fire and marine insurance. This was followed closely by the acquisition of Jul Dong Bang Life insurance in the year 1963. The company was later renamed to Samsung life insurance in the year 1989 (Michell 2011). However, in 1983, Samsung group has begun to develop the interest in the field of semiconductors. Up to 1983, the company was known to develop semiconductors for the local market. The development of the 64k DRAM (dynamic random access memory) by Samsung Company marked a fresh beginning with regard to international influence (Michell 2011). This marked the beginning of production of many semiconductor chips for the international market from Samsung Company (Chang 2011). In 1985, Samsung data systems were established. The company was rebranded to Samsung SDS in 1986. The aim was to pave the way for Samsung economic research institute. In the following year, Samsung advanced institute of technology was developed as the company’s main research center. Samsung group acquired KOCA. This was a credit company which was renamed to Samsung credit card in the year 1 995 (Books 2011). Through this, Samsung Company was increasing asserting itself in the world of technology and financial security systems. Samsung began acquiring many international companies with an aim of asserting itself in the international market and increasing its market share. Samsung group faces incredible competition from other South Korean industries.