Zone 9 journalists & bloggers among 2014 EHSNA honorees

Poet Laurette Tsegaye Gebremedhin

SEATTLE -The Zone 9 journalists and bloggers now in prison in Ethiopia are among this year's honorees of the Ethiopian Heritage Society in North America (EHSNA), the society said in a statement on Wednesday.

The two other honorees are the late Poet Laurette Tsegaye Gebremedhin, and Nahom Marie, a 17-year-old iOS app developer heading to MIT.
The society said the three were picked up for their immense contribution towards press freedom, humanity and software technology, respectively.

Laureate Tsegaye "Giant" and "Icon"
Poet Laureate Tsegaye Gebremedhin was a renaissance man. He was poet, playwright, essayist, historiographer, philologist, art director, humanist, and peace activist. Born in 1936 Ambo, Ethiopia, Tsegaye Gebremedhin’s artistic talent was noticed early on by his grade school teacher. Into adulthood, he advanced to become a prolific playwright and poet. Throughout his life time, he has published over 11 research papers, over 40 plays and poetry in Amharic, and translated more than 16 plays in Amharic and English, some being his work.

Moreover, he has also held several positions such as was General Manager of the Ethiopian National Theatre, Vice-Minister of Culture and Sports, editor at the office of Oxford University Press, assistant professor at department of Education at Addis Ababa university from (1977-1978) and much more. His awards include the following: Emperor Haile-Selassie I International Prize for Amharic Literature in 1966, The Gold Mercury Ad Persona Award in 1982, 4 Fulbright Senior Scholar Resident Fellowship Award; Human Rights Watch Free Expression Award in New York in 1994, and Honorable Poets Laureate Golden Laurel Award. In addition, his literary contribution particularly to Ethiopia is immense and remains as an icon etched not only in Ethiopian history and identity, but to Africans as well.

Unsung Heroes- Zone9 bloggers

Three journalists and six bloggers arrested in one swoop languish in prison

Zone9 bloggers are a group of bloggers dedicated to presenting the various pertinent social issues such as political repression and human rights activism. The six bloggers are Atnaf Berahane, Mahlet Fantahun, Natnael Feleke, Befeqadu Hailu, Zelalem Kiberet, Abel Wabela, and 3 journalists; Edom Kassaye, Tesfalem Weldeyes and Asmamaw Hailegorgis of Addis Guday magazine. After much surveillance and harassment, as of April 26th they have been charged with terrorism and imprisoned at Maeklawi prison which is notorious for torture. The ESHNA acknowledges the diligent work zone9bloggers have contributed to human rights and the idea of free expression.

Young scholar- Nahom Marie

Nahom Marie

Nahom Marie is a bright 17 years old high school student whose academic achievement is exemplary. Nahom’s exceptional academic began whilst in Kindergarten where he exhibited a higher understand that advanced him to several classes beyond his age.

Nahom Marie is an aspiring software and iOS app developer from San Jose, California. He has worked on different types of apps from BOOM, a music recognition app that utilizes the capabilities of the Pebble smart watch, to an in-progress tutoring app that looks to make the process of tutoring and/or finding a tutor tailored to compatibility and several preferences.
Graduating this summer, Nahom has received several awards and scholarships to various universities such as Princeton, Sanford, Harvard, MIT and many more. Besides his academic achievement, he has engaged himself in working within the Ethiopian community. He often volunteered after school to help students with their homework’s, and acting not only as their tutor but as mentor as well.

Ethiopian Heritage Festival to be an Interesting Event
Along with the ceremonial honorees, the Ethiopian Heritage Festival will offer venues for members of the Ethiopian Diaspora Community and their American neighbors to learn about and celebrate the Ethiopian experience. These include art, crafts, and jewelry exhibitions. Plenty of delicious Ethiopian cuisine, traditional music and dancing, soccer and running sports, and plenty of activities for the youngsters will keep everybody interested.
Main days of the Ethiopian Heritage Festival: Opening Friday, July 25 at Silver Spring Civic building 1 Veterans Pl, Silver Spring, MD 20910 and Saturday July 26 through Sunday, July 27, 2014, on the campus of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C


For more info please visit our website www.ehsna.org
Or email us @-pr@ehsna.org