Part One: Leave and Never Come Back! Three years ago—on July 3, 2015, around 10:50 AM—a few (and I stress, a few ) connected, mafia-like members of the TPLF operating within the state-owned Ethiopian Airlines still considered themselves above the law. That day, they used a fabricated “security concern” and a vague accusation of “political tendencies” as a cover for their real motive: ethnic profiling. They sent security officers to my office at the Aviation Academy and literally forced me out, saying only, “Leave” —with the unspoken but clear message: “And never come back.” And I never did. To an outsider, especially someone unfamiliar with the inner workings of the airline, this may sound unfathomable. How could a civilian airline allow a political group to carry out mafia-style operations against its own employees? But I was not alone. Many before and after me have faced similar intimidation and injustice. While these individuals acted under the banner of the TPLF, I want to m...
"I have a special gift for you,” my mother said. It was the day I turned 18. “Where is it?” I asked, “Wait till the end of the barbecue," she replied; It was the yearly Thanksgiving barbecue night, The urge to fry was high, And the fire was hungry for flesh; The day went as usual; The smell of fried meat churned appetites; Happiness perfumed the air, Laughters ignited candles of conformity; This went on until an eerie silence descended on all at the end of the barbeque. It was a sacred silence where everyone fell into a trance. First, my uncle brought a sealed black urn and a white photo album from the living room and put it at the center of the backyard table Mom told me to sit. And the ritual started: Dad turned towards the garden, where two white Magnolia embraced, As if they were confiding secrets into each other. He stared at them like a tree whisperer. My Mom sat at the table, covered her eyes, and ...
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