The Cleveland Ethiopian community demonstrated their proud heritage at One World Day in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens. One World Day has been the official event of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation since 1946. The Ethiopian community participated in the Parade of Flags which had 1500 people from over 53 countries.
Ethiopian Cultural Garden in Parade of Flags
Then they welcomed visitors to their Garden and shared their culture.
Africa & Byzantium Exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art
The new exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Africa & Byzantium, considers the complex artistic relationships between northern and eastern African Christian kingdoms and the Byzantine Empire from the fourth century CE and beyond. The first international loan exhibition to treat this subject, the show includes more than 160 works of secular and sacred art from across geographies and faiths, including large-scale frescoes, mosaics, and luxury goods such as metalwork, jewelry, panel paintings, architectural elements, textiles, and illuminated manuscripts.
Ethiopian Icon c 1400-1600
You will see pieces representing Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths. One of our favorite parts of the exhibition is a Cleveland religious connection. The CMA's presentation is bolstered by loans from two local religious communities, reflecting years of community collaboration that powerfully demonstrates the contemporary relevance of the exhibition's topic today.
"Our work with local religious communities has been very meaningful," said Curator Windmuller-Luna. "We are grateful for their willingness to tell their stories and loan their precious artworks to us. To share these Greater Clevelanders' vivid perspectives, we have placed Community Voice labels throughout the exhibition, offering a firsthand glimpse of artworks' personal significance. We have also included Community Voice videos in this exhibition, a first for the CMA."
Another nice touch is the display of "Contemporary Faith and Heritage Communities in Greater Cleveland."
Contemporary Faith and Heritage Communities in Greater Cleveland
St Mary Ethiopian Orthodox Church
Ethiopian Church
Triptych with the Virgin and Child, the Archangels Michael and Gabriel, Saints and Scenes from the Life of Christ late 1600s. Ethiopia.
The Cleveland Ethiopian community demonstrated their proud heritage at One World Day in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens. One World Day has been the official event of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation since 1946. Over 50,000 people visited the gardens on One World Day 2023. The Ethiopian community participated in the Parade of Flags which had 1500 people from over 53 countries.
Then they welcomed visitors to their Garden and shared their culture.
African Heritage Day - Cleveland Cultural Gardens World on Stage
The Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation 2023 World on Stage events in the Gardens are showcasing various heritages. The first 2023 event was African Heritage Day on July 1, 2023.
MC Sia Nyorkor with Ethiopian coffee
Audience members came from a variety of African countries including Liberia, Ghana, Congo, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Uganda, Egypt, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia. One attendee from Pretoria, South Africa said, "This is the first time I've felt like home since I came to Cleveland."
There was delicious West African food, an Ethiopian coffee ceremony, drummers, dancers and fun for families.
It was a great day to celebrate the heritage of the Cleveland People from the 54 countries of Africa.
2022
Ethiopian community at One World Day 2022
The Cleveland Ethiopian community demonstrated their proud heritage at One World Day in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens. One World Day has been the official event of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation since 1946. Over 40,000 people visited the gardens on One World Day 2022.
The Ethiopian community participated in the Parade of Flags.
Ethiopian Cultural Garden in Parade of Flags
Then they welcomed visitors to their Garden and shared their culture.
Carl Robson MD inducted into Cleveland International Hall of Fame
Since 2010, the Cleveland International Hall of Fame (CIHF) has inducted people who have made significant and lasting contributions to our multicultural society. Cleveland is home to people representing about 120 different ethnic groups. The CIHF exists not only to honor those special people but also to inspire a new generation of leaders to follow in their footsteps.
Over 150 worthy candidates were nominated for both the 2020 and 2022 Classes of the Cleveland International Hall of Fame. The selection committee was advised by previously inducted members of the Cleveland International Hall of Fame.
Carl Robson was the first person from the Ethiopian community to be inducted. He was inducted by Aklilu Demessie.
Carl Robson receiving the award from Aklilu Demessie
The US-Ethiopia Relations now wounded, can it be healed? by Aklilu Demessie
Aklilu Demessie has written a piece about the history and current state of US and Ethiopia relations. It is an important piece and well worth your time in reading it.
It begins: "Cleveland, Ohio, in the US, and Bahir Dar, Gojam, in Ethiopia have been Sister Cities for 18 years now. It is because of this type of people-to-people relationships as well as genuine diplomatic work that brought about mutually respectful and beneficial relationships between the two countries in the past.
Ethiopian community at One World Day 2021 in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens
Members of the Ethiopian community participated in the Parade of Flags at One World Day in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens on August 29, 2021. They also hosted hundreds of visitors in their Cultural Garden throughout the day.
TV reporter Maia Belay points out her heritage on the ClevelandPeople.com map
In this episode of Fun with Maps, host Dan Hanson shows the Horn of Africa which consists of Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia. He shows how the close proximity to the Arabian Peninsula and the extended coastline of the peninsula have influence the politics, commerce and culture of the region. He also tells a story that connects a popular Beatles song and a famous fossil millions of years old.
Mr. Aklilu Demessie recieves the Knight Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of the Star of Honor of Ethiopia
Mr. Aklilu Demessie a longtime board member and current Vice President of ICC-WIN, received the highest award of the Solomonic Gift, the Knight Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of the Star of Honor of Ethiopia on February 29th at the Victory of Adwa Dinner in Washington D.C. for his lifetime achievements in community services.
Aklilu Demessie
As one of the select group of holders of the Knight Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of the Star of Ethiopia, one of the most venerated decorations of the Solomonic gift, the recipient would be entitled to use the post-nominal initials GCSE and to be referred to as "Your Excellency". The honor is one of the highest Ethiopian rankings and conferred on him by His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie.
The Ethiopian Garden is the first garden from an African country in the 100+ year history of the gardens. The unveiling ceremony for Phase 1 of the Ethiopian Garden took place on Saturday August 24, 2019 with Fitsum Arega, Ethiopian ambassador to the United States, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and Ethiopian artist Yetimgeta Zerihun in attendance.
Ethiopian Garden monument covered before the unveiling
Detailed Look at the Ethiopian Cultural Garden Monument
The front was designed by artist Zerihun Yetmgeta with each panel on the front depicting a broad period of Ethiopian history. he Back Panel is titled "When the Sun Gets the Moon".
The Ethiopian Garden is the first garden from an African country in the 100+ year history of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens. Phase 1 of the Ethiopian Garden is a large wall displaying 5,000 years of history. The Ethiopian artist Yetimgeta Zerihun designed the structure while Cleveland Ethio-American artist mosaic artist Ernesto Spinelli constructed the mural.
Work in progress on the back of the wall in the Ethiopian Cultural Garden
The Cleveland Ethiopian community was out in full force at the 73rd annual One World Day near the future site of the Ethiopian Cultural Garden. Members of the community marched in the annual Parade of Flags and later there was coffee, food and fun as members of the Ethiopian community shared their culture with thousands of visitors on One World Day.
Ethiopian Community at Multicultural Holiday Celebration
The Ethiopian Community was represented at 8th Annual ICC-WIN Cleveland Multicultural Holiday Celebration on Wednesday, December 6, 2017 at the Global Center for Health Innovation in Cleveland.
ClevelandPeople.Com Food Adventurers Passport to Zoma Ethiopian Restaurant
The Cleveland Food Adventurers Passport event in November 2017 was to Ethiopia.
Zoma Owner Zeleke Belete told the Food Adventurers that they had entered a Fork Free Zone and explained that Ethiopian food is eaten with the spongy injera bread instead of silverware..
Zeleke Belete and his wife
The menu was varied and traditional and finished with an Ethiopian coffee ceremony.
Aklilu Demessie is from Ethiopia and he spoke at the ClevelandPeople.Com Food Adventurers event at the Ethiopian Restaurant Zoma in Cleveland Heights Ohio. He told about Eritrea splitting off from Ethiopia, how Ethiopia was never colonized, why Ethiopians are good runners, how the President Jimmy Carter administration played a role in Ethiopian and Somalian issues with Russia and more.
Dan Hanson of ClevelandPeople.com spoke at the ClevelandPeople.Com Food Adventurers event at the Ethiopian Restaurant Zoma in Cleveland Heights Ohio. He showed that Ethiopia is in the Horn of Africa and how the geography is important to the politics and history. He told of the Nile River, how Ethiopia is the originator of coffee and about the languages (Amharic and others) and religions (Orthodox Christian and Muslim) of Ethiopia.
Religious traditions, Haile Selassie and other Ethiopian history
Joseph Meissner told some interesting stories about Ethiopia - the history and religions and, of course, Emperor Haile Selassie. This was at the ClevelandPeople.Com Food Adventurer event to the Ethiopian Restaurant Zoma in Cleveland Heights Ohio.
2016
Ethiopian Cultural Garden on One World Day
The Ethiopian Cultural Garden and Ethiopian community participated in the 71st One World Day on August 28, 2016. They began with the Parade of Flags.
Ethiopian Garden in Parade of Flags
Throughout the day members of the Ethiopian community of Cleveland hosted hundreds of visitors in the Ethiopian Cultural Garden and shared Ethiopian culture.
Aklilu Demessie from Cleveland's Ethiopian community explained the Ethiopian clothing they wore to Ken Kovach of ICC-WIN at the Cleveland Museum of Art's International Cleveland Community Day in the Atrium of the museum.
Ethiopian Cultural Garden at 2015 Cleveland One World Day
Having fun on the site of the proposed new Ethiopian Cultural Garden in Cleveland on One World Day 2015. Besides dancing, food and music a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony was held.
Stay informed about the local Ethiopian community by signing up for the free Cleveland Ethiopian eNews mailings. You can select other groups as well. It's easy and free.
Ethiopian Fashion at Cleveland Multicultural Event
Representatives from the Ethiopian community participated in the International Community Council - Worldwide Intercultural Network's (ICC-WIN) 5th annual multicultural holiday celebration at the Global Center for Health Innovation in the Cleveland Convention Center in Cleveland Ohio. They modeled Ethiopian costumes at the International Fashion Show which featured traditional costumes of dozens of countries.
8/21/12 Today, U.S. Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights made the following statement after the announced death of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
“Whenever death occurs, regardless of the impact a person has made on his or her community, city or even country, it is a time to reflect on how we can collectively pick up the pieces and move forward to bring about change for a positive future.”
“Former Prime Minister Zenawi’s rule was characterized as a great contrast. While he was responsible for ushering in an era of economic growth, promoting peace in Ethiopia and the surrounding region, and expanding health services to the citizens in the country, his tenure was often criticized by the unfair confinement of his people, oppressed media and his failure to embrace human rights and justice for all.
“As a new day rises in Ethiopia, a solid foundation for human rights and continued economic growth is possible, and as new leadership takes hold, it is my sincere hope that Ethiopia and the United States will remain allies on matters of security, but also create a partnership and champion stringent human rights standards in throughout the region.”
Organizations and Resources for Ethiopians in Cleveland
Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie on cover of Time Magazine
Ethiopian History and Culture
Tell us about the music, food, holidays, traditions, costumes, language and other qualities that make Ethiopians so special.
Typical Ethiopian cuisine: Injera (pancake-like bread) and several kinds of wat (stew)
Ethiopia
Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule with the exception of the 1936-41 Italian occupation during World War II.
In 1974, a military junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile Selassie (who had ruled since 1930) and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was finally toppled in 1991 by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).
A constitution was adopted in 1994, and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held in 1995. A border war with Eritrea late in the 1990s ended with a peace treaty in December 2000.
The Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commission in November 2007 remotely demarcated the border by geographical coordinates, but final demarcation of the boundary on the ground is currently on hold because of Ethiopian objections to an international commission's finding requiring it to surrender territory considered sensitive to Ethiopia.
Read more about the Ethiopian and other Ambassadors. If you are interested in being considered to be an official ClevelandPeople.com Ambassador to the Cleveland Ethiopian community, please contact us.
