Ali Birra

Tijdens het zoeken naar Italiaans bier (birra is Italiaans voor bier), kwam ik de muziek van Ali Birra tegen.

Ali Birra (Amharic: አሊ ቢራ? ; Oromo: Ali Birraa ;born September 29, 1947) is a famous Oromo singer, composer, poet and nationalist. He was born in Ganda Kore village in the city of Dire Dawa, Ethiopia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Birra).


The first song that he sang on stage was called "Birra dha Bari'e" so that the people nicknamed him "Ali Birra," meaning "Ali the Spring". The Haile Selasie regime banned the group in 1965 and arrested some of its members. Ali escaped arrest and moved to Addis Ababa. After he settled in Addis Ababa, he was engaged in different activities along with singing. On this occasion, Ali came to know the nationalist Ahmad Taqi, and the latter bought him a guitar so that Ali could sing more widely. His fame increased dramatically throughout the city. He had ability to sing in Amharic, Arabic, Harari, and Somali languages, in addition to Oromo, his mother tongue (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Birra). Ali Birra’s career in music is very well respected and loved not only in Ethiopia but also in Oromo and Ethiopian communities abroad.  What makes his music distinct from the rest is his style, melodies that stand out with time and most importantly, his ability to deliver the message of his songs with all honesty.  The theme of his music is universal (http://www.alibirra.com/biography).


In 1989, he moved to Sweden from Saudi Arabia.  While living in Sweden, he went to school learning the Swedish language.  He also worked part time in a hospital where he recounts a beautiful experience working for the elderly.  In 1992, after his divorce with his Swedish wife, he settled in Toronto, Canada.  Presently, Ali is living with his lovely wife in Pickering, Ontario (http://www.alibirra.com/biography).

Haile Selassie I (Ge'ez: ቀዳማዊ ኃይለ ሥላሴ qädamawi haylä səllasé; Amharic: [ha.ɪlɜ sɨlːase]. About this sound listen (help·info)) (23 July 1892 – 27 August 1975), born Tafari Makonnen Woldemikael, was Ethiopia's regent from 1916 to 1930 and Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He was the heir to a dynasty that traced its origins by tradition from King Solomon and Queen Makeda, Empress of Axum, known in the Abrahamic tradition as the Queen of Sheba.
Haile Selassie I's royal line (through his father's mother) originated from the Amhara people, but he also had Oromo, and Gurage roots. He was born on 23 July 1892, in the village of Ejersa Goro, in the Harar province of Ethiopia. His mother was Woizero ("Lady") Yeshimebet Ali Abba Jifar, daughter of the renowned Oromo ruler of Wollo province Dejazmach Ali Abba Jifar. His maternal grandmother was of Gurageheritage. Tafari's father was Ras Makonnen Woldemikael Gudessa, the governor of Harar. Ras Makonnen served as a general in the First Italo–Ethiopian War, playing a key role at the Battle of Adwa; he too was paternally Oromo but maternally Amhara. Haile Selassie was thus able to ascend to the imperial throne through his paternal grandmother, Woizero Tenagnework Sahle Selassie, who was an aunt of Emperor Menelik II and daughter of Negus Sahle Selassie of Shewa. As such, Haile Selassie claimed direct descent from Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, and King Solomon of ancient Israel.
Haile Selassie was known as a child as Lij Tafari Makonnen (Amharic ልጅ ተፈሪ መኮንን; lij teferī mekōnnin). Lij translates to "child", and serves to indicate that a youth is of noble blood. His given name, Tafari, means "one who is respected or feared". Like most Ethiopians, his personal name Tafari is followed by that of his father Makonnen and rarely that of his grandfather Woldemikael. His Ge'ez name Haile Selassie was given to him at his infant baptism and adopted again as part of his regnal name in 1930.
As Governor of Harer, he became known as Ras Teferi Makonnen About this sound listen (help·info). Ras translates to "head" and is a rank of nobility equivalent to Duke; though it is often rendered in translation as "prince". I (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haile_Selassie).


Ethiopia became the target of renewed Italian imperialist designs in the 1930s. Benito Mussolini's Fascist regime was keen to avenge the military defeats Italy had suffered to Ethiopia in the First Italo-Abyssinian War, and to efface the failed attempt by "liberal" Italy to conquer the country, as epitomised by the defeat at Adowa. A conquest of Ethiopia could also empower the cause of fascism and embolden its rhetoric of empire. Ethiopia would also provide a bridge between Italy's Eritrean and Italian Somaliland possessions. Ethiopia's position in the League of Nations did not dissuade the Italians from invading in 1935; the "collective security" envisaged by the League proved useless, and a scandal erupted when the Hoare-Laval Pact revealed that Ethiopia's League allies were scheming to appease Italy. At the League of Nations in 1936, the Emperor condemned the use of chemical weapons by Italy against his people during the Second Italo–Ethiopian War. His internationalist views led to Ethiopia's becoming a charter member of the United Nations, and his political thought and experience in promoting multilateralism and collective security have proved seminal and enduring. His suppression of rebellions among the nobles (mekwannint), as well as what some critics perceived to be Ethiopia's failure to modernize adequately, earned him criticism among some contemporaries and historians. He has also received criticism from groups such as Human Rights Watch for allegedly ruling in a repressive and undemocratic manner.
Among the Rastafari movement, whose followers are estimated at between 200,000 and 800,000, Haile Selassie is revered as the returned messiah of the Bible, God incarnate. Beginning in Jamaica in the 1930s, the Rastafari movement perceives Haile Selassie as a messianic figure who will lead a future golden age of eternal peace, righteousness, and prosperity. Haile Selassie was an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian throughout his life. Haile Selassie is a defining figure in both Ethiopian and African history (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haile_Selassie).


The Oromo (Oromo: Oromoo; Ge'ez: ኦሮሞ, ’Oromo), are an ethnic group inhabiting Ethiopia, northern Kenya, and parts of Somalia. With 30 million members, they constitute the single largest ethnicity in Ethiopia and the wider Horn of Africa, at approximately 34.49% of Ethiopia's population according to the 2007 census. Oromos speak the Oromo language as a mother tongue (also called Afaan Oromoo and Oromiffa), which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family. The name was given as Ilm’ Orma ("Sons of Men" or an eponymous 'Orma') in the 19th century; the present form is probably an obsolete plural of the same word orma ("person, stranger").
Oromos are the largest Cushitic-speaking group of people living in Northeast Africa. Available information suggests that they have existed as a community in the Horn of Africa for several millennia (Prouty et al., 1981). Bates (1979) contends that the Oromo "were a very ancient race, the indigenous stock, perhaps, on which most other peoples in this part of eastern Africa have been grafted".
Oromo became part of the Ethiopian nobility without losing their identity. Both ethnically mixed Oromos and those with full Oromo descent held high leadership positions in Ethiopia. Notably Iyasu V was the designated but uncrowned Emperor of Ethiopia (1913–1916), while Haile Selassie I was the crowned and generally acknowledged Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. Both these Ethiopian Emperors are ethnically mixed, with Oromo parents and lineages. Haile Selassie's mother was paternally of Oromo descent and maternally of Gurage heritage, while his father was paternally Oromo and maternally Amhara. He consequently would have been considered Oromo in a patrilineal society, and would have been viewed as Gurage in a matrilineal one. However, in the main, Haile Selassie was regarded as Amhara: his paternal grandmother's royal lineage, through which he was able to ascend to the Imperial throne.
In 1973, Oromo discontent with their position led to the formation of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), which began political agitation in the Oromo areas. Also in 1973 there was a catastrophic famine in which over one quarter of a million people died from starvation before the government recognised the disaster and permitted relief measures. The majority who died were Oromos and Amharas from Wollo, Afars and Tigrayans. There were strikes and demonstrations in Addis Ababa in 1974; and in February of that year, Haile Selassie’s government was replaced by the Derg, a military junta led by Mengistu Hailemariam; but the Council was still Amhara-dominated, with only 25 non-Amhara members out of 125. In 1975 the government declared all rural land State-owned, and announced the end of the tenancy system. However, much of the benefit of this reform was counteracted by compulsive collectivization, State farms and forced resettlement programmes.
In December 2009, a 96-page report titled Human Rights in Ethiopia: Through the Eyes of the Oromo Diaspora, compiled by the Advocates for Human Rights, documented human rights violations against the Oromo in Ethiopia under three successive regimes: the Abyssinian Empire under Haile Selassie, the Marxist Derg and the current Ethiopian government of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), dominated by members of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and which was accused to have arrested approximately 20,000 suspected OLF members, to have driven most OLF leadership into exile, and to have effectively neutralized the OLF as a political force in Ethiopia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oromo_people).
Since the 1990s, the OLF has been accused of massacres and terrorist acts in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia which it has consistently denied. It had further claimed that the alleged massacres were committed by either the government or by disgruntled local Oromo farmers.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oromo_people)

English WordAmharic Pronunciation (Phonetic)
Hello        Selam(Se-la-m)
Bye/So longCiao       (Chi-o)
Thank you       Ameseginalehu(Ame-segi-na-lew)
Coffee        Buna(Boo-na)
Breakfast       Qurse(Qoo-r-s)
Dinner       Erat       (I-ra-t)
Food      Megib(M-gi-b)
Restaurant     Megib Bet(M-gi-b Be-t)
Beer              Birra        (Bi-ra)
Yes             Awo       (Ah-wo)
No             Aye       (Eye)
Excuse me    Yikerta(Yi-ke-r-ta)
Good byeDehna Hun (male) Dehna Hungi (female) Dehna Hunu (plural)(Deh-na Hu-n, Hu-ng-i, Hu-nu) (www.ethiopianrestaurant.com/amharic_common_phrases.html)

Na een stukje culturele antropologie, weer terug naar het gerstendrankje van onze keus: bier:

Selassie have a speech in a book which say to not drink beer cause it not good for your temple. so why do many rasta drink the poison of babylon? (http://jah-rastafari.com/forum/message-view.asp?message_group=1105, http://jah-rastafari.com/forum/message-view.asp?message_group=1104). Selassie schijnt tegen bier te zijn geweest?

In Ethiopië is er ook bier (www.ratebeer.com/country/ethiopia/68/, www.ethiopianrestaurant.com/ethiopian_beers.html, www.beersofeurope.co.uk/ethiopian-beer)


Beer is quickly becoming one of Ethiopia’s favourite drinks, with consumption rates expected to increase by 15 per cent annually over the next five years. Luc van Kamenade reports from Addis Ababa on Africa’s newest nation of beer drinkers (http://jontambek.wordpress.com/2011/05/12/beer-consumption-on-the-rise-in-ethiopia/).

Ethiopian beer has only been around for a relatively short space of time, and until recently most of it was made by government-owned breweries. Most Ethiopian beers are pale lagers, perfect for the climate of the country, and the ingredients and brewing processes create a distinct style and crisp taste that goes especially well with spicy food—these beers have got a small but growing following, with several breweries on offer that produce a range of well-loved varieties (www.beersofeurope.co.uk/ethiopian-beer).

Ethiopia’s oldest brewery, Kombolcha, was founded in 1922 and has produced market-leading beers ever since. St George and Castel are its two main products and it continues to produce both beers to this day, despite now being owned by the French BCI Group, with both being highly prized for their flavour. Of course, these aren’t the only options and there are plenty of other home-grown varieties being available including the likes of Meta—the brewery where it’s made is located on the outskirts of Addis Ababa and sits right next to a soft mineral spring, with the water already meeting international brewing standards and called “holy water” by the locals (www.beersofeurope.co.uk/ethiopian-beer).


Er is ook een homebrew-cultuur (http://cooksipgo.com/tella-ethiopian-home-brew/): try tella, Ethiopia’s homemade beer. Tella is made from gesho leaves and a mixture of cereal grains, such as barley and teff, and is served in private residences (a “tella bet”) throughout the country. I have never seen tella on a restaurant menu. A home signals it brews tella by placing a colored can, rag or bag on an upright pole in front of the house (http://cooksipgo.com/tella-ethiopian-home-brew/).

Dark brown in color, the tella tasted of honey and something that resembled hops, thanks to the gesho leaves. Overall, it was much smoother than I had anticipated and was easy to drink. The serving was pretty big, which gave me plenty of time to chat with my bet-mates. I have enough Amharic now to explain what I was doing (http://cooksipgo.com/tella-ethiopian-home-brew/).




Baying Hound Haile Selassie is een stout (7,5%): COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
Brewed with hand roasted Ethiopian coffee beans. Nice rich roasty coffee flavor. Perfect way to start your day (www.ratebeer.com/beer/baying-hound-haile-selassie/173501/). Het wordt gebrouwen door Baying Houd Aleworks. Their nano brewery is tucked away in an industrial park off East Gude Drive  (1108 Taft Street, Rockville, Maryland 20850) (http://bayinghoundales.com/).  

Bij de Oromo is ook een verband met bier?

Een samenvatting uit 1998 geeft de volgende Ethopische biersituatie:
The Ethiopian government plans to turn all four of its state-owned breweries over to the private sector. The only one in the pipeline, however, is the venerable Brewery in the capital -- "Saint George" -- which was sold to the French company BGI. "Meta," a 14-year old Brewery close to Addis, and "Harar," which makes Pilsner, Stout, and a non-alcoholic beverage, are expected to be tendered soon. Built in 1993, "Bedele" may be the last to go on sale. Competition is becoming stiff in the beer business, however, with four new breweries currently under construction. Several new owners intend to produce for the export market.  End Summary (http://web.archive.org/
web/20050601051252/http://www.geocities.com/~dagmawi/News/Business_Oct21_Breweries.html)

In addition to a new plant in Kombolcha, the South African Brewing Company (SABC) is building a brewery in Akaki at a reported cost of 300 million Birr ($41.5 million). The investors signed an agreement on October 12 for the lease of 21 hectares. SABC will put up 49% of the financing while an Ethiopian Firm, International Beverage Corporation, will cover the remaining 51%. The local press reported that the project will provide 800 new jobs within one year when the brewery becomes operational. Two other new breweries are in the early stages of construction. The Star group of Ethiopian investors has laid the foundation for a plant in Nazaret, while a group of local investors affiliated with non-governmental organizations in Tigray are building the Dashen brewery in Gondar (http://web.archive.org/web/20050601051252/http://www.geocities.com/~dagmawi/News/Business_Oct21_Breweries.html).


Ethiopia's oldest brewery -- Saint George, founded in 1922 -- is located in central Addis Ababa. General Manager Tadele Abebe confided to commercial officers during an October 8 visit that the French BGI group (Societe des Brassieres et Glaciers Internationale) controlled by Pierre Castel just formalized an agreement to take over Saint George. Ownership will change hands in November. Tadele expected only a minor interruption of production to allow an inventory of bottles, vehicles, crates, kegs, equipment, and spare parts (http://web.archive.org/
web/20050601051252/http://www.geocities.com/~dagmawi/News/Business_Oct21_Breweries.html)

Meta Abo Brewery is located in the town of Sebata, 27 km from Addis Ababa. The brewery was established in 1963 by the Ethiopian Government and Ethiopian private nationals as a share company with a starting capital base of 2 million Birr. It is the only brewery which gets water from a big reserve of soft spring water (locally known as holy water of St. Abo). The spring water meets the international brew standard to be used without any treatment (www.ethiopianrestaurant.com/ethiopian_beers.html, www.ethiopianrestaurant.com/meta_abo_brewery.html).

Meta Abo Brewery is located in the town of Sebata, 27 km from Addis Ababa. The brewery was established in 1963 by the Ethiopian Government and Ethiopian private nationals as a share company (http://web.archive.org/web/20080208111926/http://www.telecom.net.et/~epa/Sectors/beverages_prof.html). The "Meta" brewery, which began operation in 1984, is located 30 kilometers outside of Addis Ababa. The fourth government-owned brewery -- "Harar" - produces several distinctive varieties of beer. The Harar brewery markets a Pilsner to compete with Bedele, St. George, and Meta, but also produces an increasingly-popular dark beer, "Hakim Stout" and a non-alcoholic beverage, "Harar Sofi," that appeals to the large Muslim population in the region and throughout Ethiopia (http://web.archive.org/web/20050601051252/http://www.geocities.com/~dagmawi/News/Business_Oct21_Breweries.html)


Diageo concludes acquisition of the Meta Abo Brewery company in Ethiopia. Meta Brewery is the second largest beer company in Ethiopia with a volume share of approximately 15%. From its brewery near the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, it produces and distributes its flagship national lager brands Meta and Meta Premium. The acquisition will give Diageo direct access to the Ethiopian beer market and will complement Diageo’s existing premium spirits business in the country. Nick Blazquez, President, Diageo Africa, said:
“Gaining access to this exciting beer market is part of our strategy of participating at scale in beer and spirits in growth markets in Africa, and I am delighted that we are able to announce the completion of this acquisition. Meta is a strong national brand that has great heritage in Ethiopia. We will invest behind the sustainable growth of the brand, the business and the wider communities in Ethiopia. (http://dashenpost.com/20120110124.html, www.diageo.com/en-sc/newsmedia/pages/resource.aspx?resourceid=1168, www.wiyiyit.com/meta-abo-brewery-buy-to-drive-diageo-spirits-in-ethiopia/)


Heineken brouwt er de lokale merken Bedele en Harar in 3 brouwerijen (www.ethiopianopinion.com/heineken-to-open-new-brewery-in-ethiopia/). Heineken kocht deze in 2011 (www.just-drinks.com/news/heineken-wins-race-for-ethiopias-bedele-harar-breweries_id103772.aspx).

“This transaction represents another important step in Heineken’s strategy of increasing its exposure to emerging markets,” said Heineken's president of Africa and Middle East, Tom de Man. “Ethiopia is one of Africa’s most promising beer markets and our expansion … strengthens our platform for continued growth in the region.” (www.just-drinks.com/news/heineken-wins-race-for-ethiopias-bedele-harar-breweries_id103772.aspx).


Dutch brewer Heineken has been quick to spot the country’s growth potential and is about to expand its business to the Horn of Africa. “Ethiopia is one of Africa’s most promising beer markets,” Tom de Man, president of Heineken’s Africa department, said after winning a bid last week to buy two state-owned breweries for 114 million euros.
The multinational is about to gain an 18 percent market share by taking over Harar Brewery S.C. in eastern Ethiopia, known for its popular Guinness-like dark beer Hakim Stout, and Bedele Brewery S.C. in the west of the country.
Heineken is not the only international brewer with its eye on the Ethiopian beer sector. In order to secure Bedele Brewery, the Dutch brewing giant had to outbid Danish brewery Carlsberg, French-owned BGI Ethiopia and the French wine producer Groupe Castel, among others (http://jontambek.wordpress.com/2011/05/12/beer-consumption-on-the-rise-in-ethiopia/).

The two breweries have a combined market share of 18% with brands such as Bedele, Harar, Hakim Stout and Harar Sofi. Per capita beer and non-alcoholic malt consumption in Ethiopia stands at about 4 litres, according to figures cited by Heineken (www.just-drinks.com/news/heineken-wins-race-for-ethiopias-bedele-harar-breweries_id103772.aspx, www.just-drinks.com/news/heineken-secures-brewery-buys-report_id103750.aspx).


Harar: The city of beer and mosques: Ethiopia's historic city of Harar is one of Islam's holiest centres - but in recent times it has built up another tradition and is now also known for its brewery. I've come to find the city's brewery, which is what it's known for - beyond its holy credentials. For three decades now it's turned out Harar beer, its bottles carrying a label that depicts the old city's famous gates.
The brewery entrance is flanked on one side by a sign prohibiting firearms and, on the other, by an enormous beer bottle - perhaps meant to remind you why you can't bring in your gun: here be alcohol. The giant bottle is four times the height of a man. I know this because there's a man in front of it, a security guard who's delighted to have a visitor.
This brewery was sold off to the Heineken group by the government three years ago. The company says it plans to invest in the plant. It wants to improve the manufacturing processes, bring in its know-how and start sourcing more material locally, either inside Ethiopia or in the region (www.bbc.com/news/magazine-28054464).

Harar, formerly written Harrar and known to its inhabitants as Gey, is a walled city in eastern Ethiopia, formerly the capital of Harergey and now the capital of the modern Harari ethno-political division (or kilil) of Ethiopia. The city is located on a hilltop in the eastern extension of the Ethiopian Highlands, about five hundred kilometers from Addis Ababa at an elevation of 1,885 meters. Besides the stone wall surrounding the city, the old town is home to 110 mosques and many more shrines, centered on Feres Magala square. Notable buildings include Medhane Alem Cathedral, the house of Ras Mekonnen, the house of Arthur Rimbaud, and the sixteenth century Jami Mosque. Harrar Bira Stadium is the home stadium for the Harrar Beer Bottling FC. One can also visit the market. The Harar Brewery was established in 1984. Its beers can be sampled at the brewery social club adjacent to the brewery in Harar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harar).

Harar Brewery is a brewery with its headquarters in Harar, Ethiopia. It roduces Harar Beer, a 4.25% abv pale lager, as well as Hakim Stout, a 5.8% abv stout. The brewery also makes Harar Sofi, a non-alcoholic beverage that it markets toward the Muslim population. In 2011, the state-owned Harar Brewery became a subsidiary of Heineken International (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harar_Brewery, http://web.archive.org/web/20080208111926/http://www.telecom.net.et/~epa/Sectors/beverages_prof.html).

Bedele (also called Buno Bedele) is a town and separate woreda in southwestern Ethiopia. Located in the Illubabor Zone of the Oromia Region. Bedele is also the headquarters for the Bedele Brewery. Founded in 1993, Bedele is a formerly government-owned corporation, producing about 75 million bottles of beer each year for domestic and export customers; it was bought by Heineken in August 2011 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedele).


Bedele Brewery Share Company was established on October, 1993. Located in the South Western of Ethiopia, Oromia Region, Illubabor Zone Bedele City, 483 km from Addis Ababa. It is the only company that produces special beer in Ethiopia. Factory Owner: Government, under the control of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Privatization and Public Enterprise Supervising Agency (www.ethiomarket.com/bedele_brewery/, www.ethiomarket.com/bedele_brewery/bedele_brewery_Products.htm, http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/445/1327/, http://web.archive.org/web/20080208111926/http://www.telecom.net.et/~epa/Sectors/beverages_prof.html).


Bedele Brewery S.C was established in October, 1993 in Bedelle town, 433 km from Addis Abeba in Illubabor Zone of the Oromia Region. Ze kwamen in 2014 met een nieuwigheidje voor de Ethiopische markt: een bierblikje (www.ethiopianopinion.com/ethiopia-bedele-launches-first-canned-beer-in-ethiopia/)

HUMANITARIAN disasters tend to have a reductive effect on reporting: misery comes to the fore and day-to-day life blurs out of focus. And yet there are always multiple realities. Take this week in Ethiopia, for instance. The Dutch brewer, Heineken, has agreed to buy out two of Ethiopia's state-owned beer labels for $163m. Under the terms of the deal, Heineken will take ownership of the Bedele and Harar beers. Bedele, which was developed by Czech brewers in the early 1990s, has a strong following in western Ethiopia. Harar is based in eastern Ethiopia (Baobab can vouch for Harar, especially when drunk in the magical city where it is brewed, preferably on expenses) (www.economist.com/blogs/baobab/2011/08/heineken-and-famine).


Heineken’s expansion in Ethiopia, Africa’s second-most populous country, highlights the growing importance of the continent for the world’s top brewers.
Africa is one of the world’s fastest-growing beer markets thanks to its rosy economic prospects and emerging middle class. This has made the region a battleground for global brewers like Heineken, SABMiller SAB.LN -0.06% PLC and Diageo DGE.LN +0.05% PLC, as they seek to counter a slowdown in mature markets in Europe and North America (www.ethiopianopinion.com/heineken-to-open-new-brewery-in-ethiopia/).

“Competition is intensifying and that sharpens the game,” Mr. Hiemstra said, referring to Heineken’s main competitors. Mr. Hiemstra, a Heineken veteran who joined the brewer in 1978, said Heineken aims to use as much local resources in Africa as possible. By 2020, the company targets that 60% of the raw materials used to produce beer, like barley and cassava, will be sourced from local farmers. In 2013, the company used 48% from local sourcing. “Through investments in local workers and local resources we create goodwill with national and regional authorities,” Mr. Hiemstra said. “It shows that we’re not only here to make profits, but that we also want to improve the local economy and social conditions.” (www.ethiopianopinion.com/heineken-to-open-new-brewery-in-ethiopia/).

Buying up the labels is the first step. The next is for Heineken to spruce up the brands for Ethiopia's youthful population, increasing sales in the cities and breaking into the Kenyan, South Sudanese and Ugandan markets. The company says it also wants to work with the Ethiopian government to improve crop quality and productivity. Both Heineken and the Ethiopian government want to substitute imported malt with locally produced stuff. Ethiopians drink around four litres of beer per person per year. Kenyans drink 12 litres. South Africans chug down over 50 litres. So the bigger message, out of focus among stories of the famine, is one of economic growth. Even freighted with hunger and destitution, the Ethiopian economy is set to grow at 6% or more a year and the consumption of beer is set to rise at over 10% a year (www.economist.com/blogs/baobab/2011/08/heineken-and-famine).

De graanproductie die voor bier wordt bestemd, kan kan niet voor de voedselproductie worden gebruikt. Zorgt Heineken dan voor hongersnood?

Heineken traditionally has a strong position in Africa, having opened its first brewery in Congo in 1923. The Dutch brewer currently has leading market positions in more than a dozen African countries, including Nigeria, its second-largest market after Mexico. It employs around 15,000 people in Africa (www.ethiopianopinion.com/heineken-to-open-new-brewery-in-ethiopia/).



Bedele Brewery is a subsidiary of the Heineken NV, and currently, there’s a massive boycott call for Bedele products: Bedele Beer and Harar Beer in Ethiopia, where a polarizing artist Teddy Afro has been sponsored by the Bedele Brewery. Teddy Afro is known for making bigoted and inflammatory statements against Oromos and other nations/peoples in southern Ethiopia with regards to Menelik II, the late 19th-century king of Abyssinia who used scorched-earth methods to conquer Oromos and southern nations/peoples (http://gadaa.com/oduu/23568/2013/12/28/heineken-geboycot-door-sponsoring-omstreden-artiest-heineken-boycotted-by-sponsoring-controversial-artist/):
Bierbrouwer Heineken heeft zich met de sponsoring van de Ethiopische artiest Teddy Afro in een wespennest begeven.
De ondersteuning die de bierbrouwer aankondigde voor zijn concerttour ontketende een spontane boycot van het merk onder een groot deel van de bevolking van Ethiopië, schrijft De Telegraaf (za 28 dec 2013).
Album opgedragen aan 'Ethiopische Hitler'
Teddy Afro is omstreden, doordat hij zijn laatste album opdroeg aan keizer Menelik II, die begin vorige eeuw miljoenen Oromo's uitmoordde. De keizer wordt om die reden de Ethiopische Hitler genoemd. De Oromo's, de grootste bevolkingsgroep van Ethiopië, heeft opgeroepen tot een boycot van het bier.
Voor Heineken is de boycot pijnlijk, schrijft de krant. Ethiopië is voor de bierbrouwer een van de speerpuntlanden in Afrika. De bierconsumptie in het land is de afgelopen vijf jaar verdubbeld.
Source: Rtlnieuws.nl
(http://gadaa.com/oduu/23568/2013/12/28/heineken-geboycot-door-sponsoring-omstreden-artiest-heineken-boycotted-by-sponsoring-controversial-artist/)

Ethiopian singer Tewodros Kassahun (aka Teddy Afro) told the local  Enqu magazine that he considered emperor Minelik’s imperial expansion a “holy war”.  This remark deeply offended thousands of Oromos as an ethnically-motivated “remark” against Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group.
Oromo activists all over the world had campaigned beer drinkers in Ethiopia to ditch Bedele products and also pressure regional officers to withdraw the sponsorship (www.ethiopianopinion.com/bedele-brewery-cancels-teddy-afros-journey-of-love-concert-awramba-times/).


Teddy Afro gave to the Enqu magazine in an exclusive interview.Enqu magazine’s cover quoting Teddy Afro as saying ‘For me, Menilik’s unification campaign was a Holy War’ – (Ethiopia).
The first soft copy version of the magazine quoted the singer saying: ‘For me, Menelik’s unification campaign was a Holy War’.
The cover carrying the above comment was distributed by the editors of magazine through their email database. That led to an uproar of anger and criticism on the already controversial Teddy .
Later on, another cover of the hard copy emerged with a completely different header – where Teddy emphasizes his trademark rhetoric of – ‘understating history and the past to create the future’ (not a direct translation).
Then some groups who kept quite or defended Teddy on the first comment started bashing the Teddy critiques. They claimed that it was a conspiracy to destroy the good name and will of the singer. Some claimed that it was a Photoshop.
Subsequently, another revelation surfaced.
The editors of the Enqu magazine sent an apology letter to their subscribers explaining that it was all a ‘technical’ error and claimed Teddy did not make the ‘Crusade’ remark (www.ethiopianopinion.com/teddy-afro-and-his-holy-war-remark/).


OROMO ETHIOPIANS CELEBRATE #BOYCOTTBEDELE BEER VICTORY (4 januari 2014)
Heineken-owned beer company drops sponsorship of Ethiopian pop star Teddy Afro amid protests from country’s largest ethnic group.
Members of Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group are celebrating online after the Heineken beer company announced that its Ethiopian franchise would cancel sponsorship of pop star Teddy Afro.
The Bedele beer company dropped its support for Teddy Afro’s upcoming national tour on Thursday, though it did not give a reason. Ethiopian Oromos have been campaigning to boycott the beer over controversial statements allegedly made by the entertainer.
Oromos were outraged after he allegedly praised Emperor Menelik II, a 19th-century ruler who some see as a unifier and who placed territories belonging to Oromo and other groups under centralised rule. The magazine quoted Teddy Afro as saying, “For me, Menelik’s unification campaign was a holy war”. The artist’s most recent album also has a song dedicated to the emperor, among other popular historical leaders.
Teddy Afro says the quote was falsely attributed to him, writing on Facebook, “Under circumstances unbeknownst to me and due to the error of the magazine, my photo was printed along side a different quote which is not in line with my belief or journey…. The magazine has issued a correction and apologized to us for its error.” Some expressed doubt that the comment was an error.
Aljazeera (www.ethiopianopinion.com/oromo-ethiopians-celebrate-boycottbedele-beer-victory/, www.ethiopianopinion.com/update-heineken-confirms-bedele-brewery-cancels-teddy-afros-journey-of-love-concert-awramba-times/)

I guess we, the Oromos, are upset because Menilik II was not a perfect, divine, and a leader or an Emperor without fault.  My question is: weren’t the leaders, even limited to the U.S., like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, or James Madison great? Yet, Madison, the father of “the living U.S. Constitution, or the greatest document ever written”, owned slaves as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson did.  Still, you don’t see African Americans today demanding no schools, roads, or hospitals named after them. African Americans and Native Americans do not glorify the founders shortcoming, but celebrate their great deeds-establishing a great nation.