To: Mazzi, sistu, Inem, others..
April 11, 2009 at 12:02 am 34 comments
Dear SELEDA Friend;
Uh, oh.
Okay, that’s no way to start an email.
IndEt alulinnnn–n? Lijochu, kebtochu, mistochu, balochu…. T’ru… T’ru… shega.
So you probably thought we had finally located our dignity and scuttled to Land O’ CHewinet and respectability. Yes? You misunderestimate us. We’ve been busy living off our Ponzi Scheme—selling SELEDA stock and figuring out the best time to tell our investors that, um, there is no such thing as SELEDA stock, hahaha. But it turns out it was all illegal or some such. Goddamn Commies!
So, as we watch our 401Ks resemble ET politics- one ginormous pile of sketchy, dubious worthless absurdity—we thought, why are we suffering in silence? Why not spread the misery? Now, THAT we are good at.
So, we’ve decided to come back for one last issue—a “goodbye-thank you-the money is on the night stand” issue. It dawned on us that we never said a proper goodbye. The asadagi yebedelew in us is telling us, “Damn straight. It’s how we roll.” But then—this ikek that is ye ItyoPiyawi CHewinet is murmuring sweet nothings about closure. Goddamn Commies!
What do we have to lose? We wanted to put out a plea to our best writers for one last roll in the hay. We hope we can depend on you to dust off your shul b’er and pen one last missive for out “Intin Issue.” Yep. You read that right. The Intin Issue. You basically decide what’s Intin… and then write about it.
Deadline… yes, there is one because our webmaster has to re-enter anger management class on May 1. So, April 30. Plenty of time.
Hoping we hear from you even if it is to say, “InnantE hafrete bisoch….”
SELEDA Editors
seleda1@yahoo.com
Entry filed under: Latest Posts.
My e-Shoe Box 
1.
sistu | April 11, 2009 at 4:40 am
I kinda want to take up their suggestion and start with ‘difretachew’…
then I want to borrow the name of one of your readers to describe them…
may they engage in a guessing game about exactly which reader…
and since they hoped to hear from us, can they hear this too…
Any word on yet seenzelazelu indekeremu? for five years.
They are right, though. They really are sid adeg (due more to the adagee than the asadagee, imho).
And what’s with the ‘one last time’ masferaria? why does that sound like an ‘atchekchekun keza behuala…’? Let me let them know that the American in me is offended by that. Not that I am American or anything… but esat kayew min leyew. memesasel aykefam, right?
but no, I am just taking the mick. yilal yagere sew. I am very happy to read about this. thank God they finally decided to get cracking just when I was about to die bedibirt. Abesheet kindly let them know that me and my etc.s are looking forward to reading them again.
2.
sistu | April 11, 2009 at 4:41 am
lol, i just saw the heading
3.
abesheet | April 11, 2009 at 4:50 am
Lol Sistu. Was trying to find the best way to post it. That’s all i could come up with. Nice to see you again, by the way 🙂 .
Did you hear that Chiraq? [sistu: meet Chiraq, aka one of the “Humble Editors”; Chiraq: meet sistu. The person you should have directed your e-mail to]
4.
sistu | April 11, 2009 at 5:26 am
Lol to you too, Abesheet. Thats who I thought Chiraq was. And, beteyayaze werey,… actually never mind that legeezew.
I don’t think I would dare to meet one of the humble editors though. those people are heroes of sorts to me, indatnegriachew enji. Might be the last blow to the leefeneda yederese ego that they franchise. kidding (or am I?)
Chiraq: oh wow!! words are failing me right now. ay words, diros words. Lets try actions.. imagine an Obama before a Saudi King. then tiiiinish kena argugn (only because I ain’t that tall and flexible enji the intention is just as deep) and you have my greeting
5.
Mazzi | April 11, 2009 at 7:26 am
LOL Abesheet about your heading 🙂 … passing the SELEDA Tirri to your Tej bett denbegNoch and awdeldayoch …
It does look like this might be the last Seleda issue after all, and despite their low profiles during their hiatus years, “the humble editors” seem to be saying in their upcoming ‘final’ issue:
“Newey Linileyay Ina Linibetateni …
DagmegNa LememTat Enkwan Tesfa Saynoreni….”
And it is right up Seleda’s alley to come up with a classic theme like the “Intin Issue”! Just like one of their past classic theme-de-month, the “mTs! Issue,” that still cracks me up just thinking about it though I am sure some of the articles were not of a laughing matter. “Intin” and “mTs!” issues … how amusing and clever.
Though we (the fans) might be in denial, an era seems to be ending (sniff, sniff :-(), and Seleda and all it represented shall be sorely missed!
If their final issue turns out to be a classic one, “the humble editors” get to put a huge ‘arrat neTib’ after their tenTelTilo yeQerre Libb regarding the fate of their site, Sistu might be delivered from her current dibbirt, and Inem might have a rare chance to finally mezeker his favorite Seleda writers and “the humble editors” before PwagmE Sebat. And in spite of our “we love you mostly Seledawiyan, except when we don’t” attitude, the likes of Abesheet and moi might finally make peace with aspects of Seleda articles that used to annoy us for one reason or another ;-).
Now, how is that for closure all around?
6.
Inem | April 11, 2009 at 12:15 pm
I am deliriously happy that the Seleda folks decided to, aynachewen be Chew aTbew, come out of their self imposed exile or is it hibernation albeit for the last time. Wei Mazzi (lemehonu ijish alebet izih wusT) mezeker alsh bedenb inji, I am already taking out the biqil I froze a la Disney specifically for the seleda zikir, bring the best ye jirru gesho, ye BalE gebs and yeqebena wuha, ye irgoyE Tella bet starter culture and other authentic ingredients to make ye doro ayn yemesele Tella. Intinun qalat inde mena lemizenblachew etewalehu, just thinking of what MT might write about intin excites me. One last issue, Arat neTib yemibal masferaria maferia yasblachewal. Is it possible that the humble editors chose yemayalq theme “ïntin” to come up with more than one issue, who knows the intin tenTefTefo alalq yilina we may be blessed with more Seleda issues. I will definitely celebrate the good news tonight, cher werE yasemash Abesheet. Melakm weekend sistas!
7.
sistu | April 11, 2009 at 1:10 pm
ende, Mazzi and editors, who dis closure guy (whom I’m not liking much)? “this is the last issue” bilo chewata yelem.
dudes, we shouldn’t be condoning this kind of ifirtam behavior. what we want to say when they say that is “embi anichawetim”… abyot weyim mot, Commies?
But hehe Inem, i am kinda looking forward to seeing you deliver on your promise of a zikir. Could that be the reason behind the whole climate change thing? kesilase ga leeyataluh by giving you the opportunity, perhaps? Btw, I was contemplating posting a question about whether we should expect MT, but I figured surely that is one of the connotations of ‘we’ve decided to come back’…
Mazzi, I second the accusation about having a hand in this. Whichever way, kedibirt mengaga silastalshign ameseginalehu.
8.
Inem | April 11, 2009 at 2:33 pm
I second sistu with the “embi anichawetim” besides the humble editors owe the seleda sebeka gubaE the “welajoch” issue as well, yemin the last issue.
The zikir is a must, hoho inqilf aTichE lider blesh new sistu, kesefere tabot alTalam, ye Cape Gorgoraw Seleda will find an auspicious date to mezeker.
9.
abesheet | April 11, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Or……
“The Humble Editors” are simply trying the waters, to see if there is enough contributor/market for them to “mawej” a coming-back-for-good. Blogging is like scratching, once you are started, you can’t stop. But if you do, you can’t see what the point is. Hard to find inspirations after that, unless you are type who blog for blogging’s sake — like a certain Bunna Bet Owner some of us had the misfortune to come across 😉 . So maybe MT and friends have run out of ideas to blog about. Maybe their “shul b’er” isn’t so “shul” after all; to the point they are willing to make pleas to us mere mortals to help them find their groove back. [Or is that a wishful thinking on my side 😉 ?]
Whatever the reason, i wish them luck. But i’ve long ago decided not to embarass myself by defying their sanctuary with my gaga. A decision i mean to stick to however flattering the invitation was.
10.
tuloffa | April 11, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Mechem you don’t dig too deeply into the logic of coming back for a last hurrah five years after the last hurrah, but…it’s perfectly in character for Seledoch not to go out with a whimper! Inde? Indet tedergo? As one of those Seleda-adanaqi types, I have been lamenting their unceremonious disappearance from the literary scene for some time now. Be careful what you wish for alu ferenjoch. Yihewa-aaa! Here they come! The humble editors; an oxymoron, if I’ve ever seen one. Humble blo Seleda editor malet…“friendly fire” indemalet yiqoTeral!
Abesheet, I think you should accept their invitation to contribute. Really! As a dyed-in-the-wool, thoroughly seledafied Seleda fan, I am here to tell you that your stuff certainly does measure up. Besides, say what you may about Seledoch, you can trust them to recognize top talent when they see it. If they asked you to write, emamlakn you can write! I know…I know you and Mazzi have, at times, felt annoyed/irritated by some seleda stuff, but remember…irritants create pearls teblo yelem inde? Yemigermew neger, the thing that earned Seledoch their fervent fan base is that very quality! Their irreverence, their in-your-face reality-check, their uncanny ability to pierce our armor and rub our noses in stuff even as we resisted!
Like Inem, to this day, I find myself going back and forth to Seleda, ajeb-ajeb-ajeb malet siamreN, weinm inde sistu sidebreN! There, I can always count to find just the right dose of originality, literary liberties, beauty, grace, humor and even substance (I swear) that would tease my mind long after I have read it. Where, pray tell, except perhaps here at abesheet (ehem) could you find that? Tadia, Sistu-m bithoNi, Inem…belu enji gobez tebaberu! Let me tell you, there was a time when I had this tenaciously second rate ambition to contribute. Tadia indet yihonal? Chilota bequna aytafess!
Ahun…with this issue coming up, the thought that holds most horror for me is how I might fall in love all over again with these gudoch! I had adjusted very well to the psychological effects of withdrawal…. Demo meTubn! eredia!
11.
Mazzi | April 11, 2009 at 9:47 pm
Inem and Sistu … Being die hard fans of SELEDA, I knew you both would find the prospect of a new Seleda Issue (be it the last one :-() very exciting. And actually so do I :-).
Though I knew something was brewing in Seleda land regarding another issue, I sure did not know what, if anything, would come out of that till the end. Like I said before, although I knew few of the usual suspects from that era when Seleda ruled the Ethio cyberspace, I am totally an outsider to that world while from a safe distance I remain a big fan myself as well as a tazabi. But I did mention to some listening ears that there are some die hard fans of Seleda lurking in this Abesheet’s humble Tej Bett, and how wonderful that they decided to pass an invitation for article submission to be posted in her site. That is really the extent of any remote connection.
Lest “the humble editors” aim their editorial seyif towards my poor anGet for being mistaken as an insider while I am not, let me clarify how I had nothing to do with their latest decision to revive Seleda one last time. I wish I can say I had something to do with influencing them about another issue or continuing the phenomenon called Seleda. Far from that! If I had my way, Seleda would still continue to exist while evolving with the changing times, but “the humble editors” think otherwise for their own reasons. Wish I had that kind of influence. Maybe in their upcoming issue itself “the humble editors” will inform their readers and fans in their own lissan why they have decided to close the Seleda chapter altogether.
It would have been nice if during their hiatus years “the humble editors” had had the chance to memellmel new, creative, and energetic editorial recruits with ample time on their hands to manage the site from the up and coming ‘findata’ generation, youngens with similar vision for the site, to take over Seleda and continue the legacy. If nothing else, they should have franchised Seleda to new and up and coming fan base, and just collect ‘royalties’ from future Seleda site(s) in the comfort of their retirement . But who I am to say :-)…. I can totally understand, however, how it would be difficult to give up the creative control of their brain child that is Seleda to new comers.
As for this issue being their last one, maybe Inem’s elaborate Zikir in their honor, and his genuine WudasE-ze-Seleda echoed by all other invited fans attending his Zikir might make them change their minds. Or as he said, it might have been a clever move on their part to choose “Intin Issue” for the theme considering it can be a never ending theme to go on for a while till it only makes sense to revive the whole thing instead of closing it. Or Sistu indalechiw chewataw “this is the last issue” kehone, “embi anichawetim” yemilu abetutawoch sidersibachew hasabachewin yiqeyiru yihonal. Mann yawqal?
So Inem, just know the fate of Seleda in the near future (whether it has any chance to be revived for good or for one last time) just might be riding on your Zikir to “the humble editors” :-). Not putting any pressure on you mind you!
What ever they decide to do in the end, I too wish them luck. I truly envy them for having been part of this wonderful legacy we call Seleda.
12.
Mazzi | April 11, 2009 at 11:51 pm
“ … Irritants create pearls teblo yelem inde?
Yemigermew neger, the thing that earned
Seledoch their fervent fan base is that very
quality! Their irreverence, their in-your-face
reality-check, their uncanny ability to pierce
our armor and rub our noses in stuff even
as we resisted!”
So so true Tuloffa …
It is precisely for the reasons you mentioned above that I actually love Seleda! I really do not mean to come across as someone annoyed by Seleda … far from that! I ditto Forest Gump about his views on life, and to use his famous analogy “[Seleda] is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get!” Chances are, I am bound to taste and savor EVEN the sometimes ‘irritant’ chocolates I pick every time I open the Pandora box that is Seleda :-).
Even the articles that sometimes annoy or irritate me STILL evoke some feelings in me just as easily as the articles I love reading again and again. There is literary power in that! I too still check out old Seleda issues when I sometimes crave a bit of a jolt for my brain that is really tired from the monotonous nature of every day life not to mention the rat race that seems to be winning by a land slide :-(.
And often in my Seleda adventures I find treasures that still tickle my fancy, make me chuckle, get worked up for nothing or for all the reasons in the world, ponder, reflect, laugh out loud long after reading the article when I remember what I found funny; ache all the way to my bones out of nostalgia for people/things/places missed, for friendships lost, for friendships revered, for pride evoked about being Ethiopian, for shame felt about our ugly sides, for childhood memories resurrected; for wisdom/knowledge acquired, for new lessons learned, for insights gained, for sense of humor adored, for freedom of expression; for breaking out of cultural modes, for pushing the envelop, for questioning the status quo; for touching readers/critics’ nerves, for ‘definitive articles’ by memorable writers, for achingly beautiful Amharic or English poetry; for poking fun at our neuroses as a culture, for mirroring our lives in the Diaspora, for the reminders of what we left behind when we crossed the ocean; for envy cultivated for those who can really write, for detest harbored to those who exuded arrogance and condescension, for originality unlike nothing else out there, and for substance we wish more and more of us possessed.
Minnu QiTu! Sintus tebilo yalqal? It is precisely for these reasons I have a love/’hate’ relationship with Seleda. And sure enough, there is a danger of all of us being hooked again all of a sudden to such a roller coaster of feelings with this upcoming issue, only to be told that it is the last one! Maybe we will all enter rehab to revert back and make peace with our ‘Seleda leaving us for good’ induced withdrawal.
I suppose there shall be life beyond Seleda with occasional guilty pleasures of revisiting old issues. So it is not all a lost case I guess.
13.
tuloffa | April 12, 2009 at 1:39 am
“for people/things/places missed, for friendships lost, for friendships revered, for pride evoked about being Ethiopian, for shame felt about our ugly sides, for childhood memories resurrected; for wisdom/knowledge acquired, for new lessons learned, for insights gained, for sense of humor adored, for freedom of expression; for breaking out of cultural modes, for pushing the envelop, for questioning the status quo; for touching readers/critics’ nerves, for ‘definitive articles’ by memorable writers, for achingly beautiful Amharic or English poetry; for poking fun at our neuroses as a culture, for mirroring our lives in the Diaspora, for the reminders of what we left behind when we crossed the ocean; for envy cultivated for those who can really write, for detest harbored to those who exuded arrogance and condescension, for originality unlike nothing else out there, and for substance we wish more and more of us possessed.”
Besman-wold-we-menfess-q’dus-ahadu…Mazzi,
InE milew….indiaw lemehonu, what’s in the Tej you’re drinking? Bey ahun…I strongly recommend that you copy your comment to the editors. Inde? Do you even know how beautifully you summed up the essence of Seleda in one fell swoop? I don’t know, Mazzi, but there’s something about you that is distinctly seledaesque! Not to suggest that every amazing writer out there has to somehow have a link to seleda, but YOU? Hmmm! As I read your comment, I could not help but wonder! So succinct, so well reasoned, so…so elegant an account offered in a neat package of high caliber, poetic flourish! Inde? Anchima, you have to write…even if you were to simply expand on what you wrote up there and send it to them as mesenabecha, really! Bey…ahun wulesh satadri…dabo biTE gagrina, simshin asqyeyiri. Here’s a name that’s fitting: “Lisane-Worq.” Aleqe. Beqa! inde? anchima—you MUST write….wait a minute, I said that already, didn’t I?
14.
sistu | April 12, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Abesheet, I absolutely agree that it might even be a sin to mention Seleda peeps in the same sentence as our friends without benefits who seem to write for the sake of keeping das Ich afloat and whom even some of us mere mortals, in our own [petty?] brand of acquired wisdom that Mazzi mentioned, have managed to meserez kehiwot mezgeb wist. At the same time, I am thinking the lack of inspiration and/or contributors might not be the reason behind Sele’s disappearance. So in the spirit of disclosure, here is what I heard a while back about what was keeping them away:
“We know for sure the people behind Seleda are among us, they attend community events, lekso, kiristina, arba and even [the] little event what we call [event duly named]. Some might have been ___ at the end of 90’s…and___ weretu seyalk ..and married after the 2000 fashion lemeketel but stuck with kidz.” –sources. the ___ being PG material
So, by my calculation using undisclosed formulae, now might be just about the right time for them to return to their natural calling with the kidz safely embroiled in second grade politics.
About contributing, its a pity that you decided not to, Abesheet. Based on MT’s infiltration of it, i can’t seem to see the Board as much of a sanctuary. Wish you’d go get’em a lil, even if its in a may-u-n-ur-sanctuary-perish-Manderley-style kinda way.
15.
abesheet | April 12, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Ayyyy sistu, yihchin comment “eDto” post lemaDreg yemifejibign gize bitawqi. On the other hand, look how passions overflow at the mere mention of “Seleda”! It even brought Inem out of his hiding 🙂 .
Anywho, i didn’t think lack of inspiration was behind Seleda’s disappearance. The groveling before us mere mortals, or so I’d like to think, is what made me wonder if the H.Es were suffering from a lack of yeBlog “tiRe eQa” syndrome. That may have been a wishful thinking on my side.
16.
Mazzi | April 12, 2009 at 8:21 pm
@Tuloffa:
LOL about the name change. That was funny :-). Thanks for appreciating my comment. As for what is in the Tej I am drinking, Abesheet tiTeyeqibet! Passion, tizibt, saQ ina CHewata yemiQeseqisu negeroch eyanesasachibin! And it sure does not hurt her Tej Bett is a rare Abesha flavored cyber refuge to hang out away from humor and much needed insight ina ‘critical thinking’ kegodelebet Abesha CHaCHata else where.
As for having seledaesque tendencies…. hmmm…. Not quite sure if that is entirely a good thing. I have always enjoyed my complete ‘outsider’ status to all that is Seleda while remaining a fan, critic, and a tazabi from a safe distance. Ginn beruqum bihone, thanks to the few Seleda-Nekk people I have known over the years, I might after all be suffering from “kahiya yewalech gidder, fess temira timeTalech” syndrome. You be the judge as to who the ahiya and gidder are supposed to be ;-).
My muses and spirits that inspire me to write about some things but completely fail to even show up for other things are very finicky and mudam beings! Yenesun tsebay figure our yarekugn letta, Qullibi Gebreal heJE sileten adersalehu because my life as I know it would be much easier then. As much as I have enjoyed checking out Seleda articles that I have liked over the years, somehow I had never been inspired (there go the missing muses again) to submit articles out of my own initiative (without being invited first by the H.Es). Strangely enough, as I type this comment, I feel the same way unless the muses decide to amuse me after all and let me figure out what ‘Intin’ means for me before set time :-). But my Wudase-ze-Seleda-Editors, with all their individual and collective neuroses and madness, still stands. And that much I might be able to tell them (if the spirits move) in one form or another.
It shall be fun reading their upcoming issue nonetheless, and let’s all pray all our favorite past writers will come out of the wood works one tickle our funny bones one last time.
@Sistu:
I am curious about who/what the “sources” are/were (and even more curious about the missing PG materials from the quote!) that tried to explain why the H.Es have been missing in action for years. But it does make sense what they said, as I can vouch how it isn’t for lack of something to say. Endiyawim biloachew! Ledenbu yahil gizzew dersobachew adult responsibilities gizze’achewinina milasachewin yizot/gedibot neww enji. After all, they may have been occupied making sure their next generation of Seledawiyan would not be as asadagi yebedelew as they have been themselves, at least for the first few impressionable years ;-). But as you said, now that the little Seledawiyan are “safely embroiled in second grade politics” it is time to memzez their amusingly ssiD milas (at least during school hours) and get back to their true natures that they have been suppressing. They might even find it more liberating until their little Seledawiyan want to start to follow in their foot steps! “Weldeh be lij teQeta!” yalemikniyat altebale. Karma min serto yibla!
@Abesheet:
I second Sistu in her suggestion that you should accept the H.Es invitation to submit and “get’em a lil” ;-). If they have the audacity to resurface after many years of their unexplained absence, they might just deserve it, and this might be the last chance to give them a piece of your mind. Oh that would be fun! But I think I can relate why it might just be easier to be an outside observer, but never say never! Like I said, if the spirit moves….
LOL about “suffering from lack of yeBlog ‘tiRe eQa’ syndrome” :-). Though this might not be what is afflicting the H.Es, boy I can’t say the same about a certain someone at a certain Bunna Bet. Never quite found him deep from the get go anyways, despite him boldly bragging and defending the ’substance’ (more like ‘lack of’ really) of his joint by the high number traffic his place got. It just means there is more of him out there! Birds of a feather kind of thing. If he does a bit of much needed soul searching, and live below the surface that is him (at least some of the times) he might just regain the favors of his muses. Just saying….
Anyways……
Happy Easter to all (especially Chris!) yezarew b’al yegNam bayhon. Come Abesha Fasika, we get to celebrate it once again, but Abesha style. Ah…. Nostalgia for Fasikas past…… hmmmm….
17.
abesheet | April 12, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Easter may not be ours, Mazzi. But, according to this photo Blen sent me a few minutes ago, Hosseana is going strong.
Regarding our little buddy over by the Bunna Bet: All i can say is, He means well. And like all well-meaning people, he can be extremely annoying.
18.
Mazzi | April 12, 2009 at 8:51 pm
Gosh I am so out of synch with the Ethio Calandar and forgot all about Hossaenna.
Happy Hossaenna to you and Chris (in addition to Easter). Hope you are enjoying your first Easter Holiday on this side :-).
Thanks for the Hossaena Ethio painting. I actually miss stuff like that. A lot!
19.
sistu | April 13, 2009 at 10:49 pm
Mazzi bale wiletaye, I would have loved to share my sources in order to express my gratitude to you for passing word to the ears that apparently got the word to HE. but I am afraid the anonymous akataris who gave me the info would skin my hide and make a cheap little kebero out of me just so iyetedebedbku indinor iskewediagnaw were i to make a public declaration of their alubaltegna identities (i hope they are reading). but, may i dare to suspect you might know what the missing PG material is, despite what i thought was my clever attempt to obscure it by tampering with the subsequent sentence? which in turn makes me curious about who your sources are… shall we barter after all? (skin shekim new plus i was going to exfoliate anyways)
i’m bummed out about Hossaenna though. I can’t seem to get over the whole not having zenbaba thing. i enjoyed that a lot back in the day. May I propose moving fasika closer to the summer months when we can get our hands on some green material to improvise with? kale mateyek dejazmachinet yikeral, i have learned…maybe the Patriarch has a comrade amongst us who will send the word up the ladder? Inem, i think you deserve my suspicion as you seem to have the kind of respect for the tabots that would make any patriarch proud. end of may, that’s all I ask…
20.
Mamitu | April 14, 2009 at 5:02 pm
I loved reading Yared Mengistu’s writtings on Seleda. Witty, witty, witty, … and I loved them.
21.
Mazzi | April 14, 2009 at 8:29 pm
Selam Sistu:
How loyal of you to protect your anonymous sources (barring the threat of them making a kebero from your ‘hide’ for outing them) who divulged Seleda’s H.Es where abouts during their hiatus years. And the PG materials disclosed are probably self evident, but the woregNa in me wanted to know the exact words used! I am sure the H.Es approve what is said about them in the quote. Following your noble example, I may have to also protect my sources fearing similar reprimand.
As for Hossaenna, when I think of that holiday, three colors come to mind. White (for all the shemma, gabbi, neTela, ager libs) worn by worshippers, and vibrant green and yellow colors for fresh Zembaba Qitels used to make fancy Zenbaba Qelebets and head wears adorned with Zembaba crafted crosses. And the feel of fresh Zembaba Qitel for the touch was the best. Considering Zembaba Trees were not as common in Addis, I wonder where all the ones sold for the holiday came from! So I will sign your petition to move Fasika closer to the summer months on this side of the pond for the greenery or move to Zembaba filled, year round warm lands like Orlando Florida. Abesheet’s new home SD I think might also be land of Zembabas, and she might be inspired to cyber send us ‘legga’ zembaba qitels and QeTema bundles for nostalgia sake. Kezama, all the Qelebets and crosses we would make!
Happy Fasika week for everyone.
22.
Inem | April 16, 2009 at 7:51 am
Abesheet, point taken seleda is my OCD. I have been reading your postings but I really did not have anything to add yetedebekuN iskimesil dres. I agree with Tuloffa about Mazzi’s mesmerizing eloquence. Mazzi, I will go on with the zikir but will you agree to do the burakE on the cape gorgoraw seleda zikir day? Mazzi, Abesheet and sistu you should intin malet on seleda, your musings and talent to express them intin yaseNal.
Melkam Fasika wegenochE, I am heading to Addis to celebrate Fasika and le zikru asbeza lemareg. My travel companion is white teeth by Zadie Smith, Abesheet’s favorite. I forgot the post where you guys started discussing her and sistu suggested I read it first. Keeping my promise to read her and comment, I am almost there and so far I am in awe of her talent and overwhelmed. May I suggest you guys read The other hand or Little Bee by Chris Cleave.
23.
abesheet | April 16, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Oh i believe you, Inem. For I’ve noticed this “godly” ability of yours, this “siteruh memtat” 🙂 . Hopefully, Seleda would be back for good and we’d get to read more of them and (some of us) make up our minds about them. I used to think there must have been something fundamentally wrong with me (not that there isn’t) for i seem to be the only one who dreaded going to Seleda the way kids dread visiting the dentist’s. Knew I have to do it some day, one would like to keep oneself up-to-date after all, but with what Woodhouse would have called “leaden feet”. But when Mazzi confessed last time how some of those things i feel were felt by her, i knew i can go on reaping the fruits off seleda with my right to be annoyed by every “agul ariif negn” bai sentence intact.
Wow! Addis and White Teeth, “can’t say fairer than that”.
Melkam beAl and melkam guzo yihunilih.
24.
gB | April 16, 2009 at 11:30 pm
whoever you people were behind Seleda, that was the best Ethiopian site ever.
25.
Mazzi | April 17, 2009 at 8:00 pm
@Inem:
Officially jealous that you will be celebrating Fasika at home. That is wonderful. Just know you are being envied by those of us on this side who miss Fasika b’aal being celebrated Abesha style. Enjoy your time there.
LOL about getting the necessary asbeza for your upcoming Seleda Zikir all the way from home and asking me to give the BurakE. Hehe…. But I hope those people know how much out of your way you are going to make the zikir in their name the worE of your QeE.
I better get cracking one of these days and find the time to read Zadie Smith’s White Teeth after hearing so many good things about it…
@Abesheet:
I have always believed that Seleda is an acquired taste. It takes a while for some readers to warm up to Seleda-nekk writers, and their unusual style. I still find some contributors in Seleda in past issues annoying to the core and aweqin aweqin bayoch. Some fail to communicate well and lose the interest of their readers while they try to sound high and mighty. Sirra meftat!
Once you get passed these types, however, ah there are treasures to be found, and that is the aspect of Seleda I truly love. As you said, keep your right to be annoyed intact and see if you can get past them and dig some of the other awesome articles. I am sure you are bound to find some amusing entries. After a while, visiting Seleda might get easier so you would not have to do it with “leaden feet” :-).
Melkam Fasika for all!
26.
Inem | June 10, 2009 at 9:37 am
Abesheet, Mazzi,Sistu and the Tejbet denbeNoch indet keremachihu. I am back in sidet land. Ahun saliTera meTahu aydel?
@Mazzi, White Teeth is an overwhelmingly great book and zadie Smith is an incredible writer. Amazing how such a young writer is able to cram huge issues about life and almost everything, in a story that span generations adorned with quirky characters and plot and told in an intelligent humour. I recommend it strongly. About seleda, in my qeE bedenb abuarawen achisheletalehu. I am glad you agreed to do the burakE and we will set a date for the zikir, tikin yalech shiro will be one of the menu item. Don’t worry your portion won’t be used in this.
@abesheet, I found adisneger very interesting, notwithstanding the aselchi yetim yemayders politika nek hatetas, thoughtful articles and commentaries are gracing its pages, Bewketu’s musings are but wonderful diversions.
Sistu, shiro atweji ingdih, yesene tsom geba min yishalal, yeshimbra asa lilakilish inde? Arada beweTahu gizE asbEsh neber.
27.
Mazzi | June 11, 2009 at 4:55 am
Welcome back Inem to the “Sidet Land” …
SiT’eruhim sayT’eruhim biQ maletin yemesele neger yelem at Abesheet’s Tej Bett.
If you are fresh off of Ethio Airline (or equivalent) (give or take few days), you must still be glowing with Ager-Bett Ora while re-adjusting to this ‘sidet-land.’
Thanks for your own glowing review of Zadie Smith’s “White Teeth” :-). Abesheet is right in thinking that I should just walk to the next book store, pick up that book, and start reading. She has been telling me that for a while now. I have no choice in the matter now, do I? Though my life has been a bit crazy as of late, I am bound to pick that book one of these good old days when the muses strike, so stay tuned….
Kudos! … Be-QeEh leCHesew Seleda-related abwara (give or take for few Tabots as well). We shall also look forward to the “be-tikin yalech shiro” yeT’ofe zikir on this side … sparing my share of shiro of course. You can set the day for the date Seledawiyan give birth to their last issue of their brain child and we ‘maress’ them for their ‘Enkwan Mariam Marechin’ last hurra with your “tikin yalech shiro.” I am sure they would not mind.
Did you bring any of Bewketu’s musings published on AddisNeger to share??? Abesheet has been generous with me in sharing some of his poetry, and I am beginning to be a big fan! So do share if you have any of his works.
Cheers.
28.
Inem | June 11, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Mazzi,
I still have yetelebelebe beqolo yemimeslew tan on me. The summer in sidet land won’t let me keep it for long eventhough I am au naturelle dark.
Addis beTam yimoqal, tsehayu legud new anat yibesal. The best joke I have heard so far about Addis weather beteley tsehayuan betemelekete:
Adisaba Quraw inkuan band kinfu rasun kelilo be lelaw kinfu iyeqezefe new yemiberew.”
Don’t take too much time to read Zadie, in fact she could be the remedy for a crazy life.
Waiting for seleda to grace the cyber gebeta is becoming excruciating. eventually tikin yemtlew shiro might dehydrate enough to appear more like what they call yemitad shiro.
It did not occur to me to scan the adisneger pages, because I intended to bring some and my sister in all her wisdom deliberately left packing the newspapers to make space for the shiro, berbere, beso, bula, doro wet, ye beg wet, dulet, dirqosh, rTb injera… bedefenaw bet yaferawen hulu. So, I am afraid I can not share Bewketu from adisneger. I do have his books and a narrative CD in my possession and I can send them to you, if you like.
@abesheet, the only pictures I took in Addis were family related, nothing on EELPA. I received the same file and it did crack me up. I could relay a joke I heard about them though.
In a radio program where complaints of all kind are heard some one called and started lamenting about electricity right away.
Abet bai: Allo allo allo…Ere bakachihu mebrat yelem bechelema ketedafenin qoyen, korenti iyaln igziota lai nen eyale siwetewet
GazEteNaw indeminim Talqa gebto: smetenal getayE lemehonu keyet new yemidewlut?
Abet bai: Ke Sudan
29.
Mazzi | June 12, 2009 at 12:12 am
Selam Inem:
LOL about all the jokes you listed about the harsh Ethiopian sunshine and the frequent power shortages back home that I am sure are frustrating to no ends.
I have taken a note of your strong recommendation to read Zadie’s book sooner than later :-).
I share your sentiment about how hard it has been waiting for Seleda to grace the Ethio cyber space one last time! All the more reason why we should all chant in unison … “Mariam! Mariam! Mariam!” for the safe delivery of the last issue.
I don’t blame your indeed wise sister for sacrificing the packing of Adisneger papers in exchange for all the Abesha goodies she so lovingly packed for you to take to your sidet land. Needless to say I am jealous. At least in your case, it sounds like you do use such goodies in your cooking unlike many Abesha men friends I know who bring such goodies from home but never use any of them in their kitchens! They sadly just sit in their pantries and freezers for months and months, to no avail :-(. So enjoy home flavors when you find yourself missing them.
If you find time and the spirit moves you, please feel free to scan a couple of your favorite pages from Bewketu’s books in your possession into electronic files to be able to share. If ever you do that, please send such files to Abesheet’s e-mail so she can forward them to me as well. (Thanks Abesheet in advance for the service.)
Also, if you feel generous enough, how about uploading in mp3 format and sharing with newly converted fans of Bewketu like myself some of the tracks from his narrative CD into the kind of file sharing sites Abesheet has been using to share music? I would be most obliged!
@Abesheet:
The short video file your friend shared with you about what Ethiopian electric power distribution towers are doing in their ‘off’ time is simply hilarious and sad at the same time if one thinks about the implications to power users :-).
Cheers!
30.
Inem | June 14, 2009 at 8:42 pm
Mazzi, I am afraid you have to wait for a week or two. I will send the files when I get home. Sorry for the delay.
31.
Mazzi | June 14, 2009 at 11:40 pm
Oh no rush at all Inem!
Only when you have time once you get home.
Thanks in advance for anything you send.
Cheers.
32.
sistuyiye | February 1, 2010 at 5:28 am
“guess who’s back, back again
Beckham ‘s back, tell a friend”
– circa back in the cruel 2000s (aka yedecade kifu).
but this being glorious 2010s, by ‘Beckham’ I mean ‘Seleda’.
so psyched to see it back.
33.
sistuyiye | February 1, 2010 at 5:32 am
there. got my orange-y abstract thingie back
34.
abesheet | February 1, 2010 at 3:27 pm
Lol. I was actually coming here to announce that they are, in their own word, “backish”. The e-mail reads:
Nice to see you again Sistu. Enjoy.