Twenty people were killed last week in renewed fighting between the ethnic Oromo and Somali people of Ethiopia. Though the groups have lived harmoniously for generations, tensions have been on the rise in recent months, culminated in bloody clashes and a mass exodus of tens of thousands in September. Violence and intimidation in camps set up to shelter displaced members of both Oromo and Somali minorities chased from their respective homes is also reported. But why the fighting; and why now?
James Jeffrey is a freelance journalist who’s worked for various international media outlets, filing stories on business, political unrest, humanitarian crises, and the cultural pursuits of the people of Ethiopia, and throughout the Horn of Africa, since 2013.
James Jeffrey in the first half.
And; earlier this month, legendary academic, economist, author and media critic, Edward S. Herman died. Herman was best-known perhaps for his collaboration with Noam Chomsky on the 1988 book, and source of the tour de force documentary film, ‘Manufacturing Consent’. Herman’s passing comes at a time of unprecedented technological upheaval in America’s mass media, but how much has the corporate ethos driving the newsroom he and Chomsky wrote about changed?
Dave Lindorff is an award-winning journalist, author, broadcaster, and founder of the award-winning web news site, This Can’t Be Happening.net. Lindorff and Edward Herman were friends, and collaborators for a while at Herman’s website, Inkywatch. Dave’s book titles include: ‘This Can’t Be Happening! Resisting the Disintegration of American Democracy,’ ‘Marketplace Medicine: The Rise of the For Profit Hospital Chains,’ ‘Killing Time: An Investigation into the Death Row Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal,’ You can tune in Dave’s This Can’t Be Happening radio program Wednesdays at the Progressive Radio Network.
Dave Lindorff and Edward S. Herman’s accounting for the mass media in the second half.
And; Victoria-based activist, and CFUV Radio broadcaster at-large, Janine Bandcroft will be here at the bottom of the hour with the Left Coast Events bulletin of good things to get up to in and around our town for the coming week. But first, James Jeffrey and Ethnic Violence in Ethiopia Amid Shadowy Politics.
Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Thursday between 11-Noon Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, and on the internet at: http://cfuv.uvic.ca. He also serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, http://www.pacificfreepress.com. Check out the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.ca/