My final paper

My final draft of the paper

Immigrant

An immigrant refers to a person who leaves or abandons their native land and relocates to another region for various reasons. Immigration involves the relocation of people from their indigenous setting to unfamiliar regions with an intention of permanent residence. It is a phenomenon observed in animals, birds and human beings among many other creatures; for instance, the Africa’s Serengeti wildebeest migration, a prime tourist attraction in that region. Over decades, people have moved from place to place for various reasons. Some are attributed to political reasons, social reasons, religious reasons, economic reasons and academic reasons. Since historical era, these have been the leading contributors to immigrations (Anderson 13).

However, immigrants faced several difficulties in coping with the new surroundings, change of lifestyle and culture shock among many other factors. Despite these challenges and difficulties that this process encounters, several incidences of massive immigration have been evident over years. Therefore, there must be a driving force behind this movement that has been persistent time immemorial (Anderson 13). The sole purpose of this paper is to outline clearly the main reasons why people leave their mother countries to seek refuge in alien regions.

Tony Blair once said, ‘the easy way to estimate country’s potential is to look at how many people want to reside and those who want to flee it’. Accordingly, Anderson (33) illustrates that poverty, human rights abuses, torture, disputes and global income disparity are among the major contributors to immigration. Reasons for immigration are as discussed below.

Economic Reasons

Immigration is a trend that can be fueled by economic reasons. Usually this applies to people living in economically challenging regions who relocate with the anticipation of acquiring better financial stability. There is a greater likelihood of people leaving their local countries if they are not content economically. Often the main contributing factor is the discrepancy that exists between jobs available and salaries in different regions. The cause effect of this disparity is the movement of people to seek satisfying employment opportunities or more rewarding careers.

For instance, third world countries are faced with economic inadequacy with poor living standards due to lack of better paying jobs. Many people are jobless despite their high qualifications. Evidently, a lot of people have emigrated from African countries to the Middle East countries, U.S. and other developed countries in search of employment. This is attributed to the fact that they are awarded low wages. Once immigrants obtain better opening in the new areas, they send the good news back home, and this encourages more movements. Free trade agreements between different nations have introduced systems that encourage the process of immigration. Establishment of multinational corporations in different countries has both pros and cons. One crucial negative effect is devastation of the local economic systems making it impossible for people to survive in business. This results in migration of people to better areas to seek for superior opportunities (Anderson 57).

Academic Reasons

'Education is the key to success’, ‘the best gift one can give a child is knowledge’. Most people have the urge to pursue quality education in order to have better future prospects. However, this determination is faded by the absence of better educational opportunities and resources in their native countries. These include world-class universities, colleges, professional institutes, research centers and libraries. Some countries have an advantage over others with the blessing of these facilities. Therefore, noone can stop a determined person with the goal of obtaining knowledge from seeking residence in such regions. There are large number of African students studying abroad and despite the high living standards, they go to an extra mile of working while studying in the name of clinching academic excellence (Dancygier 61).

Natural Catastrophes

Nature is unpredictable. Different regions of the world are predisposed to natural calamities which make them unfavorable for settlement. Consequently, the residents prefer to seek refuge somewhere else. Floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, drought and severe weather are just but a few to name. For instance, frequent earthquakes have occurred in the San Francisco region resulting in massive loss of life and property damage. Other weighty earthquakes are the Tohuku earthquake and tsunami that claimed thousands of lives. Metrological disasters such as the Afghanistan blizzard was another major disaster. Drought majorly causes immigration. For example, the Daabab region in Kenya, a major outskirt that faced disastrous drought in 2011 which led to death of livestock and claimed lives of many people. Due to these devastating effects, many people have sought foreign areas to sustain life of their own and their property.

Political Instability

This is a situation whereby a country experiences political mayhem. It is due to political chaos that arises due to disputes between different people with differing political views. Confrontations between these parties lead to national wars and insecurities. This may result in deaths, loss of property and more disastrous turnouts. Many nations are faced with this occurrence; this reminds us of the fresh-in-mind incident in Kenya, an unforgettable evil during the 2007 election violence. This arose due to the political disputes between different political parties with different political opinions (Dancygier 111).

A lot of lives were claimed property squandered, and the country came to a halt paralyzing economic sector among others. Therefore, many people fled to neighboring countries for refuge. In addition, Somalia is among the countries that have been from time to time faced with political instabilities. Wars and infighting has led to many refugees in Kenya, and this has a profound negative effect on the Kenyan economy. Among many other nations are Sudan and Rwanda. Deprivation of peace in these countries disrupts normal life, business, education, employment, social life and others. As a result, people travel to foreign countries to evade the consequences of war and live normal lives (Dancygier 112).

Social Reasons

The social life of a person is a key issue in life. Most people usually want to associate themselves with up to date technologies. Their native nations may not be attired with systems that award quality and favorable social lives as their expectations may be. This has forced people to migrate to seek better opportunities in other regions. In addition to that, many people have adopted the habit of marrying from foreign countries. This is due to cultural exchanges that have taken place over time. People have learnt to appreciate other people’s cultures. It is a common occurrence presently with many Africans marrying whites and moving to live abroad.

Religious Freedom

Accordingly, people have different religious views and beliefs. Some governments provide freedom of religion while others do not. This has been among the major contributors of immigration. Nations with constitutions that allow inhabitants to choose their religious ways highly attract many immigrants. For instance, in the 17th century, the Quakers took off to Pennsylvania to avoid the laws set up by the Anglican Church, which resulted in oppression and persecution. Besides, in the 19th century, many Jews had to leave Russia to avoid the injustice that prevailed in the religious views. This was also evident in Germany. Due to this fact, lack of freedom of worship and unsatisfactory religious beliefs have been a major wave contributing to immigration throughout history.

Population Increase

Population pressures and the surge have led to people seeking newer regions for settlement. Crowded areas are usually associated with much disease due to sanitary problems. This is a major conquest for major airborne and waterborne diseases, which are highly contagious claiming many lives. In addition to this, housing inadequacies, water and space become profound. The available resources are overstretched. The less developed countries with low GDP are first at risk, India among them.

Correspondingly, population growth has led to poverty. People live in devastating conditions. As a result, many people flee from these areas to look for greener pastures and uplift their lives. Among other effects of population increas there is a land pressure. In some regions most people depend on agricultural practices, both livestock and cultivation of crops for a living. Due to increase in the number of residents in these regions, the land used becomes a scarce commodity. As a result, there is a disruption of the normal livelihood of these people. The available land may not be enough to sustain the lives of these families. Stiff competition arises among these people concerning who is to own the land. In addition, disputes may also arise leading to wars and fights. Therefore, this will lead to immigration of people to seek more productive land for better living standards (Lyons 12).

Moreover, population increase leads to criminal activities due to lack of employment. Most people may not tolerate residing in such places; hence they tend to relocate to seek more secure places.

Changing Migration Laws

In the previous decades, migration was a major restriction in many nations. People did not have the freedom to move freely to other regions. It was one such hectic process before one was cleared to settle in another place. Only in a few instances such as academic scholarships, employment and exploration this was allowed. Such restrictions were due to valid as well as selfish reasons such as racism. For instance, most African regions were associated with serious diseases which rendered them unacceptable in European countries. However, with time this has changed and more flexible laws have been enacted. Nowadays, people can move and settle freely in most continents of the world given the regulations are observed. For instance, the Kenyan government constitution provides an allowance for its citizens to have dual citizenship. This has greatly impacted the lives of many Kenyans by opening for them enormous opportunities abroad. They are able to invest both in their own countries as they settle and work overseas. Equally, many foreigners are able to apply for citizenship in the developing countries hence providing new ideologies and economic growth in these nations as they enjoy the thrilling climates, especially equatorial regions (Lyons 98).

Breaking Social Norms

Every societal setting has the norms and values that dictate how people are expected to behave in various occasions or situations. Breaching this pattern of behaviors or ethics results in a negative impact in one's social life. Some practices are considered vices and evil deeds that would not go unpunished. These are acts such as rape cases, murder, political harassments, human trafficking and child abuse among many. In some communities, the repercussions are dangerous to an extent of losing one’s life. People caught in these acts of injustice in case of fear of the consequences may be forced to flee to other regions to evade the punishment. Historically, this is evidenced by the story of one of the Ugandan president, who oppressed many people of that nation. A lot of people lost their lives and lived in fear of death. He was a great dictator who used power to get what he wanted.

As a result, this forced him to flee for his life when time for people’s revenge came. Therefore, flouting of the social ethics is a major contributor to immigrations as people try to avoid the wages of their evil deeds.

Sports as an Occupation

Sports have emerged to be among the most well paying opportunities for most individuals. This is a talent that pays well. Football, for instance, has become the most enjoyed game in the world with billions of fans. There are many talented youngsters out there that have made the sport their sole source of livelihood. The England premier league, for example, has over a thousand players from different regions of the world: Africa, America, Spain, Asia, Japan among many others. Due to the pursuing of their carrier, the players are forced to immigrate to the home of their clubs with their families. As a result, many families have immigrated to Europe changing their lifestyles and seeking better opportunities. However, they are faced with the challenge of adapting to newer lifestyles as they keep on shifting clubs and thus countries or regions (Lyons 58).

Major Challenges of Immigration

Despite the great opportunities available abroad, immigrants are faced with a number of challenges. As a result, immigrants may be considered as courageous people who are ready to face these circumstances. These include adapting to new cultures and norms, loneliness, expensive living standards and pressure for financial aid from relatives back at home.

In conclusion, immigration is an inherent societal occurrence that may be of benefit to people at large. It is a way that people get to fulfill their life desires economically, socially, religiously and politically. In addition to that, it has helped the world to exchange cultural practices and appreciate one another. However, there may be unsuitable outcomes of immigration such as spread of diseases, bad habits, economic degradation, and change of cultural believes and norms as well as brainwashing. These might cause a great negative impact on people’s lives. Despite all these shortcomings, I believe this process is a savior to the world since not all nations are blessed with resources that are essential for human survival. Therefore, suitable laws should be established that govern this process and allow smooth transitions. By doing this, we are able to cater for our fellow brethren who are challenged in most aspects of life. Immigration has always been there and will remain to impact the nations greatly and bring about revolution and great discoveries.

Resources:

Works Cited

Anderson, Stuart. Immigration. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 2010. Print.

Dancygier, Rafaela M. Immigration and Conflict in Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010. Print.

Lyons, Charlton. Illegal Immigration: The Consequence of Misplaced Trust. Bloomington Indiana: AuthorHouse, 2012. Print.

Cozic, Charles P. Illegal Immigration: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press,

1997. Print.

Gingrich, Newt. To Renew America. New York: HarperCollins, 1995. Print.

 

Immigrant First Draft

Immigrant

An immigrant refers to a person who leaves or abandons their native land and relocates to another region for various reasons. Immigration involves the relocation of people from their indigenous setting to unfamiliar regions with an intention of permanent residence. It is a phenomenon observed in animals, birds and human beings among many other creatures; for instance, the Africa’s Serengeti wildebeest migration, a prime tourist attraction in that region. Over decades, people have moved from place to place for various reasons. Some are attributed to political reasons, social reasons, religious reasons, economic reasons and academic reasons. Since historical era, these have been the leading contributors to immigrations (Anderson 13).

However, immigrants faced several difficulties in coping with the new surroundings, change of lifestyle and culture shock among many other factors. Despite these challenges and difficulties that this process encounters, several incidences of massive immigration have been evident over years. Therefore, there must be a driving force behind this movement that has been persistent time immemorial (Anderson 13). The sole purpose of this paper is to outline clearly the main reasons why people leave their mother countries to seek refuge in alien regions.

Tony Blair once said, ‘the easy way to estimate country’s potential is to look at how many people want to reside and those who want to flee it’. Accordingly, Anderson (33) illustrates that poverty, human rights abuses, torture, disputes and global income disparity are among the major contributors to immigration. Reasons for immigration are as discussed below.

         Immigration is a trend that can be fueled by economic reasons. Usually this applies to people living in economically challenging regions who relocate with the anticipation of acquiring better financial stability. There is a greater likelihood of people leaving their local countries if they are not content economically. Often the main contributing factor is the discrepancy that exists between jobs available and salaries in different regions. The cause effect of this disparity is the movement of people to seek satisfying employment opportunities or more rewarding careers.

For instance, third world countries are faced with economic inadequacy with poor living standards due to lack of better paying jobs. Many people are jobless despite their high qualifications. Evidently, a lot of people have emigrated from African countries to the Middle East countries, U.S. and other developed countries in search of employment. This is attributed to the fact that they are awarded low wages. Once immigrants obtain better opening in the new areas, they send the good news back home, and this encourages more movements. Free trade agreements between different nations have introduced systems that encourage the process of immigration. Establishment of multinational corporations in different countries has both pros and cons. One crucial negative effect is devastation of the local economic systems making it impossible for people to survive in business. This results in migration of people to better areas to seek for superior opportunities (Anderson 57)

           Education is the key to success’, ‘the best gift one can give a child is knowledge’. Most people have the urge to pursue quality education in order to have better future prospects. However, this determination is faded by the absence of better educational opportunities and resources in their native countries. These include world-class universities, colleges, professional institutes, research centers and libraries. Some countries have an advantage over others with the blessing of these facilities. Therefore, noone can stop a determined person with the goal of obtaining knowledge from seeking residence in such regions. There are large number of African students studying abroad and despite the high living standards, they go to an extra mile of working while studying in the name of clinching academic excellence (Dancygier 61).

        Nature is unpredictable. Different regions of the world are predisposed to natural calamities which make them unfavorable for settlement. Consequently, the residents prefer to seek refuge somewhere else. Floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, drought and severe weather are just but a few to name. For instance, frequent earthquakes have occurred in the San Francisco region resulting in massive loss of life and property damage. Other weighty earthquakes are the Tohuku earthquake and tsunami that claimed thousands of lives. Metrological disasters such as the Afghanistan blizzard was another major disaster. Drought majorly causes immigration. For example, the Daabab region in Kenya, a major outskirt that faced disastrous drought in 2011 which led to death of livestock and claimed lives of many people. Due to these devastating effects, many people have sought foreign areas to sustain life of their own and their property.

        This is a situation whereby a country experiences political mayhem. It is due to political chaos that arises due to disputes between different people with differing political views. Confrontations between these parties lead to national wars and insecurities. This may result in deaths, loss of property and more disastrous turnouts. Many nations are faced with this occurrence; this reminds us of the fresh-in-mind incident in Kenya, an unforgettable evil during the 2007 election violence. This arose due to the political disputes between different political parties with different political opinions (Dancygier 111).

A lot of lives were claimed property squandered, and the country came to a halt paralyzing economic sector among others. Therefore, many people fled to neighboring countries for refuge. In addition, Somalia is among the countries that have been from time to time faced with political instabilities. Wars and infighting has led to many refugees in Kenya, and this has a profound negative effect on the Kenyan economy. Among many other nations are Sudan and Rwanda. Deprivation of peace in these countries disrupts normal life, business, education, employment, social life and others. As a result, people travel to foreign countries to evade the consequences of war and live normal lives (Dancygier 112).

          The social life of a person is a key issue in life. Most people usually want to associate themselves with up to date technologies. Their native nations may not be attired with systems that award quality and favorable social lives as their expectations may be. This has forced people to migrate to seek better opportunities in other regions. In addition to that, many people have adopted the habit of marrying from foreign countries. This is due to cultural exchanges that have taken place over time. People have learnt to appreciate other people’s cultures. It is a common occurrence presently with many Africans marrying whites and moving to live abroad.

          Accordingly, people have different religious views and beliefs. Some governments provide freedom of religion while others do not. This has been among the major contributors of immigration. Nations with constitutions that allow inhabitants to choose their religious ways highly attract many immigrants. For instance, in the 17th century, the Quakers took off to Pennsylvania to avoid the laws set up by the Anglican Church, which resulted in oppression and persecution. Besides, in the 19th century, many Jews had to leave Russia to avoid the injustice that prevailed in the religious views. This was also evident in Germany. Due to this fact, lack of freedom of worship and unsatisfactory religious beliefs have been a major wave contributing to immigration throughout history.

           Population pressures and the surge have led to people seeking newer regions for settlement. Crowded areas are usually associated with much disease due to sanitary problems. This is a major conquest for major airborne and waterborne diseases, which are highly contagious claiming many lives. In addition to this, housing inadequacies, water and space become profound. The available resources are overstretched. The less developed countries with low GDP are first at risk, India among them.

Correspondingly, population growth has led to poverty. People live in devastating conditions. As a result, many people flee from these areas to look for greener pastures and uplift their lives. Among other effects of population increas there is a land pressure. In some regions most people depend on agricultural practices, both livestock and cultivation of crops for a living. Due to increase in the number of residents in these regions, the land used becomes a scarce commodity. As a result, there is a disruption of the normal livelihood of these people. The available land may not be enough to sustain the lives of these families. Stiff competition arises among these people concerning who is to own the land. In addition, disputes may also arise leading to wars and fights. Therefore, this will lead to immigration of people to seek more productive land for better living standards (Lyons 12).

Moreover, population increase leads to criminal activities due to lack of employment. Most people may not tolerate residing in such places; hence they tend to relocate to seek more secure places.   

           In the previous decades, migration was a major restriction in many nations. People did not have the freedom to move freely to other regions. It was one such hectic process before one was cleared to settle in another place. Only in a few instances such as academic scholarships, employment and exploration this was allowed. Such restrictions were due to valid as well as selfish reasons such as racism. For instance, most African regions were associated with serious diseases which rendered them unacceptable in European countries. However, with time this has changed and more flexible laws have been enacted. Nowadays, people can move and settle freely in most continents of the world given the regulations are observed. For instance, the Kenyan government constitution provides an allowance for its citizens to have dual citizenship. This has greatly impacted the lives of many Kenyans by opening for them enormous opportunities abroad. They are able to invest both in their own countries as they settle and work overseas. Equally, many foreigners are able to apply for citizenship in the developing countries hence providing new ideologies and economic growth in these nations as they enjoy the thrilling climates, especially equatorial regions (Lyons 98).

        Every societal setting has the norms and values that dictate how people are expected to behave in various occasions or situations. Breaching this pattern of behaviors or ethics results in a negative impact in one's social life. Some practices are considered vices and evil deeds that would not go unpunished. These are acts such as rape cases, murder, political harassments, human trafficking and child abuse among many. In some communities, the repercussions are dangerous to an extent of losing one’s life. People caught in these acts of injustice in case of fear of the consequences may be forced to flee to other regions to evade the punishment. Historically, this is evidenced by the story of one of the Ugandan president, who oppressed many people of that nation. A lot of people lost their lives and lived in fear of death. He was a great dictator who used power to get what he wanted.

As a result, this forced him to flee for his life when time for people’s revenge came. Therefore, flouting of the social ethics is a major contributor to immigrations as people try to avoid the wages of their evil deeds.

           Sports have emerged to be among the most well paying opportunities for most individuals. This is a talent that pays well. Football, for instance, has become the most enjoyed game in the world with billions of fans. There are many talented youngsters out there that have made the sport their sole source of livelihood. The England premier league, for example, has over a thousand players from different regions of the world: Africa, America, Spain, Asia, Japan among many others. Due to the pursuing of their carrier, the players are forced to immigrate to the home of their clubs with their families. As a result, many families have immigrated to Europe changing their lifestyles and seeking better opportunities. However, they are faced with the challenge of adapting to newer lifestyles as they keep on shifting clubs and thus countries or regions (Lyons 58).

         Despite the great opportunities available abroad, immigrants are faced with a number of challenges. As a result, immigrants may be considered as courageous people who are ready to face these circumstances. These include adapting to new cultures and norms, loneliness, expensive living standards and pressure for financial aid from relatives back at home.

        In conclusion, immigration is an inherent societal occurrence that may be of benefit to people at large. It is a way that people get to fulfill their life desires economically, socially, religiously and politically. In addition to that, it has helped the world to exchange cultural practices and appreciate one another. However, there may be unsuitable outcomes of immigration such as spread of diseases, bad habits, economic degradation, and change of cultural believes and norms as well as brainwashing. These might cause a great negative impact on people’s lives. Despite all these shortcomings, I believe this process is a savior to the world since not all nations are blessed with resources that are essential for human survival. Therefore, suitable laws should be established that govern this process and allow smooth transitions. By doing this, we are able to cater for our fellow brethren who are challenged in most aspects of life. Immigration has always been there and will remain to impact the nations greatly and bring about revolution and great discoveries.

References

Anderson, Stuart. Immigration. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 2010. Print.

Dancygier, Rafaela M. Immigration and Conflict in Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010. Print.

Lyons, Charlton. Illegal Immigration: The Consequence of Misplaced Trust. Bloomington Indiana: AuthorHouse, 2012. Print.

 

 

My topic of the final paper

My Topic is about immigrant.

I chose this topic because I am international student and I mate with many immigrant and I had speak with them and I ask them why they leave their country and each one I have been mate with have different story, and because of them I really interesting to know about immigrant more. However, some immigrant mover their country cause of war, educations, and change the style of the life.     

Outline

people move from their country to other country

Introduction

Immigrant why people mover from country to other country.

1.       They don’t have a good live in their country.

2.       School and education.

3.       War.

Finally

Why people move from their country? Why the choice the country they move in?

What is different between their country and the country the move to?

the third review of the second interview

The best review of the interview i read
1. Mohamed en191fl12s28mohamedto
He did very well and I really enjoy the reading of his interview. also, i will give him 10/10 great job.
2. Elenaen elenaen191f12s28
She did really good iterview and i will say she also, got 10/10
3. Brittany eng191f12s28brittany
Brittany also did really good job, and more questions.

Second review of the second interview

The second review i read and the beast interview i read

1. Bingzhe en191f12s28bingzhe
his itreview was really good and it was to keep the reader have some enrgy
2. Brittany eng191f12s28brittany
Brittany did really good job and she had many questions
3. . Mohamed en191fl12s28mohamedto
He did very well and I really enjoy the reading of his interview.

First review of the first interview

The first interview I read



1.      Mostafa  en191f12s28mostafaA

             Did really good interesting interview and he did really good job

2.      Mohamed en191fl12s28mohamedto

He did very well and I really enjoy the reading of his interview.

3.       Sultan en191f12s28alnawmasi 

His interview was really good and he give the reader more information.  

My third Interview

Introduction:

I choose an Ethiopian person for my next interview, because I was really curious about how is life over there. And most important I wanted to know the role of women in this African country.

Preparation:

As the objective of my interview was mainly to know about the position of women in Ethiopian society, my interviewee had to be a woman. I met Abby by chance, she moved to an apartment in my building and I knew from the janitor, that she came from Africa.

She was quite shy in our first meeting. I explained to her the purpose of the interview and after a day of thinking about it she agreed on that.

The list of questions was about mostly her reasons to be here, her family, her city and some memories of her country.

Interview report:

Abby and I met at home so we could have a long talk about all the possible topics. She was extremely polite and nice.

She proudly told me that Ethiopia was the only independent country in Africa, and that they have never been colonized, except for a five years Italian invasion, long time ago. That the role of women is changing all over Africa, though still exist oppression over women.

I also asked her about the city where she was born, the capital of Ethiopia, an important city where converge important economic, political and social activities.

She explained the many kinds of music and dances they have in her country, which usually are used to celebrate, to pray and to give thanks.

Interview Bio: 

Abby Saidi is from Addis Abbaba, Ethiopia. She has been living in US for almost ten years. She was raised in a humble home where the hard work produced the main income to her and her parents.

She thought that her opportunity to help her parents was travelling abroad to find a good job and provide them, back in Africa, of good money.

Country Report:

Ethiopia is a land-locked country located in East Africa, and is bordered by Eritrea,Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya and Sudan.  With an estimated population of more than 85,000,000, Ethiopia is Africa’s second most populous country.  Although Ethiopia’s official language is Amharic, there are a variety of officially recognized regional languages which are spoken among Ethiopia’s ethnically diverse population.  According to a census taken in 2007, 34.5 percent of Ethiopians are ethnic Oromo, 26.91 percent Amhara, 6.2 percent Somali, 6.07 percent Tigraway, with the remaining percentage divided among the Guragie, Sidama, Welaita, among others.

 History

Ethiopia is considered one of the oldest centers of civilization in the world with evidence of hominid habitation of the area from as early as 3.2 million years ago.  Ethiopia has been the home of many expansive empires, examples of which include the D’mt in the 8^th century BCE, the Aksumite reign in the 4th century BCE, the Zagwe dynasty which ruled from 1137  CE until it was overthrown by the Solomonid dynasty in 1270 CE.  The Solomonid dynasty ruled the Abyssinian empire which at that time included almost the entirety of the current geographic areas of Ethiopia and Eritrea.  The Solomonids reigned until a Marxist-Leninist military junta, the "Derg", led by Mengistu Haile Mariam,

deposed Haile Selassie, the last Emporer of Ethiopia, and established a one-party communist state. The communist regime which was established after the military coup that deposed the last Emperor of Ethiopia in 1974 was plagued by a series of ensuing

coups, drought and famines which contributed to wide-scale population migrations and displacement of populations.  In the 1980s, large scale famines killed 1 million Ethiopians and impacted the lives of 8 million more.   Demonstrations against communist rule began in the northern regions of Ethiopia and Eritrea.  In

1990 the Soviet Union completely cut all aid to Ethiopia furthering weakening the rule of the communist leader, Mengistu Haile Mariam.  Mengistu fled the country in 1991, and sought asylum in Zimbabwe where he resides to this day.  A referendum was held in 1993, in which Eritreans overwhelmingly voted in favor of seceding from Ethiopia, and Eritrean independence was declared on May 24, 1993.  Ethiopia’s first multiparty elections were held in 1995, after a constitution was adopted the previous year.  A border dispute with Eritrea resulted in the Ethiopian-Eritrean was that began in 1998 and lasted until June 2000.

Politics

The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia is described in its constitution, drafted in 2004, as a federal parliamentary republic.  Executive power is exercised by the Prime Minister who presides over a cabinet.  Legislative authority is vested in two chambers of parliament, leaving judicial powers completely independent of both the legislative and executive powers.  Ethiopia’s current government is led by EPRDF’s Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, whose policies have, according to an assessment by the non-profit Freedom House, “promoted a policy of ethnic federalism, devolving significant powers to regional, ethnically-based authorities. Ethiopia today has nine semi-autonomous administrative regions that have the power to raise and spend their own revenues”.

1Ethiopia’s first multiparty elections were held in 1995, however many opposition parties

abstained from participation which resulted in an overwhelming victory for the Ethiopian

People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).  EPRDF’s Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, was elected for a second 5-year term in the controversial 2000 elections in which opposition parties claim the polls and media coverage of the elections were heavily biased towards the incumbent EPRDF party.  Human Rights Watch has reported that access to non-state run media has been severely affected by Zenawi’s policies, indicating that private newspapers are routinely shut-down by the government.  

Interview

 Me: What is your name?

Abby: My name is Abby Saidi.

M: Are you from Africa?

A: Yes I am. I was born in Ethiopia, the only independent country in the

whole territory of Africa.

M: How long have you been here?

A: Almost four years.

M: Do you have family with you?

A: No, I am an only child and my parents are still living in Ethiopia.

M: What do your parents do in Africa?

A: My mother is a nurse in a Children’s Hospital, and my father is a soldier.

M: How is to be a woman in Ethiopia?

A: Right now is easier than in past times. In present days women in

 Ethiopia are actively involved in social, political and cultural activities of

 their communities. This hasn’t been always like that, but still there are a

 lot of points to work about, to reinforce even more the role of women in

my country.

M: After so long living here, what do you remember the most about your city?

A: Let’s see; in every street of the city, there is eucalyptus trees planted on

 the sidewalks, and they have a particular smell. I guess that one is the

most cherished memory I have of Addis Ababa, the smell of eucalyptus

trees.