Seattle ready for the leaders

Ethiomedia | September 28, 2007

Photo credit: Tewodros Mekebeb & Ethiomedia for the five stars of Kinijit, and Scott Beale of laughingsquid.com for the Space Needle of Seattle.

SEATTLE – Starting today, the talk and worry in Seattle is how to welcome and make the leaders visiting Seattle feel at home during their three-day stay in the Emerald City.

Those of us in Seattle will be joined by our Kinijit friends from Portland, Oregon State, and from the elegant Vancouver, BC in Canada.

At a meeting held last night at Beacon Hill Hall, Ethiopians discussed for over two hours topics ranging from rolling out the red carpet at Seatac International Airport to staging a rich traditional Ethiopian dances at China Harbor, a restaurant with a 1000-seat conference hall by the seaside of Lake Union in the heart of downtown Seattle.

“It’s once in-a-lifetime-experience,” said Shakespear Feyissa, the prominent lawyer who is heading the committee that is overseeing the welcoming ceremony of the Kinjit leaders, ” and everyone of you should throw your weight behind the preparation to welcome the great Ethiopians to our city.”

“Various committees have been set up in connection with carrying out the programs of Kinijit leaders here in Seattle,” says Muluneh Yohannes, a staunch Kinijit organizer and human rights activist, who added “the details of each program will be publicized in the shortest time possible.”

Posters have already hit the streets and stores of Seattle, Vancouver BC and Portland, while tickets will soon pop up over the weekend.

Following is a press release by organizers of the ceremony welcoming the Kinijit leaders to the city of Seattle.

Seattle Press Release

Ethiopians in the great Pacific NorthWest and Vancouver Canada are gearing up to roll the red carpet in Seattle for the Kinijit leaders who are on a working tour in North America. The five member delegation including the Vice-Chair of the party Ms. Bertukan Mideksa, the spokesperson Dr. Hailu Araya, the Mayor elect of Addis Ababa Dr. Berhanu Nega, Eng. Gizachew Shiferaw and Ato Brook Kebede will arrive at Seatac Aiport on Friday October 5th at 11:00AM.

During their historic visit to Seattle, the home of Ethiomedia and many Kinijit supporters and human rights activists, they are scheduled to meet with City fathers and several State and Federal officials. On Saturday October 6, 2007 they will attend a huge town hall meeting where they will meet and greet their supporters and exchange ideas.

It is with great pride and excitement that Ethiopians from Oregon, Washington and Vancouver, Canada are eagerly waiting to welcome the founding Fathers of Ethiopian Democracy.