The Second Annual Tsehai Conference

ETHIOPIA: 

IN THE EVE OF THE NEW MILLENIEUM

July 2, 2007  |  Hilton Anatole  |  Dallas, Texas

by Elias Wondimu                     

DISTINGUISHED PANEL MEMBERS AND GUESTS, FELLOW ETHIOPIANS, ESTEEMED FRIENDS OF ETHIOPIA, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN –

On behalf of all at the Ethiopian Heritage Foundation, Tsehai Publishers, the International Journal of Ethiopian Studies, the Ethiopian Institute for Nonviolence Education and Peace Studies, and my colleagues who have worked so hard to bring us all together for the second time, I extend my warm and heartfelt gratitude to all of you for making time out of your busy schedules to participate in this very important and timely conference. 

It is indeed a pleasure to see old friends and colleagues as well as those of you who are joining us for the first time. With your presence, I am confident that this year’s gathering will be just as rewarding, if not more so. Welcome and thank you for being here!!!

It is a great privilege for me to host this special gathering and to be among so many distinguished and accomplished experts from so many disciplines—many who have dedicated their lives to the promotion, and preservation of Ethiopia’s rich heritage, in one way or another – and many who in varied ways, have demonstrated their longstanding commitment to our country’s development and the well-being of her diverse citizens.

The theme of this year’s conference is Ethiopia in the eve of The New Millennium; What a historic time we have been blessed to witness!

Our longevity as an independent country has produced in each one of us the undeniable unique cultural predisposition of politeness, patience, hospitality, and many other remarkable traits, not to mention our long literary tradition. Today, as we think about the theme of this conference, we are filled with pride for we have inherited a unique calendar from our great ancestors. Indeed, we can go down a long list of our attributes as a people and be reminded of why we are a mighty people.