Featured stories about Ethiopia
Stories about Ethiopia
25 March 2020
Across Africa, COVID-19 heightens tension between faith and science
While many African governments have taken stringent measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, not all leaders agree with banning faith-based gatherings.
19 March 2020
Refugees in Ethiopia's camps raise privacy and exclusion concerns over UNHCR’s new digital registration
Biometric registration enables refugees to secure a digital ID that gives them access to aid. Their use has raised serious concerns about privacy and exclusion among refugees in Ethiopia.
26 December 2019
From Kenya to Ethiopia, these men received divine dream ‘maps’ to carve caves
Throughout history, many have questioned the veracity of divine intervention through dreams, but prophets from Islam, Judaism and Christianity have all testified to messages from God through dreams for millennia.
12 December 2019
Ethiopia: Stop hate speech, not free speech
Ethiopia's new hate speech bill aims to "tackle the erosion of the nation’s social cohesion, political stability and national unity." But digital rights advocates say it threatens democracy.
5 December 2019
Astrophysicists in Ethiopia hop on ‘astrobus’ tour of cosmic possibilities
A team of 24 astrophysicists, scientists, artists, and innovators will hop on "Astrobus Ethiopia" and tour eight cities in northern Ethiopia to teach hands-on workshops in science and the arts.
4 December 2019
Join Global Voices’ #WritingTowardFreedom Twitter chat on December 11, 2019
How has ethnic hate speech, mis- and disinformation and internet shutdowns become insidious threats to online freedom of expression in Africa? Join us for this discussion in a Twitter chat.
22 November 2019
In Ethiopia’s disinformation epidemic, the crumbling ruling coalition is the elephant in the room
As acts of communal violence that took place in Oromia in October subsided, a new battle began online over interpretations of the violence — and who was to blame.
18 October 2019
How Ethiopia's ruling coalition created a playbook for disinformation
Manipulation tactics used by Ethiopia's ruling coalition members against each other in their internal power struggle serve as a blueprint for opposition groups to attack their opponents and the government.
14 October 2019
Was the Nobel Peace Prize for Ethiopia’s prime minister premature?
Abiy Ahmed Ali has undertaken unprecedented reforms since he took office last year. But will he end up like other African leaders who started well, but went rogue over time?
9 October 2019
Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa: Global Voices represents at Addis Ababa digital rights conference
The forum represented a huge step forward for digital rights in Ethiopia, where, just five years ago, press freedom and digital rights were at an all-time low.
13 September 2019
A proposed administrative shift in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church stokes ethnic, religious tensions
Oromo clerics say the EOTC expects Oromo churchgoers to worship in Ge’ez, the church’s liturgical language, or Amharic, the working language of Ethiopia's federal government.
30 August 2019
Mass tree-planting in Ethiopia broke world records, but its impact will take time
Mass tree-planting projects are exciting, but the solution is never as simple as it seems. Send a Cow encourages smallholder farmers to plant multi-purpose trees in harmony with the environment.
29 August 2019
Months after pledge to open internet, Ethiopia disrupts connectivity amidst communal violence, tension
Ethiopian authorities have resorted to shutting down entire networks in response to recent ethnic and political tensions. A lack of transparency makes it impossible to challenge.
7 August 2019
In Ethiopia, disinformation spreads through Facebook live as political tensions rise
Online conspiracy theories, political rants and rumors laced with communal hatred are now common genres in Ethiopian social media.
28 June 2019
Netizen Report: Conflict triggers internet shutdowns in Mauritania, Myanmar and Ethiopia (again)
Struggles for political power in Myanmar, Mauritania and Ethiopia led to widespread shutdowns of internet services this week.
21 June 2019
Netizen Report: Lawyers seek court challenge against Ethio Telecom over internet shutdown
Pakistani bloggers face threats for online speech, Algeria shuts down social media and Indonesian police say they’re "cyber patrolling" WhatsApp.
16 March 2019
Hundreds gather in Nigeria to mourn professor Pius Adesanmi: ‘A juggernaut of African thought’
"A thousand years from now, I am hoping that fragments of my writing survive: not all accepted to live as slaves of the most irresponsible rulers of their era."
12 March 2019
Nigerians grieve the death of Pius Adesanmi, postcolonial scholar and public intellectual
"A towering intellectual with a mind that cut through issues like a scalpel who still remained curious about the issues of a younger would-be thinker ..."
8 November 2018
Africa uncovered: an interview with Aida Muluneh
"[...] being African is really more complex as well and it’s not just one thing. There are different definitions and different interpretations and I just happen to be one of...
12 October 2018
Why are African governments criminalising online speech? Because they fear its power.
The noise we make on digital platforms scares oppressive regimes. In some cases, it can even force them to rescind their actions.
