By: Lensa Bogale

Many Habeshas grow up with the notion that being Habesha and being black are not mutually inclusive. It is the dichotomy of being raised as an Habesha at home but living in a country where one’s phenotype forces them to check Black. Nathan Abebe and Daniel Kifle are two Habeshas who recognize that one can retain their cultural heritage while simultaneously embracing one’s blackness. They are both a part of the National PanHellenic Council or NPHC, a collaborative organization of nine historically African American, international Greek lettered fraternities and sororities often times referred to as “The divine nine”. Nathan Abebe is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. and Daniel Kifle is a member of Omega Phi Psi Fraternity Inc. Habesha LA sits down with these two young men to discuss the role their fraternities have played in outlining their identities and the ever-­‐lasting impact their fraternities have had on their lives.

Nathan Abebe:

Tell me about your background. Where did you grow up? Who were your role models?
“I’m from West Covina; I have one older brother; he just graduated from Pepperdine last year. I look up to both of my parents. They’re just good role models. My dad works really hard; my mom worked really hard to raise us. My parents definitely raised me in an Ethiopian household. Obviously Ethiopian food was served and we went to all the Ethiopian church events and I call everyone my cousin, everyone my aunt and uncle.

What was your family’s standpoint on joining an NPHC fraternity?
When it came to joining the black fraternity they [my parents] were a little hesitant about that, they were like “Oh you know, the world’s not all Black. Are you sure you want to separate yourself by joining a Black frat?” and I was like yeah because I feel this could better prepare me for the world and as far as giving me a network of people I can work with, they just happen to all be black. Because it’s not really like I joined it for the black aspect it was more because of what they stand for and they just happened to be black people.

Who were your influences for joining a fraternity?
I would say my influences for just joining a fraternity overall were really my brother and my cousin. They’re both in fraternities; they joined their freshman year, I was a senior in High School at the time. I thought that was pretty cool. [I discovered the Kappas when I went to LMU for TLC (The Learning Community), which is a bridge program for students of color. It happens 3 weeks before school starts, and they take 30 black students and have them live on campus for about 3 weeks before schools starts. That was my first exposure to black Greeks. I had never met anyone in divine nine before that. We came across Kappas, alphas and omegas and I conversed with each group and I just clicked with the Kappas more. That’s when my interest first sparked.

Were you raised to think of being Ethiopian and being black as mutually exclusive?
My parents raised me as an Ethiopian but there was never any distinction in terms of telling me “you’re not black.”

I never felt like I wasn’t black, I always knew I was black.

Within the fraternity do you feel a distinction between yourself and your fraternity brothers because you are Ethiopian?
At times, I felt a little different, just because I don’t see as many Ethiopians in the divine 9. So whenever I do see another Ethiopian, I get really excited! But other Kappas notice it too. People will ask me what I am [Ethnically]. Most people know I’m Ethiopian just off top.

What was your motivation for joining an NPHC fraternity?
I discovered that a cousin I hadn’t been in touch with for a whole was a kappa at LMU. I asked him about his experiences and he told me he loved it. He said he was achieving in every aspect of his life. After seeing how much better he was doing in his life after joining that motivated me to go to a Kappa informational. So then I went and it all just clicked.

[But] the fraternity being black wasn’t really a selling point for me. It was cool that it was black people because I could relate to them, but these aren’t just regular people. These are professional men that are trying to achieve, their fundamental purpose to achieve, they just happen to be black.

What do you love most about being a part of Kappa?
Brotherhood, it’s a real brotherhood and it’s the biggest point for me. The guys I crossed with, Keon, Kev, and CJ, I can see myself hanging out with them for the rest of my life really. These are my brothers by choice not just by blood.

What advice would you give for perspective Habesha Kappas?
Honestly Habeshas are the most well-­‐suited people to join the divine 9, because if your parents are straight out of Africa and they’re immigrants and all they want you to do is succeed in life, these organizations are designed to help you do that. So I don’t see a reason for you not joining.I would just say know that you want it for yourself. Not for the reputation or for whatever. You have to want to be a part of something bigger than yourself. If you kind of want to be a kappa but you’re not really sure, then you’re not going to make it. It’s a long process in order to become a kappa and a long process in order to continue to be a kappa.” It takes integrity to be a part of a life-­‐long organization.

Daniel Kifle:

Tell me about your background. Where did you grow up? Who were your role models?
I was born and raised in Anaheim California, My parents are my role models they’ve struggled and they’ve done so much to help get me to where I am today. I would also say my older cousin. He was born here [In the United States] but he grew up in Ethiopia until he came back for High School and College. He was an older brother for me; my right hand man.

Were you raised to think of being Ethiopian and being Black as mutually exclusive?
My parents always said to me – “You are a first generation African. You are the definition of African American” African Americans who’s ancestors have been in this country for hundred of years have created a culture of their own.

But growing up I didn’t give it much thought; I just knew that I was culturally different.

But in High School I was just black. People would know I was Ethiopian but it wouldn’t mean much. They wouldn’t know all the different things that come with that – the language the culture the heritage etc. People would label me as the black or African kid. It wasn’t until I went to college that people started appreciating Ethiopian culture; they would talk about Ethiopian food, eskista etc. Other people appreciating my culture made me appreciate it more and the freedom that came along with college also allowed me to explore what it meant to be Ethiopian to me individually.

What was your motivation towards becoming an Omega?
When I was in the process of becoming an omega a lot of people were joining because their grandfather or their uncle was an Omega. For me personally, the more I got into college, the more curious I became about fraternity life. As I discovered more about each fraternity while trying to figure out which fraternity was best for me, I realized Omega’s history and motto just really stood out for me. I don’t look down on any of the other organizations. All of the organizations are trying to the same thing, empower the African American community, but omega was the fraternity that best suited me. Also, in my chapter I’m not first Ethiopian Omega one of my older prophytes who crossed in 2005 is Habesha as well. He played a part in my influence in joining Omega. When I first saw him, it made me feel “Hey, I can be a part of this too.”

Was it important for you to join an NPHC fraternity as opposed to a PanHellenic fraternity?
I have to say it being an African American organization played a factor for me. NPHC plays a huge role in uplifting and educating the black community. They care about having each of their members succeed. Helping the black community in terms of education is extremely important to me and NPHC has definitely allowed me to do that.

Within the fraternity do you feel a distinction between yourself and your fraternity brothers because you are Ethiopian?
I’m definitely considered the Ethiopian kid, everyone knows that I’m Habesha! It’s something that people get really excited about. It has been fun introducing people to Ethiopian culture.

What’s the best part about being an Omega?
With Omega you’re in it for life. It’s not just a one-­‐time thing. Omegas that have been out of college 30,40, 50 years are still close to one another. I feel like you can’t get that sense of commitment from one brother towards another with a PanHellenic fraternity.
You also never feel alone; I’ve never felt alone. You always have somebody you can lean on you always have somebody you can call your brother. Whether it be on my campus or on the East coast, there are bruhs are all around.

What do you have to say to perspective Habesha Omegas?

The Habesha and the Omega dynamic are very similar.

The sense of being an Omega is it’s own other culture. For instance when you see another Habesha person what’s the first thing you do? You greet them. If you find out there is another Habesha person in your city, you make the effort to link up with them and get to know them. It’s the same thing with Omega. You find other omegas you link up. Regardless of your differences in background or beliefs, you share that core culture in common.

***.

By: Hiwote Berhanu

There is a saying “Life is a succession of moments, to live each one is to succeed.” As a fashion stylist, I am so inspired by the talented designer Kalkidan Gebreyohannes. Juggling family and a rapidly rising fashion career, Kalkidan is an upcoming designer to look out for in 2015. Growing up Toronto, Gebreyohannes was exposed to the arts at a very young age, including training in ballet and dance. Kalkidan would later move to California and start a family, however her passion for creativity followed her into motherhood. In 2014 Kalkidan launched KA•LU, a luxury bag line that caters to everyone, from the sophisticated businesswoman to the soccer mom. I had the chance to get to speak to Kalkidan about her debut collection, Le Reve.

HabeshaLA: Why did you decide to become a fashion designer?

Kalkidan: I have always been someone who needed to create, specifically in the arts. Whether it was dance, theatre, writing, makeup artistry or fashion, the process of imagining something and then visually seeing it come to life is very liberating to me. I never went to school for design but I compare to someone who can sing really well but never took a day of vocal lessons. Some things are just gifts and I believe this is mine. Sharing it with the world was just the last piece of the puzzle.

HLA: What is your favorite part about being a fashion designer?

Kalkidan: It’s funny because I don’t really focus on being a fashion designer, but more so an artistic and creative person. What I love most about it is the freedom that comes with exploring and creating from the pool of ideas in my mind then seeing my ideas come to life, that is the part that is absolutely mind-blowing to me and never gets old.

HLA: What were your inspirations for the designs for Le Reve 2014?

Kalkidan: This is a hard question for me to answer because my inspirations are highly influenced by any given moment or thing. I am inspired by emotion, by the weather, but the constant is always women! The truth is my brain is always thinking and pushing so I just roll with it…

HLA: I know your selective when it comes to manufacturing your products, how did you select the materials you used?

Kalkidan: I chosoe materials by their quality, their texture, and their timelessness. I also love incorporating a bold material to give it a stand-out factor. With Le Rève collection, I wanted classic colors with bold textures as well as exotic materials. Once I picked the materials, I have either my production manager or leather specialist handpick the hides and skins to ensure the very best quality and selection.

HLA: What are your plans for the future?

Kalkidan: My plans for the future include creating and exploring more of these ideas in my head [laughs]. I’m planning on adding belts and other accessories which I can’t really go into a lot of detail about. Also dresses! The dress thing just came up recently so you may be seeing a KA•LU dress popping up soon, will have to change my mission statement soon from luxury handbags to whatever my heart and brain conjure up.

***.

Habesha LA sits down with journalist and recent USC graduate Lensa Bogale on her experience interning in South African network Street Talk TV. USC’s Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism is currently ranked the #1 journalism school in the nation. 

Habesha LA: Tell us a little bit about your background: where did you grow up? Interests growing up? Role models?

Lensa Bogale: I was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. My family lived in a lower-income area until I was about nine years old and then we moved to a suburb in Kent, Washington where we lived until I went off to USC. As a kid I was obsessed with books and storytelling. I was constantly reading or designing comic strips based on the mundane life struggles of a 6-year old. Later on, that obsession turned into a passion for films and acting. It was then I started performing theatre at the Seattle Children’s theatre. I didn’t discover my passion for broadcast journalism until college. That’s when I realized that I could combine my love of storytelling and film into one entity. I appreciate my parents for allowing me to be myself. They knew they had bred a child that was creatively oriented; I had no interest in math or science and they were okay with that. I recognized this was a rarity, especially from Ethiopian parents. It was a good feeling knowing that people I admired most were fully supportive of my passions.

HLA: Tell us about your experience studying journalism at USC.

LB: The Broadcast program at USC is no joke; it is very rigorous, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Although, it was demanding it was simultaneously very practical. The set up of our media center was identical to that of a real newsroom. Also, the program allowed me to explore all aspects of Broadcast: Television News, Radio news etc. I never felt limited. The courses required students to report, film, and edit. Students are given the opportunity to work in front as well as behind the camera; it’s amazing. I composed dozens of packages during my time at USC, which wasn’t easy and I hated it at times, but as a result I feel more confident and well equipped for the real world of broadcast journalism. It’s the perfect experience for aspiring journalists.

HLA: How did you secure your internship in South Africa?

LB: I expressed to a journalism professor at USC that I was interested in interning aboard over the summer. She recommended that I apply through an internship program called Connect 1-2-3. I did just that, I applied to/interviewed with the program, which then helped connect me with various television networks in Cape Town. From there, I submitted my resume and interviewed with multiple networks. I ended up selecting a network called Street Talk TV, a television series that produces mini-documentaries. They go behind closed doors to capture the realism of life in South Africa. It aligned perfectly with what I am passionate about.

HLA: What were some of your most memorable moments in South Africa?

LB: I retained so much more from my experience in South Africa than I initially expected. Honestly, my primary motivation for going was gaining a resume boost and furthering my academic experience, but I ended up falling in love with the people and the culture. The television program I interned with would create mini-documentaries about controversial social justice issues happening in South Africa. This allowed me to better view South Africa through the lens of its natives. I loved hearing people’s stories. Racial division is prominent in South Africa; apartheid ended only 21 years ago. Therefore, I was able to hear a 30-year olds experience in apartheid as child in comparison to an 85-year-old lifelong struggle in the regime. My racial classification also changed. I was classified as “coloured” as opposed to “black”, which is an experience I’ll never forget. I was spoken to in coloured Afrikaans, asked if I was from Mitchell’s Plain (a coloured township) and met with confusion when I told people I identified as black. It was a reminder that race is genuinely a social construct and plays a huge role in how we view and define ourselves/one another.

HLA: As an Ethiopian, would you ever do professional work in Ethiopia?

LB: I would love to do professional work in Ethiopia. I know that experience would be very personal. There is no feeling that compares to being in Ethiopia. I feel so connected to the depth of who I am: my roots, my culture, my family, etc. It is an experience a lot of Ethiopian-Americans take for granted. So, to fuse that with my professional life would be euphoric; it would be combing all my passions into one experience. I genuinely believe more Ethiopians should consider working in Ethiopia at some point in their lifetime. Through this, we can develop professional connections that would enable us to build a large network to support/assist one another in obtaining professional work, kind of like an Ethiopian LinkedIn.

HLA: What are your plans for the near future?

LB: My ultimate professional goal is to report internationally. More specifically, I am interested in documentary journalism; the daily news is great for personalities who love a face-paced work environment that challenges you to be time efficient. However, I enjoy spending a significant amount of time on one story. Documentary gives me that opportunity, to delve deep into the background of a story’s characters. I also hope to encourage more people in our community to explore their creative talents; it’s an area that deserves more exploration and tapping into. I know so many Ethiopians that are afraid to pursue their creative aspirations due to the stigma surrounding artistic professions. However, with brave individuals pioneering the way combined with platforms like HabeshaLA, I believe this new generation can demolish that stigma and we can witness Ethiopians succeed on all ends of the professional spectrum.

***.

Interviewed by Dagem Lemma

Name: Eleni Anteneh

Age: 19

Hometown: Addis Ababa

Describe your hustle/brand: I’m really passionate about art, in every form really. It doesn’t have to represent anything in particular, but I like to express art through paintings. That’s my first love. When I was in elementary school, our art teacher was a very inspirational person. He told us stories of ancient Christian Orthodox Church paintings and motivated me to join the art club in the school. I was obviously really bad at painting at first, but I ended up barely making it in the club. We used to go the art studio on lunch break hours and just draw. Growing up I simply practiced, even the little things. Like I used to sketch in every single piece of paper I came across. It could be a picture of an eye or some patterns, but I enjoyed the growth and the practice itself.

It was when I moved to the United States back in 2013 that I started to get into photography. I liked how you can hold on to a moment, cease it, and keep it as long as you desire through photographs. Although it’s not my “first love”, I am captured by its artistry.

Most of my paintings/sketches depict generally the beauty of women and their different life aspects: sad women, pregnant women, happy women, strong women. I’m the type of artist that brings to you and shows you how beautiful or mysterious something might or can be—beauty is my message, what I try to get across through my pieces.

Some of your influences: Well, my first influence, and probably the most important one, would be my former art teacher. He’s the one that introduced me to the world of art itself, and guided me to better at it. Beauty would be the other one. I see something beautiful and I want to take a picture of it or paint it; sheer beauty draws me like no other. Art itself is my inspiration, and a strong influence in doing what I do.

What can we expect from you in the near future? I have an upcoming project that I’m preparing to start: a series of paintings of the legs of women from different journeys of life. I haven’t decided how I’m going to showcase it, but I hope I’ll be able to. Once again, I aim to show beauty through this; I want to be able to bring to my audience, however small it may be, a realization and admiration of unique beauty, and I hope my audience appreciates that.

Where can we reach you at (Website, Twitter, E-mail)?

eleniyosef@gmail.com; @elenie1xo on Instagram; ‘Eleni Yosef’ on Facebook.

Writer Hannah Giorgis first started garnering attention on the social media platform Tumblr for her witty yet unapologetic commentary on race relations in the U.S. Giorgis was perhaps able to draw such an audience because she was intriguing yet relatable—the girl next door spitting knowledge that shakes your understanding in the best way possible. Giorgis’ ability to use her humor to tackle difficult issues on her blog Ethiopienne.com inspires readers to think critically on current events. Graduating from Ivy League Dartmouth College, Giorgis is continuing to write and inspire young black girls around the globe. Habesha LA sits down with Giorgis to learn more about the voice behind the pen.

What may be the potential consequences of being labeled as “the young east African girl” as heard in hip hop and music?

Giorgis: I remember the first Drake reference to Ethiopian girls [in his music]. I was so excited when that was happening, like yes we’re getting shouted out! We’re being represented in music, I didn’t see myself before and now people appreciate me and I’m beautiful. I thought it was so flattering. After a while, I started to think are these depictions necessarily valuing East African women and the complexity of who we are? Or is it reducing us to a stereotype about how we look?

A lot of the stereotypes that you see especially in hip hop about how East African women look are about one kind of East African look. It’s not about the versatility or the variety that we are. I’ve had a few creepy guys come up to me using Drake lines [laughs]. I think there is an increased occurrence of men who are able to fetishize [East African women] because rappers are doing it and look at you like an accessory or flavor.

Just thinking about the way African women and black women already have to deal with being hypersexualized in the media already makes people think that our bodies are accessible all the time. Also, when East African women are being elevated it’s at the direct expense of other women in the African diaspora. For example, West African men have said things to me that are wrapped in compliments but in actuality are putting me in direct competition with West African women in a way that neither of us signed up for.

If you are complimenting me by putting down another woman, that’s not actually a compliment. I think that’s really what this phenomenon is, complimenting East African women and putting down other women at the same time, which doesn’t serve any of us. All of us are kind of hurting because of this weird arbitrary decision that East African women look like an ‘acceptable’ kind of blackness. Which is sad because there are so many different types of beautiful blackness.

I want to challenge you on that because I feel like a lot of young Habesha girls are flattered by this type of labeling and like that status of being elevated. I think it’s really important for these girls to realize the consequences of that and what that really means about being hypersexualized.

Giorgis: Absolutely. And there’s a reason that I’ve been talking about this by saying when this first started happening I was really flattered. There are some moments even now when it’s hard to not be. There’s that one Drake line about ‘flying you and your mama to the motherland’ and even though I’m so annoyed about Drake doing this, that line gets me because like tickets to Addis are actually really expensive [laughs]. I think it’s natural to hear you being represented in a way that feels positive and to want to latch onto that.

I really do not want to shame any young girls who are coming up and feel positive about that. I think this is another one of these situations where you have to let people come to their own understanding and realize you know if someone is elevating you in a way that feels icky, and after a while it starts to feel icky. I think that’s obvious in places like DC where you walk down the street and guys will say stuff like ‘qonjeet (pretty woman), come here!’ and you think at first, ‘how do you even know this word?’ Then, you realize it’s because they hit on that many Habesha girls.

The appeal of it at first is that you feel special. Then you realize that you’re not special because you’re just one of the East African girls that people are seeking out. It’s not about me being special it’s about me being something that you see as being trendy right now. I think there’s something that’s a little upsetting to come to terms with that, but after a while it’s like ‘I don’t have to be trendy for you, I don’t have to be your flavor of the week.’

I can just be myself. And if you happen to love me and I happen to be Habesha, dope. But if you come to me only because I’m Habesha you don’t appreciate the entirety of me, so you don’t deserve me. I think it’s hard to deal with because being a teenage girl already isn’t easy. Being a young adult is not easy. So when it feels like you have a moment of validation, it’s easy to take that and run with it, and to not want to think about it critically. It’s also really freeing to realize that you don’t have to be the perfect silent East African video girl for somebody. You can be whoever you want to be.

We went from not being able to point out our countries on a map to guys using the word ‘qonjo’. But if a guy likes us only for being East African, rather than who I am as a person and just clumping all of us together, then we are becoming accessories.

Giorgis: Literally, this guy hit on me in a bar on Saturday. Then, I saw him hitting on another Habesha girl afterwards. So, today I ran into both of them by my house at a coffee shop on a date. You hit on me, and then you hit on another Habesha girl and you go on a date with her. We’re clearly interchangeable for you. You really had to seek out the only other Habesha girl in this bar.

I hope more Habesha women realize this and see it’s not necessarily empowering to be labeled as the East African Girl, or ‘foreign’ girl.

Giorgis: And it’s doesn’t mean you can’t dance to the songs. Whatever, have fun with it. It’s just about not wrapping up your identity into being “the chosen girl.’ Which is easier said then done.

Please tell us your transition from graduating and what you are currently working on.

Giorgis: Sure, I graduated in June of 2013 and went home and was applying for jobs. I now work for the NOVO Foundation. I love being in a space where I can think about movement work from a big picture perspective and that’s what I get to do during the day. This summer is when I decided I will be writing more and got to a place where if an editor tells me they don’t want to run my piece, then that’s fine. But I don’t want to be the person who stops me from going further.

I realized that if I have the time to post five sentences on Tumblr, then I have the time to develop that into an essay. I think the thing that changed for me is my work ethic got stronger. I just recently found out that I’m a contributing writer for The Guardian. Meaning, I’ll be writing opinion pieces for them once a month. I’m writing for OkayAfrica and thinking about how I can showcase the talent in the broader African community. I’m also going to be writing from a more issue-based for them [OkayAfrica].

I feel that I’m in a space where I have the support of my community in a way that I was scared to reach out to before. Habesha people contact me on my blog or email and Twitter and are so wonderful and affirming and encouraging. They’ll say, “I didn’t know I could do this before, and now there’s a Habesha doing it, so now I can.” I just want to be the person that I wish I would have had when I was 13 or 14. If I could be that for a 12 year-old Habesha girl somewhere, then dope. That’s what I want to keep doing. That’s the dream – to make young Habeshas around the world smile and think critically and love the world in a different way..