Columbia has sparked controversy yet again. The Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi Asres, was invited by the university to address “The Current Global Environment and its Impact in Africa”. This controversial move has outraged many. Along with the many atrocities Zenawi has committed, he is also currently on genocide watch. Columbia is not a stranger to this kind of incendiary action, having invited Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak in 2007. We question the motive behind this decision. Why does Columbia University invite leaders as notorious as Ahmadinejad and Zenawi to their institution?
Witness to Zenawi @ Columbia by Carmen Medina:
I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I just knew I wanted to get some interviews at this event. I remember saying to my mother as I was walking out the door. “Bye Ma, I’m going to see this prime minister of Ethiopia talk and see if people have anything to say.” I expected to see a very small crowd, if anyone at all. I did not have high expectations. The moment I got off of the subway and headed to Low Library, I began to hear both Amharic and English chanting. Men and women from beige to mahogany yelled in unison. Their curls and dreadlocks got in the way of their faces and they would brush them back as they stood for what they believed in. I saw hope in their brown eyes, giving me insight into why they were there. What an aesthetically pleasing group; I MUST hear what they have to say. The closer I got, the more I heard and realized not ALL of it was a protest. Shockingly, I discovered that many were also there to praise Zelawi and his work in Ethiopia.
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