Africa

40th Anniversary of Gondar-Leipzig University Partnership

H.E. Ambassador Mulu Solomon celebrates the longstanding bilateral cultural relations between Germany and Ethiopia.

October 14th, 2019
Giulia Russo Wälti, News from Berlin
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On September 28th and 29th 2019, H.E. Ambassador Mulu Solomon attends the celebration for the partnership between Gondar and Leipzig Universities, and takes the opportunity to meet the Ethiopian diaspora community in Leipzig and it’s the surroundings.

German and Ethiopian cultural relations are based on a long tradition of cultural and scientific exchange of knowledge. Due to the long tradition of German research in Ethiopia, university partnerships are a fundamental component of bilateral relations between the two countries, for example, the South Omo Research Center, a project promoted by German academic and scientific institutions. Its prime objective is to conserve and foster cultural heritage of diverse ethnic groups of the region, as it offers a forum for scientific debate and trans-cultural understanding in Southern Ethiopia.

The University of Gondar is the oldest medical school in Ethiopia, founded in 1954 in the former capital. Since 1979, the Gondar Medical School has been reorganized by the Addis Ababa University in partnership with Leipzig University, which was formerly known as the Karl Marx University. The cooperation has allowed both universities to benefit from the exchange of teachers, students, research, medical equipment and other facilities.
H.E. Ambassador Mulu Solomon also took the opportunity to meet and address the Ethiopian diaspora in Leipzig. Their contributions to the Ethiopian state, he claimed, are a great opportunity to the development of cultural and socio-economic reforms within the country. Additionally, he encouraged investments in his motherland. The Ethiopian government is adopting political and economic reforms for stabilizing the Horn of Africa region. It is for this reason that the Prime Minister of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed Ali, was awarded the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in ending the 20-year post-war territorial stalemate between Ethiopia and Eritrea. In particular, through targeted reforms, the PM has ensured a political openness that has enabled him to put an end to a 20-year conflict.

Ethiopia is promoting its way towards new reforms and a new-found stability within the Horn of Africa region. The government’s strategy to strengthen bilateral cooperation with Germany through cultural partnerships will hopefully lead to the exchange of information beneficial for both countries.

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News from Berlin