Andrew Heavens
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Andrew grew up in various parts of Africa — Nigeria, Kenya and Egypt — before moving back to England to start a career as a journalist. He covered village fêtes for Somerset's Chard & Ilminster News, crime and car crashes for Wolverhampton's Express & Star and technology for the Financial Times. He has since worked as a journalist in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Khartoum, Sudan. He blogs and posts pictures at Meskel Square.
Latest posts by Andrew Heavens
7 March 2010
Ethiopian ‘aid for arms’ story sparks storm
The BBC sparked a storm this week with a story claiming millions of dollars sent to help starving people in Ethiopia's 1980s famine were used to buy arms by rebels.
26 January 2010
Ethiopia: Bloggers defend Ethiopian Airlines after crash
Ethiopia-based bloggers rushed to defend the safety record of the country's national airline on Monday after one of its planes crashed near Beirut, with all 90 people on board feared dead.
19 January 2010
Ethiopia: Cultures collide in Ethiopian blogosphere
What happens when cultures collide? One of the best places to find out is the Ethiopian blogosphere, with its writers spread across the Ethiopian Diaspora, from China, through Europe to the United States of America.
26 April 2008
Ethiopian bloggers defend charged pop star
Ethiopian bloggers rushed to the defence of their country's top pop singer Teddy Afro, after he appeared in court charged with the hit-and-run killing of a youth in capital Addis Ababa. Many writers were convinced Afro was being framed by Ethiopian authorities who, they said, resented the singer's huge popularity and veiled anti-government lyrics.
14 April 2008
Online Obama campaign splits Ethiopian bloggers
Diaspora Ethiopians have been flexing their political muscles in the U.S., organising websites, rallies and email campaigns to persuade their compatriots to support Barack Obama's presidential run. Many Ethiopians bloggers rallied to the cause, pledging cash and votes for the Democratic candidate whose father came from Kenya, a country that neighbours Ethiopia. But others raised questions about the campaign, asking whether it was right to expect Ethiopian-Americans to vote en masse for any candidate.
12 July 2007
Expat Ethiopians reflect on the sounds and smells of home
The ties that bind expatriate Ethiopians to their home country dominated the Ethiopian blogosphere over the past few weeks. Ethiopians living in the US, Europe and Asia came up with a series of emotional posts, exploring childhood memories, local food, music and the broader subject of national identity.
18 June 2007
Ethiopian bloggers first to report shock guilty verdict
Ethiopian bloggers were among the first to report on a court's shock decision to convict 38 opposition politicians of a range of serious charges including "outrages against the constitution" earlier this week.
11 May 2007
Ethiopian bloggers pay tribute to jet crash reporter
Ethiopian bloggers have flooded the internet with tributes to Associated Press reporter Anthony Mitchell who was one of 114 people killed when Kenyan Airways flight KQ507 crashed in southern Cameroon early on Saturday May 5. Anthony worked as a journalist in Ethiopia for five years and led the reporting of violence that broke out after the country’s controversial national elections in May 2005.
3 May 2007
Ethiopian blog blockage sparks free speech debate
Web watchdog the OpenNet Initiative this week confirmed that the Ethiopian government has been blocking scores of anti-government websites and millions of blogs hosted by Google’s Blogger service. Ethiopian bloggers responded to the news with a string of defiant posts, vowing to continue writing and beat the blockages.
6 April 2007
Ethiopian bloggers turn undercover court reporters
Ethiopia's bloggers turned undercover court reporters over the past weeks, giving daily commentary on a controversial trial of more than 100 opposition politicians, campaigners and journalists. Leading opposition figures were...
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