As an African-American and lover of all cultures, I am constantly reminding people that the image of Africa shown on mainstream t.v. is not the complete story. Your beautiful documentary portrays a rich culture fighting to embrace new technologies, an issue found thoughout the world. Thank you for the great work! This is REAL reality tv.

Dear Dr Eleni First thanks for your effort and dedication, whish you all the best.
Second please ignore the negatives as it has nothing to do with you. Hope you understand that there are many Ethiopian immigrants to US and Europe who benefit from the bad image of Ethiopia. The only way they could prosper is by making up stories to asylum seeks or collect money in the name of political group. Above all they do not want to see any life improvement in Ethiopia, since their only life goal is to live above Ethiopia’s standard life.
Thank you Aaron Brown. This will be one of your work you remember and remembered as Ethiopia will be in a different situation. People will even forget some of the negative that are surfacing now. This is History and you documented History. Thanks
Millie

I think what Elene is doing should be commended. It will definitely pave the way for Ethiopia to be self sufficient and less dependent on foreign aid. Who knows, such move might also help Ethiopians see things beyond ports and sea outlets which some still seem to be obsessed with and live with their neighbours in peace and harmony.

Looking at the comments there is a disconnect between those who play with the field the regime set for them and hell-bend to defend it for political or economic reasons, and others who rightly protest the regime’s “Gangster Capitalism” as one report put it, do so for lack of transparency and the politics of the regime.
Many others disillusioned who say trying any thing is better than noting without understanding the consequences of the power grab without the necessary check and balance innocently praise her for trying.

Welcome to the regimes well planned politics of polarization that is a standard procedure one-against- the-other and in the middle of it all is the women who knowingly and willingly involve in a field of a none existent free market.

Instead of rejecting the exchange or praising her, people should ask, what is the objective of an exchange in the Ethiopian context when she set it up with the blessing of the regime? If she is not available for Ethiopians to answer the hard questions than running around to tell foreigners then she alone is answering her own questions, it has noting to do with the poor Ethiopians as she claims.

People must control their emotions and focus on the motives of individuals like Dr Eleni do what they do on the expenses of millions of lives knowing well the institutions of markets are not a one women show on a blessing of a regime? But again seeing what is being done in Ethiopia it is the rule not the exception.

If everybody look at the exchange website http://www.ecx.com.et/ and claim it is a free market institution and praise it as such they should question their level of ignorance and blind support go back to the drawing board.

Noting wrong with an exchange, but the objective of why it was set up. Let us not be a suckers for our pity interest.

Elian’s plan has nothing to do with the progress of Ethiopia or helping the poor’s. It will make the poor’s poorer. She is trying to monopolize the market with foreign investors; purely to be millionaire for her. The commodities she is talking about could be used for local consumers instead of exporting to another country. The country already drained by exploiting its resources to another countries; in addition she is going to soak it? This is very alarming situation for all Ethiopian alike. When poor’s are dying from luck of bread this inexperienced, not grown in the country, very ignorant of culture and life style; now trying to make business at the cost of poor farmers and poor people of Ethiopia.

Dear Sir:

Your program has missed the biger picture of Ethiopia. Since 1991 the country was under the rule of Tigre Liberation Front. The group only represnts one ethnic group among over 80 different ethnic groups in Ethiopia. The sad part is not that the regime is composed of only one Ethnic group which constitute less than 7% of Ethiopian population, but it has crafted Racist and Apartheid regime in Ethiopia. If you have got a chance to go to Ethiopia you could have noticed that all the officials you spoke with are Tigres. All the major corporations you want to creat market system are owned by Tigre Libration Front. All the military and security system are in the hands of the Tigre Liberation Front.

If you could have objectively seen the situation in the country you would have wondered where are the Oromos who constitute 40% of the Population? Where are the Amharas who constitute about 25% of the population?

If you are objective observer you could have also looked in to the court system. Then you could have found the country is actually large prison in addition of to tens of thousands of political prisoners in Tigre Liberation Front concetration camps. You could have looked at the Education system and could have found out that what actually exists in Ethiopia is a Bantustan South African eduction system.

I am disappointed such trusted names in the news get things that being wrong. Ethiopia under the Tigre Liberation Front rule of Meles Zenawi is a Racist and Ethnic Apartheid Regime. Please don’t sell racisism and Apartheid as a good thing without checking your facts.

I am sure you know very well that Apartheid and Racism will not be solved in market place. What solved the problem of Apartheid in South Africa was international isolation. Ethiopians who suffer under the Tigre Liberation Front Apartheid Regime must be supported to change this regime by international economic and trade ban on Tigre Liberation Front Companies and institutions. Please heed our call.

A magnificant vision of change for a country with over 3000 years of history of the same agricultural market system. The show also provides a vivid insight on the challenges, threats, benefits and opportunities of implementing any projects – and the need of managing all aspects of projects – including personal ambitions. Her program now needs to involve more intellectuals and talented people, not only of economics science; and keep inching forward. Victory at all cost …. for without victory, there is no growth …

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/22/AR2009112201478.html

The recent Dr. Eleni’s campaign to justify the ruthless Tigrian ethno-apartheid rulers in the name of free market reminds us the Nazi intellectuals’ relentless crusade to portray Hitler as saint and defend his unspeakable crime.

One could wonder that why those scholars with such intellectual magnitude failed in the trap of Hitler kind sub-human savage; but the important point here is not the depth of intellectual magnitude or the school you attended, but what makes a different is the value one is holding as a principle.

To those who appreciate individual freedom, nothing could stops them from defending individuals right with what cost it takes, however, on the other side to those who are unable to see beyond their self interest, nothing would be important except their self-serving agenda.

Education could open a door for anyone to have accesses the work of others, but to understand what has been said and implement it, is a personal commitment and it needs to be selfless to appreciate the right of others.

Indeed, there is a difference between the narcissistic and the magnanimous scholars, and of course the difference is huge and nothing common between them. The vicious crime committed by Nazi scholars proved that how scholars and intellectuals use their potential to advance the criminal activity of their group with the masquerading dogma. So, what Dr. Eleni is doing right now is not different to what happened 50 years ago in Germany.

Of course speaking with forked tongues, she is defending the crime of the Tigrian ethno-apartheid rulers and making a toll story to justify their vicious crime with the disguise of free market.
The truth is that Ethiopia is the prison of its citizens, except those whose tribe belong to the ruling group, Tigrains, and of course every economic sector exclusively controlled by them, including small business, real estate and export and import, and moreover, the tribal government officially outlaw business license to those who do not belong to Tigray tribe, so what kind of free market Dr. Eleni is preaching.

I understand she is an economist, but twisted like Nazi scholar that is why she is trying hard to separate the inseparable, Democracy, individual freedom and free market.
It seems that she is trying to put the cart before the horse. There is no free market without individual freedom and democracy. Evan the noble prize winner, economist Amartya Sen put it this way “No substantial famine has ever occurred in any independent and democratic country with a relatively free press.”

However, she is a benefactor from this ruthless regime and her tribal chief interest is her interest, so those who are fighting to establish democracy, justice and equality should not surprise by her misleading fallacious rhetoric

Quite an eye opening and thoroughly engrossing documentary. I am an employee at the Kansas City Commodity Exchange(KCBT) since 1998. However I did not fully grasp the great importance of a well functioning market to a well-being of a nation until I saw The Market. Just shows how much we in the West are ill informed because we take a lot of things around us for granted. Gongra. Wide Angle and the Ethiopian people.