Abyssinia in the New Millennium

Abyssinia (Ethiopia) is a vast highland of rugged mountains and dissected plateaus divided by the Great Rift Valley. Traversing through those highlands and mountain folds, one could encounter communities so vibrant that captures the attention of any person; the simple coffee ceremony, the colorful Orthodox Christian festivals, historical monuments, simple yet distinct cuisine and exclusive social etiquette which are neither purely African nor Arabian. There were times when Ethiopia's prominence reached its pinnacle of glory; also times when it hit rock bottom. One of the greatest concerns of Ethiopia today is modernizing the education. Education becomes authentic and meaningful for sustainable development only when it develops scientific concepts and methods that explicate cultural aspects of life situations. The new Ethiopian millennium that started on 12 September 2007 gives great hopes to the people of Ethiopia to energize and move forward towards new heights. In this book, the authors show scientific ways and means of identifying and integrating ancient treasures of Abyssinia in the curriculum of Higher Education for sustainable development of Ethiopia. (Prof.Sathyabhama Varma)