Although slowly, we here at bernos have been made some progress over the summer. We have been sending our products to retailers in various parts of the world.

I remember when we first sent some bernos™ tees to a store in US Virgin Islands about 18 months ago.

One of these stores is Agnes & Lola anAfrican Boutique based in London; which launched this past summer.  It was nice to see Lola Remi and Agnes & Lola featured on CNN this past weekend.

Please read the article and share it via your social networks; because like Lola said:

It’s not just about building ourselves but about promoting Africa in a positive way.”
—Lola Remi, founder of Agnes & Lola

We are extending the Free Shipping week from Last week through Thanksgiving.

I got an email from the PR person for Debo Band, for a plug on bernos. Generally I look at what they are promoting since I get those emails all the time. If its music, I have to like it.

I was familiar with the name, meaning I have heard of Debo Band but I haven’t listed to their music. And well I went to their website and got an earful.

The songs are all of which I love and it sounds like it’s performed by a full orchestra like they are meant to be played.

They are on tour right now, so I highly suggest you check their schedule out and see if you can get some enlightenment.

I am however pissed that they are not coming to DC.

Yes, we are developing our new site and I have been working on it on and off for about 3 months. It’s one of those things I have started working on a few times but somehow things fall apart as with any large web development project with a very small budget and time (mostly the bernos team’s). The new bernos™ site  is near a real e-commerce application on par with the large retailers and not just an open source content management system that is hastily installed.

Yesterday, as I was working on the product page and with all the things that we are going to leverage with the launch of the new site, including new bernos™ tees, bernos™ kids and as well as the many features of our application, I was thinking we should definitely educate people on the quality of the American Apparel tees.  I was thinking maybe some kind of logo badge….proudly printed on American Apparel t-shirts.

Everything about American Apparel has inspired me in many ways. The way they market their products unapologetically or their political stances on immigration like in the Legalize LA campaign (wiki), as well as their socially conscious position on manufacturing. They have the highest earning workers in the apparel industry, all the while the competition way is paying 50 cents an hour they were paying 24 times that at 12$ an hour.

All these and by the time bernos™ launched in 2006 they were the largest clothing manufacturer in the United States; and one of the only companies that exported a Made in USA apparel. As well as the largest wholesale for graphic tee designers large and small even though the wholesale cost of the t-shirt almost 4 times more than the average price of their competitors.

We get emails from customers that don’t know about American Apparel, asking as why we don’t use certain brands of tees or why we don’t do production in Ethiopia or somewhere in Africa. I casually shrug them off because I didn’t want to explain all the things I’ve mentioned above.

But yesterday, the company I invested in, yes I have some stock (not much) but nonetheless the shares fell and fell hard.   AA recently changed accounting firm and they got a federal subpoena, some kind of accounting scandal may or not may come and AA, like a lot of clothing manufacturing companies, is not turning profit these days.

AA owes a lot of money; they might also be delisted from the NYSE Amex stock exchange for not filing quarterly reports on time. But not to worry, they will survive because their market share in the industry is huge and everyone needs to get paid, even if they might end up in Bankruptcy protection. And bernos™ will continue to serve on the American Apparel brand.

I haven’t been able to concentrate enough to think straight the last week let alone work. I have been watching the first world cup in Africa. Tshabalala & Drogba are my two favorite players this cup.

I have never been able to understand true fans of soccer that root for teams other than their own. For me since my country is not in I have since 1986 my first cup to watch had continental pride.

I have been lucky enough to attend eight ESFNA Tournaments here in North America and every year I am excited about the games, the gathering, the soccer games and most of all the parties.

This year is especially exciting for me because bernos™ has become a veteran at ESFNA with a booth; looking forward to seeing familiar faces as well as new ones.

Things are always hectic though and we have officially entered the post millennia world much like the world cup with an app to make things simpler.

I found ArifQuas, an iPhone application for ESFNA and the events surrounding it. I found it on Facebook and I contacted the developers to see how we can make use of it. I had been reading the reviews of the new iPhone two weeks ago as the new 4g is coming in the month. And I read that 51million iPhone have been sold and it’s not slowing; its growing and its time for us, African to enter the world of reaching our niche market through an app.

With that bernos™ has sponsored this ArifQuas application not only because we believe this is going to help our presence at soccer tourney but also because niche technology targeting previously not represented people must be supported.

We were decades behind the rest of the world for years with no real standard Unicode for Amharic. The smart developers and font designers were all independently working and the industry didn’t mature till the last couple of years.

It’s time we the people steer development of things we need by supporting or discouraging actions that help or hurt our society. Business in not everything, sometimes quality beats quantity and ArifQuas by ArifSoft a fantastic application.

Don’t take my word for it, download it on your iPhones app store and then find bernos™.

So it just amazes me when I hear the same lofty aspirations from the affluent folks claiming to make a difference one day but have no plans or measurable goals to fulfill these claims.

It’s time for a reality check!

As a word of caution “Don’t mistake talent for desire.”

Yes everyone has talents but not everyone is going to be a mover or shaker and make a major difference for their country, but everyone does have the ability to change at least the life of one person by giving back with their talents or by taking sometime of Action.

It’s impossible to attend every event but when the opportunity comes along like the ” A night of hope“ Joshua Youth Academy on 5 June at the Ethiopian Embassy I’m attending.

i aint mr. right but i am mr. bright/

the starlight type/

the bark fits the bite

There’s never been a lack of intelligence in Hip-Hop; never been a lack of clever, witty lyrics and impressive flow. So what makes this cat Anthem different than the rest?

Perhaps some context is needed. Ant is a 24 year-old MC born to a loving but stern single Ethiopian mother, four years getting his degree from the prestigious yet decidedly love-me-or-hate-me Duke University, and another two in a suit in the cutthroat world of Wall Street. Oftentimes, a passion becomes a passion first by providing some type of outlet.

While in school, Ant would enter (and frequently win) freestyle battles with hundreds in attendance; he honed his lyrical acumen well before he polished his business one, and worked hard enough to escape the proverbial trap of music-as-only-way-out.  While working on the Street, Ant realized his heart was always in the music, however financial difficulties at home prodded him to continue working and stand tall for his family. When presented with the opportunity to chase his dreams, he jumped on it, and the rest is where I come to today.

Anthem’s mixtape, entitled “Almost There”, is due out soon. The album is velvety mix of exuberant lyrics and quintessential make-ya-head nod beats; some have compared Ant to Drake, but that is a superficial assessment. What is interesting though is that like Drake, Anthem seems to be another step in the evolution of Hip-Hop, with the genre moving away from gangsta notions of masculinity and towards an ability (and even a strong tendency) to express more complex emotions and display vulnerabilities.  In ‘Bachelor’s Theme’, an ode to singledom, he starts off the song with Can’t stay heartbroken forever baby!.

How often do you hear artists rap about heartbreak?

She had pretty wings but bear witness/ I’m hoppin over heartache with rare fitness.

The hook has him freeing himself of what could easily stand for the shackles of his previous profession,

Back in the day I used to love a girl but not anymore, now im free and I don’t wanna have that shit again/ Bachelor phase is how I’m livin’ we aint lovin these hoes/ and I bet that we’ll menage if you have a friend..

On “LaLaLa”, he tells his prospective lover, Stay up all night/Get it on right/ be my anti-narcolepsy…, displaying a knack for chuckle-worthy witticisms while staying true to the art of storytelling. Anthem’s creed is “Campaign Grassroots/Champagne Glass Flutes”, a line that speaks both to his familiarity and appreciation of the finer things as well as his commitment to making quality popular music that can be enjoyed simply for what it is: a record that makes you feel good. Ant’s music resists labeling, and if there is any overlying message to be had from his music or story it is to chase your dreams with abandon, ‘cuz you really only do have one life to live.

Whether my introspective rhetoric betters your souls/

Or you connect to my degenerate goals of getting at hoes/

It’s an honest reflection of my psyche/

If I’m lyin then may lightnin’ strike me/

I got my back to my past/

My chest to the moon/

Countin’ my lucky stars it’s the best feelin’ too/

I see them in my E Y E

And I’ma dream till I D I E

You gon see bout me…

Anthem will be performing at our 4th Anniversary Party at the Warehouse Loft on Sat May 29th 2010.

Check out his music for yourself on Facebook, Myspace and Twitter

When it comes to Ethiopian/Habesha mainstream musicians I’m always skeptical about the talent, or lack thereof.  Yes, you can call me a harsh critic.  I have my circle of friends to thank for that and who were nice enough to groom me into the music lover I am today.

Betty was introduced to you, the general public, by us through a photo shoot we did for the “Roots” tshirt.  At that time, we were not aware of her musical aspirations.  Fast forward a couple of years later, she’s been involved in several projects that have showcased her talent and her ability to be diverse.

Her bio states “It’s impossible to place B-Sheba in one particular category or mold. Her compositions encompass various genres and often blend several different styles.” She was involved in a group called Kaffa Beanz &  featured in a score  for the movie “Toe 2 Toe” . She is now working on her solo album “Hello World” and working on putting a group together with APthePrince called “TheeInCrowd (T.I.C)”. Does she ever sleep? I don’t think so.

I admire individuals who pursue their passion and focus on perfecting their craft. In addition to that, being a female in this industry is not an easy thing.  There aren’t a lot of females industry who are up to par, or some haven’t been given a chance at all. Bsheba is a lyricisist and will take you on a journey.If you’ve never seen her live, you will not want to miss her performance.

Bsheba will open for Meklit Hadero at our 4th year anniversary event on Sat May 29th, 2010.

For more information about the event and to purchase advance tickets, please click here.

I remember when I attended my first ESAi summit. I remember the trouble I went through to get there and I’m pretty sure those around me then can vouch for it too. It was one of the most invigorating and unforgettable experiences of my college years.

It was the 3^rd annual Summit in Berkeley, CA.  I was excited to meet some new faces and see what they hype about these summits were about.  I may be biased, but that was my favorite summit. I then went ahead and ran for a position in ESAi and proud to say that I loved each and every moment of it.

Fast forward 7 years later, I still hold on to those memories and look how far ESAi has come. For those of you who are not familiar with what ESAi means, Ethiopian Students Association, International. For the first time, ESAi is putting living up to the “I”. All summits have been held all over the US but never have they crossed the border. It’s great to see that this year’s host are located in Canada.

I wish I could make it. The other day I asked Mike Endale whether he was going or not, he said of course.  I was sort of worried that we’d only be the “seniors” and not too many to join us, so I’d feel out of place. He also said something poignant. When we used to organize past summits , we were always looking for folks to attend and it would only be right to support their efforts.

So if you live in Toronto, or you know anyone who lives in Toronto, please make sure to support these young, energectic individuals who’ve poured their heart and soul in organizing the summit.

10^th Annual ESAi Summit
March 25th -March 28th 2010
Toronto, Canada

Following the Summit on Saturday is the Selam Visual Arts Festival. The visual exhibit ranges from photography, oil paintings, motion graphics, textile and digital art and brings together Ethiopian and Eritrean artists from across North America and Ethiopia to Toronto, Canada. This year’s artists will feature : Abye Kifle, Assegid Gessesse, Naz Mebrahtu and Kal Assefa : For more info, please Click Here. 

Political hopefuls who once courted rappers, before suddenly realizing that “filthy rap lyrics” are the leading cause of all problems in society, are now calling for hip-hop’s head on a platter.

Ignoring the larger issue at hand, the role played by corporate sponsors who make huge dividends from derogatory rap songs and the socio-economic climate that breeds such music; politicians have been quick to rail against the usual scapegoat, hip-hop.

The truth of the matter is hip-hop as we know it is packaged and dumbed-down to degrade our society, blacks and whites all alike. Rock and Roll used to be the tool of Mass Mind Control, but now it is hip-hop.

Rappers that are famous or being pushed into mainstream are the least talented of the lyricists out there and with the emptiest message. The easiest to control, are the hungriest for fame, are the ones that will do what their handlers will tell them and rap what they are given for a small IOTA of success. Most rappers don’t have any wealth but yet that’s what they rap about and portray however they influence people’s priorities and push a Dopeboy lifestyle.

The funny thing is they are using our skills and talents for purposes that are not of our own making or for our betterment.

Who do you know in the hood, that wants to stay there, that doesn’t dream of getting out? Nonetheless rappers glamorize negative aspects of our society, and flip the script to change what’s important or acceptable, and No they are not just describing the environment.

They are setting the backdrop and influencing the youth to a lifestyle. Selling drugs and being a kingpin is not the only way to be successful, and even more glaring is Most of these rappers don’t actually do what they said they Did. They are lying to you! Every rapper that glamorizes the hood doesn’t live there anymore and only goes to visit, for ‘street cred.’

So what’s the solution…I only listen to underground rappers that are so much more talented lyrically and have a message, that is I don’t listen to anybody in the mainstream. At the very least these famous rappers don’t even elaborate on why ‘They are the Best, and The Illest, and Sickest’…their songs are all chorus, mainly repetition of an Idiotic Motto  and limited verses.

I am not calling for hip-hop’s head on a platter like the politicians, but I am asking how come they don’t push rappers with a positive message or excellent vocabulary?

Anyways this is a local rapper from Maryland doing his thing, he used to rap like the industry, and wanted to be in the industry. Until he realized you have to sell your soul, compromise who you are and your message in addition to having no positive messages to make it mainstream.

He was approached by Virgin records, and would have signed a deal, however they wanted to REPACKAGE his whole being, I for one am glad he did not do it. Listen to MYRAGE and tell me what you think of his skills, he is currently based out of Houston and is touring nationwide.

Wale – My Sweetie (directed by tabi Bonney) from tabi Bonney on Vimeo.

2009 was a great year for us; we experienced a lot unexpected positive outcomes, and a lot of our hard work came to fruition.  As soon as we were ready to call it a year and start working on 2010, Dawit gets a call from Tabi Bonney’s production company and he tells me that Bernos is going to be featured on Wale’s video “My Sweetie” off his new album “Attention Deficit.”

For those of you who are not familiar with Wale, he is a local rapper who got signed to a major record label and released his album in late 2009.

It was a chilly, dreary and rainy Saturday morning as Dawit came and picked me up to go to the location. We were both excited and sort of unsure on how to proceed with such things. Obviously, we are going there to provide wardrobe and that was it.

However, what we didn’t expect is what really goes on behind the scenes. Tabi Bonney and his production company were directing the video.  Earlier in the week, they had a casting call for African female models in the area for the video.  We were able to bring one of our favorite models, Selam who was gracious enough to accept our offer.

We had to opportunity to meet some local talents who work in the industry. It was also amazing to see the hard work and organization that goes into these type of productions. Wale & Tabi Bonney were gracious enough to accept a few of our tshirts.

Once the video is up and ready for viewing, we’ll upload it and share with you. In the meantime, click here to listen to the single.

In recent years I have been bewildered by the route Ethiopian music has taken. There have been a few bright lights here and there but those are the exception to the rule. The rule has been to market over produced and over synthesized music. And then, I came across Tommy T’s (Thomas Temesgen Gobena) CD called “The Prester John Sessions.”

It has to be said that the CD, anEasy Star Records release, is not entirely Ethiopian but also encompasses genres of funk, reggae and dub. The CD, which is on sale on iTunes right now, will be released Tuesday, November 10^th. Tommy T, the bassist for the Gypsy-punk group Gogol Bordello is also the younger brother of bass extraordinaire, Henock Temesgen, who also collaborated with Tommy T. Although this is Tommy T’s first solo album, he is definitely not new to the music scene. Before joining Gogol Bordello, Tommy had been a well sought after studio and tour bassist in the Ethiopian music scene. In the past he has managed musicians such as Admas, Gigi and Wayna. In addition he ran his own label called C-Side Entertainment.

The Brothers
The Brothers

The Prester John Sessions consists of 11 tracks. Backed by the Abyssinia Roots Collective, Tommy T plays the bass guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards and bouzouki (a stringed instrument from Greece).

The Collective also includes Mikias Abebayehu on drums and percussion; Zakki Jawad on guitar; Beniam Bedru on keyboards; Andrea Fabbri on tenor and alto saxophones and David Sislen on alto, tenor and baritone saxophones. Additional musicians include Henock Temesgen on bass; Jorga Mesfin on tenor saxophone and ewi; Setegne Atenaw on massinko; DeAndre Shaifer on trumpet and flugelhorn; Pedro Erazo on percussion; Adu on African congas and talking drums; Derek Wille on keyboards; Gigi, Abdi Nuressa, Eugene Hutz and Pedro Erazo on vocals.

From L to R: Zakki Jawad, Andrea Fabbri, Tommy T, David Sislen, Mikias Abebayehu and Beniam Bedru

From the first song to the last song the CD takes you on a tour of Ethiopia via various music genres. The first song, “Brothers” was co-written with old brother Henock. Beniam on organ does a beautiful job—simple but to the point. And then Setegne with his massinko takes the song to another level. I swear the gods of the massinko must have breathed on him. The “Call” is straight up reggae, where Tommy tells his beloved that he has come to her.

The “Response” is where his lady (Gigi) declares her love for him. “The Eighth Wonder” and “Beyond Fasiladas” are Tommy’s ode to Lalibela and Gondar. Lailbela (a town in Wello) is known as the Eighth Wonder of the world for its hand-carved churches and Gondar is known for the castle built by King Fasiladas. “Tribute to A King” is a wonderful tribute to the late great Tilahun Gessesse (although the song was conceptualized and recorded before his death on April 19, 2009) and The Imperial Bodyguard Band. Here Tommy adapts the horns from “Aykedashem Libe” (My heart will not betray you). “September Blues” is adapted from “Minew Teleyshegn” (Why did you leave me?) a song sung by Girma Negash.

The Response Tommy T feat Gigi
The Response feat Gigi

The piece starts with the sound from an LP as the needle makes contact. Jorga plays the intro to the song repeatedly throughout the song while Andrea goes on a rampage. Gigi wrote and performed “Eden” right there in the studio. The vocals intertwining with the flugelhorn is breathtaking. “Oromo Dub (Cushitic Dub)” incorporates two famous songs in Oromiffa. The same song is re-mixed to give life to “Lifers” where his band mates from Gogol: Eugene and Pedro lend their vocals in English and Spanish.

This was an indeed a labor of love for Tommy and it shows.

From the opening track to the closing track you can see the passion and hard work he and his fellow musicians put in. Encourage him to do something even more extraordinary by buying his CD and for those who are in the DC area by attending his CD premier concert on Friday, November 27, 2009 at Station 9 in Washington DC. Yes, contemporary Ethiopian music is in trouble but with the likes of Tommy T and friends it might make a turn for the better.

More information about Tommy T and his music can be found at the following sites:
Tommy T website
Tommy T on Myspace
Tommy T on Facebook

A couple of months ago, we told you about this artist named K’naan. We also told you that we attended his concert in DC and that was great. I also wrote a short review of his album , Troubadour. We also had the chance to meet K’naan, his band and his management team.

At that particular moment, we gave them some Bernos shirts. Now, we didn’t think they were going to wear the shirts on stage for any concert. Most of the time, artists have a set wardrobe for their shows, or some prefer to wear what they feel. A few nights later, they had a show in philly, which I attended (yes again, sue me). Rayzak, one of the band members wore the ET ALIEN shirt. It was such a surprise! I did not expect it.

Yesterday morning on my way to work, I read online that K’naan’s wearing the MADE IN AFRICA shirt on his new music video, T.I.A (This Is Africa). Mind you, this on the train with a phone that I can’t really stream videos. I call Nolawi and he doesn’t pick up.

I call Dawit 6:30am and he thinks that something happened to me. When I informed him, he said “what? beshou I thought something was wrong with you! Call me back later” and hung up the phone. I don’t think it registered. So here I am on my way to work and no access to VIMEO.

Long story short, I saw the video later that day and was blown away. Not only is the video visually stimulating, but  K’naan was wearing the Bernos shirt throughout the video. It litterally made our day. Dawit and I were calling each other throughout the day and could not hide our excitement. I finally got a hold of Nolawi and expressed how excited I was.

We want to thank all of you for your support the last few years. We have a positive artist sending out a great message wearing our shirt. This is the greatest gift to us. Next on our list is to be in your local store, to go national and international. This is just the beginning for us and we hope you join us on our journey. Because without you, our customers, supporters, friends and family, Bernos would not be where it is at. Thank you!

Enjoy the following videos!

K’NAAN “T.I.A” music video directed by: NABIL from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.

Wavin’ Flag

Interview by Shirlene Alusa-Brown (jamati.com) Photography by Bernos | Posted Monday, April 6, 2009

Bernos stands for quality.  Bernos stands for cultural pride.  But what is Bernos? Bernos is becoming a cultural phenomenon in the Washington DC area.  Their shirts have been seen on K’naan, featured on several local news outlets, and are poised to make a difference in a big way in the region.  Their fans have been growing and their t-shirts can be spotted on any given day in the DC area.  What made them such a phenomenon?  Jamati.com caught up with them to find out.

Jamati: Bernos has come a long way from its humble beginnings.  How did you all, as founding members come up with the idea to make t-shirts?

That’s a good question. The idea behind making Bernos t-shirts is simply organic. We were all looking for a way to express ourselves creatively and felt it would be a great avenue to do something that came naturally. Being lovers of t-shirts, and it being the main source of our fashion statement, we wanted to design t-shirts that expressed our historical and cultural landmark. Each one of us plays a respective role in the daily operations of the organization. Together we each bring our individual skills in the areas of business, fashion, graphic design, and photography. With all our talents combined it was inevitable that our brain child Bernos was born.

To read the rest of the interview, please visit www.jamati.com

Do you listen to the radio? I do, I listen to NPR and Conservative Right-Wing Talk Radio. I want to hear what they are saying about Obama now.

I was really getting pissed of when they were talking about Rev. Wright. I called the Mark Levin Show — approximately 4 million listeners daily.

After the courteous banter I told him he is free to vote for whomever he likes but ‘could he stop demonizing Obama and the Democrats.’

He called me a liberal idiot and hanged up on me. I was really pissed! Now I am smiling as I am writing this.

I listed to the archive online and I really hate my voice. This was a while back thus I have no link for you.

Recently, I mean two days ago bernos got interviewed on VOA – those of us who speak Amharic got on their and it was kinda funny and interesting.

Meron did a good job; I still have to bad voice and really Yetashe Amharic. Listen to the Thursday program here at minute 31. That is if you understand Amharic.

Three New Tees Coming!

Bernos is still around; we have been very busy recovering from Cocktails for Reading. For those of you that made it, we want to say thank you and for the rest of you around the world, we have three new t-shirts coming to you next Thursday.

Friends and Family,

Unfortunately, the AfroBeat party has been canceled due to matters that are out of our control. The venue is undergoing renovations. We are as disappointed as you are and we TRULY apologize.

For those of you who were looking forward to the FREE TICKETS to the Magic System show on Sunday, we ask you to join us at Cocktails for Reading!

The group that brought you ‘Premier Gaou‘ and ‘Bouger Bouger‘, Magic System will be performing LIVE in DC for the first time in the US. We have a pair of tickets that we are giving away for FREE at Cocktails for READING! For more info about the show, please visit :WWW.BCBGCONCERTS.CO.NR

We would like to thank TALKOFDC’s Yodit and Nate for their support and everyone else who have supported us at past events. We look forward to future events!

Oh Ya, the choice of drink for me is Chivas Regal; it’s been a long time since I had a drink — about two months.

So on my way home from work on Tuesday I get a phone call from an old friend who I hadn’t seen in two years asking me to come by the bar for a drink.

The cute bartender at the outside patio bar was wearing a bernos t-shirt and really short shorts and sneakers. I sat there watching her reach of the drinks and my friend asked me to grab a drink.

I ordered a double Chivas on the rocks. The blended whiskey comes in two ages – 12 or 18 years in the barrel and when you order Chivas, it’s assumed you are getting the 12 years version.

After an hour of “how was your summer” talk, I am feeling the liquor drenching me.

The bill came up to be 30 something – Even though I thought the bill was steep I didn’t ask for an explanation, but I did ask for a receipt. Apparently she had given me the premium 18 year old Chivas at 16$ a pop and thus one double Chivas $32.

I was like sh** I can get two graphic tees for that, I told my friend and tipped the girl a generous amount since she was after all wearing a bernos tee at her summer bartending job.

And Super Summer Ends you can get two bernos tees for less than the price off a really good drink.

The Brown Bernos Desta Keremela tee for only $14.95!

The Gold Bernos Ethiopian Alien tee also for $14.95 only available in a two sizes- sorry!

Your chance to end the summer with a super deal.
Get yours before they ‘sale’ out!

I was sitting on a high stool in the lounge area of a local bar. My side-line hearing could hear the topic of discussion from all sides. The classic club conversations: a little bit of hellos, laughing, some Obama stuff, & some do you have a light?

Then a girl wearing a bernos ‘I Heart Africa‘ t-shirt shows up and joins the congregation of six.

I love bernos I was going to buy a tee but everything on their website was soldout!“

I was curiously listening since they had no idea who I was. It’s interesting listening to people talking about your work without them realizing who you are…des siil.

Checking the bernos email; we get the same topic questions everyday, except this time it started out differently. The guy mentioned the number of emails we must get.

I’m sure I am one of thousands of emails you are getting about your products being out of stock. However, is there any way of knowing when you will have your shirts back in stock…”

He is right. Although we have brought out new shirts consistently, we are always out of stock on something. This topic has been discussed before and to the best of our ability we have tried to explain our predicament. In the past two years, the demand for bernos tees has been growing noticeably.

but really why can’t you have everything in stock?

If you guys are selling them- why not print more? We are often asked this question.We like the creative process it takes to come up with new designs and think we can do even better moving forward.

As a growing company it’s important we set certain goals for us to achieve. Last year it was to move from Ethio-centric designs to more Afrocentric designs without losing our base market and our brand, the bernos brand. We achieved this; however, there is still room for growth.

We think that the target market is neither too small for our business model nor too large that we don’t have the time and monetary resources to market to it. Thus, a little late but now we think we are positioned well to achieve our biggest goal yet: to enter the wholesale market, if you saw our first TV interview recently we are one third of the way there.

Wholesale

Over the last half of the year we have gotten many emails from stores all over the North America showing interest in carrying the bernos brand. The emails range from buyers asking to house our shirts in their stores, to agents asking to market our shirts via various outlets. We have been hesitant to just jump in and give this a shot because wholesale brings with it a lot of headache of its own if there is no structural platform to keep it organized.

So we must consider all the issues that may arise from this venture and first answer all the technical questions that arise when entering remote wholesale. Regardless we are planning to be in stores before the end of this year.

Online

This is the backbone of bernos, because our market base is spread throughout the world. We want to continue to grow online. But we have come to realize there are few things we lacked at the beginning stages; one is that we didn’t have a scalable platform. Scalable platform not only offers a wide range of useful tools, but also makes buying and processing purchases much simpler.

In short, we will be able to offer coupons, multiple payment options, different shipping methods, affiliation possibilities etc.

So we have hired an ecommerce specialist to make this scalable platform for us, now that we can afford it. This will allow us to concentrate on the marketing aspect of the bernos instead of the technical.

No More Unisex

For both wholesale and online- we also need to fix the sizing issue; two different sections for the ladies and gents. Now ladies you can have the fitted shirts that hugs you in all the right places. This is also standard practice in the t-shirt industry and we have to standardize if we are going to compete with the big boys.

Thus, with September in mind we will begin our reconstruction of bernos. Unfortunately we will not be having too much in stock nor will we restock sold out items until then.

Our plan is by late September we will launch the better bernos with four new and restocked shirts. Until then what we have available is what is currently in inventory. We hope our fans won’t be too upset with us and understand we are merely trying to improve so that you may have a pleasant bernos experience.

Stuff White People Like is a blog that started in January 2008 and quickly became the hit of the web.

It got huge really quickly, although I have stumbled upon it and even subscribed I saw it on TV when it was mentioned on Fox news a while back, because they wrote an article saying white people like Obama.

Post # 8 titled Obama; meaning White people like Obama. The reason because

Because white people are afraid that if they don’t like him that they will be called racist.”

That was the whole post, and the site got a mention everywhere after two weeks the website started. This post got some 1,600 comments.

The website is wonderful, full of amazing funny interesting and good hearted articles. I like it, I even read it, even though I am black I want to know why white people like stuff.

Regardless I want to add something to the list.

Since we here at bernos have a lot of white customers, I want to add bernos tees to stuff white people like.

Want to Experience Something New and eventful? If your answer is YES, then mark your calendars for the 2008 AFRICAN DANCE EXPLOSION!!!

ForceAfrik and GenerationNaija are hosting an African dance competition on April 19^th at Howard University’s Cramton Auditorium. This event will be without a doubt one of the BEST African cultural shows ever hosted atHoward University. You’ve heard of Step, Hip Hop, and Reggae dance shows but have you ever heard of an African dance competition in the nation’s capital? The show’s format is very simple: African dance teams from all over North America will be battling to be crowned America’s best African dance crew.

The teams will face off in 3 dance categories, Traditional, Contemporary, and Freestyle during which they will show their best choreographed African dances moves to an accredited panel of judges and audiences. The African dance explosion was designed for an audience that no longer believes that one must travel to Africa to experience some of its cultural beauty. This show will give you a taste of Africa that will leave asking for more discoveries on the African culture.

This show is also a highlight of the African Awareness Month (April) that has been declared by DC Mayor Fenty’s Office on African Affairs (OAA). This showcase strengths the outreach program led by the OAA in casting a new light on African culture while providing entertainment opportunities.To be a part of this UNIQUE experience, go to ticketmaster (keywords: Cramton Auditorium or African Dance Explosion) and purchase your passport to Africa. Event: The African Dance Explosion Where: 2455 Sixth St, NW Washington DC 20059 Time: Doors open at 6pm Performing Artists: African Remix Karine Zekam on behalf of ForceAfrik

It was great to see everyone who made it to the bernos first Open House.

As we the bernos crew would like to say A BIG THANK YOU to all the people who braved against the weather forecast in order to attend our first OPEN HOUSE. We were happy to see how many people showed up as the event was very successful and it seemed like everyone who showed up had a great time.

A special thanks to Momo’s Bar for the fantastic service and accommodation they provided us before and during the evening. To our photographer Sebastian Bruce for donating his service and time, Lily (our beautiful Model) for looking good with the bernos d’afrique tshirt, Brian (our male model) and to all the bernos models and friends for the support and help for making this night wonderfully successful.

Also a Huge Thank-You to, Beshou, Yodit (Talk of DC), Ephrem (Blen GraFix), Hiwot (EthioMeetup), Malik (dcabesha) as we couldn’t have done it without all your support. Thank you!!

Well it’s an explosive time at New Year’s Eve, and we hope everyone is getting ready to come and celebrate the end of 2007 and the beginning of 2008 with the bernos crew who will be at the wildest NYE Celebration in DC @ Union Station.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Much Love

After an online discussion a few months ago, a small group of people suggested that we have a social/business gathering…EthioMeetup, composed of local DC area Ethiopian Professionals, is an environment in which people get introduced to each other for various social opportunities.

Em, ya it has been done hasn’t it? Well it has, and is being done, so why should we organize one when there is one or two or three already?

About five of us gathered and discussed what we should do and why we should do it. The answer is simple, other gatherings in our experience have not been inclusive; meaning that people come to the happy hour with their own friends; they have a drink, socialize and leave.

The problem: No one gets introduced to someone new, Generally speaking. Those who come together leave together circa last Friday at the club.

The solution, you come there; compulsory introduction at the beginning of the MeetUp.

The process: We metup for the first time in June, about 20 people showed up. We basically had an introduction session and then introduced EthioMeetUp and its objective.

The group’s aim is simple and straight forward: let’s meet, introduce ourselves to each other and have fun. Anything more is just that…a plus!

The plan: we will continue to have a MeetUp, once a month on the second Friday of the month, unless announced otherwise. We will try to make the gathering more interactive via communal games. We will document out MeetUp via digital photos and create an online archival photo-gallery at EthioMeetUp.

If you live in the DC area, if this sounds interesting to you, your first step will be to subscribe to our listserv via Google Groups. And then come join us at our next MeetUp which is scheduled to be Sept 21, 2007 at 6:30 pm. For details visit EthioMeetup.com.

On any given day, there are from 600 to 800 abesha‘s that read the bernos blog; between all, they reload the bernos pages a few thousand times or so a day.

How do I know they’re abesha’s? I really don’t know but it seems like it from the comments. I am sure there is a few non-abesha’s around.

Ay, here is the rub; it’s often here on the bernos blog that we see 100 plus comments, but we have never seen 200.

So, I present to you…

The most ever comments in history, Abesha style; this one!

I would like all of you to post a comment, say hello, tell us your name, or don’t, say anything, post a link, post anything you want.

Basically, let’s make a record! We won’t break the Guiness World Book of Records but we can make an Ethiopian one. The most ever comments in history.

Disclaimer: this idea was inspired by another one started in Nov 4th 2006 and has 211 comments currently. How long will it take us to beat it?

This past weekend I was working with Blen Grafix finishing up a catalog that will be unveiled at the 4th Annual Blen Art Show honoring none other the late great Gebre Kristos Desta!  

About a year and a half ago, we designed the first Blen Magazine; that was very successful. The Blen team learned a lot from the previous shows. In the past Blen had featured some artwork with questionable presentation and  even questionable artwork IMHO.

The fix was that this year, the artists had to apply to get in; once they got in they had to provide 3 pieces of artwork from which the Blen team picked one or two. If the presentation is not up to par with gallery standards then the artwork would not be shown. And in the words of a goodfriend, blah blah… anyways I support! The show featuring many works of Gebre Kristos Desta and Wosene Kosorof will be eminent.

This years Magazine catalog is an artwork in itself. The content remarkable; featuring the writings of Bernos’ own Ethio Jazz among others. The design; I won't say anything about that.

Most importantly though, the catalog is important as it will play a role in educating many about the world renowed Ethiopian visual artists.  Afework Tekle is not the only one!

I am proud of my very small role in this, that I am contemplating sending a copy to the entire Bernos customer past & future, money permitting. That is how much I love the Bernos customers.

the following article was written by ephrem

BLEN who? Yah, “Let’s Blog About It”…not about BLEN – let’s
blog about the painter – poet, Gebre Kristos Desta, himself.

Last year, we celebrated the 3rd Annual Blen Art Show, “Celebrating the
Life of Skunder Boghossian” with overwhelming success. Now here we
are again, promoting our 4th Blen Art Show with a new theme — honoring
the international visual and poetic icon, Gebre Kristos Desta. The show will be open to the public in Washington DC on November 11, 2006 and remain open until November 25, 2006. Original works of the late painter and poet, Gebre Kristos Desta, as well as distinguished guest Wosene Kosrof, along with other prominent artists, will be exhibited at this historical event.

Who is Gebre Kristos Desta?

That was the question I had when I traveled last January to Addis to do research on the man. Many, including his students, call him “Gashe Gebre”. The depth of their veneration and respect is event in the reverent expression on their faces when they speak about him. I was touched by the obvious affection and esteem that the life of this seemingly reserved man still inspired in acquaintances from long ago. To Ethiopia and the world, he was a symbol for artistic innovation, but to his students he was much more; an ducator, an inspirational role model, and a guiding light in the mostly to his students he was beyond that, an aspiring educator and guiding light in their search for artistic expression.

I won’t write his biography in entirety on this blog, but I would like to briefly highlight his accomplishments and his contributions to Ethiopia’s modern art scene.

Born to clergyman and graphic artist Aleka Desta, Gashe Gebre started to paint at a young age with his father’s guidance. He was introduced to abstract art while studying in Germany and there decided to become an expressionist. Gashe Gebre moved back to his homeland Ethiopia to live and paint, but faced challenges when introducing his new style. As an abstract painter, Gashe Gebre was confronted with the task of introducing modern art into a culture still steeped in traditionalism. Ground-breaking ideas are often met with discomfort; at the time, abstract expressionism was truly revolutionary in Ethiopia. Gebre Kristos often found himself faced with staunch opposition and severe criticism. Despite the obstacles, Gashe Gebre continued to teach and paint.

Gashe Gebre drew attention not only as founder of modern abstractionism in Ethiopia; he also stirred up controversy as one of the first contemporary Ethiopian poets, embracing beats and rhythms never before seen in Ethiopian poetry. Collections of his poems are posted at Amha Asfaw’s web site . Some of my favorites are “Keresh Ende Waza“, “Ewedeshalehu”, and “Tenegn”. When I read Gashe Gebre’s poems, frames, shapes, and constructions of his paintings become all the more lucid; his abstractions are narratives and speak as clearly as the colors of the paintings themselves. For me, the sounds and words of a favorite poem flow then stick in my head…”E w e d e s h a l h h u”…to each, however, they tell a different story.

During the Derg era, Gashe Gebre was forced to be involved in producing visual propaganda materials. In an interview, one of his students told me of Gashe Gebre’s frustration with the interruptions of the government; officials would sometimes intrude on classes to hand-pick students for outside poster detail work.

Gashe Gebre started the 1st National Gallery of Ethiopia, named City
Hall Gallery, upon his return from serving a term as art expert with the Derg’s Zemecha. As a whole, Gashe Gebre was dissatisfied with the government’s policy and negative impact on art. He later left for Germany.

Gashe Gebre moved to Lawton, Oklahoma in the 80’s, where he died. Neither Gashe Gebre’s full life story nor a comprehensive discussion of his works would fit in this blog; a complete biography is needed to truly tell the tale. I hope that some reader will undertake the task!

Gebre Kristos’ legacy as a historical figure is monumental, and the magnitude of his works will live for generations. The transfer of 30-some original paintings from Germany to Ethiopia accompanied by the opening of a center devoted specifically to Gashe Gebre’s work is a major triumph – we can only hope that this first step of progress will be followed for other artists.

The task of preserving Gebre Kristos’ art is by no means complete, however. Passing through Sidist Kilo Menged and seeing the sign “Goethe-Institute Addis Ababa Gebre Kristos Desta Center was an eye-watering moment for me. Unfortunately, I was about to be severely disappointed. After a few futile attempts to discover where exactly I should have been doing my research within the center, I realized that the institute was hosting some other event that had nothing to do with Gashe Gebre or even art. The staff were running here and there, and were to busy to be interrupted by my questions about Gebre Kristos and the rooms that supposedly housed the famous collection. The center was equipped with its own library, but I found literally nothing on Gebre Kristos Desta. I resorted to stealth tactics – peeping around doors and into empty offices trying to locate the paintings. To my utmost astonishment and anger, the majority of the precious work was scattered in abandoned rooms or lying against the wall in office corners. The pieces collected by the center are a national treasure, and I truly regret that they are not cared
for and displayed in a manner befitting their extreme importance.

Recently, the Gebre Kristos Center and the Institute of Ethiopian Studies
published in collaboration a remarkable catalogue entitled “Gebre Kristos Desta: The Painter-Poet” Thanks to Yohannes Gedamu, I received a copy. My knowledge of the life of the artist derives mainly from this catalogue; I recommend buying or borrowing one ASAP. The catalogue is not available online, unfortunately; I know I would have like to have one or two more.

Last but not least, I strongly object to Nolawi saying that he only played “a very small part” in the formation of this year’s art show and catalogue. I want to sincerely thank you, Nolawi, for all of your invaluable support to the team. Your contributions were enormous; without your collaboration, we would not be where we are today. Great appreciation also goes to the angel who appeared at exactly the right moment – Makeda Agonafer. While staying at BLEN, Makeda forewent sleep to help with the development of our show. As we always say, BLEN is a safe haven for AFC (Artists for Charity). I thank her with all my heart. Visit her website Artists for Charity to really support Ethiopia!

As you may have heard, the Annual Blen Art Show is in trouble. You, our supporters, have shown great enthusiasm for the show, but unfortunately our events are growing to fast for us to manage them correctly. The research, recruiting, and organization involved take a massive amount of time, manpower, and financial assistance. Sadly, we lack enough of all of these important ingredients at the moment. Due to these and other factors, this is the last year we will coordinate an annual show. We hope to see you all at the 4th Annual Blen Art Show on November 11 at the opening ceremony

Ephrem M Girma
www.blenartshow.com

My sister claimed in her long emails that the market place in Dakar is more hectic than an Abesha club on Saturday Nights. A fool and his money are parted easily. The first price is never the right price, 100% markup is more like it.

Outrageous markups are not limited to Dakar’s market place; I dregdge up going shopping for a Beg (sheep, lamb or whatever you call it) with my grandfather in Addis.You start at 160 birr and end up 60 birr as final price. Ya ya, I know that was a long time ago, now the beg cost an arm and two legs. I recall the Beg special on African Market last Ethiopian Christmas, you pay a 120$ American and they will deliver a live Beg to your families’ home in any major city of Ethiopia.

So my sister went shopping in Merkato, and much like most of my family members, she is sharp enough not to wear or show anything that screams,

I just came from America, charge me extra!”

The quandary was that she took an oblivious Bole Lij with her. This girl, as I was told had never been to Merkato. To top it all, she insisted on speaking English even though she had lived all her life in Addis.

Merkato as you know is the largest open-air market in Africa. If it’s in Ethiopia, you can find it in Merkato. If it’s not sold in Merkato then it’s not in Ethiopia. Merkato is not a marketplace of Addis, but a city on its own.

…the two square kilometer sprawling metropolis is a seething mass of stalls, people, police, trucks, food, trade and dust, with each carefully organized section acting as a novel insight into Ethiopian culture and tradition. It is said that you can buy anything here – from a Kalashnikov to a camel – and having experienced it, one is willing to believe it.

In honor of everything and anything ‘Sold in Merkato,’ Bernos is proud to present the second of the new set of T-shirt. Sold in Merkato will be printed on Olive American Apparel T-shirt; coming to a monitor near you by the end of November.

We are cordially inviting any Ethiopian with at least one trigger finger to participate in the Annual Ethiopian Paintball Tournament. Let’s shoot each other and get some frustrations out!

Sorry this will only be for those residing in the DC metropolitan area. The event will be held on Sunday, October 8, at 11:00am. The cost is only 50$, includes all equipments. This is located in Bowie, Maryland. We could possible carpool. If you are interested in joining us, please email me at ephrem@blengrafix.com or post a comment. All welcome, have to be over 18!

Lets kick ass!

DUE TO THE OVERWHELMING RESPONSE, THE EVENT DATE HAS BEEN MOVED TO NEXT SUNDAY…OCTOBER 15, 2006 AT 11 AM.