Tessema Mulugeta, president of Bikila, called it “a pivotal moment in our history here in Toronto” while recently presenting The Weeknd’s cheque together with board member Behailu Atnafu and The Weeknd’s parents, Samrawit Hailu and Walelegne Teshome, to Woodin on a fall day at the Faculty Arts & Science.Congratulations to the University of Toronto and their Ethiopic program.“U of T’s Ethiopic studies will illuminate to the world the hidden, untouched millennial scripts in Ge’ez and uncover rich texts of philosophy, grammar, mathematics, astronomy, history, medicine and law,” said Mulugeta. “During this modern age, current and future generations of U of T students can continue to access Ethiopia’s past and unlock tantalizing deposits of wisdom from distant eras of human history.”
Ge'ez (ancient Ethiopic) is of interest for ancient Jewish studies because the texts of 1 Enoch (originally in Aramaic and perhaps Hebrew) and Jubilees (composed originally in Hebrew) are preserved complete only in Ge'ez translation. Fragments of the original of both survive among the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The Weekend's recent donation was for $30,000. He also donated, $50,000 in 2016. For more recent news about the U of T's Ethiopic program, see here and links.
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