Wife reacts to “embarrassing flattery” of her husband

The wife of Binyam Belete, founder of Macedonia Humanitarian Association, said she was saddened and embarrassed by the comparison of her husband to Jesus by a master of ceremony at an event to honour her husband and other personalities. Reacting after the event, Elleni Gebreyes said her husband, who was not present because of illness, would have been more embarrassed than flattered. “He is a self-deprecating person. He feels has not done enough and he wouldn’t in anyway like this comparison to Jesus. It is really embarrassing and totally uncalled for on the speaker’s part. We just don’t like to think about it,” she told Ethiopia Observer.
Binyam, who established a humanitarian organization called Mekedonia Association, was honoured on Thursday evening by US Doctors for Africa for establishing an association “that is home for over 1000 elderly people and people with severe mental health problem.” Introducing Binyam to the audience the master of ceremony, Taye Worku, a radio host said: “My great friend and an amazing role model. A man, the kindest man I know ever, the most, what can I say, the most dedicated, the person who basically sort of proven to me that living to others is possible, someone who proved to me that you can forget all about yourself and yet care about others. Forgive me, I don’t wanna go religious. I know this thing only about Jesus. Christ is the only one I know of the description. But then Benyam came along,” the master of ceremony, who describes himself a rising MC, moderator and event organizer, said. And talking about his visit to the Macedonia centre few years ago, Taye said, “I went to this place to see what meant to be kind and I saw Makedonia Shelter for the elderly and the mentally ill. And I was literally touched and stunned. I was baffled. I normally don’t come to loss of words. I talk too much, I am good at talking. I have a lot of confidence. But when I saw what Binyam does, I lost every word I know. I was speechless,” he told the stunned audience gathered at Getfam hotel in Haya Hulet area. Taye later told Ethiopia Observer that he said exactly how he felt and he couldn’t help it “if it was offending to them. It’s unfortunate though.”