Tefari Nega (Proprietor): "Abebe Bikila is an example, a role model: he ran with
determination and heroism, he was a great runner, he ran barefoot and he won the gold
medal. He set expectations and goals for everybody else. He won in Rome in 1960 and
again in Tokyo in 1964. In his career he ran 15 (marathons) and he won 12. Everyone
was so happy and then after that THEY decided to start running. Two of those men are
featured in the Mural who were also successful runners, Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa
Bekele. Mesera Dafar also won a gold medal running the 5000 and 10000. She ran in
Sydney and also in Europe. The Nile Falls originates in Ethiopia and is the longest river
in the world. And the flower featured there is the most popular flower in all of Ethiopia."