Ethiopia has the misfortune of being one of the poorest countries in the world. It is difficult to go anywhere, particularly in Addis and not see signs of poverty everywhere.
At nights, when my wife and I take our usual walks, we are sometimes startled when we pass by steps, under overpasses or by other nooks and crannies and we see bundles suddenly moving.
Homeless people sleep where they can regardless of the cold, rain or other elements and conditions. Some live this way by choice, the rest are victims of circumstance.
Jobs are hard to come by. Every year, thousands of young people graduate from high school and institutions of higher learning with no prospects of a decent job. More than 80% of the populace make a living by subsistence or other methods of farming. Yet, increasing numbers of people are flocking to the city in search of better opportunities.
The countryside: It is only when you travel outside of Addis that you can really embrace the natural beauty of Ethiopia. We were in Bahir Dar, regional capital for the Amharaland region recently, and we reveled in the clean air, the laid back pace of the people, the cleanliness of the streets and the evidence of careful planning in the layout of the city. We visited several old (13th-15th Century) monasteries and churches, including the Kebran Gabriel and Metsele Fasilides monasteries. It was humbling to be able to look closely at centuries-old holy books -- hand-written with images painted on goatskins – crowns donated from kings and emperors, art and a host of religious artifacts.
We also sailed for a few hours on Lake Tano -- the third largest lake in Africa -- in a small motorboat. Among the highlights was watching fishermen navigate the waters in their tankwa canoes – boats woven from papyrus, observing white pelicans, kingfishers, hornbills and a couple of rhinoceroses which we watched from a safe distance.
Later, we drove and hiked across some rugged terrain to the Blue Nile Falls (Tis Isat) in Gondar region. The majestic falls thundered, producing thick plumes of mist, which hung in the air and also left a slick watery coat on a promontory on the opposite side.
Rasta Presence: We have met a number of the several thousand Rastafarians who call Ethiopia home or who make regular pilgrimages to “The Promised Land.” They are well-respected and well-known for their faith and their country of origin, but most Ethiopians are at a loss to understand why Rastafarians regard Emperor Haile Selassie I as divine.
Selassie, (1892-1975) gave Rastafarians several thousand hectares of land in the southern town of Shashemane to Rastafarians following his state visit to Jamaica in 1966. Rastas from around the world settled there and the focus of late is to build up the area’s infrastructure and put in place facilities and a range of amenities.
Shoshemane is also historically significant because Selassie also granted land during the 1930s to Africans from the Diaspora who answered the call to defend Ethiopia with their lives and resources from Italian aggression following Mussolini’s invasion and occupation of that country in 1935.
The Italians were driven out of Ethiopia in 1941 but not before brutal attempts by the military to pacify the country and bring it under Italian control. Ethiopian resistance and guerrilla campaigns, including the attempted assassination of General Rodolfo Graziani, led to bloody reprisals by the Italians. This included the murder of tens of thousands of innocent people; the use of mustard gas against Ethiopian soldiers, rebels and civilians; the enslavement of Ethiopians; summary executions and wholescale imprisonment of civilians in concentration camps.
On May 2, Selassie fled to exile in England. Italian forces marched into Addis and on May 7, 1936, King Victor Emmanuel III annexed Ethiopia, proclaimed himself Emperor of Ethiopia and Italy merged Somaliland, Eritrea and Ethiopia into what was called Italian East Africa.
Onto more pleasant topics –
The Women: Jamaica boasts some of the most gorgeous women in the world, but Ethiopia is a veritable cornucopia when it comes to the wide variety of the distaff gender. Walk the streets of Addis or any city or town and be prepared to be dazzled by the staggering array of fine women – of all sizes, shapes and colors – sauntering about. Men from all over the world – especially Europeans – flock to the country not just to visit tourist sites but also to fulfill their desire to get to know the women better. Go into the countryside, though, and you’ll see women whose looks, carrier and demeanor reach out to the African in us and remind us of our mothers and grandmothers.
A breezy insouciance: Americans and Europeans, for whom time is everything, invariably learn when they settle or visit Ethiopia that time has a different meaning here. Addis is marked by a large city’s haste, speed, hustle and bustle but in rural areas, the pace is gentler, more studied and nuanced.
It is the custom for folks to move at their own pace, and things get done when they get done, much to the chagrin of those from the West. Jamaicans would readily recognize the “soon come” culture that flourishes here.
Crazy ass driving: Drivers in New York and Rome have the well-deserved reputation of being aggressive, impatient drivers. Yet commuting in Addis overshadows those testosterone-charged streets. You have to be a steely-nerved road warrior to get behind the wheel in this city. Drivers veer erratically, bob and weave, stop in the middle of the street and take chances that would make any normal person lose all their hair and their sanity, if they have either. And then there are the women drivers…
It is not uncommon to see vehicles suddenly stop and reverse willy-nilly up one-way streets with on-coming vehicles expected to make way. Or a van will be idling in the right lane and the driver will decide he needs to make a left turn, so he’ll nonchalantly buzz across three lanes of heavy traffic to reach the left lane, completely disregarding all traffic and dozens of potential accidents to execute his maneuver.
Taxi drivers are the most obvious offenders and possess their own driving code and an unbridled sense of entitlement. They make their own lanes where none exists, driving on sidewalks, medians, or on the shoulder as long as the path they choose takes them an inch or two closer to their destination.
For some reason, drivers here seem to be genetically pre-disposed to drive in the middle of two lanes. Neither leaning on your horn, the presence of traffic police or shouts of frustration do much to impel these miscreants to give way or do the right thing.
Soccer Madness: Ethiopia is no different from the rest of the world – except the United States – when it comes to the fanaticism surrounding football. In Meskel Square, a major thoroughfare in the heart of Addis, there is a huge TV screen that airs football matches and other major events for a citizenry, many of whom don’t have access to a television. And nearby, the open sidewalk space has been transformed into small pitches where boys play into the night.
And on street corners, in open lots, patches of grass, stretches of concrete, other little boys play, often using anything that is spherical, including balls constructed of rags, plastic bags, pieces of cloth and the occasional soccer ball.
To say that Ethiopians are football crazy is an understatement. Yet that madness has been manifested in an interesting way with men mainly divided into two camps: Manchester United and Arsenal. Minibuses, taxis and some private vehicles are decorated with stickers, air fresheners, posters, pictures and other paraphernalia of the bearers’ respective teams. And men, boys and girls wear football jerseys of their favorites: Ronaldo, Fabregas, Rooney, Adebayor, Rio Ferdinand, Walcott and Ryan Giggs.
In people’s homes, sidewalk coffee houses, cafes and elsewhere, raucous debates about the merits and superiority of each team ebb and flow.
Millennium celebrations: It’s not everyday that a country can boast of being 3,000 years old. Ethiopia can. In keeping with the moniker of “the land of timeless appeal”, a year of widespread celebrations marking the milestone began on September 11, 2007. Beyonce, Akon and Rihanna were invited to perform in concerts earlier this year and there have been a raft of special commemorative events.
Days before the end of the old year, tens of thousands of Ethiopians witnessed the unveiling of a 1,700-year-old obelisk in Axum. Axum, which was added to the United Nations World Heritage List in 1980, was the capital of an ancient kingdom that rose to prominence between the 5th Century BC and the 10th Century AD.
In 1935, Mussolini stole the national treasure, shipped it to Rome and reassembled it near the Coliseum. Seventy years later – following years of incessant and insistent demands from governments and individuals – the structure is back in its original home.
Barringon Salmon graduated from KC in 1974. Since 1984, he has plied his craft as a journalist, writer and public relations specialist. In 2006, he was ordained an African Priest in the Akan Akam Tradition. He has lived in Ethiopia with his wife and youngest son since November 2007.
