hen my wife accepted an overseas assignment to Ethiopia, I viewed it as a unique opportunity to live in a country that we had heard so much about but didn’t really know outside of media reports on war, rumours of war, drought and famine.
Ethiopia’s appeal came from the fact that this vast East African nation of 80 million has been steeped in myth and mystery, and has been very much a part of Jamaican consciousness since the 1930s because of our country’s ties to Rastafarians.
Throughout my childhood and into adulthood, reggae artistes spoke eloquently of their exile and their intense desire to repatriate to this Heaven on earth, while others detailed the special significance Ethiopia has for them spiritually.
So it was with much excitement that my family and I packed up a significant portion of our belongings and travelled half-way around the world to the city regarded by many as Africa’s capital, Addis Ababa.
My wife Judy and I laugh whenever we recall our friends’ and families’ reaction to our decision to head east. Many questioned our sanity: “Everyone’s trying to get to America, and you’re going in the opposite direction…” was the general sentiment.
It felt comfortable practicing ‘immigration in reverse’ as Miss Lou described it, because we felt that it was time to step out of our comfort zone and do something completely different and outside of the proverbial box.
The past nine months have been eye-opening, maddening, a test of our patience and other characteristics but still instructive and educational. We have endured power cuts, water shortages and myriad health issues but we still consider our sojourn to be meaningful and positive.
What I’ve seen of some parts of the country reminds me of the Caribbean, lots of trees and vegetation, a rural imprint on a growing and changing modern city and all the cows, goats, sheep and assorted four-legged animals roaming the streets.
Life in Ethiopia stays interesting. We continue to learn about how people live, what informs their lives and their assorted quirks and eccentricities. I have had the most difficulty adjusting to the extreme poverty, the absence of simple elemental things like certain foodstuffs, the concept of customer service, and the general lack of conveniences which we take for granted in the US.
We are viewed as oddities by most if not many of the people we encounter unless they have traveled abroad. Some see us as extensions of images they see on TV, and while that characterization may be inaccurate, we are in a lot of ways, representatives of a life and lifestyle that is far out of reach of normal people.
Ethiopia has a special place in Africa. The oldest independent nation on the continent, it was never colonized by Europeans and has a rich and textured history and tradition extending back to the First Century AD.
The ancient kingdom of Abyssinia was a crossroads of trade with Romans, Persians, Greeks and others who made their way here. Axum, the capital of the empire, was the center of the first Christian country in Africa.
According to legend, Emperor Menelik I, the son of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon, brought the Ark of the Covenant from Jerusalem to Axum. He settled in the capital and laid the foundation of one of the longest, uninterrupted monarchies in recorded history.
The country has a wide range of climates, conditions and topography. Addis Ababa is located approximately 9,800 feet above sea level, perched on the Entoto Mountains. In other parts of the country there is desert and lowlands but up here we are cool, sometimes cold and far away from desert-like conditions.
At the moment, we are in the middle of the rainy season, which also marks the start of winter, so it rains just about every day, it’s cold and dreary and cold. Did I say cold??
For the past 11 months, Ethiopia has been celebrating its third millennium in existence, a history marked by a blend of fact, legend, tradition and mystery. Below are some thoughts on my first nine months in East Africa.
Addis Ababa:The city is an appealing blend of urban and rural. For example, just below the tall buildings and skyscrapers that now dot the city’s skyline, cows, sheep and goats fight for their share of space on sidewalks and streets. It is wise when driving to always keep an eye out for ragged herds of four-legged animals blithely stepping out into traffic.
Addis Ababa is the political, social and economic center of the country. In a short seven or eight years, Addis has begun the move from sleepy city to bustling metropolis. Government officials say their plan is to make Ethiopia a middle-income country in 20 to 30 years. The construction of hotels, offices, condos, homes and other structures which have transformed the city’s skyline are the most visible signs of this plan. The country has experienced double-digit growth for the past six years and investors are pouring in to take advantage of varied opportunities. Now, residents say proudly, with the construction boom, Addis is fulfilling one of its promises as Africa’s capital.
Bob Marley Lives: In the capital, as well as remote corners of the country, Bob’s infectious, ebullient music seems to be everywhere. Men and some women sporting dreadlocks are common and cars, buses and people are adorned with ites, green and gold tams, scarves, wristbands and other paraphernalia. The Marley brand, in the form of t-shirts, tote bags, flags, banners and the like reflects the widespread interest in all things Marley.
In 2005, more than 300,000 people gathered in cities and countries around the world, including Kingston, London, Addis Ababa and Israel, to celebrate Bob Marley’s 60th birthday. The highlight of the tribute in Ethiopia was a free concert in Addis’s Meskel Square. A month-long festival included reggae concerts, art exhibits, youth and other forums - and one of Bob’s enduring passions – football.
