The Hope
that Ethiopia Will Rise Again?
It is
said that where there is life there is surely hope.
Before my visit to Ethiopia, I was not sure that I believed this.
For there, I saw life, but little hope for a better future.
It is hard to find hope amid poverty, deprivation, and a culture where
war is always around the corner. Yet,
there are signs of hope and they are seen in unusual ways. A little hope is
better than no hope at all.
In the
New York Times, page A-7, November 4, 2001 the headline says that the “Front
Line of Famine in Ethiopia Is the Soil” and the article describes how the next
famine in the familiar cycle can be averted and what is being done.
The next day, Ethiopia was back in the news, this time on the front page
... Ethiopian man wins New York Marathon in record time. Ethiopia, home of the
famous “Lucy” skeleton, cradle of humankind, where man first evolved, where
war and famine still threaten. Ethiopia, a region which recently has not been able to keep
up with the rest of the world, yet which spawned several great civilizations in
the past 3,000 years, has always managed to be in today’s headlines.
Ethiopia is rising once again.
If the
legends are true and that indeed the original stone tablets containing
the Ten
Commandments reside to this day in a church in northern Ethiopia, then perhaps
Moses’ contribution of the basic laws of humanity will ultimately show the
world how to live. Perhaps there is
some goodness that can come from such utter human misery.
Ethiopia is the living, barely breathing example of how not to run a
country. The people seem to be
ready for change, if their Government will allow it.
Our "shoe boy" ,shown at right who took care of our shoes when
entering churches, goes to school and works for money to buy a school uniform. He spoke
excellent English. That's progress, however small.
I
heard hope from Brian Puttergill and Bryan Carlson, two South African advertising entrepreneurs who
see the
Ethiopian market as “ready to explode”. I
heard hope from Samrawit Moges Beyene, a woman entrpreneur and travel service provider, building a business
for travelers who enjoy the magnificence of nature and
unspoiled authentic antiquity, and who is one of the beneficiaries of a strong
emerging female consciousness, encouraged by the Government. I heard hope from Solomon Gebeyaw, a home-grown hospitality
entrepreneur who built his own hotel, the Jerusalem Guest House in Lalibela, which he financed from one of the first
souvenir stands in Lalibela in competition with the Government-owned chain,
I saw hope while
visiting the rural development projects of PLAN International and in the eyes,
voices and actions of the parents of Habtan Fantaw Wondye (right), their only child, who
had no trousers of his own who was given a pair of pants and a baseball jacket by
his foster father, and my travel buddy, Alan Bernstein. If you would like
to do something for Ethiopia, consider sponsoring a foster child with Childreach
www.childreach.org
I saw hope at a wedding celebration that I photographed
high above the Abbay and
in which I was invited to participate. In many
respects Ethiopia is struggling to pull itself up to third world status. In the
words of Peter Nalle, "What is
so strange is how a people who have been a true 'nation' for almost
two millennia have fallen so far behind. Why
is that and how can Ethiopia rise once more?"
The answer lies in the past.
Ethiopia is rooted in its past, good and bad. Yet, there is a new
generation growing up who are looking upward and outward. The teenagers at
left could be from anywhere. They are tomorrow's leaders. They have
life and energy and determination to do better for themselves. Yes, if there is life then there is hope.
Absolutely.
End
Wazee.com
Unusual Journeys