Category Archives: 23 Ethiopia
Downhill
The first time I ever met Ethiopians* was when I was volunteering in the Soetwater refugee camp in May 2008, a couple of days after an outbreak of xenophobic violence across South Africa had caused an exodus of immigrants from … Continue reading
Altitude
NB After 14 months’ successful shielding to avoid COVID-19 in Cape Town – thanks to scrupulous hygiene protocols observed by Sampson – I succumbed within 14 days of arriving in a coronasceptic house here in Cabo Verde. I tested positive … Continue reading
Menelik’s Window
Not only does Ethiopia’s calendar drag behind a little mulishly, we found 1km there can often feel like 5. The map showed two roads out of Lalibela; the one we’d come in on from Gondar was so rough, we figured … Continue reading
Black Monuments Matter
Ruby and I had to admit Sampson had been right: the appallingly steep ascent into Lalibela would’ve killed Big Reg’s engine if we’d carried on in the heat of the day before. Even more challenging, the road was still in … Continue reading
Lean In
In Ethiopia, people greet by grasping right hands before leaning their right shoulders to touch each other. ‘Leaning in’ is exactly how you need to approach the country and its people. It’s not for the fainthearted, but very rewarding if … Continue reading
Camelot For Real
Ecologically, Ethiopia is a dramatically diverse country, with deserts along the eastern border, tropical forests in the south and extensive Afromontane in the northern and southwestern parts. The Ethiopian Highlands cover most of the territory and have a considerably cooler … Continue reading
Uphill
There is something otherworldly about Ethiopia. It isn’t just the fact that Ethiopians are living seven years and three months behind our calendar or count 7am as 1 o’clock. Or that their churches hewn from solid rock in medieval times … Continue reading
Africa Clockwise 