Interview 3

Preparation

I had already learnt a lot about Ethiopia from my first two interviews. So, the third interview was an opportunity for me to explore the socio-cultural condition in Ethiopia, particularly that of women as I was thinking of writing my final paper about women in Ethiopia. Finding an interviewee was not hard at all as a friend of mine, Mike Alemu had just come to town from Minneapolis. I gave him a call and asked him to come to my place for dinner. So, on November the 16^th, we sat down at my place with the 2 sets of questions and my extra phone and started the interview process!

Personal Review

As I mentioned earlier, I wanted to concentrate more on the situation of women in Ethiopia for my third interview. So, my questions, apart from the set that I had, concentrated on lives of women in general, status of women in the society, marriage and changes occurring in the society. Since I knew Mike very well, it was not hesitant to answer any of my questions.  As always, I was very lucky to have an expert interviewee who was very knowledgeable. I think this interview was very successful in terms of what I wanted from it. As we were talking about some critical social issues which would not be found in any online sources or books; getting personal experience from a native was certainly beneficial.

I’d like to thank Mike for his time and expertise and hope I would be able to conduct interviews in the future in similar fashion!

Country Report

Ethiopia, one of the largest and most populous landlocked countries in the world lies in the northern region of the continent of Africa. Sharing its boundaries with Eritrea, Sudan and South Sudan, Djibouti, Somalia and Kenya; Ethiopia is a world in its own and a very diverse country in terms of culture and nature [1]. Ethiopia is one of the oldest nations in the world and yet it stands proud as one of the most reformed countries. Today, Ethiopia is not only known for its scenic beauty and historical sites but also for his fast paced economy, norms and runners!

A federal democratic republic by governance, Ethiopia boasts some of the most delightful achievements in human history and has some of the most amazing places in the planet. It is considered as the birthplace of humans as it has one of the oldest sites of human existence [2]. It has the world’s hottest place, Afar and is one of the first regions in the world to adopt Christianity as state religion [3]. Not only that, the country is home to 80 different ethnic groups who speak more than 70 different languages [4].  It is also the top coffee and honey producing country in Africa and has one of the largest numbers of rivers in the world [1]. Backed up by its long history and rich culture, Ethiopia has the most number of UNESCO sites in Africa [3].

Gondor and Axum are some of the most popular UNESCO sites in Ethiopia. Axum, which is the home to the ‘Arc of the Covenant’ and some of the finest architectures of the 16^th century was the capital of Ethiopia in the past. Large structures made of single piece of granite taking the form of towers are also the highlights of Axum. These structures used to signify Ethiopian supremacy back in the days and are pride to Ethiopians and people from all corners of the globe come to see these ancient beauty. Gondar, another historic city and cultural capital exemplifies racial harmony and religious tolerance in every aspect… from medieval churches to ancient mosques! Ethiopia has some of the highest mountains in Africa and also some of the lowest points in the world. This variation in geography has given rise to a wide spectrum of land forms which makes Ethiopia one of the most beautiful countries in the world

Mostly inhabited by the Oromo and the Amhara people, Ethiopia exemplifies religious tolerance as many people with different religious beliefs live in peace and harmony here. Three forms of Christianity: Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant are followed which account for almost 65% of the population. More than 34% of the population is Muslim and the remaining 1% follows other tribal religions [4]. With the total share of Christian dropping down today, the nation has seen a lot of changes in recent years. Ethiopian society has always been patriarchal for most of its history [5]. However, this trend is fading away and more women are getting opportunities to explore and do better with their lives [6]. Even though it is tough for a society which has always been male dominant to see the females take control, Ethiopia is making a fair progress in giving women what they deserve… equality. Moreover, the society is pretty much shaped by the tradition and culture and like many eastern societies, has a lot of respect for the elderly and the seniors.

Religion and culture is the way of life in Ethiopia. Each day is considered a festival or a sacred day and is named after angels [4]. Some of the most important festivals include the traditional Ethiopian New Year, Easter, Christmas and Eid. Food is also an inseparable part of Ethiopian culture. The cuisine consists of variety of vegetables or meat, served on traditional bread called Injera which is made from Teff and yeast [4]. Marka, Chukko, Dhanga and Kitfo (raw beef) are some of the popular dishes in Ethiopia [2].

Ethiopia has seen a lot of ups and downs in its history and significant changes have occurred in its political system in recent years. Tangled in many political problems and some of the worst draughts during the 1980’s, the economy of Ethiopia went plummeting down and hit the lowest during the 90s [1]. However, it soon bounced back and at present is the fast growing economy in East Africa. Today, Ethiopia ranks amongst one of the fast growing economies and stands proud as one of the most diverse nations in the world. It is home to some of the world’s best marathon runners and athletes. Even though the effects of westernization and industrialization can be easily seen in the nation, this ancient nation and its people have never forgotten the true identity and the rich history which still stands proud in front of the world [1].

Works Cited

[1]   "CIA - The World Factbook-Ethiopia." Central Intelligence Agency-Ethiopia. Web. 25 Oct. 2011. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/et.html>.

[2]   "BBC News - Ethiopia Profile." BBC - Homepage. Web. 25 Oct. 2011. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13349398>.

[3]   "Ethiopian Tourism." Ethiopian Tourism. Web. 25 Oct. 2011. <http://www.tourismethiopia.org/pages/ethiopia.asp>.

[4]   “Mikiyas Belay- Insights”, From the interview with Mikiyas belay on 10/25/2011

[5] “Netsanet Gebre- Insights”, From the interview with Netsanet Gebre on 11/03/2011

[6] "Ethiopia - Women Empowering Women." World Bank Group. Web. 08 Nov. 2011. <http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/AFRICAEXT/ETHIOPIAEXTN/0,,contentMDK:20836439~menuPK:295961~pagePK:1497618~piPK:217854~theSitePK:295930,00.html>.