Preparation
The only issue I had during my first interview was maintaining a logical flow between my questions. So, for my second interview, I decided to be the master of my own questions and put them in a logical manner. Having a strategy on hand already, my only concern now was to find an interviewee. After a series of thought, I decided to interview some body from my work. So, on Thursday the 3rd, I asked Netsanet Gebre (who works at Tech High School), if she could sit down for an interview with me and talk about Ethiopia someday. She had already done a similar interview for her friend and told me that she would be more than happy to help me. Since, there was not even a single student in the class that time; we decided to do the interview right on the spot. So, I took my extra phone out of my pocket and grabbed the 2 sets of questions from my bag. And without wasting any time, we jumped directly into the questions.
Personal review
The second interview, for me, went extremely well in terms of the flow and the pattern. Since, Netsanet had already been interviewed for an assignment like this before, getting the information that I needed from her was a piece of cake. Moreover, as I was not following a fixed pattern, I was able to get directly to the point which made the interview go really smooth. This was probably why the whole interview was done in less than 30 minutes!
However, at times, I did feel that this interview was the repetition of the first interview and I did feel asking some other questions which were not primarily in the questionnaire. But since, the goal of this interview was to bring uniformity in the information, the questions had a positive impact on the true essence of the interview. As usual, I was very lucky to have an interviewee who was very insightful and informative. My main goal in this interview was to know more about the socio-cultural situation of Ethiopia and I think the goal was fairly attained. Netsanet did an excellent job not only answering my questions but understanding what I really wanted from each of my questions. She went an extra step to add necessary information on each question I asked… not to mention that the quietness of an empty classroom did fuel the openness in our interview.
So, I’d very much like to thank Netsanet for her great help and would like to continue to conduct my future interviews in the same manner.
Country Report
A lot about Ethiopia has already been said in the first country report. So, this report will basically emphasize on the socio-cultural aspect of Ethiopian life.
Ethiopia, a land-locked country situated in the North- Eastern horn of Africa is as diverse as the colors in the feathers of a pea-cock. With 80 different indigenous tribes, all living in harmony, it would not be incorrect if one says that it is a people’s paradise. [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!
Ethiopia, which was predominantly an Orthodox Christian nation in the past, is a country where all religions flourish in peace and prosperity today. With the total share of Christian dropping down to about 65%, the nation has seen a lot of changes in recent years. Ethiopian society has always been patriarchal for most of its history. However, this trend is fading away and more women are getting opportunities to explore and do better with their lives [2]. 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.
Ethiopia, which suffered some of the worst draughts and wars during the 90s, has seen a lot of improvement in economic aspect as well [3]. Today, Ethiopia ranks amongst one of the fast growing economies. 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] “Netsanet Gebre- Insights”, From the interview with Netsanet Gebre on 11/03/2011
[2] "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>.
[3] "BBC News - Ethiopia Profile." BBC - Homepage. Web. 25 Oct. 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13349398.
Location: Study room, Technical Senior High School
2:00pm (11/3/2011)
P-Puspak N- Netsanet
P- What is your name?
N- My name is Netsanet Gebre.
P- And where are you from?
N- I am from Ethiopia.
P- Where in Ethiopia actually?
N- I am from the capital city, Adis Ababa.
P- Micky has told me a lot about Adis… A fascinating place indeed! But we will jump directly to questions for now.
N – Sounds good!
P- What is the education system like in Ethiopia or more over what are the differences between the system of education between the US and Ethiopia?
N- Ethiopia has British system of education. You go to school till 10th grade and then its 2 years of pre-college and 3 years of college. But the number of years in college depends on what program you go to but most programs are 3 years.
P- So are the schools government owned or run by private or public sectors?
N- There are both kinds. Some are government run and some are private. The private are much better in terms of education and expensive!
P- Which school did you go to then?
N- Private!
P- So, you should be one of those rich ones then huh?
N – (laughs) Ya!
P- Okay. Let’s skip education for now. Let’s talk about your family. How many members are there in your family?
N- I have six siblings and I am the youngest. Even though it’s a nuclear family we have a big family size.
P- The youngest! You should be the little brat when you were young!
N- Not really! (laughs)
P- So how has family values shaped you as a person?
N- Uhm… I’d say that I have always been around my family and my family has always cared and supported me. So, living here without them is challenging. I have never been that active as my family ideologies were shaped that way!
P- So, let me put it this way… Your family’s caring behavior has turned you to a more shy and subtle person?
N- Ya, I’d say that too.
P- Does the society have more control over the females than the males then?
N- Yup, that is obvious. Like many eastern societies, male do have an upper hand in the social pattern.
Daughters are more cared for in all the families. They are the jewel of the family!
P- That means you were a brat!
N- (Chuckles) Ya!
P- Micky was also saying that most of the elders live with their children. Does that same apply to your family?
N- Yup, that is normal. My grandmother used to live with us too. Elders are respected and taken care after a certain age. All the people are loving and caring!
P- Yup, most of the eastern societies have the same norm. Let’s talk about the governance in Ethiopia. What is the system like?
N- It is a federal democratic, more like the United States but the prime minister has all the power.
P- What about the monarchy?
N- Ethiopia has a long history of monarchial system. People still have a strong faith in the monarchial system but monarchy is long gone. The old people still cherish those days of monarchy though.
P- Why so? Don’t they like the present form?
N- Its more about the faith and institutionalization of the monarchy… more like in Britain. Apart from that, most of the present governments in the world are corrupt… so it is not just Ethiopians, it’s everybody. And people never get satisfied with what they have anyways!
P- That is so true… So what thing makes you proud of Ethiopia?
N- The diversity of course… it is a people’s paradise. And ya, Ethiopia’s rich tradition and culture... It is the only nation with a 13 month calendar!
P- I have been hearing a lot about the 13 months. So, how are the months broken down?
N- We have 12 months of 30 days and there is one month which has only 5 days. And we have a different calendar called Ge’ez calendar which is around 7 years behind the Gregorian calendar.
P- I was there at the New Year Celebration in Women’s Center… really good food. What else do you do on New Year’s Day?
N- It’s more about being together with your family and closed ones and celebrating. There is obviously a lot of food involved and cultural dances too!
P- What other festivals do you celebrate besides the New Year?
N- Its basically New Year, Christmas, Easter and Eid. There are also various tribal festivals but these are the main ones.
P- Seems like the country is predominantly Christians and Muslims.
N- Yup, Ethiopia was predominantly an Orthodox Christian country but it is quite changing now. In recent years, it is more like half are Christians and half are Muslims. So, most of the major holidays are Christian and Muslim festivals.
P- What about the New Year though?
N- That is celebrated by both… which is really very good!
P- You said Ethiopia was predominantly an Orthodox Christian country. Is the state of Christianity still the same? What about the other forms?
N- Ethiopia has evolved a lot in that regard. Christianity is basically branched out as Orthodox, Catholic and the Protestant. And everyone lives in harmony!
P- What about the tribal religions then?
N- There used to be a lot but everything changed with time. I’d say most of them converted to either Christianity or Islam over the course of time. But, there still are some tribal groups following their own religion but that is like less than 1%.
P- Okay. Let’s talk about something everyone likes now…. Traveling! What are some of the most famous destinations in Ethiopia?
N-I’d start with Axum. It is one of the oldest places in Ethiopia and one of the many world heritage sites that Ethiopia has. It has large structures made of single stones that used to symbolize Ethiopia’s century back in time… and that was long long ago… may be around 300-400 AD. These structures also acted as the tombstone for most of the kings and queens at that time and are quite marvelous.
P- I heard that one of these structures was taken to Italy during the 1930’s!
N- Ya… one of these structures was broken down to pieces, dragged to the coast by Italian men and then shipped to Italy and then erected there. It was done when Mussolini was ruling Italy... he wanted to show the supremacy of Italy during the war and what better way to do it than showing off the structure in Axum to the world.
P- What about the Arc of the Covenant… Where is that now?
N- That is in Axum too.
P- What does the Arc of the Covenant symbolize?
N- It has the ‘Ten Commandments’ inscribed on it and is one of the holiest structures for all Christians.
P- And what about Gondar?
N- It is also one of the historical cities. It used to be the capital city of Ethiopia from the 1600s till… I don’t know when. It is also famous for its castles and palaces where the kings used to live.
P- Does the Blue Nile originate from Gondar?
N- Not exactly. Blue Nile originates from Lake Tana which is close to Gondar.
P- There is a company called Blue Nile that markets diamonds. Do they have diamonds in and around the Blue Nile?
N- Not that I know of! However, Blue Nile is like a diamond to Ethiopia. It is the source of irrigation for not just Ethiopia but most of the East- African countries. There was some dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia in recent years as Egypt made plans to irrigate its lands without consulting Ethiopia. You can get more details if you check online.
P- Let’s not involve politics here. I want to make my paper more culturally inclined… So I will be asking you more about the life and culture. This time, however, is weather. What is the weather like in Adis, or Ethiopia in general?
N- It’s mostly sunny and nice throughout the year. It’s like 70-75 most of the year and in summer it’s like 90. But it rains during the summer so it is kind of nice. However, there are some places in the south that get really hot. Some of the places are hottest places in the world.
P- Talking about sports, what are some of the most popular sports?
N- Soccer, obviously. Everybody is crazy about soccer and everyone plays it. Moreover, soccer is like another religion to people. Like many African countries, soccer unites the people. And ya… marathon and running is really famous. Ethiopians always win Olympic golds.
P- Yup, a women from Ethiopia won the World championships in Marathon last week!
N- Ya… Ethiopia is really good when it comes to running!
P- What about Ganna? How is that played?
N- Oh, that is played mostly during Christmas. People use long sticks and play together. It’s kind of fun.
P- Christmas just reminds me of food. Tell me something about the food in Ethiopia. And don’t start with Injera!
N-Injera is the main food, of course. It’s like rice to you guys (sarcasm). We eat it every day. And then we have different varieties of meat, vegetables and sauces with lot of spices. You have had Ethiopian food… I don’t have to describe a lot.
P- What about Dorowot?
N- Dorowot is like a high level food, symbolizes respect when served to others. It is gravy with tomatoes and eggs.
P- I have tasted it… really good with Injera… would be better with rice though (sarcasm). What about other tribal foods?
N- There are a lot of tribes and they have their own food. But for most of the Ethiopians its like what you have already eaten.
P- Nice! Now, the last topic…. The institution of marriage. At what age do women get married?
N- It is more like the western societies now when it comes to the age of marriage. But, there used to be times when girls used to get married when there were 15-16.
P- And what do most women do after they get married?
N- They do what they normally did before marriage… work obviously!
P- But has that always been that way?
N- Nope not at all. Women used to take care of the house and the children in the past but it has changed a lot with time. Now, women have more opportunity and they can do whatever they want to do after they are married. It’s become more westernized, I should say.
P- How does the society view the role of women?
N- In the past, women were basically treated as somebody who sits in the house and helps the men. But, with time, that has changed. The society feels that women need to be on the same level as men for its proper functioning and that is why women are given more opportunities now.
P- Back to the customs of marriage now, how do people get married?
N- It’s more like a western marriage now, following all those Christian norms. But back in the days, the marriage customs used to be very unique. Now, it’s more like a typical western marriage. However, the groom has to buy his bride and her family a lot of presents before the wedding.
P- Well, that brings us to the end of our interview. Thank you so much for your time!
N- Not a problem at all!
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