It has taken Ethiopia a long time to shake off its international image as a nation blighted by famine, pestilence and civil war. In 1985 Bob Geldof and his gang of activists raised awareness of mass starvation in the horn of Africa with the famous Band Aid concert which went a long way to generating support and money for the people in need. An inevitable consequence of this though has been to brand Ethiopia as a symbol of despair. When I visited the African country last summer I expected the worst; bloated children, emaciated old women and fly-ridden cattle, basically a tear jerking collection of skin and bones. What I encountered was a totally different experience.
Driving through the highlands of Ethiopia I was totally unprepared for the sheer greenery and abundance of beauty. Long grass savannahs were interspersed with dramatic and ear splitting waterfalls. Tall and magnificent mountain ranges loomed on the horizon and gorges carved their way deep into the earth. Small, neat villages without a spot of litter line the well paved tarmac roads and we don't see another car for hours. This is clearly a poor place since no one can afford to buy petrol but there is a sense of pride and community here that is unique. Young boys eagerly stroll into the hills carrying stacks of firewood in smart blazers, lent down from the previous generation, perhaps donated in 1985. They smile as we drive past and a group of beautiful girls wave coyly nearby.
The highlands of Ethiopia are one of Africa's natural marvels, a land of rich culture and traditions spanning back millennia. It is a crossroads of civilisations, a meeting of orthodox Christianity, ancient Judaism and Arab Islam, not to mention a plethora of African animism and Rastafarianism. It isn't surprising then to realise that in spite of this mountain kingdoms reputation for diversity that it was actually once the cradle of humanity and the place of the original diaspora.
Driving through the highlands of Ethiopia I was totally unprepared for the sheer greenery and abundance of beauty. Long grass savannahs were interspersed with dramatic and ear splitting waterfalls. Tall and magnificent mountain ranges loomed on the horizon and gorges carved their way deep into the earth. Small, neat villages without a spot of litter line the well paved tarmac roads and we don't see another car for hours. This is clearly a poor place since no one can afford to buy petrol but there is a sense of pride and community here that is unique. Young boys eagerly stroll into the hills carrying stacks of firewood in smart blazers, lent down from the previous generation, perhaps donated in 1985. They smile as we drive past and a group of beautiful girls wave coyly nearby.
The highlands of Ethiopia are one of Africa's natural marvels, a land of rich culture and traditions spanning back millennia. It is a crossroads of civilisations, a meeting of orthodox Christianity, ancient Judaism and Arab Islam, not to mention a plethora of African animism and Rastafarianism. It isn't surprising then to realise that in spite of this mountain kingdoms reputation for diversity that it was actually once the cradle of humanity and the place of the original diaspora.
