Did we see the real Ethiopia? I suppose that depends on what one means by "real." Certainly we saw the ancient places, UNESCO World Heritage sites, and we learned much about the background of this ancient country. We saw the bustle of urban Addis Ababa, the street vendors, the animals, the taxis, the traffic, the great numbers of people, so many right in the street. But we mainly saw what tourists see, not the heart of a poor country with great numbers of needy people. Ethiopia has a large number of AIDS victims--this in a country which spends very little on health care for its people. We bemoan the current downturn in our economy and the great number of people losing jobs. Even so, we can little comprehend a country with little industry and not nearly enough jobs for its burgeoning population--a country in which relatively few people are gainfully employed. I'm sure it would take more time and discomfort for us to really know these disadvantaged people. I'm sure we were a help for the tourist industry which is important to the country. We did get to see many people. And we came away with a much better knowledge of the country and its historic past.
A book you should read:
There Is No Me Without You by Melissa Faye Greene, Bloomsbury, 2006
All of Africa suffers greatly from the AIDS epidemic, and Ethiopia is among the worst. Thousands of children have no parents because they died from AIDS or from complications of the disease. Melissa Faye Greene writes of one woman, Haregewoin Teferra, a middle class Ethiopian, who has taken in large numbers of Addis Ababa's AIDS orphans, has given them the love they need so desperately, and has helped some to be adopted by people in western countries. At many points, the book made me cry, and yet it also gave me a picture of one person with great courage who took it upon herself to make a differnce in her small place in the world. In doing so, she inspired Melissa Faye Greene, who writes beautifully and with great compassion, to give us a vivid picture of the problems and possibilities one can find among these desperate people. Please, do read this book!
