Blogs from Ethiopia, Africa
Photo 102
After hours on the narrow two track 4x4 trail, dashing in and out of dry washes, spinning across the flat expanse that is punctuated only by the towering termite mounds, we roll into Murelle, one of three tribal villages of the Karo people. We are high above a massive bend of the Omo River with a view that stretches forever. I gasp at the incredible view, thinking ‘these people know the old saying - location, location, location’. But before I can even let my breath out from that same gasp, the 4x4 is surrounded by the people of the village. Soft, understated voices insistently implore, ‘my photo, 3 Birr’. Again and again. Thats about 20 US cents, one fifth of a US dollar. And there you have the heart of the dilemma that the rich cultural ... read more
Photo 85
After too many different airports and too many different flights, and way too much wind on one of the landings and too many close connections where you wonder if your luggage could possibly have kept up with you - we finally land in Addis Ababa. Ethiopia. It’s 4 am. The drudgery of filling out the form for an entry visa and standing in the ‘will this line ever move’ line saps the last of my patience. I get my visa. I find my bag on the conveyor belt. I trudge out to where I’m supposed to have someone meeting me to transfer me to the hotel. I blink my tired eyes trying clear my vision so I can read all the placards being waved in my face. Through squinted eyes I see my name and follow ... read more
Shepherd Children
"Hello, Money!": The children of Ethiopia are both a source of joy and of consternation in this place. We both enjoy their smiles and their constant waving, but also find their pestering wearing. Children come up to you, say "hello" and then reach their hands out, or ask first "give me pen?", to which you reply, "No, I don't have one". They don't miss a beat "give me money." In Lalibela where kids are least likely to hassle you owing to policies of the town, kids simply waved and said "hello, money." One young girl, who was maybe four cam running up to us with the most intense look on her face and yelled "give me money!" We had discovered Ethiopia's answer to Will Ferrell's Pearl (I tried putting a link in, but it screwed up ... read more
A True Story
They held her down, chained her up and pored holy water over her naked body. Screaming and shouting she violently reacted showing the devil in her eyes. In fear of the priest and talking backwards, a demonic voice emerges. You begin to feel a powerful presence sending shock-waves to your core. Standing amidst the Christian underworld you witness an ancient tradition few outsiders have seen before. The Christian Orthodox Exorcism. "An Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be done by causing the entity to swear an oath, performing an elaborate ritual, or simply by commanding it to depart in the name of a higher power" (Wikipedia, January 2012) You ... read more
Sleeping in Frankfurt?
We arrived late in the evening on New Years eve after a long sert of flights from Boston - Frankfurt - Addis Ababa. Flying Lufthansa was a treat and on the way from Boston, because this is our honeymoon, the woman who checked us in offered us the exit rows and the flight attendant poured sparkling wine for us on the house. It was nice to be treated like this. On the flip side, Lufthansa's vegan fare is, well, hopefullu a work in progress. Most of it was vegan, but lacked flavor (although the polenta dish was really nice) The dessert was jello - which is really just fruity hooves. So, we gave that a miss. Jenn was just grateful they had any kind of offering. We arrived and found we were quick to get off ... read more
Happy holidays to everyone reading, I know its been a while since I updated, seems to be a reoccuring theme doesn't it? Everything here is going great, the second quarter is coming to a close and Ethiopian Christmas is quickly approaching(January 8th). With some of my classes I get the feeling like I am just a permanent substitute to the students. Not that I blame them, can you imagine a 3rd grade spanish class where the teacher only speaks in spanish?? In a way it is very good for the students as they have had to develop a good ear for listening to English, but still it can be frustrating at times. Their behavior is very poor some days, and since all I can do is yell at them in English(or use the few Amharic phrases ... read more
This may well be my one and only post on Travel Blog for this trip - it just doesn't seem to be working properly. So I've jumped ship to Google Blogger and I hope you can find me on there! The link is http://malcreed.blogspot.com/ and I'm sure you can view, subscribe and all the usual stuff. If you try it now there is one entry. So fingers crossed for occasional wi-fi, and see you on Blogspot.... read more
nuer woman with some crazy scarification
Sinking into his chair, Haptu, a corpulent Chinese buddha looking Ethiopian, lifts his steaming cup of tea and smiles broadly. “What we do is go look at those people”. Haptu smelled opportunity. In Ethiopia, tourists follow the highland ‘historic circuit’ to Gondor, Axum, and Lalibela or go south to see the tribes of the Southern Peoples. Western Ethiopia, bereft of historical-mythical ties to Christianity, ancient architecture, or people with plates in their lips, has, so far, largely escaped attention. However, outside of Gambela, near the Sudanese border, there are villages inhabited by traditional tribes, the Anuak and the Nuer. We were going to look at them. Haptu’s company, Vast Ethiopia Tours (http://www.vastethiopiatours.com), would blaze the tourist trail west, but first, he needed to assemble the A-team. (cue music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MVonyVSQoM) Nico,... read more
Ethiopian Highlands
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 ... read more
MURSI
FACES OF ETHIOPIA. My interest in portrait photography started during travels in China and got serious in Tibet. I learnt a lot about sensibilities, effect and results. Not conversant with their languages...other than the odd line that would open doors...I developed a technique that I have used ever since...to encourage the subject to connect with the camera. I have taken photos of people surrepticiously or with consent. You can tell from your photos...portraits taken of someone who does not want to be photographed...they don't come out...not pleasing in the result. Then there are those that just look at you...and those that connect. I love Ethiopia...the people...the cultures...the amazing history...the music ...the dancing...the vibe. I am conscious of what I must represent as a mizungu...a white man...with a camera... read more
