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Words and photos: Ros Freeman. Main Image: Mario Gerth
The first thing you notice when you arrive at Addis Ababa airport is the date. It’s 2018. The Ethiopian calendar is seven years behind the Gregorian calendar. There are thirteen months in a year, the new year commences in September, and Christmas is in January. Ethiopia moves to the beat of a different drum. The time also differs. The day begins at dawn, with only twelve hours in a day: from 6.00am to 6.00pm; the remaining twelve hours are night.
My taxi drops me at my hotel, where I wallow in the grand scale of my room. The first thing I do is something one should never do when on holiday, I step onto the bathroom scales, and I’m 7kg lighter. I love this country! Not only am I seven years younger, but I’m also instantly lighter.
If only.
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| Karo girl, by the Omo Rover |
Ethiopia, Africa’s second-largest country, has much to offer. Its history includes the Queen of Sheba and the country’s last emperor, Haile Selassie. Architecturally, it encompasses the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela and the medieval castles of Gondar. Geographically, its wonders include the Great Rift Valley and the Danakil Depression. The country has the most UNESCO sites on the continent, and is the only African nation never to be colonised by a European power. It also has the Omo Valley, which is where I’m basing my travels on this trip.
The streets of Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, are lined with whisky bars, coffee houses, juice shops and mobile phone outlets. Modern high-rise towers cast shadows as do the palm trees and grevilleas that line the boulevards. The people are stylish: men in suits and the women, often traditionally dressed, are elegant and graceful. ‘They are like Coca-Cola bottles’, says my guide Abebe. It’s true, they are slim and svelte, just like Coca-Cola bottles. The Addis Ababa of today is a sophisticated and modern city, not the dusty Addis I remember from 22 years ago.
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| The Hamar people |
Leaving the city behind, it doesn’t take long and we’re in rural Ethiopia. 80% of the country is agrarian, small plots of land are family owned and, as such, oxen are used in the fields rather than tractors. Over the years life has changed little; men work in the fields, women haul sheaths of grass and donkeys labour as they tow carts to the markets. Everyone works hard.
There are 80 different tribes in Ethiopia. 81, Abebe jokes, if you include the tribe that specialises in building roads, the Chinese. Most tribes are located in southwest Ethiopia, in the Omo Valley. Some of these tribes are the most exotic and captivating tribes in Africa. The next few days are some of the most mesmerising days of all my travels, as I dip a toe into a variety of amazing and perplexing cultures, and I learn to say hullo in many different dialects (and then immediately forget).
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| The Banna boys |
We head off the beaten track, a misnomer really, as daily the road is beaten and pounded by millions of hooves. It’s a corridor for all. African cattle meander along, dewlaps flapping, goats of many hues join them, and periodically a drove of donkeys appears, all ears twitching. Every so often a confusion of Guinea fowls emerges from the bush then quickly disappears back into the bush, ground squirrels scurry across the road. There’s a scarcity of vehicles, occasionally 4-wheel drives and less occasionally trucks delivering staples to the area; namely fuel and beer.
Of the seven tribes I encountered, it’s the Banna people who become my favourite. As we slowly negotiated a pot-holed section of the road, a team of young boys emerged from the bushes wearing body paint and walking on stilts. They sang and danced, adding joy to the day. The tribe are hunters and gatherers, and specialise in bee-keeping. What’s not to love!
At the marketplace, hundreds of Hamar people congregate to trade wares; sorghum and corn, cows and goats. It was a spectacle. However midst the spectacle all heads turned, there appeared a strange sight; a red-faced, freckled, white-skinned woman wearing a sundress. She was trying to be inconspicuous and she was failing miserably.
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| Hamar Bull jumping festival |
After the September rains the Hamar people gather for the bull-jumping festival. The festival is a coming of age for young men. There was commotion and excitement, elders with painted faces presented bronze bangles to the young men prior to the jumping. The young women, wearing cowbells on their legs, danced and ran while blowing horns. Bulls were lined up and the young men had to jump onto the bulls’ backs, repeating this eight times. The display of courage also included the young women. Wearing traditional skirts they rolled up their shirts ready to be whipped. The whipping shows their strength. While the skirts were locally woven, the t-shirts were western. Tupac, Bob Marley and Emirates Fly Better featured highly.
The Hamar women fashion their hair with animal fat and clay, often storing a wad of tobacco behind an ear. It’s a polygamous society, most men having three wives. The first wife wears an ornate necklace, while the second and third wives wear beaded necklaces. Must have accessories include machetes and mobile phone.
Nearby we lunched in a shady cafe. Injera was on the menu. No surprises there, as Ethiopians eat injera at least once a day, often more. The large pancake has a tripe-like texture and is made primarily from tef, the country’s staple. It’s communal eating, everyone tears off a portion of the pancake and grabs some the contents strewn on top; mutton, beef or spicy lentils. Afterwards we enjoyed Ethiopian coffee, served from a graceful coffee pot into tiny cups and accompanied by the fragrant scent of frankincense. Ethiopia is the origin of coffee, it was discovered here in the 9th century.
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| With the Mursi people |
One of the most intriguing tribes were the Mursi people. Lip plates and lobe plates are considered signs of beauty. The women slit their lower lips and gradually stretch the lip with circular plates of increasing size. They also do this to their ear lobes. The men, too dark for tattoos, scarify their skin, proudly showing ornate patterns. It was a moving experience to meet these people and to appreciate their unique sense of beauty. The future of the Mursi people is in jeopardy as their land size decreases due to the instigation of game parks and hydro-electric projects.
Too soon my travels to the Omo Valley ended and I was back in the metropolis of Addis Ababa. My camera was bulging with photos, and my head was spinning with memories of many remarkable experiences. In our modern and too often generic world, it was a privilege to encounter people whose lives have remained unchanged for centuries. As for those lost seven kilograms that I magically lost? they magically re-appeared! Too much injera, too much Ethiopian wine. Nevertheless, I still love Ethiopia!
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| On Lake Chamo |
Ros travelled with African Adventure Tours on the Ethiopian Cultural Tour to the Omo Valley Tribes itinerary. She stayed in Haile Hotels in Awassa and Arba Minch, Buska Lodge in Turmi, Nassa Hotel in Jinka. She flew with Ethiopian Airlines to and from Addis Ababa.
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Disguised as a mild-mannered corporate employee, Ros lives a secret life as a world traveller and adventurer amassing a count of more than 150 UN-recognised countries. |
Ros Freeman travelled independently at her own expense but would not go anywhere unless Kirsty at Flight Centre Eastgardens booked her flights.
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