I never met Reesom Haile. At least, we did not meet in person. Nevertheless, I have become acquainted with him through his poetry about his homeland, Eritrea. In an understated way, Reesom was a protest poet, speaking out about the wrongs inflicted upon Eritrea by those who subjugated her and robbed her of freedom and …
Do you like writing and/or receiving personal letters? It’s a dying art now, with email and text messages the norm. I still write letters to a couple of friends, although arthritic fingers and lack of practice make hand writing difficult! None of my missives reads like the Berlin Manifesto, the long letter – more like …
Chapter 5: The Men’s Marathon, Olympic Games 2016 ‘…Rain was falling as we went through the drill before the last major event at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games: the men’s marathon. We shed our tracksuits and attached transponders, little devices that measure times and splits, to our shoes. All of us, in our bright …
A debate about cultural appropriation recurs in literary circles. I recall Thomas Keneally, author of Schindler’s List, debating it to himself. What did he know about the Jews and what they had suffered? The book should be written by a Jew, he reasoned, in the same way that a First Nations author should have written …
One lonely Saturday afternoon in my apartment at the Bingham Academy compound, in Addis Abeba, I had reached that low point known to most writers. I had travelled to Ethiopia for several reasons, among them the yearning to find a story – a really good story. I hadn’t found it and soon I would be …
As I write this blog, Ethiopia is engaged in a civil war. By now the world will have heard of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Tigray, Mekelle, Sudan, Asmara and other names in the news. No matter how closely you follow the conflict from afar, you cannot be sure of the facts as they vary from …
The question was posed by a young Ethiopian man after he had attached himself, uninvited, to our small party at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa. The question seemed rather incongruous after leaving the church where the tombs of Emperor Haile Selassie and his wife, Menen Asfaw, had been viewed. The grand mausoleum was …
‘How Much Do You Have To Pay If You Hit A Kangaroo?’ Read More »
The pilgrims, bundles on their backs, staffs prodding the track, walk with purpose. They are on their way to Lalibela, otherwise known in its northern Ethiopia location as the New Jerusalem or the Second Jerusalem. They make this journey a few times a year. Ethiopian Orthodox Christians from towns and villages are travelling, mostly on …
Ethiopia is an ancient, enigmatic land, known for its endemic drought and famine, but also famous for its long distance runners. I knew this much when I went to the country in 2016, but nothing could have prepared me for the multitude of scenes that assault the senses as soon as the airport is left …
