Hips Don't Lie

I've been pretty nostalgic lately thinking about my time in Ethiopia and hence a lot of late nights sorting through old photo files on my computer.  I came across this video where I was out in my town with high school students promoting an HIV testing event.  I was sitting on the side of the road that leads to the market with a big stereo system -- music was blaring -- and the students helped by talking about the testing event into the microphone every now and then.  It soon turned into madness due to the large number of people heading to the Saturday market coupled with the white girl sitting by the road.  And before long it was one big children's dance contest. I have several videos of that day, but here are two short favorites! Enjoy!

Here is a video of one of the students helping a child dance. It's not common for Ethiopians to dance with their hips (usually it's mainly shoulder dancing) so I thought it was particularly cute to watch.

 

This second video is more traditional Ethiopian dancing from my area of the country (Amhara). These small children can do things with their shoulders that I never thought possible. Two years later I still was never able to master the skizta.

The story about the HIV testing event is here if you want to read all about it.  It was my first big project in Ethiopia and something I am still very proud of, plus, it came with the added bonus of watching these cute kids dance for a simple lolly pop prize!

Ethiopia Reads

While in Ethiopia I read more books than in any other two-year period. I suppose living in an environment where you are inside your house by dark every night without many electronic options supports the habit of reading.  Some of my favorite books though happen to be about Ethiopia.  I know, I know, what a surprise! But I don't think these books were particularly engaging because I was living in Ethiopia, but rather because Ethiopia is such a fascinating country.  Here are my top three that I think you should check out:


There Is No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Greene
Greene writes about one special woman in Addis Ababa who starts an orphanage for children without anyone to turn to. The stories about the children living with HIV and women left on the streets in Ethiopia are gripping.  This book communicates what living in Ethiopia is really like for so many struggling people and tells stories about adoptions from abroad.


I Didn't Do It for You by Michela Wrong
This book is about Ethiopia's small neighbor, Eritrea, and their battle for freedom through colonization until their recent independence.  It's hard to write a book about Eritrea and their lack of independence without really writing a book about Ethiopia though.  This dual history of these two countries tells lively stories about why this part of Africa is the way it is.  It leaves you with a better understanding of these countries without feeling like you read a history book.

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
A novel based in Addis Ababa during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie that really highlights life in Ethiopia and the history of the 1940s.  The descriptions of the streets of Addis Ababa haven't changed much since these times, so I could still picture exactly what Verghese writes about.  The story follows doctors and nurses from India who work in a hospital in the city and the patients who have walked days to the only hospital around.