Culture

Last week at the craft market I had a long conversation with a vendor from Ethiopia. When I mentioned I liked Ethiopian food, she invited me to her home for dinner. Ellen and Fred accompanied me. I was amazed at their hospitality and their rich culture. As the Ethiopians recount, their Queen Sheba visited King Soloman and came back to her country pregnant. The royal line in Ethiopia claims its present lineage from the descendent of Soloman. The people have a distinctive look among Africans from their Semitic heritage.

Yorda and her sisters performed a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony in the specific coffee ceremony dress. It is a cornerstone of the culture. Coffee was discovered in Ethiopia, and in the ancient ceremony the green beans are roasted above coals and crushed with a wooden mortar and pestle. Incense was burning but the rich smell of the fresh beans was overwhelming it. They added water to a wooden urn and then poured it into small ceramic cups. They told us that when you have your friends over for a ceremony, you keep filling the urn with water until there are no more grinds left. They were enthusiastic hosts. On the way home Ellen and I were discussing what a privilege it had been, and she said, "Imagine leaving your home from war. You're in a foreign country and culture. I think they can relate to us more than the Ugandans who feel at home here. They must appreciate an eager audience to hear about the land they are missing."

For dinner we had njera and dorowat (my favorite!). The njera is made from a type of grain indigenous only to Ethiopia. It is a foamy bread that is used like a spoon to wrap up the spicy meat and sauce. After dinner they put on Ethiopian music videos and taught Ellen and I how to do their traditional dances. The music videos were hilarious: women badly lipsinking while cutting onions and making food with interspersed clips of dancing. We were given wraps that they use during the dances. The girls were amazing: they move their shoulders up and down, back and forth so fast while their head stays perfectly still.

One Sunday night we got to see a dancing troupe. They performed dances that are each unique to a Ugandan tribe. I am in awe of all these traditions and rich culture. I watch all their dances and costumes totally amazed, and can't help but feel that in comparison my own culture seems lame.

I feel like one of my best gifts here is to complement their culture and show interest, especially since so many colonists have treated Africans as inferior in the past. On my last day, some Ugandans presented me with a musical finger harp. They said they chose it because they saw how much I loved their music and how I loved to dance. What a complement.