Ethiopia

We are a 10,000 feet high; I can feel the shortness of breath. We are in the Simien Mountains. A woman crouches by an open fire and cooks coffee beans in a skillet. She smashes them in a mortar and pestle and then brews a sweet smelling coffee. Despite being in the middle of nowhere, at a small, dirty community shelter, we are served divine tasting coffee in small, delicate china that could be served at an up-scale coffee shop in Europe.

This is Ethiopia.

We are visiting two Parks and community areas in Ethiopia to see about helping them expand infrastructure, improve capacity and increase income to the Parks and surrounding communities. When people think of Ethiopia they probably first think of famine. Perhaps the Live Aid concert and Bob Geldof. Maybe they think of the border war with Eretria or the Emperor Haile Selassie. Like most African countries, the history of Ethiopia is riddled with conflict—religious, political and territorial. They have incredibly rich cultures, and its landscapes and people are wildly diverse. Many people travel to Ethiopia because of its diverse 80 tribes, and deeply religious history.

The Church believes that Christianity reached northern Ethiopia at the time of the Apostles. They believe that the Ark is buried in the northern town of Aksum and many tourists come to see the ancient churches. Christian monks are dressed in maroon robes and walk the streets with their silver stakes. The driver of our vehicle does the sign of the cross when passing churches. The phone screen saver of one of the young men we travel with is Mary. Ethiopia, like the rest of the globe, is seeing a rise in the Muslim religion.

Our trip started in the booming capital of Addis Ababa. Addis hosts the African Union and other international bodies; therefore, security is tight. I am travelling with the President of our organization, so when we arrive we are taking to the Lounge for VIPs. Classic; shiny red carpet and huge leather couches. You see this across Africa.

Addis is a busy city with sky scrapers, traffic, development and a rapid pulse. The blue Fiat taxis are remnants from the prior Italian presence. Addis is a blend of old and new, modern and ancient. One night we got to a hip restaurant that prides itself on healthy, local food. We drink delicious lime and mint juice and eat fresh fish, the next day we walk streets with ancient churches where the monks sit and anoint those who bow their heads at his feet. We stroll the streets lined with silver shops, Ethiopian silver is beautiful, and around the corner we see kids digging in garbage for food and shining shoes for pennies.

We travel via Ethiopian Airways, which has done exceptionally well, to south-western Ethiopia, Gambella, on the border of the Sudan. We land at a new airport and jump in the Landrover. We are unable to leave though until the plane takes off, there are government officials in the plane and for security reasons we have to wait until take off. I have stayed in Gambella before. The best hotel in town is $8 and you feel even that is a total rip off. This is pay-back time for all the amazing lodges I get to stay in. That said, no matter where you are in Ethiopia, you can always get amazing coffee. Our hosts are horrified by the amount of coffee we drink. A macchia-to is a blend between a late and capuccinno, and it is truly divine.

Gambella is low elevation, hot and humid. The chocolate colour Baro River, which used to be navigable all the way to the White Nile, cuts through the centre of town. It was once part of southern Sudan, and its people are a blend of Anuak and Nuer tribes, agriculturalist and pastoralists. The Sudanese are jet black, very tall and lean. Some of the men have seven stripes (scars) perfectly cut across their foreheads; this is done when a boy graduates into man-hood. Women have dots (scars) in amazing design across their face and body. One day we pick up a Park scout who is 2.2 metres tall (7.2 feet tall). My boss is a very tall, slender woman and standing next to him she looks short, so imagine me. Because of its proximity to Sudan, the region has been riddled with conflict. SPLA (the south Sudanese rebels) used to hide out in this area and regroup. Now however, it is peaceful and we hope for their sake it stays that way.

The Park is vast, with enormous wetlands, and it hosts the second largest migration in Africa with the white eared-kob; second to the Serengeti-Mara Wildebeest migration. It is amazing that this population has survived. Approximately 800,000 kob annually migrate between South Sudan (a newly independent country) and Ethiopia. Keeping this movement and their habitat intact and developing the Park’s limited infrastructure and non-existent tourism economy is the challenge we are assessing. We discuss tourism potential, access, land-use planning, infrastructure needs, aerial surveys to monitor wildlife movement etc...

We visit the surrounding communities. This place is truly remote and one daywe drive three hours to a village. After two hours bumping along the road I found myself repeating “for the love of god, please, just give me smooth pavement.” It is the rainy season and there is standing water throughout the village, perfect breeding habitat for mosquitoes. Kids play in the puddle. I always feel awkward in villages like this carrying my back pack that has more in it then they have in their entirety. People live in mud and thatch huts with beautiful decorations on the very top of their pointy thatch roof. Walking around, you wonder how it is they survive. We enter one of the huts for lunch, traditional Ethiopian food. Injera is the spongy cloth-like substance, usually the size of a huge pancake, you use, like Kenyan ugali or bread for us, to dip into or scoop meat, vegetables or whatever is served. We eat Ethiopian throughout the trip. While I enjoy the food, I certainly will not be craving injera for a while.

From Gambella, via Addis, we head north, to Simien Mountain. A drastic contrast from low elevation to high elevation. The rainy season is ending and the hillsides are literally covered in an amazing yellow flower, it is truly breath taking. The airport is in the town of Gonder, the former capital of Ethiopia (1636), which is known as ‘Africa’s Camelot.’ It is truly unique for Africa, as it hosts classical century old-castles and ruins, remnant from prior Emperors. We stroll along the castles, such an oddity to find in Africa.

From Gonder we drive four hours to the Simien Mountains. It is cold as we climb higher, and foggy. People are on horseback, traveling with donkeys, and everyone is wrapped in different colour cloth. Ethiopian cotton. We see some people being carried on a wood-thrown like structure, on men’s shoulders. These are not kings, nor are they throwns—this is the primitive ambulance/stretcher. These men are being carried to a clinic for medical attention.

Debark is the closest town to Simien Mountains and while remote and poor, there are new buildings going up left and right. An increase in tourism in the National Park has resulted in an increase in capital in the town. We get a flat tire and as we wait a young boy dressed like all the others, in hand-me down, worn and dirty cloths shows us his Michael Jackson moves. The lodge in the Park sometimes brings him up and he performs. The cash he uses to buy school notebooks or food, these small infusions of cash make a tremendous difference. I meet another man who has the only ‘internet cafe’ in town. The US Peace Corp helped him set it up and 50% is owned by three orphans, aged 12-18. I ask him how business is going; he says ok, “we don’t make too much money.” But for those orphans, it’s a life changer. They can afford school, books, notebooks, food—their lives will never be the same.

We stay at the only lodge in the Park, a nice boutique hotel built by a British man who worked in Ethiopia decades ago, and wanted to return and do something good for the country. His lodge is demonstrating the ability to increase revenue, employ people and it has introduced a high quality into the Park, which is truly valuable as this Park, while small, has the ability to be a premium Park. That evening we sit with a group of American travel agents from New York and Los Angeles, they market Africa and have been really impressed with Ethiopia. Another American woman from Alexandria, Virginia whose husband is doing work in Gonder says “I knew Ethiopia would be ok for me to travel to when a group of women from my little town organized a trip here. If they can do it, I surely can.” A lovely looking woman in a powder blue Patagonia pile jacket, she reminds me of my Aunt Janet. I smile thinking how delighted I would be to share such places with her.

It is cold and the fire in the dining room is lovely. Not as lovely as the hot water bottles they slipped in our beds. Devine. At night I feel my head throbbing, a sign of the high elevation.

In the morning we travel with a group of American girls (Princeton students) who are studying the Gelado Baboons. These baboons are actually not baboons. They are a monkey that is referred to as the bleeding heart baboon, because of a brilliant red patch on their chest. They have long hair and can be found in large groups. On this morning we spend about an hour with them, they are incredible to watch. Unlike the true baboons, they are not aggressive and they have an amazing repertoire of vocalizations. When we arrive in the morning the gelados are all huddled together to stay warm. As the sun warms them the young begin to play, others preen each other while others start eating—grazing. That’s the oddest aspect, they are grazers. So they sit around all day, literally picking grass. A spectacular species that is endemic to Ethiopia.

The rest of the day we spend traveling the Park, enjoying the magnificent mountain views. Simien Mountains is one of the most dramatic landscapes I have ever seen. Sharp peeks, sheer cliffs, lobelia and other Dr. Seuss like plants, and other endemic species such as the Ethiopian Wolf and the Walia Ibex. The dramatic variation in elevation is staggering. Sharp drops, valleys filled with mountains, it’s a breathtaking landscape. The driver, who spoke no English (Amharic is the language most speak), I am sure is delighted to see us go, given that we stopped a zillion times to take pictures.

While we did not find the elusive Ethiopian wolf, we did see the Walia Ibex, an enormous antelope with huge curved horns. While a premium destination, the park needs support for infrastructure and development. The surrounding highland communities are 65% illiterate and face major nutritional challenges. There is a lot of work that could be done in this area.

We are back in Addis. We’ve had lunch, come out of the restaurant and our Landrover can’t get out of the parking lot because of the number of cars, it is just too tight. The driver gets out, calls a few other guys. They approach the blue Fiat taxi parked next to the Landrover. I watch without a clue for what they are doing. Before I know it, the five guys are bending down and they literally pick the taxi up, and move it over. Our driver wipes his hands together with satisfaction, calls us into the Landrover and we drive away. If Ethiopians can address their challenges with that teamwork and creativity, they will go far.

In the airport on the way back to Nairobi there are over 150 young women in the cue. They speak little English, are all in long skirts with head wraps and huddle together, wide-eyed. We go through the visa line with them and as they approach the escalators they get on timidly and nearly flip over backwards. We hold some of their arms to help them get on. They have never been on an escalator before. These women are on their way to Dubai for jobs, house work, organized by an agency, and I shudder to think of their journey.

Zimbabwe: The Fear

I am reading the book The Fear: the Final Days of Robert Mugabe. It’s an account of the days after the Zimbabwe election in 2008, when it was certain Mugabe was going to lose his grip of power. The book has been banned in Zim. I debate putting it in my carry-on luggage for my flight to Harare, the capital of Zim. You never know with customs, get the wrong guy, wearing the wrong uniform, and you are stuffed. I decide to carry it. I wrap it tightly in a long sleeve shirt, as if that will help.

Customs is not a problem, I actually wiz through, jump in my rent-a-car, well, rent-a-truck and head for the bush. I am here looking into land tenure matters and the possible integration of communities in businesses in Zim. A new law requires all businesses to have 51% shareholders Zimbabweans; it’s similar to the South African Black Economic Empowerment Bill. It presents an opportunity to provide equity for communities in tourism businesses through acquisition into land, wildlife and the actual business.

The last time I was in Zim, the country had already changed to US dollar (remember the Zimbabwean dollar went through the roof—you had to carry a suitcase of Zim dollars to buy a loaf of bread). I have a 30 trillion Zimbabwean dollar bill hanging on my mirror at home. I purchased it at Vic Falls for $5 from a kid selling the now souvenir Zim dollars. I love that ingenuity. When I was here a year ago, to buy a bottle of contact lens cleaner, it was $30. Prices have stabilized. I go to a grocery store in Harare to shop for food for the bush. Food for four days plus comes to less than $100.

I travel 7 hours south to the southwestern part of Zimbabwe. It is a beautiful country and what strikes most people is its potential. You don’t even need to imagine, just look back in its history, Zim was the breadbasket of Africa and had a robust tourism industry. The theme of my trip was “what potential…” “if only…” “this used to be….” It is a tragic story. They have diamonds, minerals, rich soils for agriculture and wildlife, but this has all been hampered by politics. The unity government that was forced between Mugabe (ZANU PF) and Tsvangirai (MDC) is teetering. Mugabe is pushing for an election this year, while others are trying to develop a new constitution in advance of an election, which many predict for next year. (Photo above says VOTE MDC.)

I spend my time in Zim’s largest private conservancy. It used to be cattle farms, but converted to wildlife in the 90’s. It has all the big 5, its lion population is growing (which is significant as Africa’s lions are facing demise), they have wild dogs, and rhinos (again, critical as South Africa faces a total onslaught of rhino poaching.) It’s a spectacular area that links eventually through other wildlife conservancies and Parks and into South Africa and Mozambique’s protected areas. The potential is enormous, if only…

I meet with various landowners. Many of the white Zimbabweans I speak with tell me stories of their land being grabbed, taken. Everyone in Zimbabwe, black or white, has stories, wounds. I am hosted by a third generation Zimbabwean who is optimistic that Zim has gone through its worse period. Others are not so sure.

Many conservancies like this one has been “resettled”—people moved onto the land, usually with minimal notice to the landowners. Zimbabwe Government (Mugabe) tried to settle the land issue, and did so in the most haphazard, violent and unproductive way. For example, in this area, communities have been settled IN the conservancy. This area is incredibly dry, so the communities cannot grow food, so, they are starving. And, they have to deal with wildlife. It’s a dreadful situation. But their permanence on the land is uncertain; some in government say they will not stay there, so everyone just waits, in a dreadful holding pattern. How can you invest if you are uncertain of your future? The same goes for donors, they cannot invest if the situation is tenuous.

If (right, here is the big “if”), if we knew these communities were permanent, it presents opportunities. We could zone certain areas for farming, introduce irrigation and other micro-enterprises, and help them acquire 51% of the tourism businesses in the Conservancy. But to achieve the 51%, many business owners have been given partners. And, not a surprise, guess who the partners are? ZANU PF leaders, former Army Generals, MPs etc… So, you are a landowner, you run a business, you are given your partners, what are your choices—you fight it and lose your land (this has been tried) or you cooperate and enter into a partnership with these crooks. You have no choice.

It’s even more complicated because a recent law in Zim says all land belongs to the Government, so if you bought your land, well, don’t include that in the valuation, because it’s not yours anymore. It’s a quagmire. And of course, who loses out, the communities and wildlife. And man, if these communities rose up, they would just be pushed back down. Look what happened after the 2008 election, if you were found to have voted or worse yet worked for MDC you were beaten severely, killed or jailed. After the re-run, which only included Mugabe because Tsvangirai pulled out, if your thumb was not red with ink from voting, you were again beaten, killed or jailed. The power of fear is not to be underestimated. Add to all these factors the fact that Zimbabwe has no tourism business right now because everyone is afraid to travel to Zim, so anyone obtaining 51% of any business is going to be losing money. It’s not a pretty story.

Other land has been invaded because the landowners were suspected of being aligned with MDC. It’s the age old story, use land and food for your political advancement. Mugabe is a master. Agricultural development has completely crashed in the country after the land grabs, so ZANU PF distributes food when it is timely, and certainly does not hesitate to remind the people that this food will not come if he does not get their vote, so, what would you do? I suspect you would feed your children. There have been so many brave people in this country who have sacrificed themselves for the longer term good and they keep at it despite the enormous challenges.

Bob, as everyone calls Mugabe as if he is their neighbor, after 32 years in power, is not doing well health wise. Everyone is speculating what will happen next. Many people think it will be the new beginning. Others think things could get worse (hard to believe) with a power vacuum and two factions of ZANU PF vying for the new iron grip.

Back in Harare, after a 7 hour drive, I go to the hotel to change before a meeting with USAID. Of course the room is not ready. All I want to do is wash my face, put on some presentable clothes. I wait. The hotel is buzzing. There is a mining conference and a group drafting the new constitution. Some wear t-shirts that say “A constitution drafted by Zimbabweans, for Zimbabweans.” They too are hopeful, they have to be.

My room is finally ready. We get there and the key does not work. The internet cards are not available but I can buy a month membership. Ah, Africa. I get to USAID on time and dressed nicely. Like all foreign embassies in Africa, it’s like entering a fortress: passport shown, phones taken away, lap tops registered, badge put on etc… My meeting is interesting, not surprising. The United States has sanctions against Zimbabwe, so our aid is limited to Humanitarian Plus—classic DC jargon. They are funding agricultural assistance as well as food aid. It is critical, but they could be doing so much more. It is a tricky line to walk, how do you aid a country without empowering its oppressors. Needless to say Mugabe is not a fan of the US, Europe… etc… Unlike other leaders where you try to figure out what they really think, Bob is very transparent. Any time he is interviewed he usually stars spitting blood about Britain, and how they are trying to re-colonize Zimbabwe. The woman I am meeting is the head of the USAID Economic Development Unit. In most African countries, USAID, EU, World Bank etc… they collaborate closely with the Government. Makes sense as they are pouring money into Africa. The person I am meeting with has been trying to get a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture since last August, but has not been granted one yet. A telling sign.

Back in Joburg one of our staff members is a young woman from Zimbabwe. I ask her if she wants to return. She pauses and then says no. I ask her if the country becomes peaceful, would she want to return. She says to me “When Mugabe came to power I was one years old. I have not known any other president. After I finished University I wanted to do something with myself and I could not do it in Zim so I came here. My family members, who are still in Zim, have memories of what Zim used to be like, but for me and my generation, I do not know that country.” I wonder what country she will know.