Recently a very scholarly Jewish friend of mine was surprised to hear from me that there are in existence a whole community of black Ethiopian Jews that live about a block down the street from him in Southern California.

He was resisting the fact that black Jews existed, but did not want to acknowledge that they existed at all, and lived close to him.

If you consider the full history of the Jewish faith, and the fact that Israel is in Northern Africa,…it is hard for me to believe that there could be that much pervasive ignorance in this religion, as it is in the Christian religion.I say Northern Africa, because I still know a ‘continent’ to be a vast continuous land mass separated by an Ocean, and not the political trickery that has been promoted to us for so long…BY DEFINITION, THERE ARE REALLY ONLY 4 CONTINENTS-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continent

Here is a quote from a website by black Jews…There is no firm estimate on how many American Jews are black, but several sociologists have placed the figure at about 50,000. As Rabbi Levy writes on his Web site, “We exist both within our own congregations and in predominately white congregations. Some of us have converted to Judaism, others are products of intermarriages, and yet others have been in this way of life for generations. The amount of diversity within our group is as varied as the colors in a rainbow.”

http://www.jewishfederations.org/page.aspx?id=26506

All things considered, it simply sounds like a racist agenda to me, when ANY religion can exclude the minority population from their ”full” status.

I am proud of my son and his mom being practicing Jews, and I look forward to a time when our Jewish friends stop asking them why they are wearing the star of David.

The answer is the same reason that they are wearing it,…and their reaction and motivation for their question has nothing to do with Judaism, but everything to do with racism,and ignorance.

I encourage all people to study the true history of your religion, so we can weed out any racial bias that may construct a pecking order based on race within all religions, or at least acknowledge that the religion is multi-cultural and diverse. Would it be that earth shattering to find out that black jews have existed for centuries, and to wonder why they have been shunned for so long by their own faith….

Why is that?…please enlighten me.

Happy Hannakuh to all who practice the Jewish faith, just like my own son.

Let me know what you think….

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_Israel

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/ejhist.html

The wait is over!  We have finalized our travel plans and are ready to release details regarding our 2011 trip to Ethiopia.  Travel to Africa and become one of more than 100,000 visitors participating in the Genna activities.  You don’t want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

On this 8-day trip, we will be able to partake in one of the most important religious festivals in Ethiopian culture, the Genna, or Ethiopian Christmas.  Ethiopia is greatly influenced by the Orthodox Tewahedo Church and its calendar coincides with the Egyptian Coptic Calendar, which has 13 months with 365 days (366 in a leap year).  Because of the ancient calendar rules and beliefs, Christmas is celebrated on January 7th every year.

We will visit the capital city of Addis Ababa, Bahir Dar, Tana, Gondar, Lalibela, Neakuto Leab and Axum.

To participate in this wonderful excursion, the total cost is only $1695 per person*. The breakdown of costs is as follows:

*Pricing subject to change without notice.

For more information, contact us for more information and make your reservation today!

i have a dream!!! a dream to do atleast something to the school which i went for my primary, junior or highschool education which is inneed of some support. What do you do for the poorest nation in the world who sacrificed his/her life to send us to school for free? what do you want to do? what plans do you have? Lets say something and share some of your great ideas and strive to fulfil it to our old schools.

THE KINDU TRUST

ST GEORGE’S CHURCH

CRAYFORD ROAD

LONDON N7 OND

This is the new address for Kindu as part of our reduction in costs policy. We wish to thank Matt Stockdale,  trustee, our operations director who was able to secure the address at no expense, which in turn allows additional savings for the trust all of which can be passed over to the beneficiaries in Ethiopia.

As we endeavour to move forward and address all the current financial worries this current period in history brings we have looked at ways to increase income and reduce our unnecessary out-goings.

The Trust now has a highly competent management team in Gondar operating out of the Tara Centre.

Kate our founder and president of the trust will be looking to take a long awaited rest (12 years wait to date) and spend time with her family and re-couping the spirits. Kate has handed over the reins to the management team knowing they are well trained  and perfectly able to operate the day to day workings of the Trust. Their efforts have ensured that all the back log of reports and profiles have been sent out and all sponsors should now in up to date with there sponsored childs’ or adults’ feedback. Well done Gondar. 

The new website is up and running and Matt, Caroline and Tom of the London team have done excellent job ensuring we move forward in a controlled and effective manner. Their hard work, commitment and enduring passion has allowed the recovery and turn-around  of the trust which at times looked threatened.

Kindu's new logo as found on the website

http//www.kindutrust.org   you will find all our updated information here along with photos, news and information on the Trust and its activities. 

Members who are unable to log on will still receive a paper version of the newsletter however all members wishing to reduce additional costs and mailings are urged to collect their newsletters off the website and download locally (only if needed ) to reduce outgoings and paper usage.

Kate is hoping to visit the UK next year and make a number of talks and meetings to boost our income and revitalise, inspire and motivate our members and sponsors into action and fund raising programmes. Any member who is considering making a  promotion to raise funds next year please liaise with Kate or the management team to see if she can attend during her planned visit.

Thank you all for your continued support and we look forward to the next stage of the promotion, development and growth of the Kindu Trust.

Brian Hamilton

Beta Giyorgis

It was not supposed to be like this. Since coming home, I have been tormented by dreams of that particular quality of the near-equatorial sunlight, the smell of eucalyptus, the smell of incense and roasting coffee, the extravagance of hibiscus, bougainvillea and jacaranda in bloom, the sound of shepherd boys calling and singing to their herds on their way home at dusk, and the music of Amharic spoken, even if I don’t know the meaning.

My mother, who is usually a wise woman, did not foresee this. It was her suggestion to make this trip to Ethiopia. It was supposed to clarify memories, bring focus to my writing and perhaps exorcise some ghosts. But, the love affair I have had with Ethiopia since early childhood was simply complicated by this trip, the way a brief glimpse of the object of a long-held secret obsession fuels the imagination of the unrequited love.

I have longed for Ethiopia often. I don’t completely understand the desire I have to return to Ethiopia. After all, more than 45 years have passed since a fragment of my childhood years were lived in Ethiopia. One reason may be that it is the country that holds within it some of the first sensory experiences I had of life on this earth: blinding sunshine and parched dusty earth; beautiful women with smooth chocolate skin dressed in gauzy white; proud men carrying or leaning upon the ever-present doula, bare brown feet covered in dust; eucalyptus groves; Land Rovers, endearing donkeys and stalwart mules; wood smoke, spicy wot and injera.

My intention was first to visit places that might have been around fifty years ago, when my father was the director/teacher of two mission schools in the northern highlands. I had initially hoped my son would go with me. My mother had many concerns for my safety in Ethiopia and some of my father’s stories did give me some cause for misgivings – particularly if I were to travel alone.

Finally, after months and months of inertia, confusion, misunderstandings, it came down to this: I joined a trekking tour group on an itinerary that included some of Ethiopia’s historic sites and also took us for 8 days into the rugged and remote Simien Mountains. Then I was able to make a local contact through friends who had been in Ethiopia when we were there. He agreed to meet me and to take me to as many of the “old” places of my memory as my time would allow. My son was very disappointed to be unable to get the time off work to join me. But, as I assured him, there will be another trip soon.

For weeks before my departure, I could hardly sleep from excitement.

snowy landscapes of home, the week before I leave for Ethiopia

In recent times, few have traveled there, and yet Ethiopia is a country with an extraordinary biodiversity, a complex history and culture, and a dramatically varied topography. Ethiopia unfairly has an image in the rest of the world as an impoverished country torn apart by war, revolution, famine and drought, of human devastation of epic proportions. It certainly has suffered in recent times, but Ethiopia has a long and proud history. Ethiopia prides itself as being one of the very few African countries to have escaped European colonization.

Modern Ethiopia is completely landlocked. The sea coast region belongs to Ethiopia’s neighbours in the Horn of Africa, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia. Within Ethiopia itself, the geography is unbelievably beautiful and varied.

The Great Rift Valley, which crosses much of East Africa, runs from the southwest across the country to the northeast, ending just south of the capital, Addis Ababa. The Rift Valley, with its many lakes, rich in wildlife, is flanked on both sides by incredible highland regions, including the Simien Mountains to the north and the Bale Mountains to the south.

in the northern-most reaches of the Great Rift Valley: an approaching storm

The most important mountains are in the Simien range, with Ras Dashen, the highest peak coming in as the fifth highest peak in Africa at an elevation of 4,620m. (sources differ as to the exact height of this peak). East and west of this central highland core are lowlands, steppes and deserts.

farm land in the Simien highlands

Both highland areas, the Simien and the Bale, are extremely rugged, beautiful and wild, home to some of the rarest indigenous flora and fauna in the world.

The fabled source of the Blue Nile arises in “the Mountains of the Moon”, in Ethiopia, west of Lake Tana, passing through the lake and around the province of Gojjam before it goes westward to join with the White Nile at Khartoum, in Sudan.

Lake Tana, from the air

Ethiopia can also claim to be the cradle of the human race. The famous partial skeleton of “Lucy”, until recently the oldest known fossil remains of a hominid, normally displayed in the National Museum of Addis Ababa, is now on a somewhat controversial 6-year tour of the U.S. More recent finds of hominid remains and tools near the Awash river system and in the Afar depression, respectively, could be 2.5 million years old, the oldest archeological discoveries of human-like life to date.

The legend was that Ethiopia was the land of the Queen of Sheba and its emperors have long claimed a Solomonic lineage, a right to rule, symbolized by the Star of David and the Lion of the tribe of Judah. This tradition has survived, virtually uninterrupted, since the early kingdom of Axum adopted Christianity about EC 333, or AD 340.

It is this tradition of the Christian highland civilization, from the middle of the fourth century until the present, travelling from the north of Ethiopia to the central region, that kept Ethiopia distinct from its Muslim neighbours to the east, and the animist traditions to the south and west. It is through the Semitic-speaking Axumite kingdom, later the Amhara kings, that the unique Christian culture and language of the Amhara came to dominate much of Ethiopia.

The other large cultural groups include the Tigray in the north, and the Oromo in the south and centre. In addition, there are many hundreds of smaller tribal groups, each with their own characteristic language and customs.

ADDIS ABABA

My visit started in the capital, Addis Ababa. With a population of an estimated 5 million, it is the third largest city in Africa. A mix of the elegant old buildings and monuments of the imperial era, it also contains modern office towers, glitzy hotels and sprawling neighbourhoods of tiny mud-and-daub houses.

Here, beautiful gardens and majestic trees can be found in the gardens surrounding international elegant embassies and hotels. In sharp contrast, the Mercato, with its densely criss-crossing roads and alleyways, teems with buyers and sellers of anything and everything, exotic and mundane: spices, electronic equipment, textiles and fabric, live chickens, tires, potatoes, what have you. It is reputedly the largest market in all of Africa. It is also the area where you are most likely to encounter pickpockets, muggers and other petty thieves.

In the predawn hours, I was awakened by the Lent services of the Orthodox Christian churches. The rhythmic chanting prayers were broadcast over loudspeakers and were soon joined by the tootling horns and roar of city traffic.

Ethiopia boasts 13 months of sunshine (they follow the Julian calendar). In the comfortably cool highland air, under blue skies, I watched a busy cosmopolitan city going to work. Young men and women in business suits with cell phones pressed to the ear, school children in their neat compulsory uniforms, the devout returning from church, women wearing skirts that reach the ankles, heads covered with gauzy white cotton natala (large headscarf or shawl) beautifully trimmed in colourful tibeb (borders) of silk, and the occasional priest, the traditional shammas (a thick blanket-sized cotton shawl) draped over his shoulders.

Addis Ababa is a fairly new capital, the location chosen at the end of the 19th century by the wife of Menelik II, who enjoyed the hot springs located in the foothills of the Entoto Mountains. Not only the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa is also at the centre of world affairs in many ways. Since 1958, the headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) have been here. Also, the Secretariat of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) has made Addis Ababa the “capital of African diplomacy” since 1963.

Friendly and relatively safe in comparison to many similarly sized cities in Europe and Africa, it has the energy of a small town, the youthfulness of a university town and the sizzle brought by international bureaucrats, aid workers and visitors. Most world cuisines are available, but perhaps the best of Ethiopian-style cooking is to be found in the city. Nightlife varies from the traditional tej beats and asmari clubs, to jazz clubs and nightclubs where a mix of African music can be heard.

Buses, bicycles and the Asian-style mini-taxis attached to the back of a motorcycle, mingle with the traffic of limousines, SUV’s, transport trucks, and the mad “blue-devil” taxis. In an ever-present haze of diesel-exhaust, working in tandem with the daring drivers of the blue mini-van taxis, taxi-touts lean crazily out the side-door, calling out the collective destination of the passengers within to potential passengers outside. As soon as passengers climb aboard, the taxi-touts slide the side door shut and the taxi swerves into traffic, often disregarding the warning tootling horns of other drivers.

Not the loudest city I’ve been in when it comes to tootling of car horns, it must be said that being able to tootle your horn is a prerequisite to the friendly chaos that is driving in this city. Drivers regard red traffic lights and lane markings as mere suggestions and have to be able to manoeuvre around odd surprises like a quietly subversive cow standing in the middle of the road or a pair of donkeys trotting merrily along ahead of their owner, who guides them with a prod now and then from a large stick. The donkeys are invariably laden down with loads of anything from a large bundle of wood, to sacks of grain or the bright yellow plastic containers of water.

My tour included the Ethnological Museum on the University of Addis Campus, a fascinating place that features many artefacts from the different cultural groups found throughout Ethiopia, arranged thematically according to milestones in the human life-cycle, birth, coming of age, marriage, death. I also visited the Holy Trinity Cathedral on the Entoto Road, north of the city centre.

There is much more to see in Addis Ababa: the National Museum, which houses the remains of “Lucy”, already mentioned as an example of one of the earliest hominid remains to have been excavated by researchers in Africa; the Natural History Museum; St. George Church and Museum; Menelek Palace, now the main headquarters of the government and closed to the public; the National Palace; Africa Hall and Meskel Square; and of course, the hot springs which were the raison d’etre of the capital. The waters are piped to the Addisu Filwoha Hotel where weary travelers can enjoy a sauna or massage.

Driving up into the Entoto Mountains north of the city through eucalyptus forests was a precursor to the steep climbs we were to have in our later trekking in the Simien Mountains. On Friday afternoon, I saw the wood-carrier women for the first time. I was to learn that as in most of Africa, bio-fuels, ie wood, charcoal, dried cowdung, etc., are used daily in 90% or more of homes for cooking, and in most of Africa, it is the wood-carrier women who travel far outside cities to collect the wood and bring it into the city for sale. Tinier than I could have ever imagined, these women carry enormous loads, suffer harassment and abuse at the hands of the guards who are supposed to protect the scarce woodlands, and the women earn mere pennies a day, not even a subsistence wage.

On Saturday afternoon, we went up to the Entoto Mountains again. The sing-song chanting of the prayers of services broadcast from the octagonal Entoto Maryam church provided background music to our windy views of the city below in the late afternoon sun.

The next part of my trip concentrated on part of what is known as “the historic route”.
These historic sites, in the chronological order of their historical pre-eminence, are Axum (1st century to approximately the 7th century), Lalibela (around the mid- 12th century onward), and Gondar ( mid – 17th century to late 19th century). Much history is also to be found in other parts of Ethiopia, but I was unable to include them on this visit.

Not following the historical chronology, we first flew from Addis Ababa to Lalibela.

LALIBELA

Beta Giyorgis

Our guide was knowledgeable, devout and passionate about the history and the sacred symbolism of the structure, decoration, icons and other treasures in each church. I particularly enjoyed the singular and colourful style of Ethiopian religious art. It has a fresh naïve quality with an emphasis on the eyes. Saints for example, are painted full-face, and therefore have two eyes. Evil persons are always, with few exceptions, painted in profile and have only one visible eye.

In each church we visited, we were repeatedly amused when, given the opportunity to photograph a priest holding one of the priceless crosses, we watched the anachronism of a traditionally garbed priest whip on a pair of dark sunglasses to avoid the “dancing spots in the eyes” after-effects of a dozen camera flashes going off.

AXUM

Here too, we again looked in on some of the unique traditions of the age-old Orthodox Christian Church of Ethiopia, getting a glimpse of some treasures kept by the monks in a small museum attached to the older of the two churches of St. Mary of Zion.

The old chapel is said to house the original Ark of the Covenant, guarded by just one specially chosen monk. Anybody else who might try to get a glimpse of the sacred Ark, it is said, will burst into flames. Many such tales abound of the miraculous things that have occurred to protect the Ark from those who would desecrate it.

The old chapel and museum are not open to women. On the same compound, the huge new St. Mary of Zion Church, built by the Emperor Haile Selassie in the 1960’s, afforded us the chance to watch the procession of the priests, colourful over-robes and capes covering the traditional white garb, bearing brightly coloured parasols trimmed with silk fringes, led by a young deacon ringing a bell. The priests were followed by various monks, nuns, deacons and faithful women all chanting a sorrowful-sounding prayer. The procession circled the church three times before returning inside.

Meanwhile, the men in our party had been allowed to see a similar procession occurring around the smaller old chapel.

GONDAR

Here, in this village without a clean source of water, I saw for the first time the flies that I remembered from my childhood, the flies that cluster around a child’s eyes and mouth. The infections that the flies carry make the eyes of the children red, itchy and pus runs from the corners. What I would have given for a few tubes of gentamycin eye ointment!

A cold rain had started to fall on and off in the early afternoon when the first climbers’ return was heralded by the welcome dance of the cooks and muleteers in camp with us. All the climbers returned safely, beating the arrival of the rain which had threatened ever since they had reached the summit.

Our treks each day varied in length from 13 to about 22 km, gruelling climbs up and down spectacular valleys, along the top of breathtaking escarpments and ridges, across tumbling rivers, over mountain passes and through the remote farming villages of the Amhara farmers. The ascent or descent was sometimes as much as 900 m in one day. From Mt. Imet Gogo, 3926m, we were rewarded with huge vistas across the lowlands and the Simien range with rock spires and prominent ambas, remnants of prehistoric volcanoes. A tough piste via Inalye, 4070m, and along an escarpment brought us over the Jinbar River and to my favourite camp at Chenek, 3620 m above sea level.

Along the route in places, and here by our camp at Chenek, we found large troupes of the endangered Geleda Baboon. Then later, nearly at dusk, we were able to spot and observe several of the rare Walia Ibex, grazing peacefully with the baboons, then climbing down the steep face of the escarpment towards the grassy meadows in the steep valley below. Although we did see a jackal or two, the extremely rare and endangered Simien wolf was not spotted by any of us. We did see many interesting birds, some of which are unique to Ethiopia, including the alpine chat, thick-billed ravens, lammergeyer birds, common-crested larks, the chough, augar buzzards, ankober serins, black-headed siskins, slender-billed starlings, fan-tailed ravens, brown rumped seedeaters, and spot-breasted plovers. Some of the unique plant life included Rosa abyssinica, Erica arborea, the giant Lobelia rhyncopetalum, helichrysum species, festuca species and herbs such as thyme and lavender.

From Chenek, we went via a pass that descended very steeply after Mt. Bwahit. The dusty, gravely descent was treacherous, although heavily travelled by locals with their donkeys and mules. The pack animals were laden with all sorts of things, even crates of orange Fanta and beer! It started to rain late in the morning and I started to feel surer of my footing in the sticky mud. We stopped for lunch in the school at the small mountain village of Chiro Leba.

The school was one room in a small building of wood and mud-daub walls with a corrugated tin roof. Being Sunday, the school-children were off for the day, free to gaze curiously at the foreign trekkers. One bright lad started asking where we were from and reciting the capital of the various countries. He was an example of the eagerness to learn possessed by Ethiopian students that I encountered everywhere I went.

Descending from Chiro Leba, we crossed the rain-swollen Mesheha River with the aid of our “ambulance mule”, then followed a path up a steep valley to our camp in the tiny village of Ambikwa. Containing a mill and a small church, Ambikwa did not have a well or spring for clean water. The water used by many in the village came from the rain-swollen little river than ran gurgling down past our campsite in a little meadow, to join the Mesheha River several kilometres away. The rain had washed all sorts of dirt, cow-, sheep-, and donkey- droppings into the river. The foresight of our tour leader and the mountain guide had allowed us to plan ahead and bring along clean drinking water from Chenek, where a well had provided us with a good supply.

Leaving Ambikwa, the “base camp” of the Ras Dashen climb of the day before, we found ourselves making our way up a picturesque valley through many remote mountain hamlets until we reached the village of Arkwasiye. Here I found the opportunity to visit inside one of two small mills. Inside, far into the night, they were busy, with the aid of a small diesel powered mill, grinding barley into flour. A steady stream of donkeys, laden with sacks of grain, came and went.

The guard who had accompanied me became a little unnerved when I was mobbed by some of the people in the mill. They were intrigued when they realized that my little digital camera enabled them to see their photo immediately. Many of them were seeing an image of themselves for the first time. Communicating with sign language, one of the women in particular made it quite clear that she found seeing her own image for the first time to be an overwhelming experience. She kept reaching again and again for my camera to look at her image. Finally seeing the concern of my young guard, although I felt no threat myself, I indicated that I had to go. With many thanks, I reluctantly took my leave of the friendly folk in the mill.

Our final day of trekking was relatively leisurely, up to the ridge above Arkwasiye from where we took in spectacular views of the semi-circular basin of rocky peaks and buttresses including Ras Dashen. This last day of our trek took us back to Chenek Camp, passing close enough to Bwahit, 4430m, for some in the group to opt to ascend that peak en route.

In Chenek we said emotional goodbyes to the mules and muleteers, and most of the cooks. Later in Deberk, the nearest town to the boundaries of the Simien National Park, we said goodbye to our trusted guards. Simien National Park has been declared a Unesco World Heritage site because it is home too several endangered species of flora and fauna.

CULTURAL HIGHLIGHTS

At the first of the lakes found in the northernmost reaches of the Great Rift Valley, Lake Ziway, surrounded by attractive blue-tinged volcanic peaks, I enjoyed my first sightings of the plentiful bird-life attracted by the tilapia in the waters of the lakes. On an earthen jetty, small fishing boats, nets stacked in the back, lay idle, moored in waters busy with birds striding among large, fragrant water-lilies. As I watched the ugly marabou storks searching for the fishermen’s cast-off fish-heads, little boys offered me blossoms of the purple-mauve water lilies for sale.

There are five small volcanic islands in the lake. Three of them in medieval times had churches on them. One still is home to three monasteries.

As a little boy started naming the different water birds to me, I was struck with the thought that like most of us wherever we live, he lived and played here, taking it for granted, unaware of how rare a privilege it was for me to simply glimpse some of these birds for a few minutes after traveling thousands of miles to get here.

Down further south along the main road from Addis Ababa, we came to Lake Langano. Although its waters are a curious golden colour, the water and beaches are clean. Set against the blue of the Arsi Mountains which rise to 4000m, the lake is a beautiful and popular weekend retreat for people from Addis Ababa. I spent a very pleasant hour or two sitting with my friend on a quiet beach, in the shade of acacia and jacaranda trees, distracted by more exotic birds, listening the drumming of some Rastafarians who had travelled from nearby Shashemene to enjoy the lake.

Driving through Shashemene, a busy cross-roads town where the Rastafarians of Jamaica have a settlement, we journeyed on, arriving in the late afternoon in Awasa. I was treated to quick visits of a church and college of the denomination of my childhood days.

source : http://revisitingethiopia.blogspot.com/2007/05/exorcising-ghosts-in-ethiopia.html

Gondar, Ethiopia

One of the egg-shaped watchtowers surrounding the gardens of the Imperial Baths in Gondar. It is a magic place.

Gondar, Ethiopia

The roots of these fig trees form a weird natural wall closing the stone-walled garden of the Imperial Baths of Gondar into a fairytale-like private universe. This was a place of recreation for the imperial elite during the Gondarine reign, and is also still used for religious ceremonies.

Gondar, Ethiopia

The so-called Camelot of Africa, the castle of Gondar, which was originally constructed under Emperor Fasiladas and continued by subsequent emperors.

Gondar, Ethiopia

This is the palace constructed under Emperor Fasiladas and the biggest of the palaces of the Gondar castle area. Gondar was the centre of the Ethiopian empire during the Ethiopian Renaissance in the eighteenth century.

Gondar, Ethiopia

Sometimes called the Camelot of Africa, the magnificent palace area in Gondar, which Emperor Fasiladas started and several later emperors continues, symbolizes the golden era of Gondar as the central seat of power in the empire. The Gondarine period also became known as the Ethiopian Renaissance. In late eighteenth century, however, internal fighting, murder plots and conspiracies drove the city into chaos and the empire with it, until rejuvenated by Emperor Menelik.

Gondar, Ethiopia

The Gondarine Cross on the top of the Debre Birhan Church in Gondar. The cross is even, seen from all sides, in order to avoid that from any direction, including heaven, it could appear as the devil’s cross. And there are ostrich eggs in seven corners, because the ostrich egg is a powerful symbol in Ethiopian Christianity, referring to the hatching time and strength of the ostrich egg.

Gondar, Ethiopia

The Church of Debre Birhan Selassie in Gondar is famous for its church paintings. In the roof and in corners you can see more than hundred heads of angels with their solemn gestures and eyes glancing at all directions as a sign of angels seeing everything. On the walls you can see beautifully painted stories from the Bible, stories concerning local saints, as well as horrors of the hell for warnings.

Gondar, Ethiopia

Part of the wall and a typical Gondarine egg-shaped watchtower at the Debre Birhan Selassie Church in Gondar. This church is particularly well known for its religious paintings (see the next picture), and also surrounded by a nice garden filled with birds. A priest is walking in front of the wall.

I owe everyone a very big thank you- only one month after being posted on the Peace Corps website the youth group project has been fully funded by your very generous donations! I am working to get a list of everyone who donated so I can thank you individually but that might be a lengthy process knowing the bureaucracy of Peace Corps Washington. Now, as soon as the money arrives in country we will be able to start both the construction of the chicken coop and the training of the youth on chickens raising techniques by the local agricultural expert (Aunt Emily, I would love any advice, knowledge or expertise that you have on chickens, you can never have too much information!). Then, after this first month we will start buying the first group of 35 chickens from Bertoua and we will be off and running! I will do my utmost to keep everyone informed of the developments of the project through this blog.

As excited as I am to start work on this I am in the middle of a wonderful vacation/family reunion/wedding in Ethiopia. In fact I am typing this in a from the Simien mountain lodge, perched high on the edge of the Ethiopian highlands with an out-of-this-world view of the ~1700m (5600ft) drop to the floor straight below me. We decided to have a family reunion this winter in Ethiopia so we could go to our friend (Adi)’s wedding. Although I think it would have been a bit more relaxing for a vacation to get away from the frustrations and delays that usually accompany the developing world (especially when traveling in one) now that I’m here there’s no where else I’d rather be. Adi’s wedding in the capital, Addis Ababa was a wonderful, although long affair. We were only there for 2 days of the week long event, but that included a reception of around 1,000 people, lots and lots of dancing and singing, and LOTS of food! Besides getting to see Adi and her family again we also go to see quite a bit of the city. At 2,450 m (~8,000 ft) it’s quoted to be the third (but probably is actually the fourth) highest capital city following La Paz in Bolivia and I’m guessing Quito in Ecuador. To me the city feels strangely like Cairo might on a massive dose of chill pills. Plus, after the somewhat aggressive (and some might say abrasive) nature of Central Africa, the tranquility and politeness of Amharic culture was certainly a breath of fresh air, even if their language is essentially impossible.

After the wedding we headed up with Adi, her new husband Samuel, and her brother (who kindly drove us up in a UN car) and sister to see some of the famous rock-hewn churches of Lalibela. Although the road wasn’t in the best condition (to say the least) the drive did provide for some spectacular scenery, including the Blue Nile gorge (which in terms of size would give the Grand Canyon a run for its money, and is also the river that gave the life giving annual floods to the ancient Egyptians) and some breathtaking mountains. I can say that I don’t envy the Ethiopian Peace Corps volunteers for the simple fact that I would be terrified to take the public buses on these winding unpaved roads twisting around cliff sides and 1000ft drops.

Perhaps the best, albeit sobering part of Lalibela however, was getting the chance to see the village of Demis, a child my parents have been sponsoring for the past couple of years through Plan International, who lives in a small mountain side village about an hour from the town. It was amazing to see the how different yet similar village life seemed as compared to Cameroon. One moment I would feel like I was back in the East province of Cameroon then the next it would seem like I was on another planet. For a continent that is consistently lumped into one amorphous entity called “Africa” this places never ceases to amaze me with its kaleidoscope of radically different cultures and its varied environments. It amazes me to see the infinite ways in which different people adapt to the same challenges of feeding, clothing, and educating their people. Yet at the same time many aspects remain the same. No matter whether people build there house from the bamboo and red clay of eastern Cameroon or the eucalyptus poles and dark volcanic soil of the Ethiopian highlands, the impression of the structures arising as part and parcel of the earth itself rather than something foreign rudely stamped over it, the feeling that they are an extension of the surrounding environment that could at anytime melt back into it without a trace, remains the most arresting feature for those visiting from the industrialized world.

I am not trying to romanticize the hardships and the deprivation that also often accompanies those living in such circumstances. It’s all very easy to talk about this oneness with nature and then head back to my comfortable bed for the night, and I would venture that a large majority of those living in such conditions would gladly give up their earthen homes for a western style house with all attached amenities. Nevertheless, as a tourist it is hard not to revel in the ‘rustic’ beauty radiating from such scenes and celebrate their earthly splendor.

After Lalibela Kendra and Dad had to get back to work, mom and I, having no such reservations continued, on to “the Camelot of Ethiopia”, otherwise known as Gondar, and then to the Simien Mountains. While the “Camelot” comparison might be due more to the creative imagination of someone on the local tourist promotion board than any actual likeness, Gondar was my favorite place that we visited in the country. It served as the capital for many Ethiopian kings from the 17th-19th centuries, ending the interesting tradition of temporary capitals composed of royal tents. The center of town is dominated by a beautiful park holding their ruins, most of which are in decent condition. Set smack dab in the middle of town it was a wonderful place to get away from the hustle and bustle of town, and served as a great vintage point to look down on the beginnings of the ‘Timkat’, or Epiphany celebration that was starting to get underway ( the Ethiopian church celebrates it on January 19th).

After a very short stay in Gondar (in accommodations that fell somewhat short of the Hilton, and for which I am very proud of my mother for staying in!) we headed to ‘the roof of Africa’ or the Simien mountains. A plateau laying mostly over 3200m (10,500ft) and peaking at 4570m (~15,000ft) I did feel like I was on the top of Africa. To make it more spectacular the escarpment is sliced by multiple canyons and valleys that plummet abruptly to the semi-desert African plane thousands of feet below. And just to top it off the Simiens contain the largest gatherings of primates (besides humans) anywhere in the world. Groups of up to 600 geladas, as the Baboon like animals are known officially, are not unheard of. These creatures live their whole life on the dramatic cliffs, sleeping deep in the gorges to avoid the leopards and hyenas then coming up to the plateau during the day to feed on the grasses and tubers. A short hike from our lodge (claimed to be the highest hotel in African at 3260m or 10,700ft!) our guide found us a group of geladas. Sitting in the midst of a group of maybe a hundred geladas who appeared only mildly nervous of me and just watching and hearing them feed and fight and play with the dazzling mountain vistas as a backdrop was one of the most memorable experiences of the trip.

However vacations always must end, and as this one draws to a close I mentally prepare to head back home I find that I am not dreading it so much as I was last time I left in June. Cameroon is now undeniably and completely “home” and I actually look forward to getting back to the familiarity of it. I will be sad to leave the wonderful hospitality and friendliness of Adi’s family who looked after us as if we were family, as did most of the Ethiopians we met. Nor do I treasure leaving the dazzling scenery and delightful climate here, but I’ve made Cameroon home and I have less than a year left so I might as well make the most of it! The next time I leave the country it will be for good!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season, and for those of you in the northern hemisphere I hope it wasn’t too cold. Hopefully this last Christmas will be the last one I have to spend away from family. I need to start making plans to get to Florida, Georgia and Ohio!

With ringing ears and snivelling nose I arrived at the Ghion Hotel in Bahir Dar with my Molly. My head stuffed full of cotton wool and now indifferent to my surroundings. Bed for me please Ted. It took me another two days to recover, weakened but spirits undampened we headed off to the Blue Nile Falls. 30km away on a dirt road and a hike over some hills the falls revealed themselves. 50 meters at their highest and relatively full they were amazingly noisy!

We returned to the palm lined streets of Bahir Dar to arrange a trip out onto Lake Tana and its ancient monasteries. As we were pressed for time we decided to visit just three over three hours or so. Each “church” very different and all adorned with stylized Christian images and icons. Every church with its own guardian and caretaker eager to show off their ancient goat skin parchments.

After an unplanned stay of five nights in Bahir Dar we were keen on a change of scenery. Again, coffee fueled we boarded our mini-bus for, Lord of the Rings sounding, Gondar. For me, Gondar is akin to Shimla in India. Steep streets, an open area at the top, people walking everywhere, tuk-tuks, and old guys draped in traditional shawls brandishing a long walking staff. Our hotel, The Ambaras Hotel, ( thanks Alex for all of your help !!! ), has amazing views out over the mountains with Eagles blasting pass our window constantly. We headed out to the Royal Enclosure aka Fasiladas Castle. An extremely tranquil place covering 7 square km. Built in the 16th Century and enlarged piecemeal for 200 years. It really feels like an African Camelot.

Since arriving here there is a real sense of history. Regarded by many as the “Cradle of Humankind” this country feels old. In the short time I have been here Ethiopia has surpassed all my meager expectations. Lush and green, abound with well dressed and seemingly affluent people, good traditional food, and ( last but not least ) an array of beers! When you get over the initial culture shock this place will leave you stunned, surprised, tired, infatuated and wanting more.

muni

Gondar, einst Hauptstadt Äthiopiens, bietet bereits aus der Ferne einen majestätischen Anblick.

Auf halbem Weg zwischen dem gigantischen Tanasee und dem Simien-Hochgebirge gelegen, ragt eine beachtliche Anzahl an Palästen und Schlössern in den klaren Himmel Äthiopiens. Im 17. Jahrhundert residierte Kaiser Fasilidas (1632-1667) in Gondar und ließ eine ausgedehnte Palastanlage erbauen – ein Novum in der äthiopischen Herrschergeschichte, denn die meisten seiner Vorgänger pflegten in Zeltstädten zu wohnen, um ihren Sitz nach einer gewonnenen oder verlorenen Schlacht schnell verlegen zu können. Unter Fasilidas erlangte Gondar großen wirtschaftlichen und kulturellen Einfluss und erlebte eine Blütezeit der Kunst, vor allem im Bereich der Kirchenmalerei. Ein beeindruckendes Zeugnis sind die Fresken der Kirche Debre Berhan Selassie: Unzählige Engelsköpfe schmücken die Decke des äußerlich schlichten Gotteshauses. Obwohl die Stadt Gondar während des britischen Bombardements im äthiopischen Befreiungskrieg 1941 stark beschädigt wurde, sind die meisten Gebäude und Schlösser gut erhalten und geben einen Eindruck von der Pracht und dem Glanz der einst mächtigen Residenzstadt.

Ethiopian Airlines fliegt zweimal täglich, an vier Tagen der Woche auch dreimal täglich, von der äthiopischen Hauptstadt Addis Abeba nach Gondar.

Kontakt:
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Message to all supporters and Sponsors.

Returning from my travels after several weeks away from home, I arrived back to a empty house as my wife, Yun and the children, Angelica and James remained in Seoul, South Korea visiting their grandma, harmony in Korean terms.

I was able to reflect whilst walking around the empty house what children give us in terms of pleasure, feedback, happiness and joy. Having not seen my wife and children for several weeks during my travels in far-off places.

Now back in the UK alone I collected and sorted the mail accumulated over the weeks and divided up that belonging to Kindu into a very healthy pile.

Matt and Caroline had diligently compiled and posted our latest newsletter to all our supporters and sponsors during my absence. The results of their efforts was now spread across the floor in a mountain of thank-yous, donations, email addresses for future contact and postings.

I really wish to thank Matt and Caroline for their efforts in achieving this goal thus delivering a much needed uplift to you, our supporters who have loyally and diligently continued to donate and trust our work in Ethiopia, inspired and led by Kate Fereday on the ground.

Our future is in our children and all the children of the world, we owe them our thanks and they in turn rely on us for our guidance, support and direction until they are old enough to make their own route in life.

The world we live in tomorrow will be a result of what we, the current occupiers of the earth, pass on to the up-coming generations. Your generous support will no doubt help form a balanced opinon of the people they inherited their world from and hopefully they too will be inspired to help others.

Not having contact with loved ones or those who are dear to us is a heart ache, we know that in recent years communications between your sponsored child or family have been irratic, and this is a priority for the trust to address.  I am happy to say this is being addressed and our back log of reports and feedback to sponsors is slowly, but surely being reduced and all reports are now on route to be provided in the near future.

Thank you, everyone who supports a child, either directly, via a family or by donating to the Kindu.

It  is only by your support we have been able to achieve so much and change the future for so many children and families in Ethiopia. 

Your responses, letters, emails and telephone calls to the recent newsletter posting was an up-lifting and humbling experience. It restored our belief that we are travelling the correct route and that Kindu is on course to restore confidence in our supporters with whom we rely so heavily.

Thank you on behalf of the UK office team, Caroline, Matt, Tom and myself, The Tara centre team, Kate, Kassahun, and all the helpers and volunterers, and most of all the families and children who without your support would live a different life to that they have now.

Inspired by the work of Kate, with your support, we can and do make a difference in a world of poverty.

My thanks and best wishes,

Brian Hamilton

Sorry to miss blogging yesterday – it was a bit packed.  The ministry time here in Gondar has been spectacular, all the way around.  God has opened so many doors, its like I’m living in a dream come true!  We have experienced God in so many different ways:

church unity:  6 churches closed their services to attend both services yesterday.  There’s been tremendous unity & support among the pastors.

services: We had well over 1,000 people in each service (I’m being very conservative) and between both services, we had easily over 50 people respond to the altar call and for Gondar, this is completely phenomenal. 

miracles:  we had a woman give her testimony that she had a growth for 16 yrs bigger than her fist disappeared within 24 hours, we had a woman who had trouble walking & she was healed & could jog.  Zach Hilbrich had ringing in his ears & it disappeared, Dan from Global Exp was healed of lower back problems with his disc & could bend & twist when he couldn’t before, a woman who couldn’t bend her knees could bend & walk w no problems; we had some excellent ministry with giving verses to specific people.  The 1st verse I gave was Phil 4:9 to a soldier who had tremendous anxiety & depression from his fighting experience & the presence of God absolutely set him free.  He came back the next night & explained that his hearing was also healed.  There are lots more testimonies, but these are a few that come to mind.

Our team is doing an amazing job – they’ve had opportunities to minister on the university campus, with some medical assistance, in the healing services, going to pray for HIV/aids victims, to children here at the orphanage . . . . . it’s truly amazing!!!

So, today is a bit of a pause (I think we all need it).  We’re going to see the castles in Gondar & then have a bit of a break.  Tomorrow morning we fly back to Addis.  The time here in Gondar has been absolutely captivating. 

So, lots of love to everyone!  Thanks LOADS for praying!!!

prayer pts:

1 – health:  pls pray everyone stays healthy with no little bugs

2 – ministry in Addis:  pls pray that our opportunities will be very fruitful (Tues night, Wed w/ kids vbs & Thurs w an orphange)

3 – ongoing unity & growing in our knowledge of Jesus

Midas verbleef in 2006 samen met zijn ouders en broer een maand in Gonder, Ethiopië. Hij was toen negen jaar en vond het wel een hele ervaring. Dit jaar stelde hij zijn eindproject in het zesde leerjaar in het teken van Gonder en de fantasieprikkelende kastelen van het Ethiopische stadje. Hij kreeg er een pluim van juf Bie voor. Wij geven u graag het animatiefilmpje dat hij in elkaar knutselde en zijn rijk geïllustreerde projecttekst kastelen-van-gondar (in pdf) mee.

We roepen ook andere kinderen en jongeren op (animatie)filmpjes, tekeningen, projecten, opstellen, verhaaltjes, ervaringen,…die verband houden met Ethiopië naar ons door te sturen…Misschien krijgen ze dan binnenkort een plaatsje op onze site.

The Kindu Trust supports some of the poorest families in Ethiopia. Our child sponsorship scheme helps an individual and their family to pay for the food and shelter that they need to stay healthy and well. This support has never been as vital as it is now. Living costs in the country have been rising continuously over the last year and people throughout Ethiopia are increasingly struggling to afford the food that they need.

We thank our supporters for continuing to help this cause. With each new sponsor we can reach another family and help their situation. For instance, a family who registered with our team in Ethiopia in 2005 has at last been allocated a sponsor. Hayat (9 years old) and her illiterate, widowed mother live with Hayat’s brother, sister and elderly grand-mother in a tiny makeshift shelter on the edge of Gondar city, in the north of the country.  Now her family has financial help, Hayat will be able to start school in September. Her mother is also looking for a room to rent so they can move out of the makeshift shelter they currently live in. Thank you for being a part of this work!

This working paper by Azage Tegegne and Worku Teka of ILRI, Tesfaye Mengistie of Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development, Amhara Regional State,Ethiopia, Tesfaye Desalew of Kutaber woreda Office of Agriculture and Rural Development, Kutaber,South Wello Zone, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia, and Eshete Dejen of Amhara Regional Agricultural Research Institute (ARARI) on Transhumance cattle production system in North Gondar, Amhara region, Ethiopia: is it sustainable? was released on 19 March, 2009.

The study was carried out in three highland woredas (districts) of Chilga, Dembia and Gondar Zuria in north Gondar Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia. These woredas were purposively selected because of their long experience in transhumance cattle production system. The objectives of the study were to characterize the transhumance cattle production system, identify the major constraints and forward appropriate developmental interventions for the future. Informal and formal surveys were employed to collect qualitative and quantitative data. From these woredas, a total of 180 representative households from 9 rural kebeles were selected using systematic random sampling methods. Semi-structured questionnaires and topical guidelines (checklists) were used to collect data. The results revealed that livestock production system in the highlands is characterized by mixed crop–livestock production and rainy season transhumance production system. Transhumance production system was practised mainly into the lowland areas. The major reasons why cattle were trekked to the lowlands were availability of feed (99.2%), free land for stocking (92.4%), low disease risk (25.0%) and availability of non-waterlogged areas (0.8%). Preferred locations were Metema (84.0%), Armachiho (9.6%), and Quara (4.0%) woredas, while very low percentages considered Alefa and Chilga woredas (0.8% each). The months when cattle movement started were May (69.5%), June (29.6%) and April (0 .8%), and the months of returned home were October (45.8%) and September (35.9%). Three major cattle trekking routes were identified, and the selection of routes depended on distance, availability of forage and non-crop covered areas. The first destination is Agamwuha kebele (Lemlem Terara) in Metema district, irrespective of the routes followed. About 60.3% of the cattle population of the three woredas was trekked to the lowlands during the rainy season. The number of cattle owners and the size of cattle population involved in one group were 4.3 ± 0.18 farmers and 58.8 ± 3.89 heads, respectively. The average daily milk off-take, lactation yield and lactation length of indigenous cows in the three studied areas was about 2.0 ± 0.07 litres, 540 ± 21.05 litres, and 8.9 ± 0.16 months, respectively. The mean age at first calving (AFC) and calving interval (CI) was 5.2 ± 0.30 years and 19.0 ± 0.38 months, respectively, while mean calf crop was 7.4 ± 0.47 heads. The average weaning age of calves was almost one year, being 11.6 ± 0.26 months. In the lowlands, milking, butter making and selling of dairy products were performed only by male herders. In the highland areas, butter (95.6%) was one of the most important saleable dairy products followed by raw milk (18.4%), fermented milk (ergo) and buttermilk (6.1%). However, during the transhumance period, butter (95.3%) was the major marketable commodity followed by raw milk (61.3%), buttermilk (18.9%) and fermented milk (14.2%). Highlanders also market dry cows, oxen, heifers and young bullocks during their stay inthe lowlands. The major constraints identified by the highlanders were conflict with the lowlanders, cattle theft, human and livestock diseases, and lack of markets. Most of the respondents (86.3%) estimated that the trend of transhumance has been increasing due to feed shortage (50.4%), expansion of crop cultivation (27.4%) and increasing cattle population (21.2%) in the highlands. Human population has also been increasing both in the highlands and lowlands, and the current infrastructure development in the lowlands (tarmac road, electricity, phone etc.) will further encourage more migration to the lowlands. The conflict over resources will intensify, probably leading to the demise of this production system unless alterative development strategies, such as intensification of the production system in the highlands and development of feed conservation and marketing in the lowlands are devised.

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