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2/1/1998 - Religious Threads” An Airport, A Mini-Bus and Epiphany by Marc Michaelson

ReligiousThreads An Airport AMini Bus Epiphany ADDISABABA Ethiopia February1998 ByMarcMichaelson THEAIRPORT ArrivinginAddisAbaba sBole airport isarefreshinglyunsettlingexperience Allofthesystems passportcontrol baggage customs operatewitha levelofefficiencyandprofessionalismdisarmingtotheseasonedAfricatraveler There areno aggressive porters corrupt levelbureaucrats hawkers noharassers There isadistinctivelackofmayhemandanarchy norepetitious paperwork noinane procedures nopurposeless roadblocks For country thathadbeenmired civilwarfor decadesandarmedto teethbybothsuperpowerpatrons duringthe there conspicu ousabsence ofmilitarypersonnelandhardware Knowingthat airportsare tegic andfearingthe occasionalcoups mostAfricangovernmentsmaintain San YEMEN SOMALIA Werder Kebri Dehar Mustah kilometers miles highly visible military presence their national fields Bole airport patrolledbyafewsparsel yposted soldierswitholdRussianmachinegunsslungovertheir shoulders They casual relaxed butfirm equallycomfortableansweringthequestionsofabewil derednewcomerlikemyselfandthenturningto sternly haltsomeonewhohadmistakenlygoneoutthe Asaferenji whiteperson travelinginAfrica I accustomed bracing myself I approach reaucrats Therearetwotypicalscenarios Iameither greeted withundue reverence orundue derision pendingonthewhimsandhistorical psychologicalcom plexesofthefunctionairedujour Ifindbothscenarios equally uncomfortable although former certainly makesforspeediernavigationthroughthebureaucracy AsIapproachedthewomanatthecustoms currency controlarea Inervouslypreparedmyself Iwasreadyto explainmylaptop computer portable printer other potentially contentious devices could dredge upinmyluggage Ibowedslightlyandgreetedherwith thecustomary T yistilling Goodhealth andthen waitedforherresponse Verybusinesslike sherepeated mygree tingandcalmlydemanded Passport please She examineditcarefully andthenlookedupatmewithouteven slightest smileand Ato Marc doyou acceptthelordJesus ChristasyourFatherandSavior Yowsa Shehadcaughtme totallyoff guard Why couldn havejust mademe explain technical specifications micro cassette recorder Amharic So Istuttered laughedalittleuncomfortably answered intelligent sounding Uhhh welllll ummmm Icouldmuster Needless wrong answer She launched lectureonthe virtues Christ Regain ingmycomposure Irepliedthat IcouldbeMuslim Hindu orBuddhist obscuringmyJewish identity She ignoredmylatest response continued religious liloquy another minute smiled stampedmyforms andthen sentmethrough Withtheexceptionofmypersonalaero evangelist I wasdealtwithlikeeveryoneelse nospecialtreatment positiveornegative Noofficialsembarrassinglydragged mepast Ethiopians customs neither didtheyexaminemydocumentswithanelectronmicro scopeandmakemesitandwait foreonsaseveryoneelse passed AtBole Iwastreatedasnomoreandnolessthan anEthiopian apleasant surprise thatmademefeelwel comeinmynewhome THENEWFLOWER Translated Amharic AddisAbaba meansNew Flower And avery sense capital ofEthiopia hasbeenblossoming Newbuildings aresproutingfrom garbage strewn street andnewbusinessesareopening leaves courting The heavy traffic punctu atedbythenoxiousexhaustofold inefficienttrucks buses spouts polluted scent ofaneweco nomicspringdawning Thesmellofdeveloping worldhustleandbustleisan assaultonthenasalpassages Therotofopensewersflowspast stocked fruitandvegetable stands Wind blown anddieselfumesinvade fragrantgardensofrosebushes andeucalyptus trees Walkingdownthe street passersby areenticedbythesoursmellsofinjera fiatbreadmade fromfermentedbatteror theEthiopianstaple aging Ethiopian spiced butter pungent berbere wdered mixture ofred pepper spices other ingredients cluding garlic onions ginger cloves nutmeg carda fennelseed andcoriander freshlybaked bread But passing massive rubbish beside necessary breath through mouthtoavoidgagging Thiscombinationofstenchand sweet smells ultimate olfactory confusion butone tellingofthe current state ofAddisAbaba Lifein capital series ofdichotomiesrevealing acomplexrealitysincetheendofthe country civilwar It isaplacewherepitifulpovertyandconspicu wealth exist alongside another often adjoin ingneighborhoods butscarcelymeet Itisthecapitalof anintenselyproudpeoplewhowere never successfully colonized andyetthestreetcornersarepatrolledbyan armyofbeggarsbydayandprostitutesbynight Itisa delugedbyinternational agencies delivering chari table development programs while government steeped ideology fought liberation struggle professesmil itant reliance AddisAbabais dirty smelly dynamic thrivingandalive Whilemuchhaschangedinrecentyears Ethiopia mains country deeply rooted history tradition Religion hasbeen formidable persistent force Ethiopianlifethroughthe andlargecommunitiesof allthreemajorwesternreligions Judaism Christianity andIslammhavemadetheirhomesinthe country Noreligion however influentialand perva Christianity The evangelizing customsofficial wasnotananomaly Ethiopianswereamongthe earliest converts Christianity century religion continuestoplayaprominentrole alllevels society Inthepast entryinthe civilservicewascontingenton twomajorlitmustests onelinguistic Amharic andone religious EthiopianOrthodoxChurch Thatisslowlychanging butinAddisAbabatheicons Christianity remain ubiquitous Colorful images JesusandMarhand writtenAmharicreligiousinscrip tions elaborate crosses grace priva spaces They everywhere walls homes hotelsandrestaurantstothemirrors dashboards andbumpersoftaxis AsIwassoonto discover whetherit atthe airport oronthe thechurchis present ONTHEROADFROMDEBREZEYIT DebreZeyit isasmalltownlying50kmsouthof AddisAbaba Thetriptakesonehourbypublicmini andcoststhreebirr cents OnarecentSunda 91made thistrekto visit crater lakesandescape fastpace ofthebig LeavingAddisAbabapresented itsownlogistical challenges In morning withmystock local rencyonthewane IwenttotheHiltonHotelhopingfor relieffromthetrustyagentsofAmericanExpress avail InAfrica creditardsareoftenworth littlemore thanthe plastic ofwhichthey aremade In Ethiopia currencyis extremely tightly controlled agents forbidden accept credit cards advances guaranteestocashdollarchecksonAmericanbanks The logicoftheserestrictions ispuzzling particularlysince thegovernmenthasgonetogreatlengt hstoliberalizethe economy devalue currency These efforts successful exchange black marketisnowidenticaltothebankrateandWorldBank PresidentJamesWolfensohnrecentlyvisitedAddisheap ingpraise But I digress Frazzledbymypersonalcash problems Ihadonly100birr about inmypocket Iplodded Walkingdownfrom Hilton Meskal Square Inoticedapolicemandivertingtrafficawayfrom theCityCenter Icouldhearthewhizzingofsouped engines continued until I stumbledupon Ethio pianvariationontheIndy Little Fiats paintedin brant colorsspedaround trackcomposedofthemajor arteries oftheCity Center Thisistheequivalentofshut tingdownWashingtonDC sPennsylvania Ave Consti tutionAve and16thStreetforalocalroadrace Itstruck comical crowd roared enthusiasm cheeringtheir favorites Laterintheweek I satinamini which took45 minutes crawl during similar diversion Itwasrushhour andpeakAddistraf ficwas stopped keway between teamofSwedesandEthiopians Iwatchedthe carrace forafewminutes thenlooped throughthegroundsoftwodowntownhotels andeven tually reached The turned adventure itself Public transpor tation continent abides strict simple mathematicalequation vehiclecapacity ofpassengers Assuch ourmid sizedmini builtto transport maximumof30peoplecomfortably wasstuffedwith45 peoplebefore departing Iwasunluckyenoughto arrive justas itwasreachingover capacity andthuswasban ished dreadedbackseat whereanextracouple unfortunate souls arealways squeezedin Ridingin backseat ofamini businthesepartsisthe quickestway toknoweightpeople intimately orgainempathy forthe plight ofsardines The outgoing Debre Zeyit relatively uneventful providingyou ignored repeated collisions steady buses trucks headed Addis Thetownitselfwas rather rkable although lakes Hora Bishoftu videdascenicbackdrop formunchingonaplateof saut6edmeat andswiggingacolddrink Itwasthere however thatwasmost entertaining sicalandreligious competitionerupted TheItaliansattemptedtocolonizeEthiopiabutweredefeatedin1896attheBattleofAdowa Theywere however ableto controlEritreafrom1889 DuringtheheydayoffascistruleinItaly Mussoliniwasabletouseoverwhelmingforcetopush Ethiopiaand occupyAddisAbaba years This brief period however scarcely constituted colonial MM Car 23racesthroughMeskalSquare Partiallyvisibleon theleft isanoldrevolutionary afadedremnantofMengistu HaileMariam scommunist regime Havingsecuredamorechoice seatonthis whereinthemiddle Irelaxedandgazedoutthewindow enjoy bright orange sunset reflecting rounding headedhilltops Thedriver assistant raggedteenagerwithaboomingvoice toattractpoten roadside passengers deftly collec fares turnedchange AtraditionalAmhariclovesongbyAster Awekeoozedpeacefullyfromthebus cassette Gradually acrescendo ofsingingemanatedfromthe backofthebus At first itwasindistinct buteventually itbecameclearthatasmallgroup ofpeoplewereplaying theirown cassetteandsingingalong Myneighbors looked their shouldersand grumbled Apparently eight Pentecostals singing songs godly praise trying drown devilish soundsystem Theirvolumesteadilyincreaseduntilthey werenearly shouting andthe tensionandfrustrationof theotherpassengersincreasedaswell Afewinsultswere launchedtoward driver eventually lentedandturned offAster sinaudiblemusings Bythistimewehadreachedthemidwaypointofour journey andwiththescorePentecostals EveryoneElse theformertriumphantlycontinuedtobarkoutinsong Afteranother10minutesorso however thePentecostals showed signs fatigue Their gloryand praisebecame raspy slowerandconsiderablymuted Thedrivers ensed LakeHora Debre Zeyit Priestsandotherson thetimketprocession opening turned cassette withthevolumeatmaximumpitch The exhaustedPen tecostals seemed unable respond smiles liftedthe ofthose sittingaroundme Pentecostals EveryoneElse captainedbythedriver Asweapproachedthe outskirtsofAddisAbaba equilibrium reached The dueling ceased Pentecostals quietly their songs muted tones driver reduced volume cassetteplayer Thetwosongsmergedbeautifully creat inganaturalharmony Peacehadreturnedbythetime I reachedmydestination Icalledout werrajalle thereis someone getting stumbled through aislebe tweenmycrammed incompatriots anddescended TIMKET THEEPIPHANY Timket theEthiopianOrthodoxChurch scelebration oftheEpiphany isimbuedwithprofoundhistoricaland spiritualsignificance Amongtheholiestdaysoftheyear timketcommemorates thebaptism ofJesus River Jordan The festival isaweboftraditions interwoven country unique religious heritage ebrated awaythat reflects distinctive nature personality ofthe Ethiopianpeople On timket throngs people flock their local church witness theremoval ofthe tabot thehighpriests Thesetabots arereplicasoftheArkofthe Covenant signify close linkagesbetweenJuda ismandChristianitywithin Ethiopian historicalmyths As story Queen Sheba visited King Solomon Jerusalem andupon returning Ethiopia whomshenamed Menelik Once Menelik matured ayoungman senthim The King immediately smitten newfoundson andaftersometimedecidedtosendhim backto Ethiopia first teemed advisors Unbeknownst Menelik theseyoungmen stoletheArkoftheCovenantand brought itwiththem TheHolyArkwasthustrans plantedtoEthiopia wheremanyEthiopiansbelieve remainsto Thetabots roughtto anearbywatersourcewhere arekeptbythe priests overnight Peopledanceand night prelude their ceremonialbap tisminthemorning Atthattimethehighpriestsblessthe water Janmeda Addis Ababa modern urban variation baptism gathered masses sprayedbyhuge hoses Thousands people gathered Janmeda morningofJanuary thisgrandevent Thecrowd transcendedclassandethnicityasEthiopiansofalltypes stripes assembled homage Father Colorfully priests embroidered robes shieldedfrom sunbybrilliant decorativeumbrellas WhileEthiopiansspeakabouttheArk spresenceinEthiopiaashistoricalfact itisextremelydifficulttofindhistorianswhoagree The evidenceisfoggyatbest Forthoseinterestedinanengagingaccountofoneinvestigativereporter search fortheArk which incidentall repeatedlybroughthimbackto Ethiopia seeGrahamHancock TheSignandthe Seal NewYork Touchstone MM procession return their resting placesinthechurch Somefollowedtheprocession while othersremainedatJanmeda shugeopenfield towitness andparticipateinthe shows Acrowd gathered around ateam dirty teenagers performingflips twistsand other acrobatics In tance agroup ofmencircledandbegansingingand dancingwith poles painted yellow stripes Anumberofmini microenterprises alsospraunginto operation Souvenirsandfruitwerepeddled Enterpris youngsters series little gambling opera tions Oneresembledroulette agameinwhichthehouse cents every cents paying winner three tooneonhisten centwager Anothergamewasa cointoss payingapremium ifyourcoinlandedclearly withinanyofthesmallcirclesdrawnonafrayedpiece cardboard Afewboys rides pushing aroundlittle girlsandboysforafewminutes weavingin andaroundthecrowd Elsewhere group ofbystanders formed around defeatedcrew ofpickpocketsbeing interrogatedby Throughout police noticeably presentand alert sittingperchedontop ofwalls toring crowd ready intervene For crowd reserved orderly typical Ethiopian style police weren needed There wasanatmosphereofjoyandcelebration butlittlespon taneityand ofthe possessed dancingand singing withrecklessabandonoftenfoundinWestAfrica AftertheJanmeda affairsomefriendsandIinchedour waythrough molasses traffic athickmixture hiclesandpeople thatslowlyoozeddownthe jorthoroughfares Weheadedforthehomeofafriend timketlunch andanafternoonofEthiopiantreats Weate fiery containing chicken boiled After brief intermission friend Almaztreatedusto traditional coffeeceremony First roasted rawbeans ablackenedpan small charcoal burning locally hibachi Oncethebeanshadpoppedandblackened shebrought around encouraging absorb aroma APakistani friend thenpounded thebeans mortarand pestle andAlmaz transferred coarsepowderinto abrown coffee Asitboiled removed burning embers tossed themafewshardsoflocalincense fillingtheroomwith adeeplyfragrantsmoke Thecoffeewasthenpouredinto small porcelain heaps sugar passed around foreach ofusto savor As tradition waterwas added process repeated forsecondandthird This coffeeceremonyis along drawn outprocess those patience indulge sensesforanhourortwo itisaneminentlyenjoyable It extremely relaxing stress relieving cultural event repeated daily inthe majority ofhouseholds aroundthecountry InmyyearsinTheGambia weprac ticedanearlyidenticalritual substitutingChinesegreen teaforthe coffee boilingitslowlyandmethodicallythree times Thephysical socialandpsychologicalbenefits suchtraditionsseemtomequiteevident Iwonder being Americans could influ enced ifStarbucksweretoaddanhour Ethiopian Ayoungboy attracts wagerers tohismini roulettegame Institute CurrentWorld Affairs Almazroastingcoffeebeans CoffeeCeremony theirmenuoflattesandmochas Allofthis isnottosaythatthe timketafternoonfestivi tiesweredevoidofvices Yes Ethiopianslike their coffee their whiskey Inbetween rounds wewereencouragedtodrinka littleWhiteHorse Whiskey For connoisseurs unfamiliar brand sufficeittosay itain tBlackLabel Wewerealsogivenwadsofkhat pronounced alocalleafthatisamildstimulant tochew Granted Iam anamateuronthe khatscene buttheonlysensation I wastheunsavorytastethataccompaniedhavingaclump ofgreenleavesinmymouthfora halfhour Havinghad enoughofthekhatexperiment Idiscreetly wellnotex actly discreetly excusedmyselffromthehouseandwent aroundthe cornerto itoutinthe garden SoonafterwardweleftAlmaz thankingherprofusely forhergen erosityandhospitality Ireturnedtomyhouse andrestedforanhourbecausemyfirst timketwasnotyet evening Iwasinvited party inhonor MM arecentlywedcouple Christmasand timketare seasonforweddingsin Ethiopia DailyIhave seenweddingconvoys flashing their lightsand honkingtheirhorns paradingthroughAddis Theweddingcelebrationthatnighthonored anEthiopiancouplewhohavebeenlivinginthe UnitedStates Theyappearedtobothbeintheir bride stood inches taller hernew husband Marrying shortermen appearedtobe afemale family tradition forthe motherandsistertoweredovertheirspouses The party large rectangular which regularworkdays serves cafeteria localengineeringcompany Relativesgreetedtheguestsoutsidethe andwewereusheredto seats atlongtablesspan entire length There these tables squished guests crammedin conjuringmemo ofmini busesandmat hematical equations Bottlesofdrinkswerescatteredonthetables ahomemadebarleybeer honeywine drinks The crowd itselfwas notably older indicat thispartywastargetedmoreatthe contemporaries couple itself Nearly sports jackets whilethewomenwere stylistically split abouthalfwore traditionalwhiterobesand sashesandthe restweregarbedinwestern style dresses Oncewewereall seated theguests ofhonor entered theirwedding party intow carefully madetheirwaytothe farendoftheroom They saton couches chairs raised platform decoratedwithwhitestreamersandflowers Acrossfrom piecebandplayedtraditionalAmhariclove songs small dance floor stood stockedbuffetofmorethan30bowlsoflocaldishes Most interesting tomewas thecow carcass thathungnext thebuffet Ethiopians their coffeeandtheyliketheir whiskey buttheylove theirrawbeef It istheequivalent ofanAmeric anroastbeeforturke3 withthesmallexcep thismeatisRaw witha capitalR Thetableswerecalledin order andIapproachedthe buffet andthecow withsometrepidation Still Iwas determined everything ready putmygas trointestinalsystemtothe Iunrolledapiece ofinjera onmyplateandbeganheapinguponitsmallamountsof unidentified until later sauces meats andvegetables I enjoyedthesweetand sourstomach butwasn tthrilled withtherawmeatintwo styles rawkitfo groundbeef withspicedbutter andthe ofrawsteakservedwith Atraditionally cladAmharic dancer shakes shoulders spicy pepper dipping sauce I pleasedtoreportthatmystomachsurvived culinary experience It until fulltwoweeks later thatmydigestive temsurrendered butthat isanother story After dinner picked paceandtwodancers amaleandafemale dressedintraditionalAmharicwhitecotton gowns bright elaborately designed sashes began working They started table rhythmically dulating their shoulders rapid beckoningthemarriedcouple tojointhem Then theymoved around other tables displaying theirimpressive skillsand Eventually theymade theirwayto little dance floor about square shaking their shoulders couple theirimmediate familiesjoinedthe All thewhile theremaininghalfofthecowcar casshungon ahookjust feetbehind Iamnotsurehow norhow night ended Often parties until thewee hours night Wetook leave around headed weary exhausting deeply enjoyable dayof timket festivities Thenewlyweds lookonas thefatherofthebridegivesa toast Thecowcarcass hangs background Institute CurrentWorld Affairs A AddisAbaba ArkoftheCovenant Aweke Aster Bole airport coffee ceremony culture Debre Zeyit Ethiopian Orthodox Church injera bread madef mented batter J Janmeda kitfo ground spiced butter lakes Bishoftu Hora Menelik pickpockets pclice religion S Sheba Solomon tabot barley honey sauteed Timket Ethiopian Orthodox Church celebration tradition transportation W WhiteHorseWhiskey InstituteofCurrentWorld Affairs Institute ofCurrentWorld Affairs FOURWESTWHEELOCKSTREET HANOVER NEWHAMPSHIRE 03755 ADDRESSCORRECTION REQUESTED Chosen basis character previous experience promise Institute Fellows young professionals funded spend minimumoftwoyearscarryingoutself designedprogramsofstudyandwritingoutsidetheUnited States TheFellowsarerequired reporttheir findings experiencesfrom field oncea month Theycan writeon anysubject asformally informallyasthey Theresult isauniqueform ofreporting analysisand periodicas sessmentofinternationaleventsand issues Author Michaelson Marc Title ICWA Letters Sub SaharanAfrica ISSN Imprint InstituteofCurrentWorldAffairs Hanover NH Material Type Serial Language English Frequency Monthly Other Regions Mideast North Africa South Asia The Americas Eur0pe Russia EastAsia