The old man’s face was beautiful, although it was etched with deep furrows — no doubt the result of having lived through droughts, famines and 17 years of a brutal and paranoid communist government that has slaughtered half a million of his countrymen. He was begging at the window of the minibus in which I was travelling. Ethiopia is full of faces that tell amazing stories. For many visitors, a highlight is the ancient rock churches of Lalibela — 11 churches hewn out of solid stone. But for me it’s encounters with the living that will linger — like young Ebabi Getnet, who walked with me through Lalibela’s dusty, unpaved roads and told me he had been training to be an engineer until his sister died in childbirth. When one neighbour and then another also died during pregnancy, he decided to train as a midwife instead. I asked if women would accept a male midwife, and his answer was simple. "They will accept me because I’m good." Getnet, 25, was leading a team of volunteers at a free f...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.