What kind of church?
In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Addis Ababa in Ethiopia has many churches and mosques. The population is almost 50/50 Ethiopian Orthodox / Islamic so it is no surprise to see a liberal spread of both churches and mosques throughout the city.
I can’t recall which church is shown above, but I had a giggle at the sign pointing to the church building shown in the photo below. If you click on the photo to enlarge it you will notice that it is the FBI Church.
Interesting – I didn’t know that the FBI was a church. Looking it up on the internet I find that the letters actually stand for Faith Bible International church. It was established in 1971 by American Baptists. Someone obviously had a warped sense of humour – or they didn’t realise what they were doing until it was too late.
In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Scenes of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
No Comments »20th April, 2012; Category: Africa, Animals, Ethiopia, Exotic Destinations, Holidays, Shopping
Street scene, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Addis Ababa, along with most places in Ethiopia, is a bustling, crowded place with constant movement of people, animals and vehicles wherever you go. Sure, we did spend a little time in rural Ethiopia where the pace of life is far more sedate, but in the larger towns and certainly in the capital city, life is hectic and in your face most of the time.
Today I feature a few photos of street scenes taken while travelling around Addis Ababa. We hired a car with some friends to go shopping in various parts of the city. It is very challenging getting around and the constant movement of traffic is amazing, especially for one like myself who is used to a quiet rural environment in South Australia.
Street scene, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Street scene, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaStreet scene, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Children in the ALERT medical facility, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
One of the children at the ALERT medical facility, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
When we visited the shop at the ALERT medical facility (for leprosy sufferers) in Addis Ababa there were quite a few children hanging around and playing near the shop. The boy in the photo above approached and showed me the small bow and arrow he had made. He demonstrated how it worked and then asked me to take his photo.
This prompted several other children to come up to me for a photo too, so I obliged. Meanwhile my wife and daughter were busy chatting to the ladies making various items for sale in the craft shop.
Some of the children at the ALERT medical facility, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
ALERT Medical facility, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Leprosy patient at the ALERT Medical Facility, Addis Ababa
During our stay in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia last December, colleagues of our daughter took us to the ALERT Medical facility. The acronym stands for African Leprosy Rehabilitation Training Medical Centre. Most of the patients are involved in craft and art work as a part of their rehabilitation. This art work is then sold through their shop on site, the proceeds returning to the artists.
It was our intention of just to visit the shop and to purchase some of the items, which we did because they were so good. We actually went back again a few days later because we didn’t have enough cash the first time. And we would have bought more items but for the fact that this was the first week of a seven week holiday in Ethiopia, Morocco and Spain. Our luggage allowance on the plane was going to be a challenge. [Postscript: we managed to keep within limits, but only because we sent quite a few items in our daughter’s unaccompanied luggage.]
One of the fascinating workers at ALERT was the man shown above. It amazed me how he could deftly weave the mat shown in front of him – despite having only a few stubs left where his fingers once were. He did this with a wonderful smile. A lesson to me in attitude, I think.
Leprosy patient at the ALERT Medical Facility, Addis Ababa
Travelling by car in Addis Ababa
Ring route in Addis Ababa
One of the interesting – and challenging – aspects of visiting a city like Addis Ababa in Ethiopia is travelling by car in the streets of the city. Because I was only staying for a few weeks last December I never applied for an international licence. Consequently I never had the opportunity to actually take the wheel of a car while there. I did, however, travel many times in cars with other drivers. Like most developing countries, driving in the traffic conditions in Addis Ababa is quite an experience.
In the photo above I have shown a part of the major ring route around the city. At the time this photo was taken the traffic was very light. All seems very organised and safe. All is not what it seems.
You will observe lanes marked on the road. This is not only misleading, it is totally inconsequential. Few drivers, if any, actually drive in the marked lanes. I quickly figured out that the markings were suggestions only; no-one actually drove within the lane markings. It is quite amazing that they don’t have far more serious accidents.
Cars, trucks, buses and other vehicles do not seem to be the major hazards when driving in Ethiopia. Two hazards stood out for me: pedestrians and donkeys – see the photo below. Pedestrians tend to use the road as a footpath. Not surprising – footpaths are so poorly maintained that no-one would want to walk on them. Or are they are totally non-existent.
And there seemed to be random donkeys crossing roads everywhere.
Donkey crossing the street in Addis Ababa