That until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned; That until there are no longer first-class and second-class citizens of any nation; That until the colour of a man's skin is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes; That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race; That until that day, the dream of lasting peace and world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained; And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes that hold our brothers in Angola, in Mozambique and in South Africa in subhuman bondage have been toppled and destroyed; Until bigotry and prejudice and malicious and inhuman self-interest have been replaced by understanding and tolerance and good-will; Until all Africans stand and speak as free beings, equal in the eyes of all men, as they are in the eyes of Heaven; Until that day, the African continent will not know peace. We Africans will fight, if necessary, and we know that we shall win, as we are confident in the victory of good over evil."
Haile Selassie October 1963 to the UN
Last night during a phone call to my beloved I was reminded of the fact, that come next Sunday I will be back in England. It seems incredulous that my three month placement to Ethiopia will be concluded in less than two weeks. I'm sure all ardent travelers reach this conclusion when home time is nearing but seriously, where did the time go?!
Obviously I'm chomping at the bit to see the important people in my life again but truth be told, Ethiopia has gotten under my skin in a way that makes me want to stay. Three months just isn't sufficient enough time to achieve all the ambitions I had before I came here. What about the street children, the homeless, the NGOs I've only just heard of? There is so much to do and with only a few working days left I'm nonplussed as to what to prioritize.
That being said I'm goofy happy at the progress we've made thus far; art classes at Lideta Juvenile Rehabilitation Center are going down a storm and we've made a positive link for the Kechene Women potters which means that they will have stability to their business. Ethiopia has completely inspired me, I came here so uncertain about what I wanted and now feel that it's never been about 'me' its about serving others, being a vector for change by simply giving a dam.
I've included a Haile Selassie quote as I was recently at a Rastafarian festival and felt his words really resonated with my thinking at present.
Rasta craft fair :)
An observant friend of mine proclaimed reggae was like medicine and I'm inclined to agree. As I looked around I was struck by the diversity of the attendees there, many were of Jamaican descent, there were of course Ethiopians but then Europeans, Americans and even one awesome Asian lady with the nicest dreads I've ever seen mingled among the Ital foods and craft stores. We personified diversity and reinforced in me the opinion that empowerment comes from diversity.
Rastafari drumming and chatting at EthiopiaFrancaise alliance, Piassa
I never got the opportunity to visit the Rastafarian town of Shashamene, south of Addis but am interested in the mass exodus of Jamaicans to the area, designated to them by Haile Selassie. I found an interesting article on the topic for your perusal should you have a spare minute.
Awesome reggae artists doing their thing!
Before I forget here are the much anticipated Women's run we did on March 8th. It was a really great day for empowerment and gender equality.
Girls rule the world!
Ethiopia and its beautiful people have opened my eyes to the possibilities of life and the importance of striving to make positive changes in this world. Laying my cards on the table here part of me is terrified at the prospect of returning to Birmingham having no job, nothing defined and certainly no money! That being said I am brimming with hope and ambition and have ideas about what direction I'd like to go in. At some point there will be a Masters in International Development completed and I want to pursue the idea of 'Cafe Africa' my own business, that not only pays my wage but works to improve livelihoods in Africa. Its still on the drawing board but I feel I have enough connections and more importantly the passion to pursue this. I've also decided to begin making and selling t-shirts on the Real Women have curves and surfboards design. The overall brand will be called 'Ras Desta' the word 'Ras' being a nod towards Rastafarians' and 'Desta' the Amharic word for happiness, there's a story about this I'm too tired to explain but rest assured it has meaning!
Right folks, my bum is going numb from sitting in this internet cafe for so long so I'm going to get going post haste!
Until next time!
Love + Peace + Surfboards
<3
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