Ethiopia – Wangechi Gitahi Travels

Africa

Ethiopia Airlines-The New Spirit of Africa

By Wangechi Gitahi

Ethiopia Airlines is the flag carrier of Ethiopia and has been in operation since April 08, 1946. It is wholly owned by the Government of Ethiopia and serves 101 international and 22 domestic destinations. Its flights have two classes: Cloud Nine which combines First and Business Class and Economy Class. When I recently needed to travel to Windhoek, Namibia from Nairobi, Kenya, I went online in search of flight options with two main search option guides 1) Cheapest Flight 2) Deliver me in Windhoek. Thus for hours, I had my eyes fixated on my laptop, my fingers playing with any and all search words I could get. I used my usual go to search platforms- Google, Fare compare, Skyscanner, Trip Advisor among others. I put out alerts for when flights to that route would drop across airlines and search platforms among others. When a decision had to be made, Ethiopia…

Africa

Timkat Festival

By Wangechi Gitahi

Timkat is a religious festival celebrated by the Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia, on 19th or 20th January in a leap year. Timkat means Baptism and is a celebration of the baptism of Jesus in river Jordan by John the Baptist, the celebration of Epiphany. The festival occurs all over Ethiopia thus you can enjoy it in any town you may be in. I had the honour to attend the festival while in Addis Ababa and what an emotional roller coaster it was. During the festival, models of the Ark of the Covenant otherwise known as the Tabot, are removed from the Orthodox churches and carried to a designate water body by a select priest. A Tabot represents the Tablets given to Moses by God, that had the Ten Commandments inscribed on them. Every Orthodox church has one in safe keeping and it is not available for public viewing unless on…

Africa

Shashamane, the home of Rastafarians

By Wangechi Gitahi

Rastafarianism was made popular by the great singer Bob Marley. They are easily identified by their “Rasta colours”, their dreadlocks and their Reggae music. With time however, I wanted to learn about who they really are, what they are truly all about and what it means to be “Rasta”. I thus have put Jamaica on my bucket list to experience this, as it is the country most associated with them. However, when I heard that they are found in great numbers in my neighbouring country Ethiopia, in a town called Shashamane (Amharic)/ Shashemene (Oromo), it was only fair that I start my “Rasta” interaction there. I came to learn that Emperor Haile Selassie had offered 500acres in this area as a home for all Rastafarians, and it is for this reason and more, that you will meet Rastafarians from across the globe calling this place home. Things to do in…

Africa

The beauty that is Awasa

By Wangechi Gitahi

Awasa also known as Hawassa is a beautiful city located 270km Southwards of Addis Ababa, in the central region of Ethiopia and is found in the Great Rift Valley. It is a beautiful city, well organized, lots of culture on display and the people are very warm. Things to do in Awasa: Visit St.Gabriel: This is one revered Orthodox Church that is not only an art piece, but also a true beauty. In the Orthodox Church, women wear long dresses and are expected to cover their head with a scarf or shawl. The men and women do not mix in the church and hence, they also enter the church from different doors. 2.Visit Lake Awasa As you drive to Awasa, you will see a major lake flowing for most of the distance. This lake is 16km long and about 9km wide. The lake is multipurpose for both residents and wildlife.…

Africa

Addis Ababa, A wonderful melting pot

By Wangechi Gitahi

I grew up learning about Ethiopia, previously known as Abyssinia, as it is a neighbour to Kenya. We learnt of how Ethiopians had managed to defend their borders from being colonized during the Scramble for Africa, how it was ruled by Emperors with one of the popular ones being Haile Selassie, that it has over 80 ethnic groups and how deeply cultural they are. It is for these reasons and more that led to my actual arrival into Ethiopia years later, with my first stop being Addis Ababa, the capital city. Highlights of my trip: 1) Witnessing a Coffee Ceremony: Whenever Ethiopians have a guest, they are honoured by sharing the “Coffee Ceremony”. They prepare a cup of coffee from scratch, the traditional way. The coffee beans which already have their husks removed are sorted and washed thoroughly. I didn’t know they are almost cream in colour yet we grow…

Africa

Ethiopia 101

By Wangechi Gitahi

1.Ethiopia is officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and its capital is Addis Ababa. 2. The dominant religion is Christian with most being Orthodox Christians. 3. It is the most populous landlocked country in the world and the second most populous country in Africa. 4. It is bordered by Eritrea to the North and Northeast, Djibouti and Somalia to the East, Sudan and South Sudan to the West and Kenya to the South. 5. Ethiopia was never colonized during the “Scramble for Africa”, but was occupied by the Italians. 6. Ethiopia has the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Africa. The nine sites are Aksum, Fasil Ghebbi, Harar, Konso Cultural Landscape, Lower Valley of the Awash, Lower Valley of the Omo, Rock-Hewn Churches, Simien National Park and Tiya. 7.The Ethiopian Calendar has 13 months and it is 7 ½ years behind the Gregorian calendar. New Year in Ethiopia starts on…