August in Africa- Blog V

Written August 12, 2008

I am sitting in the Addis Sheraton feeling a bit disoriented by the contrast of my comfortable room with what I experienced today. I just returned to Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, after having traveled to some of the country’s remote areas. How can the comfort of this hotel be on the same planet, not to mention the same country?

I’m trying to assimilate all I have seen, learned and felt. One cannot help but feel an omelet of emotions: gratitude, inadequacy and confusion by the inequalities mortal circumstances provide. I’ve seen it many times before, in different places around the world, and I am always affected the same way.

One of the areas I visited was Lalibela, about an hour’s flight from Addis Ababa. As we began to descend, I could see thousands of small circles grouped in configurations ranging from a half dozen to hundreds. I recognized them as shelters with thatched roofs. From the vantage point of ten thousand feet one could see that they existed over wide expanses of territory, usually with one to three miles between settlements. The groupings were not connected by roads or power lines that typically connect communities. They were isolated and independent from each other.

I picture the young female health extension workers, who work in the area carrying their clinic-in-a-bag. They must walk great distances between each small grouping.

We were met at the airport by Ato Abadi Zemo, the Vice President of the regional government, and representatives of the health ministry within the regional government. As we drove toward the village of Lalibela, a picture of just how remote this area is began to emerge. The acreage that stretched for miles on either side of the road was being cultivated in small plots of about a half acre.

Hundreds of farmers and their families worked the fields. Men walked behind yoked cattle pulling a plow device that consisted of a wood stick (fashioned from the staved branch of a tree) attached to a metal plow shear. Women and children weeded the field typically arranged in a straight line, elbow-to-elbow in a squat that seasoned field workers seem to maintain for hours, with only their feet touching the ground. Periodically herds of goats, cattle and small mules grazed in groups, almost always watched by a child, often five or six years old.

Lalibela is notable within Ethiopia, because, in the 12th Century, Saint Gebre Mesqel Lalibela attempted to build New Jerusalem by chiseling 13 churches out of a solid mountain. It is an awesome feat and is considered one of the wonders of the world. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalibela)

By virtue of the concentration of churches, Lalibela is still a hub of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. It was my purpose to meet with Memeher Aba Gebereyesus Mekonen, head of Saint Lalibela Churches, and a group of clergyman who work under his leadership to understand the impact the church has at the ground level. I met with Memeher Aba Gebereyesus Mekonen, who had assembled about a hundred clergyman so we could talk. I was honored that they gathered. Apparently my visit came on a day of fasting and they rescheduled their worship services to accommodate the meeting.

Our conversation made clear that the church plays a profound role in the community. Each of the clergy had been trained to counsel their members on the importance of being tested. We talked candidly about the nature of the threat HIV/AIDS presents to their members, their church and the viability of the community. What I witnessed in our meeting confirmed a view I have held for many years. People will respond to requests from those to whom they pay their tithes and offerings, long before they heed the advice of those to whom they pay their taxes. In reality, in this region of Ethiopia, the church is the framework that defines society, not government.

I was struck by how happy the people seemed with their simple life. It seems like such a hard life to me and I am grateful to be sleeping tonight at the Sheraton.

Comments

The most disturbing thing in this post is this quote: "...the church is the framework that defines society, not government."

You've been in the government for far too long if this seems strange to you. The governmnet should NEVER define society, the society defines government. I hope and pray that some day the people of this country will wake up and remember that.

Posted by: Chris Farley | August 27, 2008 at 03:41 PM

Keep up your blog and your dialogueing, Secretary Leavitt!
But we feel a strong disagreement with the Bush administration's supposed push to change the rules for funding of family planning organizations such as Planned Parenthood. Years ago when we were in poverty and had two children already, Planned Parenthood gave us a free vasectomy and saved us and our children from the terrible lives we otherwise would have faced. Our children, in turn, now each have two children, but were able to pay for vasectomies themselves.
We feel that your Department should not change these rules to try to force other such parents to have terrible lives and to force further children to be born into terrible lives. We don't try to force others to do things our way, so why must you try to force others to do things your way?

Thank you for considering our input on this matter.

Sally and Frank Richards, Ridgecrest, CA

Posted by: Sally and Frank Richards | August 31, 2008 at 11:01 PM