Working in a Foreign country; USA and other countries - Ethiopian Travel - Blog post no – 76

Visiting a foreign country is a dream coming true for many people. And a chance to work in a foreign country is at a completely different level altogether, especially the Indians. 

An entire locality called Ameerpet in Hyderabad, India survives only on the dreams and aspirations of Hyderabadis and Telugus waiting to go to USA, their ultimate dream.

The dime a dozen training institutes have trained many thousands or even lakhs on various IT skills, computer languages and certifications. So much, so an exasperated colleague loudly remarked: “It is not Ameerpet, it is United States of Ameerpet”. Recently a Telugu movie was made with the title Ameerpet to America! But there no denying the bubbling and infectious energy of the teachers and the taught in Ameerpet. It is the ambition, drive, determination of its trainees which are the grease that moves the wheels of the Ameerpet training institutes!

Any job in USA is okay; families somehow want their wards to reach the harrowed shores of USA. Once the kids reach USA, peace reigns in the Indian houses. They can proudly claim “yes my son/daughter too had gone to USA”. When the boy or girl returns, they would be US returned, a badge of honour!

With such a scenario getting a job in any other country including Canada, Australia or even England is looked down upon. And getting a job offer in Ethiopia, one of the poorest country in the world! What to say!

Parents and colleagues pity people who just got African job offers. A colleague’s wife recited an incident in tears. I believe all her friends said “WHAT!! you are going to Ethiopia. That poor country!” Then they sang a funny Telugu song where the actor says many countries names lyrically. He says “Ethiopia, Somalia, Nigeria and many other countries names ……” and the viewers roar in laughter. Her excitement of going to a foreign country along with her husband was tinged with anxiety.

Recently one of my ex-colleague wanted my opinion about going to Ethiopia. I told him that it was a great country to work. He asked me in a quivering voice “What about Ebola virus and Zika virus sir, can you assure me that I would not get these diseases”.

I gave him a withering look and said: “not only Ebola, and Zika, there is a chance of getting yellow fever and malaria”. He fled from my presence. Good riddance to bad rubbish, Ethiopia does not need chicken-hearted teachers like him. What it wants and loves are teachers who embrace Ethiopia as their own and cherish the experiences.   

One of my cousins asked my mother “Hemakka, what is there in that country? Why did Raju (as I am called at home) go to Ethiopia? No fast cars, no big buildings, no excitement. And on the top of it very dark people”. Coming from a citizen of a country (India) which boasts of quite dark people of its own, it was an understatement of the century!

My mother went onto explain why her son picked up Ethiopia as a destination, but my cousin was not convinced. “Why should we go to a country that does not give brownie points for a kitty party banter!!!” was the reasoning of my cousin.

Mansoor, my colleague from management department, too was bowled over by Ethiopia and its rustic ruggedness. He marketed Ethiopia so well to his family members that his brother-in-law came over for a visit. Mansoor’s brother-in-law got off the plane in Addis Ababa and recoiled. “Jijaji (brother-in-law) everyone here is so dark!!!???”. That first impression got stuck into his mind. He wanted to return to India on the same day. With a lot of difficulty, he was persuaded to come to Bahirdar. From that point onwards Mansoor’s brother-in-law withdrew into his shell.

During our initial days in Bahirdar, we did see Mansoor’s brother-in-law. He was quite withdrawn and not enjoying his stay. We all tried cheering him, but it was a wasted effort. He cut short his visit and flew back to India.

A wasted opportunity lost to explore and see an ancient civilisation. Very few get an opportunity to travel back in time and experience the life of their parents or their grandparents! We were the lucky few who were in Bahirdar when it was about to change.

The preferred mode of travel was a bicycle albeit a geared bicycle glamorously called a helicopter. The trendy looking bicycles were imported from China and would retail at a mind-boggling price of 1000 to 1200 birr (5000 to 6000 Rs). The blue and white geared bicycles were a big rage and commanded a good resale value. Many Indians bought the bicycles, used it for two years and off-loaded it at 700 to 800 birr. It was quite a status symbol to own one.

Listening to the excited chatter on which bicycle to buy, the usually quiet Dr Srinivas Inguva wryly commented “In India, we move from a bicycle to scooter to car. We already have a car in India, and we are going from a car to bicycle, and our entire Indian community is very excited.” That statement stopped us dead in our tracks. How true!!!

Padma told the stunned Indian community that her mother wants to come to Ethiopia. That shook them out of the stupor. ‘Yes visiting her daughter, must be missing her and the grandchildren’. They almost fainted when they were told that Padma’s mother stays in USA. “Coming from USA to Ethiopia” they could not comprehend. They were stunned!

“Why madam, what is there in Ethiopia?” we could sense the despondence in their voice. That triggered Padma. She went onto explain to the gaping audience “She is coming on her own. She is excited to visit Ethiopia. She already has researched Ethiopia and knows some of the customs and culture.

Ethiopian Restaurant in USA

And to top it all, she along with my brother and his wife have already visited Ethiopian restaurants in San Francisco and have eaten and loved Ethiopian food, including Injira and the different types of wats” This was the killer punch. The audience was overawed “here we are in Bahirdar, and we have not even tasted Injira and Padma’s mother has already tasted and liked Injira that too in distant SFO, USA.”

75 - Greeting each other – Tigers prowling in the compound – Ethiopian journey – Blog Post no – 75.

Hand shaking exists in Ethiopia just like in any other culture. The shaking of hands is done with the right hand, and the left hand would grasp the other person just below the right elbow. Fist bumping and touching each other with bent elbow was also practiced.

Fist bumping was convenient for teachers as most of us had chalk filled hands. We would joke about the duration of each session by the amount of chalk that the teacher carried on his hands and his entire body. The Ethiopian custom of a teacher wearing an apron over his dress made sense. It protected the clothes from too chalk and dust.

After the handshake, most Ethiopian girls would peck at each other’s cheeks – popularly called ‘air kissing’.

An air kiss is executed in a split second. Pranav found it quite embarrassing. The girls would not have any of it! They would envelop him in their arms, and air kiss him, ignoring his vigorous protests.  

Ethiopians engage themselves in an elaborate greeting ritual that could last for as long as a minute or more. The simple greeting, “how are you?’ in most cultures would warrant a half smile or an “I am fine and how are you?”. The entire sequence of greeting is done in a flash and sometimes takes a few seconds! 

Ethiopians are brought up very differently. For them, family, relatives and the tribe to which they belong are very important. They are quite enamoured with the question “how are you?’. This would lead to a discussion about general health and ailments if any. It could also lead to enquiries about the health of immediate and then the extended family too. Asking 'how are you’ is a loaded question. One needs to be patient to listen to the lengthy discussion. A curt ‘I am fine’ is considered uncouth and not being well mannered!

Ethiopians treated money with reverence. Money was very difficult to get, and it commanded great respect. Even shopkeepers would handle it carefully and would feel offended it anyone counted the change that was given . 

I also found Ethiopians quite shy while they eat. They would carefully and frugally fill up their plate and finish it off in silence. They would not go for a refill, and it was quite rare to see they waste food.  

Injera loving Ethiopians eat rice but sparingly. A spoonful with each meal. Once an Ethiopian has finished eating, he would say “I am satisfied”. He is done. They found Indian food very alien especially the sourness. But they quickly got used to Indian delicacies, especially poori and dosa! 

Maids would come dressed fashionably. Maids working in Indian houses treated it like a regular job. They were quite comfortable with sitting at the dining table and sipping tea or coffee along with the hosts!

The ever-aggressive Ethiopian maids were always on the lookout to move up the social ladder. Ebolu once told Padma that young girls wanting to get married got their portfolio shot by enterprising photographers. These portfolios were elaborate affairs with the girl posing in many costumes including the traditional Ethiopian dress, modern dresses like jeans and tops and stunningly even in some what revealing clothes and some time even in shorts and Bikinis!!! All this was a great culture shock for us.  

Ebolu would sometimes come to our house and chitchat with Padma. She was quite fond of her and the kids. Once she casually remarked, “Madam you know, there is a church in Gojjam (The area in and around Bahirdar) where there is a huge fenced yard. This yard had two entrances”.

Knowing that she has the rapt attention of Padma and the kids, Ebolu continued, “It is a matter of faith for the Christians. We would go to the church and enter the yard and walk from one side to the other”. 

Padma was nonplussed, “What’s the big deal, you walk from one side of the yard to the other, so what?”

Ebolu bent forward, the show woman in her, was in full flow. She giggled with nervous excitement, “That is the point, madam! The yard is not empty there are tigers freely prowling the ground!!!”.

“TIGERS!!” yelped Pranav “where did the tigers come from? I thought that Ethiopia only has lions. And would they not attack and kill the faithful?” He was frantic with worry. He could almost imagine the scene and was spooked. 

Ebolu gave a knowing smile. I was later told that she had the smuggest expression any eighteen-year-old teenager could muster, “Madam” she declared dramatically, “The tigers are trained to detect the faithful from the non-faithful. If the person was a pure and devout Christian, he/she would not be harmed. If they were only pretending to be pious, they would be attacked and killed”. 

Padma was not convinced. “Did anyone from your family try this test of Pureness?” she sarcastically enquired. Ebolu was deflated. She sounded like wind escaping from an inflated balloon “I am not sure madam; I am not sure”. 

Then she brightened, “Madam, this place is very close. If your family likes to try out the test of pureness, I can take you there this Sunday”. There was a wicked, naughty glint in her eyes.

Padma dismissed the preposterous idea, “First of all, I don’t think this is factual. Second Ethiopia and tigers look very far fetched. Third and most important, these are Ethiopian tigers, and they are trained to test the pureness of Ethiopian Christians. We can’t risk it.  

We are Indians, and we practice Hinduism. We might or might not be pure Hindus. But the Christianity testing tigers might get confused with testing the purity of Hindus. A job that they are not trained to do! To be on the safe side, they might kill us all. I am sorry, but we don’t want to risk it”. 

Ebolu was disappointed but brightened immediately. She told Padma that she wants to quit working with Tasleem and Neelima. I believe Tasleem told her, “Look Ebolu, we were the ones who gave you employment. We are paying you 100 birr. We have treated you fairly. I have even helped you pay your tuition fees”. Tasleem also added, “When you broke your arm, I was the person who took you to the hospital and got it bandaged”. Tasleem was at her best eloquence.  

Suitably impressed Padma asked “How nice of Tasleem, I am sure you have reconsidered and want to stay back and work with them”. 

“No Madam,” said Ebolu. “this is what I said. Oh, in that case, you break your arm, and I would happily take you to the hospital and get it bandaged” This very matter of fact way of dealing with an emotional situation left Padma speechless. 

Ethiopian Maids – Extension Classes at BDU – Watching cricket in Bahirdar – Ethiopian Journey – Blog Post no -74

Padma was an exceptionally self-made woman and did not like taking help from others. Services of maids were very economical in Bahirdar, but still, she did not relent. She wanted to be left to herself and found maids to be bothersome and intrusive. The maids who were popular among the Indians in our Kable were Ebolu and Ethay Maskaram.

Ethay Maskaram was razor thin and very quiet. She was a good worker but more or less kept to herself. On the other side, Ebolu was a typical Ethiopian young girl. – Effervescent, friendly and full of beans. She was Tasleem and Neelima’s maid. Dusky and quite pretty Ebolu was our Kable’s very own BBC correspondent/Journalist (Bahirdar broadcasting corporation!).

Maid-pecked and harassed house-wife 

A strange than fiction fact that will drop my readers dead in their tracks – In Ethiopia at least in the period that I worked from 2002-2006, Ethiopian maids would only work in a single house. Yes, don’t rub your eyes, you read it right, ONLY IN ONE HOUSE! This one single fact I am sure will make all the harassed ‘maid-pecked’ Indian women readers/housewives to make a beeline to the Ethiopian embassy – “Can we get a work permit to work in Ethiopia. We are willing to work as faculty/teachers.”

Ethiopian maids come from the rural areas and are incredibly strong. They can carry heavy weights and do all types of household jobs. Baking of Injira and bread, preparation of wats, Cleaning the house, sweeping, mopping, washing the clothes, taking care of children, feeding them, pounding coffee seeds and making coffee powder, shopping, killing and cleaning the hens, ironing the clothes. Name any work and they are adept at executing it. They were paid 50- 60 birr (250 to 300 rupees). Most would happily stay in the Injira house. 

The maids who worked in Indian houses are quite different. They hail from Bahirdar city and are well educated. Articulate, smart and English speaking, most maids could even manage to speak a smattering Hindi and in some cases even understand some Telugu phrases. They quickly learned preparation of Indian dishes and demanded up to 100 birrs (Rs 500/-) as salary for a small family and up to 150 birr (Rs 750/-) if the family was big.  They came once in the morning and again in the evening.

By learning to speak English and by learning special skills, the Ethiopian maids have elevated their salary levels by 500%. Food for thought for my Management students. I have had students coming from all parts of India to study at Siva Sivani Institute of management. Most of them fail to even pick up rudimentary skills in speaking and understanding the local language, Telugu. Forget reading and writing. I am referring to rudimentary skills of listening, understanding and speaking. Every extra language learnt will enhance the earning potential of a management graduate.

When asked as to why they did not pick up the local language most would say “Oh, sir. Telugu is a very difficult language to learn. We tried but could not get to learn”. “Is it so” I respond “IAS officers get transferred from one place to another. When they are transferred to a new state, they have to quickly learn to READ, WRITE and   SPEAK the local language -  Just like a local person.

An IAS officer is a public servant and has to speak, read and write the way the locals do. They would have to read and understand the petitions given by the local citizens which are inevitably written in the local language. Do you know how much time is given for IAS officer to read, write and speak the local language?”

I would add, “Ninety days. That’s all only ninety days. And you have studied here for two years, and you are saying you can’t even listen and speak very rudimentary Telugu? Learn and practice skills that are in demand. That way you would not chase jobs, rather jobs would chase you”.

The maids who worked in the Indian houses were upwardly mobile. They wanted to progress in life. They were continuously on the lookout to enhance their knowledge levels. Most of them would take up courses in BDU on Saturdays and Sundays (popularly referred to as extension classes). Initially, these courses would lead to a certificate and later lead to a degree. It was quite common to see maids working in Indian houses appear as my students in my class of Introduction to management or even in Introduction to Marketing. Initially, I was blissfully unaware of this fact.

Once I had visited a fellow Indian’s house, and I was served coffee. My friend beamed “Anil, I believe that you teach my maid, Introduction to management. She likes your lectures very much”. I thanked my student and could see the beads of appreciation, happiness and gratefulness in her eyes.

After that whenever I got fast service in any real outlet or a restaurant, Padma would tease me “you are getting fast service as all these people are your students from your extension classes”. I can’t vouch for the veracity of the claim, but the speed and the level of service went up dramatically after I started taking extension classes.

Watching cricket in Ethiopia was a very big deal. Indians worship cricket, and we were stationed in a country where football is a craze. Once I am told that somebody had written a prophetic statement on the wall ‘Jesus is coming!!” somebody else had scribbled in Amharic “In that case, we will ask Samuel Eto to play as a mid-fielder”. To the uninitiated Samuel Eto was a Cameroonian footballer who was very popular in Ethiopia. Samuel Eto won an unprecedented four African player of the year awards and also was part of back-to-back trebles wins with his European football clubs. He was a forward and in case of the coming of Jesus, Jesus could play as a forward and Eto would drop back to a mid field position  

Samuel Eto 

Indians would pay money to the restaurant owners and watch live cricket beamed from the South African satellite channel, Super Sports. One of the waiters in a hotel (incidentally my extension student) once told me “your game cricket, is a crazy game. Why is that in cricket most of the people are standing still? Why is that some people come and go? Why are they wearing funny gear? Why are no goals being scored? Why is the game so long?”

I could not take it any longer. I told him “we were watching the shorter format of the game that lasts for a day. The purest form of test cricket is played over a period of five days”. “Five days” he was gasping for air. But I was relentless, I thrust and twisted the mental (imaginary) sword deep into his anguished torso and triumphantly added: “Till very recently, there was a rest day too”.

The poor Ethiopian could not comprehend how people could play and others watch a game that took almost a week to finish. I didn’t have the guts to tell him that after playing it for six days that it could still be a draw or a no result. I was dead scared that the annoyed Ethiopian student would bodily throw me out of his restaurant!

Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia - A god or Jah - Rastafarianism - Bob Marley - Ethiopian journey - Blog Post no - 73

In Bahirdar market Padma and me spotted an Ethiopian man who looked very different. He sported very long hair and was definitely a different Ethiopian. He was quiet and had a piercing look and was humming a different song altogether. Quite an attractive young man. 

"Look Anil!!!” Padma exclaimed, “What a look! His hair is all knotted and matty. I have seen Ethiopian women sporting long hair. But this is the first time I am seeing an Ethiopian man having such a lengthy hair”. 

She was bang-on target. Ethiopian women have European features and are said to have 40% Caucasian blood in them. But their bete-noir!! (favourite bug bear or enemy number one) was their stiff and curly hair. Ethiopian women spend lot of money, time and effort in straightening their hair so that they could have lush, long and attractive mane. 

Ethiopian men on the other side love having short hair and this young man was having extremely long and matted hair! He was looking like a sadhu – albeit a very African looking sadhu! He was wearing a cap which was jauntily pushed well back on his head. The cap had two words - Bob Marley and had the figure of Haile Selassie, the last emperor of Ethiopia. 

I was consumed by curiosity. The next day I asked our Dean of FBE (Faculty of Business and Economics). He was a very jovial person. He fished out something from his desk -  a picture of a man. He showed it to me and asked, “Who is this?” 

Being an avid quizzer, the answer came out in jiffy “Bob Marley, the Jamaican Reggae singer. But what is the connection between Bob Marley and the young man I saw in the market?” Our Dean answered “Bob Marley was a Jamaican singer and song writer who became world famous as a musical and a cultural icon. He effortlessly mixed Reggae, Ska and Rocksteady in his compositions”.  

“Bob Marley was a Rastafarian and believed in a religion called Rastafarianism. Rastafarians believe that Haile Selassie the last emperor of Ethiopia was their god and that Ethiopia is their promised land. The Rastafarians sport long hair that they neither cut, trim or shave. As the African hair is curly and extremely difficult to maintain, it becomes matted. So the young man whom you saw in the market was an Ethiopian but an Ethiopian Rastafarian”

Research on google threw up interesting facts. Bob Marley was a member of the Rastafari movement; whose culture was a key element in the development of Reggae. Bob Marley was an ardent proponent of Rastafarianism. Excerpts from an Interview: 

Bob Marley once gave the following response, which was typical, to a question put to him during a recorded interview:

Interviewer: "Can you tell the people what it means being a Rastafarian?"

Marley: "I would say to the people, be still, and know that his imperial majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia is the Almighty. Now, the Bible says so, Babylon newspaper says so, and I and the children say so. Yunno? So I don't see how much more reveal our people want. What do they want? a white god, well God come black. True true."  (from Davis, Stephen (July 28, 1983). Bob Marley: the biography. Littlehampton Book Services Ltd. ISBN 978-0213168599).

Rastafari, sometimes termed Rastafarianism, is an Abrahamic religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s.  It is seen both as a new religious movement and as a social movement. There is no centralized authority in control of the movement and much heterogeneity exists among practitioners, who are known as Rastafari, Rastafarians, or Rastas.

Rastafari refer to their beliefs, which are based on a specific interpretation of the Bible, as "Rastalogy". Central is a monotheistic belief in a single God - referred to as Jah - who partially resides within each individual. The former emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie, is given central importance. Many Rastas regard him as an incarnation of Jah on Earth and as the Second Coming of Christ. 

Others regard him as a human prophet who fully recognized the inner divinity within every individual. Rastafari is Afrocentric and focuses its attention on the African diaspora, which it believes is oppressed within Western society referred to as "Babylon". Many Rastas call for the resettlement of the African diaspora in either Ethiopia or Africa more widely, referring to this continent as the Promised Land of "Zion". 

Rastafari movement’s locks (or matted hair) are symbolic of the Lion of Judah which is sometimes featured on the Ethiopian flag. Their dreadlocks were inspired by the Nazarites of the Bible.The cultivation of dreadlocks in the Rastafari movement established a closer connection between the movement and the ideology. It also gave the appearance of greater authority.

When reggae music gained popularity and mainstream acceptance due to Bob Marley's music and cultural influence, the locks (often called "dreads") became a notable fashion statement worldwide. 

I was thunderstruck. Where was Jamaica and where was Ethiopia? It is said that Emperor Haile Selassie never really accepted nor encouraged the view that he was god or Jah but benevolently allowed Rastafarians to come and settle in Addis Ababa. Twelve did come and settle in what they believed to be a promised land. The Rastafarians also believed that Jesus was black and that he wore dreads or locks just like them! 

Estimates of the number of Rastafarians in Ethiopia range from hundreds to 1,000 and they reside mostly in the capital Addis Ababa or in Shashamane, a town 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of the capital. Adherents of the religion mostly migrated from the Caribbean in the 1950s, after Ethiopia’s former emperor Haile Selassie - who was seen as a messiah by Rastafarians - gave them hectares of land.

Ethiopia’s government in 2017 had announced that it will issue identity cards to members of the Rastafarian community, a religious group that has long been stateless. Rastafarians would get residency and most legal rights in the country, but will still not be full citizens. 

Battling Brothers - Ethiopia and Eritrea – Ethiopian Journey – Blog Post no 72

Eritrean President and Late Prime minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia

Ethiopia and India have something in common. Both have a long-lasting military conflict with one of their neighbours. India has fought many wars with Pakistan and is still fighting a proxy, so-called ideology based war.

Ethoipia and Eritrea Maps 

Similarly, Ethiopia has fought and is still fighting with its neighbour to the north, Eritrea. Let us look at some facts and figures.

India’s land size is 32,87,000 million square km and Pakistan land size is 7,96,095 square km. Pakistan land size is almost a quarter of India’s size. By Comparison, Ethiopia’s land size is 11,04,000 square km and Eritrea is only 117,600 square km, one-tenth of Ethiopia’s size.

Eritrea is the 99th smallest country in the world according to size. Eritrea and Telangana state (112,077 square km) are of the same size, what a coincidence!!!

Tigray

Oromo

Amhara

Somali

Sidama

Ethiopia’s relations with Eritrea are quite difficult to explain, especially from a foreigner’s perspective. Ethiopia is the homeland of many tribes; Oromos 34.5%, Amhara 26.9%, Somali 6.2%, Tigray 6.1%, Sidama 4%, Gurage 2.5% and Wolayta 2.3%. Of these, the Oromos, Amharas, Somali and Tigray make up for the majority and they all have inbuilt contradictions among themselves.

Eritrea: In the middle ages Eritrea was called Medri Bahri (sea-land). The name Eritrea comes from the Greek name for Red sea (Erythra Thalassa). It first came to the notice of the eastern world with the formation of Italian Eritrea in 1889. Italy had left an indelible impression on Eritrea and its mark is profound in the country’s architecture especially in the capital city of Eritrea, Asmara. Asmara was referred to as ‘Little Rome’ by the doting Italians.

Eritrea Map

The territory later became Eritrea Governorate in 1936. But when the Italian army was defeated by the British army in 1942, Eritrea came under the British administration.  After deliberations in the United Nations, it was decided that Eritrea would be self-governed for its domestic affairs through an elected Eritrean Parliament while trade, foreign affairs and defence would be handled in a federal status with the Government of Ethiopia.

But in 1962, the government of Ethiopia cancelled the Eritrean Parliament and annexed Eritrea as one of the provinces of Ethiopia. But by then Eritreans guessed what the Ethiopian government was up to and therefore in 1960, they formed the Eritrean Liberation Front. After 30 years of armed struggle, Eritrea gained its de-facto independence in 1991. The name of the new state was defined as the State of Eritrea.

EPRDF

The freedom fight for separation from Ethiopia had a very interesting twist to it. After the dethroning of the Hailey Selassie’s government, Ethiopia was ruled by the Derg regime which was supported and funded by the USSR. But by the late eighties, USSR started weakening and its grip on its ‘friendly’ supported countries, started to decline.

By this time the fighters of two countries came together -  The Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) and the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), a  rainbow coalition front consisting of The Oromo People's Democratic Organization (OPDO), the Amhara National Democratic Movement  (ANDM), the Southern Ethiopian Democratic Movement (SEPDM) and the Tigrayan Liberation Front (TPLF).

Derg Regime 

The combined fronts defeated the Derg regime and that paved for the formation of a new government in Ethiopia headed by Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front and the Prime Minister was Meles Zenawi who himself was the head of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.

Ex-Prime Minister of Ethiopia Meles Zenawi 

Although Meles and his administration claimed that they preferred a united but federal state that included the Eritrean state, as Meles’s TPLF fought together with EPLF, Meles left the decision to the Eritrean citizens hoping that the independence referendum would vote against secession from Ethiopia.

However, after the EPLF secured their borders and after the majority of Eritreans voted for independence on 24 May 1993, Isaias Afewerki became the leader of Eritrea.

President of Eritrea Isaias Afewerki 

This is what led to bad relations between the two neighbouring countries. The Eritrean – Ethiopian War took place from May 1998 to June 2000 between two of the world's poorest countries. Both spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the war and suffered tens of thousands of casualties as a direct consequence of the conflict.

Eritrean Army 

Ethiopian Army 

According to a ruling by an international commission in The Hague, Eritrea broke international law and triggered the war by invading Ethiopia. At the end of the war, Ethiopia held all of the disputed territories and had advanced into Eritrea. After the war ended, the Eritrea – Ethiopia Boundary Commission, a body founded by the UN, established that Badme, the disputed territory at the heart of the conflict, belongs to Eritrea.

Badme region

As of now, Ethiopia still holds the territory near Badme, including the town itself. One of my Ethiopian colleagues very proudly said that it was the Indian army under deputation to the United Nation that patrols the Eritrea - Ethiopia border. I felt so very proud that our country is keeping the peace between these two beautiful countries of the Horn of Africa under the aegis of the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE). The entire peacekeeping force (the Dogra regiment) was from India.

Indian Dogra regiment, UNMEE

The United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) was established by the United Nations Security Council in July 2000 to monitor a ceasefire in the border war that began in 1998 between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

The mission maintained its headquarters in Asmara (Eritrea), and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), and consisted of 1,676 military personnel. 1,500 of these peacekeepers were from the Indian Army. In addition, there were about 147 international civilians, 202 local civilians and 67 UN Volunteers. USMEE withdrew its operations in 30th July 2008.

Asmara, Eritrea 

Asmara, the capital of Eritrea:  is locally known as Asmera and has an interesting story behind its name.  Legend says that women from four villages came together and built the first church and it was a mission accomplished. From those words came the name of the city, Asmera ("They made them unite" in Tigrinya).

Asmara, Eritrea 

Asmara is the capital city and the largest city of Eritrea. It has a population of just over 800,000 inhabitants and sits at an elevation of 2,325 metres (7,628 feet). At 2,325 metres it is the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude. In 2017, the city was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Indian faculty friends who worked in Asmara told me that the city is very nice to work in and that Eritreans are very similar to Ethiopians in their work culture and customs. The city is spectacularly clean and has a very pleasant climate - what in India is referred to as a ‘hill station climate’, very mild and enjoyable. The only grouse that the Indian faculty had is that the salary earned in Eritrea is only repatriable by 60% meaning that 40% of salary has to be spent in Eritrea itself.

Unlike the 60% only repatriable rule that Eritrea enforces on its foreign workers, Ethiopia till very recently allowed, 100% repatriation; 100% of salary can be saved and sent to India. But I am told that new rules have been framed and that from this year’s contract there is income tax being levied on expatriate salaries. This might mean a death knell for Indian teachers teaching in Ethiopia – what with salaries increasing in India and the double whammy of the increased cost of living and imposition of income tax will make Ethiopia a less preferred destination.