Ethiopia: A Date with Wildness and Primal Beauty

Ethiopia: A Date with Wildness and Primal Beauty

A long, long time ago, I planted a seed of longing for Africa. If you ask why, it’s because I wanted to see what humanity originally looked like. East Africa, Ethiopia, is where humans first ventured out. I want to return to the starting point and embrace a wild and primal adventure.

The capital, Addis Ababa, went from feeling extremely unfamiliar when I first arrived to leaving me with a deep sense of attachment now. It’s also the place I’ve stayed the longest in Ethiopia.

Besides reading, I’ve spent most of my free time in Addis Ababa. From the very beginning, I had a strong desire to explore this city. I look for any chance to wander through Ethiopia’s most bustling city and use my camera to capture the daily lives of its people.

Like other capitals in Africa, Addis Ababa’s streets are still noisy and bustling. Vendors selling small goods line the streets—I call them “mobile stalls.” In the alleys, children with little yellow buckets run around, known by their loud name, “shoe shiners.” Women with babies in their arms also beg at the traffic lights while cars wait for the red light.

Maybe this is how Africa is meant to be. Ethiopia, one of the most underdeveloped countries in Africa, still bears the marks of poverty, decay, and backwardness. Yet, in the city, both the ugly and the glamorous coexist. What I see is the kindness and beauty of humanity. When crossing the street at an intersection without traffic lights, Ethiopian drivers will often stop and wave to let pedestrians go first. During rush hour, long lines form neatly at bus stops, and educated Ethiopian youth speak fluent English—English has become a vital skill for making a living in this city.

In the center of the campus, there’s a museum open to visitors, with an entrance fee of 100 birr. It used to be the palace of Emperor Haile Selassie I, who ruled Ethiopia since 1930. History buffs can visit to explore this historic site.

Medhane Alem Cathedral is Ethiopia’s largest Ethiopian Orthodox church and the second largest in Africa. You can find its exact location on Google, and it’s near the Edna Mall, the only shopping center in the city with a cinema. There’s no ticket required to view the exterior of the cathedral, which is grand and predominantly white. On Sundays, the church is especially crowded with worshippers, making it a great spot for photographers. Inside the church, you’ll often see believers with solemn expressions, which isn’t unusual.

The Harar tribe

Turmi is a small town surrounded by different tribal villages, with the Harar people being the predominant group. The Harar women are considered the most beautiful among the local tribes. Their fashion consists of wearing a skirt made from cowhide or sheepskin, and their hair is braided into numerous small plaits. They apply a mixture of butter and soil to their bodies and hair, giving their skin a glossy brown hue, similar to the tan European women strive for in tanning salons. Most Harar women go topless, but their necks are adorned with vibrant necklaces made of shells and beads in red, white, blue, and green, creating striking contrasts against their dark skin.

These colors exude a sense of fashion, bringing a powerful visual impact. The difference between a girl and a woman can be seen by checking for two thick necklaces around the neck. Married women wear these necklaces, but a special wooden collar with an extended knob is reserved exclusively for the first wife of a family, marking her superior status over the others. She controls the household’s food supply and directs the other women in daily chores.

One of the more shocking aspects of the Harar fashion involves scarification. When girls reach the age of 12, they begin carving patterns on their bodies with knives, leaving scars on their backs and abdomens. The Harar people judge a woman’s beauty by the number, size, and pattern of her scars. Scarification is also viewed as a symbol of strength and resilience. However, the process is brutal, and some girls lose their lives during or after the ritual.

In addition to scarification, female genital mutilation is practiced, adding further physical and psychological suffering. If the girls survive the pain of the ritual, they still have to endure the recovery period without antibiotics, relying on herbal remedies made from leaves, roots, and stems with anti-inflammatory properties.

Harar men have distinct grooming styles, shaving the front of the head and the back of the neck, leaving the top covered with a colorful, hardened mud shell. Feathers serve as additional decorations, completing their look.

Konso

Konso is a town located in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR) of southwestern Ethiopia. The Sagan River flows alongside the town, which sits at an elevation of approximately 1,650 meters. Locals in the surrounding areas also refer to this place as Pakawle.

In 2011, the Konso Cultural Landscape was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site based on criteria (iii) and (v) of the cultural heritage selection guidelines.

  • Criterion (iii): The Konso Cultural Landscape integrates remarkable dry-stone terracing systems, which the Konso people still actively use today. These terraces showcase the extraordinary effort required to survive in such a harsh environment across more than 230 square kilometers. This feat serves as a prime example of human ingenuity and achievement. The connection between the stone-walled terraces and the defensive towns built within them creates a distinctive cultural landscape, demonstrating the rich tradition of erecting stelae.
  • The stelae (standing stones) serve as markers of generational transition, symbolizing the passing of responsibility from the older generation to the younger. The last generations of stone carvers have continued this tradition, offering a vivid testimony to the endurance of cultural heritage.

Konso Cultural Landscape

The Konso Cultural Landscape spans 55 square kilometers within the arid highlands of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (SNNPR) in Ethiopia. Besides the impressive dry-stone terraces, the landscape also features human settlements. This cultural landscape is an outstanding example of human resilience in overcoming harsh, dry environmental conditions. It represents a living cultural tradition that has been passed down through 21 generations—over 400 years—while embodying shared values, social cohesion, and advanced engineering knowledge among its communities.

The Konso Cultural Landscape also preserves anthropomorphic wooden statues, which are grouped to honor respected community members, especially those associated with heroic deeds. These statues serve as unique, living testimonies to funeral traditions that are on the brink of extinction. In addition, the standing stones scattered across the towns form a complex system commemorating generations of past leaders.