November 16, 2005
A day in the park
The gloom that has settled over most people I know in Addis lifted for exactly one hour and 35 minutes over the weekend. The event was an official training morning for the upcoming Great Ethiopian Run, due to take place on Sunday, November 27.
More than 200 people – a mixture of keen ferengis, wannabe Kenenisas, middle aged office workers and street children – took part in mass aerobic sessions and short runs on Janmeda ( a huge piece of open land usually packed with people playing football). There were slow jogs, longer circuits for the faster runners and short dash races for boys and girls under 12. When you added the constant PA announcements and amplified music the whole thing began to feel a bit like an English summer fete.
Everyone was out enjoying yet another gloriously sunny morning with all the worries and tensions of the past few days temporarily left behind them. For me it was a reminder of what life used to be like in Addis Ababa before the election.
All the signs are that the 10k road race is going ahead, despite the general nervousness over large gatherings of people in the capital. A total of 25,000 people have signed up to take part – 5,000 more than last year. It is a great run because it is a genuine mass participation event. A couple of thousand of people normally join in off the street just for the sake of it. It is also organised by Haile Gebrselassie, an inspiring, unifying figure.
If the organisers can pull it off without any incidents, it should be a huge lift for the whole city.
Posted by aheavens at November 16, 2005 3:29 PM
Comments
This is great news! After too much doom and glum news all over the internet about Ethiopia lately, it is wonderful to hear there are still smiling children in the city of Addis with hope in their hearts for the future…a little bit of sunshine always helps. Thanks thinking about the positive.
Posted by: Meseret at November 16, 2005 6:19 PM
Andrew, It's nice to hear from you again. one can only wonder what happened to you over the last few weeks. Missed your blogs. Please keep on writing. you're the only source of truth in Addis right now. God Bless!!
Posted by: Tyrel at November 17, 2005 3:03 AM
Andrew, I see from your posted photos you met the Hyena Man of Harar...Very brave! It took defying all evolutionary instincts before I too long ago summed up the nerves to feed those hyenas. It should be a requirement for all Ethiopian politicians to pass such a ritual, maybe that will scare them into valuing life.
Posted by: teddy at November 17, 2005 5:30 AM
It is every Ethiopian dream to have a peaceful and safe place for our children to grow and prosper. Even though, many kids lost their father, brother and loved ones, we should all support this kind of activity for the sake of the children and not ignored because of the current situation. I am happy to see some smiling faces.
Peace!
Posted by: abyssinia at November 17, 2005 10:15 PM
It is every Ethiopian dream to have a peaceful and safe place for our children to grow and prosper. Even though, many kids lost their father, brother and loved ones, it is important that this kind of activity happens for the sake of the children and not ignored because of the current situation. I am happy to see some smiling faces.
Peace!
Posted by: abyssinia at November 17, 2005 10:16 PM
I think CUDP is God's gift to new ethiopia. It is a matter of how we accept it. I see a light at the end of the tunnel.
Do you??
god bless andrew
Posted by: andargachew at November 19, 2005 11:58 AM
Does anyone know an Amharic word for "compromise?" Oxford dictionary defines it as "an agreement reached by each side making concessions." The closest word people come up with is "sememenet" (agreement), which is not the same thing. This may well explain the dilemma of Ethiopian politics...It's all, or nothing.
Posted by: teddy at November 19, 2005 6:53 PM
Great story Andrew. Uplifting and inspiring. Love the pictures.
Posted by: abstain at November 20, 2005 12:14 AM
Thanks for the news Andrew. These days, even us on the outside have to sift through so many rumors circulating among the web-based journalists. Truth in journalism is a scarce commodity these days.
By the way, as for a word for compromise, I don't think there is one that completely fits the meaning. Is this perhaps a reflection of our culture? The little hand dictionary I have translates compromise as "astaraki hasab." This doesn't seem quite right. What do you guys think?
Posted by: Gio at November 21, 2005 6:59 AM
He visto en los ojos y en la sonsira de esos niños a mis propios hijos. Ellos nacieron en Etiopía, pero ahora viven con sus nuevos padres en España. Estamos muy unidos sentimentalmente a ese país y nos ha dolido tanto lo que ha sucedido últimamente que nos ha gustado disfrutar de una imagen menos dramática.
Please, somebody can tell me if i can buy in Internet de Teddy Afro music.
Thank you a lot.
Posted by: carlos at November 22, 2005 12:41 AM
Hi Andrew;
Just thought I'd ask you to put a link in the Ethiopblogs section of Meskelsquare to this new blog I am developing.
The URL is http://oneitiopia.blogspot.com/. I would also appreciate your comments, if you get the chance to visit.
Thanks.
Eth4Life
Posted by: Eth4Life at November 22, 2005 10:33 PM
Keep up the good work. I have found your blogs to be more informative than any news agencies’ following the election crisis. I was expecting more about the Great Ethiopian Run. You mean you didn't participate?
Cheers
Posted by: Just a wonderer at November 28, 2005 10:55 AM
Thanks for that 'Just a wonderer'. No, I am afraid I didn't take part in the run. I was all set - T-shirt bought, training (kind of) started. But then I had to come back to the UK for family reasons. There's always next year.
Posted by: Andrew at November 29, 2005 7:24 AM