October 2, 2006
Ethiopia's mean streets: A survival guide
Ethiopia is easily one of the safest countries in Africa (as long as you steer clear of random bomb blasts and anything that looks like a political rally).
People walk home after dark without incident – try doing that in Nairobbery or Johannesburg. Bigger houses do have guards – but only to have someone to open the gate for visitors. I once accidentally dropped 200 birr on the street in Kazanchis and had a middle-aged woman chase after me to give it back.
Having said all that, I have now notched up my third encounter with Ethiopia's not-so-hardened criminal classes, four years after first arriving in the country as a tourist.
Here is what happened, with some tips on what to do if anything similar happens to you.
Scenario 1
You are standing on a corner of Piazza, a couple of days off the plane with a lost look on your face, a half-open bag on your shoulder and a visible wallet in your pocket (a classic example of the asking-for-it posture). A man comes up and says the friends you are waiting for are with his friends round the corner. You follow blindly. Two other men suddenly crowd around you. One grabs you by the arm and tries to spin you in a clockwise direction to throw you off your balance. The other tries to grab your bag.
What to do
Turn your shoulders gently in a counter-clockwise direction while saying ‘No' in your sternest voice. Your attackers will fly off in all directions then run away looking vaguely embarrassed. Five minutes later, the armed guard outside the branch of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia about ten yards away will walk up to you full of sympathy, shrug and tell you that this sort of thing never happens in Ethiopia.
Scenario 2
You are walking down Bole towards the junction with the Chinese friendship road, lost in thought. You have the same bag over your shoulder but this time you have learned and the wallet is zipped inside. A young man walks up behind you and shows you a sheet of Amharic newspaper. While you are distracted, another young man runs up to you from the front. He dives at your ankles with the aim of knocking you on to your back, leaving you defenseless while his partner grabs your bag.
What to do
Stand still. Look down at your assailant who is still sheepishly hugging your ankles. Give him a kick (as much as the hug will allow). Watch as the two men run off looking a little embarrassed. Shout the first vaguely appropriate Amharic phrase that comes into your mind – mine was ‘Shifta!' the equivalent of ‘Brigand, highwayman!' Appeal for help from the two armed federal policemen standing across the road. They will look at you oddly.
Scenario 3
You are standing in a crowd in Adwa, minutes after the Prime Minister has cast his vote in the general election. You feel a hand inside your trouser pocket, grabbing a 100 birr note. The crowd is so packed that you can't move or even turn round to take a look at the thief.
What to do
Nothing. If you are a journalist, try and fail to claim the money back on expenses a few days later. Do not even think of approaching the two Land Cruisers packed with prime-ministerial body guards armed to the teeth. They will have other things on their minds.
Posted by aheavens at October 2, 2006 6:10 AM
Comments
Specifically for women - if you are walking in Piazza and a guy pinches your breast, use the foulest language and look as if you're going to beat the crap out of the guy. Your attacker will half run away embarrassed asking "What is wrong with her?" Don't bother crossing the street to complain to the policeman standing there cleaning his teeth and who watched the whole episode. He would ask you the same thing "What is wrong with you? He's just trying to tell you that you're attractive!"
Posted by: Anonymous at October 2, 2006 3:37 PM
Thank you Mr Heavens, this advise came at the right time, since i was looking to come over and see the country of my birth. Any way my Gran was telling me that life is geting very expencive for the ordinery folks, so maybe it might get a bit rough when people start losing hope and all that. Thank anyway.
Posted by: Alex at October 2, 2006 5:49 PM
LOL Anonymous, I imagine you're female.
I once hit a guy. It was near Mexico square and a bunch of guys had taken the habit of bothering me. One day when one of them got nearby I hit him as hard as i could with my umbrella, looked at him innocently and said, 'wuy, yiqirta!' (ouch, sorry!). His friends couldn't stop laughing, and i guess he was taken aback. The next day they started smiling when i crossed the street. Eventually we started exchanging hellos.
In general, the young men who loiter on streets of Addis are harmless. They're just bored, and I think people mistreat/mistrust them excessively. So they entertain themselves by doing stupid thing, which i would do as well, if i didn't have much else to do.
As for Andrew's observations, I've not had the occasion of attempted robberies. a) I look/behave poor and am habesha ;-) and b)I don't approach the police for help. It's one of the most invaluable lessons from Mengistu era : avoid soldiers and the police as all cost! No exceptions to this rule.
Posted by: Anonymous2 at October 2, 2006 9:03 PM
My personal favourite is the trick of "bumping" into you in the street - suddenly you find a hand in your pocket. The genius theif though had some how managed to pick the wrong pocket, the empty one instead of the bulging one which actually had my wallet and camera in. He looked slightly bewildered whislt I did the first thing that came to my head and yelled all the abusive amharic I leant in school at him.
This unfortunately made him more confused and he ran into the road almost causing a car crash.
Posted by: Rob at October 2, 2006 10:37 PM
Funny, most of the comments I've read here are so similar with the ones I've heard by my foreign friends that have visited Ethiopia mostly from Norway and Sweden.
An observer
Posted by: Observer at October 3, 2006 10:33 AM
Words of advise: If you decide to trottle the streets of Addis, make sure you don't wear any inviting jewelery, bulging pockets, or look lost. Be weary of approaching young adults. It is disheartnening though, this taking the law on your hands and fending for yourself. The city police is supposed to protect the citizens.
Posted by: Anon at October 3, 2006 4:42 PM
Anderew,
As one of ye arat kilo lijoch we used to torment young ladies who acted like they were all that.
Our prescription for the high falut'n ladies was to jump up and give them a peck on the cheek and run as fast as we could with the usual ' ante leba! ante dureye!'following us. We would just laugh it off and was (for us)all in good fun..no harm intended.
Anon2; I once asked some young ones why they were bothering the young ladies at a particular event in Addis. Their response was ' gasheye, melkef eko mebtachen new'( it's our right to mess with them..girls i.e)
To all young ladies around arat kilo that have been kissed on the cheek by some street urchins, mea culpa is in order.
Posted by: keleb at October 3, 2006 6:34 PM