Simiens
Nature and People in the Simien Mountains of Ethiopia
Simiens is the first photography book about the vast and breathtaking Simien Mountains in northern Ethiopia. The publication, tailored for adventurers and lovers of Ethiopia, features travel photos of the landscape and its occupants, accompanied by short stories that add a compelling dimension to an exploration of life in this UNESCO-listed park. I am currently working on a second edition of the book.
Self-initiated publication (Ayaana Publishing)
Date: January 2015
Categories: Photography ‧ writing ‧ design ‧ publications
Location: Simien Mountains, Ethiopia
◄ portfolio
book excerpts
Never too late to learn
While the sun rises over the peaks behind Sona village and the shepherds lead their sheep to the pastures, children make their way through the fields to the local school. Once all students are gathered, they line up according to their grades and as a student hoists the Ethiopian flag they all sing the national anthem:
“Wonderful is the stage of tradition, mistress of a proud heritage, natural grace, mother of a valorous people. We shall protect you—we have a duty; our Ethiopia, live! And let us be proud of you!” The last lines of the anthem resound through the compound and then the school day starts.
About 450 students are registered at the school but only around 250 of them come every day, since the boys have to spend some of their days helping out on the farmland of their parents and the girls help at home and fetch water. In rural areas like Sona it takes a whole family to secure a livelihood.
The students are always eager to attend class when they get the chance to do so. Melkam Asmare, aged 30, currently in Grade 4, and 18-year-old Nega Birhanu in Grade 1 believe that it is never too late to start learning.
Sona (3600 metres above sea level) can be very windy and cold. ”In other parts of the country students wear uniforms. Here they come wrapped in blankets,” says Zemen, the 23-year-old English teacher who also runs the daily exercise session. He lives on the school compound together with eight other teachers who cover geography, maths, chemistry, science, sports, art, music, civics and Amharic. Although Zemen struggles with the cold weather, he knows that the school needs him. “I come from an uneducated family; now I want to fight ignorance.”
Living in harmony
Deep in the valley of the Ansiya river in the lowland area of the Simien Mountains sits Lamu, a small village in the Mekerabya district. At an altitude of 2000 metres, the area is considerably warmer than the neighbouring highlands. Large indigenous trees, the ancient grain teff and other plants that do not grow at high altitude flourish across these lowlands.
Mariam (St. Mary) Church sits on a hillside outside of Lamu, shaded by large ficus trees, with a stunning view over the nearby valley. As some of the orthodox villagers return from their prayers before the sunrise, others are walking to the church to attend two infant baptisms that are taking place today. Families and neighbours, all dressed in white traditional clothes, which symbolise God’s purity, come together to celebrate this special day.
“Today these two boys reached their destiny,” says priest Getenet after the service. Baptisms, which take place regularly in the community, are one of the responsibilities of the two local lay priests, Getenet and Alembirhan. In rural areas, people have to work hard to make ends meet and this includes the priests. During the week, the white gabi (traditional Ethiopian handmade cloth) of the priests is replaced with workwear while they go about their everyday work on their farms. “Apart from occasional meals after celebrations we do not receive anything from the church; only respect and authority in the community,” explains Getenet who uses this authority for peacemaking between families and to encourage people to give to the poor.
Throughout the Simien Mountains, and Ethiopia at large, Muslims and Christians live next to each other in harmony. “We are brothers,” says priest Alembirhan. Getenet adds that they already learned from their ancestors how to live tolerantly as neighbours. “We often meet with Muslim leaders to resolve conflicts between people in our communities.” Yet the partnership goes even further: “We are currently building a new church and are fundraising in the community. The Muslims contribute to the construction of the church, and whenever they need money to build a mosque we also give towards that.”