Today is the last day of our mammoth cultural safari of Southern Ethiopia and the Lower Omo Valley. And although we have visited several ethnic groupings there are many more we did not see. It would probably take weeks to meet all the peoples of this area and years to truly begin to understand their various cultures. I suppose what I’m saying is that maybe Christi and I will be back again in the future. For us at least Ethiopia is just a magical country. Before we return to Addis Ababa Fekade, our driver-guide, has organized for us to visit the nearby Konso village of Gamorle and this time we actually get a guided tour.
The first thing our guide tells us is not to give the children any gifts or money as this is becoming a serious problem in the Konso villages. He then goes on to describe the local culture. Konso society is largely agricultural and involves the irrigation and terracing of mountain slopes. In fact the terraced agriculture we see here reminds me of the Incas in Peru. Staple crops for the Konso include sorghum and corn, while cotton and coffee are grown as cash crops. Cattle, sheep, and goats are raised for food and milk.
Konso villages are typically located are located on high plains or hill summits selected for their strategic and defensive advantage. These towns are circled by dry stone defensive walls into tight compounds with narrow alleyways; often times entrance is via a tunnel, which places any would-be foe at an immediate disadvantage.
Perhaps the most distinctive aspect of Konso attire are the double-layered skirts worn by the women. Interestingly, there are separate public bathrooms for men and women; I didn’t have the nerve to ask who gets the miserable job of keeping these places clean! Konso boys aged 12 onwards leave their family homes at night to sleep in the village’s communal house until they marry. Historically, this practice is more to do with being able to mobilize the men and older boys if the village came under attack. The coming-of-age ceremony in Konso culture is noticeably less intense than that practised by the Hamer people. A Konso boy has to heave a 15 kg stone over his shoulder three times. The Konso also practice polygamy, specifically a man can marry several women.
When a warrior dies, they are honored with a carved wooden sculpture called a waga. The statues are often arranged in groups, with statues representing the man, his wives, and his adversaries present. Unfortunately this aspect of Konso culture is dying out because many of the statues were stolen for sale to diplomats and tourists (not guilty) and also because of the relentless activities of missionaries who frown on ancestor worship.
All too soon we have to leave the Konso village and begin the long slog back to Addis Ababa. The route Fekade intended to follow is closed and so we have a scenic detour through the mist-covered valleys and peaks of the Chencha mountains, which is where we began our adventures 10 days ago. We lunch, our last authentic injera meal with Fekade, in the delightfully sounding town of Sodo and then continue through more stunning scenery (agricultural terracing and picture-postcard mud huts) to the less glamorous urban sprawl of Addis Ababa and eventually the luxurious Hilton hotel. Say a fond farewell to Fekade (we tip him extravagantly and for once I’m happy to do so) and try to take in the amazing experiences of the Lower Omo Valley while lapping up a little, much-deserved, modern luxury – a long soak in the bath.
Blog post by Roderick Phillips, author of Weary Heart – a gut-wrenching tale of love and test tubes.
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