Efraim

By Mary Dubin
ENP Volunteer
Onward Israel Boston
Jerusalem

Ethiopia in Brief- general overview 

-        East Africa, 9^th largest in Africa

-        Known as the Horn of Africa

-        Capital- Addis Ababa- altitude of 2,355m

-        Landlocked, no access to sea

-        Eritrea used to be a part of Ethiopia, that was their connection to the Sea

-        Coffee originated in Ethiopia

-        Geographical diversity- Danakil Depression, Great Rift Valley 148m below sea level

-        Earthquakes

-        70% of Africa’s mountains are in Ethiopia- roof of Africa

-        Highest peak is 4620m Ras Dashen- partly covered with ice and snow

-        “water towers of East Africa”

-        Nile River originated in Ethiopia

-      First mentions of Ethiopians in ancient Greek literature- epics of Homer

Ameseginalehu (thank you in Amharic) to Efraim, a former volunteer of the Ethiopian National Project, gave the 2015 group of interns and volunteers a brief, yet informative overview of Ethiopia. 

Ethiopia is famous for a multitude of reasons; it’s known as the “Horn of Africa,” “roof of Africa,” and the “water towers of Africa.” Not only does it hold the diplomatic capital of Africa but also Lalibela, or “New Jerusalem.”  

Efraim went into some of the details of the culture, religions and geography of his homeland.  On most Thursday afternoons at ENP the volunteers and interns are fortunate enough to have a speaker with someone from Ethiopia or someone who helped the Ethiopian-Jews make their way to Israel. Efraim was a nice alternative in the sense that it was helpful for someone like me, an outsider of Ethiopia and Israel, to get a better understanding of the dynamics of Ethiopia.  

There were no details about any current tensions or complexities; simply an impression of how lovely Ethiopia truly is. Efraim gave us a plethora of fun facts. For example, Ethiopia has the largest per capital density in Africa and the tenth largest in the world.  The word “Ethiopia,” derives from the Greek word, “Aithiops,” meaning “people with burnt faces.” This derives from the epics of Homer.  Ethiopia is known as the Cradle of Mankind because of the many different colors of race that are present there.  Ethiopia has their own calendar; they follow the sun and moon calendar, having 13 months.  

All in all, the sum odd two hours spent with Efraim were lighthearted, full of interesting information and created a new admiration for Ethiopians.