Soul's Wisdom

As Enkutatash approaches, I feel that familiar tug—the whisper of resolutions. We scribble them in journals, on phone notes, in the quiet corners of our minds. Why? Because beneath the rituals and revelry, we sense something needs to shift: routines gone stale, dreams gathering dust . Yet for all our fervor, the truth stings: most resolutions crumble.  We crave a catalyst, a threshold like the Ethiopian New Year,  Enkutatash,   to finally leap toward renewal . Why do we do it? Perhaps because deep down, we feel that something in our lives—our routines, our attitudes, our circumstances—needs a shake-up. We crave transformation. But we also seem to need a moment of momentum, a milestone in time to break from our ingrained habits. Otherwise, why would we wait for Meskerem to reinvent ourselves? Still, if we’re being honest, turning those resolutions into reality is no small feat. While I don’t have hard statistics to prove it, I suspect many Ethiopian New Year’s res...

Football carries immense political and symbolic significance. Its global diffusion has enabled cultures and nations to construct and express particular identities through how they interpret and engage with the sport. As Richard Giulianotti notes in Football: Sociology of the Global Game , football is far more than just a pastime—it is a mirror of society, reflecting power, politics, pride, and passion. Now, I must confess, I’m not exactly swept up by the full drama of football’s whims—not in the obsessive sense, at least. But this year’s FIFA World Cup in South Africa has stirred something unique. It has revealed sides of people—emotions and quirks—that many of us hadn’t seen before. This includes not just everyday fans, but even high-profile figures from the political arena who adjusted their calendars to catch their national teams in action. As many would agree, football is a magical force. The energy, emotion, and sheer magnetism of the game draw millions into its orbit. We’ve ...

May holds a unique duality in Ethiopia’s modern consciousness. As Patriots’ Day commemorates the valor of those who resisted colonization, our fledgling electoral season—barely five years old—unfolds alongside it. This convergence has birthed a cultural irony: the very  K’әrәrto  (praise songs) and  Shïlәla  (heroic chants) that once stirred souls against invaders now reverberate through political rallies. Historically, these poetic forms  K’әrәrto   emerged in Gojjam as vessels of resistance. Warriors recited them before battle; hunters chanted them returning from the wild. They celebrated military patriots like  Belay Zeleke (Aba Kostér) , immortalizing their courage in lines like: "Ïsti bäsmam bïye lïjämïr mïsgana...   Aba Kostér Bälay yä haymanot geta These songs were more than tributes—they were cultural weapons. Farmers used them to rouse audacity; communities channeled grievances into revolts. The singer’s voice turned aggressive, boas...

It feels only natural to say something about football this time of year—especially with the 2010 FIFA World Cup just around the corner, and for the very first time, taking place right here on our continent. (By the way, we’re not quite used to calling it soccer in this part of the world, but I’ll use the terms interchangeably for my wider readership.) Football has come a long way to reach African soil. And while we can’t yet say it has reached the stage it deserves, there’s no denying that African football— Ethiopian football in particular—has had a complicated, winding journey. I say this as someone who’s always been an optimist, someone who sees the glass half full. But lately, I’ll admit, my enthusiasm for our local teams has been wearing thin. Like many others, I find myself increasingly drawn to international football—especially European leagues—rather than the local scene. The reason is plain: we all want to see real talent in action. The raw skill. The drama. The rhythm o...

“We never know the worth of water till the well is dry,” wrote Thomas Fuller in Gnomologia (1732), and nowhere does this adage ring truer than in the case of Ethiopia’s largely unutilized rivers—particularly the mighty Abay Wәnz (Abay River), the longest river on the African continent. Ethiopia is rich in rivers: Awash, Ak’aki, Baro, Ch’elek’lak’a, Didesa, Erer, Genale, Gibe, Omo—these are but a few of our abundant waterways. Yet, until quite recently, few of them seemed to matter in the national discourse—perhaps overlooked or underappreciated—until the realities of water scarcity, energy crisis, and the global conversation around alternative energy began to hit home. One of the commendable moves in this regard has been the push to build a major hydroelectric dam on the Gibe River . This is a necessary step toward addressing the recurring and debilitating power outages experienced across the country. Yet while Gibe is making headlines, it’s the Abay River—our own "Blue Nile...

Instead of blaming nature, it’s time we looked inward. This year, the rains in Ethiopia seem unusually prolonged— seem , not necessarily are . Compared to the relatively drier past couple of years, they feel heavier and more frequent. But let’s be honest: just because recent years have seen less intense rainfall doesn’t mean the rains this year are unnatural or out of place. They’re simply part of a recurring, essential pattern. Traditionally, our rainy season concludes around the first week of Tïk’ïmt (October). But even before that, many people start to grumble. Just the other day, sitting at a local restaurant in Addis Ababa, I overheard a man complaining at full volume about the downpours—calling them “excessive,” even “reckless.” It was clear he’d had enough of the weather. But here’s a reality check: rain operates on nature’s time, not ours. It comes when it must and leaves when its purpose is fulfilled. This is the rhythm of the earth. Complaining about it is like yelling at th...

Pastor/Priest to the bride: “Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect him, forsaking all others and holding only to him forevermore?” Bride: “I do.” Indeed, there is a season for everything under the sun, as the Holy Bible reminds us. And now, the season of weddings is in full bloom once again. With the fasting season behind us, joyful couples across Ethiopia are eagerly stepping into one of life’s most profound journeys—the sacred union of marriage. It’s that time of year when the words “I do” echo through churches across the country, especially on weekends in the months of April and May. These words carry immense emotional and spiritual weight, spoken before God, family, and community. For many, it is the fulfillment of months—sometimes years—of dreaming, planning, and hoping. In Ethiopia, where religious traditions are deeply woven into social fabric (and often culturally expected), most weddings take place in churches. A friend once told me, “Marriages are mad...

Apart from being the lengthy fasting season (Lent) which made many of us “hibernate” from k’urt’, t’ibs and kitfo (raw, roasted and minced meat), which are the majority’s favorites, (not to mention alcoholic beverages, in some instances), March is a historic month not only for Ethiopia but for the whole of Africa, too. And certainly equally momentous for women all over the world…hope you know what I’m getting at…the International Women’s Day. So, if now and then I wander from one of these thoughts to the other in this article, I hope you’ll forgive my lack of focus as I have already confessed. Besides, you must have noticed that I was pooped from the long fasting…and perhaps busy work … and needed to have a break…just kidding. Almost a week before the Int’l women’s day, Ethiopians always honor their triumph against a foreign aggression at Adwa. Stunning as it was, the anniversary of the battle of Adwa, is a commemoration of THE greatest victory against foreign belligerence in the A...

Haven‘t you ever bumped into certain quips somewhere at some time and has still reverberated in your mind ever since? I bet you have! Some of them might be from a book you read, from an ad or a public sign your eyes have seen. You can‘t help but remember some of these epigrams due to the packed ideas they flaunted through few words. Since they‘re typically short, it‘s easier to learn them by heart. For instance, I can‘t forget the following English quips I read some years ago: ‘Success is not access to excess’, or “On the keyboard of life, always keep one finger near the escape key” or “Take care to get what you like or you will be forced to like what you get”. How beautifully coined! The meanings are just awe-inspiring. Amharic language, too, lends itself to various forms of figures of speech and witticism, in the form of wisecrack called k’Ϊne. For instance, let‘s have a look at the following: hodΪn bə gomən bidəlΪlut gulbət bədagət yΪləgΪmal (If one tries to deceive oneself b...

For anyone, (of course, other than who locks himself up at home possibly, for fear of transmission of ….forget it!) who scrutinizes the scenes on the streets during the last couple of weekends (and week-days) it has already started smelling holiday. It would be easier to figure out from the repeated horns of cars in a non-traffic streets that this is the start of a wedding season. This is so immediately following 'Fasika' /Ethiopian Easter/. Central Statistics Office (CSO) may have it right, but I guess hundreds or even thousands may apply for issuance of marriage certificate during this time; perhaps equal numbers of huge bulls and sheep might be slaughtered for these joyous occasions. I wish them all happy and prosperous marriages! The fact that nothing has changed the grandiose arrangements seem to reflect that the economic downturn has little effect on expenses on weddings around here – the motto appears 'blissful times like these have to be colorfully celebrated, AN...

You may ask any Ethiopian anywhere in the country (or for that matter, anywhere under the sun where they‘re found in abundance) and you‘ll soon find out they‘re members of one or both of these informal socio-economic institutions called Ϊk’ub and ΪdΪr (sorry, if I oversimplify). Ϊk’ub and ΪdΪr are the two most common, lasting, and efficient time-honored socio-economic institutions Ethiopians long ago created. Let‘s see them both. Ϊk’ub is an association which are often set up by any small group of people (friends, colleagues or just neighbors) in order to provide substantial rotating fund for members with the intention of improving their lives and living conditions. The members of Ϊk’ub usually gather under a tree shade (nowadays, at any convenient place) to discuss and find panaceas to their economic problems. This alliance could be provisional or lasting, depending on the financial needs of the members. Ϊk’ub is more flexible and accessible than the modern banks and requires minima...

Have you ever thought that there would be any connection between a bone (perhaps with roasted soft meat on it) and a month? Seems weird, isn’t it? There is, however, a sound link between the Ethiopian second month, T’ϊkϊmt, and bone, at’ϊnt, (naturally with meat to chew on it). Here’s the story: As the rainy season gives in to the beginning of the sunny time of the year, the second month, T’ϊkϊmt ( October), the weather specially, the mornings and nights suddenly turn chilly (at least used to be), as it is the coldest month of the year(appears to be paradoxical to have cool weather with the coming of the sunny days). It was common to hear lots of bedside stories beginning like “once on a usual cold October day” and so forth. And the elderly people usually counsel people to eat a little more meat than usual at this period so as to survive the chilly climate. That’s why we have the saying bə T’ϊkϊmt and at’ϊnt which is literally translated as ‘A bone with meat on it is required in mo...

I remember an ex-colleague who once said, "The moment I read about the iniquity of drinking, I gave up read-ing" (…instead of drinking). He has never once believed that drinking is too bad. He could have been the first to call me and ―herald the recent incredible ―flat-earth kind of news released by BBC, had he not renounced reading anything about alcohol. Just last week, a British Medical Journal published the works of a lead researcher professor Morten Gronbaek from the National Institute of Public Health in Denmark. In brief, the study pointed out that people will be ―immune from incidence of heart at-tacks, strokes, and other forms of circulatory disease, and might reduce the incidence of certain cancers if only they are drinkers. This study suggests that the benefits of boozing increase with age. Accordingly, ―indeed over age 65, not only does moderate drinking prolong life, but so does heavy drinking! The moderate drinkers have a 40 percent lower mortality rate than t...