We were inside the car, passing through a lot of cultivated fields, and here Jonas started asking the people we had met on the street if they were willing to let us visit their village. If we had to give money, if we preferred to donate it to real communities and not the fake ones created especially for tourists.
Lots of people showed friendliness and curiosity towards us. It was mutual.
It is not new to discover that people live with very little. But being actually there and hearing that from them, talking about how their life takes place, is an experience that makes us think a lot. Each family usually has a couple of huts, one to sleep in and one to cook in. Most of the day is spent mainly in the fields. When returning from the working day, families often gather with the other ones from the village to eat all together. The men get together to play a particular kind of instrument which is very similar to the lyre. It is a moment of community where people keep company with each other.
The harvest festival
Among the most beautiful and engaging experiences we will remember, more than the others, certainly there is the harvest festival that we had been able to attend, thanks to our guide’s spirit of resourcefulness. While we were visiting another village, between a chat and the other with the locals, Jonas learnt of a festival that was taking place at that precise moment, a few minutes far from where we were.
We started going towards the festival location and once we arrived, Ale and I thought we had ended up in a documentary.
Under the shade of a huge tree with thick foliage, all the elderly sat on the borkota (tiny wooden seats). They were passing their craft beer to one another. Meanwhile, boys and girls were slowly coming, leaving lots of food to the head of the group and arranging their positions to start dancing. Let the party begin.
It was a real courtship dance.
Obviously, we were foreigners, so our presence was not so well-accepted. And that’s when Jonas showed us his talented skills as a negotiator. After talking for fifteen minutes, he managed to get the official invitation. Hurray. We, too, would have attended the party. The only drawback were Jonas’ sunglasses. Everything has a price 🙂
It was amazing. We looked at each other with curiosity. At first perhaps we were a little bit suspicious, we did not have much way to communicate but, in the end, our smiles and theirs left no doubt. We were together to party and had so much fun that at some point Ale was invited to dance by a girl. Boar of laughters.
When the party was towards its end, the time for blessing from the elders came. All the boys sat on their “borkota” (a tiny wooden seat that is used to rest the head at night, and during the day as a stool). Silence fell. The elders gave their speech. Even if we were not speaking, we perceived the profound sense of respect towards them.
We will always thank Jonas for having put his clever negotiating skills in the field and letting us witness this splendid and evocative ceremony.
Key Afer Market
The last stop before continuing on the road to Omo Valley is the Key Afer Market (actually located in the south of the valley). It usually takes place on Thursdays and is an excellent opportunity to meet new people from the various ethnic groups that populate the surrounding areas: Hamer, Aris, Tsamay, Hamas and others. Here, you have the opportunity to admire the ornaments of the different tribes and see how the market has existed as a meeting and party place where you can sip local beer.
Everyone seats on the “borkota” – a tiny wooden seat that is used to rest the head at night and, during the day, as a stool. About 20 cm high, the headrests are made from a single piece of wood which is then decorated with designs engraved with small metal points. All men of various ethnicities have one, and never want to be without them.
We reached our destination – Jinka – in the afternoon. We had time to take a walk in the market and make friends with a group of very sociable children who spent the rest of the afternoon with us. They took us by the hand and asked us if we wanted to go and see their school. They spoke English well. We arrived in this mini campus, a very nice one; they showed us the classes and then we met an older guy who told us that he was studying to be a teacher. It was time to go back to the hotel. Once again, we had been escorted by our new friends who greeted us warmly.
