I have enjoyed reading books starting at very young age. Of course, the content and genre of the books I read have evolved through the years, but my love for reading remains the same.  While walking around in the different neighborhoods of Addis, it is quite obvious that reading is a very common thing. starting from the men, and at times women, who read their newspapers while getting their shoes shined, to those who read magazines while sipping some coffee. One can say that there is a high demand for books, newspapers or magazines because there are quite a few people walking around the street with a huge load of newspapers. There are also small “stands” on street corners filled with all kinds of books from self-help to old literary books.  I sometimes stop by these stands and see what’s available, to see what sells and what doesn’t. Interestingly most of the books on sale are translations of English novels. There are a few books, originally written in Amharic, that are also available for sale. They mostly are new books that have just got on the market.

When I was much younger, I remember everyone around me reading novels, most of which were written by Danielle Steel. They were very popular, and it seems like they still are today because they have been translated into Amharic and now a whole new group of people will have the opportunity to read them.  There are also plays by Shakespeare that have been translated into Amharic and presented to an Ethiopian audience.  And then I started to think about the great writers and the beautifully written books that we have in Ethiopia. Unfortunately, most of these books are written in Amharic, Oromiffa, Tigrignia or other local languages. Because they have not been translated, people who do not speak these languages have not had, at least so far, the joy of reading them.

So I began to think why it is that English books translated into Amharic are readily available, and not Ethiopian books translated into English. Ethiopian literature has not had the opportunity to be known in our continent or even across the world because of this linguistic barrier. I am not saying that we should start writing in English, instead of our local languages, although writing a book in English is not a bad thing. But I am merely arguing that we should be able to place our literature on the world map by allowing the rest of the world to read about us, our hopes, dreams, fantasies, lifestyles, creations and so much more. Having read many foreign books, I now see how it has helped me to be aware and understand the culture of other countries. And so, translating our books will be an excellent way of introducing our customs, cultures and way of thinking. The one book I know has been translated into many other different languages is the Fikir eske meqabir by Haddis Alemayehu. This book is probably one of the most famous and most read in Ethiopia. I really hope there are more that have been translated.

But translation, although a very big step, is not by itself enough to promote our literature. Considering that books, and by that I mean physical books, are becoming a thing of the past, we have to move forward with the technology. Everyone’s starting to get a digital version of a book that they can be easily read on one of their gadgets. And so, we have to be able to market and distribute our books through these newly available distribution channels.  I am not a very big fan or reading a book on a computer because I enjoy turning pages with my hand and even getting paper cuts at times, but it looks like e-books are definitely taking over. So here’s to promoting our writers, our literature and through all of that our country.