Ethiopia is a nation with unique characteristics. One of its features is that its inhabitants are described as being, among other things, “chewa” in Amharic, which is sage. It can be compared to an obedient person, since we wouldn’t exactly be considered a rebellious group.
Ethiopians have a great deal of patience, accept what has been given to them, and remain silent when their rights are violated. We prefer to keep quiet and suffer in silence unless a few brave people dare to speak up.
The fact that Ethiopians tolerate or accept the vastly different living conditions that exist there is one of the factors that leads me to believe that they are sage. There isn’t a neighborhood in Addis that is free of slums, if that makes sense.
No matter where one lives or works in Addis, one cannot escape the sight of poverty. And despite the extreme disparity in living situations, there is a great deal of tolerance. Ethiopians have a strong culture of cohabitation despite their increasingly varied living conditions.
I believe that the wealth disparity has widened more than ever, particularly in recent years. Both the impoverished and the moderately prosperous cannot afford the cost of living anymore.
But it appears that more than ever before, we are seeing people in Addis driving expensive vehicles from manufacturers like Mercedes, Audi, and Porsche. We are seeing the sales of flats that cost at least 10 million birr and opulent villas that cost millions more.
This raises the question, “What is occurring in this country?”
Even the middle class and lower middle class are unable to keep up with the rising costs of homes and cars, which is the worst part. You start to wonder how the economy works as a result.
A car that costs over one million birr today was only worth 200,000 birr five years ago. And keep in mind that this is a used car, one that was already in use when it was imported.
When I say that the citizens of this nation are sage, I do so for a good cause.
The wealthiest, in my opinion, are getting richer, while the poor are getting poorer. But what percentage of the population here is considered “rich”? You start to wonder how certain people are able to amass wealth while the vast majority of people struggle to get through the month without running out of money to buy food.
There seems to be a problem here.
Ethiopians are enlightened people who have a high threshold for suffering and would rather be thankful for what they have than resist. But tolerance has bounds.
Even if we don’t know when it will be reached, that limit does exist. It’s preferable to take action right away before the pot starts to boil!
