Lifestyle

On the 13th month of the Ethiopian calendar, the very last Saturday of the 2011 EC, it was a very gloomy weather. Yet, shops were open from early in the morning.

Ethiopian youth mourn the death of rapper Ermias “Nipsey Hustle” Ashegdom at a candlelight vigil held in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on Saturday night.

As recently as last year, Chikayzea Flanders, a young Rastafarian boy living in the United Kingdom was forced to take his battle to court when the school he wished to join refused to accept him because of his hairstyle.

The night life of the capital is almost always busy, crowded and at almost full capacity. With uniform like clubs, restaurant and pubs scattered all around and millions of residents coupled with tourist and the Diasporas visiting the nation on a regular basis, it seems the night life of Addis Ababa is attempting to match the busy construction boom that has changed its recent narratives.

I dash over the level crossing, hoping to make it to the other side before the warning lights start to signal that a train is approaching, arriving breathless at the platform in time to see my air-conditioned train glide into the station.

Aron Senay is looking to dominate. He sells a lifestyle, not just handbags. The carefully designed handbags and accessories, largely targeted at female customers, craft a personality. The visual advertising of his brand Negesti indicates as much.

If there is one thing a ferengi likes to do on a holiday: it’s to browse the local market looking for souvenirs to wow their friends with back at home. Often, holiday-makers are taken to tourist-friendly markets selling local handicrafts and are left to browse for an hour or so before the bus picks them up.

Ethiopia is booming in many areas, none more so than in its embrace of the humble grain of durum wheat. Nestled in between traditional eateries, stores and banks on the main roads or hidden in tiny side streets, the Italian Restaurants provide an added dimension to the culinary delights of the city of Addis Ababa.

Many roads have led me to Ethiopia. I have always wanted to experience the Africa you see on documentaries - the wide open plains, the sand of the vast Sahara, the mighty Kilimanjaro, elephants and wildebeest and traditional tribespeople.

The National Theater hosted a book release by wildlife photographer and filmmaker Aziz Ahmed.