Southern Ethiopia

Staying at the Kanta Lodge in Konso.

This village was sad to visit as it was so poor. However the money we pay the local guides does go to help the community so that is a positive.

This woman’s home.

Corn for the next crop drying on the ceiling.

Cooking implements hanging from the ceiling and cooking area in the enclosed yard.

Goat skin for beds. This one even had a mosquito net.

These women hauled their water for washing as none was close by.

On the way to the Konso Village, we saw this accident where the side of the truck carrying cotton collapsed.

This area is called New York and is reminiscent of the Grand Canyon as the land is fairly flat until you reach the eroded sandstone formations. No one knows how this developed but local legend says a group of musicians were playing when one of the groups’ drums disappeared. They searched but could not find it so they prayed to their god for help. They went home and in the morning when they came back this is what they saw. They said it was the work of theirod digging to help them to find the lost drum.

The name New York was attached to the site when people from Norway were here helping with an aid project. They said to the people that what they were doing was new work so the locals picked up the term and called the area New Work. When Americans came they said it looks like the skyscrapers in New York so that is the name that has stuck.

This Konso village was established 800 years ago. It has three walls of stone that circle the village. The first inner wall is 1 km around. As the village grew two other walls were added; the third wall is 350 years old and is 3 km around built without mortar.

The families are proud of their homes as is evident from their entrances. When they leave home they slide poles across the entrance to let others know they are not home and to keep the wandering livestock out.

The young boys in the village sleep in these structures from the age of 12 until they marry. There are 10 in the village and each one has up to 30 boys in it. The population of this village was 8,000.

They climb up inside.

This is the main community centre in the village. Here all ceremonies are held. A boy has passed into manhood and the right to marry once he can lift this round stone over his head and throw it behind him. It weighs 120 lbs.

The tall wooden structure determines the age of the village with each stick representing so many years.