AFRICA NINTH STOP ETHIOPIA (ABYSSINIA THAT WAS)

BACKGROUND :

Africa covers 6 per cent of the surface of the Earth and provides 20.4 per cent of Earth’s landmass.   Occupying this massive  and significant territory there are 1.1 Billion people. Africa is the second largest and second most populous continent on Earth.


ETHIOPIA

Ethiopia, it is probably fair to say, conjures up in the Western mind two images - its former Emperor Hailie Selassie ( probably filed mentally rightly or wrongly under the category "good thing") and the Evelyn Waugh book "WAUGH IN AFRICA" ( similarly filed under the heading "comic writing" or alternatively "No longer PC").

Landlocked Ethiopia is bordered to the North by Eritrea, to the East by Somalia, to the South by Kenya and to the West by Sudan. It is populated 88% by 11 tribes and a wide mixture comprises the remaining 12 %. With an estimated population of 90,000,000 it is the 14th most populous country in the world and the second most populous in Africa. It is the 27th largest country in the world in area and the 10th largest country in Africa.

However, Ethiopia is only the 122nd ranked world exporting country, but it is the 96th largest importing country in the world.(Interestingly, my own country Australia ranks 20th on both Imports and Exports lists - not bad for the 52nd Ranked country by population.)

Considering those statistics, I am amazed that I have so rarely given Ethiopia any thought at all.

Said to have historical roots back to the second millenium B.C., Ethiopia has, for most of the time been a monarchy. In the early centuries A.D. it was part of the Kingdom of Aksum. In more recent times it successfully resisted the European powers' scramble for colonial territory in Africa.
Even in the 1880s she succeeded in defeating Italy's attempts to conquer her. However the claims of the Ethiopian Emperor that he was the heir of a 3,000 years old dynasty were fanciful.

Between 1936 and 1941, Fascist Italy at length succeeded in occupying the country. British Empire forces then joined Ethiopian forces in driving out the Italians in a campaign that degenerated into guerilla war until 1943 when the Italians were finally beaten.In 1944 the British at last recognised Ethiopian sovereignty and this recognition was cemented in the Treaty signed in December, 1944. Since 1995 the country has been a federated Republic.Prior to that , and after the death of Hailie Selassie ,the country was ruled by a Communist Russian backed Military Dictatorship called the Derg.

The Ethiopian territory is a high plateau with a central mountain range divided by the Great Rift Valley. The highest point is Ras Dejen at 4,533 metres. 15% of the land is arable Permanent crops take up only 1.14% of the land.The Great Rift Valley is geologically active with occasional earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and drought.The Blue Nile rises in Lake Tana in the country's Northwest. It is believed that the coffee bean, grain sorghum and the castor bean are native to Ethiopia.

A slight majority of the population is Christian , mostly members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. One third of the population is Sunni Mohammedan.

AFRICA EIGHTH STOP ERITREA

          




BACKGROUND :

Africa covers 6 per cent of the surface of the Earth and provides 20.4 per cent of Earth’s landmass.   Occupying this massive  and significant territory there are 1.1 Billion people. Africa is the second largest and second most populous continent on Earth.

HUMBLE CONFESSION :

As you will have noticed, I have paused in my "discovery" research of Africa and , far from doing one country per week, I have not done one country in the last 7 weeks : Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa! I can only plead the lead up to my 75th Birthday which became pre-occupying one way and another, and of course Holy Week and Easter. So now I have to catch up, and at different times I will be doing 2 countries per week.  
 

ERITREA 

Bordered by Djibouti , which we last "visited" , in the South East, by Ethiopia in the South, by Sudan in the West and in the North East and East by the Red Sea, Eritrea has as its capital the city of Asmara which is located inland approximately in the middle of the country opposite the Port city of Massawa.

It is the 101st largest country in the World and the 34th largest in Africa. By population, it is the 106th largest country in the world and the 33rd largest country in Africa.

Wth some 6,000,000 inhabitants, of nine recognised ethnic groups, Eritrea has a policy of recognising only four "official" religious groups : the Eritrean Orthodox, Catholics, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Eritrea and Sunni Mohammedans. Adherents of other religions risk arrest! Whilst the Government claims the country is 50% Christian and 50% Sunni Mohammedan, there are suggestions by an NGO that the true situation is 63% Christian and 37% Mohammedan. The same body claims that 57% of the population is Orthodox, 4% Catholic and 1-2 % is Protestant including Evangelical Lutherans and all others. the Mohammedans are concentrated in the Eastern and Western lowlands , whilst the Christians mainly occupy the central highlands. It is estimated that 1,500 adherents of non-"official" religions are held in prison.

History tells us that there are records of civilisation here dating back to around 980 B.C.and even further for it believed to have formed part o what the ancient Egyptians termed the land of Punt. In the first or second century A.D. present day Eritrea was the ancient Kingdom of Aksum. In about A.D.600 just as Mohammedanism was being founded and beginning its wars of conquest, the Kingdom became Christian. In medieval times different Mohammedan Empires controlled parts of Eritrea. The following centuries were subject to the tedious Mohammedan internal strife fragmenting the area until the Turkish Ottoman Empire gained sway only to collapse  in the last Century .In 1947 Eritrea was federated with Ethiopia, but after a few years Ethiopia absorbed Eritrea, which did not regain its independence until Eritreans fought a war of independence ending in a referendum in 1993. Although this was won by the independence voters, the war continued against Ethiopia until 1998 -2000.Along the way skirmishes had taken place with Djibouti.

The economy is not huge at US 5 Billions per annum made up of 11.7% Agriculture, 26.9% Industry and 61.4 % Services.  The labour force of 3,000,000 is devoted to Agriculture 80% and Industry and Services 20 %.

The country is rated among those in which it is most difficult to do business, and this is not surprising give the authoritarian streak shown in matters of Religion.

ROYAL EASTER SHOW 2015

Ahhh! Yes!

You can't beat Italian food!

When I see signage like that - good Italian food! I have to eat from there! And Robyn is of the same opinion. Such Panini! Such Prosciutto - magnificent! But first we had some exploring to do!All the usual things - that is what the Show is all about - it's a ritual - and you don't mess with rituals, right? Amen! I hear you say!

So , off to the Roses displayed and we agree that the new site reduced volume of Roses and other flowers is totally inferior to what used to be seen at the old Moore Park Showground. While we were there some judging was in progress and one of the judges had almost as much gold badging hanging off his suit coat as a North Vietnamese Army General (those blokes are really comical!). The on to the Arts and Crafts. Robyn was very good, neatly restraining her Quilt Mania while we patrolled up and down interminable rows of indifferent to appalling Art and Photography - definitely poorer quality than in previous years (though I missed 2014) and on balance even inferior to some years at the Ekka in Brisbane.

The cakes displayed were interesting -if somewhat the worse for wear after a week or more on display . Surprising how many were baked by Men!

Finally we found the Quilts one of the winners was known to Robyn. The standard was I think quite high in most cases - but the display was inferior with most Quilts at least partially folded.

By this time we find our way back to the Panini stand - Papa's Bianco  and head out to the Wood Chopping to watch while we eat.

Logs arrive wrapped in plastic!

These blokes are serious - look at the array of Axes!

We saw only two Axemen with decent physiques - not in any of the photos.

Most axemen seem to rely on  bulk and brawn.

These blokes are in full swing and chips are flying!

The axemen are identified on a State and Country basis - several New Zullanders are there and one American. For the first time in all my years of watching the Wood Chopping , we see one axeman unable to cut into his log very far - and after trying THREE axes he gives up ! Maybe it turned out to be Ironbark ! I don't know.

We return to the Exhibition Halls and come across a NSW Transport stand and this little gem :

A 1938 advertisement featuring a 36 Class Steam Loco hauling an express train on a Mug - must have! But to-day's budget did not allow for it - so I shall have to buy one on the Net in the fullness of time.

Somewhere in the midst of all this we had a peek at the show jumping horses in the main arena , but we caught the very end of the jumps so we did not see much.

Then we headed to the dome pavilion to see the District Agricultural Exhibits. This year being the Centenary of the ANZAC landings at Gallipoli the exhibits adopted that theme with varying degrees of success. And the winner is - South East Queensland :

Quality produce is used to make up the displays.

First Prize for Display -Trophy and Ribbon.

Quite impressive

And the Second Prize went to the Western Districts of New South Wales - also very well done. 

Also very well done.

 After all this Agricultural and Patriotic excellence, it was time for some more earthy commercialism and so we headed to the Woolworth's "TASTE" Stand and acquired their "special" offer of two Show Bags for $15 . It is the best buy on the Show Ground  - about four of the Thirty or so items -95% useful - covered the total cost. Lots of goodies there.

Then we headed to the Showbag Pavillion proper and made some purchases which are to surprise in another place so I can't say anything about that save that Robyn succumbed to her Licorice addiction and I to my chocolate addiction.(Just one bag!)

By then we were tired out and headed for the train which got us back to Fort Duff in double quick time - tired but happy!