Our work - an annual celebration
on J and M in Assosa (Ethiopia), 22/Jul/2007 08:52, 34 days ago
An annual MI celebrationThe bus hummed with excited chat and laughter as well as the bleating of two sheep tied at the back. We drove around the town several times buying drinks and bread and going back for bits forgotten. This all despite awful weather, rainwas pouring down with visibility no more than 20m. Ali wore a fetching green plastic bag as a cap to fend off the rain, Fannie sported a colourful child’s umbrella, even our thin grumpy colleague was smiling. All the excitement justseemed to add to the humidity and misted up windows.This was all in the build up to an annual celebration consisting of a lunch at the MI. We had all contributed 15Birr about 80p for it. Our lunch the two sheep, were on the bus with us as were all the other ingredients.At the MI Ali got his green photocopying apron on and sharpened the knives. Ayiena the bus driver caught the sheep. Waggie donned her wrap-around apron alternating between typing Ato Ahmed’s letters and cooking.Two sheep, two religions, two different prayers, however the sheep were killed both in the same way only, the prayers were different. Then two separate fires and cooking pots. Waggie was the Christian cook and Mimi the Muslim one. The only perceivable difference in the final meals seemed to be that the Muslims had the liver cooked with the meal.Mimi and her team Waggie hard at workAt lunchtime we all congregated in the dining hall (only normally used during training courses) well cleaned and the centre piece all laid out for the coffee ceremony. Grass and flowers were strewn out around the tray of coffee cups, the charcoal fire, the incense burner and the homemade pop-corn.Roasting the coffee beansWe were each served with the fresh cooked meat with injera, bread and a portion ofcolcocha (a dip made from small red chilles- hot!). It was delicious and unusually for cooked meat here, very tender. We got to sit at the table with Ato Ahmed the boss!Good joke MuraA good meal!Our 'experts' (professional staff)Our Muslim ladiesThe meal was completed with a cup of excellent coffee.Apparently this an annual celebration but no-one seemed to know for what. Howeverit was a wonderful occasion and well worth retaining.