Ethiopia - National Museum of Ethiopia

Thanks to the Concierge at the Best Western Plus Hotel Addis Ababa I was met by guide  Mr. Lesanework Hailu of Lesan Tour, (Lesanu.che@gmail.com) (+251 923 48 65 85) in the hotel lobby..  $70 was the cost of the tour with the driver and the car and admissions paid for. What a great way to experience a new city. In the past I’d taken bus tours of the city first day but older I like the slower self set pace.  The cost is more than worth it.

I wanted to start at the beginning. So Lesan took me to the National Ethiopian Museum.  That’s where the remains of Lucy, our 3.2 million year old ancestor reside.

  

I loved the drive through city.  So much is within walking that I understand now why Lonely Planet has a recommended walking tour.’ Everyone assures me that it’s safe too, only to carry one’s possession in front to avoid pick pockets from behind. Mosquitoes aren’t a concern in Addis either but I used my DEET nonetheless

Lesane told me that Addis Ababa was a very young city, hardly a hundred and fifty years old.  Addis means “new” and Ababa means ‘flower”. A beautiful yellow flower grows in abundance here so the Empress named the city thus.   Everywhere we drove construction was taking place, very much like Mexico,  Malaysia and Azerbaijan.   There just aren’t the crowds I associate with China or even Italy, and certainly nothing like Japan.  It’s young and bustling,  much like Cambodia..  It’s only been a couple of decades back that the Communist Socialist Derg reigned with Red Terror requiring a liberation war.  I loved the youth and vibrancy.  The young women, especially at the university, were so beautiful, the men handsome.  

The National Ethiopian Museum is three levels.  In the basement there is a wonderful display of the archeological digs in the Rift Valley which runs through Ethiopia.  Like Alaska and Russia, Yemen and Ethiopia appears to have once been connected.  The history of the earth’s development was displayed with fossils and charts..  I liked the lay out which reminded me of Washington’s Smithsonian museums.  Academic but easy to follow in that sense.  Lesane provided me all manner of information.  The fossils of ancient boars, hippopotamus  and elephants were huge.  Lesane was obvious a lover of elephants who inhabit Ethiopian. “They listen with their trunks against the ground to vibrations. They’re even more intelligent than dogs. Like dolphins.”  As we walked about looking at the exhibits of ancient spears and bows,  I talked with him about my experience of hunting.  He shared his love of birds with so many species of birds unique to Ethiopia.  

I loved the Lucy exhibit.  3.2 million years old.  Walking upright.  I loved how the fossils protected in display had beside them the skeletons of the ancestors showing  the anatomical placement of the bone fragments found.  A skull of a child, called “Lucy’s little sister” was there as well. Rocks used for hunting and lava fragments used for knives before the advent of metal tools were interesting for dating tool making man’s sojourn on earth.

The second floor and third floor had famous Ethiopian Art. Some of the pictures on display were done by the most famous stained glass artisan. He’d paint his work before creating the stained glass masterpieces for the Coptic churches.  Since grand dad was a rancher I appreciated the ancient ploughs on display. Horses were very important to Ethiopians as were the oxen.  We talked of food preservation and the box the students still use to preserve their foods for a couple of days.  “Ethiopians were always great runners. They still have famous marathons here with runners coming from all over the world.  They’d carry their food on these long runs in those woven boxes.”  

I loved the painting of the mother and child with Emperor Sellasie and his wife present.  Emperor Haille Sellasie’s throne was huge.  The vestments of Bishops and clothing of different leaders from the east and west of Ethiopia showed the difference in style. Women’s hair styles also could depict their tribal origins.  

Ethiopians  have traditional or ‘old’ court and ‘new courts’ much like other modern courts.  A short film clip showed the traditional court in progress.  It seemed similiar to our Aboriginal courts with all the community involved.  Often a ‘settlement’ could be agreed collectively to recompense the injured parties, their traditional courts focussing more on compensation than punishment. It made me think our courts could learn more about having the guilty do more for caring for their victims. 

A great drum, bigger than the symphony kettle drum.  “This was the drum  used always for emergencies or political events to call the people. It was sounded on the mountains.”  Another drum, a Christian drum, had one end representing the ‘old testament’ and the other end the ‘new testament’ with music played on it in church. 

Lesane told me the history of Emperor Hailie Selassie making a state visit to Jamaica,  His arrival was associated with t miracles occurred when he stepped on the island causing the people to believe him to be a Godlike and worthy of worship.  “They have a community here where they believe it’s the promised land. They come here as Jews return to Israel.” 

There were many exhibits of abstract art which would have fit well on the walls of MOMA, New York but I liked more the religious art with it’s particularly Coptic slant. ‘Coptics are the only Christians who believe in the Old Testament and New Testament together, having circumcision for boys before 12 days, not eating pork, and then celebrating the Christian teachings of the Trinitarian God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” 

There was a haunting picture of the Derg.  Having been to Cambodia and now Ethiopia which have survived Communist Dictatorships I felt sad for Venezuela now.  Too many western academics remain Vladimir Lenin’s “useful idiots”.  I liked better the paintings of Emperor Tewodros who occasioned the British army military rescue of the English diplomats taken hostage. The other painting I liked was called  ‘Day of Victory’ depicting  the Ethiopians defeating the Italians after Emperor Menelik II exposed the Italian betrayal.

All in all I loved the National Museum. It reminded me in part of the Anthropological Museum in Mexico City.  Lesan was an excellent tour guide and would take me from here to a mountain view point of the city, the University of Addis Ababa and the Holy Trinity Cathedral..  

Uncomfortable pillows so the herders at night wouldn’t sleep too fitfully and during the day they served as seats.

“Victory’

The Derg, Communist Socialist Red Terror era

Emperor Selassie’s Throne

Tewedros who brought the country together but occasioned the British military rescue mission.

Mother and Child with Emperor Selassie and the Empress

Emperor Haile Selassie.

Lucy, our ancestor of 3.2 millions years ago

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Christian musician

Lion of Judah





Christian artifacts. Each end of the drum represents Old and New Testament


Lesane, my tour guide.




Women always doing the heavy lifting. 

Ibex unique to Ethiopia

Flower, Abbis Ababa,  named after

Returning to Vancouver from New York City

Laura and I returned home from New York at 3 am this week.  First we were very thankful that we got to JFK on time. Redbury Hotel staff were very helpful and the taxi driver was a delightful Punjab young man who discussed spirituality and humour the whole ride with us.
Next we were thankful to get through security without trouble.  In the past it’s been a  major kerfuffle when they've found Laura or I carrying guns, ammunition, or hunting knives in our baggage. Laura really likes having her own luggage now and resists borrowing any of mine. .
I was thankful to have my aisle seat. I do like to stretch my long legs. Having been in a plane crass I always feel less claustrophobic. Older I like to pee and remember this young woman on a flight back from London saying to me, “Do you have to go again. You just peed.”  I had got up twice in an 8 hour flight and did not kill her outright because she was young, stupid, ugly,  and unlikely to be good eating.
I was thankful too to have our luggage overhead and the Philippine Airline Staff so helpful and pleasant and solicitous.  It was really gratifying when the plane took off so well and we didn’t have to Scully in the Hudson River. I really just wanted to have an uneventful flight.  They even served us a lovely meal.  Philippine Airlines is truly delightful to fly with.
I slept some. Watched a couple of television episodes. Took a couple of trips to the loo.  5 hours passed before we knew it.  I was then thankful that the unloading went quickly and smoothly and that customs didn’t delay us.  The best part  was getting our luggage off the carousel. It arrived in tact.  I am just really thankful when I see my luggage and feel the relief that comes with that.
Vancouver from the taxi looked great. It was all still there.Ugly with snow and ice but known.  When I’ve been in  the strange I feel really good coming home to the known.
I actually got a few hours of sleep before finding enough clean clothes to go out to work.  I loved driving in my little Miata.  It’s just such a friendly little car.  Then I was at work and all the people there were great to see. I really am blessed to work with some of the finest doctors and staff around.  It’s comforting and reassuring.  I liked seeing my patients and getting back into the routine.
I was thankful then to see my home was still there. No terrorists bombs, fires or floods had taken it away.  There was heat.  The water lines weren’t frozen.  I changed the propane tank and turned up the heat  to make the place cozy and warm.  It hadn’t been burglarized.  It was still untidy and disorganized and desperately in need of a cleaning lady. I blame Gilbert but his contribution is only to the toy and ball strewn floor.
Then Kaloo Kalay I drove over to pick up Gilbert from Mida.  Mida Hannah and Hannah’s brother,  the whole family and his dog girlfriend Hacchi had cared for Gilbert while we were away.  Gilbert was excited to see me as usual.  He’s a bit shocked for a moment and then goes nuts.  Lots of barking and running about in circles.  Lovely to see Mida. Just great to be reunited with Gilbert.
In the car ride home he was licking my ears and snuggling. A real suck. At home I was throwing ball and he was fetching. Then he was lying on top of me whenever I tried to read. He slept the night with his little body pressed up against mine.
I was thankful too for the electric blanket. I turned the heat down. The electric blanket is a god send.  It really was cold outside. I
I was thankful for sleep. While I loved the Redbury Hotel and the modern shiny bathroom it really was great to be home with my own toilet and sink and shower.  It’s comforting. I especially loved making my own stove top expresso coffee and sitting on my own couch and relaxing before getting ready for work.
I’ve said a whole lot of prayers and meditated a bit too.  It really was a blessing to go to New York. It was a wonderful vacation and a thorough joy to see the amazing creativity of my fellow man and woman in the shows and museums and galleries. I still can’t get over telling people how millions of people from every race and culture interacted together with respect and civility. We were wall to wall in bodies but no one was having road rage or being obnoxious. It was wonderful.  Some of it was the Christmas season. People were collectively thinking of the baby Jesus. But even in the Pagan New Year’s celebration there was no attacking of women en mass like they did in Cologne. The New York police were the very best in the world.  New York is an amazing city.
I really am thankful to be back in Vancouver. Despite the perfection of the shows in New York I really can say I love the Symphony, Opera, Early Music, theatre and our Art Gallery really does have excellent visitting works. We have shows like U2 that come here. There’s culture and art and It really is world class.  There’s a profound ‘excellence’ that one encounters in New York, an A+ team of the best of the best on Broadway but we get glimpses of that here and overall aren’t deprived.
I remember a story my friend ,who was Canada’s leading ballet dancer, told me 40 years ago.  “I was standing in a Broadway audition line feeling pretty sure of myself as the foremost dancer of Canada until I asked the guy ahead of me, what he did. He told me he was the lead dancer for the Russian Ballet and the guy behind me was the lead dancer for Germany.  It turned out everyone of the hundred people in that line were the leads from their countries. Frankly I didn’t feel too badly I didn’t get the job. Getting the audition was a pretty big thing..”
CATS in New York will forever be the most ‘perfect’ production I have ever seen.  The dance and song and acting were simply incredible.
I loved the architecture of New York.  I loved the churches of New York: Trinity, St.Paul’s, St. Patrick’s and Riverside I loved the galleries and museums:  the MET, the Neue, the Guggenheim, MoMA,  The Museum of Sex was fun as well.  I loved being able to go into the historic and beautiful Trump tower.  I loved standing again on top of the Empire State Building.  I loved the Ferry Ride to Staten Island and the Statue of Liberty. It was moving to  visit the 9-11 memorial. I loved walking around New York, 5th Avenue,Park, and Madison, Central Park, Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Bowery, Midtown.  I loved our Redbury Hotel and the local Bread and Butter,nearby MacDonald’s and the Churchill.  I am so thankful the weather was so good. I’m thankful for the taxi and subways.   I am so thankful for sobriety,spirituality and service.
I am very thankful to have such a beautiful, exciting, caring companion in Laura as well. Her joy and enthusiasm and good spirit made everything so much richer.
There was one thing I haven’t seen in Vancouver that I appreciated in New York, and London and Dublin before. It’s ‘big theatre’.  I love the excellence of little Pacific Theatre but was thoroughly moved by Chekhov’s Present with Cate Blanchet. Part of the charm was the number of characters,all of who were great and I realized I’ve not seen such a memorable play here. The other thing that really moved me was the Lincoln Centre. What a truly outrageously perfect opera and symphony centre.  I expect Vancouver would do well to consider an arts and cultural centre because we truly have the talent.  Enough with the bike lanes!
Yes, I’m thankful to be back.  I was really thankful to see my friend George. It was great to see Dave. I love known faces and the reassurance that comes with realizing after such novelty of vacation, that here I have friends.   I liked talking with my nephews and loved getting another  wonderful warm sweater from my sister in law Adell. I’ve been feeling truly cherished every time I wear Anna’s hand made scarf and realize how much love I’ve been blessed to know.  It’s a good life.  Getting thousands of miles away and returning really does wonders for gratitude.
No doubt bureaucrats and wankers will begin again to suck the very life out of me, people will threaten my life and my dog, liars will tell lies, takers will take,  but at least for a day or two I really  can feel relaxed and  alive again.  Today I  am truly grateful for this life.  I think some of the relief too is getting through the ‘holiday season’ when the drunkeness and drug abuse in Vancouver maxes out.  I’ll never forget Laura saying how much she enjoyed New York because there wasn’t marijuana smoke everywhere.  I loved the smell of fine perfumes and colognes walking through the crowds and sitting on the subway.
Now I’m thankful for this Saturday and the sunny blue sky day.  My truck engine wouldn’t turn over. I have to  jump the battery.  That means I have to get off this couch.   Maybe I'll make another coffee before showering and shaving. But really, isn’t God great.
Thank you Jesus for all your blessings!  Thank you Thank you Thank you.