Addis Ababa: A Canadian’s journey to his homeland
Samuel Getachew
By Samuel Getachew
By anyone’s standard, my hometown of Addis Ababa is on the move. Construction is everywhere, streets are filled with expensive European and Asian cars and taxis are filled beyond capacity with customers, while restaurants are as busy as ever.
This might be an optimistic indication as to where Ethiopia is headed as a society, economically and culturally. But it just might not be enough to satisfy the more perfect vision of Ethiopia we aspire to see and experience in the near future.
On a typical Addis Ababa street there are countless beggars, street kids and destitute refugees. Most have come to Addis from rural areas looking for employment opportunities, while others have come dreaming of the possibility of being instant millionaires. Although most wander this big and prosperous city looking for opportunities in the day time, at night, thousands of young girls are forced in to prostitution in order to survive.
I had a chance to speak to some of these young children on a recent outing in the crowded shantytown widely known as Chechnya. True to its nickname, the area fits all the stereotypical characterizations of the Chechen Republic. Since its independence from Russia in 1991, the Republic of Chechnya has waged war through guerrilla raids that have been lethal to its poverty-stricken population. This area is poor, cheap and full of adolescent prostitutes, wearing make-up that makes them look far older than their actual age.
As I stroll along the street and wander into one of the bars, I meet a young girl who invites herself to sit nearby and instantly engages me in conversation. She is looking to make fast money from a complete stranger. Her name is Senait, and at 16 years of age, she is a veteran to the business. Tall and beautiful, she has sold herself on the streets for four long years.
She tells me she is from Nazareth and came to Addis hoping to be a model, actress or movie producer. She wants to be a millionaire and open a modeling agency by the time she is 20–a wishful, innocent dream that many young children share. As I ask questions, she demands to know if I am a police officer or better yet, how much I would be paying for the sex that she thinks I am there to receive.
In the uniform-like bars of “Chechnya”, there are typical local businessmen as well as tourists looking to be pampered. In Senait’s bar, there are white faces with Ethiopian translators nearby, proudly negotiating sex on their behalf. The Chinese are also there, drinking in groups and enjoying the moment. As Senait loses her patience with me and the possibility of making a deal, I offer to pay her 200 Birr so that she can stay with me over drinks and share more of her intimate life story.
As we talk, I cannot help but notice a big scar around her long neck. She tells me of the time she had just come from Nazareth alone at age 12. Jumping from bar to bar looking for customers, she was often beaten by pimps and street kids for whatever money she had made.
The waiter constantly returns to our table, hoping to take our orders. Senait communicates with the staff through facial expression and always orders the most expensive brand of alcohol in the house.
Her name is Hiwot and at 19, she looks and sounds unbelievably old. Like Senait, she orders the most expensive drink for herself and the waiter quickly obliges. Her story started in Gonder, a rural area far from the capital city, and she came to Addis just over a year ago. Her ultimate hope was to eventually move to the State of Israel and join her extended family members. She lost contact with them and after looking for a well paying job with no success, she was forced to turn to the oldest profession in the world to survive.
I politely ask her how much she makes on a typical night. The most she has ever made was $1000 CAD – paid to her by an American she jokingly referred to as her “Sugar Daddy”. On average she pulls in the equivalent of $45 CAD. Patrons ignore her for the most part and scout for the younger girls. I ask how much she charges per customer. She gives me a nervous smile and responds, it always depends on the service she surrenders and if it is with or without the use of a condom.
The story of young children such as Hiwot and Senait reflect the story, struggle and aspiration of so many young children all around Addis. More than 85 % of Ethiopians live in the rural areas of Ethiopia and come to the capital looking for a better opportunity and most fail miserably.
As my adventure to Chechnya concludes in the early hours of the night, I could not help but reflect on the choice that Hiwot had offered me. With or without condom she asked me. For me, the choice was between life or death. For her, it meant something totally different. Life, as Hiwot’s beautiful name suggests in Amharic, seems cheap and worthless.
In a country where prostitution is legal and easily accessible, no wonder Addis Ababa is becoming known as the “Thailand of Africa”.
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This is one of the saddest scenes Ethiopians have to endure especially since the new regime took power in 1991. The regime’s officials widely known for their unethical behaviour, encourage and ususally benefit from the practice of prostitution; illegal drugs (like chat) and other corruptive practices. No wander the country is going sown the drain as it is being led by a “Front” (aka tplf or epdrf)that is still at war with the Ethiopian people!
“With or Without condoms” is the phrase that sticks out at me.INCREDIBLY SADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!
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