This Time Is For WOMEN

Come and Drink Coffee

When you go to visit any Ethiopian house, you will be welcomed by the unique coffee ceremony of the Ethiopians. If you are a local or a visitor, it doesn’t matter. The mother, the older girl in the family or the house help will come and put Rekebot which is a smallest table filled by Ethiopian coffee cups. Our coffee cups are uniquely designed and decorated for this purpose. We don’t take coffee using a mug or any other cups. The coffee pot is made up of clay that is also found only in Ethiopia. The Gel which we used to burn burning essence with charcoal is made from clay again. The girl will come with her coffee pan and some coffee beans. She washed her coffee beans in front of the visitor, then fry it on the charcoal stove. The smell of the coffee will fill the whole house when she is frying it. Then, she goes around the house and let all the people smell the roasted coffee. she sits outside the house and smash the coffee with Mukecha and Zenezena.(a wooden and metallic instrument)

She comes back to the house with the powder coffee. Water is already put on fire with Jebena(Coffee Pot). When the water about to boil, the woman will add coffee powder in the jebena. When coffee is ready, she removes the jebena from the fire and put some pot to make some popcorn. Difodabo (the big Ethiopian loaf), Gebis kolo(Fried barley mixed with sunflower, peanuts, cheack pea ,), will be served in different plates we call Eribo. Erbo is made of colored grass mostly around villages.

She will serve coffee three rounds for everyone. the first round called, Abol. You’ll drink two cups of Abol. Bereka and Tonna, the second and third round of coffee, you’ll drink one cup each. The only place you can enjoy the perfect aroma, and taste of coffee is Ethiopia.

When we are enjoying coffee, people discuss different issues. When I prepare coffee in my house, I’ll invite two or three neighbors to drink with me. It depends from one area to other. We discuss about work, about schools, life, prices of food, men can discuss about politics…etc.

Last week, we had the first Ethiopian Coffee Week EXPO in Addis Ababa. Ethiopia is the birth place of coffee, but we had our coffee bazaars and expos in abroad in different countries.

Peace and Green Initiative Africa was a partner with Green Path Events to make the event happen. We choose a corner close to both entrances. We had the largest coffee table which you can see it on the table. In front of the table, you can see two big painting. Both paintings are made from coffee beans. The event took place from Feb 11’-Feb 17’18. On the closing day, we had “Come and Drink Coffee”( Nu Bunna Tetu) platform. Many volunteers appeared from different organizations. Child Cancer, Hospice, Hamlin Fistula, Ethiopian Diabetic Association, medical doctors, Architects, Historian, University instructors, lawyers, media workers… etc. Everybody introduced him or herself. As an organizer of the coffee ceremony, Gash Tamiru, Amelework and me gave speech about Peace and Green Initiative Africa.

I took my time and preached about World Pulse and voices of women worldwide Ethiopia. last Thursday, I walked from one booth to the other and introduced World Pulse for the female participants. Some asked me to publish their stories on World Pulse.

Something surprised me that afternoon. One young Architect was very curious about the stories I tell. When I was leaving the Millennium Hall where we had the EXPO, he followed me.

“How is our discussion? You see how females are dominating you guys? It was only you who spoke from the males.” I teased him.

“I’m wordless.” He said.

“You can witness how dynamic the females are.”

“Obviously. IN FACT, THE TIME IS FOR WOMEN. I have four sisters. They take care of our family, pay bills, and all. Guys are just watching.” said the architect.

This young man confirmed to me, “THEIR TIME IS UP”.

Yesterday, I was on air on FANA KELEMOCH live TV show. Peace and Green Initiative Africa picked me to represent the volunteer group and give clear idea of our grass root movement to the media. On the fifteen minutes interview, I had a chance to spoke about World Pulse and its purpose. Almost every Ethiopians are in front of the TV on the weekend. Hopefully, I spread the word of WP to millions of Ethiopians. Our population estimated to 100, 000,000.

Thanks to Gash Tamiru, it all happened because of him. This man is a blessing to World Pulse.