Farmlands near Lalibella
Ethiopia 2013
We drove for hours through the mountainous farmlands outside of Lalibella. The van bounced and shook over the rocky road. It rattled so loudly that conversation was impossible. Now and then the driver would holler back to me, “African massage, Maria! African massage!”
Groups of five or six small round huts with thatched roofs dotted the hillsides. I don’t recall villages, but there must have been some. Farmers striding back from the Saturday market in Lalibella filled the sides of the road. White shawls wound about their shoulders sometimes served as a backpack, keeping their arms free from carrying their heavy loads.
Milking Time
Melkamu, my guide, had guided the famed photographer, Sebastio Salgado, when Salgado spent fifty-five days in Ethiopia working on his latest book, Genesis. Some of Salgado’s photos were in the Ethiopian Airlines magazine. There was one similar to this one and so I yelled at the driver to stop. Of course, the decisive moment had passed, but that’s the way it goes. Melkamu chatted with the farmer and he told us that not long ago, all he would be wearing was the leather tunic. Now he wears a shirt and shorts, but he still wears his tunic.