Ethiopia 7 – Addis again

Back to Addis to wash our clothes. The children catch up with their friends Natty and Enatta.

We get invited to a social Friday evening at the British embassy to join Michelle and Thomas and their kids for G&Ts and have an English supper, and most importantly the children get to play in the lush green garden, with other expat kids. This is the only outdoor space, let alone green and lush, where it has been possible to kick a ball around, tumble on the soft grass, do hand stands, play fights etc….. make friends, albeit for a short evening.

Highlight of Addis… A call from out of the blue, it’s Francesca Stuer, who is a Belgian friend who has 2 adopted Ethiopian daughters and lives in Addis; she invites us to an Ethiopian circus. I know Francesca well enough to know that this won’t involve dwarves, lions jumping through fire rings and elephant riders, but she doesn’t give away very much. Meet me at Tomboca At 3 pm. This is one of the oldest Italian coffee  houses in Addis – a dark characterful place, where beans line the wall along side a TV, which seems to be permanently on,  the smell of roasting coffee permeates the fabric of the room.  Nick Leon (who is passionate about coffee) you would love it here! There are beans  of all shades of green to grey and then suggestions of what time of day to consume them. It’s a run down part of town – we walk down a cobbled road to an open space with a tarpaulin over it and graded seating, upbeat music is getting people in the right mood and we know we are in the right place. The seats are filling up, mostly with kids, a few foreign faces, I notice our cab driver’s face among the crowd, he was clearly curious to see where we went and followed us down the road. That puts a smile on my face.

Then the show starts, the acts start. These kids are street kids. They would rather do somersaults all day long, who wouldn’t, but they have to go to school so they sneak away at the earliest opportunity. This is much more fun and rewarding than sitting at a desk. There is an audience which is applauding them, making them feel like they have accomplished something great. Francesca’ s friend Giovanna has set this establishment up – the kids do all the rest, they train seriously for hours on end. They devise the shows, they are really good. Gifford’s Circus could use some of their daring ideas and of course there are no harnesses, or safely catches… these little people are taking all their own risks. Their faces are beaming. It’s exciting and fun. Eight people come in the room and toss a tiny tot high into the air, the foreigners take a short gasp… she lands on someone’s head, her leg high in the air and then leaps, and juggles, they blow us away. Their ideas are all originally thought up, they haven’t seen The Big Top.. it’s all fresh stuff and it’s THEIR show. Then it’s all over. And they remove their costumes, back to the tatters and the grime of their lives. This seems to be a venture well worth supporting.

Giovanna has decided NOT to charge the audience, instead she leaves a large earthenware pot and asks for voluntary contributions, that way the audience is full of people who want to come and enjoy it, mostly kids, it’s a joyful experience. I hope they are sufficiently cash rich at the end of the day. The onus is on us as cash rich Feranji to support this worthwhile cause.

We stop in the Friendship Mall in Addis for a quick hair braid for Millie. I get a pedicure. Wow, I feel like new – this is a first for me and my feet are grimy. They get a cheese grater out and literally shave my feet. My feet feel 20 years younger- I could get used to this. I leave with orange painted toe nails. And I am a happy punter.

We say our goodbyes to Addis friends as we are leaving for the north of the country tomorrow.