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Ethiopia
Country Facts
Population: 88,013,491 (2009)
Median Age: 16.8 years
GDP per capita: $900 (2009 est.)
Major Religions: Christianity 61% (Ethiopian Orthodox 51%, Protestant 10%), Muslim 33%
People Groups: 116 Unreached: 20
Largest Unreached People Group: Somali (4,390,000)
Government Type: Federal Republic
Official Languages: Amharic
Geography
Located in Eastern Africa, Ethiopia is a land-locked country in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Djibouti and Somalia to the east, Kenya to the south, Sudan to the west, and Eritrea to the north. Ethiopia has some of Africa's highest mountains as well as some of the world's lowest points below sea level.
People
The name "Ethiopia" derives from the Greek
ethio
, meaning "burned" and
pia
, meaning "face": the land of burned-faced peoples.
Aeschylus described Ethiopia as a "land far off, a nation of black
men."
There are 80 different ethnic groups in Ethiopia. The urban population is estimated to be 11 percent of the total
population. The rural lowland population is composed of many nomadic and
seminomadic peoples. The nomadic peoples seasonally graze livestock, while
the seminomadic peoples are subsistence farmers.
Ethiopia was home to some of the earliest hominid populations and
possibly the region where
Homo erectus
evolved and expanded out of Africa to populate Eurasia. The most notable paleoanthropological find in the country was
"Lucy," a female
Australopithicus afarensis
discovered in 1974 and referred to as
Dinqnesh
("you are marvelous") by Ethiopians.
History
In the late nineteenth century, Emperor Menelik II expanded the
country's borders to their present configuration. In March 1896,
Italian troops attempted to enter Ethiopia forcibly and were routed by
Emperor Menelik and his army. The battle of Adwa was the only victory of
an African army over a European army during the partitioning of Africa
which preserved the country's independence. Ethiopia is the only
African country never to have been colonized, although an Italian
occupation occurred from 1936 to 1941.
In addition to the monarchy, whose imperial line can be traced to King
Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church was a major
force in that, in combination with the political system, it fostered
nationalism with its geographic center in the highlands. The combination
of church and state was an indissoluble alliance that controlled the
nation from King 'Ēzānā's adoption of
Christianity in 333 until the overthrow of Haile Selassie in 1974. A
socialist government (the Derge) known for its brutality governed the
nation until 1991. The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic
Front (EPRDF) defeated the Derge, established democratic rule, and
currently governs Ethiopia.
The last twenty-five years of the twentieth century have been a time of
revolt and political unrest but represent only a small portion of the time
during which Ethiopia has been a politically active entity. Unfortunately,
however, the country's international standing has declined since
the reign of Emperor Selassie, when it was the only African member of the
League of Nations and its capital, Addis Ababa, was home to a substantial
international community. War, drought, and health problems have left the
nation one of the poorest African countries economically, but the
people's fierce independence and historical pride account for a
people rich in self-determination.
Culture
Ethiopian culture is multi-faceted, reflecting the ethnic diversity of the country. Among many traditional customs, respect (especially of one's elders) is very important. Men are responsible for plowing,
harvesting, the trading of goods, the slaughtering of animals, herding,
the building of houses, and the cutting of wood. Women are responsible for
the domestic sphere (cooking, brewing beer, buying and selling spices, collecting and carrying wood, and carrying water) and help the men with some activities on the farm.
Ethiopian cuisine consists of various vegetable or meat side dishes and entrees, along with Injera
, a spongy unleavened bread made from teff grain, which is the staple of every
meal. All food is eaten with the hands, and pieces of
injera
are ripped into bite-sized pieces and used to dip and grab the stews (wat) made of vegetables such as carrots and cabbage, spinach, potatoes, and
lentils.
The music of Ethiopia is extremely diverse, with each of Ethiopia's
ethnic groups being associated with unique sounds. Some forms of
traditional music are strongly influenced by folk music from elsewhere
in the Horn of Africa, especially Somalia. However, Ethiopian religious
music also has an ancient Christian element. In northeastern Ethiopia, in Wollo, a Muslim musical form called manzuma developed, which is sung in Amharic. In the Ethiopian Highlands, traditional secular music is played by
itinerant musicians called azmaris, who are regarded with both
suspicion and respect in Ethiopian society.
Ethiopia's most popular sport is track and field, in which they have won many medals in the Olympic Games. Soccer, despite lack of success by the national team, is loved by a significant part of the population.
Spiritual Climate
Ethiopia has close historical ties to all three of the world's major Abrahamic religions. It was one of the first Christian countries in the world, having officially adopted Christianity as the state religion in the 4th century. It still has a Christian majority, but a third of the population is Muslim. Ethiopia is the site of the first hijra (migration of Muhammad and his followers) in Islamic history and the oldest Muslim settlement in Africa at Negash. Until the 1980s, a substantial population of Ethiopian Jews resided in Ethiopia. Some Israeli and Jewish scholars consider these Ethiopian Jews as the historical Lost Tribe of Israel. The country is also the spiritual homeland of the Rastafari religious movement, which is influenced by Pan-Africanism.
NMSI Involvement
NMSI began involvement in Ethiopia in May 2010. Current ministries in Ethiopia include:
• Orphan feeding programs
• Partnership with Ethiopia Hope Village
• Medical and HIV monitoring and education
• Sports ministry, VBS and other community-based activities
Prayer Points
• For spiritual awakening and an openness to the Gospel in Ethiopia
• For the plight of the growing number of orphans in Ethiopia and in the world
• For strengthening the body of Christ in Ethiopia
• For the strengthening of the partnerships and community development programs
Ministry Opportunities
Short-term: Create your own short-term project.
Long-term: If you feel called to work or are currently working in a country in this region, please contact our People and Organizational Development Team (POS) to explore how NMSI might partner with you.
Ethiopia Photo Gallery
Sources: Joshua Project, Every Culture—Ethiopia, Campus Crusade for Christ—Ethiopia, CIA World Factbook, US Department of State, Wikipedia
NMSI missionaries serving in Ethiopia:
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