Ethiopia (November-December
2013)
Gambela
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Return to main Ethiopia November-December 2013 webpage
I
spent 3 days in Gambela at the end of this trip to
Ethiopia. I had chosen to go there because it is known to be very different
from any other region in Ethiopia. Although it lies further away from the sea
than any other Ethiopian region, it has the lowest elevation (if one excludes
the bottom of the Afar depression). In most (all?) guidebooks, the state of Gambela is mentioned in a short last chapter, like an
afterthought.
The
area is populated by two main ethnic groups, the Anuwaks
and the Nuers, but there are also a significant and
increasing number of immigrants from other regions of Ethiopia. Both the Anuwaks and the Nuers are much
darker-skinned that the other Ethiopians. They are also incredibly tall,
especially the Nuers, a Nilotic people. I have never
seen before such a concentration of people taller than 2m. Many (including a
large fraction of women) are one head taller than me.
The
region is flat and quite green. The city of Gambela
(actually, a small town with only two main streets) is traversed by the Baro River. This river is the only navigable river (during
the rainy season) in Ethiopia. Navigation is possible as far as Khartoum, first
along the Baro, then along the White Nile. A port was
established in the early 20th century by the British and the
Ethiopians, and regular ships used to sail from Gambela
to Khartoum carrying coffee and other Ethiopian products to Sudan. This
shipping service eventually stopped, and all what remain today is a small pier
in Gambela.
Overall,
I have been disappointed by Gambela. There is little
to see. The Anuwaks and the Nuers
are friendly, but they seem to have lost most of their roots and traditions.
Maybe I spent too little time to appreciate the area. After all, if I had only
stayed in small towns elsewhere in Ethiopia, I would have been deeply
disappointed as well. Moreover, I arrived on December 17th soon
after serious fighting had erupted in South Sudan (where Nuers
also form a major ethnic group), only 50km away. Gambela
remained quiet and peaceful, but I felt some tension, perhaps because in a
recent past Gambela has also seen ethnic fighting.
People
bathing in the Baro River at sunset.
Anuwaks
eating and drinking coffee along the bank of the Baro
river.
A
street in Gambela.
Well-built
Nuer huts on the outskirts of town.
Preparing
lunch.
Marsh
near the Baro River outside town.
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