BACK FROM ETHIOPIA: AT THE HEART OF BOTANIC DIVERSITY

Ethiopia, is both the Holy Grail for travellers and a paradise for botanists. From Arthur Rimbaud to Henry de Monfreid, Abyssinia, the cradle of mankind, has nourished our imagination through the ages. This fascinating country of aromatic herbs offers an enormous variety of endemic spices and holds the secret of the history of our planet…

A MULTI-ETHNIC TERRITORY!

Our long-awaited journey started in Addis-Abeba, the highest capital in Africa at altitudes of 2,300m – 2,600m. The first step was to meet our guide and interpreter, an essential companion in this country which is twice as big as France, with no less than 80 different ethnic groups and just as many dialects. In Ethiopia, you even need two interpreters in some regions to get the conversation started!

VILLAGE HOME GARDENS AN EQUILIBRIUM MODEL STUDIED BY BOTANISTS THE WORLD OVER

Our first stop was in South-Western Ethiopia. Travelling across Gamo Gofa zone gives us the opportunity to discover the traditional home gardens which are a perfect model of equilibrium and biodiversity, growing as many as two hundred different species of plants. These gardens are organised vertically, the upper soils are somewhat drier and this is where teff and other cereals, bananas, taro and cassava are grown. Then deeper down at the foot of water springs in the wetter grounds korarima is grown, under the shade of tall trees. With their three cows, who also contribute to this ecosystem, the villagers have achieved an equilibrium model that has been closely studied by ethnobotanists and botanists the world over. Their homes are made entirely from natural materials: the frame is made from stalks of eucalyptus which are held together with fibres of ensete, also known as “false banana” whose fruits are widely used in Ethiopian cuisine (tortilla, flour, etc.).

FASIKA – THE ORTHODOX EASTER CEREMONY

Through a happy coincidence, we arrived in Arba minch, also called “40 springs” just in time to take part in the preparations for Fasika, the orthodox Easter celebration. There are several religions in Ethiopia, and orthodox Christians represent 44% of the population. The whole town is involved in preparing Fasika. We were lucky enough to take part in the Fasika ceremony which was held the evening we arrived. It started at 9pm and lasted until 3am. In a circular church, everyone was dressed from haed to toe in white and sang psalms for hours, with the men on one side and the women on the other. The ceremony continues with a meal to celebrate the end of fasting where they serve injera, the emblematic Ethiopian teff flatbread, which can be prepared in as many ways as there are ethnic groups in Ethiopia!

BASKETO REGION: AT THE HEART OF THE COFFEE FOREST

Our next stop was in the Basketo region, remote highlands at altitudes of more than 2,000 metres, in South-Western Ethiopia, bordering Kenya and Sudan. This zone is isolated and difficult to identify on our large map – it’s a superb region with changing topography, and it’s here that a great many wonderful spices are produced and picked.

The vegetation is rich and abundant, the soil is moist and very fertile. From the Basketo region we head off towards Bonga, a town which is about 10 hours drive away. As the hours go by, we drive up and down with rapid changes in altitude, going as high as 2,500m at times. The landscape is breathtaking and amazingly varied. We pass from the savannah to vast stretches of luxuriant vegetation and then onto remote villages which are being tarmacked and electrified with the help of diggers and hydroelectric dams…

Ethiopia, this amazingly rural country is being transformed before our very eyes … We are now in Ethiopia’s main coffee producing region, deep in the heart of moist montainous forests, where the coffee plants grow alongside Piper capense (timiz) and Aframomum (korarima).