Last Sunday Ivanka Trump arrived in Addis Ababa, to attend a summit on African women’s economic inclusion and empowerment. Besides attending the summit, the daughter of the U.S. president Donald Trump, who is also an adviser to her father, attended a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony, where members of the Ethiopian Women in Coffee Association were present to meet Trump and listen to her message about supporting women in business.Like Ivanka Trump, many people around the world are amazed by the culture that intertwine the people who come from different ethnic background to live together harmoniously.
Coffee ceremony is one of the many cultural activities that bind the people together. In Ethiopia, coffee is prepared and consumed in an elaborate ritual that takes place in most households on a daily basis.
In most of Ethiopian communities who reside in rural parts, coffee preparation is a day to day activity which strengthens social bond between the society. Some people prefer to take coffee before all other tasks even having breakfast. They are given in the local parlance, enjoying rich interpretation in the English language. For example, one could hear the words “Buna dabo new,” which translates to “Coffee is our bread.” This signifies that many Ethiopians associate coffee with life and sustenance.
Once the coffee is prepared, as it seems socially prohibited, the person who prepares the coffee call its neighbors to attend and drink the coffee ceremony. First, they exchange greetings each-other and sit around the coffee table. Those who organizethe ceremony invite the attendees to have a loaf of bread before drinking a cup of coffee.
This symbolizes that they are interested in strengthening unity and togetherness. Around the coffee ceremony, the society raises issues related to politics, economics and social without any fear. In contemporary times, the woman of the house officiates at the Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony. This ceremony could take place at least three times in a day (at breakfast, lunch, and dinner).
Thus, coffee ceremony is serving as a forum. Besides strengthening social bond, the culture enables people to communicate and exchange information of any sort. But these days, this culture is declining due to many reasons. Due to globalization, the society has been preferring to communicate one another through social network. Second, the people used the forum to criticize one another.
This forum also used to overcome grievance between two neighbors. During the coffee ceremonypeople talk, discuss, share information and enjoy quality time with their families, friends and neighbors. Coffee plays a key role in building and cementing relationships among friends and families. For the people of Ethiopia, coffee drinking goes beyond enjoying the flavor; it connects people to people.
Using coffee ceremony people are also strengthen their mutual relationship. If there is a quarrel between two neighbors, coffee ceremony is serving as a platform to arbitrate the matter. The informal social network is serving as a tool for the government to raise awareness of the public towards socioeconomic as well as political issues.
Accordingly, encouraging activities have been carried out. Many people witnessed that the coffee ceremony has been played pivotal role for the reduction of HIV/AIDS. Whatever the case, protecting and promoting coffee ceremony as one important culture is imperative to attract the attention of tourists. Besides observing and testing the coffee, tour operators and guides should facilitate condition for tourists to practice and enjoy coffee perpetration as one part of the visit and work to make the society beneficial.
The Ethiopian Herald April 18/2019
BY GIRMACHEW GASHAW
