Addis Ababa 30.07.2011 - 13.08.2011

Unfortunately, due to insufficient applications the trip to Addis Abeba had to be canceled.

We apologize to everybody who was ready to participate and refer to our other trips that still have some open slots remaining.

Let us pay a visit to Addis Ababa (amharic for: new flower). The capital city of Ethiopia is situated in the rather mild climate of the Ethiopian highlands and is home to more than three million people from all around Ethiopia. The country takes pride of a great history with well remembered kingdoms dating back centuries over centuries, and offers a exciting tradition of blending traditional and modern influences into a distinct culture (take for example the roaring brass band sound of „swinging Addis“ in the late sixties and early seventies).

However we will not only get to know the city and its inhabitants. Addis has many of the issues on display that affect other metropoles on the African continent and beyond: Urbanization, land grabbing, the struggle for political rights versus economic stability, the heavy influence of foreign players (be it in politics, in foreign direct investment or in NGO development cooperation), women’s right issues, streetism and more.

We will attempt to get an idea of what Addis is like, of the joys and concerns of its inhabitants, and of the varying economical, cultural and other factors that shape their life.

Goals

We want to discover Addis Ababa...

... a chaotic and fascinating, ever-changing metropolis in one of Africa’s poorest countries...
... seat of the African Union’s headquarters, and therefore called the capital of political Africa...
... a place where Sheraton meet shanty towns, as well as where a continent’s history meets today’s challenges...
... just a stone’s throw away from Somali pirates and Sudanese independence fighters, but a safe place nevertheless...
... with a delicious cuisine, a widely unknown musical tradition and just lovely people!

Highlights

We will meet Ethiopian politicians as well as officials of the Swiss embassy; foreign investors as well as common small-scale salesmen; students as well as professors.

We will see men bumming around lazily in the streets of Addis and women working as construction workers; we will meet street children begging for a little money and young wealthy Ethiopians inviting us for a coffee; we will walk streets shared by four wheel drives and heavy loaded donkeys.

We will visit astonishing historical sites and modern high rise buildings, we will enjoy the pool in our hotel and we will go and loose a football game against a team of local students...

To cut it short: We will discover a delicate blend of progress and tradition, we will try – and find our way through an excitingly contradictory city, and get in touch with its inhabitants...

More information

Two or three important remarks...

Our program is subject to change! According to local customs, we will make our planning on a day to day basis. This gives us the opportunity to try to be particularly responsive to your own ideas and wishes!

Adaption is required... As you might know, the cultural differences between European and African countries are huge. As visitors, it is inevitably necessary to learn about and adapt to local customs. Of course we will look into these issues together at our meeting before the trip but it is inevitable that we all are willing to learn. That includes making some mistakes, which Ethiopians usually forgive you with a smile...

Safety: Ethiopia is a relatively safe and stable country. Nevertheless, problems might arise on short notice. Before and during the trip, we will be in contact with both local and foreign people (particularly with the Swiss embassy) in order to get information on the situation in Ethiopia. Furthermore, the organizers will travel to Ethiopia a couple of days before you for last minute preparations, so we can personally assess the situation. If necessary, we will inform you on possible risks and discuss them with you. Rest assured that we will not hesitate to cancel your trip if we are not convinced that it the situation is safe.