Part 2. Coffee, chaos and color in Maji, Ethiopia
Blog post part 2 of 2
after our days with the Suri Tribe we meet the Dizi tribe in Maji on my Omo Valley photo and coffee tour.
So many people, so much happening and so many bright colours to take in. Thankfully with my camera I can take images and then absorb everything happening in them later as there is just so much to take in and look at when you are surrounded by such super busy scenes. This is part 2 of my blog on Maji which the home of the Dizi tribe and is in the Bench Maji Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region in South West Ethiopia.
View walking towards the market. The fenced area to the left is the animal market. Behind the hill is the rest of the market.
visiting the local market of the Dizi tribe in maji, ethiopia
Along the short walk to the market many people were happy to have their photo taken and enjoyed seeing their photos on my camera as well as within the market. There were not any other tourists as this town is mostly bypassed by those visiting the Suri tribe. There is a more direct drive that is usually taken.
in busy markets take time to stop, sit down and take it all in
We always had a lot of people surrounding us so we tried to keep away from the market sellers when taking photos so they weren’t disrupted. There were plenty of grassy green areas surrounded by character filled homes that were great for backdrops in the photos. When visiting such busy places it’s good to take small breaks so you can take it all in and enjoy every second. I sat down and enjoyed chewing some sugar cane with some of the children when I noticed one of the boys well-loved shoes.
At the time I didn’t notice the children with no shoes…just the toes popping out of the undersized plastic black ones.
The most loved shoes I have ever seen on a child.
I told my guide that I wanted to buy him a new pair of shoes at the market.
My guide took the young boy to buy some new shoes
Whilst I am mindful of my actions as a tourist and have long-term future goals to help in a more sustainable way, this boys shoes had been sewn and tried to fit his growing feet. I just really wanted him to have some shoes that would fit him better…as he obviously wanted to wear shoes. Also buying from the locals also supports them and I like to make a few purchases from the local market sellers.
He wanted these purple/mauve coloured shoes but we could not find matching ones in his size
The only shoes we could find where the same style plastic ones that he had been wearing. He tried to get a different color but after struggling to find a matching pair his size he settled for the same black ones.
This photo is so symbolic to me. The boys starts to lace up his new shoes.
Make sure you have a good guide and ground team with you if you want to do something like this and speak to them first. The last thing you want to create is children begging for new shoes and clothes when tourists visit. I did have one young man come up to me afterwards and tell me he needed new shoes because his were dirty. His shoes were good shoes. I told him with a big smile that he didn’t need new shoes, but rather his just needed to be cleaned which of course followed his cheeky smile.
So many people were gathered around and after he got his new shoes I don’t remember seeing him. I just hope he happily went and showed his family his shiny new shoes :-)
My private guest on the trip wanted to buy a few T-shirts from the local market sellers. The seller was so grateful for the purchase and it was fun for him buying from the market.
Me watching my guest buy some clothes at the market
The shop keeper very happy we came to see him :-)
Whilst tour companies often say to bring any spare clothes etc with you when visiting Ethiopia I believe it is just as important to support the locals selling these items. You just have to be mindful of the impact (both negative and positive) your actions are having.
The unforgettable thank you from a mum of one of the boys that my client bought a new top for. A truly heartwarming experience. Phone photo by Paul Sadler
We experienced a lot of great moments at the market and it was great interacting with the locals. They enjoyed having some laughs with us and some singing, we shared sugar cane and shared in the joy of photography.
This older man wanted me to take his photo, but wanted me to capture his serious look. He was lovely.
I was so grateful I could take his portrait.
Behind the scenes photo of me capturing one of my favourite photos from this special day…
Loved having a laugh with these gorgeous girls!
We walked away from the market and then went to look at the shops nearby.
A local bus waits near the entrance to the market.
After the market we walked around these shops for some more shopping.
Always easy to spot our 4x4! Our driver, Mule is never far away :-)
Time for a drink and a quiet moment to reflect on the wonderful experiences we had in Maji.
To view my highlight video in Maji on a previous blog post CLICK HERE or to head to my You Tube Channel CLICK HERE
To view part 1 of this part 2 blog post CLICK HERE