In our African blog series we have covered two of the three main
countries at the Horn of Africa. The biggest of the three,
Ethiopia, is the topic of this blog and has special significance
for me as I learned about this ancient country at a very young age
due to my older brother's love and admiration for reggae music.
Most people may not be aware that reggae music's biggest icon, Bob
Marley, and many other Jamaican reggae artists like him were devout
Rastafarians and found inspiration and a deep spiritual connection
with Ethiopia and its revered Emperor Haile Selassie whose effort
to bring justice and peace to his people even inspired Bob Marley's
song "War".
Today, Ethiopia, one of our planet's most ancient civilizations
and the only African nation to defeat European colonialism in the
late 19th century, is mostly known for political
corruption and instability, and droughts that have ravaged the
country for many years contributing to widespread poverty and
hunger.
Let's take a closer look at some statistics:
Ethiopian Demographics
Population of c. 100,000,000 making it the most populous
landlocked country in the world.
Neighboring countries are Somalia, Sudan, Kenya and
Djibouti.
Main ethnic groups: Oromo, Amhara, Somali, Tigrinya.
Main religions: Ethiopian Orthodox (43%), Muslim (34%), and
Protestant (18.5%).
64% of the population is 24 years old and under.
Addis Ababa is the capital of Ethiopia with a population of
over 5 million people.
One third of its population live in poverty.
17% of the total population is considered urban.
Ethiopian Languages
Primary spoken languages are Oromo, Amharic and Somali.
English is the main foreign language taught in schools.
Other languages spoken are Tigrinya, Sidamo, Afar and
Arabic.
The literacy rate is 39%.
Ethiopian Culture
Ethiopia's culture is a diverse mix of over 80 ethnic and
linguistic backgrounds.
The most important aspect of its culture is its literature
which is a representation of ancient Greek and Hebrew religious
texts translated into Ge'ez and modern Amharic.
Ge'ez is one of the oldest languages in the world and is still
applied by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
Gender roles are clearly defined and men are traditionally
responsible for providing for their families and representing them
to the outside world whereas women are in charge of domestic
responsibilities and raising the children.
The traditional attire for women is Kemis (woven dresses) and
men often wear clothing called Gabbi or Netella.
The national dish of Ethiopia is a stew called wat, with many
varieties such as beef, lamb, chicken and/or lentils and served hot
and spicy thanks to a hot spice called berbere.
The main drink in Ethiopia is bunna, meaning coffee, and is
typically served in a ceremonious fashion.
Ethiopian Consumers
Although it's still one of the world's poorest countries,
Ethiopia has enjoyed double-digit GDP growth over the last 10
years.
80% of its GDP is driven by agriculture.
Consumers routinely shop at open markets and kiosks.
In an unorganized retail landscape retailers are concerned with
government imposed price controls.
40% of household spending goes to food and groceries on a
monthly basis.
TV and radio are the most popular media. TV has a 92%
penetration rate and radio an 80% rate.
The extremely low literacy rate may be to blame for an almost
non-existent print media and low internet penetration.
Ethiopia's Future
The IMF (International Monetary Fund) ranks Ethiopia as one of
the five fastest growing economies in the world.
With an average 10.8% yearly GDP, Ethiopia will continue to see
solid growth although hampered a bit by constraints on private
sector development.
Coffee exports remain strong and one of the major
industries.
Ethiopia is Africa's second most-populous nation and its need
for energy has helped fuel the hydro-electric industry although
much of that power is exported to other countries.
Significant investment in national infrastructure will help
expand electricity domestically.
Three new dams are in the planning phase within the next decade
which would significantly improve the provision of electricity to
Ethiopians.
Ethiopia is also putting emphasis on developing its
manufacturing sector which will help develop a business climate
more attractive to investors and open the doors for small and
medium sized businesses to establish themselves.
Summary
Due to Ethiopia's remarkable economic expansion and steady GDP
over the past decade, the opportunities for sustainable growth and
upward mobility are possible. With the right investments coupled
with the easing of strict tariffs and trade restrictions this
culturally and agriculturally rich country should be able to
overcome the persistent presence of hunger and poverty and help
pave the way to more prosperity and stability.
Additional Resources on Africa and African Language
Translation
In order to support the growing needs of our clients for many of
the African and Middle Eastern languages, GPI has opened offices in
Dubai, UAE and Cairo, Egypt to support our clients doing business
in the Middle East and Africa. GPI has built teams of professional
native speakers for many of the African languages whether national
or indigenous, who are available to help companies with their
African language translations needs.
Feel free to review our blogs that are particularly
relevant:
Translation
and Localization for Africa: Eritrea
Translation
and Localization for Africa: Algeria
Translation and Localization for Africa: Republic of Congo
Translation and Localization for Africa: Republic of
Guinea
From Algeria to Zimbabwe - eCommerce on the African
Continent
International
Business: Egypt
Business
Etiquette around the World
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with any questions about our translation services. Also let us know
if you have any interesting blog topics you would like us to cover
in future blogs. You may also request a complimentary Translation
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