Excerpts from a field diary
Deki Lefay, April 25th 1997
Today the heat will probably be unbearable again - it is almost the
end of April and the dry season is practically over. So we get up early.
It is still dark. With bottles of water, notebooks, pens and cameras
in our backpacks, we leave our quarters in the schoolhouse at dawn and
make our way towards Adi Shenet, a small village at the end of the valley
south of Deki Lefay. There we hope to meet with farmers to discuss the
crucial problem of water.
The route is dusty and it also becomes hot as soon as the first rays
of the sun appear. Several children accompany us for the first few kilometers.
It is very quiet in this vast expanse of open land. Aside from birds,
locusts, and a few cows, we hear nothing but the crunching sound of
the sand and the gravel under our feet. We allow ourselves a brief pause
and admire the beauty of this grandiose landscape, while a vulture flies
in circles overhead.
The route wends its way through the plain, and we gradually approach
Adi Shenet, which is perched like an eagle's nest high up on a precipice.
Suddenly, and completely unexpectedly, an old man appears before us.
"Buon giorno signori. Come va? Fa caldo stamattine, no?!" Perfect Italian?
Here?
Straightaway, the man begins to explain: he had seen us approaching
from far away, so he descended the mountain in order to greet us. He
had been a mercenary in the Italian army in colonial times - hence the
unexpected greeting. He urges us to come with him; he can show us a
simple shortcut to the village.
Once we arrive, there is a great cackling and a flurry of feathers
from the hens, which can mean only one thing. In the end, our chicken
dinner was excellent, and the home-brewed beer underscored the congenial
atmosphere. And in a long and animated discussion, we found the information
we were seeking, and plenty more as well.
We heard of the deaths of small children who fell from the precipice
while playing. We were told how young men can no longer find wives since
there is scarcely a woman whose father is prepared to send his daughter
off to a village with such difficult living conditions. We discussed
the scarcity of water, which affects women in particular. We heard about
numbers of livestock and details about crop cultivation. We heard complaints
about difficult access to various types of infrastructure.
In brief, we were able to ascertain that what for us is a picturesque
village in a secluded location has become a place of burden and hardship
for the local population.
As we prepare to leave, hearing words of farewell once again expressed
in Italian, we admire the spectacular view for one last time. Only the
journey back was far too long and too hot.
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