Every day, from the northern highlands to the arid deserts of the south, millions of Ethiopians sit down for the social ritual of the coffee ceremony: washing, grinding, roasting and brewing fresh beans over a charcoal-burning stove, accompanied by frankincense and popcorn. Traditions like these are points of great cultural pride, helping to bind this religiously diverse, multi-ethnic country together.
Ancient birthplace of both coffee and Homo sapiens, Ethiopia’s culture is distinct from any other in Africa. Orthodox Christianity was established here when most of Europe was still pagan, and the country has mystical links with early Judaism. Ethiopians claim the Queen of Sheba as their own, and believe that the Ark of the Covenant resides in the church in Axum, itself the site of towering obelisks from a long-vanished empire. This history lends Ethiopians a sense of destiny and uniqueness which, unfortunately, is not borne out by their political record.
