A lot has been said of the hospitality of the Ethiopian people. Foreigners who have been here have time and again given their accounts of the warm reception of Ethiopians. The traditional sense of hospitality and some recent trends in its evolution are this week’s focus for Society.

Ethiopian Hospitality

A tired traveler on a darkening rural path can already hear the baying of dogs disturbed by the hyenas that have begun to come out of their lairs for an evenings feeding, Swinging his 'Kezera' - the cane without which no self-respecting peasant would ever venture out of his hut, the weary sojourner spots a hamlet over the next ridge, breathes a sigh of relief, and heads for the closest circle of huts.
The dogs in this abode set up a clamor as they sense the stranger approaching, giving ample warning to the master of the house. He appears with a no nonsense look and armed with you guessed it, a mean looking cane.
Maneh! (Who goes there!) he shouts, trailing the cane on the gravel.
'Yemeshebet Engeda" replies the stranger, standing just outside the entrance to the fence (enclosure). "I am a journeyman whom the darkness has caught ". The stranger is certain that he would be taken in as it is the custom of the land to shelter a voyager seeking a night's shelter.
He is welcomed in and a resting place prepared for him. But that's not all, depending on the stranger's social rank; the master of the house may even relinquish the bridal bed for the guest's comfort. The stranger may even be treated to a feet washing by no other than the mistress of the house, who of course, will also serve the stranger with the best food and drink the house has to offer.
This is the extent to which Ethiopians have developed the custom of hospitality.
This culture is still alive and well today although fortunately without excesses such as having a guest's dirty feet washed by the wife. Ethiopians still give one another effusive greetings whenever they meet and this practice is even more evident in how we welcome non-Ethiopians to our nation. Apart from the hard time foreigners have to endure on the country's city roads that feature a good deal of mendicants, the general attitude and reception is something to be commended. But then again, cities are where the poorest of the poor live and thus places where survival is the main goal - not adherence to long established norms.
Though it might appear to be an old fashioned thing these days, hospitality to strangers is a human trait. The fact that the capitalist system that has taken the world by storm somehow promotes individualism and self reliance might have to do with the decline of the traditional sense of hospitality.

Is hospitality a human trait or
something Ethiopians are suppos
edly good at?

I don't know what people mean by Ethiopians being a 'hospitable people'. Does it mean that other nations turn away their guests - or at least welcome them with less warmth? In my considered opinion no nation can be more welcoming than others.

Muse, Artist

It's not a question of whether we are a more hospitable people or not. The difference is that the Ethiopia welcome is measured with the pride that the foreigner is always very welcome as long as he/she does not threaten our sovereignty. That is why in my opinion we tend to give very warm welcomes. Most of Africa on the other hand, has had painful memories of being colonized - perhaps because they used to be so welcoming that they lost their heritage, culture, languages and land.

Abe, NGO official

I believe that foreigners are made to feel like very special guests. We Ethiopians are a polite people (Of course, there will be black sheep in any society) on the whole and consider ourselves as being cultured. One of the hallmakers of sophisticated culture is the manner and customs by which newcomers are embraced. So yes, I do believe that we are the most welcoming people on Earth!

Daniel, Businessperson

What some would term good hospitality I would rather plain common sense - or greed if you prefer it that way. Ethiopians, (like other people in the world), are smart enough to know that a foreigner, tourist or not is also a walking ATM. The more welcoming the native is to the foreigner, the higher the chances of a few dollars being earned for the "Warm welcome"

Susa, Tour Guide

The truth of the matter is that all similar societies like Ethiopia's, meaning God fearing, close knit communal ties and rigid social hierarchies, are more welcoming than the bland and synthetic western cultures where a simple smile not really be a smile.

Girum, lecturer