One of the big areas where Ethiopians lag behind from other nationalities be it ‘Ferenjis’  or other Africans, is in the usage of time. Time is not seen as a valuable commodity here. But the Ferenjis have realized that it is just priceless. The writer surmises that this is not a new subject but wants to highlight some aspects.
In the business-driven world that we live in money compels people to take extreme risks. But everything is limited within a time frame. That is why people applaud facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg for being the youngest billionaire on earth right now; he achieved more in less time. That is ideal in anyone’s life. The little 9 year old that enters university is called a child prodigy, just like a 45 year old high school student is a recluse.
‘Habesha Qetero’
This is an expression that is used to explain how much in low esteem time is regarded by native Ethiopians. It expresses the tendency not to come on time. It warrants being late for at least a quarter of an hour.
Once, I interviewed an actress for a role she was to play in a short advertisement. From the very beginning she acted ‘weird’ by asking how many times the ad will be screened. I explained that the ad will be the property of the company we were commissioned by and that they can air it whenever they want to. Actually, this actress had a point, as it is practical to charge by the time range in which she will appear to the public (on the Ad). But that is not yet customary in Ethiopia and that is exactly what I explained to her. Anyway, she agreed to the terms. But on the day of the shooting, she just didn’t show up. We assumed that she didn’t want the part for the above mentioned reasons. But guess what? She showed up 2 hours later, after the ad was filmed. Add a comment