RURAL LIFE IN HAMAR, ETHIOPIA / WAPKE FEENSTRA - BAZO MORFA - GELE HAILU - MAARTEN VAN MAANEN - INDRA GLEISDE

My Villages made an unexpected Hamar publication in 2022. There are only 4 Hamar people outside of Ethiopia. Wapke met Gele in Rotterdam. Gele introduced us to Bazo. Bazo wrote an autobiographical story about the Hamar people and Gele made drawings of his pastoral childhood memories. Lumbung Press at documenta fifteen was happy to print the unique material! And voilà! "Rural Life in Hamar, Ethiopia: Ecological and Cultural Challenges" - A publication about Hamar through their own perspective!

Drought, climate change, war in the region and local conflicts between the traditional customs and demands for change: Bazo Morfa tells the story of the challenges that his family and the Hamar tribe face in Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia. He is one of the very few members of the tribe who didn’t follow the traditional path of pastoral life, and instead gained education. Bazo is the oldest son and a brother of a family that recently lost almost all of their livestock. We learn about land use practices, social structures and gender equality issues through his own autobiography. Bazo's friend Gele Hailu, a Hamar artist that currently lives in the Netherlands, made illustrations of daily local realities and cultural practices from his own memory.

Release 2022
Size 21,5 x 15
Pages 44
Language EN / AFR