Adeyabeba Ethiopia Association - A Non-Profit Organization ~ Focusing on Supporting the Daily Lives and Employment of Ethiopians in Japan, and Deepening Exchanges Between Japan and Ethiopia ~

"Adeyabeba Ethiopia Association (broken link)" is named after a flower. In Ethiopia, people send flowers called "Adeyabeba" to those who are close to them, on the morning of the New Year's Day; wishing for a better year. Adeyabeba is a symbol of such wishes and hopes. The Adeyabeba Ethiopia Association aims to become a messenger of hope like the Adeyabeba flower. We interviewed Mr. Abebe Zewge, Director General and Mr. Abebe Sahlesilassie Amare, Director.

The Average Annual Temperature is?25℃. Ethiopia is not Hot Country.

Located in East Africa, Ethiopia is about 10,000 km away from Japan. Many Japanese people don't know much about Ethiopia, because we have less information about it than we have about our Asian neighbours. For the generation that remembers the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, they may think of Abebe Bikila, who won the marathon gold. The population of Ethiopia is about 112,070,000 (as of 2019) and its surface area is about three times that of Japan. We tend to think it might be hot all year round on the African continent, but the average annual temperature in Ethiopia is 25℃. "Ethiopia varies in altitude from 4,550m to -125m above sea level, but the most populated areas sit between 2,000m and 3,000m above sea level. The capital, Addis Ababa, is also located on the plateau at around 2,400m," says Mr. Amare. He also says the climate is pleasant all year round.

Similarities Between Ethiopia and Japan.

"Ethiopia is the only country in Africa that has maintained its independence. We have never been a colony. Our official language is Amharic, and it has its own script. We have eighty languages and eighty ethnic groups. Collectively, we have come together to protect Ethiopia's more than 3,000-year-old culture, "says Mr. Zewge. Addis Ababa is home to the headquarters of the African Union, and to the national offices of the United Nations. It is also considered to be the political and economic centre of Africa.

In addition, Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee. "In Japan, you treat your guests to green tea. In Ethiopia, we treat them to coffee. We have a formal ceremony for coffee, just like a tea ceremony in Japan", Mr. Zewge explained. He also told us that there is a Japanese garden and a tea house in Addis Ababa.

"The Amharic language consists of consonants and vowels, just like hiragana in Japanese," says Mr Amare. Another cultural similarity is that, "Ethiopians do not like to stand out. We are quiet and shy, just like the Japanese. When we greet people, we bow our heads and use honorific speech; "keigo". We also have the same idea of not bothering people." If we look for similarities, we would find many more.

Half of the Ethiopians in Tokyo Live in the Katsushika Ward.

Mr. Zewge has been living in Japan for 37 years, and Mr. Amare has been here for 25 years. At that time, there were only about 50 Ethiopian people in Japan, but since around 2005, the number of Ethiopians started to increase. "In 2005, there was a general election in Ethiopia, which caused a lot of problems. Young people left university and fled to different countries, becoming refugees," says Mr. Amare. There are currently about 450 people from Ethiopia in Japan. About 170 are living in Tokyo, and about 80 of them are in the Katsushika ward. The "Adeyabeba Ethiopia Association" is also based in the Katsushika ward - in the neighborhood of Yotsugi - and they have an office in an old apartment building. The association has been in operation for eleven years, now.

Their Activities are Diverse. A Small Organization with a Big Heart.

For this association, building a network, supporting human rights issues, supporting the daily lives of their fellow countrymen, and obtaining employment for Ethiopians in Japan, are very important projects. They offer a wide range of advice and assistance, from how to go to the hospital, how to enroll your children in nurseries, how to apply for refugee status, helping with interpretation from Japanese, and helping with groceries for those in need. They have links with various companies, so they can offer jobs to those who need them. The directors do the work of the association while simultaneously holding down day jobs. Mr. Amare spends 118 days a year in support of this association. The situation is almost the same for the other directors, who all work on a voluntary basis. They want to support people from Ethiopia, because they have been through a lot themselves.

Another important thing for them is cultural exchange events. The association wants local people to know more about Ethiopia, so they organise cultural exchanges events three times a year. This has gradually expanded and, now, 80 to 100 people take part in every event. And, about 60% of the participants are Japanese. When Ethiopian culture and cuisine is presented to Japanese people, the latter show interest. "The Japanese people help us with the cooking. It's funny, but Ethiopian food tastes better when it's cooked by Japanese people", says Mr. Zewge happily. However, the association has unfortunately stopped the events, for the last year.

We Don't Build a Community, We Become Part of the Local One.

It is said that Yotsugi in the Katsushika ward is a very good place to live. Commodity prices and rent are cheap. There are small factories there, so there are job opportunities. The local people are very friendly. The Ethiopians - whose numbers were spread out at first - gradually came together to live in a closely-knit community. Mr. Zewge says, "Edokko (Tokyoites) are people who come from many different regions, aren't they? We happen to have crossed the sea to come to this downtown area. Our landlord is very kind to us. He does not discriminate against us because we are foreigners."

Mr. Amare says, "From the outside, you might think we are creating an Ethiopian community, but we are not trying to create our own community. We want to become a part of Katsushika, just like the people of this town." The Adeyabeba Ethiopia Association gets help from the local community, so they have joined the neighbourhood association. They even make yakisoba at local festivals.

There is a Halal mini-supermarket nearby, run by a manager from Bangladesh where they sell products from more than nine countries. Katsushika is not only home to people of Ethiopian origin, but also to a large number of foreigners who naturally blend into the local community.