After Kampala, Shauna's humanitarian work takes her on another adventure to a Horn of Africa country, where, despite a recent media blitz over its food crisis, she finds herself eating sauce with truffles. In this three part series, Shauna visits Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, where she is accused of lèse majesty within diplomatic circles and discovers the taxi driving world of male chauvinists. But unlike Sophie, her colleague, she finds beauty.
The reception was a most glittering event in a beautiful ballroom with romantic lighting and a banquet style buffet. There were important people everywhere; ambassadors, representatives from the AU and the UN, ministers with their first, second and third secretaries and famous writers and poets.
Standing quietly by myself in the corner with a plate of fruit (in the hopes of avoiding another diplomatic incident), I recognised a former South African Member of Parliament who was one of my heroes, having transcended gender as well as racial and cultural barriers – she was an icon for my generation. I also recognised twin brother politicians who had been jokingly dubbed the good and evil twin respectively. I smiled at them as they walked past, only one smiled back. There was a hush over the room as a handsome couple entered. His fair good looks were Scandinavian; he was a political advisor who had been based in Africa for many years. She looked like an African super-model, but was an assessor for multilateral and bilateral agencies and had, most recently, been responsible for the suspension of several personnel for alleged inappropriate conduct. Later I encountered a group of consultants who regaled me with stories about their work on the continent complaining that they often had to return to a specific "site" two or three times. I bit my lip to stop from enquiring why they had failed to get the job done properly the first time and if they were financially compensated for the second and third rounds.
As the evening drew to an end, I congratulated myself on having done nothing further to upset William, as Sophia and I traveled back to our hotel. As usual the taxi driver engaged with us in a most surly fashion and I confided to Sophia that I had been pleased to escort the ambassador to the reception, as I was keen to test the "taxi drivers treat male passengers with more respect" theory and discovered it to be untrue – the taxi driver was as rude and uncooperative as ever. Sophia shook her head and changed the subject suggesting that as our flight home to Durban was only the next evening we use the day to explore Addis.
how interesting it was that I came to be eating sauce with truffles in Ethiopia
We breakfasted with a Scandinavian academic who had been a delegate at the conference the next morning. After some general conversation about the conference sessions, Sophia innocently mentioned that she thought one of the Scandinavian speakers, a politician, was "kind of attractive" and had "most impressive fangs". I blinked with surprise. The man was rather attractive, in a conventional sort of way but "fangs"? I suppose that was fair enough, after all Edward Cullen# also has fangs, by virtue of being a vampire! Our breakfast companion was, however, less indulgent and informed us that it didn't do for politicians to be attractive – it invited scandal. It wasn't clear whether she hadn't noticed that the politician in question was attractive or whether she didn't approve of us noting this fact. Either way, we decided to excuse ourselves and hastily left the breakfast room.
As we headed to the hotel lobby we bumped into William who was in excellent spirits and greeted us brightly. He gave me an especially friendly look and I suspected it was because I was leaving the country that evening. We told him that we were going to explore the city starting at one of the markets and had invited Mathew to join us. He said that was a good idea and could drop us off as it was on his way to a meeting. An image of the black diplomatic car with a flag affixed to the bonnet popped into my head and I gave Sophia a panicked look. To my horror she accepted his offer and said we would fetch Mathew and meet in the lobby in ten minutes.
"You were supposed to get us out of it!" I accused.
"I think William is worried that you've invited an ambassador or two to join us." Sophia said mischievously.
I thought that was rather a low blow and didn't condescend to reply. In that moment, however, it struck me that the success of the event was very much due to William's stellar (if at times imperious) efforts – I silently acknowledged my colleague.
I thought I caught a look of discomfort on Mathew's face as we climbed into the car but being the gentleman he is, it lasted only a second. I can only imagine what the market stall owners thought when the diplomatic car glided to a stop and three denim clad foreigners tumbled out followed by a distinguished gentleman in a three piece suit, who retrieved his briefcase from the boot and climbed back in waving benevolently.
"Hope you weren't planning to bargain," Mathew said with a chuckle.
The morning passed easily, Mathew was good company and we traded research experiences surprised by how much we had in common. We had decided to lunch at a famous restaurant which bears testimony to Italy's legacy in Ethiopia – Castelli, which we were told, was still run by the original family. Castelli is famous for its pasta with truffle sauce and seated at wooden tables covered with crisp white tablecloths and matching napkins on our laps, we awaited our order. The pasta was delicious and I considered how interesting it was that I came to be eating sauce with truffles in Ethiopia - the place that mainstream media, not so long ago, associated only with famine. After lunch and during the taxi ride to visit Addis Ababa University, I reflected that the company I was in was also most interesting. Sophia is one of the people I hold dearest in this world, she is of Afrikaans origin and Afrikaans tyranny is the reason my parents had left South Africa a decade before I was born.
Mathew I know less about. We had learned that he is only half Scandinavian. His father is Dane and his mother Thai. Of mixed race, he is aesthetically perfect. I was last to alight from the taxi at the lion's gate entrance to the University and stepping onto the sidewalk, I saw Sophia turned towards me and Mathew a few meters ahead turned towards us both. Three completely different people, together in the same space at the same time. Surely, beauty is in all things.
Addis Ababa (Part One)
Addis Ababa (Part Two)
Addis Ababa (Part Three)
