That is really beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing this. (I feel kind of inspired to make Ethiopian-inspired food for dinner tomorrow night....)
JaneC | Homepage | 08.30.07 - 11:25 pm | #

Thanks so much for posting this!
J.D. King | Homepage | 08.31.07 - 6:09 am | #

What a fascinating video. The music reminded me of some Indian/Pakistani music I've heard, yet...different. Hauntingly beautiful.
Nancy Brown | Homepage | 08.31.07 - 6:48 am | #

very inspiring
uncle jim | 08.31.07 - 7:08 am | #

Thank you for sharing that Dawn, it was absolutely wonderful. The video shows the beauty of devotion and also the beauty of diversity of the human family.
Anne | Homepage | 08.31.07 - 8:40 am | #

Oh, I loved this.
Pansy Moss | Homepage | 08.31.07 - 8:42 am | #

The pure devotion of the little child.
The joyful & smiling priests.
The natural yet paradoxical mixture of rich art, poor people, old buildings, and new culture.
The beautiful and talented young woman, who makes singing her ministry.

Africa is still living the best of the High Middle Ages, when Faith and everyday Life were one and the same.

This is why Africa is sending missionaries to America.

(btw... I use "paradoxical" in the Chestertonian sense of revealing deeper truths... not in the modern cynical sense where paradox = nonsense.)
Del | 08.31.07 - 9:56 am | #

Thank you for this Dawn. We adopted my son from Ethiopia 2 years ago(before Angelina :) ). I am always on the lookout for things Ethiopian. There music is so different from Western music.

I only spent 5 days in Addis Ababa, but I got the sense that they are a very poor but loving people who cherish their children and wish they could take care of them. Unfortunately disease has devestated them and many children are orphans.
Dan Jasmin | 08.31.07 - 10:31 am | #

BTW, I am told that D.C. has a large Ethiopian population. That is probably why that T.V. show was on.
Dan Jasmin | 08.31.07 - 10:37 am | #

Wow, you're right about Mirtinesh. Her voice is beautiful and so is she. That'll be haunting me for a while (in a good way).
Kit-Kat | 08.31.07 - 10:48 am | #

It's hard to describe just how beautiful that is.
JV | Homepage | 08.31.07 - 11:31 am | #

The Ethiopians have been Christians as long as Christianity has been around. In fact, Ethiopian Christianity is older than that of the West. I'm not Ethiopian, though I belong to the Communion of Oriental Orthodox Churches (well to us it's just "The Church" :) ) I'm glad to see that you have been able to see a sample of Ancient Christianity from a non-Western perspective. Incidentally I've been a fan of your blog and webpage for quite some time
street theologian | Homepage | 08.31.07 - 8:17 pm | #

This is an awesome post. Thanks for sharing.
David | Homepage | 09.01.07 - 5:17 pm | #

The music reminds me of old Celtic (in the gaelic language) music I've heard. I hear instruments that sound similar to a violin and a penny whistle. The voice has the Middle Eastern 'cry' in some spots, but it is very familiar sounding to me. It's repetitious, as is Celtic music too. I loved it!
me | 09.02.07 - 8:49 pm | #

Dear Dawn,

While the case of Ethiopia is certainly special there is no need to be sanguine about the spread of christianity in the rest of Africa. I would urge you to be careful before you conflate the Ethiopian experience, which has an autonomous history of Christianity beginning from the 4th century, with "African Christians" as you so naiively start your post with.

The history of Christian conversion in Africa is inextricably bound with the bloody histories of colonialism, aparthied, the complete destruction of native belief systems and faith, torture and the occupation of land by white colonialists who justified their actions through calls to bring "god to the heathens". As is the case in many parts of the world, including South America.

In many parts of the world we are still suffering the wounds of this historical tragedy that Christendom enacted on a global scale.

I am writing this not to attack your faith. Please understand me. I am simply saying that to be willfully blind to these histories is to be complicit in what is a shameful chapter in humanity's history.

respectfully
Aarti
Aarti Sethi | 09.04.08 - 6:39 pm | #