Dorze village

by Daniel

It is very popular among tourists to visit the tribes of southern Ethiopia. In the end it boils down to a 4x4 trek where you drive into different villages and the locals come out in their traditioal dresses, with lip plates and other fancy jewellery. The tourists get out of their climatized jeeps, snatch some pictures (each picture has to be paid for) and then leave for the next tribe. To me it has the ring of a human zoo and in which we decided not to partake. However, to be fair, it is also a much needed source of income for the tribes who live as subsistence farmers and herders. Having said that, I assume that the big tour companies profit the most in the end.

A tribe living close to Arba Minch are the Dorze, famous for their huge thatched huts and colorful knitting. They live in the Guge mountains and can be visited on an overpriced trip including a (staged) show of traditional danncing. It is also possible to just jump into a local bus (around 25 Birr) and drove into the main town, called Dorze. Thursday is market day, so we chose that one. On arriving, a local guide wanted to collect an entrance fee for the market and the village (250 Birr p.p.) but we realized that this would have only benefited his own pocket so we just continued on the market and then had a stroll around the village and out of town. The people there were very friendly and not at all “dressed up” for those unannounced two faranjis. It is just a beautiful village high up in the mountains and encircled by tranquil forests with some crowds due to market day and the market was predominantly agricultural with the woven products left to other stalls catering basically only to tourists.

On the way back (2,5 hours) we had to stand in the bus because there were no more seats but I met a local teacher and we chatted away the rest of the trip.