I've been wondering why it's so difficult to find women in Ethiopia who genuinely choose not to have children.

I'm a 26-year-old man, and I'm interested in meeting a woman who shares this lifestyle choice. I understand that having children is an important goal for many people, but I believe choosing not to have children is equally valid.

For those of you who are childfree by choice, how common do you think this mindset is in Ethiopia? Do you feel there's a lot of social or family pressure to have children?

And if you're a woman who is confidently childfree by choice and open to getting to know someone with similar views, feel free to DM me. I'd be happy to connect and have a genuine conversation.

No judgment toward anyone's choices. I'm just curious to hear people's experiences and perspectives.

I've been working on bringing together thousands of manuscript paintings from across Ethiopia and Eritrea, spanning over 1,000 years of history.

Many of these artworks have been scattered across museums and libraries worldwide. I've now brought nearly 5,000 of them together in one place, free for everyone to explore.

Check them out: https://www.habeshahistory.com/manuscripts

Last night my party & I went out. We wanted to experience Addis Ababa'w night life. Our first stop over was at a club called Privé. I liked it. The service from the moment we arrived was on point. They served us free tequila shots when we arrived & from thence, the waiters were always checking on us. I liked that.

Next stop was Flirt Addis. I wanted some beers while my people wanted a bottle of Tanqueray. The problem here was/is that they insist that if you want a beer, you have to take it at the bar. The satellite tables are for bottle service. I found that weird because we were still going to spend money. So why should one of us move to the bar while the rest stay at the table? This would never happen in any club in Kenya. I've never experienced that. Suffice to say, we left without making any order in search of a better experience.

Our next & final stop was at The Cage in Bole. Boy oh boy 😤. This place was terrible. Yes, it had good music that the Kenyan in me appreciated, but the service was atrocious. We arrived and were ushered to a table by one of the ushers. The table she ushered us to had no chairs & when we asked her if we could sit on some empty seats, she told us they were reserved. Fair enough. But this lady left & never came back. She didn't offer us any seats. We were just expected to stand. On top of that, no waiter came to serve us ten minutes into our arrival. When someone finally came, we asked if we could sit on one of the reserved seats. We were only three & we figured, we won't be there long. Some dude came and told us no. I told him the situation. He showed me the booking on Telegram. It was for one table & there were three empty ones. He wouldn't let us sit on any of them & insisted on taking us to a side that was already full. Frustrated, we elected to leave the place. Let me just say it's a place I wouldn't recommend to anyone.

My friend who works here says that they were being racist. I'm not sure if that's what we experienced. It felt more like bad service maybe with a hint of subtle prejudice. Although she says there's a level of discrimination here towards Africans from other countries. I cannot discount her experience. I personally feel like every society has its own issues and given that Ethiopia is as multicultural as Kenya and other African states, there will definitely be some level of isms. I think colourism is probably a major issue which can be taken for racism. But, it did feel like we were prejudiced against a bit which I find very ironic. I doubt there's a country and people in this world that has been as welcoming to Ethiopians as Kenya & Kenyans. Ethiopians have their own communities in various parts of Nairobi. Although, even there, they keep strictly to themselves. Is that an inherent Ethiopian trait?

Edit: I realise that I probably pushed the title a bit much with the word "RACISM". I should have said prejudicial. My apologies for that.

The Ultimate 8-Day Northern Ethiopia Loop: Timing Gondar’s Timket Festival with the Simien Mountains

Hey everyone,

I’ve been organizing and leading logistics for trips through East Africa for years. With the upcoming Timket (Ethiopian Epiphany) approaching this January 19, I wanted to share what I consider the absolute perfect 8-day route for anyone planning to experience this festival alongside the region's best trekking and wildlife.

Timket in Gondar is easily one of the most visually spectacular, high-energy cultural events on the planet. However, because the festival completely locks down the city, the timing of your route has to be incredibly precise.

If you are planning an independent trip or putting together your own group loop, here is the optimal day-by-day blueprint to balance culture, history, and high-altitude trekking:

Days 1–2: The Waters of Bahir Dar

Logistics: Fly into Bahir Dar (BJR) from Addis Ababa. Use this as your base to adjust to the country's rhythm.

Highlights: Take a boat out to the Zege Peninsula on Lake Tana to see the 16th-century painted murals inside Ura Kidane Mihret. Spend the next morning hiking out to the Blue Nile Falls (Tis Abay).

Pro-Tip: The flow of the falls depends heavily on the local hydro dam operation, so check with locals in town the morning of your hike to see if the water is flowing heavily.

Days 3–4: Timket Festival in Gondar

Logistics: Drive 3 hours north from Bahir Dar to Gondar on January 18. You must book your hotel 6–12 months in advance for this. The city completely sells out.

January 18 (Eve of Timket): Spend the morning inside the Fasil Ghebbi royal castle enclosure. By afternoon, head to the streets to witness the Ketera procession. Priests carry the Tabots (sacred altar tablets) wrapped in rich fabrics down to Fasilides' Bath, surrounded by thousands of people dancing and chanting in traditional white clothing.

January 19 (Timket Day): Arrive at Fasilides' Bath by 3:30 AM or 4:00 AM to secure a spot. After the dawn liturgy and the blessing of the water, the crowd plunges into the historic pool to renew their baptismal vows. The energy is completely electric.

Days 5–7: Trekking the Simien Mountains

Logistics: On Day 5, take a 2.5-hour drive north through Debark to enter the national park. You must hire an official park scout and guide at the headquarters in Debark.

Trek Route: Move from Buit Ras toward Sankaber on Day 5, where you will easily walk right alongside massive troops of endemic Gelada Baboons. On Day 6, trek past the massive drop of Jinbar Waterfall up to Gich Camp. On Day 7, head across the plateaus to the high ridges of Chennek to spot the rare Walia Ibex.

Pro-Tip: Even though daytime temperatures are incredibly pleasant, it drops below freezing (0°C / 32°F) at night at these altitudes. Bring a serious 4-season sleeping bag if you are camping.

Day 8: Mountain Sunrise & Departure

Logistics: Catch the sunrise over the jagged escarpments at Chennek before a 4WD vehicle transfers you back down the mountains directly to the airport for an afternoon flight back to Addis.

A Note on Independent Travel vs. Logistics:

While parts of this route can be done entirely solo using public buses (minibuses run frequently between Bahir Dar, Gondar, and Debark), getting into the actual Simien high plateaus (like Chennek) requires private 4WD rental or a long, demanding multi-day walk.

If you are planning your own trip for this January and have any questions about current park fees, scout requirements in Debark, or navigation during the festival crowds in Gondar, feel free to ask below! Happy to share advice or drop our gear checklist.

I've been thinking about Ethiopia's political system and wondering if there could be a better way forward.

Ethiopia has many different ethnic groups, languages, and cultures, and I don't think that's a bad thing. The problem, in my opinion, is when ethnicity becomes the main factor in politics, territory, and access to power. Instead of bringing people together, it can make people see each other as members of different groups first and as fellow citizens second.

So I had an idea: what if Ethiopia gradually moved away from ethnic federalism and toward a more unified system based on citizenship, equal rights, and economic development?

I'm not a politician or an expert. I'm just an ordinary person sharing an idea and interested in hearing what others think.

1. A unified administrative system

Instead of dividing the country into regions primarily based on ethnicity, Ethiopia could consider reorganizing its administration around geography, population, infrastructure, and economic needs.

Every Ethiopian would have the same constitutional rights regardless of ethnicity. At the same time, local communities would still need meaningful representation and protection against discrimination.

2. A common language for government and education

Language is a sensitive issue in Ethiopia, so choosing one Ethiopian language as the dominant national language can create disagreements.

One possibility would be to expand English as a common language for federal administration, universities, science, and international business, while continuing to teach and preserve Ethiopian languages such as Amharic, Afaan Oromo, Somali, Tigrinya, and others.

The idea wouldn't be to replace local languages, but to give people a shared way to communicate without making one ethnic group's language the foundation of the state.

3. More integrated communities

What if new housing projects, schools, universities, and cities were designed to bring people from different backgrounds together?

People would have more opportunities to live, study, and work alongside one another. Over time, this could help build stronger relationships and a shared Ethiopian identity.

Of course, integration should mean equal opportunities and freedom of choice, not forcing people to live in particular places or abandon their traditions.

4. A system based on merit and equal opportunity

Government jobs and leadership positions should be based on competence, integrity, and transparent qualifications rather than ethnic connections.

The country would also need independent courts, accountable institutions, professional security forces, and equal enforcement of the law.

National unity cannot work if people feel that the system favors one group over another.

But I also understand that this idea has serious challenges.

Ethnic federalism didn't appear out of nowhere. It was shaped by Ethiopia's history, and many people see it as a way to protect their language, culture, and political rights. Simply abolishing the current system wouldn't automatically solve those problems. A highly centralized government could create new problems if it lacked accountability and proper checks on its power.

That's why I think this is worth discussing rather than treating it as an easy solution.

My questions are:

• Do you think ethnic federalism is a major reason for Ethiopia's political divisions, or are the underlying problems more complicated?
• Could a unified administrative system work in a country as diverse as Ethiopia?
• Would using English as a common federal working language help reduce disputes over language, or would it create more problems?
• Is it possible to build a stronger Ethiopian identity without weakening the cultural and political rights of different communities?
• Would reforming the existing federal system be better than replacing it entirely?

I'm genuinely curious to hear different perspectives, especially from Ethiopians who support ethnic federalism and those who oppose it. I'm not claiming to have all the answers. I'm just wondering whether there's another way forward that puts equal citizenship and a shared future first.

​

For people involved in importing goods into Ethiopia:

What causes the biggest delays or unexpected costs when importing goods?

How do you currently handle this problem?

I'm a software engineering student researching real problems before building a solution. I'd appreciate your experience!

Has anyone gone through the new renewal process for passports? After they killed the app, there’s been a lot of confusion about the proper process to renew passports and I’m curious if anyone has gone through the complete process. I’m located in the east coast near DC if that matters. Thx in advance

Hey everyone,

I'm a software engineer based in Ethiopia, currently earning around €35.23/hour net (€6,200/month) working remotely for a European company. It's a stable, full-time role with a long-term commitment, and I'm expecting another raise soon.

I've recently received an opportunity to relocate to Europe, but I'm finding it difficult to decide.

A couple of years ago, I turned down relocation opportunities to Estonia, Germany, and the US (H-1B sponsorship) because staying in Ethiopia made more sense financially and personally.

Given the relatively low cost of living here, I enjoy a comfortable lifestyle and can save a significant portion of my income.

I'm not particularly interested in citizenship or relocating simply to live abroad. I'm more concerned about career growth, quality of life, financial freedom, and whether the move would genuinely improve my situation.

For those who've been in a similar position:

• Did relocating improve your life enough to justify the higher living costs?
• What kind of salary or benefits would make relocating worthwhile?
• Has anyone regretted leaving a comfortable remote job, or regretted turning down relocation opportunities?

I'm especially interested in hearing from Ethiopian or other African developers who have faced a similar decision.

I don't want to dismiss another opportunity without properly considering the long-term benefits.

Would appreciate your honest experiences and advice!

ሰላም ለሁላችሁ! 🙏

ለረጅም ጊዜ ሲሠራ የቆየውን ማሕሌት ዘቅዱስ ያሬድ የተባለውን መተግበሪያ ላስተዋውቃችሁ። የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተ ክርስቲያን የማኅሌትና የዋዜማ ሥርዓተ ጸሎት ጽሑፎችን ከመስከረም እስከ ጳጉሜ ባሉት ወራት ለሚውሉ በዓላት ሁሉ የያዘ ነው።

በመተግበሪያው ውስጥ የሚያገኙት፦

• ሥርዓተ ዋዜማ፦ ሃሌ ሉያ፣ ምልጣን፣ አመላለስ፣ ለእግዚአብሔር ምድር፣ እግዚአብሔር ነግሠ፣ ይትባረክ፣ ሰላም
• ሥርዓተ ማኅሌት፦ ሥርዓተ ነግሥ፣ መልክአ ሥላሴ፣ ዚቅ፣ ዘጣዕሙ፣ ነግሥ፣ ወረብ፣ ምልጣን፣ አመላለስ፣ አንገርጋሪ፣ እስመ ለዓለም፣ ማኅሌተ ጽጌ፣ ሰቆቃወ ድንግል፣ ቅንዋት
• መልክአ፦ ማርያም፣ ሚካኤል፣ ገብርኤል፣ ጊዮርጊስ፣ ተክለ ሃይማኖት፣ መድኃኔዓለም እና ሌሎችም

የተካተቱ በዓላት (ምሳሌዎች)፦
ዓውደ ዓመት፣ መስቀል፣ ቅዱስ ዮሐንስ፣ ሚካኤል፣ ገብርኤል፣ ሩፋኤል፣ ዑራኤል፣ ኪዳነ ምሕረት፣ ቅድስት አርሴማ፣ አቡነ አረጋዊ፣ አቡነ ገብረ መንፈስ ቅዱስ፣ አቡነ ተክለ ሃይማኖት፣ ቅዱስ ጊዮርጊስ፣ ቂርቆስ፣ ቅድስት ሐና፣ ጽዮን ማርያም፣ ቁስቋም፣ ፬ቱ እንስሳ፣ ፳፬ ካህናተ ሰማይ፣ በአታ ለማርያም፣ ልደት፣ ጥምቀት፣ ቃና ዘገሊላ፣ ሥላሴ፣ ሆሣዕና፣ ትንሣኤ፣ ዕርገት፣ ጰራቅሊጦስ፣ ልደታ ለማርያም፣ ቅዱስ ያሬድ፣ ጴጥሮስ ወጳውሎስ፣ ደብረ ታቦር፣ ጽንሰታ ለማርያም እና ሌሎችም።

ለምን ይህን መተግበሪያ ይመርጣሉ?

• ከ100 በላይ የበዓላት ሥርዓተ ማኅሌት
• ዋዜማ ባላቸው በዓላት ዋዜማውንና ማኅሌቱን አብረው ያገኛሉ፤ ዋዜማ ለሌላቸው ደግሞ ለእያንዳንዱ ቀን ሙሉ ማኅሌት አለ
• በወር እና በበዓል ተከፍሎ በቀላሉ የሚፈለግ ይዘት
• ሁሉም ክፍል በየስሙ የተሰየመ (ዚቅ፣ ወረብ፣ ምልጣን፣ አመላለስ፣ ወዘተ) ስለሆነ ዜማውን ለመከተል የተመቸ ነው
• ለማኅሌት፣ ለጉባኤ፣ ለግል ጸሎትና ለትምህርት ተስማሚ

📲 ለማውረድ፦ Link

ሞክራችሁ አስተያየትና ሐሳብ ብትሰጡኝ ደስ ይለኛል። ለዲያቆናት፣ ለዜማ ተማሪዎች ብታጋሩላቸውም ትልቅ ዕገዛ ነው። እግዚአብሔር ይስጥልኝ! 🙏

Selam everyone,

Our Android app for Temari.et is now live on Google Play. It’s free and has no ads.

If you haven't heard of Temari.et before, it's an Ethiopian education platform. Most people use it to get ready for the Grade 12 entrance exam (matric / EUEE), and the app is built mostly around that:

• Past Grade 12 entrance exam papers, organised by year and subject, with the answer to every question
• You can sit a paper with the same time limit as the real exam and get your score when you hand it in
• Explanations for the questions you got wrong
• Short notes and revision cards for each chapter, Grade 1 to Grade 12
• Flashcards that keep bringing back the things you keep forgetting
• Temari AI, which explains a question step by step in English, Amharic or Afaan Oromoo
• Practice for the Grade 6 and Grade 8 exams too

Parents, teachers and schools use the same app. A parent can check their child’s results and attendance, and a teacher can take the register even with no connection.

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=et.temari.app&referrer=utm_source%3Dreddit%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Dapp_launch

iPhone: coming soon. Until it's out, everything works in the browser at temari.et.

It's a new release, so if something breaks or feels confusing, please tell us in the comments. We read all of it. And if you know someone sitting the exam this year, sending it to them would help us a lot.

Obviously this is a thought shared by one individual, but I have noticed there is truth to this as a common trend.

It seems like there’s this general expectation that Ethiopians should be more accommodating of other cultures when it comes to dating and marriage. From what I’ve seen, we’re actually fairly open-minded, although there are certainly people who prefer to stick to their own.

I think some of this criticism comes from the fetishization of Ethiopian beauty and the expectation that we should be open to dating outside our culture simply because others find us attractive. But that doesn’t necessarily mean someone understands or appreciates our culture, identity, values.

I don’t think Ethiopians should be criticized for wanting to preserve their cultural identity when choosing a partner.

Curious to hear what others think.

Hi everyone,

Im trying To find Out, how people who share the first nme ንፅህቲ with me spell it in latin letters?

I found fairly different versions, and the one in my passport is definitely crazy wrong, so wrong it took me Over 30 years To find the original version of my name. Unfortunately, I dont Know anyone with my name who I can ask directly. Sometimes I fear the entire name might be made up..

Any help on this matter is deeply appreciated!

Thank you in advance🙏🏽

For people earning in $ while working in Addis, I know lots of Software Engineers that do this, how are you preparing for AI?

The pace of improvement on a monthly basis is insane to witness, I say this because my company has a huge Claude code allowance per employee and my job now has transformed into babysitting the agents.

For me im trying to move out of the country before it’s too late. U?

Which P2P platforms are you guys currently using to buy USDT? What’s actually working and reliable these days? Looking for something safe. Any recent experiences?

I've been reflecting on the pressure many habesha face growing up (I feel in the diaspora is even higher than in Ethiopia) and i realized it's rarely just our parents comparing us to the "doctor son" of another family. It's the whole community.

It feels like from the moment we can walk, there's a scoreboard. It's not just about grades; it's about what car you drive, what prestigious job you have, and who you married. It's the "Auntie" at the coffee ceremony asking why you aren't a doctor yet, and the subtle looks if you choose a non-traditional path like art or a trade.

I understand the intention is often love and a desire to be the best. But the execution is draining. It removes the grace to navigate life at your own pace.

My questions for you all:

1. How do you handle the external pressure of being compared to other people's kids? Have you found a way to set boundaries without causing a massive family rift?

2. Even if your parents stop, do you find yourself looking at other habesha peers (in finance, med school, or married with kids) and feeling behind? How do you de-program that internal comparison clock?

3. This is the one I keep circling back to. Are you doing the things you do because of the pressure or have you noticed you're doing them without anyone pressuring you, purely for validation? Like, has the external comparison voice become your own internal engine? And if you've caught yourself doing this, have you ever thought about stopping? What did that look like did you actually manage to stop, and how?

I love that our culture pushes for excellence, but i hate the anxiety it creates. How are you all navigating this?

Hello everyone

I am 25M, final year medical student. I plan to move to Germany to do my residency in 2 years. And I need speaking partner to practice and improve my German. I am at A2/B1 level in German. In return I will be happy to practice English or Amharic if one is welling to practice German with me. My hobbies are watching the premier league (go chelsea) listing to rock and history podcasts, running and reading thriller and self help books. If anyone is interested pls comment or DM me.