The Konso people in southern Ethiopia

*WS50 – The Konso people in southern Ethiopia*

We went to Ethiopia in 2015 and spent over a week in the southern SNNPR province inhabited by many ethnic groups. Among the places we visited is this Konso Highlands inhabited by the Konso people, numbering about 250,000 to 300,000. 

Near the main town of Konso is the Konso Cultural Landscape which is a region of stone walled terraces and fortified settlements about 55 sq km in size. It constitutes an example of a living cultural tradition more than 400 years old adapted to its dry hostile environment. The landscape demonstrates the shared values, social cohesion and engineering knowledge of its communities. The landscape is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

We visited a village within the Landscape, showing the terraces and the typical round 2-dome hut. The 5th photo shows the "community generation pole" where a pole is added to the bundle every 18 years representing a generation. This village is near to 20 generations old. The 6th photo shows a royal tomb marker or “waga”. We met the official Konso tribal chief too, Kalla Gezahegn, a 47-year old who spoke good English. The government recognises these tribal chiefs to deal with tribal affairs internally. 

The last photo shows a classroom of a school we visited, discipline seems lacking. Our group brought about RM 300 worth of new stationery (bought in Malaysia) to the school, pre-arranged through the local tour guide.