Ethiopia
by Paw Gissel
“I travelled to Ethiopia for the first time in 2019. Since then, I’ve had a lot of experience working in coffee regions around the world, but could never quite shake Ethiopia; it’s one of the most captivating places I’ve visited.”
“Though it’s a country of conflict and endless challenges, there’s so much pride in the Ethiopian culture and mentality. It feels like you visit Ethiopians on their terms, on their turf, and I like that.
This January, I was excited to finally make the trip again, this time travelling with our roaster Evangelos to visit Heleanna Georgealis of Moplaco, and her projects in Ethiopia’s rural south and west.”
“Generally my life is pretty fast-paced. I mostly work in fashion and commercial photography, but what’s always excited me about making pictures is a search for a deeper meaning, or a way of making sense of my surroundings. I enter that state of mind when I’m able to embed myself in a new culture or in an unknown place.”
“Here, my presence feels less important; my purpose is to document the mundane, to find the beauty in someone else’s normality.”
Sheka
“I travelled with Evangelos for about a week, visiting Heleanna’s stations in Yirgacheffe and Sidamo towards the end of harvest. I then made the journey to Heleanna’s farm in Sheka, where I decided to stay a little longer in the wild and rural western reaches of Ethiopia.
It’s quite the ride to get there. The drive starts out through dry lowlands, before climbing into a green paradise full of wildlife, waterfalls and wild growing forest coffee. Life is simple here. There’s no electricity or running water, we gather 3 times a day around a big plate of injera, and work in between. When the sun sets, we light a fire and talk about everything and nothing.
For me, it’s a humbling privilege to follow life in a place like this for a while, away from everything. For those that live here, this is all there is; wanting more is a dangerous dream, and opportunity is a scarce commodity. Access to education is limited, especially in rural zones, and only 13 percent of Ethiopia’s population is literate. I feel this here keenly; while I enjoy my freedom to come and leave as I please, the rolling hills of Sheka are an inevitable destiny for almost everyone else.”
“This trip was a really meaningful one for me. Although communication is sometimes a struggle due to rural Ethiopia’s myriad of languages and dialects, we were able to build connections, slow down and spend some real time together.”
“I feel humbled by the opportunity to share some of their stories through these images, and showcase the everyday lives of coffee producing communities in Ethiopia’s far west. Coffee is a lifestyle here, and one of the proudest aspects of Ethiopian culture. We gather around a cup of coffee several times a day, roasting on an open fire, grinding and brewing with almost religious intensity.”
“Generations have grown up here with coffee as their livelihood, and their passion and connection to their land is inspiring. While I’m no professional, I believe those years of dedication are to be found in each cup of coffee that comes from this incredible place.”
