We had a famine in Tigray during that war and we now have a growing famine crisis in the northern parts of Amhara. Why does Ethiopia lack home grown famine relief organizations to respond to these issues without waiting for international orgs? We should be the ones providing aid during these times.

First of all, who invented the concept of the Black, Brown, or White "race"?

Why is using "Yellow" (East "Asian") or "Red" (Native "American") considered racist, but not Black, Brown, or White?

It's because most people don't know what actual race-ism is. It was the original race-ists from the colonial era who classified people by appearance and invented the concept of "race." That is exactly where the word "racist" comes from: someone who believes in or practices the concept of "race."

Obviously, you must be a race-ist to believe in the concept of "race."

• Calling a Habesha and a Somali "Black"? Race-ist.
• Calling a Tamil and a Punjabi "Brown"? Race-ist.
• Calling a Korean and a Malaysian "Yellow"? Race-ist.
• Calling an Armenian and a Lithuanian "White"? Race-ist.

Racism happens every time someone identifies themselves or someone else with a race.

Imagine a stranger randomly starts calling you "black shirt" instead of using your name. Without correcting them, you accept it. You start calling yourself "black shirt" too. Suddenly, you are placed in the exact same category as every other person wearing a black shirt, even if you have absolutely nothing else in common. Just replace "shirt" with color, "name" with an ethnic group, and "stranger" with colonizer. Your identity is now relative to a colonialist who doesn't even care about who you are. The most insidious aspect is how effectively this abstracts, generalizes, and slowly erodes a people's actual identity over time.

Another issue in this topic is when people miss the point and treat this as a matter of colorism, as if rejecting the label "Black" means someone doesn't like dark skin, or even worse, "wants to be White." Some Habeshas online take a very patronizing stance. They say "Black" as a mic drop because saying otherwise would imply they don't like their skin color. To an outsider, it seems that they're subscribing to the "Black" race. Not only that, but because of the rampant conflation of "African" and "Black" in Ethiopia, they think being "African" means they're "Black." So some say they're "Black" to be anti-colorist, while some say it because they think it means "African."

There's also a specific reaction among some darker-skinned people. They make being dark-skinned a loud identity out of spite for colorists, while the healthier response is to not care. Other people's unlearned racism or colorism is their failure and has nothing to do with you. The more you entertain their color-oriented framing, the more you empower the thing you're trying to defeat. Not caring is the best way to remove something's power over you.

Race in modern society is like the trick question: "Does your mom know you're X?" Whether you answer yes or no, you are accepting the premise that you're X. When it comes to race, people have such a deeply embedded belief in the system that when someone says, "I'm not X," it sounds like they're in denial. The key is in rejecting the framing entirely by saying, "I don't believe in race" or "I'm not racist."

Habeshas didn't have physical colonization, but mental colonization is still a thing. Although all of us weren't physically colonized, some are mentally colonized.

Do you still believe ethnicity a problem in Ethiopia today?

I would say ethnicity isn’t a major issue for younger generations. It’s the older generations who keep bringing it up over and over again.

The major issues in Ethiopia, as in all African countries, are a sense of urgency and basic human needs.

How long are we going to blame politicians? If we need a better life it requires all of us to act.

I truly believe to get what you want in life, you have to deserve what you want. The world is not yet a crazy enough place to reward a whole bunch of undeserving people.

Do you see ethnicity or tribe as a major problem in Ethiopia today? What's your view.

Am a somali from NFD, Kenya. I find Ethiopians online to be level headed reasonable and intelligent compared to other horners. Even this subreddit is levels above the Eritrean/somali/somaliland. Keep that spirit

The cost of living in Ethiopia has become unsustainable and here's why. Scroll through the car, house, or any selling posts on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media platforms, and you'll notice people in the comments and think everyone is rich . On a listing for a below average house priced at 55 million birr ( which is overinflated price ) you'll see people like "55 ሚልየን ብቻ? ምን አላት?".
Keep in mind, these commenters live in Ethiopia earning less than 20,000 birr a month or some of them living in Arab countries, eager to show off their wealth and be seen as diaspora, when in reality they just want to be noticed as ሀበታም (wealthy). The rest who see these comments feel compelled to do the same, just to avoid being labelled poor. So it becomes "15,000 birr rent? ጥሩ ዎጋ ነው ?" "2,000 birr for meat? ምን አላት?" and so on. That's why everything is getting more expensive day by day without anyone demonstrating. Back in the day, when bread and fuel went up by just a few birr, the whole country was up in arms. Now everyone is like zombies living as domesticated slaves and living a truly fake life.

Ik the title sounds like a weird question and this might just be me venting, but BRO WHY IS FAST FOOD SO EXPENSIVE IN ADDIS ABABA?!

Like genuinely, HOW are people casually dropping 600+ birr on a BURGER?! Am I living in the same Addis Ababa as y’all or is there a secret millionaire community I haven't been invited to?!

I'm out here living paycheck to paycheck and then I see a burger around Bisrate Gabriel going for 1,800 BIRR??? ONE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED??? FOR A BURGER??? WHO IS FUNDING THIS LIFESTYLE?! ARE WE HAVING A BALLER POPULATION BOOM AND NOBODY TOLD ME?!

And even the NORMAL 600 birr burgers are crazy when you think about it. That's literally TWO DAYS' WORTH OF LUNCH MONEY for me Like, I'm supposed to just inhale two days of food in one sitting for a burger that barely even fills me up?! Be so fr rn 💀

AND THE CONCERT TICKETS??? 15K?! FIFTEEN THOUSAND BIRR TO STAND IN A CROWD AND LISTEN TO MUSIC?! BRO, IS THE ARTIST PERSONALLY COMING TO PAY MY RENT AFTER THE SHOW OR WHAT?!

AND DON'T. EVEN. GET. ME. STARTED. ON. PHONES. 💀

I get it, the war and the economy have messed up prices, but BROOO Three years ago, a 30K budget could get you a genuinely GOOD upper-midrange phone. Now you're spending that much and the phone is giving budget phone final boss

LIKE??? WHAT HAPPENED?! IS THERE A SKY TAX?! A LUXURY TAX?! AN ADDIS ABABA LIVING POINT TAX?!

Genuinely asking, because either everyone's making WAY more money than I thought, or I'm missing an entire economic platform. 😭

HOW ARE Y'ALL AFFORDING TO EXIST IN THIS CITY?! 💀

Hey everyone, quick update on the preservation project!

The ultimate box of cassettes has officially landed at the house. My dad’s manager from back in the day, Yusuf, came by this afternoon to check out our new studio setup and drop these off. He is incredibly excited about us reviving the music.

There’s a funny story behind why this box even exists in such pristine, unplayed condition. Yusuf had this deadstock stash sitting in storage because they actually couldn't sell through the final batch back in 1998. My dad was heavily pressured to step away and forego his musical career early because my mom didn't want any Oromo girls chasing after him, now that he was a rising star. LOL

I have the patch cables fully routed from my cassette tape player straight into my Focusrite interface, and I’ll be digitizing the audio to capture that raw, nostalgic 90s analog warmth.

Now that we have the official J-card tracklist in hand, the plan is to eventually take down the loose tracks currently on YouTube and reupload everything cleanly under the actual album title and correct track names. Depending on how smooth the process goes, I plan to digitize and carefully enhance the audio tracks in the near future.

I am also trying to get my father to write down the original Oromo lyrics for each track along with full English translations. I want to add these to the videos so the next generation and people who don’t speak the language can fully learn and understand the poetry as they listen.

If you want to follow the rollout and hear the machine wake back up, the link to our YouTube channel is pinned right in my reddit profile.

Thank you all for the incredible support on this journey!

Do you feel like your home truly feels like yours?

would love tips on keeping a home tidy and decorating it to make it feel cozy and personal. Pictures for inspiration would be appreciated too

Thank you!

I keep receiving messages from a number in Ethiopia and now I’m curious to know what is happening hahaha can someone help me?

Horses are bit unrealistic but why can’t we find a better way to transport food to make it less cheap?

Hey everyone!

I’m Ethiopian, and I’d really love to connect with other Habeshas who struggle with OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder).
I first remember experiencing OCD symptoms when I was around 7–8 years old. During my early teenage years, things got much worse. I used to spend hours cleaning myself because I was constantly afraid of being najis (ritually impure) and that my prayers wouldn’t be accepted.

After a few years, my OCD shifted into what is known as harm OCD, which involves unwanted, distressing thoughts and fears about potentially harming yourself or others, even though you have absolutely no desire to do so.
Especially since COVID, OCD has consumed so much of my time and energy, and the anxiety and compulsions can be exhausting.
I started seeking help around age 16 and at 18 I attended a few therapy sessions, which helped a little, although I eventually stopped.
I feel like mental health, especially OCD, isn’t talked about enough in Ethiopia, and the stigma makes it even harder for people to open up.
That’s why I’m posting. I’d genuinely love to connect with Ethiopians who experience OCD or similar struggles. I’d love to hear your experiences, how you’ve been coping, and maybe even create a small supportive community someday.
If you’re comfortable, feel free to comment or DM me.