who’s side?

Used to be a ferenji in Ethiopia for some 7 years, and there adjusted internally and became habesha (=Ethiopian) by heart. And eventually life led me further, and now I reached point of no return, which ironically involves returning. It is time to move on and move further and return to the land where I was born and where I legally belong (Sweden). But since the change of heart, I prefer to think of myself as someone joining the Ethiopian diaspora for a while. (After all, I leave the country for studying, that is very diasporish.)

So that is one aspect of this blog. Another:

I nowadays find myself in between everything and anything. Really not sure where to lay my hat or who to sympathize with. Big fan of democracy but get the creeps when considering the West’s involvement (past and present) in Africa. Including my own. Yet I love  being in Africa in general and Ethiopia in particular. And I think the world is and will be more and more globalized so that eventually we will all be one people. And I am trying to figure out what the heck I am supposed to do in all this.

So. In here, in my room you will find a curios disorder of topics and interests. Related to Ethiopia, politics, Sweden, gender and immigration. And choco-licorice. And foreign aid, of course, since I have a lot of opinions about that. And the likely mention of media stereotypes of Africa. And comments on weather and personal matters. And book recommendations, most likely.

And so on.

And yes, the blog name. belikke.  I chose it when I first started this blog in 2008 and it is taken from a Teddy Afro (the Ethiopian pop star) song, and the word means “[someone] like me”.

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