Mazge Gazeto
Tribal elder, Gamo people, Ethiopia
In the past, nature and humans were very close. When we pray it rains and as we make a prayer our land yields well.
These days, people are not respecting the traditional way of life, our rituals are being neglected and elders are being neglected.
These days we don’t practice these traditions.
The climate is changing now, we are starving, we need our traditional way of life, it keeps a relationship with nature.
'People are starving, we need our traditional way of life'
In my childhood our land was productive, now it is unlike what I have seen in my childhood. It rains when it is expected to be sunny and there is drought when it should rain. Now because of climate change we are starving.
In the past when the birds sing they tell us it is land preparation season - tillage season, some animals also tell us. Because our rituals are neglected we don’t listen to these things.
As an elder what I believe is if we perform rituals like our fathers were doing, things we are facing now can be solved in the future.