37 Global News Post 1

https://globalvoices.org/2021/09/17/china-as-a-cultural-threat-in-ethiopia-from-food-to-cultural-appropriaton/ by Maria Repnikova

Waddington, R. (2021). [Photograph of Ethiopian men using a donkey solely for transportation and not for food consumption]. Global Voices. https://globalvoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Donkey-Power-Ethiopia.jpg

This article, written by Maria Repnikova, reports on the cultural threats that Ethiopia is receiving after many Chinese enterprises have started entering the country. In Ethiopia, the culture of food is very important to natives. They take pride in many vegetarian based dishes and so most exotic animals are forbidden to be consumed. However, recently Chinese residents have started to illegally take donkeys from Ethiopian farmers and kill and eat them in masses. Many Ethiopians are upset because these slaughterhouses are against religious and moral Ethiopian traditions. There have been many posts on social media ridiculing Chinese immigrants and portraying them as dangerous and unsophisticated.

Not only is there a threat to Ethiopian food customs, but Chinese cultural appropriation has started to develop within Ethiopia. Coffee is one of Ethiopia’s major exports and with that, they have developed their own brewing techniques that use jebena. Jebena are black clay pots used for coffee and can be found in many traditional markets. The Chinese have now created their own version of jebena and are trying to modernize Ethiopian traditions. This has caused natives to react negatively as they are angered that Ethiopian craftsmen are being disrespected. In addition to the replication of traditional clay pots, the Chinese have also started to replicate Ethiopian garments that are used for cultural events. Chinese manufacturing has allowed for cheaper garments to be used which has offended many Ethiopian natives. Although there are many concerns revolving threats to Ethiopian culture, it seems that China and Ethiopia will still engage in business with one another.