When Ethiopia qualified for the African Cup of Nations (Afcon) in March 2021, its capital, Addis Ababa, exploded with joy.
Droves of flag-waving youths took to the streets in celebration, bringing what would have otherwise been bustling traffic in some areas to a standstill.
Drivers didn’t seem to care as the blaring of their horns filled the air.
“I remember boarding a taxi minibus and getting a ride home free of charge,” recalls Wondimu Temesgen, an Ethiopian football fan.
“A lot of public transportation drivers drove people free of charge that day!”
Our team is composed of players with different backgrounds and truly represents Ethiopia and its nations and nationalities
Ebawak Tesfaye,
sports journalist
The success of the national team, nicknamed the Walias after the mountain goat endemic to northern Ethiopia, was a bright spark in an otherwise dark year.
Once listed as a beacon of stability in the Horn of Africa region and among the fastest-growing economies in Africa, a tragic reversal of fortunes plunged the country into a devastating civil war last year. Tens of thousands have died; famine and displacement have harmed millions more.
In the lead up to the final round of qualifying fixtures, members of Ethiopia’s national team have expressed a desire to not only win their country its first Afcon berth since 2013, but to foster unity in the process.
As the Walias prepare to face Cape Verde in the first round of the competition on Sunday, those calls for unity may not have reached Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region. Tigray is home to about 5 per cent of Ethiopia’s 115 million-strong population, as well as the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, which governs the region and has been at war with federal government forces since November 2020.
War in Tigray leaks out of restive region
Years of worsening tension between Addis Ababa and the TPLF eventually gave way to violence when Tigray forces launched late-night ambushes against federal army bases on November 3. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed responded by declaring all-out war, deploying the full might of the Ethiopian army, backed by soldiers from allied neighbouring Eritrea.
As territory changed hands repeatedly during a year of conflict, Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers were accused of ethnic cleansing, weaponised rape and civilian massacres. Tigrayans taking new territory were also accused of killing indiscriminately and looting.
Eventually, rebuffed by a strong Ethiopian recruitment drive and an arsenal of newly purchased drones, Tigrayan forces withdrew to their frontier, resulting in the current bloody stalemate.
In Tigray, a federal government-enacted blockade has left millions without food and hospitals running out of medicine. The war has effectively torn the social fabric that had bound Tigrayans to the rest of Ethiopia. For Tigrayans who are increasingly contemplating separation from Ethiopia, the footballers’ exploits mean little.
“I don’t think there is a single Tigrayan who cares about sport right now, let alone the national team,” said 32-year-old Abraha, an ethnic Tigrayan who lives in Amsterdam.
Abraha, who asked to be identified only by his first name, says he was formerly a fan of the Walias, and recalls with bitter fondness now, memories of the last time Ethiopia qualified for Africa’s most prestigious sporting competition. On that day in October 2012, Ethiopia defeated Sudan 2-0 at Addis Ababa stadium, a result that led the Walias to a major international tournament for the first time since 1982.
Abraha was in Axum, Tigray, at the time.
“I watched the game on television with friends and neighbours. When the game ended, we ran into the streets where so many were already out with their faces painted in green, yellow and red colours,” he said.
“I know several who were celebrating that day who died in the massacre.”
He was referring to the killing of hundreds of men and boys in Axum by Eritrean soldiers in late 2020.
“They don’t see us as Ethiopians anyway. I won’t watch the games.”
Ethiopia’s successful qualification for the 2013 Afcon was a mini footballing renaissance of sorts and the team nearly qualified for the 2014 World Cup.
In the years that followed, new stadiums were built in an effort to maintain the momentum.
One of them was the Woldia stadium. About 500 kilometres north of Addis Ababa, it was built at a cost of $22 million and was largely paid for by Ethiopian-Saudi billionaire and Woldia native Mohammed Al Amoudi to cater to the city’s growing football potential.
Woldia was recently freed from rebel control after Tigrayan troops withdrew, ending their six-month stint in control of the town. Residents spoke to The National of shortages of food, water and electricity as the rebels looted homes and businesses, murdering those who stood in their way.
Images of the looted Woldia stadium’s café and recreation centre have made the rounds on social media. The surrounding area was heavily shelled by TPLF forces when they entered the town in August.
Mobile internet and phone services were only recently restored to the town. When asked about Ethiopia’s prospects of putting on a good showing at the Afcon, one resident broke into ironic laughter.
“There’s no power here. How would we be able to watch the games?” the young man said. “Soldiers were delivering water door to door just last week. We need our basic needs met.”
First to arrive at Afcon 2021
The Walias were the first team to set up camp in Cameroon, buoyed by a desire to provide some respite for their fans and facing no pressure to perform.
Headed to the tournament as minnows, the second-lowest-ranked side will mark their eight-year wait to return to major international football by a baptism of fire, including a January 13 match with host nation Cameroon.
At least one member of the country’s sports press corps hopes the team will inspire others with more than their feted short passing game.
“Our team is composed of players with different backgrounds and truly represents Ethiopia and its nations and nationalities,” sportswriter Ebawak Tesfaye told The National.
“During this period of turmoil and chaos, they are a symbol of unity. I am personally excited to see this team back where it belongs.”
Ethiopia will seek to emulate Iraq’s Asia Cup winning team of 2007, Libya’s African Nations Championship winning side of 2014 and, more recently, the Yemeni team that clinched the U-15 West Asian title last month, as war-torn countries that tasted footballing glory.
Meatless Days
Sara Suleri, with an introduction by Kamila Shamsie
Penguin
THE BIO
Age: 30
Favourite book: The Power of Habit
Favourite quote: "The world is full of good people, if you cannot find one, be one"
Favourite exercise: The snatch
Favourite colour: Blue
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
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Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
SPECS
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
