ABOUT THE COMMUNITY
Awra Amba is a small, rural community in the Amhara region in the North-West of Ethiopia. It is situated near the cities of Bahir Dar and Gondar. There are just over 400 inhabitants living in Awra Amba who come from different parts of the country, from various cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds.
Awra Amba’s main goal is solving socio-economic problems through helping one another in an environment of egalitarianism—in contrast to the traditional norms of Amhara society. The community opposes the traditional, patriarchal society and instead believes in education, equal labour division and equality between men and women. They believe in a more equal world where humans don’t have to suffer, but live in peace and harmony.
Awra Amba is lauded as a model to alleviate poverty and promote gender equality in a country where women generally hold a subservient status to men. In Awra Amba the men cook and the women plow. They do not have religious practices or places of worship, and are not part of the main organised religions in Ethiopia (Christianity or Islam). They have instead a strong faith in One God and hold high spiritual, ethical and moral standards
SOCIAL SECURITY
The village is unique not only for its attitudes toward gender, religion, and education, but for the social security it provides for its members in need. There is a home for the elderly with 24-hour care and a committee that helps out new mothers, who also get three months of maternity leave. Early and forced marriages are forbidden and female circumcision is not practiced. All children go to school until the age of 18 and some continue on to University. Marriage is only permitted after leaving high school.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The place was founded in the early 1970s by a local, illiterate farmer called Zumra Nuru and a group pf 19 other farmers who shared his beliefs. Due to their revolutionary ideas, the community faced years of opposition from neighbouring communities. During the communist Derg-regime in Ethiopia, things got so bad the community dispersed for many years. Zumra was sent to prison for accusations of being a spy. He was later released and reunited with his compatriots. They returned to the original spot where they used to live, but were only able to regain a fraction of their original land. Zumra remains the leader of the community to this day.
LIVELIHOOD
Today, the main livelihood of the community is weaving, due to lack of farming land. Both men and women work together in the weaving workshop and spinning cotton by hand. They work every day of the year, except on the 11th of September, the Ethiopian New Year. Earnings are split equally between all members and distributed every six months. Once every week the villagers come together to weave for charity. All the money from this day goes to help the weak and the poor.
The community also runs a grain mill, which serves the neighbouring communities as well. People prefer to come and mill their grains in Awra Amba, because they know they won’t get cheated on money. In Awra Amba lying, stealing and dishonesty is forbidden.
SOCIAL STRUCTURE
There are thirteen democratically elected committees in the village advising on matters ranging from maternal health and reproductive rights to conflict resolution. Although, according to Zumra, there is no more need for conflict resolution.
Awra Amba has two schools; one for pre-school children aged 3 – 5, and one for grades 1 – 9 where also children from neighbouring communities study. There is a health centre, an elderly care home, and even a guesthouse for visitors to stay in.
The huts in Awra Amba are very different inside than most huts in rural Ethiopia. Here, all kitchens have a chimney and a proper stove, ensuring the fumes do not stay inside the home and pose a health risk. Many huts have in-built shelving units, surfaces and beds that are raised above ground. The huts are built in a rectangular shape, some with a tin roof.
The community opposes all intoxicants, including coffee, alcohol and chat (a mild local drug). They also do not celebrate weddings or funerals. If someone dies, only 2 – 3 people bury the deceased and get on with their work. They believe in supporting and loving each other while alive, and that there is no afterlife after death. Similarly, there are no other celebrations or religious practices at all. Only on the Ethiopian New Year the community will get together to eat, sing and enjoy themselves.
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