Bethel Yalew
Ethiopia
My name is Bethel Yalew. I was born in Bahir Dar,
Ethiopia. I am a high school student living in one of the beautiful countries
of Africa.
When I was a child I used to like drawing and watching
Disney. Disney was my favorite channel. The shows on Disney are all in English
(which is not my first language) and the characters reflect the life style of
America, which is totally different from Ethiopians. I used to watch how
American children interact with their parents, teachers and other people.
And I thought that is how children are raised back then.
It turns out, it is a whole different way in my society. My friends and I were
so into Disney that we were somehow not abiding the norms and customs of our
society or we used to do some things the western way. Just because we saw it on
TV, we want to do it at home for no reason. I don¹t know why they celebrate
their 16th birthday in a special way, but I've seen them doing it. So I
bothered my parents to do the same thing for me. My mom didn¹t like the party
and stuff because it¹s not common here. But she let me do it, though I didn¹t
get a car.
At some point I used to believe that everything that I see
on TV is real. Last year I got the chance to visit America. So I was able to
talk with Ethiopian-American students. They told me that everything I saw on TV
was not actually real, it was not either totally fake. My attitude was a bit
changed.
In the same year I applied for Yale Young African
Scholars (YYAS) program, a 5 days summer program for high school students. I
got accepted. When I applied, I had no idea what the program was really about.
Because it was the first round and I'd never heard of it before.
But it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. 2014
YYAS was held in Ghana and Ethiopia. I attended the Ethiopia program. 51
students including me, who came from across Africa, gathered in Debre Zeit for 5
unforgettable days. We took life changing lectures and seminars and we had
workshops and project groups. For me, the most important part of the program
was the interaction I had with the students. Because most of the students,
especially those who were not from Ethiopia know a lot about their continent.
They told me different things about Africa. I felt something strange like I'm a
foreigner. I didn't like that feeling. Then I started questioning myself. Who
am I?
Where do I belong? What is my society? What do I know
about my continent? And the like. I couldn't find answers for some of my
questions.
On the last night of YYAS we had a talent show. I was
sitting with my new friends who were from Kenya, Ethiopia and Botswana. It was
just four days since I met them, but we look like life time friends. We were
watching the talent show.
After all the acts, all of the people in the hall started
dancing with different African music. My Kenyan friend and I were taking
pictures. I was looking at happy faces, laughing and dancing. I took a moment
to realize everything. Students and instructors, who were all African children,
were enjoying the dance. No one seems sad.
 |
| Students dancing on the last night in Ethiopia |
There was the future of Africa and I was part of it. So I
answered some of my questions. That evening changed everything because that is
where my “Africanism” began. And I want to thank YYASP for the experiences I
got. God bless Africa!
