Faces of Poverty

This paper tells the story of four families in Gdta in South Wdlo, a Muslim community in rural Ethiopia with a long history. It depicts their lives during a recent period of drought and famine, where the effects of the killer famine of 1984 are still felt. The story provides a rare glimpse of the human suffering behind the grim statistics of poverty and famine in the country. The stories tell of their trading activities and links with the district town, providing insights into the relationships, tensions, and bonds of reciprocity between urban and rural communities. Harald Aspen is Associate Professor of social anthropology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.