Elema is a Borana woman from the village of Gubaluce in the famous Great Rift Valley. The Borana are semi-nomadic pastoralists who live in southern Ethiopia, along the Kenyan border. Among the Borana, the woman and children take care of the livestock. During the dry season, the children fetch water from the clan’s well, a dozen kilometers from the village. Elema has three children: two boys and a girl. Galgalo is 16 years. Her parents are going to marry her soon. Wario, the youngest, is eleven. He has never attended school. There aren’t any in Gubaluce. And the family needs everyone. Doobbaa has to buy a second camel for the long salt journey. Doobbaa: Is this the one you’re selling?
He’s young. Doobbaa: Is he strong? I’m taking a very long trip.
Have you trained him to carry pack saddles? Doobbaa: For a long time?
Buté: He’s the best of the animals. Doobbaa: He looks small to me…
Doobbaa: I’ll give you 3,500. He’s so small! Buté: Buy him. You’ll thank me the rest of your life.
Doobbaa: 3,500. Doobbaa: Here you go.
Buté: Another 200. Buté: Add 200!
Doobbaa: Ok, sold. Buté: 200 more!
Doobbaa: Ok, ok, here you go. The camel is a crucial animal among the Borana. During migrations, it carries all of a family’s property. The females produce a nourishing milk that fortifies the elderly and the ailing. Doobbaa’s ambition is to one day own a large herd of camels. Wario: Is it ours? Did you buy it?
Doobbaa: Yes, I bought it. Wario: He’s handsome.
Doobbaa: Handsome. Very handsome. Wario: He has a bell.
Doobbaa: Yes, it’s for you. Doobbaa: Do you like it? Are you happy?
I can see it in your eyes. Learning to travel is essential in the Borana culture. When a drought starts to kill the livestock, they must move on quickly, sometimes traveling very far. Wario has to learn how to travel long distances. Doobbaa: I need money for a beautiful wedding for my daughter Doobbaa: I’ve heard there’s no more salt at the Arbore market because of fighting on the Chalbi. Doobbaa: Galemdida, you’ll come with me to El Sod and we’ll go sell it in Arobore. Elema: Where is El Soda? Doobbaa: It’s that way… Elema: It that toward Mega? Doobbaa: Farther. Much farther. Elema: Oh … Do you know anyone in Arbore? Doobbaa: No. I’ll sell the salt for a very high price. I’ve heard the cattle there are thin; they are no longer reproducing. Doobbaa: Wario will come with me.
Doobbaa: Arbore is seven days from here. Elema: Who will take care of the animals? I need Wario. Doobbaa: You won’t be alone. Galgalo will help you. She will fetch the water. Galgalo: I know how to get by. Doobbaa: Son, get ready for a long trip. You can handle it, right? Doobbaa: If you do as I say, everything will be fine. Elema: Do you really want to go with your father? Wario: Yes, I want to go with him.
Elema: It’s far away. It’s exhausting. Wario: I’ll see things. I’ll learn. Doobbaa: You will learn. Wario: When do we leave?
Doobbaa: Soon. Very soon. Wario: Give me your blessing. Elema: Be strong, be courageous, may luck go with you. The salt journey will take Doobbaa and his sons to the western borders of the Borana country, 200 kilometers away. They will cross a rugged region, a virtual desert, where water is extremely scarce. The first leg will take them to El Sod. The crater where salt is extracted is some fifty kilometers from Gubaluce. The land is practically flat. It will only take them a day and a half to reach the crater. Wario: Is that it?
Doobbaa: That’s El Soda. Doobbaa: Do you see that deep black water?
The salt is at the bottom. Doobbaa: They have to get it there.
Doobbaa: Do you see those men in the water? They are extracting salt. That is the salt we will buy. The Borana have extracted salt from this enormous deposit formed by the volcano as long as anyone can remember. It lies at the bottom of the El Sod crater lake. The men use poles with pointed tips to break up the lake bed. The mud forms a hard, compact and thick crust; they have to work hard, and hit it as hard as they can to crack it. When a man detaches a large enough block of mud, he sinks into the unbelievably salty water. He crouches on the bottom and using his bare hands, haul up a heavy black chunk he then brings to shore. The El Sod salt lake is both a salvation and a hell for the men who extract the salt. Extracting salt is backbreaking work. These men have to descend to the bottom of the crater their entire lives, without any hope of doing anything else; it’s a question of survival. The water contains so much salt it is as corrosive as acid. It eats into cuts, which never heal. The men coat the smallest scratch with a layer of Vaseline, which keeps the water from directly contacting raw skin. They then attach pieces of simple plastic, like patches. The rags the salt workers wrap around their ankles and wrists don’t offer much protection. They are part of a ritual of preparation, which puts off for a few extra minutes the difficult moment when they have to enter in the water. The men prevent salt water from going up their noses, where it attacks the mucous, by plugging their nostrils with small bags filled with animal fat. The seal their ear canals with Vaseline. The men are in and out of the water all morning long. The salt extraction is highly regulated. The salt workers are all Borana. They belong to a tight-knit brotherhood that selects its members. This brotherhood has from three to four hundred members. The salt workers go down to the base of the crater one after another, and share the profits calculated on the number of times they go into the crater. Those suffering from rheumatism or who are too old to go into the water pack the salt in bags. It’s still early and the lake water is freezing. Exhausted or hungry men shiver, and sometimes, one of them feels faint and has to be brought to the shore by his companions. The mud is quickly washed the remove the largest rocks. The bags weigh around fifty kilos. They are loaded on donkeys, which then climb to the upper edge of the crater. My name is Nura Kalicha. I am eighteen; I was born here, in El Soda. I went down with my father for the first time when I was ten years old. He taught me to extract the salt. He stopped at the age of 75. He couldn’t do it anymore. He could barely stand up. Now it’s up to me to feed my family. My parents, my brothers and sisters. I’m destroying my life here, but I don’t have any other way to live. When you see what has happened to my father. I hate this place. I would like to leave, find a good job, but we’re far from everything, and I didn’t go to school. My name is Momin Hussen. I’m 70 and have eleven children. I’ve been working in the salt lake for 30 years. All the money I earn is used to pay for food. Thank god, I’m still in good health. God gave us this volcano and its salt. A few years ago, I understood that I would be gone before the salt runs out The volcano is 250 meters deep. It takes Nura Kalicha a good half hour to climb the path winding up the side of the crater. Momin can’t keep up the same speed. It takes him nearly an hour to reach to top; Nura Kalicha almost always waits for the old man, who reminds him of his own father. Wario: Look, the donkeys are arriving. Doobbaa: They still have a long way to go. The path doesn’t climb straight up. It goes under where we are now and then heads over there. Doobbaa: Come on, we’ll wait for them at the salt storehouse. Nura Kalicha and the old Momin unload their salt in the storehouses lined up at the rim of the volcano. Several merchants buy salt from the salt-worker cooperative. Doobbaa: Hello, how are you?
Nura Kalicha: Ok, ok Doobbaa: The climb’s not too hard? Several months ago, two businessmen from Addis Ababa tried to get their hands on the salt business, but the salt-workers rebelled. The two men were beaten severely. The salt in stored in structures open to the prevailing winds. It is kept there until it’s dry and is ready to be sold. It loses its original black color as it dries, turning light gray. Depending on its purity, it is sold either for animals or for human consumption. Salt dealer: Hello, my friend, how are you? Doobbaa: Good. So, it looks like you sell salt. Salt dealer: Everything here is for sale. You can buy everything. Doobbaaa: Is it good?
Salt dealer: Is it good? Look. Pick some up.
How much do you need? Doobbaa: One hundred kilos.
Salt dealer: That will cost you 400 birs. (about 35€) Doobbaa: Are you sure it’s good?
Doobbaa: Wario, come here! Taste this for me! Wario: It’s soft. It’s good, I like it. Doobbaa: Give me a good price!
Salt dealer: No! 400 is 400. But I’ll be generous. Salt dealer: He’s funny, your father. He wants me to add another full box in each bag! You want to put me out of business, huh? I’m giving you an extra handful. That’s enough. Salt dealer: One, two, three and four. All paid up. Come back whenever you want! The real salt journey starts after El Sod. Wario will now have to prove himself, show his father and older brother that he, too, is a real Borana: a nomad who loves long, adventurous trips over desert lands. Do you remember how we came here? You have to remember everything. I’ll show you. Here is where we live. We went this way, and then went over here. This is Goraï and this is Dilo. Gardilala
Dubluk We’re going to Madacho. Are you following this? This is the Chalbi, the dry lake we’re going to cross. Doobbaa and his two sons are facing a full five-day, non-stop walk. They will eat rice and flour, and when they need to eat some meat, they will sacrifice the goat. Wario: Let’s stop, I’m tired.
Doobbaa: We’ll stop soon. I’m looking for a good place. Be patient. Doobbaa: Wario, make us a fire. That’s good, you are sheltered from the wind. The Borana believe there are good and bad termite mounds. Doobbaa is convinced that a benevolent spirit lives in the one he has chosen. Galmendida: Harder. Protect the flame. Go on. Don’t burn the whole box.
Do it faster. Doobbaa: What are you doing? Doobbaa: Do you know where El Soda is?
Wario: Yes, I know. Doobbaa: It’s over there, toward the sunset.
Wario: El Soda is that way! Doobbaa: Do you remember? Galemdida: Is Arbore still far away?
Doobbaa: Yes, Arbore is far. Doobbaa: Are you worried?
Galemdida: I’m not worried, I just want to know. Doobbaa: I know the way, don’t worry, I know exactly where we’re going. Galemdida: Will we get water at Madacho? Doobbaa: In Madacho! We’ll be there tomorrow. Galemdida: Do you think the wells will be ready? Doobbaa: It’s already dry. The wells are operating. After that, there’s no more water. We’ll take all we can. Wario: I’m going to sleep. At one time, the Madacho crater was filled with water, but the drought in the region was so severe the lake disappeared underground. The Borana who raise cattle around the crater had to dig deeper and deeper wells. The Borana wells, nicknamed the “singing wells,” are famous throughout the Horn of Africa. Digging at the Madacho wells started over sixty years ago. The structures are constantly changing. It’s nearly fifty meters from the mounds of dirt surrounding the well to the water deep below in the ground. Six men pass buckets from hand to hand, bringing the water up to an intermediate reservoir. From there, three men fill the water troughs. The repetitive chants that resonate in the well are work songs: they create a rhythm that keeps everyone working at the same pace. The wells are cleaned out at the start of the dry season, and during the first few weeks the water is still muddy. Water is so scarce and so valuable here that people drink it as it comes, muddy or not. The camels can now walk for a full week without drinking any more water, while cows, sheep and donkeys have to come to the well every two days. Each well belongs to a clan and is run collectively. The herds come to the well according to a organized schedule. The clan’s young men draw up the water, and they also make sure it remains operating correctly, which requires a great deal of work. People who are not members of the owner clan, like Doobbaa and his sons, can bring their animals to drink, but they must first ask permission from the owners and given something in exchange. Doobbaa and his sons are now embarking on the most dangerous part of the trip. The dry lake of Chew Bahir, which the Borana call Chalbi, is a no-man’s-land where cattle thieves lurk. Here, the Borana and Hamer fight over pasturelands and water with guns. There are frequent clashes between the two enemies. Wario has walked the entire day alongside the camels. He is exhausted, and sore all over. Wario: Men!
Doobbaa: Yes, men. Galemdida: Let’s go, we’re not staying here.
Doobbaa: Calm down, it’s doesn’t help to panic. Doobbaa: They look like they are boys from our side. Doobbaa: The way those young man look worries me. Doobbaa: Hello boys, how are you? Where do you come from?
Are you from here? The young Borana spend several years working for their people, depending the territory against rival groups. Trained by experienced warriors, they are, in effect, performing their military service. Boy: Have you seen the Hamer? Doobbaa: If we had seen any Hamer, we wouldn’t be here to tell you about it. Doobbaa: They would have robbed us, maybe even killed us. Doobbaa: Are there Hamer around here? Boy: There are signs of them everywhere. Doobbaa: Let’s go. We’ll camp farther on. Despite Wario’s fatigue, Doobbaa and his sons set off again. They will cross the Chalbi farther down. Doobbaa and his boys have reached one of the many shelters under the rocks scattered all around the lake; all that remains are a few mosquito-infested puddles. The banks of the Chew Bahir have been inhabited from time immemorial. The walls of the shelter are covered with prehistoric engravings of antelopes, giraffes and elephants. The rock fortresses around the lake have always provided shelter to hunters. Doobbaa and his sons need meat to boost their energy. Galemdida sacrificed the goat. Wario understand and doesn’t say anything. Six of us left from Marmaro. We set out walking at 7 in the morning. There was a huge problem: we were at war with the Hamer. The Hamer steal the Borana’s livestock. They take shelter here, they kill oryx and gazelles, eat them and then attack us. We also steal cattle from the Hamer. We kill oryx, zebras and eat them here. We fought in the middle. It’s impossible to imagine, it was a terrible thing. I killed enemies. There were many dead, here, there… Everywhere! It’s a very dangerous place. There are often people in the rocks. The Hamar hide here to kill us. At night, we have bad dreams. This place is full of demons. Wario, Wario, wake up, you’ve rested enough. Come on. Wario, look. Over there, the big mountain is Gara Mountain. Our men steal the Hamar cattle there. Wario: And there? Doobbaa: Taltahol. Wario: And that way? Doobbaa: That mountain? That my boy, is enemy territory. The village of Turmi. We’re not going that way, don’t worry, we’re going this way Arbore is over there. When the sun rises, we’re on our way. Wario: There’s something over there! The Chalbi is one of the hottest places on the planet. The Borana have great respect for the sun. They are looking for shelter before their shadows get too small. It’s 11 in the morning, and it’s 50 degrees in the shade. Doobbaa and his sons take a break. They have to drink a little, but regularly, to keep from getting dehydrated. Doobbaa: The hardest part is behind us now. Load your camel, show me what you know how to do. Take the rope. Put it through here
And around. Underneath now. Loading a camel is both very simple and very complicated. If the pack saddle moves, it can injure the animal. The camel always complains that the ropes are too tight. Doobbaa: Tighter, more! Don’t worry about him. Wario performed the exercise reasonably well. He knows how to balance the load on the camel’s back. After an exhausting five days of walking, the three have finally crossed the fearsome Chew Bahir. Arobre is on the other side of the hill. Wario managed very well. The village of Arbore is named for the people who live there: the Arbore, who live in harmony with all their neighbors. The village is a haven of peace in this region of conflicts. All the people who live around Chew Bahir can walk around without fear, and lifelong enemies mingle here. The market is held every Monday morning under the trees at the southern edge of the village. No one has seen a camel at the market for a long time, and the arrival of Doobbaa’s animals arouses great interest. The Hamar women who live on the river’s west bank sell tomatoes here. The Arbore offer coffee pulp. The Tsamai buy firewood. The Konso, who are traditional enemies of the Borana, sell corn and sorghum. Even though the weapons have been temporarily set aside, no one forgets who is who. Woman in the crowd: So, you, you’re a Borana! Doobbaa: Me? Woman: You look like a Borana. Man and woman in the crowd: Of course he’s a Borana. Doobbaa: I’m an Arci. Woman in the crowd: He says he’s an Arci, but look at his son. That’s a Borana kid! Doobbaa doesn’t have anything to worry about at the market. But he’s a cautious man by nature, and so refuses to admit his ethnic background. The Arci are not at war at the moment. No one has seen any salt on the Arbore market for a long time. Lots of people are surprised. Galemdida: It comes from El Sod. You won’t find any better. Man: How much are you selling it for? Galemdida: Five birs the bcanox. (0,40€) Man: Give me a price and I’ll buy everything you have. Doobbaa: No! We sell our salt by the can; it’s good, we’ll sell it all ourselves. Galemdida: It’s 5 for a can. Doobbaa’s gamble paid off. His salt is a huge success! With the money he has made, he can give his young daughter a beautiful wedding. Doobbaa: So Wario, we made the trip, didn’t we!
What do you think of the people you saw here? Wario: There are so many, they are so different from us Doobbaa: Don’t you think they look strange? Wario: The most surprising are the clothes made of animal skins Doobbaa: The Arbore! It’s goat’s skin. Doobbaa: And the women with red hair? Wario: Red hair. Doobbaa: Are they beautiful? Wario: Very beautiful. Wario: They all speak different languages. We don’t understand each other very well. Doobbaa: I have to tell you I’m happy I brought you along. You did well. You must follow the sun your entire life. When it rises, you rise. When it is in the sky, you work. When it sets, you sleep. Remember this, even when I’m no longer here. Wario: I would like to come back here. Doobbaa: Now you know the way.
Thanks for sharing this. It was captivating from start to end.
Brought me to tears when they entered the market in Chew Bahir.
The Borana, Konso, and Hammer all in one place. Just beautiful.
(you see the hammers emerge as the Boranas enter the market)
This was beautiful frfr, thank you for sharing ❤️
This is the best documentary about Ethiopia I have seen in years!
I love the scene when the father and the boy chatting at the cafe - "What do you think of the people you saw here?"
It is an unforgettable experience. Thanks for sharing.