I wanted to say something in reply to some
folks' thinking that it would already be very expensive and unaffordable for
people in Ethiopia to eat meat and that the vegan concept won't be needed as it
should be in western and more affluent societies. But I tell you if you think
like that, you got it wrong. Because we have the most meat loving society here
together with the largest number of livestock in Africa and among the top ten
in the world. This tells we consume many non-human animals and there is more
elevated suffering and death for our non human animal co-citizens as the number
of murdered is higher compared to the amount of meat and secretions consumed
considering the less "efficiency" of local breeds in the
agriculturalists' terms in a very animal agriculture and products dependant
country. Besides, if you ask here if what would be the kind of meal that
someone loves , you'd be amazed that most people would reply raw meat in being
the answer and chicken stew is considered to be among the most prestigious dish
despite the many available vegan friendly choices of dishes which are mostly
considered to be lowly or for the lowly or for fasting times only. People would
sometimes even salivate by the sight of a live fat ox or ram and wish it to be
on their meal. We also have almost absent concerns for the death or murder of
our innocent nonhuman animal friends that at home slaughter is experienced at
almost all families in Ethiopia. Literally the famous glass wall slaughterhouse
theory by Paul McCartney wont work here as it does in other places. It's
usually a saddening reminder as a vegan here to see a person holding a
slaughtering knife with one hand and with the other dragging a terrified
stubborn ram by its hind legs on the streets to take it to a
"suitable" place for the animal's verdict for being an innocent but
tasty food and everybody not minding. People eat meat or anything you may call
from a part of a dead animal especially cattle and small ruminants as well as
poultry products more than anyone imagines. The small number of people living
in the cities and their poorest members who can not afford to buy meat would
most of the time resort to consuming other parts of mutilated animal body parts
that would otherwise be considered inedible by the richer segment while anyone
from the great majority of the Ethiopian society meaning the rural society poor
or not can raise their own animals at their backyard for their own consumption.
We even have tribes that milk the blood out of a live cow to be consumed raw
immediately after. I do not agree with the accuracy of the statistics putting
Ethiopians' animal products' consumption rate at low. I wish it was that way.
But where are all those millions of farmed animals going despite the greatest
lust for their parts and secretions
among the local community? Certainly they are not being kept in sanctuaries.
Even so, the number of animals suffering and being murdered by far exceeds the
consumptions rate as I cited the reason earlier that the efficiency of our
breeds is considered very inferior.
Consequently we're paying the price for all the cruel acts we're
committing to our animal friends in the forms of land degradation, compaction,
overgrazing, pollution, climate change, biodiversity destruction etc that
resulted in famines, elongated food insecurity and conflicts. The worst thing
is despite all these facts Ethiopia is currently among the fastest developing
countries in the world and western food and
culture being the trendy way here together with the lust for animal
products and the indifference for the consequences, it is easy to imagine what
the future could be. Almost all members of our society understand or know nothing about veganism.
They have not heard of it or never imagined that anyone would abstain from
animal products for the sake of compassion or health or any other reason except
in cases of some alien religious views.
All of this implies vegan education is very much needed here and
veganism needs to be widespread enough from only a handful of vegans in the
country at the moment. We need to be educated in order to be less dependant on
animal agriculture. It is however very difficult to teach such a totally
oblivious and religious bound society on the issues of needing to go
vegan. And a vegan advocate or activist
can sometimes be labeled parrot for western societies and could often face
stiff resistance for no good reason. Ethiopia can be one of the easiest and cheapest
places to be vegan though. Generally veganism here should not only be the way
of healthy and compassionate diet or lifestyle but also the ultimate means for
the survival of the country and the well being of all its citizens humans and
non humans alike.
Even if all of this was not taken into
account, the fact that anyone is forced to live vegan for economic or any other
reason while still having cravings for animal parts does not make that person
vegan in my opinion. Particularly if the person is willing to return to her/his
non vegan diet by the time the case forcing him/her is no longer there. This person wont stay that way for long
anyway. I mean I have heard of some tribes here that if they stayed for a while
without consuming raw meat they would sit in front of a butchers shop where
huge lumps of meat are displayed to
simulate consuming the raw meat while having bread in their hands. These
people can't be said vegans at all.
Cheers!!
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