The People of Traditional Markets
EatSafe's Story Sourcing in Hawassa, Ethiopia
Traditional markets are the lifeblood of communities around the world. They are places where vendors hustle to make a living and millions of consumers search and buy food that feeds their families. These “open air” markets can and should always be a place to find safe and nutritious foods.
But vendors face the ever-present challenge of providing safe food in largely unregulated environments. Likewise, consumers must constantly make split decisions on what foods will be safe. These challenges, for both vendors and consumers, can be particularly difficult with the most nutritious foods – such as meat, dairy, and green leafy vegetables – as these are the foods most at risk for bacterial and other microbial contamination.
In May 2022, EatSafe collaborated with four local journalists to peek into the lives of vendors and consumers at one traditional food market in Hawassa, Ethiopia. We call this Story Sourcing.
Evidence and Action Towards Safe and Nutritious Food (EatSafe) is looking to positively impact behavior around food safety practices in traditional markets around the world.
As part of the program, Story Sourcing uses journalistic techniques to uncover stories and anecdotes from daily life that sheds light on people's motivations, fears, and aspirations. These stories, in turn, help guide the design and development of EatSafe food safety interventions.
EatSafe previously conducted this work at traditional markets in Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria.
Family Stories
Many of the stories focus on dramatic happenings within a family. Universal in nature, this theme was top-of-mind for many interviewees likely because family dramas have a way of searing themselves into memory, as they are often pivot points in the timeline of one’s life. Stories revolve around marital issues, parenthood, and loss, which are, of course, some of the most prime material for any compelling story, as these kinds of family dramas have a way of immediately leading to empathy on part of the listener.
Hawassa (sometimes referred to as Awasa) City was established in 1960. Hawassa is one of the top ten most populated cities in Ethiopia, with an estimated population of 400,000. However, actual population could be much higher, due to sprawling formal and informal settlements in recent years.
The city gets its name from the nearby Hawassa Lake, which provides fishing and eco-tourism for southern Ethiopia. Hawassa functions as a trade hub for food and other agricultural products, and it is the home of Hawassa University.
Click on the photos below to read their stories.
As the heart of the city, the market is the perfect place to meet the Hawassa community.
EatSafe: Evidence and Action Towards Safe,
Nutritious Food
These 24 stories were discovered amongst people shopping and selling in Aroge Gebeya, the largest and most bustling open traditional market in Hawassa, Ethiopia.
Nearly everyone gets their food at this market.
The market is important for women’s economic empowerment. Women make up about 80% of vendors here.
With 3,000 stalls and many more unofficial vendors, you can find almost anything you need.
DREAMS AND ASPIRATIONS
Community Support
Supporting one another emerged as an important theme in many of the stories, which include remarkable acts of compassion and help to those that had fallen on difficult times. As noted by many, life in the market is challenging and requires a lot of hustle, so when an unexpected circumstance, like a fire or a theft, ruins one’s key method of earning a living, the community would step up to help. This idea of community support appears to be culturally engrained, as these stories follow a very similar pattern with the community gathering funds together to help someone who had lost something essential to their livelihood.
For more information, contact eatsafe@gainhealth.org, visit our website at gainhealth.org, or click here.
Authored and Produced by Pierce Mill Media
This webpage was made possible through support provided by Feed The Future through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), under the terms of Agreement #7200AA19CA00010. The opinions expressed herein are those of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
Adventures with Food
Most interviews were conducted in the market, and our journalists identified themselves as being part of EatSafe. So, it is not surprising that the theme of food is present in many of the stories. The accounts here range from the funny to the serious, but all show how important good and safe food is to the community.
Dreams and Aspirations
Many of those interviewed used the opportunity to talk about their dreams and aspirations or those of the ones close to them. In several instances, men talk about how, even in the face of ridicule, they happily take on domestic duties typically handled by women. They not only feel it is their obligation to help the family, but also want to be role models for their children by normalizing activities for men like shopping or cooking. Story Scouts also heard numerous accounts of consumers and vendors sacrificing their dreams for the good of their family or for economic reasons. These sacrifices do not lead to bitterness or resentment; rather, they are noted as a key part of one’s identity.
Maya Misikir
Maya F. Misikir has been writing for almost 10 years as a Senior Reporter/Editor at Ethiopia Insight and Deputy Editor-In-Chief at Addis Fortune. She has conducted hundreds of interviews with government officials and with people engaged in various sectors in Ethiopia. She has traveled across Ethiopia to cover different stories; from the the country's northern region in Tigray at the onset of the conflict for a story on healthcare and displacement, to Afar for a story on seasonal floods, to Hawassa to cover developments related to the industrial park and politics of the region. She holds a law degree from Addis Ababa University.
Solomon Yimer
Based in Addis Ababa Ethiopia, Solomon Yimer has been a freelance journalist and editor for nearly a decade. He has written for Addis Fortune, The Ethiopian Reporter, Ethiopia Insight, and many other local and international publications. He has a BA in English Language and Literature from Wollo University.
Mintesnot Kasa
A native of Hawassa, Mintesnot Kasa Meshesha has worked for decades years as a reporter, editor, and writer for English-language, electronic and print media outlets, including The Ethiopian Herald and Ethiopian Television (ETV). He also worked as educational TV and video program producer for the Educational Media Agency (EMA). Currently, he is working as a private development communication consultant, mostly with local and international NGOs such as Agriteam Canada, Poverty Action Network, International Institute for Rural Reconstruction, among others. He holds a master’s degree in development communication from University of Philippines. He is a native Amharic and Sidamigna speaker.
Snetsehay Assefa
Snetsehay Assefa has extensive experience writing articles and formal reports for ogranizations such asAddis Fortune, BBC Radio, Africa Is a Country, ARD German TV Network, ZDF German TV, the United Nations University, the US based Worker Rights Consortium, Transparent, and Brooke Ethiopia. She holds a master’s degree in African Studies specialization in Human and Economic Development in Africa from Addis Ababa University.
Journalists
Hawassa (sometimes referred to as Awasa) City was established in 1960. Hawassa is one of the top ten most populated cities in Ethiopia, with an estimated population of 400,000. However, actual population could be much higher, due to sprawling formal and informal settlements in recent years.
The city gets its name from the nearby Hawassa Lake, which provides fishing and eco-tourism for southern Ethiopia. Hawassa functions as a trade hub for food and other agricultural products, and it is the home of Hawassa University.
As the heart of the city, the market is the perfect place to meet the Hawassa community.
