In the 1980s, as part of its revolutionary commitment to international cooperation, Cuba provided scholarships to Ethiopians and other African nationals. On La Isla de la Juventud, the Isle of Youth, were four specially designed schools where thousands of Ethiopian children, most of them orphans and children of fallen of the Ethio-Somalia war, headed in batches to study. The education program, conceived by Fidel Castro, was run largely by Cuban teachers. But accompanying the Ethiopian children were a few teachers from their own country, who came to teach them Amharic, and the history and geography of Ethiopia. Among those teachers were Elias Ibrahim, now aged 70, who lives in Addis Ababa and works as a French teacher at the Alliance Ethio-Française.
“My father was one of the first conductors of the coal train in the French-built train line from Djibouti and to Addis Ababa. Since he was francophone, I was naturally sent to the French mission school in Dire Dawa. As Dire Dawa was a multi-ethnic town, I spoke other indigenous languages, Amharic, Oromo, Somali, Harari. I also learned Arabic at Koranic School and I became fluent in the language, which I used in countless situations in my later life, including teaching it at Awolia Islamic School in Addis Ababa. For my high school studies, I moved to Addis Ababa. I studied for four years at what was then called École normale which today is known as Tikur Anbessa Senior Secondary School, on the nearby school Lycee G/Mariam French School. I majored in French, minored in Amharic.
I joined the world of teaching in Mekele’s Atse Yohannes School in 1973 at the time when the Imperial regime was on the verge of collapse under the pressure of student movement and peasant’s demand for land reform. The Emperor decided to change his cabinet and placed Endalkachew Makonnen’s Cabinet. After a year, I went to France. When Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed, I was in Besançon, eastern France on a scholarship program. When the military Derg regime was maintaining its grip in power, we were told that we should come back home to show our loyalty. We did come. We were told to go back to our former posts. I went back to Mekele. I think I stayed for three years more. I also participated in rural enlightenment and military campaign, required of me for a socialist transformation. I was told that as I made a revolutionary contribution, I was chosen to go to Cuba. It was an Amharic language teaching post offered to be part of the scholarship program that the island offered to the young people. It was decided that myself and some others would accompany the students to travel with them, live with them, provide them care, and help them preserve their linguistic identity. The government was convinced that upon their return home, they would no face reintegration problems.
From the very start, I participated in the selection process of the children to be sent and orientation program that took place at Tatek military camp at the outskirts of Addis Ababa. There was one batch that already left before us and there were problems encountered. Some of the kids disappeared on the way. Hence, this time we were told to be more prudent. We had to make sure that the kids were really orphans and had at least one parent died.
Upon arriving in Cuba, I quickly fell in love with la Isla de la Juventud, the Isle of Youth, which was a pleasant island to live. The weather was wonderful, had a cool sea breeze, joie de vivre. The people were warm, friendly. I also enjoyed working with my compatriots, teachers. I particularly formed a strong bond with Colonel Assefa Berhe, the head of the education program, who was a disciplined colonel of the Ethiopian Air Force, an impressive man and role model. I received three months of training in the Spanish language.
When we arrived there, two schools dedicated for Ethiopian students were already established and working, Karamara and Mengistu Hailemariam schools. Two more schools were opened upon our arrivals, named Sene 21 and Kore. I started teaching at Sene 21. These teaching centers were made up of two or three four-story, modern buildings, which were used for dormitories, and classrooms, another one story one was for the kitchen, dining room and other services, they were all joined together by wide halls. They also had a theatre, cafeteria, sports fields, gardens, and a living room in each floor. There the students received free schooling, which included uniforms, books, food. Regarding medical attention, in the four schools, there were medical posts and admission halls for cases of simple sicknesses. More specialized attention would be given in the nearby town, reached on a ferry. Their medical and safety services were top notch.
Fidel Castro himself came on a couple of occasions to visit us, keeping a watch eye on the students, questioning the students on what they were learning and what they were eating. He spent hours eating with the students, which gave me the chance of seeing the Cuban hero in person. He was the man of the people. Simple, humble, engaging, charismatic person. Fidel had a special interest in the island because he had once been imprisoned there for nineteen months.
On special occasions, the Ethiopian children outshone for cultural-artistic performances. They showed that they deeply cultivated the love for the musical traditions and the folkloric dances of their country.
My stay in Cuba was wonderful, life-changing, and enriching. I experienced the exhilaration of making a meaningful contribution while learning a vast amount and gaining new understandings which had a positive impact on the rest of my life. I not only completed my two-year service but stayed for another two years.
Today I am happy to see some of those kids have become prominent people and most of them have come back here where their skills in demand. There are around 30 doctors in Addis Ababa, working for the government or international NGOs. Two graduated in computer sciences, Shimeles Kinde and Tibebe Digafe who later had a big role in developing Amharic software. There are others in tourism businesses and many other government posts.
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