Eritrea
State of Eritrea Eastern Africa AREA 45K mi²; 118K km² ARABLE 6% POP 6.4M (142/mi²; 54/km²) GOV’T Authoritarian CAPITAL Asmara (1.2M) GDP/CAPITA $700 UNEMPLOYMENT 6% IN POVERTY 66% % WEALTH HELD BY TOP 10% NA LIFE EXP 68 years MEDIAN AGE 22 yrs INFANT MORT 39/1K live births (29th) LITERACY 77% INTERNET USERS 20% LANGUAGES Tigrinya, Arabic, and English (all official), Tigre, Kunama, Afar, other Cushitic languages RELIGIONS Eritrean Orthodox 49%, Sunni Muslim 49%, Roman Catholic & Evangelical Lutheran 2% HEALTH 4% of GDP EDUCATION NA MILITARY 10% of GDP GDP BY SECTOR Largely agrarian PCVs 1995–1998 CURRENT: 0, TTD: 85 |  Eritrea Churches, temples, and mosques worldwide are often places of artistic, cultural, and religious pride. So it is with Enda Mariam, or St. Mary’s Cathedral, in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea. It is the seat of the patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo faith that dates back to the 4th century. Rebuilt in 1938 during the Italian occupation, Enda Mariam’s modernist brick and stone facade is a nod to the architecture of the ancient Aksumite Kingdom, and its magnificent seven-panel mural is a mosaic of tiny glass. |
Adult Books
Eradicating Smallpox in Ethiopia: Peace Corps Volunteers’ Accounts of Their Adventures, Challenges and Achievements
By James Skelton, Gene L. Bartley et al., eds.
Genre: Anthology
Publisher: Peace Corps Writers, 2019
Language: English
Print length: 486 pages
ISBN-10: 195044404X
ISBN-13: 978-1950444045
Amazon Ratings: 4.6/5
Summary:
This anthology tells first-hand stories of Peace Corps Volunteers’ experiences helping to eradicate smallpox in Ethiopia in the early 1970s when Ethiopia was reporting more smallpox cases than any other country in the world.
The World Health Organization had high praise for the book: “an important addition to the historical record about the first human disease to be eradicated,” says D.A. Henderson, former Director of the Global Smallpox Eradication Program.
Awards:
Winner — 2020 Moretz Thomsen Experience Award for best depiction of life in the Peace Corps
“The book is entertaining to read. This serious story is served up with large dollops of humor, delightful tales of daring, and loads of information about fighting infectious diseases that makes the book very contemporary.” —Barry Hillenbrand, former PCV and Time magazine correspondent
Kids' Books
The Gabi That Girma Wore
By Fesika Adefris and Sara Holly Ackerman, illustrated by Netsanet Tesfay
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2024
Format: 40 pgs, col. illus.
ISBN-10: 0316470775
ISBN-13: 978-0316470773
Age Range: 4–8 yrs.
Summary:
Girma wears a gabi, a traditional Ethiopian garment. This tells the story of the making of the gabi cloth from the seed, to the weaver, to market. Perfect to read out loud.
Awards:
Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choice 2025
Chicago Public Library Best Books 2024
“A winsome piece of industry, charmingly told, and perfect for reading aloud. Tesfay’s illustrations simply vibrate with color, movement, and details for children to pore over… A glorious, too-brief glimpse of Ethiopia for elementary-age children.” —School Library Journal
Films
Film: Running Against the Wind
Director: Jan Philipp Weyl
Genre: Crime Drama
Release Date: 2019
Language: Amharic
Run Time: 116 minutes
Synopsis: One brother dreams of becoming an Olympic runner while the other aspires to be a photographer. They go separate ways, but their paths cross again as adults. After an emotional reunion, Abdi tries to pull Solomon out of his precarious situation, but fate has other plans.
Reviews: This film was selected as the Ethiopian entry for the 92nd Academy Awards. Reviews praise the performances and its accurate portrait of modern Ethiopia—its conflicts, its culture, its beauty. Jennie Kermode, in Eye for Film, writes that it “certainly won’t disappoint.”
Available: Prime Video
Music
Mulatu Astatke: Mulatu of Ethiopia
