Mereja.Forum

[Misraq]

Every culture or ethnicity possesses a collective psychology that is identifiable by outsiders, representing the shared mindset of the majority within that group. This leads to the question: how are the Gurage people perceived by others? There are specific traits, whether viewed positively or negatively, that are commonly associated with the Gurage. Let us examine these characteristics.

The Perception of Hard Work: Many observers, particularly in Addis Ababa and other major urban areas, characterize the Gurage as exceptionally hard workers. However, this reputation may only be partially accurate when examined in the context of Ethiopian urban life. The Gurage often view themselves as migrants when they relocate to cities such as Addis, Debre-Zeit, Harar, and Jimma. It is a common human phenomenon for migrants in a foreign environment to work with greater intensity than the local population to overcome the challenges of their new surroundings.
Upon arriving in these major towns, many Gurage individuals find that their survival depends on accepting menial positions that local residents typically avoid. This mirrors the experience of African migrants in European cities who often work harder than locals to establish themselves. Therefore, the trait of being a "hard worker" may be less an inherent ethnic quality and more a universal migrant response to alienation. If this industriousness were an intrinsic trait, it might have transformed the Gurage homelands, which currently remain impoverished, prompting the continued exodus of its youth to urban centers.

The "Listro" Identity: In many Ethiopian urban centers, the Gurage are frequently associated with the role of the "Listro" or shoe shiner. This association stems from the fact that many unskilled Gurage laborers begin their urban economic journey in this field, as it requires minimal startup capital and skill. While many urban dwellers (Qomches) view shoe shining as a low-status or servant-class job due to cultural taboos, the Gurage—lacking a tradition of nobility—readily accept such menial work to earn a living. Historical data shows the scale of this trend; by the 1930s and 40s, Addis Ababa alone was home to approximately 40,000 Gurage shoe shiners.

Merkato:.......to be continued....

[Horus]

አንተ ንፍጣም የለማኝ ልጅ ጉራጌ የኢትዮጵያ አንጎል ነው!

ጉራጌ ታላቁ የስነጽሁፍ ሊቅ ዶክተር እንዳለጌታ ስለአይረሴው የሙዚቃ ጂኒየስ ጉራጌው ኤልያስ መልካ ይህን ይነግርሃል! የኢትዮጵያን ስነጽሁፍ እየመራ ያለው ጉራጌ ነው! የኢትዮጵያን የሙዚቃ አርት አለም ላይ እያወጣ ያለው ጉራጌ ነው። ዛሬ በኢትዮጵያ ቁጥር 1 የታሪክ ሊቅ ፕሮፌሰር ባህሩ ዘውዴ ጉራጌ ነው! በኢትዮጵያ ብቸኛው የኢትዮጵያ ጀግንነት ኒሻን ተሸላዊው ጄ/ተስፋየ ጉራጌ ነው። የኢትዮጵያ ቁጥር 1 ሃብታም አላሙዲን ንብረት ማኔጀር ጉራጌ ሲሆን ያላሙዲ ተከታይ 2 ሃብታሞች ጉራጌዎች ናቸው

አንተ የዉሻ ልጅ ያንተ ታሪክ መለመን ነው!