Media matters

Jordan picked us up in his 1989 Toyota Landcruiser, a sturdy and classic 4-wheel drive. It was during this ride to his house that I learned the first major difference between Ethiopia and the U.S.: in Ethiopia seat belts are not used. (This lesson would be reinforced many times later on as I, driven by pure instinct, would scramble to find a seat belt that did not exist in taxis that slalomed past pedestrians, dogs, goats and other cars.)

Jordan lives in a beautiful house in the Lambaret neighborhood in eastern Addis. There we were greeted by his very friendly helpers Weynshet, Wubit and Aboy as well as dog Ambesa.
After a much-needed nap, Louise and I launched a crucial mission: visiting Ethiopia's Ministry of Information. I was planning to visit the fistula hospital in Addis the following Monday to write a freelance story about the unique care that is offered there to women suffering from birth-related injuries, but Ethiopia's strict media laws required me to first get a permit from the government. Otherwise, the hospital would not be allowed to let me in and do my reporting.
The ministry building was most memorable for its many anti-corruption posters that lined the walls near the elevators. Oh, and for another thing: throughout the whole vacation I pretty much didn't see any Ethiopians smoke, but the stairwell of this government building was littered with cigarette butts. Go figure.
The bureaucrat handling my case was curious about me and picky about the paperwork (I had to leave to get a passport-sized photo; the photo of me that Louise had in her wallet was of slightly wrong size and therefore no good). In the end, though, he was nice about the whole thing and gave me what I came for: an official-looking paper filled with cryptic Amharic letters that I did not understand but which Jordan (who speaks Amharic fluently) later assured me meant I was hereby allowed to do a story on the hospital. Yes.
The whole experience drove home the point to me that Ethiopia is really a semi-democracy. Press is not really free. Information is tightly controlled. The major newspapers and TV stations are government run (the main ETV channel is even housed inside the Ministry of Information building) and are very unlikely to run news negative for the ruling party.
Any case, with that coveted paper in hand allowing me to do my story I wasn't about to complain too much about Ethiopia's shortcomings in the freedom of speech department.