Cultural diversity is what makes a country strong and able to thrive.

When a
country is cultural diverse it makes connections between people and things all across
the world. These connections allow the country to progress in a positive way. There are
many reasons that a countries diversity can decrease, but no matter it is not something
a country wants.
Ethiopia has a very rich culture. One of the aspects of strong culture is the
languages spoken in the country. There is over 80 languages spoken in Ethiopia.
Although this may seem like a bad thing, having a lot of different types of people in the
country makes it rich and strong. The languages also help the country break into
different ethnic groups that help the country do various things. All the languages spoken
by the Ethiopian people fall into four main language groups: Semitic, Cushitic, Omotic
and Nilo-Saharan. The Tigrigna and Amharic speaking people of the north are mainly
agriculturalists, tilling the soil with ox-drawn plows and a local farm. The most southerly
of the Semitic speakers, the Gurage, are also formers and herders, but many are also
crafts men. Hamer, Mursi, Karo, Geleb, Bume, Bena, Dasenech and others are
nomadic pastoralists. The growing languages have not decreased over the years which
has added to the cultural diversity.
One of the strongest areas of cultural diversity in Ethiopia is the religion. The
main religions in Ethiopia are Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Paganism. Ethiopia is a
predominantly Christian country and the majority of Christians are Orthodox Tewahedo
Christians, who belong to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. As time has
passed since Ethiopia became a estalbished country, the different types of religion have
decreased. The decrease in the types of religons in the country has been one of the

reasons for the decline in cultural diversity. Christian and Ethiopian Orthodox has
increased and the others have decreased. There have been different types of
preservation that has occurred to ensure that there is there constant cultural diversity in
the country. One of the conservation projects is run by the government. They ensure
that there is freedom to express religion in the country. The citizens are free to express
their faith in the streets and at home. The religion is just one of the many things that
make Ethiopia culturally diverse, but has certainly been decling over the past decades.

There is many events and celebrations that happen throughout the year in
Ethiopia. There is not a single celebration that is like the other, which is another thing
that adds to the rich cultural diversity in the country. Many of the celebrations include
religion ceremonies, or just regular festivals. One of the festivals include a bull-jumping
ceremony. The Hamer, Tsemay, Banna and Besada people share traditions and rituals.
One of the most important one from these traditions is the so-called 'jumping over the
bull'. If a young man wants to marry the girl of his choice he will have to jump over bulls

picked by the girl's family. They have to run over the backs of about ten cattle standing
side by side - four times, falling not allowed. He is required to jump over them four
times: two times in each direction. He is assisted by friends those who have
successfully performed the jumping in previous years. They (try to) hold the cattle to
prevent the young candidate from falling. If the jumper fails, it is considered a bad sign
and he will have another chance a year later. If the groom-to-be succeeds, he may keep
the girl in exchange for cattle given to her family. For two months the betrothed couple
will share blood and milk. A wealthy, strong man may marry up to four women. This is
just one of the many rich and cultured tradition that occurs in Ethiopia. The traditions are
one of the few things that are not declining over the years. It is certain that the
celebrations are here to stay in Ethiopia.
The last thing that adds to the diversity of the country is the tribal markets. The
markets happen weekly and everyone stops by at least once during the week to
purchase goods. The different tribes in the country have a weekly market to buy and sell
their produces. In every market are colorful events. The market places turn into lively
places, attracting people from all around the region and a large part of the diversity of
the country because of all the goods that are sold.
Ethiopia is a very diverse country and although it has had a decline in the past
decade it is still said to be one of the richest countries in the world. The country is still
considered a third-world country but a positive outlook on the topic is how diverse the
country is. One day, due to the diversity the country will continue to grow, and one day
thrive like many other places in the world.

Sources Cited:
ETHIOPIA TODAY. (2007, January 1). Retrieved November 4, 2014, from
http://www.africanadventuretours.net/ethiopia.html
Ethiopia News - Breaking World Ethiopia News - The New York Times. (2013, October 13). Retrieved
November 4, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/travel/guides/africa/ethiopia/overview.html
Ethiopian Religion. (2013, September 9). Religion. Retrieved November 4, 2014, from
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/194084/Ethiopia/37687/Religion
Diversity and cross-cultural issues in Ethiopia. (2014, May 21). Retrieved November 4, 2014, from
http://peacecorpswiki.org/Diversity_and_cross-cultural_issues_in_Ethiopia
Project MUSE - Clans, Kingdoms, and "Cultural Diversity" in Southern Ethiopia: The Case of Omotic
Speakers. (2005, January 1). Retrieved November 5, 2014, from
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/nas/summary/v007/7.3dea.html