Introduction
Ethiopia is one of the countries that experienced great hunger in the mid 1980s. The problem of starvation was quite common in many African countries and Kaplan wrote a book covering the African famine zones and the problems that existed in the zones. The famine in most parts of Africa was related to many factors such as technological-ecological factors, political factors, cultural and ethnic differences, etc. Some of the technological-ecological factors include: climate, types of crops, farming practices, technology, etc. This paper will seek to analyze the problem of famine in Ethiopia as seen in Kaplan’s book: Surrender or Starve: Travels in Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, and Eritrea.
Political Factors
The political policies that existed in Ethiopia in the mid 1980s greatly contributed to the famine in the country. The African government officials were corrupt and services were offered in favor of those who supported the officials in their dubious deals (Kaplan, 2003, pg.34). Countries such as the United States gave foreign aid to support those Ethiopians who were suffering as a result of the famine. The distribution of the foreign aid money and other supplies were greatly affected by the politics where the foreign aid was distributed to those areas where the political leaders were supported and in their areas of origin. The foreign aid could even be distributed in areas where the famine was not intense in relation to other areas as long as the individuals in the areas were in support of the political leaders. The rebels never got any foreign aid from the regimes that they rebelled against. This means that the individuals living in the areas that did not support the political leaders or were not from the same regions as the political leaders continued suffering from the famine as the aid was being misappropriated. The ruling regimes used the food policies that existed to gain political advantage (Kaplan, 2003, pg.46). Food was withheld so that it could be used in some other time when these regimes needed the support of the citizens or to be used later by the areas that could be affected. Withholding of food when some people were suffering was quite unfair. The American government also had some lofty intentions when giving the foreign aid to the country. Differences occurred between United States and the USSR due to their interests in the region. This led to less foreign aid in the country. These differences led to more famine in the country.
Technological-Ecological Factors
The book by Robert Kaplan was written in the mid 1980s when technological advancements in Africa were not that intense as it was in the developed countries. The individuals’ interaction with the environment was also not intense leading to low production. The climate in some parts of Ethiopia does not favor farming in the regions considering the amount of rainfall and temperatures in the regions (Kaplan, 2003, pg.112). Some regions go for a long period of time without rainfall leading to great famine in such regions. Individuals from such regions had to rely on food relief in the 1980s bearing in mind that the food was not distributed fairly. The parts that had plenty of rainfall used practices that did not yield much. They used the ancient farming methods that could only provide for the family. Even those individuals with large pieces of land did not get surplus production that could be distributed to other parts of the country that were not productive. A family could cultivate a large piece land but the production relative to the size of land cultivated was not proportional. This contributed to the famine that faced the country in the mid 1980s. Another technological factor that led to the famine in the country was the types of crops that were cultivated. The crops that were planted in the region were the ancient ones when the developed countries were using the hybrid seedlings in their farms. The production of these ancient crops is very low a family can only produce what is enough for its consumption. Again, many farmers produced those types of crops that were to be consumed in the country and not for export purposes. A single family could only cultivate a small piece of land since there were no technological devices that could help them cultivate a large piece. Lack of machines to help in producing surplus contributed greatly to the famine in Ethiopia.
Cultural and Ethnic Differences
Ethiopia is a country that consists of several ethnic groups (Kaplan, 2003, pg.154). The political regimes in Ethiopia in the mid 1980s affected the distribution of foreign aid in the country. Distribution of the aid was not determined only by the areas that were experiencing famine but were also determined by the position of the ethnic group in the governing regime. Those groups that did not support the ruling regime did not get the aid. Different ethnic groups in Ethiopia had different cultures. These cultures by the different groups greatly contributed to the famine that was experienced I the country in the 1980s. Some cultures dictated specific types of food that they could not consume. Some ethnic groups believed that certain types of meat like the pork should not be consumed by a human being. The production of surplus of a certain type of food that another group cannot consume could not help solve the famine problem in the country.
Ethiopia has over seventy ethnic groups living in different parts of the country. Some ethnic groups relied on animals animal products especially the nilotes in the 1980s while others relied on cultivation and others on trade for their food. Each ethnic group occupied a specific region in the country and the region was the major dwelling place of the individual from the ethnic group. Those who relied on the cultivation experienced periods of hunger if rainfall was not enough. Some ethnic groups were rivals and couldn’t share their products. This led to famine even when one of the rivals had plenty of food to share but couldn’t sell it to the rivals.
Some other groups had cultures that did not allow them to eat animal products during fasting periods especially over the weekends. This led to famine especially in those regions that relied on animal products for food. Ethnic groups also played a major role in politics. If an individual from a certain ethnic group was in leadership, the ethnic group was assured of receiving aids from the government. Those ethnic groups that were not represented in the government experienced famine even when there was foreign aid.
Comparison of the different Factors
The technological-ecological factors, the political factors, and the cultural and ethnic differences all contributed to the famine that was experienced in Ethiopia in the mid 1980s. However, the technological-ecological factors and the political factors greatly contributed than the cultural and ethnic differences. This is because these affected the amount of food produced and the distribution of foreign aid respectively. The low amount of rainfall in some regions is related to the politics in the country in that those regions with individuals that supported the ruling regimes received the foreign aid. The famine conflict that was experienced in Ethiopia show that selfish political interests can lead to death of citizens if their views differ from the views of the leaders. It also shows that African countries had not achieved some useful levels of technology in the 1980s. People should not too much selective on the types of foods to consume as they would suffer during in times of famine.
Conclusion
Ethiopia experienced famine in the mid 1980s as highlighted by Kaplan in his book. The famine was as a result of technological-ecological factors, political factors, and cultural and ethnic differences among the groups that live in the country. Some of the technological-ecological factors include: climate, types of crops, farming practices, and technology. All these directly affected the amount of food produced in the country. Political factors included the interests of the ruling regimes in the country that affected the distribution of foreign aid in the country.
Reference List
Kaplan, R. D. (2003). Surrender or Starve: Travels in Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, and Eritrea. Knopf Publishing Group, 1-240.