I Went Into a Warzone in Africa With My Dad

The West looks at Ethiopia and sees poverty. Ethiopia made me question what the West has lost. This film follows a journey with my father from the changing streets of Addis Ababa to Lalibela — a place of rock-hewn churches, ancient faith and traditions that have endured for centuries. But Lalibela also lies within Ethiopia’s Amhara region, where conflict has changed tourism, livelihoods and something as simple as what it means to feel safe. I did not want to ignore Ethiopia’s difficulties. But I did not want to reduce the country to poverty, war, or the images through which Africa is so often seen. I wanted to ask a different question: What happens when the things we use to measure a good life — money, comfort, freedom, opportunity, choice — no longer seem like enough? Along the way, we meet people whose lives depend on tourism, walk through churches carved from mountain stone, share in Ethiopia’s coffee tradition, and confront the contradiction of being a traveller in a place where your presence can be both privilege and livelihood. I could enter this world as a foreigner. But my foreignness had a return ticket. Perhaps that was the most important thing Ethiopia taught me. This film is not a request for charity, nor an attempt to tell you what to think. It is simply about travelling far enough from home that, when you return, home no longer looks quite the same. Hope you enjoy. ————————————————————————————————————————————————— To book Temesgen Tsehaynew / Lalibela Tours Corner: Website: www.lalibelatourscorner.com WhatsApp: +251 922 628 198 Email: lalibela.culture@gmail.com Instagram: @lalibelatourscorner Tripadvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attract... Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ppxEKnNLKW8Be... ————————————————————————————————————————————————— For Business Inquiries: movetoitalyofficial@gmail.com ————————————————————————————————————————————————— 0:00 Ethiopia Changed How I See Travel 2:25 Is It Safe to Visit Lalibela? 2:37 How War Changed Tourism 4:16 Is Tourism Good or Bad? 4:49 Ethiopia’s Jerusalem Carved From Stone 7:13 Learning the Ancient Language of Ge’ez 7:23 What Does “Poverty” Really Mean? 9:12 What Has the West Lost? 11:03 Beyond Government Control 12:25 Why Ethiopia Is Rich 13:44 The Birthplace of Coffee 14:36 Why My Dad Brought Me to Ethiopia 16:08 The Person Who Left Didn’t Return