One Hundred Years: One Woman's Life and Tour Through History

Fantay lives in Dinsho in one of the rectangular, tin-roofed homes bordering on the small market square. She lives with her daughter, her grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, at least 10 in all. Being almost 100 years old, she does not walk very far now, spending most of her time sitting with her legs tucked under her on the bed in the room where most of the living takes place. Her hands shook slightly and she was hard of hearing, but her eyes were bright and she spoke with animation.

Fantay and her two brothers and one sister grew up in the Dinsho area (called Guri at the time). Her father died when she was young and so her mother selected a husband for her (she did not have the right to select her own mate). He was younger than she was. The wedding was a big celebration: large baskets of dabo (bread) and something like soap were prepared and taken to her husband's home, and a cow was butchered for the guests. Sometime after she was married, the Italians came to Dinsho and her husband fled to the lowlands. She never saw him again. Fortunately, she got a job cooking and interpreting for the Italians. Soon, one of the soldiers "forced her to marry him." Then the Italians left and she never saw her soldier again. Later, she married for the third time and raised three children.

Times were better when she was younger. No one was poor in those days. Kebe (butter) and buna (coffee) were abundant and inexpensive. "Everyone could do whatever they liked and eat whatever they liked," she said. She was "happy all day" during the Italian occupation because there was no shortage of food and one did not have to work so hard to have a comfortable life. In fact, that was the happiest time of her life.

She recalled a story about Emperor Haile Selassie. Her third husband, a soldier at the time, got into an argument with a high-ranking policeman who managed to have him thrown in prison in Goba, about 45 kilometers (28 miles) from Dinsho. One day she traveled to Goba to visit her husband and discovered that Haile Selassie was there. She attempted to pass through the entourage but was knocked down and kicked by his bodyguards. The Emperor stopped them, saying there was no reason to abuse her. Taking advantage of the situation, she petitioned him to release her husband. He ordered the soldiers to release him immediately and they returned to Dinsho together.

She also recalled Mr. Wertz, the Belgian who, in the 1960s, was given a concession on the land which is now Bale Mountains National Park. She liked him because her husband was hired as a scout and interpreter but admitted that others did not like him because they were forced off their land so it could be given to Mr. Wertz.

She said that, today, times are hard and many people do not have enough to eat. I suspect she and her family are among the poorest of the poor in Dinsho.

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