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Notes from the Hyena's Belly: An Ethiopian Boyhood
Winner of the Governor General's Award
A Library Journal Best Book of 2001
Part autobiography and part social history, Nega Mezlekia's Notes from the Hyena's Belly offers an unforgettable portrait of Ethiopia, and of Africa, during the 1970s and '80s, an era of civil war, widespread famine, and mass execution.
"We children lived like the donkey," Mezlekia remembers, "careful not to wander off the beaten trail and end up in the hyena's belly." His memoir sheds light not only on the violence and disorder that beset his native country, but on the rich spiritual and cultural life of Ethiopia itself. Throughout, he portrays the careful divisions in dress, language, and culture between the Muslims and Christians of the Ethiopian landscape. Mezlekia also explores the struggle between western European interests and communist influences that caused the collapse of Ethiopia's social and political structure―and that forced him, at age 18, to join a guerrilla army. Through droughts, floods, imprisonment, and killing sprees at the hands of military juntas, Mezlekia survived, eventually emigrating to Canada. In Notes from the Hyena's Belly he bears witness to a time and place that few Westerners have understood.
A Library Journal Best Book of 2001
Part autobiography and part social history, Nega Mezlekia's Notes from the Hyena's Belly offers an unforgettable portrait of Ethiopia, and of Africa, during the 1970s and '80s, an era of civil war, widespread famine, and mass execution.
"We children lived like the donkey," Mezlekia remembers, "careful not to wander off the beaten trail and end up in the hyena's belly." His memoir sheds light not only on the violence and disorder that beset his native country, but on the rich spiritual and cultural life of Ethiopia itself. Throughout, he portrays the careful divisions in dress, language, and culture between the Muslims and Christians of the Ethiopian landscape. Mezlekia also explores the struggle between western European interests and communist influences that caused the collapse of Ethiopia's social and political structure―and that forced him, at age 18, to join a guerrilla army. Through droughts, floods, imprisonment, and killing sprees at the hands of military juntas, Mezlekia survived, eventually emigrating to Canada. In Notes from the Hyena's Belly he bears witness to a time and place that few Westerners have understood.
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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About the author
Nega Mezlekia
11 books28 followersNega Mezlekia (Amharic: ነጋ መዝለክአ; born 1958) is an Ethiopian writer who writes in English. His first language is the Amharic language, but since the 1980s he has lived in Canada so speaks and writes in English.
Nega was born in Jijiga, the oldest son of Mezlekia, a bureaucrat in the Imperial government. Although initially supporting the revolution that deposed Emperor Haile Selassie, he grew strongly critical of the regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam. As a late teenager he abandoned his mother and siblings and set off with his best friend to join one of the armed rebel groups. In 1983 he left his position at Haramaya University to accept an engineering scholarship and study at Wageningen University. After two years in the Netherlands he was still unable to return home so moved to Canada instead. He has still never returned to Ethiopia.
He recounted his life story in his first book, Notes from the Hyena's Belly. Published in 2000, his book won the Governor General's Award for English language non-fiction that same year.
Mezlekia followed it up with the novel The God Who Begat a Jackal, which concerns an old Ethiopian myth. Although he still is a practicing engineer he indicates that he misses that sense of myth and spirituality from his youth.
(from Wikipedia)
Nega was born in Jijiga, the oldest son of Mezlekia, a bureaucrat in the Imperial government. Although initially supporting the revolution that deposed Emperor Haile Selassie, he grew strongly critical of the regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam. As a late teenager he abandoned his mother and siblings and set off with his best friend to join one of the armed rebel groups. In 1983 he left his position at Haramaya University to accept an engineering scholarship and study at Wageningen University. After two years in the Netherlands he was still unable to return home so moved to Canada instead. He has still never returned to Ethiopia.
He recounted his life story in his first book, Notes from the Hyena's Belly. Published in 2000, his book won the Governor General's Award for English language non-fiction that same year.
Mezlekia followed it up with the novel The God Who Begat a Jackal, which concerns an old Ethiopian myth. Although he still is a practicing engineer he indicates that he misses that sense of myth and spirituality from his youth.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
March 24, 2019
As part of an effort to learn as much as I can about the Horn of Africa, I was recommended this memoir of a young man growing up in Ethiopia during the revolutionary upheavals it experienced over the past century. I did not expect to find such a hidden gem. This is a beautiful, poignant and evocatively written coming-of-age story that takes place amid Ethiopia's modern tumult. It is a humorous and painful memoir that also gives a rough outline of Ethiopia's political history. The best parts of the book though are about ordinary small town life in Ethiopia, before the politics start. Mezlekia paints a vivid picture of the thoughts, dreams and fates of the people of his small town of Jijiga in the Ogaden, bordering Somalia. There are mythical stories and exotic social practices. To give a sense of the people's psychology, animals are playfully included in the narrative. Their stories are interweaved with the mischievous adventures of children and comical disputes of adults.
The story as a whole is one of a fall from grace. It is the story of the destruction of the innocent society Mezlekia knew as a child. During the 20th century Ethiopia was ravaged by modern weapons and ideologies. The idyll that once characterized Mezlekia's homeland gave way to a hellish atmosphere of revolutionary violence. A paradisiacal land was burned to ashes by napalm. Neighbors of different ethnicities engaged in mass killings against old friends. The old society, with all its flaws, injustice and decadence, was smashed into pieces by a fanatical new regime. The totalitarian Ethiopia that they built upon the wreckage was a terrifying sight. It fought horrible wars with its equally inflamed neighbor, Somalia. The latter country ended up collapsing into a chaos from which it has yet to retrieve itself. Meanwhile Ethiopia is finally starting to emerge from its long nightmare, blinking.
This is a painful, earnest and sympathetic book by a great author. It has been said that the book was heavily copyedited, almost ghostwritten. This would neither be surprising or disappointing to me. It would be difficult, though not impossible, for someone for whom English was a second language to compose such elegant pose this early in life. What matters though is the incredible story, which is not in dispute. I highly recommend this poignant book. If you are not interested in Ethiopia and the Horn at the moment, this book will change that.
The story as a whole is one of a fall from grace. It is the story of the destruction of the innocent society Mezlekia knew as a child. During the 20th century Ethiopia was ravaged by modern weapons and ideologies. The idyll that once characterized Mezlekia's homeland gave way to a hellish atmosphere of revolutionary violence. A paradisiacal land was burned to ashes by napalm. Neighbors of different ethnicities engaged in mass killings against old friends. The old society, with all its flaws, injustice and decadence, was smashed into pieces by a fanatical new regime. The totalitarian Ethiopia that they built upon the wreckage was a terrifying sight. It fought horrible wars with its equally inflamed neighbor, Somalia. The latter country ended up collapsing into a chaos from which it has yet to retrieve itself. Meanwhile Ethiopia is finally starting to emerge from its long nightmare, blinking.
This is a painful, earnest and sympathetic book by a great author. It has been said that the book was heavily copyedited, almost ghostwritten. This would neither be surprising or disappointing to me. It would be difficult, though not impossible, for someone for whom English was a second language to compose such elegant pose this early in life. What matters though is the incredible story, which is not in dispute. I highly recommend this poignant book. If you are not interested in Ethiopia and the Horn at the moment, this book will change that.
July 20, 2019
This is a powerful memoir of growing up in Ethiopia during the final years of Haile Selassie and living through the conflict that followed, a conflict that became a proxy war between Soviet and Western forces. Because the author lived in the Netherlands and Canada for many years before writing this account, he is able to explain his African culture to a western reader. Although the author lived through a brutal and dangerous time in Ethiopian history, he never strikes a self-pitying note or asks for the reader’s admiration for what he survived. I loved his sarcastic humor as he describes the reality of Ethiopian politics. I would highly recommend this book.
April 18, 2013
The book is aptly titled because it is a series of notes. The first are notes are from Nega Mezlekia's childhood which is heavily influenced by folklore and superstition. The culture accepts child abuse at school and at home and if corporal punishment fails, healers are called on to expel demons in the most unscientific ways. The writing style of this memoir evokes novels of magical realism.
The content and dearth of material on Ethiopia make this an important book. We see how the fall/murder of Haile Selassie unleashed years of instability on a population. Not joining one side or another could be more dangerous than choosing up. Mezlekia experiences the chaos as a fighter, a refugee, prisoner, and family head. While the country aches in misery he finds a niche.
The book is not only part memoir, history and literature, it is also one part travelogue. Every trip be it a march, a water seeking mission, a refugee exodus, a visit to home or relatives or going off to school is an adventure. Cities with interesting features are visited and through them we learn more of Ethiopia's history.
These "notes" capture the reader such that it is only pages later the reader wants to know more. Mezlekia dodged a lot of bullets both literally and figuratively, managed to get a very coveted university slot and then easily attained asylum in Canada. There has to be more to this story, but with the title "Notes" the book does not purport to be more and this is part of its charm.
The content and dearth of material on Ethiopia make this an important book. We see how the fall/murder of Haile Selassie unleashed years of instability on a population. Not joining one side or another could be more dangerous than choosing up. Mezlekia experiences the chaos as a fighter, a refugee, prisoner, and family head. While the country aches in misery he finds a niche.
The book is not only part memoir, history and literature, it is also one part travelogue. Every trip be it a march, a water seeking mission, a refugee exodus, a visit to home or relatives or going off to school is an adventure. Cities with interesting features are visited and through them we learn more of Ethiopia's history.
These "notes" capture the reader such that it is only pages later the reader wants to know more. Mezlekia dodged a lot of bullets both literally and figuratively, managed to get a very coveted university slot and then easily attained asylum in Canada. There has to be more to this story, but with the title "Notes" the book does not purport to be more and this is part of its charm.
January 17, 2010
Since my wife and I are pursuing adopting a child from Ethiopia, we have begun reading books about the land and its people.
This book tells the story of a boy growing up in the late 60s and early 70s during a time of political turmoil and upheaval following the fall of Emperor Halie Selassie.
The language, phrasing, and story telling of this book is quite beautiful, helping you to enter into the mindset and culture of the land. The "meaning" of many events told in the book are related through the means of parables that really grab your imagination.
This is not an easy read, by any means. Many of the stories in this book are tough as the overall story is heartbreaking, but still it is told with such beauty that it rings with dignity and the strength of the human spirit in the midst of tragedy.
This book tells the story of a boy growing up in the late 60s and early 70s during a time of political turmoil and upheaval following the fall of Emperor Halie Selassie.
The language, phrasing, and story telling of this book is quite beautiful, helping you to enter into the mindset and culture of the land. The "meaning" of many events told in the book are related through the means of parables that really grab your imagination.
This is not an easy read, by any means. Many of the stories in this book are tough as the overall story is heartbreaking, but still it is told with such beauty that it rings with dignity and the strength of the human spirit in the midst of tragedy.
March 30, 2018
I didn't enjoy the story because it was so heartbreaking. I enjoyed the way it was told. The best non-fiction book I have read to date. He took me on a tour of Ethiopia as he travelled a lot during his documented life.
Loved the folklore he included.
Loved the folklore he included.
abandoned
April 11, 2019I know it's his history, there are some interesting pieces of info in there. But, when he's 9yo, his mom & a medicine doctor think he's got two bad spirits in him, so that needs to remedied. First remedy seemed pretty harsh, then led into a couple of pages worth of (very weird) hallucinations. Same with the later second remedy (alongside details of a goat sacrificing that I didn't really want to read & wish I could erase from my mind). That, along with his really brutal beatings at school (at the hands of the teacher), etc. makes it hard to read, imo. And that's before I know he joins (or is forced to join?) a militia as a teen, having many in his family killed during political unrest in the country. I know his story is important, but I just can't take reading it. The animal stuff is not comfortable to me (I cannot easily read animal-related stuff), though it might not bother others as much. Overall, what I've read is not happy (obviously). I just need to stop reading at this point (due to my own discomfort).
September 25, 2015
As I sit here having my monthly dose of injeera, I wonder at the boundlessness of my ignorance. Nega introduces the reader to a part of Ethiopia's history that is perhaps less known, the South/ East of the country and the war with Somalia for the territories of Jijiga, Harar etc. It is an important historical document and one that certainly opened my eyes to how much warfare this country has witnessed in the past century. I was more knowledgeable about Ethiopia's war with Eritrea and of course this is also covered in the book but less so. I have to say that I loved the city of Harar and its people. This work brought it alive for me again, with details about the author s experience and terrible witnessing of atrocities, poverty and misery. It is a testament to his mental strength and determination what he managed to achieve once in Canada. I cannot stop admiring these people for their ability to move on against all odds.
May 31, 2014
One of the most humorous and touching stories that I have ever read in my life. Nega manages to successfully describe the horrors of his childhood in Ethiopia and his stint as a child soldier in a funny and touching manner. At times I felt as if the author was not even aware of how funny he is. I recommend this read for anyone who wants to know more about Ethiopia and Somalia's history through the eyes of an actual Ethiopian. There are moments in this book that will make you both laugh and cry. The ending felt a bit lacking and I felt that he could have done more.
June 14, 2018
The author's personal memories of growing up in Ethiopia are interwoven with everyday life - traditions, rituals, tales, as well as political events. The authors' general tone of narration is playful, which, with a change in the regime, changes into a serious, tragic (both at the personal and national level) narrative that offers a fairly general insight into the recent history of Ethiopia. Not bad, but also not great.
March 13, 2022
Super evocative and even whimsical. The prose is very beautiful and really does justice to its content, with its moments of visceral violence and warmth alike. I feel it could’ve been a little shorter, but it’s nonetheless a really great read.
July 7, 2010
The pros:
- a very, very fast read
- the author's experience with the Ogaden war and Menghistu's purges of the late '70s.
- an eye into life in the Ogaden, both the world of those struggling with "modern" society and those following the ancient and well worn path of the nomad (His description of the nomad's planting/harvesting cycle is simple but enlightening).
- his occasional cheeky, somewhat sardonic sense of humor
The cons:
- it's not particularly well written - certainly not award-winning material, IMHO. Or maybe it's just that it's not consistently good.
- i'm not sure I trust the author entirely. Some sections seem vividly clear, striking me as accurate, honest. Others, less so. So I kept my distance from the work.
- Along the lines of the second comment, at one point I came to particularly dislike the author. When he describes his participation in a WSLF raid on an Ethiopian encampment, he can describe himself training for the raid, going to the raid, and living in the aftermath but he decidedly speaks in the 3rd person when he describes the massacre of the young Ethiopian recruits. "The guerrillas took no prisoners." "We had watched them run for cover, terrified and half-dressed, only to be slaughtered." His abdication of responsibility here was obvious and painful to me.
When all is said and done - and it now is - I'm glad I read it. I'd recommend it if you were going to read a number of books to get a feel for Africa or the Horn of Africa, in particular.
- a very, very fast read
- the author's experience with the Ogaden war and Menghistu's purges of the late '70s.
- an eye into life in the Ogaden, both the world of those struggling with "modern" society and those following the ancient and well worn path of the nomad (His description of the nomad's planting/harvesting cycle is simple but enlightening).
- his occasional cheeky, somewhat sardonic sense of humor
The cons:
- it's not particularly well written - certainly not award-winning material, IMHO. Or maybe it's just that it's not consistently good.
- i'm not sure I trust the author entirely. Some sections seem vividly clear, striking me as accurate, honest. Others, less so. So I kept my distance from the work.
- Along the lines of the second comment, at one point I came to particularly dislike the author. When he describes his participation in a WSLF raid on an Ethiopian encampment, he can describe himself training for the raid, going to the raid, and living in the aftermath but he decidedly speaks in the 3rd person when he describes the massacre of the young Ethiopian recruits. "The guerrillas took no prisoners." "We had watched them run for cover, terrified and half-dressed, only to be slaughtered." His abdication of responsibility here was obvious and painful to me.
When all is said and done - and it now is - I'm glad I read it. I'd recommend it if you were going to read a number of books to get a feel for Africa or the Horn of Africa, in particular.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2013
Africa, and stories, especially personal stories, about the continent fascinate me. I'm trying to read current books like this one as well as classics like "Things Fall Apart". The latter book is by far the better of the two. "The Lost Boys of Sudan" could be a companion book to "Notes from the Hyena's Belly". Nowadays, the whole of northern Africa is a confusing, appalling, soul destroying political mess. The Rwanda genocide story just adds to the general ugly view of African life. Read the lighter but disconcerting stories by Obama about his African family, the book "Out of America: A Black Man Confronts Africa". Then try the stories from Zimbabwe and south Africa. One comes away with a very sour, bleak view of the black continent. It isnt really that way of course and the romantic opposite is equally false.
So how does this book fit into trying to get a realistic view of current Africa? It is obviously very much in the noir category and as such just makes me sad. The best thing about it is that the author is a good story teller and has a wry view of some of the worst of the happenings. I loved the inclusion of folk tales and his Mam came across in very good detail. All is all, the book deserves more than a 3, probably a 3.5. Worth the read and gripping and poetic in parts.
So how does this book fit into trying to get a realistic view of current Africa? It is obviously very much in the noir category and as such just makes me sad. The best thing about it is that the author is a good story teller and has a wry view of some of the worst of the happenings. I loved the inclusion of folk tales and his Mam came across in very good detail. All is all, the book deserves more than a 3, probably a 3.5. Worth the read and gripping and poetic in parts.
November 7, 2008
I haven't read a war memoir this engrossing and tragicomic since probably Babel's Red Calvary. Mezlekia's journey through the whirlwind of Ethiopia's revolutions and wars is all the more remarkable because he was able to survive. With dry and sardonic wit, Mezlekia intersperses his experiences with Ethiopian fables and folklore, historical overviews, personal insight, and cultural and ethnographic information. He ended up specializing in agronomy and civil engineering, so the lengthy discussion of agriculture under the Imperial and Marxist regimes was particularly interesting. There have been accusations that some of details were fictionalized, but the narrative adheres to the backbone of historical events, so I think the author deserves some creative license. At any rate, this was a fascinating look at 1970s Ethiopia from the ground floor.
January 28, 2013
Very insightful. Author has a very interesting way of conveying information. This book has
addressed some very serious issues but the format is such that you are not hit over the head with the information. Author grew up in Ethopia. He discusses his childhood, the community around him,
the beliefs of his family and other groups in the community, his schooling, his friends, the trouble that they find. Then as his life changes, we see the changes that take place in both him and his homeland. Not only fun to read, but puts the political process of Ethopia in perspective.
Many ideas are conveyed with the use of folk tales, fairy tales, and native stories. The book
brings to the forefront that many factors went into the telling of the story : religion, tribal structure, class, family importance, education, economics, government, who you know, what you
know,etc.
addressed some very serious issues but the format is such that you are not hit over the head with the information. Author grew up in Ethopia. He discusses his childhood, the community around him,
the beliefs of his family and other groups in the community, his schooling, his friends, the trouble that they find. Then as his life changes, we see the changes that take place in both him and his homeland. Not only fun to read, but puts the political process of Ethopia in perspective.
Many ideas are conveyed with the use of folk tales, fairy tales, and native stories. The book
brings to the forefront that many factors went into the telling of the story : religion, tribal structure, class, family importance, education, economics, government, who you know, what you
know,etc.
September 5, 2018
This is an extraordinary, poignant memoir of a young life lived in a country, Ethiopia, that passed through turmoil into chaos. The most remarkable thing about the narrative is that there is no sense of bitterness or resentment. He tells the tale of himself and his family in a clear-eyed manner, a tale filled with insight and sympathy and a great deal of humor.
For those looking for one, this is also the story of Ethiopia itself during its tumultuous 1960s and 1970s.
I felt a strong empathy towards the author because we were born in the same year, although in vastly different circumstances. At a time when my biggest concern was whether or not I would make the high school baseball team, he had joined a guerrilla band and was concerned with finding something to eat and just staying alive during a time of war.
For those looking for one, this is also the story of Ethiopia itself during its tumultuous 1960s and 1970s.
I felt a strong empathy towards the author because we were born in the same year, although in vastly different circumstances. At a time when my biggest concern was whether or not I would make the high school baseball team, he had joined a guerrilla band and was concerned with finding something to eat and just staying alive during a time of war.
September 16, 2015
A fascinating story. I knew of Selassie and the kingdom before him, but not of the junta and war with Somalis. The author does a great job of writing in the voice he had at that time. When he describes a slave-owning man as a kid, it is in the voice of a kid, awed by his social standing. When he describes the sharecropper system and its cruelty, it is as a student sure of the infallibility of Selassie, who couldn't possibly know of this inequality.
I think the author's ability to put you in his head is the best I have encountered in quite a while. It is an autobiography where the reader grows with the author.
I think the author's ability to put you in his head is the best I have encountered in quite a while. It is an autobiography where the reader grows with the author.
April 18, 2012
This memoir of Nega Mezlekia's early life is a revelation. He tells us much about his family, himself and his country, Ethiopia, in clear language. During his childhood Haile Selassie mismanages the country, is deposed and a military junta takes over. There is civil war, war with neighbors and internal corruption and repression. Mezlekia comes close to death a number of times. This book will give you an understanding of Ethiopia and, in general, many African countries. The book is wonderfully sprinkled with folk tales.
December 3, 2014
I only gave this two stars because it was consistently patchy. There were stretches that I really enjoyed and then stretches that I really didn't. By the end of this book, I found myself regularly thinking, "How the hell did he not die?" and that in itself was intriguing. Overall, an interesting, personal look back at a very turbulent time in Ethiopian history.
September 29, 2007
A gripping story! Rich in wisdom, humor, and poetry, this is not simply the story of a boy coming of age, it is a portrait of a nation and its people. You should read it! Good pace and well written.
Read
March 5, 2009How blessed we are, by accident of birth, to be Americans.
How little we understand about the rest of the world.
How little we understand about the rest of the world.
April 23, 2018
Amazing read. Very well written. Good to read before travelling to Ethiopia.
August 26, 2021
Book 35 for Invisible cities project
Country: Ethiopia
Country: Ethiopia
January 1, 2018
When even the hyenas stopped laughing
Nega Mezlekia was unlucky enough to be born in Ethiopia in 1958, so that he was a teenager when Emperor Haile Selassie was overthrown and murdered. A new regime, guaranteeing change for the poor, feudal rural masses, came to power. In the grim years that followed, Ethiopia ate its own children at a terrible rate. They died in civil wars, in political repression, and in an international war with Somalia. Later, at least in the cities, there was a period of terror in which 100 to 200 youths a day were being killed on the streets of Addis Ababa, with no trial, no accusations, nothing. Perhaps 100,000 people died in this time. Finally, a ghastly famine, seen on televisions around the world, claimed thousands more lives. From a generally innocent childhood, Mezlekia moved into a youth of horror after horror, barely escaping with his life time after time. Revolutionaries executed his father, Somali guerrillas killed his mother, his best friend died as a rebel; death crashed all around him for years. Somehow, Mezlekia survived to become a university lecturer in the provinces, then at last to go abroad to study, first in the Netherlands, then in Canada. He did not return. The story, related in this book, is a gripping one, well-told, with many touches of magical realism and tellings of Ethiopian folk tales to help readers understand the grim dreadfulness of those times.
Having recently read Pascal Khoo Thwe's "From the Land of Green Ghosts" about Burma, I was struck by the comparison. Both men came from small places in countries suffering from despotic rule, corruption, and poverty, but had generally enjoyable childhoods. Both wound up joining armed opposition, surviving many dangers, and at last escaping to the West and a university career. Khoo Thwe's book is lyrical and extremely frank, while Mezlekia has a wonderful sense of irony and dark humor. Though an engineer, he is pretty loose with distances, ages, etc. (well, who cares about numbers when you are writing magical realism ?) and many political questions about his past remain unexplained. But am I some kind of examiner ? I accepted NOTES FROM THE HYENA'S BELLY as a very accurate and devastating picture of what was going on in Ethiopia in the `60s and `70s. Both Khoo Thwe and Mezlekia have written rare accounts of what millions of people around the world experience, so far from the daily reality of those of us fortunate enough to live in peaceful, wealthy nations. That they survived at all is amazing, that they could write their stories in English is even more impressive, and they write so well. For anyone who wants to know what Ethiopians have lived through, or where they have come from, this book is a must. The customs, religion, and daily life of an Ethiopian are not often encountered in literature. Mezlekia does a great job illustrating them. Finally, for a glimpse of the irrepressible human spirit, you could do a lot worse than read Mezlekia's story.
Nega Mezlekia was unlucky enough to be born in Ethiopia in 1958, so that he was a teenager when Emperor Haile Selassie was overthrown and murdered. A new regime, guaranteeing change for the poor, feudal rural masses, came to power. In the grim years that followed, Ethiopia ate its own children at a terrible rate. They died in civil wars, in political repression, and in an international war with Somalia. Later, at least in the cities, there was a period of terror in which 100 to 200 youths a day were being killed on the streets of Addis Ababa, with no trial, no accusations, nothing. Perhaps 100,000 people died in this time. Finally, a ghastly famine, seen on televisions around the world, claimed thousands more lives. From a generally innocent childhood, Mezlekia moved into a youth of horror after horror, barely escaping with his life time after time. Revolutionaries executed his father, Somali guerrillas killed his mother, his best friend died as a rebel; death crashed all around him for years. Somehow, Mezlekia survived to become a university lecturer in the provinces, then at last to go abroad to study, first in the Netherlands, then in Canada. He did not return. The story, related in this book, is a gripping one, well-told, with many touches of magical realism and tellings of Ethiopian folk tales to help readers understand the grim dreadfulness of those times.
Having recently read Pascal Khoo Thwe's "From the Land of Green Ghosts" about Burma, I was struck by the comparison. Both men came from small places in countries suffering from despotic rule, corruption, and poverty, but had generally enjoyable childhoods. Both wound up joining armed opposition, surviving many dangers, and at last escaping to the West and a university career. Khoo Thwe's book is lyrical and extremely frank, while Mezlekia has a wonderful sense of irony and dark humor. Though an engineer, he is pretty loose with distances, ages, etc. (well, who cares about numbers when you are writing magical realism ?) and many political questions about his past remain unexplained. But am I some kind of examiner ? I accepted NOTES FROM THE HYENA'S BELLY as a very accurate and devastating picture of what was going on in Ethiopia in the `60s and `70s. Both Khoo Thwe and Mezlekia have written rare accounts of what millions of people around the world experience, so far from the daily reality of those of us fortunate enough to live in peaceful, wealthy nations. That they survived at all is amazing, that they could write their stories in English is even more impressive, and they write so well. For anyone who wants to know what Ethiopians have lived through, or where they have come from, this book is a must. The customs, religion, and daily life of an Ethiopian are not often encountered in literature. Mezlekia does a great job illustrating them. Finally, for a glimpse of the irrepressible human spirit, you could do a lot worse than read Mezlekia's story.
April 28, 2018
An interesting book about a country and era not widely followed in the West. This memoir by a young man who survived Ethiopia's traumatic and ruthless times in the 1970s was worth reading mainly because it offers an individual's perspective, offers the experiences of his family and friends, and makes the case more specific when it comes to picturing the brutality and senseless slaughter, famine, the wasted lives that otherwise get lost in the numbers of those who perished in that country.
The author does a good job of painting a vivid picture (though I note that after publication there was a dispute by Mezlekia's editor, claiming she had been deprived of any credit for her work, and that she had a leading role in the text). Like many such memoirs, it is really creative non-fiction (there's no other way to recreate 'verbatim' dialogue). What prevented the book from succeeding more than it did, as a readable and generally interesting account, were a couple of small but not insignificant points.
First, when he was 18 or so, the author joined one of the rebel armies trying to depose the harsh military junta. No one could blame him. He describes his unit's participation in a massacre of army trainees, and his horror at their actions. However, he omits describing any of his own involvement. No wonder, after all, these were war crimes and he was wise not to admit to them (though complicit, still). Yet that silent omission, in my mind, deprives him of much credibility. I wondered what else had been omitted. This is important because many wide facts were presented as incontrovertible.
Also, and this may have been an editing issue, there's an uneven tone where the author occasionally resorts to an ironic voice (e.g., speaking of how the army might be doing a 'favour' when really meaning the opposite). I thought that if such a droll voice were to be used (and I prefer it weren't) it needed to be consistent. I could always eventually make out when the narrative was ironic or not from the context, but it sometimes took a couple of lines.
Anyhow, hopefully there will be more books to come from Ethiopian authors describing this terrible era; the stories deserve an audience.
The author does a good job of painting a vivid picture (though I note that after publication there was a dispute by Mezlekia's editor, claiming she had been deprived of any credit for her work, and that she had a leading role in the text). Like many such memoirs, it is really creative non-fiction (there's no other way to recreate 'verbatim' dialogue). What prevented the book from succeeding more than it did, as a readable and generally interesting account, were a couple of small but not insignificant points.
First, when he was 18 or so, the author joined one of the rebel armies trying to depose the harsh military junta. No one could blame him. He describes his unit's participation in a massacre of army trainees, and his horror at their actions. However, he omits describing any of his own involvement. No wonder, after all, these were war crimes and he was wise not to admit to them (though complicit, still). Yet that silent omission, in my mind, deprives him of much credibility. I wondered what else had been omitted. This is important because many wide facts were presented as incontrovertible.
Also, and this may have been an editing issue, there's an uneven tone where the author occasionally resorts to an ironic voice (e.g., speaking of how the army might be doing a 'favour' when really meaning the opposite). I thought that if such a droll voice were to be used (and I prefer it weren't) it needed to be consistent. I could always eventually make out when the narrative was ironic or not from the context, but it sometimes took a couple of lines.
Anyhow, hopefully there will be more books to come from Ethiopian authors describing this terrible era; the stories deserve an audience.
February 24, 2017
2.5 stars.
It wasn't a bad book at all, it just didn't keep my interest the whole time. I had to read it slowly with breaks.
I had never heard of the genocide in Ethiopia that occurred in the 1970s. Nega Mezlekia lived through its events. He begins by explaining the way his family worked, how the country was monarch-run until these events started, and what his life was like during the few years that he was working his way to survive and care for his family.
What I found quite interesting about this story is that the title talks about being an a hyena's belly, but on one page in the book, he states that a prison he was put into for simply being a youth was called that. The problem I had with this is that he barely talked much about it and what went on there. What he did say, was truly sad, but it was not the only time he skipped over things that I believe had great details over. He was also part of the rebellion as a child soldier for about seven months, but hardly really talked bout that life. He spent much greater details in talking about his troubled school-life childhood and how he was thought to have a devil within him by teachers.
I will say that the saddest and greatest imagery that this book left me was that there was a lot of death around him. He really was pained to bring any of that up at all. I can understand that would be hard, as he obviously had some PTSD, as he talked about having the memories torment him while he was living in Canada. What happened to his family is very sad.
I loved learning some of the stories his mam would tell him to teach about lessons. I am homeschooling my sons and the eldest learned a few stories like this shared in the DRC.
It wasn't a bad book at all, it just didn't keep my interest the whole time. I had to read it slowly with breaks.
I had never heard of the genocide in Ethiopia that occurred in the 1970s. Nega Mezlekia lived through its events. He begins by explaining the way his family worked, how the country was monarch-run until these events started, and what his life was like during the few years that he was working his way to survive and care for his family.
What I found quite interesting about this story is that the title talks about being an a hyena's belly, but on one page in the book, he states that a prison he was put into for simply being a youth was called that. The problem I had with this is that he barely talked much about it and what went on there. What he did say, was truly sad, but it was not the only time he skipped over things that I believe had great details over. He was also part of the rebellion as a child soldier for about seven months, but hardly really talked bout that life. He spent much greater details in talking about his troubled school-life childhood and how he was thought to have a devil within him by teachers.
I will say that the saddest and greatest imagery that this book left me was that there was a lot of death around him. He really was pained to bring any of that up at all. I can understand that would be hard, as he obviously had some PTSD, as he talked about having the memories torment him while he was living in Canada. What happened to his family is very sad.
I loved learning some of the stories his mam would tell him to teach about lessons. I am homeschooling my sons and the eldest learned a few stories like this shared in the DRC.
May 15, 2016
Something about this book unsettles me.
It's not that it chronicles the atrocities of Nega's boyhood in Ethiopia, although those are horrific. I don't think it's that the writing is a bit odd, coming as it does from a person whose native tongue is Amharic.
It's the writer and his content. I don't believe he told the whole story.
He writes of a time when he willingly joined a resistance force, then goes on to say his side committed atrocities, but fails to mention any that he himself committed. It would be hard to believe, considering the character he outlined for himself earlier, that he didn't go along with the agenda and slaughter innocent men, women and children as well as his fellow soldiers.
Of course, if he had mentioned doing such things, it would have lost him a readership most likely.
This is speculative on my part, but it makes a lot of sense.
I just can't shake the feeling that he's altered events to suit himself and that he's untrustworthy. I have only run across a similar situation in one other book I've read and the author there openly admitted he was a criminal and con man.
The book is still good for historical and cultural information and insights, regardless.
It's not that it chronicles the atrocities of Nega's boyhood in Ethiopia, although those are horrific. I don't think it's that the writing is a bit odd, coming as it does from a person whose native tongue is Amharic.
It's the writer and his content. I don't believe he told the whole story.
He writes of a time when he willingly joined a resistance force, then goes on to say his side committed atrocities, but fails to mention any that he himself committed. It would be hard to believe, considering the character he outlined for himself earlier, that he didn't go along with the agenda and slaughter innocent men, women and children as well as his fellow soldiers.
Of course, if he had mentioned doing such things, it would have lost him a readership most likely.
This is speculative on my part, but it makes a lot of sense.
I just can't shake the feeling that he's altered events to suit himself and that he's untrustworthy. I have only run across a similar situation in one other book I've read and the author there openly admitted he was a criminal and con man.
The book is still good for historical and cultural information and insights, regardless.
March 29, 2015
in many ways the Ethiopia's story -told in this memoir- is a common one. too common. feudal system with an imperial ... an ineffective, disengaged, oppressive imperial government is challenged and overthrown by the people. internal strife for power ensues and the military -with aid from the U.S.S.R.- is the dominate force that takes control. a quasi-communist government with a paranoid eye uses all the tatics we have heard about in China under Mao and U.S.S.R. under Stalin. What happened in the Philipines and countless other countries including Ethiopia.
so for those who know how the transition from imperial to communist power shifts turn out, there isn't a lot new in this book ... you know the pattern ... collectivism, food shortages/famine, displaced people, the imprisionment or summary execution of all critics. but Mezlekia gives it a unique Ethiopian flavour by including -not just his personal family story- but the folk tales and myths and superstitions that are unique to this country.
Notes from the Hyena's Belly is a quick engaging read for anyone with an interest in recent Ethiopian history .... recommended to anyone -like me!- planning a trip to Ethiopia.
so for those who know how the transition from imperial to communist power shifts turn out, there isn't a lot new in this book ... you know the pattern ... collectivism, food shortages/famine, displaced people, the imprisionment or summary execution of all critics. but Mezlekia gives it a unique Ethiopian flavour by including -not just his personal family story- but the folk tales and myths and superstitions that are unique to this country.
Notes from the Hyena's Belly is a quick engaging read for anyone with an interest in recent Ethiopian history .... recommended to anyone -like me!- planning a trip to Ethiopia.
July 28, 2010
Wonderful book. Concise, clear writing, a remarkable tale about coming of age in Ethiopia in the era just after Heili Selassi is dethroned. This is a vivid but gentle account of his own and his countries struggle to move from the world of nomadic tribes and custom through the rigorous and corrupt control of the Catholic Church and into the dangerous world of education and western thought. His story is one of avoiding death from hunger, from warring tribes, nations and ideologies and the bereft blessings of Marxist/Leninist reality, from regular mass purging of suspected enemies of the state to his eventual placement at a University in the Netherlands. That he can bring us along with so much compassion and understanding is a gift he clearly exhibits in his writing. I loved the constant retelling of stories (fables actually) his mother told him a a child.
October 1, 2010
As part of my search for books about Africa, I am reading this memoir of a young man growing up during a tumultuous period in Ethiopia's history. The first part of the book is a constant shift between a sort of magical thinking based on folk beliefs and real events, where the city streets are ruled by wild hyenas at night. As he enters his teen years, he gets caught in the waves of political movements and wavers between a strict academic environment and running off the join the uprising" where they shove a gun in his hands. The descriptions of nomadic life and desert survival are amazing, but I missed the magical thinking in the beginning of the book. I hope it returns before the end of the book.
April 23, 2012
Especially interesting to me since most of the events occurred at or near the time I lived in Hararge, Ethiopis, the same region where Ato Nega lived. I visited Jijiga, Harar, Dire Dawa, and Alamayu Agricultural Training Center and other places mentioned in the book. His description of the bus trip from Harar to Addis Ababa through Asbe Teferi brings back memories of several bus trips we took, and at least one train trip from Addis to Dire Dawa. The horrors of the Red Terror, when about 100,000 Ethiopians, mostly students and intelectuals, were slaughtered took place during the time and a few months after we lived in Addis.
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