Notes from the Hyena's Belly : An Ethiopian Boyhood
- Book Review,
by Nega Mezlekia
From Publishers Weekly
"Hyenas are the most common, notorious predators in Ethiopia," notes Mezlekia, thus their power in local myth and as a metaphor for the forces that have torn Ethiopia apart in recent decades. This lyrical memoir of an Ethiopian childhood echoes both the myth and the violence of the hyena. In the first third of his literary debut, Mezlekia intersperses accounts of his mischievous, rebellious childhood with the magical tales told by his family to interpret various experiences: magic and spirits were part of everyday life for young Mezlekia. He also carefully delineates the customs of and relations between the Christian and Muslim communities in his hometown of Jijiga. (Mezlekia's mother, though a Christian, took her son to a Muslim medicine man to cleanse him following a series of boyish escapades.) But a third of the way through the text, the material world supplants the world of the spirit and innocence that governed Mezlekia's early childhoodAsocial and political upheaval ruled Ethiopian life in the late 1970s and '80s. At times, Mezlekia, who now lives in Canada, does not clearly describe the various factions that wrestled for power when he was a teenager and college student. But he treats the chaos and famine that enveloped his country with seriousness and styleA"The revolution was eating Ethiopian children at an alarming rate"Aand even while recounting famine and war, he never loses the wit that no doubt helped him to survive some of the worst humanity has to offer. (Jan.) Forecast: This lovely and terrible memoir will undoubtedly be well reviewed and thus reach readers interested not only in the fate of Africa but also in a lyrical account of a foreign childhood. There is an author tour planned. Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Born in 1958, the year he calls "the year of paradox," Mezlekia has written an intriguing book about growing up in Jigiga, Ethiopia. Full of adventure, political struggle, and intrigue, his memoir works as a coming-of-age story as well as a glimpse into a world of political corruption and change that Westerners rarely get to know so intimately. Mezlekia writes, "We children lived like the donkey, careful not to wander off the beaten trail and end up in the hyena's belly." He describes the careful divisions in dress, language, and culture between Muslims and Christians and brings them to life through vivid portraits of the people who populated his landscape. Mustafa and Ms. Yetaferu, two permanent houseguests, provide beautiful insight into these two religious and cultural stances in life. Mustafa's business adventures and Ms. Yetaferu's religious ceremonies stand in contrast to each other, creating a dynamic household. Mezlekia's tales of the spiritual and religious beliefs are some of the most fascinating parts of his life. He honors us with the telling of this rich story. Highly recommended for all libraries.DBarbara O'Hara, Free Lib. of Philadelphia Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
In telling his life story, Mezlekia describes in rich detail the turmoil and upheaval of Ethiopia after the fall of Emperor Haile Selassie and the rise of a communist junta and its "Red Terror." He recalls an early childhood full of stories and myths, with which he salts his accounting of biographical and historical specifics. As he matured and realized the injustices of Ethiopia's feudalism, he joined youth rebellions seeking reform. At 18 he was forced to join a guerrilla army as the social and political structure of Ethiopia collapsed in a struggle between western European interests and communist influence. Hungry for reform, he was disillusioned with a communist rhetoric that was accompanied by only slight change in the status of the downtrodden. Corruption was rampant, even as the general population faced famine, political unrest, economic chaos, and terrorism. Mezlekia left Ethiopia in 1983 and eventually emigrated to Canada. A stunning depiction of Ethiopia's current culture and coflict. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"[A] powerful memoir. . . . By skillfully interleaving personal history, politics, and Amhara fables. . . . [Mezlekia] has produced the most riveting book about Ethiopia since Ryszard Kapuscinski's literary allegory The Emperor and the most distinguished African literary memoir since Soyinka's Ake appeared 20 years ago."--Rob Nixon, The New York Times Book Review
"Topical, moving, and fascinating. Nega Mezlekia concentrates his mind on his nation's history as he tells his own tale in prose imbued with a sense of commitment to turth. It is the best memoir by an Ethiopian that I've ever read."--Nuruddin Farah, author of Maps and Secrets.
"A glimpse into Hell. By some feat of alchemy, Mezlekia has transformed the nightmare that was his life in Ethiopia into a gripping story. Mandatory reading for anyone trying to understand Africa today."--Eric McCormack, author of First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women
"A masterful narrative that steeps the reader in Ethiopian folklore, myth, theology, and philosophy, blurring the boundaries between the spiritual and material worlds. 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."--George Makana Clark, author of The Small Bees' Honey
"Magical . . . What makes Nega Mezlekia's memoir such a delight is the wonderment, at crazy life and crazier fate, that informs every page."--Charles Foran, author of The Story of My Life (So Far)
"Mezlekia has a born storyteller's knack for pacing, and in his musical voice he manages to convey the helter-skelter of his existence . . . A story of high drama told with aplomb."--Kirkus Reviews
Review
"[A] powerful memoir. . . . By skillfully interleaving personal history, politics, and Amhara fables. . . . [Mezlekia] has produced the most riveting book about Ethiopia since Ryszard Kapuscinski's literary allegory The Emperor and the most distinguished African literary memoir since Soyinka's Ake appeared 20 years ago."--Rob Nixon, The New York Times Book Review
"Topical, moving, and fascinating. Nega Mezlekia concentrates his mind on his nation's history as he tells his own tale in prose imbued with a sense of commitment to turth. It is the best memoir by an Ethiopian that I've ever read."--Nuruddin Farah, author of Maps and Secrets.
"A glimpse into Hell. By some feat of alchemy, Mezlekia has transformed the nightmare that was his life in Ethiopia into a gripping story. Mandatory reading for anyone trying to understand Africa today."--Eric McCormack, author of First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women
"A masterful narrative that steeps the reader in Ethiopian folklore, myth, theology, and philosophy, blurring the boundaries between the spiritual and material worlds. 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."--George Makana Clark, author of The Small Bees' Honey
"Magical . . . What makes Nega Mezlekia's memoir such a delight is the wonderment, at crazy life and crazier fate, that informs every page."--Charles Foran, author of The Story of My Life (So Far)
"Mezlekia has a born storyteller's knack for pacing, and in his musical voice he manages to convey the helter-skelter of his existence . . . A story of high drama told with aplomb."--Kirkus Reviews
Review
"[A] powerful memoir. . . . By skillfully interleaving personal history, politics, and Amhara fables. . . . [Mezlekia] has produced the most riveting book about Ethiopia since Ryszard Kapuscinski's literary allegory The Emperor and the most distinguished African literary memoir since Soyinka's Ake appeared 20 years ago."--Rob Nixon, The New York Times Book Review
"Topical, moving, and fascinating. Nega Mezlekia concentrates his mind on his nation's history as he tells his own tale in prose imbued with a sense of commitment to turth. It is the best memoir by an Ethiopian that I've ever read."--Nuruddin Farah, author of Maps and Secrets.
"A glimpse into Hell. By some feat of alchemy, Mezlekia has transformed the nightmare that was his life in Ethiopia into a gripping story. Mandatory reading for anyone trying to understand Africa today."--Eric McCormack, author of First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women
"A masterful narrative that steeps the reader in Ethiopian folklore, myth, theology, and philosophy, blurring the boundaries between the spiritual and material worlds. 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."--George Makana Clark, author of The Small Bees' Honey
"Magical . . . What makes Nega Mezlekia's memoir such a delight is the wonderment, at crazy life and crazier fate, that informs every page."--Charles Foran, author of The Story of My Life (So Far)
"Mezlekia has a born storyteller's knack for pacing, and in his musical voice he manages to convey the helter-skelter of his existence . . . A story of high drama told with aplomb."--Kirkus Reviews
Book Description
In this acclaimed memoir, Mezlekia recalls his boyhood in the arid city of Jijiga, Ethiopia, and his journey to manhood during the 1970s and 1980s. He traces his personal evolution from child to soldier--forced at the age of eighteen to join a guerrilla army. And he describes the hardships that consumed Ethiopia after the fall of Emperor Haile Selassie and the rise to power of the communist junta, in whose terror thousands of Ethiopians died. Part autobiography and part social history, Notes from the Hyena's Belly offers an unforgettable portrait of Ethiopia, and of Africa, during the defining and turbulent years of the last century.
About the Author
Nega Mezlekia left Ethiopia in 1983 with little more than the clothes he was wearing. An engineer with degrees from Addis Ababa University and McGill University, he now lives in Toronto, where he is working on a novel.
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