• About the Author
  • Africa in DC – Guide Around Town

Africa in DC

~ Exploring African affairs and cultural events in the DMV

Africa in DC

Tag Archives: Tom Friedman

Homage to Tom Friedman & Latin/Ethiopian Fusions

11 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by africaindc in Analysis, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Ethiopia, Latin, Spanish speaking Ethiopians, taxi drivers, Tom Friedman

Certain individuals frequently assess the pulse of a community or society by their conversations with taxi drivers.  While these tales can make for interesting reading at times, my general position is that this approach is a socially acceptable way for these writers to admit to being out of touch.

On a related note, I took a rare taxi ride Saturday night (technically Sunday morning), from West Hyattsville to my home.  My driver was from Ethiopia (had been in the US for less than 5 years) and he loaded three separate fares in his vehicle.  The other two were middle aged Latina women, with whom he conversed entirely in Spanish, a language that he said he had learned since moving to the US.

He noted that he had recently started driving a taxi, his only source of income, after working at gas stations and convenience stores.  He was very self-conscious about his English language ability and noted that it was difficult to develop his English as he circulated primarily in the Ethiopian Diaspora community.  He added that many caucasian customers had spoken to him very rudely, often noting that he should not be in a customer oriented position with weak English language skills.

In the events that I typically write about on these pages, (with some exceptions), I rarely encounter Ethiopians.  This opportunity was a little awkward.  Aside from that, I’m not sure what to make of it.  Does that make me less intelligent that renowned columnists like Tom Friedman who often distill crucial nuggets from such scenarios?  Does this encounter signal a looming Ethio-Latino political or cultural union?

Archives

Recent Posts

  • Vigorous Discourse on Angolan Governance at NED February 23, 2016
  • Farewell DC! April 26, 2014
  • Africa at Beltway Plaza Mall, Greenbelt MD April 23, 2014
  • Ghanaian/Diaspora Film from Akosua Adowa Owusu at the Anacostia Arts Center April 23, 2014
  • Sierra Leone Independence Celebrations in DC April 18, 2014
  • Freedom House Africa Head on Kenya’s Political Trajectory April 10, 2014
  • CSIS: A Western Journalist Speaks on the Congo and a Former US Ambassador in the DRC Obliquely Criticizes Rwanda April 4, 2014

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Tags

Africa Rising Afrobeats Blaise Compaoré Boko Haram Brookings Institution Central African Republic CSIS Ghana Howard University Kenya Mali Nectar Lounge Nigeria Robert Mugabe SAIS South Africa USAID Wilson Center ZANU-PF Zimbabwe

Blogroll

  • Africa in Transition
  • Africa Up Close
  • Africa's a Country
  • Compare Afrique
  • Diplomatic Courier
  • Habiba's Bookshelf
  • It's Archel (Liberia Fashion & Lifestyle)
  • Lesley on Africa
  • Sahel Blog
  • Shelby Grossman's Blog
  • Think Africa Press

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Categories

  • Analysis
  • DC Corridors of Power
  • entertainment
  • Essays
  • Events
  • history
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Uncategorized

Top Posts & Pages

  • Inspiration - Eugenie Kabiwa of the Agatha Foundation, Part I: Cameroon
  • Al Jazeera French African Connection Miniseries
  • Silver Spring's (Georgia Ave) Ethiopian Food and Nightlife
  • A Little Bit of South Africa in 'Elysium'
  • Ex-Girlfriend of Son of Equatorial Guinea President to Perform in DC

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Africa in DC
    • Join 665 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Africa in DC
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar