Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
»Internet dongles are available but expensive and almost certainly won't work outside of
Addis. Our experience of foreign smart phones in Ethiopia is no better either - web pages
never work and emails only seem to download in the evenings and only in Addis. You'll
have more luck with a locally purchased SIM card, but not much more!
»It should be remembered that the Ethiopian government is highly suspicious of the inter-
net. Opposition websites and others critical of the government are frequently blocked. In
early 2012 it even went as far as banning Skype and similar programs; though after an up-
roar from locals it reversed its decision.
PRACTICALITIES
» The best-known English-language daily newspapers are the government-owned
Ethiopian Herald
and the privately owned
Monitor
. Other weekly private newspapers
include the
Fortune,
the
Reporter, Sub-Saharan Informer
and the
Capital
. Only the
Ethiopian Herald
is available outside Addis Ababa. The weekly
Press Digest
gives
useful summaries of the most important stories from the week's Amharic and English
press.
» Radio Ethiopia broadcasts in English from 3pm to 4pm and 7pm to 8pm weekdays.
The BBC World Service can be received on radios with short-wave reception, though
frequencies vary according to the time of day (try 9630, 11940 and 17640 MHz).
» Ethiopia's ETV1 channel broadcasts in English from 11am to 12pm Monday to Fri-
day and 11pm to midnight daily. ETV2 broadcasts in English daily from 8pm to 9pm.
Many hotels and restaurants have satellite dishes that receive BBC or CNN.
» Ethiopia uses the metric system for weights and measures.
Legal Matters
Remember that when in Ethiopia, you're subject to Ethiopian laws. If you're arrested, you
must (in theory) be brought to court within 48 hours. You have the right to talk to
someone from your embassy, as well as a lawyer. For the most part, police in Ethiopia will
show you as much respect as you show them. If confronted by the police, always maintain
your cool, smile and be polite. Compared with some other African nations, police here
rarely, if ever, ask for bribes (we're yet to experience it).
