Acknowledgements

The Story Collecting Project was a remarkable collaborative venture. Many people and organisations made it possible — chief among them, of course, the storytellers themselves, whose passion for their own cultural heritage was the heart of the work.

Who’s who in the project

Project leads

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The British Council translators

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The artists

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The storytellers

The most important contributors were the storytellers themselves. They were men and women from every region of Ethiopia and from many walks of life — farmers, teachers, midwives, a nun, priests, merchants, old soldiers, school children and many others. Their names, and the names of those who translated their words, are recorded region by region. Unreserved apologies are due to any person not duly acknowledged.

The Ministry of Education and regional officers

The Ethiopian Ministry of Education had oversight of the project as a whole and gave it full-hearted support. The collection of stories was facilitated by the Regional Cultural and Education Officers, who are listed individually in the introduction to each region’s stories.

Translation, production and support

The stories were translated from Amharic into English by the project translators, with help from local members of the Regional Cultural and Education Bureaux. The website was translated into Amharic by Shimeles Lemma Birru, with Amharic proofreading by Dr Negusse Araya. The British Council drivers Teklehaimanot Yigletu and the late Dereje Mekonnen carried the team safely over thousands of miles of Ethiopian roads. The original website was set up with the expert technical assistance of Gareth Cromie, Anton Oliinyk and Anna Sidyakina.

With the support of

The original website was generously funded by The Christensen Fund, under the guidance of Wolde Gossa Tadesse, who gave not only financial support but warm encouragement throughout.