Sunrise at the Meskaye Hizunan Medhane
Alem Monastery in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's
capital and largest city, feels anything but
contemplative. A cacophony of roaring bus
and car engines interrupts the early morning
calm. A blur of red brake lights eclipses the
rising sun's soft rays. The compound, which
includes a church and an elementary and
high school, sits at the heart of the bustling
Sidist Kilo neighborhood, home to Addis Ababa
University's main campus. The neighborhood's
urban energy is palpable, even when the city
has barely awakened.
Inside the church, worshipers and monks have
filled the pews to celebrate the day's first liturgy.