Awra Amba Village

Awra Amba was founded in 1972 by Zumra Nuru, a farmer who as a child had questioned why women worked harder than men and why the old were left uncared for, and who eventually gathered a community around a set of principles: equal division of labour without gender roles, no religious observance in the usual sense, care of the elderly by the community, and children educated rather than put to work. The village lives mainly from weaving and a mill, and members show visitors the workshops, the school, the library and the home for the elderly, explaining the rules as they go. The community has had friction with neighbours over its unorthodox approach to religion. Whether the visit reads as inspiring or as a well-rehearsed presentation varies, but the arrangement is genuine and long-running.

What you actually see

• The weaving workshops - the cooperative that supports the village.
• Shared-labour arrangements - men and women doing the same tasks.
• The elderly home - communal care organised by the village.
• The school and library - the community's own institutions.

When to go

October to March for the roads. The village receives visitors on ordinary working days when the workshops are running. It sits on the main road east from Bahir Dar, so it fits into a transfer day.

Honest expectations

The visit is a guided presentation of the community's principles and can feel rehearsed. Purchases of woven goods are expected and are the point of the visit economically. The village is modest and there is not much to see beyond workshops and buildings; the interest is in the social arrangement.

Nearby

Bahir Dar lies west; the road continues east toward Woldia.