Denan is within the current borders of Ethiopia, in the southeast of the country, close to Somalia.  I spent a few days there working on a project, documenting the cooking practices of some households in the town.  The welcoming we received at each house we visited was warm, sometimes including an offering of food in a village where little existed. 

I’ll never forget that Ogaden moon shining high over Denan during those nights, and I still hold on to the hope that the future of the Ogaden will be brighter than it is today.

To read more about life in the Ogaden, click here:  http://vagoscribe.com/tag/ogaden/

Emergency is upon us.  Oil reserves have been tapped so that we are able to save some cash here, tricking us into spending some greenbacks there.  We open our wallets to find the same amount missing, bills not folded where air fills the void.  It’s the same difference, the paycheck amount never increasing, and the total paychecks handed out not increasing either.

It’s Obama’s fault.  It’s Bush’s fault.  It’s Clinton’s fault.  It’s Bush’s fault. It’s Reagan’s fault.

It’s your fault. It’s my fault.  We want more for less.  To get that, we have to pay.  Some of us end up paying more than others:

Land Mine Victim after playing with a "toy" he found, Denan, Ethiopia (formerly Somalia)

We put toys on and in our vehicles so that we can go out and enjoy a few hours of leisure time, burning irreplaceable fuels to arrive at the starting line so that we can compete against each other, some coming out winners and losers.  Or, we go to get away from our home lives and the office grind.  Maybe we do it to be healthy, to be out in nature, to connect with an inner something that we recognize as something bigger than ourselves but are not able to understand.  Perhaps it brings us an endorphin rush that has us feeling high.

Paying to Play

My costs will continue to be lower than those of other people.  I will continue to play, adding to their costs.  It’s my fault too.

…followers of the Koran, Qur’an, Qaran…our brothers and sisters in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, and beyond…

Denan/Dhanaan, Ogaden, Ethiopia (ethnic Somali people)

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