Challenges of Development in Nibgee Village, Ethiopia
This thesis examined why the Nibgeean community, situated in a deep valley 70 kilometres from the capital city of Ethiopia, has chosen to stay in a place where travel is difficult, and amenities are very basic or nonexistent. They have remained there independently, peacefully, and relatively unchanged, for generations; largely untouched by famines and wars that have afflicted wider Ethiopia. Various methods were employed in order to determine the points of view of the people of Nibgee and find out how they regard their own development and whether they subjectively experience deprivation. It was expected that they would feel profoundly in need of a road but direct observation, dream mapping and interviews established that they feel happy and proud as they are, and in fact their isolation is a strategic choice to maintain their self-sustainability and preserve their safe haven. Their traditional culture of cooperation, conservation and resistance to outside interference was found to have kept them safe for generations. They showed some interest in development, however, with different groups within the community showing particular interest in the development of a school and electricity.