The award ceremony of Captain Aida Alaro

The 7th exemplary person and first special awardee are Aida Alaro. The award ceremony of Captain Aida Alaro moved the audience to tears. There was a time in Greece when racial differences were a matter of curiosity and awe. Some incidents even made us laugh. For example, when a friend and I were celebrating a festival in traditional Ethiopian white clothes, a passerby told our friend that we looked like flies in milk. We couldn’t help but laugh. Once they realized we were speaking Greek they apologized too. On the contrary, today I meet many Ethiopians and Ethiopian Greeks who live or have lived in Greece, complaining about the pervasive climate of racism and hatred that permeates this beautiful country. increase. Today’s xenophobia, in which youth gangs assault foreigners, can be attributed to the country’s financial problems, but efforts are needed to end the decline of moral values. Ethiopia and Greece share many similarities, but the most obvious is their rich and ancient historical background. It is also known that both cultures have come into contact with each other over the centuries. Homer, one of the greatest poets in ancient history, was the first to mention the Ethiopians using the Greek words litho and opsi. Contrary to popular belief, the negative-sounding definition of “burnt face” is incorrect. The English word that best fits these ancient words would be “sunburn”, as from “heliotherapy” or treatment with the sun. Ethiopia’s first Greeks are said to have been sailors and artisans who contributed to trade between Abyssinia (the name of Ethiopia at the time) and Europe in the 18th century.