The Anglo-Ethiopian Society
Millennium Celebrations
Author - Suzie Grant
On September 11, 2007 five members of the Anglo-Ethiopian Society made their way down to Trafalgar Square in London to find it packed - mostly with Ethiopians - and some other interested people like ourselves. The mood in the Square was jubilant and everybody was - in typical Ethiopian fashion - friendly, polite and in high spirits. A variety of acts had been invited to perform on a stage set up under Nelson's Column. We missed the presentation by the Orthodox Church which was on earlier in the evening. The bar in the Square closed half an hour before midnight so we had to avail ourselves of the services of Tesco in order to toast the New Year and New Millennium! This proved to be lots of fun as in the queue we had plenty of time to meet other revellers and exchange greetings. Midnight in Ethiopia coincided with 10pm in the UK and after the countdown to midnight the crowd cheered enthusiastically and then joined in with the singers on the stage. As we left the Square we met Ethiopians happy to see we had come to share the Millennium experience with them. Let us hope for peace and prosperity for all - both in Ethiopia and the rest of the world for the year 2000.