Konso (Ethiopia)

Konso is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for its particularity of being the cultural centre of the Konso people, who have incredible cultural and religious traditions. You can easily recognise the women of this ethnic group on the edge of the roads, as they wear pleated skirts in colourful fabric. They're known to be good farmers, in this fertile region. 

It's one of the encounters which impressed me the most in Ethiopia, as the Konso people use "wagas" (large wooden totem poles) for their funeral rituals, which bear the name of their pagan sky god. In addition, the villages are closed off, almost fortified, as there used to be numerous local conflicts. In the centre, visitors are welcomed in the "pafta", the community hut. 

On market days, you see lots of Konso people who are selling their goods, but also members of other tribes in the region, as the town is an important local shopping centre. It's best to take a local guide with you, who will explain the traditions of the Tsamai and Borana people from Yabelo.