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Many Ethiopian women like to have tattoos on their
gums to make a contrast as a background to their
nice set of white teeth. The tattooing is done for
decorative purposes by repeatedly pricking the gum
with big bush thorns until it bleeds resulting in
severe pains. That action throws a shiver of
trepidation down one’s back.
Later on, the blood dries under the surface of the
gum leaving a dark stain that is intended to serve
as a background contrasting to the white teeth. As
the Amharic proverb, ‘siyagetoo yimeletoo’
has it, one has to endure the excruciating pains
patiently and quietly if one wants to decorate
oneself that is.
By a little stretch of syllogism, kids that are
given much too eating sweets are said to be
vulnerable to toothache. But my daily observations
seem to defy this general truth. I often see poor
boys crashing sugarcane with their strong teeth in
their mouths enjoying the sweet juice and never
complain about any toothache. Is this not the same
material that is processed to make sugar or the kind
of sweets in the form of ice cream the little
toddler was enjoying?
Many people are finding sugarcane as one of the most
affordable options as fast food that augments energy
requirements of the low income labour force that is
currently on the brink of starvation in the middle
of plenty. The teeth of the poor seem to be hardened
by dry cereals and stems of sugarcane if only to
lurk under the lips until something to crush or
munch avails itself perchance.
The rich teeth are fond of crispy chocolates while
their opposites are after crispy chips of dried
injera if at all one can find it easily.
I am finding a certain gentleman, Belachew,
appearing on ETV programmes amusing when he
tries to go an extra mile to laugh longer and make
his name registered in the Guinness Book of Records,
permanently sealing his teeth in history. He also
tries to make people laugh through his sustained
laughter.
One day, however, he laughed his head out at a
foreigner who would not budge an inch. He claims
that laughter can be therapy for some kind of an
ailment. But I have not seen anyone with an empty
stomach strong enough to cry, never mind laugh.
The gentleman tells us to laugh loud and clear and
do away with our problems. By the figment of my
imaginations, I could see people falling into the
abyss of hilarity in Mercato only to find themselves
trapped in an offence of illegally polluting the
silent air with their roaring laughter that wakes
and disturbs patients in the nearby Emanuel Hospital
where silence and tranquillity is part of the
indispensable prescription for inmates.
How interesting is it to observe nice people with
beautiful teeth laughing out their heads over
trivial matters that do not even deserve a grin that
is not wide enough to reveal any tooth. The
underlying cause appears to be a little exhibition
of the white pearls as a sign of beauty.
Ethiopians often use traditional medicine to keep
their teeth clean. Whenever people talk about the
beauty of teeth I think of the shepherd boy from
Beniamir we see on tourist posters. He does not use
a toothbrush but cleans his beautiful teeth with
twigs and herbs. Unless laughter comes out
impulsively from within, it falls dead on the white
enamels and appears to bear sarcasm instead of
genuine joy and happiness that may perhaps be
lurking under a slight smile ready to ignite into
laughter that catches on like an epidemic
occurrence.
A few years back, diseases that required dentistry
were either negligible or non-existent. Today,
however, every nook and cranny in the city seems to
have one or two dentists. What was once the rich
man’s problem has now thrived by leaps and bounds
everywhere including the shanties and slums of
Mercato.
Maybe we are either growing richer ahead of schedule
or are given to chewing something unbecoming to a
omnivorous being like us. One farmer confirmed this
theory by saying that 20 years is too long a period
of time for Ethiopia to wait to find herself amidst
middle income groups. This is positive thinking even
if the farmer may have little or no idea what it
takes to be a middle income country.
It looks like people are all of a sudden chewing
grass or leaves to the detriment of the cavities
that decay too early. Is not economic growth about
dining and wining at the end of the day? We may need
our teeth moe now than ever before!
Some investors in the business of dentistry seem to
capitalise on the sceptical personalities of
Ethiopians. They deploy foreign professionals and
advertise to promote their business. They charge as
much as they can milk the patient even with the very
poor and shameful treatment they offer. Of course,
there are some courteous and noble professionals
amidst the greedy.
At any rate, it is always safe to check up your
teeth every so often and try to keep smiling for
ever like a boy scout is supposed to do!
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