Ethiopian diaspora

Just read a book, Sweetness in the Belly by Camilla Gibb. The protagonist is a young English-born girl, Lilly, whose parents travel the north African coast as free spirits. Her life changes when her parents are killed and she is left with a Muslim religious leader in Morocco for her upbringing. As she matures she is encouraged to take a religious pilgrimage to Ethiopia with another young Muslim scholar. The story is fascinating, told back and forth between the 70's in Ethiopia and the 80's in London. At a time when the west seems fascinated with the Muslim culture this book helps readers to understand some of the motivation behind the practices. Islam may be the largest growing religion in the world, and I want to understand it more. Not to convert, but to at least have more respect for people's choices and beliefs. This book is well written and sympathetic to the Diaspora in London of the Ethiopia population. The author spent time in Ethiopia as part of her anthropology research, and her appreciation of the people shows.