While the dutch (and the doors) are waiting for the sun, Ethiopia is waiting for the rain. Rain is a sign of fertility. When it rains, things will turn out well. That is why the Ethiopians have a saying that when it rains at the beginning of a project or a relationship, it will give it fertile soil to grow on.
Usually the rainy season in this area will start in February. But up 'till now it has been dry and hot. People in the south of Ethiopia are dying and also in the evergreen Jimma dust is taking over.
We have been waiting for the license the last months as hopeful and disparate as the farmers have been waiting for the rain. And yesterday was the day that would give us clarity.
Yesterday the Ethiopian Broadcasting Authority (EBA) came to Jimma to assess the work done. They wanted to talk to 500-800 members of the community, to the board, the president of the Jimma University, the mayor and the employees of the radio station and get some last documents. This would be the final step to get the broadcasting license that we have been working for for 7 months now.
After a stressful week of preparation in which we sometimes thought that everything would end up in one big disaster, everything seemed to be organized.
We invited about 2000 people on Saturday morning 8:30 in the biggest meeting hall in Jimma. We expected that from these 2000, 500-800 would come. But they didn't. Al least, nut until 10:00 when we where very very nervous.
At that time the hall was stuffed with people. Young, old, male, female, rich, poor, handicapped, yes even the deaf inhabitants of Jimma came to fight for community radio!
A lot of speeches by higher officials followed. After that it was the turn of the community to talk. And they did talk. They told them EBA how much they needed the radio station for social en economical change but also just for the fact that they needed a medium that was not controlled by the government. A medium that was their own. They complained about the time it was taking to get the license. And told them they wanted the license NOW. The EBA seemed to be amazed a bit shocked but also impressed.
They said a lot in response that we didn' t understand because it was all in Amharic. But one thing we did understand: 102.0 FM.

Jimare 102.0 FM!

There was a big applause.
Last night heavy rains started.