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Shoes from Ethiopia

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Voice 1:
Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Liz Waid.

Voice 2:
And I’m Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 3:
“Our motto at soleRebels is: making the world a better place, one step at a time.” And we attempt to do that, in whatever small manner, every day.”

Voice 1:
These are the words of Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu. She is the founder and owner of soleRebels. This shoe company is in Ethiopia. Her business is extremely successful. But it is also very good for the environment and the people of Ethiopia who work for her. She hopes that her business model will change the way businesses all over Africa are run. In fact, she hopes that her business will change the whole continent of Africa! Today’s Spotlight is on Bethlehem and her company, soleRebels.

Voice 2:
Ethiopia is a country with a rich and ancient history. Experts believe it is one of the oldest countries in the world. And scientists say they see evidence of human existence from many, many years ago. It has also been an independent country for many years - since ancient times. It is one of the two African countries that were never colonized. Ethiopians have fought to keep their independence. Today, it is the tenth largest country in Africa by area. And, it has the second largest population.

Voice 1:
But today, the country also struggles. In its recent history, it has had many wars and conflicts. Recently, in the 1980s, the country experienced many famines. Millions of people died from lack of food and water. Today, Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world. But experts say that its economy is also one of Africa’s fastest growing. Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu and her soleRebels brand are part of this new economy!

Voice 2:
Bethlehem began soleRebels in 2004. She started the company in Zenabwork, a small village in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. There were many skilled people in the area, but no one had a job. Bethlehem explains her idea.

Voice 3:
“I grew up watching our family and neighbours struggling. So, we decided to create the “better life” we were all waiting for. We used our community’s wonderful artisan skills and focused them into a sustainable, global, fair trade footwear business.

We chose shoes because we saw that footwear was an excellent way to begin to share many of the native earth-friendly, craft traditions and artisan skills that we have here in Ethiopia. It is a great way to share them with the world! It also meant that we could make the shoes by hand, and make the process friendly to the earth. That is because we could get and make all our materials locally. That way, we did not have to import anything, and we could export everything.”

Voice 1:
But the idea for making shoes also had another important meaning for Bethlehem. The design for Bethlehem’s shoes has existed in Ethiopia for a long time. In fact, she says it is the same kind of footwear the original rebels wore while defending Ethiopia from invading forces. These old style shoes used old car tires for the bottoms, or soles, of the shoes. This is the same case for Bethlehem’s new shoes.

Voice 2:
Bethlehem took this old idea of shoes and re-imagined it. She believed the local style of cloth-making would make the shoe more appealing to people of modern times. She explains.

Voice 3:
"I grew up watching members of my family hand spin cotton with an inzert.
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