A New Documentary Highlights China’s Expansion into Ethiopia
This Sunday, Made in Ethiopia premieres at the DC/DOX documentary festival in Washington, DC. This film rejects simplistic narratives and explores Ethiopia’s burgeoning industrial sector and partnership with China through three individuals’ perspectives.
Ethiopia is the most populous nation in East Africa. In the 20th century, it faced economic troubles and civil war between communist and non-communist forces. Today, it is quickly developing, building infrastructure and factories. Much of the capital for this development comes from foreign partners, especially China, whose ambitious Belt and Road Initiative has focused on this core of the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia’s industrial sector now employs millions of people, and Ethiopians are growing more prosperous. Yet it is not rosy for everyone; indeed, any development this large and fast will have uneven effects on the human lives involved in it.