‘Just like reins direct a horse, culture directs a person’s way of life’ (Ethiopian proverb). In the yard of a simple-looking Kibbutz home, stands a strip of life from some other place; at a second glance, the round temporary looking ‘Gojo’ is revealed as a house for all intents and purposes; Gojo: a typical traditional Ethiopian house. “The meaning of the word ‘Mavrhatey’ is ‘my light’”, explains Yonie Skiba, the woman behind this unique, eye opening and exceptional experience that visitors are intended to go through. The ‘Mavrhatey’ project is operated in Kibbutz Evron for seven years already.
Contact and address
- Phone for reservations
- 077-9964470
- Location
- Evron
- Website
- mavrhatey.co.il
Contacting host
‘Yonie herself is a rare combination of creativity, charisma, a sharp mind, generosity and a sense of mission. Qualified at group guidance with a background in education and psychodrama, she succeeds in conveying the details of the geographic as well as the cultural journey, in her own unique way, moving on the axis between Ethiopia and the Galilean Kibbutz, where she and her family have been living with for the past 22 years.
During activity with Yonie guests may acquire some Amharic street wisdom in the original tongue, wear authentic cloth, be exposed to the story of Yonie’s personal journey, participate in the traditional coffee ceremony: the ‘buna’, get acquainted with the Ethiopian cuisine, and mainly learn a lot about themselves through exposure to an ancient, unique culture. As part of the activity guests will be exposed to cards, puzzles and other qualitative kits that Yonie produces for group guidance and workshops dealing with multi-cultural issues. Guests who are interested, and they are likely to be, may acquire a decorated set of cards containing Ethiopian words of wisdom. Yonie: “when a group of pensioners brought me the parallel proverb in Yiddish for each one of the proverbs printed on the cards, I told them that it sounded better in Amharic …’
Give Yonie a group and leave the rest up to her.
The place offers a selection of workshops and teambuilding days: An authentic Ethiopian experience that includes a lecture about Ethiopian culture, cultural touches and a visit to the compound; educational tourism: transition from childhood to adulthood for Bnei and Bnot Mitzvah; Women Empowering workshops and teambuilding and activity days. Designed for groups of 30 to 50 people.