Jemberu, 32, busy in his work and dressed in a white butcher’s coat, explains his life as butcher in Meri on the outskirts of Addis Ababa – from handling huge pieces of meat to competition coming from supermarkets.
I was born in Guraghe region and I grew up in a small village called Enimor. In my family I’m the eldest of four boys and three girls. I had a good childhood there. I came to Addis Ababa twelve years ago, searching for better opportunities. I first started earning some money working as a shoe shine boy, which I did for three years. I quit school when I was in the six grade. Then a friend brought me to work at this butchery. For the past nine, years I’ve been working here cutting, weighing and wrapping meat to customers who eat in (as kitfo- chop beef into small pieces either raw or cooked-or tibs-cooked strips of meat, or as Dullet- spiced tripe served for breakfast or lunch, or Milasna Sember, tongue and tripe) or to take away to cook at home. This shop sells regular beef, which costs 80 birr per kg. Six of us work here, one assistant, three waitresses, the owner-who handles all the money-and me. There is also the coffee girl Samrawit who prepares Yejebena buna, a coffee prepared in a clay pot, outside of the shop to draw the attention of the potential customers who are merely passing by.
We start the day at five in the morning, doing all the preparations and placing meat cuts and products in display counter. But the shop is only open to customers at 7 am and I go home around 7 pm. We sell around 30 kg on Saturdays and around 7 kgs on Mondays.
The works could be physical. It requires handling huge pieces of meat and standing all day. Your shoulders hurt from lifting. I am often exhausted at the end of the day.
Currently, we are not allowed to serve raw meat here because of the cholera that broke out in the country. Well, I am not convinced that it is triggered by meat but we have no choice but to oblige. But we know some of our customers would take the meat to their place and eat portion of the raw meat there.
The business in this area is getting difficult because of the competition. Several butcher shops opened this year. In the future I think of moving to Gerji area to have more customers and better pay. There is also increasing supermarket competition, more and more wealthy people going to buy there. But luckily, we have many construction workers in Meri area.
Here I am paid 700 birr per month. I eat my meals for free as just much as I wish. I try to be punctual, honest and clean, and provide good portion of meat to satisfy my customers, though it is always difficult to give everybody just the delicious chunks of the meat.
When I am not working here, I spend my time with my wife. I just married recently and we hope to have a child soon.