Infanticide discovery discussed by journalists
Infanticide in Ethiopia based on superstitious tribal practices is something few people around the globe are aware of, according to USU news instructor and former Salt Lake Tribune reporter Matthew LaPlante. So few, that he and his photojournalist partner Richard Egan invested thousands of dollars of their own money to get the scoop.
LaPlante said he and Egan were in no way prepared for for what they learned about “mingi,” a curse that people of the Kara, Banna and Hamer tribes believe certain Ethiopian children are born with. He said the curse could come to children born out of wedlock or even those whose top teeth come in first.
“These are not evil people by any means,” LaPlante said. “You have to understand, these people fear mingi like we fear terrorism. They experience extreme sorrow when their child dies, but they believe it is necessary for the greater good.”
Each tribe has a slightly different set of beliefs that decides which children are put to death and which ones live, he said. The killing is viewed as commonplace and, he said, the people believe it is necessary to avoid famine and drought — if the cursed babies are not killed the sun will grow hotter and the rain will not fall.
LaPlante was hired by USU’s journalism department last year and subsequently tendered his resignation at The Tribune. Prior to starting his fall instruction, he and Egan, an associate professor, travelled to Ethiopia. Tuesday, the two men spoke to students and faculty in the TSC Auditorium about their experiences.
One case of infanticide Egan said the two reporters learned about through their driver and interpreter Chapi, was of a child who was bound to his stillborn twin brother before being thrown into the Omo River to drown. Many, he said, are buried alive in goat dung, with sand and dirt stuffed in their mouths. These children try to cry but are unable and die relatively quickly, he added.
LaPlante, who covered national security for The Tribune, said he got to know the parents and family of several American soldiers whose sons and daughters had been killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. He said these families displayed an attitude similar to those of the Ethiopian tribes people.
He said he travelled with many of these mothers as they visited Iraq for the first time, years after their sons or daughters were killed. The mothers expressed doubt when they saw that the U.S. military presence was not necessarily perceived as a positive thing, he said. Some of them began to wonder if their children had died in vain, and not for the noble cause they had previously imagined, he added.
“They had to believe in the war. Their children had died for it, and they could not believe that it was a waste,” LaPlante said. “With the Ethiopian mothers it is the same. They have to believe in mingi at this point — or else what on earth had they done? I spoke to a man who had killed his child, then killed a second child and again killed a third child. (The man) said ‘Yes, it is sad, but we are thinking about the village, the family, all the people.'”
Another younger Kara man named Shoma Dore, thought mingi killings were simply part of his generational heritage, and he didn’t realize there was anything wrong with it, LaPlante reported.
While reporting on mingi, Egan said they encountered quite a few ethical dilemmas. Normally the Ethiopian people will not allow themselves to be photographed without payment — which makes the photos ineligible for newspaper use. He said when Chapi was with them, that problem was solved, because the tribes people trusted Chapi.
Egan said he would, however, oblige the children by paying them for some photographs, since this is how they make a lot of their money.
Going into the project, LaPlante said he had a couple of phone numbers and a few names in a notebook. He said they figured it would be hard to gain trust from people in the two weeks they were there. Having their translator Chapi with them allowed them to establish rapport with the villagers, he said, that they would have otherwise probably not have had.
“I don’t know if we were supposed to — if we were meant to — tell this story,” LaPlante said. “But after we left, I don’t think there was anything else we could’ve asked for.”
He said, all the problems seemed to take care of themselves without any serious snags, and everything fell into place.
“We reported right up to a brick wall, and then someone would miraculously show up. Time after time, gates opened up for us. Rick believes God helped us out. I believe that kind of stuff is bullshit,” LaPlante said. “Although, I admit, on this trip all of the evidence was on Rick’s side.”
“We were really blessed,” Egan agreed. “Missionaries told us we wouldn’t get in, but we coincidentally hired the perfect translator. He knew all the right people. He got us all of our photos for free. It was incredible, the amount of access we had.”
Egan and LaPlante agreed, modernization is slowly encroaching upon the tribes in southern Ethiopia. Egan said he wanted to get the photographs before the area is “Westernized” and “they’re all wearing soccer jerseys.”
“Mingi is probably going to become obsolete, with or without this story,” LaPlante said. “But hundreds of babies are killed a year. That’s why I did this. They cannot wait. If I found out one baby was saved because of my news story I would think it was worth it.”
Egan and LaPlante encouraged USU students to consider global stories of their own. LaPlante said a course is in the works for the spring semester, which he will teach, about studies in global reporting. Depending on the level of interest, he added, he will possibly host a tri
p to Ethiopia to “commit many acts of journalism.” He said the course is open to all majors.
– evan.millsap@aggiemail.usu.edu
– dan.whitney.smith@aggiemail.usu.edu