In an Interview with Messeret Wolde Michael
Team Exceller Books would like to thank you for letting us publish your book ‘Sex: Untold Stories’ and we congratulate you from the bottom of our heart on the success of your book.
Thanks for your time for this interview on your latest book.
Exceller Books: What inspired you to write this book?
Messeret: The cost is incalculable and the most vulnerable group of the societal segments is female sex-workers who made their livelihood from commercial sex. Nonetheless, the whole range of the psycho-social problems facing them demanded that I do a fuller scientific investigation with its own merit and bring the issue into international readers forum for a solution in book form.
Exceller Books: When was the first time you got your attention on the precarious conditions of the sex workers and you conceived the idea this book?
Messeret: While I was delivering a life skills, road to life and HIV/AIDS training for about 400 sex workers and university students a discussion about their life undertaking.
Exceller Books: We all are aware of the mindset of people about sex workers, which is adding to their mistreatment in the hands of their clients. What in your informed opinion may be the psychological reason behind this?
Messeret: People are not aware of the psycho social position of the sex workers. Most sex workers are beautiful and well dressed. Peoples are not understanding their inside, they are simply judging from their dress that they are cheaters and liars which they are not in realities. At this time the sex workers to defend their position as a human being they are challenging the wrong doers.
Exceller Books: We all say that the sex-workers deserve the same dignity and respect like the others? Is it practically possible for them to get the recognition and kindness they deserve?
Messeret: Yes the sex workers are wonderful people just because of their mind set and financial problem they are compelled to be sex-workers. Nonetheless, if they are given the necessary training and support they can be anything i.e. A case in point they will be one of the best celebrities in the world.
Exceller Books: Do you think that the social workers need to take more responsibility to change this scenario?
Messeret: Yes, the social workers are the key people to improve the appalling sex-workers life circumstances, I trust, s/he will become a solution seeker and master of much more gender activist than the ordinary citizen.
Exceller Books: It seems that you had to go an extra mile while collecting the book,. Would you like to share any challenges you faced while depicting the painful lives of sex-workers during the formative years of the book?
Messeret: Nonetheless, data collection on the street especially at night had many challenges. In addition to the street sex-workers’ reluctance, I had to endure ferocious outburst from clients who had no patience to see me or anyone else talking to their partners. Although, I did not suffer any physical assault, I had numerous occasions where I confronted bellicose “lovers” who were vulgar in their remarks. The following is one such amazing incident I encountered during the course of my data collection nights
Doro Manekia of Piaza area displays an array of butchers’ shops famous for their uniquely Ethiopian dish of tire siga – raw meat. The competition is expressed by their cajoling gesture to the passerby and show off of the quality of layers of chopped raw meat from beef, lamb and goat’s meat served in a plates.
The famous shanty corner of Doro Manekia is known not only for its delicious meat but also for sexual feat. A few meters down the butchers’ shops and curbing to the left is a colony of impoverished residential bed-sitters rented by female sex-workers. While the sex-workers’ single rooms are open twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, visits to them thrive more at night than day, and at weekends than at week days.
One Saturday night, I appeared at Doro Manekia to make interview with one of the sex-workers. When I arrived at her residential enclave, it was about 10:30 p.m. In the mean time, I approached a rather young sex-worker who stood at the door of her bed-sitter. In order to get her consent, I showed her my identification card and told her that I am a teacher at Addis Ababa University. For her time during the interview, I told her that I would pay her 50 Ethiopian birr for a mobile card. Then after I got her consent, she told me that I could interview her as long as a client is not showing up. I agreed to the condition and after about 10 minutes interview with her, she started telling me an amazing encounter she had with a client. Unfortunately, at the middle of our conversation, an apparently intoxicated man zoomed into the room and leapt into the bed. I then quickly got out of the room. Outside on the street, I shared to the two friends who accompanied me the incident I encountered. The story she told me was quite unheard of and because of this I preferred to stay till the man vacated her brothel. After 20 minutes or so, her client got done and left the room. Then I went back to the sex-worker and interviewed her for another 15 minutes. Thereafter, I have finished my interview and left here brothel.
Exceller Books: Sounds like you’ve gone through a lot. Who will be the ideal reader for this book?
The ideal readers for this book are Policy makers, gender activists, curriculum designers, drama script writers, elementary, high school and university teachers, students, civil servants, police force, military personals business men, parents in general all walk of life it serves as a wakeup call.
We sincerely hope that there will be a day when they will regain their professional dignity and human status and hearty thanks to your effort in ensuring that. We hope the book serves its intended purpose in raising social awareness and wish you all the best for your future. We are looking forward to publishing more books with you.
