A priest and his church. He asked us what we thought about the Afghanistan war. We said we thought it was very sad. He warmed to us, clasped our hands, grinned and asked for a new water tank.

Ethiopia has been Christian for longer than any European country. Also Jewish. Also Muslim. Everyone we asked said that the three religions co-existed harmoniously. The country's various civil wars have been drawn down political lines, not religious ones.

However, some Christians seem concerned about a handful of Muslims who have been 'away' and who come back with strong fundamentalist ideas. Somalia, on the eastern border, is seen as a particularly worrying influence, especially since many in the eastern province identify strongly with the country.