Pursuits

Ethiopians Rally Olympic-Style, Chip in on Bonds for Dam

Performers walk on stilts at a rally to celebrate the arrival of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) trophy in Debre Birhan. Photographer: William Davison/Bloomberg

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A horse-drawn carriage festooned with balloons and Ethiopian flags stops in front of a crowd at a ramshackle football stadium.

Two women in traditional white dresses pluck a gold trophy from the cart and place it on a stage inside a garland of red and white roses. Beneath is a computer-generated image of the $3.8 billion dam Ethiopia is building across the main tributary of the Nile River.