Greek Orthodox Church in Dire Dawa

Description

100 years from the establishment of the Greek community of Dire Dawa in Ethiopia

(Excerpt from the book ‘The Greek presence in the horn of Africa’)

Until the end of the 19th century, the Greeks living in the southeastern Ethiopia resided in Harrar, which was the most important trading center in the region. As the railway could not cross Harrar, it reached Dire Dawa in 1902. The first Europeans including several Greeks, who mostly worked for the railway company, soon arrived in the city. Shortly afterwards, some merchants from neighbouring Harrar settled in. Over the next decade, Dire Dawa began to transform into a modern city as restaurants, pharmacies and hotels emerged, such that of Stelios Bololakos. Near and around the hotel of Bololakos you could see the majority of Greek stores as well as the cinema of Alexander. Undoubtedly, the coffee trade dominated the professional choices of the Greeks of the wider region.
In 1913, the Greeks of Dire Dawa sent a letter to the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs requesting the establishment of a consulate. However, as the Greek state remained inactive, on 8/10/1919, 150 Greeks living in Dire Dawa and the neighbouring towns of the wider Harrar county formed a community. Shortly afterwards, under the guidance of Stelios Bololakos, a committee was set up to purchase a plot of land for the construction of a temple. Works commenced after a fundraising and in 1926, the church of the Holy Trinity was ready. At the same time, a school was built.