By Malaika Girma June 1 2022
‘Views of Addis’ interviewed sixth degree blackbelt holder and the head of the Ethiopian Taekwondo Association (ETA), Mr.Eyasu Tefferi, on Sunday May 29th 2022 to ask him what he thought the benefits of Taekwondo were in the lives of young adults and youth.
Mr.Tefferi started Taekwondo at the age of nineteen and has been working in the ETA for the past thirteen years. He explained the role that Taekwondo played in his life, and his reasons for pursuing martial arts. Mr.Tefferi was born in 1978 and grew up with both his parents, describing his mother as a strict and rigid person, while his father was calm and collected. Mr.Tefferi was raised in Addis Ababa Somali Tera in Mercato and described his neighborhood to be ‘a place where you can easily find addictions and get yourself in trouble.’ After leaving school in the 10th grade, he decided to pursue Taekwondo, hoping that it would make him disciplined, help protect him and his family, and keep him away from the addictions and trouble that was so easy to fall into in his neighborhood.
“Taekwondo has formed my life, making me different from the standards of my neighborhood and it has kept me physically healthy, and has made me more confident.”
In teaching Taekwondo for the past twenty one years, he has also seen the benefits of Taekwondo in the lives of others who practice the art. “Sometimes people join Taekwondo for the wrong reasons,” Mr.Tefferi adds. He explains that sometimes people may start Taekwondo to help them win unnecessary fights, but Taekwondo does not only teach fighting techniques, it teaches people to be more sensible, more disciplined and critical thinkers. Most times, once an individual has practiced the art for an extended period, the person becomes more calm and peaceful, not always resorting to unnecessary fights. Mr.Tefferi explains the benefits that Taekwondo has for girls, he says “Taekwondo can help girls protect themselves from all the dangers out there, but a lot of times, girls stop coming to the lessons and don’t always reach the black belt level” due to other responsibilities such as domestic work and they get discouraged by their social circle particularly their male friends or boyfriends.
Not only has Taekwondo instilled a sense of purpose, dignity and calmness in Mr. Tefferi but it is also his livelihood. As a sixth degree blackbelt, he is well positioned to teach and train, which is what he does most days of his life. He runs a small training facility in the heart of Mercato where he trains individuals who call Mercato home and also recently started private training for individuals interested in becoming more fit and gaining the holistic benefits of the art. “Taekwondo is what feeds my family, what puts a roof over their heads, it is my life,” he says.