A forty-eight-day and night journey separated the Antoto Mountains, the birthplace of Liguchi, from Durban. His mother and friends never claimed that life in the Antoto Mountains was easy, but they never understood why he had to travel to the edge of the African continent, so far away, to work in a backbreaking and unrewarding job. There was one person in the entire tribe who pushed him to take this action, and that was his father. Unlike the others, his father didn't show any opposition and even supported his decision, saying that he must do what is expected of him as a man in the Dimiri tribe and become independent.
Deep down, Liguchi knew he might be acting impulsively and irrationally, but he decided that this was the path he would follow, even if it led to rotten, unripe fruits. His friends, Macha and Gwaly, did not give up and tried to dissuade him in every possible way. They looked for an alternative workplace for him to move to, to a different place nearby, and more diverse suggestions. Everyone called him stubborn, foolish, and full of ego. Liguchi attributed the source of his ego to the fact that he was born into the noble Dimiri tribe.
As a child, he grew up on inspiring stories that made him daydream repeatedly. His favorite story was the prophecy about "the blue-eyed boy." Two thousand years ago, a man named Samaya was born with blue eyes. When he was born, the tribe's shaman entered a spiritual trance and told the tribe a prophecy. It said that as long as a firstborn boy with blue eyes was born to three generations in a row without interruption, the child would fulfill his heart's desires, and nothing would stop him—even the forces of nature would stand still as he passed by. And as fate would have it, the next blue-eyed boy in the tribe was none other than Liguchi. Today, the chances of being born with blue eyes are extremely rare. Some would say the probability is seven percent of the entire tribe, which numbers dozens of families.
After two months of extensive preparations for the arduous and long journey, Liguchi set out for Durban in 1860. When he finally arrived at the destination, he discovered, to his surprise, that not only had he come from afar but also many immigrants from India had arrived to work in the sugar cane fields. Sugar canes are perennial herbaceous plants from the grass family. Their stems could reach a height of up to seven meters. There are about 12 species of sugar cane, but they cultivate the "cultivated sugar cane." Farm workers harvested the crop for three consecutive years and then renewed the plantation.
There were several uses for the cane's production, including sugar extraction or alcoholic beverages such as rum or cachaça. The work in the sugar cane fields was exhausting for his frail body. In moments of crisis and difficulty, a quick thought passed through his mind like a locomotive that he wouldn't last another second under the scorching sun and would collapse. Every day, he woke up before sunrise and worked in the fields until sunrise. After work, he would return home, tired and exhausted, prepare a meager meal, and lie down on his bed, hoping that maybe this time he would wake up with a smile and a good feeling, unlike the previous day.
Thus, six long years passed in the blink of an eye without noticing. Liguchi looked in the mirror and did not like the figure he saw. A figure that looked like an old man with withered face and empty eyes. It seemed like he was looking at a pale, undead figure, hungry for food. At that moment, he realized that he had to do some soul-searching and check if he made the right decision when he decided to leave his homeland and go to an unknown place without goals, without familiar people, and with an uncertain future.
Meanwhile, in the Antoto Mountains, in 1866, Menelik II granted his wife, Taitu, land on the plain south of the mountain, where she established an estate. Over time, more and more people began to settle around the estate.
Liguchi spent six grueling years in South Africa before deciding to return to the Antoto Mountains, but this time he was not returning as an impulsive and arrogant boy but as a man with vision and a dream. He carried with him extensive knowledge of sugar cane cultivation and other types of trees and the benefits each tree provided.
His family was thrilled to see him, so much so that his mother shed tears of joy because she didn't know if he would even reach his destination safely, if he had enough food, if he managed his work in Durban, and other normal worries like any mother would have for her son. His father's hair had turned gray, but other than that, he had not changed much; his father remained as thunderous and loud as ever.
During the three years that passed since the establishment of "Addis Ababa," many people had joined to live around it, but it seemed that its future would not continue due to its location on the Antoto Mountains, because of the lack of firewood.
Liguchi understood that he had the ability to change the fate that was about to befall the area. With great politeness, he asked to speak with Menelik II, the king of Ethiopia, and advise him on an idea he had conceived. After much conversation with the king, he agreed to accept his idea and immediately take action to bring eucalyptus trees to "Addis Ababa." After spending much time with trees, with all kinds of trees in South Africa, including the eucalyptus tree, he came to know the advantages of using it: shelter for the forest, windbreaks, timber for construction, a source for honey, and of course, use as firewood.
Menelik was so amazed by the tree's bloom that he decided to name the tree "Addis Ababa," meaning "new flower." When Menelik ascended the throne three years later, in 1889, he located his capital in its new place, "Addis Ababa."
The legend says that thanks to Liguchi's ingenuity, "the blue-eyed," he managed to save the king's estate and the nobles living there, thus preventing the fall of the kingdom and strengthening the king's rule and the people's support. Menelik II is considered one of the strongest kings who ruled the kingdom throughout its existence.
Today, the city serves as a gateway to Ethiopia for tourists from all over the world, being the country's commercial, political, and cultural center.
