Bekoji (
Oromo: Boqojjii,
Amharic
Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...
: በቆጂ) is a town in central
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
. Located in the
Arsi Zone
Arsi ( om, Godina Arsii) is a zone in Oromia Region of Ethiopia, named after a clan of the Oromo, who inhabit in the area.
Arsi is bordered on the south by Bale Zone, on the southwest by the West Arsi Zone, on the northwest by East Shewa Zone, ...
of the
Oromia Region
Oromia (Amharic: ) ( om, Oromiyaa) is a regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. The capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa.
It is bordered by the Somali Region to the east; the Amhara Region, the Afar Region and the Benish ...
, it has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 2810 m. It is the administrative centre of
Limuna Bilbilo Limuna Bilbilo is one of the Aanaas in the Oromia Regional State of Ethiopia. It is part of the Arsi Zone. It was part of former Bekoji woreda which was divided for Enkelo Wabe and Limuna Bilbilo woredas. The name Limu stands for the Arsi Oromo sub- ...
woreda
Districts of Ethiopia, also called woredas ( am, ወረዳ; ''woreda''), are the third level of the administrative divisions of Ethiopia – after ''zones'' and the '' regional states''.
These districts are further subdivided into a number of ...
.
This town is located on the all-weather road to
Goba
Goba ( Oromo: ', Amharic: ጎባ) is a town and separate woreda located in the Bale Zone of the Oromia Region, Ethiopia approximately 446 km southeast of Addis Ababa, this city has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 2,743 meters ...
built during the
Italian occupation, 56 km south of
Asella
Asella ( om, Asallaa, ʾÄsäla, am, አሰላ) is a town in central Ethiopia. Located in the Arsi Zone of the Oromia Region south from Addis Ababa, this town has a latitude and longitude of , with an elevation of 2,430 meters. Asella hosts an ...
, and 50 km east of
Lake Langano
Lake Langano ( Oromo: ''Hora Langaanoo'', Amharic: ላንጋኖ ሐይቅ) is a lake in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia, exactly 200 kilometers by road south of the capital, Addis Ababa, on the border between the East Shewa Zone and Arsi Zones. It i ...
(the road from Assela through Goba and south to Dodola is now in 2013 tarmac all the way to Goba). A local landmark is the church of Liemu Maryam, east of Bekoji.
["Local History in Ethiopia"]
The Nordic Africa Institute website (Internet Archive mirror)
Bekoji is also known as the home town of many famous Ethiopian
athletes
An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance.
Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-develo ...
. They include:
Derartu Tulu
Derartu Tulu NL COL ( om, Daraartuu Tulluu, Amharic: ደራርቱ ቱሉ; born 21 March 1972) is an Ethiopian former long-distance runner, who competed in track, cross country running, and road running up to the marathon distance. She won 10,0 ...
,
Fatuma Roba
Fatuma Roba ( am, ፋጡማ ሮባ; born 18 December 1973) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, best known for being the first African woman to win a gold medal in the women's Olympic marathon race at the Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympics and for ...
,
Tiki Gelana
Erba Tiki Gelana ( am, ኧርባ ቲኪ ገላና; born 22 October 1987) is an Ethiopian professional long-distance runner who competes in marathon races. Her personal best of 2:18:58 had been the Ethiopian national record for the event from 2012 ...
,
Mestawet Tufa
Mestawet Tufa ( Amharic: መስታወት ቱፋ; born 14 September 1983 in Arsi) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. She was the winner of the women's 10,000 metres at the 2007 All-Africa Games and the runner up in the senior women's race at th ...
, the Bekele brothers (
Kenenisa and
Tariku) and the Dibaba sisters
Ejegayehu,
Tirunesh and
Genzebe. Young athletes in Bekoji are featured in the 2012 documentary film ''Town of Runners''.
History
Besides building a road from Asella to Bekoji, during the occupation the Italians also built a small fort outside the town. After Asela had been captured in April 1941, Henfrey's Scouts (a small force of Ethiopian irregulars) continued south to capture Bekoji supported by armored cars. Because of heavy mud, increasing rains and a shortage of fuel, only a small unit reached the outpost at Bekoji.
[
The ]Baptist General Conference
Converge, formerly the Baptist General Conference (BGC) and Converge Worldwide, is an evangelical Baptist Christian denomination in United States introduced by Swedish Baptists that emerged late in the 19th century. It is affiliated with the Bap ...
operated a mission station at Bekoji, performing medical work during the 1950s. By 1965, Bekoji contained the woreda governor's office, associated administrative buildings, and some local security facilities. There was all-weather road connection and telephone link to Asella. The major market day was Saturday, and a minor market was held on Tuesday. Trade centered on crops, livestock, seeds and foodstuffs. Most of the commercial buildings were drinking establishments.[
The ]Chilalo Agricultural Development Union Chilalo Agricultural Development Union (CADU) is the first comprehensive package project established in Arsi Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya offi ...
established a marketing centre here in 1970. Ingvar Jonsson made field interviews with farmers in the area between July 1973 and May 1974. He reported that about 90% of all interviewed tenants had sharecropping agreement, with rent to the landowner ranging between one third and one half of the crop. Studying aerial photos, Jonsson concluded 94 households had been removed from Bekoji while 282 new households had been established.[
]
Demographics
Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency
The Central Statistical Agency (CSA; Amharic: ማዕከላዊ ስታቲስቲክስ ኤጀንሲ) is an agency of the government of Ethiopia designated to provide all surveys and censuses for that country used to monitor economic and social growth ...
in 2005, this town has an estimated total population of 16,730, of whom 7,999 are men and 8,731 are women.CSA 2005 National Statistics
, Table B.3 The 1994 national census reported this town had a total population of 9,367, of whom 4,338 were men and 5,029 were women.
References
External links
''Town of Runners''
*{{Imdb title, 2108648, title=Town of Runners
Populated places in the Oromia Region