A year after plane crash, Ethiopians mull how to honour the dead

Gebru Ketema was outside tending cattle on the morning when Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 plunged from the sky into a field near his village, killing all 157 people on board. In the hectic days that followed, he and his neighbours welcomed rescue workers into their homes, offering meals and "sharing in the grief", he recalls. A year later, the crash site -- now surrounded by an unfinished wooden fence -- sees little activity besides visits from mourners bearing flowers. "This place has become famous because of the crash. We've been told they will put some kind of monument here, but the plan appears to be stuck," said Gebru. Ahead of the one-year anniversary of the crash on Tuesday, Ethiopian Airlines has said little about how it might develop the site. As recently as January, it hoped to use the anniversary to announce the winner of an architectural design competition for a memorial, according to a draft document on the plans. But that plan now appears to be on hold after the document drew pushback from some victims' families, who objected to what they perceived as a rushed timeline, according to Zekarias Asfaw, who lost his brother in the crash. The dust-up highlighted concerns about whether Ethiopian Airlines was committed to honouring the dead in a sensitive way, said Zekarias, who serves on a committee involved in discussions about a possible memorial.<br/>