Interview with Otto Heinrich Koester, April 22, 2021

Interview Summary

After acquiring his BA in history, Otto applied to the Peace Corps, requesting a placement in a country with a different language and culture. He volunteered in Ethiopia from 1968-69 as a member of a group described as “guinea pigs” because they were the first group to receive all training in-country. He transferred to Ghana for the year 1969. Being bi-lingual himself, he was impressed with the quality of language training he received in Amharic, a major Ethiopian language. He taught English to seventh graders, and geography, history and social studies at the secondary school in Debre Berhan. While there, Ethiopians, especially university and high school students, and young people in towns began to protest the dictatorial activities of the country’s ruler, Haile Selassie. Due to the support Selassie received from the US government, Ethiopian protesters also threatened resident Americans. Otto recalled the protection and support he received from some of his students and Ethiopian colleagues. Due to the protests, the Ethiopian government shut down the universities and secondary schools. The Peace Corps gave its volunteers several options: 1) they could go back to the US, 2) move to a more peaceful location in Ethiopia, 3) or go to another country. Otto chose the third option and transferred to Ghana for his second service year in the Ashanti town of Bekwai teaching English and ran the library at a teacher’s training college founded by the Seventh Day Adventists. He found Ghana to be quite different from Ethiopia, with people generally more easy-going and fun loving as opposed to the more dignified and historically oriented people of Ethiopia. At the conclusion of his year in Ghana, he returned to Ethiopia to reunite with a fellow volunteer; they married in Europe. Returning to the United States, Otto went to graduate school, attaining advanced degrees, and started his career not as an academic, but drew on his Peace Corps experience to change directions to pursue an administrative career devoted to public policy, international dialogue and problems of peace and negotiation, at such institutions as the Salzburg Seminar and the United States Institute of Peace.

Interview Keyword

Ethiopia (Country of Service) Peace Corps (U.S.) Ghana (Country of Service) Education Amharic student protests Seventh Day Adventists 1968-1969 (Years of service)

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