Born Then1983–1985
Life during the Ethiopian famine of 1983–85
Be born in a place it hit, a few years before it began, and see what it did to five ordinary lives.
What it meant for ordinary people
Drought combined with civil war and the Derg government's policies, including forced resettlement and blocking aid to rebel areas, caused a famine in northern Ethiopia. Images of it led to Live Aid in 1985.
Deaths: about 300,000 to 1.2 million.
How hard it hits each person in the game (risk of death, of being conscripted, of leaving) comes from scholarly estimates.
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