.......many street-side cafés post No Reading signs next to No Smoking signs. The Jolly Bar, friendly to newspaper renters for more than a decade, now forbids customers to read newspapers inside or outside......
^^
This is a classic mental inclination of Ethiopians - bad is good / good is bad....... :lol:

I loved that article enkelfam. It's both hilarious and informative.

I loved that article enkelfam. It's both hilarious and informative.

Shows how we respond to adversity.

QuChera sefer: When Menelik’s war minister, Fitawrari Habte Giorgis, was walking home from the palace, he passes a man who was defecating by the side of the road. The guy gets up, as the custom requires, to salute the Fitawrari. The unimpressed fitawrari, responds by saying ere “Quch-beleh-era” (ኸረ ቁጭ በለህ እራ) :)፣ meaning "don't salute, keep on shitting"…hence, the neighborhood ended up being called quchera-sefeር

see here for more http://yekolotemari.blog.com/2005/08/23/history-of-addiss-neighborhoods/

The Urbanization of Ethiopia has led to generally intensified tribalism and stronger bonds between members of the same ethnic group (O’Conner 109). Often, when farmers and villagers came to the city, they were very concerned about preserving their identity and helping their own kind.
Bonded most importantly by language, the people of each ethnic group originally settled together in Addis Ababa in a pattern similar to the development of ethnic neighborhoods in New York and Chicago in North America. Some safars are fully populated by migrants from the same distant village (McClellan 32).

:?

Urbanization? I would say TPLF's ethnic-based federalization is the 'cause for intensified tribalism, but I haven't noticed such neighborhoods in Addis Ababa.

^^ There are a lot of neighborhoods in Addis that were settled by the same ethnic group, especially in the beginning stages. It still holds true today. Central merkato is mainly gurage, with sub-groups having their own smaller neighborhoods (like Silte, sebat bet, etc.), the dorzes in shiro meda, there are tigres in the teklehaimanot area, and gofa area, people from welo in welo sefer, etc.

Central merkato is mainly gurage, with sub-groups having their own smaller neighborhoods (like Silte, sebat bet, etc.), the dorzes in shiro meda, there are tigres in the teklehaimanot area, and gofa area, people from welo in welo sefer, etc.
Those gurages and dorzeoch are just close to work. :D Has these divisions increased though? My impression was that anyone lives anywhere for the most part.

Those gurages and dorzeoch are just close to work. :D Has these divisions increased though? My impression was that anyone lives anywhere for the most part.

Same here.

Those gurages and dorzeoch are just close to work. :D Has these divisions increased though? My impression was that anyone lives anywhere for the most part.
You're right, i believe if anything they've decreased. Especially with the new condominium constructions which are mixing together people from different areas of the cities.

City returning all confiscated plots

Kuma Demeksa, Mayor of Addis Ababa, announced that the City Administration will resume returning all confiscated plots slated for real estate development starting from Tuesday March 15.

On Friday March 11, at the ongoing meeting that started at the beginning of this past week with the alleged real estate plot abusers, Kuma said that the government revised its decision and will give back the plots it had confiscated. He further said that the charges filed against the 47 business people, which resulted in them being barred from travelling abroad will also be removed. A travel ban on 47 major construction company owners, who allegedly took extra plots without the consent of the city, for real estate development has been in place for the last couple of months.

Capital (http://www.capitalethiopia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14323:city-returning-all-confiscated-plots&catid=12:local-news&Itemid=4)

They seem extremely confused.

^^Lol, what else is new

Info on the Italian master plan:



Our city planners, in conjunction with foreign consultants, should use this plan as a basis for a new, revised plan. Even Haile Selassie, when returning, remarked that he wished he had stayed in exile a bit longer.

The restoration of an Italian villa. (http://www.gtz.de/en/dokumente/de-ethiopia-Cultural-Heritage-Promotion-A.pdf)

Similar plan for Harar:

http://digilander.libero.it/capurromrc/%2103harar.jpg

This "paint pairing" habit is going too far - now the "green & gold" are getting married. The zebra family (black & white) is taking over the road structure while the disgusting "red & white" couple are all over the side walk fence - am telling you guys, someone at the Mayor office is addicted with pairing!!!............. Okay, the entire idea of painting a construction site is acceptable BUT & HOWEVER, ? why pairing paints. Wouldn't be smart if they stick with the Gold only?

Just read the article - the price of the paint is so unbelievable. Top up that...the funny part is - why the manufacturer paint those fences right on the production line???

I think I need to take euthanasia....:bash:


http://www.addisfortune.com/The%20Wall-Only%20Pretty%20Fences%20Allowed.htm
http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/2038/unledij.jpg

^^ Beautify doesn't mean intensify. Bandira colors? come on! What's with the yellow anyway. What happened to earth looking neutral colors. Ahadu, you should go and consult these guys using your photo-shop before and after illustrations.

The color choice in that city is out of this planet. People in the city administration are usually there due to party affiliation not becuase of their competency.

Addis Abeba Developing New Land Grading System

The Addis Abeba City Administration has completed the first phase of a study to determine appropriate standard benchmarks on land lease prices and the valuation of property in the city. Upon the request of the Land Administration and Building Permit Authority of the city administration, the development of a new land grading system was undertaken by the Ethiopian Institute of Architecture, Building Construction and City Development (EiABC) at Addis Abeba University (AAU) through its policy chair.

The first draft findings report of the study, which seeks to identify technical and institutional gaps in the existing land grading system, were presented to stakeholders by the EiABC at Ghion Hotel on Wednesday, April 27, 2011. These stakeholders included bankers, lawyers, engineers, and city officials.

“The input of different stakeholders is crucial to upgrade the study,” Kasim Fite, manager of the land and building permit authority at the municipality, told Fortune. “The report found the existing pattern beyond any theoretical rationalisation.” The study was commissioned, following the findings of another study conducted by the Addis Abeba Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations (AACCSA), in 2009.

There was no obvious correlation between the lease prices of land in Addis Abeba and existing land grades, the research found. The system in use divides the city into three zones or grades according to concentric circles starting from the city centre. Plot prices decrease as its distance from the centre increases.

The 1,035 plots surveyed in the study by the AACCSA indicated no pattern in the lease prices of land that is divided into central, transitional, and expansion grades and up to five classes. While land pegged at grade one class one should fetch the highest price in the city, the survey found grade three class three plots being leased for 3,150 Br per square metre, a higher price than the 2,050 Br per square metre of some grade two class plots.

In applying the theory, land in Arada should fetch the highest price followed at a long distance by Kirkos, but plots in Kolfe Keranyo fetch much lower prices while land in Bole is higher priced. “The current land grading system, prepared in 2003, is no longer relevant,” Kasim said. “It is not effective in guiding and facilitating land grading.”

continued here at Fortune (http://www.addisfortune.com/Vol_10_No_574_Archive/Addis%20Abeba%20Developing%20New%20Land%20Grading%20System.htm)

A little bit of art in the city:



Modern Blends with Custom in Double Exhibit


http://www.addisfortune.com/Vol_10_No_565_Images/art_exhibition.jpg

Visitors at the opening of Lemma Guya’s exhibition at the National Museum (top) take photographs of some of the artworks depicting, from left: Emperor Yohannes, Emperor Menelik II, Emperor Haileselassie, Mengistu Hailemariam (Gen), and Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. Another exhibition in the same venue shows the work (bottom) of 20 Ethiopian artists with, from left: “Godana Tedadari” by Yonas Kenea, Girma Gebra’s “Baburu,” Skunder Bolggossian’s “Untitled,” and “Development and Progress” by Tadesse Gizaw.

AddisFortune (http://www.addisfortune.com/Modern%20Blends%20with%20Custom%20in%20Double%20Exhibit.htm)




Talks in Visual Language: Reinvented Script Visits Capital

http://www.addisfortune.com/Vol_10_No_551_Images/ent_visu_Art.jpg

The Amharic script stands at the centre of the art of Wosene Worke Kosrof, who opened his first exhibition in Ethiopia in 14 years on November 13, 2010, at the National Museum Gallery in Addis Abeba.

Panel discussions and workshops form part of the two-month exhibition which is titled, “Wordplay,” a series Wosene claims to have been working on for about 10 years. “Before this series, it was “Word Spoken to See” and before that, “The Colour of Words,” he told Fortune. All the series, and his work, are related to Amharic letters and colour.

The 43 pieces being exhibited resemble a playground of colours, even “the music and smells of colours,” Wosene explained. “This series is bolder, more fluid than the ones before; playful and imaginary like child play, yet, still carefully composed.”

AddisFortune (http://www.addisfortune.com/Talks%20in%20Visual%20Language-%20Reinvented%20Script%20Visits%20Capital.htm)

I like them both.

land prices on the up, real estate bubble or increased demand?

Offer of 26,800 Br for Square Metre in Bole Turns Heads
Unusual bid suggests land prices will continue to rise.

An obscure businessman has offered the highest bid ever made for a square metre plot in the city, a price which is 20 times more than what the administration has set as a threshold auction price tag. It is rare for a plot in Addis Abeba to be auctioned off for more than 15,000 Br for a single square metre of land.

An open auction was held in the afternoon of July 1, 2011, at a meeting hall inside Kokeb Building, Yeka District, off Equatorial Guinea Street, to lease 16 plots measuring between 350sqm and 500sqm. The plots are all located near the Millennium Hall, off Africa Avenue (Bole Road), behind Ambassador Hotel.

Although the district set starting price at 2,000 Br for a square metre, many of the 135 bidders have offered lease prices beginning at 10,205 Br. One bidder, however, stood tall, offering 26,800 Br for a square metre and also leased a 450sqm plot, proposing to build an apartment complex. The second highest bidder offered 13,500 Br for a square metre.

Administration officials have declined to disclose the identity of the bidders, including the highest bidder, claiming confidentiality before the board of Land Development and Administration at the District decides on the offers next week. However, Fortune has independently learnt that the highest bidder is known by the name of Yonatan Zeleke.

If granted, Yonatan will have to sign a lease agreement with the District amounting to a little over 12 million Br; upon signing, he will have to deposit 3.6 million Br.

This caught many observers of the city’s real estate market by surprise.

“I could get you a 450sqm plot near Bambis Supermarket for 1.5 million Br,” said a broker engaged in the housing market. “Why anyone would spend such an amount for a barren land, I can’t understand.”

Others, however, are not very surprised, observing a new trend in the city’s property market whereby buyers would spend as much as six million and eight million Birr in buying old villas in prime locations only to demolish the houses for spaces to erect new structures.

“Despite Land becoming so expensive in Ethiopia, businesses have not failed to take steps to contribute what they have to their country,” Zemedeneh Negatu, managing partner of Ernst & Young, whose residence is adjacent to the plots offered for auction last week, told Fortune. “This shows a growing optimistic view of business in the real estate sector.”

The Addis Abeba City Administration had allocated over 2.7 million square metres of land, less than one per cent of its landmass, for lease to private developers over the next three years. Bole District accounted for the highest allocation at 1.5 million square metres, followed by Nefas Silk-Lafto at 576,446sqm, Yeka at 391,845sqm and Kolfe-Keranio with 108,841sqm.

“Businesses demand to have these plots because there is always a thriving market in areas such as Bole,” Asalefew Amedin, general manager of Bole District Administration, told Fortune. “This is expensive not because of the land but because of land provision in a prime location.”

Asalefew’s District had offered seven of the 16 plots last week for the construction of apartment complexes, eight for building of villas, and one for a business edifice, Asalefew disclosed.

Fortune (http://www.addisfortune.com/Offer%20of%2026,800%20Br%20for%20Square%20Metre%20in%20Bole%20Turns%20Heads.htm)

Bus Terminal relocated from Gare to Kality:


La Gare's Loss is Kality's Gain

The relocation of the bus terminal from La Gare to Kality affects local communities differently. As the La Gare marketplace drastically struggles, the Kality market prospers owing to its newly increased pedestrian traffic, writes HADRA AHMED, FORTUNE STAFF WRITER.


Wednesday, June 22, 2011, was the worst day for businesses around La Gare on Ras Mekonen Street because the bus terminal for buses and minibuses that transported passengers on the Addis Abeba to Dire Dawa route, moved to the Akaki Kality District on Sierra Leone Street(Debre Zeit Road).

La Gare, a place known for its hustle and bustle is no longer the way it used to be. The area used to be well recognised for its marketplace. Now, there are only five fruit shops, three small shops, two coffee and tea street vendors, and the one and only tyre repair with no potential customers in sight.

Kedir Asma, 21, is a small shop owner who has plied his trade there for the past seven years. He now spends his days brooding except for the intermittent excitement when a pedestrian comes and enquires about an item which is now on sale after the relocation of the bus terminal. He is tired of just sitting there waiting for a miracle to happen; all he wants is to sell his socks, second-hand shoes, belts and other bits and pieces he has with him.

“I used to sell almost 10 pairs of socks a day for 10 Br each, but now it is rare to be approached by a buyer. I hate going home each night for I have nothing to contribute to my family,’’ Kedir told Fortune.

La Gare, which now has many idle youth, has become a place to just sit and kill time. For some, the dark clouds that have dampened business activity are a sign to start looking for new job opportunities elsewhere. As sunset approaches the traders go home to get some rest, hoping for customers the next day, Others will begin their search to unlock the poor man’s door.

continued at Fortune (http://www.addisfortune.com/La%20Gare%27s%20Loss%20is%20Kality%27s%20Gain.htm)..

La Gare is meant to be a railway terminus, not a bus stop.

this two friendly country leaders having a good time, that right there is a million dollar smile lol
http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/rTJ6qjtRXUzD.gvHx142HQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9aW5zZXQ7aD0zNDY7cT04NTt3PTUxMg--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2011-07-04T140141Z_01_AFR09_RTRIDSP_3_ETHIOPIA.jpg

Condo City

http://www.horizonethiopia.com/images/stories/realestate2011/condocity/inside_of_a_condo.jpg

http://www.horizonethiopia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=451:condo-city-&catid=13:feature&Itemid=20

Interesting read about the effect of these low-cost condos on the culture and how people are reacting to this new change.

Interesting article. No doubt that the adjustment period will be rough; condos are completely a polar opposite of traditional Ethiopian society. But it's inevitable that these changes happen. Perhaps it would have been better to move neighbors from the slum into the same condo. It would preserve the sense of community people are used to. But I guess that would remove the "lottery" aspect of things.

That picture shows a condo crowded beyond its capacity (we do like our kotet lol), but I like the decor. It looks like a typical middle class home, with a microwave, etc.

Addis Abeba Hopes to Host Digital Summit

The 10th annual Innovation Africa Digital Summit will be held in Addis Abeba from March 27 to 29, 2012, according to the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT).

MCIT is working in partnership with Extensia, an ICT promotion company that provides market intelligence and consultancy services, to bring the summit to Addis Abeba.

The summit plans to bring together 350 leaders from the African ICT industry, including ministers, regulators, service providers, major end users and leading international solution providers, the press release stated.

The Innovation Africa Digital Summit is a business summit that aims to provide a platform where all the stakeholders in the African ICT industry and international technology innovators can come together and network. Previously the summit has been held in Ghana, Egypt, four times in South Africa, twice in Uganda and Kenya.

In the past, the summit brought positive results to the host countries, paving the way for investments, business deals and ICT developments, changing the perception of the ICT industry in Africa, said Adrian Hall, sales and marketing director of Extensia, at a press conference held at MCIT on August 11, 2011.

Extensia has plans to cover most expenses for the Addis Abeba Summit through sponsorship from international stakeholders. During previous summits, companies like Google, IBM, Oracle and Cisco have given contributions.

The ministry has reserved a one million Birr budget to fill in any expenses that may not be covered through Extensia or international sponsorship, the information technology private sector directorate of MCIT, informed Fortune.

Despite the expenses, the company was looking at the bigger picture in terms of a return on investment through the promotion of the Ethiopian ICT sector to the western world, said Tariq Malik, CEO of Extensia.

“Ethiopia will attract international ICT that can increase the flow of Foreign Direct Investment into the country,” said Peter Gatkuoth Gey, state minister of MCIT, in the press conference. “The event will also serve as a means to promote our IT Park, which is under construction by international IT companies, and shows our interest in working with international technology innovators.”

The IT Park is being built on 200ht of land behind the Ethiopian Airlines Airport, and will help launch e-government services in Ethiopia. It will have call and data centres, satellite links and broadband internet services, when finished, according to plan in the next five years.

The principle idea behind the park is to assemble businesses in the technology sector in one place so that they can share information and expertise. The Ethiopian government has invested two million Birr for the construction of the park, during the 2010/11 budget year and will continue to fund the construction for the next four years until the project is complete, the PR office of MCIT informed Fortune.

The innovation Africa Digital Summit will include conferences, meetings and exhibitions, and will arrange one to one meetings between companies and people, Malik explained.

Even though the summit will only take three days, the project in Ethiopia will continue for two years, he also stated. Extensia usually out-sources jobs created by the summit to people in the host countries, permanently employing only 10 people at its base in the UK.
http://addisfortune.com/Addis%20Abeba%20Hopes%20to%20Host%20Digital%20Summit.htm

I don't think the available internet bandwidth in Addis will be enough to cover the needs of the invited guests. :lol:

Condo City

http://www.horizonethiopia.com/images/stories/realestate2011/condocity/inside_of_a_condo.jpg

http://www.horizonethiopia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=451:condo-city-&catid=13:feature&Itemid=20

Interesting read about the effect of these low-cost condos on the culture and how people are reacting to this new change.
lol ... who's living in this house, the seven dwarves? *i'm looking at the fire place and the fridge*
Love the colors though

Addis Abeba Hopes to Host Digital Summit


http://addisfortune.com/Addis%20Abeba%20Hopes%20to%20Host%20Digital%20Summit.htm

I don't think the available internet bandwidth in Addis will be enough to cover the needs of the invited guests. :lol:

No foreigner in their right mind would invest in Ethiopia in the ICT sector seeing how backward and useless the monopoly is. It's a big fat joke that the GOE even thinks of hosting such an event.

WORLD OF ART BLOOMS

http://addisfortune.com/Vol_12_No_591_Images/art_of_ethiopia.jpg


http://addisfortune.com/Vol_12_No_591_Images/paintings_art_ethiopia.jpg

The fourth Art of Ethiopia Exhibition at the Sheraton Addis Hotel was filled with art lovers on August 25, 2011. Artists used colours to draw viewers’ attention and convey or imply love, peace, prosperity, frustration and other emotions. The soft music combined with the well presented works of art drives the world outside far away

http://addisfortune.com/WORLD%20OF%20ART%20BLOOMS.htm

Condo City

http://www.horizonethiopia.com/images/stories/realestate2011/condocity/inside_of_a_condo.jpg

http://www.horizonethiopia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=451:condo-city-&catid=13:feature&Itemid=20

Interesting read about the effect of these low-cost condos on the culture and how people are reacting to this new change.

wow!

a microwave on top of a fridge.. fireplace like two feet away from the kitchen... and stack of books in the kitchen..

phew...

I'd be surprised if that's a functional fireplace.... but it looks like it could be an apartment anywhere.

wow!

a microwave on top of a fridge.. fireplace like two feet away from the kitchen... and stack of books in the kitchen..

phew...

:lol:
Do they really use the fireplace?
The owner is so proud to display everything he's got. Looks like that; however, the condo design suits a minimalist person – not this particular owner with so many junk.

The government must and should consider to include an interior decorator ( probably a gay man!:lol:) into their GTP (Growth and Transformation plan).

The Meskel Square-Kality road on Sierra Lean Street, which is 40 meter wide and nine kilometres long, is being constructed by of China Roads and Bridge Construction Corporation Company and Engineer and Zewede Eskindire Consulting Company. It is expected to be inaugurated in the fiscal year of 2011/12. When the bridge at the place commonly called Mesewalikya opens up, it will be a passage for trains while the adjacent road that is 11 meter long will be used for putting in the long railway trucks. Soon this would be the last look people would have of the dug up, rough road that has been there for the past two years.

saurce, Addis fortune


http://www.addisfortune.com/Vol_12_No_595_Images/caption_meshualekia_bridge.jpg

Now that's a surprise :)

The public parks predicament

Standing for hours waiting for Anbessa City Bus number 84 to arrive, the midday sun around Lideta Church off Chad Street seems to be in a very bleak situation. But for the 60-year-old Demesew Wolde it is a routine that has to be lived through. Outfitted with a hat to prevent the sweltering sun, Demesew is contemplating if he should wait for the bus or take a taxi. Both have their own obstacles for Demesew; but money is the chief setback. Nonetheless, the old-timer finally decided to catch a taxi.

Sitting in the taxi, the wrinkles on his face tell the story of his life. His sad eyes reveal his despair and melancholy and are witnesses of his deprived life. “Today the sun is closer than ever,” Demesew said in weak voice.

After coming from northern Shoa in the Amhara regional state during his teen years looking for a better future, things did not work out for him as he anticipated. For decades he worked as a daily laborer and a security guard until retirement. His retirement came earlier when he got sick and lost his potency. Addis Ababa did little for him in realizing his dreams. Currently living with his daughter, Demesew tries to do minuscule jobs to help his daughter pay the bills.

Since the money his daughter gives him is not enough, he catches the buses to go to places or walk for hours but the sun irritates him. Now he misses his birthplace, the greenness and the weather.

“I don’t know why people choose to live in this chaotic city,” he comments with frustration.

With nothing to do and nowhere to go, he feels like he is trapped in what he calls a nightmare of the city.

Akin to Demesew’s apprehension, the renowned environmental activist-cum-musician Sileshi Demissie, a.k.a. Gash Abera Molla, had a somewhat shocking impression 12 years ago.

“The city I knew years ago had changed and was gradually deteriorating. The city life was not life at all…it all changed into a slum,” Sileshi recalls what he felt after coming back from abroad where he lived for 27 years.

After coming back to Ethiopia, a shocking situation lead him to design a program called art, youth and environment which aimed to create integration between the population and the city.

Using art as a tool and mobilizing thousands of people, Sileshi tried to create a favorable environment for city dwellers by raising awareness.

The mobilization, which went to the grassroots level, started around Ras Mekonnen Bridge near Piazza and Mercato and with in two years his assemblage was able to bring visible changes in the metropolis.

Then the pilot project continued to Dire Dawa, Jimma and Tigray “My experience was shocking. So somebody had to start somewhere,” Sileshi states.

His next move was to work with the municipality to have green areas, open spaces, park and recreational places, which was fruitful at first but later it was changed into disappointment.

“Sometimes in Ethiopia new ideas are not welcome. For no reason people resist new ideas and change,” Sileshi argues.

According to him, he collaborated with different offices and the community to create awareness regarding the necessity of parks, recreational places, open spaces and green areas by creating Clean and Green Addis Initiative.
Through the years he planted numerous trees, designed green areas like the Ras Mekonnen and Churchil View which is now closed down. The open space around Bambis area, Menged Marefia is another one worth mentioning. Sadly, most of the places ceased to work.

“Most of the places we worked on were closed down and the city administration is not cooperative like it used to be,” Sileshi says.

According to him, the city administration made things very difficult but there are willing investors who want to develop parking areas.

One project that was done by the Bole Cub City sponsored by Edna Mall is a colorful cascade jet fountain and Sileshi recommends the city administration to outsource some of the big parks.

Seeing Europe, Asia, and the US and how the cities architectural designs are up to standard, Sileshi believes that there is a lot to be done. “They have playgrounds, resting area where there are parks in different place.” On the contrary, he characterizes Addis as a city which is overcrowded by people, narrow walkway, peddlers on the pavement, shoe-shiners, garbage, donkeys and livestock.

He does not hide the fact that construction is going well but little attention is paid to the walkways or the community who is using it.

“Why don’t we consider these things as important? Cities without open spaces are not cities at all. If you go to different cities they have parks but here there are no places where children can play, no place for old people where they can sit and break a sweat,” Sileshi says. He also suggests that there should be landmarks, statues and fountains.

For many people now, walking in Addis in the day-time might be the hardest thing to do. With the frying heat and lack of flora, Sileshi believes that Addis is not a favorable place for pedestrians. Children are forced to play football on the streets or in dirt patches that have yet to be developed for other purposes.

Parks do not seem to be part of the daily life for the city dwellers. Rather it is common for weddings or for people who are tired of the café life.

Since parks and open spaces seem a very rare phenomena there are only 12 official parks. Some of the parks are tended with green laws, full of concrete benches without a shelter.

Tegegn Tofu, deputy manager of the Addis Ababa City Administration, City Beautification Agency, believes that the parks are rare and the ones that are not in good hands.

Even if this agency is responsible for development and management of parks, public cemeteries and traffic circles, the deputy manager believes its still in its initial stage.

Ferensay Park is a park located around French Embassy. With an area of 54,201 sq.m , the park is full of huge trees and a walking path. On the side of the fence, there are small houses and on the front area there are small gardens. The back part of the park is decorated by sculptures made by Netsa Art Village.

According to Shumet Demeke, the manger of Ferensay Park, the services that are given in this place are mainly weddings, birthdays, educational tours. Even if the place is open seven days a week from morning till dawn, the place is deserted on weekdays. On the weekends there might be customers or families who bring their children and there might be up to fifty or sixty people who use the park. According to the manager, since the past two years the number of visitors has been instantly decreasing and the reason is the banning of alcohol beverages and khat.

“The other reason is the lack of satisfactory services like cafeterias, indoor or outdoor games and during the rainy season the trees don’t serve as a shade rather you will be soaked with water that drips from the trees,” Shumet states.

According to Tegegn, most of the parks were constructed by the Imperial and Derg regimes and most of the parks were neglected. Most of the parks are remote city centers and the parks that were outsourced are not working according to the regulation.

According to the agency, the criteria for parks is: 80 percent of the place should be green area, the place cannot be passed to the third person, alcoholic beverages and drugs are not allowed. One park that did not meet the requirements is Ambassador Park. So it will be terminated in six months’ time.

“The money it’s charging the customers doesn’t go with what the park stood for. It s like a restaurant,” Tegegn states.

The other park, Africa Park, located on Menilik II Avenue, only works one day a week and charges 25 birr for entrance while the other parks only charge one or two birr for entrance and according to Tegegn, since they have agreement with the developer for 15 years , they cannot terminate it.

Despite their shortage, most of the parks have problems starting from the limitation of their services which is limited to weddings. In the past, most of the parks used to serve for drinking purpose and chewing khat and Tegegn does not hide the fact that it is very difficult handling this situation.

The biggest park, Bihere Tsige, which is located on the south eastern periphery of the city, is on a 140,000 sq.m plot and is one of the oldest parks with playgrounds, wooded paths, several green houses most of which are dysfunctional. Many people, especially the older generation, remember it with a smile. According to Tegegn, since there is no observation, there are residents in the park area but he says this problem will be resolved soon.
Tegegn says that even if there are limitations, there are different sites that they are trying to develop like the Lideta Area. The agency is developing 12,000 sq.m which will be closed park and scheduled commence operations in November and five open spaces. And also around Arat Kilo there will be a park, the area between Estifanos Church and the UNECA 52,000 sq.m is allocated for park.

Some of the parks will be upgraded, including Peacock (Maekelawi) into a Zoo Park, and it is under the supervision of the mayor’s office. There are parks which are almost finished with the construction around Holland Embassy and Akaki area. Also one of the agency’s plans is outsourcing the squares and roundabouts to private investors.

Kumlachew Yeshitla (Ph.D.), ecosystem planning and management chair at the Ethiopian Institute of Architecture, Building Construction and City Development (EiABC), says that urban planning and construction should go hand in hand. According to the master plan of Addis Ababa, from 54,000 hectares 41 percent or 22,000 hectares should be covered with green area, which includes open space, a park but the master plan will phase out in two years. The reality is only 9,400 hectares are green areas [16 percent], which could not meet the target.

One of the pertinent problems, according to Kumlachew, is that the master plan is not implemented on the ground and there is a gap in planning concept.

Though the master plan is attractive on paper, for Kumlachew the master plan was too ambitious and it has some problems.

“People actually live on river banks and the settlers shouldn’t be moved but from the planners point of view this ought to be done,” Kumlachew says.

He says how the officials lost commitment in building a green area where the constitution also guarantees that people should have the right to live in a clean environment. There should a place where old people can sit and relax and enjoy the morning sun. The parks are not accessible and there should be road-side parks,

There are initiations where there is planting of trees but lacks expertise. The plants that are planted in a compact area and the trendy cobblestone might be hard to penetrate. He adds that the type of vegetation that should be applied has not been well studied and the trees on the sidewalks are not serving as a shade.

“People are forced to take transportation because of the sun, and the cafés are packed and before it’s too late there should be a solution,” Kumlachew says.
http://www.thereporterethiopia.com/Living-and-The-Arts/the-public-parks-predicament.html

A pretty good article this week at Fortune about the traffic light situation in Addis. I copy-pasted some of the more interesting parts and highlighted the important stuff.



Damaged, Outdated Traffic Lights Signal Need for Citywide Solution

http://www.addisfortune.com/Vol_12_No_602_Images/traffic_crowd.jpg




[...]

The traffic lights at this junction are not the only ones that are not functional. There are 28 sets of traffic lights erected in the capital administered by the Addis Abeba City Roads Authority (AACRA), which gets financing from the Ethiopian Road Fund (ERF), the office tasked with providing financing for the maintenance of roads, including road safety measures.

Many of the traffic lights Fortune observed two weeks ago were not working, with only a few being managed in their place by a traffic police. In Addis Ketema District, where Mahetebe is assigned, along with 66 other police officers, the most among the city’s districts, not a single traffic light works.

“We do not have enough manpower for the district,” he told Fortune.

There are around 500 traffic officers in the capital, who previously served at the police commission, as mandated, before being assigned to this task, according to data from the Addis Abeba Traffic Police Office.

[...]


The lack of traffic lights is one of the major contributors of accidents in the city, Assefa believes. Ironically, the AACRA, which administers the traffic lights, does not know how many of them are functional. The problem with the traffic lights is that they are outdated, and it is difficult to locate spare parts for them, according to Zewdu Bayeh, traffic safety coordinator and supervisor at the AACRA.

The traffic lights are of two types, manually operated and computerised traffic lights. Most of them were supplied by Siemens AG, a German electrical equipment manufacturer, founded in 1966, while some were supplied by Dan Technocraft within the past decade. For all of the traffic lights, the authority only contracted their supply and erection, while their maintenance is carried out by the authority’s own staff.

“Since the technology is outdated, even the manufacturer does not have spare parts anymore,” Zewdu told Fortune about those supplied by Siemens. “Even if we get the parts from Asian markets, they are very expensive.”

[...]

The authority had planned to fix at least two sets of traffic lights in the first quarter of this fiscal year, but it has not accomplished this, according to its first-quarter report. The main cause of damage of these traffic lights is car accidents, according to Zewdu. There were 93 accidents that involved collisions with the lights in just the past three months, he said.

To fix the power problem, the authority is contemplating switching to solar powered traffic lights. Zewdu believes that despite the initial capital cost, this is a better alternative in the long run. However, the traffic lights are also turned off to maintain the flow of traffic on roads where they are located in close proximity.

This is because the traffic lights are not synchronised with each other, resulting in drivers being stopped by red lights many times in one direction resulting in jams, according to Zewdu. Signals at the junction around the Ministry of Health (MoH) on Tesema Aba Kitaw St and those at the junction in front of Harambe Hotel on Ras Desta Damtew Street are examples of lights that are turned off on purpose.

To rectify this problem, the authority floated an international tender, two months back, to maintain the existing traffic lights and install a new synchronised traffic light system that would operate automatically based on the flow of traffic. The authority is evaluating the technical proposals of around ten companies who have shown interest.

Those that are barely operating now were adjusted based on the density measured 10 years ago.

One such light is located at the north end of Gabon Street in the area known as Olympia where it becomes Democratic Republic of Congo Street on the other side of Africa Avenue (Bole Road). It is set to allow traffic flow for 15 seconds, causing the usual jam seen there.

This is confirmed by a senior manager at Dan Technocraft. The traffic lights that were erected by the company were programmed for the traffic flow on the roads 10 years back.


read the rest @ AddisFortune (http://www.addisfortune.com/Damaged,%20Outdated%20Traffic%20Lights%20Signal%20Need%20for%20Citywide%20Solution.htm)

Interesting article here also.


New building height regulation for Addis

The Addis Ababa City Administration announced that a new building height regulation will be implemented in the near future. Administration as well as Urban Information and Plan Institute officials said Thursday that the regulation made in 1994 E.C. had limited the height of new buildings to 20 floors.

The new regulation, revised by the Addis Ababa University, permits the construction of up to 55 floors and above as per the design of the building. For instance, the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia has been permitted to build a 52-storey building for its head office, they said. The regulation in particular takes into consideration infrastructural development, environmental impact, historical sites and security affairs, among others, they added.

The officials said the new regulation encourages investors to engage in development activities and speed up the development of the city. Addis is among the 12 cities registering rapid growth in the world, they said, adding the new regulation takes into account socio-economic as well as infrastructure aspects, among others.

source: Govt. Press Agency

Excellent! Now, lets enforce setback and quality standards! There were street lights in the first place?

Has anyone seen this?

http://exploreaddis.co.nr/

^^ never seen that before, a video game based on A.A.
wanted to try it out but you have to download it first..wish it were an online game

Takeaway: statues these days are crude, garish, and Chinese.

Starting from the ancient times, jewels, braided designs, textile patterns, tattoos, piercings, beads, sculptures, artifacts and decorations were used to express the different mythologies, cultures, customs, beliefs and different ideas. And this can be noticed in the effigies that are legacies of that specific time and community.

The obelisks of Axum, which are believed to be primeval temples or the symbol of birth, are legacies of what that civilization is all about. Apart from the obelisks the inscriptions on the obelisk also serve as evidence for historians and anthropologists about the Axumite period.


Building and constructing sculptures is an ancient craft and the ones that exist bear witness to that. When coming to Addis Ababa, a city which was founded 125 years ago, one can notice a handful of monuments that tell a little bit of what happened in this city.

Epic stories are behind Addis Ababa’s monuments. After Addis Ababa was chosen to be the capital city of Ethiopia, one of the prominent sculptures was erected on the eve of Emperor Haile-Selassie’s coronation. It was Emperor Menelik’s equestrian statue which stands in front of St. George’s Church.

Designed by a German architect, Hartle Spengler, the statue shows the sacrifice that was made by the then Emperor at the battle of Adwa. The statue depicts Emperor Menelik sitting on his horse [Dagnew] holding two spears and the horse facing north symbolizing the place of the battle, Adwa. The building of these monuments tremendously increased during the time of Emperor Haile-Selassie.

Most of the statues and the monuments, which can be seen today, are constructed at the time of Emperor Haile-Selassie. According to the renowned artist, Bekele Mekonnen, these monuments are characterized by having patriotic, unique occurrences, sacrifice made and historic themes.

It was at the time of the Italian Invasion (1936-1941) that two radicals, Abraham Deboch and Moges Asgedom, tried to assassin are the then Italian viceroy, Marshal Rodolfo Graziani. This assassination attempt resulted in the butchering of 30,000 people by the fascist Italians in February, 1937 for three consecutive days. History did not forget the martyrs and Yekatit 12 monument stands tall around Sidist Kilo in remembrance of the massacre - rebuilt, as it stands today, by the former Yugoslavia in 1955. This monument is 28 meters long and still serves as a constant reminder of the killings and horror.

For Bizuneh Tesfa, a sculptor, this memorial is one of the amazing sculptors.
“The way it is designed, the symmetry, the proportion and how it expresses the storyline is admirable,” he tells The Reporter.

“When you think of its a dilapidated leg or hand giving a glimpse of what happened and takes people back in time,” Bizuneh states.

However, he argues that the characters on the monuments do not represent Ethiopian identity when examining the outfits and features.

“It is amazing, but I have a reservation when it comes to having Ethiopian characters which goes with the question of identity. These people do not have Ethiopian features and their attire does not represent Ethiopia. Maybe it is got to do with the psychological makeup and understanding of ones identity. The sculptors did not get that notion,” Bizuneh states.

There is also another monument that marks the time of the Italian occupation; the Abune Petros Statue, which commemorates the archbishop who was killed by the Italians. The statue stands adjacent to the municipality building showing the archbishop in chains and outfitted in white.

Similarly, Victory Monument or Miazia 27 Statue, which stands at Arat Kilo, is also the other statue that was done to commemorate the patriots of the five-year occupation. Like the Yekatit 12 monument, the 15-meter monument also symbolizes the obelisks of Axum with six entrances. The history of the struggle is also written on the stone tablets around the monument. On the writings, the contribution of insurrectionary fighters is engraved.

Since most of the sculptures are done at the time of Emperor Haile-Selassie most of the monuments have the symbol of lions, which marks the throne of the Lion of Judah. The lions can also be spotted inside the main campus of Addis Ababa University. In addition, the Lion of Judah effigy, designed by French sculptor Morris Calka, can also be seen next to the National Theatre.

This monument, which was carved from a black stone was erected to commemorate the silver jubilee of Emperor Haile-Selassie’s coronation which was celebrated in 1955. The other lion which is perfect for Bizuneh is the statue of the Lion of Judah at Legehar. The French Railroad Company built this statue after the completion of the Ethio-Djibouti railway line. At the time of the Italian occupation, in 1936, this statue was taken to Italy via Djibouti and was erected there. Finally, the objet d'art was returned to Ethiopia after 30 years and was re-erected in 1964 at its earlier position.

“When compared with other lion monuments, the Legehar Lion of Judah is done in a realistic form and is bigger in volume,” Bizuneh states.

With a change in regime the theme of heroism and patriotism was also changed and was highly influenced by socialist ideologies. One example is the statue of Karl Marx which is located inside Dibab Restaurant at Sidist Kilo.

German sculptor Jo Jastram did this huge sculpture. On the back of the statue a verbatim from Karl Marks is engraved: “Workers of the World Unite.” Similarly, the other statue, which was done to commemorate Ethiopians who lost their lives during the Ethio-Somali war, is the Tigilachin Monument which is located off Churchill Avenue in front of the main post office.

Subsequently, after the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Front (EPRDF) took power, some statues were also erected including the Kagnew Memorial which is located around Afencho Ber Park, as a tribute to Ethiopians who took part in the Korean War.

The Koreans also have the same copy in their country and on top there is the sign of the Lion of Judah statue to express an appreciation for Emperor Haile-Selassie.

In addition, a few years back, the China-Africa monument near the Bole International Airport was erected.

With the coming of EPRDF, statues with a different theme including personalities were also introduced and according to Bekele in different cities statues which reflect the idea of freedom were constructed. Apart from that, the construction which was monopolized by foreign sculptors was also transferred to Ethiopian sculptors.

Bekele strongly believes that the statues, which were done at the time of Emperor Haile-Selassie, have high professional quality with a diverse form from realistic, semi-abstract and abstract features. Especially the lion at the National Theatre and the Yekatit 12 Memorial are, according to him, uniquely done.

Even if Bizuneh believes that these monuments are standardized he also claims that they have their own defects and were influenced by the sculptors’ nationality which can be seen on the anatomy on some of the statues.

Even the Martyrs’ statue which was done a couple of years back has Chinese influence. Even if Ethiopians did the designing, the touch, the final casting was done in China. According to him, the characteristics are Chinese not Ethiopian. “For instance, their eyes were done in a Chinese form but if Ethiopians did it would have been different.

The Ethiopian sculptors started to take part in designing after the Derg regime with Tigilachin Monument being one of them. Though Koreans did this specific statue, Bizuneh claims that the Koreans totally got the whole characteristics from Ethiopian identity.

Even if Bekele encourages the involvement of Ethiopians sculptors he also thinks that quality is depreciating from time to time starting from creativity, materials and the substance of the sculptures.

According to Bizuneh, nowadays, the work is progressing but with the technique he shares Bekele’s idea and thinks that there is a long way to go. Ethiopian sculptors use bronze casting where there is electrical bronze casting which is being used in other countries.

In passing, he appreciates the fact that the statues which were previously done by government authorities are now involving individuals in building effigies.
For Bekele, back in those days, the quality of statues was good, they were done to commemorate something and were not just place because of their aesthetic value. In addition, he says that some of the statues also lack urban elements and were not part of urban planning.

“Most of these statues are not done in an aesthetic way which is supposed to be part of the urban establishment. The community does not consider these statues as part of the city. It’s the Eiffel Tower that characterizes Paris but there is nothing that characterizes Addis Ababa,” Bekele says.

The essence of heroism and patriotism might have changed with the change of regimes but both Bekele and Bizuneh believe that a tremendous amount of work should be done when it comes to building a statue to create a beautiful city and at the same time to leave a legacy.


http://www.thereporterethiopia.com/Living-and-The-Arts/monuments-to-heroism-patriotism-ideology-freedom-manifestation.html

What were the Derg's plans for Addis? I read that they were to build lots of apartment buildings. If what they built is any indicator, it's a shame they never got through the whole program. 10X better than what is being built now.

Addis Ababa is supposed to be a new city, for crying out loud.

vO0rRcYIe8o

I think walta does some nice documentaries,, about daily life in ethiopia

MBORUXZa90M

7pxDOSBm0FI

Ethiopian Capital to Inaugurate Deep Well Project


The Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Water and Sewage Authority inaugurated the Akaki deep well project last Sunday. The Akaki deep well project, which took 500 million birr to finalize, is expected to deliver 73 thousand m3 of water daily. It took three years to complete the first and second part of the Akaki deep well project. The Akaki deep will increase the supply of the water to meet 93% of total demand following the rapid growth in the water consumed by the city over the last few years explained Birhanu Gessesse, Communication Officer of AAWSA.

AAWSA aims to launch 46 more deep well projects in the Akaki vicinity. It is expected that wells will be funded through a financing agreement reached with the World Bank and the Export and Import Bank of China. The new wells will provide an additional 140 thousand m3 of water daily realizing a 100% supply to meet the demand in Addis Ababa.

The authority supplies 301 thousand m3 of water a day meeting just 73% of the demand in capital according to Birhanu. Following the rapid growth seen in the populations and size of Addis Ababa and adjoining areas the demand for potable water requiring AAWSA to seek out additional sources of water.

With this end in mind the authority expects to launch an additional water project around the Suluta area expected to be completed over the next three to five years. AAWSA is in the process of preparing a study and design for the Suluta project as part of the water supply component.

2merkato via Capital (http://www.2merkato.com/20120313994/ethiopian-capital-to-inaugurate-deep-well-project)


video: Akaki Deep well water supply project Phase II Inaugurated (http://www.diretube.com/addis-tv/akaki-deep-well-water-supply-project-phase-ii-inaugurated-video_7a9f80ab4.html)

Interesting article in last weeks addisfortune:



http://www.addisfortune.com/Vol_12_No_619_Images/agenda_image.jpg


[..]

For years, now, night-time has been good for some of Addis Abeba’s supermarkets open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Africa Avenue (Bole Road) boasts at least two such places, which have been open for almost a decade.

Central Supermarket was the first to grace the road with night-time service, it says, starting nine years ago. Today, a third of its customers, averaging 600 a day, are nocturnal. As the city stretches its arms to embrace the night, not just supermarkets, but drug stores, petrol stations, and fast food joints are daring into the darkness.

[..]

In the five years she has been on the job, she has observed that fast food and grocery items, including sandwiches and soft drinks, have been the dominant items in demand at night. The same is true for Central and 9G's Sure market, a supermarket near Atlas Hotel. At Central, though, the list stretches to include beer and whiskey.

The list of customers includes a lot of expatriates, most of whom prefer to do their shopping on Fridays and Saturdays, Dejene Wolde, supervisor at Central Supermarket, told Fortune. An Ethiopian market research survey, conducted by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) in 2007, indicated that the increased number of expatriates and relatively wealthier Ethiopians triggered the growth of supermarkets.

The figures showed that around 48,531 expatriates, who mostly preferred to shop in supermarkets, were living in Addis Abeba, at the time. The introduction of service-giving after normal business hours mostly suited them. “Foreign nationals permanently or temporarily living in the capital are the major beneficiaries of the night economy,” SIDA’s research survey revealed.

Ethiopia’s supermarket revolution began in the late 1990s, especially in bigger cities such as Addis Abeba, Bahir Dar, Mekele, and Awassa, although the pace remains slow in comparison with other African cities, such as Nairobi, Kenya. The 351 supermarkets found in Addis Abeba are less than half of those operating in Nairobi.

Addis Abeba’s 3.1 million residents are also lagging in other services, compared to Nairobi, which boasts 300,000 more people. Figures obtained from the Kenyan National Hospital Insurance Fund, a parastatal under its Ministry of Health, showed that Nairobi has 54 accredited hospitals and 113 clinics, as of last year. Addis Abeba has 41 hospitals and 82 modern private clinics (we're getting closer now, but still got some catching up to do), according to Central Statistics Agency (CSA).

Hospitals and clinics need to be available 24 hours a day, according to Robel Tefardegn, a marketing expert and consultant at Elements Hospitality Management and Consultancy, in order to provide care for various health-related problems that people may face through midnight. Unlike the 24-hour supermarkets mainly located in Bole and CMC areas, clinics and hospitals are scattered all over the city.

Kidus Gebriel Hospital, located in Haya Hulet, on Djibouti Street, provides emergency medical services. On March 6, 2012, six nurses, a lab technician, an x-ray technician, and emergency surgery professionals, along with the shift’s medical doctor were, on duty. “We are ready 24 hours, but, most of the time, the cases we receive are not that much serious,” Mihret Kebede, cashier and receptionist at the Hospital, said. “We are not that much busy at night.”

Some distance from it, at Haya Hulet Mazoria Higher Clinic, the rooms are often busy providing first aid to a lot of people involved in drunken fighting after 3:00am, the doctor on duty said. The staff of Senay Clinic, near Agona Cinema on Sierra Leone Street, was also on standby and responding quickly to a driver of a Land Cruiser who was injured when colliding with the guardrail just before midnight on March 6.

Not all health facilities were busy, though.

Addis Abeba might be okay when it comes to the service of its clinics, but it is unlucky when it comes to petrol stations. The 13 gas stations tagged 24-hours located around Bole Road, Megenagna, Saris, and Kazanchis areas were not giving service after midnight on March 6, 2012. The main victims of the closing gas stations are contract taxi drivers.

“I always fill my car’s tank before nightfall because it is impossible to buy gasoil after 10:00pm,”Ashenafi Bizuneh, a contract taxi driver who mainly works in the Haya Hulet area, told Fortune. “The main working hours of contract taxis are in the evening. Most of the time, workers at the gas stations tell me that they do not have fuel or that their machine has a technical problem.”

The time has not yet come for Addis Abebe to have 24-hour locksmiths, plumbers, electricians, or fitness centres. Even getting proper service from existing businesses still remains a question. Unlike other businesses in the service sector whose 24-hours service is below par, supermarkets like Central, one of the first to open on the street where such marts are abundant, give adequate service to the many nocturnal customers that visit the store.

read the rest @AddisFortune (http://www.addisfortune.com/agenda.htm)

This is a very good series of videos. Im not sure who is responsible for these but they examine the housing situation very intricately, and provide important insights. I especially like the guy who is talking about the Swedish architect, he says, "We should not only think about building a house, but about building communities". Take a look:


Part 1, Disappearing Spaces A day in Addis Ababa's Informal city: DireTube Link (http://www.diretube.com/felix-heisel-bisrat-kifle/disappearing-spaces-a-day-in-addis-ababas-informal-city-video_4d98ff723.html)

Part 2, Emerging Spaces A day in Addis Ababa's condominiums: DireTube Link (http://www.diretube.com/felix-heisel-bisrat-kifle/emerging-spaces-a-day-in-addis-ababas-condominiums-video_cb844bde8.html#)

Part 3, Supporting Spaces A day on Addis Ababa's streets: DireTube Link (http://www.diretube.com/felix-heisel-bisrat-kifle/supporting-spaces-a-day-on-addis-ababas-streets-video_10dadc854.html)

It looks like Addis Ababa is finally getting some street signs:

http://i.imgur.com/RYUhQ.jpg

Soon will come the day that Addis Abeba sees an organised address system. Crucial for the growing metropolis, the system will establish integrated naming for every house in the city. As depicted in the photograph, the new system will provide a detailed numerical representation for each house. The implementation of the system is being undertaken by the Integrated Land Management Information Project Development Office of the Addis Abeba City Administration. Typical street signs include a shorthand representation of the district, the street name, and the range of house numbers on that street. For now, the installation of the signs is being undertaken in Nefas Silk Lafto and Bole districts. But, the undertaking will expand to the other districts in the coming weeks. It is all implemented as part of the bigger plan to have an organised land resources information system in the city, which is expanding at a rate of six per cent a year.

AddisFortune (http://www.addisfortune.com/news_radar.htm)

Great news. I'm surprised that the English letters weren't twice the size of the Amharic. :D

Great news. I'm surprised that the English letters weren't twice the size of the Amharic. :D
lol, Im surprised they used Ge'ez/Amharic at all. I guess its a start :cheers:

Great news. I'm surprised that the English letters weren't twice the size of the Amharic. :D

Amen...finally some common sense is exhibited by the local authorities.

I do find it sad that Geez numbers are disappearing. I can read fidel ok, but I can't read a single number to save my life (these: ፩ ፪ ፫ ፬ ፭ ፮ ፯ ፰ ፱). I need to work on that.

Yes, that is a real tragedy that has already happened...which is why I'm truly concerned whether the same thing will happen to Fidel as well. I'm sure someone from our own group (SSC) is going to politicize this and write some Anti-Ethiopian, Anti-Amharic gibberish soon...

I can read fidel ok
?
ፈረንጆታ ነሽ እንዴ? ሎል :lol:

That is a reading assignment :lol:

Ditto on the numbers. And don't tell me that those weird strings are going to be the street names. 0647th Street? London does it without being weird:

http://sharpie51.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/orange-street-sign-half1.jpg

?
ፈረንጆታ ነሽ እንዴ? ሎል :lol:

Lol :lol:

?
ፈረንጆታ ነሽ እንዴ? ሎል :lol:

That is a reading assignment :lol:

lol in Amharic is very funny :lol:

I've never heard of ferenjota, but no, I'm not ferenj lol.

lol in Amharic is very funny :lol:

I've never heard of ferenjota, but no, I'm not ferenj lol.

Ferenjota is oromiffa in amharic lol
ferenj as in born and bred somewhere on the planet Earth but not in Ethio. No worries thou I have graded ur assignment and you have passed habesha 101 with flying colors.

New inde! I have never heard of that term.
I'm glad I passed the test though ;)

The Addis Ababa Water Authority studies drilling costs after high quote.

Addisfortune.com

Published On April 29, 2012


The Addis Abeba Water & Sewerage Authority (AAWSA) is studying the market price for water well drilling to gather data to renegotiate the 1.7 billion Br demanded by China Geo-engineering Corporation (CGC) for the drilling of 20 wells in Akaki.

The Akaki wells are expected to give 70,000 cubic metres of water a day.

The Authority has already inaugurated a similar project in Gelan, 35km southeast of Addis Abeba, where 15 wells, providing 73,000 cubic metres of water a day, were drilled. This project was completed at a cost of 584 million Br, in March 2012, by CGC, as well, which is now demanding the Authority almost three times the price for the Akaki project, even though it involves fewer wells and less water. Action Engineering had partnered with CGC in the Gelan project.

If CGC declines to reduce its quoted price, the AAWSA could suspend the project to look for other contractors from China, according to Yitbarek Mengiste, deputy manager of the AAWSA. The project is being facilitated with a loan from the China Export Import (EXIM) Bank.

The price is high because they are running the risk of digging more wells, if the ones they dig do not produce as much water as required by the AAWSA, and because the cost of manpower imported from China is high, CGC told the AAWSA.

CGC, according to Yitbarek, also declined to lower its standards in order to be able to ease the cost for the AAWSA, due to the potential damage to the reputation of its country, China, in construction work, according to Yitbarek.

“I think that we made a mistake when we signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU), because, first, we should have agreed on the price,” said Assegid Getachew, the AAWSA’s general manager. “Now, the city cabinet may also criticise us, but the Ministry of Finance & Economic Development (MoFED) will mediate between us and CGC after the committee of our experts submits the results of their study.”

The current market study of the committee will be concluded and submitted within the next week.

By YIDNEKACHEW GASHAW
FORTUNE STAFF WRITER


http://www.addisfortune.net/Water%20Auth%20Studies%20Drilling%20Costs%20after%20High%20Quote.htm

^^ hope they get that sorted out, the price did seem steep
news on the Zoo project

Addis Ababa to Build Large Zoo & Lions Sanctuary in Peacock, Bole area
The Addis Ababa City Administration and the Defense Construction Enterprise signed agreement for the construction of Lion Park amounting to 30 million birr here on Monday.

Following the construction of the new park, formerly known as Anbessa Gibi, the Lion Park at Sidist Kilo, will move to the new site Peacock Park around Bole area. Lion Park manager, Muhidin Abdualziiz on the occasion said established in 1940, the 1.2 hectare of Lion Park was very narrow and has been hosting ten lion species.

He said the city administration would cover the construction cost of the park.

City Administration Infrastructure advisor, Feleke Yimer on his part said the City Zoo Master Plan has been designed in collaboration with the German Zoo Architect at a cost of 475 million birr. The Zoo Master Plan would consider the ecology and geography zones of the city. The new park which covers 26 hectares would be constructed in four phases.

Ethiotube Video (http://www.ethiotube.net/video/19243/Addis-Ababa-to-Build-Large-Zoo--Lions-Sanctuary-in-Peacock-Bole-area) (Amharic)

New Street Lights Begin Going Up

http://i.imgur.com/Jtx5p.jpg



The roads of the capital, Addis Abeba, are witnessing a new addition for the purpose of order. As can be seen at the square near La Gare, the addition involves new sets of traffic lights, which are missing elements on most of the roads of the city.

Fortune (http://www.addisfortune.net/news_radar.htm)

Nice! I like the ones that look like this. Is this the only place they're being put in- a trial run?

Nice! I like the ones that look like this. Is this the only place they're being put in- a trial run?
it says trial run in LaGare in the article but Ive found a photo in west addis where there are some also (maybe they are older http://img3.harmony-central.com/acapella/ubb/idn_smilie.gif)


http://i.imgur.com/zQ2UO.jpg?1

Best in Travel 2013 - Top 10 cities
23 October, 2012
Lonely Planet’s Top 10 Cities 2013
1. San Francisco, USA
2. Amsterdam, The Netherlands
3. Hyderabad, India
4. Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland
5. Beijing, China
6. Christchurch, New Zealand
7. Hobart, Australia
8. Montreal, Canada
9. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
10. Puerto Iguazú, Argentina

9. Addis Ababa
Ethiopian metropolis evolving at pace
Best for: Culture, food, value for money

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/themes/best-in-travel-2013/top-10-cities/images/addis-ababa.jpg

Like the Ethiopian marathon runners, Addis Ababa (often shortened to plain ‘Addis’) is evolving at a fast pace. The fact that the country’s economic growth should reach almost 5% in 2013 helps create a feeling of confidence and stamina. Founded little more than a century ago, Addis Ababa, which in Amharic means ‘New Flower’, is not only the diplomatic capital of Africa and a thriving metropolis, but also a groovy city that takes pride in its multifaceted assets.


Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/themes/best-in-travel-2013/top-10-cities/#ixzz2AGhDICXE

Wow, very nice! I like the picture as well, the people/cultures is what makes the city great.

about post 318, What is wrong with our road and city planners? why don't they clean up the road and make the area look decent by just planting trees in the divider and some grass on the open dirt? isn't that an obvious thing to see and do? what's the matter? what is this? it's just embarrassing to see it bare of any kind of plants and dirty knowing a simple face lift could transform it to something beautiful. Hire the bahr dar city landscapers and i am sure they will do a marvelous job beautifying the dirty addis roads. SHAME!!

http://addisfortune.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/radar_fresh_attraction.jpg

Addis Abeba is celebrating its 125th anniversary by organizing different tours that shoes the development of the city in the last 125 years. Inaugurating the Gulele Botanic Center was one of these occasions, which showed one of the achievements of the Addis Abeba City Administration and its affiliates. To establish the center, 705ht of land in Kolfe Keranyo District and Gulele District was selected for the development of the center on November 2006. AdmasuTsegaye(PhD), president of Addis Abeba University (right), KumaDemeksa (center), mayor of Addis Abeba, Middle; and TekleweldeGerima, Executive Director of the center inaugurated the Gulele Botanic Center on October 13, 2012.

Fortune (http://addisfortune.net/articles/fresh-attraction/)

link to the garden info: BGCI (http://www.bgci.org/garden.php?id=4538&ftrCountry=&ftrKeyword=&ftrBGCImem=Y&ftrIAReg=)



some renders on a contractors website:

http://www.geluktreurniet.nl/Portals/3/4.jpg

http://www.geluktreurniet.nl/Portals/3/3.jpg

http://www.geluktreurniet.nl/Portals/3/Projectfotografie/openbare%20ruimten/agora002317.jpg

If any one is trying to open a business in Ethiopia, this is what you will deal with:


http://addisfortune.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/agneda_btm.jpg


http://addisfortune.net/columns/too-long-to-be-true/

Just to renew business licenses ... :lol:

It begs the question, why are we not leveraging Technology to make this process efficient?

^^ It is bizarre. They should have included this is in http://www.eservices.gov.et/eServicePortalEth/

http://www.diretube.com/walta/addis-ababa-surprising-city-video_dbe0d57f3.html

http://www.diretube.com/ethiopia-today/a-town-in-addis-video_5ea164995.html
Jomo nice suburb

http://addisfortune.net/articles/new-building-code-under-construction/

Hop every city in Ethio fallow this on some level.

"The terms of the Memorandum do not allow the Ministry to change the name of the document, Euro-Code"

Well that's just silly. It should have a name in Amharic, or at worst "Ethio-Code".

The code spells out in detail the quality and strength of blocs and materials to be used in future construction. Builders will also have to use metal scaffolding, instead of wooden ones.

Great!

"In order to select qualified human power in the sector, the Ethiopian Professional Architects & Engineers Association will start giving timely professional tests and certify graduates, if and when the code goes into practice. According to Yoseph, this is likely to happen in the 2013/14 fiscal year."

An end to ugly architecture! One can hope! Name aside, this is marvellous news! It really addresses a lot of the issues we've been complaining about these few past years. Let's just hope this doesn't turn out like all these "master plans" of years past... unenforced and unknown.

http://www.ethiotube.net/video/26045/ETV-Documentary--Addis-Menged--%E1%8A%A0%E1%8B%B2%E1%88%B5-%E1%88%98%E1%8A%95%E1%8C%88%E1%8B%B5--Addis-Ababas-new-roads--May-9-2013