ADDIS ABABA–The Ministry of culture and tourism said it is working to restore and repair 26 old and damaged heritages across the nation.
Gezahagne Abate, Public and international relationsDirector, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, told The Ethiopian Herald that the ministry is currently working in this regard with 100 days plan. As to him, 26 heritages are already identified to be restored and repaired nationwide this The case of Lalibela, according to him, is among the big projects in the plan.
According to research outcomes conducted, 300 million Birr is needed to sustainably solve the problem of the rock hewn churches of Lalibela in three phases. Currently, the first phase is already under way with a total budget of 70 million Birr, he indicated. The rest 230 million Birr required for the second and third phases, according to the director is expected to be obtained from the government of France as per the promise of President Emanuel Macron made to the Ethiopian government to finance the project.
However, 12 different parties: two city administrations, Ethiopian Airlines, UNESCO and other nongovernmental organizations, to name but a few,which are officially requested to play a role are also expected to contribute their share. With regard to the obelisks of Axum, the ministry, as for Gezahagne, is working to remove the poles erected to support the obelisk returned from Italy during its reinstallation.
In this regard, researches have been conducted for the last two years to avoid possible damage to it and other heritages beneath it. “Now, we have already finalized all our preparations in terms of conducting research mainly focusing on the basement of the obelisks. And the Ethiopian Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritages allocated the budget needed for that. By now, we are waiting for the response of the company we provided our research outcomes believing that it is the capable one to remove these poles safely, he said.
The same is true for restoration of Aba Jifar palace which is under repair with 125 thousand US Dollar gained from the government of USA plus 4.5 million Birr obtained from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Oromia National Regional State. Gezahagne mentioned budget deficit and lack of trained manpower as the critical challenges that faced the sector.
The Ethiopian Herald, January 2/2019
BY SHUSHAY ADANE
