Located in Nekemt town, the capital of East Wollega zone, Kumsa Moroda Palace represents one of the most important heritage sites in Oromia. Built by Greeks in 1870, it was the residence of former local kings from the end of the 19th to the middle of the 20th century. This tourist attraction sits at a distance of 318 kilometers to the west of Addis Ababa.
Despite its invaluable worth for tourism, research and history of the Oromos and other people, and its reflection of the culture, the wisdom of the country, the Palace lost its beauty and prestige due to lack of conservation and protection, and general neglect. To return it to its past glory and give it the proper attention, the Nekemt City Administration Culture and Tourism Office has been working in collaboration with different governmental and non-governmental organizations.
Shimeles Mitiku, Head of the Culture and Tourism Office, said that the Palace had been toured by local and foreign tourists starting from the day it was opened. As the Palace reflects the culture and history of Oromo people in several ways, the tourist site has been
able to bypass the modest sightseeing and tourism culture of the local people.
People from Wollega who live abroad always tour the Palace when they come back to visit their families, or for any other reason, and always comment on ways to beautify, promote and restore the Palace to its former laurels, and make it a very attractive tourist destination.
By taking into account these suggestions and recommendations of the public, and understanding the need for it, the City administration, in collaboration with various governmental and non-governmental organizations, is working to restore the Palace, budgeting 1.5 million birr only to conduct a research that would help identify what should be included in the restoration process.
Shimeles stressed that people who have blood relation with King Kumsa and live abroad like Aster Fikre-Selassie have been working day to night to restore the palace.
Regarding the current condition of the Palace, he recalled that the Palace has been serving as a station for the country’s peacekeeping force, and the Office has been working with different zonal administration to pull out members of the peacekeeping force from the premises of the Palace before the restoration project was launched.
As to him, the City administration is planning to finish the restoration within three years, and the compound where the Palace sits on will consist of a building that houses Wollega cultural food, artifacts, cultural clothes, among other halls.
Oromia Hotel and Tourism Association for its part has been working to restore and redevelop the Palace by setting up a Western Ethiopian Project that also undertakes a fund-raising in collaboration with Ethiopian Authority for Research and Conservation of Heritage and Oromia Culture and Tourism.
The Research and Conservation Authority no doubt believes that the Palace is too old, and the necessity of restoration and redevelopment was distinguished by a research. The restoration and redevelopment work should be undertaken in full caution to make sure the work keeps the originality of the Palace.
The Ethiopian Herald January 8, 2020
BY TAMERU REGASA
