BY MULUGETA GUDETA
Modernization in urban development is sometimes understood (or misunderstood) in this country as a process of pulling down old buildings and replacing them with state-of-the-art structures in accordance with Western designs and aesthetic approaches. Many older and culturally as well as historically significant buildings have suffered this unenviable fate in the Ethiopian capital.
And the process is still continuing without anyone intervening to put a halt to this kind of understanding or outright disregard to the architectural and cultural heritage of the capital. Sadly enough, odernization is understood as simply as replacing the old with the new although the old might have greater cultural and historical values than the new.
As many people would agree, architecture is part of, or a reflection of the cultural, psychological or historical past and present of a city or a nation. It is the expression of the identity of a city or any part of the country for that matter. These markers of identities were there for a long time and should be preserved for eternity simply because the future will not exist without the past as well as without the present.
Addis Ababa too has its own identity that is expressed in buildings, monuments and housing designs and constructions. For instance, the old serategna sefer (servants’ quarter) in the heart of Piazza is part of the old identity of the capital and reflects a particular period in its history. The Trinity Cathedral, the parliament building, the monuments at sadist kilo and arat kilo…etc. all are aspects of the overall identity of Addis Ababa. When we came to recent times, we can mention buildings like the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia headquarters, the National Theatre and The Jubilee Palace as landmarks in the architectural development of the capital.
Under Emperor Menelik, serategna sefer which is a conglomeration of old shacks, used to house the servants that were working at the palace as cooks, cleaners, builders and in their various capacities. These people worked in the palace during the day and left at night, crossing the nearby river before going up the hill to their homes. This part of Piazza has survived the Italian invasion and still continues to reflect the capital’s older face although under various names. Some of the most influential advisors to the emperor had also their residences inside serategna sefer and still stand tall despite the ravages of time.
By the same token, the monuments of Emperor Menelik and that of Abune Petros are part of the identity of the capital. They are of immense significance for culture and history. The first reminds us that the main fighters at the famous Battle Adwa first started their long journey to Adwa from the capital. The second monument is reminiscent of fascist brutality that claimed the life of the most patriotic Ethiopian religious leader who refused to cooperate with the Brown Shirts, choosing death over betrayal of the motherland. If you take a turn down Churchill Road and stop at Tewodros Square, you find the oldest and first Ethiopian movie house right across the street.
The old movie house was also built by the modernizing monarch who borrowed or imported the idea from Europe and showed what was then believed to be the “work of Satan” as the silent pictures moved on the silver screen to create visual magic.
Even the clergy was said to have opposed the introduction of the motion picture and it took a long time for the public to realize that here was nothing satanic about it and embrace it enthusiastically in the following decades.
Let’s move down Churchill Road and stop at the monument of the lion which was erected under Haile Selassie and inaugurated at the time of the construction of the National Theatre which was first named Haile Selassie 1stTheatre. The name was changed to National Theatre after the February Revolution of 1974 as the old name was considered a relic of the ancient regime. The lion is still standing tall and continues to invite visitors to watch it with some kind of awe, particularly if they have never seen a more realistic monument or a prototype of a lion.
According to popular gossip, at the time of the inauguration of the monument, the late emperor asked the artist what the monument was all about. The artist told the emperor that he built a model of a lion. The emperor was subsequently quoted as saying that, the model “did not look like a lion at all”. Whatever people’s observations, this monument is also part of the architectural and/or cultural identity of the capital Addis Ababa.
Further south at the spot where the old railway station is found, we meet another monument of the Lion of Judah that was stolen by the Italian fascists during the occupation and returned only in the 1970s to be erected in its original place. This monument boasted of a small but neat and attractive park with green grass and flowers and a few wooden benches that offered a time for rest and admiration of the monument by visitors. Now the monument looks like the shadow of its old self as it is a derelict work of art and history that nobody seems to care about.
The area is now allocated for the construction new hotel buildings and residential apartments by a Dubai-based company that has already pulled down the old Chemin de Fer Restaurant that was a remnant of a bygone era when the Ethio-Djibouti railway station was at the height of its glory. It was a cosmopolitan meeting place complete with a European-style restaurant, bedrooms, a bar and a dance hall where live music was played to the delight of local and foreign visitors.
Now that it is gone, it has become part of old memories of Addis. There is currently a renovation work under way all along the Churchill Road. If memory does not fail me, this is the third time that Churchill Road is being renovated or broadened. In the 1960s and much of the 1970s, Churchill Road was a narrow strip of asphalted road that could not allow two cars to move side by side. It was broadened later on to create the two-way street as we know it now. Yes, Churchill Road has become one of the most crowded streets in Addis and the traffic jams are notorious particularly during the morning, at noontime and in the evening when the Lycee Guebre Mariam School nearby opens and closes.
Now work is under way to widen the road so that it can accommodate more traffic. This is one of the most cosmopolitan streets in the capital as it is flanked by modern high rises, office and business structures as well as banks and souvenir shops. It is however unpleasant to see all the old structures from the old La Gare area up to Piazza being torn down to give space to the project. It would be unfair for instance to tear down the oldest cinema hall for the sheer purpose of adding a few meters to the road size. That would be like destroying one of the historical landmarks of the city in order to allow a few cars drive by on the few meters of added space.
Many old buildings with considerable historic significance have already disappeared due re to reckless construction or sheer neglect. The old Sheikh Hojele historic residence in Gulele sub-city has been allowed to be turned into an unrecognizable structure as the authorities allowed many families live inside and do whatever they wanted to the original face of the place. The city authorities repeatedly promised to restore it to its original shape but nothing has come out of this promise. Many streets were built in the capital on the tombs of important structures that reflected the culture, history and evolution of Addis Ababa.
There was a real public uproar when the Abuna Petros monument was temporarily removed to give way to the construction of the light railway line that passes through that particular place. The public uproar ended when the monument was restored to its original place. That particular event showed how the public is sensitive to the historic and cultural heritages of the city that boasts only 125 years of existence. This should serve as a lesson on how to proceed with the renovation of the capital without destroying its identity, but this does not seem to be the case at present.
Preserving the identity of a big city like Addis Ababa is no easy task but the authorities should take it as a serious responsibility whenever they plan the construction of new roads, buildings and similar structures instead of building the wrong way and trying to justify it or ignore public complaints later. Addis Ababa is going through its fastest growth since its founding 125 years ago. So, planning Addis Ababa’s reconstruction should include minding for its past history, culture and visions and aspirations of its residents and builders.
The renewal of the Addis Ababa is taking place at a breakneck speed and there is apparently little time to think about the consequences of the new constructions on its identity, its culture and history. One cannot build the future of a city like Addis Ababa by ignoring the past. The challenge remains to properly conjugate the cultural and historical heritage of the Ethiopian capital with the development needs of modern times. This is not a challenge unique to Addis Ababa.
It is also a challenge many capitals in developing countries face as technology and economic growth tend to ignore cultural and historical aspects of places that came into being through the hard works of many generations.
As it continues to expand and develop in all directions, Addis Ababa’s administration should therefore make more efforts to preserve its soul, its identity and its history as well as it culture without which it would only be a conglomeration of mortar, steel and glass structures that have no life of their own as far as culture, identity and history are concerned.
The city government is attempting to avoid the beaten path by adding cultural centers or renovating new ones. The planned construction of the new National Theatre in the downtown area of Addis and the Ras Theatre building somewhere around Mercato are good examples of the process of building a new capital with a vibrant soul and where the old and new identities merge to create a culturally rich mega city.
The Ethiopian Herald 10 January 2021
