“Inspiring yet heartbreaking, vibrant yet chaotic, fascinating yet at times incredibly frustrating.” This was what Indian city calcutta was described. Back in high school, I remember reading an essay titled “calcutta a city of contrast.” In the essay, you see how fascinating calcutta is for its monuments, many heritage buildings, cemeteries, shopping malls, eateries, all kinds of well-paid work, private hospitals and other useful service facilities. The city is indeed influential, vivacious and riveting. But the city is also ever-changing, polluted, and very busy and many people struggle with life.
Likewise, Addis Ababa has different attractive places ranging from monuments, national museums to luxuries shopping malls. Right on your arrival in Addis Ababa, you will be met with spacious airport. As your cab can take you to luxury hotels, you can witness the beauty of the city for yourself. Addis Ababa cannot be compared to any city in the country. It has wide, long roads contrasting with thin, dark and confusing alleys. The cathedrals, the mosque, the national museum or the national theatre are some of places you could stop by. There are luxury apartments, shopping malls, restaurants, very modern Cinemas, recreation parks, and parking lots. The recent constructions in the city like Unity Park, Entoto Park, Meskel Square and others in constructions have started giving new look for the city. Indeed it is a city any visitor won’t regret visiting.
As calcutta (now called Kolkatta), Addis Ababa is also a city of contrast. From crowded bus terminals, you would see people hurrying and brushing sides to get into a taxi. On your way, you may see very brand cars as you see people in old cars or waiting long hours to find a bus. There are tall buildings, villa houses and mansions as there are also simple houses or people sharing a single room for many or even you will see people sleeping on the street. Some people say high rise buildings have hidden dimensions of poverty. You see people wearing very stylish clothes every day as there are people who wear ragtag. You may see people full packed in expensive restaurants but you meet also people who begs you for daily bread. There are rich neighborhoods in suburbs of the city but there are shanty houses and neighborhoods maybe at the downtown. The contrasts in fact gave alternatives for people with different economies. However, there is still life struggle as some are very comfortable to live in Addis Ababa. Some people even say tall buildings have covered it all.
The economic model changed from command economy to capitalism in the past three decades might have helped the country to achieve fast economic stride in the region. But this uncontrolled progress has also caused economic inequality within the society. Senior citizens recall the city used to have very limited economic gap in the times of the military regime. Some people tend to appreciate the past for people were caring to each other as they were very much alike. But for the others, today might be better even though there are still people who haven’t got benefitted from the competitive economic model. The young people who don’t know the past don’t have much of a choice but to insist equitable distribution of benefits.
Nevertheles, the city continues to be contrastive as more and more people are flocking to the city for job opportunities. It will be a scene of opposite world as long as constructive interventions are implemented. The influx also creates transportation congestion, housing prices to hit high and other basic facilities to be much needed. In fact, there are some activities the city administration implementing for the past couple of years. Helping the elderly by house renovation, school feeding program, meal sharing, condominium construction, and other activities can be taken as some the activities the city administration undertaking. It is a commendable work of ensuring social welfare. Free education and affordable health access are somehow a relief. But the city might have needed rapid progress given the rise of population and economic woes.
As the saying: “From a thorn comes a rose, and from a rose comes a thorn,” Addis Ababa has a chance to live up its name. It can narrow the economic gap and make it comfortable for everyone, for all residents. But this can begin with an understanding that Addis Ababa for now is black and white. By increasing the job opportunity, it can be a city alm seekers won’t be seen; many people could feed themselves and find shelter. At least, there can be a time people won’t be seen sleeping in the street if government increases intervention to narrow economic gap in the city.
Regardless of this fact, Addis Ababa is a melting point of all regions where people live in peace and harmony. It has favorable weather condition and has low drug cases and moderate crime rate.
BY KFLEEYESUS ABEBE
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD THURSDAY 26 MAY 2022
