As Franz Fannon in his book Black Skin White Masks, stated it, it is the “educated” part of the black society who perceived their culture as inferior to that of theWhiteman’s. The inferiority complex could be manifested in many ways. To Fannon “the wearing of European cloth, […]or most up to date style, using European furniture, European form of social intercourse” are some of the manifestations.
It seems due to this and in fact, other allied factors, human civilization—the knowledge and skills— developed over centuries and millennia may face the risk of disappearance. It is tough to conclude as the crafts and industry could be disappeared for good, however.It seems safe to say that the knowledge and skills could be resuscitated,out of self-respect and hard work.
“Most Ethiopian modern architectural designs did not represent Ethiopian culture,” as Dr. Hirut Kasaw once described the concrete jungle seen rising one after the other. To her, architects, engineers, and artists should take responsibility to invest their capacity in artistic, cultural and indigenous styles. Put it another way, she meant that they should see deep into their own culture.
With its lesson to urban planners, designers and the like, a simple, natural and low-cost museum built in the southwestern part of the capital now enticed the attention of many recently. It comes to public limelight following the visit of Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed on 12 May 2019—the facility is called ZOMA MUSEUM. He expressed lauded the effort made to transform a garbage accumulation site to a place of respite. The Museum is described as “a dream inspired 25 years ago by the timeless and structurally sound vernacular architecture of Ethiopia and other parts of the world.”
It is named after Zoma Shiferraw, a young artist who died of cancer in 1979. The magnificent architectural facilities become possible with local construction inputs such as mud, straw, wood and the like. And it comprises art gallery, library, children center, green garden, elementary school that has also integrated vernacular arts and architecture. It has more than forty small bridges constructed by wooden bars crossing over small channels of irrigation. As to the founders, these bridges are symbolic representative for the long-lasting Ethiopian relationship among nations.
Moreover, most buildings of the Museum are constructed with impressive part of what the founders called ancient construction techniques.The exterior and interior designs of each building are designed by Artist Elias Sime and Artist Meskerem Assegued, the two founders of the Museum. The architectural technique for the main building symbolizes finger prints and complex web of rope. The landscape of the Museum has also the power of captivating visitor’s mind by its hilly terrain and with its windy walkways designed to go smoothly with natural trails.
Vegetables, different variety of herbs, and green gardens are also made to add marvelous color to the Museum. Kids learn basic skills of mathematics and language. They also take practical science lessons through involving in growing vegetables at the Museum’s farmland. Benedetta Castrilo, General Manager of the Museum, told The Ethiopian Herald that the average number of visitors reached about 70 per day which she described it as far too low.
A resident at the village where the Museum is located, Assefa Chabiso, also seconded the manager’s assertion. “Compared to the service quality and magnificence of the art that blends the old and the new, the number of visitors is far from being satisfactory.” He also remembered the site as full of garbage which had long exposed residents to respiratory disease.
Artist Meskerem Assegued, cofounder of the center told Fana BC that the dream to build the museum was initially planned a quarter of a century ago to display Ethiopian traditional architecture. The dream become true in 2014 after a series of works, she said. Reviving the local architectural touch is a sign of pride in one’s craft, if not preserving and promoting humanity’s wisdom. The Museum is a life lesson to Ethiopians and beyond as how local arts and inputs could help award a new lease of life to a community with a reasonable cost.
The Ethiopian Herald May 24/2019
BY YESUF ENDRIS
