
Radar | Jul 11,2021
May 21 , 2022
By Hakim Benbadra ( Hakim Benbadra is a Pan-Africanist with a sound understanding of the dynamics in politics and economics between African countries and with foreign partners. He can be reached at hakim.benbadra@gmail.com. )
Addis Abeba is a fascinating city. I frequented different societies and observed that from one neighbourhood to another, the vision of the world could change radically. From Jemo to Bole through Sarbet. Young and old, western expats, members of the diaspora, employees of the African Union and Ethiopians from all over the country. Unemployed, retired, working, artists, students, and entrepreneurs. I experienced the different social realities of Addis Abeba.
One quickly realises that the different worlds do not mix. Often, one can get a good idea of a person's social position by the place where they meet for a cup of coffee: rather Piazza or the neighbourhood café, Bole Millennium or the big hotels. Each site brings encounters with different people: from hip places like the many lounges where the diasporas meet, to more artistic places like Fendika.
Some parties always bring their share of Western expats, like editions of Zema Mezekir or Zoya. I met Ethiopians who spoke English without an accent even though they had never been out of the country – the only country where I could observe this phenomenon so far. Likewise, there were locals who did not speak English very well with whom we communicated in a mixture of English and stammering Amharic around coffee shops.
And do not forget the African diasporas, with whom I got on well and who socialise mainly by nationality. They are not easy to find. The fact that will have impressed me the most was that each group was unaware of the others. One of the groups that I did not manage to integrate was composed of Ethiopian-born people who Europeans adopted at an early age. They mix very little and go out in community.
Hanging out with the diaspora group was an enriching experience. These Ethiopians have managed to create a Western life for themselves while keeping some aspects of Ethiopian culture in their lives. They usually live with their families when they are not married and most often socialise with other members of the diaspora. They rarely mix with expats or locals. They have their own places and activities for socialising. I remember a brunch at a hotel in Megagnagna where I was the only foreigner among diasporans who had lived in North America.
Ethiopians in the diaspora, born and raised in Ethiopia and educated in the West, are mainly people who invest in the local economy through real estate or entrepreneurial activity. The pandemic has also enabled some of them to return to the country and work remotely for periods, thus irrigating the Ethiopian economy with their foreign currency. Other social groups in Addis Ababa may look at them with envy. Still, one cannot take away from the diasporas that their economic presence is beneficial in these economically challenging times.
The variation in prices from one neighbourhood to another is a classic emanation of the spatial division of these worlds, each of which occupies Addis in its own way. Expenses can range widely depending on the neighbourhood. I have seen diasporas spending in one evening what the average Ethiopian earns in a month's work and even have brunches for prices close to those in North America; others have juices in juice bets and street coffee, often good quality traditional coffee at a democratic price of no more than 10 Br.
I sometimes felt like I was living in parallel worlds where I could spend 45 Br for a juice here and more than five times that for the same juice somewhere else. Another aspect of socio-spatial distance is that one often has to drive to get to certain places at night, especially those that are still open after 8pm and where one can have a drink or dinner. Public transport becomes scarce after dark and even invisible after 9pm. This accentuates the gaps between the different strata of society that can socialise after dark. The most popular classes go home on the last buses. Only those who can afford a cab, taxi hailing or have a car are left in the open bars and clubs.
The societies of Addis continue to evolve in parallel day and night. It is the privilege of the outsider to be in a position to witness the unique societal dynamics that cross the Ethiopian capital.
PUBLISHED ON
May 21,2022 [ VOL
23 , NO
1151]
Radar | Jul 11,2021
Fortune News | Jul 25,2020
Fortune News | Apr 09,2022
Radar | Apr 30,2021
Fortune News | Jul 20,2019
Radar | Oct 09,2021
Fortune News | Jul 11,2021
View From Arada | May 21,2022
Fortune News | Oct 23,2021
Radar | Oct 23,2021
Photo Gallery | 53229 Views | May 06,2019
Fortune News | 46054 Views | Jul 18,2020
Photo Gallery | 44988 Views | Apr 26,2019
Fortune News | 44817 Views | Sep 01,2021
July 2 , 2022 . By RUTH TAYE
On a rainy afternoon last week, a coffee processing facility in the capital's Akaki-Qality District was abuzz with activ...
November 27 , 2021
Against my will, I have witnessed the most terrible defeat of reason and the most sa...
November 13 , 2021
Plans and reality do not always gel. They rarely do in a fast-moving world. Every act...
October 16 , 2021 . By HAWI DADHI
Residing in a country with no capital market, an organised marketplace for trading se...
July 2 , 2022
After nearly two years since the civil war broke out in northern Ethiopia, adversarie...
June 25 , 2022
It is not the best of times to be in charge of governance in Ethiopia, whether at the...
June 18 , 2022
Some of Ethiopia's economic policymakers may take solace from realising that inflatio...
June 11 , 2022
The stereotype many people have of parliamentarians is as clueless seat fillers who exist to rubber stamp legislative bi...
In an economy that has slowed, where consumers are hammered by inflation, and the private sector is teetering on edge, one industry has a br...
July 2 , 2022 . By TSION HAILEMICHAEL
Getu Gelete has struck a deal to acquire a 40pc stake in Habesha Cement S.C., buying out Pretoria Portlan...
July 2 , 2022 . By BERSABEH GEBRE
Lake Ayalew, minister of Revenues, moved to address complaints about inflationary distortions on capital...
July 2 , 2022 . By BERSABEH GEBRE
The federal government is set to roll out a single-account treasury system for the coming budget year, co...
Put your comments here