COUNTLESS MEMORIES, A DREAM COME TRUE

Jan 1 , 2023.

Scores of holiday shoppers bustle in and out of the holiday bazaar at the center of the capital in Meskel Square late this week. This year's holiday bazaar is hosted by Dream Come True (DCT) Entertainment after it won the bid from the Addis Abeba city administration for 35 million Br. The entrance fee of 50 Br seems to be accommodative as families of different backgrounds flood the exhibition centre. The area around the exhibition center was renovated for 2.6 billion Br last year as part of the aesthetic Sheger Initiative. The renovation project was handled by Chinese Communications Construction Company (CCCC). Meskel Square sits in the memory of most Ethiopians as the site for the Demera holiday festival on September 28, following the "beautification" initiative it has become home for many small businesses. The renovation of public spaces in and around the capital has become a common occurrence in the last five years, such as Entoto and Friendship parks. With Christmas slated for January 7, shoppers in this revamped public space did not seem to be deterred by the inflated prices at the bazaar. A Christmas tree was amounting to 30,000 Br while all men's trousers averaged above a 1,000 Br.

PUBLISHED ON Jan 01,2023 [ VOL 23 , NO 1183]