TOTTERING TOWERS


TOTTERING TOWERS

  A hurried renovation transpires on a conjoined pair of small buildings around the Mercato area. Many old buildings in the vast marketplace are remnants of shops built by Yemeni merchants who relocated from the old Arada area in the 1930s. The area has a thriving informal sector economy from which thousands earn daily bread. According to studies by the Centre for International Private Enterprise, nearly one-sixth of Ethiopia's urban employment is in the informal sector. Some studies have estimated the size of the informal economy in the country to be as high as a third of the GDP.


In-Picture

DIMMING FLASHBACKS

A retired red BMW and a well-worn sofa still in use sit side-by-side around CMC. Relics of past journeys, their faded forms rich with memories, now they sit as outdoor junk. Addis Abeba generates approximately 750,000tns of municipal solid waste annually with an average per capita household waste of 0.45kg a day. Most of it is dumped in landfills, although illegal open dumping and burning remain widespread practices. Landfills and neighborhoods are increasingly burdened by plastic waste and used...


In-Picture

BACK TO THE FUTURE

A man walks his donkeys around Abrehot Library, Arat Kilo, Addis Abeba's newly upgraded neighbourhood, where sleek asphalt and modern architecture meet the timeless pace of animal transport. With nearly 10 million donkeys, Ethiopia ranks number one in the world for its donkey population, a testament to their enduring role in the nation's economy. Modern corridor developments in Addis Abeba, intended for swift motorized transportation, stand in stark contrast to the continued reliance on donkeys...


In-Picture

FLAT LINES

A man is pouring water on the evenly queued Jerry cans, in the streets of Adey Abeba, around Saris. The city's 5.2 million residents require a staggering 1.3 million cubic meters of water daily. However, supplies stand at around 800,000 cubic meters. This has young men race door-to-door, selling jerry cans for around  40 Br.  While this fills immediate needs, it's just a quick fix to the city's deeper water crisis. Recent road development has resulted in water supply interruptions due to pipel...