Ethiopia’s Push to Attract Tourism has Seen the Demolition of a Historic District in the Capital

In the heart of Addis Ababa, the historic, ramshackle neighbourhood of Piassa once teemed with shops and cafes. People would come from across Ethiopia’s capital city to buy anything from jeans to jewellery. Today it lies in ruins. Its distinctive stone houses, with their wooden balconies and slanting metal roofs, are almost all gone. In their place are jagged fields of rubble, picked over by workers with sledgehammers. People stop to stare at the wreckage. Some take pictures. But they do not stay long: the ruins are guarded by police carrying clubs. Piassa was torn down as part of a “road-widening project”. Other demolitions are also taking place. A tailor in a neighbouring district to Piassa said they were given one hour to clear their shop, with no explanation. They later discovered it is due to be replaced by a cycle path.

THE GUARDIAN