The historic heart of Addis Ababa is being demolished
Abiy Ahmed is imposing his vision on Ethiopia’s capital
The historic neighbourhood of Piassa, at the old heart of Addis Ababa, is being taken apart. Workmen are uprooting pipes, felling lampposts and chiselling at façades. One building is being dismantled brick by brick, as though a video of its construction is being wound backwards. Shops are being smashed through with sledgehammers. Homes have been bulldozed.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Deconstructing the city”
Middle East & Africa April 27th 2024
- The Middle East has a militia problem
- How Iran covered up the damage from Israel’s strikes
- How much do Palestinians pay to get out of Gaza?
- Why Iranian dissidents love Cyrus, an ancient Persian king
- The historic heart of Addis Ababa is being demolished
- How race and politics interact in modern South Africa
From the April 27th 2024 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Middle East and Africa
Israeli retaliation in Lebanon seems inevitable
But it still wants to avoid all-out war against Hizbullah
Why the AI revolution is leaving Africa behind
Large infrastructure gaps are creating a new digital divide
Rwandan soldiers may outnumber M23 rebels in Congo
The prospect of dislodging the rebels is becoming dimmer
Bibi Netanyahu offered spectacle over substance in America
His fourth address to Congress was historic, but held few answers for Israelis
Israel and the Houthis trade bombs and bluster
For now, though, neither side is a strategic threat to the other
The world court says Israel’s occupation is illegal
But will the International Court of Justice’s ruling have any effect?