Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Addis Ababa (Amharic: አዲስ አበባ, Addis Abäba IPA: [adˈdis ˈabəba] (listen), “new flower”), also known as Finfinne (Oromo: Finfinne “natural spring”) and Sheger (Oromo: Shagger); (Amharic: ሸገር, Shägär), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. According to the 2007 census, the city has a population of 2,739,551 inhabitants. As a chartered city, Addis Ababa also serves as the capital city of the Oromia Region.^[7] It is where the African Union is headquartered and where its predecessor the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was based. It also hosts the headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), as well as various other continental and international organisations. Addis Ababa is therefore often referred to as “the political capital of Africa” for its historical, diplomatic and political significance for the continent. The city lies a few miles west of the East African Rift which splits Ethiopia into two, between the Nubian Plate and the Somali Plate. The city is surrounded by the Special Zone of Oromia and populated by people from different regions of Ethiopia. It is home to Addis Ababa University.

Addis Ababa was the last imperial capital of Ethiopia and serves as the capital of the modern state of Ethiopia. Addis Ababa came into existence in 1886 as a mineral springs resort for Ethiopia’s royal family and nobility. In 1892, Emperor Menilek II (r. 1889-1913) made it the capital when he constructed his palace there. By 1896, members of the nobility began to build permanent homes in the new capital. Neighborhoods bearing the names of these nobles provided housing for their followers along with districts for the imperial employees. Foreigners, artisans, and merchants also flocked to the city. The city’s previously uncertain future was established in 1907 with the granting of land charters and, in 1917 when the railroad arrived from Djibouti.

By 1917, Ras Tafari Makonnen, later Haile Selassie (r. 1930-74), had become one of the most powerful people in Addis Ababa. He recognized the future importance of the city and redistributed much of his recently acquired wealth to gain the support of the emerging class of urban Ethiopians. In 1918, a series of popular demonstrations in Addis Ababa catapulted Tafari to the head of a regency council.

Addis Ababa experienced an economic boom between 1926 and 1927, fueled by the lucrative processing of coffee and hides just before export.  Aided by this new wealth, the bourgeoisie of the city began to construct new, stone houses filled with imported European furniture and the richest amongst them drove automobiles. At this time, a rudimentary banking system began to develop in the city.

During the next twenty years, Addis Ababa continued to modernize and attract foreign investors, traders, and Ethiopians from the countryside, and it was a center of higher education. However, the slow government response to a famine in 1973 led to first a series of student demonstrations in 1974 in Addis Ababa, and then to a successful coup d’état which disposed Selassie. The military regime, known as the Derg, fell in 1991. Addis Ababa continues to this day as Ethiopia’s capital and first city, with a population of 3.3 million in 2008.In 1930, Tafari was crowned Emperor Haile Selassie in a spectacular week-long celebration. The extravaganza was preceded by a wave of city-wide improvements including street paving, the installation of power lines and telephones, and the erection of several monuments throughout Addis Ababa. However, after a string of defeats by the Italians, who had invaded in 1935, the Emperor was forced to leave Addis Ababa and the country in 1936. This triggered a riot in the capital which was only quelled when the Italians occupied the city days later. Exactly five years later, with the assistance of a British army, Addis Ababa was liberated and Selassie reentered the city.

Education

Addis Ababa University was founded in 1950 and was originally named “University College of Addis Ababa”, then renamed in 1962 for the former Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie I who had donated his Genete Leul Palace to be the university’s main campus in the previous year. It is the home of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies and the Ethnological Museum. The city also has numerous public universities and private colleges including Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, Ethiopian Civil Service University, Admas University College, St. Mary’s University, Unity University, Kotebe Metropolitan University and Rift Valley University.

Transport

Public transport is through public buses from three different companies (Anbessa City Bus Service Enterprise, Sheger, Alliance), Light Rail or blue and white taxis. The taxis are usually minibuses that can seat at most twelve people, which follow somewhat pre-defined routes. The minibus taxis are typically operated by two people, the driver and a weyala who collects fares and calls out the taxi’s destination. Sedan taxis work like normal taxis, and are driven to the desired destination on demand. In recent years, new taxi companies have appeared, which uses other designs, including one large company using yellow sedan taxis.

Road

The construction of the Addis Ababa Ring Road was initiated in 1998 to implement the city master plan and enhance peripheral development. The Ring Road was divided into three major phases that connect all the five main gates in and out of Addis Ababa with all other regions (Jimma, Bishoftu, Dessie, Gojjam and Ambo). For this project, China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) was the partner of Addis Ababa City Roads Authority (AACRA). The Ring Road has greatly helped to decongest and alleviate city traffic. Intercity bus service is provided by the Lion City Bus Services.

Air

The city is served by Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, where a new terminal opened in 2003. The old Lideta Airport in the western “Old Airport” district is used mostly by small craft and military planes and helicopters.

Railway

Addis Ababa originally had a railway connection with Djibouti City, with a picturesque French style railway station, but this route has been abandoned. The new Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway started operation in September 2016, running parallel to the route of the original railway line.

Places of worship

Among the places of worship, they are predominantly Christian churches and temples :Seventh-day Adventist Church, Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (Lutheran World Federation), Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church, Ethiopian Catholic Archeparchy of Addis Abeba (Catholic Church), Ethiopian Full Gospel Believers’ Church and also Muslim mosques.

Notable people

• Ephraim Isaac: Scholar of Ancient Semitic Studies
• Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi: richest person in Ethiopia (worth $8.1 billion)
• Haile Gebrselassie: Ethiopian long distance runner
• Kenenisa Bekele: Ethiopian long distance runner
• Tedros Adhanom: Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO)
• Saladin Said: Ethiopian soccer player
• Mulatu Astatke: Ethiopian Jazz musician
• Mahmoud Ahmed: Ethiopian singer
• Teddy Afro: Ethiopian singer
• Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu: Founder of Sole Rebels
• Eténèsh Wassié: Ethiopian azmari
• Ruth Negga: Actress

Anacker, C. (2010, March 16). AddisAbaba, Ethiopia (1886- ). BlackPast.org. https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/addis-ababa-1886/

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