Ethiopia is not a country for atheists. Nevertheless the main social gathering places are not the countless churches and mosques. Actually, coffee bars are the preferred spots to talk about business and projects, or to whisper of love and politics. Unhurried. No one comes in, drinks its macchiato and runs off. It’s not just having a coffee-break, but carrying out a ritual slowly, with passion and intensity. In Addis Ababa the favorite place for coffee lovers is Tomoca (Torrefazione Moderna Cafè), the most ancient coffee store in Ethiopia, established in 1953 by an Italian family. A small wood-decorated shop, always crowded, selling all main Arabic coffee types grown in Ethiopia. Tomoca's packages - that still carry the Italian caption “una moderna installazione per il più antico caffè” - are one of the favorite souvenirs for visitors. For those who wish to dive into Addis inhabitants’ world the best place to go probably is "Tea Room", an old coffee shop in the popular neighborhood of Piassa, right in the city heart, where many movies and Ethiojazz old stars use to hang out. I sit at the table with four elegantly dressed elderly Ethiopian men sipping their coffees. Thanks to Antonio’s help ...
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Africa’s diplomatic capital and symbol of the African renaissance, Addis Ababa is living an extraordinary transformation. Included by New York Times and Lonely Planet in the list of the world’s most interesting cities to visit thanks to its vibrant cultural scene, the “swinging Addis” is evolving at a very fast pace, experiencing a stable economic growth and a massive urban expansion. The “forest city” founded by Emperor Menelik II has developed to a modern “concrete jungle”. As new concrete-and-glass skyscrapers come up like mushrooms, the traditional neighborhoods made of wood and mud are blown down to make room for a new skyline worthy of a modern global capital. The City’s highway network grows larger and larger, while traffic increases dramatically. The light train line which recently came in operation seems not enough for counteracting the frenzy that has seized the city. Torn between great expectations from the “New” coming forth and bewilderment caused by the chaos growing all around, Addis’ inhabitants wait patiently and confidently for the dust of the city-yard to fade out and the train of modernity to allow them all get up. Will Ethiopia’s traditions and roots be strong enough to stand the impact of “Development”? Will the ...
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 Included by New York Times and Lonely Planet in the list of the 10 World’s Top Cities to visit, Addis Ababa is living an extraordinary transformation. Symbol of the African renaissance, the city is evolving at a very fast pace, experiencing a stable economic growth and a massive urban expansion. To make room for a new skyline worthy of a modern global capital, the City Administration has undertaken a big clearing program concerning lots of informal settlements - according to Un Habitat 80% of Addis surface is occupied by “slums” - whose inhabitants will be relocated to the new City’s suburb. But the rapid ascent to modernity of "the new Africa's New York" might compromise a system that has so far guaranteed social peace in spite of an increasing economic inequality. Daily life in the popular sefer (districts) which are gradually disappearing is characterized by strong social and economic networks - such as the alternative financial “institutions” known as eder and ekub - and fascinating traditions. In order to preserve the memory of these informal communities, this photographic collection will be gifted to the Ethiopian people and hosted as permanent exhibition in a dedicated hall of the Addis Ababa Museum ...
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Addis Ababa was called the “swinging city” during the Sixties and the Seventies, when traditional highland melodies met soul music and hippie culture came into the scene. That “Golden Age” was a small mine for World music. Today the new diamond is Samuel Yirga, a young piano player wise as an old man. His album Guzo -produced by Peter Gabriel's Real World label- is a “journey” into Ethiopian musical tradition driven by a modern jazz musician. Together with Alemayo Eshete, an old Ethiopian music lion with evergreen spirit and energy, they play at “Jazzamba”, Addis most famous jazz-club. Among soul, rhytmn’blues and folk they could be the mirror of a nation which smiles to modernity keeping to its cultural roots.                    Included by Lonely Planet in the list of the 10 World’s Top Cities to visit in 2013, Addis is the symbol of African renaissance. A swinging city struck by a sudden wellbeing: foreign investments, skyscrapers, social housing, a new surface city railways. But even slums clearing, the fear of a new classism, fading traditions. The city is experiencing a massive urban expansion, evolving at a fast pace. Its population is expected to ...
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