It must be the party of all parties. Over the last week,
gangs of painters are trying to beautify the sides of the roads. As usual, last minute panic,
Today, eighty World Leaders are in Addis for the
celebrations, and the city is on maximum security alert.
I head up into Arat Kilo just north of the city centre
with Derbo last night who wants to
introduce me to a restaurant he has just discovered. The area is one of my
regular city haunts with several good coffee shops and restaurants, but it is unrecognisable
tonight. Roundabouts decorated in lights, lasers firing into the night sky, and
clean streets. Yes – really in Addis. Shed-loads of road-sweepers are out in
force and the streets look completely transformed. “A shame they don’t do it
every month” Derbo reproaches.
Clearly there will be no celebrations in my Hood where
the pile-up of rubbish and smells emanating from the streets and open sewers - even in this “aspiring” part of town.
With such attention of course comes the inevitable
heightened level of security, and there are federal police officers on every
major junction with automatic guns, rifles and hand grenades. Roads are closed
off sporadically and public taxi routes shifted. Eritrean terrorists want to
sabotage, discredit and de-stabalise the country is a commonly-held opinion.
One of the most noticeable absence here is Barack
Obama which seems to have somewhat been
met with much disappointment – especially as the first Afr American to hold the
office of US President.
As a show of unity amongst Africa 50 songs were compiled
across the continent, one representing
each African country in tribute to the Golden Anniversary. I am currently trying
to find out which four countries have been omitted.
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