Making the flower bloom

If glamour is a mysterious charm, delight or pleasure, then Addis Ababa has it. It had changed to a dirty city once, unfortunately; it is not any more in that state of condition. Let alone the capital city of a poor country, even the capital cities of highly developed countries may not claim absoluteness in their static conditions. Yet, Addis with its ultra-modern face and shanty areas is still beautiful; although beauty is measured in the eyes of the beholder. If there would ever be comparison today to measure up the degree of its beauty, that process will be based on the sub-cities and kebeles.
Sure, the static beauty of one sub-city differs from the other on its purpose, concentration of people, level of development, income bracket and accessibility to infrastructure installations. By way of example, if we take the total disposition of “CMC area” we find that it is different from that of “Yeka.” The disposition of “Nefassilk” in Lafto sub-city is different from “Mekanissa” and so on.
In such arrangement, one can easily discern and distinguish modern quarters from the old slums. Today, it is difficult to find in Addis an old area which is not visited by modern buildings and settings.
So, the development of Addis Ababa, at this particular point in time, where the GDP of the country still remains within a poor nation’s income bracket, should not be expected to change miraculously. Yet, it is developing remarkably.
The beauty of Addis Ababa lies in its unique setting, in that it is a mixed city of traditional touches, old designs, and ultra-modern constructions and lately an improving avenue system, which together give the city its architectural beauty.
While one can add-up more elements to the list, this does not however intend to suggest that the city’s beauty is up to a desirable standard. On the other hand, beauty comes more from the intrinsic nature of things rather than the mere configuration of buildings. Thus, the first item that adds to the beauty of our capital city is the improvement of the system of managing rubbish collection. If rubbish is not thrown everywhere on one’s whims and if it is collected sorting it into piles of paper, metal, glass and plastic as well as organic waste, and if people are constantly told to discipline themselves along this line of awareness, it will open up for them new opportunity of employment.
Secondly, if habit develops through directives to repaint houses on regular bases, and if fences are regulated on standards and community roads are lighted up nicely, and if shrubberies and plants along fences are kept trimmed, then the beauty of Addis will surely increase.
Thirdly, if people are made aware and penalized every time if they refuse to be amenable to rules in so far as littering of the city by pissing on roads and at the corners of buildings, then the beauty of our capital will increase.
Fourthly, if people become conscious to keep properly whatever available parks and greeneries and add to that their own plantation, sure there will be another chance for increasing the beauty of Addis. So care should be constant and sustainable and those officials in the first line of responsibility should work in tandem with the youth to enforce these requirements. Beauty and glamour of a city do not necessarily come only from the static arrangement of buildings alone. Spitting on roads is as bad as urinating, and why do we continue to accept it as a convenient custom?
In addition, it is my conviction that our capital city can control other human and social-based elements that contradict or interfere with its beauty, such as the undisciplined and disordered street vending, begging and dwelling. These elements sometimes add to the traffic confusions and accidents. We, as people, should be able to tackle these problems permanently and public effort in this regard should appreciably continue. These suggestions will bring along with them immense opportunity of new employments. Our efforts in keeping our city clean and beautiful should not be arrested by lip service. It should break this barrier and go out yonder.