The historic heart of Addis Ababa is being demolished

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.

The demolitions in Ethiopia’s capital are among the most dramatic that its residents can remember. “Unless we change Addis Ababa, we cannot bring in as much foreign wealth as we desire,” said Abiy Ahmed, the country’s restless prime minister. He plans to lift a ban on foreigners owning property, hoping to attract the same glitzy money that has poured into Dubai. The city administration talks of beautifying road corridors and developing cycle lanes. But it is not just buildings that are being dismantled: it is also an idea of what the city might be, and who it is for.