Sarbet, Ethiopia. One of the main traffic junctions in Addis Ababa is called “confusion square”. Seven roads from different directions intersect here and the one and only train line of the city crosses, too. No big deal, but colloquial names of places always indicate the signs of the times. And for a smallish, provincial city that Addis was until ten years ago, this was the maximum of modernity, and yes, modernity is confusing, thus the name. Over the last decade, however, the name evolved.
After the unconstitutional rigging of votes in 2005 and the following weeks of political uncertainty the confusing place became known as “constitution square”. After years of paying lip service to Western values in return for payments of Western aid and money, the Ethiopian government had shown its true face. Ethiopia declared itself a “developmental state”, the political speak for abandoning democracy until development has reached a certain level. The West had to save face and react with punishments for the naughty one – without much effect though. Times had changed in Africa.
For half a century of colonial occupation, and another half century of post-colonial paternalism, Africa was always at the shorter end of relations with the West. Support only came under conditions, and with rising awareness of the Western public for the bizarre fact that utterly non-democratic regimes received aid; these conditions increasingly included democratic reforms. Not really an attractive deal for African dictators. Especially since China entered the geo-political stage, and in a blunt way began to offers deals to African countries to build infrastructure in return for concessions on natural resources. African governments can now chose between receiving money from the West or from the East, the one with, and the other without political conditions.
From the square one road leads to the headquarters of the African Union, a political construct that originates from the proud beginnings of the independence movements in Africa in the 1960s. In the original compound of the African Union the buildings are simple, and pragmatic. A long slab for offices, a tiny tower, and an auditorium. Not inappropriate for a chronically underfunded institution without real influence. Now a new building for the newly established Peace & Security Council is under construction, financed by the German government. It took years to get the project going: careful diplomacy, stakeholder involvement, contracting firms without corruption, respecting the heritage value of the surrounding buildings, support for local companies to be involved in the construction process, in short – the whole package of soft factors.
The hard facts are created on the plot opposite from the original compound. Here the People’s Republic of China demonstrates the new era of the African power game with a present to the African nations. A brand new tower, conference center and five-star hotel rise from the rusty roofs of the slums of the Sarbet neighbourhood. The project took less than two years from planning to completion. An all-Chinese team did the job, without any involvement from the African side.
Simultaneously, the Chinese built a traffic system of flyovers and underpasses to unravel the confusion at the square. Over the years, “Confusion Square” became “Constitution Square”. Reflecting the new imperialism of China in Africa, it is now called “Confucius Square”.Sarbet, Ethiopia. One of the main traffic junctions in Addis Ababa is called “confusion square”. Seven roads from different directions intersect here and the one and only train line of the city crosses, too. No big deal, but colloquial names of places always indicate the signs of the times. And for a smallish, provincial city that Addis was until ten years ago, this was the maximum of modernity, and yes, modernity is confusing, thus the name. Over the last decade, however, the name evolved.
After the unconstitutional rigging of votes in 2005 and the following weeks of political uncertainty the confusing place became known as “constitution square”. After years of paying lip service to Western values in return for payments of Western aid and money, the Ethiopian government had shown its true face. Ethiopia declared itself a “developmental state”, the political speak for abandoning democracy until development has reached a certain level. The West had to save face and react with punishments for the naughty one – without much effect though. Times had changed in Africa.
For half a century of colonial occupation, and another half century of post-colonial paternalism, Africa was always at the shorter end of relations with the West. Support only came under conditions, and with rising awareness of the Western public for the bizarre fact that utterly non-democratic regimes received aid; these conditions increasingly included democratic reforms. Not really an attractive deal for African dictators. Especially since China entered the geo-political stage, and in a blunt way began to offers deals to African countries to build infrastructure in return for concessions on natural resources. African governments can now chose between receiving money from the West or from the East, the one with, and the other without political conditions.
From the square one road leads to the headquarters of the African Union, a political construct that originates from the proud beginnings of the independence movements in Africa in the 1960s. In the original compound of the African Union the buildings are simple, and pragmatic. A long slab for offices, a tiny tower, and an auditorium. Not inappropriate for a chronically underfunded institution without real influence. Now a new building for the newly established Peace & Security Council is under construction, financed by the German government. It took years to get the project going: careful diplomacy, stakeholder involvement, contracting firms without corruption, respecting the heritage value of the surrounding buildings, support for local companies to be involved in the construction process, in short – the whole package of soft factors.
The hard facts are created on the plot opposite from the original compound. Here the People’s Republic of China demonstrates the new era of the African power game with a present to the African nations. A brand new tower, conference center and five-star hotel rise from the rusty roofs of the slums of the Sarbet neighbourhood. The project took less than two years from planning to completion. An all-Chinese team did the job, without any involvement from the African side.
Simultaneously, the Chinese built a traffic system of flyovers and underpasses to unravel the confusion at the square. Over the years, “Confusion Square” became “Constitution Square”. Reflecting the new imperialism of China in Africa, it is now called “Confucius Square”.