Ethiopia (March
2013)
Merkato in Addis
Ababa
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At
first sight the Merkato is not an appealing place.
However, it is bursting with life and I found people there incredibly nice.
Unlike in the rest of Addis Ababa and other Ethiopian towns, where unemployment
is high, there is a strong sense of purpose in the Merkato.
Everyone here works, sells, or buys.
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Kotcho shop. Kotcho
is produced from Ensete, a plant that looks like a
banana tree (picture on the right) but does not produce bananas, hence its
surname of ′false banana′. The stem of the plant is pulped and
fermented underground for several months to produce a solid staple. Big bundles
of kotcho in the back of the shop are wrapped into
leaves of false banana trees. On the table a kotcho
bundle is being cut and sold into smaller pieces. It is eaten with cheese,
vegetable, meat, milk and coffee. It is also used to make pancakes and bread.
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In
addition to be the main commercial hub in Addis Ababa, the Merkato
is also a huge recycling center, in particular for metals and plastic.
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I
heard that the Ethiopian government would like to close the Merkato
within a decade, or so. I don′t know if this is true, but the Merkato
seems so important for so many people that it will be hard to replace.