Shaebia Reportage
Asmara, October 17, 2002 (Shaebia News) -- Modern-day Asmara was built by the Italians at the end of the 19th Century. It is one of the most beautiful cities of Africa, with its unique architectural design and the combination of modern and cultural/traditional designs. With the coming of the Ethiopian rulers, however, this beauty of Asmara was ruined and its buildings known for their unique architectural designs were left to destruction without any repair and those that were renovated were done without any consideration of preservation.
The Cultural Asset Rehabilitation Project (CARP) was initiated in 1998 by the Government of Eritrea. It was set up for two reasons: to preserve culture because it is a manifestation of our identity (it tells who we are and what we are), and; because culture can be marketed through tourism.
According to Dr. Naigzy Ghebremedhin, coordinator of the CARP, the project has four components:
1. Monuments and heritage sites, which includes archeological sites such as Quhaito, Mettera, Keskese, Adulis, etc., which are partially explored, and many other unexplored historic sites. Also most recent once like Nakfa would be included in this category.
2. Building heritage, which includes the different architectural styles in Asmara. These are identified as the rational, the eclectic, the monumental and the vernacular styles. The rational style includes buildings such as Fiat Tagliero, Alfa Romeo, Palazzo Faletta and Selam Hotel. The eclectic style includes buildings such as Cinema Asmara and Keren Hotel. The monumental style includes buildings such as the Municipality of Asmara and the Ministry of Education. The final style, the vernacular, includes the traditional Eritrean style buildings.
3. The living culture of Eritrea, which includes folklore, art, literature, language, custom and music (the intangible aspects of culture).
4. Documentation, training and information
This office has set up a “historic perimeter” in Asmara, which includes around 400 buildings. The objectives of establishing such a designated area are to enhance the preservation and renovation of historic and antique buildings and to control the on-going so-called renovation activities.
The Cultural Asset Rehabilitation Project (CARP) has started a campaign known as “Renovation of Asmara Campaign” (RAC), which was officially launched on the 17th of July, 2002. The RAC has a long term ambitious goals and it will carry out its renovation project in phases.
Dr. Naigzy Ghebremedhin said, “The present Asmara is a shadow of its former self. The grand, glorious beauty of Asmara is hidden behind the years of neglect.” He added, “To begin with, in the first phase we proposed to do a certain thing and finish it by a certain date. So since the coming May 24 is the official 10th anniversary of our independence, we have selected a few main streets such as Sema’etat, Harnet, Anze Matienzo, Victory and Revolution and around 60 to 70 buildings in these streets will be renovated through this campaign.”
The renovation will be carried out on the external part of the buildings. Around 10,000 square meters of wall will be plastered and around 37,000 square meters of wall will be painted with quality paints. The renovation program will also repair worn out sidewalks. Barbed wires and broken glasses on top of fences, that make Asmara look as if it were unsafe and unfriendly fortress, will be removed.
Dr. Naigzy said that the RAC has established 3 committees so that it will be a people-centered project. It has a Technical Committee, which prepares the modalities for the project, a Fund-raising Committee, and a Public Relations Committee, which works to increase the awareness of the people and to mobilize the people inside and outside the country towards the beautification of Asmara.
“The aim is to have a special town plan and we are working on a master plan for new buildings inside the historic perimeter, so that we will have Asmara as the open city it once was,” said Dr. Naigzy.
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