MAGA BO IN ADDIS ABABA

On his travels to Ethiopia, the cradle of civilisation, Maga Bo delivers the verdict on the latest styles emering from this ancient kingdom and sheds some light on the music industry as the country enters a new millennium. For the full article, check the latest issue of SHOOK. Here's a little extra we couldn't squueze in.

ELECTRONICS MERKATO

































Lined by a zinc fence on one side and busy
thoroughfare on the other, the electronic recycling and repair market in the
Merkato area of Addis Ababa commands the entire sidewalk for 2 blocks. Freelance, self-taught electronics repairmen
salvage all manner of appliances from telephones and flashlights to cassette
and DVD players. Squatting down in front of a sea of chopped up circuit boards,
wires, random electronic components, and gads of
dissected radios and
televisions, a man presses a radio to one ear in a feeble attempt to block out
the noise all around and makes an adjustment with a screwdriver. Next to him, a shelf unit comprised of a
stack of skeletons of television sets bursts with excess electronic
pieces. He even sells jewelry - several
necklaces with cassette capstan cogs as beads are on display. His neighbor deals exclusively in speakers -
mix and match to taste. Another strictly
deals with video equipment. Chat leaves are scattered all over the pavement and
amongst the electronics. I am offered
tea. A man says hello and shakes my
hand. "This side very cheap, not
like over there." He motions to the
row of electronic appliance stores which line the opposite side of the road
extending in both directions. "Very
good workers here." And resourceful, too. Rummaging through the electronic component
scrap heap, he finds what he's looking for, quickly unscrews the back of the
radio, jacks into the pirate electrical lead that the whole row of workers share with his soldering iron and
proceeds to bring the radio back to life.