Published in the 2021 conference proceedings of “Cities in a Changing World: Questions of Culture, Climate and Design”, the article “Resilient Spaces for Reuse and Recycling. The Case of Minalesh Tera: A Theatre of Production” was written by PhD candidate Brook Teklehaimanot with strong relevance within the Addis Ababa Living Lab project. Exploring themes with parallel connections to his thesis research, the article focuses on Minalesh Tera, a dense portion of the Mercato neighborhood in Addis Ababa that caters to diverse trades.
Using photography as a tool for visual ethnography, the subtle negotiation between different actors on the use of space is explored as a key issue. With focus on blacksmiths, carpenters, leatherworkers, and plastic specialists, Teklehaimanot brings to light how the intricate relationship between the artisans, the shop owners, and the community at large can harbor an urban environment that is economically inclusive in addition to cleansing the city of its waste. The streets operate as vibrant spaces of production where artisans use the arterial streets and rent out workshops to transform scrap into a usable commodity.
