What changed
Kenyan visitor Yusuf Dibam travelled nearly 1,400 kilometres by road to attend the Hora Finfinne Irreecha celebration in Addis Ababa, his fourth visit to the city. He praised Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration, saying Addis Ababa’s development and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam showed Africa could build its own modern future.
Why it matters
Dibam’s comments capture a powerful shift in how one visitor sees Ethiopia: Addis Ababa is no longer simply a stop on the way to somewhere more developed. “This is my Dubai,” he said, arguing that African cities and institutions can provide the ambition, infrastructure and confidence Africans often seek elsewhere.
That is a meaningful political message, but it remains one visitor’s judgment, not a measure of wider Kenyan or African opinion. Its importance lies in the connection Dibam makes between a changing capital and a broader belief in African self-reliance. He called for more investment in African financial and development institutions so the continent can address its problems with greater independence.
American visitor Orhot Payette offered a different view of the same country. After attending Irreecha with her son and grandson, she praised the celebration’s warmth, music and sense of shared humanity. Her travels to Lalibela, Hawassa, Wanchi Lake and Arba Minch also left her convinced that Ethiopia’s appeal extends well beyond Addis Ababa.
Together, the visitors describe Ethiopia through two lenses: a capital presented as evidence of possibility, and a culture experienced through welcome, tradition and movement across the country.
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