Ethiopia's ancient civilisation gears up for modern manufacturing I travelled to Gondar, Ethiopia, last week at the invitation of the University of Gondar. This ancient historical city in the north of Ethiopia, which was once the country’s capital, was built by Emperor Fasilides (Fasil) in 1635. Prior to the 17th century civilisation, the area was occupied by Solomonic Emperors of Ethiopia, nomad rulers who migrated frequently and lived mostly in tents. Gondar is in the Amhara National Regional State of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, which is largely inhabited by agriculturalists. The city of Gondar has a little over 600,000 inhabitants and is dotted by several historical imperial structures. The most imposing is Emperor Fasil’s castle, which innovatively borrowed from Indian, Portuguese and African architectural styles. Related Content FRANCESCHI: To contest, election candidates must accept they can lose ARUNGA: From 'vibey' Johannesburg to gorgeous Kapsabet, this was travelling done right WALUBENGO: Risks to Safaricom outstrip mere business - we should be concerned Nearby is the world-famous cathedral Debre Berhan Selassie, with its exquisite interiors. Some of the most beautiful architectural structures built by Africans can be found here. The question that lingers in my mind is, how did we lose that level of finesse, quality and taste? Modern African architects conspicuously fail to match the aesthetics that our great grandparents were able to deliver. I was visiting Gondar to give one of the keynote speeches on emerging and disruptive technologies, with an emphasis on 3D printing. The theme of the conference was “The 3D Printing Revolution and Ethiopia’s ‘Unfinished agenda’ on Manufacturing”. AFRICA'S CONTRADICTIONS The chief guest at the conference was Getahun Mekuria, state minister of the federal ministry of science and technology. The conference was also attended by Dr Cosmas Ochieng, executive director of the Nairobi-based African Centre for Technology Studies, several senior government officials and the mayor of the city of Gondar, Tekeba Tebabal. Gondar aspired to become the first capital of modern Ethiopia during the reign of Emperor Tewodros. Despite all the modern developments in the city, it still retains its ancient character, with many people still using horse and donkey-drawn carriages for transportation. It is one of Africa’s contradictions that we were discussing cutting-edge technologies while some of our folks outside rode on medieval modes of transportation. Much of the old city is dotted with faculties of the University of Gondar. The university started in 1954 as the College of Medical Sciences in collaboration with the United States government and to date the university collaborates with many US agencies on various projects in Africa. Read More: http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/blogs/dot9/ndemo/2274486-3918246-k9ao3iz/index.html

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