(June 05, 2012, KONSO, Ethiopia (AFP)--The booming drums and lusty singing of
Ethiopia's Konso tribe, celebrating their hometown joining the UN's list
of World Heritage Sites, echoed down the road that winds through lush
green hills.
When the revellers came into sight, there was an
explosion of colour -- women in bright orange skirts and men in striped
neon yellow and red shorts, heads topped with decorative feathers and
cowhide masks.
Under the blazing midday sun, Konso residents brandishing animal skin shields chanted as they streamed through the streets, followed by a full marching band.
Hundreds of Konso people turned out in their famed town, 600 kilometres (375 miles) southwest of Addis Ababa, for the recent formal inauguration of their inclusion in UNESCO's heritage list. UNESCO chose the stone-walled terraces and fortified settlements in the Konso highlands -- spread over 55 square kilometres (21 square miles) -- as it represents among other things a living cultural tradition spanning centuries.
The Konsos are among the last remaining people to produce, use and discard stone tools on a regular basis. Its new status makes Ethiopia the top African country for protected sites and promises to preserve an ancient culture under threat in a rapidly developing country.
"The potential risk is that this is an era of globalisation... and Konso is not an exception," said Yonas Desta, general director at the Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage, an arm of the Ethiopian Ministry of Culture.
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| AFP PHOTO/AARON MAASHO |
Under the blazing midday sun, Konso residents brandishing animal skin shields chanted as they streamed through the streets, followed by a full marching band.
Hundreds of Konso people turned out in their famed town, 600 kilometres (375 miles) southwest of Addis Ababa, for the recent formal inauguration of their inclusion in UNESCO's heritage list. UNESCO chose the stone-walled terraces and fortified settlements in the Konso highlands -- spread over 55 square kilometres (21 square miles) -- as it represents among other things a living cultural tradition spanning centuries.
The Konsos are among the last remaining people to produce, use and discard stone tools on a regular basis. Its new status makes Ethiopia the top African country for protected sites and promises to preserve an ancient culture under threat in a rapidly developing country.
"The potential risk is that this is an era of globalisation... and Konso is not an exception," said Yonas Desta, general director at the Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage, an arm of the Ethiopian Ministry of Culture.
"How this urbanisation is harmonised with the essential values of Konso
-- that's the clear line that we need to carefully understand and
manage," he added, standing before one of Konso's towering mountains. Read more form Xtra »
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