On the ROAD to Development

Get some PERSPECTIVE

Area: Durfo Country: Eritrea Region: East Africa

Durfo is located nine to ten kilometers northeast of Asmara. A side note about Asmara, it is amongst the highest capital cities in the world with an elevation level over 2300m. Durfo is also known as Durfo escarpment. Meaning this area has sharp and steep elevation differences, or a very steep slope. In the case of Durfo the elevation drop is between 1500 –1000m. The cloud in this photo was visible from near the top of the escarpment. Imagine looking down at the clouds. I keep thinking if I came to Eritrea just a few months earlier I may have never gotten to take this picture or take in this view.

PHOTOS: From the TOP to the BOTTOM

The road we drove down was developed just three months ago. For example the newly constructed Beleza-Durfo Road. The inhabitants of these remote areas now can travel quickly and safely from the bottom to the top of this area. More than pictures, from a development standpoint this is a huge accomplishment.

At the bottom of the escarpment there is a school and located beside it a papaya tree farm. Many of the people living in this area use camels and donkeys to transport these goods to people who live in and throughout the area. These are highly regarded domesticated animals that are an integral part of many societies living in Eritrea. Technologically speaking it may seem counterproductive to use these means, but those who observe in this way do so in jest. To experience nature of this magnitude is to really appreciate the natural command and employ of such animals.

In areas with such an uneven landform like Durfo the construction of these roads are instrumental in bridging the gap between the rural and city areas. Construction of new roads is a pivotal project taken on throughout Eritrea, as you will see in later posts.

This photo is of colonial Italian infrastructure. An electrical pipeline to generate electricity to the bottom of the escarpment.

From an historical context Durfo was a strategic site during the Eritrean Liberation Struggle, in particular Adi Reasi. Which is a far off mountain that is visible from the other side. It’s name as a literal translation means “Village Atop/Head”. This is when Eritrean freedom fighters were trying to re-liberate areas taken during the liberation struggle (which lasted 30 years, the longest conflict in African history) and move towards the liberation of Asmara from occupying forces.

PHOTO: A walk in between the clouds.