25.February: 12&12 -24hours of Addis Ababa by Jeroen Visser, 6 A.M. – 10 A.M.

This is 12&12, a audible day in the life in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa. 12 hours of day, and 12 hours of night, which coincide quite exact with the sunrise and sunset, the main reason why the Ethiopian time count starts at 6 in the morning, meaning at 7 there is 1 hour of sunshine, etc. Which procedure repeats in the evening, when sun sets at 6, so at 7 there is 1 hour of darkness, etc.

12&12 tells the story in audio-only of a day in the life by having one subject for one hour, be it sport, nightlife, work, recreation and a lot of other activities happening in a multi million inhabitants metropole in East-Africa. There are no voice-overs, hardly any edits, and all material was recorded using two microphones only, at the time of the day it is transmitted, adjusted for daylight saving time.

The non-radio version of 12&12 was one of the first, if not *the* first sound exhibition in Addis Ababa. The daily hours were exposed at the Goethe Institute, and the nightly hours at the Alliance Française, both in Addis Ababa in 2011, for whose kind support the artists wished to express his thanks. Special thanks also goes to Melaku Belay of Club Fendika and Kidus ‘Vemund’
Berhanu, for invaluable assistance.

Jeroen Visser, Zürich, Wednesday February 8th, 2017

Day Hour 1 – Baro Hotel

06-07 am
Baro Hotel Inside
Jan 07 2007
The Baro hotel is a meeting place for backpackers to exchange itineraries and experiences. Also a lot of musicians have met there discussing new projects, and quite some CD’s have been recorded in the different rooms.

Day Hour 2 – Negus Negisti resonates
07-08 am
Addis Ababa University
March 22 2011
Some early morning busyness at the University, constructed around the old palace of the Emperor Haile Selassie. In what is now the Institute of Ethiopian Studies, his wardrobes and bathroom are exposed.

Day Hour 3 – What’s Up Today
08-09 am
Enrico Pastry Shop
March 11 2011
Enrico’s Pastry Shop near Piassa has the name to have the finest cake in Town, and the coffee is not bad either! A good reason for journalists to get together and discuss the topics of the day.

Day Hour 4 – Somebody coming?
09-10 am
Kokobe Tseba School
March 22 2011
The Kokobe Tseba School was the primary school where my brotherfriend Melaku Belay went to. Apart from that a lot of well-known musicians learned their first english, how to count, and how to play music there.