Ethiopia turns former palace, torture site into tourist draw
(Artdaily.org)

A palace that once housed Ethiopia`s emperors and also served as a torture site under the communist Derg regime is to open to the public in a controversial government tourism project. The palace compound in Addis Ababa, which Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed`s government has rebranded `Unity Park`, was formally launched Thursday and will be open from Friday. Abiy`s office said on Twitter Thursday that the project `symbolises our ability to come together`. But critics have dismissed it as vanity project for Abiy that could prove divisive. Backed by the United Arab Emirates, the project cost more than $160 million (145 million euros), Ethiopian officials told reporters at a briefing earlier this week. Built in the late 1800s by Emperor Menelik II, who founded Addis Ababa, the palace was the residence of Ethiopia`s rulers for more than