Showing posts with label Daero (Tigrigna). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Daero (Tigrigna). Show all posts

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Warka Tree

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 241-365

Other Names : Ficus Vasta, Warka (Amargna), Maraito (Afargna), Daero (Tigrigna)
















Warka Tree, a giant wild fig tree native to Ethiopia, traditionally used for public gatherings and school education. The Warka Tree is an archetype of the Biennale theme ‘Common Ground’

Description
 
It’s a big tree that can get up to 75 feet in height  and up to 60 feet in diameter in its trunk.
It has big leaves and its edible fruit is eaten during normal times but also during periods of scarcity when it’s an important food source for survival.
Not only people benefit from its fruit, but also wild animals like monkeys, birds and domestic animals too. The fruit can be eaten directly from the plant of after drying. 
 
The leaves are elliptical, reaching 25 x 20 cm, hairy, and rough to the touch.
 
Habitat

This tree can be found near rivers and into the savannah in Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and even in Uganda and Tanzania. Since this species hasn’t been domesticated, its disappearing slowly from the Ethiopian landscape because of its use as firewood.  These trees are a very important part of the ecosystem and culture of Ethiopia and its disappearance seems unavoidable. 

Additionally, it is found in dry savannah, and grows at elevations between 1,400m and 2,500m.

Sacred Tree

These huge trees not only provide food to humans and animals when they need it most, but their root system holds the soil in place and prevents erosion. Their shade is preferred by the people of villages to protect themselves from the sun during traditional public gatherings.
It is considered sacred by the Islamic cultures of the Wollo region and as a place for ritual praying and the wodajas, traditional ceremonies where the members of a community gather to pray, for example, for the crops to grow healthy or for rain during draught periods.

Propagation method
 
Propagates by cuttings, seedlings and wildlings. The seeds are produced in figs in large numbers. The can be extracted and dried. No treatment necessary and can be stored up to two months.


WarkaWater  Condensation-harvesting bamboo tower brings clean drinking water to Ethiopia

The Italian architects Arturo Vittori and Andreas Vogler of Architecture and Vision Studio/Office, have developed with the support of the Italian Cultural Centre in Addis Ababa and the EiABC
 
(Ethiopian Institute of Architecture, Building Construction and City Development), the project “Warka Water” – a water tower hand-made with natural materials. 
 
The 9 m tall bamboo framework has a special fabric hanging inside capable to collect potable water from the air by condensation.
 
This tower creates 25 gallons of drinking water per day from thin air. It’s basically an atmospheric water collector which gathers dew from the air. It’s called the WarkaWater:
 
Links

http://www.mnn.com/leaderboard/blogs/condensation-harvesting-bamboo-tower-brings-clean-drinking-water-to-ethiopia-video