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Ethiopian farmer Mulugeta Mezemir on his farmland in front of Country Club Developers properties in Addis Ababa, Ehiopia.
Photographer: William Davison/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
When Ethiopian farmer Mulugeta Mezemir ceded his land three years ago to property developers on the fringes of the expanding capital, Addis Ababa, he felt he had no choice.
A gated community with white picket fences and mock Roman pillars built by Country Club Developers now occupies the fields he tilled in Legetafo, Oromia region, after the 60-year-old said local government officials convinced him to accept an offer or face expropriation. He took the cash and vacated the land, which in Ethiopia is all state-owned.