Tolera Tafa and Sorghum Stalk Model Making Today, visitors to Addis Ababa who pass by the entrance to the Hilton Hotel often see a few young men selling models of churches, vehicles, airplanes, helicopters, and ships made from the soft core or pith of the sorghum stalk. This relatively recent tradition, developed over the last 35 years, is associated with the road that runs west from Addis Ababa to the town of Ambo, in particular with the two villages of Necho (Yehudgebaya) and Kimoi (Hamusgebaya) about 70 kilometers from the capital.
Tradition among the "pith boys" of the Ambo Road claims that sorghum stalk model making began at an irrigation site near Kimoi. Six years ago Tolera found himself with a good deal of free time because he was allowed to attend school
Using his teeth or a razor blade, Tolera strips or peels away the tough outer skin to reveal the soft core, or pith, of the stalk. He trims the pith to the required lengths making either squared or mitered cuts and then fastens them together with thin toothpick-like slivers of the outer stalk that serve as "pins." Tolera pushes a 3- to 6-inch "pin" through one piece of pith and into the other, and with a quick flick of the wrist, breaks off the excess even with the surface of the pith. Many of Tolera's models are truly remarkable in their design. Some of them even have moving parts: Most model makers can produce seven or eight models each depending on the complexity of the mode. However, most could make up to sixteen pieces a week if demand warranted it. Tolera travels by bus to Addis Ababa once a week to sell his models in front of the Hilton Hotel. He usually brings seven or eight and on a good day he will sell all of them and make 150 birr ($30 US). The model making tradition is a bit of an enigma. Visitors to Ethiopia buy these models. Generally "tourist art" is easily transported, but these models are rather fragile and cannot be easily packed in a suitcase. Tolera is aware of this problem. He has designed a number of his models with great attention given to structural integrity. Indeed, he sometimes sacrifices some of the details associated with certain models to make them stronger.[2]
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There, boys constructed tiny toy water wheels from sorghum stalks that turned in the flowing water of the irrigation channel. They used the outer layer of the sorghum stalk to pin the pith or soft core of the stalks together, an innovation attributed to then-fifteen-year-old boys, Kumsa Tesemma, and the late Hailu Laku. Kumsa, now a merchant in Addis Ababa, is remembered for his special ability to construct model houses with multiple floors as well as fine cars and trucks; Hailu for the quality of his churches and Italian cars. These models continue to be made and used by boys in these villages, but they are also made to sell to tourists.
for only half a day due to a shortage of teachers, and decided to use this time to make sorghum stalk models. He is good with his hands and recognized for his artistic talent in school. He learned how to make pith models by watching other model makers and he quickly became very skilled at cutting and pinning the pith of the sorghum stalk. Today, among the model makers of the Ambo Road, Tolera is regarded as the best. His specialties include taxis, cars, ships, and a number of church types. He, in fact, has introduced several new church designs and is best known for his model of Qeddus Giyorgis (St. George's) Cathedral in Addis Ababa.
Tolera works with only a double-edged razor blade and stalks discarded from the local sorghum harvest. The razor blades are purchased for 20 cents apiece ($.04 U.S.) in the local shops; the sorghum comes primarily from his family's farm, but can also be purchased from local farmers who charge 1 birr ($.20 US) for a large 
doors and windows open and close on buildings, the tires on cars and trucks turn and the propellers on airplanes and helicopters spin. Tolera's skill as a model maker was demonstrated in his ability to construct models from photos of monuments he had never seen before. During the three-month period the research team was working with him, he produced a six-foot model of the Tower of Pisa and a five-foot rendering of the Palazzo Vecchio (in Florence) for the Italian Cultural Center in Addis Ababa. He also made large models of the Jefferson Memorial and the White House for the MSU Museum.