Taking pictures in Addis Ababa

I had never taken pictures in Addis if not for a special occasion like weddings or birthdays before I joined Desta for Africa (DFA) photography workshop. Well, I prefer taking picture when I am traveling. 

As part of my assignment in this workshop, I went inside people's houses in Piassa. I first proposed to do the architectural photography of old buildings in Piassa built during the Italian occupation, some 70 years back. But that has actually been done before by other photographers. In order to find the undone, I needed to go to people’s houses I had no acquaintance with.

I first asked people if they know anyone living in such houses. I first found ‘the bachelor’s place. You first know the house is owned by a bachelor when all the clothes washed and hanged to dry outside are male’s jeans. And when you enter the house and miss a color, miss the common order, that is the sign, no offence men J

It is an amazing experience though to find the picture of  Aklilu Habtewold (prime minister of Ethiopia, during Haile Selassie regime) framed because he was a friend of the late owners of the house, Encyclopedias older than my grandmothers age,  books you might not find anywhere else….so much more.

I also got to photograph in 2 artists house. If you agree a person's home is the expression of himself/herself, this house proves you right. This house is the direct presentation of the artist's philosophy, ideology and feeling.

Well I got to sit & see it before I capture it and there is a lot to see!

I also simply went and entered to people’s compounds asking them if I could take pictures of their house from inside, some are willing, some are not; it was quiet an eye opening experience for me.

Well speaking of people’s houses, Richard and Rita Punkrust’s house is one of the best compounds I have ever been in. I went to their house first to interview them for EchoAfrica magazine on the life of their best friend Laureate  Artist Afework Tekle and I recently went back to take their portrait picture for another project. Walking into these historians’s place is by itself like walking into history. 

Well my Piassa houses project has lately been taking a little different angle, can't  put it into words yet. And I have been into so many houses,  taking so many pictures,  I promise to share when done:)

Wrinkles

Amina, 98 or more, sells coal on the streets of Merkato, one of the biggest market in Africa. She is a very friendly woman. Because she lost almost all her tooth, it was hard for me to hear what she was saying. However her Merkato friends and customers understands her well. 

Education, now and back then

General Winget Boarding School 

at Chefe elementary school, Feb 2014

 One of the stories I got to hear doing photography is the story of former General Winget School.  I believe we all heard of  General Winget Boarding School. At least we know our late prime minister, Meles Zenawi went to Winget. However, there is so much more interesting stories most people does not know about Winget, like it is one of the very few schools visited by the queen of England.

Winget had paying and scholarship students, scholarship students pay around 30 Birr a year, while paying students pay 300 birr a year. The students used to be randomly assigned in their dormitories.  They used to name the blocks with different colors, often Green House referring to the block for students that came from rural areas. 

In Winget, a day used to start with a prayer followed by a national anthem sang by students while raising the flag. Class was very intensive, and students also had to attend after class study hours that last till 8:00 pm. Teachers used to be assigned to check if students were studding.The students actually used to enjoy every moment they spent in library.  The alumni still remembers the brilliant teachers they had by name, some that came from Britain.

No scholarship student used to get a ‘C’ grade.  Ten students with great distinction and other students from  competing schools like St. Josef, Teferei Mekonen used to get an award called Haile Selassie First Price Trust Award, and a 100 birr monthly stipend which was a lot of money back then.

Winget students used to also be involved in various extracurricular activities. One of these was a drama club where they used to perform Shekesphere's Hamlet, Twelfth Night and much more. They used to even perform for the Emperor. 

There were also sport activities like basketball, football, badminton. Students used to also be part of a cross country game with other schools. In addition there was a Winget scheme which is like what we call Scout now. Debate club was one of the many other clubs in Winget that helped the students with their communication skills. 

Students used to compete on how many books they read, and at the age of 16-17 some of the students read thousands of books. And the standard for ‘arif’ was literature, students used to even carry books to toilets. 

at Chefe elementary school, Feb 2014

Students used to be given 'fat pocket money' (a term used by  alumnus) which was 1 birr, from this they used to pay 15-25 cents to get a hair cut, and pay 50 cents if they dare to get their hair cut at Piassa.

Former students of Winget speaks with pride that they used to wear Clarks shoe, that came from Britain. Their blanket that was once ‘bernos,’ (which people now a days use to clean floors),  was soon replaced by expensive ‘kashimere’ blankets that were sent from Britain. 

The alumni of Winget still remembers how delicious the different kinds of meal they used to be served with; ‘siga wot’ ‘miser wot,’vegetables, egg, margarine & honey with bread so on. The students used to also be served with orange that used to be imported from Jaffa, Israel. During that time if the boys saw a beautiful girl they used to complement her saying, ‘you look like Jaffa orange.’

Referring to what it feels like attending boys school an alumnus says that, "life stops if a girl comes to the school like a certain incident when we had football game with a certain international school, the students brought their girlfriends to the game and at break time they went to kiss their girls, that was like a different world for us."

During the coup, most of the people involved were, former students of Winget, as a result the king was afraid what kind of generation he was making. During the short time I spent with few alumni of Winget I learnt most of thee students who went to Winget are now prominent people in the country, having important positions in leadership?

  

To name few;

Gebrekiristos Desta, poet and artist

LoretteTsegaye Gebre Medhin, writer

AtoTesfaye Dinka, prime ministers during Derg,

Legesse Zenawi, as they used to call him back then, the late prime minister

Dr. Kasu Yilala

Shimelis Adugna,

Shaleka Birhanu Amesh (not sure if I got his spelling right)

Dr.Haile Fidda,

Firew Yibessa

Birhane Gebrekiristos

many more ministers

Amare Aregawi,  Reporter newspaper 

Tegen Workgetu, UN

Dr. Niggusu Mekonen

Milkiyas Tekelgiorgis

Berhanu Tadesse

&

so many physicians

at Chefe elementary school, Feb 2014

Well, I am not writing this only to share what life was like for students back in those days. Hearing the names of the students that went to Winget, I realized a generation was framed in a certain way in that school. A certain elite group was made. And that was the generation that is making a great impact to the country to this day.

I heard one of the former students of Winget say, “We are a dying species, and we need to be focused on the next generation.” That is just what worries me; yes they are the dying species! And imagine the generation we are making in this time. What scares me most is the quality of education in schools these days and most of all no one is giving much attention on behavior.

I always groan inside when I hear stories about elementary schools, eighth grade students making out in class while the teacher is teaching, teachers sleeping with students in elementary schools, students bringing alcohol to school and getting drunk in class, smoking, chewing chat and all sorts of drugs at such a young age…all these now a days happens in elementary school.

The quality of education in universities is way down these days that can just make another long blog post.

Speaking of teachers, I remember back in the days how we used to respect our teachers, how we were disciplined, and how passionate teachers were about their work.Now a days, most teachers are teaching only because they don’t have other options. I heard of teachers, who speak all obscene language in front of or actually with their students. Let me quote a certain teacher who said to his students aged 13-14, ‘I started having sex when I was 13, how come you all didn't start yet?’

at Cathedral girls school

I don’t totally blame the teachers as well. I went to Dilla Teachers College, for fresh man, and I have seen many students who are placed into teaching department without their choice. They are forced into the life they don’t want while they were young and passionate. One graduate of that university and who is a teacher now, once said to me, ‘the only thing I got out of campus life is ‘addiction, addiction to drugs and alcohol.’

I can’t imagine what kind of generation is in the making through all this process?

It always makes me sick to see young boys and girls, at the bars in Bole, Piassa…area, girls dressed like ‘sluts’, high with drugs…imagine this is the generation; imagine who will be leading the country in 40-50 years?

at Chefe elemetary school, Feb 2014

Bicha, esti mela enbel!!!!

(Sorry, I couldn't share the pictures related to Winget or reveal from whom I got this information)

Victory of Adwa

Words on statue of Emperor Menelik; a monument standing as a testimony of the famous Battle of Adwa in 1896, that witness Ethiopia’s triumph over European colonialism.

Ethiopia celebrates the anniversary of the Victory of Adwa on March 2 every year. For the first time in my life I attended the celebration this year. It was an amazing experience.

I confess, for so many years, March 2 has only been a 'day off from work' for me. I didn't take pride in the very thing I should be proud of and I know it is the same for so many young Ethiopian's nowadays.

Do you take pride in the Victory of Adwa?

 

This man is so proud that his birthday is on the same day with the Victory of Adwa.  Every year on March 2, he wakes up early, carries a paper in his hands that shows his date of birth and makes his way to Emperor Menelik square, where the victory of Adwa is celebrated. He told me that he feels so lucky to celebrate his life with the patriots.

I believe it is not only this man who should celebrate his life with the patriots, but we all need to go out and celebrate our life with them. They fought for independent Ethiopia, they fought for freedom, they fought for the birth of this generation, I say lets celebrate life with them on the anniversary of the Victory of Adwa.

My past year photography journey

Being a communication specialist

Working as a communication specialist on HIV program at non-governmental organization takes me to different places and people with various stories. Since the project am working focuses on Tigray and Amhara regions, most of my job based travel is to these two regions. I met so many people, went to different places, some I will never forget. 

Ashengae lake, photo by Genaye Eshetu

Ashengae Lake is my favorite spot in Tigray. I always see the glory of God in the Chain Mountains of Tigray. Something which I always found funny traveling in these regions is actually looking at the famous towns and places either through local books or music. The drivers often show me when we reach to the famous places and since I often had such an image of these places in my mind, actually looking at those places is an interesting experience; because it always turns out to be the exact opposite of what I imagined.

Tigray landscape Photo by Genaye Eshetu

I went to different towns in these regions to document the stories of the beneficiaries of the program. You can find some of the stories in this link.  One of the stories I did was in a small town in Tigray, called Korem. I wrote a story on 4 HIV positive women, who are making great impact in their community as volunteer health workers. They teach other HIV positive mothers on healthy positive living at the coffee ceremony they organize in the health center three times a week. I recently nominate their story for an international health award competition (Real Awards http://www.therealawards.com/), and they are got selected  for it. Letting stories of such women known and recognized is what gives me pleasure. Read their story on: http://www.msh.org/news-events/stories/so-that-no-child-be-born-with-hiv-ethiopia

The korem mother mentors at a coffee ceremony Photo by Genaye Eshetu

As you might already tell photography is not just about the images for me, but also the stories with the images. Without the story they carry, images have a risk of being impotent. Though I believe images can sometimes have more power to tell stories than words and vice verse; putting the two together (images and words) can have a greater impact.

A child taking care of a child! Photo by Genaye Eshetu

One of the other women I met in this journey, who is close to my heart, is Abeba. Abeba is an HIV positive single mother of two. I wrote a success story and did a short documentary on Abeba's story. But as I was interviewing her, shooting her for the documentary, at the background of all these, the life of her daughter remained engraved in my heart. She is only 5, HIV positive, and she tirelessly takes care of her little brother who is a year old. She warms his milk, feeds him, carries him around on her back, she puts him to sleep; while somebody else needs to do all these for this little girl.

It didn't take me more than half a day to find another young girl, taking care of her younger brother that way. 

          I hope for a world where every child has the right and opportunity to be a child.

My past year photography journey

Thailand

Photo by Genaye Eshetu

I first started taking professional pictures in Thailand, where I also learned  photography.   A northern mountain in Thailand is the best place to learn the visual media, surrounded by its magnificent mountains and beautiful people. I used to be called the ‘ninja’ in the school, for I always found a way to get lost and wander away from the group with the camera.

Photo by Genaye Eshetu

One time, my geographical impotence got in my way and I found myself in a Chinese village, at the Chinese Thai border.There, I met this Chinese traditional medicine man and his son. The child speaks English because he learns English at school. They told me I shouldn't go further to the village where I could actually be killed by the people there.  I was scared for a minute there.

Photo by Genaye Eshetu

Walking with the camera helped me meet different people with different stories. Akha village is one of my favorite places for its natural beauty and beautiful people. As part of the media production program, at media light Asia,http://medialightasia.com/main/ we used to go to the village often to fellowship with the local people, taking pictures and developing a short documentary.

Photo by Genaye Eshetu

A black girl curly hair is such a surprising encounter for the people to see, especially for the children there. Running around me, trying to touch my hair was an exciting game for the kids.  

Chiang Rai has been once and for all engraved in my heart in this short term program. And it is the starting point for all photography and stories I will be sharing in this blog.

There is so much story I can tell from Thailand, however I rather leave it like this for now, and may be in another visit...