Ethiopia in Focus: Sehin Tewabe & Abinet Teshome
Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa is currently undergoing an unprecedented urban transformation. In the wake of the gigantic modernization works, a new generation of photographers is energetically throwing themselves into this evolving subject: the city and its people. The internationally renowned Ethiopian photographer Aïda Muluneh foresaw that Addis Ababa would become a center of photography. In 2010, she launched the Addis Foto Fest (AFF), an opportunity for a new generation of photographers to reappropriate the image of a country that has all too often been photographed through a Western prism. Many young photographers from Ethiopia prefer street photography, they have grown up with social media and its abundance of images, which has influenced their approach. They are the most important witnesses of a profound change in their country.
We asked Tamerat Siltan, an artist friend from Addis Ababa, to curate an exhibition for us that provides an insight into current photographic art from Ethiopia.
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Exhibition: May 13 to June 10, 2023
always Fridays & Saturdays from 5 to 8 pm.
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Vernissage:
Saturday, May 13 from 5 to 8 p.m.
Ethio-Jazz with DJ Ermias Belai (Cologne)
Original Ethiopian coffee ceremony with Gursha by Sophie (Cologne)
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Special opening hours as part of Photoszene Köln 2023:
Saturday May 13, 5 to 8 p.m. (vernissage)
Sunday May 14 5 to 8 p.m.
Friday May 19, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday May 20, 5 to 8 p.m.
Sunday May 21 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Further opening hours:
Friday May 26 5 to 8 p.m.
Saturday May 27 5 to 8 p.m.
Friday June 2 5 to 8 p.m.
Saturday June 3 5 to 8 p.m.
Friday June 9, 5 to 8 p.m.
Saturday June 10 5 to 9 p.m. (short film day)
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Abinet Teshome and the curator Tamerat Siltan from Addis Ababa will be present on site from May 13 to 21.
Vite
Sehin Tewabe (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)
Ashendiye in Lalibela
This photo series is about the Ashendiye festival in Lalibela. Ashendiye marks the end of a 16-day fasting period. It is celebrated annually in various parts of Ethiopia with cultural costumes and traditional dances. As the festival is also considered Women’s Day, it is mainly girls who take part. On this day, the girls dress up in traditional clothes adorned with long grasses. The girls sing traditional songs while waving the grass tied to their backs. They also gather in groups and go from house to house, singing and drumming in their respective villages.
Documenting this project is a matter close to my heart as my father is from Lalibela. One of the cultural events I never missed was always the Ashendiye festival. Over the years, my interest in photography grew and the festival gave me the opportunity to capture amazing moments. This photo series consists of two Ashendiye celebrations, one taken in 2019 and the other in 2022.
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Abinet Teshome (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)
Nostalgic Memories
A search that never ends. A search for meaning, love, a story to tell, a direction, a place, a memory – a sister. The search for a nostalgic memory of a long-lost sister, who had been in the back of my mind since childhood, led me to Harar. If I can’t find her, I thought, at least I can share her experiences. Because places have a habit of preserving memories.
My search for my sister was like building a bridge from the fragments of a memory scattered in different places. A bridge that leads to a familiar place – a place called home. I brought these shared memories from different cities together through a series of double exposure photographs in which I was able to unite everything I thought I had lost and found – the disappointment and peace, the journey to reunite with my sister – into one body of work.
