Slippery Locks


Slippery Locks

Rows of slippers are hung in the locker rooms of employees at a horticulture farm in Koka, Oromia Regional State. Ethiopia has experienced significant success in flower exports, doubling in eight years to around half a billion dollars last year. Concerns over employee safety and wages have coincided with the industry's growth. Recent regulatory changes have entailed codes for sustainable flower farming that include the safe use of pesticides, water management, and social justice. This stems from the global notoriety of the industry for poor working conditions, health risks and low wages. The government has also introduced a series of incentives to increase floriculture investments, like easy access to land at nominal lease rates and half a decade-long income tax exemptions.

[ssba-buttons]

In-Picture

UP AND DOWN

Makeshift wooden ladder bridges on duty due to ongoing corridor development works around Goro Square, offering a precarious route for pedestrians and shopgoers. As part of the city's corridor upgrade, sidewalks are being rebuilt, but delays and the absence of accessible detours have forced residents to improvise. Business owners have been left to create temporary access for customers, while construction crews continue grading and excavation without marked pedestrian pathways...


In-Picture

BUSTED MYSTERY

As part of the city's beautification project, a collapsed metal-sheet fence around the Kkare building in Mexico Square reveals dusty roads and disorganised structures behind the polished façade. While intended to conceal construction zones, the fences have also become canvases for muralists adding bursts of colour and creativity to the transforming cityscape...


In-Picture

SHY FASHION

Shielded by sun, hidden from view, mannequins around the stadium stand veiled as new corridor rules ban storefront shades. A young shopper steps inside, guided more by curiosity than display. The restrictions are part of a broader city plan to standardise shopfront aesthetics along major corridors...