A Rare Moment

In the middle is Tekeda Alemu (PhD), a committed technocrat who recently retired after serving the foreign office during the successive regimes; to the left is Fesseha Desta (Col.), a founding member of the Dergue; Hassan Moalin from the ONLF; and, Abebe Teklehaimanot (Maj. Gen.), a.k.a Jabie, former TPLF fighter. To the far left is Hallelujah Lulie, an acting director of the Institute for Strategic Affairs, the organizer of the seminar.


A Rare Moment

A rare and one of a kind moment took place at the Sheraton Addis, where individuals with diverse and contested backgrounds gathered today, November 28, 2019. They claimed the front row at a seminar organized to revisit the legacy of Walelegn Mekonnen, one of the student movement leaders who authored a political essay that arguably defined the course of history in Ethiopia whereby Emperor Hailesellasie was deposed. His grandson, Be'edemariam Mekonnen (Prince) was seated between Lencho Letta, the founder of the OLF, and Gebru Tarekegn, a professor emeritus and former activist of the underground movement, the EPRP. In the middle is Tekeda Alemu (PhD), a committed technocrat who recently retired after serving the foreign office during the successive regimes; to the left is Fesseha Desta (Col.), a founding member of the Dergue; Hassan Moalin from the ONLF; and, Abebe Teklehaimanot (Maj. Gen.), aka Jabie, a former TPLF fighter. To the far left is Hallelujah Lulie, an acting director of the Institute for Strategic Affairs, the organizer of the seminar.

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In-Picture

CHAIR FARE

In the streets of Tor Hayloch, wheelchairs once designed to carry people simmer in the rain, gazing out at the street and reminiscing about their past lives. These chairs have rolled into a second career as rain-drenched vending carts on a busy Addis sidewalk. Built for mobility but now hustling in the service of commerce, they show how the city refuses to let any piece of metal retire quietly. What was once a medical aid has become a street-side business model, proof that in Ethiopia, even whee...


In-Picture

ROOFTOP MOSAIC

In the bustling Mesqel Flower area, rooftops of small cafes and shops wear a patchwork of objects as armor against the wind. Tires, wooden planks, and old containers cling to the corrugated sheets, keeping them from flying off during harsh weather. Each rooftop tells a story of materials that once served one purpose inside the home, now repurposed as guardians above. The scene also reflects Addis Abeba's broader plastic disposal culture, where discarded containers, bottles, and other plastics of...


In-Picture

FENCE PEEK

Peering through the wooden fence of a muddy pen in Qera ox market, a brown cow pushes its head out, rope still looped around its horns, as if drawn by an irresistible scent or the promise of a new taste. The animal seems determined to investigate, curiosity winning over caution, while its companions wait patiently in the rain-soaked mud. These cows, soon to be sold for the holidays, offer a glimpse of farm life at its busiest, where the promise of the festive season meets the playful stubbornnes...