SALIENT SCENES


SALIENT SCENES

Pictures of the 32 founders of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) draw spectator attention at the African Union headquarters. Formed in the fervent pan-African atmosphere that followed the independence of several countries from colonialism 61 years ago, the OAU had a distinctive spirit of liberation. Ghanaian Kwame Nkrumah, who led the former Gold Coast’s independence and served as its first prime minister post-colonialism, was one of the main leaders in the OAU’s formation. The Organisation, first chaired by Emperor Haile Selassie, was disbanded in 2002 while under the chairpersonship of South African President Thabom Beki. Some of the founding principles of the OAU live through the African Union.  

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In-Picture

WAITING HOOVES

A donkey “parking lot” along Dejazmach Mekonin Demisaw Street in Sebategna, Mercato, hosts a patient line of beasts ready for their next load. Each animal seems to carry more than goods, they bear memories of an era when hooves, not wheels, ruled the streets. Passersby rush past in the busy market, half-smiling, half-reflecting, as the scene whispers stories of grit, patience, and the slow rhythm of life that machines have since hurried past. Somewhere between nostalgia and necessity, these...


In-Picture

CROOKED PASSAGE

A once newly structured railway fence leans over to the side to let passersby have a way to cross the street rather than walking to a Zebra crossing, hinting at urban ingenuity, or stubborn shortcuts, where everyday life finds its own paths, no matter how crooked. In its sagging frame, the fence tells a story of compromise between order and habit, of city planning meeting human impatience. It is a small rebellion against rigid design, a reminder that the pulse of the city often beats in the spac...


In-Picture

CONTROLLED RUIN

A construction worker, headset firmly in place, pushes a concrete cutter along Ras Desta Damtew Street near Addis Abeba Stadium, carving a trench for new underground cables. The machine tears into otherwise smooth asphalt, leaving a temporary scar on a well-served road. Pedestrians flinch at the grinding noise, drivers sigh, yet beneath the disruption, silent wires quietly stitch the city's connectivity together also hinting the unpredictable plan changes of the city design...