2003 (Archived here) 2002 (Archived here) - 2001 (archived here)

September, it seems, is the busiest month in the lives of urbane Ethiopians. All decisions held up throughout the rainy season seem to be finalized by September. In our case, a senior member of our photo team's dream of emigrating to the West finally bore fruits. True, it is a huge loss for us - and we are even tempted to say to the country - that such talent continue to leave Ethiopia and empower the West. But who would dare to stand  to change the course of dreams of this talented girl? Perhaps, in the long run, Ethiopia and those of us who have decided to cast our lot with the fate of the country may stand to gain from the experience, entrepreneurship, and re-invigorated blood that these émigrés of today but returnees of tomorrow will bring. The PhotoEssay Team explains why they have been silent for 2 months.

Story 1: Hero's welcome to our athletes. Sep/Oct 04.

Story 2: Kremt in Addis Ababa. Sep 2004.

August 7, 2004: A rainy Saturday afternoon in the Entoto mountains – along the Gojam road – almost 9000 ft above sea level finds our elite athletes doing their last minute preparations for the highly anticipated races of the Athens 2004 Olympics. These are mountains that challenge even some of the well-maintained all-terrain vehicles of the country. The air is Kremt-crisp, with a whiff of the smell of wet red volcanic mountain soil and the tingling and penetrating aroma of the ever-present Eucalyptus tree pervading the country-side. Kenenisa - the rising super star of Ethiopian athletics – leads the group at a constant and amazingly smooth pace as the altitude keeps on increasing. Story and Photos here.   August 15, 2004.

"Shashemene has always been a town for the restless; the kind who could not stay at a place long enough to discover the beauty of a place," write our Photo Essay team documenting a piece on their recent visit to the Great Ethiopian Rift Valley. Along the way, they comment on Sheikh Al Amoudi's new farm in the Shashemene area and a memorable visit to the Rasta village. Photos here.   July 23, 2004.

Our photo essay team comments, "With the Mekanisa hills and the Mighty Furi Mountain providing a background from far, we enjoyed the Chinese performing a ‘Spring Festival’ dance (comrades, it is rainy season here!) and the Ihadeg army orchestra playing ‘Balageru’ (Guad Ihadegoch, with your new found love to our city, your ‘base’ - the ‘Balageru’ may feel betrayed!)" Photos here.   July 17, 2004.

Jigiga is a focus of this edition of our column where our team observes, "In the end - after a daylong stay - what we found out was that Jijiga has a bigger name and influence in the identity of the Ogaden region than the city's physical smallness." Photos here. June 1, 04.

Harer, the city of  walls, minarets, mosques, churches and legends is the focus of this edition of Photo Essay, as our team travels the breadth and depth of this country of ours to bring every day stories to our readers.  Photos here. May 15,04.

The Photo Essay Team travels outside Addis to Awassa - the jewel of the Southland and the guardian of the Great Rift Valley to document a great story. Amid lunch at the shores of Lake Awassa, they talk to recent arrivals to the city as well as old residents who remember Awassa when it was just a shadow of its neighbor Yirga Alem - the then provincial capital.
Photos and story here.  April 20,04.

Our photo essay teams writes, "We are not sure if it is an invasion or something else but we can assure you that what we saw in our city is very encouraging and something that has changed our city's look significantly." More. February 24, 2004.

'Aye Merkato', was what Poet Tsegaye Gebre Medhin once wrote about this place that holds a special place in every Addis Ababans collective memory. "Aye" is of course just a phrase; but in the pen of this giant poet, 'aye' says a lot about Merkato. Inspired by the poet's words, our Photo Essay team documents a story on Merkato. Photos and story here.  January 12,04. 

2003 (Archived here) 2002 (Archived here) - 2001 (archived here)