An Ode to Women in Rural Ethiopia
A Photograph by Hilina Abebe
A tree leans against another with one of its bigger branches, and the leaves of the two gather alongside those of an adjacent third tree. Above them, a woman seems to float. She wears a knowing smile and a skirt as light like the birds that litter the ground below her. Her left hand is balled into a slight fist, and her right hand holds a whip aloft. Behind her there’s an almost barren tree, a womanless tree, and the landscape’s curves stroke the horizon.
— Sibongakonke Mama
“It is important to document stories with utmost dignity.”
My work centers on long-form documentary and portraiture. I strive to bring attention to overlooked aspects of the Ethiopian experience, emphasising resilience, community and the everyday working lives of its people. I aim to present a perspective that goes beyond the common portrayal, which is often limited to poverty and famine.
In this image Koite shoos away birds from her Sorghum field in Derashe, Southern Ethiopia. I met her in 2014 on an assignment focusing on access to clean drinking water. At 25 she was already a mother of three and fully managed her household and the farm. She graciously spent her afternoon with me discussing her daily chores, which involved collecting water from the river more than an hour away. She then showed me her sorghum field and climbed a tree to demonstrate how she kept the birds away.
Koite exemplified well the life of everyday women who juggle between motherhood and other responsibilities like farming, with the added challenges of lack of access to basic services such as clean drinking water, health services, etc. My focus though was not on these challenges but rather on the courage and strength she exuded that we don't often see when women in Africa are discussed.
It is important to me to document stories with utmost dignity, which often has not been the case when it comes to how Ethiopians and other fellow Africans have been photographed by the Western world.
— Hilina Abebe
About Hilina Abebe
Born and raised in Ethiopia, Hilina Abebe is a self-taught documentary photographer who is influenced by her father’s black-and-white family photographs made in the 60s and 70s. She combines her journalism and social work background to discuss various issues in her storytelling. Her work focuses on long-form documentary and portraiture exploring economic inequality, identity, history and the significance of memory. Hilina is an Eddie Adams Workshop XXIX Alum, and in 2016 she participated in the New York Times Portfolio Review and the World Press Photo East Africa Masterclass. She is also a Joop Swart and PDN’s 30 nominee. See other features of her work on her website, The Guardian, World Press Photo, and PSP Culture. Follow her on Instagram.
LAST WEEK — “The Boys are Smiling” by Evans Ohorsu
I took the picture in Kumbungu, in the Northern Region of Ghana. I was on assignment for an organisation in the town when I came across these kids. I asked them for a photo, but I didn't take it right away. I said I'd be back, wanting to capture them in their natural setting. I returned after 30 minutes and saw them occupied as shown. I took the shot, aiming to freeze a genuine, everyday moment in their lives.
This is the 108th edition of this publication, edited by Sibongakonke Mama, one of our editorial fellows. The newsletter also read on web (best for viewing images), and via the Substack iOS/Android apps.
TENDER PHOTO is a newsletter on African photography. Every Wednesday we feature a photograph and a short caption about it, and include a statement from the photographer. Last year, we published commentaries or photo-essays in response to photographs previously featured on the newsletter, including CORRESPONDENCES, CONCORDANCE, KINDRED, and INDEX. The ongoing series, AFFINITIES, will run from March 1–April 26.
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