My friend John needed a portrait for an upcoming talk he is giving to the provincial genealogical society, something that confidently says academic, while retaining a bit of his personal edge. I am pretty happy with the result.
John #2(a), Toronto, October 2009
My friend John needed a portrait for an upcoming talk he is giving to the provincial genealogical society, something that confidently says academic, while retaining a bit of his personal edge. I am pretty happy with the result.
I am back to Ethiopia until the 3rd of December!
Dog #1, Harar, Ethiopia, August 2009
A dog sits in front of a shop on the main street of the old city of Harar. Two variants, person and no.
All this week (which is a travel week, so no guarantee how many there will be), I will post dogs of Harar.
Cat #5, Harar, Ethiopia, July 2009
I was really interested in the second version of this image, with the cat looking into the laundry, when I was shooting it. On reflection, I think the a version is stronger, but I couldn’t resist sharing both.
That’s all the cat photos for this week–next week, dogs (more cat photos in the future!).
Update (17 April 2011): Apparently this photo has been turned into a mixed-media painting elsewhere on the internet:
Link: BBC: Ethiopia’s passion for bureaucracy
This story at the BBC, on Ethiopia’s “passion for bureaucracy,” really hits the mark, and can perhaps give a little glimmer into what it is like to work or try to get anything done here.
Keep in mind that, though the writer doesn’t mention it, Ethiopians in general seem to have very little compunction about forgery, and the U. S. Embassy rates Ethiopian visa applicants extremely high in the fraud category. They always come in with all the right stamps, but who knows who actually stamped the damn thing. Bureaucrats will also take their stamps with them as they leave the office, as controlling information and supplies that are necessary to get the mission done is the Ethiopian equivalent of tenure: i. e. “you can’t fire me, because I am the only person who knows all the mission-critical information.”
But hey, you don’t become a bureaucrat in Ethiopia because you are fond of working!
Cat #4, Harar, Ethiopia, July 2009
As previously mentioned, Harari houses exist around enclosed courtyards, hidden behind walls. This cat was cautiously watching the street from the safety of an only partly-open door. I was really indecisive today, so you have three variants to choose from!
All this week, I’ll be putting up photos from my series on the cats of Harar–stay tuned!
Cat #3, Harar, Ethiopia, July 2009
Harari houses exist around enclosed courtyards, hidden behind walls. Here, a cat looks out of the door of his compound to survey the goings-on in the street.
All this week, I’ll be putting up photos from my series on the cats of Harar–stay tuned!
Cat #2, Harar, Ethiopia, July 2009
A cat sits under a Coca-Cola sign, at the bottle distributor in Harar, Ethiopia.
All this week, I’ll be putting up photos from my series on the cats of Harar–stay tuned!
Cats of Harar Week: Cat #1, Harar, Ethiopia, July 2009
A cat sits outside of the door of the former Egyptian bank, the first bank in Harar.
All this week, I’ll be putting up photos from my series on the cats of Harar–stay tuned!
Old Man, Harar, Ethiopia, July 2009
An old man sits in front of a door with Egyptian-style ornaments in Harar. Harar was an independent Moslem Emirate until it was conquered, first by the Egyptians, in 1875, and then the Abyssinian monarchs, shortly after. There are still many remnants of both occupations in the city, and the latter conquest resulted in its decline, as it went from being a prosperous trading city to a remote outpost of a highland Christian empire.