Photographing The Streets Of Addis

Photo: Girma Berta. Courtesy of the photographer.

Addis Ababa is a mosaic, says Girma Berta. Like a mosaic, the city is a distinct patchwork of rough moving parts that taken together create beautiful art.

“Most of the images that were created in the past tend to show a preconceived notion of the country. They’re either touristic or they’re about poverty. It’s a one-sided imagery” the Ethiopian photographer and creative director tells Okayafrica. With his ongoing Instagram series, Berta is documenting another side of his city, one iPhone-shot photo at a time.

#StreetsOfAddis began as a hashtag on Berta’s personal Instagram. It later became the theme of an exhibition, and most recently, the foundation for an Ethiopian street photography community. Berta, who’s also part of the @EverydayHornOfAfrica collective, encourages his fellow Addis-based photographers to share their own images for the @StreetsOfAddis Instagram feed.

“The Addis Ababa photo scene is growing,” Berta tells us. The community is steadily increasing as more galleries, events and workshops geared towards photography and photographers pop up. According to Berta, camera phones are allowing more and more Ethiopians to take an interest in photography. “People are realizing that beauty isn’t always about setting up a scene or taking a photo of oneself,” he says. For Berta, photography is all about the rawness of a moment.

Girma Berta, founder of #StreetsOfAddis. Courtesy of Berta.

In Addis, Berta says he’s always on his toes. He never knows what he’s going to see around the corner. “Events seem somewhat random but in a very beautiful way” he says.

With his Instagram posts, Berta usually keeps the descriptions vague for the sake of encouraging debate and interpretation. “Each individual has a personal experience in their lives of what I have captured in my photos” he says.

Although Berta doesn’t have a single favorite photo, there is one he especially loves: a photo of a man smoking a cigarette in front of a small brightly-painted red shop in a “shabby” part of Addis. “I always pass by this shop and it always draws my eyes towards it by its bright paint and its contrasting color from its dull surroundings,” says Berta. “On the day I took the picture it felt like the perfect time was upon me and I just had to capture the moment.”

For Berta, someone needs to be doing the work of documenting Addis Ababa’s history. He’s happy for that someone to be him.

“I love Addis. It has everything in it. Both the old and young. The rich and the poor. The ugly and the beautiful.”

Keep up with Berta (@gboxcreative) and @StreetsOfAddis on Instagram.

G R E E N & Y E L L O W . Check out @streetsofaddis #StreetsOfAddis #Vsco #greenandyellow #Iphonography #EverydayAfrica #Skatelife #StreetStyle #AddisAbaba

A photo posted by Girma Berta (@gboxcreative) on Mar 16, 2016 at 7:51am PDT

• ?? • 120th Adwa Victory Celebration. #Patriots #ADWA #StreetsOfAddis #BattleOfAdwa #blackhistory #Vsco #Ethiopia #EverydayAfrica A photo posted by Girma Berta (@gboxcreative) on Mar 4, 2016 at 1:30am PST

• Piassa Blues • #StreetsOfAddis follow at @streetsofaddis #streetphotography #Vsco #visualsgang #streetdreamsmag #StreetStyle #candid #LensCulturePortrait

A photo posted by Girma Berta (@gboxcreative) on Feb 24, 2016 at 9:59am PST

• Old Age • Photo by @gere1110 #StreetsOfAddis #StreetPhotography #Bw #blackandwhite #ethiopianphotographers   A photo posted by Streets Of Addis (@streetsofaddis) on Mar 21, 2016 at 6:20am PDT

Hello Can you hear me now? Photo by @gboxcreative #StreetsofAddis #StreetPhotography #CondoLife #AddisLife #VSCO #VscoCam #EverydayAfrica A photo posted by Streets Of Addis (@streetsofaddis) on Mar 9, 2016 at 9:06am PST

• ? • Photo by @naderphoto #StreetsofAddis #StreetPhotography #VSCO #EthiopianPhotographers #EverydayAfrica   A photo posted by Streets Of Addis (@streetsofaddis) on Mar 9, 2016 at 12:29am PST

• Piassa 560 • photo by @dagi_j_ali #StreetsofAddis #StreetPhotography #AddisLife #EthiopianPhotographers #VSCO #VscoCam #EverydayAfrica A photo posted by Streets Of Addis (@streetsofaddis) on Mar 7, 2016 at 6:12am PST

• Street Vendor • Photo @ab_teshome #StreetPhotography #StreetsofAddis #StreetVendors #EthiopianPhotographers #AddisLife #EverydayAfrica   A photo posted by Streets Of Addis (@streetsofaddis) on Mar 6, 2016 at 9:08am PST

• Mother's Love • Photo by @ab_teshome #StreetsofAddis #StreetPhotography #EthiopianPhotographers #AddisLife #Ethiopia A photo posted by Streets Of Addis (@streetsofaddis) on Mar 4, 2016 at 2:57am PST

...and those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the Music. F.Nietzsch Photo @gboxcreative #StreetsOfAddis #StreetPhotography #VSCO #VscoCam #Ethiopia #fujifilm #fujix100t #StreetPhotos   A photo posted by Streets Of Addis (@streetsofaddis) on Feb 26, 2016 at 7:58am PST

• Framez • Photo by @eyerusalem_a_jiregna #StreetsOfAddis #StreetPhotography #AfricanCity #Ethiopia #StreetPhotos A photo posted by Streets Of Addis (@streetsofaddis) on Feb 24, 2016 at 6:11am PST

• Street Style • Photo by @nicolemarieens #StreetsOfAddis #StreetPhotography #AfricanCity #AddisAbaba #EveryDayAfrica   A photo posted by Streets Of Addis (@streetsofaddis) on Feb 24, 2016 at 2:44am PST

• Team Work • Photo by @abiy_solomon #StreetsOfAddis #StreetsOfAddis #AfricanCity #Ethiopia #VSCO A photo posted by Streets Of Addis (@streetsofaddis) on Feb 24, 2016 at 2:40am PST

• The Wait • ? @naderphoto #StreetsOfAddis #StreetPhotography #AfricanCity #Ethiopia #EveryDayAfrica   A photo posted by Streets Of Addis (@streetsofaddis) on Feb 24, 2016 at 2:31am PST

• Men at Work • Photo by @aronsime #StreetsOfAddis #StreetPhotography #AfricanCity #AfricanCity #Ethiopia #EveryDayAfrica A photo posted by Streets Of Addis (@streetsofaddis) on Feb 24, 2016 at 2:24am PST

• Street Style • Photo by @gboxcreative #StreetsOfAddis #StreetStyle #ShadowPlay #streetdreamsmag #StreetPhotography #Vsco #EverydayAfrica   A photo posted by Streets Of Addis (@streetsofaddis) on Feb 22, 2016 at 5:31am PST

Celebrating the legacy of the Ethiopian Patriots,Yekatit 12. photo by @eyoeal_kefyalew #StreetsOfAddis #WHPfirstlight #Ethiopia A photo posted by Streets Of Addis (@streetsofaddis) on Feb 20, 2016 at 11:37am PST

Piassa, Mekonen Bar ( baclava Bet ) Photo by @gboxcreative #StreetsOfAddis #SOA #StreetPhotography #VSCO #VscoCam #AddisAbaba #Ethiopia #EveryDayAfrica   A photo posted by Streets Of Addis (@streetsofaddis) on Feb 19, 2016 at 8:42am PST

• The wait • Photo by @gboxcreative #StreetsOfAddis #SOA #StreetPhotography #VSCO #VscoCam #AddisAbaba #Ethiopia #EveryDayAfrica A photo posted by Streets Of Addis (@streetsofaddis) on Feb 18, 2016 at 1:28am PST