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Photography club and exhibitions in Ethiopia and the UK

Genevieve Holmes was a volunteer working in education in Ethiopia, 2004-2005. She set up a photography club for Ethiopian students to equip them with the means to provide other people with an insight into their lives.

The young people Genevieve was working with took photographs that were of significance to them, and wrote accompanying comments to explain why they were taken. These formed the basis of an exhibition that was displayed in Addis Ababa and at various locations in the UK. Genevieve said, “Giving the students a chance to take photographs was fantastic! The students had never used cameras before and really enjoyed the experience. The results gave ‘outsiders’ an ‘insiders’ view of life in Addis Ababa”. The exhibition enabled people in the UK and Ethiopia to gain a different perspective on the students’ lives and empowered young people in Ethiopia to use photography as a means of self-expression, and a tool to challenge stereotypes. The photography club in Ethiopia is still continuing.

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