INFORMATION
ADDIS ABABA
Portraits de villes or portraits of cities, is a book concept created by the French creative studio Be-Poles.
Artists are given a carte blanche to use photography, drawing or collages and choose the city they want to create a book that feels closer to a carnet de voyage or a scrapbook.
Over the past decade, the imprint has published more than 30 artists’ takes on different cities.
I chose the capital of Ethiopia; Addis Ababa, the “new flower" in Amharic.
It is where the African Union is headquartered and where its predecessor the Organisation of the Africa Unity (OAU) was based.
It also hosts the headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, as well as various other continental and international organizations.
Addis Ababa is therefore often referred to as "the political capital of Africa" for its historical, diplomatic and political significance for the continent.