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Excitement meets Boredom. Life at the African Union.

This past weekend I photographed the 2010 African Union Heads of State Summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

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I had the privilege to photograph some of the worlds worst leaders (my opinion) and some not so bad leaders as well. Most of the time was spent sitting… waiting…. waiting… access to photograph the meeting for a minute… send photos….. waiting on internet… wait… wait… photograph… Thats about how it went. It was dull for 97% the time and 2% a mad house of press fighting for a spot and 1% photographing.

I did have Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe personally tell me to stop taking photos and leave the meeting. He’s a scary guy and he likes to kick people out even when he’s not in his own country.

Also el-Qaddafi President of Libya lost his place as president of the African Union. This is a really good thing for Africa. If you don’t know why look him up and form your own opinion, I am pretty certain we will agree.

Here’s a photo of mine that made the New York Times

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More of el-Qaddafi doing what he does best… posing for the camera looking like a creep.

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AU_Blog011And that’s his good side.

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Omar al-Bashir President of Sudan <<< left


Jacob Zuma

President of South Africa >>>


Show me their best

quit taking my photo face

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UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon

holds a press conference on the current state of Sudan and Somalia

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Malawi President Bingu Wa Mutharika

the new African Union President makes a closing speech to end the Summit.

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President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe

right before he kicked me out.

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All Images are used with permission

and are Property of the Associated Press

CA Coast

Last week I traveled to California with my best friend. We rented a car and headed north to Santa Barbara then took the Pacific Coast Highway to Big Sur and beyond. It was an adventure indeed! Here are some photos taken along the way…JON_9437.

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Best Campsite EVER!!! EVER!!!

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13Motel for the final night.

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Worku Mamo, Ethiopian Artist

JON_6233After Losing his arms in an explosion as a child, Worku Mamo was not a likely candidate to become an influential artist in Ethiopia. Nearly 60 years later he has become just that. His love for his craft is contagious and accomplishing what he has with the limitations he has is truly inspirational. He currently owns and runs an art school with his Daughter in Addis Ababa.JON_6689

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Piassa Scenics

Piassa is Addis Ababa’s oldest and most popular neighborhood. It was occupied by Italians during Italy’s Fascist regime in Ethiopia 1936-1941. Short after the occupation Piassa became a central location in Addis Ababa for trade, entertainment, and of course cafe’s. Rich with culture and history, Piassa is a location Ethiopians are proud to claim as their own.

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Ethiopian Skier :: Robel Teklemariam

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Robel Teklemariam is the first athlete to represent Ethiopia in any event at the Winter Olympics. He competes in various Men’s cross country skiing events. Robel will compete in the upcoming Vancouver Olympics. He’s a pioneer for Ethiopia and Africa and he has Olympian written all over him.

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More about Robel…

video credit:

One Winter, Five Dreams

K’naan came to town

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Somalian emcee K’naan came to Addis a couple of weeks ago to perform at the FIFA world cup tour. If you don’t know about K’naan you should! Look him up. I wish him success as he brings Hip-Hop back to its thoughtful roots.

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for K’nann’s Bio, Music, and Videos check out http://knaanmusic.ning.com/

Artist Gebrekristos Solomon

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Ethiopian artist Gebrekristos Solomon in his studio in Piassa, Addis Ababa

Lake Awassa

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Medanealem Church

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Ethiopian Orthodox church in my Neighborhood

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