Ethiopia & Eritrea in Finsbury Park: Stories in Focus
This project is a collaboration between Pierre Bureau and Ethiopian and Eritrean residents who live or work around Finsbury Park, celebrating their rich heritage through co-authored photographic portraits.
With an Ethiopian mother from Addis Abeba and a father, Jacques Bureau, who was a French ethnologist documenting life in Ethiopia and Eritrea during the 1970s and 80s, this project holds personal significance for me.
The portraits capture personal memories and stories, inspired by my father’s archival photos. Displayed in shop windows, restaurants, and local businesses, the portraits offer a glimpse into the participants’ lives.
With captions in Amharic, Tigrinya, and English, the project fosters cultural awareness and community connection.
Special thanks to the Arts Council Lottery Fund for their support.
መዝገበ ቀይሕ ባሕሪ
Memory of the Red Sea
I have been in the UK for 4 years and have enjoyed the opportunities I found here, like being the manager of the Blue Nile restaurant in Finsbury Park.
But when the weather is grey, I daydream of my country, especially the Red Sea, with its warm, clear waters full of colourful fish and corals.
I remember after finishing school and starting university, I went with my classmates to Massawa, a city with a rich history and a unique blend of Ottoman, Egyptian, and Italian architecture.
The memory is like sunshine within me, even during rainy days in London.
Adiam, Blue Nile restaurant manager
ኣዲስ አበባ: ከተማ ን ተለዋዋቲ ገንቢ
Addis Abeba: A City of Contrasts
Addis Abeba was a city of two faces.
On one hand, it was a bustling city with cars, modern buildings, and the rush of urban life. But just around the corner, it felt like a village—fields stretched out, animals roamed freely, and life slowed down.
When I first arrived at 17 from a small town, during the rainy season, the city felt like a different world at 2,000 meters above sea level, cold and mysterious.
People spoke Amharic, a language I hadn’t grown up with, adding to the sense of unfamiliarity.
This picture of a market reminds me of that time. Markets like this no longer exist as the city has rapidly modernised.
A.
