Democratising art: Aïda Muluneh's mission to empower audiences and photographers

Renowned photographer and Canon Ambassador Aïda Muluneh is not just an extraordinary talent, but an empowering inspiration for photographers around the world. Her compelling journey from her homeland of Ethiopia to the international stage is woven into her vibrant tapestry of striking images. Aïda is a master storyteller, using her lens not just to depict a scene, but to awaken a new understanding of her beloved continent.

In the 1980s, Aïda's journey led her from her native Ethiopia to Canada, broadening her perspective and helping to shape her unique visual voice. She further honed her craft at the esteemed Howard University in Washington DC and subsequently worked as a photojournalist at The Washington Post. Today, her work resonates from the halls of the National Museum of African Art at the Smithsonian to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, reflecting the global reach and impact of her talent.

Aïda is currently living in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, and is working between there and Ethiopia with a newfound mission: to inspire and empower the next generation of photographers. Through her work founding initiatives like the Addis Foto Fest, the Africa Print House and the Africa Foto Fair, she is nurturing talent and transforming the narrative of photography in Africa. Aïda is fervently committed to her vision, using her influence to change perceptions, shatter stereotypes and illuminate the untold stories of Africa.

Utilising her experience and education to bring that knowledge to Africa is hugely important for Aïda, but spending time back in Ethiopia has also been crucial for the development of her own work. "I don't think if I'd remained in New York or Toronto that the same work would come to life," she says. "It's really been to my advantage to invest in the continent because there are a lot of topics that I have delved into that I could not do unless I'm on the ground interacting, breathing the air, drinking the water and really connecting with my own society."

Photography is a superb way to smash through stereotypes, as well as to present a more balanced view – particularly for an often misunderstood country like Ethiopia, or Africa more generally. But it's something that Aïda needs help with for it to work well. "Poverty is the easiest thing in my opinion to document, and a lot of foreign photographers come into the continent and this is what they're attracted to right away. I'm not interested in that – I'm interested in the backstory. How did we arrive at these points? What are the things that are dysfunctional in our society? How do we delve into a deeper perspective? That's really been my mission, and it's something that I've understood that I can't do alone. This is why I teach – because the more of us there are, the more perspectives that exist. I'm just one perspective because I have a Western education and I've lived in different parts of the world. How I see things is going to be different from somebody who was born and raised in one place."

One way to reach those wider audiences and change perceptions is through public art installations, which Aïda has created in a number of locations, notably using bus shelters as exhibition spaces in partnership with The Public Art Fund in New York, Boston, Chicago and Abidjan. "My ultimate focus is the universality of the messaging that I'm putting out there – it's also the questioning of our own humanity regardless of geographical location," she says. "I'm a big fan of instalments of work in public spaces. I exist between the museum system, the galleries and then outdoor installations – that has been a way for me to advocate much more broadly and really bring people in."

Printed material is an important way to engage with the community, too, as Aïda proved with a project for the non-profit organisation WaterAid in 2018. "For me, I'm just at the inception, which is just photo printing, but in the long term, it's really to go into publishing," Aïda says. "We're in a continent where most of our problems stem from a lack of information and getting that to people – imagine you're in a village and there's no electricity or reliable network. The printed material is such an important component. It's fascinating that people hold on to paper. In the Western world, paper is starting to become obsolete, but in developing nations it's so important because it lives so much longer than anything digital."

Despite all her achievements, Aïda still has further to go with her mission. "It's been a really wonderful journey, but there's more to do. I'm just scratching the surface really on all of this." The next big thing coming up is of course the Africa Foto Fair, the second edition of which takes place in November 2023 in Abidjan. It looks to be even more impressive than the first, and will be a fantastic way to showcase photography in Africa and beyond.