Photographers look at Africa from fresh angle

Authoritarian Ethiopia does not make life easy for photographers, and Muluneh bemoans the absence of a photographic culture, in which many are left with no option but to shoot weddings for a living.

Hostility toward photographers is common, from government and security forces to ordinary folk.

"Photography is always looked at with suspicion. I can just be shooting a wall and someone will come and ask me: 'Why are you taking photos of this wall?'" Muluneh says.

When she sends her students to Mercato, a large open-air market in Addis, the young photographers are frequently harassed by police and traders alike.

Putting on the photography festival in Ethiopia is never easy. Prints have to be made in Nairobi, and sponsors and exhibition spaces are hard to find.

This year is proving especially difficult because of a state of emergency imposed in October after nearly a year of sometimes deadly anti-government protests.

Some have refused to host exhibitions for fear of being associated with what might be construed by the government as political activities.

Despite the challenges, Ethiopian photographers are growing in number and skill. In 2010, there were just four participating in Addis Foto Fest. This year, there are 30.

And the world is increasingly looking to Ethiopia.

"International visibility is growing. I have seen how talent has changed. It's well on its way, not only in Ethiopia. It's happening across the continent," she says.