February 24, 2026 • 9 mins
Today we touch on the works and activism of Ethiopian artist, photographer, and educator Aida Muluneh.
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey, this is Anny and Samantha. I'm not going to
stuff I ever told your production of My Heart.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Radio and welcome to activist around the world. And to
close out Black History Months, but not to say we
won't continue to talk about the many people from the
black community who haven't continued to use their art and
(00:29):
activism and voice to do so much and improve the world,
because you know we will. But to close out for
this specific timeframe, we are finishing up with artists, activists.
Ida Mullinae who is an Ethiopian photographer, educator, and so
much more. Though born in Addis Adaba, Ethiopia, Mullinee has
(00:51):
been a traveler around the world, spending a chunk of
our childhood in Cyprus, Greece, UK Yemen, and eventually in Canada,
where she would attend high schoo Except this time in
high school she first starts her adventure in photography. She
would then go on to Howard University in Washington, d C.
Where she would major in film. From there, she went
(01:13):
on to work for the Washington Post as a photojournalist.
Now not really talking much about her time there, but
apparently according to the mini articles, she would use black
and white photography for photojournalism, but would later go on
to all of her exhibits with being a very colorful
and vibrant And she did say at one point that
she just felt like when she was a photojournalist, she
(01:35):
was seeing in black and white and then the chance.
So I just thought that was an interesting little tidbit.
But that In her Wikipedia article, they write that she
was encouraged by her grandfather to step fully into her artwork. Quote.
Although Mulaney began shooting photographs in high school, she did
not imagine it as a career until her grandfather, who
lived in Ethiopia, came to visit her family. He had
(01:57):
served in the Ethiopian Air Force and enjoyed pain in
his spare time. He saw something in her work and
told her to continue work as an artist rather than
putting off her passion as a hobby. I love that sentiment,
like you don't see that contact or conversation often being like, no,
this is not a hobby. This should be your passion,
This should be your job. And she was like, oh, okay,
(02:18):
you're right. So her photography caught people's attention pretty quickly.
I believe she graduated college in two thousand went to
work at the Washington Post and in two thousand and
seven she was awarded the European Union Prize for African
Photography Encounters. So already getting those accolades, and here's what
she said about her works that earn her this award.
(02:39):
The work that I do is a visual diary of
my experiences and thoughts over the years. Hence I choose
portraits because it is a journey exploring various topics through
each model. I want to share humanistic stories, to find
things that create communality as opposed to differences, and to
share a perspective that questions our own humility, regardless of
our backgrounds. And a part of her experience includes traveling
(03:01):
and being around the world, a lifestyle she has said
has been lonely, but with that she has fully understood
the importance of representing communities as they are seeking to
go beyond an idea or a theme, but to truly
represent the land in area. She has had several exhibitions
that feature locations or areas, including the UK and Ethiopia,
(03:22):
so her work featuring her country Ethiopia was something really
important to her, something that would help her to reconnect
with her Ethiopian heritage. In twenty eighteen, her work was
shown at MoMA, or Museum of Modern Art in New
York City, and she created the Attis Photus Festival, which
was held in East Africa, the first one ever in
twenty ten, and in an interview with NPR, she said
(03:44):
this about her work. I'm trying to share my heritage,
but also to show the universality of people around the world.
I've gone from looking at body paint around Ethiopia to
looking across the continent to looking around the world. I
realized from looking at all these different kinds of body
painting that there are all these lines of connection between
different societies. Whatever our struggle, there's something that we share.
(04:05):
The whole collection isn't a matter of looking at our differences,
it's a matter of looking at the similarities that we share.
So she was specifically talking about the different indigenous cultures
who used art like this and body paint. So if
you go and look at her artwork, you will see
a feature of her usage of body paint, Like how
important art like this painting isn't her photography and the
(04:28):
landscape it is gorgeous. Of course, if you have a
fear of polka dots. Like me, some of the can
be triggering, so watch it. I had to like bypass
some photos. I'm okay. And she said this when asked
her how she hoped people would react to her art.
When you see my images in any show, you can
(04:48):
see my work from a mile away. The colors are
so striking you can't miss it. I hope people google
my name and google Ethiopia and see something completely different
that they haven't seen in international meta. So she was
really talking about how the media portrays African countries like Ethiopia,
and she wanted to show that it's not like that.
(05:09):
I will say, with artwork like hers, it does prove
so much and how gorgeous the culture really is, and
how we don't give enough credit to how they influenced
art and even clothing and design in general. So I
do live seen that. And last year she did one
focused on the UK where she was quote capturing the
UK's contradictions. So this was from a Guardian article and
(05:32):
I'm going to read some more from that. More than
forty years later, Mulaney, who had left the UK, returns
to the UK invited by Impression Gallery to make new
work across Bradford, Belfast, Cardiff and Glasgow to this year's
UK City of Culture program, comprising twenty two images. The
Necessity of Seeing was made over a month long road trip.
(05:53):
She crammed all her equipment into two cars in a minivan,
along with a mobile studio, painted backdrops and clothing brought
over from Africa and five core crew members. It was
basically like getting a crash course in the UK History
and Contemporary Life snsed Mulonnaise and in that she was
able to incorporate the city's landscapes and landmarks at the
same time embracing things of gender, religion and different parts
(06:14):
of the diaspora. And from that same article they write
this Mulinae connects historic wounds with contemporary struggles, the decline
of industry, the history of labor union movements, women's rights,
and the exploitation of immigrants in these images, as in reality,
everything is connected. So she has this amazing ability to
bring in again that beauty of vibrant colors, but a
(06:36):
story behind those images. So it's definitely something you need
to take time to look at. She told The Guardian,
I'm creating my universe within an existing reality. And reshaping
it to reflect how I was feeling at the time.
The title the Necessity of Seeing is emblematic of the
deep political awareness driving Molinai's work. She says, growing up
(06:56):
displaced has given me a kind of anger that feels
my work. I've always been drawn to communities dealing with
division and cultural identity. My aim wasn't to come here
and try to reflect something I don't fully understand. I
can only reflect my experiences of trying to understand the
complexity of the UK, what I saw, witnessed, and felt again.
Take the time go look her up, and you should
(07:18):
definitely look at her work. It is beautiful and stunning
and like a little bit haunting. But when you see
and she mainly focuses on women and she talks about
that's what she knows, that that's how she knows, that's
what's reflected in her work. But like the women stare
into the camera, it's intense. I like it and with
all of this. In twenty nineteen, Molonaie became the first
(07:39):
black woman to co curate the Nobel Peace Prize exhibition.
And here's what her site idammolonae dot com says about
the exhibit. Her Commission projects use creativity to educate and
advocate on topics related to the environment and health. Her
work has been exhibited globally in published and key publication
were worldwide. As a leader in her film that she's
(08:00):
been recognized as a change maker in Africa, shifting perceptions
of the continent. Yes, y'all, and I will say she
has a lot in talking about environmental issues, talking about
climate justice, talking about gender issues like she's as many
of our features, is very versed in activism in itself,
but uses her passion and talent to talk about all
(08:23):
of those issues. And yes, of course she has several
accolades for her work, as in fact, in twenty twenty three,
she was the one hundred most Influential Africans by New
African Magazine. She was a Royal Photographic Society Curatorship Award
in twenty twenty. She is actually a candidate ambassador. You
can go look her up Catchlight Fellowship Grant. She was
ordered that in twenty eighteen and she won the CRAF
(08:47):
International Photography Award in Italy in twenty ten. Again, there's
so much more to our work. You should go and
look at what she is doing. What she's continuing doing
She is all her social medias again. Her website as
Adam all A was just A I D A l
U l U n e H dot com. Go and
check her out.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Well as always listeners, If you would like to suggest
anyone for this segment, please let us know. You can
email us at Hello at stuff Whenever Told You dot com.
You can find us on loose skyte Mom Stuff podcast,
or on Instagram and TikTok at Stuff We Never Told You.
We're also on YouTube. We have some merchandise at coom
Bureau and we have a buck you can get wherever
you get your books. Thanks as always to our superroduced
Christine during Secret to producing, my intercontributor Joey, thank you
(09:30):
and thanks to you for listening Stuff Will Never Told
You Strotruction by Heart Radio. For more podcast from my
Heart Radio, you can check out the heart Radio app,
Apple Podcasts or regul listen to your favorite shows
Hey, this is Anny and Samantha. I'm not going to
stuff I ever told your production of My Heart.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Radio and welcome to activist around the world. And to
close out Black History Months, but not to say we
won't continue to talk about the many people from the
black community who haven't continued to use their art and
(00:29):
activism and voice to do so much and improve the world,
because you know we will. But to close out for
this specific timeframe, we are finishing up with artists, activists.
Ida Mullinae who is an Ethiopian photographer, educator, and so
much more. Though born in Addis Adaba, Ethiopia, Mullinee has
(00:51):
been a traveler around the world, spending a chunk of
our childhood in Cyprus, Greece, UK Yemen, and eventually in Canada,
where she would attend high schoo Except this time in
high school she first starts her adventure in photography. She
would then go on to Howard University in Washington, d C.
Where she would major in film. From there, she went
(01:13):
on to work for the Washington Post as a photojournalist.
Now not really talking much about her time there, but
apparently according to the mini articles, she would use black
and white photography for photojournalism, but would later go on
to all of her exhibits with being a very colorful
and vibrant And she did say at one point that
she just felt like when she was a photojournalist, she
(01:35):
was seeing in black and white and then the chance.
So I just thought that was an interesting little tidbit.
But that In her Wikipedia article, they write that she
was encouraged by her grandfather to step fully into her artwork. Quote.
Although Mulaney began shooting photographs in high school, she did
not imagine it as a career until her grandfather, who
lived in Ethiopia, came to visit her family. He had
(01:57):
served in the Ethiopian Air Force and enjoyed pain in
his spare time. He saw something in her work and
told her to continue work as an artist rather than
putting off her passion as a hobby. I love that sentiment,
like you don't see that contact or conversation often being like, no,
this is not a hobby. This should be your passion,
This should be your job. And she was like, oh, okay,
(02:18):
you're right. So her photography caught people's attention pretty quickly.
I believe she graduated college in two thousand went to
work at the Washington Post and in two thousand and
seven she was awarded the European Union Prize for African
Photography Encounters. So already getting those accolades, and here's what
she said about her works that earn her this award.
(02:39):
The work that I do is a visual diary of
my experiences and thoughts over the years. Hence I choose
portraits because it is a journey exploring various topics through
each model. I want to share humanistic stories, to find
things that create communality as opposed to differences, and to
share a perspective that questions our own humility, regardless of
our backgrounds. And a part of her experience includes traveling
(03:01):
and being around the world, a lifestyle she has said
has been lonely, but with that she has fully understood
the importance of representing communities as they are seeking to
go beyond an idea or a theme, but to truly
represent the land in area. She has had several exhibitions
that feature locations or areas, including the UK and Ethiopia,
(03:22):
so her work featuring her country Ethiopia was something really
important to her, something that would help her to reconnect
with her Ethiopian heritage. In twenty eighteen, her work was
shown at MoMA, or Museum of Modern Art in New
York City, and she created the Attis Photus Festival, which
was held in East Africa, the first one ever in
twenty ten, and in an interview with NPR, she said
(03:44):
this about her work. I'm trying to share my heritage,
but also to show the universality of people around the world.
I've gone from looking at body paint around Ethiopia to
looking across the continent to looking around the world. I
realized from looking at all these different kinds of body
painting that there are all these lines of connection between
different societies. Whatever our struggle, there's something that we share.
(04:05):
The whole collection isn't a matter of looking at our differences,
it's a matter of looking at the similarities that we share.
So she was specifically talking about the different indigenous cultures
who used art like this and body paint. So if
you go and look at her artwork, you will see
a feature of her usage of body paint, Like how
important art like this painting isn't her photography and the
(04:28):
landscape it is gorgeous. Of course, if you have a
fear of polka dots. Like me, some of the can
be triggering, so watch it. I had to like bypass
some photos. I'm okay. And she said this when asked
her how she hoped people would react to her art.
When you see my images in any show, you can
(04:48):
see my work from a mile away. The colors are
so striking you can't miss it. I hope people google
my name and google Ethiopia and see something completely different
that they haven't seen in international meta. So she was
really talking about how the media portrays African countries like Ethiopia,
and she wanted to show that it's not like that.
(05:09):
I will say, with artwork like hers, it does prove
so much and how gorgeous the culture really is, and
how we don't give enough credit to how they influenced
art and even clothing and design in general. So I
do live seen that. And last year she did one
focused on the UK where she was quote capturing the
UK's contradictions. So this was from a Guardian article and
(05:32):
I'm going to read some more from that. More than
forty years later, Mulaney, who had left the UK, returns
to the UK invited by Impression Gallery to make new
work across Bradford, Belfast, Cardiff and Glasgow to this year's
UK City of Culture program, comprising twenty two images. The
Necessity of Seeing was made over a month long road trip.
(05:53):
She crammed all her equipment into two cars in a minivan,
along with a mobile studio, painted backdrops and clothing brought
over from Africa and five core crew members. It was
basically like getting a crash course in the UK History
and Contemporary Life snsed Mulonnaise and in that she was
able to incorporate the city's landscapes and landmarks at the
same time embracing things of gender, religion and different parts
(06:14):
of the diaspora. And from that same article they write
this Mulinae connects historic wounds with contemporary struggles, the decline
of industry, the history of labor union movements, women's rights,
and the exploitation of immigrants in these images, as in reality,
everything is connected. So she has this amazing ability to
bring in again that beauty of vibrant colors, but a
(06:36):
story behind those images. So it's definitely something you need
to take time to look at. She told The Guardian,
I'm creating my universe within an existing reality. And reshaping
it to reflect how I was feeling at the time.
The title the Necessity of Seeing is emblematic of the
deep political awareness driving Molinai's work. She says, growing up
(06:56):
displaced has given me a kind of anger that feels
my work. I've always been drawn to communities dealing with
division and cultural identity. My aim wasn't to come here
and try to reflect something I don't fully understand. I
can only reflect my experiences of trying to understand the
complexity of the UK, what I saw, witnessed, and felt again.
Take the time go look her up, and you should
(07:18):
definitely look at her work. It is beautiful and stunning
and like a little bit haunting. But when you see
and she mainly focuses on women and she talks about
that's what she knows, that that's how she knows, that's
what's reflected in her work. But like the women stare
into the camera, it's intense. I like it and with
all of this. In twenty nineteen, Molonaie became the first
(07:39):
black woman to co curate the Nobel Peace Prize exhibition.
And here's what her site idammolonae dot com says about
the exhibit. Her Commission projects use creativity to educate and
advocate on topics related to the environment and health. Her
work has been exhibited globally in published and key publication
were worldwide. As a leader in her film that she's
(08:00):
been recognized as a change maker in Africa, shifting perceptions
of the continent. Yes, y'all, and I will say she
has a lot in talking about environmental issues, talking about
climate justice, talking about gender issues like she's as many
of our features, is very versed in activism in itself,
but uses her passion and talent to talk about all
(08:23):
of those issues. And yes, of course she has several
accolades for her work, as in fact, in twenty twenty three,
she was the one hundred most Influential Africans by New
African Magazine. She was a Royal Photographic Society Curatorship Award
in twenty twenty. She is actually a candidate ambassador. You
can go look her up Catchlight Fellowship Grant. She was
ordered that in twenty eighteen and she won the CRAF
(08:47):
International Photography Award in Italy in twenty ten. Again, there's
so much more to our work. You should go and
look at what she is doing. What she's continuing doing
She is all her social medias again. Her website as
Adam all A was just A I D A l
U l U n e H dot com. Go and
check her out.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Well as always listeners, If you would like to suggest
anyone for this segment, please let us know. You can
email us at Hello at stuff Whenever Told You dot com.
You can find us on loose skyte Mom Stuff podcast,
or on Instagram and TikTok at Stuff We Never Told You.
We're also on YouTube. We have some merchandise at coom
Bureau and we have a buck you can get wherever
you get your books. Thanks as always to our superroduced
Christine during Secret to producing, my intercontributor Joey, thank you
(09:30):
and thanks to you for listening Stuff Will Never Told
You Strotruction by Heart Radio. For more podcast from my
Heart Radio, you can check out the heart Radio app,
Apple Podcasts or regul listen to your favorite shows
Stuff Mom Never Told You News
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