Nader graduated with a Diploma in Fine Arts from Entoto Technical and Vocational Education and Training College in Addis Ababa. His engaging encounter with the world of photography came at the World Press Photo Exhibition in Addis Ababa in 2003. “This was for me a veritable exposure to experience the irresistibly evocative influence of the photograph, its compelling power to reflect on the myriad realitiesof the world around us. The experience aroused my genuine interest in photography. I was able to own my first semi-professionalcamera in 2012, as I was then firmly persuaded about photography not just as a passion but also a professional career”.
Nader Adem is the Edge of Humanity Magazine contributor of documentary photography from the project ‘Anajina’. Thousands of people from many parts of Ethiopia flock twice a year to “Anajina” to pray to God and be part of religious rituals seeking blessings and spiritual renewal. “Anajina”, as known in the Oromo language, or “Dire Sheikh Hussein”, is a sacred site in Bale, southeastern Ethiopia. Dating back to the 12th century, it is named after an influential Muslim scholar called Sheikh Nur Hussein, reputed for his religious teachings and miraculous deeds. The site is a place of pilgrimage, a symbol of Sufism, and of aesthetic architectural and social values representing cultural diversity in Ethiopia. However, it is facing a great threat from those who espouse a more puritan version of Islam, amid growing Wahhabism influence in the region. This series documented Anajina’s unique religious and cultural heritage as it has existed for centuries in this part of Ethiopia.
