Portrait winners
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2nd Place - Merit of Excellence Title:A hairdresser in Little Addis in Johannesburg CBD The image, taken in a building known as "Little Addis" in central Johannesburg, is a 5-storey building filled with the sights and sounds of Ethiopia. Once you enter, from the first floor onwards, and certainly in the cafe and restaurant on the second floor, you are immersed in Ethiopian culture. The place brims with Ethiopian women dressed in the traditional Habesha kemis. The sweet smell of frankincense flows out of the coffee shop serving traditional coffee brought to you on low Jimma stools, with the customary popcorn condiment. If you close your eyes, you could be in Gondar or Bahar Dar. The lady in the small hairdresser shop - one of many in a row on the 3rd floor was laughing nervously when I asked her to take a photo. She agreed after a little persuasion. And we had a giggle together at the result on the back of the digital camera. Having Ethiopian heritage myself - my grandmother was from Gondar - I love visiting Little Addis. A little taste of my distant heritage and past.
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