Aida Muluneh is an Ethiopia photographer and graphic designer, based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She does freelance work, and photojournalism in Addis Ababa, and elsewhere around the world. Born and raised in Ethiopia, Aida Muluneh came to United States to study at the University of Wisconsin in the early 1990s. Later, while still living in New York City, she met Leila Zeranguen, who is from Ethiopia and currently a PhD candidate in American studies at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Social Work.
Their initial encounter came while attending an exhibition of artists based in New York called “ETHiopia and the World.” The exhibition was organized by the then newly established African Art Association. During this exhibition, Aida and Zeranguen came across Afroturists, who were members of an anti-American political party. In her dissertation at the time, Aida Muluneh would describe how the political circumstances in Ethiopia at that point in time influenced her interests in photography. As a result of this first real exposure to Ethiopia, Aida Muluneh became obsessed with documenting the plight of the country’s indigenous Garifuna population, especially in its communities in the urban areas.
Eventually, she would come to be known for her photographic documentation of life in Addis Ababa, which she did with the help of the local university. It was through her internship that she also came to learn about the Garifuna community’s struggle for clean water. Through her work with local NGOs in Addis Ababa, Aida Muluneh became interested in photography as a way of preserving and promoting the communal well-being of all the oppressed communities in Ethiopia. Today, Aida Muluneh serves as a social worker and consultant focusing on water and environmental issues.