blog
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February 15, 2012 – 12:40 pm
Ethiopian Religious Art
The Debre Berhan Selassie Church in Gondar is famed for its beautiful examples of Ethiopian church art. Built by an emperor and preserved by an archangel, it is also among the most important churches of Ethiopia. The inside walls of the church depict biblical scenes and saints and the ceiling is covered with the faces of hundreds of angels. Icons of the Holy Trinity and the Crucifixion have pride of place above the entrance to the Holy of Holies. Although most paintings within the church are historically and happily attributed to the 17th-century artist Haile Meskel, this can’t be the case because the remarkable rectangular church of today only dates back to the late 18th century.
Afewerk Tekle (born 22 October 1932) is one of Ethiopia’s most celebrated artists, particularly known for his paintings on African and Christian themes as well as his stained glass. In this picture you see one of his stained glass works of art in the Debre Libanos monastry church in Ethiopia.
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February 1, 2012 – 3:05 pm
Pictures of the Week
Bride at Axum, Ethiopia
Friends at Timkat celebration – Gondar, Ethiopia
Entering Fasil’s castle – Gondar, Ethiopia
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January 22, 2012 – 4:01 pm
Schaamteloze zelfpromotie – Shameless self promotion
AfrikaNews recently published the series African Dreams, shot and compiled by your servant. Here you can find the links to the two parts of the gallery.
Afrikaanse Dromen 1 & Afrikaanse Dromen 2
Have fun!
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January 14, 2012 – 6:43 pm
Pictures of the Week
This weeks Pictures of the Week cover three continents. I jump from Jerusalem over Tel Aviv to Schiermonnikoog and Addis Ababa. The simple reason for this is that those were some of the places I spent the latest seasonal holidays.
Man doing his afternoon nap in the streets of Jerusalem’s old city.
The Western Wall in Jerusalem shot through a security grill.
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January 10, 2012 – 3:49 pm
2012
Happy New Year – Gelukkig Nieuwjaar – Bonne Année
Wat wij ondermeer van plan zijn in 2012, lees je hier!
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December 19, 2011 – 3:53 pm
Catchy colors and geometric shapes in the DANAKIL
The Danakil Desert in Ethiopia is the hottest place on earth and the lowest part of Africa.
There are few places in the world where you are so isolated and so completely at the mercy of the elements.
Especially since regularly earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur.
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November 28, 2011 – 8:23 pm
Quick update – new adventure
Next seven days I’ll be exploring the Afar Triangle, a geological depression in Ethiopia (Eritrea and Djibouti) that is caused by the Afar Triple Junction which is part of the Great Rift Valley. More info. Let’s hope the angels are with us!
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November 22, 2011 – 7:39 pm
Pictures of the Week – the ports of Djenné
The ports of Djenné (of which there are 17), particularly the one at Bambana, where pirogues from Timbuktu would tie up.
More ports, Djenné and Mali pics on FrankFocus’ Photostream.
Info (in Dutch) on our new project in Madagascar can be obtained here.
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November 15, 2011 – 6:57 pm
Pictures of the Week – Dogon Portraits
The Dogon are an ethnic group living in the central plateau region of Mali, south of the Niger bend near the city of Bandiagara in the Mopti region.
The Dogon are best known for their religious traditions, their mask dances, wooden sculpture and their architecture.
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November 7, 2011 – 9:21 pm
Djenné – a mud filled town in B&W
Djenné is an Urban Commune and town in the Inland Niger Delta region of central Mali.
The history of Djenné is closely linked with that of Timbuktu. Between the 15th and 17th centuries much of the trans-Saharan trade in goods such as salt, gold and slaves that moved in and out of Timbuktu passed through Djenné. Both towns became centres of Islamic scholarship.
The entire community of Djenné takes an active role in the Great Mosque’s maintenance via a unique annual festival. This includes music and food, but has the primary objective of repairing the damage inflicted on the mosque in the past year (mostly erosion caused by the annual rains and cracks caused by changes in temperature and humidity). In the days leading up to the festival, the plaster is prepared in pits. It requires several days to cure but needs to be periodically stirred, a task usually falling to young boys who play in the mixture, thus stirring up the contents. Men climb onto the mosque’s built-in scaffolding and ladders made of palm wood and smear the plaster over the face of the mosque.
About Frank Janssens
Welcome, I am Frank Janssens, tour operator in Madagascar, tour guide in Africa & the Middle East, copywriter and photographer!
More about meReizen naar Madagaskar
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