Tonight, 19th April 2018 at 19h, opening of photography exhibition “Lalibela – A Journey to the Jerusalem of Africa” by Gali Tibon, The Museum of African Art, Andre Nikolića 14
Ethiopia is one of the oldest Christian countries in the world, where Christianity was officially recognised as a religion in the 4th century. Today, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church gathers over 40 million believers.
The Christian tradition is inextricably linked with this country’s culture and history. The holiest city and the most significant centre of pilgrimage is Lalibela, a little town situated in the northern mountainous area of Lasta, visited every year by large numbers of local believers, but increasingly also by foreign visitors.
Eleven monolithic churches, assumed to have been built during the reign of King Lalibela (12-13th century), were carved out of a soft red volcanic rock, below ground level, and connected through a network of tunnels and subterranean passages. Their construction represents an extraordinary architectural achievement, and since 1978, the churches have been under the protection of UNESCO. The spatial layout of the churches, which are grouped into two clusters, and the very name of the river Yordanos that divides them, are reminiscent of Jerusalem, imbuing the entire setting with an almost biblical aura. Since the 12th century when the churches were erected, religious services have been held without interruption.
GALI Tibbon photographer is an award-winning photographer based in Jerusalem. In 2013 she was named Travel Photographer of the Year at the Sony World Photography Awards (WPO) in London for her documentary work on Lalibela, Ethiopia. Among her many awards are: the Moscow International Photo Award, Fotoweek DC, she is a two-time winner of the UNESCO Humanity Photo Award, and a National Geographic photo contest finalist (etc.). Her work explores the theme of religion, focusing on faith, capturing the spiritual and abstract emotions of the believers into her stills as she travels around the globe. Tibbon’s images are published regularly in renowned magazines and newspapers worldwide (Geo, National Geographic, Newsweek, Elle, Time, etc.). Her pictures are exhibited in museums, galleries and prestigious international photo festivals.
The exhibition is the result of the cooperation between the Museum of African Art, Belgrade Fortress and Belgrade Photo Month.
