Quentin de Briey & Achraf Issami - The Bridge of Bulbula
These photographs were taken in Bulbula, a small town in Ethiopia we came across during a brief assignment in the region winter of 2020.Â
It is located approximately 200 km south of the capital, Addis Ababa. The bridge sits at the center of the village, dividing Bulbula into two very different parts while also serving as the heart of the community. Each day, residents cross it on their way to work, school, or the local marketâsome on foot, others in tuk-tuks, and some on the backs of animals. Others take the time to pause and enjoy a refreshing moment by the river. Many carry their purchases: fruit, chickens, tools, or household utensilsâ always with an incredible sense of style and color. A cattle market is organized every Wednesday by the river down the bridge, attracting people from the surrounding villages. For most, Bulbula is just a small town to pass through on their way south to Hawassa or north to Addis. However the beauty of these ordinary moments and the daily routine of this rural area of Ethiopia stayed with us long after we returned home, and the idea of going back never left our minds. Five years later, we made our way back to Bulbulaâthis time dedicatingÂ
two full days to portray the community and the life around the bridge, from sunrise to sunset.
Achraf & Quentin have been friends for 25 years, this is their first photography project together. The first part of the journal are Quentinâs photos, the second half are Achrafâs.
Biggest thank you to Nataniel and Teddy in Addis for making this project possible.Â
All photos processed by LSD and Achraf Issami.
June 2025
Printed in Italy
500 copies
40 x 29 cm
80 pages
Unbound in a cardboard dust cover
Including a folded poster printed on both sides
Distributed by Yvon Lambert & LSD
© Quentin de Briey
© Achraf Issami
Original: $61.06
-65%$61.06
$21.37
Description
These photographs were taken in Bulbula, a small town in Ethiopia we came across during a brief assignment in the region winter of 2020.Â
It is located approximately 200 km south of the capital, Addis Ababa. The bridge sits at the center of the village, dividing Bulbula into two very different parts while also serving as the heart of the community. Each day, residents cross it on their way to work, school, or the local marketâsome on foot, others in tuk-tuks, and some on the backs of animals. Others take the time to pause and enjoy a refreshing moment by the river. Many carry their purchases: fruit, chickens, tools, or household utensilsâ always with an incredible sense of style and color. A cattle market is organized every Wednesday by the river down the bridge, attracting people from the surrounding villages. For most, Bulbula is just a small town to pass through on their way south to Hawassa or north to Addis. However the beauty of these ordinary moments and the daily routine of this rural area of Ethiopia stayed with us long after we returned home, and the idea of going back never left our minds. Five years later, we made our way back to Bulbulaâthis time dedicatingÂ
two full days to portray the community and the life around the bridge, from sunrise to sunset.
Achraf & Quentin have been friends for 25 years, this is their first photography project together. The first part of the journal are Quentinâs photos, the second half are Achrafâs.
Biggest thank you to Nataniel and Teddy in Addis for making this project possible.Â
All photos processed by LSD and Achraf Issami.
June 2025
Printed in Italy
500 copies
40 x 29 cm
80 pages
Unbound in a cardboard dust cover
Including a folded poster printed on both sides
Distributed by Yvon Lambert & LSD
© Quentin de Briey
© Achraf Issami
