Eliab

Curated by Journeys Festival International, ArtReach – Curve Theatre, Leicester, UK, 2019.
Collaboration with Farhad Berahman. Photo: Rik Lee.

Eliab was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and moved to the United Kingdom in November 2015. He first arrived in London before relocating to Leicester. He describes the experience as challenging: “It was scary in many ways, and my English wasn’t very good. I was alone—most of my family were in Ethiopia—so I had to figure out what kind of future I wanted to build for myself.”

Over time, he gained confidence and independence while adapting to British culture. He later chose to study Law and Human Rights, with the ambition of returning to Ethiopia one day to advocate for those who are oppressed.

The project was presented as part of Portrait of a City during Journeys Festival International 2019, transforming Leicester into an open-air gallery featuring portraits of individuals who reflect the city’s cultural diversity.