A taste of Ethiopia in Whanganui

Pam Robbie discusses framing of her work with Terri Farr at Rivercity Picture Framers.

Pam Robbie has lived and worked in Ethiopia for the past ten years organising tour parties exploring the country that she has grown to love.

"Places that people dream about visiting once in a lifetime, I am lucky enough to visit regularly," she says.

As a keen photographer she has a huge collection of pictures of people and places and has selected some of her favourite portraits for an exhibition which opened on Wednesday and will run until this Sunday, July 23.

The exhibition will be open from 10am to 2pm from Thursday to Sunday.

The venue for the exhibition is also different and special.

It is in the refurbished AE Kitchen Pharmacy at 19 Victoria Avenue, next to Jolt being restored by Kerry Girdwood.

Ms Girdwood spent a month in Ethiopia in 2014 researching an ancestor, who lived there in 1860.

Ms Robbie just happened to be in Whanganui visiting her mother and they were able to meet up.

"I stayed with Pam in Addis Ababa and she made arrangements for a tour and to get me to difficult-to-reach places associated with my research," said Ms Girdwood.

The idea of an exhibition on the proud people of Ethiopia appealed to her.

"It's great to give this grand old building a new lease of life." she said.

Ms Robbie will be giving a talk about the pictures on Saturday, July 22 at 11am.

"Ethiopia is the cradle of humankind with more than 80 ethnic groups, 120 dialects and home to the Ark of the Covenant, celebrated by Orthodox Christians.

"The country is renowned for the origin of wild coffee growing in the shade of natural forests and now, internationally, for its high quality of coffee beans."

On Sunday at 10.30am, Paul Harris from the Village Snob coffee cart will be talking about the "snobbery of coffee" at the venue.

It will be a chance to learn from an expert on how best to brew coffee at home and what to brew it in.