© Tom Muddimer
'Next to The National' is a narrative on the stalled dreams of catch-up development - a series which documents just one of the many unfinished construction sites which have become typical in the urban centres of post-colonial Africa. Walk down Menelik II Avenue in Addis Ababa, and amongst the National Palace, the African Union and the National Hotel you will find a construction site – marked by tall, grey pillars. They stretch ambitiously skyward. Emperor Menelik II, was the famous guardian of national independence, founder of Ethiopia's capital and visionary of a modern, independent African state. Next to the National, carries forth his legacy.
