The Murals of Winnipeg

714 Ellice Avenue - "Nation of Ethiopia"

"Nation of Ethiopia": Jennifer Johnson (Utopian Art Design) and Carolyn Burnet (2006).

Anyone familiar with track and field knows the kind of athletes Ethiopians are. They have ruled the long-distance races for years. Abebe Bikila (left) is probably the most iconic. During the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, he ran the marathon barefoot. Not only did he win the gold medal, but he also set a world record! Bikila successfully defended his title four years later and won 10 other races in his career.

Three other runners are featured in the mural -- Haile Gebrselassie, Kenenisa Bekele and Meseret Dafar (bottom right). The latter dominated the 3000-metre and 500-metre races (indoor events) for years. She holds several Olympic and World Championship gold medals and is the first woman to have run two miles under nine minutes.

The falls in the mural are the Blue Nile Falls, also known as "Tis Abay" in Amharic ("great smoke"). The Blue Nile is one of the tributaries of the Nile River and originates at the south end of Lake Tana in northwestern Ethiopia.

Finally, the pink flower is an Ethiopian rose. It is also the most popular flower in Ethiopia.

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For more information about the Murals of Winnipeg project, visit https://www.cendrinemedia.com/Portfolio-Series/About-Murals-Winnipeg-project.

muralethiopiaartstreet photographyWinnipegCanadaCarolyn BurnetJennifer Johnson