Yadesa Bojia

Bojia's profile as an artist rose to international significance in late 2009 when he found out his design was selected by a jury to be the winner of an international competition to create the new flag design for the African Union. Bojia learned his was the winning design when he was watching Larry King Live on television and saw his flag projected behind former Libyan dictator Muammar el-Qaddafi, then president of the African Union. He called the competition organizers who confirmed he was the winner. In 2010 his family was flown to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to accept the award.

Bojia has been commissioned to paint a variety of works, from portraits to abstract images of themes central to justice and equality. Since 2006, his work has been featured in art exhibitions in the Pacific Northwest region. He has been invited to speak on panels and in interviews about his work.

Bojia was educated in the Art and Visual Communication field in Seattle. He came to the United States at age 25 in 1995 as a political refugee. He is from the Oromo ethnic group, the largest in Ethiopia.

Yadesa Bojia (Oromo: Yaaddeessaa Booji'aa b. Ambo, Ethiopia in 1970) is a Seattle-based Ethiopian graphic designer and artist. Bojia has exhibited regionally since 2006. In 2010, he rose to international acclaim when his design was selected for the African Union's flag. Bojia has shown his work in exhibitions, completed commissioned works, and given public talks about the themes of his work, including human rights, minority rights, Africa, and justice. Bojia's style as a painter draws on African impressionism.