Monica Manaker to release her debut album in Ethiopia

Argentine born Israeli musician Monica Manaker, is scheduled to release her debut album, which is dubbed “Here it comes”, in Ethiopia early next year.

Her album is also expected to feature various rhythms based on world music. While performing at Alliance Ethio-Française on Thursday, December 17, Monica played some songs from the upcoming new album which she has already finalized and is ready for release early next year.

The new album has been composed and arranged by Monica and Ethiopian Musicians Girum Mezmur and Henock Temesgen. The two Ethiopian musicians also accompanied her during her concert at Alliance Ethio-Française.

Monica was born in Rosario, Argentina and moved to Kibbutz Magal, Israel at an early age and currently lives in Addis Ababa. She has also been known to have performed in different occasions held in Addis Ababa such as in the Holocaust remembrance days.

Apart from Ethiopia Monica has performed in the United States, Italy, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil and Rwanda as well.

“Live and Become” to be screened today at Goethe Institut

In connection with German-Israeli Film week, an Israeli filmmaker, Radu Mihaileanu is scheduled to screen a feature film “Live and Become” at the Goethe Institut here in  Addis Ababa.

The feature film tells the story of black Falashas in Ethiopia. In 1980 the black Falashas in Ethiopia were recognized as genuine Jews by the Jewish community. In turn they were secretly transported to Israel.

The day before the transport the son of a Jewish mother dies. In his place and with his name (Schlomo) she takes a Christian 9-year-old boy. Upon arrival this second mother dies. Schlomo is adopted by a good family but remains depressed until he secretly sends a letter to his real mother.

From the beginning he experiences large and small racist difficulties. In his teens he and Sarah fall in love. Her father is an extreme racist. Schlomo tries to gain "real Jewishness" by winning a competition in Bible interpretation. The film will run for 140 minutes and has English subtitle.

Lamb to be screened at the 2016 New York Jewish Film Festival

Yared Zeleke’s film, Lamb, will premiere in New York City next month on opening night at the 2016 New York Jewish Film Festival. Lamb is the first Ethiopian film to be an official selection at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival and has been the country’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at this year's Oscars.

“Yared Zeleke’s remarkable feature debut tells the story of young Ephraim, who is sent by his father to live among distant relatives after his mother’s death.

Ephraim uses his cooking skills to carve out a place among his cousins, but when his uncle decides that Ephraim’s beloved sheep must be sacrificed for the next religious feast, the boy will do anything to save the animal and return back home.

Before making the critically acclaimed Lamb which is gaining a wide international buzz, the Ethiopian-born American filmmaker, Yared, had produced, directed, and edited several short documentaries including “Allula” and fiction films including “Lottery Boy”. (Tadias)Miss Ethiopia Atti Worku hosted Seed of Africa Foundation’s fund raising event last week in New York City to boost her campaign of building a state-of-the-art education facility in her hometown of Adama, Ethiopia.

To date, the non-profit organization has raised over USD 1.3 million of its total USD 2.2 million goal to fund the creation of the educational institution. “It will meet the most rigorous international academic standards and prepare its students to succeed in high school, college and beyond,” Atti said.

The event celebrated the organization’s mission to educate and nurture children and their families by providing quality education and community development programs in Adama. The Dream School Campaign,” Seeds of Africa Foundation stated that “Featured in WABC, NBC, The Huffington Post, the Wall Street Journal, D Magazine and more, Seeds of Africa is a leading organization offering a successful business model for assisting communities in Africa with the tools to accomplish educational and entrepreneurial development across the continent.”  (Tadias)

Eerie on aspiration through creativity

Eeire is a group of enthused youth, in Addis Ababa, which is on a path to elevate the standards of arts in the already existing environment.

Its members now aspire to impact the culture through creativity. “It aims to create a culture that blends in Ethiopian tones and values with the high end international standards,” one of the members said. He added that the group is planning to make short films, documentaries, graphic novels and hold events to encourage the youth to preserve their own identity whilst promoting and reinventing preexisting arts by scaling new heights.

So, the group announced that it will look forward to work together with young painters, visual artists, musicians and any person with an interest in culture for an up and coming project.

In collaboration with the Addis International Film Festival, the group is also planning to hold a workshop on creative writing from January 25 to January 29, 2016 at National College, Addis Ababa.

Reggae music icons Peter (Peetah) and  Memmalatel (Mr Mojo) of Morgan Heritage are scheduled to perform on January 8 at club H2O. Organized by EML events and CTBC Music this event brings the lead vocalist Peetah and the multitalented percussionist and vocalist Mr Mojo of Morgan Heritage.

Morgan Heritage or usually known as Morgan Heritage family is one of the famous reggae bands in the world which was established in 1994 by five artists.

In their two decades long musical career they were able to release a number of successful reggae albums. Their fame started to rise with their first appearance at Reggae Sun Splash in Jamaica.  In Jamaica Morgan Heritage began working with famed reggae producers resulting in the release of their critically acclaimed second album “Protect Us Jah” followed by “One Calling” and the spiritually inclined “Don’t Haffo Dread”. They were nominated for a Grammy in the Best Reggae Album category for their 2015 album entitled “Strictly Roots”.

Addis Fine Art opens new gallery

Addis Fine Art announced that it will launch its new gallery in Addis Ababa on January 9 with inaugural exhibitions featuring contemporary Ethiopian artists including Dawit Abebe, Workineh Bezu, Tamirat Gezahegne, Yosef Lule, Leikun Nahusenay, Michael Tsegaye and Emanuel Tegegne.

The group exhibition entitled “Addis Calling” celebrates the breadth and depth of an artistic practice in Addis Ababa through the presentation of works by seven contemporary artists who live and work in the capital.

Addis Fine Art represents international artists, with particular focus on modern and contemporary art from Ethiopia and the diaspora. Since its inception in 2013, Addis Fine Art has provided curatorial and advisory services related to Ethiopian modern and contemporary art to international galleries and private collectors.

Founded by Mesai Haileleul a dealer and curator of Ethiopian art and Rakeb Sile a business consultant, the center aims in engaging with Ethiopian artists and the global art market. Addis Fine Art strives to promote Ethiopian art on a global stage.

“If I Only I Were That Warrior” to be screened in New York

The new documentary film on Ethiopia, “If Only I Were That Warrior” will be screened at the Best African Diaspora International Film Festival on January 9, in New York City. The film will be showing at Teachers College, Columbia University as part of the festival’s three-day program from January 8 to January 10 and will be followed by a Q and A with the filmmaker.

 “If Only I Were That Warrior” which was shot in Ethiopia, Italy and the United States narrates personal stories from the Italian Occupation of Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, among Rodolfo Grazian’s numerous crimes against humanity is the brutal Yekatit 12 massacre following a failed assassination attempt against him in February 1937.  Graziani unleashed a war of retribution and terror in Addis Ababa and across the country slaughtering as many as 30,000 Ethiopians and imprisoning many more. The film moves from contemporary debate into the history of the invasion through the work of major historians of colonialism like Angelo Del Boca and Richard Pankhurst.

Digital Fukera gaining momentum in motivating youth digitally

Addis Ababa based musical trio known as Digital Fukera is gaining momentum as they take Ethiopian traditional songs of warrior digital to motivate young people.

According to True Africa the group is making another impressive journey after Ejigayehu Shibabaw a.k.a. Gigi in promoting Ethiopia’s traditional music that helped their forefathers fight Italians in the battle of Adwa and several other battles they had with invaders.

The trio have known each other since high school and have been working on music individually too. They’ve now decided to work together under the name Digital Fukera. ‘Digital’ refers to using technology whilst ‘Fukera’ is an ancient tradition in Ethiopia, a kind of poetry warriors use to motivate each other before heading to battle.

So Digital Fukera basically means using technology to motivate people; they’re all about motivating the youth and self-expression. Moreover, the group is known for their activities in promoting prominent people such as Professor Aklilu Lema, who discovered medicine for Bilharzia.

Having been temporarily closed because of the holiday season, Alliance Ethio-Française is back with Alemayehu Biratu’s Café in Addis exposition being the first event to be held in the year 2016.

Alemayehu Biratu was born in 1985 in Addis Ababa. In 2008, he graduated in Sculpture from Addis Ababa University's School of Fine Arts and Design. He participated in group exhibitions in both Addis Ababa and Hawassa.

Alemayehu is highly inspired by the power of nature and the strong varied feelings it evokes. His presentations and works mainly focus on the café atmosphere: people feeling, people waiting, discussions, meetings and thoughts inside the thousands of café in Addis.

Since cafés have become the main spot for discussing issues that range from the political spectrum to the socio-economic aspects of lives, the exposition is expected to illustrate the cafés as being the most interesting and integral part of peoples' everyday lives.

The exposition will be opened on Thursday 14^th, January 2016 at 6pm.

Selam Music Festival @ Ghion Hotel

The fifth edition of the highly anticipated musical event, Selam Music Festival, will be held on 9th and 10th of January, 2016 at Unity Park of Ghion Hotel.

The launching ceremony of the festival took place at the residence of the Ambassador of Sweden on Friday January 8 in the presence of members of the diplomatic corps in Addis, participating figures, members of the media and other invited guests. The Embassy of Sweden is one of the partners of the event.

This is the fifth edition of Selam Festiva and will feature several solo performers and groups from across the world.

Mahmoud Ahmed, the prominent figure of the event and the upcoming new singer and winner of Balageru Idol, Dawit Tsige are amongst the local entertainers while American musical prodigy Yasiin Bey a.k.a. Mos Def will be presented as a phenomenal guest of the festival. Other musical bands from Sweden, Uganda, Mali and Cameroon will also be playing along with local groups such as the Krar Collective.

Goethe Institut assigns new director in Addis Ababa

Goethe Institut of the German cultural association, which is present in more than 159 countries worldwide, has assigned its new director to Ethiopia.

According to the organization, the newly assigned director is Julia Settler (PhD) arrived in Addis Ababa in the beginning of the New Year to replace her predecessor Irmtraut Hubatsch who served as a director for a long period of time.

The Goethe Institut in Addis Ababa was one of the first to be set up in Africa, back in January 1962. On its 50th anniversary, the Goethe Institut in Addis Ababa can rightfully say of itself that it has contributed to a deeper understanding between the peoples of both countries (Ethiopia and Germany).

It has launched, directed and/or coordinated a great many projects and programs on German and Ethiopian history, sociology, culture and language, in the course of which it has consistently made a point of working closely together with Ethiopian cultural institutions, private initiatives and the broader public.

New documentary on Ethiopia @ African Diaspora Film Festival

A new documentary on Ethiopia entitled “If Only I Were That Warrior” is to be screened at the 23rd Annual African Diaspora Film Festival in New York City on the 9th of January 2016.

The film was shot in Ethiopia, Italy and the United States and narrates personal stories from the 1936–1940 Italian occupation of Ethiopia.

The film was was inspired after the director Valero Ciriaci and producer Isaak Liptizin attended the 2013 panel discussion at New York University concerning the recent unveiling of a statue in Italy honoring the fascist war criminal Rodolfo Graziani—Benito Mussolini’s top enforcer  in Ethiopia during the occupation in the late 1930s.

The 1937 “Yekatit” massacre is the main part of the film featuring the 91 years old Megabi Woldetensae, who back then was an eyewitness at the monastery of Debre Libanos, which is located some 112 km north of the capital, Addis Ababa. More than 30,000 residents of Addis were brutally massacred by the Italian viceroy.

Christmas heralds the onset of the most fascinating festival season in Ethiopia which includes Ethiopian Christmas to be followed by  Epiphany, and the most distinct weddings season across the country. Music remains an essential ingredient in all this since Ethiopians especially enjoy their music around the holidays. It has also become something of a trend for many prominent Ethiopian musicians to release their new albums so close to the holiday season. In fact, Ethiopians await the release of new music singles or albums to come around every holiday. On the other hand, many up-and-coming artists prefer to “drop” their debut albums so close to the holiday season for they know that they would face a better chance of selling their album around holiday times. It is almost as if music has managed to find its way into the long holiday shopping list of Ethiopians over the years.   

However, it looks like this trend has been shifting slightly in recent times as people are becoming more interested in watching music-videos than listening to audio files. And it is all about setting the right mood for the holiday celebration; videos look to be in a position to offer more in this regard. This was indeed caused by the technology advancement as many would like to watch video clips that have both the motion and the audio altogether. However, some still argue that this is a trend caused by the declining quality with those newly-released music albums, even those released by prominent artists. Nonetheless, some of the artists are still keeping their faith in the music-loving community and are coming up with new music around holidays yet with a slight marketing touch that is uniquely featuring the album with at least one track about the holiday.

Interestingly, a couple of musicians have recently released their latest albums after decades. Halima Abdurahman and Wondimu Jirra were known to be amongst the phenomenal Ethiopian young musicians when they came up with their debuts albums more than ten years ago.

For many Ethiopians who live abroad, a new music released on the eve of a holiday is a superb gift that brings life to their detachment from large family which they have left back home. “I remember those new music albums released on the eve of Ethiopian New Year’s Day and Ethiopian Christmas way back when I was in Italy,” Zemzem Neguise, a diaspora returnee says. In those eleven years she spent in exile, Zemzem had some fresh memories of how Ethiopians celebrated holidays just like how they did back home largely thanks to those new music albums released so close to holidays.

Nevertheless, it has never been easy to get timely access of Ethiopian music abroad as there was no distributor, promoter or agent in many countries except the US Ethiopian communities abroad were able to get access to new albums months after their release. And it was only via postal messages or hand delivery that music reached Ethiopians abroad.

These days, however, one Ethiopian music app is expanding its reach in many countries where Ethiopians and Ethiopian music fans can be found. The app, which is named “ArifZefen”, literary translated to mean “nice song”, is keeping music fans up-to-date on Ethiopian music. “We targeted the Ethiopian community in the U.S. at first; but now we are able to reach more than half a million regular listeners around world,” Befikadu Ayenew, developer of the app told The Reporter. According to him, Ethiopian music has difficulty in reaching those in exile although the demand has always been there. It had always been important for diaspora to keep connect with their homeland, particularly during the holiday season; and music is no doubt a prominent instrument to do that.

Nonetheless, this was not possible until the internet era started to dominate the world. Now, every internet and cell phone user can listen to both old and contemporary Ethiopian music easily, he says. Speaking to The Reporter, Befikadu said that the app is ready to feature streaming music media on a cell phone. Over the past four years, the app has been used as an ultimate choice for Ethiopian music collection and it has served millions across the world. “With 18 stations available on the app, users also have the option of selecting a particular genre of Ethiopian music from the categories,” he explained. The app has some five categories that feature traditional Ethiopian songs from all generations, contemporary Ethiopian songs, holiday songs, instrumental songs and liturgical songs. Moreover, it categorizes and sends the most liked songs to users to ease one’s selection problem or assist with listening of the new and upcoming releases.

In addition to helping music fans get tuned into the radio to listen to new music, the app also promotes artists especially those willing to release only one or two songs for free as promotion. More importantly, it will facilitate online sale for Ethiopian artists who have been frustrated in search of dependable local online service to promote their music. He also said that the app is free to download on Iphone but it will soon get it available for other android cellphones. Furthermore, Ethiopian music fans living here could download the app offline when the internet is down to increase the number of users in Ethiopia. “We have a very low number of users inside Ethiopia due to low internet coverage,” he said.

According to Mieraf Tekle, marketing head of  app which they claim to be this first ever online Ethiopian music collection, negotiation is under way with some artists to get them to be compensated in accordance with the royalty fee law for the work of arts and entertainment. But, she says the cyber theft on music is still unsolved to come up with universal agreement. “We have given trainings on online music sale and compensation for some artists in Ethiopia. We want and will remain to be an honest partner to them (musicians),” she said. According to Hailay Tadesse, Ethiopian Audiovisual Producers Association (EAPA), the app will indeed help the music industry to get digital access like any other music worldwide when it finds a common ground to stand on with musicians, producers and promoters, avoiding any possible copyright infringement.

The Ethiopia traditional band, Fendika, is among a group of performers lined up to perform at one of the most prominent festivals in North America, Globalfest, on January 17.

Fendika is one of 12 international groups of performers, including from Mexico and Haiti that are scheduled to be showcased at the annual globalfest concert.

Fendika will kick off their New York City show with an appearance at Bunna Café in Brooklyn on Friday January 15th, ahead of their globalfest performance at Webster Hall in Manhattan on January 17.

Led by the exuberant dancer, Melaku Belay, Fendika draws deep from Ethiopia’s tradition dancing while adding creative movements and sounds.

Over the last decade, Globalfest has become one of the most dynamic global music platforms in North America, growing from an acclaimed festival, encouraging networking and cultural diplomacy.

Artists that participate in its programs represent diverse musical styles from all corners of the globe, ranging from traditional to contemporary, and everything in between.

Alemayehu Esheté to perform @ Alliance Ethio-Françiase

One of Ethiopia’s legendary singers, Alemayehu Esheté, is scheduled to perform on January 16 at the Alliance Ethio-Française.

Alemayehu Esheté began his music career as a vocalist in 1960, going against the advice of his father. Enticed by his performance Retata Demeka (Col.) noticed his talent and eventually enlisted him in the famous Police Orchestra of Addis Ababa. Later, Alemayehu started gaining acceptance from audience around 1961 with a release of his song entitled “Alone and Helpless”.  Meanwhile, meeting another great musician, Girma Beyene, resulted in forming a band named Alem-Girma.

Taking inspiration from the then African-American soul singers and blending it with Ethiopian sound got him a nick name the Ethiopian James Brown. With his captivating stage performance and unique voice he was able to win many hearts in the four decades of his music career.

From 1960 until 1974, he was one of the great voices of that generation along with his compatriots Tilahun Gessese, Bizunesh Bekele and Mahmoud Ahmed.

Addis in Motion @ Ale School of Fine Arts and Design

Addis in Motion was launched with a conference entitled “Perspectives on Change” on January 9th at Ale School of Fine Arts and Design. The conference brought together various experts in the field including Elizabeth Woldegiorgis (PhD), Jepchumba, founder of African Digital Art, Annemarie Bucher (PhD), and Sara A. Yusuf.

The conference examined ways on how art can be a generator of a community, focused on encounter and engagement of the public and women’s place in society.

At the conference many issues were raised including digital art, displacement of people and the changing face of class systems. Addis in motion is a participatory art project inspired by the urbanization of Addis Ababa and the changing place of the women in the society.

The project is operating on multiple levels: conference, project diary, workshop and artistic practice aiming to raise civic consciousness.  This program supports six selected artists to create new artworks in the topic of development. Their final work will be exhibited at Guramayne Art Center.

Lamb gets American distributor

With its spectacular cinematography and solid storytelling the award-winning Ethiopian film, Lamb, continues to generate international buzz while making its US debut at the 2016 Palms Springs International Film Festival in California earlier this month as well as at the New York Jewish Film Festival on Wednesday evening.

Brooklyn based company KimStim has likely announced that they have acquired distribution rights to the film in the US and plan a theatrical release in spring 2016.

Variety magazine named the director, Yared Zeleke, as one of its “10 screenwriters to watch” as Lamb became the first Ethiopian film to be screened at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and at various film festivals around the world.

The Los Angeles Times noted that Lamb “is a vision of Ethiopia that the average American might not expect; craggy emerald peaks, picturesque villages, a priest blessing the family for a festive religious celebration.”

The soundtrack to the film include music by Krar Collective and Debo Band (Tadias)

Adjacent Ginfle River a small restaurant having no name caters to students, teachers and faculty members of the Ale School of Fine Arts and Design. This small bistro is very much intertwined with the community. The humble owner, Emuye, is usually engaged in checking the blood pressure of one of her customers, knitting a laptop case or inviting some of her customers for a mahiber. The place is filled with laughter and one fascinating thing is that the price of food is modest in every sense of the word. For instance, one can have a food called Arsenal (spicy firfir) for 18 birr.

Since the food is affordable and the place being filled with familiar faces, many of the the patrons go there seven days a week. Dining and having coffee is the usual scene at the place but last week around 7pm something new was taking place –  there was a video screening on the gate of the small café. Surrounded by pedestrians, the organizers of Addis International video Art festival were hanging a gabi that will serve as a screen for projecting the films.

The pedestrians stopped to watch the moving pictures and though there was enthusiasm from the crowd, there was also a confusion in understanding what the whole thing was. The organizers were trying to describing what video art is; moving pictures in a visual and audio medium. Video art came into existence during the late 1960s and early 1970s as new consumer video technology became available outside corporate broadcasting.

The art is named after the original analog video tape, which was most commonly used recording technology in the form's early years. With the advent of digital recording equipment, many artists began to explore digital technology as a new way of expression.

One of the key differences between video art and theatrical cinema is that video art does not necessarily rely on many of the conventions that define theatrical cinema.

Pushing the boundary, video art gives a vast platform to experiment. Video art can take many forms, footages from broadcasts, installations viewed in galleries or museums; works streamed online, and performances that may incorporate one or more television sets, video monitors, and projections, displaying live recorded images and sound. Video art does not necessarily rely on many of the conventions that define theatrical cinema; that might not use actors, may contain no dialogue, may have no narrative or ploy or adhere to any of the other conventions that generally define motion pictures. Growing in popularity, nowadays smartphones like the iPhone are using augmented reality applications to alter the way art is perceived.

One of the short films that were screened during this occasion is entitled “Prodigal”. Capturing candid street scenes in urban Romania, this bleak and surprising documentary tracks the relationship between filmmaker Livia Ungur and the place she used to call home. Filming with a long lens from a great distance, Livia and collaborator Sherng-Lee observed strangers and tried to read their lips. From there fragments of conversation, Livia’s own story emerges. “Prodigal” is a self-reflexive critique of the documentary form, a poetic evocation of urban loneliness, and a melancholy meditation on being home and leaving home.

This screening was part of Addis International Video Art Festival, which took place for ten days from December 23, 2015 to January 3, 2016 in various venues in the city. Addis Ababa is currently in the midst of a massive transformation. It is expanding drastically with over a quarter of its current residents being relocated to new neighborhoods. Old communities are disappearing and new ones are forming. Paralleling to the current state of the city, Addis Video Art Festival presented works that explore and interpret the idea of a “new home” whether it is an external literal physical home, an internal psychological home or a cyber home.

Creating access to the community, the films were screened throughout the city in a variety of locations including tej bets, supermarkets, public centers and neighborhood hangout spots to mention a few.

Amist Kilo is one of the areas in Addis Ababa that is earmarked for redevelopment. And in the heart of the neighborhood is Jimma Tej Bet– an inexpensive bar that serves traditional Ethiopian wine made from honey. The place is filled with laughter. Loud music is playing and clients are taking a sip of their tej. The customary scene of the tejbet was disrupted by the screening of the videos – a move which was not welcomed by some. The murmurs grew while some were eagerly watching the projector being hanged in the middle of the walk way. Some of them were fretful and were saying, “foreigners are making money by recording us” while others were enthusiastically watching the screen sipping their tej. Though some of the audiences at the tejbet were resistant to the process, in contrast, the passersby at the Ethiopian National Theater were watching the screening calmly. One of the eye catching movies was a film by 20-year-old Palestinian Mahidi Flefiel entitled “Handshakes for Peace”. The film depicts the historic handshake between the late Yasser Arafat of Palestine and Yitzhak Rabin of Israel.

Selected from various countries all over the world, some of the films gave a unique insight on how one perceives home. One of these types of films is Francois Knoetze’s Cape Mongo. Cape Mongo follows the stories of three characters as they journey through Cape Town. Each Mongo character is made from the city’s discarded waste-mythical ‘trash creatures’ which have emerged from the growing dumps of consumer culture. From postmodern shopping malls to the bustling streets of the Bo Kaap to leafy suburbia and desolate shipping-container yards, these characters’ journey conjure up imagery that touches on some of the historical trajectories that have lead up the endemic inequality and social alienation which characterize present day Cape Town. Apart from the international selections, Ethiopian films such as “The Enigma of the New and the Modern”, “Grounded in Movement”, “Inside Out” and “the Newest Flower” were some of the short films that were screened during this occasion.

The 3rd edition of Guma Film Award is scheduled to kick off on February 29, at the Ethiopian National Theater. In this year’s edition around 93 films were submitted and 26 films have made it to the last round.

In a press conference this week held at the Golden Tulip Hotel, the founder of Guma Award, Yonas Birhane Mewa, expressed that this year’s participation increased by 30 films where about 120 jury members comprised of all stakeholders were selected to go through the process.

The selected films will be contending in 18 different categories when certain criteria such as at least one month screen duration, and certification of approval from license approving government offices are put into consideration. The winners will benefit from acknowledgment and opportunities of participating in international film festivals in different parts of the world. According to Yonas, last year’s winners were invited to participate in The San Francisco Black Film Festival though it was a short notice for them.

Ephrem Seyoum’s poetry book @ Wabi Shebelle Hotel

Ephrem Seyoum, one of the youngest and highly acclaimed contemporary Ethiopian poets, is set to inaugurate his latest poetry book on Wednesday at Wabi Shebelle Hotel.

Ever since his debut poetry book, which Ephrem has written more than a decade ago, hit the shelves he has been one of the most popular authors of his generation.

Born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ephrem is known to have acquired the liturgical literature education that hugely helped him to write his poems in powerful Amharic language.

Beyond his solo poetry night he has held in various venues in Addis Ababa and other towns, Ephrem has collaborated with other poets and authors who presented their poetic nights accompanied by jazz music. His new poetry collection entitled “Nu Gidgida Enafirs, loosely translated as “Come! Let us demolish the wall”, is expected to impact the book market that has been dominated by political and historical books written by veteran politician who have dominated the county’s politics for many years.

Liya Kebede’s Lemlem to feature in Super Bowl Collection

Lemlem, a brand designed by Ethiopian supermodel Liya Kebede, is set to be featured in the historic Super Bowl 50 collection to take place in the San Francisco Bay area in the coming February.

According to Tadias Magazine in New York, the designer footballs were developed through collaboration between the National Football League (NFL) and the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). Time Magazine also reported that two organizations have collaborated on 50 bespoke designer footballs that will be up for auction from January 20 through February 14 on the NFL Auction Site with proceeds going to the NFL foundation. The Lemlem brand founded by Liya Kebede some years ago produces Ethiopian hand-woven cotton scarves, women’s clothing, and children’s dresses made by traditional artisans in Ethiopia. The CDF’s director, Adam Roth hailed the collaboration that the NFL will offer a unique take on the iconic football, particularly for women who care about fashion and have love for the game.

Robel Temesgen's work @ Tiwani Art Gallery in London

Ethiopian artist Robel Temesgen has been exhibiting his first ever art exhibition at the Tiwani Contemporary Art Gallery in London.

Robel’s paintings depict the traditional belief inspired by Adbar, a distinguished place for sacrifice amongst the other traditional believers in the country. These paintings thoroughly take ones imagination in to the longstanding custom that tells about traditional beliefs on how protective spirits are linked to mother nature.

Speaking to Focus on Africa, Robel explained places such as rivers, lakes, mountains and aged-trees are common places where such a connection occurs in many parts of the country.

His first ever UK exhibition will stay until February 6 as Robel is expecting a number of visitors would arrive in one of the grater art exhibitions venues in the world that offers spaces for emerging and established artists from around the globe and especially from Africa.

Temsegen is a contemporary Ethiopian artist who grew up in Dessie town of the Amhara Regional State.

The 71st birthday anniversary of the legendary reggae icon, Bob Marley, is scheduled to take place at Ambassador Park on February 6, 2016 with a gate fee of 300 birr.

The concert, which is entitled “Reggae Movement” is a tribute to the legacy of reggae’s ever shining star. Organized by Tenayistelegn Entertainment and Event’s Organizer, international and local famous reggae artists are lined up to perform on the birthday of their inspirational Jamaican icon.

Some of the international lineup include, Teddy Dan, Japila, Laovosti, Ras Seyoum and the Ethiopian reggae artistes who will perform in stage are Jah Lude, Ras Jani, Jhonny Ragga, Mehari Brothers and Geez Root Band.

Since his passing on the 11th of May 1981 in the United States, Bob Marley’s legend looms larger than ever, as evidenced by an ever lengthening list of  accomplishments attributable to his music. Since the 60th birthday anniversary held in Addis Ababa in 2005 this concert is considered to be big, according to the organizers.

Teddy Afro to collaborate with Grammy winning composer

Ethiopian pop star Tewdros Kassahun a.k.a. Teddy Afro is expected to collaborate with Grammy winning American pianist, composer and critical musicologist at Syracuse University.

Teddy Afro, who has been widely considered as a phenomenal pop star in the current Ethiopian music industry to subdue millions of music fans at home and abroad, is currently in the United State discussing his music deal.

According to sources, he visited the American Grammy award wining composer James Gordon Williams at his studio in New York to discuss the possible deal of working on his upcoming album.

Teddy Afro is said to have been working on his fifth studio album and is aiming to come up with a certain special tune to gain a worldwide audience. His last studio album dubbed Tikur Sew (Black Man) was released five years ago and he is aspiring to come up with another hit album. Despite his controversial fame he enjoyed over the decade he still remains most popular.

Tariku Shiferaw’s paintings @ Trestle Gallery

An emerging artist who hails from Ethiopia, Tariku Shiferaw, is going to exhibit his works at Trestle Gallery, in Brooklyn, New York as part of a group exhibition entitled Introductions 2016—is fascinated by contradiction, glitches, interruptions and disagreement in a system.

“I investigate intricate moments in our existence that appear to be one way, but at a closer look it can perceived and interpreted in many other ways,” he said. Tariku, who was born in Addis Ababa and raised in Los Angeles, where he completed his undergraduate degree in Fine Arts at the University of Southern California moved to New York in 2013 to pursue a master degree in Fine Arts. Influenced by his former instructor Tariku says that his instructor was the reason behind his will to go far in his career.

“He was my commercial arts instructor during my sophomore year, but eventually became a friend and a mentor for the rest of my life, he told Tadias Magazine.

(Tadias)

Bewketu Seyoum’s new book expects record sale

Ethiopia’s most admired contemporary author, Bewketu Seyoum’s new book entitled Ke Amen Bashager, loosely translated as “Beyond Amen” is said to become a bestseller, according to his fans and booksellers in Addis Ababa.

Beweketu, who critically and cleverly assorts his humorous prose within social and political perceptions of millions lives in the country, has widely been recognized as most popular writer of his time over the past decade.

He is currently in the United States where he is releasing his latest book, which is now expected to see record sales here. According to Wazema Radio, which recently interviewed the author, many booksellers have been waiting for the arrival of the book to earn the first profits. Labeled by some a being a “liberal politician” Bewketu has written his political views in much facetious style in different news papers and blogs to promote free talk and expression. This new book is expected to end his eight years of absence from publishing.

Ras Kwintseb and his band Aeti+oPHrica, in connection with the 71st birthday celebration of the legendary reggae star, Bob Marely, performed yesterday at the Alliance Ethio-Française.

Ras Kwintseb, who is known as a popular reggae singer, has lived in Ethiopia for a decade in Shashemene. The town of Shashemene has been a home to the Rastafarian community since 1948.

Kwintseb, who has played with different reggae bands in Jamaica and Ethiopia for more than forty years has a distinguished character of walking bare-feet to honor the land he calls “holy”.

Kwintseb is also known for his style of playing harmonica along with his bass in live musoc shows. Since establishing his own band with Jamaican and Ethiopian musicians, Kwintseb has performed in many places in Addis Ababa and other towns over the last five years. His concert at Alliance Ethio-Française was another night of reggae shows in the city that honored the legend by erecting his statute a few months ago.

Review on Bedlu Wakejira’s new book “Yaltekefele Silet”

Goethe-Institut, National Archives and Library Agency and Enat Advertising will hold a book review session on a book by Bedlu Wakejira (PhD) at the auditorium of the National Archives and Library Agency on Sunday, February 7.

Bedlu is a lecturer at the College of Humanities and Language Studies at Addis Ababa University and is one of the renowned poets and authors in the academia. His new book titled “Yaltekefele Silet” is his fifth publication to his poem collection.

Loosely translated as “Unpaid Debt of Gratitude” the book is to be reviewed by critic Tewdros Atlaw. Afterward authors’ suggestions is to be followed, according to Goethe-Institut.

Bedlu, 50, has been a popular poet and author in the academia where only a few scholars are known to write and criticize literary works. “Hager” (Motherland) is his most popular poem published a few years back, which got him critical acclaim from those who staunchly appreciate the legacy of former patriots and their way of thinking.

Popular children’s television series commences new episodes

Thirty nine new episodes of the popular children’s television and radio series, Tsehai Loves Learning was launched on Thursday at the newly inaugurated Oromo Cultural Center.

Tsehai Loves Learning—Healthy Whiz Kids is a new effort of Whiz Kids Workshop that aims to help reduce child mortality in Ethiopia through health literacy among children and parents.

During the launch of the new episodes, US ambassador, Patricia Haslach, said: “We know education is one of the best ways to bring an end to preventable deaths and therefore Tsehai and her friends are enhancing children and parent’s knowledge and positive attitudes in areas crucial for children.”

Whiz Kids Workshop is one of Ethiopia’s leading social enterprises and has been engaged in production and distribution of educational media for children and youth in local languages since 2005.

“The results are better than we had hoped for. I’m excited by the possibility of saving children’s lives with Tsehai (puppet),” Bruktawit Tigabu, CEO of Whiz Kids, said.

Ethiopian Fashion Week kicks off @ Millennium Hall

The Ethiopian Fashion Week is scheduled to kick off at the Millennium Hall today. The event will stay open for four days.

According to the organizers of the event, this year’s fashion week expects a number of participants from the fashion industry where prominent designers, models and modeling agencies are expected to take part.

Since Ethiopia is endowed with many cultures and communities who have their own color of fashion, this fashion week will help them bring it to the limelight, the organizers said in a statement.

Last year, a similar event, Hub of Africa Fashion Week, was held at the same venue to inspire the local fashion industry players so that this can be considered as a continuation of the international fashion week, which highly promoted the local fashion on the international stage.

The organizers, who claim that Ethiopia’s fashion is gaining huge attention globally, insist that more local fashion shows should be organized to inspire young designers and models.

The Embassy of France in partnership with BGI Ethiopia and the French Horseback Club will present the International Show Jumping at French embassy in Addis Ababa on February 14.

The French embassy said that the aim of the show is to promote the French equestrian trend in Ethiopia where horse riding is almost a similar trend with France, but mostly it is practiced in the rural areas.

Equestrian travel was reborn and is most highly developed. Ride leaders in France must take long courses and pass exams on leading riding tours and horsemanship. The countryside in many parts of France is unspoiled and beautiful with many rights-of-way kept open which makes riding through it on horseback a real pleasure. Riding trails in France usually avoid paved roads.

Spectacular castles, walled towns and ancient monasteries are everywhere. It is a thrill to ride into a castle courtyard on horseback like a traveler of old, hence showing this trend in Ethiopia will motivate the local riders.

Exhibition to commemorate 100 anniversary of the death of Alfred Ilg

Goethe-Intitut-Addis Ababa is scheduled to open an exhibition in connection with the 100th anniversary of the death of the renowned Swiss engineer Alfred Ilg from February 13, 2016 to the February 23, 2016 at Modern Art Museum—Gebrekristos Desta Center. Alfred Ilg was born in 1854 in Frauenfeld, Switzerland and studied engineering at the federal polytechnicum in Zurich. When Menelik II, the then King of Shoa and later Emperor of Ethiopia, called upon foreign technicians and craftsmen to serve at his court, Alfred Ilg took the opportunity and left Switzerland in 1878 at the age of twenty-five.

After an arduous, eight-month long journey, the young and adventurous Alfred Ilg arrived in Ethiopia in 1879 and instead of the planned two years, he stayed for over a quarter century.

Over time, Alfred Ilg was promoted to State Minister and became one of the most renowned European experts about Ethiopia of his time to become chief technical officer of the railway construction.

Ethiopian-born fashion designer catching the scene in the US

Twenty nine years old Ethiopian American fashion designer and architect Azmara Assefa's laser-cut jackets have reportedly become popular to ventilate the hot summer days.

Named after her name, Azmara Assefa, the collection featured in last October’s Phoenix Fashion Week—following a four month bootcamp session offering training in fashion business and marketing—and selected as one of 13 best emerging fashion designers in the United States.

Moreover, her designs stood out as one of most technology driven fashion lines, according to reports. Azmara had prepared several pieces for smaller scale collections before recently rolling out her full and impressive spring/ summer 2016 collection designed by her womenswear company based in Los Angeles with all materials made and assembled in America fair trade factories.

“Fashion was always loved,” Azmara told the US-based Tadias Magazine. Having attended Miami University in Ohio where she majored in architecture, Azmara has always been looking to blend the esthetic value of fashion and architecture.

Couples to donate blood on Valentines Day

Shadiem Media and Communication in partnership with the Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) have finalized their preparations to enable some five hundred couples donate blood to the society on Valentine's Day, tomorrow.

Henok Yirga, general manager of Shadiem Media and Communications PLC, told The Reporter that last year they were able to gather more than three hundred couples who were willing to donate blood on the day of lovers. Under a motto titled “Our gift on Valentines Day” this practice has been popular amongst couples for the past one year only.

“I think nothing will go wrong when you do something human in every time,” he added. When Valentines Day will be celebrated on Sunday in different occasions in Addis Ababa thousands of couples are expected to wear red and this has become quite a controversial trend amongst the society.

However, some social activities being carried out in connection with the date will see the criticism a little more eased.

Alliance Ethio-Française has presented an art exhibition of paintings by Daniel Asfaw from February 10th to February 25.

A graduate of Alle School of Fine Arts and Design, Addis Ababa University, Daniel Asfaw's painting has always been inspired by the experience of life. His meeting with his teacher and mentor, Tadesse Mesfin, has also been a decisive one that he tamed his growth obtaining the right mentorship to devote his entire life to art.

Hailing from a rural background, he enjoys portraying that environment through realistic paintings of the picturesque Ethiopian countryside. He explores his own ideas without any outsides influences.

“Getting closer to one of my best painters of the country already gave me an insightful focus on my work,” he said.

As a young artist, Daniel is exploring the art scene in the country to follow in his instructor’s footsteps and other renowned artists to leave his distinctive print in his upcoming artistic career.

The Weeknd wins two Grammy Awards

During the 58th Grammy Awards held in Los Angles last Monday, Abel Tesfaye a.k.a. The Weeknd won two Grammy Awards for Best R&B Performance and Best Urban Contemporary Album dubbed Beauty Behind the Madness. His blockbuster sophomore album, Beauty Behind the Madness, yielded seven Grammy nominations, including record and album of the year, along with an Academy Award nod for “Earned It”, which appeared on the sound track for the 2015 hit “Fifty Shades of Grey”, The Los Angles Times noted in a recent profile of Abel. “Tesfaye’s breakout year is that much more remarkable given how unlikely a pop star he was,” LA Times wrote. The Ethio-Canadian singer debuted in 2011 with a trilogy of mixtapes that helped usher in a wave of artistes who eschewed conventional R&B boundaries in favor of edgier production. The Weeknd’s chart-topping hit “Earned It,” is also nominated for the 2016 Oscars in the original Song category.

Ethiopia’s popular pop star to tribute John Robinson

Ethiopian musical sensation, Tewdros Kassahun a.k.a. Teddy Afro, has promised that  he will be remembering the black American aviator who fought Italy on Ethiopia's side during Ethio-Italian war 1935-1941. John Charles Robinson (Col.) also known as the Brown Condor of Ethiopia for his remarkable mission he took in helping Ethiopia remain undefeated, is also considered founder of the Imperial Air Force and played a vital role in setting up the aviation service in the country.

According to Yahoshua Israel, author of “The Lion and The Condor” Teddy said that he will remember him in his upcoming album, which is expected to get extra popularity across the country.

“We must remember him. He fought for us and died here,” Teddy told the author. Teddy Afro’s upcoming fourth studio album being composed here and abroad and is gaining much attention after the previous album dubbed “Tikur Sew”. Teddy is well0known for remembering past heroes.

Lij Michael’s new hip hop album release party @ club H2O

One of Ethiopian famous hip hop artistes, Lij Michael’s album release party was held at Club H2O on Friday. Lij Michael  released his debut album early this year to inspire the young hip hop artists in Ethiopia.

“Zare Yihun Nege”, loosely translated as Either Today or Tomorrow, has gained success in the Ethiopian hip hop music industry, which some already gave up due to the conservative nature of Ethiopian society towards the music genre. In his recent interview with The Reporter Lij Michael said that the hip-hop music has now become more familiar with Ethiopian audience because of the change in the lyrics.

“We were mimicking their [Western rappers] lyrics and lifestyle failing to comprehend the society we are living in,” he said. Eventually, his single “Zemenay Marye” became popular and is being played in different nightclubs and FM stations. Lij Michael’s album release party was organized by Jorka Events.

The African Union Commission in collaboration with the Nile Project has organized a musical concert to introduce the AU Project 2016.

The event which took place on 24 February 2016 at the African Union’s Amphitheater was a crowd puller. The concert was aimed at raising awareness on the theme of the year 2016, “African year of Human Rights with a particular focus on the Rights of Women”. The 2016 AU theme was launched by the Heads of State and Government during the 26th AU Summit which was held from 21-31 January 2016 at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Furthermore, the Nile Project Musical Concert was the first among many activities planned for the duration of 2016 to celebrate the theme of the year. The Nile Project comprises of 33 musicians from 10 Nile Basin countries. The Nile Project is an organization whose mission is to inspire, inform and empower Nile citizens to collaboratively cultivate the sustainability of their shared ecosystem.

Berhan Asmamaw’s Hidden Light exhibition @ Alliance  Ethio-Française

One of Ethiopia’s emerging artists, Berhan Asmamaw, is scheduled to show case his work at Alliance Ethio-Française in a solo exhibition that will open on March 3rd through to the 14th.

Berhan had both graduated and lectured in Addis Ababa University’s School of Fine Arts. This is not the fist showcase for Berhan. So far, he presented his artistic works in several venues both solo and together with other artists. Berhan’s new presentation dubbed Hidden Light depicts his life and observations in his career.

According to Alliance Ethio-Française, his new work features emotion and modesty, values which characterize Berhan’s paintings. Structured by converging lines, emphasizing the contrast of forms and colors, his works will be letting many to see between a soft and relaxing atmosphere, stated the press release that Alliance sent via email. Berhan’s paintings are mostly acrylic-on-canvas as he did on Black light previously. Berhan was born and brought up in Addis Ababa and he is also former alumni of Menelik II high school.

Jah Cure to perform @ Tropical Gardens

Jamaican reggae star Jah Cure is scheduled to arrive in Addis today to perform at Tropical Gardens tonight.

Currently, well known in the music industry, Jah Cure’s first big break came in March 1997 when he released the single "King in this Jungle" which was a duet with Sizzla. He then released a steady stream of singles that won him critical and popular acclaims. Beres Hammond eventually took Cure under his tutelage and began mentoring him and producing his music in the studio. In November 1998, while driving around Montego Bay, Cure was pulled over by the police and arrested on charges of gun possession, robbery and rape, and was released from jail in 2008. His album The Cure was released in July 2015. It topped the Billboard Reggae Albums chart in its first week of release, and he was nominated for a Grammy Award for best reggae album this year. Ethiopian reggae artists will also be accompanying him tonight.

Ethio Youth Festival @ Fana Park in Bole

Second edition of Ethio-Youth Festival is scheduled to take place today and tomorrow at Kebele 23 compound aka Fana Park, located around Bole behind the Millennium Hall. The Festival will be hosted by Micky Alem, a popular young music show host on EBS America.

Micky is a young TV personality who gaining acceptance among youth demography in Ethiopia. He left for the US at young age and pursued high school in Maryland. Having hosted the Ethio-Music show on EBS (Ethiopian Broadcasting Service) he has been very popular in Ethiopia and America, particularly among the youth demography. Aiming at inspiring his youth followers in Ethiopia, Micky is back in Addis to hold a two day festival for hip-hop music and performances. The festival will feature live music band, local and international young DJs, circus, talent show, pranks, skateboarding completion, fashion show and workshop. Moreover, exhibitions and motivational speeches by youth will be featured on festival. According to organizers, this will be the second edition of the festival.

The Goethe-Institut, Addis Ababa and the National Archives and Library of Ethiopia will hold a book review tomorrow afternoon at the hall of National Archives and Library.

The book, which is entitled “Yehiwote Tarik” translated to English as my personal account, was written by the late acclaimed historian and Ethiopian diplomat, Tekle Tsadik Mekuria. Teke Tsadik has been widely regarded as a modern historian who extensively wrote on the modern history of starting with Emperor Tewodros II, Emperor Yohannes IV, Emperor Menilek II to Emperor Haile Selassie I.

Tekle Tsadik, who had spent three years of detention in Somalia after being deported by the Italian occupation forces during the Second Ethio-Italian war, served his country in various diplomatic capacities, including as Ethiopian ambassadors to France, India and the then the former Czechoslovakia.

Born in Akodada, North Shoa, Tekle Tsadik came to Addis Ababa as a young man, and attended the prestigious Teferi Mekonen School. Tekletsadik died in 2000 at the age of 87.

Second annual ZAAF shopping soiree

ZAAF, a well-acclaimed brand of leather collection and products introduced by Ethio-American designer Abay Schulze, is scheduled to present the second shopping soiree on March 12, 2016 at its workshop located behind Shalla Public Park.

ZAAF is a collection of premium leather goods and accessories handcrafted by artisans in Ethiopia. The company was conceived with the goal of creating new economic opportunities by leveraging local resources.

Integrating ageless geometric patterns created on traditional looms with leather, ZAAF considers these types of deep resources and applies innovative approaches and process improvements to support and help traditional handicrafts industry blossom to cater to the global market without compromising their natural and cultural identity.

Showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the homeland in the Spring/Summer 2016 Collection, ZAAF has been widely accepted in the US and Europe. It is also recognized in various ways, ranging from appearing on runways at New York Fashion Week to being featured in Elle, Lucky and Vogue, to receiving the 2014 UNESCO Tremplin Prize for Entrepreneurship.

The Weeknd, Future to collaborate in new video

Grammy winning Ethio-Canadian artist, The Weeknd a.k.a. Abel Tesfaye, and Future went behind the cameras to shoot the music video for their collaborative single “Low Life.”

Future shared a clip from the set on his Snapchat last night showing the Canadian crooner. The Atlanta rapper is currently in the middle of his Purple Reign tour.

The video will likely include a cameo from French Montana who was also spotted on the set.

Future released his new album EVOL last month which debut at No. 1 on Billboard 200 chart. This marks his third No. 1 album in less than a year. Future is dropping more music than anyone in the game right now. Last month he announced that he has three R&B albums worth of music to be released this year.

The single “Low Life” is currently number 53 on Billboard Hot 100 and climbing. Future will also be performing on Saturday Night Live for the first time this weekend.

Aida Muluneh @ David Kurt Projects in NYC

Aida Muluneh's first solo exhibition at David Kurt Projects gallery in New York City opened this week.

The exhibition entitled The World is 9 “consists of a selection of images from a brand new series of photographic works in which she question life, love, history, and whether we can live in this world with full contentment,” the Manhattan-based David Kurt Porjects said.

“I am not seeking answers but asking provocative questions about the life that we live – as people, as nations as beings,” Aida said.

Aida received her BA in film, radio, and television from Howard University in 2001. She has worked freelance since then, also founding DESTA (Developing and Educating Societies Through the Arts).

Her work has been exhibited at the National Museum of African Art in Washington, DC. She is the 2007 recipient of the European Union Prize in the Rencontres Africaines de la Photographie, in Bamako, Mali. As well as the 2010 winner of the CRAF International Award of Photography in Spilimbergo, Italy.

The Goethe Institut in Addis Ababa opened an exhibition on climate change on  Wednesday.

The exhibition “ART-iculation: Contexts of climate change”, which is curated by Mifta Zeleke, shows the perspectives of two Ethiopian artists namely Tamrat Gezahegn and Dereje Demissie. Tamrat's recent works are focused on the essences of indigenous knowledge and practices. As one of the least acculturated forms of life, indigenous way of living demonstrates its own peculiar characteristics.

The features of the indigenous culture, wisdom, knowledge, aura, its resonance and dissonance with the modern thinking etc. with regards to climate change is one aspect of the exhibition from the vista of Tamrat's works. Dereje's artistic grip has so far been focused on the realization of the liaison among landscape, identity and human influence. The way one's identity is shaped; the role of the landscape (not limited to the land-form but also related to vegetation, sea level, temperature etc. and the dimensions of human influence are all apparent.

Dawit Eklund in the making of exciting dance music production

According to The Washington Post, Ethiopian-born Dawit Eklund has emerged as one of Washington DC’s most exciting dance music producers.

Dawit Eklund was one of those Beltway kiddos whose parents’ careers required the family to spend big chunks of his childhood abroad—in Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and elsewhere. Now, at the age of 25, Eklund has emerged as one of Washington DC's most exciting dance music producers—but it is not because he is splicing styles from around the globe, it is because he spent a lot of his young life learning how to communicate with different kinds of people across the world.

Eklund’s music—most of which has been released on 1432 R, a record label he founded with pals in the District—always seems to radiate genuine human warmth, even when it sounds cool, dirty, skittish or raw. It is also distinctive—so much so that Dawit Eklund and 1432 R have been generating attention on distant corners of the planet.

Jams Addis calls it a day after two and a half years

One of the phenomenal nightlife spots in Addis Ababa, Jams Addis, has called it a day with last week’s farewell show by Sidney Salmon.

According to Abraham Shiferaw, owner and manger of the club, Jams Addis has come through a challenging course over the past few months in connection with rent pay rise. “We have already said goodbye to our esteemed customers and reggae fans saying that it has become difficult to stay tuned anymore,” he told The Reporter. Over the past two and half years, Jams Addis happened to be a place where most exiting reggae nights have passed with local and international reggae artists rocking the joint. According to Abraham, Jams Addis has no intention of coming back to business until something unexpected happens to heat the business up.

Last Saturday was the closure night as Sidney Salmon and the Imperial Majestic band staged an exhilarating show to leave fans and patrons of the club with a lasting memory of the past.

EBS music host, Micky Alem hospitalized

Ethiopian Broadcasting Service (EBS) music video show host, Micky Alem has been hospitalized in the United States. The young host has become extremely popular for his humorous remarks on video clips. Born and raised in Addis Ababa, Micky Alem moved to the United States at the young age to pursue his high school education.

According to the director of the show, he is doing well in the hospital after a few days of medication. The director also disproved the rumors that went viral on the social media about the exacerbated health condition of his colleague.

He further stated that the host will soon get back to his studio passing the final examination in the coming week but he said that the host has asked his fans to pray to God.

Micky Alem recently came to Addis Ababa to organize Ethio-Youth Festival that took place last month at Bole 23 Fana Public Park. Micky Alem is also known to be a DJ.

Born in Niger and raised in Senegal, Ismael Lo has been known as one of the prominent West African musicians. The Mandingo music and culture icon’s next stop is Addis Ababa where he will be performing his West African music live on Sunday at the Alliance Ethio-Franćaise.

Ismael still spends a lot of time building guitars and to play with his cousins. In 1970, at the death of his father, Ismail spent two years at the Institute of Arts in Dakar where he perfects his other talent, painting.

Meanwhile, he began a singing career after being spotted on a television show. With his harmonica and guitar, Ismael Lô has given the hectic Senegalese mbalax a cool tempo, a more melodic sound sometimes close to rythm'n'blues. An endearing character, he now travels the world since he was signed with Polygram. His hit "Tajabone" has made him known to the general public, while he was previously only known by fans of world music.

Concert @ Alliance Ethio-Franćaise by Daniel Goldaracena

Versatile Mexican musician, Daniel Goldaracena is scheduled to perform live at the Alliance Ethio-Franćaise today at 6:30.

Sound artist composer, sound engineer and photographer made important recordings in collaboration with various artists throughout his career. His extensive experience in the field of recording arts has allowed him to develop an extensive knowledge of different recording techniques. He has been focused on the preparation of a book of sounds music and images from different countries such as Cuba, China, Iran Pakistan, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Morocco, Ethiopia, Bolivia and different regions of Mexico. Daniel Goldaracena shows a series of Ethiopian sound plates. This collection of audio and visual photographs is an invitation to watch and listen in new ways Ethiopia’s vast and mysterious culture. He is based in Antwerp, Belgium right now recording and mixing lives sounds for various international musicians. According to, the Alliance Ethio-Francaise, Daniel’s performance will benefit Ethiopian composers and mixing and sound engineers more that the audience.

Film on the life of Ethiopian legendary music composer

For many Ethiopians Emahoy Tsige Gebru appears to be a nun who has never experienced the outside world except a monastery. She, however, has a very interesting story; she is the first woman music composer in Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian nun pianist now will see her glittering career in a movie being made on her life. Emahoy Tseige traveled in three continents and played music in nine decades. At 93, she still touches the keys of a piano to reignite the faded memories of those epic compositions on Ethiopian liturgical and cultural music. A concert pianist of the monastic life, Emahoy Tsige Gebru first introduced to the public through publishing her recordings in the 1970’s in Italy. Nevertheless her little known musical career better explored when Buda music recorded her solo composition to become a famous pianist nun across the world.

According to the New York-based Tadias magazine, her foundation is producing the movie collaborating with an international studio.

Entertainment night at Laphto Mall

In an attempt to resurrect nightlife of Addis Ababa which is getting cheerless after a couple of weeks of lent season, Laphto Mall has opened its doors for entertainment and concert today.

Fidel Band will feature young and famous local musicians tonight while several comedians will be part of the night with more cheerful evening filled with laughter. The event is organized by HE Promotions and Events in collaboration with TMT Entertainment. According to the organizers, this will not be a one-time-event. In fact, same events will continually take place in other night spots of the city. This is an attempt to give choice for those night goers who have not been satisfied with the nightspots of the city that happened to be a little somber during the beginning of the biggest Ethiopian Orthodox Church fasting season. This lent season is supposed to have impacted the nightlife in Addis at least for a few weeks of the total 55 days.

 The French artist Laure Bontaz presented her one woman show entitled: “Laurete de Paname” on March 24, 2016 at the Alliance Ethio-Française here in Addis Ababa.

A show of explosive strength and boundless energy that blends singing, dancing, with slapstick humor comedy is also highlighted by sophisticated stage designing and interaction with the audience in attendance.

Laure’s inspiration draws from her Parisian admiration that explores the various neighborhoods of Paris. The piece depicts with portraits in different colors from the grissette of bohemian Paris to the little hen; from the half-worldly salons to the French Cancan dancer; from the revolutionary barricades to the bourgeoisie of saint-German –des-pres; from the lead dancer of the great music hall to the modern day Parisian woman.

This vibrant work traces, the humble or grandiose lives of these Parisian born or adopted universally admired women, which still create today, a series of fantasies in the imagination and tells that Paris is often associated to love and women.

Dance and theater performance @ Alle School of Fine Arts and Design

A dance and theater performance entitled: “No Woman Behind” will be presented on April 8, 2016 at Alle School of Fine Arts and Design.

No Woman Behind is a dance and theater project, which empowers young women from humble backgrounds living in Addis Ababa.

Contemporary dancers namely Meseret Yirga and Jessie Brett have been training 12 girls who live on the street, orphans, disabled and partially sighted women.

The training uses dance and theater to improve the girls’ life skills such as confidence, communication, focus, discipline, and team works. Apart from that it is designed to serve them as kind of therapy to help them deal with the difficulties they faced in their lives so they can hope for a better future. This project aims to continue training these women on a long term-basis until they become professional.

The dancers have been working together for four years and have created many performances to raise awareness of women issues in Ethiopia

Ethio-American architect urban monument has Brazil buzzing

In the spring of 2011 Sara Zewde was on her way to Harvard’s Graduate school of Design (HGS) to study landscape architecture when she found herself in the middle of a movement to preserve a historic Afro-Brazilian heritage site in the Pequena Africa (Little Africa) neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro.

Today Sara, who works for a major US architecture firm in Seattle has the attention of Brazil’s second largest city as it prepares to complete part of a design proposed by the architect before the 2016 summer Olympics commence there in August.

Sara’s proposal includes a promenade around the old wharf, embellished with fluid shapes that echo the roads or circles where people engage in traditionally black Brazilian Marshal Art Capoeira and Samba music and other aspects to be included.

In an article entitled “Sara Zewde has the mayor of Rio De Janeiro paying attention-And for good reason” noted that how her design got an attention. (Tadias Magazine)

Second edition of Dire Tube award @ Sheraton Hotel

The second edition of Dire Tube award will be held today at 6:00 PM at Sheraton Addis.

The award is held in seven categories namely Best Book of the Year, Best Comedian of the year, Best TV Talk Show of 2015, Introducing Ethiopian Music to the World, Best TV Drama 2015, Best Radio Program and Best Music Video of the Year. The award is based on the highest count of online voting on Dire Tube.

“Merek” By Adam Reta and “Zubeyda” by Alex Abreham are in the Best Book of the Year 2015 category. Best TV Talk Show of 2015 category has “Who is Who” and Seifu on EBS. In Introducing Ethiopian Music to the World Category are Mulatu Astatke and Samuel Yirga. Best TV Drama 2015 category has the likes of Mogachoch and Meleket. In the Best Radio Program Category “Chewata” and “Endalk ena Mahider” will be competing while in the Best Music Video of the Year Hacchalu Hundesa’s “Maalan Jira” and Esu Balew’s “Mare Mare” are included.

This month, Julie Mehretu will be honored by the prestigious US arts institution, The Skowhegan School of Painting and will receive the medal for painting at its 70th anniversary celebration and 2016 Awards Dinner that will be held in New York City on April 26.

Last fall, Julie was the only living female artist whose work was featured at Christie’s post war and contemporary sale, according to a New York Times article highlighting “The Resurgence of Women-Only Art Shows” in the United States. “The Ethiopian-born painter Julie Mehretu was offered at Christie’s postwar and contemporary sale, alongside 18 living male artists,” Hilarie M. Sheets of The Times wrote.

“Celebrated internationally for large-scale, gestural paintings, the Ethiopian-born artist addresses both the formal concerns of color and line and the social concerns of power, history, globalism, and personal narrative,”

Born in Addis Ababa in 1970, Julie immigrated to the US with her family in 1977. She has received numerous international recognitions for her works. (Tadias)

From Hamburg to Ethiopia, art connects youth

Hamburg High School students made kids halfway around the world smile last month.

Ten students from the school participated in an international program that allowed them to give a portrait to children in tough times.

"It worked out very nicely," said Rebecca Dommel, an art teacher at the school who led the project. "I am pleased to have done this project with students."

The portrait gifts were part of the Memory Project, a nonprofit that invites art classes to draw portraits of children across the world facing incredible hardship.

"We want the portraits to help the children feel valued and important, to know that many people care about their well-being and to act as meaningful pieces of personal history in the future," says the Memory Project website. "For the art students, we want this to be an opportunity to creatively practice kindness and global awareness."

Dommel's class was able to choose children from countries all over the world. Her class chose Ethiopia.\

Ethiopian artist inspired by Ugandan politics

A high black and white structure, the size of a dressing mirror stands at one of the studios at 32˚ East in Kansanga, a Kampala suburb. It is the work of Eyob Kitaba, a multi-media artist from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

In February, he travelled for a six week's Art Residence at 32˚ East/Uganda Art Trust only to be caught up in Kampala's hubbub amid political rallies for the general elections.

Previously, the 36-year-old worked on a series of works inspired by construction expansions in Addis Ababa where several locations are fenced with yellow and green which are the Ethiopia government colour codes for development.

He had an exhibition last month to a host of art fanatics in Kansanga.

His piece, "Chess" is an installation bearing his experience in Kampala and mingling with her very friendly and hospitable people. It is a 2,000cm by 94com tall wood embroidery with six chambers and a colligated iron sheets back with a mirror and broken chair at the bottom two chambers.

The Guardian features Ethio-jazz

One of the widely read and influential British daily newspapers, The Guardian, this week featured Ethio-jazz in an article entitled: “Notes from Ethiopia: the jazz revival in Addis Ababa”.

“A fusion of the eerie rhythms of ancient Ethiopian tribal music with the soulful undertones of jazz and the funky bounce of Afrobeat, Ethio-jazz had its heyday in the 1950s and 60s but in recent years has been making a slow but unmistakable comeback in the country’s capital,” The Guardian wrote.

The newspaper also wrote about African Jazz Village, an Ethio-jazz nightclub found inside Ghion Hotel in the heart of Addis Ababa which comprises a large, circular wooden room with a sunken dancefloor. “…could easily be mistaken for a stylish jazz bar in a chic Chicago hotel,” it added.

The newspaper also featured Mama’s Kitchen Jazzamba, Fendika and noted: “Despite its recent revival, Ethio-jazz is still relatively underground in the city and has a way to go to match its past glories.”

Legendary Ethiopian saxophonist Getachew Mekuria passed away this week at the age of 81.

Getachew began his musical studies on traditional Ethiopian instruments such as the krar and the masenko, and later moved on to the saxophone and clarinet. He began his musical career in Addis Ababa in the 1940s and was a member of Ethiopia’s famous Police Orchestra.

He was known for his instrumental version of shellela, a genre of traditional Ethiopian vocal music sung by warriors before going into battle. He appeared onstage in a warrior's animal-skin tunic and lion's mane headdress. He continued to refine his instrumental shellela style, recording an entire album in 1970, Negus of Ethiopian Sax, which was later released as part of the Ethiopiques CD collection.

Getachew gained international exposure mostly in the past decade through his tours in collaboration with the Dutch avant-garde band, The Ex. He also performed in different countries around the world including France, the Netherlands and the US.

Addis skatepark fundraising party @ Mamma Mia

A fundraising party to support the construction of Ethiopia's first concrete skatepark is scheduled to be held today at Mamma Mia Italian Restaurant and Bar.

The event has brought together a team of over 50 international skatepark builders at Mamma Mia for the fundraising party starting 6:00PM with live music, DJs, videos, and skateboard raffles.

Addis Skatepark is a collaboration project by Ethiopia Skate and Make Life Skate Life to provide the youth of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with a community space by constructing the country's first concrete skatepark. Make Life Skate Life is a non-profit organization that works with local skateboarding communities around the world to create free of charge, community-built concrete skateparks. Skateboarding's popularity has been growing rapidly in Addis for several years, .providing urban youth an opportunity to feel empowered, hopeful, and creative. 

As a community-built skatepark, skateboarders will have the opportunity to contribute to constructing their own skatepark, connecting with and learning from a team of volunteer skatepark builders and skateboarders from around the world.

SEED announces 2016 honorees

The Society of Ethiopians Established in the Diaspora (SEED) announced the that it will hold its 24th Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony in the Washington DC area on May 29, 2016 at College Park Marriot Hotel in Hyattsville, Maryland.

The 2016 SEED honorees include Nini Legesse, founder and president of Wegene Ethiopian Foundation; artist and educator Achamyeleh Debela; as well as Solomon M. Kassa, host of “Tech Talk” on EBS; and humanitarian Benyam Belete for his work in Ethiopia with Mekedonia, home for the elderly and mentally challenged. Student honorees are Emanuel Fetene, Haimanot Shimelis, Sara Belay and Yonas Shiferaw.

Past recipients include Professor Donald Levine, the late Ambassador Zewdie Retta, Habteselassie Tafesse and Tesfaye Gesesse.

In this year’s ceremony SEED will also posthumously honor Ras Alula Abanega.

Society of Ethiopians Established in Diaspora (SEED) was incorporated as a Not-for-profit organization on October 17, 1993. The Society aims to empower the Ethiopian American Diaspora in the areas of academic excellence, professional development, and community service.

The Maigenet Shifferraw Women’s Education Fellowship launched

A women’s education fellowship in honor of the late Maigenet Shifferraw (PhD), the former President of the Center for the Rights of Ethiopian Women (CREW), has been launched by her family to provide scholarship and seed money for those working on issues affecting Ethiopian women and children.

“During the first award cycle, The Maigenet Shifferraw Fellowship will consist of two components,” stated the press release. The fellowship includes a “scholarship of USD 5,000 for an awardee who is working on a thesis or dissertation in areas concerning Ethiopian women and children [as well as] seed-money of USD 5,000 to support women in Ethiopia who deserve to start small businesses and training in the form of micro-credits.”

For the 2017 award cycle the family has announced a GoFundMe campaign to directly fund the scholarship and seed money initiatives.

Maigenet Shifferraw—an Ethiopian women's rights advocate, and former professor of Adult Education at the University of the District of Columbia—passed away on February 24, 2016.

By Heirete Yibaleh

Back in olden days, the stories of ‘Matlock’, a renowned, folksy, witty and popular though cantankerous attorney known for his  trademark light gray suit and ‘Father Dowling’, a Catholic Priest who solves murders, abductions and other mysteries in his Chicago parish, assisted by a young streetwise nun, Sister Stephanie were top rated foreign series that Ethiopians saw on television. Before that there were the likes of ‘Bonanza,’ a civil war era series about a ranching family. ‘Jake and the Fatman’, ‘Acapulco Bay’, ‘Empire’ and others followed suit entertaining Ethiopian TV viewers for years.

That was in days gone by. Now there is a new vibe in town. Having new domestic entertainment channels to choose from has been one source of excitement for Addis Ababans this past month. After the launching of two new TV channels, viewers in Addis seem to be taking a break from MBC channels that are broadcasted from Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). As far as local television is concerned, for many years, Ethiopian viewers could only watch the state-owned Ethiopian Television (ETV) now renamed Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC).

It was some three decades ago that Ethiopian TV effected changed from black and white to color. Programing was limited and was for only a few hours. In addition, the foreign content was limited to Friday night wrestling, one feature film on Saturday night, a handful of soaps, TV series and music videos. So, with only one channel, there was no option for TV viewers until about twenty years ago. It was in the mid-1990s that Ethiopian TV viewers were introduced to satellite TV transmissions via Arabsat. Though having satellite dishes was something for the affluent it was the time that Ethiopians and particularly Addis Ababans had the pleasure of watching a variety of foreign TV programs.

What was once a thing for the wealthy gradually started to become common and Ethiopians living in both urban and rural areas started to own satellite dishes. In due course, the likes of Dstv (paid satellite TV) and Nilesat and the now defunct GTV (paid satellite TV) came and broadened the options for Ethiopians. Live European football, Hollywood movies and TV series are what a considerable number of Ethiopians watched.

That being the case, the market started to expand, the demand started to grow and entrepreneurs started to emerge. Ethiopian Broadcasting Service (EBS) was the icebreaker. EBS, which airs on Nilesat, is an Ethio-American entertainment channel in Amharic that was founded by Aman Fissehatsion. The channel was warmly accepted by Ethiopians, which in turn paved the way for others to emerge. Now, new channels are popping up to satisfy the long overdue lack of heterogeneous content.

Next in line was Nahoo TV, also on Nilesat. Based in Kenya, Nahoo officially launched its Ethiopian channel Nahoo Satellite TV at the Golden Tulip Hotel on January 14 this year. At this time the channel is working on 12 programs with different structure and content. The programs include psychology, law, music and drama.

"For three and a half years, we had studied the feasibility of operating a private frequency on satellite. However, when this opportunity presented itself, we seized it. The private frequency is now a long-term project," Kidus Dagnachew, CEO of Nahoo TV, says.

What followed was Kana TV; a channel which has a different set of programs and shows. In terms of what the viewers see, Kana offers dubbed content from around the world that has not been seen before in Ethiopia.

“We tested different demographics and looked at 200 shows to choose the eight we will go with. The real goal is to build out quality and interesting entertainment in Amharic,” Elias Schulze, Managing Director of Kana TV, says

Kana TV is a joint venture between Moby Group and a group of entrepreneurs in Ethiopia including Zeresenay Berhane Mehari, Elias Schulze, Nazrawi Ghebreselasie and Addis Alemayehou. The local partner is BeMedia a fully Ethiopian owned and operated entity led by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari as the GM. It will be Kana TV’s exclusive media production company while Moby Group is the technical and operating partner.

Headquartered in Dubai, Moby Group is a media and entertainment company with a focus on emerging and frontier markets extending from Central Asia to the Middle East and beyond. The group currently operates 16 businesses in six countries in broadcasting, production, publishing, music, and strategic communications. The group was founded in 2003 by the Mohseni family as a privately-held company and interestingly also has 21st Century Fox as a strategic minority shareholder. Kana TV is the Group’s first African venture.

So what does the competition to grab viewers look like? The seasoned state-owned broadcaster EBC has three channels. Studies reveal that the largest, EBC 1, has a 75-80 percent daily viewership. Now there are the likes of EBS, Nahoo and Kana plus regional terrestrial broadcasters. There are no private terrestrial broadcasters. According to a survey conducted by Ipsos, 77 percent of viewers get TV from satellite and 90 percent from channels on Nilesat, including EBS, and the two newcomers. Into the bargain, there is Dstv but there is only limited penetration from the pay TV provider.

Currently, Kana broadcasts 70-80 percent foreign content but according to Schulze that is temporary. “In 3-5 years’ time we will switch round the proportions from 1-2 locally produced shows to locally produced and managed shows,” he says. 

However, what Kana is airing is something that Ethiopians are now being fond of. Seble Aregawi, an Addis resident in her late twenties, who lives around Gerji, says that she has always been a big fan of foreign series transmitted on MBC 4 and similar stations but always had trouble understanding the full story due to language issues. She says that she even tried to go online to get subtitles and reviews. “I was happy when I heard about the new TV channel that is going to transmit foreign content in Amharic,” she says.

Others are also expressing their positive comments about the shows. In that regard, many seem to be hooked on the Indian romance series called ‘Zara and Chandra’. This seems to bring back old memories of famous Indian movies like ‘Mother India’, ‘Disco Dancer’ and ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’. Starting from the time of Emperor Haile-Selassie, Ethiopians have been extremely fond of Indian movies and ‘Zara and Chandra’ seems to have hit a jackpot.

Daniel Yohannes, 26, who runs a family business, is another Addis resident. He says that he has not been watching a lot but have caught some episodes along the way. He lives with his parents and says that every time he goes home everyone is Kana. “I sometimes want to watch other programs no- body at home seems to want to change the channel,” In addition to that, he says that he is also worried. “Even though Kana TV and the others are doing a good job with regard to entertaining the people, there might be a few drawbacks since the channels are massively diverting the attention of the people from other important matters,” he says.

At this point in time, in Ethiopia, the local entertainment business is trying to meet the demands of the public by providing quality content and as far as TV and cinema are concerned commentators say that Kana TV has managed to turn the tide and has become a challenge to those involved in Ethiopian film production. It was only a decade ago that the local film industry started to flourish. Local production received acclaims from the audience and moviegoers queued to get a glimpse of what Ethiopian films have to offer. That’s not just it. Recently, Ethiopian movies like ‘Difret’ and ‘Lamb’ were given unprecedented accolades from global film critics. That in turn raised the notch to a whole new level. Now Kana came in the picture but its arrival was not welcomed by some Ethiopian filmmakers who have voiced their concerns citing cultural subversion.

These filmmakers argue that the focus should be on producing local original content that could eventually be exported to other counties. This in turn will also help promote Ethiopia’s culture in the rest of the world. Some even go further and say that the new TV stations seem to be focused on the business side and lack artistic elements and that would not contribute anything to the society.

However, that is not what the people at Kana are saying. “We want to be exporting content and other people to be exporting content within five years. Turkey made 250 million dollars out of exporting content. That's a huge foreign currency generator. Even if we can do five or 10 million, everybody will be happy,” Schulze says.

On the other side of the spectrum, there are others who say that the arrival of the likes of Kana is a blessing in disguise and can serve as a wakeup call for local filmmakers. They say that some of these professionals should not be complaining and that they should consider this as a challenge and work tirelessly to get the attention of the public and keep it.