Together we value arts and build peace.

Help Rebuild Fendika, home to all creative souls!

Fendika Cultural Center shares Ethiopian cultures globally, provides opportunities to artists, and facilitates people-to-people exchange through arts and culture.

From Melaku:

By now, many of you know that the beloved compound of Fendika Cultural Center was demolished on October 23, 2024, about a month after the systematic clearing of Kazanchis neighborhood began.

Fendika is my life’s work; I have given this place all I have, paying artists and employees, and improving the space so that artists and visitors could have a better musical experience. I will never give up on my vision of building peace through valuing arts.

I am grateful that the government recognizes Fendika’s cultural, social and economic significance and has promised that we would be able to stay in our original location, with the expectation that we build up 20 floors. To issue the building permit, the government asks that I show 150,000,000 ETB ($1,245,000) in my account.

Building a 20-story building is not my first choice; but it is the government’s mandate if I am to keep Fendika’s location. This mandate does inspire bigger dreams and visions for Ethiopian cultural development. My vision is to build a multi-level cultural center to house performance spaces (including a traditional Azmari bet and a hall for concert performances), rehearsal studios, a recording studio, an art gallery, a library, meeting spaces, a travel agency, and guest rooms for artists-in-residency. It will be a vibrant center for Ethiopian culture and arts, and for intercultural exchanges.

Fendika has always been a social enterprise with a focus on the well-being of the creative sector of Ethiopia, and on weaving the social fabric essential for peace building. If you share our vision, please consider supporting Fendika.

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Melaku delivered the first Amharic TED Talk (with English translation and an improvised performance) in Vancouver, Canada in April 2022.

Fendika Cultural Center is a 2020 Prince Claus Laureate, selected for “its positive impact as a catalyst inspiring and supporting cultural expressions in Ethiopia.”

NEWS & UPDATE

FEBRUARY 2022—Melaku Belay has been selected as a TED Fellow, joining a class of 20 change-makers from around the world to deliver a talk on the TED stage this April in Vancouver. Melaku was selected for his work that has brought global attention to the dynamic cultural development of Ethiopia, including music, dance, and visual art.

Melaku reflects on becoming the first TED Fellow out of Ethiopia: “I am very honored to be among this amazing class of TED Fellows. TED is a prestigious global forum; it means a lot that they recognize my work and understand my dream to show the richness of Ethiopian culture to the world. Through TED, I will learn from change-makers from around the world, build more bridges between peoples and cultures, and promote societal healing through arts and creativity.”

April 2021 - Ethiopian Dance Art Association (presided by Melaku Belay) is launching its two-year project “Strengthening the Capacity within the Dance Sector in Ethiopia,” funded by UNESCO International Fund for Cultural Diversity, under the 2005 UN Convention.

December 2020 - Fendika Cultural Center is one of the seven 2020 Prince Claus Laureates, selected for “its positive impact as a catalyst inspiring and supporting cultural expressions in Ethiopia.” From the Laureate Selection Committee: “Fendika Cultural Center is a cultural hub and vibrant creative hotspot in the heart of Addis Ababa. Owned and run by dancer and choreographer Melaku Belay, it is a melting pot of traditional and contemporary cultural expression, where artists of all generations experiment with new forms and reinvigorate old forms in all artistic disciplines, from music and poetry to visual arts and performance. It is a popular and unique catalyst for Ethiopian culture.”

October 2020 - In response to COVID-19, Fendika Cultural Center produced and streamed 18 on-line concerts featuring Ethiocolor, Azmari singers, legend Ethiopian singers and Ethiopian jazz musicians. You can find all 18 concerts on this YouTube playlist.

November 2019 - Melaku received the Visa for Music Award, honoring leading figures in African and Middle Eastern music, on November 20, in Rabat, Morocco. Gratitude to Brahim and the entire Visa for Music team, and for Afrikayna’s Africa Art Lines for supporting his travels. https://visaformusic.com/