OUR MISSION and Vision
Mission: Fendika shares Ethiopian cultures globally, provides opportunities to artists, and facilitates people-to-people exchange through arts and culture.
Vision: To build economic and civic infrastructures for artists to enjoy dignity, financial sustainability and artistic freedom, and to foster peace and healing.
OUR HISTORY
Fendika Cultural Center was established in 2016, but the original Fendika Azmari Bet opened its door in the early 1990s, when the neighborhood of Kazanchis sported 17 similar places. While the other azmari bets disappeared due to the pressure of Addis Ababa’s rapid development, Fendika has survived until today thanks to Melaku’s passion for Ethiopian music and dance, his belief in the power of art and creativity in building communities, enthusiastic attendance of concerts and events by local and international friends, and many other forms of support we have been blessed with (fundraising, invitations to music festivals, press coverage, etc.).
When Melaku began managing Fendika Azmari Bet in 2008, he pioneered a system where musicians and dancers at Fendika receive monthly salaries, breaking away from the custom where they only earned tips. Melaku had danced for tips only for 12 years and knows the pain of having to dance to please customers. The new compensation system enables artists to focus on creative expressions and to develop their talent.
Since 2009, Ethiocolor Traditional Band has been performing at Fendika Azmari Bet every other Friday, drawing standing-room-only crowds. At the same time, Fendika touring group has been sharing Ethiopian music and dance around the world.
In 2016, Melaku inaugurated Fendika Cultural Center; it is an expansion of Fendika Azmari Bet, both in space and programming. We celebrated FCC’s inauguration with the opening of Fendika Art Gallery, a free gallery space that has featured monthly exhibitions for legend and emerging artists in Ethiopia and from elsewhere. In 2016 the celebrated Negarit Ethio-Jazz Band began performing at Fendika. In 2017, Kayn Lab, an experimental Jazz group featuring some of the best musicians in Ethiopia joined the Fendika line-up. Fendika Cultural Center is also home to Poetic Saturdays, a gathering of poets of many language traditions, on first Saturday of each Month.
Despite its multifaceted vibrancy, today Fendika continues to face the same pressure that has destroyed the other azmari bets. Located in central Addis Ababa, Fendika’s land is in constant danger of being taken away by the government, unless the existing traditional-style Fendika compound is replaced by a G+7 building.
Fendika Cultural Center is in need of investors who share our values and passion to undertake an expansion of this scale. Until then, Melaku and friends of Fendika hold fast to their dream: a multi-functional Cultural Center that includes a guest/residency house for visiting artists from around the world, a recording studio, an archive and library for Ethiopian music and dance, and a workshop for making traditional instruments. We hope you can help us turn this beautiful dream into reality!
support FENDIKA CULTURAL CENTER today
OUR WORK
Music and Dance Performances
For up-to-date performance schedule please visit our social media sites.
Azmari Night
Daily traditional music performances by Azmaris and traditional dancers
fendika music and dance ensemble
Touring group led by Melaku Belay
ethiocolor band
traditional Ethiopian instrumentalists, singers and dancers, led by Melaku Belay. Performs every other Friday
ethio-jazz culture
Kayn Lab Jazz Band performs on Monday nights and Jazbyssinia Band performs on Wednesday nights.
Fendika Art Gallery
featuring the work of both legends and young artists
Poetic Saturdays
on first Saturday afternoon of each month
Offering space
Fendika Cultural Center offers rehearsal space to young artists (dancers, musicians, film makers) as well as other public-service events (symposiums, public lectures, fundraising for charity).
Space can be rented for private events contingent on availability. For more information, please call 0911 54 75 77.
Annual Timket celebration
showcases musical groups from different regions of Ethiopia
Ethiopian Eatery and Bunna
During concerts, Fendika's friendly staff offers a bar including Ethiopian and imported beer, liquor, and locally brewed tej (honey wine).
You can also enjoy bunna - coffee served in the traditional Ethiopian style, and a menu of delicious home cooked Ethiopian food (shiro, tibs, injera and more!)
Bar and Kitchen is open during most Fendika concerts.
Gift shop opening soon!
CDs, handmade products by local artists and artisans
About the FounDER
The founding director of Fendika Cultural Center, Melaku Belay is a world-renowned Ethiopian dancer and an ambassador for Ethiopia’s music and dance. In 2018, he became the founding president of Ethiopian Dance Association.
Melaku Belay is a contemporary virtuoso interpreter of eskista. His spectacular mastery of eskista has earned him the nicknames of “walking earthquake” and “King of Eskista.” Growing up as a street kid in 1980s’ Ethiopia, Melaku learned many regional dances of Ethiopia in religious festivals such as Timqet, folk ceremonies, and everyday activities in Addis Ababa and the countryside where music and dance are a vital part of cultural and spiritual expression. More recently, he has traveled throughout Ethiopia to learn the dance traditions of the country’s 80 tribal groups.
Melaku’s vision for Fendika is to develop it into a premier cultural center, a welcoming home to artists of many disciplines and cultural backgrounds. To realize this vision, he expanded Fendika Azmari Bet and founded Fendika Cultural Center in 2016. Since then, Fendika Cultural center has curated numerous visual art exhibits showing works by local and international artists. In addition. Fendika Cultural Center also hosted monthly poetry readings and scholarly presentations related to Ethiopian art and culture.