Prince Claus Fund in the Netherlands announced their 2020 Prince Claus Laureates today. Fendika Cultural Center is profoundly honored to be among the other six extraordinary laureates hailing from Ghana, Pakistan, Turkey, Colombia, Tonga, and Argentina. We are the proud representative of Ethiopia among this year’s laureates, selected by the Award Committee for our “positive impact as a catalyst inspiring and supporting cultural expressions in Ethiopia.” Prince Claus Fund recognizes Fendika Cultural Center as “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." We are grateful for this timely recognition, and for all of your unwavering love and support over the years!

Below please find Melaku’s speech at the award ceremony hosted by the Dutch Embassy in Addis Ababa, on December 2, 2020.

Your Excellency Mister Ambassador and esteemed guests,

It is my great pleasure and honor to receive the Prince Claus Award on behalf of Fendika Cultural Center. I cannot tell you how proud all Fendika staff and artists are to have their hard work recognized by this international honor. Thank you, Prince Claus Fund, and all those who were part of the research behind this award.

This award is for Fendika Cultural Center; so, I want to share our mission here: At Fendika, we celebrate and renew Ethiopia’s rich cultural heritage. We welcome all creative souls; through music, dance, art, and poetry, we meditate on humanity’s one-ness, and pray for a peaceful world.

For the last 12 years, Fendika has been a place where people come together to make art, build communities, and exchange energy. It’s a place where we share space, share ideas, and share cultures. We also share the responsibility to build a better future, through creativity and compassion, which are at the heart of humanity, at the heart of peace.

Our world is facing a lot of problems now, poverty, gender inequality, racism, ethnic conflicts, and a pandemic. I am deeply pained, by the loss of human lives due to natural and man-made crises, and by the reality that we have become divided as nations and as a world. At times like this, we need each other even more; we need to remember our shared humanity even more. At times like this, we need to value EVERYBODY’s lives and believe we can live together despite our differences. At times like this, we realize that in art, we find our refuge, our solution, our freedom.

Art builds community, but it also brings us inward to search for our own truth. Our inner peace is the foundation of joyful communities and a peaceful world. Fendika’s work heals communities through music, dance, and art. By recognizing our effort, Prince Claus Fund gives us energy and inspires more people to do this kind of work in Ethiopia and beyond.

We are honored by the Award, but we do not work with the goal to win awards. I hope that Fendika and this award can be a source of inspiration, for people to work together across borders and differences, with respect and dignity, and to give the world our best effort without expectations.

Again, thank you Prince Claus Fund, for recognizing the value of Fendika’s cultural work. Our work is made possible by the support of many local and international friends and organizations. I wish I had time to name all of you here. This award is for all of you as well, for supporting our vision to keep growing as a vibrant, sustainable cultural center.

To achieve our vision, we still have a lot of work to do: such as setting up a Fendika artist residency program, and promoting indigenous Ethiopian music with a Fendika recording Label. Our dream is to see Fendika branches in cities around the world, to work for peace and love through the beauty of Ethiopian music and dance.

All Fendika’s work begins from our hearts. My heart tells me to always be good to my fellow human beings. I love you all. Thank you!