On this eve of our travel to Switzerland to collaborate with Jeroen Visser and his band, we reminisce about our travel to Moers Festival in Germany and Music Meeting in the Netherlands earlier this year (May 19 - 25). COVID-19 has changed the global touring landscape; border crossings have become even more challenging. But miracles do happen! After getting our Schengen visas the last minute—with a thick pile of necessary paperwork—and having cleared the dreaded COVID-19 test, we boarded the plane to Germany on May 19th. Since we hadn’t traveled for over a year, we all acted a bit giddy, tired as we were. You can see for yourself in this video documenting some of our travels and activities in Moers.

When we passed the customs at the Frankfurt airport, the officers were incredulous when they heard us say the word “festival.” But Moers indeed put on a festival, making many adjustments due to the pandemic. Most of the programs were streamed on the internet, instead of entertaining live audiences. The only people we saw on the festival ground were other musicians and the festival staff. Some of the interactions with them took place when we stood outside the COVID testing tent waiting to get tested or waiting for our test results. We needed to take a rapid COVID test every other day before entering the festival ground. Before returning to Ethiopia, we needed to take yet another PCR test.

Inside the festival building, the tables and benches were arranged in a way that everyone was spaced out when we ate our meals, the only time when we could take our masks off. Talking with people was a bit challenging, but we managed to have a few conversations with old and new friends.

Our concert with Han Bennink was attended by a sparse live audience of about 50 people in the cavernous hall converted from a hockey arena. But our performance was broadcast to the world on Arte Concert’s website. Many of our friends from around the world watched us perform in real time! We were happy to be able to share energy this way! Performing to cameras only was not new to us, as we had the experience of streaming 18 Fendika Live concerts on YouTube during the 7-month shutdown due to COVID-19 in 2020. Moers recording and streaming setup was a lot more involved than what we had in Fendika; there were numerous cameras above us, below us, in front of us, behind us, some being moved by mechanical cranes, some being handheld by camera persons wearing green overalls to match the stage color. We missed the energy of a live audience for sure. On the other hand, we enjoyed each other’s company during rehearsals, recording sessions, and backstage conversations. In the video below, we had an interesting backstage exchange with Han Bennink about the inspirations behind Ethiopian music.

Our fondest memory was our impromptu performance on two small electric cars that drove us around the city of Moers. The bumpiness of the cars reminded us of the Ethiopian bajaj experience. Only the masinqo and kebero were amplified on the cars, but we sang, played, and even danced, waking up the sleepy German town with our lively Ethiopian music. We drove past winding streams, ducking leaves and branches, laughing, and waving at runners and walkers of all ages. People took pictures and videos of us from the roadside or apartment windows above the street. We took pictures and videos of them from our “German bajaj.” We shared music, smiles, and the gladness of being alive. This next video is packed full of music, dance, and action!

Between our Moers concert and the bajaj program, we spent a day being driven to Nijmegen, arguably the oldest town in the Netherlands, to record a concert with Music Meeting, normally an outdoor festival. Thanks to our kind driver Heim, we saw the beautiful Waal River and learned about the history of the city. On our drive back to Germany, Heim told us about his children and his own love for travels. We shared chocolate, coffee, and good laughs. We also remember the kind and good-humored volunteer at Moers Karim and his beautiful family. The Moers staff (Tim, Sebastian, Oliver, Ariana…) was kind and patient, and worked extremely hard to run a festival under pandemic conditions. We hope they had a well-deserved vacation after the festival!

Despite the social distancing dictated by COVID-19, we met and worked with beautiful people who love music and work hard to make live music happen. We cherish those encounters even more because they took place after so many obstacles had to be overcome. For a moment or two, we struggled to navigate a foreign city when language was a barrier. But these challenges only confirmed our belief that mistakes are beautiful, because we can always learn and grow from them. Friends in Moers and Nijmegen, thank you for keeping music and hope alive! And we will see you again!

Touring in the Pandemic Year: Moers

FENDIKA CULTURAL CENTER