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!