ADDIS ABABA - A beloved monument to Ethiopia's traditional cabaret culture, the historic nightclub Fendika is running on borrowed time, having just escaped demolition. Two decades earlier, Fendika was one of 17 "azmari bet" (a venue hosting performances by Ethiopia's azmari musicians) in the Kazanchis district, a neighbourhood harkening back to Addis Ababa's jazz-fuelled era. Today, it is the only one still standing, says Melaku Belay, the 43-year-old owner and director of Fendika. Comparable to medieval troubadours, the azmari are itinerant poet-musicians from rural Ethiopia, who improvise songs while playing the masenqo, a single-string bowed lute made of wood, horsehair and raw hide. Their songs are rich in metaphors and double meanings, humorously mocking their audience, civil society and even powerful elites -- reflecting a freedom of expression rarely seen in Ethiopia.

Source: Ethiopian News July 17, 2023 18:16 UTC