Save Fendika

Hello to all of you - this is Thomas Eusterbrock

Dear friends - and lovers of music, art and culture - I am sending you this attached letter by Melaku Belay as an urgent appeal for support, both financially as well as spiritually. You all have helped during the pandemic to keep the Fendika as a wonderful communal center for the arts alive, and the center is now thriving more than ever. I can personally attest to that – during a recent visit in Ethiopia in February I saw fantastic concerts and a great art exhibit, tasted the new chef’s traditional food, and mingled with Sunday mornings crowds of children and their parents who came for reading groups, drawing and sculpturing classes and music lessons – a wonderful place to enjoy the Kazanchis community. Now the very existence of Fendika is threatened, not by a virus but by government sponsored plans for “development” by private developers. Melaku’s property may be expropriated. Please look at Melaku’s letter for more details.

If this were to happen, it would be a terrible blow to the Ethiopian arts community. Art as represented by Fendika, can be a unifying factor in a country presently so disrupted by ethnic tensions. It also presents a very positive image of so many aspects of Ethiopia to foreign countries, much more so than 5-star hotels ever could.

Melaku is fighting for the survival of this uniquely Ethiopian Center for the arts and artists and needs legal support. You can help him by donating to this “GoFundMe” site.

I ask for your support not only for Melaku and Fendika, but also for the idea of art as a healing and nourishing force for a healthy society.

In addition, you can help to raise awareness in Ethiopian political circles of how much the Fendika means for both Ethiopians as well as for foreign visitors. After all, tourism is one of the major sources of income in the country.

Please also send an email expressing your support to keep the Fendika intact to your country’s Ethiopian Embassy (for the US : [email redacted], and for Germany : [email redacted].et .

Please also send support letters to Mr. Teferi at the Ethiopian Ministry for Culture and Tourism at [email redacted] and to Dr. Bezawit Girma, Secretary-General, UNESCO National Commission at [email redacted]

Thank you so very much, this is an issue very close to my heart – Thomas Eusterbrock

Here Melaku’s letter :

Fendika Facing Demolition Order

Dear friends,

On June 1, 2023, the local government of Addis Ababa informed me of the intent to demolish Fendika within 6 months. We are committed to keeping Fendika in its original location in Kazanchis, as it is not only a historical place holding memories of Azmari bets, but also a dynamic home to numerous Ethiopian artists, musicians, and dancers.

Even as we face the imminent demolition, We are doing all we can to keep Fendika’s mission alive: to share Ethiopian culture, to provide opportunities to artists, and to facilitate people-to-people exchange through arts and culture. Fendika is an important economic engine in Kazanchis, bringing 200,000 visitors to the area every year. We have been honored with many international recognitions (Italian Star 2022, TED fellowship 2022, Prince Claus Laureat 2020, Visa for Music 2019, and French Medal 2015, to highlight just a few).

I know you share our shock and pain, at the prospect of losing Fendika, a place built with passion, love and creativity. We understand that Addis Ababa needs development, and since 2016 I have been working on creating a business and architectural plan. The plan is now endorsed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, to develop the neighborhood while keeping and sharing vibrant Ethiopian culture at Fendika. This news took me by surprise because the government did not ask me (the existing businesses and property owners in the area) about our plans for development. Instead, they suddenly informed me that an outside investor will take the area, and that Fendika is to be demolished. I believe this is an unjust process that lacks legality and will result in further loss of Ethiopian culture..

The Fendika team and I are currently in conversation with various levels of Addis Ababa government, hoping to persuade them to see the need for a just and legal process to develop the area while preserving historical and cultural venues such as Fendika Cultural Center. I fight for Fendika not for myself, but for what Fendika represents to everybody who loves it: love, creativity, peace, and togetherness….connecting the world to our beautiful cultural heritage.

Fendika needs your help more than ever. You can help by raising international awareness and by seeking potential investors who share our vision to develop local economies and build a peaceful society via cultural exchange and creative work. Please share this note with your network. I am more than willing to talk to international media about this situation and about my passion for arts and culture and their importance in peace and community building. Thank you!

Yours,

Melaku