Member Profile: Arba Minch Collective
The Arba Minch Collective is an interdisciplinary group of artists working to strengthen cultural exchange throughout the Ethiopian diaspora. These musicians, filmmakers, poets, creative writers, and theater artists draw inspiration from the diversity of Ethiopian culture as well as their own experiences. Meklit Hadero shared her thoughts about the group’s work with us.
How did your collective come together? What does the name “Arba Minch” refer to?
We came together at the beginning of 2009, and it was a thrilling moment, though it was really many years in the making. Back in 2001, a website called abesha.com was established by a group of Ethiopian and Eritrean diaspora artists, and that site served as the hub by which many of us first met. Through abesha.com, we started experiencing each others art and got excited about the prospect of working together. In early 2009, we gathered formally as a collective, with the intention of participating in a cultural festival called the 1000 Stars Festival, which took place in the Southern Ethiopian city of Arba Minch… That’s where our name, the Arba Minch Collective, comes from.
Last December we had our first trip to Ethiopia. Unfortunately, the 1000 Stars Festival was actually canceled, which was quite a disappointing experience. But, we decided to go to Arba Minch anyway, and we had an absolutely amazing trip. There, we were able to see traditional dance and music, and we also were able to meet with contemporary artists and musicians in Addis Ababa. We gave workshops and performed, and made incredible connections with artists over there.
Are there commonalities for artists in Ethiopia and artists in the Ethiopian Diaspora? What unites your work?
I think a big part of what we are trying to do is really express and explore multiplicity, the idea that groups that might seem to be monolithic are actually enormously diverse in almost every way imaginable. Take, for example, the 1000 Stars Festival that I mentioned above. That festival brought together 56 ethnic groups from the South of Ethiopia to share their music, dance and food for three days. Ethiopia as a whole has about 80 languages and 300 dialects represented. That’s an enormous diversity. So that festival was, in a way, a real representation of Ethiopian culture…. That there is no one vision of it. Similarly, there’s no one simple through-line that unites us as a group of multidisciplinary artists, or unities Ethiopian and Ethiopian Diaspora artists. As a group, I see us as committed to an ongoing dialogue, a conversation, a lived relationship, both amongst ourselves and our broader communities in North America, as well as with artists in Ethiopia.
On the other hand, I would say that one thing we are all working for, on both sides of the Atlantic, is to redefine what it means to be African in the 21st century. We are all tired of the images and representations of Ethiopia and Africa more broadly, as synonymous with famine, poverty, hopelessness and chaos. That is not the reality of the continent, and as artists, we are communicators. I think all of our work points to that redefinition. So we straddle the line a bit, between multiplicity and message.
How has working with Fractured Atlas helped you?
Fractured Atlas is a great support for us. We worked through Fractured Atlas to raise funds for our 2009 trip, and to search for grants to apply for in coming years. The staff is enormously helpful, and I actually am constantly recommending it to other artists and artist projects.
What’s next?
The Arba Minch Collective is going back to Ethiopia in the spring to be a part of the Addis Glow Festival. We’ll be performing in three cities in Ethiopia: Addis Ababa (the capital), Gondar, and Harrar. We’ll also be heading back to Arba Minch to meet with the artists, anthropologists, and residents that we got to know on our last trip. We cant wait!
Image courtesy of Alpha Abebe.
Tags: collective, diaspora, ethiopia, fiscal sponsorship, member profile
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