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Fendika
Fendika members Melaku Belay and Zenash Tsegaye in 2009
Background information
Also known asFendika Azmari Bet
OriginAddis Ababa, Ethiopia
GenresEthiopian music
Years active2009–present
LabelsTerp Records

Fendika (Amharic: "Exult!"[1]) is an Ethiopian music group based in Addis Ababa.[2] Led by dancer/choreographer Melaku Belay, they operate a venue, tour, record, and perform under the name Fendika.[3]

History

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Melaku Belay onstage with The Ex in 2008

Born in 1980 in Ethiopia, Melaku Belay lived as an orphan on the streets of Addis Ababa.[4] As a child Belay earned a living shining shoes[5] and taught himself to dance through participation in folk traditions and religious festivals.[6] He worked for seven years as a dancer for tips in Addis Ababa's Kazanchis neighborhood at a local azmari bet—a tavern that hosts azmari story-songsters who accompany themselves on the masenko (a one-stringed violin) or krar (a type of lyre).[7] Each night after work, the young Melaku slept under the bar and eventually saved enough money to buy the club, Fendika Azmari Bet, from its owners.[4][8]

When not working at the azmari bet, Melaku traveled extensively through Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and South Sudan to learn as many dances as he could from more than 80 tribes around the Horn of Africa,[9] including the traditions of Gurage, Wolaita, Tigray, Wollo, Konso, Gonder, and Gojam,[10] as well as dances from Somali and Afar regions.[11] Melaku also became a nationally celebrated artist in eskesta, a shoulder dance style whose movements share roots with hip hop's traditions of locking and popping.[2][12]

With Ethiopia's capital city being a nexus of culture, music, and dance from other nations, Melaku incorporated these into his repertoire as well, gradually assembling a 13-piece ensemble called the Ethiocolor Cultural Band.[13] Combining tribal dances and folk instruments with jazz, rock, theater and elaborate costumes.[3] The group became a staple at Fendika, rooted in the azmari tradition but with amplified versions of its instruments.[14] In 2009 Melaku assembled a smaller group out of the larger Ethiocolor ensemble, featuring three musicians, two dancers, and one singer. With a more portable acoustic sound and azmari folk aesthetic, the group named themselves Fendika in tribute to the establishment from which they originated.[2]

Fendika performing with Debo Band in 2010

Through the Fendika venue's hosting touring artists from all over the world, the ensemble has established an international network enabling them to travel and collaborate with musicians from around the globe. They have toured the United States and eastern Africa with Boston-area Ethio-jazz orchestra Debo Band, and in 2010 the two groups released a joint live recording from a concert given at the Sauti za Busara African music festival in Zanzibar.[15] Fendika has also toured throughout Europe with Dutch post-punk band The Ex and released records through the band's label.[3] In 2018 Fendika toured Scandinavia in collaboration with Paal Nilssen-Love's free jazz orchestra Large Unit before embarking on their first U.S. solo tour, performing as headliners to Ethiopia Fest Chicago[16] and Boston's Global Music Fest.[17]

In their home city of Addis Ababa, Fendika have collaborated with many of their nation's most well-known musicians, including singer Mahmoud Ahmed, begena player Alemu Aga, and saxophonist Getatchew Mekuria.[18]

Educational work

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Fendika musicians at PhilaMOCA in 2018.

Fendika often leads workshops in traditional Ethiopian music and dance.[2] The group also supports a school for migrant children which aims to prevent youth homelessness and child labor by providing cultural education for these children and their families.[4] At the azmari bet, Belay supports a dozen young azmaris with room and board plus stipends to support their work.[5] Fendika has also collaborated with members of The Ex, Instant Composers Pool, and others to bring electronic, punk, and improvised music education to Ethiopia.[19]

Awards and tributes

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In 2011 Melaku Belay won the Alliance Ethio-Francaise award for dance excellence and in 2015 was named Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture.[2]

In 2011 Los Angeles rock group the Red Hot Chili Peppers released the song "Ethiopia" for their album I'm with You based on band members' time spent at Fendika.[20] While visiting Ethiopia with guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, Peppers' bass player Flea had called up Melaku and asked to play at the venue.[21] Inspired by their experience at Fendika, the musicians returned home and penned the song.[22]

Members

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Fendika and Ethicolor perform, tour, and record in different configurations with ensembles that vary from 5 to 20 members at any given time.[23][24][25]

Discography

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Albums
  • Addis Tradition CD (2013)[23][26]
  • Ethiocolor CD (Selam Sounds, 2014)[14][23]
  • Melaku's Fendika CD (2016)[25]
  • Birabiro LP/CD (Terp Records, 2017)[27]
  • Ethiobraz CD/FLAC with Large Unit (PNL, 2019)
Singles and EPs
  • Flamingoh: Pink Bird Dawn CD EP with Debo Band (2010)[28]
  • "Lale Guma"/"Addis Hum" 7" single with The Ex (Ex Records, 2015)[29]

References

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  1. ^ "Meskel Holiday Party in Brooklyn, NY w/ Ethiopia's Fendika Dance Group at Tadias Magazine". Tadias Magazine. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Fendika". Cadenza Artists. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  3. ^ a b c "Birabiro by Fendika". exmailorder.nl. The Ex. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  4. ^ a b c Unthank, Rachel (24 February 2010). "Folk: Ethiopia". BBC. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  5. ^ a b Niederndorfer, Florian (1 August 2018). "Ein Jazzclub steht dem Plan im Weg". Der Standard (in German). Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  6. ^ "Fendika: Biography". Kennedy Center. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  7. ^ Halfpenny, Eric; Grame, Theodore C. "azmari: Ethiopian bard". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  8. ^ Doyle, Rachel B. (13 November 2014). "In Ethiopia's Capital, a Resurgent Jazz Scene". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  9. ^ Forster, Siegfried (22 July 2010). "L'art et l'audace des " Regards sur l'Ethiopie " – RFI". RFI Afrique (in French). Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  10. ^ "Fendika". Earth Beat. Archived from the original on 23 October 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  11. ^ "Melaku Belay & Fendika". MATATU: Nomadic Cinema. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  12. ^ "Fendika". The New Yorker. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  13. ^ "Ethiocolor releases debut album". Addis Zefen. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  14. ^ a b "Selam Sounds new Release: Ethiocolor". Selam. 20 October 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  15. ^ Man, Hog Eye (20 June 2012). "Interview: Debo Band". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  16. ^ Meyer, Bill (8 September 2018). "Fearless song and dance troupe Fendika headlines Ethiopia Fest Chicago 2018". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  17. ^ "Global Music Festival". www.bu.edu. Boston University. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  18. ^ Aymar, Patrick. "Melaku Belay". www.melakubelay.com. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  19. ^ "The Ex: History: 2008". The Ex. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  20. ^ Aguillo, Carlos (14 May 2013). "Clapping, dancing the night away at Fendika – AddisZefen". Addis Zefen.
  21. ^ Ellingsen, Eric (8 August 2018). ""The Rehearsal: Poetry-Jazz in Addis Ababa," by Eric Ellingsen". World Literature Today.
  22. ^ Bakker, Stephanie (23 May 2018). "Addis Abeba is het bruisende hart van Afrika". Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  23. ^ a b c "Fendika with Joshua Abrams, Tim Daisy, Ben LaMar Gay, Macie Stewart and Mars Williams". www.constellation-chicago.com. Constellation. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  24. ^ Samuel, Rahel (1 October 2014). "Ethiocolor Releases Debut Album | Ethiosports". Ethiosports. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  25. ^ a b Beley, Melaku (2016). Melaku's Fendika: Volume 1 (Compact disc). Addis Ababa: Fendika. p. Back cover.
  26. ^ Romeero, Angel (29 December 2015). "Interview with Melaku Belay of Ethiopian Band Fendika | World Music Central.org". World Music Central. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  27. ^ Hareuveni, Eyal (5 December 2016). "Fendika". Salt Peanuts. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  28. ^ "Flamingoh (Pink Bird Dawn), by Debo Band". Debo Band. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  29. ^ Tuffrey, Laurie (27 March 2015). "The Ex & Fendika - Addis Hum". The Quietus. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
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