{"id":50358,"date":"2026-04-25T11:08:47","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T08:08:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/?p=50358"},"modified":"2026-04-25T11:08:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T08:08:47","slug":"where-art-makes-its-own-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/50358\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Art Makes Its Own Light"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Inside AAU\u2019s \u201cAngafa\u201d night, where music, poetry and chance converge<\/strong><\/p>\n

By 11 p.m., the hall at the Addis Ababa University Cultural Center was already alive \u2014 not with noise alone, but with a mounting, almost tactile anticipation. Students filled the seats; others stood shoulder to shoulder along the walls. Invited guests and curious onlookers pressed inward, forming a dense, electric crowd. The 52nd edition of the weekly \u201cAngafa<\/em>\u201d art show was minutes from starting.<\/p>\n

Scheduled for 11:30, the evening veered off script before it began. The lights went out. For a moment, there was silence. Then illumination returned \u2014 not from above, but from within the audience. Dozens of mobile phone flashlights flickered on, casting a soft, collective glow across faces, hands and a stage that refused to disappear.<\/p>\n

Out of that light, a voice emerged. Yohannes Alemayehu, a singer from Orchestra Ethiopia Band, began \u201cHulemenash Mulu<\/em>,\u201d the Tewodros Tadesse classic music. The audience joined almost instantly, their voices swelling into a chorus that filled the hall. \u201cIt didn\u2019t even feel like there was a blackout,\u201d one attendee said. Moments later, the power returned.<\/p>\n

What might have been a disruption became something closer to authorship. The audience had not merely endured the interruption; it had absorbed it, reshaping the moment into part of the performance itself. When the lights came back, the program resumed with sharpened energy.<\/p>\n

The Fishers Second Band opened with a vibrant set, followed by the young vocalist Anteneh Tesfaye, who performed Tilahun Gessesse\u2019s \u201cEna Bebekule<\/em>,\u201d drawing a strong, immediate response.<\/p>\n

Then the evening shifted into poetry. Yabsera Tameru took the stage, reading from his poetry book, Love Hope. At the end, he stepped toward the guest artist Dibekulu Tafese and handed him a copy \u2014 a quiet, symbolic gesture that suggested continuity between emerging and established voices.<\/p>\n

Sirak Wendemu followed, reading from his third book, Somsoma<\/em>. His delivery drew the hall into near-total stillness before applause broke through. The mood shifted again when Dibekulu purchased both books onstage \u2014 each priced at 5,000 birr \u2014 transforming appreciation into tangible support.<\/p>\n

For many in the room, Dibekulu is more than a guest performer; he is a defining figure in contemporary Ethiopian music. Raised in Addis Ababa, he gained prominence as the lead vocalist of Jano Band, whose fusion of Ethiopian musical traditions with rock elements helped reshape the soundscape of a younger generation. Their album Ertale<\/em>, featuring tracks like \u201cAyrak<\/em>,\u201d marked a turning point. After years of touring across Europe and the United States, he embarked on a solo career around 2020, seeking greater artistic latitude.<\/p>\n

Back onstage, that range was visible. A performance by the Ethio Yaredawiyan Dance Group evolved into a shared moment, as Dibekulu joined the dancers, dissolving the boundary between featured artist and participant.<\/p>\n

A fashion segment followed under the theme \u201cTikur Engedaye Meshet,<\/em>\u201d with the Addis Ababa University Cultural Center modeling group turning the stage into a runway, walking to Dibekulu\u2019s \u201cTikur Engedaye.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

\"|<\/p>\n

Music returned in succession. Mekdes Webeshet performed Netsanet Melese\u2019s \u201cYetale Lij Yetal<\/em>,\u201d followed by Dagmawi Negus, who energized the room with Girma Beyene\u2019s \u201cEnken Yelalebesh,\u201d<\/em> combining voice and movement in a kinetic set. Singer Berihun Gizaw closed the sequence with Melkamu Tebeje\u2019s \u201cYe Leben Adarash,<\/em>\u201d drawing sustained, emotional applause.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Dibekulu returned to the spotlight for a quieter turn: an onstage conversation tracing his artistic evolution, from band frontman to solo performer. The tone shifted again when, mid-discussion, he began a restrained, deeply felt rendition of Alemayehu Eshete\u2019s \u201cWededku Afekerkush.<\/em>\u201d The hall fell still. Moments later, he pivoted, picking up the drums and launching into his own \u201cAyrak<\/em>,\u201d reintroducing rhythm and momentum.<\/p>\n

By the time he moved through \u201cAyrak<\/em>\u201d and \u201cTikur Engedaye<\/em>,\u201d the audience was fully absorbed \u2014 singing, clapping and moving in near unison.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am so happy to be here,\u201d Dibekulu said. \u201cThe students\u2019 energy is incredible \u2014 it feels like a concert. This reminds me of the Jano vibe. The poets, singers and dancers \u2014 all the young performers \u2014 are amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Performers, too, framed the evening as both milestone and beginning. Speaking afterward, Yohannes described the moment as formative. \u201cAt this stage, I introduce myself as an emerging artist,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is a great pleasure to perform for this audience. I feel optimistic about the future. I will come with my own music.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dagmawi Negus, known as Dagi Jing, emphasized the personal significance of sharing the stage with Dibekulu. \u201cPerforming with him was a dream,\u201d he said. \u201cI started performing three years ago on this same stage. I want to thank my parents, my family and especially my bandmates, the Fishers Second Band \u2014 they supported me throughout tonight.\u201d He added that while he primarily performs diatonic Amharic songs, he intends to experiment with new styles in the future.<\/p>\n

Behind the performances lies a deliberate structure.<\/p>\n

Naod Degf, a third-year theater arts student and a representative of the cultural center, described a program designed for continuity as much as showcase. \u201cWe organize this art show every Wednesday,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are also film screenings on Tuesday nights, along with literary events and book reviews. It\u2019s open to everyone \u2014 free of charge.\u201d<\/p>\n

For those in attendance, the experience extended beyond performance. Bilen Kuru, attending for the first time, described the event as both inspiration and entry point. \u201cI\u2019m very excited to be here,\u201d she said. \u201cI love Dibekulu\u2019s music, and I enjoyed the event a lot. I\u2019m also trying to sing \u2014 this inspires me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Abel Mekuria, a regular, framed it more simply. \u201cWhenever I feel stressed, I come here,\u201d he said. \u201cArt relaxes you. It helps you look into yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the evening drew to a close, the Addis Ababa University Cultural Center\u2019s director, Assistant Professor Tesfaye Eshetu, presented Dibekulu with a certificate of appreciation. The artist Seleshi Mola followed with a hand-painted work \u2014 a final exchange in a night defined by reciprocity.<\/p>\n

The lights, by then, were steady. But what lingered was something less tangible: the \u201cAngafa\u201d art show offered a clear, if familiar, proposition\u2014art does not wait for ideal conditions. It generates its own.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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