In its fourth year, Selam Festival Addis [Selam: meaning peace in Ethiopia’s official language] on January 17 and 18 opened its 2015 festival to a packed Floral Tropical Garden, in the heart of Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia. The two-day outdoor live concert brought a strong international artist line-up, full of soaring performances, vivacity and cultural exchange. Hyping up the audience, the festival eminently displayed its enthusiasm for advancing and celebrating the arts and culture, and rich musical tradition, mainly, sounds from Ethiopia and the rest of the African continent.
The packed crowd got to experience a harmonious blend of traditional and modern music emerging out of Africa, and elsewhere. Taking a musical journey from east to west to south of Africa, and Europe, the performances were nothing short of great vocals and dynamic synergy.
At the main stage, from an explosively energetic performance by Kenya’s Afro-fusion band SARABI rocking the audience with traditional rhythms, benga and a blend of western sounds; to Ugandan Jemimah Sanyu and band’s power-house performance keeping the momentum moving with their magnetic vibrancy; and Ethiopia’s Samuel Yirga and group’s blissful fusion –Yirga’s composition and fervor approach to the piano taking it over the top, as Kenny Allen’s soulful vocals morphed with the chords of Ethiojazz melodies to an evocative soundscape, the crowd was impressively treated.
But that was not all, there were more vibrant performances from groups like Ethiocolor and their strikingly dynamic cultural dance showcase; to Congolese Lexxus Legal’s soukous sounds combined with great hip-hop sets topped off with a blazing onstage chemistry; to Ethiopia’s Michael Belayneh’s soulful sound, known for his legions of female fans; and, many more amazing performances, occurring concurrently on two stages.
Epically, the night was intensified as fans welcomed with roaring sounds the internationally renowned, Mali’s modern griot, Habib Koité and his band, Bamada. When Koité took to the stage a string of bluesy songs -cadenced rhythms and melodies echoing his culture, accompanied by his guitar and complemented by the Malian kamala n’goni, a four-stringed instrument, the crowd amplified and reflected back the energy felt from the band.
The crowd, surrounded by tents, bazaars and food-stands on all sides, started off with a quiet appearance, but became noticeably hypnotized as the audience started jumping and grooving mid-way into the concert. All-round good crowd, positive energy.
Without a doubt, the fourth edition of Selam Music and Arts Festival Addis turned things up.
Moreover, preceding the outdoor live concert, on January 14 and 15 the festival featured film-screenings that followed discussions with filmmakers and directors, along with seminars and workshops. The seminar topics –led by panelists from Ethiopia, Sweden, Denmark, UK, Senegal, and more– “looked at the situation in society for blind and visually impaired musicians, the situation for female artists and culture entrepreneurs, and the concept of Festival”.
The festival was organized by Selam Ethiopia in collaboration with YisaKal! Entertainment and carried out by the Selam Stockholm, part of the “Cultural Enablers” program supported by Sida and the Culture Foundation of the Swedish Postcode Lottery. The festival is said to be a platform that creates opportunities for international and national music professionals to meet and collaborate, as it presents global music with sounds mainly from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Additionally, the event marked the culmination of efforts as the organizers emerged as one of the prominent players in the investment of the arts and culture, contributing to Ethiopia’s ever so growing creative industry –investment in the development of cultural and creative assets.
Selam Addis Festival gave evidence and assurance of Ethiopia’s growing creative culture and industry.
All images courtesy of Aron Simeneh.