There is a lot to say about Ethiopian movies - whether it’s the unrealistic plot points, the love interest that highlights the class divide that is virtually absent from national political dialogue, or the myriad issues that plague production like terrible sound design. 

Sacrifice is a new exhibition at the newly renovated Fendika Cultural Center by Etsegenet Girma, Beza Hayleleoul, and Mehari Birhanu. All three are graduates of Teferi Mekonnen School’s (TMS) graphics program and showed their work together at Addis Ababa Museum last year. 

Dispatches from Limbo, a group exhibition, opened this weekend at LeLa Gallery - one of the few contemporary art galleries to open doors after the COVID-19 pandemic induced shut down of businesses. Behailu Bezabih, Dawit Abebe, Eyob Kitaba, Henok Melkamzer, Nahom Teklehaimanot, Tamrat Gezahegne, and Tewodros Hagos gathered to present an exhibition of works new and old.

The social media landscape may seem limited to facebook posts by a medley of family and friends, politicians’ and activists’ virtue signaling on Twitter and the perfect vacations and decadent meals on Instagram but a younger generation is getting their daily humor dose on TikTok. 

The Coronavirus pandemic has forced some parents to explore alternatives when it comes to educating their children.

The highly anticipated Addis Ababa Noir looks at the many faces of Addis through the lens of some of the most talented writers from Ethiopia. Published by Akashic books as part of a series exploring the dark underbelly of cities around the world, Addis Ababa Noir was edited by Maaza Mengiste and includes 14 short stories.

Alexander Araya a.k.a DJ Astronaut-E is planning to host an event this Friday. With the event marking his debut in event organization, Alexander is nervous about how the event will unfold. There are also concerns about dangers posed by COVID-19. He’d waited to see if it was safe to hold an event at this time. 

Chewatacon, the first gaming festival celebrating gaming culture in Ethiopia, began on Thursday this week. Chewatacon is a virtual event hosted by Chewata Awaki, D5 and Goethe Institut.

The ritual of shopping could be a great activity to spend a few hours or it could be a dreaded hellscape one avoids like a plague. Nonetheless, it’s something people must do even if it’s as rarely as possible.

Ethiopian Records has been a pioneer in Addis Ababa’s electronic music scene for several years. Starting out as an underground artist creating experimental sounds that mainstream audiences are now only growing accustomed to; Ethiopian Records is used to being ahead of the curve.