In Addis Ababa, 2005, following a research visit to the southwest of Ethiopia, Paul Winter presented two concerts, one for the Cultural Arts Society of Ethiopia, and the other for the Yared School of music.
![]() D’Irashe musicians at the April, 2006 concert In April 2006, three concerts were presented, featuring 40 musicians from the Ari, D’Irashe and Basketo communities of southern Ethiopia; Dokku Lenda from Lante; and Justin Matu, Charles Busuulwa, Robert Ssimbwa and Isaac Zimbe, from Uganda). The concerts took place in the National Theatre, the Yared Music School, and the Hager Fikir Theatre in Addis Ababa. In September 2008, Paul Winter and a core Great Rift Valley Orchestra, including Mugwisa Kalifani (Uganda); Andrea Kalima, and Mwanaima Mrutu (Tanzania); Jamey Haddad (US) and Andy Cooke (UK); with musicians from the D’Irashe tribe (Ethiopia), presented 2 concerts in Awassa and Arba Minch. The goals of these collaborative concerts were three-fold: To raise awareness and appreciation for bird migrations, to develop musical relationships toward the Flyways composition, and to validate these indigenous traditions within the urban community of the cultural and governing elite of Addis Ababa. The concerts were presented in conjunction with the Culture and Art Society of Ethiopia (CASE), a non-profit, non-governmental society operating in Ethiopia. CASE promotes cultural activities of indigenous communities, and believes that creating such collaborative forums, as these concerts, will help win respect for local cultures and build the confidence of indigenous communities. |
Resources: Our deep gratitude to the many people who have collaborated with us and assisted us in Ethiopia, especially to: Chief Hora Galcha and the Arbore village of Gondoroba, Wolde Gossa Tadesse (The Christensen Fund), Yilma Abebe (ornithologist), Mr. Metesabia, Mr. Koshina, Mr. Dinote, Yared School of Music, Negash Abdu, guide, Asaminew Ourgessa (guide and translator, southwest region), Tamirat |
Ethiopia
Size: 1,104,300 km²
Human population: 82,949,541
(World Bank, World Development Indicators, 2010)
81 indigenous ethnic groups in 14 administrative regions.Bird species: 816
31 are species of global conservation concern; 596 are resident and 224 are regular seasonal migrants, including 176 from the Palearctic.Important Bird Areas: 69
Arbore tribe, Gondoroba, jumping dance with rhythm of long sticks
A traditional dance by the Arbore people of Gondoroba, accompanied by the rhythmic clicking of longs sticks, imitates the bill clicking of migrating storks, whose arrival is considered a good omen.