Israeli-Ethiopian Arts Festival to open this week, showcasing art, music

The 15th Hullegeb Israeli-Ethiopian Arts Festival will open on Saturday, December 21, with a joint performance of sax player Abatte Barihun and violinist Elad Levi in an evening that combines North African music and Ethiopian jazz. Titled Hullegeb (All are Invited), the four-day festival presents theater, dance, hip-hop, and discussions that introduce patrons to the vibrant culture created by Ethiopian Israelis. Hanny Mesele will sing alongside YoniVerse (Yehonatan Adama) on Monday, December 23, in what promises to be a powerful Hip-Hop Hebrew performance. Both artists put a strong emphasis on black pride with lyrics like “haters will stand in line to the tanning salon to get this color” (in the song “Shchorut” – blackness) and “you won’t cheat me because I’m Habesha” (“Habesha”). Now used by Ethiopian Israelis in reference to themselves, historically the term Habesha is pan-ethnic and included Eritreans and Christian Amharic speakers as well. Born in Gondar, Getachew Hunegnaw made aliyah when he was 17 years old. In the play Come to Buna, he inhabits the role of Aba Gabar Hana, a wise-fool familiar to Amharic speakers. Like his cousins, Hershel of Ostropol from Europe or the pious Muslim Nasreddin Hodja, Aba Gabar Hana is much liked...