“Ethio-Kimono”

Inspiration, Impression

By Selome Kifle

Japanese volunteers Hiroko Samejima and Megumi Hoshi collaborated with various professions in Ethiopia (including Niana Modeling & Talent Training Agency) to organize a charity fashion show sponsored by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and staged by the Volunteer Inspiration – Impression Committee on Saturday evening, April 3, 2004 at the Alem Creative art Center.
At the non-for profit event, volunteers and designers Hiroko Samejima and Megumi Hoshi presented 40 fashion designs, depicting a cocktail of Japanese and Ethiopian traditions created by combining local material with Japanese themes, named “Jacaranda”, “Chimanki”, Bunna”, “Ethio-Kimono” and many more.
Hiroko says that the designs are the medium through which they expresse their cultural experiences in Ethiopia, which is very different from that what they are accustomed to in Japan. That is why the show is titled “inspiration-impression”. A lot of the things the volunteers observed in Ethiopia inspired their creativity.
Inspirations come from ordinary things that may not even be noticed by people living in the country but that are new to a Japanese. The colorful injera baskets, the unique designs of the scarves (shash), the layered fruit juice (spriz chimaki), the distinct shapes of the crosses (meskel), the vivid colors of the Muslim dresses, the meskel flowers that cover the landscape during time of the Ethiopian New Year, the coffee ceremony, and the colorful adornment of the magnificent people in the southern region are some of the inspirations for their fashion creativity.
Further she sadly explained, despite all the traditional natural beauty and the keen sense of beauty of the people, the concept of design and creativity is undervalued in Ethiopia. The markets are full of imitations that can not be distinguished as original Ethiopian designs or designs from elsewhere. “Ethiopian designers sometimes copy from others without any hesitation,” she said.
According to Hiroko, the JICA Volunteer Inspiration- Impression Committee preferred to use two amateur models to show the designs, “because we are also beginners but most of our models have knocked the door of model agencies and been aspired to be a professional model throughout the training. And some of them attend higher education or have different careers at the same time”.
Capital leaned that all the funds raised from the fashion show will be contributed to the Abebech Gobena Orphanage & School (AGOS) of Ethiopian Industrial Design. AGOS is a non- profit organization that provides non-formal education, basic education, vocational skills training, water development, HIV/AIDS care and support, women’s empowerment, and infrastructure development.
Both designers were brought to Ethiopia by JICA to teach in the Ethiopian Tourist Trade Enterprise (ETTE) in the area of leather crafts, souvenir, dresses and computer graphics. Megumi Hoshi joined a shoe-manufacturing company in Japan in 1997 and had been assigned to the planning department for 6 years. A one year later she went to shoe making school in Ars Sutoria to get trained in pattern making. While in her stay in the shoe manufacturing company in Japan, Megumi’s main job was pattern making, sewing and forming the sole with a wooden last. She was also in charge for planning new design. “I was able to learn the process of shoe making from planning to the final production” she said.
Hiroko Samejima was born in 1973 in Tokyo, since 1995 she had exhibited her works in several part of Japan including at Nakano Zero and SK Gallery in Tokyo. She had also directed and produced a digital film called “A Stroke” and a 16mm film “Switch”, which she jointly directed and produced with other film directors in Japan. Other than this, Hiroko also worked on the interior design decoration in “Yellow club” in Tokyo.

“Let us all be beautiful”

                            Care & support for AIDS victims

The Dawn Hope Ethiopia Association in collaboration with Action Aid Ethiopia has organized the screening of a documentary film entitled “Let Us All Be Beautiful,” which is going to be premiering on Thursday, April 8 at the Global Hotel.
Miss Ethiopia 2003, Yodit Getahun is the leading actress in this film directed and produced by Yonas Berhane. Yonas is the owner of a film producing company called Ethio-film Production. According to the information at hand the film focuses on the need for care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS. Yodit is filmed in the process of grooming, bathing and otherwise giving comfort and care to the victims of the virus.
Yonas said that most people are generally tired of documentary films but this production is different. We have involved Yodit in a number of activities in an environment that is not mundane or Boring that we especially created for the film.
He noted that the film has cost 100,000 birr. Capital learned that the first screening of the film is a fundraising event to finance some activities of Dawn of Hope such as public education, home based care, medical and counseling support and defending the right of the people living with HIV/AIDS. Organizations are expected to contribute 1,000 birr while individuals will pay 200 birr for the opening night.
It is expected that the film will be screened in the presence of President Girma W/Giorgis and many high-ranking officials and public figures
 

 Trio Aedôn staged classical concert @ Juventus

The Italian Cultural institute in collaboration with the Juventus Club has organized a musical concert entitled “Da Paganini a Rota: due secoli di musiche italiane” by a group called Trio Aedôn at the Juventus Club on Thursday, April 1, here in Addis.
The group presented their music composed by well-known musicians from Italy and Germany from the 17th till the 20th century, such as N. Paganini, G. Rossini and L.V Beethoven. Vivid sounds that came from the three musical instruments; piano, cello and clarinet create a cozy atmosphere at the Juventus. “Their recital was well performed, and they also tried to arrange music from early composer to new authors that are appreciated by the public in Rome,” said one enchanted viewer.
The group that consits of three musicians namely Stefano Marzi (clarinet), Gabriele Zoffoli (cello) and Stefano Bartolucci (piano) was established in 1993 with the aim of offering original repertoire of valuable musical pieces to classical music lovers. The group played in important concert halls and Italian theatres, presenting along the traditional classical music, pieces of great value composed by less known authors but appreciated by the public. In 1998 the Trio toured Argentina, Chile and Brazil. Since then the group started to play classical music composed by South American authors like Ginastera and Franzetti. Trio Aedôn has won the first prize at Eutepe National Competition Corato (Italy) and a special prize for the best interpretation of music by Nino Rota.
Stefano Marzi took part in several master classes in Italy and Germany. He also collaborated with many lyrics and symphonic orchestra like La Scala in Milianm the Philarmonic Orchestra in Turin and the European Community Wind Orchestral. Marzi won several prizes in national and international competition in his performances as a soloist.
Gabrile Zoffoli graduated in1985; one year later he took part in the Italian Youth Orchestra; continued playing chamber music and improved his skills preforming with other musicians. Currently he plays in the chamber Orchestra “Camerata del Titano” in San Marino. He founded several groups from duo to quinet and took part in more than 250 recitals.
Stefano Bartolucci graduated with highest grade and from the Academy of music “G. Rossini” in Pesaro in 1984. He won the Alfredo Baldelli as the best award of the year. He participated in many concerts in Italy, Istambul, Ismir, Argentina, Chile and Columbia.
Director of Cultural and Scientific Attaché of the Embassy of Italy, Dr. Emiliano Longhi said that the cultural institute has brought the group for the second time to Addis. But what makes this concert special is that Trio Aedôn gave two recitals, one at the Yared School of Music on March 31, and the other at the Juventus Club. The institute also has organized a workshop at the Yared School with the objective of exchanging ideas between the group and the students of the school. “The group has brought musical notes for the Yared School, and this is very nice in terms of cultural exchange between the two countries,” said Dr. Longhi.