Strengthening Capacities within the Dance Sector in Ethiopia Project
Through the International Fund for Cultural Diversity, UNESCO in partnership with Ethiopia Dance Art Association will implement the Strengthening Capacities within the Dance Sector in Ethiopia Project.
The Fund invests in projects in developing countries that lead to structural change through policies and strategies that have a direct effect on the creation, production, distribution, and access to a diversity of cultural expressions, including cultural goods, services, and activities.
Dance and dance artists play important roles in preserving and promoting Ethiopia's diverse cultural heritage and in developing the country's cultural industry. Currently in Ethiopia, dance is considered an undesirable career, and dancers suffer from low and unstable income, job insecurity, and lack of collective representation. Furthermore, women dance artists face discrimination due to gender, including demands of family responsibilities, and sexual harassment at work. Artists outside of Addis Ababa have even fewer opportunities and resources. To address these issues, Ethiopian Dance Art Association was established in May 2018. EDAA convenes dancers to foster connectivity, to support infrastructure start-up, and to develop a strategic plan. EDAA leadership remains steadfast in its commitment to ensure dance's inclusion in Ethiopia's cultural policy. EDAA participates in national and international policy forums and collaborates with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
This IFCD-funded project aims to structurally professionalize and raise the profile of the dance sector in Ethiopia and contribute to better economic and social outcomes for dancers, specifically women. EDAA will achieve this through a two-year implementation plan which will include activities such as outreach, networking and data collection, and through the publication of written and visual data.
Activities will commence in April 2021 by establishing a network of dance professionals, producing and publishing web based platforms such as launching a website, video content and sharing knowledge through social media channels and conferences. Considering that EDAA is committed to address gender barriers across all aspects of the project workshops, EDAA will reach a target of 50% women beneficiaries. To facilitate this the first workshop on gender issues will launch the project to demonstrate EDAAs commitment to incorporate a focus on gender equality throughout all EDAA activities.
EDAA will closely collaborate with professional organizational structures and universities to incorporate outcomes into forums organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
July 2021: Ethiopian Dance Art Association is proud that for the first time in our nation’s history, dance and dance artists were formally acknowledged for their important contributions by the government. At the recent award ceremony held by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, EDAA was one of the 27 artistic associations represented. We are happy not because our work is perfect, or even finished, but because this was a historic moment, a new beginning. It is important to keep in mind that this award will be an annual tradition.
As a result of collaboration between Ethiopian Dance Art Association and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, some of our legend dancer artists and dance teachers were honored at the ceremony, and the young generation of dance artists were encouraged to keep up their good work.
To set up, fund, and select awards requires a lot of hard work and coordination. EDAA’s leadership team and the staff of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism made this happen within a short time frame. The EDAA team did this work while living our already busy lives. We did it as a service to our profession, our society. We give our time, our energy, our good vibes, just as how we give without reserve when we dance. If we work together and help each other, we will improve our process in the future.
Ethiopian Dance Art Association was established because we know the pain of not being valued by the very society that has sparked our interest in dance. Even getting EDAA registered as an organization with the government took a few years of struggle and hard work. The Association has been a voice for dancers at governmental and civil society forums. Now the government finally included dance when it honors artists of many disciplines. The process is not perfect, but we have taken a step towards our goals – to raise the status of dance and dancers in Ethiopia, and to make things easier for future generations of dance artists. We have a long way to go, but we can only get there if we work with each other.
This year we honored three legend artists and two young artists/groups. There are many more outstanding dance artists who deserve the award, of course. We want to give awards to all our masters in the countryside as well as the creatives in the cities. Our challenge in choosing awardees reveals how rich and dynamic the dance sector is. Ethiopian dance is rich, diverse, dynamic, and modern. We have a lot to give to the world. At the same time, we also have a lot to learn from the rest of the world. Once we find ways to work together amongst ourselves, great potentials exist for us to collaborate with international embassies and cultural institutions based in Ethiopia, as well as dance associations, schools, and companies in other countries.
But first we all have homework to do, as dancers, choreographers, dance critics and writers. We need to know ourselves first: Who are we? What are the purposes and meanings of our dance? Where is our dance now? Where is our dance going? Let’s begin the conversation and continue our work, with a spirit of collaboration.
