Lesiba Teffo

Director, Institute for Global Dialogue

South Africa

NGO

Contact: info@igd.org.za

Teklemichael, Makda. “Contemporary Women Artists in Ethiopia”. African Arts 42, n^o 1 (2009): 38‑45. https://doi.org/10.1162/afar.2009.42.1.38.

This research note explores the lives and work of six contemporary women artists in Ethiopia, both those who paint within the artistic traditions of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and those who were educated in an academic, fine art tradition and whose work sells in art galleries in Addis Ababa and abroad. What these women share is the strength necessary to become artists and the challenges imposed by a competitive, male-dominated market. Their success in this market is affected by their educational and social backgrounds, both of which impact their ability to work and their access to materials and customers. In this note, I briefly examine the historical roles of women as patrons and as subjects of Ethiopian art before addressing the roles of cultural and traditional institutions in shaping the Ethiopian art market. I also examine the strategies female artists employ to make art that fulfills their creative vision while also providing a means of subsistence. Finally, I explore how they balance their aesthetic and economic concerns.

[Excerpt from the article, p.38]

Tella, Oluwaseun. Africa’s Soft Power: Philosophies, Political Values, Foreign Policies and Cultural Exports. Abingdon, Oxon, New York, N.Y: Routledge, 2021. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003176022.

This book investigates the ways in which soft power is used by African countries to help drive global influence. Selecting four of the countries most associated with soft power across the continent, this book delves into the currencies of soft power across the region: from South Africa’s progressive constitution and expanding multinational corporations, to Nigeria’s Nollywood film industry and Technical Aid Corps (TAC) scheme, Kenya’s sport diplomacy, fashion and tourism industries, and finally Egypt’s Pan-Arabism and its reputation as the cradle of civilisation. The book asks how soft power is wielded by these countries and what constraints and contradictions they encounter. Understandings of soft power have typically been driven by Western scholars, but throughout this book, Oluwaseun Tella aims to Africanise our understanding of soft power, drawing on prominent African philosophies, including Nigeria’s Omolúwàbí, South Africa’s Ubuntu, Kenya’s Harambee, and Egypt’s Pharaonism.

[Source: Routledge].

Tella, Oluwaseun. Africa’s Soft Power: Philosophies, Political Values, Foreign Policies and Cultural Exports. Abingdon, Oxon, New York, NY: Routledge, 2021. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003176022.

This book investigates the ways in which soft power is used by African countries to help drive global influence. Selecting four of the countries most associated with soft power across the continent, this book delves into the currencies of soft power across the region: from South Africa’s progressive constitution and expanding multinational corporations, to Nigeria’s Nollywood film industry and Technical Aid Corps (TAC) scheme, Kenya’s sport diplomacy, fashion and tourism industries, and finally Egypt’s Pan-Arabism and its reputation as the cradle of civilization. The book asks how soft power is wielded by these countries and what constraints and contradictions they encounter. Understandings of soft power have typically been driven by Western scholars, but throughout this book, Oluwaseun Tella aims to Africanise our understanding of soft power, drawing on prominent African philosophies, including Nigeria’s Omolúwàbí, South Africa’s Ubuntu, Kenya’s Harambee, and Egypt’s Pharaonism. This book will be of interest to researchers from across political science, international relations, cultural studies, foreign policy and African Studies.

[Source: Routledge].

Gerrie ter Haar

Professor of Religion and Development, International Institute of Social  Studies (IS) in The Hague, part of Erasmus University Rotterdam

Contact:

gerrieterhaar@kpnmail.nl

Terrefe, Biruk. “Urban Layers of Political Rupture: The ‘new’ Politics of Addis Ababa’s Megaprojects.” Journal of Eastern African Studies 14, no. 3 (2020): 375–95. https://doi.org/10.1080/17531055.2020.1774705.

From the Derg's restoration of Meskel Square for its military parades and Meles Zenawi's Light-Rail Transit (LRT) and condominium social housing projects to Abiy Ahmed's high-end luxury real estate and urban tourism schemes, mega projects have collapsed Ethiopia's political history into an urban bricolage of shifting ideologies and new priorities. At this critical juncture, where questions of political rupture and continuity become salient, this paper examines what we can learn about Ethiopia's political dynamics through its latest urban megaprojects. Drawing on 'LaGare' and 'Beautifying Sheger' as case studies, this article argues that there is a new urban aesthetic emerging in Addis Ababa targeting domestic elites, the Ethiopian diaspora and tourists. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's Gulf-emulated luxury real estate projects and major riverside renewal schemes are intended to generate revenue through increased land values and urban tourism. At the same time, issues around inclusive consultation with local stakeholders, the lack of coordination with the relevant bureaucracies and the highly centralized decision-making process are reminiscent of the modus operandi of previous Ethiopian regimes. These urban megaprojects are useful analytical lenses to disentangle political rupture from operational continuity.

Source: Article's abstract

Tettey, Wisdom

Vice-President University of Toronto, Principal, University of Toronto Scarborough Campus, Professor Department of Political Science, Professor Department of Global Development Studies

Melissa Thackway

Lecturer, African cinema, Sciences Po, France

sciencespo.academia.edu/MelissaTHACKWAY