The Ethiopian circus world, revitalised in the 1990s through the mediation of two North Americans, has not stopped diversifying for the last decade, developing new approaches to innovation in the circus arts. In order to meet with the key players of this transformation, the Circostrada network1 organised a research trip in February 2018, during the second edition of the “African Circus Arts Festival” (ACAF) organised by Fekat Circus. The following is a report on an enriching week of exchanges and encounters.
- 1Since 2003, the European network Circostrada aids in the development and structuring of the circus arts and street art in Europe and beyond. With more than 100 members in 30 countries, it is under the guise of ARTCENA and supported by the program Creative Europe of the European Commission and the Ministry of Culture (France).
In La grande bellezza1 , Paolo Sorrentino says to a character belonging to the upper classes of Roman society, “the only interesting jazz is Ethiopian jazz.” Generally called ‘ethio-jazz’, this style of jazz, born in the early 1960s in the bars and hotels of Addis Ababa2 , entered its golden era in the 1970s. Its rediscovery beyond Ethiopia’s borders was defined by two major moments: the release of the collection “Ethiopiques” in the 90s by the independent French label Buda Musique3 and the international success of Broken Flowers4 , a film by Jim Jarmusch, the soundtrack of which includes music from Mulatu Astatke, considered the father of ethio-jazz.
- 1Released in 2013, the film was nominated for an Oscar in 2014, taking home the Best Foreign Language
- 2Addis Ababa, which means ‘new flower’ is a city with more than 3 million inhabitants and is home to the HQ of the African Union since 1963, located in the centre of the country on a plateau at an altitude of 2,500 meters.
- 3The collection, created and directed by Francis Falceto, has allowed for the rediscovery of ethio-jazz albums produced in the 1960s and 1970s by Amha Esthètè, founder of Amha Records.
- 4Released in 2005, the film is nominated at the Cannes Festival where it went on to win the Jury grand prize.