{"id":48353,"date":"2025-12-27T11:48:41","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T08:48:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/?p=48353"},"modified":"2025-12-27T11:48:41","modified_gmt":"2025-12-27T08:48:41","slug":"the-work-behind-the-applause","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/48353\/","title":{"rendered":"The Work Behind the Applause"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Life Spent Building the Systems Behind the Music<\/strong><\/p>\n

Born and raised in Addis Ababa, Teshome Wondimu grew up in Fitber, a neighborhood where music and performance were woven into daily life. It was there, amid communal gatherings and informal artistry that his lifelong engagement with culture took root \u2014 long before it would carry him onto an international stage.<\/p>\n

This year, that journey reached a milestone. Teshome, the founder and chief executive of Selam Ethiopia and the Addis Jazz Festival, became the first Ethiopian to receive the International Citation of Merit from the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA), one of the field\u2019s most respected global bodies. The award recognizes more than three decades of work dedicated to building cultural institutions, connecting artists across borders, and strengthening the infrastructure that sustains the performing arts.<\/p>\n

While attending Dagmawi Minilik School in Addis Ababa, Teshome began learning musical instruments and performing at a young age. Music quickly became a constant\u2014less a hobby than a parallel education\u2014shaping his interests and orienting him toward creative and organizational work. Those early experiences, he says, laid the foundation for his later involvement in arts management and cultural initiatives.<\/p>\n

His path soon took him beyond civilian life. In Asmara, where he joined the Ethiopian Navy, music entered a more structured environment. He performed in marching bands and later with the Navy\u2019s dance band, where rehearsals and performances were embedded in daily routines. The military setting, he recalled, reinforced music\u2019s collective and social function, situating it within public life and shared experience rather than individual expression.<\/p>\n

In 1986, Teshome received a scholarship to study music in Moscow. There, he trained as a conductor and musical director, immersing himself in music theory, classical traditions, and institutional models of performance. The years in Russia, he said, expanded not only his technical skills but also his understanding of discipline, coordination, and rehearsal systems\u2014lessons that would later inform his work as an organizer and institution-builder.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe foundation of my career was shaped by three stages,\u201d Teshome said: \u201cearly training, service in the Ethiopian Navy, and studies in Russia.\u201d Together, those experiences formed a framework that guided his professional choices.<\/p>\n

A fourth chapter began in 1990, when he moved to Sweden. While adapting to a new society, he remained active in the cultural sector and pursued studies in cultural administration, focusing on planning, management, and policy. His work gradually shifted away from individual performance toward coordination, program development, and institutional engagement.<\/p>\n

That shift culminated in the founding of Selam in Stockholm in 1997. Conceived as a platform to connect Sweden with artists from Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, Selam sought to create space for cultural exchange while broadening access to global music and performance within Sweden. Concerts, tours, and collaborations became its core activities, linking artists with venues, audiences, and cultural institutions.<\/p>\n

\u201cSelam was founded to connect Sweden with the rest of the world,\u201d Teshome said, \u201cand to create space for different musical cultures to be presented and exchanged.\u201d Over time, the organization expanded beyond music to include literature, media, theater, film, and circus arts.<\/p>\n

As Selam\u2019s footprint grew in Europe, Teshome\u2019s attention increasingly returned to Ethiopia. He began examining how cultural institutions functioned, how heritage was managed, and which systems were missing within the music sector. His focus centered on music education, cultural policy, and the commercial environment surrounding artists\u2014areas he viewed as essential for long-term sector development.<\/p>\n

Selam\u2019s work in Ethiopia led to the establishment of a music studio, the launch of festivals including Selam Festival Addis and the Addis Jazz Festival, and the creation of Muzikawi, a company focused on recording, publishing, and rights management. Over nearly three decades, Teshome has been involved in initiatives ranging from research and youth programs to collaboration with government bodies and advocacy around copyright and intellectual property.<\/p>\n

His work has also extended beyond national borders. Through pan-African platforms such as the Pan-African Network for Artists\u2019 Freedom and Connect for Culture Africa, he has engaged in continental discussions on artistic freedom, collaboration, and cultural policy, including work with the African Union on cultural funding frameworks.<\/p>\n

The effort, he acknowledged, has not been without resistance. Limited engagement from decision-makers and inconsistent investment in culture have been persistent challenges. Addressing them, he said, has required sustained dialogue and long-term advocacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt times, the process has been frustrating,\u201d he said, \u201cespecially when long-term experience and sector knowledge are not fully taken into account.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite such obstacles, Teshome\u2019s work has earned growing recognition. He has received several awards, including honors from the City of Stockholm. In 2026, he will formally receive the ISPA International Citation of Merit at the organization\u2019s congress in New York, placing him among global cultural leaders recognized for advancing international collaboration through arts management, education, and institutional development.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am honored to receive this recognition from ISPA,\u201d he told The<\/em> Reporter<\/em>. \u201cIt reflects the contribution of Selam and the people we work with.\u201d The award, he added, both acknowledges work already done and offers encouragement for what lies ahead.<\/p>\n

Today, Selam operates as Selam Global, encompassing Selam Sweden, Selam Ethiopia, Selam Kenya, and Muzikawi. The organization continues to produce festivals, tours, and exchange programs, while also working to archive and reissue Ethiopian music recordings, including on vinyl. Plans are underway to establish permanent cultural spaces in both Stockholm and Addis Ababa.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis award confirms many years of work carried out across countries,\u201d Teshome said. \u201cIt is something we share with colleagues, artists, and partners. I will continue building systems that support artists and cultural practitioners in Ethiopia, across Africa, and within international networks.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Life Spent Building the Systems Behind the Music Born and raised in Addis Ababa, Teshome Wondimu grew up in Fitber, a neighborhood where music and performance were woven into daily life. It was there, amid communal gatherings and informal artistry that his lifelong engagement with culture took root \u2014 long before it would carry […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":48354,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"editor_plus_copied_stylings":"{}","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1944],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-48353","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-art"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48353"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48353\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thereporterethiopia.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}