profiles introduction

Ethiopia
Traditions of Creativity

An Introduction to the Artist Profiles

Ethiopia is one of the world's great crossroads where the peoples and cultures of Africa, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean have been meeting for thousands of years. It is not surprising that today one encounters tremendous ethnic and cultural diversity in this region—a diversity that has given rise to some of Africa's more beautiful and compelling aesthetic traditions. These profiles celebrate this diversity by examining some of these traditions through the eyes of eleven contemporary artists and artisans from various parts of Ethiopia.

Western interpretations of Ethiopian aesthetic tradition tend to play down the significance of the individuals who make things, presenting the material object as a product of a society as opposed to an individual. Thousands of aesthetic objects made by Ethiopians are found in museum and private collections around the world. Yet, with relatively few exceptions, the identity of their creators is unknown. These objects are not signed, but this does not mean they must be anonymous. The makers are unknown because the people who originally collected the objects were uninterested in recording the names of the people who made them. [1] Regrettably, the anonymity associated with the creative process now is erroneously perceived as a characteristic of most Ethiopian as well as other African societies.

This set of profiles offers a different perspective. It demonstrate that the creative act is not anonymous; that there are specific individuals known and recognized in the communities in which they live and work. We focus on the creators of objects, rather than the objects themselves. Eleven individuals working in various media—pottery, jewelry, painting, basketry, woodwork, sorghum stalk models, and textiles—were selected to represent specific traditions. Introducing these individuals as creators of objects but also as important members of their communities provides an opportunity to develop an appreciation for a number of important cultural as well as aesthetic issues.

Ethiopia: Traditions of Creativity introduces these eleven object makers as unique individuals while placing them in broader social communities. In exploring the profiles, it becomes apparent that the eleven featured artists lead very different lives. At the same time, a number of recurring themes emerge that reveal traditions shared by many of the peoples of Ethiopia. For instance,

Objects usually serve utilitarian functions but may also carry important symbolic meaning associated with the social and religious lives of individuals and the communities in which they live.
Learning to make objects is often part of growing up in a particular family and is a process that frequently involves a combination of observation, imitation, and informal criticism.
Traditions that remain vital for individuals and communities are always changing. Sometimes changes come from within the individual or society; sometimes they come from outside—from elsewhere in Ethiopia, Africa, or the world.
Most object making traditions are gender specific. Either men or women produce specific types of objects. However, often there is a complementary relationship between men and women in the production of objects.[2]
In many Ethiopian societies the implements of everyday life are produced by special groups of people (castes) who live separate from the rest of the society. These people are often despised and feared by those among whom they live, but they are also respected for their specialized knowledge and skills.

These are only a few of the recurring themes—others will emerge as you proceed through the profiles.

Ethiopia: Traditions of Creativity presents traditions from many areas of Ethiopia; even so, it offers only a small part of a much larger picture. There are at least 30 distinct ethnic groups in Ethiopia and within each of these societies there are many aesthetic traditions. These profiles only just begin to explore the vast range of aesthetic expression found in Ethiopia’s rich and varied cultural heritages.

The profiles were compiled from information acquired while working with the artists in Ethiopia in April-June, 1993. This research was undertaken by an international team of scholars. For more information about the research see the acknowledgements and overview of the 1994 Michigan State University Museum exhibition.