QWANQWA Band Members Relief Fund
Donation protected
This page was set up by Kaethe for Endris, Selamnesh, Bubu, and Misale, the four other QWANQWA band members residing in Addis Ababa.
I am hoping to raise $1250 for each person. (I've adjusted the goal on this site to reflect the off-site donation amount from a couple people)
QWANQWA's debut US tour was meant to take place in Fall 2020-- with 56 shows in about 11 weeks. This tour, backed by the MacArthur Foundation to secure visa process and the legalities that entails, is of course canceled due to the pandemic, and the band members have been living in Addis existing in a sort of holding pattern, unable to work, and watching their scheduled concert dates float by. We're still planning on coming in 2021, and MacArthur visa support will still be available to us, but the situation in the US brings another layer of unknowns. In the meantime, our 4 band members have nothing to lean on in an economy that's very hand to mouth in the first place. There is no security net for unemployed people for either formal and informal employment, and they have no access to aid.
Ethiopia took the corona virus very seriously, shutting down quickly, imposing mask mandates, and installing hand washing stations in highly trafficked areas. The entire music economy and entertainment industry, as well as other economies, came to a halt. On top of economic strains that came as a result of COVID19 restrictions, political and social tensions have made a bad situation even worse. First came the murder of the Oromo singer Hachalu Hundessa at the end of June, leading to increasingly tense ethnic relations, political polarization, and violence across the country. Internet shutdowns and a postponement of the national election have deepened mistrust in Ethiopia's new-ish Prime Minister, and government offices are ill-equipped to provide leadership and economic assistance during this very fragile time. To add to it all, a sudden resetting of the currency rate in favor of the dollar has delivered yet another painful blow to people trying to keep afloat in an already overwhelming environment.
Feeling helpless and far from my friends there, I've chosen to reach into my network to help make a difference in these 4 peoples' lives, my band membersand artistic collaborators. These are people who, throughout my 11 years in Ethiopia, have each helped me in innumerable ways as I built a life in Addis. Our friendships paved the way for my participation in the musical community. We've spent lots of time together, from touring in Europe several times to relaxing together in my backyard in Addis on weekends with their families, to tackling new music in band practice, laughing together, backing each other. I can attest to their characters, their resilience, their family values, and their resourcefulness.
These people have dedicated their lives to rising to the top of the music scene in Addis and are known internationally by those interested in world music, experimental music, and Ethiopian music.
Ethiopia has extended no aid to musicians and gig workers. Corona was originally thought to have passed through much earlier undetected, but it's now gaining traction and it could get very worrisome soon.
If you are able to give generously, it will go a long way in these wonderful peoples' lives.
Go Fund Me does take 2.9% which means we’ll lose $145 just for using the site, but you are invited to do that if you wish. If you prefer to find another way, we can discuss how to do that. I'll continue to adjust the goal number on this site as the off site donations come in.
A little about each person:
Our singer, Selamnesh, is mother of 4 kids ranging from age 3 to 23 (3 boys and finally! a daughter). She and her husband are from the Northern Countryside, Bourbox, in Gondar, and moved to Addis to work as Azmari musicians in the capital. They've since built quite a reputation. They live on the outskirts of Addis on a large compound with other Azmari relatives, and Selamnesh is sort of the central matriarch of the scene. Selamnesh makes her living as a featured singer performing weddings and the many holidays in Ethiopia, and when she's not hired for that she spends every single night at the famed nightclub Fendika, going home at daybreak to rest.
Endris, the masinko player, is an active and sought after musician who spends his nights dashing from show to show, then to late night studio sessions. Needless to say, this has all been on hold. Endris shares custody of his daughter and just decided recently that after much debate, he'll be taking her out of school this year. After visiting her school and observing how things were being dealt with, he simply doesn't feel like it's safe to send her there. He'll be homeschooling her this year.
Bubu is the breadwinner of his multi-generational compound, his wife is a stay at home mom, and his in-laws also are there. They have two sweet chubby-cheeked snuggly daughters and live on a leafy hillside surrounded by a eucalyptus forest. His world of arranging and composing for the Orthodox Christian church has been shut down. They have some serious home repairs to attend to after this battering rainy season (wrapping up hopefully soon), since it rains especially hard where they are on the top of the hill, and the planted eucalyptus forest near their backyard make for terrible erosion and damage in their area.
Misale, like Bubu, is the father of 2 daughters who are both very active and dynamic. They live in an apartment in Kazanches, once an active nightlife center, but now being bulldozed for Chinese and Emirati construction investments. Although he has played in many many esteemed situations, including at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, he's struggling now to support his family
I am hoping to raise $1250 for each person. (I've adjusted the goal on this site to reflect the off-site donation amount from a couple people)
QWANQWA's debut US tour was meant to take place in Fall 2020-- with 56 shows in about 11 weeks. This tour, backed by the MacArthur Foundation to secure visa process and the legalities that entails, is of course canceled due to the pandemic, and the band members have been living in Addis existing in a sort of holding pattern, unable to work, and watching their scheduled concert dates float by. We're still planning on coming in 2021, and MacArthur visa support will still be available to us, but the situation in the US brings another layer of unknowns. In the meantime, our 4 band members have nothing to lean on in an economy that's very hand to mouth in the first place. There is no security net for unemployed people for either formal and informal employment, and they have no access to aid.
Ethiopia took the corona virus very seriously, shutting down quickly, imposing mask mandates, and installing hand washing stations in highly trafficked areas. The entire music economy and entertainment industry, as well as other economies, came to a halt. On top of economic strains that came as a result of COVID19 restrictions, political and social tensions have made a bad situation even worse. First came the murder of the Oromo singer Hachalu Hundessa at the end of June, leading to increasingly tense ethnic relations, political polarization, and violence across the country. Internet shutdowns and a postponement of the national election have deepened mistrust in Ethiopia's new-ish Prime Minister, and government offices are ill-equipped to provide leadership and economic assistance during this very fragile time. To add to it all, a sudden resetting of the currency rate in favor of the dollar has delivered yet another painful blow to people trying to keep afloat in an already overwhelming environment.
Feeling helpless and far from my friends there, I've chosen to reach into my network to help make a difference in these 4 peoples' lives, my band membersand artistic collaborators. These are people who, throughout my 11 years in Ethiopia, have each helped me in innumerable ways as I built a life in Addis. Our friendships paved the way for my participation in the musical community. We've spent lots of time together, from touring in Europe several times to relaxing together in my backyard in Addis on weekends with their families, to tackling new music in band practice, laughing together, backing each other. I can attest to their characters, their resilience, their family values, and their resourcefulness.
These people have dedicated their lives to rising to the top of the music scene in Addis and are known internationally by those interested in world music, experimental music, and Ethiopian music.
Ethiopia has extended no aid to musicians and gig workers. Corona was originally thought to have passed through much earlier undetected, but it's now gaining traction and it could get very worrisome soon.
If you are able to give generously, it will go a long way in these wonderful peoples' lives.
Go Fund Me does take 2.9% which means we’ll lose $145 just for using the site, but you are invited to do that if you wish. If you prefer to find another way, we can discuss how to do that. I'll continue to adjust the goal number on this site as the off site donations come in.
A little about each person:
Our singer, Selamnesh, is mother of 4 kids ranging from age 3 to 23 (3 boys and finally! a daughter). She and her husband are from the Northern Countryside, Bourbox, in Gondar, and moved to Addis to work as Azmari musicians in the capital. They've since built quite a reputation. They live on the outskirts of Addis on a large compound with other Azmari relatives, and Selamnesh is sort of the central matriarch of the scene. Selamnesh makes her living as a featured singer performing weddings and the many holidays in Ethiopia, and when she's not hired for that she spends every single night at the famed nightclub Fendika, going home at daybreak to rest.
Endris, the masinko player, is an active and sought after musician who spends his nights dashing from show to show, then to late night studio sessions. Needless to say, this has all been on hold. Endris shares custody of his daughter and just decided recently that after much debate, he'll be taking her out of school this year. After visiting her school and observing how things were being dealt with, he simply doesn't feel like it's safe to send her there. He'll be homeschooling her this year.
Bubu is the breadwinner of his multi-generational compound, his wife is a stay at home mom, and his in-laws also are there. They have two sweet chubby-cheeked snuggly daughters and live on a leafy hillside surrounded by a eucalyptus forest. His world of arranging and composing for the Orthodox Christian church has been shut down. They have some serious home repairs to attend to after this battering rainy season (wrapping up hopefully soon), since it rains especially hard where they are on the top of the hill, and the planted eucalyptus forest near their backyard make for terrible erosion and damage in their area.
Misale, like Bubu, is the father of 2 daughters who are both very active and dynamic. They live in an apartment in Kazanches, once an active nightlife center, but now being bulldozed for Chinese and Emirati construction investments. Although he has played in many many esteemed situations, including at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, he's struggling now to support his family
Organizer
Kaethe Hostetter
Organizer
Santa Cruz, CA
