Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è pasta... E pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Tripe is fried to a crisp.
L’Osteria della Trippa
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
23 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
24 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
25 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
26 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Ethiopia Addis Ababa Fendika Azmari Bet
AO Edited

Fendika Azmari Bet

This nightlife venue and cultural center keeps a unique Ethiopian musical tradition alive in the nation’s capital, but breakneck urban development threatens to shut it down.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Added By
Michael Henry
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
A performance at Fendika Azmari Bet   Ninara/CC BY 2.0
A performance at Fendika Azmari Bet   Ninara/CC BY 2.0
A wide variety of performance from Azmari and other unique regional traditions make Fendika special   Ninara/CC BY 2.0
An azmari performer in Lalibela showing off a Masenqo, the single-stringed lute.   Meg and Rahul/CC BY 2.0
The phenomenal musicians play traditional and experimental music.   magratnj / Atlas Obscura User
Findeka draws standing-room-only crowds for live Amari performances   Michael Henry / Atlas Obscura User
A moment of lively dancing at Fendika   Michael Henry / Atlas Obscura User
Owner and founder Melaku Belay gives a transcendent performance of ecstatic dance.   magratnj / Atlas Obscura User
  Steve 55 / Atlas Obscura User
In the back, there’s is art to be seen and spaces to hang out.   magratnj / Atlas Obscura User
Dinkinesh (or Lucy, the fossil hominin Australopithecus afarensis) is celebrated on the walls   magratnj / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Azmaris are Ethiopian bards, poet-musicians as skilled in lyrical double-entendre and pun as they are with their instruments. They are comparable to the griots of West Africa, who capture the cultural history of their communities in verse and song and the troubadours of middle-ages Europe, wandering composers and performers of lyrical poetry.

Azmaris are traditionally involved in many aspects of Ethiopian life, from marriages and religious celebrations to quiet nights at rural bars. Azmari instruments of choice are the masenqo, a single-stringed lute played with a bow whose melodies can jump from lively to haunting, and the krar, a multi-stringed harp lute, sometimes with accompanying percussion.

An azmari bet is a venue that hosts Azmari music (bet means house). These venues remain prevalent in rural areas and small towns, but they have gradually disappeared from Addis Ababa over the last 30 years as the city’s rapid development pressures land uses that urban planners see as lower-value. This marginalization in the country’s center of government, culture, and economy is a risk to the future of the unique Azmari tradition.

Fendika, which has now expanded beyond its origin as an azmari bet to include a cultural center, started in the 1990s as one of the many such venues in its neighborhood. It is the only one left in the neighborhood, and one of the few in Addis. In 2008, its management transferred to legendary longtime Azmari performer and dancer Melaku Belay. Melaku travelled widely in the Horn of Africa to infuse diverse regional traditions into his music, and brings this diversity to the live performances at Fendika as well as his group’s recorded music.

A night at Fendika begins with a generous glass of tej, Ethiopian honey mead. Patrons then settle in for azmari performances that can set a variety of tones, from vigorous dance parties to emotional ballads. Perhaps the most interesting type is when the amzari walks around from group to group throughout the audience, inventing creative lyrics to poke fun at their listeners until they receive a tip to move on to the next group. Audience members take the verbal jabs in stride and, aided by the tej, the whole place rolls with laughter.

The space is littered with cultural items, and packed on live performance nights with local clientele. Like many other places in Ethiopia, Fendika is unabashedly Ethiopian; it makes no attempt to change or present itself for the foreign eye, while still welcoming foreign visitors into its world.

Fendika’s plans for the future are grand, including multipurpose spaces to accommodate and record artists from around the world, cultural archives, and a musical workshop. Pressure from government and land developers is strong, but for now at least, Fendika remains a beacon for a tradition that makes our world a whole lot more interesting. 

Related Tags

Music Performances

Know Before You Go

Fendika's official website has a detailed calendar of events- something is happening most evenings, starting by 8 p.m. and going late into the night.

Performances and audience interaction are only in Amharic, so it’s ideal to go with a friend or guide who speaks it if you don’t. Still, music is a universal language.

The honey alcohol may be stronger (and cause stronger hangovers) than it seems. First-time drinkers are advised to tread carefully.

Community Contributors

Added By

Michael Henry

Edited By

magratnj, Steve 55

  • magratnj
  • Steve 55

Published

March 8, 2021

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://fendika.org/about
  • http://www.rootsworld.com/reviews/fendika-17.shtml
  • https://www.jstor.org/stable/741683?seq=1
Fendika Azmari Bet
Zewditu St
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
9.019046, 38.770218
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Red Terror Martyrs' Memorial Museum

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

miles away

Sebastopol Artillery Mortar Replica

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa

Ethiopia

Places 3

Nearby Places

Red Terror Martyrs' Memorial Museum

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

miles away

Sebastopol Artillery Mortar Replica

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa

Ethiopia

Places 3

Related Stories and Lists

Fendika Cultural Center

Podcast

By The Podcast Team

Related Places

  • The front signage of Third Man Records.

    Nashville, Tennessee

    Third Man Records

    Jack White's record store is the only place in the world that records live shows direct-to-acetate.

  • Meridian, Mississippi

    Jimmie Rodgers Museum

    This small museum showcases the Singing Brakeman's yodeling prowess, railroad roots, and country music stardom.

  • Henry Turner Jr. rejects the notion that the blues should be frozen in time.

    Baton Rouge, Louisiana

    Henry Turner Jr’s Listening Room

    There's no booze at this juke joint—just some of the best blues in Baton Rouge.

  • These days, performers rock the space where the pulpit once stood.

    Amsterdam, Netherlands

    Paradiso

    Rejoice at Amsterdam's ‘pop temple,’ a former church reborn as a raucous music venue.

  • A white suspension bridge across a large river

    Poughkeepsie, New York

    Bridge Music

    This sound-art installation features songs composed using only the Mid-Hudson Bridge as an instrument.

  • A plaque marking the area where Charlie’s Place, a bustling nightclub that attracted both Blacks and whites during the mid-20th century, once stood.

    Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

    Site of Charlie’s Place

    Once a safe haven for Black patrons and performers—including Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington—during the Jim Crow era, portions of this nightclub and motel have been restored to welcome a new kind of visitor.

  • Blueprints and models show how the Bowl’s stage looked over the decades

    Los Angeles, California

    Hollywood Bowl Museum

    This museum is a music lover's introduction to the iconic venue.

  • The Blue Front Cafe is the last of the Highway 49 juke joints.

    Bentonia, Mississippi

    Blue Front Cafe

    The oldest active juke joint in the state sustains a niche school of blues guitar.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.