Getzmag issue 8 by Naphtali

EDITORâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LETTER

MEET THE TEAM

FREELANCE THINGS WE WANT GONE

Ammi Kifle

Sabegn

Maraki Girma

NERD

08 ILLUSTRATION FIKEREMARIAM MENGISTE

THE DESIGN BLAH BLAH THE COLLECTIVE GASP

CONTEMPORARY ARTS THE MATTRESS MOVEMENT

CORENA* MUSINGS SARAH BUSHRA

MENTAL HEALTH ZAHARA LEGESSE

ZELLAN CORNER OVERCOMING IS UNIONISING

34 39 41 42 A FEW THINGS TED GIRMA & NATNAEL Z

RECOMMENDS THANK YOU INTERNET

RECOMMENDS BOOK

RECOMMENDS FILM

Hello everyone We hope everyone is good and keeping busy despite the large cloud looming over us threateningly. The world isn’t about to be back to normal but hey we’re here and we have to push through no matter the cost. Hence this month’s issue. An exciting one, where we featured great artists as usual but also reached out to professionals to give you tips to handle things a little better in the coming months. We are also in the process of creating other exciting things. Things that you will love (we anxiously hope), things that will keep you creating and getzing even in tough times. We might have new addition making our rectangle into a pentagon… (ugh why did I say that?). We’ll see you next month! Until then, we wish you a covid-19 free month and year!

EZRA MILLION

IZZAT AMANUEL

Co-Founder/ Designer

Co-Founder/ Illustrator

Ezra started creating at an early age, eventhough there was a huge gap in the middle (you know how it goes school and life happened) he eventually managed to find his way back.

As a self-taught artist, Izzat finds art to be the easiest way to convey emotions. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why he strives to promote Art and Design as a tool for self-expression and communication. He believes that collaborations allow him and others like him to grow. He thinks humans are at their best when they view themselves as works in progress.

In it for the love of Design and Artistic expression. ezra@getzmag.com

izzat@getzmag.com

NATHNAEL TESFAYE

BESUFEKADE MULU

Co-Founder/ Web Designer

Writer / Editor

Born in 1992, Industrial Designer with special interest in Product Design.

As a self-proclaimed imagination engineer Besufekade believes that adulthood ruined things for people. Therefore, it is his lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission to prolong childhood by telling stories that helps people see the difference between growing up and killing your inner child.

Innovate your way out of your problems is his motto. nathnael@getzmag.com

besufekade@getzmag.com

Picture from www.unsplash.com

THINGS WE WANT GONE Yes COVID-19 is tearing us a new one on all fronts, on some more than other but it is very important to look past this and look forward to a better time. The COVID-19 pandemic will change things and we wish for some of these charming “complexities” of creative professional life in Addis would go away.

Oh Creatives! It’s not easy being a creative. Whatever that word means. Part of that is because of the definition that comes with being branded as creative. That’s because the term creative has been restricted to a specific type of personality and people. If you’re a painter you have to be tortured and act like society doesn’t accept your quirks, if you’re a designer you have to have some sort of hipster-like fashion sense that simply doesn’t allow you to recognize the pain that comes

with wearing tight pants, if you’re a writer you’re either bald and/or own a scarf to accentuate your inner philosophy major. Not that there is something wrong with being any of these but is that all we are? Because, these stereotypes have hurt everyone in this sector in our country. Instead, we would love it to be seen as professionals.

Waiting… Sometimes it takes a full year for some people to get paid after having completed the job. Other times, it takes a full year to complete a job because of the back and forth.

IT’S LIKE A SNAKE THAT KEEPS EATING ITS TAIL TO CREATE AN INFINITY SIGN BUT ONLY ENDS UP SELF-CANNIBALIZING.

Picture from www.unsplash.com

Some of the times, it takes an even longer time for a freelancer to deliver on a project because “inspiration” didn’t strike the freelancer. It’s awkward. It’s uncomfortable and infuriating for everyone involved and it has no place. This tradition of making people wait for things, provided that all conditions are normal, isn’t nice. It’s like a snake that keeps eating its tail to create an infinity sign but only ends up self-cannibalizing. It would be nice if our professional transactions would be something we remember fondly and not something we’re constantly dreading.

How about you do this for the experience? The artist needs experience yes, but if on the 5th assignment we’re still doing things pro-bono, that’s a problem. On the flip side, it wouldn’t be the worst thing if this wave would sweep away the charming tradition of undervaluing or overestimating talent. 7

Careers everywhere else get you a life, Art gives you an ulcer Only because everyone enjoys the art but doesn’t recognize the people and the effort behind it. It’s a strange space and we’re not okay with this. It’s like saying to your mother after having enjoyed a meal she prepared “I love the food but you need to get a real job!”. COVID-19 take these along with merchants that tripled their prices on people.

The artist needs experience yes, but if on the 5th assignment we’re still doing things pro-bono, that’s a problem.

ABOUT Born and raised in Addis, I try to make every moment worth living and learning from. I enjoy fresh air, meeting people and connecting with others through stories. I earned my BSc in Architecture and currently working on interior design at EY int.

Over the past few years, I shifted my interest to the world of digital art. I saw this interview on the tv show Talk to Life and I was able to meet my mentor and a good friend Ermias Assefa the pixel shaker. The interview was just what I needed to open my eyes. I saw his art pieces and they were fascinating. Especially how he conveys information in his own way. A mix of funny ,cute and sometimes weird stories. Since then, I started to see lots of video tutorials, I studied them and after that I was able to make my own digital pieces.

â&#x20AC;&#x153; I TRY TO TELL STORIES INSPIRED BY THINGS I RELATE TO MYSELF.

INSPIRATION I try to tell stories inspired by things I relate to myself. There are times where I go back to some specific moments and feelings before making the art. I also get inspiration from movie scenes and some other artists work.

PROCESS For the most part I will have a specific portion of visualization to my piece before making it. Most of the story will already be set in mind, after that I will do a rough but finished paint of it and see if my visualization can be conveyed. Then I will start creating with a new canvas from scratch. This kind of creative process will not be that appealing at the end. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s because you only visualize what you know, it will make you shorthanded thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when you go for reference images, movie scene and still life objects.

â&#x20AC;&#x153; The struggle to make things easier is what forces us to be creative.

CREATIVE ETHIOPIA I see opportunities not challenges; I say there will be a challenge if there was a competition on the market. There is no better place than Ethiopia to practice this line of work, it’s practically an untouched surface. It’s relatively easier to get known in the industry since it’s new. There are more things to create in this type of environment. Having our diverse culture as input, there is room to create unseen things.

CREATIVE PEOPLE Well, lazy people create stuffs to make there life easier lol. That being said, most creative minds of our time have been people who have been seen a lot. The struggle to make things easier is what forces us to be creative. if you don’t force your mind to come up with solutions to your problems then you solve nothing. When an illustrator is working on something new, he is creating a challenge for himself and somehow convey that challenge to other people in a way they’d be able to understand. That’s what makes things creative.

CONTACT Instagram @fikere_m Facebook Fikeremariam Mengiste Telegram @aserart

Picture from www.unsplash.com

THE COLLECTIVE GASP You know, for a pandemic ridden world we are pretty fucking calm and composed. Sure, you hear of puzzling creatures breaking all sorts of quarantine measures to go to the nail salon but all things considered, we kinda got this. Yes, that’s the best thing we can hope for right now. It sucks but only until you settle to the notion that the world is only going to get better after a collective tragedy experienced by everyone equally. It’s like a giant stick that is hitting everyone’s butts at the same time. Not equally, of course. But still the fact that you got hit by the same stick will hopefully result in a collective understanding. It worked in grade school. Should work now. Right?

THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR EXISTENCE HAS NEVER BEEN SO PRESENT AND IMMEDIATE THAN NOW.

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Supposedly, we are going to live in this reality for the next year or so, unless a vaccine is produced and we all get it at the same time. That’s of course assuming that this virus doesn’t mutate or Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber don’t unleash a feud that will have catastrophic chain reactions to the rest of us. However, this also means that we will be stuck at home most of the time and the major things that bring us enjoyment will not be available. One of these things are the collective enjoyments that make life just a little more bearable. Whether you watch them at home or collectively with other people, they have always been a constant in modern society and they’re successful for a reason. Even in the most rural of places, people seek comfort in the stories you hear by a fire communally. It’s not just for being thrilled or wowed for a few minutes but it’s for what happens afterwards. The jolt of life you get, the inspiration.

Picture from www.unsplash.com

That sudden jolt of life that brings you the Aha moment and relieve you of a burden even for just a few minutes. The movies we share together to seek deeper bonds with people. The books we read to enrich our souls. The music and concerts we listen to help our friends forget their troubles. It all seems to be gone. At least new ones. And the collective anxiety felt, has almost no escape. In a world where art is gone. Movies, books, paintings, music and other artforms are non-existent. Life would be drudgery. You might say, well there’s the joy you create with family and friends. The solace you find in religion. But without art, all of these wouldn’t be here today. Because the primary function of art is to preserve and inspire through memory. That’s how the Bible was written , the Koran is written in poetry and I dare you to find a single moment in family stories that isn’t told through stories.

Picture from www.unsplash.com

The importance of our existence has never been so present and immediate than now. A place where everyone seems down and everything seems bleak, it’s the job of creative people to keep the spirts up. It’s our job to make life more bearable and in that inspire others to make it through another day. We’re not saying that we’re as equal or more important than others but the role we play is vital and often ignored. The lack of acknowledgment pushes people engaged in this business, feel guilty. Like they’re not contributing enough. And sometimes, it’s hard not to feel that way. When you hear of the tragedies happening. Sometimes you ask yourself “why are we doing this?” In the grand scheme of things, what you do doesn’t seem to have an impact. But if you’re art inspires the overworked factory employee feel a little better after a long work day, you’ve done something great. When the doctor that treated people watches your short film and laughs for a few minutes, you’ve helped them save another life the next day. It’s about relieving that collective lump in the throat felt by almost everyone. Letting out that collective gasp that signals a better tomorrow.

Photography by Maisha Marshall-Ende

ABOUT My name is Maisha Marshall-Ende. I’m a Toronto-based photographer and videographer. Born in Ethiopia’s capital city Addis Ababa, I was adopted by Canadian parents when I was only a few days old. I completed my primary and secondary education at an international school based in Addis Ababa and recently obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts from OCAD University in Toronto.

“FRASH A DASH” DU-RAG Originally, the du-rag was the headgear worn by poor laborers and slaves in the 19th century. During the Black Power movement -- a political movement that emphasized racial pride and economic empowerment in the late 1960s -- the du-rag was revived among African Americans, particularly rappers, athletes and young men. Eventually, the du-rag evolved into a hairstyle preserver. Today it has become a popular fashion statement, and there are hundreds of du-rag designs available. “Frash a Dash” is a phrase in the Ethiopian language Amharic that is a commonly heard refrain. Mattress sellers on the street shout it to advertise their wares. The fabric featured in this work is frequently used to cover these mattresses. Working with the familiarity and motif of the fabric, the series adopts the title “Frash a Dash.”

Photography by Nike Thmposon

TRAVELLING BETWEEN WORLDS As an Ethiopian-Canadian who moved from Ethiopia to Canada for university, a common theme in my work has always been the challenge of navigating between worlds and trying to find a space to feel accepted and comfortable. This project is about creating a cultural bridge by taking objects that are emblematic of different cultures - the du-rag and an iconic Ethiopian fabric - and combining them in a celebration of the complex and multicultural world that I inhabit. 19

â&#x20AC;&#x153; A COMMON THEME IN MY WORK HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE CHALLENGE OF NAVIGATING BETWEEN WORLDS AND TRYING TO FIND A SPACE TO FEEL ACCEPTED AND COMFORTABLE 20 20

Photography by Nike Thmposon

My experience here in Toronto has made me aware that there is a misconception that every black personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s story is the same and that there are set ideas of how a black person should act, look and dress. All too often, the narrative of the black American experience is held as the default standard, leaving little room for the multitude of other histories and cultures that exist. This idea of a monolithic black experience is misguided, dishonest, and exhausting. I say exhausting because I certainly feel that my story has been sidelined. My understanding of race has been shaped by growing up in a multiracial family in Ethiopia, where black people are not the minority but the overwhelming majority.

Moving to Canada as an adult, I quickly came to the realization that here I was not seen as an Ethiopian woman, but only as black. In addition to the broader issues of institutional racism and underlying prejudices that all black people must grapple with, those of us who do not fit the mold that is propagated by media portrayals can face additional pressure from within the black community to conform. In a sense, there are those of us who exist on the margins of the margins. I am a black woman and proud of it. I am an Ethiopian-Canadian and celebrate it. In my work, I try to not only explore my own understanding of race, gender, and identity but also try and broaden the conversation around what it truly means to be a black woman.

21 Photography by Nike Thmposon

â&#x20AC;&#x153; All too often, the narrative of the black American experience is held as the default standard, leaving little room for the multitude of other histories and cultures that exist.

Du-Rag photos by: Nika Thompson is a Jamaican-Canadian photographer and visual artist based in Toronto. Her bodies of work range from commercially based editorials, often commenting on and deconstructing the notions of how the photograph is usually seen and the preciousness connected to the world of fine art photography.

CONTACT Instagram @themattressmovement

22 Photography by Nike Thmposon

Balcony Series – Addis Ababa, Sarah Bushra.

CORENA* MUSINGS By Sarah Bushra

I am writing this text safely tucked in a studio apartment in Basha Wolde Condominium, Arat Kilo, Addis Ababa. Although the city is not in total lockdown, I barely leave my home, except for sporadic coffee breaks at a café downstairs. At least once a day, I make my way down from the fourth floor – pausing at the balcony of each story to look out at the city and check if it is still there and indeed intact between my climbs down each staircase. The pauses get longer with the passing days, and my gazes more unsure and less futile. There seems to be so much time stretching between the sips one cup packs, to embody all the possibilities the coffee’s dreamy color alludes to. Yet, sitting on a low stool and staring down the road, the day suddenly dusks and I realize there’s no time at all. It’s been 4 weeks since the first confirmed case was announced in Ethiopia, 3 weeks since the government banned all public gatherings, 3 weeks since schools and universities shut down, 5 days since the first reported COVID-19 death.

There are new languid movements my limbs have adopted as they move through the day – in stark contrast to the lilting anxiety that sits at the opening of my throat. I think of my eyes and imagine how this lethargy translates into my vision. I see a wave, a certain dissolution and emergence of communities – as the physical spaces fade and the virtual appears. Among the many article-s, listicles, memes, and mantras I encountered online that urge us to reflect on the changing times brought about by the global pandemic, one stood out to me, captivating in its subtlety. Tamrat Gezahegne shares on his Facebook account pictures of his stone carving installation. These images are less of a call to action as they are a solace, inviting us to the tranquility the artwork offers. My mind wanders to the meditative act of carving a stone, remembering Louise Bourgeois as she says: “….the thing that had to be said was so difficult and so painful that you have to hack it out of yourself and so you hack it out of the material, a very, very hard material.”

Selected paintings, Selome Muleta. Images shared with permission of the artist.

Selected stone Carvings, Tamrat Gezahegne. Images shared with permission of the artist.

Thinking about the physicality of the rock, despite what it refuses to do, Gezahegne has carved it to fit his imagination. Empathy is my entry point to his work. Reflecting on his perseverance and the repetitive force he used to hack, I ask what the thing was that has to be said that was so painful, maybe in this case, so alien and unprecedented. When the Ministry of Health in Ethiopia announced the first case of Corona in the country, I saw huddles of people, mostly mothers living in my apartment complex talking in hushed tones. I imagined at one point every conversation in the world dominated by Corona. All of us connected with this invisible string of whispers scuttling through our ears. Art makes this link apparent and visceral, as if we all are components of one physical body connected through the veins under our skin. THUS FAR ETHIOPIANS’ STRONGEST GROUNDING AGAINST THE UNSETTLING NATURE OF THE VIRUS HAS BEEN A SPIRITUAL ARMOR. 24

Scrolling down artist Selome Muleta’s feed is like peering through a hole into her private unraveling, performed beautifully and with care. We see the figure in her paintings shuffle in her bed from one side to the other, dressing and undressing through the day, cross-legged and ideally sitting facing the wall, before she melts into her surrounding, no different from the rigid and inanimate room she occupies. I imagine us, Addis dwellers engaged in a collective struggle to swallow the concept of physical distancing and self-isolation and I wonder what small things are letting them linger at the back of our throat floating in a thick fluid of uncertainty. We are now constantly attentive to where our hands might fall, as if they had not once freely landed on the brackets of our neighbor’s folded arm, or cupped a stranger child’s cheek, or hoisted the trailing corner of netela and flung it across the back of a woman rushing out from the neighborhood suk. These acts of intimacies that threaded people into communities are now replaced with static jerks as we remember that it’s no longer okay to hug, kiss or shake hands.

“

As the government tallies the positive cases from a meager pool of tests, the real fear of most Addis Abebes come from imagining the impending fate, when the virus surges into our community in full force as it has done into other metropolises across the globe. On April 8, the Ethiopian government issued a State of Emergency, the fourth one in three years, urging citizens to take the necessary precautions, abide by the sanctioned laws, support one another, and nurture a spiritual relationship with God.

THIS PANDEMIC CHALLENGES AND DISRUPTS OUR UNDERSTANDING OF COMMUNITY. IT CONFRONTS US WITH OUR LONELINESS, UNVEILING THE TRUE NATURE OF OUR TIES, NOT ONLY AS WE EXIST CONFINED ALONE OR WITH A SELECT FEW, BUT ALSO BY UNVEILING THE TRUE NATURE OF OUR TIES TO PEOPLE, PLACES, AND IDEOLOGIES.

Thus far Ethiopians’ strongest grounding against the unsettling nature of the virus has been a spiritual armor. On April 6, the Ethiopian Religious Council officiated the beginning of a one-month long prayer period among all religions represented in the country. The pandemic escalating in the middle of Lent, priests have been burning incense on the streets of Addis, to protect the city from COVID-19. The smoke in the air is reminiscent of the trash burning tradition on Hidar 12 (St. Michael’s day), of each year to commemorate the Spanish flu that took the lives of many Ethiopians in 1918. Alula Pankhurst draws our attention to this correlation in his post that includes his picture of a hazy Addis as the city celebrates the pandemic’s centennial by burning trash. He cautions those that criticize this traditional and historical practice and asks if we remember COVID-19 in 100 years, how will we commemorate it?

I noticed my mind wouldn’t trail to memory-scape pressed by the immediate curiosity of how all this is going to end. But I imagine the post-COVID world will be defined by the company we keep now amidst the storm. This pandemic challenges and disrupts our understanding of community. It confronts us with our loneliness, unveiling the true nature of our ties, not only as we exist confined alone or with a select few, but also by unveiling the true nature of our ties to people, places, and ideologies.

*Corona virus as it’s commonly pronounced by Ethiopians. It echoes sentiments of breaking/disrupting language as a form of resistance, reminiscent of Maaza Mengiste’s words in her war novel, The Shadow King, “the deliberate mispronunciation has spread across the country, started by those who did not know better and continued by those who do. It is another sign of [Ethiopians’] rebellion, another sign that they are trying to fight in every way that they can.” (Mengiste, Maaza. The Shadow King. W W Norton, 2019.)

ABOUT One of the common things that are experienced almost collectively by everyone right now is a seemingly (we hope) unending anxious state of will we be back to normal and what is normal exactly? However, as we walk into the third month of whatever this is, we have to ask ourselves what should we do, if this is a permanent situation. To help us figure this out, we’ve reached out to one of the best psychologists in the country, Zahara Legesse Kauffman. Zahara is a psychotherapist that has been active in art therapy, psychology, social work, coaching, training and more recently an online social media guru that has been releasing helpful tips, raising interesting and pertinent conversations on the topics surrounding mental health in relations to the youth, children and women. She is also a mother of 2.

GETZ: How are you? What have you been up to in these crazy times? Zahara: Well, I’ve been doing online consultations with individuals, companies, community associations as well as doing Facebook live and zoom for the public. I did a TV spot and two radio shows with Dr. Mehret for his Mindset Special program on Fana. All things considered, it’s been exciting and interesting.

GETZ: Can you tell us about your social media platform? How you’re doing it? Why you started it? What is the response? Zahara: Society is changing fast and people are looking for a relatable space for reflection and addressing the issues they need to address. So I decided to create that space and take in questions and put out answers in a way people can relate and encourage anyone that’s listening to look inward to be inspired and change for the better. That’s what I hope the platform to be. We do taped sessions, live sessions and other times closed group sessions to help people come to terms with what they’re experiencing and generally be better. Including us. I’m supported by a great content team; we have a great graphic designer that does all the great visuals you see on our platforms. The video production team is great with everyone. Lately, because of COVID, I am doing the recording myself, and let’s just say it has been interesting.

“ ... Because that’s what art is. Primarily, it’s about decoding something raw and putting into something you can understand and cope with. And the responses have been great, we’re creating that thing we wanted to create and we’ve also received some criticism, some constructive that allows us to work ever harder, some unconstructive that sometimes veers into the ridiculous but the team and I try to focus on what is important and helpful. It’s intense work and we’ve just celebrated one full year of social media work so it’s been quite a ride. We’ve found our niche. I just started doing a radio show with the Mind-Set team on Fana radio on Thursday at lunch time, we hope this will help us reach more people and keep the social media going strong. It’s a lot of intense work but it’s rewarding.

GETZ: How about the stay at home part? Zahara: My husband and I are blessed with two kids, whom we learn so much from. Because of COVID, I work from home, while my husband runs our business Felek notebooks in our workshop. We now produce Face masks to address the needs of our county during this time. So you can imagine we lead a very busy life. Our eldest is seven and our youngest is four so they keep us busy. 28

Now they’ve been picking the tools of the trade and I see them imitating me and addressing issues that matter to them while pretending to video tape themselves. As you know, since I’m working from home, I have to make sure they don’t interrupt my work while on zoom call so we do a lot of negotiating for school time and play time. It’s exciting to see this! We also do different little challenges around the house, we tend to get creative and do all sorts of things. We recently built a bird house, a small tent out of recycled cardboards and started a small vegetable garden. We sometimes do a little dance off to (appropriate) hip hop, R &B and Ethiopian music in between my meetings. So it’s a mix of being silly with the kids and work and some me time.

GETZ: That’s just amazing and adorable! So we know you’ve worked on art therapy and we wanted to know what it actually is and how it can help creatives and everyone else cope in these times? Zahara: That’s actually one of my degrees and I use it constantly in my work. In a nut shell it’s using art to process your emotions and the unconscious part of your brain. I’ve done it here in a group setting with the Khul Wellness Centre and other agencies and it’s very effective, especially on quiet reserved people, because the creative process helps you understand and bring out your emotions in healthy manner.

And for creatives, it’s easier. Because that’s what art is. Primarily, it’s about decoding something raw and putting into something you can understand and cope with. So if anyone is struggling, I recommend keeping a visual journal outside of work and let your intuition tell you what you’re feeling. It’s about witnessing what comes out from something new you’ve created. That’s why it’s a lot easier for artists. Because it’s the intersection between psychology and creativity. I also recommend this book by Carl Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections as it deals with this subject rather well. The American and Europe (I think) Art therapy association have some great resources as well.

GETZ: One thing people in our world deal with constantly is perfectionism but there’s this weird definition that makes look like a good things, something to achieve? In the lockdown it’s bound to get worst, what’s your take on it? Zahara: Perfectionism is mostly associated with wanting to be perfect. And this varies from person to person and we all have that idea of perfect. This image you tend to hold up. If you go deeper it’s about control. Trying to get everything in line to achieve the perfect status.

People will ruminate that and mull over in their heads and try to live up to the expectations behind it. Because at the end of the day, you can’t be perfect. There’s no such thing. And the fear of not having that perfect status is paralyzing. It cages people from being the best they can be and it hinders people’s growth. For creatives, it stops them from sharing great art work. All because they couldn’t abide by an unseen standard of perfect. But there’s nothing wrong with trying your best to achieve the best, the danger lies in setting standards too high you’re obsessed with the idea of achieving that standard it prevents you from doing anything else.

GETZ: Something else that’s being pushed right now is the need to be productive. But that’s not the reality. Some of us have someone to take care off, other people want to be productive but aren’t. What are the realities of this? Zahara: You know during COVID when you find yourself sitting down or in bed all day and tired at home for no reason, that might be a sign that your body is responding to trauma. It’s not laziness, it might be mistaken for that but it’s not. In addition to the pandemic, which itself is traumatic, there’s so much past trauma in our daily lives and some we’ve all experienced collectively, now that we have some large amount of free time, we are left to face it.

Especially if you live alone or it’s just two people. You’re confronted with that trauma you have not dealt with before or it is resurfacing again. In this context, it gets easier to be productive. So if anyone’s trying hard to be productive and they find it hard, maybe it’s time to reflect. Be productive by introspecting because you’re not going to get time like this again. Maybe ask yourself why you’re tired or why you can’t complete that specific challenge, why certain tasks aren’t easier. Be gentle with yourself. This time isn’t just to come up with great works of art but to work on ourselves while being good to ourselves. If you want to be productive, start small. Don’t start with a large goal, try to do attainable ones and break them down and do little at a time, so that you can see results. That might encourage you to do more, hopefully.

GETZ: Before our last question, what movies/series are you watching? Zahara: I’m usually super busy and I spend most of my free time with the kids but if I do watch something. It must be something funny. Normally I’m into the independent films, and intense dramas. But now I am sticking to shows like community, blackish and other quirky comedies. I also love Insecure and Fleabag even though it gets dark at times especially with fleabag. I also use songs from my younger days like India Ire, Jill Scott and Erica Badu with my kids for the dance off. Hey! they want me to pick the songs so yeah we have fun!

GETZ: Finally, as person engaged in therapy how do you see the world post covid-19? Nothing too specific, it could something you hope for? Zahara: Well no one knows what the future holds but the next 2 years will be intense with or without the virus. There will be changes and change is good but hard. Because the world must change. If this doesn’t change the world, I don’t know what will. Some people will be gentler, kinder and others won’t. Even now, you see people breaking all the social distancing rules for silly things and not abiding by simple rules to keep them and others safe despite having people at risk living with them. However, I hope that the pandemic will turn us into a more loving people. The collective trauma we experienced and are experiencing now will take a while to take its course but I hope that it’ll make better people out of all of us. GETZ: Thank you so much for the generous in-

terview!

Zahara: No problem it was a great interview! You can follow Zahara on her social media platforms ASK Zahara. Do subscribe to her channel for awesome stuff on mental health, especially in these trying times.

CONTACT Instagram @ask_zahara Facebook Ask Zahara Telegram @Askzahara

OVERCOMING IS UNIONISING By Hanna Haile To come to terms with the reality of Ethiopia is always the step one of creative process. There is a lot our imagination will not allow to explore as the ropes of our tradition and learning has been to ignore impulses that question. Zellan Creative and Cultural Centre is meant to break that cycle. What ever you can imagine to work on or question, we believe the world is ready to hear you. There have been painters who have openly shared that presenting works that are too contemporary gave them a bad reputation. It resulted in being shunned from the community unable to showcase produced work. While these are not corroborated facts, the fear of being outcasted even in the community of creatives exists. We are bound by something much heavier than the need to explore: the need to belong. And in our conservative society this is not always an option.

IN ANY CREATIVE MOVEMENTS IT IS IN BUILDING A COMMUNITY THAT CHANGE CAN COME FORTH.

Yet, history has shown us that it is the maverick, with the courage to conquer oneself who will change the world. In any creative movements it is in building a community that change can come forth. The lone wolf is not the victor as some might think, it is through forming ties, banding together for a common cause. Each generation of talents have their safe space. “The Spaniard Inn” opened in 1585 in Hampstead, North London. Stevenson, Byron, Constable, Mary Shelley, William Blake, William Hogarth and Sir Joshua Reynolds: it was a pub where artists, painters, writers and poets use to brainstorm together to lead the way of what would be their country’s future. The place is even featured in “Dracula” novel from Bram Stoker and the “Ode to a nightingale” by the poet John Keats is said to have been written there.

“The Spaniard Inn” is an example amongst many. All seeds of societies that are still standing as the strongest today sprouted from the fertile grounds of safe spaces where creatives and artists were to fulfill their purpose of being the voice of change for their generation. “Le Procope”, the oldest still operating café in Paris, is yet another example in seventeenth century France where La Fontaine, Racine and Regnard used to hang out. Diderot and d'Alembert were later on to create there the first encyclopedia in the 18th century. The same space where Beaumarchais and Voltaire wrote their must famous plays. Until today it is a place of creation where you can cross path with the most renowned french minds of our time: Amélie Nothomb, Marc Dugain, Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt or Bernard Werber.

TODAY, WE MUST CONTINUE TO LEARN FROM HISTORY AND UNITE IN OUR NEED TO EXPLORE, DECONSTRUCT AND DISRUPT THE NORMS. In contemporary Addis, Fendika Cultural Centre holds to be a place of refuge for various types of artists from old school to the contemporary. A space created by dancer Melaku Belay which continues to expand and transform. Artists from the renowned Police Orchestra, Fantu Mandoye, and the renowned jazz artists of Negarit Band continue to command the stage. Keeping these spaces and ideologies which stand with contemporary ideas proves difficult. In the arts especially, there are parts of the Ethiopian identity that most would rather leave unexplored with heavy backlash extended for those who do so. In the 19th century impressionist painters could not afford to wait for France to accept their work, so they established their own exhibition, where they were given the name impressionist by a critic that did not think their work would amount to anything. But they created their own community and found a voice as they rejected rules of academic painting which they had been taught. Today, we must continue to learn from history and unite in our need to explore, deconstruct and disrupt the norms. We are in a time when finding our tribe has been easier than before, if our voice or imagination is hindered we should question ourselves why, not anyone else. We must overcome.

A FEW THINGS Blablabla covid-19 is ripping us three new ones and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re confused. But these creatives you might know from previous Getz issues have been doing great stuff to cope with the situation and express the general feeling.

TEWODROS GIRMA I chose these pictures, because this is now the new normal. Citywide, it might look like it forced people apart but in many ways, it brought families together. So I guess, this piece is about unity and closeness to the family during quarantine.

NATNAEL ZEMEDKUN There is a lot of mental strain during this time. Everybody is quarantined and people are feeling the effects of being separated. So I wanted to encourage people to stay at home if they can afford to. People are having a hard time spending â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;idleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; time with their own minds. The over blown background is to signify the immense amount of unexplored energy and potential in our heads. But in our consumerist and social media driven society (the subjects) feel trapped completely oblivious to the potential behind.

This section is where the GETZ team recommends pieces of works that we think you should check out. Each recommendation is made under these careful considerations:

It is not a waste of time It adds value to your life after watching/reading/ listen to it It’s actually entertaining We enjoyed it We know you’ll enjoy it (like 99 percent sure, okay more like 70% sure) We don’t know where you will get these movies, shows, books, tv shows or other pieces of work but we’re sure you can find a way. We hope you’ll enjoy and if you’ve checked them out, Let us know what you think and what movies, books, shows, songs you’ve enjoyed this month!

COVID-19 - HOW TECH IS HELPING

HAPPINESS

Part 2 of our look at COVID-19

The story of a rodent's unrelenting quest for happiness and fulfillment

GIRLS DON'T POOP

THE ART OF INNOVATION | GUY KAWASAKI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKLnhuzh9uY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mtjatz9r-Vc

Yes Poo~Pourri is a real product.....

Guy Kawasaki at TEDxBerkeley "Rethink. Redefine. Recreate."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEG_sQrXtzE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9dZQelULDk

By Twyla Tharp Creativity is not a gift from the gods, says Twyla Tharp, bestowed by some divine and mystical spark. It is the product of preparation and effort, and it's within reach of everyone who wants to achieve it. All it takes is the willingness to make creativity a habit, an integral part of your life: In order to be creative, you have to know how to prepare to be creative. In The Creative Habit, Tharp takes the lessons she has learned in her remarkable thirty-five-year career and shares them with you, whatever creative impulses you follow -- whether you are a painter, composer, writer, director, choreographer, or, for that matter, a businessperson working on a deal, a chef developing a new dish, a mother wanting her child to see the world anew.

By Prateek Vatas Eeb Allay OOO! Yes this job exists, What’s a job? Is it something you do to sustain yourself? Or something that gives your life meaning? Or it’s a just a made up thing by the system? I couldn’t help but think of the state of the Ethiopian graduate when I saw Eeb Allay Ooo on the We Are One film festival on YouTube. Normally, this would’ve been the time when Cannes would’ve been in full swing but given the situation. It was postponed. And we’ve got this now. Amongst the stuff that I saw, Eeb Allay Ooo stayed with me.

Eeb Allay Ooo, is the sound langur monkeys use to scare off other monkeys. And people are paid to imitate this sound because it’s a problem in Delhi. It’s a strange job. But it’s here. Without their help monkeys would otherwise be running rampant and causing havoc in government buildings. And they can’t just kill them because it would be considered blasphemy amongst the hindu majority country where monkeys are considering sacred and even worshiped through Hanuman. In comes Anjali, a migrant from just outside Delhi, to help out a pro in the business Mohinder after being recommended by his brother in law (he lives with also) for the job. The absurdity of the job is accentuated when we see him interact with monkeys. He’s deathly afraid of them. For the next few minutes we witness a biting commentary on class struggle and the situation of migrant workers. They do what’s needed but yet feel invisible, until their plight is too painful to ignore. It feels almost strange to see this now. When closures in India has practically rendered daily wage earners (most of which migrate) practically homeless. In a time like this, if the whole world doesn’t re-consider how they value people, all the encouragement people send, the donations and news coverage will all be for naught. We live in a country where over 200,000 people graduate and quickly find themselves useless that they settle for any job they find. Whether they are skilled or not. Another layer is added when their hard work isn’t valued because of a strange obsession with results and a stiff idolatrous dedication to pointless systems and routine. It’s a great watch and it’s on youtube (will probably be on Netflix or other streaming platforms soon) so do give it a chance.