Ethiopian Spices and Berbere Making
Experience distinctive Ethiopian spices through multi-sensory exploration! Observe, touch, and smell spices common to Ethiopian cuisine in their original form. Then use a mortar and pestle to create your own Berbere spice mix to take home. Berbere, a key ingredient in Ethiopian cuisine, may include chili peppers, garlic, ginger, basil, fenugreek, and other fragrant components.
Ethiopian Food
Delicious Ethiopian food treats will be available for purchase, courtesy of Bete Ethiopian Cuisine and Cafe, based in Silver Spring. “Bete” is the Amharic word for “home.”
Artist Spotlight: Elias Sime
Elias Sime is an Ethiopian artist who uses recycled materials to create relief sculptures and assemblages that resemble topographical maps. See examples of Sime’s work and make a recycled topography map of your own, inspired by Sime’s designs.
ArifZefen: Ethiopian Music App
Enjoy Ethiopian music played via the ArifZefen app, a multi-channel music streaming service dedicated to the sharing of Ethiopian music worldwide. Created by a local Ethiopian app developer, ArifZefen exposes listeners to Ethiopian artists and allows users to share their favorite playlists via social media.
Traditional Ethiopian Games
Learn about Ethiopian games, including Gebeta — a three-row form of mancala considered to be one of the world’s oldest board games. Then use cardboard and various other materials to make your own “modern” versions of these ancient games.
Embroidery
Traditional Ethiopian clothing is known for its beautiful, colorful embroidery. Examine examples of Ethiopian embroidery and learn to sew some of the stitches. Then work together on communal embroidery pieces inspired by traditional patterns.
Weaving
Beautiful, multicolored “mesobs” and other baskets are commonly found throughout Ethiopia, used for storing food and other items. Learn about the weaving process as you contribute to our basket weaving projects using traditional and adapted weaving methods.
Architecture
Tukuls are a traditional type of rural housing in Ethiopia and the surrounding region. Tukuls are round huts traditionally made of mud, grass, millet stalks, and wooden poles, with thatched conical roofs. Modern-day tukuls are made using a wide variety of materials and techniques. Participate in the process of building tukul homes as you help us construct tukul models.
Cultural & Ritual Experiences
Ge’ez Writing
Learn how to spell and write your name in Ge’ez and create a cardstock bookmark with your name on it. Ge’ez is an ancient Ethiopic church script related to the modern Amharic language used today.
Coffee Ceremony: 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Bete Ethiopian Cuisine and Cafe will present a traditional coffee ceremony for visitors to learn about and participate in this tradition.
Performances
Ethiopian Community Center DC will bring students to perform traditional Ethiopian dances for visitors to enjoy. Schedule to be announced.
Traditional Clothing
Try on traditional clothing from Ethiopia and take photos with Ethiopian backgrounds in front of our green screen.
