“ETHIOPIAN STYLE DECORATIVE DESIGNS”: A NEW

TECHNICAL GUIDE BOOK FOR ARTISAN

By: Dessalegn Dache (Colonel)

M.A , Social Anthropology

Mekele University

Diploma , Photography

Master Arts School

Active member of the Ethiopian Defense Force

Feb. 2017

Mekele- Ethiopia

Presented to the Audience of Mekele University at Institute of Paleo-environment and Heritage Conservation

CONTENT

1. INTRODUCTION

2. BACKGROUND

3. ARTIFACTS AS CULTURAL EXPRESSION

UNESCO’s Millennium Prospect on the Ethiopian Artifacts

Uniqueness of the Ethiopian Artifacts

Components of the Artifact Industry In Ethiopia

Status of Artifacts

Functional Values of Artifacts

4. HOW TO TRANSLATE THE ETHIOPIAN ARTIFACTS INTO SOCIO-ECONOMIC BENEFITS ?

5. INTRO TO “ETHIOPIAN DECORATIVE DESIGNS” (TECHNICAL GUIDE MANUAL)

Values of The Manual

Functional Areas of The Manual

The Manuals ’s valid functional Areas

2.BACKGROUND:CULTURE SECTOR POLICY ISSUES

establishment of a separate Ministry for Culture and Tourism to reflect the

government’s recognition of the role of this sector to the country’s

development.

Recognition of immense potential of the cultural as well as the natural

diversity of Ethiopia towards sustaining Ethiopia's development and social

progress

Formulation of a strategy to mobilize the culture sector and utilize the

important contribution of culture to poverty alleviation, social progress, and

sustainable development.

BACKGROUND: EXPECTED OUTCOMES OF THE

POLICY

safeguarding of Ethiopia’s natural, and tangible, intangible,

mobile, cultural heritage through various mechanisms

Harnessing the potential of the cultural and creative industries,

particularly heritage based activities such as handicrafts, and

cultural tourism for income generation, economic development,

and poverty alleviation.

• Enhancement of indigenous knowledge and practices of natural

heritage management as well as strengthening the link between

nature and culture based sustainable development

BACKGROUND: THE ROLES OF CULTURAL

PRACTICES

production and dissemination of cultural products contribute to incomegenerating activities as well as other forms of poverty alleviation.

Income generated through cultural industries as well as culture based tourism willallow for economic development, diversification of income, and serve tosupplement the income of the poor.

A recent World Bank report has identified cultural tourism in Ethiopia as a key sector for economic development

Direct and indirect contribution of culture/ cultural activities for:

sustainable development

promoting income generating

economic development and social progress

Traditional knowledge and cultural practices prove useful for the protection andmanagement of nature as well as life sustaining technologies.

BACKGROUND: Cultural Industry in Ethiopia

Ethiopia is an ancient country with a remarkably rich linguistic and cultural diversity.

This diversity includes tangible and intangible heritage with both traditional and modern cultural expressions, languages…etc.

Hosting many World’s Heritage sites

(Lalibela, Axume, Gondar…)

A country of centuries old know how in handicrafts production.

Ethiopia’s cultural industry is perhaps one of the oldest in the

world and is exceptionally diverse.

few examples

BACKGROUND: Prior studies indications

BACKGROUND: Strength

Diversity: the cultural diversity has greatly contributed to the availability of

diverse cultural products including crafts and fine arts.

Originality: Majority of the cultural products of the various nations and

nationality are authentic cultural products with very little to no influence from

foreign cultures. This gives Ethiopian artifacts and art a strong comparative

advantage particularly when pursuing foreign markets.

Environmental Friendly: Most of the artifacts are made from natural

products and are free from harmful effects. Moreover, the production and

processing methods are environmentally friendly and safe for those involved

in the production process.

…Contd

Functionality: Most of the artifacts produced in the country serve a function. This can ease the marketing of such products locally and internationally.

Labor Intensive: The cultural industries are characterized as labor intensive and generally require low investment capital.

Employment and Empowerment: The cultural industry employs a considerable high proportion of women both in the formal and informal sector.

Diversification: Most Ethiopians often depend on a single or limited source of income. The promotion of the cultural industries will contribute to the diversification of income.

BACKGROUND: weakness

Neglect: Due to the pressure of modernization and

urbanization, indigenous knowledge and practices have

been neglected as a source of knowledge.

Insufficient Protection: Insufficient protection of cultural

heritage and inadequate site management. Moreover,

intangible culture is not identified and safeguarded.

Lack of Innivation : Cultural products are mostly of

poor quality. This is due to the lack of technical and

financial capacity as well as the lack of equipment and

working space.

…Contd

Lack Of Standard: One of the requirements of markets particularly the international market is the ability to produce standardized products. Ethiopian artifacts have considerable demand in foreign markets. However, the products are not standardized. This is in part due to the poor innovation in the cultural industry. No significant changes have been made in the design and quality of the products. It should be noted, however, that innovation should not be understood as the need for diverting from traditional based production. Instead, the aim is to produce products that are culturally based yet market driven.

Limited Transfer of knowledge: Due to the low status of artisans and the low profit margin, parents are reluctant to transfer their skills to their children. The children also lack the necessary incentives to learn the trade.

BACKGROUND: Opportunities

Constitutional Recognition: promoting each nations’ nationalities’ and peoples’ culture is recognized

High demand: There is high demand for Ethiopian artifacts particularly in the international market.

Easy to scale-up: At least one person in each household is said to posses the talent and/or skill to produce artifacts. Provided an enabling environment is created, the possibility of engaging millions of people in the industry should not be challenging.

Informal Sector Activity: The industry is one that can accommodate people from other sectors during their spare time. For instance, farmers can engage in the manufacturing of artifacts to supplement their income.

Recognition of Fine Arts: The cultural creativity and biodiversity of the country offers a great opportunity for the development of the film industry, literature, and other artistic work

…contd

Government Support to Cultural Industry: As the sector is labor intensive and requires minimum investment capital,

it is one of the sectors receiving strong support from the Ethiopian government.

it also receives strong support by the United Nations specialized agencies in relation with achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

The government also recognizes and supports the contribution of cultural tourism.

Foreign Markets Access: The large number of Ethiopians in the Diaspora allows for easy access of Ethiopian artifacts into foreign markets.

BACKGROUND: THREATS

Under development: Underdevelopment, inequality,

and poverty are main threats as it is likely to

jeopardize the social cohesion and stability.

Globalization Pressure:

the advancement in generic production is also

becoming a serious threat to biodiversity.

the invasion of the domestic market by manufactured

products with similar utilities as cultural products

threatens the domestically produced cultural products.

….Contd

Negative Perception:

The societal attitude towards artisans and artists is

non-accommodating and discouraging.

This also affects the transfer of knowledge and

skills to the new generation.

Lack of recognition:

The lack of recognition of outstanding writers,

artists, artisans, and other actors in the cultural

industry is likely to have an adverse effect.

3. ARTIFACTS AS CULTURAL EXPRESSION

ጋዜጠኛ፡ የጀመርነዉን የህዳሴ ዘመን የበሇጠ ወርቃማ

ሇማድረግ የኪነ ጥበብ ሚና ምንድ ነዉ ይላለ?

ጠቅላይ ሚኒስትር መሇስ፡- ኪነ ጥበብ በአንድ በኩል

የልማት ዉጤት ነዉ፤በሌላ በኩል የልማት መሳሪያ

ነዉ፡፡ስሇሆነም ኪነ ጥበብ የህዳሴ መሳሪያ ነዉ፤የህዳሴ

ዉጤት ነዉ፡፡

3.1. UNESCO’S

MILLENNIUM PROSPECT ON THE ETHIOPIAN ARTIFACTS

Adapted from A UNESCO Publication for the Ethiopian Millennium, UNESCO Addis Ababa office, ©UNESCO 2008, Printed by United Printers, Addis Ababa

3.2. UNIQUENESS OF THE ETHIOPIAN ARTIFACTS

Both Japan embassy and UNESCO research confirm:

Originality (Orientation to ancient civilization)

Diversity ( influence of diverse ethnic Traditions)

Uniqueness (influence of unique history, Geography and

Diversity)

3.3. COMPONENTS OF THE ARTIFACT

INDUSTRY IN ETHIOPIA

The cultural industries in Ethiopia are rooted in all the geographical regions of the country and employ a considerably large number of people.

the major components of the artifact industry include, but are not limited to the following:

wood and stone carving,

leather works, weaving and

embroidery,

jewelry making,

basket making,

grass fiber and

ceramic work.

The fine art category includes music, painting, literature, and films. This diverse cultural industry can play a pivotal role in the economic development of a nation when it is given due recognition.

3.4. STATUS OF ARTIFACTS

Innovation problem in design

Unprotected intellectual property right

Documentation problem

3.5. FUNCTIONAL VALUES OF ARTIFACTS

A) SYMBOLIC FUNCTIONS

Artifacts conserve the unique culture and maintain cultural identity.

“የቀዯምት ኢትዮጵያዉያን ትዉልዶችስልጣኔ ዉጤት የሆኑት በሀገሪቱ አራቱምማእዘናት ተሰራጭተዉ የሚገኙ የታሪክአሻራዎች የታሪካችን ስሇሆነም የእኛነታችንመገሇጫዎች መሆናቸዉን በመገንዘብ ነዉበዉሱን አቅማችን የምንከባከባቸዉናየምንሳሳላቸዉ”

Ex PM.Melese Zenawi

B) LIVELIHOOD DIVERSIFICATION

heritage based activities such as handicraft production generate income and alleviate poverty.

- foster income generation to the poor

- support small-scale income generating activities

- attract cultural tourism

C) EVERY DAY SERVICES AND FUNCTIONS

D) AESTHETIC FUNCTIONS

5. CREATION OF POSITIVE NATIONAL IMAGE

CULTURAL TOURISM

3.6. SOURCES OF THE ETHIOPIAN DECORATIVE

DESIGNS

a. Historical monuments

b. Cultural practices

c. Endemic animals and plants

d. Geometric shapes

e. Symbols

f. adaptation

SOURCES EXAMPLES

Ethiopia’s distinct history as a source of decorative

design. Eg.Below picture is imitation of Axum stale for

decorating the gates of houses . Picture taken at Mekele

city - Ethiopia.

HOW TO TRANSLATE THE ETHIOPIAN ARTIFACTS

INTO SOCIO-ECONOMIC BENEFITS ?

Collecting in museums (all Ethiopia/ African artifacts)

Making high value collectable articles

collecting, compiling and disseminating culture and tourism related information: (books, films… etc.)

Collecting in art galleries (e.g. Yale

University Art Gallery’s collection of American decorative arts is among the finest in the United States)

4. AN INTRO TO “ETHIOPIAN STYLE DECORATIVE

DESIGNS”: A TECHNICAL GUIDE MANUAL

a technical guide manual to the Ethiopian artisan;

Useful to Translate the Ethiopian Artifacts Into Socio-economic Benefits;

Containing More than 2,200 innovative pattern motifs;

Produced after 18 years Painstaking observation & practice;

Extra ordinary collection of Ethiopian style decorative designs.

Cover of the manualDescription of the manual

VALUES OF THE MANUAL

Decoretive Designs

links local artistic and cultural

talents to tourism

reference material for art students

and instructors

guidance for craft makers

Links The

Handicraft

Sector To

Tourism

Markets

FUNCTIONAL AREAS OF THE MANUAL

pattern designs and motifs in this book can be used for decorating :

pottery

Weaving/ traditional dress making

wood carving

bamboo work

metal work

basketry

jewelry

leather work

silver smiths

goldsmiths

painting

rock carving

horn work

iconography

manuscript illumination

calligraphy

mural paintings,

body painting / tattoos

fashion design

architecture

wallpaper design

patterning

knitting

crochet work

sewing /embroidery

interior and exterior designs

painting

sculpture

ceramics

furniture

textile

basketry

FUNCTIONAL AREASFUNCTIONAL AREAS

THE BOOK’S VALID FUNCTIONAL

EXAMPLES- (A)

Tattoos

THE BOOK’S VALID FUNCTIONAL

EXAMPLES- (B)

Reference material to art

schools on the composition

of lines, shapes and colors

to produce decorative

patterns

The book’s valid functional

examples- (C)Basket work

THE BOOK’S VALID FUNCTIONAL

EXAMPLES- (D)

Ornaments

THE BOOK’S VALID FUNCTIONAL

EXAMPLES- (E)

THE BOOK’S VALID FUNCTIONAL

EXAMPLES- (F)

Stylish Traditional Clothing weavings

The book’s valid functional examples-

(g) Embroidery

THE BOOK’S VALID FUNCTIONAL

EXAMPLES- (G)

House hold …

THE BOOK’S VALID FUNCTIONAL

EXAMPLES - (H)

Rock block making

The book’s valid functional

examples- (H)

THE BOOK’S VALID FUNCTIONAL

EXAMPLES- (I)

Bamboo work

References

Joint Programme on Harnessing Diversity for Sustainable Development and Social Change (HDSDSC) or MDGs culture project

A Series of Studies on Industries in Ethiopia The Embassy of Japan in Ethiopia March 2008

Bula Sirka 2008;Socio Economic Status of Hand-crafts Women among macca oromo of West Welega South-west Ethiopia; Ethiopian J.edu.sc

Jacques Dubois , A Roots and Flowerings of Ethiopia's Traditional Crafts, A UNESCO Publication for the Ethiopian Millennium, UNESCO Addis Ababa office, ©UNESCO 2008, Printed by United Printers, Addis Ababa

Note!

Illustration figures and photographs might be copyright protected by original producers

The book will be coming soon.

Thanks!

For Comments and Further explanation

sehalu@yahoo.com

00251- 913817294