Abate Berihun blazed a trail for many Israelis with Ethiopian roots, being one of Ethiopia’s leading jazz artists before making aliyah 25 years ago.
Ethiopian music, and culture in general, have been gaining traction here over the years. Which is the way it should be, considering the incredibly diverse cultural melting pot this country has become as it has evolved and taken in olim from all parts of the world.
Part of that is down to the Confederation House arts venue in general, under the stewardship of its longstanding CEPO and artistic director Effie Benaya. He has championed Ethiopian artistic endeavors, through the annual Hullegeb Israel-Ethiopian Arts Festival and by hosting Ethiopian-Israeli bands and musicians at Confederation House.
The festival has provided a stage for a wide range of dancers, theater productions, and musicians. It has also brought in established titans of the Israeli entertainment scene, including the likes of internationally renowned Iraqi-rooted violinist-oud player and singer Yair Dallal, and famed bass guitarist and producer Yossi Fine.
Passion for music from a young age
He got the earliest of starters to his pathway through life when he parents decided to call him Tombola, which means “luck” in Amharic. He clearly has some natural talent and has put in an extra yard or two in developing his career, but a bit of fortune here and there does not go amiss.
Lady Luck may have had a hand in the fact that Tombola’s first instructive port of call was practically in his backyard. He could hardly have avoided it. “I started music school at the age of 11,” he recalls. “It was very near my home. I could hear them singing from my house.”
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