Kebede, Mihret

Mihret Kebede © privat

Mihret Kebede, born in 1978 in Dese, Ethiopia, is not only a poet, performer and visual artist, she also organizes festivals and generally enjoys working in cross-cultural contexts. Kebede is co-founder of the artist collective Netsa Art Village, the Tobiya Poetic Jazz event series, and the Addis Video Art Festival. Thinking and acting in many directions also permeates her poetry. She immerses herself in collaborations that transcend the boundaries of what is individually said, and is at the same time grippingly political. Kebede’s poems have appeared in the first anthology of Ethiopian Amharic poetry in English, Songs We Learn from Trees (Carcanet Press 2020), and in Wax and Gold. Poetry Jazz (Koenig Books 2019), among other publications. In 2013, she was awarded „Best Practicing Artist“ by the Ethiopian Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Currently, Kebede is a doctoral student at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.

Festival Content

POETRY IN CONVERSATION: Mihret Kebede – Intimate exile

Mihret Kebede is not only a poet, performer, and visual artist – she also organizes festivals and co-founded Tobiya Poetic Jazz, the artist collective Netsa Art Village, and the video art festival Addis. Her poetry is marked by multidirectional thought and action, transcending the limits of what is individually said in a grippingly political way.

Kebede, Mihret • Scheffler, Rike

WELTKLANG – Night of Poetry

READING AND PERFORMANCE – Weltklang Night of Poetry is the poesiefestival berlin’s polyphonic opening event. Poets from all over the world will read, sing, and perform in seven languages – demonstrating the richness of contemporary poetry in all its approaches and styles.

Antrobus, Raymond • Fernández Mallo, Agustín • Grünzweig, Dorothea • Kebede, Mihret • Lippok, Robert • Yideum, Kim • Kirsten, Wulf • Kruk, Halyna • Šteger, Aleš • Tori, Jure • Wong Kcomt, Julia