Hager Fikir Theater
The Hager Fikir Theater in Addis Ababa is the oldest theater in the Ethiopian capital. It is considered to be one of the oldest indigenous theaters in Africa. It was founded in 1935, shortly before the invasion by Italian troops, as Hager Fikir Ma answerer (Association for Patriotic Love). The Hager Fikir Theater is now located in the historic Piazza district of Addis Ababa.
The theater was born for patriotic reasons. The people of Addis Ababa should be mobilized and welded together against the impending invasion by Italian troops. The first open-air theater performances took place on Menelik Square in the heart of Addis Ababa.
Although the Italian occupation of the country could not be prevented, the Hager Fikir Theater survived. However, only fascist and pro-Italian pieces were performed during the period of occupation.
After the withdrawal of the Italian troops from Ethiopia in 1942, the Hager Fikir Theater moved into its buildings, some of which are still located today. A former Italian night club has been converted into a theater hall. A large theater hall with a new stage was added later. For the 25th anniversary of the crown of the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie , the theater was expanded and rebuilt again in 1955.
During the reign of Haile Selassie , the theater grew and was able to establish itself as the Ethiopian folk theater.
In addition to regular performances, there were regular live radio broadcasts from the Hager Fikir Theater. In addition, parts of the theater company went on tour several times a year, bringing the theater culture of the Hager Fikir Theater to the rural regions of Ethiopia.
Even when the Derg regime took power in Ethiopia in 1974 , the Hager Fikir Theater continued its work. Mainly Marxist-Leninist pieces were on the program. Musicians and actors were partially controlled and censored. In 1975 Tesfaye Gesesse , the then director of the Hager Fikir Theater, was arrested and arrested. His play Iqaw ( The Thing ) was viewed by the government as "anti-Derg" and anti-revolutionary.
Even after the fall of the Derg regime in 1991, the Hager Fikir Theater continued its work. Today more than 100 people work for the theater, including around 40 actors and singers.
Several stars like Aster Aweke , Tilahun Gesesse and Frewu Hailu began their careers on the stage of the Hager Fikir Theater. Both traditional Ethiopian plays and productions of European plays by William Shakespeare , Friedrich Schiller , Henrik Ibsen and Molière were on the program .
Web links
- Article "Hager Fikir - The Pioneer Theater" in "Addis Ababa in the past an its prospects in the new millennium" (Editor: Addis Ababa Millennium Secretariat)
Coordinates: 9 ° 2 ′ 15.7 ″ N , 38 ° 45 ′ 16.3 ″ E