AGP Executive Report

Ethiopian Music: Music executive Ethiopia Habtemariam is making another bet on Atlanta’s music scene, a move to watch for its potential links to Ethiopian talent and audiences. African Art: The 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair opened in London, bringing contemporary African artists and their work into the spotlight. African Cinema: Durban FilmMart announced its 2026 award winners, celebrating filmmakers and storytellers from across the continent. Ethiopian Fashion: Ethiopia showcased its fashion heritage at the BRICS+ Summit in Moscow, putting the country’s cultural designs before an international audience.

Books & Architecture: Anooradha Iyer Siddiqi’s Architecture of Migration explores the histories, domestic life and visual culture of Dadaab’s refugee camps, challenging the idea that such settlements are temporary and without history. Ethiopian Music: A new profile says music executive Ethiopia Habtemariam is making another bet on Atlanta’s music scene. African Film: The 2026 Durban FilmMart awards honored The Ones With the Tempered Flowers, On the Sea Road and Where Do I Belong?; Tendaiishe Chitima also won a prize. Ethiopian Cinema: The 1998 film Kiseye Berendj (Bag of Rice) is featured in a Sunday movie screening. Fashion & Art: Ethiopia showcased its fashion heritage at the BRICS+ summit in Moscow, while London’s 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair opens this week.

Ethiopian Sport: Flagstaff High senior Yohanes van Meerten, adopted from Ethiopia as an infant, is ranked third nationally in U.S. cross-country. Music: Ethiopian Habtemariam is making another bet on Atlanta’s music scene. Fashion & Film: Ethiopia showcased its fashion heritage at the BRICS+ Summit in Moscow, while a screening notice brings the 1998 film Kiseye Berendj (Bag of Rice) back to audiences.

Music: Ethiopian Habtemariam is returning to the music industry with Hybe America, aiming to help build Atlanta’s next generation of stars. Visual Arts: London’s 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair opens with a focus on modernist artists, including Ethiopian painter Skunder Boghossian. Fashion: Ethiopia showcased its fashion heritage at the BRICS+ Summit in Moscow. Film: A screening of Ethiopian film Bag of Rice (1998) offers a chance to revisit a classic.

Music: Ethiopian Habtemariam is returning to the industry with Hybe America, aiming to help build Atlanta’s next generation of music stars. Visual Arts: London’s 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair opens this week with “West Wind,” featuring Ethiopian modernist Skunder Boghossian among artists from Africa and its diaspora. Ethiopia also showcased its fashion heritage at the BRICS+ Summit in Moscow. African Cinema: Durban FilmMart wrapped with awards for projects from across the continent, including Zimbabwean filmmaker Tendaiishe Chitima’s Blossom.

Music: Ethiopian Habtemariam is returning to the industry with Hybe America, aiming to help develop Atlanta’s next generation of stars. The former Motown chief has long backed her hometown’s music scene. Ethiopian Art: London’s 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair opens this week with “West Wind,” a showcase of modern African and diaspora artists that includes Ethiopian painter Skunder Boghossian. African Film: Durban FilmMart’s 2026 awards recognized projects from across the continent, including Zimbabwean filmmaker Tendaiishe Chitima’s “Blossom,” which won two awards. Fashion & Theatre: Ethiopia showcased its fashion heritage at the BRICS+ Fashion Summit in Moscow, while Ethiopian artists and institutions joined performers from eight other countries at the BRICS Theatre Festival in New Delhi.

African Film: The 17th Durban FilmMart wrapped after bringing 1,131 industry delegates from 56 countries together. Zimbabwean filmmaker Tendaiishe Chitima won two awards for Blossom, while projects from Tanzania, Sudan and Palestine also claimed major prizes. Film Equity: REEL BALANCE, a new partnership of seven women-focused film groups, will work with more than 50 African festivals to improve women’s representation on screen and behind the camera. Ethiopian Arts: Ethiopia joined performers from eight other countries at the BRICS Theatre Festival in New Delhi, sharing a stage for three days of cultural exchange. Ethiopia also showcased its fashion heritage at the BRICS+ Summit in Moscow.

Theatre: Ethiopia is among nine countries represented at India’s BRICS Theatre Festival, where troupes are sharing classical, contemporary and experimental work under the theme “Shared Stories, Shared Futures.” Running: Ethiopian champion Hawi Feysa defended her Chicago Marathon title in 2:13:33, adding another major win to her record. Fashion: Ethiopia showcased its fashion heritage at the BRICS+ Summit in Moscow, bringing the country’s traditional style to an international platform. African Film: The new REEL BALANCE initiative is urging more than 50 film festivals across Africa to improve women’s representation on screen and behind the scenes.

Theatre: Ethiopia is among nine nations represented at the BRICS Theatre Festival, which opened in New Delhi with three days of performances under the theme “Shared Stories, Shared Futures.” Running: Ethiopian champion Hawi Feysa defended her Chicago Marathon title in a personal-best 2:13:33; Tadese Bikila and Milkesa Mengesha also finished on the men’s podium. Fashion: At the BRICS+ Fashion Summit in Moscow, Hub of Africa Fashion Week founder Mahlet Teklemariam spotlighted Ethiopia’s hand-weaving traditions and potential to grow local fashion production. African Film: REEL BALANCE, a new initiative led by the Ladima Foundation and Durban FilmMart, is urging more than 50 festivals to improve women’s representation on screen and behind the scenes.

Athletics: Ethiopia’s Hawi Feysa defended her Chicago Marathon title in a personal-best 2:13:33. Tadese Bikila and Milkesa Mengesha also claimed second and third in the men’s race, putting three Ethiopians on the podium. Fashion: Ethiopian designer and Hub of Africa Fashion Week founder Mahlet Teklemariam showcased the country’s fashion heritage at the BRICS+ Fashion Summit in Moscow, highlighting hand-weaving traditions and the potential to make garments locally, from fibre to finished product.

Marathon Glory: Ethiopia’s Hawi Feysa defended her Chicago Marathon title in a personal-best 2:13:33. Tadese Bikila and Milkesa Mengesha also claimed second and third in the men’s race, giving Ethiopian runners three podium finishes. Fashion & Heritage: Ethiopian designer and Hub of Africa Fashion Week founder Mahlet Teklemariam represented the country at Moscow’s BRICS+ Fashion Summit, highlighting traditional hand-weaving and opportunities to grow local production from fibre to finished garments.

Cultural Heritage: A new pilgrimage guide spotlights seven churches and monasteries, from Turkey to Ethiopia, where remote settings make the journey part of the experience. Traditional Sports: Ethiopia is among the countries expected to showcase its sporting heritage at the BRICS Traditional and Indigenous Games in Ahmedabad on October 12, a cultural exchange rather than a competition. Marathon Watch: Ethiopian runners are in the field for the Lisbon Marathon, with Abebech Afework aiming to defend her women’s title and Abdi Ali Gelchu and Asefa Mengisa among the men’s contenders.

Distance Running: Ethiopian elites are among the contenders at the Lisbon Marathon, with defending women’s champion Abebech Afework seeking another win and the men’s field chasing a course record set by Ethiopian Andualem Belay Shiferaw. Ethiopian Diaspora: Washington, D.C.’s Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant will close on November 7 after nearly 30 years, ending a run as a cherished gathering place for the local Ethiopian community. Cultural Heritage: Irreecha festival celebrations drew international guests, bringing wider attention to one of Ethiopia’s major cultural traditions.

Ethiopian Runners: Abebech Afework returns to defend her Lisbon Marathon title, while Abdi Ali Gelchu and Asefa Mengisa lead Ethiopia’s men’s challenge. Ethiopian Diaspora: Washington, D.C.’s Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant will close on November 7 after nearly 30 years, ending a landmark chapter for the city’s Ethiopian community. Stage Arts: Ethiopia’s National Theatre has unveiled its “Circus in Motion” festival. Cultural Heritage: Irreecha festival celebrations drew international guests, while Oromo elders used the gathering to call for peace and unity.

Ethiopian Diaspora: Washington, D.C.’s Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant will close on November 7 after nearly 30 years, ending a beloved gathering place whose loss has prompted an outpouring of memories from patrons. Cultural Heritage: Addis Ababa’s Irreecha celebrations drew hundreds of thousands, marking renewal and Oromo heritage with a festival that also captivated international guests. Performing Arts: Ethiopia’s National Theatre has unveiled “Circus in Motion,” a new festival spotlighting circus performance. African Photography: A new anthology, Street Photography Africa, brings together 33 photographers and celebrates the continent’s vibrant, self-defined street imagery.

Stage Arts: Ethiopia’s National Theatre has unveiled its “Circus in Motion” festival, bringing circus performance into the country’s cultural calendar. Cultural Heritage: Irreecha drew hundreds of thousands to Addis Ababa, with celebrations highlighting Oromo traditions, unity and renewal. Creative Economy: The EU plans more funding and projects for artists and cultural events across Nigeria and Africa, offering a boost to the wider continent’s creative sector.