Aida Buzuayehu - International Community School of Addis Ababa

An oppressive regime was not conducive to artistic development in Ethiopia as
she was only able to do a few group exhibitions during the two decades in which the
Derg situated. Undeniably, there were very few female artists in Ethiopia due to many
circumstances. “The current situation in Ethiopia is not very encouraging. The lack of
economic growth is by itself an obstacle to the development of art. Artists are generally
not well paid and society is quick to discourage them, especially if they are female.
Women are taught to underestimate their own values and abilities so that it takes not
only talent but also a great love for the art to continue working in this
profession” (Teferra, 32). Desta Hagos believes that females have important roles in
Ethiopian society. “Art goes hand in hand with the development of society. In Ethiopia
there was a great restriction against artistic expression during the previous regime,
which isn’t the case anymore. The newfound freedom has allowed more artists to come
out but there is still a lot to be done. Woman artists can contribute greatly to society and
their works are often educational, they might for example reflect the constraint imposed
on women from expressing themselves. Also art helps create confidence in our
culture” (Teferra, 32). Despite her gender, Hagos was a fighter. Although the regime
had changed many aspects of peoples lives, by talking land from people and
imprisoning random citizens, in 1994 Hagos held her first solo exhibition in decades. “I
worked day and night in order to display my paintings; I missed not showing my art for
so long” (Hagos, May 2011). Later she began participating in several more exhibitions
with famous contemporary Ethiopian artists known as Maitre Artist Afework Tekle, one
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