Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed presided over the inauguration of the Ashenafi Kebede Performing Arts Center at the Yared School of Music in Addis Ababa University.

The new arts center is named after Ethiopia’s renowned contemporary musician, composer, conductor, and musicologist, Professor Ashenafi Kebede, who also served as the first director of the Yared School of Music.

“I am pleased to witness the inauguration of the Ashenafi Kebede Performing Arts Center at the Yared School of Music,” said Prime Minister Abiy during the event. “Ashenafi Kebede was not only an artist but also a key figure in the history of music education in our country.”

The prime minister highlighted the importance of the new center in bridging the past and future of music in Ethiopia. “Girma Yifrashewa, the director of the center, serves as a vital link between our rich musical heritage and the development of future generations,” Abiy noted.

The premier underscored the powerful role of the arts in shaping young minds and enhancing Addis Ababa’s capacity to attract tourism. “We must fully utilize the potential of our abundant arts, historical and cultural wealth,” he said.

Abiy stressed that the Yared School of Music has a responsibility to promote Ethiopia’s history and culture to the outside world. The school, founded in 1954 by the then Ministry of Education & Fine Arts, is the country’s premier institution for higher music training.

“Such continuity and linkage are essential in all our institutions,” the prime minister concluded. “Music is powerful, and we must use this power to enlighten our youth.”