Music as Therapy International - Ethiopia 🇪🇹

#Music_as_Therapy International - Ethiopia 🇪🇹

#Background
👉Ethiopia, in the Horn of Africa, is a country rich in history and culture. Music plays a huge part culturally with around 80 different ethnic groups being associated with unique sounds through their music.

👉Despite developments being made within the healthcare system in Ethiopia, the health system still lacks facilities and trained professionals, especially in therapeutic fields. The experience of using music as a therapeutic tool for health and wellbeing purposes by individuals on a professional level or by any organisations are non-existent. This is something we have been invited to change.

#Activities_and_Impact_to_Date
👉In early 2016, Ethiopian Surgeon and Musician Dr. #Melkamu_Meazasent us an expression of interest for Introductory Training for care professionals in his network who he felt would welcome the opportunity to learn how music can be used within care and treatment.

👉In 2017, we #visited_Ethiopia to undertake a feasibility study for three care settings: Gefersa Mental Health Rehabilitation Centre, Hospice Ethiopia and the Ethiopian National Association on Intellectual Disabilities (ENAID). A year later after the feasibility study, in 2018, music therapist Hannah Berhanu and Lily Blows-Poliwoda (the assistant) delivered our first projects ever in Ethiopia.

1. #Gefersa_Mental_Health_Rehabilitation Centre is the only mental health rehabilitation institution in the whole of Ethiopia, located about 20km northwest of Ethiopia’s capital city, Addis Ababa. At Gefersa Mental Health Rehabilitation Centre, 4 staff were trained and 5 adults participated in sessions. The Centre offers professional psychiatric treatment, boarding and rehabilitative occupational therapy to 162 patients, who will also now have access to music sessions.

2. #ENAID is a local not-for-profit and parental association, which provides services for 80 children and adults with a range of disabilities at its day care centre in Addis Ababa. 4 staff as well as 2 board members of ENAID, and 10 children and adults with disabilities participated in the training. ENAID also serves around 400 children with special needs at its outreach sites in public schools and so 6 additional staff from the public schools also took part in the training. Therefore, 480 children and adults with disabilities all could potentially benefit from music.

3. #Hospice_Ethiopia was founded in 2003 and is the first and only hospice in Ethiopia, also located in Addis Ababa. Its aim is to improve the quality of life of patients with incurable diseases particularly cancer and/or HIV and AIDS, and the patients’ families through provision of palliative care and support services. Every Thursday during the project delivery, 6 staff were trained with 14 adults taking part in sessions. Hospice Ethiopia provides care to around 40 additional people who also stand to benefit from access to the music programme.

#Current_Activities
👉We are currently preparing to return this year for a #Follow_Up Visit whereby we can encourage our Local Partners with their music sessions and find out what other ways we can support them in developing their music programmes.
***************************************************************************************
“Music is like our medicine. When I am playing music I have no pain, I am not sick.”

“100% overwhelmed by the results of your hard work in realizing the first ever music health project in Ethiopia. Keep it up guys!”
***************************************************************************************

http://www.musicastherapy.org/about/where-we-work/ethiopia?fbclid=IwAR1qpj823gFuewIoact4on19G89iWgPpbrI8424WOb8QnQUThKc-4lnFAko

Final Blog Post from Ethiopia

Posted in Blog on 23rd November 2018

Wow! It is hard to believe that it is our last day out in Ethiopia – we don’t think the realisation has hit us that we will be on a plane flying back to the UK tonight. This last week has been extremely busy; organising celebration events for each of the centres to recognise all their hard work over the 6 weeks. Each celebration was very different but they all shared one thing in common – the kindness and feelings of warmth and appreciation from everyone we have worked with was amazing.

We started the celebrations with a ceremony at ENAID on Tuesday. In the morning, we ran our final teacher workshop with 10 special need teachers. Following this, we ate our final shiro and injera together before all gathering outside to award certificates and present a handbook that we have made. There was music playing and the adults that attend the centre were all dancing and singing, buna was being drunk and it was a lovely atmosphere. The centre is such a beautiful place to be and it was very hard to say goodbye! The handbook is something we have written for every centre. It includes information about music therapy, covers all of the activities we have done over the 6 weeks and gives advice on tips for running sessions and future work. Each one is personalised to suit the centres needs. On Wednesday, we travelled to Gefersa to say our goodbyes there. It was an equally lovely celebration with more buna and certificate presentations! Of course, lots of great photos were also taken! Finally, yesterday we said goodbye to Hospice Ethiopia. It is hard to explain to someone what an incredible place the Hospice is – the staff are always full of joy and love and it feels so peaceful to be there. We couldn’t have asked for a better to place to have our final music session out in Addis (this time round…!)

In total, we have trained 3 psychiatric nurses, 6 palliative care nurses, 9 special need teachers, 3 volunteers and one board representative from ENAID. We have worked with 3 adults with mental health needs, 10 adults with intellectual disabilities and roughly 14 adults who have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDs and/or cancer ourselves, but our focus has always been on how our Local Partners can work with many, many more people after we go. I think there are going to be many great plans made for these centres and we cannot wait to see how their relationship with music therapy evolves over the years.

We are so grateful to Music as Therapy International for giving us the opportunity to come out here and run the project. Also, to all three of the charities out here for welcoming us with such open minds and kind hearts. We would also like to say a massive thank you to Dr Melkamu for contacting the charity and assisting in the implementation of the first music therapy project out in Ethiopia. We are truly honoured to be a part of such amazing work.  

Ciao for the last time and here’s to making music therapy happen around the world!

Lily Blows-Paliwoda and Hannah Berhanu

http://www.musicastherapy.org/news/final-blog-post-from-ethiopia?fbclid=IwAR2DQXEK-Kh1xxB_bvDCgtWq2xzuVDOiPP7sVPIyHW5ZPQ2lpSxryDqjBNE

Buhe is coming. Hoya Hoye !

Music, Art & Dance therapy in Ethiopia

Healer art

9 June 2018

By Hiwot Abebe

Although still considered to be a mere palliative by medical professionals, various fields of art like music, dance or painting are emerging as mainstream therapeutic method to treat physical, mental or emotional problems in developed world. Few initiatives in Ethiopia as well are revealing the potential of art therapy in medical field, write Hiwot Abebe.

Japanese abstract painter Yayoi Kusama, famous for her installation of infinity mirror rooms and her yellow and black polka dot pumpkin paintings, has lived with mental illness for many decades. Now in her 80s, she still has hallucination about pumpkins that spoke to her in her youth, and pumpkins have been a significant subject of her paintings and exhibitions. In the book 33 Artists in 3 Acts, Sarah Thornton says the following of Kusama: “She can’t bear it when anything gets in the way of making art because it alone stops her from obsessing on suicide. I ask how often she thinks about dying. ‘Almost every night,’ she says. ‘Particularly these days because I am an insomniac.’”

Kusama’s artistic practice plays a therapeutic role in her life. Art therapy is a merging of psychotherapy and fields of art like music, dance or painting for therapeutic self-expression. Painting, dancing, playing music, sculpting, acting, craft making, knitting and many other creative practices have been employed by artists, therapists and many others as stress reliefs, anxiety reducers and relaxation methods.

Self-care and mental health awareness are gaining mainstream attention, mixing eastern art therapy (such as adult coloring books inspired by mandalas) and western psychology. Art therapy has been used as an alternative to talk therapy since it encourages explaining mental landscape through art-making. 

Art therapy is an acceptable therapeutic method that can be applied to individuals with physical, mental or emotional problems and disorders in western countries but it has yet to gain sufficient attention in Ethiopia. There is a lot of stigma and misconception concerning psychotherapy and many in need of the treatment refuse to consider its benefits.

This narrow social outlook combined with the low number of practicing psychotherapists has minimized the potential of many treatments like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or art therapy. According to Ephrem Bekele, psychologist and media personality, educational institutions specializing in psychology and psychotherapy do not offer courses in art therapy. Although he has a master’s degree in Psychotherapy, Ephrem has had to research the therapy method himself to understand its value.

By collaborating with international circus artist Solomon Solgit, Ephrem began exploring the concept of ‘social circus’ and together they co-founded SunEko Art for Social Development. This non-profit organization aimed to bring social change through art and their first project has been a social circus based in Adama.

20 children (6-14 years of age) from low-income families regularly come to the Circus Adama compound to learn circus skills and socialize after school and on weekends. Their training depends on their own predilection towards a certain medium like juggling, dancing, playing musical instruments or acting – they are encouraged to find and follow their passion. “All we give them is space, skill, time and hope”, says Ephrem.

“Every circus act has meaning. Tight rope walking teaches about balancing life. There’s improvisation, creativity, coordination … there’s a role for kids with any interest. There’s music, juggling, the pyramid for children of all sizes, architecture for those interested in the circus tent and other structures, costume design for those interested in fashion, dance. It’s inclusive of all,” he says.

The children, initially shy and withdrawn have become more confident and communicative. Art therapy is especially useful for children since it can be visual or movement based instead of forcing kids to talk about their experiences and emotional states. Since the project began 9 months ago, these young circus artists have participated in the African Circus Festival, hosted a photo exhibition and engaged in many community development activities in Adama.

According to Ephrem, the circus members are role models to other children in the area, inspiring those unsuccessful in formal education to follow alternative career routes. Former members of Circus Adama have become musicians and actors following their stay in the troupe. “Learning one small skill encourages children to try other things. They become more confident,” Ephrem explains.

Melkamu Meaza (MD) is a general surgeon based in Addis and a staunch advocate for music therapy to patients. According to an article in the Ethiopian Herald from 2015, the intersection of the doctor’s career and passion for music had led to his producing two albums – Deep Abyssinia and Tribal Magic.

Melkamu has been researching music therapy and devising how to begin introducing the therapy in local hospitals and health care centers. Music and art therapy have been employed in Amanuel Mental Health Center and Geferssa Mental Rehabilitation Center in collaboration with local artists. Art therapy has been applied for treating stress, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and physical disability. It has been used to treat dementia, cancer, autism, schizophrenia and other mental and emotional disorders.

Many health care professionals recognize art therapy’s benefit in assisting treatment of a patient but find it to be a palliative without addressing the root cause of the illness.

Of course art therapy can be applied in conjunction with medical treatment but Bekri Ahmedin, a multimedia artist, has a holistic view of art therapy. With a combination of dance, music and drawing, he hopes to align recipient of the treatment to the natural flow of the universe. He conducts workshops in schools and art centers engaging participants in creative dancing/movement, storytelling, play-acting and other therapeutic exercises. The dancing frees people of their inhibitions and the storytelling incites their imagination and creativity, he says.

A background as a physiotherapist and extensive practices in poetry and conceptual art combined with his study of eastern philosophy and western psychology has led to Bekri’s unique blend of art therapy. His approach is to break the rhythm of daily drudgery and gain a higher level of understanding of the body and the mind. An example of this disruption is a sudden stretch of silence during a workshop that forces the audience to wait. Impatient or deeply contemplative, we notice a disruption in the flow of thoughts of participants and the event they’re attending. Bekri describes himself as an ‘experience designer’, an artist forcing the breakdown of internal defenses and ingrained survival mechanisms.

The holistic approach to illness advocates that illness is not necessarily negative and must be taken in stride as part of the natural cycle of life and death. Bekri strongly believes there are no indigenous healers and spiritual artists and if there were they have been destroyed by the modern education system.

Whether recalling forgotten healing arts of Native Americans or attempting to establish music therapy in psychiatry wards, Ethiopian artists and art therapists are working to establish the field as a legitimate treatment method. Bekri, Ephrem and Mekamu are attempting to raise more awareness. While clients might not become the next Kusama, the ones lucky enough to make art with them have found alternative means of self-care and stability.

https://www.thereporterethiopia.com/article/healer-art

BBC_Amharic አማርኛ interview : #ሙዚቃና_ጤና 🎧 🎼 Music health & well-being 🎧 🎼

Dagmawi Menelik ዳግማዊ ምኒልክ

Autotune the world with Christopher Kirkley