BY NEW BUSINESS ETHIOPIA REPORTER
The 2011 edition of Selam Festival is set to kick off in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from January 15 -16, 2011 bringing together top artists from across the world and some of the best local entertainers. 
Selam Ethiopia, which was founded in 1997 in Sweden and Yisakal Entertainment, Ethiopia’s foremost entertainment promotion company have joined hands in organizing the 2011 Selam Festival.
Briefing journalists yesterday organizers of the festival noted that the unique festival line-up among others includes Emilia Mitiku (performing for the first time in Ethiopia), Eyob Mekonnen, Simone Moreno (Swe/Brazil), FikreAddis Nekatibeb, Muthoni The Drummer Queen (Kenya), Benon (Uganda), Jonny Ragga and Daniel Lemma (Sweden),
The open air festival, which will take place at Ghion Hotel, also includes top local singers such as Tsedenia Gebremarkos, Abinet Agonafir, Bezuayehu Demissie, and Demissie Teka, according to the organizers, who also noted that the entrance fee will be 50 birr.
Other well-known bands that will be performing include Zion Band, Mehari Brothers, Ethiocolor, Jazzmaris and the Addis Acoustic Project. This year’s roster of performers will allow visitors to enjoy music styles from Reggae to Brazil Funk, EthioJazz & Traditional, Kenyan Electronica, R&B and Ugandan Hip Hop! - all in the lavish outdoor setting of Ghion Hotel Park.
Selam Festival 2011, which is the second edition, also offers and added element during the week leading up to the weekend concerts. The festival incorporates workshops, networking and discussions for specially invited participants from East Africa’s music industry.
The event include trainings sessions for local professionals on music management and how to reach out to international music markets, live stage sound engineering, media production and radio sound engineering, music production and copyrights.
"The aim of the organizers is not only to bring artists, producers and promoters from across the globe but also to provide much needed support to the fledgling Ethiopian music industry. Selam Festival is working towards raising the profile of the annual festival to become one of the premiere music and cultural events in the African calendar," said Teshome Wondimu, founder of Selam Ethiopia.
