Biruktawit Tasew’s fingers glide over the strings of the begena, producing a deep, hypnotic sound. Along with six fellow musicians, she breaks into a solemn religious melody, holding their audience ...

Biruktawit Tasew's fingers glide over the strings of the begena, producing a deep, hypnotic sound. Along with six fellow musicians, she breaks into a solemn religious melody, holding their audience ...

Alemu Aga is an Ethiopian musician, singer, and master of 'begena'. This multi-secular ten-stringed lyre has a special place for the Orthodox Christian Ahmaras, who live in the capital Addis Ababa.

One of the country's oldest instruments, the begena was once reserved for the elite -- and effectively banned during the Marxist Derg regime between 1974 and 1991. Biruktawit Tasew's fingers glide ...