Medicine for the soul

BEGENA: BANNED DURING MARXIST DERGE REGIME, INSTRUMENT IS BACK

- Addis Ababa

Musical instrument helps patients deal with their pain.

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 spellbound.

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

But it is experiencing a resurgence among Ethiopia's artistic community.

For the past three years, Biruktawit's group has visited a nursing home in Addis Ababa every Friday to play for its residents.