Publication Overview & Context
Identity & Heritage: Established in April 2009 and published by Prologue Burson, What's Out Addis serves as a primary English-language city guide, cultural tracker, and lifestyle magazine for residents, expats, and the diaspora in Addis Ababa.
Thematic Focus: The September 2026 issue heavily anchors itself around the Ethiopian New Year (Enkutatash/Meskerem 2019 E.C.), highlighting local heritage, urban development, culinary arts, technological shifts, and the burgeoning creative economy.
Key Themes Explored in the Literature
Urban Modernity vs. Preservation: Articles like Tesfa Teshome's “Random Observations on the City: We Are Moving Faster Than We Can Feel” capture the psychological and emotional toll of rapid urbanization, commercial acceleration, and corridor developments in Addis Ababa. Meanwhile, historical spotlights—such as Arabella Stewart's piece on the iconic 1952 Tea Room in Piassa—document the preservation of mid-century architecture and social spaces.
The Rise of Creative Technology & AI: This issue marks a clear shift toward tech-enabled Ethiopian storytelling. It features Gezahegn Tadesse and MEGA Technologies, an AI startup building heritage-sensitive character development universes (MEGA Toon), reflecting how digital tools are intersecting with local folklore and art.
Cross-Border Cultural Pipelines: The magazine highlights significant milestones in regional distribution, such as the Ethiopian International Film Festival (EIFF) partnering with AfroPix to launch the Ethiopian Showcase, alongside regional screenings of East African cinema (like Damien Hauser's Memory of Princess Mumbi via VideoBet).
Culinary Arts and Agribusiness: From global representation (such as Chef Fariyal Abdullahi designing menus for United Airlines' Polaris business class) to grassroots agricultural innovation (like EthioChicken's rural empowerment model and OSSO Machinery's locally manufactured coffee roasters in Hawassa), food and agriculture are framed as pillars of national pride and economic resilience.
Engaged in reading always!
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