bekoz-i-am
"The highest mountain to climb is one self" Lao Tsu
my last 25 years
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In 1998 something happened that changed the course of my life. I lived in New York City, then. One October morning I got a parcel notice from the post office. The year before, I had lost my mother and my aunt had followed six months later. My aunt, Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru who lived in a monastery in Jerusalem, Israel was the one who had sent me the parcel. She too was devastated by the loss of her two sisters. We had not been in touch for many years and the contents of the package came as a huge surprise. She enclosed a self published CD with a letter asking for my help to sell 300 copies and to find an international label that would publish her music in 10,000 copies. For those who don't know Emahoy is a title for a nun, and she took the world by storm with her solo piano compositions when Buda Musiques released her album in 2006.
At the time, I owned a retail clothing business with hand woven imported fabrics from Ethiopia that I designed into casual couture for work and play. The business was thriving but I was challenged with grief and a relationship that was not going well. Besides my heart was not fully on the clothing business. It was at this crossroad that Emahoy summons arrived and considering the tone of her letter and my own need to connect with my mom's favorite sister, I had no choice but to follow the path.
Upon my return from visiting Emahoy in Jerusalem, I founded the Emahoy Tsege Mariam Music Foundation, and became the proxy for Emahoy as an artist, as well as the CEO of the brand, Emahoy Tsege Mariam Music. For someone who knew very little about the music industry, I found myself dealing with copyright law, music licensing and negotiating fees with indie artists as well as big companies like Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Lipton, Walmart and many others.
The years turned to decades and I found myself going deeper into the planet Emahoy. Meanwhile, my inner twin kept asking me, what about my dream(s)?
Emahoy and I grew very close, we found healing through our shared faith, our shared ancestry and our stories of navigating life with adversity. Although my own dreams seemed to have taken a back seat to my inner twin, the timing has never been more aligned than now.
Last December was Emahoy's 100th birthday and we celebrated the life and music of Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru with a huge concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. The Foundation has an executive director and I'm giving myself the permission to pivot and focus on my own personal brand.
As a creative I want to use my voice telling stories and my artworks illustrating what I wish to express albeit in the abstract, at times.
PHILANTHROPIST
“I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.”
Maya Angelou
I believe in giving back to the community with causes that affect my heart. I have seen many things in my life working for the UN, being in Ethiopia during a revolution and it changed me. It gave me a spirit of giving and wanting to make a positive impact on the world.
Below are some of my efforts to make that change.
A founder of the Emahoy Tsege Mariam Music Foundation, I am proud to say that my aunt's legacy is organized, secure and blessing children in Ethiopia and the US. I now serve as President of the Emahoy Tsege Mariam Music Publisher, Inc. that is a for profit subsidiary that makes the Foundation's self financing sustainable.
Spiritual growth leads to soul alignment, and alignment with our inner power guides us toward peace, prosperity and happiness. This conviction led me to create TAASTTA (Trauma Awareness and Selfcare to Transofrm and Align). I provide resources and tools for self care on social media and in workshops.