Join owner of Chicago’s renowned Demera restaurant, Tigist Reda, and her team for a traditional Jabena Buna Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony. The daily ceremony, which alludes to Ethiopia’s history as the birthplace of coffee production, continues to be a powerful way of gathering community, strengthening social bonds, community story-telling, and appreciating the complex flavors of coffee and the labor it takes to produce it. The coffee ceremony, almost exclusively led by women, is led by Reda, who explains the national, historic, religious, and cultural significance of the roasting of the green beans, the grinding of the darker brown beans, the preparation of the jabena pot, the brewing stages, and the serving of the coffee in the traditional sini. The ceremony provides an opportunity to gather communal stories and reflect on how this ceremony resonates with your own traditions.
Presented in conjunction with the Museum of Contemporary Photography’s exhibition, Dawit L. Petros: Prospetto a Mare, this event is open to the public. Registration is not necessary.
Jabena Buna Coffee Ceremony is presented as part of Healing Centered Practices, a series of free, customized healing workshops held in conjunction with Art Design Chicago exhibitions. Activities offered during each workshop range from guided meditations and fire rituals to storytelling and herbalism primers. The objective of Healing Centered Practices is to help audiences connect to exhibitions on deeper levels while helping Chicago cultural institutions strengthen their relationships with their audiences. Healing Centered Practices is organized by 6018North, Red Line Service, and artist Rhonda Wheatley.
*Note: registration for this event is now closed.
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An initiative of the Terra Foundation for American Art in partnership with artists and organizations across the city, Art Design Chicago is a series of events and exhibitions that highlight the city’s artistic heritage and creative communities.
