LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Tigray region of Ethiopia has been grappling with the effects of the Tigray War for more than three years, displacing more than five million, according to the Council of Foreign Affairs.
What You Need To Know
- Mahder Tella spent summer breaks visiting relatives in the Tigray region of Ethiopia
- Tella founded Tigray Art Collective to connect with others from the region
- The artist is using her talents to educate others on the effects of the Tigray War
- Her work is now on display at Louisville's Revelry Boutique and Gallery
Louisville native Mahder Tella is connecting Kentuckians to her heritage. The artist’s family is from Tigray, the northernmost point in Ethiopia. During summer breaks, she would travel back to the region with her family.
“It was a way for my parents to teach us about our culture, about where they grew up, so it was a great opportunity for my sisters and I to learn where our roots are from,” Tella said.
In 2020, during the pandemic, Tella was scrolling on social media when she saw a post about a conflict.
Due to a blackout, her parents could not get in touch with their relatives in Tigray.
“We couldn't reach anybody, so I got on social media, and I saw that someone had posted this and I was like, 'Something isn't clicking… something is, something's happening,'" Tella said. "And then, the next thing you know, someone had said, 'There’s a genocide taking place.'"
A few months after the war had started, she turned to art to help her cope and posted her work on social media.
“This is just my way of releasing, hopefully, that this could be another person's way of art is therapy and encouraging other people to seek an outlet,” she said.
Tella founded Tigray Art Collective to connect with others from the region and to bring light to a conflict many people did not know much on.
Mo McKnight Howe, Revelry Boutique and Gallery owner, said she wanted to support Tella and her mission to spread awareness.
“She was hurting from it," McKnight Howe said. "Her family was hurting from it. And I just look at every member of our community as part of our Louisville family. As a business owner and as someone that tries to advocate through artwork, I said, ‘What can we do? How can we help?'"
By showcasing art representing Tigray, McKnight Howe and Tella said they hope to educate Kentuckians on the conflict.
“The reality is, because we're Black, because we're Africans, we as Africans continue to suffer in many, many ways," Tella said. "And that is being overshadowed by other sufferings."
Tigray Art Collective’s work will be on display in Revelry Boutique and Gallery throughout March.
Proceeds from the exhibit go toward connecting Tigrayans with resources such as food, medicine and education.