This blog is a forum of Ethiopian arts and designs where know-how is exchanged and networking is facilitated. It is also a means to promote Ethiopian design, artworks, artists, and culture to the rest of the world.
The blog contains articles and comments. If you are enthusiastic in Ethiopian arts and design, we would like to hear from you about your know-how, relevant information, work, life and thoughts. Please send your writing to abessinia@gmail.com. You can also give your comments about the blog articles. The Abessinia editor will select and moderate all articles and comments to be published in this blog.

We're looking forward to your contributions!!

Abessinia Editor

The Abessinia Project is based in Bangkok, Thailand. It consists of 3 main members and some others who join the project when needed. The main members are Lidwina Dox, Ami Zarchi, and Thanthong Thongkreng (Bank). Let's get to know them!

Lidwina is a consultant in design and product development. Growing up with an artistic mother and a farmer father in Austria, Lidwina developed a passion in arts and crafts, which has brought her to work with many artists and craftsmen/women across Asia, Latin America, and Africa for many years.
After years of working for the United Nations, the World Bank and the European Union in design projects in several countries, in 2006 she initiated one in Ethiopia involving 18 local artists, collaborating with Tel-Dan's owner, Ami Zarchi. There in Addis Ababa she designed with a group of manuscript writers, icon painters, designers and artists a new collection of textile designs. She developes them together with Bank in Bangkok from the hand-drawn artworks onto textile designs and further into home decor products.

Ami is the owner and managing director of a Bangkok-based home-textile manufacturer and exporter, Tel-Dan Co. Ltd., and sponsor of the Abessinia Project. An Israeli by origin, he has been residing in Thailand and running the company for more than two decades. Ami is married to a Thai lady and they have two beautiful young daughters.
Ami always looks for new designs, creativity and talented individuals. Instead of asking where the next place for cheaper labor is (as they say China is getting expensive), he asks where the next place is for fresh ideas, designs, new angles and new sources of inspiration and creativity.
He worked with Lidwina on a few design projects in the past. Since 2006 he invited her to "join-forces" by linking the Ethiopian artists, his factory in Thailand, and customer centers in the world.

Bank is one of the Abessinia textile designers, who has been working in Tel-Dan for almost 2 years. Together with Lidwina, he translates the Ethiopian hand-drawn artworks into beautiful textile designs.
Bank is originally from the beautiful southern Thai province of Krabi. Following his passion in media animation, Bank studied Fine arts, Animation, and Media Arts & Design.
His life philosophy is pretty much about following the rule of nature. As he says in his own words: "the nature is beyond anything..."