Ethiopia will play a special role in the ‘Celebrating Africa’ edition. Rototom Sunsplash pays tribute to the African country, considered the cradle of the Rastafarian movement, by launching a new musical and cultural initiative called ‘Ethnopia’. A project that this summer will bring to Benicassim the essence of the Ethiopian culture through its music and, at the same time, will lay the foundations of a collaborative project that will help to jointly undertake new paths in the next few months, beyond the strictly musical aspect.

Supported by the Ministry of Tourism of Ethiopia, this project has been presented today in Addis Ababa by the Spanish ambassador in this country, Borja Montesino Martinez del Cerro, the president of the Ethiopian Tourism Organization, Yohannes Tilahun, the producer Walter Rizzi, the promoter and music expert Addis Gessese and some representatives of the Rototom Sunsplash, who have participated with a short video. The initiative will allow some of the main Ethiopian reggae musicians and artists to offer two special concerts on the festival’s Lion Stage on Saturday 12^th and Monday 14^th August.

Jonny Raga, Haile Roots, Sami Dan Henok and Mehari Brothers, Chelina, Tsedi, Ras Yohannes and Yohana will act as music ambassadors for their country in this unique musical project, to be completed in December with a special concert in Addis Ababa that will have Steel Pulse as headliner.

This event will also bring all the artists who are part of the project together and, at the same time, will pave the way for the ‘Rototom Comes to Ethiopia’, an experience through which it is planned to jointly develop different cultural initiatives in the African country during 2018.