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The Begena, a 10 strings bass lyre, is a beautiful instrument from Ethiopia, often used for meditation and prayer. The sound of the instrument, deep and buzzing, is very surprising, due to the flat bridge as in indian instruments. The musician plays the begena with the left hand only. #rareandstrangeinstruments | Rare And Strange Instruments

In #AddisAbaba, #Ethiopia’s ancient string #instrument, the begena, is finding new life, not on grand stages, but at hospital bedsides and nursing homes. Once reserved for the elite and banned during Ethiopia’s Derg regime (1974–1991) due to its #religious and #aristocratic ties, the begena is now being used by young musicians to bring peace and comfort to the elderly and chronically ill, with some patients even drifting into sleep mid-performance. | This is Beirut