Addis Ababa

If you’ve ever wondered what the world sounds like, the Beat Making Lab wants to help you find out. Armed with a few laptops and a lifetime of music-making experience, the two men behind the project are bringing community music labs to communities all over the world.

Ethiopia saw a number of its people leave the country decades ago, when a communist government took power. Now, with the country having achieved stability, and the country trending upward, many emigrants are returning home. And they’re bringing business and economic success with them.

Ethiopia has struggled with a shortage of qualified doctors for years. In an effort to resolve that, it’s vastly increased the sizes of existing classes and opened 13 new schools. But critics say Ethiopia is training a generation of woefully unqualified doctors.

Politics and music have not always mixed well in Ethiopia. But governments change — and the music survives, and evolves. A fine example is a new project that highlights the work of Ethiopian musicians today.

Ethiopian musician Hailu Mergia is a legend in his home country. He's a member of the acclaimed Walias Band. But in 1985 he released a solo album and then went into relative obscurity.