CRAFT Festival has given Ethiopia a current creator-economy platform story worth tracking beyond a normal event listing. The festival site lists CRAFT as a Pan-African celebration of creativity, innovation and culture, held from April 30 to May 2, 2026 at ADWA Museum in Addis Ababa.
The official speaker slate connects creators to the platform layer. Listed speakers include Jocelyne Muthutu-Remy, Managing Director for Sub-Saharan Africa at Spotify, Yared Endale, Head of Eastern Africa at Visa, Naima Mclean, VP of Creator Economy at ALX, artist Bruktawit Getahun and Hugues Fontaine of Amarna Production. That mix matters because African creator growth is increasingly tied to payments, training, distribution, rights, brand partnerships and cross-border visibility.
For Ethiopia, the signal is also local. The CRAFT site says the festival is organized and powered by Zeleman, an Ethiopian creative and communications agency, and positions the event for creators, artists, tech innovators, creative startups, investors, students and media. Its pass structure also included a free Explore Pass for the marketplace, exhibition floor, gaming zone and SmartPhilm sessions, which points to a wider access model than a closed industry conference.
AfroStream is categorizing this as a platform story, not a personal milestone. The verified facts are the dates, Addis Ababa venue, CRAFT's stated mission, the named platform and creator-economy speakers, and Zeleman's organizer role. Source checked May 13, 2026: https://craftaddis.com/