Meskerem Assegued Bantiwalu is an anthropologist, curator, and writer. In 2002, together with Elias Sime she founded the Zoma Contemporary Art Center, in Ethiopia.

Together, they purchased land and transformed it into today’s Zoma Museum, a destination that features a gallery, library, restaurant, café, gardens, outdoor amphitheatre, primary school, and an abundance of cows, goats, sheep, chickens, rabbits, and tortoises. The distinctive vernacular architecture and surroundings provide an impactful foundation for the Museum’s programmes.

She has curated numerous exhibitions both in Ethiopia and abroad, and has been honoured as a Knight of France’s Order of Arts and Letters, and is a Fellow of the Yale Directors Forum.