Memberu has been an artist for most of his professional career. As a young boy he experienced the stresses of famine, regime change, and war. As a young man, Memberu moved to the capitol city, Addis Ababa, to escape from the pressures of rural life, to find a career and a new future. Since then he has expressed his culture, personal, and national experiences through his paintings.
Memburu's portrayal of feelings and experiences resonate with those who have seen and experienced life in Ethiopia. The powerful use of colour is the medium Memberu uses to encapsulate his emotional ties to the history and current state of his great country. Over the past century, people have been driven to leave their homes to fight for a new and more prosperous future. "Exodus" is a graphical presentation of his observation of people on the move. Memberu himself has lived it.