LIVES IN ETHIOPIA
There are 86 individual languages indigenous to Ethiopia: Oromo, Amharic, Tigrinya are some of them, shared among its more than 110 million inhabitants.
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There are 86 individual languages indigenous to Ethiopia: Oromo, Amharic, Tigrinya are some of them, shared among its more than 110 million inhabitants.
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We must understand that the musical evolution that we have followed over the years is the product of a westernized and capitalized society, which commercializes the convenient and sells a utopian image of what music is. As the manifestation and expression of the soul, the sound that reflects the most abstract feelings of beings, we cannot separate music from its most genuine and real values.
We left behind the manifestation of cultures that resisted and used music as a protest to use only their instruments and attribute their credibility to the false icons of the musical world. Turning our eyes to Ethiopian musicality, we find a vast repertoire and particularities of each region and each culture, so it has a diversity and unique characteristics. A strong feature of Ethiopian music is its pentatonic musical mode - a set of all scales made up of five notes or tones - and the intervals between the notes. However, in the Ethiopian Plateau - constituting the largest continuous area of its altitude in the entire continent - they use a different system: the qenet; which has four main modes: tezeta, bati, ambassel and anchihoy. |
The concept of popular music in Ethiopia is different from what we are used to hearing, an example of which are the Brass Bands. During the time of Haile Selassie's reign, forty Armenian orphans were imported from Jerusalem. This band, which arrived in Addis Ababa on September 6, 1924, became Ethiopia's first official orchestra. The most prominent orchestras were the Army Band, the Police Band and the Imperial Bodyguard Band.
In the 1970s and 1980s, there are some names that marked Ethiopian popular music, such as Mahmoud Ahmed, Alemayehu Eshete, Hirut Bekele, Ali Birra, Ayalew Mesfin, Kiros Alemayehu, Muluken Melesse and Tilahun Gessesse. There is also the folkloric aspect of Ethiopian popular music, and the artists who contributed to it were: Alemu Aga, Kassa Tessema, Ketema Makonnen, Asnaketch Worku and Mary Armede. However, it is clear that the most influential musician and holds attention until today of that time is the father of Ethio-jazz Mulatu Astatke. Unfortunately, Ethiopian music during this period went through turbulence due to Era Derg, a government that censored and persecuted several artists of the time. The musicians during this period were Ethio Stars, Wallias Band and Roha Band, although the singer Neway Debebe was the most popular. |
GREAT ETHIOPIAN RUN
Date: Every year in November Ethiopia is renowned for its long-distance runners and this 10km (6 miles) race is a great chance to see some of the big name running stars of Ethiopia, and across East Africa, perform. About 40,000 runners usually take part. FESTIVAL OF MARYAM ZION Date: Every year in November This religious festival celebrates the veneration of the Virgin Mary and attracts thousands of pilgrims from all over the country to witness the Orthodox priests of the church gather together in Aksum. Venue: Northern Stelae Field, Aksum KULUBI GABRIEL Date: Every year in December About 100,000 pilgrims descend on Kulubi Gabriel Church, near Dire Dawa, for this colorful ceremony of baptisms and prayer which celebrates the Archangel Gabriel. Get there in time to witness the riveting sight of the mass procession of pilgrims, winding up the hill towards the church. Venue: Kulubi Gabriel Church |
TOP BIRD WATCHING AREAS IN ETHIOPIA
The great diversity of topography resulted in an incredible bird list of over 900 species including Africa’s 2nd highest count of endemics (after South Africa). A two-week birding tour could expect around 400 species and up to 550 in 3 weeks, including sightings of most of Ethiopia’s endemic and near-endemic birds. Based on current taxonomy, Ethiopia has 15 endemics and nearly 40 near-endemics (many of which were endemics until Eritrea established as an independent state in 1991). |