Teddy Afro
Encyclopedia
Teddy Afro is a popular Ethiopia
n singer and critic of the ruling Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). His opposition to the government has led to legal troubles.
syllabary
of the Ge'ez language
. Several tracks quickly caught the ear of many listeners in Ethiopia - "Halieselassie", a tribute to the late Emperor of Ethiopia
Haile Selassie I; "Haile, Haile", a single in honor of the Olympic
long distance champion Haile Gebrselassie
; and "Mona Lisa", a song about the measure of human beauty.
His third album, Yasteseryal, was released in 2005. The release of this album coincided with elevated political tension in Ethiopia surrounding the Ethiopian general election, 2005. His politically- and socially-inspired songs acted as a call for unity and peace and made the 17 years of TPLF-led government in power concerned. Consequently the government banned four songs including "Yasteseryal" from playing on radios and TV (http://www.ethiopianreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10689&p=53228). The most popular song of the album "Yasetseryal" claims that there is no real change in Ethiopia but a new government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) fight against the Derg
was nothing but an infamous military junta.The album sold more than a million copies within a few months after its release, becoming the biggest selling Ethiopian music album to date.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
n singer and critic of the ruling Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). His opposition to the government has led to legal troubles.
Rise to fame
In 2001, Teddy Afro released his second album, Abugida, named after the AbugidaAbugida
An abugida , also called an alphasyllabary, is a segmental writing system in which consonant–vowel sequences are written as a unit: each unit is based on a consonant letter, and vowel notation is obligatory but secondary...
syllabary
Syllabary
A syllabary is a set of written symbols that represent syllables, which make up words. In a syllabary, there is no systematic similarity between the symbols which represent syllables with the same consonant or vowel...
of the Ge'ez language
Ge'ez language
Ge'ez is an ancient South Semitic language that developed in the northern region of Ethiopia and southern Eritrea in the Horn of Africa...
. Several tracks quickly caught the ear of many listeners in Ethiopia - "Halieselassie", a tribute to the late Emperor of Ethiopia
Emperor of Ethiopia
The Emperor of Ethiopia was the hereditary ruler of Ethiopia until the abolition of the monarchy in 1974. The Emperor was the head of state and head of government, with ultimate executive, judicial and legislative power in that country...
Haile Selassie I; "Haile, Haile", a single in honor of the Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
long distance champion Haile Gebrselassie
Haile Gebrselassie
Haile Gebrselassie is an Ethiopian long-distance track and road running athlete. He won two Olympic gold medals over 10,000 metres and four World Championship titles in the event. He won the Berlin Marathon four times consecutively and also had three straight wins at the Dubai Marathon...
; and "Mona Lisa", a song about the measure of human beauty.
His third album, Yasteseryal, was released in 2005. The release of this album coincided with elevated political tension in Ethiopia surrounding the Ethiopian general election, 2005. His politically- and socially-inspired songs acted as a call for unity and peace and made the 17 years of TPLF-led government in power concerned. Consequently the government banned four songs including "Yasteseryal" from playing on radios and TV (http://www.ethiopianreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10689&p=53228). The most popular song of the album "Yasetseryal" claims that there is no real change in Ethiopia but a new government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) fight against the Derg
Derg
The Derg or Dergue was a Communist military junta that came to power in Ethiopia following the ousting of Haile Selassie I. Derg, which means "committee" or "council" in Ge'ez, is the short name of the Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police, and Territorial Army, a committee of...
was nothing but an infamous military junta.The album sold more than a million copies within a few months after its release, becoming the biggest selling Ethiopian music album to date.
Legal troubles
Afro was accused of hit-and-run manslaughter and was imprisoned in April 2008. Some sources claimed that the accusation was politically motivated, following the release of several songs critical of the government, especially during the May 2005 national election. Afro pleaded not guilty to these allegations, and his court case and imprisonment were national talking points in Ethiopia. Some members of the opposition viewed his imprisonment as part of the regime in Ethiopia attack on symbols of Ethiopian unity, Afro was convicted of manslaughter on 5 December 2008 and the judge sentenced him to six years' imprisonment and a fine of 18,000 Birr (apr. 1800 USD). On 18 February 2009, Afro's prison sentence was reduced from six years to two years by an appellate court. On 13 August 2009, Afro was released from prison eight months early on account of good behaviour in prison.Albums
| Album Information |
|---|
Abugida
|
| Tarik Tesera
|
| Yasteseryal
|
| Yasteseryal Edition 2
|
| Best Collection-Nahom Volume 14
|
DVDs
| DVD Information |
|---|
Tarik Tesera By Tewodros Kassahun
|
| Yasteseryal - DVD
|