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Addis Ababa was filled with extravaganza and
unprecedented levels of sumptuousness last
week with its residents and visitors
crowding out not only the three concert
places where local and international
performers decked out the festivity but also
its main streets. Never before was such a
huge number of people crowding the night out
on the streets since the 80th Birthday of
Emperor Haile Selassie, according to a
resident in his mid 60s.
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Indeed, city folks were entertained free at
the National Stadium and Jan Meda the
night through, while over 14,500 partygoers
have paid 1,500 Br for a ticket to attend
the officially sanctioned event held at the
10-million-dollar concert hall on the Africa
Avenue (Bole Road). Despite strong
scepticism prior to the Ethiopian New Year
Eve that the hall might have not been ready
for the event, the construction company,
Luigi Varnero Impresa Construzioni Plc, has
done a remarkable job in putting the
structure up within three months.
"If it was not for the 'ETV' mark on the
national television, I would hardly know it
was a concert held in Addis Abeba," said a
man who followed the event live on TV from
home.
The stage was huge, the lighting was state
of the art and the sound system was superb.
Never before was Addis garlanded with such
musical gala of the size seen last week. The
event inside the concert hall, organised by
Addis Park Development and Management Plc, a
subsidiary company of MIDROC Ethiopia, was
simultaneously broadcasted to the other two
concert places in the capital - Jan Meda
and the national stadium where 150,000 and
20,000 people gathered respectively - and to
all the capitals of the regional states.
Four heads of state from the immediate
neighbourhood of Ethiopia - Omar Al-Bashir
of Sudan, Ismael Omar Ghelleh of Djibouti,
Abdullahi Yousuf of Somalia, Mwai Kibaki of
Kenya and Paul Kagame of Rwanda as well as
the African Union's (AU) Commissioner Alpha
Omar Conare - have attended the main
Millennium attraction that featured the
American R&B sensation, Black Eyed Peas; at
the end of it, fans had to be pushed out
with a chain of security personnel a little
after 3:00am.
The star of the night was Prime Minister
Meles Zenawi, who was seen to the public
clad with the Ethiopian traditional costume
for the first time ever since he assumed
power in the early 1990s. The crowd inside
the concert hall and those who followed the
event through live TV transmission were
delighted to see him and his wife, Azeb
Mesfin, dance in public to the tune of a
Sudanese song, again an incident that was
witnessed to happen for the first time.
"It is great to see the human side of
leaders of this country," said a young man
in his early 30s.
Neither was his speech made before the start
of the concert a disappointment for many.
His public recognition of Ethiopia's history
of statehood stretching for over 2,000 years
and the recollection of its glorious past
has been taken as a major departure from his
party's past controversial position that the
current geopolitical identity of the country
is seldom 100 years. It was this assertion
that has in fact put his party at loggerhead
for too long with the majority of city
dwellers.
There was evidently a change in his tone and
the substance of his message.
"There is a history that was never put into
negotiation and maintained throughout,"
Meles told a jubilant crowd that reacted to
him cheerfully. "It is the independence
history of this legendary nation. We
Ethiopians and Africans recall this history
in pride, forever and at any place because
it has been maintained through the blood and
bones of its children even at a time when
our country was in its declining phase
during the second half of the second
Millennium and at the pick of colonisation
for the scramble in Africa."
It was only a follow-up surprise by the
Prime Minister who has had an "unusual and
frank," discussion a week before with
several hundred young men and women of Addis
Abeba inside the conference hall at Arat
Kilo, next to his office. Not only had he
recalled how he began to smoke cigarettes
while at high school in order to emulate
those perceived during his generation as
city-slick and advised them smoking is no
longer "being cool", he also spoke openly
about the nature of his marriage.
He revealed to an enthusiastic crowd of
young people that he has little choice but
to be a democratic husband for his wife
knows how to shoot what spites a fire.
Hardly was there any time before when Meles
was seen speaking in public about issues of
personal and family affairs.
This frankness and straightforward talk is
what has pleased Hailu Kassaye, a resident
of Cherkos District, who works in the gas
station of Shell on Africa Avenue. Frehiwot
Tadesse, a resident in the Sidist Kilo area
and works in the same gas station, is
another who sees that the change of tone
evident with the Prime Minister could lead
to stability of discontent that has rocked
the country over the past two years.
"I do not mind much whether there is a
change of government so long as he [the
Prime Minister] has changed," she told
Fortune.
A college student and a resident of Shiro
Meda, Gebertsadik Gebretensay, believes the
Prime Minister has begun to properly read
the public demand judging from his responses
to the youth. Hewan Bekele, vegetable vendor
from Army Hospital area, shares this view;
she believes the Prime Minister has now
developed a positive attitude to the public.
"This could also lead to tune down the
bitterness felt by supporters of opposition
parties," said Gebretsadik.
There are, however, sceptics and dissenting
voices.
A man in his mid 50s, who insisted to remain
anonymous, sees all the reported changes in
the public addresses by the Prime Minister
simply as pretentious moves, if not an
attempt to appear "democratic" when he is
about to leave office.
"I do not believe he will be giving up power
as he told Time magazine," Nebiyu, a
resident of Richie area and working inside
Bole International Airport, told Fortune.
"Even if he were to, I am afraid there will
be a power vacuum for no one appears to be
ready to take over."
This is a view far from what a man from
around Piazza, a painter and a father of
two, shares. He is upset to see the
extravaganza because he argues it
demonstrates the Prime Minister's level of
confidence that he has put dissent under
control through show of force.
Others, nonetheless, would like to take
their time to see more substantive moves by
the government he leads to believe what they
see as a makeover public relations exercise.
"It is too good to be true," said a retired
lecturer.
What is true is, however, the increasing
popularity of Ethiopia's contemporary
sensational vocalist, Tewodros Kassahun -
fondly called Tedi Afro - who appeals to
fans crossing the political divide. Indeed,
there are those who are not impressed with
his politically tuned activities and some of
the songs that preach political
reconciliation and togetherness. They see in
him a young singer-cum political activist,
but highly inflated.
But if there was any other personality that
was the subject of public discussion last
week, none would be outshining Tedi Afro.
Following the release of his latest single,
Gize Le Kulu (a Ge'ez phrase
literally translated to 'there is time for
everything'), Tedi has tried to reach his
fans at an open concert originally planed at
the Ghion Hotel. The government's move to
cancel the event at the last minute sparked
controversy around town, thus making
Ethiopia's music idol perceived as a symbol
of defiance to a powerful government.
The government does not necessarily take him
as a series challenge to the system,
according to insiders. Neither is he taken
as a personality galvanising protest against
the ruling party. At best, he is viewed as
an irritation too knotty to deal with. It is
due to this perception among the officialdom
that town officials in Jimma, 347Km east of
Addis, described their decision to let Tedi
play in the town on September 12, 2007, as
"a courageous move".
Indeed, in Addis Abeba too, officials at
both the city and federal governments have
debated whether or not Tedi should play in
one of the two concerts held in the capital
on the eve of the New Year, organised by the
municipality free of charge. Those who
argued on his favour finally prevailed
during the debates, hence his late
appearance at the National Stadium,
according to reliable sources.
The crowd gathered at the Stadium was
remarkable, estimated to exceed 20,000 and
overflowing to the nearby roads. Partygoers
began to congregate at the stadium as early
as 6:00pm on Tuesday, the announced
appearance of Tedi Afro being the major
attraction. Hardly were people interested to
listen to other performers and a hapless
attempt to read poetry. To the nervousness
of city officials, the crowd was
relentlessly demanding Tedi's appearance,
while the vocalist stayed at home claiming
to have been sick due to flue, sources
disclosed.
It was after mid-night that Tedi made his
belated debut; to the disappointment of his
fans, he only played two songs, including
his latest Gize Le Kulu. Neither was
the sound system right to motivate any
singer, let alone an idol of the people.
The desire to see Teddy perform at the main
concert organised by Addis Park at the
Millennium Concert Hall, on Africa Avenue,
was no less strong than those at the
National Stadium. An overwhelming number of
the estimated 17,000 people flocked there
were disappointingly surprised to have
thought that the vocalist had appeared when
DJs played his latest album. The scene where
a huge number of people rushed close to the
stage expecting to see him play live was one
of the spectacular moments of the night.
Nonetheless, they continued partying with
what was offered on the CD playing with an
incredibly superb sound system.
There too were discussions among organisers
and federal government officials whether or
not to let him perform at the federal
government sponsored concert, Fortune
has gathered. It just did not happen.
It was only those determined to travel to
the town of Jimma and its residents that had
the pleasure to enjoy a performance by "the
people's hero".
"I am glad to see him go to Jimma to
perform," said Kidist Eskinder, a resident
of Arat Kilo and a teacher at the School of
Tomorrow. "He has demonstrated to us that he
is not into money but sensitive to the
average man on the street."
This is in fact a view shared widely among a
cross section of people. Unlike the
generation of performers before him that
have seldom a history of resistance to the
power that be, many see Tedi as a young and
talented person with the courage not to
submit to the riches and the powerful.
"He listens to and understands what the
public says," Ashenafi Fekadu, a businessman
in Mercato, told Fortune.
Says Yonas Brehanu, a mechanic in a private
garage and a resident of Teklehaimanot area:
"He responds to what the public feels. I am
very happy with him."
But that is only one part of Tedi's
personality to Tewodros Worku, a resident of
Kolfe area and foreign relation expert in a
private company. Tewodros see him both as a
talented artist and a knack for business.
"The Tedi I have seen on the eve of the New
Year is the businessman," Tewodros told
Fortune.
Not everyone is pleased with his latest
business venture; his attempt to market his
new album with only two songs stuffed-up
with several others recorded from stage
performances during his last tour in the
United States (US) is seen rather as
star-crossed.
Ephirem Wondimu, a cab driver and a resident
of Saris area, is one of these dissatisfied
people who have felt cheated with the
content of the recent album, although it is
written on the cover that there are only two
new songs included.
"This was not what I had expected from Tedi,"
Ephirem told Fortune. "When you buy the tape
and go home eager to listen to it, you would
discover that all but two are the songs you
do not know. I hope he will correct this in
the future."
How Tedi will behave in the future is yet to
be seen. Nevertheless, in spite of his rocky
relationship with the power that be and his
publicly perceived defiance to those with
wealth, Tedi Afro is idolised and adored by
people across social and political
divisions. The strong desire demonstrated at
the National Stadium and the Millennium
concert hall last week is yet another proof
to his entrenched popularity.
What is more evident is that people in the
streets of Addis Abeba are more enthusiastic
and at ease to talk about their love and
admiration for the singer; something Prime
Minister Meles needs to work on more before
he starts to enjoy as much popularity.
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