Written byEndalk
Whileย journalists and bloggers remain theย primary targets of state repression in Ethiopia, musicians that don’tย jiveย with stateย propaganda also takeย the heat.
Hawi Tezera, an ethnic Oromo singer, was reportedly beaten, arrested, released and then rearrested in theย space of just seven days by government security forces in connection with her song about ongoing protests in Oromia, a southern administrative region that is Ethiopiaโs largest.
Two other Oromo singers, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, told this author over Facebook chat that they have beenย under intense surveillance since anti-governmentย protests beganย in the region in November.
According to some estimates, over a hundred demonstrators have died in unrest that began afterย the government made plans for the expansion of the capital Addis Ababa into land inhabited by the Oromo ethnic group, which accounts for almost a third of Ethiopia’s population.
In the last two decades, Oromo singers who gravitate towards political and social activism have been subjected to intimidation, abductions and torture.
There are also more musicians-in-exilesย among the culturally distinct Oromo group than any of Ethiopia’s other major groups.
One of the most recognisableย victims of this slow purge was iconoclastic Oromo singer, Ebisa Adugna, who civic activists believeย wasย killed by Ethiopian government forces in 1996.
Dawite Mekonen, widely known for streamlining Oromo traditional music with more contemporary styles in the 1990s, went into exile after refusingย to perform for soldiers at war front during Ethio-Eritrean war in 1998.
Elefenesh Keno, arguably the most important female vocalist of Oromo language of all time was forced into exile in Norway around the same time, while vocalist Hirpa Ganfure also releases songs from the Scandanavian country having beenย forced to leave Ethiopia the same yearย as Dawite.
These are just few of the better-known examples of Ethiopiaโs repression of Oromo musicians.
New wave of censorship?
Musicians of all backgrounds that go againstย the government line find it difficult to get a gig or airtime on Ethiopia’s radio stations.
One example of this trend isย the last-minuteย cancellationย last yearย ofย two concerts featuringย Teddy Afro,ย a prominent Amharic singer and song writer.Teddy has aย great popular appeal and is widely known as the most successful musician in Ethiopia.
Teddy, who wasย released from imprisonmentย on hit and run charges he always denied in 2009, said his team was refusedย permission to hold the concerts scheduled for last September, without speculating as to why.
Itย seems most likely the cancellations are part of a continuing government campaign against the musician sinceย hisย release of songs criticalย ofย the regimeย inย 2005,ย three years before he was imprisoned.
However, censorship isย noticeablyย harsher as ย regards the Oromo, Ethiopia’s single largest ethnic group, whichย isย viewed as a threat byย a governmentย packed withย politicians from the northern Tigray minority.
According to reports at least 17 Oromo singers whose lyrics show โnationalistic tendenciesโ were banned from air waves in December 2015 by the Ethiopian Broadcast Authority.
Oromo singers oftenย produce music that articulates strong pride in theirย national and cultural heritage, whether through lyrics or theย incorporation ofย traditional instruments and melodies.
The latestย ban has encompassedย songs that appear to beย far from overtly nationalistic, including the songs of the two musicians the author interviewed for this piece.
Thisย signifies aย clampdown on even moderate forms of cultural self-expression.
Aย counterproductive policy
According to academic Michael Shawn Mollenhauer, who wrote his doctoralย dissertationย on the topic of censorship of Oromo culture in Ethiopia, the current government usesย Oromo musicians ย to present aย facadeย ofย cultural diversity while systematically imprisoning and intimidatingย independent singers.
Hawi Tezera’s story is an indicator that the state’sย grip on any form of freedom of expression is getting ever-tighter, with controls over music reaching a new low.
However, the crackdown is not having the desired effect.
In fact, Oromo songs with political undertones are actuallyย seeing a resurgence, with this author tallying overย 300+ songs on YouTube and Facebook alone since 2014,ย asย the Internetย providesย an alternative space for musicians to defy the blanket ofย state censorship.
If anything, music censorship has helpedย strengthen Oromo nationalism.
The overwhelming majority of Oromos already feltย that their identity was being attacked unjustly, and theย intensification of state harassment against aย background of growing political unrest isย tipping them over the edge.
This story was commissioned by Freemuse, the leading defender of musicians worldwide, and Global Voices for Artsfreedom.org. The article may be republished by non-commercial media, crediting the authorย Endalk, Freemuse and Global Voices and linking to the origin.
