Ethiopian Music

Afropedea.org

Aster Aweke was my first introduction to Ethiopian pop in the latter part of the 80s. I am told that she is still going strong in the Ethiopian community. Amharic is the language she is singing in,language of one of the large ethnics.



New generation:Helen Berhe singing in Amharic



New Generation Ethiopian pop:



Below, she is singing in the Gurage language, one of the smaller ethnics in Ethiopia. Their music is the funkiest in Ethiopia, my opinion. I rarily, bump into them in the USA, lots of Amharas and Oromos



Singing in Welaita, another of the smaller ethnics in Ethiopia. I have met only 3 in the USA.



Singing in Oromo, the largest ethnic in Ethiopia. It is a spiritual song.



I know Eritrea is not Ethiopia. Every Eritrean household lost a family member in the civil war and earned the right to say I to say "I am Eritrean." They paid the price in blood, but the cultural historical boundaries between Ethiopia and Eritrea are pretty thin.

Love this song the spatial, sonic rhythmic pattern of this song. Sang in Tigrinya, one of the 9 ethnics in Eritrea. Like Amharic in Ethiopia, Tigrinya is widely spoken in Eritrea. Chances are if you meet someone from Eritrea in the USA, he or she is probably Tigrinya.