BY YOHANES JEMANEH
Armash (your emblem) is a new song released by Teddy Afro on 2 November 2021. This patriotic track is about a national sentiment in which the character in the song reminisces the heydays of his motherland and inspires current generation to portray commitment to re enact those days of glory once again through ensuring unity and sovereignty.
The song begins with the verse Armash yiwlebleb kedeje, libe nafkoshal wodaje, which means let your emblem hover over my premise as my heart is yearning for you my beloved. The second verse Enes eskayish chenekegn, hagere memchash nafekegn, utters loud the singer’s concern and strong desire towards the restoration of his motherland in its former glorious appearance.
Teddy elaborates this nostalgic national sentiment like Ken eyehede ken meta, libe kehasab sayweta, metita tabisew enbayen, hageren tiruat armayen, which means a lot of water has passed under the bridge, I am still concerned about the resurrection of this country in its previous parenthood— a feature of peacefully embracing its children. This verse, straightforwardly, impersonates Ethiopia a mother’s character of soothing and wiping out the tears of her children.
The singer continuously expresses his eagerness of witnessing his motherland in its garment of “historic” glory. He states Mechem kezih midir lay hedo new hulu keri, hager nat kuami sendek lezelalem nuari, tinantm endejenber eyayut kayn yirkal, Ethiopia enditmechi sint ken yibekal.Here the verse encapsulates the message that the nostalgic singer is losing patience while awaiting the renaissance of his country. He also believes everything in this world is impermanent except a motherland that stays forever. That’s why he is melancholic about the reappearance of his homeland in its former shine and sheen – known historically as land of freedom, peace and considerateness. “How long does that take?” he poses a question.
He also regrets losing the features he knew about his country like Enama layish betolo mignot neberegn, Gin babahu nafekugnina enba kedemegn, Enema alehu eskahun tesfa senike, Bewenze bagere eyalehu ager nafike. This stanza stands for a form of elegy expressed by sudden tear drops breaking away from his eyes and trickling down his cheeks while recounting Ethiopians’ heydays long gone.
In another stanza of the song, Teddy notes Ethiopia is abeacon of freedom located in the East. He creates analogy between Ethiopia and freedom in one side and the sun and sunrise on the otherside. He expresses optimism that once again Ethiopians shall be united to combat their enemy. The verse Wetitesh bemisrak anchi yalem jember, aned arginina telatish yifer, reveals the fact that Ethiopia is located in the east and it is a cradle of mankind. Therefore the country ought to unite one its citizens to replicate the sentiment worldwide as a mother nation or a cradle land of mankind.
He then turns nostalgic about his childhood and relates it with his homeland. The linesYeborekubet belijinete, yeyanew melkish bik sil fite, eyemelesegn wede tintu, nafkogn bebirtu tiz alegn yetentu. Reverting back to childhood days it relates about how the singer was beside himself in joy in gamboling fields and his positive outlook about his nation.This is about pinning the peaceful and sociable atmosphere the singer experienced while he was a kid.But now nothing seems a source of hope so that he pines for his country while living in his native land.
At this stage of the track, the melody flows in a similar wavelength with Tilahun Gessesse’s Tiz alegn Yetintu song – a song which narrates about the past. In this song, Tilahun did voice the verse “yasalefnew zemen destan yayenbet, temelso bigegn ahun minalebet” which means, what if turning the clock back we manage to fly back to the good old days we enjoyed ourselves to our hearts’ content.
Repetition of ideas could be irritating to the audience unless presented in artistic manner. It is what appears to be in the track we are reviewing. Here, the singer mentions Ager lekibru sitara, Kef yaderegnew bandira, Zemem sayil ken godlo, Bakish Ethiopia ney tolo, denoting“Please come back fast mother Ethiopia before the flag that we hovered high when youclamored for your dignity, fly at half-mastat this dark moment of history.”
The verse flows Bizunesh anchi agre yemolash tamirat, mikurabish yetefera yenetsanet bet, yarbegnoch yedil chibo letiwlid endabera, menor lager sihon motim ayasfera, telling the story that Ethiopians had achieved victory over invading powers that came to subjugate and exploit them. The song stimulates courage that emanates from patriotism as stamina to achieve any triumph. You will no longer be afraid of death once you know that you are going to assure the survival of your motherland, it says.
The singer also expresses his grieve for the eroded glory of his country, which was singled out for the unity of its people and colorfulness of its festivities. Meskel, fasica, EId, enkutatash, awdamet ayhon anchi kalmetash, zemen adisesh befikir kelem, bik bey Ethiopia hugnina meskerem, and these linesconvey every anniversary is only sensed if a nation is stable and peaceful. The artist also expresses his hope that his country reappears as (a Spring) new year, a harbinger of new life.
At this juncture the melody of the track changes to the tone of Tilahun Gessesse’s Ye 13 Wer Tsega(13 months of sunshine) song but with different verses. Bik beyina honesh mushira, yibkan sidetu sikay mekera, as mentioned earlier, the singer wishes to see a peaceful and prosperous Ethiopia in a wedding garmentso that its citizens will not face affliction and migration.
Then the melody Egnas kemenged lay teften mech aweknew, Binhed binhed andersm gena new, alludes tothe 3000 years history of the country. Ethiopia has a long and astonishing history almost that towers over the history of current developed and democratic countries. However, Ethiopia has not yet unfettereditself from poverty and as such it is unable to fully achieve democracy.
The poem indicates that the main reason behind this failure is the wrong way repeatedly applied by the states to assume power. As Albert Einstein once saidit is like doing the same thing time and again and expecting a different result.This reviewerbelieves the singer isartisticallyconveying so to express how Ethiopians has become accustomed to violent approaches to achieve democracy in the true sense of the world.
In the next stanza, the singer expresses his best wish to his nation. Simshin bekifu yanesash tefto, armash kef sil semy lay wetito, Egna lijochich linay komenal, and ken metito and yadergenal, this verse is charged with the ambition of the singer to witness a united and under its skies flag-hovering Ethiopia ousting all its enemies trying to tarnish its image. The future holds such promise in store he expresses hope.
He also urges citizens to stand united, once again, to achieve democracylearning from the successful stories of their ancestors. The poem, Kena bel ahun kena bel kena, yejeginochu lij ante nehna, kager wediya mot mot yelemna, zim yale meslo ethiopiawinet, manim aygetaw yetenesa elet, indicates Teddy’s appreciation to patriotic generation that has commitment to protect the sovereignty of motherland true to the sentiment of its forbearers. Walk with a square shoulder; be not be diffident as heir ofheroic ancestors. There is no worse death than that of a nation. Still water runs deep. The same is true with the Ethiopian sentiment—a latent volcano. The song is uploaded with the aforementioned sentiments.
In his bird’s eye view opinion, author Dr.Endalegeta Kebede stated that the song is a melancholic version that can solace its listeners through lamentation. It is like a labor pain. The character in the song is stranger to the current appearance of his motherland so that he desires to see its former attractive features in pensiveness. Endale argues that the defaced image of the country has resulted from ethnic-based political grudges and conflicts.
The song which is written by Tedy Afro is composed, mixed and mastered by Maru Alemayehu, Abugida Band and Marven Studios. Yared Tefera, Bereket Tesfaezgi and Mandefro Kassa respectively played Saxphone, Lead Guitar and Mesenko, while vocalist Mignot Hailu and Kindneneh Wondimu accentuated the songs.
Uploaded on YouTube on 2 November 2021, so far the song has been viewed by over four million music fans worldover.
The Ethiopian Herald November 27/2021
