Ephrem Endale Contributer
I was hip hoping across the social media universe when I stumbled on the news. Look, there are so many such stories on the social media it seems without knowing it we’re being rendered immune to sad stories. So when I came across this news flash I have to admit that I didn’t take it seriously at first. Yes it was on a social media account I had no reason to suspect of foul play. But then with so many fake accounts spread across the Internet universe you’d be pardoned to suspect, “Maybe it is one of those accounts!” What’s more it was a one-sentence rather vague news flash and that made it even more difficult a little too much to accept.
Now here was a very talented musician with a whole world in front of him and as you haven’t heard of any medical problems about him and you’re forced to conclude “When will we ever free ourselves from such stupid posts?” But a few moments later the news was all over the social media and especially on those sites you trust. Sad!
Especially the news that he drove his car to a clinic and ended up losing his life made people recall another similar incident which happened to another musician. He too drove himself to a clinic and those were his last hours on earth. The final farewell to Madingo was a sending-off he deserved. Credit goes to those who made it possible for his farewell to be so organized, so fitting and an event to remember.
He used his craft to the best interests of the nation and that was one of the reason so many were deeply touched of his untimely death. One event which showed him for what he is and for what he stood was that even though he was sick at the time he was injected some medicine (Glucose) so that he could entertain the troops fighting to keep the territorial integrity of their country. Now that’s the ultimate sacrifice few, if any would be ready to pay. It’s something only the fully dedicated are willing to brave.
Now I’m not a music critic or anything close to that. But when it comes to this talented musician I can tell you I admire this unique voice of his. I mean for me there is no way you could say, “Doesn’t he sound like so and so?” because he sounds only like himself and on one else. That, believe me, is a commendable achievement in an age when too many of us in almost every profession are busy copy/pasting others.
The farewell was well deserved and I think it is as some sort of a milestone when it comes to the music profession. The grief of the millions and the official response was the reflection of the musician’s place in the hearts of the people.
While we’re at it I think it’s only logical to scribble a word or two about the music world around here, if there is anything as ‘a music world.’ The music industry overall has changed so much technology seems to have made many things real easy. Aha! That’s when the problem really starts. When things start being ‘too easy’ and you give almost everything to and make yourself hostage of the machines that human element we should have cherished so much dims. These days in many instances it’d be a challenging experience to try to pick the differences between one musical piece and another. But then there are many mostly young and quite a number of middle aged musicians who have made their mark in the country’s music industry. Thumbs up for them.
When it comes to the lyrics, or you can say when it comes to the real messages of the pieces, these days I can’t say I’m one of the comfortable ones. It seems that the first chapter, the middle chapter and the last chapter on the music industry narrative ‘profits,’ ‘profits,’ and ‘profits.’ For many it is about works that can bag millions as soon as they hit the music stores. You aren’t expected to digest anything, you don’t need to take time and analyze the whole thing in your own personal way; you either like it or you don’t.
Many times we read of albums which have managed to attract hundreds of thousands or even millions of views in the first few days of being launched. In an age when social media views seem to determine the ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ no wonder that almost everybody vies for instant fame. However, when you look closer especially at the lyrics they dim sooner than they brightened up. When people hear to the pieces repeatedly they even might think what made them jump at it at the time it was published.
When we rewind a few decades down the road the picture completely changes. Many lyrics have so strong social messages they have such mesmerizing power pocking your every cell with lyrics that usually sound as if they were written for you personally. The argument here might be than those days the musicians were mostly in established musical bands in the army, police, the theatre houses across the city and the like. They didn’t earn their daily bread through album sells or the number of You Tube views. Like all civil servants they too were salaried employees.
Of course there was so much competition they worked all year round and brought their works to the public’s attention on New Year eve. And most of those works are still being heard over and over by successive generations because of their strong social messages.
Sorry, but these days I don’t hear many lyrics which directly appeal to the deeper senses of people by raising current social and other issues; lyrics which make people sit up and take notice. Many of us remember that devastating famine of the 1970s which was one of the reasons that brought down the eighty-plus year old emperor.
Though there are numerous controversial narratives about deliberate cover-ups and a lot of other things, once the extent of the famine became public knowledge it left millions crying. It’s not only the documentary film of that British journalist. But a piece played by the one and only Tilahun Gesssese made the real difference as the performer, all the time weeping, hit the TV screens. That was one of the times when music which bore directly into people’s heart brought an entire nation together.
How wonderful it’d be to have more of such music! Music not only for the ears but also for the hearts!
May Mandingo rest in peace!
The Ethiopian Herald October 2/2022