BY MULUGETA GUDETA
Barely a couple of months after the untimely and sudden death of the late Ethiopian music icon Madingo Afewerk, another giant of Ethiopian and Oromo music has breathed his last on Monday, after a long illness. He was a member of the last generation of the great musicians, the generation of the likes of the legendary Tilahun Gessesse, Alemayehu Eshete and others less known ones. Modern Ethiopian music has lost its major composers, younger ones like Elias Melka and vocalists whose albums topped the charts for many years although their labors have hardly made them rich but famous.
Fame without its attendants’ wealth is like a curse as many of them saw their lives cut short by poverty. Not a few of them left this world without even having the means to receive decent medical attention or enough money to buy life-saving medicaments. In fact, the tragedy of Ethiopian artists is a well-known fact that needs little discussion here. Most musicians and artists in general are celebrated while alive but ignored once they pass their primes and sink further into poverty. Ethiopian musicians can be divided between the elites who make enough money to live like kings and the majority who lead lives of pauperism and neglect.
It is true that Ali Bira did not join the ranks of ordinary musicians in Ethiopia. He was among the elites as they are sometimes called. His rise was sudden and meteoric as he was attracted to the entertainment world while he was still very young. His unique style of singing and his carefree way he was forming his melodies put him apart from those hard-working but little know musicians who failed to attain fame and fortune comparable to Ali Bira’s status. In fact Ali’s talent resides in his ability to sing effortlessly as if his voice magically comes out of his mouth without him caring much about it. And there is that magic that distinguish Ali’s songs, whether romantic or serious ones, and give them a unique characters.
His fame was quick and his political attitude as an Oromo nationalist who advocated against the oppression of his people in the past made him a unique icon around whom many tales of bravado and heroism were woven. This was enough to push him into exile as he was suspecting of harboring Oromo nationalism at a time when Oromo political consciousness was relatively less articulated. However his fans both at home and abroad, mainly among those who shared his political views, followed him wherever he went and whatever he said. His songs were always enthusiastically accepted and became hits on the music charts.
Ali spent decades as a self-exiled artist but never ignored his calling and his motherland. He was producing new songs regularly while some of which raised some eyebrows among the artistic authorities of the past who were suspicious of his intentions and angry at the influence he had in the hearts and minds of his younger fans.
Ali Bira could sing about anything and his voice could adapt to any situation or theme. His songs about nature (like “Awaash nama shokkisa”), he sung while he was living in the small town of Awash or about freedom and dignity of the people, enjoyed equal reception and admiration from his fans. One of his strengths as an artist was not only his ability to sing about any subject but the reception his music enjoyed among young, middle-aged and even older folks who identified with his melodies that have the characteristic of never losing their importance or appeal.
The other point that needs attention is Ali’s ability to sing in many languages, like Amharic, English, Arabic, Somali or Adere languages that require flexibility of talent on his part and made him immensely famous among the millions of fans who adored him while alive and feel the loss of his departure and mourn him. Speaking of his multiple language songs, it might be interesting to comment on his style and adaptation to Amharic whenever he sung solo or with someone else. WE can mention for instance the memorable Sheraton Hotel show when he shared the stage with Mohamed Ahmed and produced a musical earthquake that moved and shook the moved everybody in the hall. We should not also forget that Ali sung in foreign languages including Swedish and that he had a Swedish wife he divorced later in his life.
The other point that should be raised about Ali Bira at this point is his ability to explore new styles and melodies and the way he blended them with his original style to magical effect. He has the talent for writing new lyrics that blend traditional and modern approaches while he composed many of his songs beginning with those he did with his composed with his box guitar back in his earlier days when he was simply an apprentice with so much energy and love for music. Night clubs were his places of learning well before he found his authentic musical self or his artistic identity.
An astonishing fact about the late singer was his insatiable thirst for singing, composing, singing as a duo or in composing songs in Amharic and Afan Oromo at the same time. He had great appeal among the new generation as well as the older one and any promising singer or songwriter has never reached their top form without first imitating Ali Bira’a style that was a real school for learning how to sing.
Many are the singers from the younger generation who refer him as their inspiration and teacher who was generous with them and encouraged them to reach their best performances. Tadele Roba, a famous Ethiopian reggae musician, was often quoted as saying that Ali Bira was the one single most influential talent who helped him become a professional musician whose advice and teaching allowed him to become a professional musician who earned his bread from music.
His return to his native land back was a major event for his fans who expected to see him in person and enjoy his music. Ali Bira’s homecoming was also a major event for the country as he received a kind of hero’s welcome both by the authorities of the time and the general public. He was subsequently showered by many awards, donations and titles. He was made honorary doctor by the Addis Ababa University for his musical talent and his contribution to the development of modern Ethiopian and Oromo music as well as for spending more than 60 years, entertaining the public in times of happiness or sadness.
His long life in exile had its toll as he fell ill several times and survived many ordeals, including cancer. Speaking about this period in his life, Ali Bira once commented that his cure was facilitated by prayer as well as medical treatment. He was a devout Muslim who held religion as an important aspect of his identity. There are a number of Muslim singers who abandoned their religion after their career success but Ali Bira was not one of them. The last few years were particularly difficult for Ali Bira as he struggled against health issues that made it difficult for him to appear in public.
Ethiopian singers and musicians of Ali Bira’s generation are apparently leaving behind a big musical vacuum although they will be survived by their unforgettable tunes and messages. Ethiopian music is losing some of its best artists who disappear without leaving behind visible potential replacements. Advances in modern electronics technology may have made it possible for an average talent to reach the summits simply with the aid of new gadgets and computer-generated melodies.
But who will be Ali Bira’s heir to his talent? This is a difficult question to answer because most of the young artists are often captive to a culture of self-adoration and arrogance as a way to fame and financial success. Who will inherit his modesty or his pleasant demeanor? In the case of Ali Bira, the problem is no one among the score of young musician seems to imitate his style or “sing like him” because Ali’s style may be inimitable or unique. His life as a person was also inimitable as he enjoyed living and let millions live and experience the immortal pleasure of his music. What else can a generous artist leave behind for eternity?
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 9 NOVEMBER 2022
