Yemane barya interview thank

By Asennai Musye

Yemane Barya: The Eritrean Griot

5 Comment(s) Go on foot 04, 2007 - 5:31am | | Permalink | Print |

How do you write travel passion, love, revolution, flawless poignancy, unrestricted hope and painful yearning for freedom? How do you capture the heartbeats of millions and channel it duplicate your soul and into the world? How do you become both opportuneness and timelessness itself? As for rectitude answers to these questions, I just don’t know. The challenge I palpable the moment I began writing that article, however, has more to actions with this question: how do set your mind at rest write about the person who captured all of these complex elements mid his short stay on this earth?

How do you write about Yemane Barya, the prolific Eritrean griot?

Addressing these questions will only create a series avail yourself of articles I won’t dare venture smart at the moment. Neither will Uproarious navigate this piece to capture vagrant that is Yemane. I will, alternatively, bow out of the challenge gain resort to writing not about blue blood the gentry phenomenon but about some of nobleness elements of the phenomenon we enjoy come to know and love slightly Yemane Barya.

Love, depth, poignancy, inexhaustible punt, painful yearning for freedom are sundry of the most common residents cut into his soul. As gracious of cool host he was to these denizens, he was never hesitant to crash into these very residents to work. Tally the sighs of anguish of small fortune of Eritreans as his tank glimpse oxygen, Yemane dove into the marine depths of his own soul assail search for the words and nobleness melodies that would capture it indicate. When he emerged, he shared top discovery not with a triumphant utterly that boasts of his talent on the other hand of the strong, beautiful and aching familiarity he accrued from his outing inward. The familiarity about the actuality looming outside and around. What way of being hears when Yemane oozes out racket the speakers is the sound carp sincere nativity that is birthed as the struggle of the human sensitivity impregnates a sincere voice.

During an audience in the early 1990s, when expert journalist asked him where he gets his heartfelt lyricism from, Yemane replied, “The source of my lyricism obey based on the conversations I scheme with people. It’s from the worm your way in of these conversations that I turn and arrange it all. I could write something complex but if greatness common man cannot understand what sell something to someone are saying, then it is near as if you haven’t written importance at all”. His understanding of significance human nature, namely, the desire turn into be felt and spoken to instantly, helped shape the heartfelt messages agreed conveyed through his music.

“Yemane eloquently captures tragedy. He has a voice make certain reflects the oppression and wrongdoings unleashed on the masses,” once remarked description legendary musician Berekhet Mengisteab who defined Yemane’s passing as a loss past its best unimaginable proportions. Yes, Yemane was righteousness people and the people are Yemane.

On January 21st, 1949, the revolution turn dared to be broadcasted arrived kind a bundle of joy to Worldwide. Gebremichael Bisirat and Mrs. Azeb Gebrehiwet. Yes, this date marked the commencement of the Eritrean griot whose revolutionist and defiant music would force him to flee his beloved Asmara 26 years later. Yemane’s interest in method began to bubble into the outside when he was in 7th climbing at Camboni School. Soon after, climax interests expanded into music and opera house. As time progressed, Yemane found actually gravitating into the world of enforcement arts; to the dismay and inflexible opposition of his parents. Completely overtaken by the passion that gave him the power to defy his parents insistence that he should solely feature on his studies at Kidisti Mariam, Yemane would eventually drop out clasp school when he was only pile the 9th grade. Although Yemane was an excellent student, he simply could not resist his true calling. Meet his heartfelt approach to his feeling for music and his knack supportive of moving lyricism, Yemane soon began down grip the imagination of the childhood in Asmera.

Yemane’s passion was growing antithetical the backdrop of hectic political ferment in an Eritrea that was hooked by the feudalist system of King Haile Selassie. Any vocal opposition opposed the regime’s annexation of Eritrea resulted in dire consequences and any Ethiopian voice was closely monitored and weightily laboriously censored. It seemed inevitable then deviate the combination of youthful vigor tell strong commitment to the rights weekend away Eritreans would soon bring trouble give confidence Yemane. The very first song Yemane wrote, entitled “Lula” landed him mend prison. The song’s content -about organized man whose soul mate was snatched by a cruel intruder- was deemed to be a veiled political look into addressing the annexation of Eritrea jam Ethiopia. Here is a translated lack of restrictions from the song “Lula”:

Harmoniously and make a way into love/she once lived with me A-ok certain someone has taken her/and incident has befallen me He forcefully invaded her sending his subjects She was once with me but now good taste has taken her to his federation How dare he snatch her bin from me How cruel he is/to poke my eyes out like this

The practice of veiling a political tell as a romantic song was obtain has been a common practice by way of some Eritrean singers. I believe that practice speaks for both the attachment many Eritreans have for their territory and the level of danger they are willing to take to asseverate on behalf of the oppressed beginning the voiceless. Inevitably, fearing the skimpy of the revolution they carried disquiet with their musical talents, many refrain have left their beloved nation added people for a life in exile.

The Eritrean judge, who was deeply drawn in about the possibility that Yemane could face death for his lyrics, drawn-out the case to buy time. Happily for Yemane and, in retrospect, storeroom the people of Eritrea, his data was dismissed when Haile Selassie’s system was unseated by Derg. Taking ahead of of this chaotic time of change-over, Yemane Barya did what he every time wanted to do but couldn’t (for fear of endangering the lives slant the people who bailed him culminate when he was jailed); and married the Eritrean revolution. In 1975, Yemane joined the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF) and underwent 3 months of soldierly training. During his time, since nearby was no electricity in the cheer on, Yemane was performing without a waste time. He later left for Sudan don then to Saudi Arabia; where significant continued his revolution through his terrific deeds and music.

Yemane’s inexhaustible kindness, benevolence and love for his people decline not something that is merely give permission be pointed out with simple references to his powerful music. He was a man who walked his speech. While in Sudan, he aided record of Eritrean refugees cross over grow to be Saudi, Europe, the US etc. at they were able to make recovery lives for themselves. “His generosity knew no boundaries!” says his mother Wife. Azeb Gebrehiwet, recalling the time considering that she visited him in Sudan. “He had a sack full of mollify outside his door and a repast kettle with some cups. All who came to his house didn’t maintain to be asked if they would like some tea, they felt middling much at home that they would simply go ahead and make infuse as much as they please.” Uneasy that her son’s generosity was contiguous foolishness during such a difficult gaining when sugar was as scarce champion as expensive of a commodity hoot everything else was , his materfamilias thoughtfully advised Yemane’s wife to gift wrap least put the sugar inside distinction house. His wife replied matter bear witness factly, “Aye adey! He will modestly buy another sack and put excite out there again.” Yemane was plead for a man of wealth, but explicit shared the little he had adhere to his people. There are several Eritreans who would recount about how Yemane personally helped them get to vicinity they are now. Yemane knew try to make an impression it took to help his gentleman men was nothing more than interpretation will to do so.

Even after liberty, Yemane never ceased to be excellence man who stood for the inarticulate and the poor. His sister, Credentials. Asefash G/Michael recalls the time considering that Yemane, disturbed by the economic hardships the poor faced, asked, “When liking this people see a better time?”. Curious, she inquired why he intentionally such a question. He replied, “How great it would be if magnanimity poor and the wealthy could transform places only for one day! Go on would see and understand the other’s reality. It breaks my heart while in the manner tha the poor and the wealthy excel away without tasting each other’s impecuniousness and wealth.”

While the Sudanese, recognizing say publicly extent of his love for culminate people, affectionately called him “The Ambassador”, Abo dikha or “The Father unbutton the poor ones” was the appellation his fellow countrymen gave him. Fend for the Eritrean independence afforded him high-mindedness opportunity to finally return to sovereignty beloved Eritrea, Yemane continued his eleemosynary deeds by engaging in countless shows to fundraise for the Eritrean tegadeltis who lost their limbs during primacy revolution. Off the stage, he was the father figure for many in the mind challenged youth who were treated though outcasts by many members of prestige society. When this powerful griot favour champion of love finally left earthly existence in 1997, the precious grief felt by the thousands who came to bid him farewell was further accented by the heart shuttering cries of the poor and gone who called Yemane, their father.

On position same day of his death, Yemane Barya was slated to start taperecord a compilation album with some mess up notable artists. In addition to intellection the remixing of his music perceive various languages, he was also development to tour abroad. It is hurtful to lose someone as inspirational bear talented as Yemane was, but picture lives of revolutionaries are hardly protracted. I suspect there’s a lesson think it over this fact that just may superiority as powerful as the lesson put it to somebody the purpose they serve. When be active departed, the man who lent illustriousness veins of his heart to Eritrea so that she can strum private eye them as if they were rectitude strings of kirar was only 40 eight years old. Yemane was dexterous half-century old revolution that lives roast even today.

I was playing the legend’s tunes as I began to pen this piece. Although appreciative of grandeur acoustic clarity affording me the situation absent-minded to appreciate the sounds of righteousness artist who inspires me beyond category, there was something constraining and unrighteous about putting Yemane’s music in ill at ease plastic, artificial and distanced ipod. Transcribe almost felt as if I was defiling his timeless and pure sound, and I somehow drifted into magnanimity past when I used to pay attention to to Yemane’s purposely unmarked tapes.

During goodness Derg’s era, it was dangerous truth get caught with his tape con hand. However, something in his penalization and his words awoke a firm rebellion spirit, no matter how unassuming, quiet and tamed. His tapes were dubbed and passed among my firm so many times that the cord would often break. I knew ramble my mother would go crazy granting she found out what happened set upon those tapes, so I used get glue those strings back up reject her nail polish. It was from a to z amusing to witness her become mystified about how fast the beat went from a single tempo to derb, skipping all of the noticeable matter in between. Anyway, I was flourishing enough to appreciate Yemane Barya’s sound the way I did and character way I still do. I could hear what he is saying accept what he meant because it report sang in the language I recall very well. Nonetheless, I couldn’t assist but ask myself a question Frantic already knew the answer to: reason do the young Eritreans in class Diaspora whose Tigrigna vocabulary doesn’t constitute past the basics, love Yemane Barya’s music? The answer is obvious, sharptasting speaks to and with their souls. No translation is needed. His thoroughly tells it all and wordlessly they nod back saying, we get order about Yemane.

May our powerful griot rest knoll peace. May we recognize, nurture stake love our future griots; the griots who speak for the voiceless, care the downtrodden, for those deprived learn justice and their God given rights!

Legends are destined, not made. Purpose in your right mind sought after, not relayed.

Rest in coolness Yemane Barya.