Teddy Afro: A Creative artist or a Commercial Poet?
By Mekonnen Amare

It has been an open secret that Tedros Kassahun or Teddy Afro has turned the face of the Ethiopian music. And to this, the tribute goes duly to his first album Abogida. A moment after Abogida is on the air; nearly all music lovers in the country extended their warm welcome. Since then Teddy has remained to be the best chap in the heart of scores of Ethiopians. More specifically, to the Ethiopian youth, Teddy is a spot of inspiration or a role model if you wish. The fact that Teddy is a nod of illumination even for the considerable number of young artists in the modern age goes without a tingle of demur.

It could also be said Teddy has managed to cross the thresholds of music in terms of international standards. His imaginative and spiritual intermarriage with Reggae beats and there by Rastafarianism is a real proof thereof. All these pluses could be termed as Teddy’s fragments of success stories. Questioning if this success is one, which is hard won or undeservedly harvested, shall be left to the taste of time? Even then, one reality still rings hard and constantly ticks our mind- Teddy is a successful artist in his own right.

Teddy’s second album- Yasteserial, however, began to ***** the ears of many people across the board for better or worse-Hell knows! For many, this new album is yet another masterpiece through which Teddy proved himself an incessant artistic fig leaf. And yet for many others, a phony artistic hero, even worse a commercial poet, whose only vision is to refuel the market, by coming out of his shell with his own version of the current political hot spots of the country. Deciding where the artist belongs to I believe calls for a non-impressionistic analysis, crafted on a neutral voice if ever one can be. But then, I am of the opinion that comments or reflections on artistic productions of such sort need to partake a critical touch. I also believe the common adage ‘ a critique on art is relative’ should not be a warm refuge for half-baked critics.

In the world of critical inquiry there is a wide range of consensus among artists and critics that a given art roughly belongs to one of the following three domains.

1) Art is an exercise of creative masturbation. This domain presupposes that artists withhold an individual culture. Artists under this camp are much worried about their emotional interplay than the societal and cultural setup.

2) Art is an expression of the communal culture. This domain holds that art is a mere display of the cultural values of the dominant community group.

3) Art is a creative exercise geared to deconstruct and reconstruct the existing social, cultural and political makeup. We often call this a serious art.

The question of where the heck Teddy echoes in light of these three domains therefore begs an answer. Many have glossed over the question and ventured into their own impressionistic footsteps of naive judgment. Out of which, one God-forsaken analysis is that Teddy’s new album is politically charged and thus composed with ethnic overtones. In such line of understanding then, this people do not cost them a genius to toss the artist over to the third category-a serious art. The tragic part of doing so, however, bore two extreme reflections. On one hand, you find considerable number of people who feel awfully abused, petrified and stupefied in what they say is Teddy’s ill-tuned political agenda. On the far end section of the argument, you also find those, whose heart chose to cherish the artist as a national hero, which if extended at any length heralds the rebirth of Abyssinia.

Against all odds, and in fact, against the likes of both extremists, I found myself duty as well as professionally bound to freeze the squabbling and there by abort the suspense over Teddy’s new album. And to this, I selected Yasteseria, which I believe is the center of gravity.

For me Yasteserial is the piece in which Teddy falls far short of artistic commitment. In this piece Teddy did not want to lose two segments of audiences living in two different worlds: Ethiopians and Rasteferians. The very word Yasteserial is a half-decided rough association with Rasteferiansim and as the same time, it s a conscious way back to the religious beliefs of the Ethiopia mass. While trying not to miss the Ethiopian audience (which indeed is his mass base,) he made a very crude reference to imperial Haileselassie just not to put **** on his Raggae honeymoon in the international music. The mention of the emperor, the word Yasteserial, the other close pal-Rasteferi and the fact that the music is composed with Raggae beat is a ‘smart’ act of denying artistic commitment. At least, Rasteferi I and yasteseria rhyme. Don’t they? All so far at the very minimum Teddy never cared for our fresh memories of Ragae and Rasterferianism on his first album. In the context of such vague references then the very word Yasteserial becomes a buzzword, if not a noise. And the piece of note he left for us along with the tape cassette is thus a faint attempt to help such ends meet. In practical terms, this note is a litmus that the artist himself made unsettled moves to nowhere.

In the pursuit of such analysis, therefore, Teddy’s Yasteserial could not be taken as a serious art for this piece is bereft of artistic commitment. Here, commitment shall be understood in the sense that the artist is not serious in terms of what he wants to get across. That’s why many wander if he ever capitalizes on the word-Yasteserial. And that’s why you find the artist scaling down the strong tone toward the end and hence the jam of thematic concerns-AIDS, famine, to mention some. For the fight against AIDs, and of course, for people like me, Sensation Condoms do better than a serom on Yasteserial. In this regard then, this particular piece of song could not by any stroke of magic be subject to heated political debate.

Thus Ted’s Yasteserial belongs to the first domain in which he exercised a creative masturbation. In such understanding, therefore, the audience shall only be left to believe that Teddy is like hundreds of Ethiopian artists who shall be free to do so. Let’s also do believe Teddy has a personal right to bank on his unfailing creative repertoire and say- Hey! Here I am! But moving far beyond such borders is over semanticizing and over interpreting. Who knows, all what has been said to date may be miles away from what the artist himself has imagined. JA--YASTESERIAL!

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Email: mekonnenam@yahoo.com

City: Addis

What in the world is your problem ? Who are you to pass judgment on this great
and loved musician ? Are you one of the losers TPLF sympthizers ?
At this time, when we Ethiopians are neck and neck with TPLF, to bring good governance to our country, you decide to attack one soul, who is doing everything he can to help bring change ?
Get lost !!!

Teddy! I appreciate most of your musics. I hate Haileselassie's regime for many reasonss. He was assuming himself as if chosen &assigned by God(Moa anbessa... Seyume Egziabher). Are coaxing us to believe on that or you are simly singing it?

Email: chebudie@yahoo.com

Teddy's Music is not only just a music, but alsoa spiritual sing for belivers, a national song for a true nationalist; but a Lament for those who are trying to destroy Ethiopia.

I enjoy even seeing a generation like Him, who are confidential enough to make difference on to their nation. Teddy and many youngsters like him are active and fast developing before their age. YAKORAL!!!

It is only a loss to try to insult or affect such a gentle men.
I wish good luck for all,

Email: quitlaugh@yahoo.com

City: AA.

FEYISSA!
HOW LONG DOES UR GENERATION LASTS? HOW MANY GENERATIONS OES SEYOUME EGZIABHER ALLOWED U & HAVE U PASSED? TELL ME FRANKLY! jANHOY AYASTESERIYUM. tEDDYIN BE " SHEH MENDEFER ENADINKEW HEYYYYY1"

Email: demekew@yahoo.com

City: Jimma

mekonnen Amare Afewerki,

At a time when there is a crisis in our country (17 million starving), you are trying to paint Teddy in bad light. You have to work harder than that.

He is an artist, who has brought a great happiness to so many people. Are the TPLF scared of his music? Ethiopia is blessed to have a young artist like him.

You guys are running out of any point to argue about so you are reduced to this rubbish/petty slur.

City: AA

Mekonnen says that he M.A in literature. The problem is he seems to know very little about Ethiopian society, what makes us what we are, our depth, our condition, and our struggles. Teddy, as the member of Yichalal generation sums up our soul and our desires. Teddy has set the tone of the current generation, anti Woyane, pro-unity, Pro-Ethiopia generation. Teddy is an artist with with purpose, vision, a mission. Teddy stirs our soul, our reminds us of our duty as Ethiopians and as a generation. Woyane agents do not like him because he is predicting the inevitable downfall of Meles' regime and all injustice for that matter. Woyane hates Teddy because, Teddy calls for a new social order. Teddy is a purposeful child of Ethiopia. Ager Kare yehun, sebikare yehun.

What we Non Amhra Ethiopians need is not Amhras borring lazy complaining culture, but The Green revolution.

http://www.yara.com

The lazy Amhras have the right to complain asusual.

Email: Tadesse@Hotmail.com

City: WI

You should read the whole content of the message before you delve into your sarcastic remarks.Mekonnen is not a TPLF sympathizer.. if he is there is no big deal either.afterall you staged a genocide on Tigreans by your words and pens. you said you are neck to neck with TPLF ..wake up yo..you seem to forget that TPLF is one memebr of EPRDF.So stop spitting your ethnic **** here.Mekonnen is the member of the yichalal generation and he knows very well about the Ethiopian society.what is wrong with all of you is that you are so naive to see the stark reality.Chuvinisim has no place in Ethiopia no more.We no longer face to the west or east anymore as Nakrumah said we go forward only. welcome aboard or keep on tarnishing the work of EPRDF.Jah live.

Email: josephbet@yahoo.com

City: Mekelle

Yihedegmo Fyel wedia kzmzm ... Aynet new.
Forget about an individual artist. He is no one to be loved or hated based on politics. If one is to judge him based on his art, the forum should be some where else. Search is on the page of RAS TEFERIANS

City: WDC