Minyeshu - a gift for us all
In
my opinion, one of the best cd's of 2002 is Meba by Minyeshu. It is a fantastic
cd with Ethiopian music in a modern and refreshing style. On Meba Minyeshu mixes
Ethiopian music with styles from many other regions, even including some slight
Celtic influences. The cd contains a combination of emotional songs and uplifting
dances and feels like a long journey to several continents. However, it is first
and foremost a journey through Minyeshu's native country: Ethiopia.
ETHIOPIAN YEARS
Minyeshu was born in Ethiopia and discovered music when she was about fourteen
years old. A friend took her to a concert and this first 'live music' experience
changed her life. Shortly afterwards, she was given the opportunity to audition
for a job as the singer of a band and she got in. For two years she had worked
with this group to improve her singing and dancing when she was called by the
national theatre of Ethiopia and was asked to join them. This was a difficult
decision for her; she knew her parents would not approve because she was still
at school and because musicians were not considered to be respectable people.
Nevertheless, she decided to join the national theatre and after five months
she left her country to go on a big international tour. Apart from working for
the national theatre, she also sang with a group called Ambassel. With this
group she played traditional music from different parts of Ethiopia. They performed
in hotels, for instance, as a means of earning some extra money.
BELGIUM
With Ambassel Minyeshu went to Belgium for a few concerts. When she got there,
she discovered that she couldn't go back to Ethiopia anymore. She had reason
to fear for her safety there and became a refugee. All of a sudden she found
herself living in a foreign country, with a strange culture and language, and
far away from her family and friends. At home she had been a well-known musician
and dancer, but in Belgium she was just another refugee. With some of her fellow
musicians she tried to perform regularly, but they never managed to get more
than a few gigs a year. Then, about five years ago, she met San Graatsma of
Mosaique vivant. San had been told by another Ethiopian woman that a group of
excellent Ethiopian musicians lived in Belgium. He contacted Minyeshu, heard
her sing and was enthusiastic. He asked her to join the group Africa-unite,
in which several East-African musicians co-operated. The group consisted of
musicians from Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia etc., who played traditional music from
their respective cultures.
MEBA
Together with some members of Africa-unite Minyeshu formed the group Chewata.
With this group she recorded her solo cd that was released last autumn. The
cd contains mainly traditional songs that are sung in the 'Minyeshu' way, however.
She doesn't want her music to be purely traditional but creates a new sound,
bridging the gap between traditional and contemporary music. The cd shows the
various faces of Ethiopia, which has many different kinds of traditional music
and where each tribe has its own style. Minyeshu intended to give people the
opportunity to get acquainted with her native country. Meba means 'present'
and that is exactly what this cd is: a present for her family, her country and
for the people who want to get to know it. Now Minyeshu lives in Holland and
she has started a whole new life here. The cd can be regarded as the conclusion
of a difficult and hectic period in her life. In future she would like to do
much more with music and dance. She has dreams, too many dreams, but most of
all she wants to play with more musicians from all kinds of cultures. Making
music together and discovering one another's culture. Minyeshu is absolutely
sure about one thing: her next cd will be a happier one.
Curious? You should be! To order this cd or to book Minyeshu for a performance, please contact: : movivant@xs4all.nl
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