Bereket Mengisteab (; born 1938) is an Eritrean songwriter, composer and singer.

Life and work

Early life

Mengisteab was born in 1938 in Hazega, an Eritrean village approximately northwest of

Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera (), is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region (Eritrea), Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the List of capital cities by altitude, sixth highest capital in the wo ...

, the nation's current capital. He spent his early life in the village farming, where he taught himself to play the krar and took part in musical events that were part of the local area's culture. He moved to Asmara for a few years, where his musical performances were limited to his friends.

Addis Ababa

In 1961, he moved to

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...

and joined the Haile Selassie Theater Orchestra. He remained with the orchestra for over a decade and performed with them across

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

, as well as in

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

, at the 1966

Festival mondial des Arts Nègres The World Festival of Black Arts (French: ''Festival Mondial des Arts Nègres''), also known as FESMAN or FMAN, has been a series of month-long culture and arts festivals taking place in various parts of Africa. The festival features participant ...

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

, and at the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. He recorded his first nine singles during this period, all for the

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), simply branded Philips, is a Dutch multinational health technology company that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, its world headquarters have been situated in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarter ...

label. He left the orchestra in 1973, a year before

Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I (born Tafari Makonnen or ''Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles#Lij, Lij'' Tafari; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as the Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles, Rege ...

was deposed by the "

Derg The Derg or Dergue (, ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when they formally "Civil government, civilianized" the ...

" led by

Mengistu Haile Mariam Mengistu Haile Mariam (, pronunciation: ; born 21 May 1937) is an Ethiopian former politician, revolutionary, and military officer who served as the head of state of Ethiopia from 1977 to 1991. He was General Secretary of the Workers' Party o ...

. During the mid-1970s, Mengisteab was the only Eritrean artist broadcast on Ethiopian radio; his

krar The ''krar'' (Geʽez: ክራር) is a five-or-six stringed bowl-shaped lyre from Ethiopia and Eritrea. It is tuned to a pentatonic scale. A modern ''krar'' may be Instrument amplifier, amplified, much in the same way as an electric guitar or el ...

music and usage of the Tigrinya language contributed to his popularity. While living in Addis Ababa, Mengisteab and his wife ran a music shop. He formed his own group in Addis Ababa called Megaleh Guayla (Echo of the Dance).

Eritrean Liberation Front

In 1974, Mengisteab joined the

Eritrean Liberation Front The Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF; ; ; ), colloquially known as Jebha, was the main Eritrean War of Independence, independence movement in Eritrea Province, Eritrea which sought Eritrea's independence from Ethiopia during the 1960s and the ear ...

(ELF) to fight for Eritrean independence. He received military training and fought in the mountains of Eritrea. Mengisteab was also part of the official ELF band. The ELF (and the

Eritrean People's Liberation Front The Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF), colloquially known as Shabia, was an armed Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist organization that fought for the Eritrean War of Independence, independence of Eritrea from Ethiopia. It emerged in 1 ...

) formed cultural troupes as part of their attempts to establish an Eritrean "folk culture". Mengisteab was one of several experienced artists who contributed to the ELF's sociocultural and political transformation, as well as to nationalist propaganda efforts. The cultural troupes toured "liberated areas" under the liberation front's control, putting on shows for fighters and civilians. Mengisteab performed revolutionary songs, nationalist anthems, and ballads in military camps and villages.

Exile

Like many other ELF fighters, Mengisteab went into exile in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

in 1979. He moved to

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...

in 1979, where he remained for ten years. During his time in exile, he often performed in Saudi Arabia,

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

, and

Djibouti Djibouti, officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the east. The country has an area ...

; he also made his North American debut in 1980. He recorded ten cassettes during his time in Jeddah.

Return

In 1993, when Eritrea declared its independence and gained international recognition, Mengisteab was invited to tour the country and performed in

Massawa Massawa or Mitsiwa ( ) is a port city in the Northern Red Sea Region, Northern Red Sea region of Eritrea, located on the Red Sea at the northern end of the Gulf of Zula beside the Dahlak Archipelago. It has been a historically important port for ...

, Keren, and Asmara. He left Jeddah and moved back to Addis Ababa to re-open his music shop with his wife. He left Ethiopia in 1998 when the

Eritrean–Ethiopian War The Eritrean–Ethiopian War, also known as the Badme War, was a major armed conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea that took place from May 6, 1998 to June 18, 2000. After 1993 Eritrean independence referendum, Eritrea gained independence from E ...

broke out, and moved to Asmara in Eritrea. Since moving to Asmara, Mengisteab has continued to compose and perform music. He has toured and released about one new cassette each year. His music shop, "B. M. Music House," is currently located in Babylon Square, Asmara.

Music

In a 2009 interview, Mengisteab said he has recorded about 200 songs out of a total of 250 songs he has composed over the past fifty years.

Discography

Albums

*''Hagerey Afqire'' (c. 1978) *''Bitihti Gezana (Guitar Version)''(c. 1979) *''Baburey'' (c. 1980) *''Libey-Vol. 5'' (1984) *''Hagerey-Vol. 7'' (1989) *''Tarik-Vol.8'' (1990) *''Tsehay Tewelida-Vol. 9'' (1991) *''Bshimkum-Vol. 10'' (1992) *''Nehna Hager-Vol. 11'' (1993) *''Alimna-Vol. 12'' (1995) *''Hizbi Ertra-Vol. 13'' (1999) *''Tsnat-Vol. 14'' (2001) *''Hizbi Alem-Vol. 15'' (2007) *''Balena-Vol. 21'' (2011)

Compilation albums

*''Bereket Mengisteab (1961-1974) Vol. 1-Embaba Adey'' (2003) *''Bereket Mengisteab (1961-1974) Vol. 2-Milena'' (2004) *''Bereket Mengisteab (1961-1974) Vol. 3-Meley'' (2005) *''Bereket Mengisteab (1961-1974) Vol. 4-Ufey Breri'' (2005)