Tewodros Kassahun Germamo (; born 14 July 1976), known professionally as Teddy Afro, is an Ethiopian singer-songwriter. Known by his
revolutionary song
Revolutionary songs are political songs that advocate or praise revolutions. They are used to boost morale, as well as for political propaganda or agitation. Amongst the most well-known revolutionary songs are "La Marseillaise" and "The Internati ...
s and
political dissent
Political dissent is a dissatisfaction with or opposition to the policies of a governing body. Expressions of dissent may take forms from vocal disagreement to civil disobedience to the use of violence.Ethiopian music industry and has been a big influence on many young artists.
Life and career
1976–2001: Early years
Tewodros Kassahun Germamo was born in
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 ...
, Ethiopia on 14 July 1976 to a singer and songwriter Kassahun Germamo and dancer Tilaye Arage.
2001–2007: ''Abugida'', ''Teddy'' and ''Yasteseryal''
Teddy Afro made his debut in 2001 with the album ''Abugida'', quickly establishing himself as a prominent voice in his native country. Mixing reggae, traditional Ethiopian styles, and pop music, his sophomore LP, 2005's ''Yasteseryal'' yielded a major hit in its controversial title track, which criticized corruption in the country's government. The song "Hab Dahlak" talks about the division of Ethiopia and Eritrea in terms of couples separating. Four of the album's songs were subsequently banned from media outlets, though "Yastesereyal" sales and influence remained controversial.
His second album ''Teddy'' was done in 2000 but released in 2002.
His third album, ''Yasteseryal'' was released in 2005. This album was one of the most influential and controversial. Teddy's lyrical sentiments and the release of this album coincided with the elevated political tension in Ethiopia surrounding the
2005 Ethiopian general election
General elections were held in Ethiopia on 15 May 2005, for seats in the House of Peoples' Representatives and four regional government councils. Under pressure from the international community, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi promised that this elec ...
. The government banned four of his songs including "Yasteseryal" from playing on Ethiopian media outlets. This restriction was put to rest after the governing party was thrown out of power in April 2018. He has since performed these songs in Addis Ababa
Meskel Square
Meskel Square () is a public square in the city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is often a site for Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church gatherings or for demonstrations and festivals, notably, the Meskel Festival from which it takes its name.
H ...
concerts. Nonetheless, the album sold more than a million copies within a few months after its release.
2012–2017: ''Tikur Sew'' and ''Ethiopia''
After his breakthrough, Teddy released his fourth album, ''Tikur Sew,'' on 14 April 2012. The album is dedicated to
Emperor
The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
Menelik II
Menelik II ( ; horse name Aba Dagnew (Amharic: አባ ዳኘው ''abba daññäw''); 17 August 1844 – 12 December 1913), baptised as Sahle Maryam (ሣህለ ማርያም ''sahlä maryam'') was king of Shewa from 1866 to 1889 and Emperor of Et ...
and the
Battle of Adwa
The Battle of Adwa (; ; , also spelled ''Adowa'') was the climactic battle of the First Italo-Ethiopian War. The Ethiopian army defeated an invading Italian and Eritrean force led by Oreste Baratieri on March 1, 1896, near the town of Adwa. ...
, the war of colonial resistance between the Ethiopian forces and the
Italian Empire
The Italian colonial empire (), also known as the Italian Empire (''Impero italiano'') between 1936 and 1941, was founded in Africa in the 19th century. It comprised the colonies, protectorates, concession (territory), concessions and depende ...
in 1896. ''Tikur Sew'' became the most expensive and widely sold album in Ethiopia after his fifth album, ''Ethiopia''. It achieved significant sales in music markets. AdikaRecords' producer Ashenafi Zeleke mentioned that the music markets required 500,000 CDs and 200,000 cassettes for the album, indicating its popularity.
On 22 August 2014, Teddy released "Be 70 Dereja," which garnered 9.1 million views on YouTube within two years. The music video featured 1970s-themed black-and-white scenarios in Ethiopia, showcasing various monuments and places.
Teddy's fifth album, ''Ethiopia,'' was officially released on 2 May 2017. It reached the top of the Billboard World Albums chart in that month, with more than 600,000 units sold by then.
2020–present: "Demo Be Abay" and upcoming projects
Kassahun held the ''Adwa! Wede Fikir Guzo'' concert on 22 February 2020 to a record-breaking crowd in Addis Ababa
Meskel Square
Meskel Square () is a public square in the city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is often a site for Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church gatherings or for demonstrations and festivals, notably, the Meskel Festival from which it takes its name.
H ...
.
On 3 August 2020, Teddy released "Demo Be Abay", a song dedicated to the Abbay river, known in English as the
Blue Nile River
The Blue Nile is a river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. It travels for approximately through Ethiopia and Sudan. Along with the White Nile, it is one of the two major tributaries of the Nile and supplies about 85.6% of the water to the ...
. The song is a critique of Egyptian attitudes, or "Egypt's shamelessness", in regard to its claims over the waters of the river Nile; Egypt had claimed that the filling of the reservoir for the
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD or TaIHiGe; , , ), formerly known as the Millennium Dam and sometimes referred to as the Hidase Dam (, ), is a gravity dam on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia. The dam is in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region ...
would endanger its water supply. On 2 November 2021, he released "Armash", which reflects the ongoing situation in Ethiopia especially the Tigray War and calls for unity of Ethiopians. On 21 June 2022, a song titled "Na'at" was released following a
massacre
A massacre is an event of killing people who are not engaged in hostilities or are defenseless. It is generally used to describe a targeted killing of civilians Glossary of French words and expressions in English#En masse, en masse by an armed ...
West Wollega Zone
West Wollega Zone () is a zone in the western part of Oromia Region, Ethiopia. This zone is named after the former province of Wollega, whose western part lay in the area West Wollega now occupies.
West Wellega is bordered on the west by Kelam ...
of
Oromia Region
Oromia (, ) is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. Under Article 49 of 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia, Ethiopian Constitution, the capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa, also called Finfinne. The ...
. "Na'at" was critical for
Abiy Ahmed
Abiy Ahmed Ali (; ; born 15 August 1976) is an Ethiopian politician who is the current Prime Minister of Ethiopia since 2018 and the leader of the Prosperity Party since 2019. He rose through the ranks of government via the Information Networ ...
government over ongoing
civil conflict
The Civil Conflict (sometimes styled as the conFLiCT) was the name given by former UConn Huskies football head coach Bob Diaco to Connecticut's annual matchup against the UCF Knights football team of the University of Central Florida. The team ...
in the country.
Personal life
Teddy lives in Addis Ababa. He has been married to Ethiopian actress, model, and producer Amleset Muchie since 27 September 2012. She was behind one of his music videos "Mar eske Tuwaf (Fikir Eske Meqabir) as a Director. " They have four children; two daughters and two sons.
On 6 December 2006, Teddy was jailed for four years in connection with an alleged hit-and-run incident during the
2005 Ethiopian general election
General elections were held in Ethiopia on 15 May 2005, for seats in the House of Peoples' Representatives and four regional government councils. Under pressure from the international community, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi promised that this elec ...
. He was accused with
driving under the influence
Driving under the influence (DUI) is the crime of driving, operating, or being in control of a vehicle while one is impaired from doing so safely by the effect of either alcohol (drug), alcohol (see drunk driving) or some other drug, whether re ...
when he rammed a 40 years old homeless man. The government sentenced him to six years in prison, and fined with 18000 birr ($1,755). With good behavior, Teddy was released in August 2009.
Artistry
Teddy's earlier work was solely based on reggae fusion but gradually turned with Ethiopian music employing traditional vibrato vocals, and itchy triplet of "Amhara sound".
Award
In 2021, Teddy received an honorary doctorate from Gondar University. He went to Gondar with his wife to accept the honorary award in person.