The dark side of Teddy Afro's fame and fortune
by Tigist Geme
(OPride) – Ethiopia’s pop star Tewodros Kassahun, better known as Teddy Afro,
is once again back in the limelight. Teddy made headlines last week
with a comment published in the local Amharic magazine, Enqu, in which
he condoned Menelik's greater Abyssinian campaign in southern Ethiopia
as a holy war. Despite this disturbing statement and Teddy’s
controversial past, local subsidaries for two multinational corporations
– Heineken NV and Coca Cola Company – have recently signed Teddy to
promote their products.
Enqu editors circulated the
magazine’s December issue (pictured above) via email featuring Teddy
and his beloved emperor side to side on its cover with a comment that reads,
“For me, Menelik’s unification campaign was a Holy War.” A few days
later, amid protests on social media, the publishers shelved the comment
and sought to dismiss the controversy by saying it was a technical
glitch in their system.
As Hallelujah Lulie points out in a blog post at Horn Affairs,
on a closer reading, the Enqu publishers retraction doesn’t hold much
water. First, a direct quote from a source cannot in any way be a
"technical glitch." Second, as Lulie rightly notes, every news
organization has established workflows and mechanisms for editorial
oversight. It is therefore preposterous and unethical for Enqu editors
to downplay and fix quotes by caving to pressures from Teddy and his
handlers. Third, by lionizing one of Ethiopia's most ruthless tyrants –
one whose historical atrocities amount to genocide against several
nations and nationalists in southern Ethiopia including the Oromo,
Kafficho, Wolayita, Sidamo and many others – Teddy has already condoned
these atrocities. He has never been shy about his saintlike admiration
for the loathed emperor.
For example, in an interview with EBS’s Kassa Show,
dressed in a royal knight-like wear, Teddy flamboyantly showed off
portraits of kings Menelik and Haileselassie in his living room while
boasting about the need to understand history and the past to create a
better future.
Even
if one accepts Enqu’s botched retraction as plausible, Teddy has
already done enough damage to his reputation. To be sure, as a private
citizen, Teddy has every right to admire or immortalize whomever he so
chooses. But he is a public figure. His music and words have significant
influence. His willful ignorance and simplistic interpretation of
historical events and figures have generational consequences. For the
Oromo and other nations in the south, Teddy's actions amount to
exculpating Hitler of the Holocaust.
It
is time that Teddy is stopped. Such revisionist historiography and
hagiography has no place in our time. It took decades of sustained
struggle to correct the falsified Ethiopian history written by court
historians, not least those who worked for Menelik. It is unthinkable to
assume a return to an era where history is written to fulfill the
interests of those who seek to maintain the status quo.
A tour for love and beer
It is against the backdrop of this shocking comment that Teddy announced a national tour ostensibly dubbed, "The Journey of Love", sponsored by Bedele Brewery SC, the maker of one of Ethiopia's premium beers, Bedele Special.
The
state-owned Bedele Brewery was acquired along with Harar Brewery by the
Dutch-based beer giant Heineken NV in 2011 for $160 million. Encouraged
by population growth, urbanization, and rising incomes, Heineken is
building a third brewery closer to Addis Ababa which the company says
will be operational in 2014.
Established in 1993, Bedele Brewery is located
in Oromia region, Illubabor Zone about 483 km west of Finfinne. Bedele
Special is the single most common of Ethiopia’s premium beers among
Oromo consumers. Heineken’s other key brands include Bedele Regular,
Harar Beer, Hakim Stout, and Sofi malta. All of Heineken’s breweries and
the Assela malt factory, which supplies most of the malted barley for
the company, are located in Oromia. The Oromo people make up 40 percent
of Ethiopia's total population. In an effort to boost its sales, it is
possible that the beer maker was purposely misled by Teddy and his
managers. But with its exclusive sponsorship of Teddy's 2014 tour, the
Bedele-Heineken conglomerate now faces two stark choices: to lose
whatever consumer base it has in Oromia or withdraw the offer to Teddy
immediately. It is also worth considering the potential for violence as
one of the unintended consequences of such insensitive tour.
For
Heineken, this could mean a short term loss for long term gains or a
long term loss for a potential short term gains. By choosing the former,
the beer maker can prove that it stands for good business practices.
But going forward with the current sponsorship amid a looming protest
holds an ominous prospect for the company. As such protests go, there is
a precedent in Oromia that the Bedele Brewery SC should consider while
mulling over what actions to take next. In late 1990s, Saudi billionaire
Mohammed al-Amoudi’s MOHA Soft Drinks Industry SC, which owns Pepsi
Cola, refused to write billboard advertisements in the Oromo language.
The backlash was so bad that in some parts of Oromia bars stopped
carrying Pepsi products. It is a known fact that to this date, there are
thousands of Oromos who do not consume Pepsi products.
Teddy’s darker sides
Teddy,
37, first gained notoriety with his second album, Abugida, which helped
him become a successful star with growing fan base at a very young age.
He is also known for a 2008 manslaughter charge
for which he served 16 months of a six-year sentence. His most recent
album, Tikur Sew – which lionizes Ethiopian emperor Menelik II as a
unifier – has further polarized even his one-time ardent fans. Teddy is
loved and respected for his talent but equally hated for his saint-like
admiration of Ethiopia’s past rulers. Therefore, it seems appropriate to
layout the darker shades of an artist now engaged in dangerous
history-rewriting.
Plagiarism
Teddy
has been arrogating and passing on melodies from Middle Eastern,
Chinese, Sudanese, and Indian music as his own. Teddy’s plagiarism first
became public when entertainer Seifu Fantahun questioned the
authenticity of the rising star’s music on his now defunct FM 97.1 radio
show ‘Lemin Yiwashal’ – literally, why do people lie?
The
aim of the show was exposing artists who appropriate other people’s
work either by imitating or sampling without the owner’s consent.
Fantahun revealed that Teddy copied melodies from international songs
crediting himself as the composer on some of his songs. As he did with
other artists, Fantahun invited Teddy to come on the show and defend his
record. Unlike other artists who came on the show and gave explanation
or apologized for what some said was an oversight, Teddy refused to
answer Fantahun's questions brushing it off as a “village gossip” and
threatened to sue him for defamation. His actions pushed the producers
to uncover more of Teddy’s illegal and unethical practices. The show
hosts played the songs Teddy copied from others to support their
allegations. Fantahun’s producers returned with many other bold
allegations including one where Teddy paid close to nothing for a blind young boy who acts in his famed music clip for Lambadina.
A
lot of writers soon came forward claiming that some of Teddy’s songs
were actually their work for which he never compensated them and saying
that Teddy even modified the songs without their consent. Others said
Teddy bought them coffee in exchange for the lyrics but never credited
them for writing it on his album covers. According to reports in the
local media, growing up in Addis Ababa, Teddy liked collecting poems
from street boys alike without ever telling them why. The writers
claimed approaching Teddy after he became rich and famous to ask for
compensation but said he declined their plea. These and a plethora of
other allegations were later substantiated
by newspapers like Addis Neger and Addis Admas. In one embarrassing
instance, the state-owned Ethiopian TV run an old video clip of Menyahel Tilahun Gessesse’s song ‘Yemayawkut Hager’ which Teddy had previously passed on as his own work.
Manslaughter and bribery
In April 2008, Teddy was arrested accused of killing a
40-year-old homeless man in a 2006 hit-and-run incident in Addis Ababa.
On Dec. 5, 2008, a federal judge sentenced Teddy to six years
imprisonment and a fine of 18,000 Birr. On Feb. 19, 2009, in what was
widely rumored as a bribery case, Teddy’s prison sentence was reduced to two years. Six months later, Teddy walked free
from prison eight months early on account of good behavior. One would
believe this narrative if the hundreds of thousands of good-mannered
innocent prisoners could also be allowed to see the light of day in the
same manner.
It
was obvious that Teddy committed the crime as he himself acknowledged
driving home while intoxicated – around the same time and on that very
route where the incident occurred – from a late night party.
Teddy did not come forward with the truth until the police
investigation caught up to him almost two years after the incident. At
first, Teddy denied killing the man but acknowledged he was driving the
same car the investigators and eyewitnesses said was involved in the
accident. His arrest and sentence divided Teddy’s fans between those who
disliked his immoral acts and those who blamed the government for
framing the singer.
The facts remain, however. Teddy killed an innocent homeless man and walked free by bribing corrupt prison officials.
A sycophant revisionist
Teddy first hit the political firestorm with a song for Haileselassie in which he lauds Ethiopia’s last monarch as God’s elect and “father of Africa.” Teddy’s most recent album Tikur Sew, in which he venerates emperor Menelik as black king, revealed the depth of his ignorance or in Lulie’s words, “his unexamined and narrow knowledge of history.”
Like-minded
Ethiopianists who worship these despotic emperors see Teddy as a hero
and unifier, while the majority of nations and nationalities in Ethiopia
are disgusted by his attempts to glorify criminals. It goes without
saying that Teddy is not a historian. Many Ethiopian artists have sung
about politics and continue to produce powerful political lyrics. What
makes Teddy different is his deliberate efforts to revive an old
political system whose leaders were responsible for man-made vicious
cycles of poverty, brutal wars, and psychological abuse of citizens that
continues to haunt the country’s history. Millions have given their
precious lives in a taxing struggle to change this system. Teddy’s
ongoing efforts to rewrite history must be understood in this context,
challenged with facts, and stopped.
Teddy as “unifier”
The
Oromo and other nations in Ethiopia know too well what unity means in
the Amhara-centric Ethiopian context. It is the Amharas and those who
subscribe to the elusive Ethiopian unity paradigm who never understood
what they mean by unity. They misconstrue this ostentatious unity to
promote their assimilationist Amharanization agenda. Proponents of this dogmatic unity dream of an Ethiopia where everyone speaks Amharic, dance to eskista
beat, and dignifies despots like Haile Selassie and Menelik – leaving
no room for diversity and appreciation of other cultures. It is this
simplistic notion of unity that Teddy often preaches. For this, Amhara
ideologues and his unquestioning fans who as Lulie says, “swallow whatever comes out of him without chewing,” praise him.
It
would be a grave mistake to assume that this type of unexamined regard
for Teddy is limited to uninformed young fans. Take for example,
programs on Amhara-centric media organizations like the Virginia-based
TV network ESAT. On Oct. 30, 2012, in a segment on ESAT’s Kignit show about Teddy, journalist Dereje Habtewold declared, “love wins, Teddy is one of the few Ethiopian musicians who sing about social issues not just romantic love.” “Teddy is author of all his songs – both lyrics and melodies – and that one hardly finds songs about hate or bitterness in Teddy’s albums.”
Habtewold
lauded Teddy as a symbolize of hope, love and unity, and for honoring
Ethiopian heroes – past and present – in a way unheard of in that
country. Thoughtless comments like Habtewold’s are insulting even to
Amharic singers such as Tilahun Gessesse and Mahmoud Ahmed who have sung
about every social issue imaginable during their long careers. Contrary
to Habtewold’s assertions, no person with even a rudimentary knowledge
of history would ever glorify genociders as “heroes.”
There
is no doubt that Habtewold knew about Teddy’s track record as serial
plagiarist, but throughout the entire segment he repeated egregious
claims rife with factual errors ad nauseum, primarily because it fit the
network’s unity mantra. Few years ago, these same crowd chastised Teddy
for marrying an ethnic Tigre woman. But, characteristically, they made a
u-turn and praised him when he sang about Menelik.
To
the effect that Amharas seasonal praise and character-assassination
know no bounds, Habtewold even pounced at other artists like Neway
Debebe – a one-time favorite of diaspora activists who moved back to
Ethiopia and fell out of favor – using these same tired old tactics.
Since they deviate from the Amharazation project, it is
also obvious that Habtewold’s Ethiopia does not recognize hundreds of
artists who sing in any of more than 80 languages found in that country.
Forget renowned Oromo artists like Ali Birra, Elfinesh Qano, and
countless others who have dedicated their entire lives to singing about
social justice, freedom, family values, love, nature and the
preservation of Oromo cultural heritage. It was the selfless sacrifice
of these artists that saved Oromo language, art and culture from
extinction when successive rulers – not least Habtewold and Teddy’s
heroes – banned the Oromo language and rewrote our history. I do not
expect Habtewold and his likes to praise our artists for they sing about
Oromo heroes who perished during the war of conquest at the battles of Gulale, Aanole, Calanqo,
and innumerable other places. However, it is important to note that the
forces of unity who lionize self-hating emperors like Menelik day in
and day out are Amharas with an Ethiopian mask.
“Menelik’s holy war”
Even
if one forgets about Teddy’s reckless crusade comment to Enqu magazine,
praising Menelik as an African hero is a gross distortion of facts.
First, Menelik acquired armaments and advice from western powers in
order to fulfill his greater Abyssinia project. At its height, Menelik's
holy war to "unify Ethiopia" reduced the Oromo population from 10 million to 5 million.
Second, as American diplomat Robert Skinner captured in A Century of American-Ethiopian Relations,
Menelik told a Haitian Benito Sylvain, who traveled to Ethiopia to
solicit the help of Africa’s then “only independent country” for his
pan-African movement, he's not "black." Contrary to Teddy’s make-believe
hagiography, Menelik proudly told the Haitian emissary, “I wish you the
greatest possible success...but in coming to me to take the leadership
[on black empowerment], you are knocking at the wrong door.”
“You know, I am not Negro at all: I am a Caucasian.”
These
are but glimpses into Teddy’s darker shades. If we are to judge people
based on the conduct of their character, it is in this context that
Teddy should be understood. Those whose primary preoccupation is pushing
their hidden agendas under the banner of fake unity disregard this side
of Teddy. His naive fans scream at the sight of Teddy holding up an
imperial flag with a lion of Judah emblem at the center as a symbol of
Ethiopia’s “glorious past.” That maybe their individual rights, but
lionizing a person for what he is not is foolish and inexcusable
ignorance.
Coca Cola and 2014 World Cup
Finally, news broke last month that Teddy was chosen
by Coca Cola Company to make a theme song during next year’s World Cup
in Brazil. Coca Cola is looking to bolster its sales in Ethiopia’s soft
drinks market by choosing Teddy as its ambassador. However, like
Bedele-Heineken, if Coca Cola goes through with the contract, it stands
to face a major backlash from millions of customers like Pepsi did in
late 1990s.
At
this juncture, our collective voice and response to these events
becomes crucial. It is our responsibility to challenge Teddy’s distorted
knowledge of history. It is also our obligation to inform these
companies what Teddy’s already tainted image among their customers could
mean for their businesses. We can start by sharing bits and pieces
stories about Teddy’s unethical ways.
But
beyond that, we must bring our voices together and let these companies
know not only who Teddy really is but also who their customers are. One
of the cardinal rules for any business is good partnership. A lasting
and successful business partnership should be with a community of
people, not polarizing celebrities like Teddy. Both Heineken and Coca
Cola have a choice. We can help them make an informed decision.
--*The writer, Tigist Geme, is a Washington, D.C.-based activist and citizen journalist. This article has been updated.
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