Mahmoud Ahmed, ... tells Chris Menist about the years of oppression and his extraordinary journey to musical stardom
Published: 19 May 2006
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Like many Ethiopians, he toughed it out during the 18 bleak years of Mengistu's "Derg time", a cruel Marxist regime during which many thousands of people died or disappeared. Despite certain censorship restrictions, he continued to perform in the capital, as well as internationally, and was this year honoured at the annual music festival held in Addis Ababa. After gigs in France, he will be performing again here in the UK, at the London African Music Festival.
Born in Addis Ababa in 1941, Ahmed dropped out of school early to eke out a living as one of the city's many shoeshine boys. Trudging through the dusty streets of Addis today, offers to spruce up your dusty footwear, mix with the repetitive hollers of lottery ticket sellers, and a bewildering blend of music that takes in the traditional sounds of the one-stringed messenqo fiddle, 50 Cent, and "Daddy Cool" by Boney M. A group of youths hanging out at an internet café appeared to know the words by heart. It's not hard to imagine a teenage Ahmed, hustling for trade whilst taking in the various sounds coming from the radio.
"I heard The Imperial Bodyguard Band. They had a show twice a week," he recalls, as we sit observing the sunset, in the grounds of the Hilton. "I would sit on my shoeshine box and listen. The next morning I would try and play the songs with my friends. As well as Ethiopian music I also heard Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke and Pat Boone. I also saw Jailhouse Rock at the cinema. I saw how Elvis shook his legs!"
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At that time, state-sanctioned bandswould play a mixture of classical, traditional Ethiopian tunes and jazz. These players would moonlight after hours, unwittingly creating the soundtrack to what became "Swinging Addis", a kind of unique, almost melancholy funk.
Members of the Imperial Bodyguard Band played at the nightclub, including Tlahoun Gessese, a highly respectedEthiopian singer. One evening he was engaged elsewhere, and Mahmoud chanced his luck.
"One night Tlahoun didn't show up, so I ask if I could perform with them," enthuses Mahmoud. "The musicians didn't know that I could sing - so I went from the kitchen to the stage! I got a great response, everyone was clapping and shouting."
More is available at http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/music/features/article496471.ece
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