Congratulations! Dr.Tilahun Gessesse!!!

By Fitsum G.

August 2, 2005

Through the years, Ethiopia has had a number of distinguished personalities that would have deserved such award and recognition, but did not have it for various reasons. It could be due to the fact that such awards were either not conceived altogether or institutionalized; there was no one to note, register and bring them to the attention of a certain institution. However, similar ceremonies were carried out in the courts of emperors, kings, chieftains and warlords where devoted and outstanding followers and aids were awarded/decorated with titles, military ranks, traditional appointments, beside medals. And it has always constituted a cause of pride and dignity for the honoured, often celebrated with lavish parties. Incidentally, they also had money awards.

Today, however, the idea of 'prizes' and 'awards' has been well institutionalized. In the West you see that there are a lot of such establishments who have 'specialized' in this discipline and they are all eagerly longed for, as they recur every year. Look at the Academy Awards for films (Oscar), and various rotating film festivals, (Cannes, Montreal, Venezia etc), look at the Grammy Awards (for music), and various music festivals, look at the Nobel Prizes (for academia and peace) and the hundred and one other types of prizes that cover every discipline. Moreover, there are various private philanthropists who establish ad hoc foundations bearing their names or of those whom they love most, and award prizes to those who excel in certain disciplines, as a form of memorabilia/tribute for the deceased. The 'so and so award' or prize, it would be called. The 'so and so scholarship'. Besides, nowadays, even commercial enterprises thrive on such awards and the linked ceremonies, serving as a vehicle of publicity for the news they manage to provoke! They are promotions for the corporations with lavish functions. They attract the media and the business is fast done.

Academic institutions as well have been awarding 'honorary degrees' to meritorious and distinguished personalities, and this has been going on for ages. Likewise, our oldest and most prestigious educational institution, the Addis Ababa University, as well has in the past been engaged in giving due credit to those whom it thought deserved such glory by bestowing honorary degrees. This year there were four such awards (Doctor of Fine Arts Honoris Causa to Negatua Kelkay (musician, patriot and actress) and Tilahun Gessesse (vocalist, 'King of Ethiopian Music') beside two academics, economics Prof Lemma Wolde-Senbet (Doctor of Letters) and Senedu Gebru, Resistance fighter, philanthropist, educator and feminist (Doctor of Laws) .

This article would like to focus more on Artist Tilahun Gessesse because I think he is the person who has perhaps most characterized our songs' culture and managed to be considered as part of the big Ethiopian Family, loved and admired. It would be very difficult to talk of contemporary Ethiopian music without mentioning his name, an inspirational benchmark for millions. Tilahun Gessesse in fact has been part of our daily lives for the last half century, joining us in our sitting rooms, in hour homes, in our night clubs, lounges, bars and restaurants, wherever we looked for entertainment, relaxation and on other significant social occasions, such as weddings, birthdays, holidays. There is literally no Ethiopian who has not heard a Tilahun song, at least once in their life. So many and varied they are, touching upon whatever subject, and during such a protracted number of years! They have been played on all sorts of electronic media, on infinite occasions.

I would not be exaggerating if I asserted that any one who has missed the opportunity of listening to at least one Tilahun song, may probably be a rare exception. The reality is that almost every one in Ethiopia might, not only recognize Tilahun's voice, but may also be in a position to remember the melody and lyrics of at least one of his tunes, and rehearse it. And I don't presume there could be any other artist in this country who can claim the consensus and success that Tilahun has been able to enjoy, for decades.

Fifty years ago, when the adolescent Tilahun joined the Imperial Body Guard's Orchestra as a vocalist and started showing his innate talent, few had the chance to appreciate him, because access to radio was very limited and only people in Addis and the urban centers having radio sets could have heard of him. Once up on a time, new songs were released with the Ethiopian New Year festivities when contests with awards were held. That was the rare occasion to taste new melodies. Tilahun was then among the few most enthusiastically awaited for. Then, there would be concerts held in theaters and more people would have the chance to see the artists perform live. It was not like today that artists could open their own nightclubs, and whoever wanted to watch them perform, could just drive down and join them with drinks etc. Tilahun and his contemporaries did not benefit from such privilege. Besides, today, with all sorts of electronic gadgets accessible to millions, one can publish a song on a VCD or DVD and show it with an attractive clip, and benefit from the fastest way of attaining popularity and fame.

Fifty years ago, no one could have hoped or expected that Tilahun would have dominated the platform of Ethiopian music for so long, (and under different regimes and socio-political environments). I would bet, not even the subject himself would have hoped to ride the horse of success for so long. Things have changed since those far off days. Tilahun himself has aged and gone through a multitude of incidents. Reportedly, he has had a rather intense and controversial family life, (involving marriages, separations, divorces and affairs). And such personal vicissitudes of his have very often been so much publicized that they occasionally cast on him a shade of disapproval, if not criticism, to the extent that many have been struggling to distinguish his 'artistic life' from that of his 'personal life' so that they would 'pardon' him easily for his 'unusual' conduct. Celebrities are no doubt subject to such 'critical' attention and the 'melange' artistic-private remains a point of controversy.

Just to mention a few incidents, in the Western world, there have been scandalous publicity for the marriages and divorces of people such as actors Liz Taylor and Richard Burton, the private life of artists Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Maria Carey, sports icons Mike Tyson, Diego Maradona, Gascoigne, politicians John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton etc. These people have managed to mobilize millions by their side, for their exceptional talent, their exploits, but have also, at the same time, drawn a wave of harsh and protracted controversy for the way they allegedly managed their 'private' life. With the advent of the famous 'paparazzi' who enjoy capturing 'prohibited' pictures, with the advent of scandal-scoop seeker magazines and tabloids, celebrity mania dominates the headlines of all news media and sells well.

Leaving aside the debate whether this is good or bad, (dealing with the private/intimate life of public figures), many would however like to take a critical stand on such attitude no matter how celebrated they can be. They insist that although these subjects may be entitled to their privacy, nevertheless, their popularity by fans, should sensitize them to be good guys and 'behave'. They are 'role models' for millions! Hence, their association with drugs, alcohol, promiscuity and countless marriage-divorce scenario, could impact society. People expect (perhaps too optimistically) that they remain 'decent'. But this has often been a source of unabated debate.

In a way, the private life of Tilahun Gessesse has also been figured out in these intense and controversial terms. It is often commented that his excellence in his vocation was not matched by corresponding 'excellence' in the conduct in his private life, and that may have reserved him some ungrateful remarks, specially from the traditionalist diehards. However, Tilahun has also had a number of tragic incidents that on the whole have molded him to be what he is today. He has had accidents and most recently, he had to undergo two critical surgical operations, including an amputation of a leg! All these episodes have further complicated his already tormented but glorious life. Despite all this, the most significant and characteristic point in his artistic career is however the superior quality of his continuous releases and productions. His unique luck perhaps consisted in working with the genius of the likes of Tesfaye Lemessa, Solomon Tessema, Sahle Degago and others, who contributed to his being made a glowing trademark. Such trademark always outshined whatever private life he indulged in!

Many musicologists say, today's songs may be good, and some could even be rated wonderful, but on the whole, they tend to be patterned on the 'use and throw after a while' style. You love them instantly, you listen to them, you dance to them, and after a month, you get bored of them and forget them. Not so with Tilahun's songs. That is why Tilahun has deserved all those superlatives that you hear attached to his name: the voice, the style, the presentation. Today, with the technological and communications revolution at its apex, music travels very rapidly, and there are various means of producing and presenting them to fans. The making of the music itself has also changed, and the royalties as well, of course. There are new techniques of music/sound production; there are new techniques of enhancing one's voice; special effects, additives; there are new techniques of recording. And all the fatigue that once went to it does not have to be repeated. Less toil, less sweat, less tension, less suffering, less anxiety. The music arrangers and mixers as well have developed new techniques, and sounds have become very rich. The equipments are truly advanced; the recording studios are highly sophisticated, the computers are stupendous, all to the support of the vocalist. And the technology of promotion and sale have reached new apexes. Had Tilahun been discovered today, many conjecture, (with all his creative talent and passion intact), he would have the qualities to become millionaire overnight!

In many of the occasions when Tilahun has been interviewed, he has never forgotten to evoke the old dark days when singers had to strive to get rid of the ugly stigma that was attached to them. They were despised as 'azmari', as people of a certain 'low caste' nearly associated with 'beggary for alms' upon singing a song, and many Ethiopians avoided the profession due to such mentality. Families would prohibit their children to be singers. In fact, we know of so many artists who broke up with their family in order to pursue their career. Besides, the economic returns were hardly reliable. Only the best, such as Tilahun, and a handpicked fortunate few, survived the challenges of the day, to later become acclaimed stars. Today's artists should thank Tilahun and his contemporaries for having leveled the hard track on which to run. Today, no one dares criticize a singer for being one, admitting one showed the talent.

Presently, Tilahun can pride himself for having passed the test of time and reach the zenith of glory and fame. He is the standard bearer of that generation, and the best product, at the same time. Beside the many glamourous adjectives used to describe his talent, he has been awarded so many gifts and presents, traveled the world over to entertain his compatriots, to participate charity tours and exhibitions, concerts, and has even been to the war fronts when there were wars, ordered to encourage and entertain the armed forces! During famines and catastrophes, he has captured the compassion, solidarity and tears of people through his melodies helping raise funds. And he has proudly represented his country presenting his show at festivals with attendances of heads of state, prime ministers, trade or cultural delegations, you name it. There are no mysteries, nor controversies revolving around his being simply the best vocalist.

But the most important of all his awards was yet to come. And it came the other day, when he was conferred up on the Doctor of Arts Honoris Causa, in appreciation of his contribution to Ethiopian music. And his colleagues and fans all over the world can now rejoice such success along with him. They should be grateful to Addis Ababa University for giving due recognition to a profession that has come to be credited. Now is the time hence for Tilahun to capitalize at best his glorious name and popularity to serve his country and compatriots. In fact, he is now founding a charity organization that would dedicate itself for the cause of the physically disabled, and we should all support such blessed idea. It is never too late. Good Luck, Gash Tilahun!