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Ethiopian protest music: the songs of Hachalu Hundessa reveal the struggles of the Oromo people

Ethiopian protest music: the songs of Hachalu Hundessa reveal the struggles of the Oromo people

THE Oromo are the largest ethno-national group in Ethiopia, accounting for over 40 million people or more than one-third of the population. However, they have been politically oppressed, economically exploited and culturally marginalised under successive Ethiopian regimes. Since the 1960s, the Oromo have sought self-determination through various forms of resistance, such as armed struggle under the banner of the Oromo Liberation Front. ASEBE REGASSA DEBELO, Senior research and teaching fellow, Department of Geography, University of Zurich Music has played a key role in the Oromo resistance movement. As is the case in many other societies – especially those where open…
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Why has protest music dried up in Nigeria?

Why has protest music dried up in Nigeria?

THE failure of Nigeria’s current pop stars to identify with the country’s oppressed has inspired feelings of nostalgia about the late Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Kuti. For much of his life, Kuti’s activism was the nemesis of the country’s military dictatorship and corrupt politicians. FLORENCE NWEKE, University of Lagos Famous for pairing his music with human rights activism Fela, who passed in 1997, stood against Nigeria’s military dictators, often at great personal cost to his family and band members. The apathy of Nigeria’s current crop of pop stars can be seen in the recent #EndSARS protests against police brutality led by…
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