Telela Kebede

Ethiopian singer and actress.
November 12 1931 - November 13 2014
Telela started in the Ethiopian National Theatre at age 15, crossing over between traditional and popular musical styles. Considered by many to be “the first modern singer of her nation.” In 1974, Telela recorded "Lomi Tera Tera", a song by composer [a2122290]. The lyrics mourned the loss of a mother who bore fourteen children, a reference to Ethiopia's fourteen provinces. "Lomi Tera Tera" refers to the lemons section of a traditional market. The refrain has a double meaning; it sounds like the Amharic idiom "each according to his fate." Although she denied its reference, Telela was imprisoned for three months and the composer was imprisoned for eight years.
Despite her eventual return to the National Theatre, her continued political activism on behalf of human rights left her under house arrest for lengthy periods of time during the revolution, forbidden from freely traveling (instructed to "not travel beyond Nazareth") for two years after being released on bail by a military court. She eventually sought asylum in the United States around 1982. In Maryland, Telela mentored many young immigrant Ethiopian musicians, reissued some of her famous recordings, and served as a role model for Ethiopian musicians across traditional and popular styles.