Independence Week: Asmara Sparkles with Artists Appealing Performances

Independence Week: Asmara Sparkles with Artists Appealing Performances

By EritreaProfile

Eritrea’s Cosmopolitan Capital City, Asmara, has been sparkling with great artistic performances. South Africa’s cultural troupe had an appealing performance at Bahti Meskerem Square on May 17/2015. And in addition to this, art exhibitions which are very peculiar in their coverage and size of the canvases that were used by a group of painters— the Eagle—also added a special repertoire to the 24^th Independence Day commemoration.

And if someone strolled across Liberty and Martyrs’ Avenues here in Asmara, you will have inescapable testimonials to see Eritrean parents care for their children.The children, attracted by the glittering lights, have numerous questions. Independence allows you to have your say and your perspectives freely but responsibly.

And now, the Alliance Françoise Office in Eritrea and the Holiday’s Coordinating Committee have together arranged a special brand to this year Independence Day commemoration: they have invitedHabib Koite, a renowned Malian singer. Habib Koite who was born in 1958 in Thiès, Senegal, has an arrangement to join Eritreans in Cinema Roma at 19:30 tomorrow, again on Saturday, 23^rd May/2015. He, Koite will be in front of City Park to resonate with his thunderous, non-operatic, songs to Eritreans. Apparently, Koité was born to musical parents, from whom he learned instrumentation by watching and listening.

And not to deflect from Habib Koite’s archives, he has now returned to Eritrea after 18 years. Assuredly, he is now awarded to take his victorious grail for his appealing music performance. For it is part of being free, Koite has unreserved right to intrigue Eritreans by saying like: ‘adi kemey alo, beal natsinet ke kemey yigebir alo (ዓዲ ከመይ ኣሎ? በዓል ናጽነት’ከ ከመይ ይገብር ኣሎ?

Meanwhile, when Eritrea has waved a new banner on May 24 of 1991, Habib Koite also enables to release one of his bestknown songs, “Cigarette Abana” (No more cigarettes) in that year. And, Eritrea and Koite joined to the easily seem but challenging path starting from that transforming year. Historically, while Eritrea was busily tasked with all-panoptic efforts for holding an internationally supervised referendum for armoring its justified independence in 1992, and by the same token Koite also released a new Latin-style version on his later CD Baro, along with the song “Nanalé.” As underpinning factor for his industrious commitments, therefore, Habib won the Radio France International Discoveries Prize in that year (1992).

Of course, Asmara has also a good opportune for the Bamada band and Habib Koite. Besides assuring a hectic tour schedule abroad, accompanied by his backing band Bamada, this Malian singer has put much of his time and energy into launching innovative African festivals such as Acoustic Africa and Desert Blues. No wonder he appears to have lost all sense of time! But Asmara is relaxed. Its residents are not always on scurry movements; the City is also free of such religious and ethnic debacles. Hence, why Koite wouldn’t have such hours while taking ‘bahlawi bun’ with Asmarinos/Eritreans thereby to enrich his musical arena? Indeed, as he has been well bolded in launching African music into international podiums, Asmara has also vital ingredients which are vital in creating solid foundations at international level: just exposing it is the remedy. As the tile of his 2012 album—‘Brothers in Bamako’-- attempts to iconize, Asmara is also full of great social legacies. What are they? Next article coverage will be on this perspective.

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