On his official Facebook Page, singer Teddy Afro has announced that the Ethiopian government has ordered to cancel “Ethiopia Album” release party which was planned to be kicked off at Ghion Hotel.
ADDIS ABABA (Semonegna.com)–Singer Tewodros Kassahun (aka Teddy Afro) has announced in the afternoon of September 3, 2017, that the new album release party which was planned to happen in the evening/night of the same day at Ghion Hotel, Addis Ababa, has been cancelled by a governmental body.
In the announcement that Teddy Afro released on his official Facebook Page in the form of a press release, in Amahric, the governmental body which claims to be responsible for such interior issues has ordered him and the party organizers to cancel the party (“Ethiopia Album Release Party”) even if they didn’t give any concrete reason except that such events in the city are required to get permission from the government.
Read Teddy Afro’s Statement (Amharic) regarding the cancellation of Album Release Party
Teddy Afros latest hit album, “Ethiopia,” which comprises 15 tracks, has received unprecedented acceptance nationwide, if not worldwide. The album, fifth for the artist, was released on May 2, 2017 worldwide in CD as well as digital form. Most of the tracks included in the album not only hail Ethiopia’s glorious past but also regard national unity, civil harmony and reconciliation between [Ethiopian] people.
In the second week of May after it was released, the singer’s Ethiopia album was topping the Billboard “World Albums” chart and sold nearly 600, 000 copies by that time.
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In his recent interview with The Associated Press, Teddy Afro pressed that raising political issues in Ethiopia should not be a ‘sin’. In addition, he said that open debate and discussion should be encouraged as no one can be outside the influence of politics and political decisions.
“It is difficult to overstate Teddy Afro’s popularity and importance in Ethiopia today. “His level of celebrity is simply unprecedented,” says Heruy Arefe-Aine, the organizer of the country’s Ethiopian Music festival.” The Guardian; July 13, 2017
Tedy Afro’s 2005 Album, titled “Yasteseryal,” which as released in the year of a hotly disputed Ethiopian election, put the singer to have frequent beef as well as hostile relation with the country’s regime.
Semonegna.com
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