Ali Birra

Ali Mahammed (born September 29, 1947), known professionally as Ali Birra, is an Ethiopian singer, composer, and poet. He was born in Ganda Kore, a village in the city of Dire Dawa, Ethiopia.[1][2][3][4][5]

Ali Birra
Birth nameAli Mahammed
Born (1947-09-29) September 29, 1947
Dire Dawa, Ethiopia
OriginOromo, Ethiopia
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • composer
  • poet
InstrumentsVocals
Years active1961–present
LabelsEthio Grooves

Early life and career

Ali Birra was born in Ganda Kore, Dire Dawa on September 29, 1947. His parents were separated when he was three years old, and subsequently raised by his father. Birra was raised speaking the Oromo language. He attended Arabic school as a child, where he learned Arabic. He also enrolled in a local public school and pursued his education untill sixth grade.

In his early years, Ali would do small street-peddling in order to live without begging people for money to support his livelihood. When he was 13, he joined Afran Qallo, a cultural group which he was operating unofficially function to promote the Oromo music and culture. The first song that he sang on stage for first time called "Birra dha Bari'e". After he sang the song, "Birra dha Bari'e", people gave him a nickname called "Ali Birra". Which "Ali" is his first name and "Birra: is the initial song name, when it comes together, it means, "Ali the Spring". The government banned the Afran Qallo group in 1965 and arrested some of its members. Ali escaped arresting and moved to Addis Ababa.

After settling in Addis Ababa, he engaged in different activities along with singing. On this occasion, Ali came to know the nationalist Ahmad Taqi, and the latter bought him a guitar so that Ali could sing more widely. His fame increased dramatically throughout the city. He had ability to sing in Amharic, Arabic, Harari, and Somali languages, in addition to Oromo, his mother tongue. He gained appreciation from different contemporary personalities including Eyoel Yohannes, at the time the head of Kibur Zebegna, who then recruited him as a solo singer in Oromo. He joined other famous singers such as Mahmoud Ahmed, Tilahun Gessesse and Bizunesh Bekele.

He traveled with the group throughout the regions of the country, and even beyond to Sudan to sing with well-known celebrities like Mohammed Wardi. When he was in Addis Ababa, he would perform in large venues such as Hager Fiker and Ras Teyater, but following a discussion with his father, he left Addis Ababa. In the early 1970s, at the break of the Ethiopian revolution, Ahmad Taqi was killed in eastern Ethiopia while fighting the government army. Ali Birra mourned deeply and sang metaphorically,

Yaa Hundee Bareeda
Yaa Finxee Midhaga

Hundee was another name for Ahmad Taqi. Ali Birra continued his career both as a musician and a composer. He produced his first album in 1971, the first in the history of Oromo music. He then recorded successful hits such as "Hin Yaadin", "Asabalee", "Ammalelee", and "Gamachu". His albums included Sudanese songs such as "Al-Habib Ween" and Harari songs such as "Yidenqal".

A Swedish admirer of Ali Birra, who had been a vice-secretary at the Swedish Embassy in Addis Ababa, asked him for marriage. Ali agreed and married her in 1985, her name was Birgitta Åström (21 July 1942 – 13 September 2009). In 1986, Ali's wife was transferred to Saudi Arabia, and Ali accompanied her to the country. But Ali faced difficulties in Saudi Arabia, and proceeded to Sweden, where he lived for two years. In 1988, he went to the United States to attend the Los Angeles Arts Academy. He graduated in 1990, and by 1992, he had released his first two albums outside of Ethiopia amid increasing international fame. He also conducted many concerts and festivals in many countries, including the 2005 Enkutatash (Ethiopian New Year) celebration at the Addis Sheraton.

As of August 2009, Ali Birra reported that he had recently been treated for colon cancer, but planned to continue performing music, in spite of reports that his most recent album would be his last.[6]

Awards

In 1995, Ali received the Toronto African Merits Award. In 2010, Ali received an honorary doctorate from Jimma University.[7]

gollark: Oh, go there for the car batteries, right.
gollark: That doesn't sound very "every week" and why the airports?
gollark: Great!
gollark: If you don't live near the ocean, are rivers acceptable?
gollark: As far as I know, though, the UK is basically the only Western country to have directly government-owned/operated healthcare, and most places have a weird hybrid model with government-subsidized insurance or something.

References
  1. https://www.musicinafrica.net/directory/ali-birra
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-02-09. Retrieved 2018-01-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. https://theculturetrip.com/africa/ethiopia/articles/a-man-returns-an-audience-with-oromo-musical-legend-ali-birra/
  4. http://www.tadias.com/05/16/2017/mahmoud-ahmed-ali-birra-rock-the-stage-in-melbourne-australia/
  5. http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/booksandarts/mahmoud-ahmed-and-ali-birra/9030798
  6. "Ethiopia: Ali Birra not quitting music". Jimma Times. Jimma. August 12, 2009. Archived from the original on 18 February 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2009.
  7. "Ali Birra receives honorary degree". Addis Journal. 13 June 2010.
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