Asnaketch Worku
Encyclopedia
Asnaketch Worku, also known by the French spelling of her name Asnaqètch Wèrqu (also spelled Asnaqetch, Asnakech and Worqu, Werku, etc.; Ge'ez
አስናቀች ወርቁ Āsnāḳeč Werḳū or Worḳū, pronounced wɔrkʼu, Amharic
: "she surpassed," "His
gold") (c. 1935 – September 14, 2011) was a famous Ethiopia
n singer. Her trademark instrument was the krar
, a traditional Ethiopian plucked lyre
. In 2003, Buda Musique released Ethiopiques
16: The Lady With the Krar, a compact disc
which compiles
Asnaketch's recordings from the mid-1970s.
Asnaketch Worku was born in the Sidist Kilo neighborhood of Addis Ababa
and was raised in the city. Buying her first krar for only 25 cents, Asnaketch taught herself how to play and began performing in small bars and cabarets. She was the first actress in Ethiopia, making her debut in 1952 at the City Hall Theatre. Despite her long and distinguished career on the stage, Asnaketch is known primarily not for her career as an actress, but for her skills with the krar and her quick wit and inspired improvisations. Asnaketch worked at the National Theatre for 30 years before retiring in the 1980s. She died on September 14, 2011 at Bete Zata Hospital in Addis Ababa.
Ge'ez alphabet
Ge'ez , also called Ethiopic, is a script used as an abugida for several languages of Ethiopia and Eritrea but originated in an abjad used to write Ge'ez, now the liturgical language of the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Church...
አስናቀች ወርቁ Āsnāḳeč Werḳū or Worḳū, pronounced wɔrkʼu, Amharic
Amharic language
Amharic is a Semitic language spoken in Ethiopia. It is the second most-spoken Semitic language in the world, after Arabic, and the official working language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Thus, it has official status and is used nationwide. Amharic is also the official or working...
: "she surpassed," "His
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
gold") (c. 1935 – September 14, 2011) was a famous Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
n singer. Her trademark instrument was the krar
Krar
The krar or kraar is a five- or six-stringed bowl-shaped lyre from Eritrea and Ethiopia. The instrument is tuned to a pentatonic scale. A modern krar may be amplified, much in the same way as an electric guitar or violin....
, a traditional Ethiopian plucked lyre
Lyre
The lyre is a stringed musical instrument known for its use in Greek classical antiquity and later. The word comes from the Greek "λύρα" and the earliest reference to the word is the Mycenaean Greek ru-ra-ta-e, meaning "lyrists", written in Linear B syllabic script...
. In 2003, Buda Musique released Ethiopiques
Ethiopiques
Ethiopiques is a series of compact discs featuring Ethiopian and Eritrean singers and musicians. Many of the Ethiopiques CDs compile various singles and albums that Amha Records, Kaifa Records, and Philips-Ethiopia released during the 1960s and 1970s in Ethiopia...
16: The Lady With the Krar, a compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
which compiles
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
Asnaketch's recordings from the mid-1970s.
Asnaketch Worku was born in the Sidist Kilo neighborhood of Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
and was raised in the city. Buying her first krar for only 25 cents, Asnaketch taught herself how to play and began performing in small bars and cabarets. She was the first actress in Ethiopia, making her debut in 1952 at the City Hall Theatre. Despite her long and distinguished career on the stage, Asnaketch is known primarily not for her career as an actress, but for her skills with the krar and her quick wit and inspired improvisations. Asnaketch worked at the National Theatre for 30 years before retiring in the 1980s. She died on September 14, 2011 at Bete Zata Hospital in Addis Ababa.