Yemane Ghebremichael was a well-known Eritrea

Eritrea

Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...

n songwriter

Songwriter

A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...

, composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

 and singer. Not confined to musical pursuits, Yemane was also heavily involved in Eritrean politics. He died of natural causes in 1997.

Yemane's songwriting strove to reflect what he perceived to be Eritrean experience during the Eritrean War of Independence

Eritrean War of Independence

The Eritrean War of Independence was a conflict fought between the Ethiopian government and Eritrean separatists, both before and during the Ethiopian Civil War. The war started when Eritrea’s autonomy within Ethiopia, where troops were already stationed, was unilaterally revoked...

. His songs were dotted with stories of love, journey, hope, immigration, and liberation. In 1975 he was jailed for the perceived political interpretation of one of his songs.

A few years after the declaration of the independence of Eritrea, Yemane moved to Asmara

Asmara

Asmara is the capital city and largest settlement in Eritrea, home to a population of around 579,000 people...

 and continued to release albums that reflected the new era of hope and national prosperity, with a mix of African and Latin melodies. He also sang about the people involved in the movement towards Eritrean independence, and the sacrifices of that movement.

Yemane was also known as the 'Eritrean caretaker' due to his reputation as being of a generous, down-to-earth nature, and for sharing his place with newly arrived Eritreans. He is known to having helped many Eritreans adjust to diaspora life in Sudan

Sudan

Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...

 and move to better places in the Middle East, America, Europe, etc. He was known for his deep sense of artistry and mastery of Tigrinya

Tigrinya language

Tigrinya , also spelled Tigrigna, Tigrnia, Tigrina, Tigriña, less commonly Tigrinian, Tigrinyan, is a Semitic language spoken by the Tigrinya people in central Eritrea , where it is one of the two main languages of Eritrea, and in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia , where it...

, the most widely used Eritrean language.

Albums

Yemane's albums included:

• Wedebat Adey
• Asmera
• Zemen,
• Meskerem,
• Nasenet,
• Delay Selam,
• Aykonen Oromay,
• Wegihaya Meriet,
• Mesob Ade.
• Ab Kulu Gobotat
• Nay Mekabir Bitsotey
• Tezkoneley,
• Anbibeyo Debdabeki,
• Ab Sidet Zeleka,
• Kemeleki Zefkireki,
• Yikielo Eye Ane,
• Gual Hagerey,
• Bisirah Tegedide,
• Chira Feres,
• Mealtat Newihuni,

External links

• Yemane Baria Video